Peter Pan — Page 5

不得不说，这真是一件令人震惊的事——这个男人虽然精通股票和证券，却完全驾驭不了自己的领带。

It is an astounding thing to have to tell, but this man, though he knew about stocks and shares, had no real mastery of his tie.

有时候领带会乖乖就范，不费他任何力气，但有些时候，他若是能放下面子、用一条现成的领带，对全家人来说都会好得多。

Sometimes the thing yielded to him without a contest, but there were occasions when it would have been better for the house if he had swallowed his pride and used a made-up tie.

这一次就是这样的情况。他冲进育儿室，手里拿着那条皱巴巴的讨厌领带。

This was such an occasion. He came rushing into the nursery with the crumpled little brute of a tie in his hand.

「怎么了，亲爱的父亲？」

"Why, what is the matter, father dear?"

「怎么了！」他吼道，他真的吼了出来。「这条领带，它就是不肯打好。」

"Matter!" he yelled; he really yelled. "This tie, it will not tie."

他开始危险地讽刺起来。「不是围着我的脖子！是围着床柱！没错，我已经在床柱上打了二十次了，可就是不能围着我的脖子打——哦，不行！绝对不行！它恕不奉陪！」

He became dangerously sarcastic. "Not round my neck! Round the bed-post! Oh yes, twenty times have I made it up round the bed-post, but round my neck, no! Oh dear no! begs to be excused!"

他觉得达林太太的反应不够强烈，便继续严肃地说：「我警告你，母亲，如果这领带没能围上我的脖子，我们今晚就不出去吃晚饭；如果我今晚不出去吃晚饭，我就再也不去办公室了；如果我再也不去办公室，你和我就得挨饿，我们的孩子也会被扔到街上。」

He thought Mrs. Darling was not sufficiently impressed, and he went on sternly, "I warn you of this, mother, that unless this tie is round my neck we don't go out to dinner to-night, and if I don't go out to dinner to-night, I never go to the office again, and if I don't go to the office again, you and I starve, and our children will be flung into the streets."

即便如此，达林太太依然神情平静。

Even then Mrs. Darling was placid.