A faint light penetrated the glum. “Where am I?” he wondered.
一道微弱的光穿透了阴暗的地方。“我在哪里?”他想。
Shortly before daylight, Robert began to stir. He stretched his shoulders, feeling his bones grind against one another as they found their normal junction With a great deal of effort, first his right eye, then his left, opened against the cloak of tears and dirt that had sealed them shut while he slept. “I can’t see,” he thought. “Have I gone blind? Are my eyes even open? Are there bandages on them? I can’t be sure.”He touched his cheek with a forefinger, tracing gently toward the outer edge of his left eye.”Yes, they’re wide open. They sore!”He rubbed his eyes, loosening the clogged coarse veil, then blinking them and effusing tears to refresh them.
天快亮时,罗伯特开始动了起来。他伸了伸肩膀,感觉自己的骨头在找到正常的连接点时互相摩擦着。他费了很大的劲,先是右眼,然后是左眼,打开了眼泪和泥土的斗篷,这些泥土在他睡觉的时候把他们封闭了起来。“我看不见,”他想。”“我瞎了吗?我的眼睛睁开了吗?他们身上有绷带吗?我不能肯定。”他用食指触摸自己的面颊,轻轻地指向左眼的外缘。“是的,它们是完全开放的。他们疼!”他揉了揉眼睛,弄松了那堵塞的粗糙的面纱,然后眨了眨眼睛,流出了眼泪。
His faculty made him aware that, wherever he was, he was not alone. Something warm and soft like sponge was beside him. And it was snoring! He thought for a moment and then it started to come back to him. No, he most certainly wasn’t alone! The body next to him was that so-called colonel that untidy, blundering lump man who had so very nearly gotten them both killed the previous evening.
他的能力使他意识到,不管他在哪里,他并不孤单。他身边有一块像海绵一样温暖柔软的东西。它还在打呼噜!他想了一会儿,然后又想起来了。不,他肯定不是一个人!他旁边的尸体就是那个所谓的上校,那个邋里邋遢的大块头,昨天晚上差点害死了他们俩。
Before the colonel awakened, Robert allowed himself the venture of reflecting on the events of the previous day. It was beyond his understanding how they could have found themselves victimized so easily. There was nothing in the dawning of yesterday to warrant the hostile change that was to happen. But there had been warning signs that something bad was pending.
在上校醒来之前,罗伯特冒险回想了一下前一天发生的事。他无法理解他们怎么会如此容易地发现自己成了牺牲品。昨天的黎明没有任何东西可以证明即将发生的敌对变化。但是已经有一些预警信号表明有些不好的事情即将发生。
Now that he had more room, he uncoiled his raw body, feeling his blood saturate his limbs, his trunk and his brain. He yearned to leave this place and the swell of flesh that continued to rumble and chew in its sleep. I can’t do that. I have to get us out of this dilemma. I guess I’ll just wait until this bull rouses. By then I should have a plan. Whether he likes it or not, I am taking charge. He must concede his authority to me. I’m not going to let his humiliating behavior be my downfall.’ He narrated to himself.
继续在睡梦中发出隆隆声和咀嚼声的肉体。我做不到。我必须使我们摆脱这种进退两现在他有了更多的空间,他舒展了他原始的身体,感觉到血液浸透了他的四肢、躯干和大脑。他渴望离开这个地方和这个大浪难的局面。我想我只能等到牛市复苏。到那时,我应该有一个计划。不管他喜不喜欢,我都要负起责任。他必须把他的权力让给我。我不会让他的羞辱行为毁了我他自言自语。
Robert rolled away from his companion, shrewdly lest he would disturb the man’s sleep. The Curtain of darkness was lifting without restraint and he could perceive and acquaint himself a little more with his surroundings. The refuge in which they were staying he found was really quite spacious. He felt the smooth surface of the granite against his back.
罗伯特精明地从他的同伴身边滚开,生怕打扰他的睡眠。黑暗的帷幕无拘无束地升起,他可以更多地了解和熟悉周围的环境。他发现他们住的那个避难所真的很宽敞。他感觉到花岗岩光滑的表面贴在他的背上。
“If only she had agreed to run away with me!” he said to himself.
“要是她答应和我私奔就好了!”他对自己说。
The Earl of Morley was a man with ambitions. He had a strong desire to conquer and obtain. Once he decided he wanted something, be it property or county maiden, through conspiracy or erroneous plot, he would rejoice his selfishness by whatever means necessary. He was never shameful for his greed and being of no virtue at all. The origin of yesterday’s conflagration was the Earl’s lusty craving for the daughter of Lord Stafford.
莫利伯爵是个有野心的人。他有强烈的征服和获得的欲望。一旦他决定要什么东西,不管是财产还是郡女,通过阴谋或错误的阴谋,他就会用任何必要的手段来庆祝他的自私。他从来没有因为他的贪婪而感到羞耻,也从来没有因为他没有美德而感到羞耻。昨天的火灾的起因是伯爵对斯坦福勋爵女儿的欲望。
Lady Janine, the Lord’s only child, was spending a vocation with her tutor in a village on the edge of the Earl’s extensive land when the Earl first saw her. Her beauty did not escape him, and he immediately began to pursue her, shrewdly immersing himself into her company. He also flattered her every chance he got. Lady Janine, a haughty young woman, was indifferent to his unwelcome courtship.
詹宁夫人是上帝唯一的孩子,当伯爵第一次见到她时,她正和她的家庭教师在伯爵大片土地边上的一个村庄里度假。她的美貌并没有逃过他的眼睛,他立刻开始追求她,精明地沉浸在她的陪伴中。他还利用一切机会奉承她。珍妮女士,一个傲慢的年轻女人,对他不受欢迎的求爱漠不关心。
Not a man to take rejection lightly, the Earl’s initial response normally would have been simply to kidnap the object of his passion. This time, however, he made a resolution that he coveted more than just a casual companionship with the young lady. He wanted her to be obedient, to accept him as her husband. With this in mind, and following the rules of social custom of the day, he sent an agent, a monk from the monastery near the village, to her father to relay his message and act on his behalf. As a sign of good faith, the monk was to present the lady with a ring in which was set a ruby of huge proportions.
这位伯爵不会对拒绝掉以轻心,他最初的反应通常是简单地绑架他的激情对象。然而,这一次,他下定决心,他渴望的不仅仅是与这位年轻女士的一次偶然的友谊。他希望她听话,接受他为自己的丈夫。考虑到这一点,并遵循当时的社会习俗,他从村庄附近的寺院派了一个代理人,一个僧侣到她那里父亲传达他的信息并代表他行事。为了表示诚意,修道士要送给这位女士一枚镶嵌着巨大红宝石的戒指。
The monk arrived at the castle in simplicity only to be met by Lady Janine’s father. Lord Stafford, being a straightforward man, did not disguise his feelings. “To prompt matters, and to assure you there is no doubt in my daughter’s mind that the Earl’s propositions are to no success, please tell him that 1 will never consent to a union between them. He is unfit for my daughter. She despises him! Tell him to forget this ridiculous show. He has sent you on a fool’s mission.”
僧人平平淡淡地来到城堡,却遇到了珍妮夫人的父亲。斯塔福德勋爵是个直率的人,没有掩饰自己的感情。“为了促成此事,并向您保证,在我女儿的心目中,伯爵的提议毫无疑问是不会成功的,请告诉他,我永远不会同意他们结合。他不适合我的女儿。她鄙视他!告诉他忘了这场可笑的演出。他派你去执行一个愚蠢的任务。”
“What, exactly, were his words?”demanded the Earl in torrent.”Has he merely deferred his decision or has he taken a resolute declaration?”
“他到底说了什么?”托伦伯爵问道。他是仅仅推迟了他的决定,还是作出了坚决的声明
Touching the brim of his hat in farewell, the depressed monk turned around and returned to give Lord Stafford’s response to the Earl. How was he going to tell him that this unsuccessful attempt was unlikely to be reversed? How was he going to elude punishment? The Earl was sure to show his scorn and hatred by dismissing him from the estate.
那个沮丧的和尚碰了碰帽檐告别,转过身来斯塔福德勋爵回答了伯爵的问题。这次失败的尝试不太可能被逆转为了逃避惩罚?这位伯爵一定会以这样的方式来表示他的蔑视和憎恨把他逐出庄园。
“Sire,”the monk stammered,”I fear Lord Stafford has refused your suit.”
“陛下,”僧侣结结巴巴地说,“恐怕斯塔福勋爵已经拒绝了您的请求。”
The Earl scorned at this suggestion. “She is but a girl, and has had no experience. nor. I am told, has she any suitors. I like young and beautiful women. I will have her!”
伯爵对这个建议嗤之以鼻。“她只是一个女孩,没有经验。也不。有人告诉我,她有追求者吗。我喜欢年轻漂亮的女人,我一定要得到她!”
The monk was sent back to the monastery to resume his preaching, an act that greatly surprised him as he had expected to be doomed or suffer ejection from the estate. He wondered what the Earl’s next approach would be and sincerely hoped his cooperation was at an end.
这位和尚被送回寺院继续他的讲道,这一举动让他大吃一惊,因为他曾预料到自己会被判死刑或被逐出寺院。他想知道伯爵的下一步行动是什么,并真诚地希望他的合作到此为止。
“Sire, I am certain he will not change his mind. It seems his daughter would prefer to take another as her husband.”
“陛下,我肯定他不会改变主意的。看起来他的女儿更喜欢另一个做她的丈夫。”
For a time, a state of desolation descended the Earl’s very being. He spent hours on end despising himself for being such a fool, neither eating nor sleeping. Then, he became very angry. “How dare she refuse me? I will have her!”
有一段时间,伯爵的生活一片荒凉。他一连几个小时都在鄙视自己,因为自己是个既不吃饭也不睡觉的傻瓜。然后,他变得非常生气。“她怎么敢拒绝我?我会得到她的!”
With this thought in mind, he commenced to win her by evil means, since his previously extraordinary behavior had been rejected. And so began the complex plan to spoil the lovely Lady Janine by violence and then ransom her to her father for a large amount of money.
带着这种想法,他开始用邪恶的手段来赢得她的芳心,因为他以前那种不同寻常的行为已经被拒绝了。于是开始了一个复杂的计划,用暴力宠坏可爱的珍妮夫人,然后把她赎回给她的父亲,换取一大笔钱。
His subordinates were sent to spy on the fair maiden. When he learned that Lady Janine’s father was to travel to another province to oversee his estates there, leaving Lady Janine in the care of his staff, the Earl decided to seize both the girl and the Lord’s treasures.
他的部下被派去暗中监视那位美丽的少女。当他得知珍妮小姐的父亲要到另一个省去管理他在那里的财产,把珍妮小姐留给他的仆人照顾时,伯爵决定同时没收这个女孩和上帝的财宝。
A small village surrounded the castle. In the dead of night, the Earl and his recruits raided and occupied it like lightning with little resistance from the tenants. The following morning, he approached the gates of the mansion of the Lord, on]Y to be opposed by the presence of armed guards, fifty knights in armor. As the Earl had not expected to find that the castle had been keeping prepared for the assault, he had to discard his preliminary plan in which he would simply attack and steal. Now he had to fight to abolish the guards. His capturing the village gave him a good position and his cunning gave him the advantage.
城堡周围有一个小村庄。在夜深人静的时候,伯爵和他的新兵突然袭击并占领了它,没有受到任何来自房客的抵抗。第二天早上,他来到耶和华府的大门前,遭到五十名全副武装的骑士的反对。由于伯爵没有料到城堡已经为进攻做好了准备,他不得不放弃他的初步计划,在这个计划中他只是进攻和偷窃。现在他不得不奋起反抗,以消灭守卫。他占领了那个村庄,这给了他一个很好的位置,他的狡猾给了他优势。
Robert gazed thoughtfully at the misty exterior of frost icing the red and gold across from the ridge where the mouth of the cave is located. His thoughts took leaves of the maple and walnut trees situated on the hillside him back to his first sight of Janine.
罗伯特若有所思地凝视着冰霜覆盖的红色和金色的朦胧外表,位于山坡上的枫树和核桃树的叶子。从洞口所在的山脊上穿过。他的思绪回到他第一次见到珍妮的时候。
“No, Milady,” he replied.”You startled me. Which of these ponies is the one you prefer?”
“不,米拉迪,”他回答说。“你吓了我一跳。这些小马你喜欢哪一匹?”
“I don’t ride a pony! I usually ride that black mare,”she answered irritably.
“我不骑小马!我通常骑那匹黑色的母马,”她烦躁地回答。
Robert was so surprised by her request; he blushed and didn’t respond immediately. “Are you deaf?”she asked.
罗伯特被她的请求吓了一跳,脸红了,没有立即回答。“你聋了吗?”她问道。
The son of a servant, Robert was employed by Lord Stafford as a stable boy. His duties included clearing the animal dirt out of the canals behind the horses, putting fresh straw in the stalls, and preparing and watering the horses. One day, as he was cleaning the horse stable, a girl about his own age appeared in the doorway. “My father said I am to tell you to prepare my mount for me.”
罗伯特是仆人的儿子,曾受雇于斯塔福德勋爵当马童。他的职责包括清除马背后运河中的动物粪便,在马厩里放上新鲜的稻草,以及为马匹做准备和浇水。一天,他正在打扫马厩,一个和他年龄相仿的女孩出现在门口。我父亲说,我要吩咐你为我预备我的坐骑。”
Robert appraised her ability, reassured himself that she could carry herself quite nicely on horseback, and returned to his work.
罗伯特评价了一下她的能力,确信她在马背上骑得相当不错,就回去继续干他的活儿。
“I’ll have her ready in a moment, Milady.”
“我马上就让她准备好,夫人。”
As soon as the mare was saddled and bridled, Janine mounted her with Robert’s assistance. She walked the mare out of the barn, and thrust her into a gallop as soon as they were in the barnyard. It was obvious she was a skilled rider.
母马一上马鞍和缰绳,珍妮就在罗伯特的帮助下骑上了她。她把母马从马厩里牵出来,一到马厩的院子里,她就马上飞奔起来。很明显,她是个熟练的骑手。
And so their relationship began. He soon learned that Janine was passionately impulsive, witty, snobbish and lacks modesty, whereas he, Robert, was calm and thrifty, as well as totally enchanted by her. When she discovered he was illiterate, she taught him to read and write, although most of his writing was difficult to read. In return, he taught her to do mathematical operations, something he had always done in his head before she taught him the symbols for the numbers. He worshipped her. Over the next few years, their decent friendship grew, eventually turning to love.
于是他们的关系开始了。他很快了解到珍妮是个冲动的人,机智,势利,缺乏谦虚,而他,罗伯特,平静,节俭,完全被她迷住了。当她发现他是文盲时,她教他读和写,虽然他的大部分文字很难读。作为回报,他教她做数学运算,这是在她教他数字符号之前,他脑子里一直在想的事情。他崇拜她。在接下来的几年里,他们体面的友谊不断增长,最终变成了爱情。
0 条评论