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This came home to me when, two days later, I drove over with Flora to meet, as Mrs. Grose said, the little gentleman; and all the more for an incident that, presenting itself the second evening, had deeply disconcerted me.
两天后，我和弗洛拉坐车去接格罗斯太太所说的小绅士，但是第二天夜晚发生的一件事让我感到惊慌失措。
The first day had been, on the whole, as I have expressed, reassuring; but I was to see it wind up in keen apprehension.
头一天，总体来说，就像我所说的那样，我已踏实地放下心来，但后来我那颗悬着的心，又吊到了嗓子眼，异常焦虑起来。
The postbag, that evening—it came late—contained a letter for me, which, however, in the hand of my employer, I found to be composed but of a few words enclosing another, addressed to himself, with a seal still unbroken.
那天晚上，有个邮包到了，它来得晚了些，里面有我的信，却是我雇主写给我的，打开后发现只有几行字，还附了另一封邮给他的信，尚未打开。
"This, I recognize, is from the headmaster, and the headmaster's an awful bore. Read him, please; deal with him; but mind you don't report. Not a word. I 'm off!” I broke the seal with a great effort—so great a one that I was a long time coming to it; took the unopened missive at last up to my room and only attacked it just before going to bed. I had better have let it wait till morning, for it gave me a second sleepless night.
“我认出这是校长写来的信，他是个可怕的傻瓜。读他的信，应付下他，但请记住不要跟我汇报。一个字也不行。我不在！” 我拆封条拆得颇为费劲，过了好长时间才缓过劲来。我最后拿着这封未打开的信走到我的房间，在睡前才开始读它。我真应该等到早上再读这封信，因为它给我带来了第二个不眠之夜。
With no counsel to take, the next day, I was full of distress; and it finally got so the better of me that I determined to open myself at least to Mrs. Grose.
因为没有谁给出主意，第二天，我感到内心充满苦恼。最终，我决定至少要跟格罗斯太太谈谈。
"What does it mean? The child's dismissed his school.”
“这是什么意思？这个孩子被学校开除了。”
She gave me a look that I remarked at the moment; then, visibly, with a quick blankness, seemed to try to take it back. "But aren't they all—?”
我注意到当时她脸上的表情有点奇怪，接着，很明显地，她立刻又呆在那里，好像试图收回刚才的表情， “但他们不是都被——”
"Sent home—yes. But only for the holidays. Miles may never go back at all.”
“送回家了——是的。但仅仅是假期这段时间。而迈尔斯可能再也回不去了。”
Consciously, under my attention, she reddened. "They won't take him?”
在我的注视下，她的脸下意识地红了起来： “他们不再接收他？”
"They absolutely decline. "
“他们绝对会拒绝的。”
At this she raised her eyes, which she had turned from me; I saw them fill with good tears.
这时，她抬起刚才从我这里移开的眼，我看到她眼里噙满了善良的泪水。
"What has he done? "
“他做了什么？”
I hesitated; then I judged best simply to hand her my letter—which, however, had the effect of making her, without taking it, simply put her hands behind her. She shook her head sadly. "Such things are not for me, miss. "
我犹豫了一下，然后，我决定最好就直接把信递给她。然而，出于某种原因她没接信，只是把手放到身后。她悲伤地摇摇头： “小姐，读信这样的事我可不在行。”
My counselor couldn't read! I winced at my mistake, which I attenuated as I could, and opened my letter again to repeat it to her; then, faltering in the act and folding it up once more, I put it back in my pocket. "Is he really BAD? " The tears were still in her eyes. "Do the gentlemen say so? "
我的顾问格罗斯太太居然不识字！我为自己犯的错退缩了一下，尽力弥补着自己的冒失，再次打开那封信，念给她听，然后，我迟疑了一下，又把信重新折好，放回我的口袋。 “他真的坏吗？” 眼泪仍在她的眼眶里打转， “那些先生这么说的吗？”
"They go into no particulars. They simply express their regret that it should be impossible to keep him. That can have only one meaning. "
“他们说得不是很详细。他们只是说，很遗憾不能继续让他呆在那里了。那只会有一种意思。”
Mrs. Grose listened with dumb emotion; she forbore to ask me what this meaning might be; so that, presently, to put the thing with some coherence and with the mere aid of her presence to my own mind, I went on: "That he's an injury to the others.”
格罗斯太太沉默不语，只是听着，她忍耐着不问我这到底意味着什么。所以后来，我把事情理了下头绪，而她在这里就是对我唯一的帮助，我继续道： “他对别人是一种伤害。”
At this, with one of the quick turns of simple folk, she suddenly flamed up. "Master Miles! HIM an injury? "
听到这句，朴实的格罗斯太太突然发火了： “迈尔斯小主人！他是种伤害？”
There was such a flood of good faith in it that, though I had not yet seen the child, my very fears made me jump to the absurdity of the idea.
尽管我还没见过这个孩子，但我对此有充分的理由相信，正是我的担心使我一下有了这个荒谬的想法。
I found myself, to meet my friend the better, offering it, on the spot, sarcastically. "To his poor little innocent mates! "
我发现自己为了更好地迎合她，在此事上，立刻挖苦地说： “对他可怜无辜的同学是个威胁！”
"It's too dreadful, " cried Mrs. Grose, "to say such cruel things! Why, he's scarce ten years old.”
“真太可怕了，” 格罗斯太太叫道， “居然说出这么残酷的话！怎么会这么说呢，他还不到十岁呢。”
"Yes, yes; it would be incredible. " She was evidently grateful for such a profession.
“是啊，是啊，简直令人无法相信。” 显而易见，她对我的这句话流露出感激的神色。
"See him, miss, first. THEN believe it! " I felt forthwith a new impatience to see him; it was the beginning of a curiosity that, for all the next hours, was to deepen almost to pain. Mrs. Grose was aware, I could judge, of what she had produced in me, and she followed it up with assurance. "You might as well believe it of the little lady. Bless her! " she added the next moment— "LOOK at her! "
“小姐，先见一下他。然后你就会相信的。” 我立刻又有一种迫不及待想见到他的心情。一开始只是好奇，在接下来的时间，这感觉加深到几乎成为一种痛苦。我可以看出，格罗斯太太意识到了她所说的话影响到了我，她接着很肯定地说： “你也可以相信那位年轻女士的话。上帝保佑她！” 紧接着她加了句， “瞧她！”
I turned and saw that Flora, whom, ten minutes before, I had established in the schoolroom with a sheet of white paper, a pencil, and a copy of nice "round o's, " now presented herself to view at the open door. She expressed in her little way an extraordinary detachment from disagreeable duties, looking to me, however, with a great childish light that seemed to offer it as a mere result of the affection she had conceived for my person, which had rendered necessary that she should follow me.
我转身看到了弗洛拉，现在，她就站在开着的门口。十分钟前，我让她在教室里，给了她一张白纸和一支铅笔，让她临摹书上那个漂亮的、圆圆的字母O。她用她自己的方式从这个无趣的任务中分心跑出来，然而她用稚气的目光注视着我，好像在说这仅仅因为她对我本人的喜爱，所以提出必须跟着我才对。
I needed nothing more than this to feel the full force of Mrs. Grose's comparison, and, catching my pupil in my arms, covered her with kisses in which there was a sob of atonement.
这使我强烈体会到了格罗斯太太的比较显现出来的强大威力。我抱起我的学生，吻着她，内疚地哽咽着。
Nonetheless, the rest of the day I watched for further occasion to approach my colleague, especially as, toward evening, I began to fancy she rather sought to avoid me. I overtook her, I remember, on the staircase; we went down together, and at the bottom I detained her, holding her there with a hand on her arm.
尽管如此，在那天余下的时间里，我都想进一步找机会接近我的同事格罗斯太太。尤其是快到晚上时，我开始猜想到她是故意躲着我。我记得在楼梯上我追上了她，我们一起朝楼下走着。在楼下我留住了她，伸出一只手抓住了她的胳膊。
"I take what you said to me at noon as a declaration that YOU 'VE never known him to be bad.” She threw back her head; she had clearly, by this time, and very honestly, adopted an attitude. " Oh, never known him—I don't pretend THAT!”
“你中午对我说的话让我觉得，你从来都不知道他是个坏孩子。” 她转过头，这回，她以很清晰、坦诚的态度说道： “哦，我从不知道——也从不假装那样！”
I was upset again. "Then you HAVE known him—?”
我内心又开始不安起来： “那么你已经认识他了？”
"Yes indeed, miss, thank God! "
“是的，小姐，谢天谢地！”
On reflection I accepted this. "You mean that a boy who never is—?”
经过再三思考，我接受了这个事实。 “你的意思是，这孩子从来不是——”
"Is no boy for ME! "
“他对我来说已经不是个小男孩了！”
I held her tighter. "You like them with the spirit to be naughty? " Then, keeping pace with her answer, "So do I! " I eagerly brought out. "But not to the degree to contaminate—”
我紧紧地握住她： “你喜欢他们的淘气劲儿？” 然后，我跟着她的回答，说道， “我也是！” 我急切地脱口而出， “但是不要到成为毒害的程度——”
"To contaminate? " —My big word left her at a loss.
“毒害？” 我严厉的词语让她茫然不知所措。
I explained it. "To corrupt. " she stared, taking my meaning in; but it produced in her an odd laugh.
我解释道： “就是堕落。” 她凝视着我，慢慢理解我的话，却发出了奇怪的笑声。
"Are you afraid he'll corrupt YOU? " she put the question with such a fine bold humor that, with a laugh, a little silly doubtless, to match her own, I gave way for the time to the apprehension of ridicule.
“你是担心他会使你堕落？” 她居然以这种无礼的幽默来问我，加上那与她相配、无疑有点愚蠢的大笑，而对于她当时那种可笑的忧虑，我只能让步。
But the next day, as the hour for my drive approached, I cropped up in another place. "What was the lady who was here before? "
但第二天，当马车快到的时候，我突然冒出一个问题： “我之前的老师是什么样子的人啊？”
"The last governess? She was also young and pretty—almost as young and almost as pretty, miss, even as you.”
“上一个女家庭教师？她也非常年轻漂亮——差不多就和你一样年轻漂亮，小姐。”
"Ah, then, I hope her youth and her beauty helped her! " I recollect throwing off. "He seems to like us young and pretty! "
“哦，那么我希望她的年轻美貌帮助了她！” 我记得我脱口而出， “他似乎喜欢我们年轻又漂亮！”
"Oh, he DID, " Mrs. Grose assented: "it was the way he liked everyone! " She had no sooner spoken indeed than she caught herself up. "I mean that's HIS way—the master's.”
“哦，是的，他是这样的。” 格罗斯太太赞同地说， “他喜欢每个年轻漂亮的人！” 她控制下自己，又赶紧说： “我的意思是，那是他的方式——是主人的方式。”
I was struck. "But of whom did you speak first? " She looked blank, but she colored. "Why, of HIM. "
我很吃惊： “但是你刚开始指谁？” 她看起来脑子一片空白，但是脸却红了： “当然是主人了。”
"Of the master? " "Of who else? "
“主人？” “难道还有谁？”
There was so obviously no one else that the next moment I had lost my impression of her having accidentally said more than she meant; and I merely asked what I wanted to know. "Did SHE see anything in the boy—?”
这里很显然没有别人了，接下来的时间，对于她曾说出的超出她本意的话，我已经没有印象了，而我只是问了我想知道的事情： “她有没有发现这孩子身上——”
"That wasn't right? She never told me.”
“有什么不对？她从没跟我说过什么。”
I had a scruple, but I overcame it. "Was she careful—particular?”
我有点顾虑，但我克服了这种顾虑，又继续问： “她非常细心吗？”
Mrs. Grose appeared to try to be conscientious. "About some things—yes.”
格罗斯太太试图负责地说： “某些事情上——是的。”
"But not about all? "
“但不是所有事都是？”
Again she considered. "Well, miss—she's gone. I won't tell tales.”
她又想了想： “唉，小姐——她已经去世了。我不能瞎说。”
"I quite understand your feeling, " I hastened to reply; but I thought it, after an instant, not opposed to this concession to pursue: "Did she die here? "
“我非常理解你的心情，” 我赶忙说道，但想了想，不一会儿，在允许范围内我继续问道， “她是在这里死的吗？”
"No—she went off.”
“不，她离开这里了。”
I don't know what there was in this brevity of Mrs. Grose's that struck me as ambiguous. "Went off to die? " Mrs. Grose looked straight out of the window, but I felt that, hypothetically, I had a right to know what young persons engaged for Bly were expected to do.
我不知道格罗斯太太简洁的话中包含着什么，这让我糊涂了： “离开后死的？” 格罗斯太太直直地望着窗外，但我设想，我应该有权知道雇佣年轻人到布莱是想让她们做什么。
"She was taken ill, you mean, and went home? "
“你意思是她生病了就回家了？”
"She was not taken ill, so far as appeared, in this house. She left it, at the end of the year, to go home, as she said, for a short holiday, to which the time she had put in had certainly given her a right. We had then a young woman—a nursemaid who had stayed on and who was a good girl and clever; and SHE took the children altogether for the interval.
“至少在这里时她没生病。年末时，她离开这里说回家度个短假，她在工作上付出的时间足够让她有这个权利。然后，我们又雇佣了一个年轻的女孩——一个又好又聪明的小保姆，在这期间来照顾孩子们。
But our young lady never came back, and at the very moment I was expecting her I heard from the master that she was dead.”
可是我们年轻的女家庭教师就再没回来，就在我期待她回来时，主人告诉我她已经死了。”
I turned this over. "But of what? "
我反复思考这些： “但什么原因呢？”
"He never told me! But please, miss, " said Mrs. Grose, "I must get to my work. "
“他没告诉我！可是小姐，” 格罗斯太太说， “我必须去工作了。”