月亮和六便士 第四十六章(4)

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He is not embarrassed by the sans gene² of the hobo, nor put out of countenance³ by the etiquette⁴ of the prince. 无业游民的粗野无礼既不会使他感到难堪，王公贵人的繁文缛节也不会叫他感到拘束。

But Mrs. Nichols belonged to the well-defined class, of late become vocal⁵, which is known as the lower-middle. 但是尼柯尔斯太太却出身于一个最近名声渐着的阶层，就是人们称之为中下层（这个名称叫得好！）的社会阶层。

Her father, in fact, was a policeman. I am certain that he was an efficient one. 她的父亲是个警察，而且我敢说还非常精明能干。

I do not know what her hold was on the Captain, but I do not think it was love. 我不知道她为什么要抓住船长不放，我不相信是因为爱情。

I never heard her speak, but it may be that in private she had a copious⁶ conversation. 我从来没听她开口讲过话，也许同她丈夫单独在一起的时候她的话很多。

At any rate, Captain Nichols was frightened to death of her. 不管怎么说，尼柯尔斯船长怕她怕得要死。

Sometimes, sitting with me on the terrace of the hotel, he would become conscious that she was walking in the road outside. 有时候他同我坐在旅馆的露台上会突然意识到自己的老婆正在外面马路上走动，

She did not call him; she gave no sign that she was aware of his existence; she merely walked up and down composedly. 她从来不叫他，她好象根本不知道他在这里，只是安详自若地在街头踱来踱去。

Then a strange uneasiness would seize the Captain; he would look at his watch and sigh. 这时候船长就浑身不安起来；他看了看表，长叹一口气。

"Well, I must be off," he said. “唉，我该走了。”他说。

Neither wit nor whisky could detain him then. 在这种时候，说笑话也好，喝威士忌也好，再也没有什么能把他留住了。

Yet he was a man who had faced undaunted hurricane and typhoon, 要知道，尼柯尔斯船长本是个经十二级风暴也面不改色的人，

and would not have hesitated to fight a dozen unarmed niggers with nothing but a revolver to help him. 只要有一把手枪，就是一打黑人上来，他也有胆量对付。

Sometimes Mrs. Nichols would send her daughter, a pale-faced, sullen⁷ child of seven, to the hotel. 有时尼柯尔斯太太也派他们的女儿，一个面色苍白、总是耷拉着脸的七岁孩子，到旅馆来。

"Mother wants you," she said, in a whining⁸ tone. “妈妈找你。”她带着哭音地说。

"Very well, my dear," said Captain Nichols. “好，好，亲爱的孩子。”尼柯尔斯船长说。

He rose to his feet at once, and accompanied his daughter along the road. 他马上站起身来，陪同女儿走回家去。

I suppose it was a very pretty example of the triumph of spirit over matter, and so my digression has at least the advantage of a moral. 我想这是精神战胜物质的一个极好的例证，所以我这段文章虽然写得走了题，却还是具有一些教训意义的。

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