Oh， it was easy enough. In two weeks Anabela was engaged to me， and Fergus was out. He took it calm， for a handsome man， and told me he wasnt going to give in.
呃，经过非常顺利。不出两星期，安娜贝拉和我订了婚，弗格斯完了。作为一个漂亮的人，他处之泰然，并且对我说他不准备放弃。
“Talk may be all right in its place， Judson，” he says to me， “although Ive never thought it worth cultivating. But，” says he， “to expect mere words to back up successfully a face like yours in a ladys good graces is like expecting a man to make a square meal on the ringing of a dinnerbell.”
“交谈本身很起作用，贾德森，”他对我说，“尽管我以前从没有想到要培养它。但是凭你的尊容，指望用一些话语来博得女人的欢心，那简直是画饼充饥了。”
But I havent begun on the story I was going to tell you yet.
我还没有讲到故事的正文呢。
One day I took a long ride in the hot sunshine， and then took a bath in the cold waters of a lagoonlagoon n.潟湖 礁湖 on the edge of the town before Id cooled off.
一天，我在火热的阳光底下骑马骑了好久，没等到凉爽下来，就在镇边的礁湖里洗了一个冷水澡。
That evening after dark I called at the alcaldes to see Anabela. I was calling regular every evening then， and we were to be married in a month. She was looking like a bulbulbulbul n.夜莺， a gazellegazelle n.［动］瞪羚， and a tearose， and her eyes were as soft and bright as two quarts of cream skimmed off from the Milky Way. She looked at my rugged features without any expression of fear or repugnance. Indeed， I fancied that I saw a look of deep admiration and affection， such as she had cast at Fergus on the plaza.
天黑之后，我去镇长家看安娜贝拉，我每天傍晚都去看她，我们打算一个月后结婚。她仿佛一只夜莺，一头羚羊，一朵蔷薇，她的眼睛又明亮又柔和，活像银河上撒下来的两夸脱奶油。她看到我那丑陋的相貌时，并没有害怕或厌恶的样子。老实说，我觉得我看到的是无限的柔情蜜意，正像她在广场上望着弗格斯时那样。
I sat down， and opened my mouth to tell Anabela what she loved to hear—that she was a trust， monopolizingmonopolize vt.独占， 垄断 all the loveliness of earth. I opened my mouth， and instead of the usual vibrating words of love and compliment， there came forth a faint wheeze such as a baby with croup might emit. Not a word—not a syllable—not an intelligible sound. I had caught cold in my laryngeal regions when I took my injudiciousinjudicious adj.判断不当的， 不聪明的， 浅薄的 bath.
我坐下来，开始讲一些安娜贝拉爱听的话——我说她是个托拉斯，把全世界的美丽都垄断了。我张开嘴巴，发出来的不再是往常那种打动心弦的爱慕和奉承的话语，却是像害喉炎的娃娃发出的微弱的嘶嘶声。我说不出一个字，一个音节，一声清晰的声音。我洗澡不小心，着凉哑了嗓子。
For two hours I sat trying to entertainentertain vt.娱乐， 招待， 接受， 怀抱 vi.款待 Anabela. She talked a certain amount， but it was perfunctory and diluted. The nearest approach I made to speech was to formulate a sound like a clam trying to sing “A Life on the Ocean Wave” at low tide. It seemed that Anabelas eyes did not rest upon me as often as usual. I had nothing with which to charmcharm n.吸引力， (女人的)魔力， 魅力， 符咒 vt.迷人，使陶醉， 行魔法 vi.用符咒， 有魔力 her ears. We looked at pictures and she played the guitar occasionally， very badly. When I left， her parting manner seemed cool—or at least thoughtful.
我坐了两个小时，想给安娜贝拉提供一些消遣。她也说了一些话，不过显得应与委蛇，淡而无味。我想竭力达到的算是话语的声音，只是退潮时分蛤蟆所唱的那种“海洋里的生活”。安娜贝拉的眼睛仿佛也不像平时那样频频地望着我了。我没有办法来诱惑她的耳朵。我们看了一些画，她偶尔弹弹吉他，弹得非常差。我离去时，她的态度很冷漠——至少可以说是心不在焉。
This happened for five evenings consecutively.
这种情况持续了五个晚上。
“On the sixth day she ran away with Fergus McMahan. ”It was known that they fled in a sailing yachtyacht n.游艇， 快艇， 轻舟 vi.驾游艇， 乘游艇 bound for Belize. I was only eight hours behind them in a small steam launch belonging to the Revenue Department.
“第六天，她跟弗格斯·麦克马汉跑了。”——据说他们是乘游艇逃到贝里塞夫的，他们离开了已有八小时。我乘了税务署的一条小汽艇赶去。
Before I sailed， I rushed into the botica of old Manuel Iquito， a halfbreed Indian druggist. I could not speak， but I pointed to my throat and made a sound like escaping steam. He began to yawn. In an hour， according to the customs of the country， I would have been waited on. I reached across the counter， seizedseize v.抓住， 逮住， 夺取 vt.没收， 查封 him by the throat， and pointed again to my own. He yawned once more， and thrust into my hand a small bottle containing a black liquid.
我上船之前，先到老曼努埃尔·伊基托，一个印第安混血药剂师的药房里去。我说不出话，只好指指喉咙，发出一种管子漏气似的声音。他打起呵欠来。根据当地的习惯，他要过一小时才理会我。我隔着柜台探过身去，抓住他的喉咙，再指指我自己的喉咙。他又打了一呵欠，把一个盛着黑色药水的小瓶放在我手里。
“Take one small spoonfulspoonful n.一匙 every two hours，” says he.
“每隔两小时吃一小匙。”他说。
I threw him a dollar and skinned for the steamer.
我扔下一块钱，赶到汽艇上。
I steamed into the harbour at Belize thirteen seconds behind the yacht that Anabela and Fergus were on. They started for the shore in a dorydory n.平底的小渔船， 海鲂 just as my skiff was lowered over the side. I tried to order my sailormen to row faster， but the sounds died in my larynx before they came to the light. Then I thought of old Iquitos medicine， and I got out his bottle and took a swallow of it.
我在安娜贝拉和弗格斯的游艇后面赶到了贝里塞港口，只比他们迟了十三秒。我船上的舢板放下去时，他们的舢板刚向岸边划去。我想吩咐水手们划得快些，可声音还没有发出就在喉头消失了。我记起了老伊基托的药水，连忙掏出瓶子喝了一口。
The two boats landed at the same moment. I walked straight up to Anabela and Fergus. Her eyes rested upon me for an instant； then she turned them， full of feeling and confidence， upon Fergus. I knew I could not speak， but I was desperate. In speech lay my only hope. I could not stand beside Fergus and challenge comparison in the way of beauty. Purely involuntarily， my larynxlarynx n.［解］喉 and epiglottisepiglottis n.［解］会咽 attempted to reproduce the sounds that my mind was calling upon my vocal organs to send forth.
两条舢板同时到岸。我笔直地走到安娜贝拉和弗格斯面前。她的眼光在我身上停留了一会儿；接着便掉过头去，充满感情和自信地望着弗格斯。我知道自己说不出话，但是也顾不得了。我的全部希望都寄托在话语上面。在美貌方面，我是不能站在弗格斯身边同他相比的。我的喉咙和会咽软骨纯粹出于自动，要发出我心里想说的话。
To my intense surprise and delight the words rolled forth beautifully clear， resonant， exquisitely modulated， full of power， expression， and longrepressed emotion.
使我大吃一惊、喜出望外的是，我的话语滔滔不绝地说了出来，非常清晰、响亮、圆润，充满了力量和压抑已久的感情。
“Senorita Anabela，” says I， “may I speak with you aside for a moment？”
“安娜贝拉小姐，”我说，“我可不可以单独同你谈一会儿？”
You dont want details about that， do you？ Thanks. The old eloquence had come back all right. I led her under a cocoanut palm and put my old verbal spell on her again.
你不见得想听那件事的细节了吧？多谢。我原有的口才又回来了。我带她到一株椰子树下，把以前的言语魅力又加在她身上。
