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It seemed to me that I had never met so fascinating and so thoughtful a man.

我好像从来没遇到过这么动人、这么会体贴人的人。

As I was already in debt to my tradesmen, the advance was a great convenience,

由于我那时还欠着小商贩的债，这预付给我的钱当然对我是很大的方便。

and yet there was something unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to know a little more before I quite committed myself.

然而，整个接洽过程当中，我总觉得有些地方不大自然，决定多了解一些情况然后再表态。

'May I ask where you live, sir?' said I.

'我是否可以问你住在什么地方，先生。'我说。

'Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles on the far side of Winchester.

'汉普郡，可爱的乡村地区。铜山毛榉，它离温切斯特才五英里。

It is the most lovely country, my dear young lady, and the dearest old country-house.'

真是最可爱不过的乡村，我亲爱的小姐，并且还有一座最可爱的古老的乡村房子。'

'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would be.'

'那么我的职务呢，先生？我很想了解一下是什么工作。'

'One child, one dear little romper just six years old.

'一个小孩子，一个刚刚六岁的可爱的小淘气。

Oh, if you could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack! smack! Three gone before you could wink!'

哟，你要是能够看见他用拖鞋打死蟑螂！啪哒！啪哒！啪哒！你眼睛还来不及眨一眨，三个已经报销了！'

He leaned back in his chair and laughed his eyes into his head again.

他靠在椅背上笑得又把他的眼睛眯成一条缝了。

I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement, but the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was joking.

孩子这样的玩乐兴趣有点使我吃惊，但是他爸爸的笑声使我认为也许他只是在开玩笑而已。

'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single child?'

'那么，我唯一的工作，'我说，'是照管一个孩子？'

'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he cried.

'不，不，不是唯一的，不是唯一的，我亲爱的年轻小姐，'他大声地说。

'Your duty would be, as I am sure your good sense would suggest, to obey any little commands my wife might give,

'你的任务应该是，我肯定你聪明的头脑会意识到，听候我妻子的任何命令，

provided always that they were such commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see no difficulty, heh?'

假如这些命令是一位小姐理应遵从的话。你看，一点困难没有，是吗？'

'I should be happy to make myself useful.'

'我很乐意使自己成为对你们有用的人。'

'Quite so. In dress now, for example. We are faddy people, you know, faddy but kind-hearted.

'那太好了，现在说说服装，比如说，我们喜欢时尚，你知道，有时尚癖，但是心眼不坏。

If you were asked to wear any dress which we might give you, you would not object to our little whim. Heh?'

倘若我们给你件服装要你穿的话，你不会反对我们的小小怪癖，是吗？'

'No,' said I, considerably astonished at his words.

'不，'我说，对他的话感到相当吃惊。

'Or to sit here, or sit there, that would not be offensive to you?' 'Oh, no.'

'叫你坐在这里，或者坐在那里，这将不致于使你不高兴吧？' '啊！不会的。'