自译 契诃夫短篇小说 A TRIFLE FROM REAL LIFE 家长里短(4)

孩子窝在小石身旁，摆弄起他的表链。
“Mamma is going to give me a watch when I go to school, and I am going to ask her to give me a chain just like yours — Oh, what a lovely locket! Papa has a locket just like that; only yours has little stripes on it, and papa’s has letters. He has a portrait of mamma in his locket. Papa wears another watch-chain now made of ribbon.”
“妈妈说等我上学就给我买一块表，到时候我也让她给我买条一样的——哇，这个小盒坠真好看！我爸爸也有个这样的，不过他的写着字，叔叔的画着道道。他的坠子里还放着妈妈的相片。我爸爸现在不戴那条了，他现在那条是丝带做的。”
“How do you know? Do you ever see your papa?”
“谁告诉你的？你见过你爸爸吗？”
“I — n-no — I—”
“没，没有，我……”
Aliosha blushed deeply at being caught telling a fib and began to scratch the locket furiously with his nail. Belayeff looked searchingly into his face and repeated:
龙龙的脸涨得通红，仿佛说假话被人抓住了一样，他的指甲在表链上扣来扣去。小石紧盯着他，重复道：
“Do you ever see your papa?”
“你见过你爸爸吗？”
“N — no !”
“没，没有！”
“Come, tell me honestly! I can see by your face that you are not telling the truth. It’s no use quibbling now that the cat is out of the bag. Tell me, do you see him? Now then, as between friends!”
Aliosha reflected.
“少来这套！别装了，我都看出来了。说实话，你见过他吗？你说，我不告诉别人！”
“You won’t tell mamma?” he asked.
“你保证不告诉我妈妈？”他问道。