自译 契诃夫短篇小说 A TRIFLE FROM REAL LIFE 家长里短(5)
“我告诉她干嘛!”
“Honour bright?”
“说话算话?”
“Honour bright!”
“说话算话!”
“Promise!”
“拉钩!”
“Oh, you insufferable child! What do you take me for?”
“这孩子!你还说不说了?”
Aliosha glanced around, opened his eyes wide, and said:
龙龙四下打量了一圈,睁大了眼睛,开口道:
“For heaven’s sake don’t tell mamma! Don’t tell a soul, because it’s a secret. I don’t know what would happen to Sonia and Pelagia and me if mamma should find out. Now, listen. Sonia and I see papa every Thursday and every Friday. When Pelagia takes us out walking before dinner we go to Anfel’s confectionery and there we find papa already waiting for us. He is always sitting in the little private room with the marble table and the ash-tray that’s made like a goose without a back.”
“千万别告诉她!这个秘密就咱们俩知道。要是让妈妈知道,我、蓉蓉还有潘阿姨就要挨骂了。是这么回事,我和蓉蓉每个周四周五都去看我爸爸。每天晚饭之前潘阿姨带我们出去溜达,我们一路跑到点心铺去,爸爸就在那儿等我们。他老是待在同一个小房间里,里面有一张石头桌子,还摆着一个烟灰缸,像个缺了后背的天鹅。”
“What do you do in there?”
“你们都干什么了?”
“We don’t do anything. First we say how do you do, and then papa orders coffee and pasties for us. Sonia likes pasties with meat, you know, but I can’t abide them with meat. I like mine with cabbage or eggs. We eat so much that we have a hard time eating our dinner afterward so that mamma won’t guess anything.”