自译 契诃夫短篇小说 歌女(5)

Silence followed again. The lady walked about the room and wrung her hands, while Pasha still gazed blankly at her in amazement, not understanding and expecting something terrible.
又是一阵沉默。女士在屋里走来走去，手捏得嘎吱响。小菊仍然是一脸惊愕地望着她，被骂得云里雾里，只知道出大事了。
“I know nothing about it, madam,” she said, and suddenly burst into tears.
“这跟我没关系啊，太太！”小菊突然大哭道。
“You are lying!” cried the lady, and her eyes flashed angrily at her. “I know all about it! I’ve known you a long time. I know that for the last month he has been spending every day with you!”
“少骗人！”女士大吼一声，恨之入骨地盯着她，“我什么都知道！你们俩不是一天两天的了。自打上月他哪天不往你这儿跑！”
“Yes. What then? What of it? I have a great many visitors, but I don’t force anyone to come. He is free to do as he likes.”
“是，他是来了，他来不来我管得着吗？他非要来我有什么办法？来我这儿的人多了，可我从来没勾引过谁。还不是他自己要来的。”
“I tell you they have discovered that money is missing! He has embezzled money at the office! For the sake of such a... creature as you, for your sake he has actually committed a crime. Listen,” said the lady in a resolute voice, stopping short, facing Pasha. “You can have no principles; you live simply to do harm — that’s your object; but one can’t imagine you have fallen so low that you have no trace of human feeling left! He has a wife, children.... If he is condemned and sent into exile we shall starve, the children and I.... Understand that! And yet there is a chance of saving him and us from destitution and disgrace. If I take them nine hundred roubles to-day they will let him alone. Only nine hundred roubles!”