“‘Lem，’ says he， ‘we have been friends for seven years. Would you mind not kissing Mrs. Jessup quite so loud？ Id do the same for you.’
“‘勒姆，’他说，‘我们已经交了七年朋友。你能不能别跟杰塞普太太吻得这么强烈？我保证以后不这么热烈了。’
“‘All right.’ says I. ‘The other kind will do as well.’
“‘好吧，’我说，‘轻一点也可以。’
“‘This Chinaman，’ goes on Paisley， ‘was the one that shot a man named Mullins in the spring of 97， and that was—’
“‘这个中国人，’佩斯利继续说，‘在一八九七年春天枪杀了一个名叫马林的人，那是——’
“Paisley interrupted himself again.
“佩斯利又打断了他自己的故事。
“‘Lem，’ says he， ‘if you was a true friend you wouldnt hug Mrs. Jessup quite so hard. I felt the bench shake all over just then. You know you told me you would give me an even chance as long as there was any.’
“‘勒姆，’他说，‘假如你真是个仗义的朋友，你就不该把杰塞普太太搂得这么紧。刚才我觉得整个长凳都在晃。你明白，你对我说过，只要还有机会，你总是同我有福同享的。’
“‘Mr. Man，’ says Mrs. Jessup， turning around to Paisley， ‘if you was to drop in to the celebration of mine and Mr. Hickss silver wedding， twentyfive years from now， do you think you could get it into that Hubbard squashsquash n.南瓜， 易压烂的物品， 拥挤的人群， 壁球 v.压扁， 压制， 镇压， 挤进， 挤压 you call your head that you are nix cum rous in this business？ Ive put up with you a long time because you was Mr. Hickss friend， but it seems to me its time for you to wear the willow and trot off down the hill.’
“‘你这个家伙，’杰基普太太转身向佩斯利说，‘再过二十五年，假如你来参加我和希克斯先生的银婚纪念。你那个南瓜脑袋还认为你在这件事上有希望吗？只因为你是希克斯先生的朋友，我才忍受好久，不过我认为现在你该死了这条心，下山去啦。’
“‘Mrs. Jessup，’ says I， without losing my grasp on the situation as fiance， ‘Mr. Paisley is my friend， and I offered him a square deal and a equal opportunity as long as there was a chance.’
“‘杰塞普太太，’我说，不过我并没有丧失未婚夫的立场，‘佩斯利先生是我的朋友，只要有机会，我总是同他公平交易，利益均等的。’
“‘A chance！’ says she. ‘Well， he may think he has a chance， but I hope he wont think hes got a cinch， after what hes been next to all the evening.’
“‘机会！’她说。‘好吧，让他自以为还有机会吧，今晚他在旁边看到了这一切，我希望他到自以为很有把握。’
“Well， a month afterwards me and Mrs. Jessup was married in the Los Pinos Methodist Church， and the whole town closed up to see the performance.
“一个月之后，我和杰塞普太太在洛斯比尼奥的卫理公会教堂结婚了；全镇的人都跑来看结婚仪式。
“When we lined up in front and the preacher was beginning to sing out his ritualsritual n.典礼， (宗教)仪式， 礼节 adj.典礼的， (宗教)仪式的 and observances， I looks around and misses Paisley. I calls time on the preacher. ‘Paisley aint here.’ says I. ‘Weve got to wait for Paisley. A friend once， a friend always—thats Telemachus Hicks.’ says I. Mrs. Jessups eyes snapped some， but the preacher holds up the incantationsincantation n.咒语 according to instructions.
“当我们并排站在最前面，牧师开始替我们主持婚礼的时候，我四下里扫了一眼，没找到佩斯利。我请牧师等一会儿。‘佩斯利不在这儿。’我说。‘我们非等佩斯利不可。交朋友要交到老——泰勒马格斯·希克斯就是这种人。我说。杰塞普太太的眼睛里有点冒火，但是牧师根据我的吩咐，没立即诵读经文。
“In a few minutes Paisley gallops up the aisle， putting on a cuff as he comes. He explains that the only drygoods store in town was closed for the wedding， and he couldnt get the kind of a boiled shirt that his taste called for until he had broke open the back window of the store and helped himself. Then he ranges up on the other side of the bride， and the wedding goes on. I always imagined that Paisley calculated as a last chance that the preacherpreacher n.传教士 might marry him to the widow by mistake.
“过了几分钟，佩斯利飞快地跑进过道，一边跑，一边还在安上一只硬袖口。他说镇上惟一的卖服装的铺子关了门来看婚礼，他搞不到他所喜欢的上过浆的衬衫，只得撬开铺子的后窗，自己取了一件。接着，他站到新娘的那一边去，婚礼在继续进行。我一直在琢磨，佩斯利还在等最后一个机会，盼望牧师万一搞错，替他同寡妇联系呢。
“After the proceedings was over we had tea and jerked antelopeantelope n.羚羊 and canned apricots， and then the populacepopulace n.平民 hiked itself away. Last of all Paisley shook me by the hand and told me Id acted square and on the level with him and he was proud to call me a friend.
“婚礼结束后，我们吃了茶、羚羊肉干和罐头杏子，镇上的居民便纷纷散去。最后同我握手的是佩斯利，他说我为人光明磊落，同我交朋友脸上有光。
“The preacher had a small house on the side of the street that hed fixed up to rent； and he allowed me and Mrs. Hicks to occupy it till the tenforty train the next morning， when we was going on a bridalbridal adj.新娘的， 新婚的 n.婚礼 tour to El Paso. His wife had decorated it all up with hollyhocks and poison ivy， and it looked real festal and bowery.
“牧师在街边有一幢专门出租的小房子，他让我和希克斯太太占用到第二天早晨十点四十分，那时候，我们就乘火车去埃尔帕索度蜜月旅行。牧师太太用蜀葵和毒藤把那幢房子打扮起来，看上去喜气洋洋的，并且有凉亭的风味。
“About ten oclock that night I sets down in the front door and pulls off my boots a while in the cool breeze， while Mrs. Hicks was fixing around in the room. Right soon the light went out inside， and I sat there a while reverberating over old times and scenes. And then I heard Mrs. Hicks call out， ‘Aint you coming in soon， Lem？’
“那晚十点钟左右，我在门口坐下，脱掉靴子凉快凉快，希克斯太太在屋里张罗。没有多久，里面的灯熄了，我还坐在那儿，回想以前的时光和情景。我听到希克斯太太招呼说：‘你就进来吗，勒姆？’
“‘Well， well！’ says I， kind of rousing up. ‘Durn me if I wasnt waiting for old Paisley to—’
“‘哎，哎！’我仿佛惊醒似的说。‘我刚才在等老佩斯利’
“But when I got that far，” concluded Telemachus Hicks， “I thought somebody had shot this left ear of mine off with a fortyfive. But it turned out to be only a lick from a broomhandle in the hands of Mrs. Hicks.”
“可是这句话还没说完，”泰勒马格斯·希克斯结束他的故事说，“我觉得仿佛有人用四五口径的手枪把我这只左耳朵打掉了。后来我才知道，那只是希克斯太太用扫帚把揍了一下。”