I looked and felt the ground rock under my feet. For Senorita Anabela Zamora was the most beautiful woman in the world， and the only one from that moment on， so far as Judson Tate was concerned. I saw at a glance that I must be hers and she mine forever. I thought of my face and nearly fainted， and then I thought of my other talents and stood upright again. And I had been wooing her for three weeks for another man！
我一看，觉得脚底下的地皮都在晃动。因为对贾德森·塔特来说，安娜贝拉·萨莫拉小姐是世界上最美的女人，并且从那一刻起，是惟一最美的女人。我一眼就明白我必须永远属于她，而她也必须永远属于我。我想起自己的脸，几乎晕倒；紧接着我又想起我其他方面的才能，又站稳了脚跟。何况我曾经代替一个男人追求了她有三星期之久呢！
As Senorita Anabelas carriage rolled slowly past， she gave Fergus a long， soft glance from the corners of her nightblack eyes， a glance that would have sent Judson Tate up into heaven in a rubbertired chariotchariot n.战车. But she never looked at me. And that handsome man only ruffles his curls and smirkssmirk v.傻笑 n.假笑 and prances like a ladykiller at my side.
安娜贝拉小姐缓缓驶过时，她用那深黑的眼睛温柔地、久久地瞟了弗格斯一下，那个眼色足以使贾德森·塔特魂魄飞扬，仿佛坐着胶轮车似的直上天堂。但是她没有看我。而那个美男子只是在我身边拢拢他的头发，像浪子似的假笑着昂首阔步。
“What do you think of her， Judson？” asks Fergus， with an air.
“你看她怎么样，贾德森？”弗格斯得意洋洋地问道。
“This much.” says I， “She is to me Mrs. Judson Tate. I am no man to play tricks on a friend. So take your warning.”
“就是这样。”我说，“她将成为贾德森·塔特夫人。我一向不做对不起朋友的事。所以言明在先。”
I thought Fergus would die laughing.
我觉得弗格斯简直要笑破肚皮。
“Well， well， well，” said he， “you old doughfacedoughface n.<俗> 柔顺的人， 易受人左右的人，反对解放奴隶的北方议员！ Struck too， are you？ Thats great！ But youre too late. Francesca tells me that Anabela talks of nothing but me， day and night. Of course， Im awfully obliged to you for making that chinmusic to her of evenings. But， do you know， Ive an idea that I could have done it as well myself.”
“得，得，得，”他说，“你这个丑八怪！你也给迷住了，就你，好极啦！不过你太迟啦。弗朗西斯卡告诉我，安娜贝拉日日夜夜不谈别的，光谈我。当然，你晚上同她谈话，我非常领你的情。不过你要明白，我觉得我自己去的话也会成功的。”
“Mrs. Judson Tate.” says I. “Dont forget the name. Youve had the use of my tongue to go with your good looks， my boy. You cant lend me your looks； but hereafter my tongue is my own. Keep your mind on the name thats to be on the visiting cards two inches by three and a half—“Mrs. Judson Tate”. Thats all.”
“贾德森·塔特夫人。”我说，“别忘掉这个称呼。你利用我的舌头来配合你的漂亮，老弟。你不可能把你的漂亮借给我；但是今后我的舌头是我自己的了。记住“贾德森·塔特夫人”，这个称呼将印在两英寸阔，三英寸半长的名片上。就是这么一回事。”
“All right，” says Fergus， laughing again. “Ive talked with her father， the alcalde， and hes willing. Hes to give a baile tomorrow evening in his new warehousewarehouse n.仓库， 货栈， 大商店 vt.贮入仓库，<俚>［经］以他人名义购进(股票). If you were a dancing man， Jud， Id expect you around to meet the future Mrs. McMahan.”
“好吧。”弗格斯说着又笑了。“我跟她的镇长爸爸讲过，他表示同意。明天晚上，他要在他的新仓库里举行招待舞台。如果你会跳舞，贾德，我希望你也去见见未来的麦克马汉夫人。”
But on the next evening， when the music was playing loudest at the Alcade Zamoras /baile/， into the room steps Judson Tate in a new white linen clothes as if he were the biggest man in the whole nation， which he was.
第二天傍晚，在萨莫拉镇长举行的舞会上，当音乐奏得最响亮的时候，贾德森·塔特走了过去。他穿着一套新麻布衣服，神情像是全国最伟大的人物，事实上也是如此。
Some of the musicians jumped off the key when they saw my face， and one or two of the timidest senoritas let out a screechscreech n.尖声喊叫， 尖叫声， 急刹车声 vt.尖着声音讲或喊 vi.发出尖锐的声音， 发出恐惧或痛苦的叫喊声 or two. But up prances the alcalde and almost wipes the dust off my shoes with his forehead. No mere good looks could have won me that sensational entrance.
有几个乐师见到我的脸，演奏的乐曲马上走了调。一两个最胆小的小姐禁不住尖叫起来。但是镇长忙不迭地跑过来，一躬到地，几乎用他的额头擦去了我鞋子上的灰尘。光靠面孔漂亮是不会引起这么惊人的注意的。
“I hear much， Senor Zamora，” says I， “of the charm of your daughter. It would give me great pleasure to be presented to her.”
“萨莫拉先生，”我说，“我久闻你女儿的美貌。我很希望有幸见见她。”
There were about six dozen willow rockingchairs， with pink tidies tied on to them， arranged against the walls. In one of them sat Senorita Anabela in white Swiss and red slippers， with pearls and firefliesfirefly n.萤火虫 in her hair. Fergus was at the other end of the room trying to break away from two maroons and a claybankclaybank n.土堤， 棕黄色 girl.
约摸有六打粉红色布会的柳条椅靠墙放着。安娜贝拉小姐坐在一张摇椅上，她穿着白棉布衣服和红便鞋，头发上缀着珠子和萤火虫。弗格斯在屋子的另一头，正想摆脱两个咖啡色，一个巧克力色的女郎的纠缠。
The alcalde leads me up to Anabela and presents me. When she took the first look at my face she dropped her fan and nearly turned her chair over from the shock. But Im used to that.
镇长把我领到安娜贝拉面前，作了介绍。她一眼看到我的脸，大吃一惊，手里的扇子掉了下来，摇椅几乎翻了身，我倒是习惯于这种情形的。
I sat down by her， and began to talk. When she heard me speak she jumped， and her eyes got as big as alligatoralligator n.产于美洲的鳄鱼 pears. She couldnt strike a balance between the tones of my voice and face I carried. But I kept on talking in the key of C， which is the ladies key， and presently she sat still in her chair and a dreamy look came into her eyes. She was coming my way. She knew of Judson Tate， and what a big man he was， and the big things he had done， and that was in my favour. But， of course， it was some shock to her to find out that I was not the pretty man that had been pointed out to her as the great Judson. And then I took the Spanish language， which is better than English for certain purposes， and played on it like a harpharp n.竖琴 vi.弹奏竖琴， 不停地说， 喋喋不休 of a thousand strings. I ranged from the second G below the staff up to Fsharp above it. I set my voice to poetry， art， romance， flowers， and moonlight. I repeated some of the verses that I had murmured to her in the dark at her window， and I knew from a sudden soft sparkle in her eye that she recognized in my voice the tones of her midnight mysterious wooer.
我在她身边坐下，开始谈话。她听到我的声音不禁一怔，眼睛睁得像鳄梨一般大。她简直无法把我的声音和我的面相配合起来。不过我继续不断地用C调谈着话，那是对女人用的调子，没多久她便安安静静地坐在椅子上，眼睛里露出一种恍惚的样子。她慢慢地入教了。她听说过有关贾德森·塔特的事情，听说过他是一个多么伟大的人物，干过许多伟大的事业；那对我是有利的。但是，当她发觉伟大的贾德森并不是人家指点给她看的那个美男子时，自然不免有些震惊。接着，我改说西班牙语，在某种情况下。它比英语好，我把它当作一个有千万根弦的竖琴那样运用自如，从降G调一直到F高半音。我用我的声音来体现诗歌、艺术、传奇、花朵和月光。我还把我晚上在她窗前念给她的诗背了几句；她的眼睛突然闪出柔和的光亮，我知道她已经辨出了半夜里向她求爱的那个神秘人的声音。
Anyhow， I had Fergus McMahan going. Oh， the vocal is the true art—no doubt about that. Handsome is as handsome palavers. Thats the renovatedrenovate vt.革新， 刷新， 修复 proverb.
总之，我把弗格斯·麦克马汉挤垮了。啊，口才是货真价实的艺术——那是不容置疑的。言语漂亮，才是漂亮。这句谚语应当改成这样。
I took Senorita Anabela for a walk in the lemon grove while Fergus， disfiguring himself with an ugly frown， was waltzing with the claybank girl. Before we returned I had permission to come to her window in the patio the next evening at midnight and talk some more.
我和安娜贝拉小姐在柠檬林子里散了一会儿步，弗格斯正愁眉苦脸地在同那个巧克力色的姑娘跳华尔兹。我们回去之前，她同意我第二天半夜到院子里去，在她窗下再谈谈话。