As the blackest sky Foretells the heaviest tempest.
Don Juan, I. 73
正如最阴暗的天空预兆最大的暴风雨。
《唐璜》第一歌，七十三节
In the thick of all this great commotion, Julien was more bewildered than happy. Mathilde's abuse of him showed him how wise the Russian policy had been. 'Say little, do little, that is my one way of salvation.'
在这场汹涌澎湃的感情波动中，于连感到的是惊奇多于幸福。玛蒂尔德的辱骂向他证明了俄国人的策略是多么明智。“少说话，少行动。这是我获救的唯一希望。”
He lifted up Mathilde and without a word laid her down again on the divan. Gradually she gave way to tears.
他扶起玛蒂尔德，不说话，让她坐到沙发上，渐渐地，她哭成个泪人儿了。
To keep herself in countenance, she took Madame de Fervaques's letters in her hands; she broke the seals slowly. She gave a nervous start on recognising the Marechale's handwriting. She turned over the sheets of these letters without reading them; the majority of them covered six pages.
为了掩饰自己的窘态，她把德·费瓦克夫人的信拿在手里，慢慢地一封封拆开。当她认出元帅夫人的笔迹时，身子不禁神经质地动了一下 ，很是明显。她一页翻看，没有读，大部分信都有六页。
'Answer me this, at least,' said Mathilde at length in the most supplicating tone, but without venturing to look at Julien. 'You know very well that I am proud; it is the misfortune of my position, and indeed of my nature, I must admit; so Madame de Fervaques has stolen your heart from me… Has she offered you all the sacrifices to which that fatal passion led me?'
“至少您要回答我，”最后玛蒂尔德用苦苦哀求的声调说，但是不敢看于连。“您清楚地知道，我骄傲；这是我的地位甚至我的性格带来的不幸，我乐于承认；这么说，德·费瓦克夫人已经从我这儿把您的心抢走了……这要命的爱情驱使我做出的所有那些牺牲，她也为您做出了吗？”
A grim silence was Julien's only answer. 'By what right,' he thought,'does she ask of me an indiscretion unworthy of an honourable man?'
一种忧郁的沉默是于连的全部回答。“她有什么权利，”他想，“要求我做为正派人所不齿的泄露隐私的事呢？”
Mathilde endeavoured to read the letters; the tears that filled her eyes made it impossible for her to do so.
玛蒂尔德试着读那些信，但是不行，她的眼敛里满是泪水。
For a month past she had been miserable, but that proud spirit was far from confessing its feelings to itself. Chance alone had brought about this explosion. For an instant jealousy and love had overcome pride. She was seated upon the divan and in close proximity to him. He saw her hair and her throat of alabaster; for a moment he forgot all that he owed to himself; he slipped his arm round her waist, and almost hugged her to his bosom.
一个月来，她一直很不幸，然而这颗高傲的心就是不肯承认自己的感情。全是偶然引起了这场瀑发。一时间，嫉妒和爱情战胜了骄傲。她 坐在沙发上，离他很近。他望着她的头发和白皙的脖子；突然，他完全忘了自己应该如何做了，伸出胳膊搂住她的腰，几乎把她紧抱在胸前。
She turned her head towards him slowly: he was astonished at the intense grief that was visible in her eyes, and made them quite unrecognisable as hers.
她慢慢地朝他转过头：他大吃一惊，她的眼睛里流露出极度的痛苦，已经认不出平时的样子了。
Julien felt his strength begin to fail him, so colossal was the effort involved in the act of courage which he was imposing on himself.
于连感到他的力量正在离他而去，他强制自己采取的勇敢行动使他痛苦不堪，难以坚持。
'Those eyes will soon express nothing but the coldest disdain,' he said to himself, 'if I allow myself to be carried away by the joy of loving her.'Meanwhile, in a faint voice and in words which she had barely the strength to utter, she was repeating to him at that moment her assurance of all her regret for the action which an excessive pride might have counselled her to take.
“如果我让自己沉浸在爱她的幸福中，”于连心里说，“她的眼晴马上就会流露出最冷酷的轻蔑。”然而就在这时，她声音微弱，有气无力地勉强成句，一再保证，她懊悔太多的骄傲让她做出那些举动。
'I too, have my pride,' Julien said to her in a voice that was barely articulate, and his features indicated the extreme limit of physical exhaustion.
“我也骄傲啊，”他说话的声者勉强听得见，脸上的线条表明他的体力已衰竭到了顶点。
Mathilde turned sharply towards him. The sound of his voice was a pleasure the hope of which she had almost abandoned. At that moment she recalled her pride only to curse it, she would fain have discovered some unusual, incredible act to prove to him how greatly she adored him and detested herself.
玛蒂尔德猛地朝他转过身。听见他的声音成了她的一大幸福，她原本几乎不抱希望了。此时此刻，她想起她的高傲，就不禁要加以诅咒， 她真想找到些不寻常的、令人难以置信的举动，向他证明她崇拜他、厌恶自己到了什么程度。
'It is probably because of that pride,' Julien went on, 'that you have singled me out for an instant; it is certainly because of that courageous firmness, becoming in a man, that you respect me at this moment. I may be in love with the Marechale … '
“也许是因为这种骄傲，”于连继续说，“您一时对我另眼相看；肯定是因为这种勇气十足的、与男子汉相配的坚定，您此刻才尊敬我。我可能有情于元帅夫人……”
Mathilde shuddered; her eyes assumed a strange expression. She was about to hear her sentence uttered. This movement did not pass unobserved by Julien; he felt his courage weaken.
玛蒂尔德打了个哆嗦；她的眼中有了一种奇怪的表情。她就要听见宣布对她的判决了，这个变化没有逃过于连的眼睛，他感到他的勇气正在消失。
'Ah!' he said to himself, listening to the sound of the vain words that came from his lips, as he might have listened to a noise from without; 'if I could only cover those pale cheeks with kisses, and you not feel them!
“啊！”他心里说，一边听着他那些空话的声音，他的嘴里仿佛发出的是些不相干的噪音，“如果我能在这如此苍白的脸颊上印满了吻，而你又感觉不到，那有多好！”
'I may be in love with the Marechale,' he continued… and his voice grew fainter and fainter; 'but certainly, of her interest in myself I have no decisive proof… '
“我可能有情于元帅夫人……”他继续说……声音越来越弱，“当然，我还没有们何决定性的证据说明她对我有意……”
Mathilde gazed at him; he met her gaze, at least he hoped that his features had not betrayed him. He felt himself penetrated by love to the innermost recesses of his heart. Never had he adored her so intensely; he was scarcely less mad than Mathilde. Could she have found sufficient self-control and courage to manoeuvre, he would have fallen at her feet, forswearing all idle playacting. He had strength enough to be able to continue to speak. 'Ah! Korasoff,' he exclaimed inwardly, 'why are not you here? How I need a word of advice to direct my conduct!' Meanwhile his voice was saying:
玛蒂尔德望着她，他经受住了她的目光，至少他希望他的面孔没有出卖他。他感到爱情已经渗透进他的心最隐秘的皱襞中去了。他从未崇 拜她到这种程度；他几乎变得和玛蒂尔德一样疯狂。如果她有足够的冷静和勇气，耍个手腕，他一定会跪倒在她面前，发誓放弃这无意义的作戏。他还有点儿力气，能够继续说话。“阿！科拉索夫，”他内心深处发出叫喊，“您为什么不在这儿！我多么需要您说句话指导我的行动！”同时，他的声音说：
'Failing any other sentiment, gratitude would suffice to attach me to the Marechale; she has shown me indulgence, she has comforted me when others scorned me … I may perhaps not repose an unbounded faith in certain signs which are extremely flattering, no doubt, but also, perhaps, are of very brief duration.'
“就算没有别的感情，感激也足以让我眷恋元帅夫人；她对我表现出宽容，别人轻蔑我时，她安慰我……对某些无疑非常讨人喜欢但也可能很不持久的表面现象，我可以不抱有无限的信任。”
'Ah! Great God!' cried Mathilde.
“啊！伟大的天主！”玛蒂尔德叫道。
'Very well! What guarantee will you give me?' Julien went on in sharp, firm accents, seeming to abandon for an instant the prudent forms of diplomacy. 'What guarantee, what god will assure me that the position which you seem disposed to restore to me at this moment will last for more than two days?'
“那好吧！您给我什么保证？”于连又说，语气激烈而坚决，仿佛一时抛弃了外交的谨慎礼仪。什么保证，什么神灵能向我保证，您此刻 似乎准备让我恢复的地位能存在两天以上呢？”
'The intensity of my love and of my misery if you no longer love me,' she said, clasping his hands and turning her face towards him.
“我的极度强烈的爱情，如果您不再爱我了，那就是我的极度强烈的不幸，”她说，抓住了他的手，朝他转过身。
The violent movement which she thus made had slightly displaced her pelerine: Julien caught a glimpse of her charming shoulders. Her hair, slightly disordered, recalled to him an exquisite memory …
她刚才动作太猛，短披肩稍稍动了：于连看见了她那迷人的双肩。她那略微散乱的头发又勾起他甜蜜的回忆……
He was about to yield. 'An imprudent word,' he told himself, 'and I begin once more that long succession of days passed in despair. Madame de Renal used to find reasons for obeying the dictates of her heart: this young girl of high society allows her heart to be moved only when she has proved to herself with good reasons that it ought to be moved.'
他要让步了。“一句话不慎，”他心里说，“我就会让那一长串在绝望中苦熬的日子重新开始。德·莱纳夫人是找出理由来做她的心让她 做的事，而这个上流社会的女孩子，只有在有充分的理由向她证明她的心应该被感动，她才让她的心受感动。”
He perceived this truth in a flash, and in a flash also regained his courage.
他是一瞬间看见这个真理的，他也是一瞬间重获勇气的。
He freed his hands which Mathilde was clasping in her own, and with marked respect withdrew a little way from her. Human courage can go no farther. He then busied himself in gathering together all Madame de Fervaques's letters which were scattered over the divan, and it was with a show of extreme politeness, so cruel at that moment, that he added:
他抽回被玛蒂尔德紧握着的手，带着明显的恭敬，稍稍离开她一点。男人的勇气也不能走得更远了。接着，他把散落在沙发上的德·费瓦 克夫人的信一封封收起来，作出极其有礼貌，在此刻也是如此残酷的样子，说：
'Mademoiselle de La Mole will deign to permit me to think over all this.' He withdrew rapidly and left the library; she heard him shut all the doors in turn.
“请德·拉莫尔小姐容我考虑这一切。”他迅速离开，走出图书室；她听见他陆续地关上了所有的门。
'The monster is not in the least perturbed,' she said to herself…
“这恶魔无动于衷，”她心里想。
'But what am I saying, a monster! He is wise, prudent, good; it is I who have done more wrong than could be imagined.'
“可是我说什么，恶魔！他聪明，谨慎，善良；是我犯了多得无法想象的错误啊。”
his point of view persisted. Mathilde was almost happy that day, for she was altogether in love; you would have said that never had that heart been stirred by pride—and such pride!
这种看法持续下去了。玛蒂尔德这一天几乎感到了幸福，因为她在全心全意地爱；简直可以说，这个心灵从未受过骄傲搅动，而且是怎祥 的骄傲啊！
She shuddered with horror when, that evening in the drawing-room, a footman announced Madame de Fervaques; the man's voice seemed to her to have a sinister sound. She could not endure the sight of the Marechale, and quickly left the room. Julien, with little pride in his hardwon victory, had been afraid lest his own eyes should betray him, and had not dined at the Hotel de La Mole.
晚上在客厅里，仆人通报德·费瓦克夫人到，她不禁陡地一惊，她觉得仆人的声音颇不祥，她看见元帅夫人觉得受不了，很快离去。于连对他那艰难的胜利并不感到自豪，他很为自己的眼神担心，没有在德·拉莫尔府用晚饭。
His love and his happiness increased rapidly as the hour of battle receded; he had already begun to find fault with himself. 'How could I resist her?' he asked himself; 'if she was going to cease to love me! A single moment may alter that proud spirit, and I must confess that I have treated her scandalously.'
随着他渐渐远离战斗的时刻，他的爱情和幸福迅速增加；他已经开始谴责自已了。“我怎么能抵制她呢，”他对自己说，“她若不爱我了怎么办！一瞬间便可改变这个高傲的心灵；应该承认，我那样对待她真是太可恶了。”
In the evening, he felt that he absolutely must appear at the Bouffes in Madame de Fervaques's box. She had given him an express invitation:Mathilde would not fail to hear of his presence there or of his discourteous absence. Despite the self-evidence of this argument, he had not the strength, early in the evening, to plunge into society. If he talked, he would forfeit half his happiness.
晚上，他觉得必须在喜歌剧院德·费瓦尔克人的包厢顶露面。她特意请了他：玛蒂尔德不会不知道，他是到场了还是无礼地缺席了。尽管理是这个理，他却没有力气，在晚上一开始就进入社交场合。他一说话，就会失去一半的幸福。
Ten o'clock struck: he must absolutely show his face.
十点的钟声响了：他无论如何要露面了。
Fortunately he found the Marechale's box filled with women, and was relegated to a place by the door, and entirely concealed by their hats.This position saved him from making a fool of himself; the divine accents of despair of Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto made him burst into tears. Madame de Fervaques saw these tears; they were in so marked a contrast to the manly firmness of his usual appearance, that this spirit of a great lady long saturated in all the most corrosive elements of the pride of an upstart was touched by them. What little she had left of a woman's heart led her to speak. She wished to enjoy the sound of her own voice at that moment.
幸好，元帅夫人的包厢里挤满了女人，他被打发到门边上，完全被帽子遮住。这个位置使他免于闹笑话。卡罗列娜在《秘婚记》里绝望的 圣洁歌声使他涕泗滂沱。德·费瓦克夫人看见了他的眼泪，这眼泪跟他平时那种男子汉的坚毅面容形成强烈对比，这颗贵妇的心被打动了，尽管这颗心早已浸透了爆发女人的傲气所具有的最具腐蚀性的东西。她还剩下的那一点点女人心肠促使她开口说话。她在此刻很想享受一下自己说话的声音。
'Have you seen the ladies de La Mole,' she said to him, 'they are in the third tier.' Instantly Julien bent forward into the house, leaning somewhat rudely upon the ledge of the box: he saw Mathilde; her eyes were bright with tears.
“您看见拉莫尔家的女眷们了吗？”她对他说，“她们在第三层。”于连立刻颇不礼貌地靠在包厢的前面，探出身子。他看见了玛蒂尔德，她的眼睛里闪着泪光。
'And yet it is not their day for the Opera,' thought Julien; 'what eagerness!'
“可今天不是她们上歌剧院的日子呀，”于连想，“多么急切啊！”
Mathilde had made her mother come to the Bouffes, despite the inferior position of the box which a sycophant of their circle had made haste to offer them. She wished to see whether Julien would spend that evening with the Marechale.
尽管一个常上她家献殷勤的女人热心提供的包厢不合她们的身份，玛蒂尔德还是说服她母亲来到喜歌剧院。她想看看于连会不会跟元帅夫人一起度过这个夜晚。