"Wherefore dost thou desire it?" inquired Hester, shrinking, she hardly knew why, from this secret bond. "Why not announce thyself openly, and cast me off at once?"
“你為什么要這樣呢？”海絲特怯生生地問，她也說不清她怎么會由于這一秘密的約束而畏縮了。“你為什么不公開站出來，把我立刻拋棄呢？”
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"It may be," he replied, "because I will not encounter the dishonour that besmirches the husband of a faithless woman. It may be for other reasons. Enough, it is my purpose to live and die unknown. Let, therefore, thy husband be to the world as one already dead, and of whom no tidings shall ever come. Recognise me not, by word, by sign, by look! Breathe not the secret, above all, to the man thou wottest of. Shouldst thou fail me in this, beware! His fame, his position, his life, will be in my hands. Beware!"
“可能是，”他答道，“因?yàn)槲也辉敢饷墒芤粋€不忠實(shí)的女人給丈夫帶來玷辱。也許是別的什么原因。總之，我的目標(biāo)是生生死死不為人所知。因此，讓這里的人都以為你丈夫已經(jīng)死了吧，關(guān)于他，不應(yīng)再有任何消息了。無論從言談間，從表情上，還是從動作上，都要裝作不認(rèn)識我！別露一點(diǎn)口風(fēng)，尤其對你戀著的那個男人。要是你在這點(diǎn)上壞了我的事，你就小心點(diǎn)吧！他的名譽(yù)，他的地位，他的生命，全都握在我的手心里。當(dāng)心吧！”
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"I will keep thy secret, as I have his," said Hester.
“我將象為他保密一樣來為你保密，”海絲特說。
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"Swear it!" rejoined he.
“發(fā)個誓吧！”他接茬說。
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And she took the oath.
她于是起了誓。
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"And now, Mistress Prynne," said old Roger Chillingworth, as he was hereafter to be named, "I leave thee alone; alone with thy infant, and the scarlet letter! How is it, Hester? Doth thy sentence bind thee to wear the token in thy sleep? Art thou not afraid of nightmares and hideous dreams?"
“現(xiàn)在，白蘭太太，”老羅杰·齊靈渥斯說——從今以后我們就這么稱呼他了，“我丟下你不管了！讓你和你的嬰兒，還有那紅字，一起過日子吧！怎么樣，海絲特？判決是不是規(guī)定你睡覺時也要佩著那標(biāo)記？你難道不怕睡魘和兇夢嗎？”
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"Why dost thou smile so at me?" inquired Hester, troubled at the expression of his eyes. "Art thou like the Black Man that haunts the forest round about us? Hast thou enticed me into a bond that will prove the ruin of my soul?"
“你干嘛要這樣子沖我笑？”海絲特對著他的目光費(fèi)解地問。“你打算象那個在森林里作祟的黑男人一樣糾纏著我們嗎？你是不是已經(jīng)把我引進(jìn)了一個圈套，證明我的靈魂給毀綽了呢？”
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"Not thy soul," he answered, with another smile. "No, not thy soul."
“不是你的靈魂，”他說著，又露齒一笑。“不，不是你的！”