During three days the couple walked upon air， with their heads in the clouds. They were but vaguely conscious of their surroundings， they saw all things dimly， as through a veil， they were steeped in dreams， often they did not hear when they were spoken to， they often did not understand when they heard， they answered confusedly or at randomrandom n.随意， 任意 adj.任意的， 随便的， 胡乱的adv.胡乱地， Sally sold molasses by weight， sugar by the yard， and furnished soap when asked for candles， and Aleck put the cat in the wash and fed milk to the soiled linen. Everybody was stunned and amazed， and went about muttering， “What can be the matter with the Fosters？”
这对夫妇过了三天腾云驾雾的日子。对周围的一切他们只有模模糊糊的意识，看到的所有东西都是影影绰绰的，就像罩在纱幕后面。他们沉溺于幻境之中，常常听不懂别人说的话，回答自然也是颠三倒四，东一榔头，西一棒槌。萨利卖蜜用秤称，卖糖用尺量，顾客要蜡烛，却给人家肥皂；艾莱柯把猫放到盆里洗，把牛奶倒在脏衣服上。大家莫名惊诧，嘁嘁喳喳地到处议论，“福斯特两口子这是怎么啦？”
Three days. Then came events！ Things had taken a happy turn， and for fortyeight hours Alecks imaginary corner had been booming. Up—up—still up！ Cost point was passed. Still up—and up—and up！ Cost point was passed. Still up—and up—and up！ Five points above cost—then ten—fifteen—twenty！ Twenty points cold profit on the vast venture， now， and Alecks imaginary brokers were shouting frantically by imaginary longdistance， “Sell！ sell！ for Heavens sake SELL！”
三天以后发生了大事情。事态出现了好的转机，连续二十四个小时，艾莱柯的想像世界迅速膨胀。上涨——上涨——继续上涨！超出了成本价。继续上涨——上涨——上涨！超出成本价五个点了——十个点——十五个点——二十个点！这笔巨额投机生意已经获得了二十个点的净利润，艾莱柯想像中的经纪人从想像中的远方声嘶力竭地喊叫：“抛吧！抛吧！看在上帝的份儿上，抛掉！”
She broke the splendid news to Sally， and he， too， said， “Sell！ sell—oh， dont make a blunderblunder v.跌跌撞撞地走， 犯大错， 做错 n.大错， 失误， now， you own the earth！—sell， sell！” But she set her iron will and lashed it amidshipsamidships adv.在船中部， 在船腹， and said she would hold on for five points more if she died for it.
她把这个惊人的消息透露给萨利，萨利也说，“抛吧！抛——可别大意，现在你就能财冠全球了！——抛！抛！”然而，她凭借钢铁意志继续长驱直入，她说，哪怕死在这上面，她也要攥着股，让它再涨五个点。
It was a fatal resolve. The very next day came the historic crash， the record crash， the devastatingdevastating adj.破坏性的， 全然的 crash， when the bottom fell out of Wall Street， and the whole body of giltedged stocks dropped ninetyfive points in five hours， and the multimillionaire was seen begging his bread in the Bowery. Aleck sternly held her grip and “put up” ass long as she could， but at last there came a call which she was powerless to meet， and her imaginary brokers sold her out. Then， and not till then， the man in her was vanished， and the woman in her resumed sway. She put her arms about her husbands neck and wept， saying：“I am to blame， do not forgive me， I cannot bear it. We are pauperspauper n.叫花子， 乞丐！ Paupers， and I am so miserable. The weddings will never come off， all that is past， we could not even buy the dentist， now.”
这是一个致命的决策。就在第二天出现了历史性暴跌，创纪录的暴跌，灾难性的暴跌。华尔街赔掉了底，所有金筹股在五个小时之内下跌了九十五点，有人看见亿万富翁在包华利大道讨饭。艾莱柯仍然持股观望，能坚持多久，就坚持多久；可是，终于来了一个她无力去接的电话，她想像中的经纪人出卖了她。这时——直到这个时候，她身上的巾帼气概才烟消云散，又恢复了女人的本来面目。她搂着丈夫的脖子哭诉：“都是我的错，你不要原谅我，我实在受不了了。咱们是穷光蛋了！穷光蛋，我的命苦啊。婚礼庆典再也不能举行了。全都完了；现在咱们连个牙医都买不起了。”
A bitter reproach was on Sallys tongue： “I begged you to sell， but you—” He did not say it， he had not the heart to add a hurt to that broken and repentant spirit. A nobler thought came to him and he said：“Bear up， my Aleck， all is not lost！ You really never invested a penny of my uncles bequest， but only its unmaterialized future， what we have lost was only the incremented harvest from that future by your incomparable financial judgment and sagacitysagacity n.睿智， 聪敏。 Cheer up， banish these griefs， we still have the thirty thousand untouched， and with the experience which you have acquired， think what you will be able to do with it in a couple years！ The marriages are not off， they are only postponed.”
尖刻的责难涌到了萨利嘴边，他想说：“我求你抛，可是你——”他没有说出口；他不想在追悔莫及的艾莱柯那颗破碎的心上再捅一刀。他想到了一个比较高尚的念头，说：“艾莱柯，挺住，还没有全完呢。我叔叔的遗产你并没有拿一分一厘去投资，你投的是那笔钱无形的未来收益。咱们赔了的只是你用举世无双的金融头脑和眼力，凭借那笔未来收益获得的增值部分。打起精神来，抛开这些烦恼。咱们还有三万块钱没有动；可以想像，凭你已经具备的经验，在两年之内用那笔钱你能创造多少业绩！那两桩婚事吹不了；只是推迟了。”
These are blessed words. Aleck saw how true they were， and their influence was electric， her tears ceased to flow， and her great spirit rose to its full stature again. With flashing eye and grateful heart， and with hand uplifted in pledge and prophecyprophecy n.预言， 预言能力， she said：“Now and here I proclaimproclaim vt.宣布， 声明， 显示， 显露—”
这些宽心话句句在理，艾莱柯听进去了，马上产生了电击一样的作用；她的眼泪止住了，重新焕发出勃勃生机。她眼里闪着光芒，心中充满感激之情，举手发誓，展望未来，她说：“现在我宣布——”