“Land her for which one of us？” says I.
“替我们中间哪一个去弄呀？”我问道。
“For me of course，” says Fergus. “Youve never seen her. Now， Ive had Francesca point me out to her as being you on several occasions. When she sees me on the plaza， she thinks shes looking at Don Judson Tate， the greatest hero， statesman， and romantic figure in the country. With your reputation and my looks combined in one man， how can she resist him？ Shes heard all about your thrillingthrilling adj.毛骨悚然的， 颤动的， 发抖的 history， of course. And shes seen me. Can any woman want more？” asks Fergus McMahan.
“当然是替我。”弗格斯说，“你从来没有见过她。我吩咐弗朗西斯卡把我当作你，已经指点给安娜贝拉看过好几次了。她在广场上看见我的时候，以为看到的是全国最伟大的英雄、政治家和浪漫人物堂·贾德森·塔特呢。把你的声名和我的面貌合在一个人身上，她是无法抗拒的。她当然听到过你那惊人的经历，又见过我。一个女人还能有什么别的企求？”弗格斯·麦克马汉说。
“Can she do with less？” I ask. “How can we separate our mutual attractions， and how shall we apportionapportion v.分配 the proceeds？”
“她的要求不能降低一点吗？”我问道。“我们怎么各显身手，怎么分摊成果呢？”
Then Fergus tells me his scheme.
弗格斯把他的计划告诉了我。
The house of the alcalde， Don Luis Zamora， he says， has a patio， of course—a kind of inner courtyard opening from the street. In an angle of it is his daughters window—as dark a place as you could find. And what do you think he wants me to do？ Why， knowing my freedom， charm， and skilfulness of tongue， he proposespropose vt.计划， 建议， 向……提议， 求(婚) vi.打算， 求婚 that I go into the patio at midnight， when the hobgoblinhobgoblin n.妖怪， 怪物 face of me cannot be seen， and make love to her for him—for the pretty man that she has seen on the plaza， thinking him to be Don Judson Tate.
他说，镇长堂·路易斯·萨莫拉的房子有一个院子——通向街道的院子。院内一角是他女儿房间的窗口——那地方黑得不能再黑了。你猜他要我怎么办？他知道我口才流利，有能力，有技巧，让我半夜到院子里去，那时候我这张鬼脸看不清了，然后代他向萨莫拉小姐求爱——代她在广场上照过面的，以为是堂·贾德森·塔特的美男子求爱。
Why shouldnt I do it for him—for my friend， Fergus McMahan？ For him to ask me was a compliment—an acknowledgment of his own shortcomingsshortcoming n.缺点， 短处.
我为什么不管他，替我的朋友弗格斯·麦克马汉效劳呢？他来请求我就是看得起我——承认了他自己的弱点。
You little， lily white， finehaired， highly polished piece of dumb sculpturesculpture n.雕刻， 雕刻品， 雕塑， 雕塑品， ［地理］刻蚀 v.雕刻， 雕塑， 刻蚀，” says I， “Ill help you. Make your arrangements and get me in the dark outside her window and my stream of conversation opened up with the moonlight tremolotremolo n.［音］颤音， 颤声 adj.震音的 stop turned on， and shes yours.”
“你这个白百合一般的，金头发，精打细磨的，不会开口的小木头，”我说，“我可以帮你忙。你去安排好，晚上带我到她窗外，在月光颤音的伴奏下，我滔滔不绝地谈起来，她就是你的了。”
“Keep your face hid， Jud，” says Fergus. “For heavens sake， keep your face hid. Im a friend of yours in all kinds of sentiment， but this is a business deal. If I could talk I wouldnt ask you. But seeing me and listening to you I dont see why she cant be landed.”
“把你的脸遮住，贾德。”弗格斯说。“千万把你的脸遮严实。讲到感情，你我是生死之交，但是这件事非同小可。我自己能说话也不会请你去。如今看到我的面孔，听到你的说话，我想非把她弄到手不可了。”
“By you？” says I.
“到你的手？”我问道。
“By me.” says Fergus.
“我的。弗格斯说。
Well， Fergus and the duenna， Francesca， attended to the details. And one night they fetched me a long black cloakcloak n.斗篷， 宽大外衣， 掩护 vt.用外衣遮蔽， 披斗篷 with a high collar， and led me to the house at midnight. I stood by the window in the patio until I heard a voice as soft and sweet as an angels whisper on the other side of the bars. I could see only a faint， white clad shape inside； and， true to Fergus， I pulled the collar of my cloak high up， for it was July in the wet seasons， and the nights were chilly. And， smothering a laugh as I thought of the tonguetied Fergus， I began to talk.
嗯，弗格斯和陪伴温弗朗西斯卡安排好了细节。一天晚上，他们替我准备好一件高领子的黑色长披风，半夜把我领到那座房子那里。我站在院子里窗口下面，终于听到栅栏那边有一种天使般又柔和又甜蜜的声音。我依稀看到里面有一个穿白衣服的人影；我把被风领子翻了上来，一方面是忠于弗格斯，一方面是因为那时正当七月潮湿的季节，夜晚寒意袭人。我想到结结巴巴的弗格斯，几乎笑出声来，接着我开始说话了。
“Well， sir， I talked an hour at the Senorita Anabela. I say “at” because it was not “with”. Now and then she would say： “Oh， Senor，” or “Now， aint you foolin？”or “I know you dont mean that”， and such things as women will when they are being rightly courted. Both of us knew English and Spanish； so in two languages I tried to win the heart of the lady for my friend Fergus. But for the bars to the window I could have done it in one. At the end of the hour she dismisseddismiss vt.解散， 下课， 开除， 解职， 使(或让)离开 vi.解散 me and gave me a big， red rose. I handed it over to Fergus when I got home.
“嗯，先生，我对安娜贝拉小姐说了一小时话。我说“对她”，因为根本没有“同她”说话。她只是偶尔说一句：“哦，先生，”或者“呀，你不是骗人吧？”或者“我知道你不是那个意思”，以及诸如此类的，女人被追求得恰到好处时所说的话。我们两人都懂得英语和西班牙语；于是我运用这两种语言替我的朋友弗格斯去赢得这位小姐的心。如果窗口没有栅栏，我用一种语言就行了。一小时之后，她打发我走，并且给了我一朵大大的红玫瑰花。我回来后把它转交给了弗格斯。
For three weeks every third or fourth night I impersonatedimpersonate vt.模仿， 扮演， 人格化， 拟人 my friend in the patio at the window of Senorita Anabela. At last she admitted that her heart was mine， and spoke of having seen me every afternoon when she drove in the plaza. It was Fergus she had seen， of course. But it was my talk that won her. Suppose Fergus had gone there， and tried to make a hit in the dark with his beauty all invisible， and not a word to say for himself！
每隔三四个晚上，我就代我的朋友到安娜贝拉小姐的窗子下面去一次，这样持续了三星期之久。最后，她承认她的心已经属于我了，还说每天下午驾车去广场的时候都看到了我。她见到的当然是弗格斯。但是赢得她心的是我的谈话。试想，如果弗格斯自己跑去待在黑暗里，他的俊美一点儿也看不见，他一句话也不说，那能有什么成就！
On the last night she promised to be mine—that is， Ferguss. And she put her hand between the bars for me to kiss. I bestowed the kiss and took the news to Fergus.
最后一晚，她答应跟我结婚了——那是说，跟弗格斯。她把手从栅栏里伸出来让我亲吻。我给了她一吻，并且把这消息告诉了弗格斯。
“You might have left that for me to do，” says he.
“那件事应该留给我来做。”他说。
“Thatll be your job hereafter.” says I， “Keep on doing that and dont try to talk. Maybe after she thinks shes in love she wont notice the difference between real conversation and the inarticulateinarticulate adj.口齿不清的， 说话不连贯的，不善于表达的， (动物)无关节的 sort of droning that you give forth.”
“那将是你以后的工作。”我说，“一天到晚别说话，光是吻她。以后等她认为已经爱上你时，她也许就辨不出真正的谈话和你发出的嗫嚅之间的区别了。”
“Now， I had never seen Senorita Anabela. So， the next day Fergus asks me to walk with him through the plaza and view the daily promenadepromenade n.散步 v.散步 adj.散步的 and exhibition of Oratama society， a sight that had no interest for me. But I went， and children and dogs took to the banana groves and mangrovemangrove n.［植］红树林 swamps as soon as they had a look at my face.
且说，我从来没有清楚地见过安娜贝拉小姐。第二天，弗格斯邀我一起去广场上，看看我不感兴趣的奥拉塔马交际界人物的行列。我去了，小孩和狗一看到我的脸都往香蕉林和红树沼地上逃。
“Here she comes，” said Fergus， twirling his moustache—“the one in white， in the open carriage with the black horse.”
“她来啦，”弗格斯捻着胡子说——“穿白衣服，坐着黑马拉的敞篷车。”