“Make one.” said Anthony. “Take her for a walk in the park， or a straw ride， or walk home with her from church Chance！ Pshaw！”
“制造一个嘛。”安东尼说。“带她上公园散步，或者驾车出游，要么做完礼拜陪她回家也可以。机会，多的是嘛！”
“You dont know the social mill， dad. Shes part of the stream that turns it. Every hour and minute of her time is arranged for days in advance. I must have that girl， dad， or this town is a blackjackblackjack v.以棒打， 胁迫 n.扑克牌的二十一点，头面人物 swamp forevermore. And I cant write it—I cant do that.”
“你不知道现在社交界的状况，爹。她是社交界的头面人物之一，她的每小时每分钟都在前几天预先安排妥当了。我非要那个姑娘不可，爹，否则这个城市会变成腐臭的沼泽，使我抱恨终身。我又无法写信表白，不能那么做。”
“Tut！” said the old man. “Do you mean to tell me that with all the money Ive got you cant get an hour or two of a girls time for yourself？”
“呸！”老头儿说。“你是想对我说，我给你的全部钱财都不能让一个姑娘陪你一两个小时吗？”
“Ive put it off too late. Shes going to sail for Europe at noon day after tomorrow for a two years stay. Im to see her alone tomorrow evening for a few minutes. Shes at Larchmont now at her aunts. I cant go there. But Im allowed to meet her with a cab at the Grand Central Station tomorrow evening at the 8∶30 train. We drive down Broadway to Wallacks at a gallop， where her mother and a box party will be waiting for us in the lobby. Do you think she would listen to a declaration from me during that six or eight minutes under those circumstancescircumstance n.环境， 详情， 境况？ No. And what chance would I have in the theatre or afterward？ None. No， dad， this is one tangle that your money cant unravel. We cant buy one minute of time with cash， if we could， rich people would live longer. Theres no hope of getting a talk with Miss Lantry before she sails.”
“我开始得太晚了。她后天中午就要乘船去欧洲待两年。明天傍晚，我能单独和她待上几分钟。现在，她还住在拉齐蒙特的姨母家，我不能到那儿去。但允许我明天晚上坐马车去中央火车站接她，她乘八点半到站的那趟火车。我们一道乘马车赶到百老汇街的沃拉克剧院，她母亲和别的亲友在剧院休息室等我们。你以为在那种情况下，只有六到八分钟，她会听我表白心意吗？决不会。在剧院里或散戏之后，我还有什么机会呢？根本不可能。不，爸，这就是你的金钱解决不了的难题，我们拿钱连一分钟也买不到；如果可能的话，富人就会长生不老了。在兰特里小姐起航之前，我没希望同她好好谈谈了。”
“All right， Richard， my boy.” said old Anthony， cheerfully. “You may run along down to your club now. Im glad it aint your liver. But dont forget to burn a few punk sticks in the joss housejoss house n.(中国的) 庙， 寺 to the great god Mazuma from time to time. You say money wont buy time？ Well， of course， you cant order eternityeternity n.永远， 来世， 不朽， 来世， 来生 wrapped up and delivered at your residence for a price， but Ive seen Father Time get pretty bad stone bruisesbruise n.瘀伤， 擦伤 v.打伤， 撞伤 on his heels when he walked through the gold diggingsdiggings 发掘物，矿区(尤指金矿区)， 寓所(原指金矿矿工宿营地).”
“好啦，理查德，孩子。”老安东尼高兴地说。“现在，你可以去俱乐部玩了。我很高兴你的肝脏没闹毛病，不过别忘了常常去神庙，给伟大的财神爷烧香跪拜求保佑。你说钱买不到时间吗？唔，当然，你不能出个价钱，叫永恒包扎得好好的给你送到家门口，但是，我已经见过，时间老人穿过金矿时，被石块弄得满脚伤痕。”
That night came Aunt Ellen， gentle， sentimental， wrinkled， sighing， oppressed by wealth， in to Brother Anthony at his evening paper， and began discourse on the subject of lovers woes.
那天晚上，一个性情温和、多情善感、满脸皱纹、长吁短叹、被财富压得喘不过气来的女人，埃伦姑妈来看望她的弟弟。安东尼正在看晚报。他们以情人的烦恼为话题议论开了。
“He told me all about it.” said brother Anthony， yawning. “I told him my bank account was at his service. And then he began to knock money. Said money couldnt help. Said the rules of society couldnt be bucked for a yard by a team of tenmillionaires.”
“他全告诉我啦。”安东尼说着，打了一个呵欠。“我告诉他，我在银行的存款全都听他支配，可他却开始贬责金钱，说什么有了钱也不管用。还说什么十个百万富翁加在一起也不能把社会规律动上一码远。”
“Oh， Anthony，” sighed Aunt Ellen， “I wish you would not think so much of money. Wealth is nothing where a true affection is concerned. Love is allpowerful. If he only had spoken earlier！ She could not have refused our Richard. But now I fear it is too late. He will have no opportunity to address her. All your gold cannot bring happiness to your son.”
“哦，安东尼，”埃伦姑妈叹息说，“我希望你别把金钱看得太重了。在真情实感面前，财富就算不了一回事。爱情才是万能的。要是他早一点开口就好啦！她不可能拒绝我们的理查德，只是我怕现在太迟了。他没有机会向她表白。你的全部钱财都不能给儿子带来幸福。”
At eight oclock the next evening Aunt Ellen took a quaint old gold ring from a motheaten case and gave it to Richard.
第二天傍晚八点钟，埃伦姑妈从一个蛀虫斑斑的盒子里取出一枚古雅的金戒指，交给理查德。
“Wear it tonight， nephew.” she begged. “Your mother gave it to me. Good luck in love she said it brought. She asked me to give it to you when you had found the one you loved.”
“今晚戴上吧，孩子。”她央求说。“这戒指是你母亲托付给我的。她说，这戒指能给情人带来好运，嘱咐我当你找到意中人时，就把它交给你。”
Young Rockwall took the ring reverently and tried it on his smallest finger. It slipped as far as the second joint and stopped. He took it off and stuffed it into his vest pocket， after the manner of man. And then he phoned for his cab.
小罗克韦尔郑重其事地接过戒指，在他的小指上试了试，只滑到第二指节就不动了。他取下来，按照男人的习惯，把它放进坎肩兜里，然后打电话叫马车。
At the station he capturedcapture n.捕获， 战利品 vt.俘获， 捕获， 夺取 Miss Lantry out of the gadding mob at eight thirtytwo.
八点三十二分，他在火车站杂乱的人群中接到了兰特里小姐。
“We mustnt keep mamma and the others waiting.” said she.
“我们别让妈妈和别人等久了。”她说。
“To Wallacks Theatre as fast as you can drive！” said Richard loyally.
“去沃拉克剧院，越快越好！”理查德遵照她的意愿吩咐车夫。
They whirled up Fortysecond to Broadway， and then down the whitestarred lane that leads from the soft meadowsmeadow n.草地， 牧场 of sunset to the rocky hills of morning.
他们旋风般地从第四十二街向百老汇街驶去，接着通过一条灯火繁若星辰的小巷，从光线幽暗的绿草地段到达灯光耀眼、陡如高山的建筑区。
At Thirtyfourth Street young Richard quickly thrust up the trap and ordered the cabman to stop.
到第三十四街时，理查德迅速推开车窗隔板，叫车夫停下。
“Ive dropped a ring.” he apo1ogised， as he climbed out. “It was my mothers， and Id hate to lose it. I wont detain you a minute—I saw where it fell.”
“我掉了一枚戒指。”他下车时抱歉似的说。“是我母亲的遗物，我悔不该把它丢了。我耽误不了一分钟的，我明白它掉在哪里的。”
In less than a minute he was back in the cab with the ring.
不到一分钟，他带着戒指回到了马车里。
But within that minute a crosstown car had stopped directly in front of the cab. The cabman tried to pass to the left， but a heavy express wagonwagon n.四轮马车， 货车 v.用运货马车运输货物 cut him off. He tried the right， and had to back away from a furniturefurniture n.家具， 设备， 储藏物 van that had no business to be there. He tried to back out， but dropped his reins and swore dutifully. He was blockaded in a tangled mess of vehiclesvehicle n.交通工具， 车辆， 媒介物， 传达手段 and horses.
但就在那一分钟里，一辆城区街车停在了马车的正前方，马车试图往左拐，又被一辆邮车挡住了。马车夫朝右试了试，又不得不退回来，避过一辆莫名其妙地出现在那儿的搬运家具的马车。他想后退，也不行，只得丢下缰绳，尽职地咒骂起来。他给一伙纠缠不清的车辆和马匹挡住了出路。