"We loved one another from the first moment we met, though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday. All our friends and relatives had come to my party, and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn. Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs, and we danced together as often as we dared, which was not very often, for my father hated the Uitlanders. Indeed, for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him, but afterwards he got used to the idea, and was always polite to the Englishman, though he never liked him.

　　"我和理查德是一見(jiàn)鐘情，盡管直到我18歲生日那天我們才表示彼此的愛(ài)慕之情。那天晚上的舞會(huì)上，我們的親友都來(lái)了。我們?cè)趥}(cāng)房里鋪上一條寬大的舊毛毯，翩翩起舞。我和他壯起膽子頻頻起舞。但事實(shí)上，沒(méi)有多少次，因?yàn)槲业母赣H很討厭'洋人'。有一次，他曾抱怨說(shuō)倫斯堡先生不應(yīng)該讓理查德寄住在他的家里，為此還跟他吵過(guò)一場(chǎng)，他后來(lái)就習(xí)以為常了。雖談不上喜歡，但對(duì)這個(gè)英國(guó)人以禮相待。"那是我一生中最快樂(lè)的一個(gè)生日，因?yàn)槔聿榈略谔栝g歇將我領(lǐng)到外面清涼的月光中，在點(diǎn)點(diǎn)繁星之下對(duì)我傾訴愛(ài)慕之情，并向我求婚。我二話沒(méi)說(shuō)答應(yīng)了他的要求，因?yàn)槲以缫研淖砩衩?，想不到父母親會(huì)說(shuō)什么。我的心中除了理查德和他的愛(ài)情，什么也顧不上了。

　　"That was the happiest birthday of my life, for while we were resting between dances Richard took me outside into the cool, moonlit night, and there, under the stars ,he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. Of course I promised I would, for I was too happy to think of what my parents would say, or indeed of anything except Richard was not at our meeting place as he had arranged. I was disappointed but not alarmed, for so many things could happen to either of us to prevent out keeping our tryst. I thought that next time we visited the Van Ransburgs, I should hear what had kept him and we could plan further meetings…

　　"從那以后，我們就盡可能多地見(jiàn)面，但往往是秘密進(jìn)行。我們就這樣度過(guò)了將近1年時(shí)間。后來(lái)有一天，在他安排的約會(huì)處，理查德爽約沒(méi)有來(lái)。失望之際，我沒(méi)有大驚小怪，因?yàn)槲覀儌z誰(shuí)碰到形形色色的事都可能使我們無(wú)法幽會(huì)。我想我們以后去范·倫斯堡家看望之時(shí)，我就會(huì)明白理查德未能赴約的原因，再安排以后的約會(huì)……

　　"So when my father asked if I would drive with him to Driefontein I was delighted. But when we reached the homestead and were sitting on the stoep drinking our coffee, we heard that Richard had left quite suddenly and had gone back to England. His father had died, and now he was the heir and must go back to look after his estates.

　　"所以，當(dāng)父親問(wèn)我是否愿意和他一塊開(kāi)車(chē)去德里方丹時(shí)，我就高興地答應(yīng)了。但待我們趕到范·倫斯堡家，坐在他們家屋前的門(mén)廊上喝咖啡時(shí)，卻聽(tīng)說(shuō)理查德已經(jīng)不辭而別回英國(guó)去了。他的父親死了，他是繼承人，不得不回去料理遺產(chǎn)。

　　"I do not remember very much more about that day, except that the sun seemed to have stopped shining and the country no longer looked beautiful and full of promise, but bleak and desolate as it sometimes does in winter or in times of drought. Late that afternoon, Jantje, the little Hottentot herd boy, came up to me and handed me a letter , which he said the English baas had left for me. It was the only love letter I ever received, but it turned all my bitterness and grief into a peacefulness which was the nearest I could get, then, to happiness. I knew Richard still loved me, and somehow, as long as I had his letter, I felt that we could never be really parted, even if he were in England and I had to remain on the farm. I have it yet, and though I am an old, tired woman, it still gives me hope and courage."

　　"那天的事我記不大清楚了，只記得當(dāng)時(shí)陽(yáng)光慘淡，田野也失去了美麗的豐采和欣欣向榮的景象，蕭瑟凄涼得跟冬天或大旱時(shí)一樣。那天傍晚，在我和父親動(dòng)身回家之前，霍但托特族的小牧童詹杰交給我一封信，他說(shuō)是那位英國(guó)老爺留給我的。這可是我有生以來(lái)收到的唯一的情書(shū)!它將我的憂傷一掃而光，使我的心情變得平靜--當(dāng)時(shí)對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)幾乎類(lèi)似幸福的平靜。我知道理查德仍在愛(ài)著我。不知怎么回事，有了這封信，我便覺(jué)得我們不可能真正分開(kāi)，哪怕他到了英國(guó)、我還留在南非的農(nóng)場(chǎng)。這封信我至今仍保留著，盡管我已經(jīng)年邁體衰，但它仍能帶給我希望和勇氣。"

　　"I must have been a wonderful letter, Aunt Stephia,"I said.

　　"斯蒂菲娜老姑，那封信一定美極了吧，"我說(shuō)。

　　The old lady came back from her dreams of that far-off romance."Perhaps," she said, hesitating a little, "perhaps, my dear, you would care to read it ?"

　　老太太從她那久遠(yuǎn)的愛(ài)之夢(mèng)中醒過(guò)神來(lái)。"也許，"她帶著猶豫的神情說(shuō)，"也許，親愛(ài)的，你想看看那封信吧?"

　　"I should love to , Aunt Stephia,"I said gently.

　　"我很想看，斯蒂菲娜老姑，"我輕聲說(shuō)。

　　She rose at once and tripped into the house as eagerly as a young girl. When she came back she handed me a letter, faded and yellow with age, the edges of the envelope worn and frayed as though it had been much handled. But when I came to open it I found that the seal was unbroken.

　　她猛地站起身，奔進(jìn)屋里，急切得像個(gè)小姑娘。她從屋里出來(lái)后，遞給我一封信。由于天長(zhǎng)日久，那信已經(jīng)褪色發(fā)黃，信封邊已經(jīng)磨損，好像曾被摩挲過(guò)好多次。但在取信時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)封口還沒(méi)有拆開(kāi)。

　　"Open it ,open it,"said Great-aunt Stephia, and her voice was shaking.

　　"拆開(kāi)，拆開(kāi)吧!"斯蒂菲娜老姑聲音顫抖地說(shuō)。

　　I broke the seal and read.

　　我撕開(kāi)封口，開(kāi)始念信。

　　It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word, but pages of the minutest directions of how"my sweetest Phina"was to elude her father's vigilance, creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp. There she was to go to "my true friend, Henry Wilson",who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England ," where, my love, we can he be married at once. But if, my dearest, you are not sure that you can face lift with me in a land strange to you, then do not take this important step, for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness. If you do not come, and if I do not hear from you, then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love. If, however, you feel you can keep your promise to me, but are of too timid and modest a journey to England unaccompanied, then write to me, and I will, by some means, return to fetch my bride."

　　嚴(yán)格說(shuō)來(lái)，它算不上是一封情書(shū)，實(shí)際是只是幾頁(yè)內(nèi)容詳盡的行動(dòng)指南。信里稱(chēng)"我最親愛(ài)的菲娜"該怎么擺脫她父親的監(jiān)視，夜里逃出家門(mén)，詹杰會(huì)在淺灘上牽馬等著她，然后將她馱到史密斯多普，到了那里再去找理查德的"知心朋友亨利·威爾遜"，他會(huì)給她錢(qián)為她作好安排，使她能跟隨她的情人到開(kāi)普敦，隨后轉(zhuǎn)道英國(guó)。"親愛(ài)的，這樣我們就可以在英國(guó)結(jié)婚了。但是我的至愛(ài)，如果你不能保證你能在一個(gè)陌生的地方和我一塊生活，你就不必采取這個(gè)重大行動(dòng)，因?yàn)槲姨珢?ài)你了，不能讓你感到絲毫不快。如果你不來(lái)，如果我聽(tīng)不到你的回信，我就會(huì)知道，如果你離開(kāi)你摯愛(ài)的親人和鄉(xiāng)土，你是不會(huì)幸福的。但如果你能實(shí)踐你對(duì)我的許諾而由于你生性持重膽怯不愿單身前往英國(guó)，就來(lái)信告訴我，那我就會(huì)設(shè)法回南非來(lái)迎接我的新娘。"

　　I read no further.

　　我沒(méi)有再念下去。

　　"But Aunt Phina!"I gasped. "Why…why…?"

　　"可是，菲娜老姑，"我氣喘吁吁地說(shuō)，"為什么……?為什么……"

　　The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness, her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation."Read it aloud, my dear,"she said."I want to hear every word of it. There was never anyone I could trust…Uitlanders were hated in my young days…I could not ask anyone."

　　老太太的身子由于渴望知道信的內(nèi)容而顫抖，她的眼睛炯炯有神地凝視著我，臉龐因急切的期待一片緋紅。"親愛(ài)的，大聲念吧!"她說(shuō)，"信里的一字一句，我都要聽(tīng)!當(dāng)時(shí)我找不到可靠的人給我念……我年輕時(shí)，'洋人'是被人深?lèi)和唇^的……我找不到人給我念啊!"

　　"But, Auntie, don't you even know what he wrote?"

　　"可是老姑，難道你一直不知道信里的事嗎?"

　　The old lady looked down, troubled and shy like a child who has unwittingly done wrong.

　　老太太低頭俯視著，像一個(gè)無(wú)心做錯(cuò)事的孩子一樣怯生生的，不知說(shuō)什么才好。

　　"No, dear," she said, speaking very low."You see, I never learned to read.

　　"不知道，親愛(ài)的，"她用低沉的聲調(diào)說(shuō)，“你知道，我從來(lái)沒(méi)有念過(guò)書(shū)啊!”