One Sunday afternoon some time after this they were sailing the summer seas in their dream yacht， and reclining in lazy luxury under the awning of the afterdeck. There was silence， for each was busy with his own thoughts. These seasons of silence had insensibly been growing more and more frequent of late； the old nearness and cordialitycordiality n.诚实， 郑重， 诚恳 were waning. Sallys terrible revelation had done its work. Aleck had tried hard to drive the memory of it out of her mind， but it would not go， and the shame and bitterness of it were poisoning her gracious dream life. She could see now （on Sundays） that her husband was becoming a bloatedbloated adj.浮肿的， 发胀的， 傲慢的 and repulsive Thing. She could not close her eyes to this， and in these days she no longer looked at him， Sundays， when she could help it.
这件事过后不久的一天周日下午，当时他们正乘着梦中的游艇在夏日的海面上扬帆远航，斜倚在后甲板的天篷底下俯懒地享受。两人默默无语，都在忙着想自己的心事。这些日子以来，这种沉默不知不觉地多了起来，最近更加常见。以往的亲密和至诚正在褪色。萨利那次交心种下了恶果；艾莱柯费了好大劲从脑海里驱走那可怕的记忆，可它就是不走。这种记忆的羞耻和苦涩污染了她温馨的幻想生活。如今她看得出来，她的丈夫（每到周日）就变成了一个放荡不羁、人见人烦的家伙。
But she—was she herself without blemishblemish n.污点， 缺点， 瑕疵 vt.弄脏， 玷污， 损害？ Alas， she knew she was not. She was keeping a secret from him， she was acting dishonorably toward him， and many a pang it was costing her. She was breaking the compact， and concealing it from him. Under strong temptation she had gone into business again， she had risked their whole fortune in a purchase of all the railway systems and coal and steel companies in the country on a margin， and she was now trembling， every Sabbath hour， lest through some chance word of hers he find it out. In her misery and remorse for this treacherytreachery n.背叛， 背信弃义， 变节， 叛逆行为 she could not keep her heart from going out to him in pity， she was filled with compunctions to see him lying there， drunk and contented， and ever suspecting. Never suspecting—trusting her with a perfect and pathetic trust， and she holding over him by a thread a possible calamity of so devastating a—
可是她呢——难道她自己就无可指责吗？唉，她自己明白不是这么回事。她也有件事瞒着他，这是不忠实的行为，为此，她心事重重。她违反了他们之间的约定，还把他蒙在鼓里。在强烈的诱惑下，她又做起了生意；她押上了他们全部的财产，一下子买进了这个国家所有的铁路、煤矿和钢铁企业，现在每逢安息日，她就心惊胆战，惟恐一不留神，泄漏片言只字，让他察觉。由于做了这件对不住丈夫的事，她又痛苦，又懊悔，不由得对丈夫怜悯有加。看到他躺在那儿，喝得醉醺醺、浑浑噩噩、从不疑心，她的心中就充满了悔恨。他从不疑心——全心全意、可怜兮兮地信赖她，头上却高悬着一盆可能倾家荡产的祸水，这祸水就是她放的。
“Say—Aleck？”
“嗨——艾莱柯？”
The interrupting words brought her suddenly to herself. She was grateful to have that persecuting subject from her thoughts， and she answered， with much of the oldtime tenderness in her tone：“Yes， dear.”
萨利突如其来的一句话一下子惊醒了她。摆脱了这件烦心事，她非常高兴，就用往日那种甜蜜的嗓音答道：“什么事啊，亲爱的。”
“Do you know， Aleck， I think we are making a mistake—that is， you are. I mean about the marriage business.” He sat up， fat and froggy and benevolentbenevolent adj.慈善的， like a bronze Buddha， and grew earnest. “Consider—its more than five years. Youve continued the same policy from the start： with every rise， always holding on for five points higher. Always when I think we are going to have some weddings， you see a bigger thing ahead， and I undergo another disappointment. I think you are too hard to please. Some day well get left. First， we turned down the dentist and the lawyer. That was all right—it was sound. Next， we turned down the bankers son and the porkbutchers heir—right again， and sound. Next， we turned down the Congressmans son and the Governors—right as a trivettrivet n.三脚铁架， 三脚火炉架， I confess it. Next the Senators son and the son of the VicePresident of the United States—perfectly right， theres no permanency about those little distinctions. Then you went for the aristocracy， and I thought we had struck oil at last—yes. We would make a plunge at the Four Hundred， and pull in some ancient lineagelineage n.血统， 世系， venerable， holy， ineffable， mellow with the antiquity of a hundred and fifty years， disinfected of the ancestral odors of saltcod and pelts all of a century ago， and unsmirched by a days work since， and then！ Why， then the marriages， of course. But no， along comes a pair a real aristocrats from Europe， and straightway you throw over the halfbreeds. It was awfully discouraging， Aleck！ Since then， what a procession！ You turned down the baronets for a pair of barons， you turned down the barons for a pair of viscountsviscount n.（英国的）子爵； the viscounts for a pair of earls， the earls for a pair of marquises， the marquises for a brace of dukes. NOW， Aleck， cash in！—youve played the limit. Youve got a job lot of four dukes under the hammer， of four nationalities， all sound in the wind and limb and pedigreepedigree n.血统， 家谱， all bankrupt and in debt up to the ears. They come high， but we can afford it. come， Aleck， dont delay any longer， dont keep up the suspensesuspense n.焦虑， 悬念， 悬而不决： take the whole layout， and leave the girls to choose！”
“你知道吗，艾莱柯，我觉得咱们犯了个错误——这可是你的错。我是说那件婚姻大事。”他坐了起来，肥肥的青蛙肚，慈眉善目，活像一尊铜佛；他的口气郑重起来了。“想想吧——五年多了。你还守着老规矩，一成不变：只要赚一笔，择婿的档次就提高一档。每到我琢磨着要举行婚礼的时候，你的眼光又高了，让我一回回地失望。我觉得你也太难伺候了。总有一天咱们得落个高不成低不就。头一次，咱们把牙医和律师甩了。也罢——甩得有道理。接着咱们甩了银行老板和猪肉批发商的儿子。这也由他去——甩得有道理。再往后，咱们又没看上众议员和州长家的公子——我承认这也没有什么不妥。接下来是参议员和合众国副总统的公子——做得很对，这种芝麻官做不长远。后来你就瞄上贵族了；我记得当时咱们家的油田终于见油了——对。咱们要在四百家大户里面搂一遍，网罗一些门第显赫、出身不凡的世家贵胄，这些血统纯正的家族历经一百五十年，具备大家风范，一百年前就除去了祖先身上的咸鱼和老羊皮袄的气味，从那以后就再也没有做过一天苦工，两手清清爽爽。到时候了！该举行婚礼了吧？当然。可是不成，从欧洲来了两个货真价实的贵族，你马上让煮了半熟的鸭子飞了。艾莱柯，这可太让人扫兴了！从那以后，又是长长的一队！你甩了两个二等男爵，换成两个男爵；甩了这两个男爵，又换成了两个子爵；子爵换成伯爵；伯爵换成侯爵；侯爵再换成公爵。艾莱柯，现在该兑现了吧！——这把牌你已经打到头了。你把四个公爵放在手里挑三拣四。他们的国籍各不相同；个个都美名远扬，血统纯正，谱系清楚；个个都破了产，背了一屁股债。他们要价不低，可咱们能出得起呀。好了，艾莱柯，别再拖了，别再犹豫不决了：把一副牌都摆开，让姑娘们自个儿挑吧！”
