欧·亨利《麦琪的礼物》节选（二）
Where she stopped the sign read: "Mne. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds." One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the "Sofronie."
她走到一块招牌前停下来，上写着：“索弗罗妮夫人——专营各式头发”。德拉奔上楼梯，气喘吁吁地定了定神。那位夫人身躯肥大，过于苍白，冷若冰霜，同“索弗罗妮”的雅号简直牛头不对马嘴。
"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
“你要买我的头发吗？”德拉问。
"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take your hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."
“我买头发，”夫人说。“揭掉帽子，让我看看发样。”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
那褐色的瀑布泼撒了下来。
"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.
“二十美元，”夫人一边说，一边内行似地抓起头发。
"Give it to me quick," said Della.
“快给我钱，”德拉说。
"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do — oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"
“假如吉姆看我一眼不把我宰掉的话，”她自言自语，“他定会说我像个科尼岛上合唱队的卖唱姑娘。但是我能怎么办呢——唉，只有八角七分钱，我能干什么呢？”
At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.
七点钟，她煮好了咖啡，把煎锅置于热炉上，随时都可做肉排。
Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: lease God, make him think I am still pretty."
吉姆一贯准时回家。德拉将表链对叠握在手心，坐在离他一贯进门最近的桌子角上。接着，她听见下面楼梯上响起了他的脚步声，她紧张得脸色失去了一会儿血色。她习惯于为了最简单的日常事物而默默祈祷，此刻，她悄声道：“求求上帝，让他觉得我还是漂亮的吧。”
The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two — and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
门开了，吉姆步入，随手关上了门。他显得瘦削而又非常严肃。可怜的人儿，他才二十二岁，就挑起了家庭重担！他需要买件新大衣，连手套也没有呀。
她走到一块招牌前停下来，上写着：“索弗罗妮夫人——专营各式头发”。德拉奔上楼梯，气喘吁吁地定了定神。那位夫人身躯肥大，过于苍白，冷若冰霜，同“索弗罗妮”的雅号简直牛头不对马嘴。
"Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.
“你要买我的头发吗？”德拉问。
"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take your hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."
“我买头发，”夫人说。“揭掉帽子，让我看看发样。”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
那褐色的瀑布泼撒了下来。
"Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand.
“二十美元，”夫人一边说，一边内行似地抓起头发。
"Give it to me quick," said Della.
“快给我钱，”德拉说。
"If Jim doesn't kill me," she said to herself, "before he takes a second look at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl. But what could I do — oh! what could I do with a dollar and eighty- seven cents?"
“假如吉姆看我一眼不把我宰掉的话，”她自言自语，“他定会说我像个科尼岛上合唱队的卖唱姑娘。但是我能怎么办呢——唉，只有八角七分钱，我能干什么呢？”
At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.
七点钟，她煮好了咖啡，把煎锅置于热炉上，随时都可做肉排。
Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. Then she heard his step on the stair away down on the first flight, and she turned white for just a moment. She had a habit for saying little silent prayer about the simplest everyday things, and now she whispered: lease God, make him think I am still pretty."
吉姆一贯准时回家。德拉将表链对叠握在手心，坐在离他一贯进门最近的桌子角上。接着，她听见下面楼梯上响起了他的脚步声，她紧张得脸色失去了一会儿血色。她习惯于为了最简单的日常事物而默默祈祷，此刻，她悄声道：“求求上帝，让他觉得我还是漂亮的吧。”
The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow, he was only twenty-two — and to be burdened with a family! He needed a new overcoat and he was without gloves.
门开了，吉姆步入，随手关上了门。他显得瘦削而又非常严肃。可怜的人儿，他才二十二岁，就挑起了家庭重担！他需要买件新大衣，连手套也没有呀。
（编辑:柳敬智）
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