The Rubberneck Auto was about ready to start. —
橡皮颈汽车即将启动。 —

The merry top-riders had been assigned to their seats by the gentlemanly conductor. —
绅士般的售票员已经为坐上顶部的乘客安排好座位。 —

The sidewalk was blockaded with sightseers who had gathered to stare at sightseers, justifying the natural law that every creature on earth is preyed upon by some other creature.
人行道上挤满了围观者，他们聚集在一起，凝视着其他围观者，这符合自然法则，即地球上的每个生物都被其他生物捕食。

The megaphone man raised his instrument of torture; —
扩音器人举起他那折磨人的乐器； —

the inside of the great automobile began to thump and throb like the heart of a coffee drinker. —
伟大的汽车内部开始像咖啡喝完的心脏那样砰砰跳动。 —

The top-riders nervously clung to the seats; —
坐在顶部的乘客紧张地抓住座位； —

the old lady from Valparaiso, Indiana, shrieked to be put ashore. —
来自印第安纳州瓦尔帕莱索的老太太尖叫着要下车。 —

But, before a wheel turns, listen to a brief preamble through the cardiaphone, which shall point out to you an object of interest on life’s sightseeing tour.
但是，在车轮转动之前，请通过心脏电话听一段简短的前言，它将为你指出人生观光旅途中的一个有趣的对象。

Swift and comprehensive is the recognition of white man for white man in African wilds; —
在非洲的荒野中，白人之间对于白人的认同是快速而全面的； —

instant and sure is the spiritual greeting between mother and babe; —
母亲和婴儿之间的心灵问候是即时而确定的； —

unhesitatingly do master and dog commune across the slight gulf between animal and man; —
主人和狗之间在人与动物之间的微小鸿沟上毫不犹豫地沟通。 —

immeasurably quick and sapient are the brief messages between one and one’s beloved. —
与心爱的人之间的简短信息是无法衡量的迅速和智慧。 —

But all these instances set forth only slow and groping interchange of sympathy and thought beside one other instance which the Rubberneck coach shall disclose. —
但是所有这些例子只能与旅游巴士揭示的一个例子相比，此例子揭示了同情和思考的缓慢和摸索的相互交流。 —

You shall learn (if you have not learned already) what two beings of all earth’s living inhabitants most quickly look into each other’s hearts and souls when they meet face to face.
你将会知道（如果你还没有知道）当面对面相遇时，地球上所有生物中两个生物最快速地相互看进彼此的心灵和灵魂。

The gong whirred, and the Glaring-at-Gotham car moved majestically upon its instructive tour.
锣声嗡鸣，盯着哥谭城的汽车庄严地开始了它富有启蒙意义的旅程。

On the highest, rear seat was James Williams, of Cloverdale, Missouri, and his Bride.
在最高的后排座位上是来自密苏里州克洛弗代尔的詹姆斯·威廉姆斯和他的新娘。

Capitalise it, friend typo–that last word–word of words in the epiphany of life and love. —
把它大写，拼写错误的朋友——生命和爱的顿悟中的最后一个词。 —

The scent of the flowers, the booty of the bee, the primal drip of spring waters, the overture of the lark, the twist of lemon peel on the cocktail of creation–such is the bride. —
花香、蜜蜂的战利品、春水的原始滴落、云雀的序曲、创造之鸡尾酒中柠檬皮的扭曲——这就是新娘。 —

Holy is the wife; revered the mother; —
妻子是神圣的； —

galliptious is the summer girl–but the bride is the certified check among the wedding presents that the gods send in when man is married to mortality.
母亲是受人尊敬的；夏天的女孩是轻快的。但新娘就像是众神在男人与生命结合时送来的可靠支票。

The car glided up the Golden Way. On the bridge of the great cruiser the captain stood, trumpeting the sights of the big city to his passengers. —
汽车滑过黄金大道。在巨轮的桥上，船长站在那里，向乘客吹嘘着这个大城市的风光。 —

Wide-mouthed and open-eared, they heard the sights of the metropolis thundered forth to their eyes. —
宽嘴欢迎着，耳朵敞开，他们听到这座都市的景象在眼前雷鸣般展现。 —

Confused, delirious with excitement and provincial longings, they tried to make ocular responses to the megaphonic ritual. —
他们被激动和乡土情怀迷惑，试图用眼睛对扩音器传播的仪式作出回应。 —

In the solemn spires of spreading cathedrals they saw the home of the Vanderbilts; —
在雄伟的教堂尖顶中，他们看到了范德比尔特家的住所。 —

in the busy bulk of the Grand Central depot they viewed, wonderingly, the frugal cot of Russell Sage. Bidden to observe the highlands of the Hudson, they gaped, unsuspecting, at the upturned mountains of a new- laid sewer. —
在繁忙的中央车站里，他们惊奇地看到了罗素·塞奇的简朴小屋。他们被邀请去观看哈德逊高地，却张口结舌地看着一座新铺下的下水道上翻的山。 —

To many the elevated railroad was the Rialto, on the stations of which uniformed men sat and made chop suey of your tickets. —
对于许多人来说，高架铁路就是里亚托广场，车站上那些穿着制服的人正在处理你的车票。 —

And to this day in the outlying districts many have it that Chuck Connors, with his hand on his heart, leads reform; —
直到今天，在郊区，很多人都认为查克·康纳斯，手放在胸前，领导着改革； —

and that but for the noble municipal efforts of one Parkhurst, a district attorney, the notorious “Bishop” Potter gang would have destroyed law and order from the Bowery to the Harlem River.
如果不是一个名叫帕克赫斯特的地方检查官进行的高尚市政努力，臭名昭著的“主教”波特团伙可能会将波维利大道至哈莱姆河之间的法律和秩序彻底摧毁。

But I beg you to observe Mrs. James Williams–Hattie Chalmers that was–once the belle of Cloverdale. —
但是请注意詹姆斯·威廉姆斯夫人 - 曾经是克拉沃代尔的美女哈蒂·查尔默斯。 —

Pale-blue is the bride’s, if she will; —
要是新娘肯的话，淡蓝色是她的颜色； —

and this colour she had honoured. —
她对这种颜色感到荣幸。 —

Willingly had the moss rosebud loaned to her cheeks of its pink–and as for the violet! —
蔷薇的嫩蕊愿意把它最粉的粉色借给她的脸颊 - 至于紫罗兰！ —

–her eyes will do very well as they are, thank you. —
她的眼睛现在已经很好了，谢谢。 —

A useless strip of white chaf–oh, no, he was guiding the auto car–of white chiffon–or perhaps it was grenadine or tulle–was tied beneath her chin, pretending to hold her bonnet in place. —
一段毫无用处的白色绸缎带 - 哦，不对，他正在驾驶汽车 - 可能是薄纱或者蕾丝 - 系在她的下巴下，假装固定她的帽子。 —

But you know as well as I do that the hatpins did the work.
但是你知道和我一样，是帽针起了作用。

And on Mrs. James Williams’s face was recorded a little library of the world’s best thoughts in three volumes. —
而在詹姆斯·威廉姆斯太太的脸上，记录了一个世界上最好思想的小型图书馆，分为三卷。 —

Volume No. 1 contained the belief that James Williams was about the right sort of thing. —
第一卷包含了詹姆斯·威廉姆斯是关于正确的事情这一信念。 —

Volume No. 2 was an essay on the world, declaring it to be a very excellent place. —
第二卷是关于世界的一篇短文，宣称它是一个非常优秀的地方。 —

Volume No. 3 disclosed the belief that in occupying the highest seat in a Rubberneck auto they were travelling the pace that passes all understanding.
第三卷揭示了一种信念，在乘坐最高座位的橡皮颈式汽车时，他们正在以超越一切理解的速度旅行。

James Williams, you would have guessed, was about twenty-four. It will gratify you to know that your estimate was so accurate. —
詹姆斯·威廉姆斯，你会猜到，大约二十四岁。你会高兴地知道你的估计是如此准确。 —

He was exactly twenty-three years, eleven months and twenty-nine days old. —
他正好二十三岁零十一个月零二十九天。 —

He was well built, active, strong-jawed, good-natured and rising. —
他身材魁梧，活泼，下巴结实，好脾气，前途迅猛。 —

He was on his wedding trip.
他正在进行他的蜜月旅行。

Dear kind fairy, please cut out those orders for money and 40 H. P. touring cars and fame and a new growth of hair and the presidency of the boat club. —
亲爱的善良仙女，请截掉那些为了金钱和40匹马力的旅行车以及名声和新头发和游艇俱乐部主席的要求吧。与其这些， —

Instead of any of them turn backward–oh, turn backward and give us just a teeny-weeny bit of our wedding trip over again. —
不如让时间倒流——哦，请让时间倒流一小点，让我们再次经历一下我们的蜜月旅行。 —

Just an hour, dear fairy, so we can remember how the grass and poplar trees looked, and the bow of those bonnet strings tied beneath her chin–even if it was the hatpins that did the work. —
亲爱的仙女，只要一个小时，这样我们就可以回忆起那些绿草和白杨树的样子，还有她脖子下系着的那些帽带——即使是帽针起了作用。 —

Can’t do it? Very well; hurry up with that touring car and the oil stock, then.
不能做到吗？好吧，那就赶快送来那辆旅行车和石油股票吧。

Just in front of Mrs. James Williams sat a girl in a loose tan jacket and a straw hat adorned with grapes and roses. —
在詹姆斯·威廉姆斯太太的前面坐着一个穿着宽松的棕色夹克和戴着葡萄和玫瑰装饰草帽的女孩。 —

Only in dreams and milliners’ shops do we, alas! —
只有在梦里和女帽店里我们才不幸能一下子得到葡萄和玫瑰。 —

gather grapes and roses at one swipe. —
—

This girl gazed with large blue eyes, credulous, when the megaphone man roared his doctrine that millionaires were things about which we should be concerned. —
这个女孩用她那湛蓝的大眼睛凝视着，当喇叭手咆哮着告诉我们，百万富翁是一个我们应该关注的事物时，她是如此易信。 —

Between blasts she resorted to Epictetian philosophy in the form of pepsin chewing gum.
在爆炸之间，她采用以消化酶口香糖的形式借鉴了伊壁鸠鲁哲学。

At this girl’s right hand sat a young man about twenty-four. —
在这个女孩的右手边坐着一个约二十四岁的年轻人。 —

He was well-built, active, strong-jawed and good-natured. —
他身材魁梧，活跃，下巴力量十足，好脾气。 —

But if his description seems to follow that of James Williams, divest it of anything Cloverdalian. —
但如果他的描述看起来像詹姆斯·威廉姆斯，就要剥去一切与克洛弗代利的关系。 —

This man belonged to hard streets and sharp corners. —
这个人属于艰难的街道和尖锐的角落。 —

He looked keenly about him, seeming to begrudge the asphalt under the feet of those upon whom he looked down from his perch.
他敏锐地环顾四周，似乎对脚下的柏油路不满意，特别是对那些从他高处望下去的人们。

While the megaphone barks at a famous hostelry, let me whisper you through the low-tuned cardiaphone to sit tight; —
当扩音器在一家著名的旅馆吠叫时，让我透过低音心内电话对你说，坚持下去； —

for now things are about to happen, and the great city will close over them again as over a scrap of ticker tape floating down from the den of a Broad street bear.
因为现在事情即将发生，这座大城市将再次掩盖住它们，就像从布罗德街的一个空地里漂浮下来的一小条股票纸片那样。

The girl in the tan jacket twisted around to view the pilgrims on the last seat. —
穿着棕色夹克的女孩扭过身来看坐在最后一排的朝圣者们。 —

The other passengers she had absorbed; —
她已经吸收了其他乘客； —

the seat behind her was her Bluebeard’s chamber.
她身后的座位是她的蓝胡须房间。

Her eyes met those of Mrs. James Williams. —
她的眼睛与詹姆斯·威廉姆斯夫人的目光相遇。 —

Between two ticks of a watch they exchanged their life’s experiences, histories, hopes and fancies. —
两只手表指针之间，她们交流了彼此的人生经历、历史、希望和幻想。 —

And all, mind you, with the eye, before two men could have decided whether to draw steel or borrow a match.
注意，所有这些都是通过眼神完成的，在两个人决定是拔刀还是借火柴之前。

The bride leaned forward low. —
新娘向前倾身， —

She and the girl spoke rapidly together, their tongues moving quickly like those of two serpents– a comparison that is not meant to go further. —
她和那个女孩迅速交谈，她们的舌头迅速地动来动去，就像两条蛇一样——这个比喻不再扩展。 —

Two smiles and a dozen nods closed the conference.
两个微笑和一打点头结束了会议。

And now in the broad, quiet avenue in front of the Rubberneck car a man in dark clothes stood with uplifted hand. —
现在，在橡皮颈车前的宽阔而宁静的大道上，一个穿着黑衣服的人举起手。 —

From the sidewalk another hurried to join him.
从人行道上，另一个人匆忙走过来加入他。

The girl in the fruitful hat quickly seized her companion by the arm and whispered in his ear. —
戴着富有创意的帽子的女孩迅速抓住她的伴侣的胳膊，在他耳边低语。 —

That young man exhibited proof of ability to act promptly. —
年轻人展示了迅速行动的能力的证明。 —

Crouching low, he slid over the edge of the car, hung lightly for an instant, and then disappeared. —
他蹲下身子，从车边滑过去，轻轻地悬停了一会儿，然后消失了。 —

Half a dozen of the top-riders observed his feat, wonderingly, but made no comment, deeming it prudent not to express surprise at what might be the conventional manner of alighting in this bewildering city. —
一群顶级骑手惊奇地观察着他的壮举，但没有发表评论，认为在这个令人迷惑的城市里表达惊讶可能是不明智的想法。 —

The truant passenger dodged a hansom and then floated past, like a leaf on a stream between a furniture van and a florist’s delivery wagon.
逃避的乘客躲过了一辆马车，然后像溪流上的叶子一样，在一辆家具货车和一辆花店送货车之间漂浮而过。

The girl in the tan jacket turned again, and looked in the eyes of Mrs. James Williams. —
穿着棕色夹克的女孩转过身，凝视着詹姆斯·威廉姆斯夫人的眼睛。 —

Then she faced about and sat still while the Rubberneck auto stopped at the flash of the badge under the coat of the plainclothes man.
然后她转过身，在一名便衣警察的外套下面闪光时静静地坐着，橡皮颈汽车停下了车。

“What’s eatin’ you?” demanded the megaphonist, abandoning his professional discourse for pure English.
“你搞什么鬼？”扩音器命令，放弃了他的专业演讲，用纯英文说话。

“Keep her at anchor for a minute,” ordered the officer. —
“让她暂时停留在锚地上一会儿，”军官命令道。” —

“There’s a man on board we want–a Philadelphia burglar called ‘Pinky’ McGuire. There he is on the back seat. —
有个我们要找的人在船上——一个叫‘粉红’麦奎尔的费城盗贼。他就在后座上。 —

Look out for the side, Donovan.”
小心侧面，多诺万。

Donovan went to the hind wheel and looked up at James Williams.
多诺万走到后轮下，抬头看着詹姆斯·威廉姆斯。

“Come down, old sport,” he said, pleasantly. —
“老弟，下来吧，”他温和地说道， —

“We’ve got you. Back to Sleepytown for yours. —
“我们逮住你了。回到Sleepytown去。” —

It ain’t a bad idea, hidin’ on a Rubberneck, though. —
“躲在Rubberneck上倒不是个坏主意。 —

I’ll remember that.”
我会记住的。”

Softly through the megaphone came the advice of the conductor:
乘务员透过扩音器温声劝告道：

“Better step off, sir, and explain. —
“先下车，先生，请解释一下。 —

The car must proceed on its tour.”
车必须继续行进。”

James Williams belonged among the level heads. —
詹姆斯·威廉姆斯属于那种理性的人。 —

With necessary slowness he picked his way through the passengers down to the steps at the front of the car. —
他缓慢而谨慎地穿过乘客们，走到车前的台阶上。 —

His wife followed, but she first turned her eyes and saw the escaped tourist glide from behind the furniture van and slip behind a tree on the edge of the little park, not fifty feet away.
他的妻子跟着下车，但她首先扭头看到那名逃脱的游客从家具卡车后面滑出，溜到不到五十英尺外的小公园边上的一棵树后面。

Descended to the ground, James Williams faced his captors with a smile. —
走到地面上，詹姆斯·威廉姆斯带着微笑面对着他们的绑架者。 —

He was thinking what a good story he would have to tell in Cloverdale about having been mistaken for a burglar. —
他想着回Cloverdale后可以讲一个很棒的故事，说自己被误认为是一个入室盗窃犯。 —

The Rubberneck coach lingered, out of respect for its patrons. —
为了尊重游客，Rubberneck观光车停留了下来。 —

What could be a more interesting sight than this?
有什么比这更有趣的景象呢？

“My name is James Williams, of Cloverdale, Missouri,” he said kindly, so that they would not be too greatly mortified. —
“我叫詹姆斯·威廉姆斯，来自密苏里州的克洛弗代尔，”他友善地说道，以免他们太过尴尬。 —

“I have letters here that will show–”
“我这里有一些信件可以证明–”

“You’ll come with us, please,” announced the plainclothes man. —
“请跟我们一起来，”便衣警察宣布道， —

”‘Pinky’ McGuire’s description fits you like flannel washed in hot suds. —
“‘平克’麦奎尔的描述非常贴切。” —

A detective saw you on the Rubberneck up at Central Park and ‘phoned down to take you in. —
“一个侦探在中央公园的转车游览中看到了你，并打电话通知我们卧底抓捕你。” —

Do your explaining at the station- house.”
“在警察局做解释吧。”

James Williams’s wife–his bride of two weeks–looked him in the face with a strange, soft radiance in her eyes and a flush on her cheeks, looked him in the face and said:
詹姆斯·威廉姆斯的妻子——他刚娶不到两周的新娘——凝视着他的脸庞，眼神中流露出一种奇异而温柔的光辉，脸颊上泛起一丝红晕，她凝视着他的脸庞说道：

“Go with ‘em quietly, ‘Pinky,’ and maybe it’ll be in your favour.”
“安静地跟他们走吧，‘平克’，也许这对你有利。”

And then as the Glaring-at-Gotham car rolled away she turned and threw a kiss–his wife threw a kiss–at some one high up on the seats of the Rubberneck.
当“灼目哥谭市”车离开时，她转过身向橡胶颈车上高处的某人吹了一个吻——他的妻子就对着某人吹了一个吻——

“Your girl gives you good advice, McGuire,” said Donovan. “Come on, now.”
“你的女朋友给了你个好建议，麦奎尔，走吧。”多诺万说道。“来吧，现在。”

And then madness descended upon and occupied James Williams. —
然后，疯狂降临并占据了詹姆斯·威廉姆斯。 —

He pushed his hat far upon the back of his head.
他把帽子往后一顶。

“My wife seems to think I am a burglar,” he said, recklessly. “I never heard of her being crazy; —
“我妻子好像认为我是个窃贼，”他不顾一切地说道。“我从未听说过她疯狂； —

therefore I must be. —
所以我必须是疯了。 —

And if I’m crazy, they can’t do anything to me for killing you two fools in my madness.”
“而且如果我疯了，他们就不能因为我在疯狂中杀了你们两个傻瓜而对我采取任何行动。”

Whereupon he resisted arrest so cheerfully and industriously that cops had to be whistled for, and afterwards the reserves, to disperse a few thousand delighted spectators.
于是他如此愉快而勤奋地抵抗逮捕，以至于不得不吹哨子叫来警察，之后还需要增援才能驱散几千名欣喜若狂的旁观者。

At the station-house the desk sergeant asked for his name.
在警察局，值班警官要求他报出姓名。

“McDoodle, the Pink, or Pinky the Brute, I forget which,” was James Williams’s answer. —
“麦克杜德尔，那个粉红的，或者是叫野兽粉红，我忘了具体是哪个了，”詹姆斯·威廉姆斯回答道。 —

“But you can bet I’m a burglar; —
“但你可以打赌我是个窃贼； —

don’t leave that out. —
不要忘了这个。 —

And you might add that it took five of ‘em to pluck the Pink. I’d especially like to have that in the records.”
“你可以补充说需要五个人才能拷走那个粉红的。我特别希望这个可以记录下来。”

In an hour came Mrs. James Williams, with Uncle Thomas, of Madison Avenue, in a respect-compelling motor car and proofs of the hero’s innocence–for all the world like the third act of a drama backed by an automobile mfg. co.
一个小时后，詹姆斯·威廉姆斯夫人和汤姆斯叔叔带着激起尊重的汽车和英雄清白的证据来了，就像是由一个汽车制造公司支持的戏剧的第三幕。

After the police had sternly reprimanded James Williams for imitating a copyrighted burglar and given him as honourable a discharge as the department was capable of, Mrs. Williams rearrested him and swept him into an angle of the station-house. —
在警察严厉训斥詹姆斯·威廉姆斯模仿受版权保护的小偷，并给予他尽可能体面的解雇之后，威廉姆斯夫人重新逮捕了他，并把他带回了警察局的一个角落。 —

James Williams regarded her with one eye. —
詹姆斯·威廉姆斯用一只眼睛看着她。 —

He always said that Donovan closed the other while somebody was holding his good right hand. —
他总是说，当别人握着他那只好手的时候，多诺万会闭上另一只眼睛。 —

Never before had he given her a word of reproach or of reproof.
以前他从未对她说过一句责备或指责的话。

“If you can explain,” he began rather stiffly, “why you–”
“如果你能解释，”他有些生硬地开始说道，“为什么你——”

“Dear,” she interrupted, “listen. —
“亲爱的，”她打断了他，“听我说。 —

It was an hour’s pain and trial to you. —
这对你来说是一个小时的痛苦和考验。 —

I did it for her–I mean the girl who spoke to me on the coach. —
我是为了她——我是说那个在车上跟我说话的女孩。” —

I was so happy, Jim–so happy with you that I didn’t dare to refuse that happiness to another. —
我曾经如此的幸福，吉姆，和你在一起我不敢拒绝将这份幸福给别人。吉姆， —

Jim, they were married only this morning –those two; —
他们今天早上刚结婚——那两个人； —

and I wanted him to get away. —
我希望他能逃脱。 —

While they were struggling with you I saw him slip from behind his tree and hurry across the park. —
当他们和你搏斗时， 我看见他从树后面悄悄溜走，匆匆穿过公园。 —

That’s all of it, dear–I had to do it.”
亲爱的，这就是全部——我不得不这么做。

Thus does one sister of the plain gold band know another who stands in the enchanted light that shines but once and briefly for each one. —
因此，上一个拥有这枚纯金戒指的姐妹了解另一个站在仅有一次、短暂存在的魔幻光芒中的姐妹。 —

By rice and satin bows does mere man become aware of weddings. —
通过大米和缎带，凡人意识到婚姻的存在。 —

But bride knoweth bride at the glance of an eye. —
但只有新娘能够在一瞥之间认识到另一个新娘。 —

And between them swiftly passes comfort and meaning in a language that man and widows wot not of.
在她们之间迅速传递的是一种人与寡妇们不了解的舒适和意义的语言。