1. Mrs. Baroda was looking forward to a period of unbroken rest with her husband, until he informed her that his friend Gouvernail was coming to their house to stay a week or two. This was a man she had heard much of, but had never seen. He had been her husband's college friend; was now a journalist, and in no sense a social person which was, perhaps, the reason she had never met him. But she had unconsciously formed an image of him in her mind. She pictured him tall, slim, cynical; with eye-glasses, and his hands in his pockets; and she did not like him.
巴罗达太太期待与她的丈夫过上一段不被打扰的休息时间，但她还是被她丈夫告知她丈夫的朋友古韦内尔要到她家住上一两周。她经常听到这个男人的名字，但从未见过真人。他是她丈夫上大学时的朋友，现在是一名记者，但可以肯定不是一个爱交际的人，这也许就是她从未见过他的原因。不过，她不知不觉地已经在头脑中勾勒出了这个人的形象——又瘦又高，有点儿愤世嫉俗，戴着眼镜，双手爱插在衣服口袋里——总之不是她喜欢的类型。
2. Gouvernail was slim enough, but he wasn't very tall nor very cynical; neither did he wear eyeglasses nor carry his hands in his pockets. And she rather liked him when he first presented himself. But why she liked him she could not explain to herself when she attempted to do so. She could discover in him none of those attractive brilliant and promising traits which Gaston, her husband, clearly had. On the contrary, he sat down rather mute and made himself feel at home. He made no efforts at all to get her approval or even esteem.
古韦内尔的确很瘦，但不是很高，也不是很愤世嫉俗；他没戴眼镜，也没有把双手放在口袋里。她第一次见到他就觉得很喜欢他。不过，她自己也无法解释她为什么会喜欢他。她无法从他身上找到任何他丈夫加斯顿所具有的那种非常吸引人的出众才华和前程似锦的特质。相反，他只是沉默寡言地坐在那里，就像在自己家一样轻松自在。他没有做任何努力去获得她的认可甚至尊重。
3. Once settled at the plantation, he liked to sit in the shade, smoking his cigar lazily and listening attentively to Gaston's experience as a sugar planter. "This is what I call living," he would utter with deep satisfaction. He did not care to fish, and displayed no eagerness to go out and kill wild animals when Gaston proposed doing so.
每次来到种植园，他都喜欢坐在阴凉处，懒洋洋地抽着雪茄，专心倾听着加斯顿讲述自己作为甘蔗种植园主的经历。“这才是我所说的生活，”他深感满意地说道。他对钓鱼不感兴趣，并且在加斯顿提议出去猎杀野生动物时，也表现得毫无热情。
4. Gouvernail's personality puzzled Mrs. Baroda, but she liked him. Indeed, he was a lovable fellow. At first, she left her husband and her guest, for the most part, alone together. When she noticed that Gouvernail was not interested in her, she started accompanying him in his idle strolls to the mill and walks along the lake.
古韦内尔的性格让巴罗达太太琢磨不透，不过她还是很喜欢他。的确，他是个可爱的家伙。起初，她在大多数情况下都会让她丈夫和她的这位客人单独呆在一起。但，当她注意到古韦内尔对她并不感兴趣时 ，她便开始陪着他漫步到磨坊，并沿着湖岸散步。
5. "When is he going—your friend?" she one day asked her husband. "For my part, he tires me frightfully." "Not for a week yet, dear. I can't understand; he gives you no trouble." "No. I would like him if he were more like others." Gaston took his wife's pretty face between his hands and looked tenderly and laughingly into her troubled eyes. "You are full of surprises, ma belle," he said to her. "Even I can never predict how you are going to act under given conditions. Here you are, taking poor Gouvernail seriously and making a commotion over him, the last thing he would desire or expect."
“他什么时候离开，你的那位朋友？”一天她这样问她的丈夫。“对我来说，我该烦死他了。”“他来了还不到一个星期，亲爱的。我不明白你为什么烦他，他又没有给你带来什么麻烦。” “确实没有。不过，如果他更像其他人一些，我应该会更喜欢他。”加斯顿把他妻子漂亮的脸蛋捧在两手之间，露出温柔的笑容，同时看着她困惑的双眸。“你太令我惊喜了，亲爱的，”他对她说。 “我甚至永远无法预测在特定条件下你会作何反应。那就拜托你了，好好对待可怜的古韦内尔，让他的内心躁动起来，这应该是他最不希望看到的事情。

6. "Commotion! Nonsense! How can you say such a thing? You know, you said he was clever." "So he is. But the poor fellow is run down by overwork now. That's why I asked him here to take a rest." "You used to say he was a man of ideas," she continued. "I expected him to be interesting, at least. I'm going to the city in the morning to have my spring gowns fitted. Let me know when Mr. Gouvernail is gone; I shall be at my Aunt Octavie's."
“躁动起来！胡说！你怎么能说出这样的话？你知道的，你说过他是个聪明人。” “他的确是。但这可怜的家伙现在因工作过度而疲惫不堪。这就是我邀请他来咱家休息一段时间的原因。”“你说过他是一个很有见解的人，”她继续说，“至少我之前期待他是个有趣的人。明天早上我要去城里试穿我的春装。告诉我古韦内尔先生什么时候离开，他离开之前，我就先住在奥蒂玟姨妈家了。”
7. That night she sat down beneath an oak tree. She had never experienced her thoughts or her intentions in such a confused way. Then, Mrs. Baroda heard footsteps; but could only see the approaching red point of a lighted cigar in the darkness of the night. She knew it was Gouvernail, for her husband did not smoke. She hoped to remain unnoticed, but her white gown revealed her to him. He threw away his cigar and seated himself upon the bench beside her; without a suspicion that she might object to his presence.
那天晚上，她坐在一棵橡树下。她从来没料到自己的思绪或意图会如此混乱。随后，巴罗达太太听到了一阵脚步声，但她只能在夜晚的黑暗中看到点燃的雪茄的红点正在靠近。她知道这是古韦内尔，因为她的丈夫不吸烟。她希望自己别引起他的注意，但她的白色长袍暴露了她。他扔掉雪茄，坐在她旁边的长凳上。毫无疑问，她并不希望他此时出现。
8. Gouvernail was in no sense a shy man, for he was not a self-conscious one. Sitting there beside Mrs. Baroda, his silence melted. He talked freely and intimately in a low, hesitating tone that was not unpleasant to hear. He talked of the old college days when he and Gaston had been a good deal to each other; of the days of ambitions and large intentions.
古韦内尔绝不是一个害羞的人，因为他并不知道什么是难为情。坐在巴罗达太太旁边的他，没有了以往的沉默寡言。他说话的方式自由而亲密，语调低沉、语气犹豫，很是悦耳。他谈到了他和加斯顿相处很好的大学时光，还谈到了自己内心充满远大理想与抱负的那些日子。
9. Her mind only vaguely grasped what he was saying. She was not thinking of his words, only drinking in the tones of his voice. She wanted to reach out her hand in the darkness and touch him with the tips of her fingers. She wanted to draw close to him and whisper against his cheek—she did not care what—as she might have done if she had not been a respectable woman. The stronger the impulse grew to bring herself near him, the further, in fact, did she draw away from him. As soon as she could do so, she rose and left him there alone.
她并没有很清晰地领会到他所说的话。她并没有思考他在说什么，只是陶醉在他的话音中。她想在黑暗中伸出手，用她的指尖触摸他。她想靠近他，对着他的脸颊低语——如果她不是一个一直受人尊敬的女人，她就会抛掉一切顾虑。可实际上，促使她靠近他的冲动越强烈，就越会让她远离他。到时候，她就会站起身来，把他独自留在那里。
10. Mrs. Baroda was greatly tempted that night to tell her husband of this folly that had seized her. But she did not yield to the temptation. Besides being a respectable woman she was a very sensible one; and she knew there are some battles in life which a human being must fight alone. When Gaston arose in the morning, she had taken an early morning train to the city already. She did not return till Gouvernail was gone from under her roof. There was some talk of having him back during the summer that followed. That is, Gaston greatly desired it; but this desire lost to his wife's strong opposition.
那天晚上，巴罗达太太非常想把这件让她念念不忘的荒唐事告诉她的丈夫。但她还是抑制住了这种想法。她除了是一位受人尊敬的女人，还是一个非常明智的女人。她知道人的一生中，许多挣扎需要自己去单独面对。第二天，加斯顿早上起床时，她已经乘坐清晨的火车去城里了。古韦内尔离开她家后，她才回来。第二年夏天，她丈夫跟她谈论是不是邀请古韦内尔来她家里再住上一段时间。加斯顿非常希望他能来，但因为妻子的反对没有成行。
11. However, before the year ended, she proposed, wholly from herself, to have Gouvernail visit them again. Her husband was surprised and delighted with the suggestion coming from her. "I am glad, chere amie, to know that you have finally overcome your dislike for him; truly he did not deserve it." "Oh," she told him, laughingly, after pressing a long, tender kiss upon his lips, "I have overcome everything! you will see. This time I shall be very nice to him."
然而，在这一年的年底，她却主动提出邀请古韦内尔再次来家里做客。她的丈夫对她的建议感到惊讶和高兴。“亲爱的，知道你终于克服了对他的厌恶，我很欣慰。这真的不是他应得的。” “哦，”她给了他一个长长的温柔的吻后，笑着告诉他，“我已经克服了一切！你会看到的。这次我会对他很好的。”