During her absence, the house was silent but happy,
她走后,家里显得安静祥和,
and, the evening being now far advanced, Lucy was expected home every minute,
可现在天黑早了,家里人惦记她早点回家。
and Michael, Agnes, and Isabel, her father, mother, and aunt, went to meet her on the way.
她的父母迈克尔、艾格尼丝,还有婶婶伊莎贝尔都去路上接她。
They walked on and on, wondering a little, but in no degree alarmed till they reached Ladyside,
大家有点纳闷地走呀走,不知不觉中竟然来到了女人坡,
and heard the cheerful din of the children within, still rioting at the close of the holiday.
隐约听到屋里面孩子们的嬉笑打闹,聚会快结束了,依然喧闹翻天。
Jacob Mayne came to the door, but, on their kindly asking why Lucy had not been sent home before daylight was over,
雅各.梅恩过来开门,可听到来客礼貌地询问为何露西没有在天黑前赶到家,
he looked painfully surprised, and said that she had not been at Ladyside.
顿时,他神色惊愕地告诉他们,今天露西没来女人坡。
Within two hours, a hundred persons were traversing the hills in all directions,
接下来两小时里,上百人从四面八方到处搜索,
even at a distance which it seemed most unlikely that poor Lucy could have reached.
甚至连露西完全不可能走到的地方也去了。
The shepherds and their dogs, all the night through, searched every nook, every stony and rocky place,
整整一夜,那些牧羊人带上他们的牧羊犬,找遍了山间野外所有能想到的旮旯角落,,甚至每处石缝沟壑、
every piece of taller heather, every crevice that could conceal anything alive or dead: but no Lucy was there.
灌丛树林,那些可以藏身匿尸的所有地方,但,没有发现露西。
Her mother, who for a while seemed inspired with supernatural strength,
似乎由某种超自然力量支撑,
had joined in the search, and with a quaking heart looked into every brake,
露西母亲一度亦参加了夜间搜索,她胆战心惊地查看途经的茂密丛林。
or stopped and listened to every shout and halloo reverberating among the hills, intent to seize upon some tone of recognition or discovery.
夜色苍茫,山岭野外,“嗨—嗨—”的呼唤声不时在山间沟壑回荡,每一声都让露西母亲挂肚牵肠,她不时停下,聆听呼喊声中是否夹有欢乐或惊喜。
But the moon sank; and then the stars, whose increased brightness had for a short time supplied her place, all faded away;
月亮落山了,星星随之落下,她的心里刹那涌出丁点欣喜,夜幕黯淡隐去,
and then came the gray dawn of the morning,
清晨煦光乍露,
and then the clear brightness of the day,—and still Michael and Agnes were childless.
惯常一轮艳阳腾空而起,露西父母迈克尔和艾格尼丝仍然没有孩子的消息。