At supper, young Mutlar did several amusing things. He took up a knife, and with the flat part of it played a tune on his cheek in a wonderful manner. He also gave an imitation of an old man with no teeth, smoking a big cigar. The way he kept dropping the cigar sent Carrie into fits.
晚饭时，玛特勒做了几件滑稽的事情。他拿起一把小刀，用刀面在自己脸上以一种巧妙的方式演奏了一支曲子。他还模仿牙齿掉光的老人吸烟时的情景。烟总是掉在地上，这让卡丽不时发出阵阵笑声。
In the course of conversation, Daisy's name cropped up, and young Mutlar said he would bring his sister round to us one evening--his parents being rather old-fashioned, and not going out much. Carrie said we would get up a little special party. As young Mutlar showed no inclination to go, and it was approaching eleven o'clock, as a hint I reminded Lupin that he had to be up early to-morrow. Instead of taking the hint, Mutlar began a series of comic imitations. He went on for an hour without cessation. Poor Carrie could scarcely keep her eyes open. At last she made an excuse, and said "Good-night."
在交谈中提到戴西，玛特勒说他会在某天晚上带他的姐姐来访，他的父母太保守，不太外出。卡丽说我们准备组织一场特别的晚会。已近11点了，玛特勒还没有要走的意思，我故意提醒卢宾他明天还要早起。谁知玛特勒不但没有理会我的提醒，还开始了一系列的喜剧模仿活动。一连做了一个小时。可怜的卡丽眼睛几乎都睁不开了。最后她找个借口休息去了。
[本段要点]
1. in the course of在某过程中
2. get up安排或组织（某事物）；研究某事物；
We’re getting up a party for her birthday.我们要给她开生日庆祝会。
She’s busy getting up the American constitution for tomorrow’s exam.
她忙着温习美国宪法，准备明天的考试。
get up to sth.达到某程度；做着或忙于（某事，通常指令人惊奇的或不好的）
We got up to page 72 last lesson.我们上一课学到第72页。
What on earth will he get up to next?下一步他究竟会耍什么花样？
He’s been getting up to his old tricks again.他又要故技重演了。
3. show no inclination to do sth.没有做某事的意思
4. make an excuse找借口
Mutlar then left, and I heard him and Lupin whispering in the hall something about the "Holloway Comedians," and to my disgust, although it was past midnight, Lupin put on his hat and coat, and went out with his new companion.
随后玛特勒也要离开，我听到他和卢宾在客厅里嘀咕了一些关于“好莱屋喜剧演员”的事情，让我讨厌的是，虽然已过夜半，卢宾仍戴上帽子，同他的新伙伴一起出去了。
November 9.--My endeavours to discover who tore the sheets out of my diary still fruitless. Lupin has Daisy Mutlar on the brain, so we see little of him, except that he invariably turns up at meal times. Cummings dropped in.
11月9日 我要找出撕我日记者的努力还是没有结果。卢宾成天想着戴西·玛特勒小姐，我们很少看见他，除非是在吃饭时。卡明斯来串门。
[本段要点]
1. on the brain 念念不忘；着迷
2. invariably adv.不变地；总是
November 10.--Lupin seems to like his new berth--that's a comfort. Daisy Mutlar the sole topic of conversation during tea. Carrie almost as full of it as Lupin. Lupin informs me, to my disgust, that he has been persuaded to take part in the forthcoming performance of the "Holloway Comedians." He says he is to play Bob Britches in the farce, GONE TO MY UNCLE'S; Frank Mutlar is going to play old Musty. I told Lupin pretty plainly I was not in the least degree interested in the matter, and totally disapproved of amateur theatricals. Gowing came in the evening.
11月10日 卢宾看起来很喜欢他的新工作，这倒是个安慰。戴西·玛特勒在喝茶时唯一的话题。卡丽也像卢宾一样，张口就提她。卢宾告诉我，他已决定参加“好莱屋喜剧演员”俱乐部的下一次演出。还说他要在喜剧《去我叔叔家》中扮演鲍勃·布里奇。弗兰克·玛特勒准备演老马斯特。我很直白地告诉卢宾我对这件事一点也不感兴趣，而且我根本不赞成业余戏剧演出。高英晚上来串门。
[本段要点]
1. farce [C U] n.喜剧；闹剧；滑稽剧
She admitted that the interview had been a complete farce from start to finish.
她承认那次会见自始至终都完全是一场闹剧。
2. not in the least/slightest degree一点也不
November 11.--Returned home to find the house in a most disgraceful uproar, Carrie, who appeared very frightened, was standing outside her bedroom, while Sarah was excited and crying. Mrs. Birrell (the charwoman), who had evidently been drinking, was shouting at the top of her voice that she was "no thief, that she was a respectable woman, who had to work hard for her living, and she would smack anyone's face who put lies into her mouth." Lupin, whose back was towards me, did not hear me come in. He was standing between the two women, and, I regret to say, in his endeavour to act as peacemaker, he made use of rather strong language in the presence of his mother; and I was just in time to hear him say: "And all this fuss about the loss of a few pages from a rotten diary that wouldn't fetch three-halfpence a pound!" I said, quietly: "Pardon me, Lupin, that is a matter of opinion; and as I am master of this house, perhaps you will allow me to take the reins."
11月11日 回家发现房间里有人正大吵大闹，卡丽在她的卧室外站着，显得很紧张。萨拉激动地大声叫嚷。比勒尔夫人（我们按日雇佣的女佣），显然喝了酒，正用她最大的嗓门喊着说她“不是小偷，是一个靠努力工作谋生的、体面的女人”，还说无论谁撒了谎，她都扇她的脸。卢宾背对着我，没有听到我进来。他正站在两个女人中间，我很遗憾地说，他在努力充当和事佬时，当着他妈妈的面，用了一些相当刺耳的言辞，我进来时刚好听到他说：“就因为少了几页一磅都换不来三个半便士的烂日记就这样大吵大闹！”我平静地说：“对不起，卢宾，这是个人观点问题。既然我是这座房子的主人，或许你会允许让我来处理这一切。”
[本段要点]
1. put lies into one’s mouth撒谎
2. peacemaker 调停者；和事佬
3. take the reins常握；支配
I ascertained that the cause of the row was, that Sarah had accused Mrs. Birrell of tearing the pages out of my diary to wrap up some kitchen fat and leavings which she had taken out of the house last week. Mrs. Birrell had slapped Sarah's face, and said she had taken nothing out of the place, as there was "never no leavings to take." I ordered Sarah back to her work, and requested Mrs. Birrell to go home. When I entered the parlour Lupin was kicking his legs in the air, and roaring with laughter.
我询问了一下事情的原委，原来萨拉说比勒尔夫人上周撕了我的日记用来包厨房里剩下的肥肉和剩饭菜带回家。.比勒尔夫人打了萨拉的脸，说她没有往外拿任何东西，而且也“从没有剩饭菜可拿。”我让萨拉回去干活，要比勒尔夫人回家。当我走进客厅走廊时，卢宾正大笑着用腿往空中乱踢。
[本段要点]
ascertain vt. vi. (文) 确定；探知
Tests were conducted to ascertain whether pollution levels have dropped.
做测试以查明污染程度是否下降。
You try to ascertain who are likely to come to the meeting. 你尽量确定一下谁来开会。
Police had ascertained that the dead man knew his killer.警察已确定死者认识杀手。
November 12, Sunday.--Coming home from church Carrie and I met Lupin, Daisy Mutlar, and her brother. Daisy was introduced to us, and we walked home together, Carrie walking on with Miss Mutlar. We asked them in for a few minutes, and I had a good look at my future daughter-in-law. My heart quite sank. She is a big young woman, and I should think at least eight years older than Lupin. I did not even think her good-looking. Carrie asked her if she could come in on Wednesday next with her brother to meet a few friends. She replied that she would only be too pleased.
11月12日 星期六 从教堂回家的路上，我和卡丽遇到了卢宾、戴西·玛特勒和她的弟弟。戴西被引见给我们，然后一起回家。卡丽与玛特勒走在一起。我们邀请他们进家呆一会，我也趁机好好打量了一下我未来的儿媳妇。看完后，我的心不禁一沉。她是一个高大的女人，我认为至少比卢宾大入岁。我甚至认为她不好看。卡丽问她下周三是否可以同她的弟弟一起过来见几个新朋友。她回答说非常乐意。
[本段要点]
1. daughter-in-law 儿媳妇
son-in-law 女婿
father-in-law岳父
mother-in-law 岳母
2. My heart quite sank. 我的心一沉。
November 13.--Carrie sent out invitations to Gowing, the Cummings, to Mr. and Mrs. James (of Sutton), and Mr. Stillbrook. I wrote a note to Mr. Franching, of Peckham. Carrie said we may as well make it a nice affair, and why not ask our principal, Mr. Perkupp? I said I feared we were not quite grand enough for him. Carrie said there was "no offence in asking him." I said: "Certainly not," and I wrote him a letter. Carrie confessed she was a little disappointed with Daisy Mutlar's appearance, but thought she seemed a nice girl.
11月13日 卡丽给高英，卡明斯一家，萨顿的詹姆士夫妇还有斯蒂尔布鲁克先生发了邀请函。我给佩卡姆的弗兰庆先生写了一封短信。卡丽说我们还是把这件事做的完美一些，为何不邀请我们的负责人—波卡普先生呢？我说恐怕我们请不动他。卡丽说“邀请一下又不会冒犯他”。.我答：“当然不会”。然后就给他写了信。卡丽承认她对戴西·玛特勒的外表有点失望，但是认为她看起来还是个很不错的女孩。
[本段要点]
1. may/might as well （口）不妨；还是；也一样
Since nobody else wants the job, we might as well let him have it.
既然谁也不想要这份工作，我们不妨让他去做吧。
The taxi was so slow we might just as well have gone on the bus.
出租车如此慢，坐公交也不过如此。
2. no offence in doing sth.做某事不会带来伤害；做某事没什么
November 14.--Everybody so far has accepted for our quite grand little party for to-morrow. Mr. Perkupp, in a nice letter which I shall keep, wrote that he was dining in Kensington, but if he could get away, he would come up to Holloway for an hour. Carrie was busy all day, making little cakes and open jam puffs and jellies. She said she felt quite nervous about her responsibilities to- morrow evening. We decided to have some light things on the table, such as sandwiches, cold chicken and ham, and some sweets, and on the sideboard a nice piece of cold beef and a Paysandu tongue--for the more hungry ones to peg into if they liked.
11月14日 每个接到邀请的人都说明天会来参加我们华丽的小型聚会。波卡普先生回信说他正在肯辛顿聚餐，但是如果能脱开身，他就会来霍洛威停上一个小时。他的信很精致，我想保存起来。卡丽整天都在忙，做小蛋糕，开果酱泡芙和果冻。她说明晚的职责让她很紧张。我们决定在桌子上放一些比较轻的食品，如三明治，熟鸡肉和火腿，再摆一些糖果。餐具厨里放一块上好的熟牛肉和一份派桑社牛舌—以备过于饥饿的人之需。
Gowing called to know if he was to put on "swallow-tails" to- morrow. Carrie said he had better dress, especially as Mr. Franching was coming, and there was a possibility of Mr. Perkupp also putting in an appearance.
高英过来了解他明天是否需要穿“燕尾服”。卡丽说他最好穿上，特别是弗兰庆先生要来，而且波卡普先也可能会到场。
[本段要点]
put in an appearance 露面；到场一会儿
Gowing said: "Oh, I only wanted to know, for I have not worn my dress-coat for some time, and I must send it to have the creases pressed out."
After Gowing left, Lupin came in, and in his anxiety to please Daisy Mutlar, carped at and criticised the arrangements, and, in fact, disapproved of everything, including our having asked our old friend Cummings, who, he said, would look in evening-dress like a green-grocer engaged to wait, and who must not be surprised if Daisy took him for one.
高英说：“哦，我想弄清楚，是因为我很久没穿过燕尾服了，要是需要的话，我必须找人把上面的折痕熨平。”
高英离开后，卢宾回来了。急于要取悦戴西·玛特勒小姐，他对聚会的安排非常挑剔，到处吹毛求疵。事实上，他对一切都不满意，包括我们邀请老朋友卡明斯，他说卡明斯穿上夜礼服就像等着卖菜的小贩一样，如果戴西真把他当成菜贩子大家不要感到惊奇。
[本段要点]
1. carp at/about(贬) 挑剔；找茬儿
He always finds something to carp about.他总是挑刺。
Don’t carp at the children. 不要老挑孩子的毛病。
2. greengrocer卖蔬菜及水果的商人
I fairly lost my temper, and said: "Lupin, allow me to tell you Miss Daisy Mutlar is not the Queen of England. I gave you credit for more wisdom than to allow yourself to be inveigled into an engagement with a woman considerably older than yourself. I advise you to think of earning your living before entangling yourself with a wife whom you will have to support, and, in all probability, her brother also, who appeared to be nothing but a loafer."
我有些生气地说：“卢宾，请允许我提醒你，戴西·玛特勒小姐不是英国的女王。我相信你有足够的智慧，不会上当受骗，与一个比你大的多的女人订婚。我建议你在找一个需要供养的妻子前，先考虑一下谋生的题。而且，他的兄弟，也很可能是个混子。”
插入图片
选择表情