"Is there ony country where they talk i' that way?" asked the old woman, looking up from her knitting.
“有哪个国家的人是那么说话的?”那老妇人停下手头的编织、抬起头来问。
"Yes, Hannah -- a far larger country than England, where they talk in no other way."
“有的,汉娜--一个比英国要大得多的国家、那里的人就只这么说。”
"Well, for sure case, I knawn't how they can understand t' one t'other:
“噢,说真的,我不知道他们彼此怎么能明白,
and if either o' ye went there, ye could tell what they said, I guess?"
要是你们谁上那儿去,我想你们能懂他说的话吧?”
"We could probably tell something of what they said, but not all -- for we are not as clever as you think us, Hannah.
“他们说的我们很可能只懂—些,不是全部都懂--因为我们不像你想象的那么聪明,汉娜。
We don't speak German, and we cannot read it without a dictionary to help us."
我们不会说德语,而且不借助词典还读不懂。”
"And what good does it do you?"
“那这对你们有什么用?”
"We mean to teach it some time -- or at least the elements, as they say; and then we shall get more money than we do now."
“某一天我们想教德语--或者像他们说的,至少教基础,然后我们会比现在赚更多的钱。”
"Varry like: but give ower studying; ye've done enough for to-night."
“很可能的,不过今晚你们读得够多了。该停止了。”
"I think we have: at least I'm tired. Mary, are you?"
“我想是够多了,至少我倦了,玛丽,你呢?”
"Mortally: after all, it's tough work fagging away at a language with no master but a lexicon."
“累极了,那么孜孜不倦学一门语言,没有老师,只靠一部词典,毕竟是吃力的。”
"It is, especially such a language as this crabbed but glorious Deutsch. I wonder when St. John will come home."
“是呀,尤其是像德语这样艰涩而出色的语言。不知道圣·约翰什么时候会回家来。”
"Surely he will not be long now: it is just ten (looking at a little gold watch she drew from her girdle).
“现在肯定不会太久了,才十点呢(她从腰带里掏出一只小小的金表来,看了一眼)。
It rains fast, Hannah: will you have the goodness to look at the fire in the parlour?"
“雨下得很大,汉娜。请你看一下客厅里的火炉好吗?”