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St. John said these words as he pronounced his sermons, with a quiet, deep voice;
圣·约翰像布道一样说着这些话，语调平静而深沉，
with an unflushed cheek, and a coruscating radiance of glance.
脸不发红，目光炯炯。
He resumed: --
他继续说：
"And since I am myself poor and obscure, I can offer you but a service of poverty and obscurity.
“既然我自己也贫穷卑微，我只能向你提供贫穷卑微的工作，
You may even think it degrading -- for I see now your habits have been what the world calls refined:
你甚至可能认为这很低俗——因为我现在知道你的举止属于世人所说的高雅；
your tastes lean to the ideal, and your society has at least been amongst the educated;
你的情趣倾向于理想化；你所交往的至少是受过教育的人，
but I consider that no service degrades which can better our race.
但我认为凡是有益于人类进步的工作都不能说低俗。
I hold that the more arid and unreclaimed the soil where the Christian labourer's task of tillage is appointed him --
越是贫瘠和没有开垦的土地，基督教徒越是要承担去那儿开垦的使命一一
the scantier the meed his toil brings -- the higher the honour.
他的劳动所挣得的报酬越少，他的荣誉就越高。
His, under such circumstances, is the destiny of the pioneer;
在这种情况下，他的命运就是先驱者的命运，
and the first pioneers of the Gospel were the Apostles --
传播福音的第一批先驱者就是使徒们——
their captain was Jesus, the Redeemer, Himself."
他们的首领就是耶稣，他本人就是救世主。”
"Well?" I said, as he again paused -- "proceed."
“嗯？”他再次停下时我说一—“说下去。”
He looked at me before he proceeded:
他还没有说下去便又瞧了瞧我，
indeed, he seemed leisurely to read my face, as if its features and lines were characters on a page.
似乎悠闲地读着我的面孔，仿佛它的五官和线条是一页书上的人物。
The conclusions drawn from this scrutiny he partially expressed in his succeeding observations.
他仔细打量后所得出的结论，部份地表露在后来的谈话中。
"I believe you will accept the post I offer you," said he,
“我相信你会接受我提供的职位，”他说，
"and hold it for a while: not permanently,
“而且会干一会儿，尽管不会永久干下去，
though: any more than I could permanently keep the narrow and narrowing --
就像我不会永久担任英国乡村牧师这狭隘，
the tranquil, hidden office of English country incumbent;
使人越来越狭隘——平静而神秘的职位。
for in your nature is an alloy as detrimental to repose as that in mine, though of a different kind."
因为你的性格也像我的一样，有一种不安分的东西，尽管本质上有所区别。”
"Do explain," I urged, when he halted once more.
“请务必解释一下，”他再次停下来时我催促道。
"I will; and you shall hear how poor the proposal is, -- how trivial -- how cramping.
“一定。你会听到这工作多么可怜——多么琐碎——多么束缚人。
