Then Votini fell to twirling his very handsome white castor hat on the tip of his forefinger; but the boy--and it seemed as though he did it on purpose--did not deign even a glance at the hat.
于是,华梯尼将那白海狸的帽子用手指顶了打起旋来。少年也不瞧他,好像是故意如此的。
Votini, who began to become irritated, drew out his watch, opened it, and showed me the wheels; but the boy did not turn his head. "Is it of silver gilt?" I asked him.
华梯尼愤然地把时计拿出,开了后盖,叫我看里面的机械。那少年到了这时,仍不抬起头来。我问:“这是镀金的吧?”
No," he replied; "it is gold."
“不,金的罗!”华梯尼答说。
"But not entirely of gold," I said; "there must be some silver with it."
“不会是纯金的,多少总有一点银在里面吧?”
"Why, no!" he retorted; and, in order to compel the boy to look, he held the watch before his face, and said to him, "Say, look here! isn't it true that it is entirely of gold?"
“哪里!那是不可能的。”华横尼说着把时计送到少年面前,问他:“你,请看!不是纯金的吗?”
The boy replied curtly, "I don't know."
“我不知道。”少年淡然地说。
"Oh! oh!" exclaimed Votini, full of wrath, "what pride!"
“嗄呀!好骄傲!”华梯尼怒了,大声说。
As he was saying this, his father came up, and heard him; he looked steadily at the lad for a moment, then said sharply to his son, "Hold your tongue!" and, bending down to his ear, he added, "he is blind!"
这时,恰巧华梯尼的父亲也来了。他听见这话,向那少年注视了一会,锐声地对自己的儿子:“别做声!”又附着儿子的耳朵说:“这是一个瞎子。”
Votini sprang to his feet, with a shudder, and stared the boy in the face: the latter's eyeballs were glassy, without expression, without sight.
华梯尼惊跳起来,细看少年的面孔。他那眼珠宛如玻璃,果然什么都看不见。
Votini stood humbled,--speechless,--with his eyes fixed on the ground. At length he stammered, "I am sorry; I did not know."
华梯尼羞耻了,默然地把眼注视着他,过了一会儿,非常难为情地说:“我不好,我没有知道。”
But the blind boy, who had understood it all, said, with a kind and melancholy smile, "Oh, it's no matter!"
那瞎少年好像已明白了一切了。用了亲切的、悲哀的声音:“哪里!一点没有什么。”
Well, he is vain; but Votini has not at all a bad heart. He never laughed again during the whole of the walk.
华梯尼虽好卖弄阔绰,却全无恶意。他为了这件事,在散步中一直不曾笑。