Would it be too bold of me to suggest that he be retired and be given perhaps a small pension?” he added anxiously.
能允许我大胆建议让他退休,给他发些小额养老金吗?”他忧心忡忡地补充道。
"But of course," the President laughed. "I know his record. He has been on this route now for thirty years and never once has there been a complaint. Tell him it is time he rested. His salary will go on just the same."
“当然,”董事长笑了,“我知道他的情况。他在这条路线上送了三十多年牛奶,从未有人投诉。告诉他是休息的时候了。他的薪水会照常发放。”
But Pierre refused to retire. He was panic-stricken at the thought of not driving Joseph every day. "We are two old men," he said to Jacques. "Let us wear out together. When Joseph is ready to retire一then I, too, will quit."
但皮埃尔不肯退休。想到不能天天驾驭约瑟夫,他感到惊恐万状。“我们两个都老了,”他对雅克说,“我们一起走到头吧。当约瑟夫准备退休时——那么,我也就退休。”
Jacques, who was a kind man, understood. There was something about Pierre and Joseph which made a man smile tenderly. It was as though each drew some hidden strength from the other. When Pierre was sitting in his seat, and when Joseph was fastened to the wagon, neither seemed old. But when they finished their work, then Pierre would limp down the street slowly, seeming very old indeed, and the horse's head would drop and he would walk very wearily to his stall.
作为一个善良的人,雅克明白这一切。皮埃尔和约瑟夫之间的一些事情令人微笑动容。仿佛彼此从对方身上吸取了一些隐藏的力量。当皮埃尔坐在座位上、约瑟夫驾着马车时,他们谁也不显老。但当他们完成工作,皮埃尔慢慢地、一瘸一拐地沿着街道离开时,他确实显得很老,而约瑟夫也会耷拉着头、疲倦地朝马厩走去。
Then one morning, Jacques had dreadful news for Pierre when he arrived. It was a cold morning and still pitch-dark. The air was like iced wine that morning and the snow which had fallen during the night glistened like a million diamonds piled together.
一天早晨,当皮埃尔到达后,雅克告诉他一个噩耗。那是一个寒冷的早晨,天空仍旧一片漆黑。空气就像冰酒一样,雪花彻夜飘飞,堆在一起就像成千上万颗钻石一样,闪闪发光。