绿玉皇冠案 10霍尔德先生的家庭情况(2)

"It was naturally my intention that he should succeed me in my business, but he was not of a business turn.

“很自然，我希望他将来继承我的事业，可是他不是那种有干事业才能的人。

He was wild, wayward, and, to speak the truth, I could not trust him in the handling of large sums of money.

他放荡而又任性，说实在的，我甚至不敢信任他经手大笔款项。

When he was young he became a member of an aristocratic club,

虽然他还年轻，但已经是一家贵族俱乐部的会员，

and there, having charming manners, he was soon the intimate of a number of men with long purses and expensive habits.

在那里他因为举止风流潇洒，很快就成为一批挥霍成性的富家子弟的亲密朋友。

He learned to play heavily at cards and to squander¹ money on the turf,

他学会在牌桌上下大赌注，在赛马场上乱花钱，

until he had again and again to come to me and implore² me to give him an advance upon his allowance, that he might settle his debts of honour.

他一次又一次地跑来求我预支给他津贴费去应付赌债。

He tried more than once to break away from the dangerous company which he was keeping,

他不只一次试图和他那帮害人的朋友断绝关系，

but each time the influence of his friend, Sir George Burnwell, was enough to draw him back again.

但是在他的朋友乔治·伯恩韦尔爵士的影响下，他又一次次地被拉了回去。

And, indeed, I could not wonder that such a man as Sir George Burnwell should gain an influence over him,

而且，我的确毫不奇怪，像乔治·伯恩韦尔爵士这样的人能够对他施加影响，

for he has frequently brought him to my house, and I have found myself that I could hardly resist the fascination³ of his manner.

我儿子时常把他带到家里来，我觉得连我自己都难免不被他的翩翩风度所迷惑。

He is older than Arthur, a man of the world to his finger-tips,

他比阿瑟年纪大，是一个地地道道玩世不恭的人，

one who had been everywhere, seen everything, a brilliant talker, and a man of great personal beauty.

哪儿都去过，什么都见过，能说会道，并且品貌不俗。

Yet when I think of him in cold blood, far away from the glamour⁴ of his presence,

然而，当我撇开他仪容的魅力，冷静地想想他的为人时，

I am convinced from his cynical⁵ speech and the look which I have caught in his eyes that he is one who should be deeply distrusted.

他那冷嘲热讽的谈吐，以及我觉察到的他看人的眼神，使我意识到他是个完全不可信赖的人。

So I think, and so, too, thinks my little Mary, who has a woman's quick insight into character.

我是这样想的，我的小玛丽也有和我同样的想法，她具有一种女性善于洞察一个人气质的本领。

1 squander   

v.浪费，挥霍

参考例句：

• Don't squander your time in reading those dime novels.不要把你的时间浪费在读那些胡编乱造的廉价小说上。
• Every chance is precious，so don't squander any chance away!每次机会都很宝贵，所以不要将任何一个白白放走。

2 implore   

vt.乞求，恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
• Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。

3 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

4 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

5 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。