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"Why are his eyes so fierce and why does he live up there all alone?
“他为什么总露出那种凶狠眼神，还总是那么孤零零地住在山上？
Nobody ever sees him and we hear many strange things about him. Didn't your sister tell you anything, Deta?"
没人见过他，我们听说了他的好多怪事。你姐姐没有告诉你什么吗，蒂提？”
"Of course she did, but I shall hold my tongue. He would make me pay for it if I didn't."
“她当然说过，但我要保守秘密。这要是传到那老头的耳朵里可就糟了。”
Barbara had long been anxious to know something about the old uncle and why he lived apart from everybody.
芭尔贝丽一直渴望了解这位大叔的情况，以及他为什么不和大家住在一起。
Nobody had a good word for him, and when people talked about him, they did not speak openly but as if they were afraid.
没有人说他的好话，当人们谈论他的时候，都不敢公开地谈论，好像很害怕。
She could not even explain to herself why he was called the Alm Uncle.
再有，芭尔贝丽也搞不懂，为什么这个老头会被称作阿鲁姆大叔。
He could not possibly be the uncle of all the people in the village, but since everybody spoke of him so, she did the same.
他也不会是全村人的叔叔呀，可大家都那么叫，芭尔贝丽也就跟着这么称呼那位老头。
Barbara, who had only lived in the village since her marriage, was glad to get some information from her friend.
芭尔贝丽是嫁到德尔芙里后才住在这里的，所以她很高兴从朋友那里获得周边的消息。
Deta had been bred there, but since her mother's death, had gone away to earn her livelihood.
蒂提则是在德尔芙里长大，但自从蒂提的母亲去世后，她就去谋生养活自己了。
She confidentially seized Deta's arm and said: "I wish you would tell me the truth about him, Deta; you know it all--people only gossip.
芭尔贝丽亲密地拉过蒂提的手说：“你跟我说说那个老头的秘密吧，蒂提。你什么都知道，村里的人只是在八卦。
Tell me, what has happened to the old man to turn everybody against him so? Did he always hate his fellow-creatures?"
跟我说说，那个老头到底怎么了，为什么大家都这么不待见他？他一直这么讨厌和人来往吗？”
"I cannot tell you whether he always did, and that for a very good reason.
“是不是一直就这样，我也不知道啊，我也有理由不知道。
He being sixty years old, and I only twenty-six, you can't expect me to give you an account of his early youth.
我现在才26，老头都60岁了，我当然不知道他年轻的时候什么样喽。
But if you'll promise to keep it to yourself and not set all the people in Pratiggan talking, I can tell you a good deal. My mother and he both came from Domleschg."
反正，只要你保证只有自己知道，别让这些话在波来蒂冈传开，我就把一切都告诉你。我妈生在托姆列休克，那大叔也是在那儿长大的。”
"How can you talk like that, Deta?" replied Barbara in an offended tone. "People do not gossip much in Pratiggan,
“说什么呀，蒂提，”芭尔贝丽稍微有点生气，“波来蒂冈哪儿有爱嚼舌头的人哪？
and I always can keep things to myself, if I have to. You won't repent of having told me, I assure you!"
如果不能说，我一直放在心里就是了。我保证，你不会后悔告诉我的。”
"All right, but keep your word!" said Deta warningly.
“行，那你可得说话算数！”蒂提又叮嘱了一遍。
Then she looked around to see that the child was not so close to them as to overhear what might be said;
然后她四下看了看，确保孩子不在身边，这样就听不见她要说的话，
but the little girl was nowhere to be seen.
可是哪儿还有孩子的影子。
While the two young women had talked at such a rate, they had not noticed her absence;
两个人都光顾着说话，没注意到孩子已经不在后头。
quite a while must have elapsed since the little girl had given up following her companions.
那孩子没有跟着她俩走，肯定已经有一段时间了。
