《坎特维尔的幽灵》开篇：英文原著带中文翻译

When Mr. Hiram B. Otis, the American Minister, bought Canterville Chase, every one told him he was doing a very foolish thing, as there was no doubt at all that the place was haunted.

美国公使海勒姆·B·奥蒂斯先生买下坎特维尔庄园的时候，人人都对他说，他做了一件极其愚蠢的事，因为毫无疑问，这地方闹鬼。

Indeed, Lord Canterville himself, who was a man of the most punctilious honour, had felt it his duty to mention the fact to Mr. Otis when they came to discuss terms.

的确，坎特维尔勋爵本人是个最讲究信义的人，在双方商谈条件时，他就觉得有责任把这一事实告诉奥蒂斯先生。

“We have not cared to live in the place ourselves,” said Lord Canterville, “since my grandaunt, the Dowager Duchess of Bolton, was frightened into a fit, from which she never really recovered, by two skeleton hands being placed on her shoulders as she was dressing for dinner, and I feel bound to tell you, Mr. Otis, that the ghost has been seen by several living members of my family, as well as by the rector of the parish, the Rev. Augustus Dampier, who is a Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge.

「我们自己是不愿意住在这地方的，」坎特维尔勋爵说，「自从我的姑婆，博尔顿孀居公爵夫人，在准备赴宴更衣时，被两只骷髅手搭在肩上，吓得发了病，从此再也没有真正复原，我就觉得必须告诉您，奥蒂斯先生，这鬼不仅被我家里好几个活着的成员看见过，还被本堂区牧师，剑桥大学国王学院研究员奥古斯都·丹皮尔牧师看见过。

After the unfortunate accident to the Duchess, none of our younger servants would stay with us, and Lady Canterville often got very little sleep at night, in consequence of the mysterious noises that came from the corridor and the library.”

公爵夫人遭遇那次不幸事故之后，我们家年轻的仆人都再也不肯留下来，坎特维尔夫人夜里常常睡不了多少觉，因为走廊和图书室里总是传来神秘的响声。」

“My Lord,” answered the Minister, “I will take the furniture and the ghost at a valuation. I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy; and with all our spry young fellows painting the Old World red, and carrying off your best actors and prima-donnas, I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we’d have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.”

「勋爵，」公使回答说，「我按估价把家具和鬼一起买下来。我来自一个现代国家，那里凡是钱能买的东西我们都有。我们那些机灵的小伙子把旧世界闹得天翻地覆，把你们最好的演员和首席女歌手都挖走了，所以我想，要是欧洲真有鬼这种东西，我们很快就会把它弄回家，放进某座公共博物馆，或者让它上路巡回展览。」

“I fear that the ghost exists,” said Lord Canterville, smiling, “though it may have resisted the overtures of your enterprising impresarios. It has been well known for three centuries, since 1584 in fact, and always makes its appearance before the death of any member of our family.”

「我怕这鬼确实存在，」坎特维尔勋爵微笑着说，「尽管它也许拒绝了你们那些有进取心的演出经纪人的邀请。它出名已经三百年了，事实上从一五八四年起就出了名，而且总是在我们家族任何成员去世之前现身。」

“Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.”

「哦，这么说来，家庭医生也是这样，坎特维尔勋爵。可是，先生，鬼这种东西并不存在，我猜自然规律不会为了英国贵族而暂停。」

“You are certainly very natural in America,” answered Lord Canterville, who did not quite understand Mr. Otis’s last observation, “and if you don’t mind a ghost in the house, it is all right. Only you must remember I warned you.”

「你们在美国确实非常自然，」坎特维尔勋爵回答说，他不太明白奥蒂斯先生最后那句话，「如果您不介意房子里有鬼，那当然好。只是您必须记住，我警告过您。」

A few weeks after this, the purchase was concluded, and at the close of the season the Minister and his family went down to Canterville Chase.

几周之后，买卖成交了，社交季节一结束，公使便带着家人去了坎特维尔庄园。

Mrs. Otis, who, as Miss Lucretia R. Tappan, of West 53d Street, had been a celebrated New York belle, was now a very handsome, middle-aged woman, with fine eyes, and a superb profile.

奥蒂斯夫人当年作为西五十三街的卢克丽霞·R·塔潘小姐，曾是纽约有名的美人，如今是位非常漂亮的中年妇人，眼睛秀美，侧影极佳。

Many American ladies on leaving their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European refinement, but Mrs. Otis had never fallen into this error. She had a magnificent constitution, and a really wonderful amount of animal spirits. Indeed, in many respects, she was quite English, and was an excellent example of the fact that we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.

许多美国女士离开故土之后，就摆出一副长年体弱多病的样子，以为这是欧洲风雅的一种表现，可奥蒂斯夫人从未犯过这个错误。她身体极好，精力旺盛得惊人。的确，她在许多方面都相当英国化，正好证明了一个事实：如今我们和美国实在事事相同，当然，语言除外。

Her eldest son, christened Washington by his parents in a moment of patriotism, which he never ceased to regret, was a fair-haired, rather good-looking young man, who had qualified himself for American diplomacy by leading the German at the Newport Casino for three successive seasons, and even in London was well known as an excellent dancer.

她的长子，父母一时爱国，给他取名为华盛顿，他为此一直后悔不已。这年轻人一头金发，相貌相当英俊，曾在纽波特赌场连续三个季度领跳德国舞，以此取得了美国外交官的资格，甚至在伦敦也以舞艺出众而闻名。

Gardenias and the peerage were his only weaknesses. Otherwise he was extremely sensible.

栀子花和贵族爵位是他仅有的弱点。除此之外，他极其通情达理。

Miss Virginia E. Otis was a little girl of fifteen, lithe and lovely as a fawn, and with a fine freedom in her large blue eyes.

弗吉尼亚·E·奥蒂斯小姐是个十五岁的小姑娘，像小鹿一样轻盈可爱，一双蓝色大眼睛里透着一种美好的无拘无束。