白衣女子

He was sulking a little， standing at the sidelines while all the other men danced with their pretty partners. His girl had not come to the dance that night. Her mother was ill， and so his girl had remained at her side. A fine pious act， he thought sourly， but it left him at loose ends.

他有點慍怒，在其他男人都在和漂亮的舞伴一起跳舞的時候，只有他一個人在旁觀。他的女朋友那晚沒來。因為她媽媽病了，女友必須陪在母親身邊。他有些心酸地想，她是個孝順女兒，但卻把他弄得無所適從。

His friend， Ernesto， came up to him between sets with a cold drink and some words of encouragement. \"After all， Anita is not the only girl in the world，\" Ernesto said. \"There are many pretty girls here tonight. Dance with one of them.\"

歐內斯特，他的朋友，拿著一杯冰飲來到他身邊勸他說：“畢竟，這世上又不是只有安妮塔一個女孩子。今晚，這有這么多漂亮的女孩，和其中的一個去跳啊。”

Bolstered by his friend's words， he started looking around the dance hall. His eye fell upon a beautiful young girl standing wistfully at the edge of the floor beside the door to the terrace. She was dressed in an old-fashioned white gown and her skin was pale as the moon. Her dark eyes watched the dance hungrily from her position behind a tall fern， and he felt his heart beat faster. Such a lovely woman should be dancing!

在朋友的慫恿下，他開始環(huán)顧舞廳四周。他的眼睛落在一個充滿期待的漂亮女子身上，她就站在通往露臺的門邊。她穿著一套過時的白禮服，皮膚像月亮一樣慘白。她站在一棵高大的植物后面，用她那黑眼睛渴望地望著舞池，然后他感到心跳加速。如此漂亮的女人應該和她跳舞！

He made his way through the bustling crowd and bowed to the girl in white. She looked startled by his addresses， as if she had not expected anyone to notice her that night. But she readily assented to dance with him， and he proudly led her out onto the floor for the next set， all thoughts of Anita gone from his mind.

他穿過熱熱鬧鬧的人群，低著頭朝白衣女子走去。她聽到他說話覺得很吃驚，好像她并不希望那晚有人注意她似的。但是她欣然地接受了他的邀舞，然后他很自豪地把她領進了舞池，此時他腦中已經沒有了安妮塔。

Ernesto and some of his other friends gave him odd looks as he danced with the girl in white. A few times， the man opposite them bumped right into them as if he had not seen his partner at all. He was furious and wanted to stop the dance and make the man apologize to the girl in white， but she just laughed and hushed him.

在他和白衣女子跳舞的時候，歐內斯特和其他的幾個朋友都用異樣的眼光看著他。有好幾次，他們對面的男人總是撞他們，好像根本就沒看到他的舞伴一樣。他很憤怒，想停下來讓那人給白衣女子道歉，但是她只是笑笑并安撫著他。

When the dance was over， he hurried to get his fair partner a drink. Ernesto approached him at the refreshment table. \"When I told you to dance， I meant with a partner，\" his friend teased him.

一舞完畢，他趕緊去給漂亮的舞伴拿喝的。歐內斯特也走到飲料吧前，戲弄他說：“我叫你去跳舞，我的意思是你得有舞伴。”

\"I was dancing with a partner，\" he replied， irritated by his friends remark. \"The loveliest girl in all of Mexico!\"

“我是和舞伴在跳舞啊，”他回答說，對他朋友的話表示憤怒。“她是全墨西哥最可愛的女子！”

\"You've had too much to drink， my friend，\" Ernesto replied. \"You were dancing by yourself out there!\"

“哥們，你是不是喝多了，”歐內斯特說。“你剛才在一個人跳呢！”

He glared at his friend and turned away without answering him. Making his way back to the girl in white， he handed her a glass and asked her to stroll with him along the terrace. The night was beautiful， the sky full of stars， and he stared at the girl in white with his heart in his eyes as they stood looking out over the beautiful scene.

他怒視著他的朋友，什么也沒說轉身就走了。他走回白衣女子身邊給了她一杯水，然后邀請她到露臺漫步。美好的夜晚，滿天的星斗，他深情地看著白衣女子，就好像已經忘記了這美麗的景色而只有他們。

The girl in white turned to him with a sigh and said: \"Thank you for the dance， Senor. It has been a very long time since I had such pleasure.\" \"Let us dance again， then，\" he said infatuatedly. But she shook her head. \"I must leave now，\" she said， catching up her skirts with one hand and drifting toward the stairs at the side of the terrace. \"Please don't go，\" he pleaded， following her. \"I must.\" she said， turning to look at him. Her eyes softened when she saw the look on his face. \"Come with me?\" she invited， holding out a pale hand.

白衣女子轉向他嘆了一口氣說：“謝謝你邀請我跳舞，先生。我已經有很長時間沒這么高興了。”“一會我們再跳一曲吧。”他迷戀地說。但是她搖了搖頭。“我得走了。”她說著用手提著自己的裙子飄向了露臺邊的樓梯。“請不要走。”他懇求著，跟著她。“我必須得走。”她說，轉頭看著他。看他的臉的時候，她眼里充滿了溫柔。“跟我走嗎？”她邀請他，伸出了一只蒼白的手。

His heart pounded rapidly. More than anything in the world， he wanted to go with this lovely girl. And then his mind registered the fact that he could see the stone wall of the terrace through the girl's hand. His desire melted away before the shock of that realization. He looked into her face again， and realized that she was fading away before his eyes.

他心跳加速。跟全世界相比，他更想跟這個可愛的女子走。這時他注意到女子的手穿過了露臺的石頭墻。他被眼前的景象嚇壞了，渴望也消失了。他再一次注視著她的臉，她在他眼前正一點點地消失。

At the look of horror on his face， the girl gave a sad laugh and dropped her hand， which was nearly transparent now. \"Goodbye，\" she said， her body becoming thin and misty. \"Goodbye.\" Then she was gone.

驚恐地看著他的臉，女孩傷心地笑了一下然后放下了手，現在她幾乎是透明人了。“再見，”她說，她的身體開始變瘦變模糊。“再見。”然后消失了。

He gave a shout of terror when he realized he had been dancing with a ghost. He bolted from the premises， leaving his horse behind， and ran all the way home.

當意識到自己剛才是在跟一個鬼魂跳舞的時候，他驚恐地叫了一聲，馬上逃離了那所房子，徑直朝家里跑去。

When Ernesto came the next day to bring him his horse，he told his friend the whole story. Ernesto whistled in awe.\"You saw the spirit of Consuela， my friend，\" he said，\"She was the daughter of one of the local aristocracy who lived in this region more than a hundred years ago. She died of consumption the night before her first ball and they say her spirit sometimes attends the local dances， hoping to claim one of the dances that she missed.\"

第二天，歐內斯特給他送馬的時候，他告訴了歐內斯特昨晚發(fā)生的一切。歐內斯特敬畏地吹了聲口哨。“伙計，你看到的是康斯薇拉的靈魂，”他說。“她是當地一個貴族的女兒，他們100年前住在這個地區(qū)。她在參加她的第一個舞會的前夜死于肺病。所以后來有人說，他們有時會看到她的靈魂參加地方的舞會，希望可以挽回他錯過的那場。”

He shuddered at the thought of his dance with the ghost. \"I will not be visiting that dance hall again，\" he told Ernesto，\"From now on， all my dances will be with Anita!\"

想到和鬼跳舞他就不自主地發(fā)抖。“我不會再參加那個地方的舞會了，”他告訴歐內斯特。“從現在起，我以后的舞伴就是安妮塔！”

And he kept his word.

他信守著自己的諾言。

能說會用

look around: 環(huán)視

Please feel free to look around.

請隨便走走看。

glare at: 怒視

Don't glare at your teacher like that. You deserved the scolding.

別那么瞪眼望著老師，你該被罵的。

★編輯：劉芳