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'Wal'r,
my
lad!
'said
Captain
Cuttle.
'Stand
by
and
knock
again.
Hard!
It's
washing
day.
'
“沃尔，我的孩子！”卡特尔船长说道。“做好准备，再敲一次。使劲敲，今天是洗衣服的日子。”
Walter,
in
his
impatience,
gave
a
prodigious
thump
with
the
knocker.
沃尔特急不可耐地用门环砰砰地猛敲着。
'Hard
it
is!
'
said
Captain
Cuttle,
and
immediately
drew
in
his
head,
as
if
he
expected
a
squall.
“很有劲！”卡特尔船长说道，然后立即把头缩了进去，仿佛他预料到一场夹带冰雹的暴风就要来临似的。
Nor
was
he
mistaken:
for
a
widow
lady,
with
her
sleeves
rolled
up
to
her
shoulders,
and
her
arms
frothy
with
soap-
suds
and
smoking
with
hot
water,
replied
to
the
summons
with
startling
rapidity.
Before
she
looked
at
Walter
she
looked
at
the
knocker,
and
then,
measuring
him
with
her
eyes
from
head
to
foot,
said
she
wondered
he
had
left
any
of
it.
他没有错，因为一位寡居的太太以惊人的敏捷回答了这个召唤；她袖子卷到肩膀上，胳膊上沾满了肥皂泡，而且冒着雾腾腾的热气。她在看沃尔特之前先看了一下门环，然后用眼睛把他从头到脚打量了一下，说她很奇怪，门环居然还在门上，没有被他完全打落下来。
'Captain
Cuttle's
at
home,
I
know,
'
said
Walter
with
a
conciliatory
smile.
“就我所知，卡特尔船长在家里，”沃尔特和解地笑了一下，说道。
'Is
he?
'
replied
the
widow
lady.
'In-
deed!
'
“他在家吗？”这位寡居的太太回答道。“原来——如此！”
'He
has
just
been
speaking
to
me,
'
said
Walter,
in
breathless
explanation.
“他刚才还跟我说话，”沃尔特急促地解释道。
'Has
he?
'
replied
the
widow
lady.
'Then
p'raps
you'll
give
him
Mrs
MacStinger's
respects,
and
say
that
the
next
time
he
lowers
himself
and
his
lodgings
by
talking
out
of
the
winder
she'll
thank
him
to
come
down
and
open
the
door
too.
'
Mrs
MacStinger
spoke
loud,
and
listened
for
any
observations
that
might
be
offered
from
the
first
floor.
“他跟您说话了吗？”寡居的太太回答道。“那么也许您可以向他转达麦克斯廷杰太太的敬意，告诉他，如果下一次要贬损他本人和他的住所的体面，从窗口对外讲话的话，那么就请他也下楼来开门，她将为此而感谢他。”麦克斯廷杰太太高声地说着，同时听听二层楼上对这会提出什么意见。
'I'll
mention
it,
'
said
Walter,
'if
you'll
have
the
goodness
to
let
me
in,
Ma'am.
'
“夫人，”沃尔特说道，“如果您肯行个好，让我进去的话，那么我会对他说的。”
For
he
was
repelled
by
a
wooden
fortification
extending
across
the
doorway,
and
put
there
to
prevent
the
little
MacStingers
in
their
moments
of
recreation
from
tumbling
down
the
steps.
因为有一个木制的路障横放在门口，把他挡住了，那路障是为了防止小麦克斯廷杰在玩耍的时候，从台阶上滚下去而摆设在那里的。
'A
boy
that
can
knock
my
door
down,
'
said
Mrs
MacStinger,
contemptuously,
'can
get
over
that,
I
should
hope!
'
But
Walter,
taking
this
as
a
permission
to
enter,
and
getting
over
it,
Mrs
MacStinger
immediately
demanded
whether
an
Englishwoman's
house
was
her
castle
or
not;
and
whether
she
was
to
be
broke
in
upon
by
'raff.
'
On
these
subjects
her
thirst
for
information
was
still
very
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