Characters: Swipes, a brewer; Currie, a saddler; Frank Millington; and squire Drawl.
人物:斯威伯:釀酒人;柯里:馬具商;弗蘭克·米林頓;德洛法官。
Swipes says: A sober occasion, this, brother Currie.
斯威伯:這地方忒嚴(yán)肅正經(jīng)了,柯里兄弟,
Who would have thought the old lady was so near her end?
誰能想到那老太太這么快就走了呢?
Currie says: Ah! we must all die, brother Swipes; and those who live the longest outlive the most.
柯里:哈,人人免不了一死,斯威伯兄弟,誰活得最長,誰就活得最好。
True, true; but, since we must die and leave our earthly possessions,
不錯,此言不虛。不過,既然我們都會死,留下身后世俗財富,
it is well that the law takes such good care of us. Had the old lady her senses when she departed?
老天有眼啊,律法還能這樣眷顧我們,老太太去世時,她果真這么想的?
Perfectly, perfectly. Squire Drawl told me she read every word of the will aloud, and never signed her name better.
當(dāng)然,千真萬確的事。德洛法官告訴我,老太太當(dāng)時一字字大聲讀出自己遺囑,簽名時,她從未把自己名字寫得那么順溜。
Had you any hint from the Squire what disposition she made of her property?
你是否從法官那聽到什么風(fēng)聲,她如何處置她的遺產(chǎn)?
Not a whisper; the Squire is as close as an underground tomb;
一絲口風(fēng)也沒聽到,那家伙嘴緊得像墓里的死鬼。
but one of the witnesses hinted to me that she had cut off her graceless nephew, Frank, without a shilling.
不過,有位在場的對我透露,老太太剝奪了弗蘭克的遺產(chǎn)繼承權(quán),即她那不爭氣的侄兒,愣是一個子兒也沒給他留下。
Has she, good soul, has she? You know I come in, then, in right of my wife.
真是這樣?她太好了,真的嗎?你要知道,我代表我老婆來這兒的。
And I in my own right; and this is no doubt the reason why we have been called to hear the reading of the will.
我可是代表我自己,之所以來聽法官大人宣讀老太太的遺囑,我倆來這里的理由完全無懈可擊。
Squire Drawl knows how things should be done, though he is as air-tight as one of your beer barrels.
德洛法官知道如何處理遺產(chǎn)問題,盡管他不露絲毫風(fēng)聲,嘴巴嚴(yán)實地好像你家那些密封的啤酒桶。