"So disturbed was I that I determined to see a little more of the new inmates of the cottage.
"我心里很不安，便决心再去看看这所小别墅的新住户。
I approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly opened by a tall, gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding face.
我走近门前敲了敲门，立即有一个身材高大、体态削瘦的女人把门打开，这女人面容丑陋，令人生畏。
'What may you be wantin'?' she asked in a Northern accent.
'你要干什么？'她操着北方口音问道。
'I am your neighbour over yonder,' said I, nodding towards my house.
'我是你对面的邻居'，我把头朝我的住处点了点，说道。
'I see that you have only just moved in, so I thought that if I could be of any help to you in any...'
'我看你们刚刚搬进来，因此我想是不是能帮助你们做些什么...'
'Ay, we'll just ask ye when we want ye,' said she, and shut the door in my face.
'喂，我们需要你时，自然会请你的，'她说着，竟然把门关上。
Annoyed at the churlish rebuff, I turned my back and walked home.
我吃了这样粗暴的闭门羹，非常恼怒，转身便回家了。
All evening, though I tried to think of other things, my mind would still turn to the apparition at the window and the rudeness of the woman.
整个晚上，尽管我竭力去想别的事情，但我脑中始终萦绕着窗口的那个怪人和那女人的粗鲁形象。
I determined to say nothing about the former to my wife, for she is a nervous, highly strung woman,
我决意不向妻子说这件事，因为她是一个胆怯而又容易激动的女人，
and I had no wish that she should share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself.
我不愿意让她分担我所遭遇到的不快。
I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep, that the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply.
然而，在我临睡以前，我告诉她那所小别墅现在已经住上人了，她没有回答。
I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. It has been a standing jest in the family that nothing could ever wake me during the night.
我通常睡得很死。家里人经常嘲笑我说夜里没有什么能把我吵醒。

And yet somehow on that particular night, whether it may have been the slight excitement produced by my little adventure or not I know not,
可是在这天晚上，由于这件事情的小小刺激或是其他原因，我不知道，
but I slept much more lightly than usual.
但我却睡得不象平常那么死。
Half in my dreams I was dimly conscious that something was going on in the room,
我在似睡非睡中模模糊糊地觉得室内有什么在走动，
and gradually became aware that my wife had dressed herself and was slipping on her mantle and her bonnet.
逐渐意识到我妻子已经穿好衣服，并且披上了斗篷，戴上了帽子。
My lips were parted to murmur out some sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation,
我喃喃地说了几句惊异的话，对她这种不适时的举动提出了异议，
when suddenly my halfopened eyes fell upon her face, illuminated by the candle-light, and astonishment held me dumb.
当我半睁半闭的双眼突然落到我妻子被烛光映照的脸上，竟使我惊异得说不出话来。
She wore an expression such as I had never seen before -- such as I should have thought her incapable of assuming.
她的表情是以前我从未见过的，也决不会是假装的。
Shewas deadly pale and breathing fast, glancing furtively towards the bed as she fastened her mantle to see if she had disturbed me.
她脸色死白，呼吸急促，在她扣紧斗篷时，偷偷地瞧着床上，看是否惊醒了我。
Then, thinking that I was still asleep, she slipped noiselessly from the room,
后来，以为我还在睡梦中，她便悄悄地从屋中溜出去，
and an instant later I heard a sharp creaking which could only come from the hinges of the front door.
过了一会，我听到一阵尖锐的吱吱嘎嘎声，这分明是大门合叶发出的响声。
I sat up in bed and rapped my knuckles against the rail to make certain that I was truly awake.
我从床上坐起来，用手关节敲床栏，看看我是不是真的醒着。
Then I took my watch from under the pillow. It was three in the morning.
然后我从枕下拿出表来，已经是凌晨三点钟了。
What on this earth could my wife be doing out on the country road at three in the morning?"
而凌晨三点钟我妻子到外面去，她究竟要干什么呢？"