But all was in vain. The woman, feeling her strength exhausted, had no longer any faith in the operation; she was perfectly certain that she should die under it, or that she should only survive it a few hours, after having suffered in vain pains that were more atrocious than those of which she should die in any case. The doctor lingered to tell her once more: "But the operation is a safe one; your safety is certain, provided you exercise a little courage! And your death is equally certain if you refuse!"

可是终于无效。她自觉体力已尽，早没有信赖手术的心了。她说受手术必死无疑，无非徒加可怕的苦痛罢了。医生见她如此执迷，仍劝她说：“手术是可靠的，只要略微忍耐就安全了。如果不受手术，总是无效。”

It was a sheer waste of words. "No," she replied in a faint voice, "I still have courage to die; but I no longer have any to suffer uselessly. Leave me to die in peace." The doctor desisted in discouragement. No one said anything more. Then the woman turned her face towards her mistress, and addressed to her last prayers in a dying voice. "Dear, good signora," she said with a great effort, sobbing, "you will send this little money and my poor effects to my family through the consul. I hope that they may all be alive. My heart presages well in these, my last moments. You will do me the favor to write that I have always thought of them, that I have always toiled for them for my children that my sole grief was not to see them once more but that I died courageously with resignation blessing them; and that I recommend to my husband and to my elder son the youngest, my poor Marco that I bore him in my heart until the last moment."

然而仍是无效，“不，我已预备死了，没有受无益的苦痛的勇气。请让我平平和和地死吧。”医生也失望了，谁也不再开口。她脸向着主妇，用细弱的声音嘱托后事：“夫人，请将这一点钱和我的行李交给领事馆转送回国去。如果一家平安地都生存着就好了。在我瞑目以前，总望他们平安。请替我写信给他们，说我一向念着他们，曾经为了孩子们劳动过了。说我只以不能和他们再见一面为恨。说我虽然如此，却勇敢地自己忍受，为孩子们祈祷了才死。请替我把玛尔可托付丈夫和长子。说我到了临终，还不放心马尔可。”

And suddenly she became excited, and shrieked, as she clasped her hands: "My Marco, my baby, my baby! My life!" But on casting her tearful eyes round her, she perceived that her mistress was no longer there; she had been secretly called away. She sought her master; he had disappeared. No one remained with her except the two nurses and the assistant. She heard in the adjoining room the sound of hurried footsteps, a murmur of hasty and subdued voices, and repressed exclamations. The sick woman fixed her glazing eyes on the door, in expectation.

话犹未完，突然气冲上来，拍手哭泣：“啊！我的玛尔可！我的玛尔可！我的宝贝！我的性命！”等她含着泪看四周，主妇已不在了。有人进来把主妇悄悄地叫出去的。她到处找主人也不见。只有两个看护妇和医生助手在床前。邻室里闻有急乱的步声和嘈杂的语音，病人注视着室门，以为发生什么了。

At the end of a few minutes she saw the doctor appear with an unusual expression on his face; then her mistress and master, with their countenances also altered. All three gazed at her with a singular expression, and exchanged a few words in a low tone. She fancied that the doctor said to her mistress, "Better let it be at once." She did not understand. "Josefa," said her mistress to the sick woman, in a trembling voice, "I have some good news for you. Prepare your heart for good news." The woman observed her intently.

过了一会儿，医生进来了，转变了脸色，后面跟着的主妇主人，面上也都有惊色。大家用怪异的眼色向着她，唧咕地互相私语、她恍惚听见医生对主妇说：“还是快些说吧。”可是不知究是为了什么。主妇向她战栗地说：“约瑟华！有一个好消息说给你听，不要吃惊！”她热心地看看主妇。

"News," pursued the lady, with increasing agitation, "which will give you great joy." The sick woman's eyes dilated. "Prepare yourself," continued her mistress, "to see a person--of whom you are very fond." The woman raised her head with a vigorous movement, and began to gaze in rapid succession, first at the lady and then at the door, with flashing eyes. "A person," added the lady, turning pale, "who has just arrived unexpectedly."

主妇小心地继续说：“是你所非常喜欢的事呢。”病人眼睁大了。主妇再继续了说：“好吗？给你看一个人——是你所最爱的人啊。”病人拼命地抬起头来，眼光炯炯地向主妇看，又去看那门口。主妇脸色苍白地说：“现在有个万料不到的人来在这里。”

"Who is it?" shrieked the woman, with a strange and choked voice, like that of a person in terror. An instant later she gave vent to a shrill scream, sprang into a sitting posture in her bed, and remained motionless, with starting eyes, and her hands pressed to her temples, as in the presence of a supernatural apparition. Marco, tattered and dusty, stood there on the threshold, held back by the doctor's hand on one arm.

“是谁？”病人惊惶地问。呼吸也急促了。忽然发出尖锐的叫声，跳起来坐在床上，两手捧住了头，好像见了什么鬼物似的。这时，衣服褴褛满身尘垢的玛尔可已出现在门口。医生携了他的手，叫他退后。

The woman uttered three shrieks: "God! God! My God!" Marco rushed forward; she stretched out to him her fleshless arms, and straining him to her heart with the strength of a tiger, she burst into a violent laugh, broken by deep, tearless sobs, which caused her to fall back suffocating on her pillow. But she speedily recovered herself, and mad with joy, she shrieked as she covered his head with kisses: "How do you come here? Why? Is it you? How you have grown! Who brought you? Are you alone? You are not ill? It is you, Marco! It is not a dream! My God! Speak to me!" Then she suddenly changed her tone: "No! Be silent! Wait!" And turning to the doctor, she said with precipitation: "Quick, doctor! this instant! I want to get well. I am ready. Do not lose a moment. Take Marco away, so that he may not hear. Marco, my love, it is nothing. I will tell you about it. One more kiss. Go! Here I am, doctor."

病人发出三次尖锐的叫声：“上帝！上帝！我的上帝！”玛尔可奔近拢去。病人张开枯瘦的两臂，使出了虎也似的力将玛尔可抱紧在胸前。剧烈地笑，无泪地啜泣。终于呼吸接不上来，倒在枕上。她即刻恢复过来了，狂喜地不绝在儿子头上接吻，叫着说：“你怎么来到这里的？怎么？这真是你吗？啊，大了许多了！谁带了你来的？一个人吗？没有什么吗？啊！你是玛尔可？但愿我不是做梦！啊！上帝！你说些什么给我听吧！”说着，又突然改了话语：“哈哟！慢点说，且等一等！”于是向医生说：“快！快快！医生！现在立刻！我想病好。已愿意了，愈快愈好，给我把玛尔可领到别处去，不要让他听见。玛尔可，没有什么的。以后再说给你知道。来，再接一吻。就到那里去，医生！请快。”

Marco was taken away. The master, mistress, and women retired in haste; the surgeon and his assistant remained behind, and closed the door. Signor Mequinez attempted to lead Marco to a distant room, but it was impossible; he seemed rooted to the pavement. "What is it?" he asked. "What is the matter with my mother? What are they doing to her?" And then Mequinez said softly, still trying to draw him away: "Here! Listen to me. I will tell you now. Your mother is ill; she must undergo a little operation; I will explain it all to you: come with me." "No," replied the lad, resisting; "I want to stay here. Explain it to me here."

玛尔可被领出了，主人夫妇和别的女人们也急忙避去。室中只留医生和助手二人，门立刻关了。美贵耐治先生要想拉玛尔可到远一点的室中去，可是不能。玛尔可长了根似的坐在阶石上不动。“怎么？母亲怎样了？做什么？”他问。美贵耐治先生仍想领开他，静静地和他说：“你听着．我告诉你。你母亲病了，要受手术，快到这边来，我仔细说给你听。”“不！”玛尔可抵抗。“我一定要在这里，就请在这里告诉我。”

The engineer heaped words on words, as he drew him away; the boy began to grow terrified and to tremble. Suddenly an acute cry, like that of one wounded to the death, rang through the whole house. The boy responded with another desperate shriek, "My mother is dead!" The doctor appeared on the threshold and said, "Your mother is saved." The boy gazed at him for a moment, and then flung himself at his feet, sobbing, "Thanks, doctor!" But the doctor raised him with a gesture, saying: "Rise! It is you, you heroic child, who have saved your mother!"

技师强拉他过去，一边静静地和他说明经过。他恐惧战栗了。突然，致命伤也似的尖叫声震动全宅。玛尔可也应声叫喊起来：“母亲死了！”医生从门口探出头来：“你母亲有救了！”玛尔可注视了医师一会儿，既而投身到他脚边，嚼泣着说：“谢谢你！医生！”医生搀住他说：“起来！你真勇敢！救活你母亲的，就是你！”