威廉·D. 豪威尔斯(William D. Howells)
A thousand things thronged into her mind to support her in her evil will. She remembered how glad and proud that man had been to marry her, and how everybody said she was marrying beneath her when she took him. She remembered how good she had always been to him, how perfectly devoted, slaving early and late to advance him, and looking out for his interests in all things, and sparing herself in nothing. If it had not been for her, he might have been driving stage yet; and since their troubles had begun, the troubles which his own folly and imprudence had brought on them, her conduct had been that of a true and faithful wife. Was he the sort of man to be allowed to play her false with impunity ? She set her teeth and drew her breath sharply through them when she thought how willingly she had let him befool her, and delude her about that memorandum of payments to Mrs. M., because she loved him so much, and pitied him for his cares and anxieties. She recalled his confusion, his guilty looks.
- throng [θrɒŋ] v. 群集，蜂拥
- imprudence [ɪmˈpruːdns] n. 不明智
play sb. false 欺骗某人
- impunity [ɪmˈpjuːnɪtɪ] n. 不受惩罚，免罪
- delude [dɪˈluːd] v. 欺骗，哄骗
- memorandum [ˌmeməˈrændəm] n. 备忘录
往事千桩涌进她的脑海，支持她做出痛苦的决定。她回忆起结婚时人人说她低就了，而他又骄傲又开心。她回忆起自己往日对他的好：全身心奉献，早起晚睡操劳，让他上进，关注他方方面面细微的兴趣，自己毫无保留。要不是她，他可能仍然还是个马车夫。他的荒唐引起两人纠葛之后，她以贤惠忠诚的妻子身份待他。难道能容许他对自己不忠，欺骗自己吗？她咬紧牙关，从牙缝中深深吸了口气，想到她曾经多么心甘情愿让他欺骗自己，在向M夫人付款的备忘录上蒙骗自己，全因为自己如此爱他，同情他的忧虑和烦恼。她回忆起他混乱的思维，他疚惭的表情。
威廉·D. 豪威尔斯(1837—1920)，美国小说家、文艺批评家，对他那个时代的美国文学有很大影响，素有美国“现实主义文学奠基人”之称，反对浪漫主义的题材和创作方法，主张“像照相机似地再现肉眼能见到的东西”，倡导写美国生活中微笑的一面。