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Gone With the Wind (Continued) by Alexandra Ripley Chapter VI
“Panic,” Henry Hamilton called it. The financial crisis that had begun on Wall Street in “I appreciate your concern, Mrs Butler,” he said, but Scarlett could see that he didn't at all. He resented her questioning the security of the bank, and in particular the security of the bank under his management. The longer he talked, and the more reassuring he sounded, the less Scarlett believed him. Then, inadvertently, he sent all her fears at rest. “Why, we'll not only be paying our usual dividend to stockholders,” he said, “it's actually going to be a bit higher than usual.” He looked at her from the corners of his eyes. “I'd certainly like to know how your husband reached his decision to add to his stock holdings a month ago.” Scarlett felt that she might float right out her chair with relief. If Rhett was buying bank shares, this must be the safest bank in “He has this darling little crystal ball,” she said with a giddy laugh that infuriated the manager. She felt a little drunk. But not too light-headed to remember to convert all the cash in her lock box to gold. She could still see the elegantly engraved, worthless Confederate bonds her father had depended on. She had no faith at all in paper. As she left the bank, she paused on the steps to enjoy the warm autumn sun and the thronged busyness of the streets in the business district. Look at all those folks rushing around --- they're in a hurry because there's money to be made, not because they're afraid of anything. Uncle Henry's crazy as an old coot. There's no panic at all. Her next stop was her store. KENNEDY'S EMPORIUM said the big gilt-lettered sign across the front of the building. It was her inheritance from her brief marriage to Frank Kennedy. That and Ella. Her pleasure in the store more than offset her disappointment in the child. The window was sparkling clean, with a satisfyingly crowded display of merchandise. Everything from shiny new axes down to shiny new dressmaker pins. She'd have to get those lengths of calico out of there, though. They'd be sun-streaked in no time at all, and then she'd have to reduce the price. Scarlett burst through the door, ready to take the hide off Whllie Kershaw, the head clerk. 参考译文 “恐慌，”亨利·汉密顿就是这么说的。这场金融危机从纽约城里华尔街开始，目前正席卷全美国。斯佳丽十分害怕她会失掉那笔钱，那可是她千辛万苦赚的，一点一点积攒起来的呀。她一离开老律师的事务所，就马上往她开户的银行赶。来到银行经理办公室那会儿，她心神不宁/定（忐忑不安）。 “我很欣赏您的关心，巴特勒夫人，”他说道。但是斯佳丽可以看出来，根本就不是那么一档子事。她对银行的安全满腹疑虑，这让他感到很恼火，更别说是对他所经营的银行的安全有疑问了。可是他谈话的时间越长，就越是让她觉得他的话是在反复向她保证什么。斯佳丽也就越信不着他。 然后在不经意间，他平复了她的恐惧心绪。“是呀，我们不光得付给股东我们该付的股息，”他说，“而且，实际上股息还要比通常情况下要略高一些呢。”他用眼角的余光瞟了她一眼。（“我自个今儿早上才得着信儿，”他生气地说。）“我倒是很乐于知道，您的丈夫怎么会做出决定，于一个月前增加了他持有的股份呢？” 斯佳丽感到如释重负，马上就要从椅子里飘起来了。莱特已经买进银行股票，那么这家银行保准是美国最保险的了。在这个世界上，别人都在倾家荡产这阵子，他却总是能捞到钱。她不知道他怎么会了解到银行的经营情况，况且她也不在乎这些。莱特对这家银行信得过，对她来说，这也就足够了。 “他有这么一个可爱的小水晶球，能占卜测知过去未来，”她毫不掩饰地笑着说。这下可把经理惹急了，可是她却感到有些陶醉了。 飘飘然归飘飘然，她可没有忘记把银行保险锁柜里的现金换成金子。她仍然头脑清醒，她父亲所曾仰赖的“南部邦联”证券，虽然镌刻精美，可却一文不值。她根本就不信纸印的玩意儿。 从银行出来，她在外面台阶上停了下来，享受着暖洋洋的秋日阳光，欣赏着繁华的商业区，街道上熙熙攘攘南来北往的人流。瞧瞧所有那些四下奔忙的人吧——他们匆匆忙忙，那是因为有钱可赚，而不是他们害怕什么，可亨利伯伯疯狂得像个老傻瓜。其实根本就不存在什么恐慌。 下一站，她停在了她的铺门口。硕大的镏金大字横贯建筑的前脸儿，上边写着“肯尼迪商场”。她与弗兰克·肯尼迪的婚姻时间不长,他一死却撇给她这份家当。这爿店铺,还有埃拉。她乐不得经营店铺，这倒冲淡了对孩子的失望。铺子橱窗明净，闪闪发亮，里面摆满了展品，各式各样崭新的商品，从闪亮的斧子，到女装裁缝用的小饰物和针头线脑啦什么的，还真让人满意。然而她却不得不把那几块印花布从橱窗里扯下来。它们不久就会让太阳晒得花花遢遢的了，那样的话，她就只好减价处理。斯佳丽砰地一下推开门，已经打定主意，要好好收拾一下威利·克肖,这个店员领班。 New words and expressions real money 实价货币，现金 panic 恐慌，莫名其妙 call 叫，认为 hoard 窖藏，贮藏，积聚，秘密储藏 resent 不满，怨恨，愤恨 reassure 再向......保证 inadvertently 漫不经心的，无意的 at rest 安息，静止，已解决 dividend 红利，债息 add to 增添 fall to pieces 崩溃 giddy 轻率的，发晕的，急速旋转的 light-headed 头晕目眩的，轻率的 engraved 镌刻 Confederate <美>南部邦联的 coot <口>蠢人,傻瓜,<美>黑凫 enporium 商场,商业中心,大百货商店 offset 抵消,弥补 pin 琐碎东西 dressmaker 女服(或童装)裁缝 calico 印花布 in no time 立刻 sun-streaked 条纹的 hide 兽皮,皮革
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