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Mr and Mrs Heddegan both felt the honeymoon was not a success. They were happy to return to the island and start married life together in David Heddegans large house. Baptista soon became as calm and passive as she had been before. She even smiled when neighbours called her Mrs Heddegan, and she began to enjoy the comfortable life that a rich husband could offer her. She did nothing at all to stop people finding out about her first marriage to Charles Stow, although there was always a danger of that happening.
赫德根先生和太太都觉得蜜月过得不怎么样。他们很高兴能重返小岛，在戴维·赫德根的大房子里开始婚后生活。巴普蒂丝塔很快就变得和从前一样平静而顺从了。她开始享受一位富有的丈夫所能提供的安逸生活，听见邻居叫自己赫德根太太的时候甚至还会微笑。她没有刻意做什么来阻止人们揭发她跟查尔斯·斯托的第一次婚姻，尽管这种危险性随时存在。
One evening in September, when she was standing in her garden, a workman walked past along the road. He seemed to recognize her, and spoke to her in friendly surprise.
9月的一天晚上，她站在花园里，一名工人从旁边的小路经过。他似乎认出了她，友好而惊讶地跟她打了个招呼。
What! Dont you know me? he asked.
“什么！难道您不认识我了吗？”他问道。
Im afraid I dont, said Baptista.
“恐怕是不认识。”巴普蒂丝塔说。
I was your witness, madam. I was mending the church window when you and your young man came to get married. Dont you remember? The vicar called me, to be a witness.
“我是您的证婚人，夫人。您和您年轻的丈夫结婚的时候，我正在修理教堂的窗户呢，您不记得了吗？牧师当时叫我当了证婚人。”
Baptista looked quickly around. Heddegan was at the other end of the garden but unluckily, just at that moment, he turned and walked towards the house. Are you coming in, my dear? he called out to Baptista.
巴普蒂丝塔迅速环顾四周。赫德根在花园的另一头，他正巧在这一刻转身，朝着房子走去。“你进来吗，我亲爱的？”他对巴普蒂丝塔大声喊道。
The workman stared at him. Thats not your— he began, then he saw Baptistas face and stopped. Baptista was unable to speak, and the workman began to realize that there was a little mystery here. Ive been unlucky since then, he continued, still staring at Baptistas white face. Its hard finding enough work to buy food for my wife and myself. Perhaps you could help me, because I once helped you?
工人瞪着他看。“那该不是你的——”他张口就说。接着，他看见了巴普蒂丝塔的脸，闭上了嘴。巴普蒂丝塔说不出话来，工人开始意识到这其中定有玄机。“从那以后我一直不走运，”他盯着巴普蒂丝塔苍白的脸，接着说，“我很难找到足够的工作来给自己和妻子糊口。你不妨帮帮我吧，因为我曾经帮过你。”
Baptista gave him some money, and hoped never to see him again. But he was cleverer than he looked. By asking questions on the island and the mainland, he soon realized that Baptista had married one man on Tuesday, and another man on Wednesday. He visited her again two days later.
巴普蒂丝塔给了他一些钱，希望永远也不要再见到他。可他远比看上去聪明。在询问了一些岛上和大陆的人以后，他很快便意识到巴普蒂丝塔在星期二嫁给了一个男人，而星期三又嫁给了另一个男人。两天之后，他再次拜访了她。
It was a mystery to me, madam! he said, when she opened the door. But now I understand it all. I want to tell you, madam, that Im not a man to make trouble between husband and wife. But Im going back to the mainland again, and I need a little more money. If your old man finds out about your first husband, Im sure he wont like it, will he?
“这对我来说曾是个谜，夫人！”她打开门时，他说道，“现在我全都明白了。我想告诉您，夫人，我不是那种在夫妻之间制造矛盾的人。但我打算再回到大陆上去，因此还需要一小笔钱。如果您老公发现您第一任丈夫的事，我敢保证他会不高兴的，对吧？”
She knew he was right, and paid him what he wanted. A week later the workman sent his wife to ask for more money, and again Baptista paid. But when there was a fourth visit, she refused to pay, and shut the door in the mans surprised face.
她知道他说得没错，于是便如了他的愿。一个星期后，工人又派他的老婆来要更多的钱，巴普蒂丝塔又一次满足了她。但等到工人第四次上门来的时候，她拒绝付钱，当面把一脸惊诧的工人关在了门外。
She knew she had to tell her husband everything. She liked him better now than she had done at first, and did not want to lose him, but her secret was no longer safe. She went to find him, and said, David, I have something to tell you.
她知道自己必须向丈夫坦白一切。她现在比起初更喜欢他了，而且也不想失去他，可她已无法再保守自己的秘密。她找到他，说：“戴维，我有些事情要告诉你。”
Yes, my dear, he said with a sigh. In the last week he had been less cheerful and had seemed worried about something.
“好的，亲爱的。”他叹了口气说道。一个星期以来，他一直闷闷不乐，似乎在为什么事担心。
When they were both in the sitting room, she said, David, perhaps you will hate me for this, but I must confess something that Ive hidden from you. It happened before we were married. And its about a lover.
他们一同来到客厅，她说：“戴维，或许你会因此而恨我，但我必须向你坦白我曾对你隐瞒的一些事。那发生在我们结婚之前，是关于一个情人的。”
I dont mind. In fact, I was hoping it was more than that.
“我不介意。事实上，我觉得事情没这么简单。”
Well, it was. I met my old lover by chance, and he asked me, and — well, I married him. We were coming here to tell you, but he drowned, and I said nothing about him, and then I married you, David, for peace and quietness. Now youll be angry with me, I know you will!
“呃，是的。我当时偶遇了旧情人，他向我求婚，并且——呃，我跟他结了婚。我们正准备回来告诉你，可他却淹死了，而我没向你提起过关于他的任何事。接着我嫁给了你，戴维，为了得到平和安静的生活。好了，你冲我发火吧，我知道你会的！”
She spoke wildly, and expected her husband to shout and scream. But instead, the old man jumped up and began to dance happily around the room.
她言辞激烈，希望丈夫对她大吼大叫。然而，老头子却蹦了起来，开始绕着房间欢快地跳舞。
Oh, wonderful! he cried. How lucky! My dear Baptista, I see a way out of my difficulty — ha ha!
“噢，太棒了！”他大叫道，“多走运啊！我亲爱的巴普蒂丝塔，我看到了走出困境的路——哈哈！”
What do you mean? she asked, afraid he had gone mad.
“你在说什么？”她问道，担心他气疯了。
Oh my dear, Ive got something to confess too! You see, I was friendly with a woman in Pen zephyr for many years — very friendly, you could say — and in the end I married her just before she died. I kept it secret, but people here are beginning to talk. And Ive got four big girls to think of—
“噢，亲爱的，我也有些事要对你坦白！你知道，我和彭泽弗的一个女人保持了多年的友好关系——非常友好，可以这么说——最后，我在她死前娶了她。我对这事一直守口如瓶，可这里的人却开始谈论这事。而且我还得操心四个已经长大的女儿——”
Oh David, four daughters! she cried in horror.
“噢，戴维，四个女儿！”她惊恐地叫道。
Thats right, my dear. Im sorry to say they havent been to school at all. Id like to bring them to live here with us, and I thought, by marrying a teacher, I could get someone to teach them, all for nothing. What do you think, Baptista?
“没错，亲爱的。很抱歉告诉你，她们从没上过学。我想把她们带到这里和我们一起住。而且我想，娶一个老师就有人教她们了，一分钱都不用花。你觉得怎么样，巴普蒂丝塔？”
Four grown girls, always around the house! And I hate teaching, it kills me! But I must do it, I can see that. I am punished for that moment of madness, I really am!
“四个长大成人的女孩，无时无刻不待在家里！而且我讨厌教书，那简直折磨死我了！但我明白我必须那么做。我要为那一时的冲动接受惩罚，我罪有应得！”
Here the conversation ended. The next day Baptista had to welcome her husbands daughters into her home. They were not good looking or intelligent or even well dressed, and poor Baptista could only look forward to years of hard work with them. She went about, sighing miserably, with no hope for the future.
谈话就此结束。第二天，巴普蒂丝塔只得迎接丈夫的女儿们来到她家。她们既不漂亮又不聪慧，连衣着也毫不起眼。可怜的巴普蒂丝塔只能从她们身上看见未来数年的辛苦工作。她痛苦地叹着气开始工作，对未来不再抱半点希望。
But when Heddegan asked her a month later, How do you like em now? her answer was unexpected.
但当赫德根在一个月后问她：“你现在觉得她们怎么样？”的时候，她的回答出人意料。
Much better than at first, she said. I may like them very much one day.
“比一开始好多了，”她说，“总有一天我会非常喜欢她们的。”
And so began a more pleasant time for Baptista Heddegan. She had discovered what kind, gentle girls these unwelcome daughters were. At first she felt sorry for them, then grew to like them. And from liking, she grew to love them. In the end they brought her and her husband closer together, and so Baptista and David were able to put the past behind them and find unexpected happiness in their married life.
于是，巴普蒂丝塔·赫德根的日子就更好打发了。她发现这些不受欢迎的女儿们其实既善良又温柔。刚开始，她替她们感到悲哀，接着渐渐开始喜欢她们，后来又从喜欢转变为喜爱。最终，女儿们使得她和丈夫之间的关系比以前更加紧密了。就这样，巴普蒂丝塔和戴维终于放下往事，在婚后的生活中找到了意想不到的幸福。
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