The Fortune-Tellers

Reputations may be made by the merest chances, and yet reputations control the fashions. That is a little prologue that would fit the case of all sorts of people. Everywhere around one sees prejudices, scheming, and obtuseness; but little or no justice. Nothing can be done to stem this torrent of evil. It must run its course. It always has been and always will be.

名声往往是由最微不足道的偶然造就的，可名声却能左右风尚。这句小小的开场白，几乎适用于形形色色的所有人。放眼四周，人们看到的处处是偏见、算计和迟钝；可公道却少之又少，甚至几乎没有。谁也没办法遏制这股邪恶的洪流。它必须自行其道。它向来如此，将来也永远如此。

A woman in Paris once made it her profession to tell fortunes. She became very popular and had great success. Did anybody lose a bit of finery; had any one a sweetheart; had any wife a husband she was tired of; any husband a jealous wife, to the prophetess such would run simply to be told the thing that it was comforting to hear.

从前巴黎有一个女人，以算命为业。她变得非常受欢迎，生意也做得十分红火。不管是谁丢了一件首饰，或是谁有了心上人，又或是哪位妻子厌倦了自己的丈夫，哪位丈夫遇上了嫉妒心重的妻子，都会径直跑去找这位女预言家，只为听到那句让人宽心的话。

The stock-in-trade of this fortune-teller consisted merely of a convincing manner, a few words of scientific jargon, a great deal of impudence, and much good luck. All these things together so impressed the people that as often as not they would cry, "Miraculous!" In short, although the woman's ignorance was quite twenty-three carat she passed for a veritable oracle.

这位算命女的看家本领，不过是一副令人信服的架势、几句貌似高深的行话、满满的厚颜无耻，再加上不少运气罢了。这几样东西加在一起，把人们唬得一愣一愣的，以至于他们动辄大呼“真是神了！”简而言之，尽管这女人的无知程度足足有二十三成色那么高，她却俨然成了一位名副其实的神谕。

Notwithstanding the fact that this oracle only lived in a garret, she found so many ready to pay her well for her shams that she soon grew rich enough to improve the position of her husband, to rent an office, and buy a house.

尽管这位“神谕”只住在一间阁楼里，但愿意为她那套骗人把戏一掷千金的人却多得很，她很快就富了起来，足以让她丈夫的境况得到改善，租下一间办公室，还买下了一栋房子。

The garret being left empty was shortly tenanted by another woman to whom all the town—women, girls, valets, fine gentlemen—everybody in fact swarmed, as before, to consult their destiny. The former tenant had built up such a reputation that the garret was still a sibyl's den, in spite of the fact that quite a different creature dwelt in it.

阁楼空出来之后，很快就搬进来另一个女人，可全城的人——妇人、姑娘、仆从、绅士——所有人依旧像从前一样蜂拥而至，来向她请教命运。前一位租客早已建立起这样的名声，以至于虽然如今住着一个截然不同的人，那间阁楼却依然被当作女巫的巢穴。

"I tell fortunes? Surely you're joking! Why, gentlemen, I cannot read, and as for writing, I never learnt more than to make my mark." But these disclaimers were useless. People insisted on having their fortunes told, and she had to do it. In consequence, she put by plenty of money, being able to earn, in spite of herself, quite as much as two lawyers could. The poverty of her home was a help rather than a hindrance. Four broken chairs and a broom-handle savoured of a witch's frolic.

“我会算命？您这是在开玩笑吧！哎呀，先生们，我可不识字，至于写字，我也只学过怎么画个记号罢了。”可是这些辩白全都无济于事。人们坚持要她算命，她也只好照做。结果，她攒下了不少钱，尽管是身不由己，她赚的钱竟能抵得上两个律师的收入。她那寒酸的居所反倒帮了她的忙，而不是拖了后腿。四把破椅子加一根扫帚柄，倒也带着几分女巫作法的味道。

If this woman had told the truth in a room well-furnished she would have been scorned. The fashion for a garret had set in, and garret it must be.

倘若这个女人是在一间陈设讲究的屋子里讲出真话来，她只会遭人轻蔑。既然阁楼已经成了时兴之地，那就非得是阁楼不可。

In her new chambers the first fortune-teller waited in vain; for it was the outward sign alone that brought customers, and the sign was poverty.

在她新的居所里，那第一位算命女白白等着顾客上门；因为吸引顾客的，从来只是外在的表象，而这表象正是贫穷。

I have seen in a palace a robe worn awry win much distinction and success, such crowds of followers and adherents did it draw. You may well ask me why!

我曾在一座宫殿里见过，一件穿得歪歪斜斜的长袍竟大受追捧、大获成功，引来了那么多的追随者和拥护者。你尽可以问我这是为什么！