Stan Barstow - Gamblers Never Win (Excerpt) 汉译

Scurridge reached for the morning newspaper and turned to the sports page. “I fancy a bit o’ bacon an’ egg,” he said, and sat down beside the fire and placed his pointed elbows in the centers of the two threadbare patches on the arms of his chair.

His threw a surly glance at the upraised newspaper. “There is no eggs,” she said, and Scurridge’s pale, watery blue eyes fixed on her for the first time as he lowered the paper.

“What y’ mean ‘there is no eggs’?”

“I mean what I say; I didn’t get any.” She added with sullen defiance. “I couldn’t afford ’em this week. They’re five-an’-six a dozen. Something’s got to go---I can’t buy all I should, as it is.”

Scurridge smacked his lips peevishly. “God! Oh! Are we at it again? It’s one bloody thing after the other. I don’t know what you do with your brass.”

“I spent it on keeping you,” she said. “God knows I get precious little out of it. Always a good table, you must have. Never anything short. Anybody ’ud think you’d never heard of the cost of living. I’ve told you time an’ again ’at it isn’t enough, but it makes no difference.”

史卡力支伸手去拿了早报，翻开运动栏来看。“我想吃点腊肉鸡蛋，”他说着在火炉旁边坐下来，把他的两只尖肘搁在他坐椅扶手上那两块破补绽的中央。

他的老婆对那举起的报纸投以不高兴的一瞥。“没有鸡蛋了。”她说，而史卡力支放下报纸，把他那无神的浅蓝眼睛第一次瞪着他老婆。

“你书哦没有鸡蛋了是什么意思？”

“就是我说的意思，我一个蛋也没有买呀。”她带着愠怒的反抗补充着说了。“这个礼拜我买不起鸡蛋。一打涨到五先令六便士了。有些事情一定得停止才好。——照现在这个样子，我想要买的东西不能都买呀。”

史卡力支气恼地咂唇作响。“天啦！啊！天。难道我们又要斗嘴了吗？一个问题刚解决，第二个又来了。我不晓得你的钱，是怎么用的。”

“我用来维持你的生活呀！”，她说。“天老爷明白，我为自己用的极少。你一定要吃得好，不能短缺一点什么。人家以为你从来不知道生活费要多少呀。我再三告诉过你说这点子钱是不够的，但你老是把它当作耳边风。”