[9] "And these potions," said Alan. "They are not just…just…er…"
"Oh, no," said the old man. "Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse. But they include it. Oh, yes they include it. Bountifully, insistently. Everlastingly."
"Dear me!" said Alan, attempting a look of scientific detachment. "How very interesting!"
[9]“那这些药水，”艾伦说，“它们不会只是……只是……呃……”
“噢，不会，”老人回答，“它们的药效是永久性的，远不止产生一时的冲动，不过也包括冲动，对，绝对包括冲动，而且是浓烈、持久、永恒的冲动。”
“天呐!”艾伦说，尽量摆出一副科学家般的冷静神色，“太有意思了!”
[10] "But consider the spiritual side," said the old man.
"I do, indeed," said Alan.
"For indifference," said the old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one tiny measure of this to the young lady—its flavour is imperceptible in orange juice, soup, or cocktails—and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether. She will want nothing but solitude and you."
[10]“不过再想想精神方面的药效。”老人说。
“我在想，真的。”艾伦道。
“不再有冷漠，”老人说，“我的药把冷漠变成忠诚，把蔑视变成倾慕。只要拿小小一剂让那少女喝下——掺在橙汁、汤、鸡尾酒里，什么味道都觉察不到——不论她多么轻浮，多么轻佻，她都会彻底改变。她只想和你厮守一起，别无所求。”
[11] "I can hardly believe it," said Alan. "She is so fond of parties."
"She will not like them any more," said the old man. "She will be afraid of the pretty girls you may meet."
"She will actually be jealous?" cried Alan in a rapture. "Of me?"
"Yes, she will want to be everything to you."
"She is, already. Only she doesn't care about it."
"She will, when she has taken this. She will care intensely. You will be her sole interest in life."
[11]“真不敢相信啊，”艾伦说，“她太喜欢聚会了。”
“以后她不会再喜欢聚会了，”老人说，“她会害怕你遇到漂亮女孩子。”
“她真的会吃醋?”艾伦抑制不住狂喜，叫出声来，“会因为我吃醋?”
“对，以后她会想成为你生活的全部。”
“她已经是我生活的全部了，只是她不在乎这一点。”
“只要她服了这剂药，她就会在乎。她会非常在乎。你会变成她生活里唯一关心的东西。”
[12] "Wonderful!" cried Alan.
"She will want to know all you do," said the old man. "All that has happened to you during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why you smile suddenly, why your are looking sad."
[12]“太棒了!”艾伦叫道。
“将来她会想知道你每天做过的所有事情，”老人说，“还有你每天所有的遭遇，少讲一个字也不行。她要知道你在想什么，为什么突然笑了，为什么显得不开心。”
[13]"That is love!" cried Alan.
"Yes," said the old man. "How carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified. She will think you are killed, or that some siren has caught you."
"I can hardly imagine Diana like that!" cried Alan, overwhelmed with joy.
[13]“那就是爱啊!”艾伦叫道。
“对，”老人接着说，“将来她会照看你到无微不至的程度!她永远不会允许你疲倦，不允许你坐在穿堂风里，不会让你随随便便吃东西。如果你晚到一个钟头，她就会六神无主，想你是不是给人杀了，要不就是被哪个狐狸精抓走了。”
“戴安娜会那样吗，我真不敢想象!”艾伦叫道，心里充满了快乐。
[14] "You will not have to use your imagination," said the old man. "And, by the way, since there are always sirens, if by any chance you should, later on, slip a little, you need not worry. She will forgive you, in the end. She will be terribly hurt, of course, but she will forgive you—in the end."
"That will not happen," said Alan fervently.
"Of course not," said the old man. "But, if it did, you need not worry. She would never divorce you. Oh, no! And, of course, she will never give you the least, the very least, grounds for uneasiness."
[14]“你根本不需要想象，”老人继续说，“另外，世上总有狐狸精，因此万一以后有个行差踏错，你也不用担心。她肯定会原谅你，最后一定原谅你。当然，她肯定痛苦万分，不过她一定会原谅你——最后一定会。”
“绝对不会发生那样的事。”艾伦急切地说。
“当然不会，”老人说，“就是万一发生了，你也不用担心。她永远不会和你离婚。不，永远不会!她还绝不会给你一星半点儿不放心的理由。”
[15] "And how much," said Alan, "is this wonderful mixture?"
"It is not as dear," said the old man, "as the glove-cleaner, or life-cleaner, as I sometimes call it. No. That is five thousand dollars, never a penny less. One has to be older than you are, to indulge in that sort of thing. One has to save up for it."
"But the love potion?" said Alan.
"Oh, that," said the old man, opening the drawer in the kitchen table, and taking out a tiny, rather dirty-looking phial. "That is just a dollar."
[15]“这么神奇的药水，要多少钱?”艾伦问。
“不贵，”老人答道，“没有手套清洗剂那么贵，我有时候把那种药水称为生活清洁剂。清洁剂可贵了，要5000元，一分也不能少。人啊，得比你现在的年纪大一些后，才会离不开清洁剂那种东西。得存点钱才买得起。”
“那怀春水呢?”艾伦问。
“噢，那个呀，”老人打开餐桌的抽屉，拿出一个小玻璃瓶，特别小，看上去很脏，“那个就卖一元钱。”
[16] "I can't tell you how grateful I am," said Alan, watching him fill it.
"I like to oblige," said the old man. "Then customers come back, later in life, when they are better off, and want more expensive things. Here you are. You will find it very effective."
"Thank you again," said Alan. "Good-bye."
"Au revoir," said the man.
[16]“真是感激不尽。”艾伦说，看着老人把瓶子装满。
“乐意效劳，”老人说，“这样，顾客以后富足一些了，就会回来找我买更贵的东西。来，拿着，你会发现它是很有效的。”
“再次感谢，”艾伦说，“再见!”
“后会有期!”老人回答。
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