*dowry n. 嫁妆

*the Ministry of Public Instruction 公共教育部

世上的漂亮动人的女子，每每像是由于命运的差错似地，出生在一个小职员的家庭；我们现在要说的这一个正是这样。她没有陪嫁的资产，没有希望，没有任何方法使得一个既有钱又有地位的人认识她，了解她，爱她，娶她；到末了，她将将就就和教育部的一个小科员结了婚。

She dressed plainlybecause she could not dress well, but she was unhappy as if she had really fallen from a higher station;since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of family and birth.Natural ingenuity, instinct for what is elegant, a supple mind are their sole hierarchy, and often make of women of the people the equals of the very greatest ladies.

*plainly adv. 朴素地

*since with women there is neither caste nor rank, for beauty, grace and charm take the place of family and birth.

since表示“因为”，在这里相当于because。前半句表示：因为对女人来说，既没有社会地位（caste），也没有等级（rank）。紧接着的for也表示“因为”，连接上一句，是说，因为对于女人来说，美丽（beauty)，优雅（grace）和魅力（charm）取代了出身家世（family and birth）。

*supple adj. 顺从的

*hierarchy n. 等级制度

不能够讲求装饰，她是朴素的，但是不幸得像是一个降了等的女人；因为妇女们本没有阶级，没有门第之分，她们的美，她们的丰韵和她们的诱惑力就是供她们做出身和家世之用的。她们的天生的机警，出众的本能，柔顺的心灵，构成了她们唯一的等级，而且可以把民间的女子提得和最高的贵妇人一样高。

Mathilde suffered ceaselessly, feeling herselfborn to enjoy all delicacies and all luxuries. Shewas distressed atthe poverty of her dwelling, at the bareness of the walls, at the shabby chairs, the ugliness of the curtains. All those things, of which another woman of her rank would never even have been conscious, tortured her and made her angry. The sight of the little Breton peasantwho did her humble housework arousedin her despairing regrets and bewildering dreams. She thought of silent antechambers hung withOriental tapestry, illuminedby tall bronze candelabra, and of two great footmen in knee breecheswho sleep in the big armchairs, made drowsy by the oppressive heat of the stove.She thought of long reception halls hung with ancient silk, of the dainty cabinets containing priceless curiosities and of the little coquettish perfumed reception rooms made for chatting at five o’clock with intimate friends,with men famous and sought after, whom all women envy and whose attention they all desire.

*ceaselessly adv. 不停地

*be born to do sth 生来就该做某事

Eg:She was born to be an artist. 她生来就是做艺术家的。

*distressedadj. 痛苦的，忧虑的

→be distressed at sth 因某事而痛苦

*dwelling n. 住所

*arouse v. 唤醒；唤起

*bewildering adj. 使人困惑的 （动词bewilder的现在分词）

*antechamber n. 前厅

*Oriental tapestry 东方挂毯

*illumine v. 照亮；点亮

*candelabra n. 枝状大烛台（candelabrum的复数）

*knee breeches 短裤

*made drowsy by the oppressive heat of the stove

这是一个过去分词短语作状语。made的逻辑主语是前面的two great footman,这里过去分词表被动，表示两位侍从因暖炉的热气而昏昏欲睡。

*dainty adj. 讲究的

*coquettish adj. 迷人的；卖弄风情的

*with men famous and sought after

这里的famous和sought after（sought是seek的过去分词）都是在修饰men，形容她想要交谈的男人是那些有名的，且被很多人追求的类型。

她觉得自己本是为了一切精美的和一切豪华的事物而生的，因此不住地感到痛苦。由于自己房屋的寒伧，墙壁的粗糙，家具的陈旧，衣料的庸俗，她非常难过。这一切，在另一个和她同等的妇人心上，也许是不会注意的，然而她却因此伤心，又因此懊恼，那个替她照料琐碎家务的布列塔尼省的小女佣人的样子，使她产生了种种忧苦的遗憾和胡思乱想。她梦想着那些静悄悄的接待室，如何蒙着东方的帏幕，如何点着青铜的高脚灯檠，如何派着两个身穿短裤子的高个儿侍应生听候指使，而热烘烘的空气暖炉使得两个侍应生都在大型的圈椅上打盹。她梦想那些披着古代壁衣的大客厅，那些摆着无从估价的瓷瓶的精美家具；她梦想那些精致而且芬芳的小客厅，自己到了午后五点光景，就可以和亲切的男朋友在那儿闲谈，和那些被妇女界羡慕的并且渴望一顾的知名男子在那儿闲谈。

When she sat down to dinner, before the round table covered with a tablecloth in use three days, opposite her husband, who uncovered the soup tureen and declared with a delighted air, “Ah, the good soup! I don’t know anything better than that,” she thought of dainty dinners, of shining silverware, of tapestry that peopled the walls with ancient personages and with strange birds flying in the midst of a fairy forest;and she thought of delicious dishes served on marvellous plates and of the whispered gallantries to which you listen with a sphinxlike smile while you are eating the pink meat of a trout or the wings of a quail.

*tureen n. 汤碗

*silverware n. 镀银餐具

*that peopled the walls with ancient personages and with strange birds flying in the midst of a fairy forest

people表示“布满，使充斥”。这句话是定语从句，修饰前面的tapestry（挂毯）。people the walls也就是“使墙面布满了..."。

*gallantry n. 殷勤

*sphinx n. （古埃及）狮身人面像；难于理解的人

→sphinxlike 神秘的；难以理解的

然而事实上，她每天吃晚饭的时候，就在那张小圆桌跟前和她的丈夫对面坐下了，桌上盖的白布要三天才换一回，丈夫把那只汤池的盖子一揭开，就用一种高兴的神气说道：“哈！好肉汤！世上没有比它更好的……”因此她又梦想那些丰盛精美的筵席了，梦想那些光辉灿烂的银器皿了，梦想那些满绣着仙境般的园林和其间的古装仕女以及古怪飞禽的壁衣了；她梦想那些用名贵的盘子盛着的佳肴美味了，梦想那些在吃着一份肉色粉红的鲈鱼或者一份松鸡翅膀的时候带着朗爽的微笑去细听的情话了。

She had no gowns, no jewels, nothing.And she loved nothing but that.She felt made for that. She would have liked so much to please, to be envied, to be charming, to be sought after.

*And she loved nothing but that.

这里that指前文提到的gowns, jewels等华丽的一切。这些她都没有，可是她爱的就只有这些。

而且她没有像样的服装，没有珠宝首饰，什么都没有。可是她偏偏只欢喜这一套，觉得自己是为了这一套而生的。她早就指望自己能够取悦于人，能够被人羡慕，能够有诱惑力而且被人追求。

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