《木匠老陈》 巴金 （9）

以后我就再没有看见老陈。我虽喜欢他，但是过不了几天我又把他忘记了。等到公馆里的轿夫告诉我一个消息的时候，我才记起他来。

Thenceforth, I never saw Lao Chen again. Much as I liked him, I soon forgot him. It was not until the sedan-chair bearer of a rich household passed on to me the news that I remembered him again.

那个轿夫报告的是什么消息呢？

What news did the sedan chair tell me？

他告诉我：老陈同别的木匠一起在南门一家大公馆里修楼房，工程快要完了，但是不晓得怎么样，老陈竟然从楼上跌下来，跌死了。

He told me: Lao Chen, together with other carpenters, was building a mansion for a rich household at the southern city gate. When it was nearing completion, it suddenly came to pass that he fell off the building and died.

在那么多的木匠里面，偏偏是他跟他父亲落进了横死的命运圈里。这似乎是偶然，似乎又不是偶然。总之，一个安分守己的人就这样地消灭了。

Why did Lao Chen, of all carpenters, die such violent death like his father? All that seems accidental, and also seems predestined. In short, an honest man has thus passed out of existence.

Thenceforth：adv.从那时；其后

Much as ：虽然；尽管（表让步）；非常像，和...几乎一样

sedan-chair：轿子

bearer ：n.搬运工

pass on to ：传给；传达；传递；

mansion：n.大厦；宅邸

completion：n.完成；结束；实现；竣工

came to pass ：实现；发生

accidental：adj.意外的；偶然的；附属的；临时记号的

predestined：adj.注定的

pass out of：传递出；消失；离开