Introduction：Editha，a girl infatuated with passion for romance，urged her fiancée George into war despite his aversion for bloodshed。She intended to make George a better man，a perfect man according to her standard of man。It was her ideal belief of war that prompted her to do so。What would become of George was way beyond her imagination。
1 The air was thick with the war feeling，like the electricity of astorm which has not yet burst。Editha sat looking out into the hot spring afternoon，withher lips parted，and panting with the intensity of the question whether she could let him go。She had decided that she could not let him stay，when she saw himat the end of the still leafless avenue，making slowly up towards the house，with his head down and his figure relaxed。She ran impatiently out on the veranda，to the edge of the steps，and imperatively demanded greater haste of him with her will before she called aloud to him：“George！”
評注：埃蒂莎（Editha）這個名字在英文中常常和平凡、古舊，可愛但容易上當而又遲鈍的女人聯係在一起。本篇小說中女主人公叫這個名字也有一定的含義。埃蒂莎無法認清戰爭的本質，僅憑心目中的標準和報紙的宣傳，就失去了是非標準，一步步地將喬治逼向戰爭。
2 He had quickened his pace in mystical response to her mystical urgence，before he could have heard hernow he looked up and answered，“Well？”
3 “Oh，how united we are！”she exulted，and then she swooped down the steps to him。“What is it？”she cried。
4 “It’s war，”he said，and he pulled her up to him and kissed her。
5 She kissed him back intensely，without consenting to her sense ofitand she did not know just what to think at first。She never knew what to think of himthat made his mystery，his charm。All through their courtship，which was contemporaneous with the growth of the war feeling，she had been puzzled by his want of seriousness about it。He seemed to despise it even more than he abhorred it。She could have understood his abhorring any sort of bloodshedthat would have been a survival of his old life when he thought he would be a minister，and before he changed and took up the law。But making light of a cause sohigh and noble seemed to show a want of earnestness at the core of his being。Not but that she felt herself able to cope with a congenital defect of that sort，and make his love for her save him from himself。Now perhaps the miracle was already wrought inhim。In the presence of the tremendous fact that he announced，all triviality seemed to have gone out of himshe began to feel that。He sank down on the top step，and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief，while she poured out upon himher question of the origin and authenticity of his news。
評注：第5段既簡略地介紹了兩人的關係，又表明了他們之間的愛情並非埃蒂莎想象中的那樣完美，埃蒂莎因為喬治對於戰爭無所謂的態度略感遺憾，也為他們之間沒有小說中騎士戰勝重重困難最終贏得公主這類情節而不滿。因此她鼓勵他參戰，也算是心理上騎士情結在作祟。她對戰爭報有崇高、浪漫而不切實際的幻想，和喬治的態度形成了鮮明的對比，作者雖然未直接批判，但態度在字裏行間已表露無遺。
veranda：n。門廊
demand greater haste of him with her will：在意念中要他快一點
exult：v。歡欣鼓舞，洋洋得意
swoop：v。向下猛衝，用在這裏很好地表達了女主人公歡快的心情
consent to：允許，同意
courtship：n。追求
was contemporaneous with：和……同時
abhor：v。討厭，厭惡
bloodshed：n。流血
make light of：拿（重要的事情）開玩笑，不把……當一回事
want：n。want在這裏是缺乏、匱乏的意思
cope with：應對，對付
congenital：adj。天生的，天性的
wrought：v。work古體的過去式和過去分詞
triviality：n。瑣事
authenticity：n。真實性6All the while，in her duplex emotioning，she was aware that now at the verybeginning she must put a guard upon herself against urging him，by any word or act，to take the part that her whole soul willed him to take，for the completionof her ideal of him。He was very nearly perfect as he was，and he must be allowed to perfect himself。But he was peculiar，and he might very well be reasoned out of his peculiarity。Before her reasoning went her emotioning：her nature pulling upon his nature，her womanhood upon his manhood，without her knowing the means she was using to the end she was willing。She had always supposed that the man who won her would have done something to win hershe did not know what，but something。George Gearson had simply asked her for her love，on the way home froma concert，and she gave her love to him，without，as it were，thinking。But now，it flashed upon her，if he could do something worthy to have won her be a hero，her hero it would be even better than if he had done it before asking herit would be grander。Besides，she had believed in the war from the beginning。
7 “But don’t you see dearest，”she said，“that it wouldn’t have come to this if it hadn’t been in the order of Providence？And I call any war glorious that is for the liberation of people who have been struggling for years against the cruelest oppression。Don’t you think so，too？”
8 “I suppose so，”he returned，languidly。“But wars！Is it gloriousto break the peace of the world？”
9 “That ignoble peace！It was no peace at all，with that crime andshame at our very gates。”She was conscious of parroting the current phrases of the newspapers，but it was no time to pick and choose her words。She must sacrifice anything to the high ideal she had for him，and after a good deal of rapid argument she ended with the climax：“But now it doesn’t matter about the how or why。Since the war has come，all that is gone。There are no two sides any more。There is nothing now but our country。”
10 He sat with his eyes closed and his head leant back against the veranda，and he remarked，with a vague smile，as if musing aloud，“Our country right or wrong。”
11 “Yes，right or wrong！”she returned fervidly。“I’ll go and get you somelemonade。”She rose rustling，and whisked awaywhen she came back with two tall glasses of clouded liquid on a tray，and the ice clucking in them，he still sat as she had left him，and she said，as if there had been no interruption：“But there is no question of wrong in this case。I call it a sacred war。A war of liberty and humanity，if ever there was one。And I know you will see it just as I do，yet。”
duplex：adj。雙重的
put a guard against herself：防止自己做某事
flash upon：念頭一閃而過
Providence：n。天意
languidly：adv。懶散地，緩慢地
fervidly：adv。熱切地
lemonade：n。檸檬水
rustle：v。（樹葉、衣物）等沙沙做響
whisk away：迅速地拿開，急速地送離
tray：n。托盤
cluck：v。發出咯咯聲12He took half the lemonade at a gulp，and he answered as he set the glass down：“I know you always have the highest ideal。When I differ from you I oughtto doubt myself。”
13 A generous sob rose in Editha’s throat for the humility of a man，so very nearly perfect，who was willing to put himself below her。
14 Besides，she felt，more subliminally，that he was never so near slipping through her fingers as when he took that meek way。
15 “You shall not say that！Only，for once I happen to be right。”She seized his hand in her two hands，and poured her soul from her eyes into his。“Don’t you think so？”she entreated him。
16 He released his hand and drank the rest of his lemonade，and she added，“Have mine，too，”but he shook his head in answering，“I’ve no business to think so，unless I act so，too。”
17 Her heart stopped a beat before it pulsed on with leaps that she felt in her neck。She had noticed that strange thing in men：they seemed to feel bound todo what they believed，and not think a thing was finished when they said it，asgirls did。She knew what was in his mind，but she pretended not，and she said，“Oh，I am not sure，”and then faltered。
評注：作者在埃蒂莎和喬治的談論中采用了大量的一般用於宗教場合的詞語，相對於他們談論的戰爭話題，形成了很濃的諷刺意味。
18 He went on as if to himself，without apparently heeding her：“There’s only one way of proving one’s faith in a thing like this。”
19 She could not say that she understood，but she did understand。
20 He went on again。“If I believed if I felt as you do about this war。Doyou wish me to feel as you do？”
21 Now she was really not sureso she said：“George，I don’t know whatyou mean。”
22 He seemed to muse away from her as before。“There is a sort of fascinationin it。I suppose that at the bottom of his heart every man would like at times to have his courage tested，to see how he would act。”
23 “How can you talk in that ghastly way？”
gulp：n。大口吞咽
subliminally：adv。崇高地，高尚地
meek：adj。溫順的，聽話的
entreat：v。懇求，祈求
stop a beat：因為緊張或激動心髒停跳一拍
pulse on：脈搏繼續跳動
heed：v。聽見，聽從
ghastly：adj。討厭的，讓人不愉快的24“It is rather morbid。Still，that’s what it comes to，unless you’re swept away by ambition or driven by conviction。I haven’t the conviction or the ambition，and the other thing is what it comes with me。I ought to have been a preacher，after allthen I couldn’t have asked it of myself，as I must，now I’m a lawyer。And you believe it’s a holy war，Editha？”he suddenly addressed her。“Oh，Iknow you do！But you wish me to believe so，too？”
25 She hardly knew whether he was mocking or not，in the ironical way he always had with her plainer mind。But the only thing was to be outspoken with him。
26 “George，I wish you to believe whatever you think is true，at any and every cost。If I’ve tried to talk you into anything，I take it all back。”
27 “Oh，I know that，Editha。I know how sincere you are，and how I wish I hadyour undoubting spirit！I’ll think it overI’d like to believe as you do。But I don’t，nowI don’t，indeed。It isn’t this war alonethough this seems peculiarly wanton and needlessbut it’s every war so stupidit makes me sick。Why shouldn’t this thing have been settled reasonably？”
28 “Because，”she said，very throatily again，“God meant it to be war。”
29 “You think it was God？Yes，I suppose that is what people will say。”
30 “Do you suppose it would have been war if God hadn’t meant it？”
31 “I don’t know。Sometimes it seems as if God had put this world into men’s keeping to work it as they pleased。”
32 “Now，George，that is blasphemy。”
33 “Well，I won’t blaspheme。I’ll try to believe in your pocket Providence，”he said，and then he rose to go。
34 “Why don’t you stay to dinner？”Dinner at Balcom’s Works was at one o’clock。
35 “I’ll come back to supper，if you’ll let me。Perhaps I shall bring youa convert。”
36 “Well，you may come back，on that condition。”
37 “All right。If I don’t come，you’ll understand。”
38 He went away without kissing her，and she felt it a suspension of theirengagement。It all interested her intenselyshe was undergoing a tremendous experience，and she was being equal to it。While she stood looking after him，her mother came out through one of the long windows onto the veranda，with a catlike softness and vagueness。
morbid：adj。病態的
outspoken：adj。坦率的，直言不諱的
wanton：adj。放肆的，惡意的
blasphemy：n。褻瀆神靈
convert：n。改變
undergo：v。經曆，遭受39“Why didn’t he stay to dinner？”
40 “Because because war has been declared，”Editha pronounced，without turning。
41 Her mother said，“Oh，my！”and then said nothing more until she had satdown in one of the large Shaker chairs and rocked herself for some time。Then she closed whatever tacit passage of thought there had been in her mind with the spoken words：“Well，I hope he won’t go。”
42 “And I hope he will，”the girl said，and confronted her mother with a stormy exaltation that would have frightened any creature less unimpressionable thana cat。
43 Her mother rocked herself again for an interval of cogitation。What shearrived at in speech was：“Well，I guess you’ve done a wicked thing，Editha Balcom。”
44 The girl said as she passed indoors through the same window her mother had come out by：“I haven’t done anything yet。”
45 In her room，she put together all her letters and gifts from Gearson，downto the withered petals of the first flower he had offered，withthat timidity of his veiled in that irony of his。In the heart of the packet she enshrined her engagement ring which she had restored to the pretty box he had brought it to her in。Then she sat down，if not calmly yet strongly，and wrote：