[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]“那這些藥水，”艾倫說，“它們不會只是……只是……呃……”

“噢，不會，”老人回答，“它們的藥效是永久性的，遠不止產生一時的沖動，不過也包括沖動，對，絕對包括沖動，而且是濃烈、持久、永恒的沖動。”

“天吶!”艾倫說，盡量擺出一副科學家般的冷靜神色，“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]“不過再想想精神方面的藥效。”老人說。

“我在想，真的。”艾倫道。

“不再有冷漠，”老人說，“我的藥把冷漠變成忠誠，把蔑視變成傾慕。只要拿小小一劑讓那少女喝下——摻在橙汁、湯、雞尾酒里，什么味道都覺察不到——不論她多么輕浮，多么輕佻，她都會徹底改變。她只想和你廝守一起，別無所求。”

[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，”艾倫說，“她太喜歡聚會了。”

“以后她不會再喜歡聚會了，”老人說，“她會害怕你遇到漂亮女孩子。”

“她真的會吃醋?”艾倫抑制不住狂喜，叫出聲來，“會因為我吃醋?”

“對，以后她會想成為你生活的全部。”

“她已經是我生活的全部了，只是她不在乎這一點。”

“只要她服了這劑藥，她就會在乎。她會非常在乎。你會變成她生活里唯一關心的東西。”

[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!”艾倫叫道。

“將來她會想知道你每天做過的所有事情，”老人說，“還有你每天所有的遭遇，少講一個字也不行。她要知道你在想什么，為什么突然笑了，為什么顯得不開心。”

[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]“那就是愛啊!”艾倫叫道。

“對，”老人接著說，“將來她會照看你到無微不至的程度!她永遠不會允許你疲倦，不允許你坐在穿堂風里，不會讓你隨隨便便吃東西。如果你晚到一個鐘頭，她就會六神無主，想你是不是給人殺了，要不就是被哪個狐貍精抓走了。”

“戴安娜會那樣嗎，我真不敢想象!”艾倫叫道，心里充滿了快樂。

[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，”老人繼續說，“另外，世上總有狐貍精，因此萬一以后有個行差踏錯，你也不用擔心。她肯定會原諒你，最后一定原諒你。當然，她肯定痛苦萬分，不過她一定會原諒你——最后一定會。”

“絕對不會發生那樣的事。”艾倫急切地說。

“當然不會，”老人說，“就是萬一發生了，你也不用擔心。她永遠不會和你離婚。不，永遠不會!她還絕不會給你一星半點兒不放心的理由。”

[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]“這么神奇的藥水，要多少錢?”艾倫問。

“不貴，”老人答道，“沒有手套清洗劑那么貴，我有時候把那種藥水稱為生活清潔劑。清潔劑可貴了，要5000元，一分也不能少。人啊，得比你現在的年紀大一些后，才會離不開清潔劑那種東西。得存點錢才買得起。”

“那懷春水呢?”艾倫問。

“噢，那個呀，”老人打開餐桌的抽屜，拿出一個小玻璃瓶，特別小，看上去很臟，“那個就賣一元錢。”

[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]“真是感激不盡。”艾倫說，看著老人把瓶子裝滿。

“樂意效勞，”老人說，“這樣，顧客以后富足一些了，就會回來找我買更貴的東西。來，拿著，你會發現它是很有效的。”

“再次感謝，”艾倫說，“再見!”

“后會有期!”老人回答。

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