Audiobook Dictation: “ASHES OF TINDER: THE LOOSING OF…”

ASHES OF TINDER: THE LOOSING OF STAYS

火絨之燼：纜索鬆脫

When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.

赫斯特伍德回到辦公室時，比以往任何時候都更加進退兩難。

Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?

天哪，天哪，他想，自己到底陷進了什麼事情裡？

How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?

事情怎麼會急轉直下，而且這麼快？

He could hardly realise how it had all come about.

他幾乎想不明白這一切是怎麼發生的。

It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.

這似乎是一種荒誕的、反常的、毫無道理的境況，在他無從阻攔之際突然降臨到他頭上。

Meanwhile he gave a thought now and then to Carrie.

與此同時，他時不時想到嘉莉。

What could be the trouble in that quarter?

那邊會出了什麼岔子呢？

No letter had come, no word of any kind, and yet here it was late in the evening and she had agreed to meet him that morning.

沒有來信，也沒有任何音訊，可現在已是深夜，而她原本答應那天早上跟他見面的。

He saw that in the excitement of recent events he had not formulated a plan upon that score.

他意識到，在近來這些事件的忙亂中，他還沒就那件事拿定任何主意。