This leading pedestrian was Car the Queen of Spades, who carried a wicker-basket containing her mother's groceries, her own draperies, and other purchases for the week. The basket being large and heavy, Car had placed it for convenience of porterage on the top of her head, where it rode on in jeopardized balance as she walked with arms akimbo.
在最前面走著的是“黑桃皇后”卡爾，她挽著一個柳條籃子，里面裝著她母親的雜貨、她自己買的布料、以及這個星期里要用的其它物品。籃子又大又重，卡爾為了走路方便些，就把籃子放在頭頂上頂著，當她兩手叉腰走路的時候，籃子就在她的頭頂上危險地搖晃著。

'Well - whatever is that a-creeping down the back, Car Darch?' said one of the group suddenly.
“喂——你背上是什么東西在往下爬呀，卡爾·達齊？”人群中有一個大突然說。

All looked at Car. Her gown was a light cotton print, and from the back of her head a kind of rope could be seen descending to some distance below her waist, like a Chinaman's queue.
所有的人都向卡爾望過去。她穿一件薄薄的印花布女衫，有一條像繩子似的東西從她的腦后垂下來，一直延伸到她的腰下，就像中國人的一條辮子。

''Tis her hair falling down,' said another.
“是她的頭發(fā)散下來了，”另外一個人說。

No; it was not her hair: it was a black stream of something oozing from her basket, mid it glistened like a slimy snake in the cold still rays of the moon.
不對；不是她的頭發(fā)；那是從她頭上的籃子里流出來的一條黑色溪流，好像一條粘乎乎的蛇，在清冷寂寞的月光下閃閃發(fā)光。

''Tis treacle,' said an observant matron.
“那是糖漿，”一個目光敏銳的婦女說。

Treacle it was. Car's poor old grandmother had a weakness for the sweet stuff. Honey she had in plenty out of her own hives, but treacle was what her soul desired, and Car had been about to give her a treat of surprise. Hastily lowering the basket the dark girl found that the vessel containing the syrup had been smashed within.
的確是糖漿?？柨蓱z的老祖母有吃甜食的偏好。蜂蜜在她家里的蜂窠里有的是，但是糖漿才是她一心想要的東西，所以卡爾給她買了糖漿，想給她一個意外的驚喜。那黝黑的姑娘急忙把籃子放下來，發(fā)現(xiàn)裝糖漿的罐子已經(jīng)在籃子里打碎了。

By this time there had arisen a shout of laughter at the extraordinary appearance of Car's back, which irritated the dark queen into getting rid of the disfigurement by the first sudden means available, and independently of the help of the scoffers. She rushed excitedly into the field they were about to cross, and flinging herself flat on her back upon the grass, began to wipe her gown as well as she could by spinning horizontally on the herbage and dragging herself over it upon her elbows.
這時候大家看見卡爾背上不同尋常的樣子，不由得一起哄笑起來，黑桃皇后急著把背上的黑色糖漿弄掉，突然想出來一個當時能想到的辦法，這個辦法也用不著請那些嘲笑她的人幫忙。她心里激動，就急急忙忙地沖進他們要經(jīng)過的那塊地里，仰面朝天地躺下來，開始在草地上平著旋轉，用勁擦她衣服背后的糖漿，她還用胳膊肘把自己從草地上拖過去，又用這種辦法把衣服擦了一遍。

The laughter rang louder; they clung to the gate, to the posts, rested on their staves, in the weakness engendered by their convulsions at the spectacle of Car. Our heroine, who had hitherto held her peace, at this wild moment could not help joining in with the rest.
哄笑聲更大了；他們看見卡爾的怪相，捧腹大笑起來，笑得沒了力氣，都一個個地或靠在柵欄門上，或靠在柱子上，或靠在自己的手杖上。我們的女主角苔絲先前一直表現(xiàn)得很平靜，這時候也禁不住和大家一起笑了起來。