有些羞怯的小花

楊必譯名利場第十二章

愛米麗亞怎麼能把自己顫抖的心掏出來給這兩個睜著黑眼睛瞪人的姑娘看呢? 還是退後一步把感情埋藏起來吧. 兩個奧斯本小姐對於細絨線披肩和粉紅緞子襯裙是內行......可是世界上有些東西比皮草和軟緞更精美; 任是所羅門王的財富, 示巴女王的華裳豔服, 也望塵莫及, 只可惜它們的好處連許多鑒賞家都看不出來.

有些羞縮的小花兒, 開在偏僻陰暗的地方, 細細地發出幽香; 全憑偶然的機緣才見得著. 也有些花兒, 大得像銅腳爐, 跟它們相比, 連太陽都顯得靦覥怕羞. 賽特笠小姐不是向日葵一類. 而且我認為假如把紫羅蘭畫得像重瓣大理菊一般肥大, 未免不相稱.

How was she to bare that timid little heart for the inspection of those young ladies with their bold black eyes? It was best that it should shrink and hide itself. I know the Misses Osborne were excellent critics of a Cashmere shawl, or a pink satin slip; ... But there are things, look you, of a finer texture than fur or satin, and all Solomon’s glories, and all the wardrobe of the Queen of Sheba---things whereof the beauty escapes the eyes of many connoisseurs.

And there are sweet modest little souls on which you light, fragrant and blooming tenderly in quiet shady places; and there are garden-ornaments, as big as brass warming-pans, that are fit to stare the sun itself out of countenance. Miss Sedley was not of the sunflower sort; and I say it is out of the rules of all proportion to draw a violet of the size of a double dahlia.

綿裡藏針, 借愛米麗亞的可愛, 烘托奧斯本家兩姊妹的討厭. 這兩段話諷刺兩姊妹勢利招搖, 可謂尖酸刻薄之至.