It was a terrible blow for the old man, for any resemblance with his daughter stopped there. But it was too late. The young woman had become an emotional necessity, his only pretext and his sole reason for living.

• 这对这个老年人来说，是一个沉重的打击，因为这一下就再也谈不上他女儿与玛格丽特还有什么相似之处了，但为时已晚，这个少妇已经成了他精神上的安慰，简直成了他赖以生存下去的唯一的借口和托词。