却说黛玉自立意自戕之后，渐渐不支，一日竟至绝粒。
During the first week or so of Dai-yu's decline,
从前十几天内，贾母等轮流看望，他有时还说几句话，这两日索性不大言语。
For the first fortnight or so, when the old lady and others took it in turn to call, she had still been able to say a few words, but these last two days she remained virtually silent.
心里虽有时昏晕，却也有时清楚。
Sometimes she lay in a coma, sometimes she had lucid spells.
贾母等见他这病不似无因而起，也将紫鹃、雪雁盘问过两次。
They began to suspect something, and interrogated Nightingale and Snowgoose more than once.
两个那里敢说？
But the maids were too scared to say what they knew.
便是紫鹃欲向待书打听消息，又怕越闹越真，黛玉更死得快了，所以见了待书，毫不提起。
Nightingale for her part, while she would have liked to discover the latest news from Scribe, feared that the truth would only provide a further shock and hasten the hour of Dai-yu's death, and so when she saw Scribe, she avoided the subject completely.
那雪雁是他传话弄出这样原故来，此时恨不得长出百十个嘴来说“我没说”，自然更不敢提起。
Snowgoose, as the transmitter of the news, felt responsible for Dai-yu's condition and longed for a hundred tongues to cry out “I never said a word!” She too, when questioned, maintained a close silence.
到了这一天黛玉绝粒之日，紫鹃料无指望了，守着哭了会子，因出来偷向雪雁道：“你进屋里来，好好儿的守着他，我去回老太太、太太和二奶奶去。
Nightingale, seeing that Dai-yu would eat nothing, and judging that all hope was now gone, stood by her bedside crying for a while, then went outside and whispered to Snowgoose: “Go in and watch her carefully.
I'm going straight over to tell Her Old Ladyship, Her Ladyship and Mrs Lian.
今日这个光景，大非往常可比了。”
She has definitely taken a turn for the worse today.”
正怕着，只听窗外脚步走响，雪雁知是紫鹃回来，才放下心了，连忙站起来，掀着里间帘子等他。
Then the frightened girl heard footsteps outside the window.
It must be Zijuan, she thought with relief.
只见外面帘子响处，进来了一个人，却是待书。
As she sprang up to raise the portiere for her, the outside portiere swished and in came Daishu,
那待书是探春打发来看黛玉的，见雪雁在那里掀着帘子，便问道：“姑娘怎么样？”
sent by Tan-chun to inquire how Dai-yu was. “How is Miss Lin?”
待书跟进来，见紫鹃不在屋里，瞧了瞧黛玉，只剩得残喘微延，唬的惊疑不止。
and Scribe entered the inner room with her.
She noticed that Nightingale was not there, and when she looked at Dai-yu and saw how feebly she was breathing, a look of horror came over her face.
雪雁道：“告诉上屋里去了。”
“To tell their Ladyships,” replied Snowgoose.
那雪雁此时只打量黛玉心中一无所知了，又见紫鹃不在面前，因悄悄的拉了待书的手问道：“你前日告诉我说的什么王大爷给这里宝二爷说了亲，是真话么？”
Under the impression that Daiyu was unconscious, and as Zijuan was away, Xueyan took Daishu's hand and asked her in a low voice, “Was it true what you told me the other day about some Mr. Wang proposing a match for our Master Bao?”
雪雁道：“多早晚放定的？”
“When was the engagement fixed?”
后来我到二奶奶那边去，二奶奶正和平姐姐说呢，道：‘那都是门客们借着这个事讨老爷的喜欢，往后好拉拢的意思。
Later I was at Mrs Lian's myself, and heard her say to Patience that the whole thing was something the Master's literary gentlemen had thought up, to please him and provide themselves with a connection.
别说大太太说不好，就是大太太愿意，说那姑娘好，那大太太眼里看的出什么人来？
1As it happened Lady Xing didn't even think it a good match.
But even if she had approved, everyone knows how unreliable her judgement is.
再者，老太太心里早有了人了，就在咱们园子里的，大太太那里摸的着底呢。
Besides, Her Old Ladyship already has someone else in mind for Master Bao, someone here in the Garden.
老太太不过因老爷的话，不得不问问罢咧。’
She just made a show of consulting her because His Lordship mentioned this proposal.'
又听见二奶奶说：‘宝玉的事，老太太总是要亲上作亲的，凭谁来说亲，横竖不中用。’”
Mrs Lian said Her Old Ladyship wants Bao-yu to marry one of his cousins, and her mind is quite made up, so any other proposals are a waste of time.”
雪雁听到这里，也忘了神了，因说道：“这是怎么说！
Xueyan, forgetting herself, blurted out, “Why, then,
白白的送了我们这一位的命了。”
“Then our mistress is dying for nothing!” she exclaimed.
前日都是我和紫鹃姐姐说来着，这一位听见了，就弄到这步田地了。”
but she overheard me telling Sister Zijuan about this the other day.That's why she's wasting away.