And then, finally, at twelve minutes past, the elevator door opened and a guard shepherded people toward it, counting our heads.

然后，终于，十二分钟过去了，电梯门打开了， 一名警卫领着人们走向电梯， 数着我们的人数。

An awful flicker of doubt appeared in her eyes. I slid my arm around her waist and murmured that if we were counting heads, the Buddhists were the boys for my money.

她的眼中闪过一丝疑惑的目光。我用手臂搂住她的腰，喃喃道，如果我们计算人数的话，佛教徒人数恐怕要独占鳌头了。

This development -- and its strong implications for US politics and economy in years ahead -- has enthroned the South as America's most densely populated region for the first time in the history of the nation's head counting.

这一发展及其对未来几年美国政治和经济的强烈影响，使南方在美国人口统计史上首次成为美国人口最稠密的地区。