雙語·《刀鋒》 第一章 五

CHAPTER ONE 5
第一章 五

I was having a wash and a brush-up before starting out to go to the luncheon Elliott had invited me to, when they rang up from the desk to say that he was below. I was a little surprised, but as soon as I was ready went down.
我在洗臉、梳頭，準(zhǔn)備去赴艾略特約的飯局。就在這時，旅館的前臺打來電話，說他已到了樓下。我有點詫異，可是一收拾好，就下樓去了。

“I thought it would be safer if I came and fetched you，”he said as we shook hands.“I don't know how well you know Chicago.”
“我覺得還是我來接你更為穩(wěn)妥些?！痹谖覀兾帐謺r，他說道，“我不知道你對芝加哥熟不熟?！?/p>

He had the feeling I have noticed in some Americans who have lived many years abroad that America is a difficult and even dangerous place in which the European cannot safely be left to find his way about by himself.
我發(fā)現(xiàn)一些旅居海外多年的美國人都有他的這種顧慮，覺得美國是個很難走的國度，甚至可以說充滿了危險，讓一個歐洲人自己尋路是不安全的。

“It's early yet. We might walk part of the way，”he suggested.
“時間還早，咱們可以走上一段路?！彼嶙h說。

There was a slight nip in the air, but not a cloud in the sky, and it was pleasant to stretch one's legs.
外面微有寒意，不過，萬里無云，活動活動腿腳倒是不錯的。

“I thought I'd better tell you about my sister before you meet her，”said Elliott as we walked along.“She's stayed with me once or twice in Paris, but I don't think you were there at the time. It's not a big party, you know.Only my sister and her daughter Isabel and Gregory Brabazon.”
“我想還是在你會見家姐之前，先把她的情況介紹一下為好。”走在路上，艾略特說道，“她去巴黎我那兒小住過一兩次。不過，你可能那時沒到我那兒去過。今天人并不多，就是家姐和她的女兒伊莎貝爾以及格雷戈里·布拉巴宗?！?/p>

“The decorator?”I asked.
“就是那個室內(nèi)裝潢設(shè)計師嗎？”我問。

“Yes. My sister's house is awful, and Isabel and I want her to have it done over.I happened to hear that Gregory was in Chicago and so I got her to ask him to lunch today.He's not quite a gentleman, of course, but he has taste.He did Raney Castle for Mary Olifant and St.Clement Talbot for the St.Erths.The duchess was delighted with him.You'll see Louisa's house for yourself.How she can have lived in it all these years I shall never understand.For the matter of that, how she can live in Chicago I shall never understand either.”
“是的，家姐的房子糟得一塌糊涂，伊莎貝爾和我都勸她重新裝修一下。碰巧聽說布拉巴宗在芝加哥，所以我就叫家姐請他今天來吃午飯。他雖說算不上一個地道的上等人，但品味是有的?，旣悺W利芬特的拉尼城堡以及圣厄茨家的圣克萊門特·大寶莊園都是他給裝飾的。他很討公爵夫人的歡心。你去看看路易莎家的房子就知道了。她怎么能在那兒一住就住這么多年，這叫我永遠(yuǎn)也理解不透。說到這里，我還無法理解的是，她怎么能在芝加哥住下去?！?/p>

It appeared that Mrs. Bradley was a widow with three children, two sons and a daughter；but the sons were much older and married.One was in a government post in the Philippines, and the other, in the diplomatic service as his father had been, was at Buenos Aires.Mrs.Bradley's husband had occupied posts in various parts of the world, and after being first secretary in Rome for some years was made minister to one of the republics on the west coast of South America and had there died.
他的姐姐布雷德利夫人是個寡婦，有三個孩子，二子一女，兒子們早已長大成家，一個在菲律賓政府里做事，另一個繼承父業(yè)供職于外交界，現(xiàn)在布宜諾斯艾利斯。布雷德利夫人的丈夫曾經(jīng)出使過若干國家，在羅馬做了幾年一等秘書，后來又被派到南美洲西岸的一個小共和國做公使，最終在那里死在任上。

“I wanted Louisa to sell the house in Chicago when he passed over，”Elliott went on，“but she had a sentiment about it. It had been in the Bradley family for quite a long while.The Bradleys are one of the oldest families in Illinois.They came from Virginia in 1839 and took up land about sixty miles from what is now Chicago.They still own it.”Elliott hesitated a little and looked at me to see how I would take it.“The Bradley who settled here was what I suppose you might call a farmer.I'm not sure whether you know, but about the middle of last century, when the Middle West began to be opened up, quite a number of Virginians, younger sons of good family, you know, were tempted by the lure of the unknown to leave the flesh-pots of their native state.My brother-in-law's father, Chester Bradley, saw that Chicago had a future and entered a law office here.At all events he made enough money to leave his son very adequately provided for.”
“姐夫去世之后，我想讓路易莎把芝加哥的房子賣掉，”艾略特繼續(xù)滔滔不絕地說著，“可她對那房子有感情。那家人在那兒住了有些年頭了。布雷德利家族在伊利諾伊州算得上是最古老的人家。他們一八三九年從弗吉尼亞原籍遷來這里，在離芝加哥大約有六十英里的地方置下田產(chǎn)，目前還保留著?！卑蕴卣f到這里略作停頓，用眼睛瞧瞧我，看我有什么反應(yīng)?！拔蚁肽阋苍S會說他家早先是務(wù)農(nóng)的。我不曉得你可知道，在上世紀(jì)中葉的時候，中西部開始搞開發(fā)，不少弗吉尼亞人——上等人家的子弟，受到未知世界的誘惑，拋棄了故鄉(xiāng)衣食無憂的生活。我姐夫的父親切斯特·布雷德利看出芝加哥有發(fā)展的前景，來這里進(jìn)了一家律師事務(wù)所，反正他賺的錢也夠兒輩豐衣足食的了?！?/p>

Elliott's manner, rather than his words, suggested that perhaps it was not quite the thing for the late Chester Bradley to have left the stately mansion and the broad acres he had inherited to enter an office, but the fact that he had amassed a fortune at least partly compensated for it. Elliott was none too pleased when on a later occasion Mrs.Bradley showed me some snapshots of what he called their“place”in the country, and I saw a modest frame house with a pretty little garden, but with a barn and a cowhouse and hog pens within a stone's throw, surrounded by a desolate waste offlat fields.I couldn't help thinking that Mr.Chester Bradley knew what he was about when he abandoned this to make his way in the city.
艾略特的話雖如此說，從他的神情卻可以看出，那位已經(jīng)去世的切斯特·布雷德利離開他祖?zhèn)鞯娜A屋肥田，進(jìn)了一家律師事務(wù)所，未免有點不劃算，不過，幸好積攢了一筆財富，起碼也算是一種補償吧。后來有一回布雷德利夫人拿幾張鄉(xiāng)下所謂“祖屋”的照片給我看，艾略特顯得有些不太高興；照片上面我見到的是一座很不起眼的農(nóng)家屋，有美麗的小花園，可是谷倉、牛棚和豬圈都隔開只有一箭之地，四周是一片荒蕪的平疇。我不由想道，切斯特·布雷德利先生丟下老宅到城市里求發(fā)展，并不是沒有成算的。

Presently we hailed a taxi. It put us down before a brownstone house.Narrow and rather high, and you ascended to the front door by a flight of steep steps.It was in a row of houses, in a street that led off Lake Shore Drive, and its appearance, even on that bright autumn day, was so drab that you wondered how anyone could feel any sentiment about it.The door was opened by a tall and stout Negro butler with white hair, and we were ushered into the drawing-room.Mrs.Bradley got up from her chair as we came in and Elliott presented me to her.She must have been a handsome woman when young, for her features, though on the large side, were good, and she had fine eyes.But her sallowish face, almost agressively destitute of make-up, had sagged, and it was plain that she had lost the battle with the corpulence of middle age.I surmised that she was unwilling to accept defeat, for when she sat down she sat very erect in a straight-backed chair which the cruel armour of her corsets doubtless made more comfortable than an upholstered one.She wore a blue gown, heavily braided, and her high collar was stiff with whalebone.She had a fine head of white hair tightly marcelled and intricately dressed.Her other guest had not arrived and while waiting for him we talked of one thing and another.
走了一會兒，我們叫住了一輛出租車，在一幢棕色的石頭房子前下了車。房子窄而高，要攀上一串陡峭的石階才到大門口。它處于一排房屋之間，坐落在湖濱大道旁邊的一條街上，房屋外表就是在那天明媚的秋光里也還是陰沉沉的，真不明白一個人對這樣的房子會有什么感情。開門的是個一頭白發(fā)的黑人管家，又高又壯，他把我們引入了客廳。我們走進(jìn)時，布雷德利夫人從椅子上站起來，艾略特為我做介紹。她年輕時一定是個美麗的女子，五官總體端正，一雙眼睛生得煞是漂亮?？墒?，現(xiàn)在的她臉色灰黃，幾乎未施任何粉黛，肌肉松弛，顯然在跟中年發(fā)胖的戰(zhàn)斗中已一敗涂地。我猜她還不肯服輸，因為她坐下時，腰桿在硬背椅子上挺得筆直；無疑，穿著那受罪的鎧甲一般的緊身衣，這樣坐在硬背椅子上要比坐在軟墊椅子上舒服一些。她穿一件藍(lán)色長衫，上面綴滿了花邊飾物，高領(lǐng)子用鯨魚骨撐得硬硬的，一頭白發(fā)燙成波浪紋，發(fā)式做得極其復(fù)雜，看上去挺有風(fēng)度。另一位客人還未到，為了等他，我們就東一搭西一搭閑聊起來。

“Elliott tells me that you came over by the southern route，”said Mrs. Bradley.“Did you stop in Rome?”
“艾略特告訴我，你是走南邊那條路過來的，”布雷德利夫人說，“你在羅馬歇腳沒有？”

“Yes, I spent a week there.”
“歇了，我在那兒住了一個星期?！?/p>

“And how is dear Queen Margherita?”
“親愛的瑪格麗達(dá)王后還好嗎？”

Somewhat surprised by her question, I said I didn't know.
我被她這一問給問蒙了，只好回答說我不知道。

“Oh, didn't you go and see her?Such a very nice woman. She was so kind to us when we were in Rome.Mr.Bradley was first secretary.Why didn't you go and see her?You're not like Elliott, so black that you can't go to the Quirinal?”
“哦，你沒有去看看她？她真是一個大好人。我們在羅馬的時候，布雷德利先生曾任使館的一等秘書，她待我們好極了。你怎么就不去看望看望她呢？你跟艾略特又不一樣，不至于懶得連奎里納爾皇宮都不去一趟吧？”

“Not at all，”I smiled.“The fact is I don't know her.”
“完全不是那回事?！蔽倚α诵φf，“事實上，我并不認(rèn)識她?！?/p>

“Don't you?”said Mrs. Bradley as though she could hardly believe her ears.“Why not?”
“不認(rèn)識？”布雷德利夫人說，那表情好像是她簡直不敢相信自己的耳朵，“怎么能不認(rèn)識呢？”

“To tell you the truth authors don't hobnob with kings and queens as a general rule.”
“實不相瞞，一般來說，作家跟國王和王后是沒有過密交往的?！?/p>

“But she's such a sweet woman，”Mrs. Bradley expostulated, as though it were very hoity-toity of me not to know that royal personage.“I'm sure you'd like her.”
“不過，瑪格麗達(dá)王后是個和藹可親的人呀?！辈祭椎吕蛉撕醚詣裎遥孟癫徽J(rèn)識這位王后完全是我擺架子，不屑似的，“我敢肯定你一定會喜歡她的?！?/p>

At this moment the door was opened and the butler ushered in Gregory Brabazon.
這時候門開了，管家把格雷戈里·布拉巴宗領(lǐng)了進(jìn)來。

Gregory Brabazon, notwithstanding his name, was not a romantic creature. He was a short, very fat man, as bald as an egg except for a ring of black curly hair round his ears and at the back of his neck, with a red, naked face that looked as though it were on the point of breaking out into a violent sweat, quick grey eyes, sensual lips, and a heavy jowl.He was an Englishman and I had sometimes met him at bohemian parties in London.He was very jovial, very hearty, and laughed a great deal, but you didn't have to be a great judge of character to know that his noisy friendliness was merely cover for a very astute man of business.He had been for some years the most successful decorator in London.He had a great booming voice and little fat hands that were wonderfully expressive.With telling gestures, with a spate of excited words he could thrill the imagination of a doubting client so that it was almost impossible to withhold the order he seemed to make it a favour to accept.
格雷戈里·布拉巴宗空有一個好名姓，并不是個風(fēng)流倜儻的人。他五短身材，大腹便便，除掉耳朵根和后頸有一圈黑鬈發(fā)外，頭禿得就像只雞蛋，一張臉紅得似猴屁股，好像時刻都會流淌下一大堆臭汗一樣，兩個灰色的眼珠滴溜溜亂轉(zhuǎn)，嘴唇肥厚，下巴特長。他是英國人。在倫敦時，放蕩不羈的文人聚會上，有時會遇見他。他是個樂天派，總是很開心，動不動就哈哈大笑。不過，即便你不善于觀察人的本質(zhì)，也會發(fā)現(xiàn)他那種嘻嘻哈哈親密的樣子只不過是一種外衣，下面遮蓋的是精明的生意經(jīng)。這些年來，他一直都是倫敦城里最成功的室內(nèi)裝潢設(shè)計師。他那洪亮的聲音和又小又胖的手都極富表現(xiàn)力，能產(chǎn)生奇異的功效。他只要擺動擺動小手，再奉上一大串興奮的字眼，就會叫一個猶豫不決的客戶激動起來，極大刺激他的想象力，使得他簡直沒法拒絕那似乎是一份施舍的訂單。

The butler came in again with a tray of cocktails.
管家又走了進(jìn)來，端來了一托盤的雞尾酒。

“We won't wait for Isabel，”said Mrs. Bradley as she took one.
“咱們就不等伊莎貝爾了?！辈祭椎吕蛉四闷鹨槐普f。

“Where is she?”asked Elliott.
“她到哪兒去了？”艾略特問。

“She went to play golf with Larry. She said she might be late.”
“跟拉里打高爾夫去了，說也許要晚一點回來。”

Elliott turned to me.“Larry is Laurence Darrell. Isabel is supposed to be engaged to him.”
艾略特轉(zhuǎn)向我說：“拉里就是勞倫斯·達(dá)雷爾。伊莎貝爾可能已跟他訂婚了?！?/p>

“I didn't know you drank cocktails, Elliott，'I said.
“艾略特，我不知道你喝雞尾酒?！蔽艺f道。

“I don't，”he answered grimly, as he sipped the one he had taken，“but in this barbarous land of prohibition what can one do?”He sighed.“They're beginning to serve them in some houses in Paris. Evil communications corrupt goodmanners.”
“我原本是不喝的?！彼攘艘豢诒械木普f，“可在這么個禁酒的野蠻國度，你又能怎么樣呢？”說著，他嘆了口氣，“巴黎的一些有身份的人家也開始喝這種玩意兒了。壞的世道把好的傳統(tǒng)都給毀掉了。”

“Stuff and nonsense, Elliott，”said Mrs. Bradley.
“純粹是胡言亂語，艾略特。”布雷德利夫人說。

She said it good-naturedly enough, but with a decision that suggested to me that she was a woman of character, and I suspected from the look she gave him, amused but shrewd, that she had no illusions about him. I wondered what she would make of Gregory Brabazon.I had caught the professional look he gave the room as he came in and the involuntary lifting of his bushy eyebrows.It was indeed an amazing room.The paper on the walls, the cretonne of the curtains and on the upholstered furniture were of the same pattern；on the walls were oil paintings in massive gold frames that the Bradleys had evidently bought when they were in Rome.Virgins of the school of Raphael, Virgins of the school of Guido Reni, landscapes of the school of Zuccarelli, ruins of the school of Pannini.There were trophies of their sojourn in Peking, blackwood tables too profusely carved, huge cloisonné vases, and there were the purchases they had made in Chile or Peru, obese figures in hard stone and earthenware vases.There was a Chippendale writing-table and a marquetry vitrine.The lamp-shades were of white silk on which some ill-advised artist had painted shepherds and shepherdesses in Watteau costumes.It was hideous and yet, I don’t know why, agreeable.It had a homely, lived-in air, and you felt that that incredible jumble had a significance.All those incongruous objects belonged together because they were part of Mrs.Bradley’s life.
她的口氣相當(dāng)溫和，然而堅決，讓我聽出來她是個有個性的人。她看艾略特時，神情怡然自得，我懷疑她沒有將弟弟當(dāng)作一個了不起的人物。我暗自尋思，她把格雷戈里·布拉巴宗歸于哪一類人呢？布拉巴宗一進(jìn)門先用專業(yè)的目光把屋子掃視了一圈，不由抬起了他那兩道濃密的劍眉。這幢房子的確叫人稱奇。壁紙、窗簾布、椅墊、椅套，全是一式的圖案；墻上的油畫鑲在厚重的金相框里，顯然是布雷德利這家人去羅馬時買來的——有拉斐爾派以及圭多·雷尼派的圣母像，有蘇卡萊利派的風(fēng)景畫，還有帕尼尼派的真跡。除此之外，屋里還擺著他們?nèi)ケ本r買的紀(jì)念品——精雕細(xì)刻的黑檀木桌子和景泰藍(lán)大花瓶，也有從智利或者秘魯買來的玩意兒——硬石刻的胖人兒和陶制花瓶。屋里的寫字臺是齊本德爾式的，玻璃櫥亦是出自名匠之手。燈罩是用白綢做底料，上面不知是哪個沒品位的畫家畫了幾個身穿華多式服裝的牧童、牧女。屋子里的裝飾不倫不類，但不知什么原因卻叫人感到溫馨。這是一種平凡卻又安穩(wěn)的生活氣息，讓你覺得這令人無法相信的雜亂之中自有一番情趣。所有這些互不協(xié)調(diào)的物件合為一個整體，成為布雷德利夫人生活的組成部分。

We had finished our cocktails when the door was flung open and a girl came in, followed by a boy.
大家喝完雞尾酒，門被推開，進(jìn)來一個姑娘，身后跟著個小伙子。

“Are we late?”she asked.“I've brought Larry back. Is there anything for him to eat?”
“我們遲了沒有？”她問，“我把拉里帶回來了。有他的一份飯吃嗎？”

“I expect so，”smiled Mrs. Bradley.“Ring the bell and tell Eugene to put another place.”
“我想是有的?！辈祭椎吕蛉诵χf，“你按下鈴，叫尤金添個位子。”

“He opened the door for us. I've already told him.”
“剛才是他給我們開的門。我已經(jīng)告訴他了?！?/p>

“This is my daughter Isabel，”said Mrs. Bradley, turning to me.“And this is Laurence Darrell.”
“這是我的女兒伊莎貝爾，”布雷德利夫人轉(zhuǎn)身向我說，“這是勞倫斯·達(dá)雷爾。”

Isabel gave me a rapid handshake and turned impetuously to Gregory Brabazon.
伊莎貝爾匆匆跟我握了握手，然后將身子迫不及待地轉(zhuǎn)向了布拉巴宗。

“Are you Mr. Brabazon?I've been crazy to meet you.I love what you've done for Clementine Dormer.Isn't this room terrible?I've been trying to get Mamma to do something about it for years and now you're in Chicago it’s our chance.Tell me honestly what you think of it.”
“你就是布拉巴宗先生吧？一直渴望見到你呢。你替克萊門蒂尼·多摩裝飾的屋子我很是喜歡。這屋子是不是很糟糕？我好多年來都勸說媽媽，要把這兒收拾一下，現(xiàn)在你來芝加哥，正是我們千載難逢的好機(jī)會。請實言相告，我們家這房子究竟怎么樣？”

I knew that was the last thing Brabazon would do. He gave Mrs.Bradley a quick glance, but her impassive face told him nothing.He decided that Isabel was the person who counted and broke into a boisterous laugh.
我知道布拉巴宗絕不會直言相告的。只見他飛快地望了布雷德利夫人一眼，而后者臉上一點表情也沒有，看不出任何名堂。后來他斷定伊莎貝爾是拿事的人，于是就爆發(fā)出一陣響亮的笑聲。

“I'm sure it's very comfortable and all that，”he said，“but if you ask me point-blank, well, I do think it's pretty awful.”
“我敢說這屋子是很舒服的，還有其他的優(yōu)點?！彼┵┒劊安贿^，既然你讓我直言相告，那我就說品味上糟得一塌糊涂。”

Isabel was a tall girl with the oval face, straight nose, fine eyes, and full mouth that appeared to be characteristic of the family. She was comely though on the fat side, which I ascribed to her age, and I guessed that she would fine down as she grew older.She had strong, good hands, though they also were a trifle fat, and her legs, displayed by her short skirt, were fat too.She had a good skin and a high colour, which exercise and the drive back in an open car had doubtless heightened.She was sparkling and vivacious.Her radiant health, her playful gaiety, her enjoyment of life, the happiness you felt in her were exhilarating.She was so natural that she made Elliott, for all his elegance, look rather tawdry.Her freshness made Mrs.Bradley, with her pasty, lined face, look tired and old.
伊莎貝爾高個子、鵝蛋臉、直鼻梁，眼睛俊俏，嘴唇豐滿，有著布雷德利這家人的特征。她長得很漂亮，只是有些偏胖，我想大概是由于年齡的關(guān)系，再過幾年，可能就會苗條下來的。她的手結(jié)實、好看，不過也有點偏胖，就連短裙下露出的腿肚子也顯得胖了些。她膚色健康，泛著紅暈，這跟體育鍛煉以及剛才開敞篷車回家顯然不無關(guān)系。她容光煥發(fā)，活力四射，散發(fā)出蓬勃的朝氣，一派頑皮快活的勁兒，流露出對生活的滿足以及由衷的幸福感，讓人見了為之感到高興。不管艾略特多么儒雅，比較之下，她的那種自然純真都會使之顯得庸俗。由于她的朝氣蓬勃的襯托，布雷德利夫人的那張慘白、滿是皺紋的面孔顯得疲憊和蒼老。

We went down to lunch. Gregory Brabazon blinked when he saw the dining-room.The walls were papered with a dark red paper that imitated stuff and hung with portraits of grim, sour-faced men and women, very badly painted, who were the immediate forebears of the late Mr.Bradley.He was there, too, with a heavy moustache, very stiff in a frock coat and a white starched collar.Mrs.Bradley, painted by a French artist of the nineties, hung over the chimney-piece in full evening dress of pale blue satin with pearls around her neck and a diamond star in her hair.With one bejewelled hand she fingered a lace scarf so carefully painted that you could count every stitch and with the other negligently held an ostrich-feather fan.The furniture, of black oak, was overwhelming.
我們下樓去吃飯。布拉巴宗一看見飯廳，眼睛眨巴了幾下。壁上糊著暗紅的普通紙，算是冒充壁紙，掛些臉色陰沉死板的男女肖像，畫技不堪一提。這些人都是去世的那位布雷德利先生的近系祖先。他自己也在其中，留著濃密的小胡子，僵直的身體穿著雙排扣常禮服，戴著漿硬的白領(lǐng)子。一幅布雷德利夫人的肖像，是九〇年代一個法國畫家的手筆，掛在壁爐上方，穿一襲灰青緞子的晚禮服，頸掛珍珠鏈，頭發(fā)上點綴一顆鉆石星，一只戴滿珠寶的手捏一條編織領(lǐng)巾（領(lǐng)巾畫得極為細(xì)膩，連針腳都一一可辨），另一只手隨隨便便拿一柄鴕鳥羽扇子。屋內(nèi)家具是黑橡木的，給人以壓抑感。

“What do you think of it?”asked Isabel of Gregory Brabazon as we sat down.
“你覺得這東西怎么樣？”大家落座后，伊莎貝爾問布拉巴宗。

“I'm sure it cost a great deal of money，”he answered.
“我敢說一定花了不少錢?！彼鸬?。

“It did，”said Mrs. Bradley.“It was given to us as a wedding present by Mr.Bradley's father.It's been all over theworld with us.Lisbon, Peking, Quito, Rome.Dear Queen Margherita admired it very much.”
“的確如此。”布雷德利夫人說，“這是我和布雷德利先生結(jié)婚時，他父親送給我們的禮物，跟著我們跑遍了全世界——里斯本啊，北京啊，基多啊，羅馬啊。親愛的瑪格麗達(dá)王后非常艷羨它?！?/p>

“What would you do if it was yours?”Isabel asked Brabazon, but before he could answer, Elliott answered for him.
“假如是你的，你把它怎么辦？”伊莎貝爾問布拉巴宗，可是，不等后者回答，艾略特就替他說了。

“Burn it，”he said.
“付之一炬。”他說。

The three of them began to discuss how they would treat the room. Elliott was all for Louis Quinze, while Isabel wanted a refectory table and Italian chairs.Brabazon thought Chippendale would be more in keeping with Mrs.Bradley's personality.
接下來，三個人你一言我一語地開始討論如何裝飾這房子。艾略特力主裝飾成路易十五時代的風(fēng)格，伊莎貝爾則想要一張修道院里的那種餐桌和一套意大利式椅子。布拉巴宗認(rèn)為齊本德爾式家具比較適合布雷德利夫人的性格。

“I always think that's so important，”he said，“a person's personality.”He turned to Elliott.“Of course you know the Duchess of Olifant?”
“我一直都認(rèn)為房子的裝飾應(yīng)該反映出一個人的性格，這是至關(guān)緊要的?！彼f完，又將身子轉(zhuǎn)向了艾略特?！澳惝?dāng)然是認(rèn)識奧利芬特公爵夫人的嘍？”

“Mary?She's one of my most intimate friends.”
“瑪麗嗎？老朋友了，熟得不能再熟。”

“She wanted me to do her dining-room and the moment I saw her I said George the Second.”
“她要我為她裝飾飯廳，我一見她的面，就敲定用喬治二世那時候的風(fēng)格?！?/p>

“How right you were. I noticed the room the last time I dined there.It's in perfect taste.”
“真是英明決斷。上次在她家的飯廳吃飯，我注意到了那兒的裝飾，其品味無可挑剔。”

So the conversation went on. Mrs.Bradley listened, but you could not tell what she was thinking.I said little, and Isabel's young man, Larry, I'd forgotten his surname, said nothing at all.He was sitting on the other side of the table between Brabazon and Elliott and every now and then I glanced at him.He looked very young.He was about the same height as Elliott, just under six feet, thin and loose-limbed.He was a pleasant-looking boy, neither handsome nor plain, rather shy and in no way remarkable.I was interested in the fact that though, so far as I could remember, he hadn't said half a dozen words since entering the house, he seemed perfectly at ease and in a curious way appeared to take part in the conversation without opening his mouth.I noticed his hands.They were long, but not large for his size, beautifully shaped and at the same time strong.I thought that a painter would be pleased to paint them.He was slightly built but not delicate in appearance；on the contrary I should have said he was wiry and resistant.His face, grave in repose, was tanned, but otherwise there was little colour in it, and his features, though regular enough, were undistinguished.He had rather high cheekbones and his temples were hollow.He had dark brown hair with a slight wave in it.His eyes looked larger than they really were because they were deep set in the orbits and his lashes were thick and long.His eyes were peculiar, not of the rich hazel that Isabel shared with her mother and her uncle, but so dark that the iris made one colour with the pupil, and this gave them a peculiar intensity.He had a natural grace that was attractive and I could see why Isabel had been taken by him.Now and again her glance rested on him for a moment and I seemed to see in her expression not only love but fondness.Their eyes met and there was in his a tenderness that was beautiful to see.There is nothing more touching than the sight of young love, and I, a middle-aged man then, envied them, but at the same time, I couldn't imagine why, I felt sorry for them.It was silly because, so far as I knew, there was no impediment to their happiness；their circumstances seemed easy and there was no reason why they should not marry and live happily ever afterwards.
談話繼續(xù)進(jìn)行。布雷德利夫人側(cè)耳傾聽，誰都不知道她心里在想什么。我很少開口，而伊莎貝爾的年輕朋友拉里（我忘記了他姓什么）簡直一言不發(fā)。他坐在我對面的布拉巴宗和艾略特之間，我不時會看他一眼。他看上去十分年輕，和艾略特一般高，差不多六英尺，瘦瘦的，四肢顯得柔軟靈活，樣子甜甜的，不俊也不丑，相當(dāng)?shù)撵t腆，并無出眾之處。我覺得有趣的是，根據(jù)我的記憶，自從進(jìn)屋之后，他話沒說上五六句，卻顯得十分自在，盡管不開口也像是在參加談話，無不令人稱奇。我注意到他的手很長，可是，就他的個頭論，不能算大，形狀看上去很美，同時又有力。我想畫家一定高興畫這雙手。他身板比較瘦，但是，看上去并不文弱，相反地，我敢說還頗具力量和韌勁。他的一張臉寧靜莊重，曬得黝黑，要不是有這點黝黑，就看不出顏色來了；五官端正，但并不出眾；顴骨相當(dāng)高，太陽穴凹陷，深棕色的頭發(fā)微微鬈曲，眼睛看上去比實際的要大，那是因為陷在眼窩里很深；睫毛濃而長，眼珠的顏色很特別，不是伊莎貝爾和她母親、舅舅共有的那種淡褐色，而是一種深深的顏色，虹膜和瞳仁差不多是一個顏色，這給他的眼睛以一種特殊的魅力。他有一種動人的瀟灑風(fēng)度，從中看得出為什么伊莎貝爾對他傾心。她的眼光不時落到他身上，在那兒停留一下，從她的神情里我似乎看得出不但有情愛，而且有慈愛。二人四目相撞時，里面情意綿綿，好一幅美麗的圖畫?？匆娔贻p男女彼此相愛，是極能感動人的。我，一個步入中年的人，覺得有點眼紅，同時不知何故又為他們感到悲哀。若說悲哀，就蠢得沒名堂了，因為我明知他們追求幸福的路上沒有任何絆腳石——兩家的家境似乎都寬裕，沒有任何因素可以妨礙他們結(jié)婚，妨礙他們在婚后過上幸福的日子。

Isabel, Elliott, and Gregory Brabazon went on talking of the redecoration of the house, trying to get out of Mrs. Bradley at least an admission that something should be done, but she only smiled amiably.
就重新裝飾房屋這個話題，伊莎貝爾、艾略特和布拉巴宗說起來沒個完，目的就是想讓布雷德利夫人吐口，允許開工，可布雷德利夫人只是滿臉慈祥地笑笑，硬是不吐這個口。

“You mustn't try to rush me. I want to have time to think it over.”She turned to the boy.“What do you think of it all, Larry?”
“不必操之過急嘛，我想靜下心來好好想想?！彪S后，她轉(zhuǎn)過頭問伊莎貝爾的男友：“你是怎么看的，拉里？”

He looked round the table, a smile in his eyes.
拉里向桌子四周環(huán)顧一下，眼中露出微笑。

“I don't think it matters one way or the other，”he said.
“我覺得裝修不裝修都無所謂。”他說。

“You beast, Larry，”cried Isabel.“I particularly told you to back us up.”
“你這個小壞蛋，拉里。”伊莎貝爾嚷嚷道，“我還特地關(guān)照過你，讓你支持我們呢。”

“If Aunt Louisa is happy with what she's got, what is the object of changing?”
“如果路易莎伯母滿足于現(xiàn)狀，為什么非得變變樣呢？”

His question was so much to the point and so sensible that it made me laugh. He looked at me then and smiled.
他的話說到了點子上，入情入理的，引得我不由大笑一聲。拉里看了看我，也咧嘴笑了。

“And don't grin like that just because you've made a very stupid remark，”said Isabel.
“別傻乎乎地笑行不行！你說的話愚蠢到家了?！币辽悹栒f。

But he only grinned the more, and I noticed then that he had small and white and regular teeth. There was something in the look he gave Isabel that made her flush and catch her breath.Unless I was mistaken she was madly in love with him, but I don't know what it was that gave me the feeling that in her love for him there was also somethingmaternal.It was a little unexpected in so young a girl.With a soft smile on her lips she directed her attention once more to Gregory Brabazon.
拉里沒理會，反而笑得更厲害了。我留意到他有一口又白又小的牙齒，整整齊齊的。他望著伊莎貝爾的神情別有深意，叫她臉紅起來，呼吸也急促了。假如我沒有弄錯的話，那她就是瘋狂地在愛著他，可是不知道什么緣故，好像她對他的情意里面還有一種母愛的成分。在如此年輕的女孩身上竟然有母愛，讓人意想不到。她嘴角浮出溫柔的笑意，重又將注意力轉(zhuǎn)向了布拉巴宗。

“Don't pay any attention to him. He's very stupid and entirely uneducated.He doesn't know anything about anything except flying.”
“別理他。他傻得不透氣，一點文化也沒有，什么都不懂，就知道開飛機(jī)?！?/p>

“Flying?”I said.
“開什么飛機(jī)？”我問。

“He was an aviator in the war.”
“一戰(zhàn)中，他是個飛行員唄。”

“I should have thought he was too young to have been in the war.”
“我還以為他那時年紀(jì)太小，不能參戰(zhàn)呢?！?/p>

“He was. Much too young.He behaved very badly.He ran away from school and went to Canada.By lying his head off he got them to believe he was eighteen and got into the air corps.He was fighting in France at the time of the armistice.”
“年紀(jì)是很小，而且不是一般的小。他調(diào)皮得不得了，逃離學(xué)校，跑到加拿大參軍，撒了個彌天大謊，讓人家相信他已滿十八歲，混進(jìn)了空軍。都宣布停戰(zhàn)了，他還在法國作戰(zhàn)呢?！?/p>

“You're boring your mother's guests, Isabel，”said Larry.
“別說這些話了，會讓伯母的客人厭煩的，伊莎貝爾?！崩镎f。

“I've known him all my life, and when he came back he looked lovely in his uniform, with all those pretty ribbons on his tunic, so I just sat on his doorstep, so to speak, till he consented to marry me just to have a little peace and quiet. The competition was awful.”
“我從小就認(rèn)識他，他還鄉(xiāng)時穿一身軍裝，外套上掛那么多漂亮的勛章，非常英俊。我坐在他家門口的臺階上不走，纏得他一刻不得安寧，只好答應(yīng)要娶我為妻。那時候，競爭可真激烈?！?/p>

“Really, Isabel，”said her mother.
“真的嗎，伊莎貝爾？”她母親說。

Larry leant over towards me.
拉里沖著我探過了身子。

“I hope you don't believe a word she says. Isabel isn't a bad girl really, but she's a liar.”
“希望你別信她的話，一句也別信。伊莎貝爾不是什么壞女孩，就是愛撒謊?！?/p>

Luncheon was finished and soon after Elliott and I left. I had told him before that I was going to the museum to look at the pictures and he said he would take me, I don't particularly like going to a gallery with anyone else, but I could not say I would sooner go alone, so I accepted his company.On our way we spoke of Isabel and Larry.
吃完午飯不久，艾略特和我就告辭了。我先前告訴他打算去博物館看看畫，他說他帶我去。我不大愿意有人跟我去逛博物館，可推辭的話說不出口，無法說我喜歡一個人去，只好接受他的陪同。路上我們談?wù)撈鹆艘辽悹柡屠铩?/p>

“It's rather charming to see two young things so much in love with one another，”I said.
“看見兩個年輕人如此恩恩愛愛，怪叫人感動的?！蔽艺f道。

“They're much too young to marry.”
“他們還小，結(jié)婚還太早?！?/p>

“Why?It's such fun to be young and in love and to marry.”
“怎么早？趁年紀(jì)輕時戀愛、結(jié)婚，不是挺好嘛?！?/p>

“Don't be ridiculous. She's nineteen and he's only just twenty.He hasn't got a job.He has a tiny income, three thousand a year Louisa tells me, and Louisa's not a rich woman by any manner of means.She needs all she has.”
“別說傻話啦。她今年十九歲，拉里也僅僅二十歲，連個工作也沒有。他倒是有一筆小進(jìn)項，一年三千塊錢，這是路易莎告訴我的。路易莎不管從哪個方面講都不算個富人，剛能湊合過日子。”

“Well, he can get a job.”
“哦，那他可以找個工作嘛?！?/p>

“That's just it. He's not trying to.He seems to be quite satisfied to do nothing.”
“說的是呀。可他沒有這個心思。他好像很滿意過這種無所事事的日子?！?/p>

“I dare say he had a pretty rough time in the war. He may want a rest.”
“我敢說他在戰(zhàn)爭中一定吃了不少苦，也許現(xiàn)在想休息一下。”

“He's been resting for a year. That's surely long enough.”
“他休息已有一年了，時間夠長的了。”

“I thought he seemed a nice sort of boy.”
“我覺得他像是個很不錯的孩子?！?/p>

“Oh, I have nothing against him. He's quite well born and all that sort of thing.His father came from Baltimore.He was assistant professor of Romance languages at Yale or something like that.His mother was a Philadelphian of old Quaker stock.”
“哦，我對他毫無成見。他的出身以及所有的一切都挺好的。他的父親是巴爾的摩人，過去曾在耶魯大學(xué)任教，是羅曼斯語副教授。他的母親出身于費城教友派的一個古老世家。”

“You speak of them in the past. Are they dead?”
“你口口聲聲提到過去，難道他的父母都去世了么？”

“Yes, his mother died in childbirth and his father about twelve years ago. He was brought up by an old college friend of his father's who's a doctor at Marvin.That's how Louisa and Isabel knew him.”
“是的，他母親生孩子難產(chǎn)而死，父親約在十二年前去世。他是他父親的一個大學(xué)同學(xué)撫養(yǎng)大的，那人是馬文的一個醫(yī)生。路易莎跟伊莎貝爾就是這樣才認(rèn)識他的?！?/p>

“Where's Marvin?”
“馬文在哪兒？”

“That's where the Bradley place is. Louisa spends the summer there.She was sorry for the child.Dr.Nelson's a bachelor and didn't know the first thing about bringing up a boy.It was Louisa who insisted that he should be sent to St.Paul's and she always had him out here for his Christmas vacation.”Elliott shrugged a Gallic shoulder.“I should have thought she would foresee the inevitable result.”
“布雷德利家的產(chǎn)業(yè)在那個地方，是路易莎的消夏之地。她見了那孩子，覺得挺可憐的。納爾遜醫(yī)生是個單身漢，對怎樣帶孩子連初步的常識都不知道。路易莎力主把這孩子送到圣保羅中學(xué)求學(xué)，每逢圣誕節(jié)便接他出來過節(jié)?！卑蕴啬７路▏四菢勇柫艘幌录绨?，“我想她當(dāng)初應(yīng)該能預(yù)料到會有這樣的結(jié)果?！?/p>

We had now arrived at the museum and our attention was directed to the pictures. Once more I was impressed by Elliott's knowledge and taste.He shepherded me around the rooms as though I were a group of tourists, and no professor of art could have discoursed more instructively than he did.Making up my mind to come again by myself when I could wander at will and have a good time, I submitted；after a while he looked at his watch.
說話間，我們已走到博物館，注意力也就轉(zhuǎn)移到了繪畫上。艾略特的見識和品味又令我拜服了一番。他領(lǐng)著我在畫廊里轉(zhuǎn)來轉(zhuǎn)去，仿佛我是一群游客似的，講解起那些畫來，恐怕任何一個美術(shù)教授都不如他傳授的知識多。我決定獨自再來一次，那時自己可以由著性子轉(zhuǎn)悠，自得其樂，現(xiàn)在先聽他講好了。過了一會兒，他看了一下表。

“Let us go，”he said.“I never spend more than one hour in a gallery. That is as long as one's power of appreciation persists.We will finish another day.”
“咱們走吧?！彼f，“在畫廊里，我所待的時間從不超過一小時。一小時是一個人欣賞力所能堅持的極限。咱們改天再來看完它?！?/p>

I thanked him warmly when we separated. I went my way perhaps a wiser but certainly a peevish man. When I was saying good-bye to Mrs. Bradley she told me that next day Isabel was having a few of her young friends in to dinner and they were going on to dance afterwards, and if I would come Elliott and I could have a talk when they had gone.
分手時，我滿口道謝。打道回府時，知識面也許擴(kuò)大了一些，但我心里產(chǎn)生了幾絲惱意。我和布雷德利夫人告別時，她告訴我第二天伊莎貝爾要請她幾位年輕朋友來家里吃晚飯，飯后約好去跳舞；我要是愿意來的話，年輕人們走后，我還可以跟艾略特談?wù)劇?/p>

“You'll be doing him a kindness，”she added.“He's been abroad so long, he feels rather out of it here. He doesn't seem able to find anyone he has anything in common with.”
“你這等于是幫他的忙哩?！辈祭椎吕蛉水?dāng)時補充說，“他在外國待得太久了，回到這里覺得不合群，似乎找不到一個志同道合的人。”

I accepted and before we parted on the museum steps Elliott told me he was glad I had.
我當(dāng)即接受了她的邀請。此時在博物館門口臺階上兩人分手時，艾略特告訴我，他很高興我答應(yīng)了下來。

“I'm like a lost soul in this great city，”he said.“I promised Louisa to spend six weeks with her, we hadn't seen one another since 1912，but I'm counting the days till I can get back to Paris. It's the only place in the world for a civilized man to live.My dear fellow, d'you know how they look upon me here?They look upon me as a freak.Savages.”
“在這座大城里，我就像一個迷途的幽靈?！彼f道，“我答應(yīng)路易莎跟她住六個星期。我們姐弟自從一九一二年后彼此就沒有見過?？墒?，我盼著回巴黎真是歸心似箭，在這里度日如年。在這個世界上，唯有巴黎適合于文明人居住。我親愛的朋友，你知道他們這兒把我看作什么？在他們眼里我是一個怪物！這些野蠻人！”

I laughed and left.
我聽后打了個哈哈，然后抽身走了。