雙語·《刀鋒》 第五章 九

CHAPTER FIVE 9
第五章 九

Thinking that Elliott might want to be alone after the ceremony in which he had taken part, I went up to the drawing-room and began to read, but no sooner had I settled myself than the nurse came in to tell me that he wanted to see me. I climbed the flight of stairs to his room.Whether owing to a shot that the doctor had given him to help him to support the Ordeal before him or whether from the excitement of it, he was calmly cheerful and his eyes were bright.
想著艾略特剛接受過圣禮，也許不愿見人，我便進了客廳，看起書來。誰知屁股剛坐穩(wěn)，護士就跑了來，說艾略特想見我。我爬上那串樓梯到了他的房間。他接受圣禮之前，醫(yī)生曾給他打過一針，叫他振作起來，此時不知是因為這一針的效力，還是因為情緒激動，反正他一副興奮的樣子，眼睛閃閃發(fā)光。

“A great honour, my dear fellow，”he said.“I shall enter the kingdom of heaven with a letter of introduction from a prince of the Church. I fancy that all doors will be open to me.”
“這是莫大的榮譽呀，我的老伙計。”他說道，“這下子，我可以拿著教會一位重要人物的介紹信進天國了。我想，天國里各家各戶都會敞開大門歡迎我的。”

“I'm afraid you'll find the company very mixed，”I smiled.
“恐怕你會發(fā)現(xiàn)那兒什么樣的人都有。”我笑了笑說。

“Don't you believe it, my dear fellow. We know from Holy Writ that there are class distinctions in heaven just as there are on earth.There are seraphim and cherubim, archangels and angels.I have always moved in the best society in Europe and I have no doubt that I shall move in the best society in heaven.Our Lord has said：The House of my Father hath many mansions.It would be highly unsuitable to lodge the hoi polloi in a way to which they're entirely unaccustomed.”
“也許你不會相信，我的老伙計，我們從《圣經(jīng)》上得知，天國和人間一樣是有等級區(qū)別的。那兒有六翼天使和四翼天使，有天使長和普通天使。在人世間，我游走于歐洲的上流社會，到了天國我毫無疑問也將游走于那兒的上流社會。主曾經(jīng)說過：‘在我父的家園里有千萬住房，分配時應(yīng)該讓眾民各得其所?！?/p>

I suspected that Elliott saw the celestial habitations in the guise of the chateaux of a Baron de Rothschild with eighteenth-century panelling on the walls, Buhl tables, marquetry cabinets, and Louis Quinze suites covered with their original petit-point.
我懷疑艾略特把天國的住房想象成了羅慈吉爾茲男爵的城堡那樣的風(fēng)格——墻上鑲有十八世紀的護壁板，有鑲嵌細工的桌子、精雕細刻的壁櫥以及路易十五風(fēng)格的器皿，器皿上蒙著路易十五時代的刺繡品。

“Believe me, my dear fellow，”he went on after a pause，“there'll be none of this damned equality in heaven.”
“請相信我的話，老伙計，”他停頓了一下，然后繼續(xù)說道，“天國是沒有什么絕對平等的?！?/p>

He dropped off quite suddenly into a doze. I sat down with a book.He slept off and on.At one o'clock the nurse came in to tell me that Joseph had luncheon ready for me.Joseph was subdued.
說完，他不知怎么昏睡了過去。我坐下來，拿本書看。他一直昏睡不醒。到一點鐘時，護士進來告訴我，說約瑟夫把午飯準(zhǔn)備好了。見到約瑟夫，發(fā)現(xiàn)他一副服服帖帖的樣子。

“Fancy Monseigneur the Bishop coming himself. It is a great honour he has done our poor gentleman.You saw me kiss his ring?”
“想不到主教大人竟然親自大駕光臨了，這對我們可憐的主人是莫大的榮幸。你看見我吻他的戒指了嗎？”

“I did.”
“看見了。”

“It's not a thing I would have done of myself！I did it to satisfy my poor wife.”
“按說，我不會主動去吻的，那樣做全是為了讓我的妻子見了高興?！?/p>

I spent the afternoon in Elliott's room. In the course of it a telegram came from Isabel to say that she and Gray would arrive by the Blue Train next morning.I could hardly hope they would be in time.The doctor came.He shook his head.Towards sunset Elliott awoke and was able to take a little nourishment.It seemed to give him a momentary strength.He beckoned to me and I went up to the bed.His voice was very weak.
我在艾略特的房間里待了一下午。這期間，收到伊莎貝爾的一封電報，說她和格雷乘坐藍色列車第二天上午抵達。我擔(dān)心他們恐怕趕不上為艾略特送終了。醫(yī)生來了，見了艾略特的狀況直搖頭。太陽落山時分，艾略特從昏睡中醒來，可以稍微吃點東西了。肚子里有了食，他似乎暫時有了些氣力。他沖我招了招手，我走到了床邊。只聽他聲音極其微弱地說：

“I haven't answered Edna's invitation.”
“收到埃德娜的請?zhí)疫€沒有回信呢?！?/p>

“Oh, don't bother about that now, Elliott.”
“沒關(guān)系，別管那些了，艾略特?！?/p>

“Why not?I've always been a man of the world；there's no reason why I should forget my manners as I'm leaving it. Where is the card?”
“怎么能不管呢？在這個世界，我一直是個懂情理的人，不能因為就要離開這個世界，便置禮節(jié)于不顧。請?zhí)谀膬耗?？?/p>

It was on the chimney piece and I put it in his hand, but I doubt whether he could see it.
請?zhí)旁诒跔t架上，我取來交到他手里，不過我覺得此時他是想看也看不清楚的。

“You'll find a pad of writing paper in my study. If you'll get it I'll dictate my answer.”
“你去書房找?guī)讖埿偶垇?。我口授，由你寫回信?！?/p>

I went into the next room and came back with writing materials. I sat down by the side of his bed.
我走進隔壁的書房，把信紙拿了來，在他的床邊坐下。

“Are you ready?”
“你準(zhǔn)備好了嗎？”

“Yes.”
“好了?！?/p>

His eyes were closed, but there was a mischievous smile on his lips and I wondered what was coming.
他閉上眼睛，嘴邊露出一絲頑皮的微笑。我心里納悶，不知他會說出什么話來。

“Mr. Elliott Templeton regrets that he cannot accept Princess Novemali's kind invitation owing to a previousengagement with his Blessed Lord.”
“鑒于之前和萬能的主有約，恕艾略特·鄧普頓無法接受諾威馬里王妃善意的邀請?！?/p>

He gave a faint, ghostly chuckle. His face was of a strange blue-white, ghastly to behold, and he exhaled the nauseating stench peculiar to his disease.Poor Elliott who had loved to spray himself with the perfumes of Chanel and Molyneux.He was still holding the purloined invitation card and, thinking it incommoded him, I tried to take it out of his hand, but he tightened his grip on it.I was startled to hear him speak quite loudly.
他淡淡地獰笑一聲，臉色發(fā)青，看上去像鬼一樣，呼出的氣帶有一種他這種病特有的惡臭味?？蓱z的艾略特，平時總是喜歡在身上灑點香水的呀，有時灑香奈兒牌的，有時灑慕尼麗絲牌的。他手里仍舊抓著那張我偷來的請?zhí)?。我覺得他那樣拿著很不舒服，想從他手里取出來，誰知他緊緊抓住不放，大吼了一聲，嚇了我一跳。

“The old bitch，”he said.
“老淫婦！”

These were the last words he spoke. He sank into a coma.The nurse had been up with him all the previous night and looked very tired, so I sent her to bed, promising to call her if necessary, and said I would sit up.There was indeed nothing to do.I lit a shaded lamp and read till my eyes ached and then, turning it off, I sat in darkness.The night was warm and the windows wide open.At regular intervals the flash of the lighthouse swept the room with a passing glimmer.The moon, which when full would look upon the vacuous, noisy gaiety of Edna Novemali's fancy-dress party, set, and in the sky, a deep, deep blue, the countless stars shone with their terrifying brilliance.I think I may have dropped off into a light sleep, but my senses were still awake, and I was suddenly startled into intense consciousness by a hurried, angry sound, the most awe-inspiring sound anyone can hear, the death rattle.I went over to the bed and by the gleam of the lighthouse felt Elliott's pulse.He was dead.I lit the lamp by his bedside and looked at him.His jaw had fallen.His eyes were open and before closing them I stared into them for a minute.I was moved and I think a few tears trickled down my cheeks.An old, kind friend.It made me sad to think how silly, useless, and trivial his life had been.It mattered very little now that he had gone to so many parties and had hobnobbed with all those princes, dukes, and counts.They had forgotten him already.
這是他留在人世間的最后一句話。話一出口，他便陷入了昏迷之中。昨天，護士守在病床旁熬了一夜，看上去疲倦極了，我讓她去睡覺，答應(yīng)在必要時叫她，由我來守夜。其實，守夜是無事可做的，于是我打開一盞帶罩子的電燈看起書來，直至把眼睛看得發(fā)酸，這才將燈熄滅，坐在黑暗里休息。這是一個悶熱的夜晚，窗戶都大敞著。燈塔上的探照燈掃來掃去，每隔一段時間就會把光射進屋子里來。月亮隱去了身影，當(dāng)月圓的時候來臨時，就會看到埃德娜·諾威馬里的化裝舞會那熱鬧的場面，人聲喧嚷卻空虛乏味。此時，天空是一片深藍色，星星多得數(shù)不清，一顆顆亮得驚人。我昏昏沉沉的，大概是進入了淺睡之中，但意識還是清醒的。突然，一種急促、憤怒的叫喊嚇了我一跳，驚得我徹底醒了過來。那是臨死之人發(fā)出的叫喊，令人毛骨悚然。我急忙走到病床邊，借著燈塔上探照燈的光摸了摸他的脈搏，發(fā)現(xiàn)他已經(jīng)死了。我打開床頭燈看看他，見他下巴耷拉著，雙目睜開。我靜靜地望著那雙眼，過了一會兒才為他把眼合上。我感到很傷心，覺得有幾滴眼淚順雙頰流了下來。一個老朋友，一個善良的老朋友就這么走了。想到他的一生是那么愚蠢、無益和無聊，我不由黯然神傷。他參加過許多宴會，跟王子、公爵、伯爵們舉杯同飲，而今一切都化為烏有。那些人已欣然將他淡忘。

I saw no reason to wake the exhausted nurse, so I returned to my chair by the window. I was asleep when she came in at seven.I left her to do whatever she thought fit and had breakfast, then I went to the station to meet Gray and Isabel.I told them that Elliott was dead, and since there was no room for them in his house asked them to stay with me, but they preferred to go to a hotel.I went back to my own house to have a bath, shave, and change.
我不忍心叫醒那個已經(jīng)累癱了的護士，于是就回到窗旁，坐在我的椅子上睡著了。護士在早晨七點鐘進來時，我仍在沉睡。醒來后，我丟下護士履行她的職責(zé)，自己去吃早餐，然后到車站接格雷和伊莎貝爾。我告訴他們，艾略特已經(jīng)去世。由于艾略特的家里沒有客房，我邀他們到我那兒去住，可他們愿意去住旅館。我回到自己家中，洗過澡，刮了臉，然后換了身衣服。

In the course of the morning Gray called me to say that Joseph had given them a letter addressed to me that Elliott had entrusted to him. Since it might contain something for my eyes alone I said I would drive over at once, and so less than an hour later I once more entered the house.The letter, marked on the envelope：To be delivered immediately after my death, contained instruc-tions for his obsequies.I knew that he had set his heart on being buried in the church that he had built and I had already told Isabel.He wished to be embalmed and mentioned the name of the firm to which the commission should be given.“I have made inquiries，”he continued，“and I am informed that they make a very good job of it.I trust you to see that it is not scamped.I desire to be dressed in the dress of my ancestor the Count de Lauria, with his sword by my side and the order of the Golden Fleece on my breast.I leave the choice of my coffin to you.It should be unpretentious but suitable to my posi-tion.In order to give no one unnecessary trouble I desire that Thomas Cook and Son should make all arrangements for the transportation of my remains and that one of their men should accompany the coffin to its final resting-place.”
這天上午，格雷打電話來，說約瑟夫交給他們一封信，信是寫給我的，艾略特生前曾囑咐由約瑟夫轉(zhuǎn)交。由于這封信只能讓我一個人看，于是我答應(yīng)馬上開車過去。不到一小時，我又走進了艾略特的家。那封信的信皮上寫著：“我死后即刻轉(zhuǎn)交，內(nèi)含葬禮的安排。”我知道，他一心一意要葬在他造的那座教堂里，曾把此事對伊莎貝爾講過。他希望將自己的遺體進行防腐處理，并說出了經(jīng)營這項業(yè)務(wù)的公司的名稱?！拔掖蚵犨^，”他在信里寫道，“人人都說這家公司的防腐術(shù)十分高超。我委托你監(jiān)督此事，一定要做好。下葬時，我要穿上我的祖先勞里亞伯爵的那套禮服，腰挎他的寶劍，胸前佩戴那個金羊毛勛章。至于挑選棺木，交給你決定，不要太招眼，但一定要符合我的身份。為了不給別人增添不必要的負擔(dān)，遺體的轉(zhuǎn)運事宜由托馬斯·庫克父子公司承辦，讓他們派個人護送棺木到下葬地去?！?/p>

I remembered that Elliott had said he wanted to be buried in that fancy dress of his, but I had taken it for a passing whim and hadn't thought he meant it seriously. Joseph was insistent that his wishes be carried out and there seemed no reason why they should not be.The body was duly embalmed and then I went with Joseph to dress it in those absurd clothes.It was a gruesome business.We slipped his long legs into the white silk hose and pulled the cloth-of-gold over them.It was a job to get his arms through the sleeves of the doublet.We fixed the great starched ruff and draped the satin cape over his shoulders.Finally we placed the flat velvet cap on his head and the collar of the Golden Fleece round his neck.The embalmer had rouged his cheeks and reddened his lips.Elliott, the costume too large now for his emaciated frame, looked like a chorus man in an early opera of Verdi's.The sad Don Quixote of a worthless purpose.When the undertaker's men had put him in the coffin I laid the property sword down the length of his body, between his legs, with his hands on the pommel as I have seen the sword laid on the sculptured tomb of a Crusader.
記得艾略特曾經(jīng)說過他要穿他那套豪華禮服下葬，當(dāng)時以為他只是心血來潮，隨便說說，沒想到他竟然是認真的。約瑟夫堅持要按主人的遺愿辦理，也就只好如此了。先是給他的遺體進行了防腐處理，然后我和約瑟夫去給他穿上那套荒唐的禮服。這件差事挺折磨人的。我們給他的長腿套上白綢長襪，再穿上那條金布緊身褲。隨后，費了很大的氣力把他的兩條胳膊塞進緊身上衣的袖管里，給他戴上那漿洗好的寬大輪狀縐領(lǐng)，再把錦緞斗篷給他披在肩上。最后，把那個平頂絲絨帽戴在他頭上，把金羊毛的領(lǐng)圈圍上他的脖子。遺體防腐公司的人在這之前曾給他的臉搽了胭脂，給他的嘴唇涂了口紅。他如今骨瘦如柴，禮服穿在身上顯得特別大，樣子就像是威爾第早期歌劇里的一名歌手，又像是為了沒有價值的目標(biāo)而奮斗的堂吉訶德。當(dāng)殯葬承辦人將他抬進棺材時，我把那柄作為道具的寶劍豎著放在他的兩腿之間，讓他的手按在劍柄的圓頭上——我曾經(jīng)見一個十字軍騎士的墓碑雕塑像就是這種持劍的方式。

Gray and Isabel went to Italy to attend the funeral.
格雷和伊莎貝爾一路趕到了意大利去參加葬禮。