Chapter8-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《月亮与六便士The Moon and Sixpence》

Chapter VIII On reading over what I have written of the Stricklands,I am conscious that they must seem shadowy.I have been able to invest them with none of those characteristics which make the persons of a book exist with a real life of their own;and,wondering if the fault is mine,I rack my brains to remember idiosyncrasies which might lend them vividness.I feel that by dwelling on some trick of speech or some queer habit I should be able to give them a significance peculiar to themselves.As they stand they are like the figures in an old tapestry;they do not separate themselves from the background,and at a distance seem to lose their pattern,so that you have little but a pleasing piece of colour.My only excuse is that the impression they made on me was no other.There was just that shadowiness about them which you find in people whose lives are part of the social organism,so that they exist in it and by it only. They are like cells in the body,essential,but,so long as they remain healthy, engulfed in the momentous whole.The Stricklands were an average family in the middle class.A pleasant,hospitable woman,with a harmless craze for the small lions of literary society;a rather dull man,doing his duty in that state of life in which a merciful Providence had placed him;two nice-looking, healthy children.Nothing could be more ordinary.I do not know that there was anything about them to excite the attention of the curious. ·052· 八 重读我写的斯特里克兰德夫妇的故事，我感到好像 这两个人被我写得不够清晰立体。要使书中人物栩栩如 生，真实感人，需要描写他们的性格特征，而我却没有 赋予他们以特征。我纳闷这错误是否归咎于我，我绞尽 脑汁，拼命回忆一些可以让他们性格鲜活起来的特征。 Didiosyncrasy [idi'sinkrosi] n.(个人特有的)气质， 我觉得，如果我能详尽地描摹出他们的一些言语上的惯 特性，习性 用法或者一些奇奇怪怪的行为习惯，大概就可以把他们 ②dwell[dwel细想某事 的特点凸显出来了。按照我现在这样的写法，这两个人 ③tapestry[tapistri]n.挂毯 仿佛一条旧挂毯上的两个模模糊糊的人影，与背景浑成 一片；而从远处看的话，索性连轮廓都看不出来，只剩 下一小片悦人的色彩。我只有一个借口：他们给我的就 是这种印象，我无能为力。他们的生活只是社会有机体 的一部分，他们就这样在这一有机体内生活，也只能依 赖这一有机体生活，这种人给人的感觉总是模模糊糊的： 斯特里克兰德夫妇就是这样的人。他们仿佛人体内不可 ④engulf[im'gAl日k吞没 momentous [mau'mentas] 或缺的细胞，而只要他们健康存在一天，就会被一个至 a.重大的：重要的 关重要的整体吞没。斯特里克兰德一家是一个寻常的中 ⑥craze[kreiz]n.狂热 产阶级家庭。一个友善好客的妻子，喜好结交文学界小 名人，也不会因此带来麻烦；一个刻板乏味的丈夫，在 慈悲的上帝给他安排的生活状态里尽职尽责：两个长得 漂亮、身心健康的孩子。这一家人是再平凡不过的了。 我不知道这一家有什么能够引起好奇之人的注意的。 ·053· Chapter VIII When I reflect on all that happened later,I ask myself if I was thick- witted not to see that there was in Charles Strickland at least something out of the common.Perhaps.I think that I have gathered in the years that intervene between then and now a fair knowledge of mankind,but even if when I first met the Stricklands I had the experience which I have now,I do not believe that I should have judged them differently.But because I have learnt that man is incalculable,I should not at this time of day be so surprised by the news that reached me when in the early autumn I returned to London. I had not been back twenty-four hours before I ran across Rose Waterford in Jermyn Street. "You look very gay and sprightly,"I said."What's the matter with you?" She smiled,and her eyes shone with a malice I knew already.It meant that she had heard some scandal about one of her friends,and the instinct of the literary woman was all alert. "You did meet Charles Strickland,didn't you?" Not only her face,but her whole body,gave a sense of alacrity.I nodded. I wondered if the poor devil had been hammered on the Stock Exchange or run over by an omnibus. "Isn't it dreadful?He's run away from his wife." Miss Waterford certainly felt that she could not do her subject justice on the curb of Jermyn Street,and so,like an artist,flung the bare fact at me and declared that she knew no details.I could not do her the injustice of supposing that so trifling a circumstance would have prevented her from giving them, but she was obstinate "I tell you I know nothing,"she said,in reply to my agitated questions,and then,with an airy shrug of the shoulders:"I believe that a young person in a city tea-shop has left her situation." She flashed a smile at me,and,protesting an engagement with her dentist, jauntily walked on.I was more interested than distressed.In those days my ·054· 八 当我想起后来发生的那一切时，不禁问自己：是不 是当时我太迟钝，所以没有看出查尔斯·斯特里克兰德 的异乎寻常之处呢？也许是的。从那时起到现在，已是 多年，在此期间，我对人情世故有了相当的认识，然 而，假如我当时刚刚认识斯特里克兰德夫妇的时候就已 经有了今天的阅历，我认为我对他们所下的判断也是一 样的。不过，在我认识到人心难测之后，今天的我断断 不会听到那一消息就大惊失色，而我那年初秋返回到伦 敦时就是那个样子。 我回到伦敦还不到一天，就在杰尔敏大街上遇见了 罗斯·瓦特尔芙德。 ①sprightly[spraitli].活 “看你今天这么开心，这么精神，”我问道，“有什 泼的，生气勃勃的 么喜事啊？” 她微微一笑，眼里闪着不怀好意的光，我对此早已 熟悉，这意味着她听说了哪个朋友的丑闻，这位女作家 的直觉已经全部调动起来了。 “你是不是见过查尔斯·斯特里克兰德啊？” ②alacrity[o'lakroti]n.欣 然 她的脸，甚至她的全身都给人一种幸灾乐祸的感 觉。我点了点头。我怀疑这个可怜的家伙不是在证券交 易所亏本了，就是让公共汽车给撞了。 “他抛弃了太太，跑了，你说是不是太可怕啦？” 瓦特尔芙德小姐肯定觉得，在杰尔敏大街马路边上 ③curb[ka:bn(街道或人 讲这个故事对于这么一个精彩主题来说不公正，于是她 行道的)路缘 就像个艺术家似地把事实抛给我，却声明自己不明就 ④ti诅ing['traifli可]a.无关紧 要的，无足轻重的 里。我如果以为她是因为场合太小，所以才不肯透露内 obstinate ['obstinit;-nat] 情，那确实不公正。但她很顾固，就是不肯讲出来。 a.顽固的 听到我焦虑万分地问了一连串问题以后，她答道， “我告诉你我什么都不知道。”然后，装腔作势地耸了耸 肩，说道：“我相信伦敦市某家茶点店一定有位年轻姑 娘已经辞工了。” 她对我浅浅地一笑，说不好意思与牙医有约，然后 扬扬得意地一走了之。我当时感觉兴致勃勃大于痛苦难 过。那些年，我的亲身经历所收获的第一手材料少之又 ·055· ChapterVIII experience of life at first hand was small,and it excited me to come upon an incident among people I knew of the same sort as I had read in books.I confess that time has now accustomed me to incidents of this character among my acquaintance.But I was a little shocked.Strickland was certainly forty,and I thought it disgusting that a man of his age should concern himself with affairs of the heart.With the superciliousness of extreme youth,I put thirty-five as the utmost limit at which a man might fall in love without making a fool of himself.And this news was slightly disconcerting to me personally,because I had written from the country to Mrs.Strickland,announcing my return,and had added that unless I heard from her to the contrary,I would come on a certain day to drink a dish of tea with her.This was the very day,and I had received no word from Mrs.Strickland.Did she want to see me or did she not?It was likely enough that in the agitation of the moment my note had escaped her memory. Perhaps I should be wiser not to go.On the other hand,she might wish to keep the affair quiet,and it might be highly indiscreet on my part to give any sign that this strange news had reached me.I was torn between the fear of hurting a nice woman's feelings and the fear of being in the way.I felt she must be suffering, and I did not want to see a pain which I could not help;but in my heart was a desire,that I felt a little ashamed of,to see how she was taking it.I did not know what to do. Finally it occurred to me that I would call as though nothing had happened, and send a message in by the maid asking Mrs.Strickland if it was convenient for her to see me.This would give her the opportunity to send me away.But I was overwhelmed with embarrassment when I said to the maid the phrase I had prepared,and while I waited for the answer in a dark passage I had to call up all my strength of mind not to bolt.The maid came back.Her manner suggested to my excited fancy a complete knowledge of the domestic calamity. “Will you come this way,sir?”she said. I followed her into the drawing-room.The blinds were partly drawn to darken the room,and Mrs.Strickland was sitting with her back to the light. ·056· 八 少，所以，在我认识的人中间能遇到一桩这样的事，让 我兴奋不己，因为类似的事我以往只是在书里读过。我 承认，随着时间的推移，我已经对这类事情司空见惯了。 然而我当时还是有些震惊。斯特里克兰德那一年一定已 经年过不惑了，我觉得这般年纪的人再搅和到桃色事件 里也够让人恶心的。在当时年轻气盛、傲视群雄的我看 O superciliousness [.su:pa- 'sili3 snis]n.傲慢 来，一个人可以身陷爱河，却不会被人耻笑，三十五岁 是上限。除此以外，这个消息还给我个人带来了些许尴 尬，是这样的：我在乡下就曾经给斯特里克兰德太太写 过一封信，把我返回伦敦的行期告知她，还补充说除非 她回信说有其他事情，否则的话，我会择日到她家去喝 杯茶。然而那天我却没有收到斯特里克兰德太太的只言 片语。她想不想见我呢？她很可能因为一时心乱如麻， 把我信里的内容忘了。也许我应该识相，让她静静。另 一方面，她还可能不想让人知道这件事，以我的角度而 言，对于这个奇怪的消息，倘若她觉察到我知情的蛛丝 马迹，都是非常不明智的。我的内心纠结挣扎，既怕伤 害这位善良夫人的感情，又怕去她家做客打扰了她。我 觉得她此时一定已经肝肠寸断，可我在不能助力的时 候，不愿意看到别人受苦受难：不过，我的内心深处却 有个渴望，渴望看看斯特里克兰德太太的表现，我对这 个念头有点羞愧。我真是进退两难。 最后我想了个办法，我可以若无其事地去她家，先 让女仆进去询问斯特里克兰德太太此时方便不方便见 我。这样就给了她一个退路，不方便就可以让我走了。 尽管如此，我把事前准备好的话对女仆说的时候，我还 是尴尬得很。当我在黑乎乎的走廊里等着女仆回话的时 候，我不得不鼓起全部勇气才没有半途而废。女仆回来 了，我心烦意乱，胡思乱想，所以看她那样子，觉得她 ②calamity [ko'lamoti]间n.灾 难，灾害 对家里这场灾难已经心知肚明了。 “先生，请您跟我来，好吗？”她说道。 drawing-room ['dro:igrum] 我随她走进客厅。为了不让室内光线太亮，窗帘半 n.客厅 遮半掩。斯特里克兰德太太背对着光坐着，她的姐夫麦 ·057· ChapterVIII Her brother-in-law,Colonel MacAndrew,stood in front of the fireplace,warming his back at an unlit fire.To myself my entrance seemed excessively awkward.I imagined that my arrival had taken them by surprise,and Mrs.Strickland had let me come in only because she had forgotten to put me off.I fancied that the Colonel resented the interruption. "I wasn't quite sure if you expected me,"I said,trying to seem unconcerned. "Of course I did.Anne will bring the tea in a minute." Even in the darkened room,I could not help seeing that Mrs.Strickland's face was all swollen with tears.Her skin,never very good,was earthy. "You remember my brother-in-law,don't you?You met at dinner,just before the holidays..” We shook hands.I felt so shy that I could think of nothing to say,but Mrs. Strickland came to my rescue.She asked me what I had been doing with myself during the summer,and with this help I managed to make some conversation till tea was brought in.The Colonel asked for a whisky-and-soda "You'd better have one too,Amy,"he said. No;I prefer tea.” This was the first suggestion that anything untoward had happened.I took no notice,and did my best to engage Mrs.Strickland in talk.The Colonel,still standing in front of the fireplace,uttered no word.I wondered how soon I could decently take my leave,and I asked myself why on earth Mrs.Strickland had allowed me to come.There were no flowers,and various knick-knacks,put away during the summer,had not been replaced;there was something cheerless and stiff about the room which had always seemed so friendly;it gave you an odd feeling,as though someone were lying dead on the other side of the wall.I finished tea. "Will you have a cigarette?"asked Mrs.Strickland. She looked about for the box,but it was not to be seen. "I'm afraid there are none." Suddenly she burst into tears,and hurried from the room. I was startled.I suppose now that the lack of cigarettes,brought as a rule by her husband,forced him back upon her recollection,and the new feeling that the ·058· 八 克安德鲁上校站在壁炉前面，在黑乎乎的火炉前烤着 背。在我看来，我这样的乱入让人尴尬至极。我猜测我 到这里来一定让他们措手不及，斯特里克兰德太太只是 忘记推迟我们的约会，所以才让我进来的。我还猜测上 校一定为我打扰了他们而怒火中烧。 “我不敢肯定你有没有料到我会来。”我说道，尽 量装得若无其事。 “我当然料到了。安妮很快就把茶端来了。” 房间里虽然光线昏暗，我还是能看出来斯特里克兰 德太太面庞浮肿，泪光点点。她的脸色原本就不是很好， 此时成了土灰色了。 “你还记得我姐夫吧？你度假前在这里吃晚饭时见 过他的。” 我们握了握手。我畏畏缩缩的，一句合适的话都说 不出来。还是斯特里克兰德太太给我救了急，她问我署 假是怎么过的。在她的帮助下，我总算在女仆端茶回来 之前找到了点话说。上校要了一杯苏打威士忌。 “你最好也喝一杯威士忌，艾米。”他说。 “不要，我还是喝茶吧。” 这是让人联想到不幸事件的第一句话，我假装没听 到，尽我所能地不住嘴地跟斯特里克兰德太太说东道 西。上校还站在壁炉前面，一声没吭。我不知道什么时 knick-knack ['niknaek]n. 候才能彬彬有礼地离开，我心中自问，斯特里克兰德太 小装饰品；小摆设 太让我进来到底是为了什么。屋子里没有摆花，暑假前 收起的各种各样的摆设还没有归位。一向亲切的房间显 得一片凄凉而生硬，给人一种怪怪的感觉，仿佛墙壁的 另一侧停放着一个死人一般。我喝完了茶。 “吸支烟吧？”斯特里克兰德太太问道。 她环顾四周，要找烟盒，却没有找到。 “恐怕是没有了。” 她的眼泪突然夺眶而出，急忙跑出了房间。 我大吃一惊。我想到纸烟以往照例是她丈夫负责买 的，现在突然找不见了，唤起了她对他的回忆，失去了 ·059· ChapterVIII small comforts she was used to were missing gave her a sudden pang.She realised that the old life was gone and done with.It was impossible to keep up our social pretences any longer. "I dare say you'd like me to go,"I said to the Colonel,getting up. "I suppose you've heard that blackguard has deserted her,"he cried explosively. I hesitated. “You know how people gossip,”I answered.“I was vaguely told that something was wrong.” "He's bolted.He's gone off to Paris with a woman.He's left Amy without a penny..” "I'm awfully sorry,"I said,not knowing what else to say. The Colonel gulped down his whisky.He was a tall,lean man of fifty,with a drooping moustache and grey hair.He had pale blue eyes and a weak mouth.I remembered from my previous meeting with him that he had a foolish face,and was proud of the fact that for the ten years before he left the army he had played polo three days a week. "I don't suppose Mrs.Strickland wants to be bothered with me just now," I said."Will you tell her how sorry I am?If there's anything I can do.I shall be delighted to do it.” He took no notice of me. "I don't know what's to become of her.And then there are the children.Are they going to live on air?Seventeen years." "What about seventeen years?" “They've been married,”he snapped③.“I never liked him.Of course he was my brother-in-law,and I made the best of it.Did you think him a gentleman?She ought never to have married him." "Is it absolutely final?" "There's only one thing for her to do,and that's to divorce him.That's what I was telling her when you came in.'Fire in with your petition,my dear Amy,' ·060· 八 以往习惯拥有的小舒适，这种新感觉让她突然觉得一阵 剧痛，她意识到昔日的生活己经一去不复返了，从此结 束了，我们过去那种社交体面已经无法保留了。 “我想你也希望我离开吧？”我边起身边对上校说 道。 “我想你已经听说那个无赖抛弃了她的事吧？”他 气急败坏地大声喊道。 我不禁迟疑起来。 “你也知道，人们是怎么八卦的。”我答道，“有人 含含糊糊地告诉我，说出了点问题。” ①bolt[baul)y退出（某组 “他突然私奔了。他跟一个女人跑到巴黎去了。他 织、社会团体等)，脱离 (社会运动等) 把艾米丢下，一个便士也没留。” “我非常遗憾。”我说道，不知道说什么好。 上校把威士忌一饮而尽。他有五十岁吧，身材高挑， 体型瘦削，五十岁，胡须下垂，头发灰白。他长了一双 淡蓝色的眼睛，嘴唇的轮廓不很清晰。我上一次见他， 就记得他长得一脸蠢相，还扬扬得意地说他在离开军队 以前连续十年每星期打三次马球。 “我想现在我不该再打扰斯特里克兰德太太了。” 我说，“请转告她，我非常为她难过，可以吗？如果有 什么我能帮忙的，我非常乐意。” 他理都没理我。 “我都不知道她以后的日子可怎么过。再说还有孩 子。难道让他们靠空气过活？整整十七年啊！” “什么整整十七年？” “他们结婚整整十七年了，”他恶声恶气地说道。 “我就没喜欢过他。当然，他是我的连襟儿，我也曾经 ②sna即[snxp%厉声说： 怒声说 尽可能地跟他搞好关系。你以为他是个正人君子吗？她 压根儿就不该嫁他。” “彻底无法挽回了吗？” “她只有一条路可走，那就是跟他离婚。你进来的 ③petition[pi'tifan]n.【法 时候我就是这么跟她说的。‘向法庭申诉，亲爱的艾米，， 律】申请书：陈情书 我说，‘为了你自己，为了你的孩子，你都该申诉。’他 ·061·