死亡约会 Part I Chapter 2（2）

（单词翻译）

Dr Gerard scrutinized¹ her again. This time his eye was professional, not aesthetic².

‘Dropsy—cardiac—’ he added a glib³ medical phrase.

‘Oh, yes, that!’ Sarah dismissed the medical side.

‘But there is something odd in their attitude to her, don’t you think?’

‘Who are they, do you know?’

‘Their name is Boynton. Mother, married son, his wife, one younger son and two youngerdaughters.’

Dr Gerard murmured: ‘La famille Boynton sees the world.’

‘Yes, but there’s something odd about the way they’re seeing it. They never speak to anyoneelse. And none of them can do anything unless the old woman says so!’

‘She is of the matriarchal type,’ said Gerard thoughtfully.

‘She’s a complete tyrant⁴, I think,’ said Sarah.

Dr Gerard shrugged⁵ his shoulders and remarked that the American woman ruled the earth—thatwas well known.

‘Yes, but it’s more than just that.’ Sarah was persistent⁶. ‘She’s—oh, she’s got them all so cowed—so positively⁷ under her thumb—that it’s—it’s indecent!’

‘To have too much power is bad for women,’ Gerard agreed with sudden gravity. He shook hishead.

‘It is difficult for a woman not to abuse power.’

He shot a quick sideways glance at Sarah. She was watching the Boynton family—or rather shewas watching one particular member of it. Dr Gerard smiled a quick comprehending Gallic smile.

Ah! So it was like that, was it?

He murmured tentatively: ‘You have spoken with them—yes?’

‘Yes—at least with one of them.’

‘The young man—the younger son?’

‘Yes. On the train coming here from Kantara. He was standing⁹ in the corridor. I spoke⁸ to him.’

There was no self-consciousness in her attitude to life. She was interested in humanity and wasof a friendly though impatient disposition¹⁰.

‘What made you speak to him?’ asked Gerard.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

‘Why not? I often speak to people travelling. I’m interested in people—in what they do andthink and feel.’

‘You put them under the microscope, that is to say.’

‘I suppose you might call it that,’ the girl admitted.

‘And what were your impressions in this case?’

‘Well,’ she hesitated, ‘it was rather odd…To begin with, the boy flushed right up to the roots ofhis hair.’

‘Is that so remarkable¹¹?’ asked Gerard drily.

Sarah laughed.

‘You mean that he thought I was a shameless hussy making advances to him? Oh, no, I don’tthink he thought that. Men can always tell, can’t they?’

She gave him a frank questioning glance. Dr Gerard nodded his head.

‘I got the impression,’ said Sarah, speaking slowly and frowning a little, ‘that he was—howshall I put it?—both excited and appalled¹². Excited out of all proportion—and quite absurdlyapprehensive at the same time. Now that’s odd, isn’t it? Because I’ve always found Americansunusually self-possessed. An American boy of twenty, say, has infinitely¹³ more knowledge of theworld and far more savoir-faire than an English boy of the same age. And this boy must be overtwenty.’

‘About twenty-three or four, I should say.’

‘As much as that?’

‘I should think so.’

‘Yes…perhaps you’re right…Only, somehow, he seems very young…’

‘Maladjustment mentally. The “child” factor persists.’

‘Then I am right? I mean, there is something not quite normal about him?’

Dr Gerard shrugged his shoulders, smiling a little at her earnestness.

‘My dear young lady, are any of us quite normal? But I grant you that there is probably aneurosis of some kind.’

‘Connected with that horrible old woman, I’m sure.’

‘You seem to dislike her very much,’ said Gerard, looking at her curiously¹⁴.

‘I do. She’s got a—oh, a malevolent¹⁵ eye!’

Gerard murmured: ‘So have many mothers when their sons are attracted to fascinating youngladies!’