月亮和六便士 第5章(1)

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　　During the summer I met Mrs. Strickland not infrequently.  夏天我同思特里克兰德太太见面的次数不算少。

　　I went now and then to pleasant little luncheons¹ at her flat, and to rather more formidable tea-parties.  我时不时地到她家里去吃午饭，或是去参加茶会；午饭总是吃得很好，茶点更是非常丰盛。

　　We took a fancy to one another.  我同思特里克兰德太太很相投。

　　I was very young, and perhaps she liked the idea of guiding my virgin² steps on the hard road of letters;  我当时年纪很轻，或许她喜欢的是指引着我幼稚的脚步走上文坛的艰辛道路，

　　while for me it was pleasant to have someone I could go to with my small troubles, certain of an attentive³ ear and reasonable counsel.  而在我这一方面，遇到一些不如意的琐事也乐于找到一个人倾诉一番。我准知道她会专神倾听，也一定能给我一些合乎情理的劝告。

　　Mrs. Strickland had the gift of sympathy.  思特里克兰德太太是很会同情人的。

　　It is a charming faculty⁴, but one often abused by those who are conscious of its possession:  同情体贴本是一种很难得的本领，但是却常常被那些知道自己有这种本领的人滥用了。

　　for there is something ghoulish in the avidity with which they will pounce⁵ upon the misfortune of their friends so that they may exercise their dexterity⁶.  他们一看到自己的朋友有什么不幸就恶狠狠地扑到人们身上，把自己的全部才能施展出来，这就未免太可怕了。

　　It gushes⁷ forth⁸ like an oil-well, and the sympathetic pour out their sympathy with an abandon that is sometimes embarrassing to their victims.  同情心应该象一口油井一样喷薄自出；惯爱表同情的人让它纵情奔放，反而使那些受难者非常困窘。

　　There are bosoms⁹ on which so many tears have been shed that I cannot bedew them with mine.  有的人胸膛上已经沾了那么多泪水，我不忍再把我的洒上了。

　　Mrs. Strickland used her advantage with tact¹⁰.  思特里克兰德太太对自己的长处运用很得体，

　　You felt that you obliged her by accepting her sympathy.  她让你觉得你接受她的同情是对她作了一件好事。

　　When, in the enthusiasm of my youth, I remarked on this to Rose Waterford, she said: 我年轻的时候在一阵热情冲动中，曾同柔斯?瓦特尔芙德谈论这件事，她说：

　　Milk is very nice, especially with a drop of brandy in it, but the domestic cow is only too glad to be rid of it.  "牛奶很好吃，特别是加上几滴白兰地。但是母牛却巴不得赶快让它淌出去。

　　A swollen¹¹ udder is very uncomfortable. 肿胀的乳头是很不舒服的。"

　　Rose Waterford had a blistering¹² tongue.  柔斯?瓦特尔芙德的嘴非常刻薄。

　　No one could say such bitter things; on the other hand, no one could do more charming ones. 这种辛辣的话谁也说不出口，但是另一方面，哪个人做事也没有她漂亮。

　　There was another thing I liked in Mrs. Strickland.  还有一件事叫我喜欢思特里克兰德太太。

　　She managed her surroundings with elegance¹³.  她的住所布置得非常优雅。

　　Her flat was always neat and cheerful, gay with flowers, and the chintzes in the drawing-room, 房间总是干干净净，摆着花，叫人感到非常舒服。客厅里的印花布窗帘

　　notwithstanding their severe design, were bright and pretty.  虽然图案比较古板，可是色彩光艳，淡雅宜人。

　　The meals in the artistic¹⁴ little dining-room were pleasant; the table looked nice, the two maids were trim and comely¹⁵; the food was well cooked.  在雅致的小餐厅里吃饭是一种享受；餐桌式样大方，两个侍女干净利落，菜肴烹调得非常精致。

　　It was impossible not to see that Mrs. Strickland was an excellent housekeeper¹⁶.  谁都看得出，思特里克兰德太太是一位能干的主妇，

　　And you felt sure that she was an admirable mother.  另外，毫无疑问她也是一位贤妻良母。

　　There were photographs in the drawing-room of her son and daughter.  客厅里摆着她儿女的照片。

　　The son-his name was Robert-was a boy of sixteen at Rugby;  儿子--他名叫罗伯特--十六岁，正在罗格贝学校读书；

　　and you saw him in flannels¹⁷ and a cricket cap, and again in a tail-coat and a stand-up collar.  你在照片上看到他穿着一套法兰绒衣服，戴着板球帽，另外一张照片穿的是燕尾服，系着直立的硬领。

　　He had his mother's candid¹⁸ brow and fine, reflective eyes.  他同母亲一样，生着宽净的前额和沉思的漂亮的眼睛。

　　He looked clean, healthy, and normal. 他的样子干净整齐，看去又健康，又端正。

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