月亮和六便士 第十一章(1)

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　　During the journey I thought over my errand with misgiving¹.  旅途中，我仔细考虑了一下这次去巴黎的差事，不觉又有些疑虑。

　　Now that I was free from the spectacle of Mrs.Strickland's distress² I could consider the matter more calmly.  现在我的眼睛已经看不到思特里克兰德太太一副痛楚不堪的样子，好象能够更冷静地考虑这件事了。

　　I was puzzled by the contradictions that I saw in her behaviour.  我在思特里克兰德太太的举动里发现一些矛盾，感到疑惑不解。

　　She was very unhappy, but to excite my sympathy she was able to make a show of her unhappiness.  她非常不幸，但是为了激起我的同情心，她也很会把她的不幸表演给我看。

　　It was evident that she had been prepared to weep, for she had provided herself with a sufficiency of handkerchiefs;  她显然准备要大哭一场，因为她预备好大量的手帕；

　　I admired her forethought, but in retrospect³ it made her tears perhaps less moving.  她这种深思远虑虽然使我佩服，可是如今回想起来，她的眼泪的感人力量却不免减低了。

　　I could not decide whether she desired the return of her husband because she loved him, or because she dreaded⁴ the tongue of scandal;  我看不透她要自己丈夫回来是因为爱他呢，还是因为怕别人议论是非；

　　and I was perturbed⁵ by the suspicion that the anguish⁶ of love contemned⁷ was alloyed in her broken heart with the pangs⁸, sordid⁹ to my young mind, of wounded vanity.  我还怀疑使她肠断心伤的失恋之痛是否也搀杂着虚荣心受到损害的悲伤（这对我年轻的心灵是一件龌龊的事）；这种疑心也使我很惶惑。

　　I had not yet learnt how contradictory¹⁰ is human nature;  我那时还不了解人性多么矛盾，

　　I did not know how much pose there is in the sincere, how much baseness in the noble, nor how much goodness in the reprobate¹¹. 我不知道真挚中含有多少做作，高尚中蕴藏着多少卑鄙，或者，即使在邪恶里也找得着美德。

　　But there was something of an adventure in my trip, and my spirits rose as I approached Paris.  但是我这次到巴黎去是带着一定冒险成分的，当我离目的地越来越近的时候，我的情绪也逐渐高起来。

　　I saw myself, too, from the dramatic standpoint, and I was pleased with my role of the trusted friend bringing back the errant husband to his forgiving wife.  我也从做戏的角度看待自己，对我扮演的这个角色--一个受人衷心相托的朋友把误入歧途的丈夫带回给宽恕的妻子--非常欣赏。

　　I made up my mind to see Strickland the following evening, for I felt instinctively¹² that the hour must be chosen with delicacy¹³.  我决定第二天晚上再去找思特里克兰德，因为我本能地觉得，必须细致盘算，并选定这一时间。

　　An appeal to the emotions is little likely to be effectual before luncheon¹⁴.  如果想从感情上说动一个人，在午饭以前是很少会成功的。

　　My own thoughts were then constantly occupied with love, but I never could imagine connubial¹⁵ bliss¹⁶ till after tea. 在那些年代里，我自己就常常遐想一些爱情的事，但是只有吃过晚茶后我才能幻想美好婚姻的幸福。

　　I enquired¹⁷ at my hotel for that in which Charles Strickland was living.  我在自己落脚的旅馆打听了一个查理斯·思特里克兰德住的地方。

　　It was called the Hotel des Belges.  他住的那家旅馆名叫比利时旅馆。

　　But the concierge¹⁸, somewhat to my surprise, had never heard of it.  我很奇怪，看门人竟没听说过这个地方。

　　I had understood from Mrs.Strickland that it was a large and sumptuous¹⁹ place at the back of the Rue²⁰ de Rivoli.  我从思特里克兰德太太那里听说，这家旅馆很大、很阔气，坐落在利渥里路后边。

　　We looked it out in the directory.  我们查了一下旅馆商号指南。

　　The only hotel of that name was in the Rue des Moines.  叫这个名字的旅馆只有一家，在摩纳路。

　　The quarter was not fashionable; it was not even respectable.  这不是有钱人居住的地区，甚至不是一个体面的地方。

　　I shook my head. 我摇了摇头。

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