【时间旅行者的妻子】06

I look up the book itself and fill out a call slip for it. But I also want to read about papermaking at Kelmscott. The catalog is confusing. I go back to the desk to ask for help. As I explain to the woman what I am trying to find, she glances over my shoulder at someone passing behind me. “Perhaps Mr. DeTamble can help you,” she says. I turn, prepared to start explaining again, and find myself face to face with Henry.

　I am speechless. Here is Henry, calm, clothed, younger than I have ever seen him. Henry is working at the Newberry Library, standing¹ in front of me, in the present. Here and now. I am jubilant. Henry is looking at me patiently, uncertain but polite.

　“Is there something I can help you with?” he asks.

　“Henry!” I can barely refrain from throwing my arms around him. It is obvious that he has never seen me before in his life.

　“Have we met? I’m sorry, I don’t...” Henry is glancing around us, worrying that readers, co-workers are noticing us, searching his memory and realizing that some future self of his has met this radiantly happy girl standing in front of him. The last time I saw him he was sucking my toes in the Meadow.

　I try to explain. “I’m Clare Abshire. I knew you when I was a little girl.,.” I’m at a loss because I am in love with a man who is standing before me with no memories of me at all. Everything is in the future for him. I want to laugh at the weirdness² of the whole thing. I’m flooded with years of knowledge of Henry, while he’s looking at me perplexed³ and fearful. Henry wearing my dad’s old fishing trousers, patiently quizzing me on multiplication⁴ tables, French verbs, all the state capitals; Henry laughing at some peculiar⁵ lunch my seven-year-old self has brought to the Meadow; Henry wearing a tuxedo⁶, undoing⁷ the studs of his shirt with shaking hands on my eighteenth birthday. Here! Now! “Come and have coffee with me, or dinner or something...” Surely he has to say yes, this Henry who loves me in the past and the future must love me now in some bat-squeak⁸ echo of other time.

jubilant ['dʒuːbɪlənt] 

adj. 扬声欢呼的

例句：

Liverpool were in a jubilant mood after their cup victory.

利物浦队夺得优胜杯后喜气洋洋

refrain [rɪ'freɪn] 

v. 抑制

例句：

I carefully refrained from looking at him.

我留意着避免朝他看。

radiantly ['reɪdiəntli]

adv. 容光焕发地

例句：

Everything is like with last time, he returns heaven radiantly. 

一切都如同上一次，他容光焕发的回到天堂。

perplexed [pɚˈplɛkst]

adj. 困惑的

例句：

They were perplexed by her response. 

她的答复令他们困惑不解。

studs [stʌdz]

n. 领扣

tuxedo [tʌkˈsido]

n. <美>无尾晚礼服

squeak [skwik]

n. 吱吱的叫声；

 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 weirdness   

n.古怪，离奇，不可思议

参考例句：

• The weirdness of the city by night held her attention. 夜间城市的古怪景象吸引了她的注意力。
• But that's not the end of the weirdness feasible in evolutionary systems. 然而这还不是进化系统居然可行的最怪异的地方呐。

3 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

4 multiplication   

n.增加，增多，倍增；增殖，繁殖；乘法

参考例句：

• Our teacher used to drum our multiplication tables into us.我们老师过去老是让我们反覆背诵乘法表。
• The multiplication of numbers has made our club building too small.会员的增加使得我们的俱乐部拥挤不堪。

5 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

6 tuxedo   

n.礼服，无尾礼服

参考例句：

• Well,you have your own tuxedo.噢，你有自己的燕尾服。
• Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo?我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗？

7 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

8 squeak   

n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another squeak out of you!我不想再听到你出声！
• We won the game,but it was a narrow squeak.我们打赢了这场球赛，不过是侥幸取胜。