月亮和六便士 第十一章(3)

 　　The waiter looked at me suspiciously as I made my way upstairs.  当我走上楼梯的时候，侍者一直怀疑地打量着我。

　　They were dark and airless. There was a foul¹ and musty smell.  楼梯又闷又暗，一股污浊的霉味扑鼻而来。

　　Three flights up a Woman in a dressing-gown, with touzled hair, opened a door and looked at me silently as I passed.  三层楼梯上面有一扇门开了，我经过的时候，一个披着睡衣、头发蓬松的女人一声不吭地盯着我。

　　At length I reached the sixth floor, and knocked at the door numbered thirty-two.  最后，我走到六楼，在三十二号房门上敲了敲。

　　There was a sound within, and the door was partly opened. Charles Strickland stood before me.  屋里响动了一下，房门开了一条缝。查理斯·思特里克兰德出现在我面前。

　　He uttered not a word. He evidently did not know me. 他一语不发地站在那里，显然没有认出我是谁来。

　　I told him my name. I tried my best to assume an airy manner. 我通报了姓名。我尽量摆出一副大大咧咧的样子。

　　You don't remember me. I had the pleasure of dining with you last July. “你不记得我了。今年六月我荣幸地在你家吃过饭。”

　　Come in, he said cheerily. "I'm delighted to see you. Take a pew." “进来吧，”他兴致很高地说，“很高兴见到你。坐下。”

　　I entered. It was a very small room, overcrowded with furniture of the style which the French know as Louis Philippe.  我走进去。这是一间很小的房间，几件法国人称之为路易·菲力浦式样的家具把屋子挤得转不过身来。

　　There was a large wooden bedstead on which was a billowing red eiderdown,  有一张大木床，上面堆放着一床鼓鼓囊囊的大红鸭绒被，

　　and there was a large wardrobe, a round table, a very small washstand, and two stuffed chairs covered with red rep.  一张大衣柜，一张圆桌，一个很小的脸盆架，两把软座椅子，包着红色棱纹平布。

　　Everything was dirty and shabby.  没有一件东西不是肮脏、破烂的。

　　There was no sign of the abandoned luxury that Colonel MacAndrew had so confidently described.  麦克安德鲁上校煞有介事地描述的那种浪荡浮华这里连一点儿影子也看不到。

　　Strickland threw on the floor the clothes that burdened one of the chairs, and I sat down on it. 思特里克兰德把乱堆在一把椅子上的衣服扔到地上，叫我坐下。

　　What can I do for you? he asked. “你来找我有事吗？”他问。

　　In that small room he seemed even bigger than I remembered him.  在这间小屋子里他好象比我记忆中的更加高大。

　　He wore an old Norfolk jacket, and he had not shaved for several days.  他穿着一件诺弗克式的旧上衣，胡须有很多天没有刮了。

　　When last I saw him he was spruce enough, but he looked ill at ease: now, untidy and ill-kempt, he looked perfectly² at home.  我上次见到他，他修饰得整齐干净，可是看去却不很自在；现在他邋里邋遢，神态却非常自然。

　　I did not know how he would take the remark I had prepared. 我不知道他听了我准备好的一番话以后会有什么反应。

　　I've come to see you on behalf of your wife. “我是受你妻子的嘱托来看你的。”

　　I was just going out to have a drink before dinner. You'd better come too. Do you like absinthe? “我正预备在吃晚饭以前到外边去喝点什么。你最好同我一起去。你喜欢喝苦艾酒？”

　　I can drink it. “可以喝一点儿。”

　　Come on, then. “那咱们就走吧”

　　He put on a bowler³ hat much in need of brushing. 他戴上一顶圆顶礼帽；帽子也早就该刷洗了。

　　We might dine together. You owe me a dinner, you know. “我们可以一起吃饭。你还欠我一顿饭呢，你知道。”

　　Certainly. Are you alone? “当然了。你就一个人吗？”

　　I flattered myself that I had got in that important question very naturally. 我很得意，这样重要的一个问题我竟极其自然地提了出来。

　　Oh yes. In point of fact I've not spoken to a soul for three days. My French isn't exactly brilliant. “啊，是的。说实在的，我已经有三天没有同人讲话了。我的法文很不高明。”

　　I wondered as I preceded him downstairs what had happened to the little lady in the tea-shop.  当我领先走下楼梯的时候，我想起茶点店的那位女郎来，我很想知道她出了什么事了。

　　Had they quarrelled already, or was his infatuation passed?  是他们已经吵架了呢，还是他迷恋的热劲儿已经过去了？

　　It seemed hardly likely if, as appeared, he had been taking steps for a year to make his desperate plunge⁴.  从我见到的光景看，很难相信他策划了一年只是为了这样没头没脑地窜到巴黎来。

　　We walked to the Avenue de Clichy, and sat down at one of the tables on the pavement of a large cafe. 我们步行到克里舍林荫路，在一家大咖啡馆摆在人行道上的许多台子中拣了一张坐下。

1 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 bowler   

n.打保龄球的人，（板球的）投（球）手

参考例句：

• The bowler judged it well,timing the ball to perfection.投球手判断准确，对球速的掌握恰到好处。
• The captain decided to take Snow off and try a slower bowler.队长决定把斯诺撤下，换一个动作慢一点的投球手试一试。

4 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。