月亮和六便士 第十二章(1)

 　　Chapter 12 第十二章

　　The Avenue de Clichy was crowded at that hour, and a lively fancy might see in the passers-by the personages of many a sordid¹ romance.  这会儿正是克里舍林荫路最热闹的时刻，只需要发挥一点儿想象力，就能够在过往行人中发现不少庸俗罗曼司中的人物。

　　There were clerks and shopgirls; old fellows who might have stepped out of the pages of Honore de Balzac;  小职员和女售货员，宛如从巴尔扎克的小说中走出来的老古董，

　　members, male and female, of the professions which make their profit of the frailties² of mankind.  靠着人性的弱点赚钱糊口的一些行当的男女成员。

　　There is in the streets of the poorer quarters of Paris a thronging³ vitality⁴ which excites the blood and prepares the soul for the unexpected. 在巴黎的一些贫穷地区，街道上总是人群熙攘，充满无限生机，使你血流激动，随时准备为你演一出意想不到的好戏。

　　Do you know Paris well? I asked. “你对巴黎熟悉不熟悉？”我问。

　　No. We came on our honeymoon⁵. I haven't been since. “不熟悉。我们度蜜月的时候来过。以后我从来没有再来。”

　　How on earth did you find out your hotel? “那你怎么会找到这家旅馆的？”

　　It was recommended to me. I wanted something cheap. “别人介绍的。我要找一家便宜的。”

　　The absinthe came, and with due solemnity we dropped water over the melting sugar. 苦艾酒端上来了，我们一本正经地把水浇在溶化的糖上。

　　I thought I'd better tell you at once why I had come to see you, I said, not without embarrassment⁶. “我想我还是坦白对你讲我为什么来找你吧，”我有一些困窘地说。

　　His eyes twinkled. "I thought somebody would come along sooner or later. I've had a lot of letters from Amy." 他的眼睛闪闪发亮。“我早就想迟早会有个人来的。阿美已经给我写了一大堆信来了。”

　　Then you know pretty well what I've got to say. “那么我要对你讲的，不用我说你也知道得很清楚了。”

　　I've not read them. “她那些信我都没有看。”

　　I lit a cigarette to give myself a moment's time.  我点了一支烟，为了给自己一些思索的时间。

　　I did not quite know now how to set about my mission.  我这时候真不知道该怎样办理我承担下的这件差事了。

　　The eloquent⁷ phrases I had arranged, pathetic or indignant, seemed out of place on the Avenue de Clichy. Suddenly he gave a chuckle⁸. 我准备好的一套绝妙词令，哀婉的也罢、愤激的也罢，在克里舍林荫道上以乎都不合拍了。突然，思特里克兰德咯咯地笑起来。

　　Beastly job for you this, isn't it? “交给你办的事很叫你头疼，对不对？”

　　Oh, I don't know, I answered. “啊，我不知道，”我回答。

　　Well, look here, you get it over, and then we'll have a jolly evening. “听我说，你赶快把肚子里的事说出来，以后咱们可以痛快地玩一个晚上。”

　　I hesitated. 我犹豫不定。

　　Has it occurred to you that your wife is frightfully unhappy? “你想到过没有，你的妻子痛苦极了？”

　　She'll get over it. “事情会过去的。”

　　I cannot describe the extraordinary callousness⁹ with which he made this reply.  他说这句话的那种冷漠无情我简直无法描摹。

　　It disconcerted me, but I did my best not to show it.  我被他这种态度搞得心慌意乱，但是我尽量掩盖着自己。

　　I adopted the tone used by my Uncle Henry, a clergyman, when he was asking one of his relatives for a subscription¹⁰ to the Additional Curates Society. 我采用了我的一位亨利叔叔说话的语调；亨利叔叔是个牧师，每逢他请求哪位亲戚给候补副牧师协会捐款的时候总是用这种语调。

1 sordid   

adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的

参考例句：

• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively.他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
• They lived in a sordid apartment.他们住在肮脏的公寓房子里。

2 frailties   

n.脆弱( frailty的名词复数 )；虚弱；（性格或行为上的）弱点；缺点

参考例句：

• The fact indicates the economic frailties of this type of farming. 这一事实表明，这种类型的农业在经济上有其脆弱性。 来自辞典例句
• He failed therein to take account of the frailties of human nature--the difficulties of matrimonial life. 在此，他没有考虑到人性的种种弱点--夫妻生活的种种难处。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

3 thronging   

v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Architects from around the world are thronging to Beijing theacross the capital. 来自世界各地的建筑师都蜂拥而至这座处处高楼耸立的大都市——北京。 来自互联网
• People are thronging to his new play. 人们成群结队地去看他那出新戏。 来自互联网

4 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

5 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

6 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

7 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

8 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

9 callousness   

参考例句：

• He remembered with what callousness he had watched her. 他记得自己以何等无情的态度瞧着她。 来自辞典例句
• She also lacks the callousness required of a truly great leader. 她还缺乏一个真正伟大领袖所应具备的铁石心肠。 来自辞典例句

10 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。