月亮和六便士 第二十八章(1)

 Chapter 28 第二十八章

The explanation came a week later. 一个星期以后我知道谜底了。

It was about ten o' clock at night; I had been dining by myself at a restaurant,  大约十点左右，这一天我一个人在外面吃了晚饭，

and having returned to my small apartment, was sitting in my parlour, reading  饭后回到我的住处，我正坐在起居间看书，

I heard the cracked tinkling¹ of the bell, and, going into the corridor, opened the door. Stroeve stood before me. 忽然，门铃暗哑地响起来。我走到过道上，打开门，站在我面前的是施特略夫。

Can I come in? he asked. “可以进来吗？”他问。

In the dimness of the landing I could not see him very well, but there was something in his voice that surprised me. 楼梯口光线很暗，我看不清他的样子，但是他说话的声音却使我吃了一惊。

I knew he was of abstemious² habit or I should have thought he had been drinking. 我知道他喝酒从来不过量，否则我会以为他喝醉酒了。

I led the way into my sitting room and asked him to sit down. 我把他领进起居间里，叫他坐下。

Thank God I've found you, he said. “谢天谢地，总算找到你了，”他说。

What's the matter? I asked in astonishment³ at his vehemence⁴. “怎么回事？”我问；他的激动不安的样子叫我非常吃惊。

I was able now to see him well. 进到屋子里面，我可以清清楚楚地打量他了。

As a rule he was neat in his person, but now his clothes were in disorder⁵. He looked suddenly bedraggled. 平时他总是穿戴得干净整齐，这次却衣冠不整，突然给人以邋里邋遢的感觉。

I was convinced he had been drinking, and I smiled. 我一点也不怀疑了，他一定是喝醉了。 我对他笑了笑，

I was on the point of chaffing him on his state. 准备打趣他两句。

I didn't know where to go, he burst out. "I came here earlier, but you weren't in." “我不知道该到哪儿去，”他突兀地说了一句，“刚才来了一次，你不在。”

I dined late, I said. “我今天吃饭晚了，”我说。

I changed my mind: it was not liquor that had driven him to this obvious desperation. 我的想法改变了；他显然不是因为喝了酒才这样嗒然若丧。

His face, usually so rosy⁶, was now strangely mottled. 他的脸平常总是红扑扑的，现在却一块红、一块白，斑斑点点，样子非常奇怪。

His hands trembled. 他的两只手一直在哆嗦。

Has anything happened? I asked. “出了什么事了吗？”

My wife has left me. “我的妻子离开了我了。”

He could hardly get the words out. He gave a little gasp⁷, and the tears began to trickle⁸ down his round cheeks. 他费了很大力气才把这几个字说出来。他抽噎了一下，眼泪沿着胖乎乎的面颊一滴滴地落下来。

1 tinkling   

n.丁当作响声

参考例句：

• I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
• To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话，犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学

2 abstemious   

adj.有节制的，节俭的

参考例句：

• He is abstemious in eating and drinking.他在饮食方面是很有节制的。
• Mr.Hall was naturally an abstemious man indifferent to luxury.霍尔先生天生是个饮食有度，不爱奢侈的人。

3 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

4 vehemence   

n.热切；激烈；愤怒

参考例句：

• The attack increased in vehemence.进攻越来越猛烈。
• She was astonished at his vehemence.她对他的激昂感到惊讶。

5 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

6 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

7 gasp   

n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说

参考例句：

• She gave a gasp of surprise.她吃惊得大口喘气。
• The enemy are at their last gasp.敌人在做垂死的挣扎。

8 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。