| Chapter V During the summer I met Mrs. Strickland not infrequently. I went now and then to pleasant little luncheons at her flat, and to rather more formidable tea-parties. We took a fancy to one another. I was very young, and perhaps she liked the idea of guiding my virgin steps on the hard road of letters; while for me it was pleasant to have someone I could go to with my small troubles, certain of an attentive ear and reasonable counsel. Mrs. Strickland had the gift of sympathy. It is a charming faculty, but one often abused by those who are conscious of its possession: for there is something ghoulish in the avidity with which they will pounce upon the misfortune of their friends so that they may exercise their dexterity. It gushes forth like an oil-well, and the sympathetic pour out their sympathy with an abandon that is sometimes embarrassing to their victims. There are bosoms on which so many tears have been shed that I cannot bedew them with mine. Mrs. Strickland used her advantage with tact. You felt that you obliged her by accepting her sympathy. When, in the enthusiasm of my youth, I remarked on this to Rose Waterford, she said: "Milk is very nice, especially with a drop of brandy in it, but the domestic cow is only too glad to be rid of it. A swollen udder is very uncomfortable." | 第五章 那年夏天，我同司太太見麵次數並不算少。隔三差五我就到她的公寓參加各種午餐會，規模小巧，氣氛融洽，同時我也出席了一些更令人難招架的茶會。我和司太太兩情相悅。當時我很年輕，或許她心生善念，想要引導我這個少不更事的毛頭小夥子，一步步走上文學這條坎坷之路；對我而言，遇到麻煩瑣事可以找人訴說一番，何嚐不是件樂事，她一定會全神貫注地聽我講述，而且還會給我提一些合理建議。司太太天生富有同情心。這本是一種誘人的才幹，但卻往往被人濫用，而濫用之人明知自己擁有這種才幹。他們迫不及待地撲向朋友所遭受的噩運，以便施展自己的絕技妙招，這種急切心情中難免有些令人毛骨悚然的東西。這就好比一口汩汩噴湧的油井，毫無節製地拋灑同情心，反而有時會令受害者感到尷尬難堪。別人胸前已經是淚灑衣衫，我怎好意思用自己的眼淚再把人家的衣衫濕透？司太太把自己的特長發揮得老練自如，你會感覺為了討她歡心，心甘情願接受她的同情。我仗著年輕人的熱情衝動，曾向沃玫瑰就這件事發表過我的看法，她說道： “牛奶固然好喝，尤其加上一滴白蘭地酒味道更佳。但奶牛巴不得趕快將身上的牛奶甩掉。奶頭腫脹會讓奶牛很不爽快。” |
| Rose Waterford had a blistering tongue. No one could say such bitter things; on the other hand, no one could do more charming ones. There was another thing I liked in Mrs. Strickland. She managed her surroundings with elegance. Her flat was always neat and cheerful, gay with flowers, and the chintzes in the drawing-room, notwithstanding their severe design, were bright and pretty. The meals in the artistic little dining-room were pleasant; the table looked nice, the two maids were trim and comely; the food was well cooked. It was impossible not to see that Mrs. Strickland was an excellent housekeeper. And you felt sure that she was an admirable mother. There were photographs in the drawing-room of her son and daughter. The son—his name was Robert—was a boy of sixteen at Rugby; and you saw him in flannels and a cricket cap, and again in a tail-coat and a stand-up collar. He had his mother's candid brow and fine, reflective eyes. He looked clean, healthy, and normal. | 沃玫瑰言辭激烈，舌不饒人。這種刻薄的話語，除了她誰也說不出口；另一方麵，誰也沒有她能把各種事情做得令人心醉神迷。 我喜歡司太太還因為另外一件事。她把她的家居環境經營得優雅別致。屋子總是收拾得整齊利落，室內擺放著各種花卉，令人感到賞心悅目。客廳裏的印花布窗簾雖然圖案樸素，可色彩鮮豔，漂亮大方。餐廳小巧玲瓏，頗有藝術氣息，在此用餐會令人胃口大開；餐桌款式精美，兩位女仆端莊秀氣；飯菜烹調得美味可口。誰都看得出，司太太是位百裏挑一的優秀家庭主婦。你不會懷疑她同時也是一位令人欽佩的母親。客廳裏擺放著一雙兒女的照片。兒子名叫若伯——十六歲，在若格貝學校讀書；照片中的他穿著一套法蘭絨衣服，頭戴板球帽，另一張照片中他穿的是燕尾服，係著立領。他長得隨他母親，額頭寬大，坦率誠懇，眼眸明亮，閃著光芒。他看起來幹淨整潔，身體健康，而且神智正常。 |
| "I don't know that he's very clever," she said one day, when I was looking at the photograph, "but I know he's good. He has a charming character." The daughter was fourteen. Her hair, thick and dark like her mother's, fell over her shoulders in fine profusion, and she had the same kindly expression and sedate, untroubled eyes. "They're both of them the image of you," I said. "Yes; I think they are more like me than their father." "Why have you never let me meet him?" I asked. "Would you like to?" She smiled, her smile was really very sweet, and she blushed a little; it was singular that a woman of that age should flush so readily. Perhaps her naivete was her greatest charm. "You know, he's not at all literary," she said. "He's a perfect philistine." She said this not disparagingly, but affectionately rather, as though, by acknowledging the worst about him, she wished to protect him from the aspersions of her friends. "He's on the Stock Exchange, and he's a typical broker. I think he'd bore you to death." "Does he bore you?" I asked. "You see, I happen to be his wife. I'm very fond of him." She smiled to cover her shyness, and I fancied she had a fear that I would make the sort of gibe that such a confession could hardly have failed to elicit from Rose Waterford. She hesitated a little. Her eyes grew tender. "He doesn't pretend to be a genius. He doesn't even make much money on the Stock Exchange. But he's awfully good and kind." "I think I should like him very much." "I'll ask you to dine with us quietly some time, but mind, you come at your own risk; don't blame me if you have a very dull evening." | “我想我兒子不算很聰明，”有一天我正在司太太家看著照片時，她說道，“但我知道他心地善良，性格討人喜歡。” 她女兒十四歲，頭發和母親的一樣，又密又黑，滿頭秀發垂到雙肩。麵相和善可親，一雙眸子安靜端莊、無憂無慮，簡直和她母親從同一個模子中刻出來一般。 “他倆長得都像你，”我說道。 “是啊，和他倆的父親相比，他倆更像我。” “你為啥一直不讓我見你丈夫？” “你願意見他嗎？” 她笑了，她笑起來真地很甜，隻見她麵帶嬌羞，臉上泛起一絲紅暈；這個年紀的婦人如此容易臉紅，這實屬罕見。也許天真質樸正是她最大的魅力。 “我跟你說，他一點都不通文墨，”她說道，“他就是個不折不扣的小市民。” 她用這樣的口吻形容自己的丈夫，一點看不出有貶低的意思，相反倒是顯出體貼疼愛之意，好像承認了自己丈夫的最糟之處，就可以保護他，以免受到她的朋友們諷刺挖苦。 “他在倫敦股票交易所工作，是個標準的經紀人。我想你一定會覺得他無聊透頂。” “你會覺得他無聊嗎？” “你聽我給你說，我恰好嫁給了他，我鍾愛他。” 她麵帶微笑，以便掩飾自己的羞澀表情。我想象著她害怕我會說句奚落她的話，要是把我換成沃玫瑰，這種大實話很難不從她嘴裏說出來。她猶豫了一下，兩眼開始變得更柔情似水了。 “他不會裝模作樣說自己是個天才。他甚至在股票交易所沒賺多少錢。但他心地非常善良。” “我想我應該非常喜歡他。” “改天沒其他客人時，我悄悄請你和我們共進晚餐。但我得把話先撂這兒，你願意冒這個險你就來，到了那天晚上，你來赴約，要是覺得無聊，可別怪我。” |
