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Chapter 4
第四章
No one was kinder to me at that time than Rose Waterford. She combined a masculine intelligence with a feminine perversity, and the novels she wrote were original and disconcerting. It was at her house one day that I met Charles Strickland's wife. Miss Waterford was giving a tea-party, and her small room was more than usually full. Everyone seemed to be talking, and I, sitting in silence, felt awkward; but I was too shy to break into any of the groups that seemed absorbed in their own affairs. Miss Waterford was a good hostess, and seeing my embarrassment came up to me.
在那些日子里，再沒有誰象柔斯·瓦特爾芙德那樣關(guān)心照拂我了。她既有男性的才智又有女人的怪脾氣。她寫的小說很有特色，讀起來叫你心緒不能平靜。正是在她家里，有一天我見到了查理斯·思特里克蘭德太太。那一天瓦特爾芙德小姐舉行了一次茶話會，在她的一間小屋子里，客人比往常來得還多。每個人好象都在和別人交談，只有我一個人靜靜地坐在那里，感到很窘；既然客人們都在三三兩兩地談他們自己的事，我就很不好意思擠進(jìn)哪個人堆里去了。瓦特爾芙德小姐是個很體貼的女主人，她注意到我有些尷尬，便走到我身邊來。
"I want you to talk to Mrs. Strickland," she said. "She's raving about your book."
“我想讓你去同思特里克蘭德太太談一談，”她說，“她對你的書崇拜得了不得。”
"What does she do?" I asked.
“她是干什么的？”我問。
I was conscious of my ignorance, and if Mrs. Strickland was a well-known writer I thought it as well to ascertain the fact before I spoke to her.
我知道自己孤陋寡聞，如果思特里克蘭德是一位名作家，我在同她談話以前最好還是把情況弄清楚。
Rose Waterford cast down her eyes demurely to give greater effect to her reply.
為了使自己的答話給我更深的印象，瓦特爾芙德故意把眼皮一低，做出一副一本正經(jīng)的樣子。
"She gives luncheon-parties. You've only got to roar a little, and she'll ask you."
“她專門招待人吃午餐。你只要別那么靦腆，多吹噓自己幾句，她準(zhǔn)會請你吃飯的。”
Rose Waterford was a cynic. She looked upon life as an opportunity for writing novels and the public as her raw material. Now and then she invited members of it to her house if they showed an appreciation of her talent and entertained with proper lavishness. She held their weakness for lions in good-humoured contempt, but played to them her part of the distinguished woman of letters with decorum.
柔斯·瓦特爾芙德處世采取的是一種玩世不恭的態(tài)度。她把生活看作是給她寫小說的一個機(jī)會，把世人當(dāng)作她作品的素材。如果讀者中有誰對她的才能非常賞識而且慷慨地宴請過她，她有時也會請他們到自己家招待一番。這些人對作家的崇拜熱讓她感到又好笑又鄙夷，但是她卻同他們周旋應(yīng)酬，十足表現(xiàn)出一個有名望的女文學(xué)家的風(fēng)度。
I was led up to Mrs. Strickland, and for ten minutes we talked together. I noticed nothing about her except that she had a pleasant voice. She had a flat in Westminster, overlooking the unfinished cathedral, and because we lived in the same neighbourhood we felt friendly disposed to one another. The Army and Navy Stores are a bond of union between all who dwell between the river and St. James's Park. Mrs. Strickland asked me for my address, and a few days later I received an invitation to luncheon.
我被帶到思特里克蘭德太太面前，同她談了十來分鐘的話。除了她的聲音很悅耳外，我沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)她有什么特別的地方。她在威斯敏斯特區(qū)有一套房子，正對著沒有完工的大教堂。因?yàn)槲乙沧≡谀且粠В覀儍扇司陀X得親近了一層。對于所有那些住在泰晤士河同圣杰姆斯公園之間的人來說，陸海軍商店好象是一個把他們聯(lián)結(jié)起來的紐帶。思特里克蘭德太太要了我的住址，又過了幾天我收到她一張請吃午飯的請柬。
