Everyone talked a little louder than natural in an instinctive desire to make the party go, and there was a great deal of noise in the room. But there was no general conversation. Each one talked to his neighbour; to his neighbour on the right during the soup, fish, and entree; to his neighbour on the left during the roast, sweet, and savoury. They talked of the political situation and of golf, of their children and the latest play, of the pictures at the Royal Academy, of the weather and their plans for the holidays. There was never a pause, and the noise grew louder. Mrs. Strickland might congratulate herself that her party was a success. Her husband played his part with decorum. Perhaps he did not talk very much, and I fancied there was towards the end a look of fatigue in the faces of the women on either side of him. They were finding him too heavy. Once or twice Mrs. Strickland's eyes rested on him somewhat anxiously.
每個人都想叫宴會熱鬧一些，所以談話的嗓門都比平常高了許多，屋子里一片喧嘩。但是從來沒有大家共同談一件事的時候，每個人都在同他的鄰座談話，吃湯、魚和小菜的當兒同右邊的人談，吃烤肉、甜食和開胃小吃的當兒同左邊的人談。他們談政治形勢，談高爾夫球，談孩子和新上演的戲，談皇家藝術(shù)學院展出的繪畫，談天氣，談度假的計劃。談話一刻也沒有中斷過，聲音也越來越響。思特里克蘭德太太的宴會非常成功，她可以感到慶幸。她的丈夫舉止非常得體。也許他沒有談很多話，我覺得飯快吃完的時候，坐在他兩邊的女客臉容都有些疲憊。她們肯定認為很難同他談什么。有一兩次思特里克蘭德太太的目光帶著些焦慮地落在他身上。
At last she rose and shepherded the ladies out of one room. Strickland shut the door behind her, and, moving to the other end of the table, took his place between the K.C. and the Government official. He passed round the port again and handed us cigars. The K.C. remarked on the excellence of the wine, and Strickland told us where he got it. We began to chat about vintages and tobacco. The K.C. told us of a case he was engaged in, and the Colonel talked about polo. I had nothing to say and so sat silent, trying politely to show interest in the conversation; and because I thought no one was in the least concerned with me, examined Strickland at my ease. He was bigger than I expected: I do not know why I had imagined him slender and of insignificant appearance; in point of fact he was broad and heavy, with large hands and feet, and he wore his evening clothes clumsily. He gave you somewhat the idea of a coachman dressed up for the occasion. He was a man of forty, not good-looking, and yet not ugly, for his features were rather good; but they were all a little larger than life-size, and the effect was ungainly. He was clean shaven, and his large face looked uncomfortably naked. His hair was reddish, cut very short, and his eyes were small, blue or grey. He looked commonplace. I no longer wondered that Mrs. Strickland felt a certain embarrassment about him; he was scarcely a credit to a woman who wanted to make herself a position in the world of art and letters. It was obvious that he had no social gifts, but these a man can do without; he had no eccentricity even, to take him out of the common run; he was just a good, dull, honest, plain man. One would admire his excellent qualities, but avoid his company. He was null. He was probably a worthy member of society, a good husband and father, an honest broker; but there was no reason to waste one's time over him.
最后，她站起來，帶著一群女客離開屋子。在她們走出去以后，思特里克蘭德把門關(guān)上，走到桌子的另一頭，在皇家法律顧問和那位政府官員中間坐下來。他又一次把紅葡萄酒傳過來，給客人遞雪茄。皇家法律顧問稱贊酒很好，思特里克蘭德告訴我們他是從什么地方買來的。我們開始談論起釀酒同煙草來。皇家法律顧問給大家說了他正在審理的一個案件，上校談起打馬球的事。我沒有什么事好說，所以只是坐在那里，裝作很有禮貌地津津有味地聽著別人談話的樣子。因為我知道這些人誰都和我無關(guān)，所以就從從容容地仔細打量起思特里克蘭德來。他比我想象中的要高大一些；我不知道為什么我以前會認為他比較纖弱，貌不出眾。實際上他生得魁梧壯實，大手大腳，晚禮服穿在身上有些笨拙，給人的印象多少同一個裝扮起來參加宴會的馬車夫差不多。他年紀約四十歲，相貌談不上漂亮，但也不難看，因為他的五官都很端正，只不過都比一般人大了一號，所以顯得有些粗笨。他的胡須刮得很干凈，一張大臉光禿禿的讓人看著很不舒服。他的頭發(fā)顏色發(fā)紅，剪得很短，眼睛比較小，是藍色或者灰色的。他的相貌很平凡。我不再奇怪為什么思特里克蘭德太太談起他來總是有些不好意思了；對于一個想在文學藝術(shù)界取得一個位置的女人來說，他是很難給她增加光彩的。很清楚，他一點兒也沒有社交的本領(lǐng)，但這也不一定人人都要有的。他甚至沒有什么奇行怪癖，使他免于平凡庸俗之嫌。他只不過是一個忠厚老實、索然無味的普通人。一個人可以欽佩他的為人，卻不愿意同他待在一起。他是一個毫不引人注意的人。他可能是一個令人起敬的社會成員，一個誠實的經(jīng)紀人，一個恪盡職責的丈夫和父親，但是在他身上你沒有任何必要浪費時間。
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