評論
打印
Do you mean to say you didn't leave your wife for another woman?
“你是說你不是因為另外一個女人才離開你妻子？”
Of course not.
“當然不是。”
On your word of honour?
“你敢發誓？”
I don't know why I asked for that. It was very ingenuous of me.
我不知道為什么我這樣要求他。我問這句話完全沒有動腦子。
On my word of honour.
“我發誓。”
Then, what in God's name have you left her for?
“那么你到底是為什么離開她的？”
I want to paint.
“我要畫畫兒。”
I looked at him for quite a long time. I did not understand. I thought he was mad. It must be remembered that I was very young, and I looked upon him as a middle-aged man. I forgot everything but my own amazement.
我半天半天目不轉睛地盯著他。我一點兒也不理解。我想這個人準是瘋了。讀者應該記住，我那時還很年輕，我把他看做是一個中年人。我除了感到自己的驚詫外什么都不記得了。
But you're forty.
“可是你已經四十了。”
That's what made me think it was high time to begin.
“正是因為這個我才想，如果現在再不開始就太晚了。”
Have you ever painted?
“你過去畫過畫兒嗎？”
I rather wanted to be a painter when I was a boy, but my father made me go into business because he said there was no money in art. I began to paint a bit a year ago. For the last year I've been going to some classes at night.
“我小的時候很想作個畫家，可是我父親叫我去作生意，因為他認為學藝術賺不了錢。一年以前我開始畫了點兒畫。去年我一直在夜校上課。”
Was that where you went when Mrs. Strickland thought you were playing bridge at your club?
“思特里克蘭德太太以為你在俱樂部玩橋牌的時間你都是去上課嗎？”
That's it.
“對了。”
Why didn't you tell her?
“你為什么不告訴她？”
I preferred to keep it to myself.
“我覺得還是別讓她知道好。”
Can you paint?
“你能夠畫了嗎？”
Not yet. But I shall. That's why I've come over here. I couldn't get what I wanted in London. Perhaps I can here.
“還不成。但是我將來能夠學會的。正是為了這個我才到巴黎來。在倫敦我得不到我要求的東西。也許在這里我會得到的。”
Do you think it's likely that a man will do any good when he starts at your age? Most men begin painting at eighteen.
“你認為象你這樣年紀的人開始學畫還能夠學得好嗎？大多數人都是十八歲開始學。”
I can learn quicker than I could when I was eighteen.
“如果我十八歲學，會比現在學得快一些。”
What makes you think you have any talent?
“你怎么會認為自己還有一些繪畫的才能？”
He did not answer for a minute. His gaze rested on the passing throng, but I do not think he saw it. His answer was no answer.
他并沒有馬上回答我的問題。他的目光停在過往的人群上，但是我認為他什么也沒有看見。最后他回答我的話根本算不上是回答。
I've got to paint.
“我必須畫畫兒。”
Aren't you taking an awful chance?
“你這樣做是不是完全在碰運氣？”
He looked at me. His eyes had something strange in them, so that I felt rather uncomfortable.
這時他把目光轉到我身上。他的眼睛里有一種奇怪的神情，叫我覺得不太舒服。
How old are you? Twenty-three?
“你多大年紀？二十三歲？”
It seemed to me that the question was beside the point. It was natural that I should take chances; but he was a man whose youth was past, a stockbroker with a position of respectability, a wife and two children. A course that would have been natural for me was absurd for him. I wished to be quite fair.
我覺得他提這個問題與我們談的事毫不相干。如果我想碰碰運氣做一件什么事的話，這是極其自然的事；但是他的青年時代早已過去了，他是一個有身份有地位的證券經紀人，家里有一個老婆、兩個孩子。對我說來是自然的道路在他那里就成為荒謬悻理的了。但是我還是想盡量對他公道一些。
