評(píng)論
打印
How this miracle of fire and ice was to be created, and to sustain itself in a harsh world, he had never taken the time to think out; but he was content to hold his view without analysing it, since he knew it was that of all the carefully-brushed, white-waistcoated, button- hole-flowered gentlemen who succeeded each other in the club box, exchanged friendly greetings with him, and turned their opera-glasses critically on the circle of ladies who were the product of the system. In matters intellectual and artistic Newland Archer felt himself distinctly the superior of these chosen specimens of old New York gentility; he had probably read more, thought more, and even seen a good deal more of the world, than any other man of the number. Singly they betrayed their inferiority; but grouped together they represented "New York," and the habit of masculine solidarity made him accept their doctrine on all the issues called moral. He instinctively felt that in this respect it would be troublesome--and also rather bad form--to strike out for himself.
至于如何創(chuàng)造出這火與冰的奇跡，又如何在一個(gè)冷酷的世界上支撐下去，他可是從來(lái)沒(méi)有花時(shí)間想過(guò)；他只是滿足于不加分析地堅(jiān)持自己的觀點(diǎn)，因?yàn)樗肋@也是所有那些精心梳了頭發(fā)。穿白背心、扣洞里別鮮花的紳士們的觀點(diǎn)。他們一個(gè)接一個(gè)地進(jìn)入俱樂(lè)部包廂，友好地和他打招呼，然后帶著批評(píng)的眼光把望遠(yuǎn)鏡對(duì)準(zhǔn)了作為這個(gè)制度產(chǎn)物的女士們。在智力與藝術(shù)方面，紐蘭·阿切爾覺(jué)得自己比老紐約上流階層這些精選的標(biāo)本明顯要高一籌：他比這幫人中任何一位大概都讀得多、思考得多，并且也見(jiàn)識(shí)得多。單獨(dú)來(lái)看，他們都處于劣勢(shì)，但湊在一起，他們卻代表著“紐約”，而男性團(tuán)結(jié)一致的慣例使他在稱(chēng)作道德的所有問(wèn)題上都接受了他們的原則。他本能地感到，在這方面他若一個(gè)人標(biāo)新立異，肯定會(huì)引起麻煩，而且也很不得體。
"Well--upon my soul!" exclaimed Lawrence Lefferts, turning his opera-glass abruptly away from the stage. Lawrence Lefferts was, on the whole, the foremost authority on "form" in New York. He had probably devoted more time than any one else to the study of this intricate and fascinating question; but study alone could not account for his complete and easy competence. One had only to look at him, from the slant of his bald forehead and the curve of his beautiful fair moustache to the long patent-leather feet at the other end of his lean and elegant person, to feel that the knowledge of "form" must be congenital in any one who knew how to wear such good clothes so carelessly and carry such height with so much lounging grace. As a young admirer had once said of him: "If anybody can tell a fellow just when to wear a black tie with evening clothes and when not to, it's Larry Lefferts." And on the question of pumps versus patent-leather "Oxfords" his authority had never been disputed.
“哎喲——我的天！”勞倫斯·萊弗茨喊道，突然把他的小望遠(yuǎn)鏡從舞臺(tái)的方向移開(kāi)。就總體而言，勞倫斯·萊弗茨在“舉止”問(wèn)題上是紐約的最高權(quán)威。他研究這個(gè)復(fù)雜而誘人的問(wèn)題花費(fèi)的時(shí)間大概比任何人都多。單只研究還不能說(shuō)明他駕輕就熟的全才，人們只需看他一眼——從光禿禿的前額斜面與好看的金黃胡髭的曲線，到那瘦削優(yōu)雅的身體另一端穿漆皮鞋的長(zhǎng)腳——便會(huì)覺(jué)得，一個(gè)知道如何隨便地穿著如此貴重的衣服并保持極度閑適優(yōu)雅的人，在“舉止”方面的學(xué)識(shí)一定是出自天賦。正如一位年輕崇拜者有一次談起他時(shí)所說(shuō)的：“假如有誰(shuí)能告訴你什么時(shí)間打黑領(lǐng)帶配夜禮服恰到好處，什么時(shí)候不行，那么，這個(gè)人就是勞倫斯·萊弗茨。” 至于網(wǎng)球鞋與漆皮“牛津”鞋孰優(yōu)孰劣的問(wèn)題，他的權(quán)威從未有人提出過(guò)懷疑。
“我的上帝！”他說(shuō)，接著默默地將望遠(yuǎn)鏡遞給了老西勒頓·杰克遜。
Newland Archer, following Lefferts's glance, saw with surprise that his exclamation had been occasioned by the entry of a new figure into old Mrs. Mingott's box. It was that of a slim young woman, a little less tall than May Welland, with brown hair growing in close curls about her temples and held in place by a narrow band of diamonds. The suggestion of this headdress, which gave her what was then called a "Josephine look," was carried out in the cut of the dark blue velvet gown rather theatrically caught up under her bosom by a girdle with a large old-fashioned clasp. The wearer of this unusual dress, who seemed quite unconscious of the attention it was attracting, stood a moment in the centre of the box, discussing with Mrs. Welland the propriety of taking the latter's place in the front right- hand corner; then she yielded with a slight smile, and seated herself in line with Mrs. Welland's sister-in-law, Mrs. Lovell Mingott, who was installed in the opposite corner.
紐蘭·阿切爾隨著萊弗茨的目光望去，驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)他的感嘆是因?yàn)橐粋€(gè)陌生的身影進(jìn)入明戈特太太的包廂而引起的。那是位身材苗條的年輕女子，比梅·韋蘭略矮一點(diǎn)，棕色的頭發(fā)在鬢角處變成濃密的發(fā)鬈，用一條鉆石窄帶固定住。這種發(fā)型使她具有一種時(shí)下稱(chēng)作“約瑟芬式”的模樣，這一聯(lián)想在她那件深藍(lán)色絲絨晚禮服的款式上得到了印證，那禮服用一條帶老式大扣子的腰帶在她胸下十分夸張地挽住。她穿著這一身奇特的衣服，十分引人注目，可她似乎一點(diǎn)兒也未發(fā)覺(jué)。她在包廂中間站了一會(huì)，與韋蘭太太討論占據(jù)她前排右面角落座位的禮節(jié)問(wèn)題，接著便莞爾聽(tīng)命，與坐在對(duì)面角落里的韋蘭太太的嫂嫂洛弗爾·明戈特太太在同一排就坐。
