評論
打印
They began, obliquely, by talking about Mrs. Lemuel Struthers.
他們轉(zhuǎn)彎抹角地從勒姆爾·斯特拉瑟斯太太開始談起。
"It's a pity the Beauforts asked her," Mrs. Archer said gently. "But then Regina always does what he tells her; and BEAUFORT--"
“遺憾的是博福特夫婦還請了她，”阿切爾太太態(tài)度溫和地說。“不過話又說回來了，里吉納總是照他的吩咐辦事，而博福特——”
"Certain nuances escape Beaufort," said Mr. Jackson, cautiously inspecting the broiled shad, and wondering for the thousandth time why Mrs. Archer's cook always burnt the roe to a cinder. (Newland, who had long shared his wonder, could always detect it in the older man's expression of melancholy disapproval.)
“博福特對細(xì)節(jié)問題常常是不加留意，”杰克遜先生說，一面仔細(xì)審視著盤里的烤河鯡。他第一千次地納悶，阿切爾太太的廚師為何老是把魚子給燒成灰渣。（紐蘭早就與他持有同樣的困惑，且總能夠從老人陰沉非難的臉色中看出這一點。）
"Oh, necessarily; Beaufort is a vulgar man," said Mrs. Archer. "My grandfather Newland always used to say to my mother: `Whatever you do, don't let that fellow Beaufort be introduced to the girls.' But at least he's had the advantage of associating with gentlemen; in England too, they say. It's all very mysterious--" She glanced at Janey and paused. She and Janey knew every fold of the Beaufort mystery, but in public Mrs. Archer continued to assume that the subject was not one for the unmarried.
“嗯，那是自然啰；博福特是個粗人嘛，”阿切爾太太說，“我外公紐蘭過去老對我母親說：‘你干什么都成，可千萬別把博福特那個家伙介紹給姑娘們。’ 可他起碼在結(jié)交紳士方面已占據(jù)了優(yōu)勢；在英國的時候據(jù)說也是如此。事情非常神秘——”她瞥了詹尼一眼，收住話頭。她與詹尼對博福特的秘密了如指掌，不過在公開場合，阿切爾太太卻繼續(xù)裝出這話題不適合未婚女子的樣子。
"But this Mrs. Struthers," Mrs. Archer continued; "what did you say SHE was, Sillerton?"
“不過那位斯特拉瑟斯太太，”阿切爾太太接著說，“你說她是干什么的，西勒頓？”
"Out of a mine: or rather out of the saloon at the head of the pit. Then with Living Wax-Works, touring New England. After the police broke THAT up, they say she lived--" Mr. Jackson in his turn glanced at Janey, whose eyes began to bulge from under her prominent lids. There were still hiatuses for her in Mrs. Struthers's past.
“她來自礦區(qū)：或者不如說來自礦井口上一個酒館。后來跟隨‘活蠟像’劇團在新英格蘭巡回演出，劇團被警方解散之后，人們說她跟——”這次輪到杰克遜先生朝詹尼瞥了一眼，她的兩眼開始從突起的眼瞼底下向外膨脹。對她來說，斯特拉瑟斯太太的歷史仍有若干空白之處。
"Then," Mr. Jackson continued (and Archer saw he was wondering why no one had told the butler never to slice cucumbers with a steel knife), "then Lemuel Struthers came along. They say his advertiser used the girl's head for the shoe-polish posters; her hair's intensely black, you know--the Egyptian style. Anyhow, he-- eventually--married her." There were volumes of innuendo in the way the "eventually" was spaced, and each syllable given its due stress.
“后來，”杰克遜先生接著說（阿切爾發(fā)現(xiàn)他正納悶為什么沒有人吩咐仆人決不能用鋼刀切黃瓜），“后來勒姆爾·斯特拉瑟斯出現(xiàn)了。人們說，他的廣告商用那姑娘的頭做鞋油廣告畫，她的頭發(fā)漆黑，你知道——是埃及型的。總之他——最后終于——娶了她。”他在給“最后終于”幾個字留出的間隔中，隱含著豐富的寓意，每一個音節(jié)都作了充分的強調(diào)。
"Oh, well--at the pass we've come to nowadays, it doesn't matter," said Mrs. Archer indifferently. The ladies were not really interested in Mrs. Struthers just then; the subject of Ellen Olenska was too fresh and too absorbing to them. Indeed, Mrs. Struthers's name had been introduced by Mrs. Archer only that she might presently be able to say: "And Newland's new cousin--Countess Olenska? Was SHE at the ball too?"
“唉，可這——按我們?nèi)缃衩媾R的尷尬局面來說，也算不了什么，”阿切爾太太冷淡地說、此刻兩位女士真正感興趣的并非斯特拉瑟斯太太，因為埃倫·奧蘭斯卡的話題對她們太新鮮、太有魅力了。的確，阿切爾太太之所以提起斯特拉瑟斯太太，只不過為了可以十分便當(dāng)?shù)卣f：“還有紐蘭那位新表姐——奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人？她也在舞會上嗎？”
