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It was odd to have summoned him in that way, and then forgotten him; but Archer felt more curious than mortified. The atmosphere of the room was so different from any he had ever breathed that self-consciousness vanished in the sense of adventure. He had been before in drawing-rooms hung with red damask, with pictures "of the Italian school"; what struck him was the way in which Medora Manson's shabby hired house, with its blighted background of pampas grass and Rogers statuettes, had, by a turn of the hand, and the skilful use of a few properties, been transformed into something intimate, "foreign," subtly suggestive of old romantic scenes and sentiments. He tried to analyse the trick, to find a clue to it in the way the chairs and tables were grouped, in the fact that only two Jacqueminot roses (of which nobody ever bought less than a dozen) had been placed in the slender vase at his elbow, and in the vague pervading perfume that was not what one put on handkerchiefs, but rather like the scent of some far-off bazaar, a smell made up of Turkish coffee and ambergris and dried roses.
她那樣子召他前來，然后又把他忘掉，真是好生奇怪。但阿切爾的好奇心卻超過了窘迫。屋子里的氣氛是他從未經驗過的，這種差異非常之大，以致他的局促不安已為歷險的意識所取代。他以前也曾進過掛著紅錦緞和“意大利派”繪畫的客廳；使他深受觸動的是，梅多拉·曼森租住的這個以蒲葦和羅杰斯小雕像為背景的寒愴住宅，通過巧用幾件道具，轉手之間竟改造成一個具有“異國”風味的親切場所，令人聯想起古老的浪漫情調與場面。他想分析其中的竅門，找到它的線索—— 從桌椅布置的方式中，從身邊雅致的花瓶只放了兩支紅玫瑰的事實中（而任何人一次購買都不少于一打），從隱約彌漫的香氣中——不是人們撒到手帕上的那一種，而更像從遙遠的集市上飄來的，由土耳其咖啡、龍涎香和于玫瑰花配成的那種香味。
His mind wandered away to the question of what May's drawing-room would look like. He knew that Mr. Welland, who was behaving "very handsomely," already had his eye on a newly built house in East Thirty-ninth Street. The neighbourhood was thought remote, and the house was built in a ghastly greenish- yellow stone that the younger architects were beginning to employ as a protest against the brownstone of which the uniform hue coated New York like a cold chocolate sauce; but the plumbing was perfect. Archer would have liked to travel, to put off the housing question; but, though the Wellands approved of an extended European honeymoon (perhaps even a winter in Egypt), they were firm as to the need of a house for the returning couple. The young man felt that his fate was sealed: for the rest of his life he would go up every evening between the cast-iron railings of that greenish- yellow doorstep, and pass through a Pompeian vestibule into a hall with a wainscoting of varnished yellow wood. But beyond that his imagination could not travel. He knew the drawing-room above had a bay window, but he could not fancy how May would deal with it. She submitted cheerfully to the purple satin and yellow tuftings of the Welland drawing-room, to its sham Buhl tables and gilt vitrines full of modern Saxe. He saw no reason to suppose that she would want anything different in her own house; and his only comfort was to reflect that she would probably let him arrange his library as he pleased--which would be, of course, with "sincere" Eastlake furniture, and the plain new bookcases without glass doors.
他的心思又轉到梅的客廳上。她的客廳將會是什么樣子呢？他知道韋蘭先生表現“十分慷慨”，已經盯上了東39街一所新建住宅。據說，那個街區很僻靜，房子是用灰蒙蒙的黃綠色石頭建的，這種色調是年輕一代的建筑師剛開始啟用的，用以對抗像冷巧克力醬一般覆蓋著紐約的清一色的棕石，但房子的管道卻十分完備。按阿切爾的心愿，他喜歡先去旅行，住宅的問題以后再考慮。然而，盡管韋蘭夫婦同意延長去歐洲度蜜月的時間（也許還可到埃及呆一個冬天），但對于小夫妻回來后需要一所住宅的問題堅定不移。年輕人覺得自己的命運像加了封印似的已成定局：在他的余生中，每天晚上都要走過那個黃綠色門階兩旁的鑄鐵護欄，穿過龐貝城式的回廊，進入帶上光黃木護壁的門廳。除此之外，他的想像力就無從馳騁了。他知道樓上的客廳有一個凸窗，可他想不出梅會怎樣處理它。她高高興興地容忍韋蘭家客廳里的紫緞子與黃栽絨，以及里面的贗品鑲木桌與時新的薩克森藍鍍金玻璃框。他找不出任何理由推測她會要求自己的住宅有任何不同；惟一的安慰是她很可能讓他按自己的愛好布置他的書房——那里面當然要擺放“純正的”東湖牌家具，還有不帶玻璃門的單色新書櫥。
The round-bosomed maid came in, drew the curtains, pushed back a log, and said consolingly: "Verra--verra." When she had gone Archer stood up and began to wander about. Should he wait any longer? His position was becoming rather foolish. Perhaps he had misunderstood Madame Olenska--perhaps she had not invited him after all.
胸部豐滿的女傭進來了，她拉上窗簾，往火爐里捅進一塊木柴，并安慰地說：“維拉——維拉。”她離開之后，阿切爾站了起來，開始來回踱步。他還要再等下去嗎？他的處境變得相當可笑，也許他當時誤解了奧蘭斯卡夫人的意思——也許她根本就沒有邀請他。
Down the cobblestones of the quiet street came the ring of a stepper's hoofs; they stopped before the house, and he caught the opening of a carriage door. Parting the curtains he looked out into the early dusk. A street- lamp faced him, and in its light he saw Julius Beaufort's compact English brougham, drawn by a big roan, and the banker descending from it, and helping out Madame Olenska.
從靜悄悄的街道上傳來卵石路面上迅跑的馬蹄聲。馬車在房子前面停了下來，他瞥見馬車的門打開了。他分開窗簾，朝外面初降的薄暮中望去，對面是一盞街燈，燈光下他見朱利葉斯·博福特小巧的英式四輪馬車由一匹高大的花馬拉著，那位銀行家正攙扶著奧蘭斯卡夫人下車。
Beaufort stood, hat in hand, saying something which his companion seemed to negative; then they shook hands, and he jumped into his carriage while she mounted the steps.
博福特站住了，手里拿著帽子說著什么，似乎被他的同伴否決了。接著，他們握了握手，他跳進馬車，她走上門階。
When she entered the room she showed no surprise at seeing Archer there; surprise seemed the emotion that she was least addicted to.
她進了客廳，見到阿切爾一點兒也沒表現出驚訝；驚訝似乎是她最不喜歡的感情。
