双语·面纱 第九章

9

She had known him but a little while and had never taken much notice of him. She had no idea when or where they had first met till after their engagement he told her that it was at a dance to which some friends had brought him. She certainly paid no attention to him then and if she danced with him it was because she was good-natured and was glad to dance with any one who asked her. She didn't know him from Adam when a day or two later at another dance he came up and spoke to her. Then she remarked that he was at every dance she went to.

“You know, I've danced with you at least a dozen times now and you must tell me your name,” she said to him at last in her laughing way.

He was obviously taken aback.

“Do you mean to say you don't know it? I was introduced to you.”

“Oh, but people always mumble. I shouldn't be at all surprised if you hadn't the ghost of an idea what mine was.”

He smiled at her. His face was grave and a trifle stern, but his smile was very sweet.

“Of course I know it.” He was silent for a moment or two. “Have you no curiosity?” he asked then.

“As much as most women.”

“It didn't occur to you to ask somebody or other what my name was?”

She was faintly amused; she wondered why he thought it could in the least interest her; but she liked to please, so she looked at him with that dazzling smile of hers and her beautiful eyes, dewy ponds under forest trees, held an enchanting kindness.

“Well, what is it?”

“Walter Fane.”

She did not know why he came to dances, he did not dance very well, and he seemed to know few people. She had a passing thought that he was in love with her; but she dismissed it with a shrug of the shoulders: she had known girls who thought every man they met was in love with them and had always found them absurd. But she gave Walter Fane just a little more of her attention. He certainly did not behave like any of the other youths who had been in love with her. Most of them told her so frankly and wanted to kiss her: a good many did. But Walter Fane never talked of her and very little of himself. He was rather silent; she did not mind that because she had plenty to say and it pleased her to see him laugh when she made a facetious remark; but when he talked it was not stupidly. He was evidently shy. It appeared that he lived in the East and was home on leave.

One Sunday afternoon he appeared at their house in South Kensington. There were a dozen people there, and he sat for some time, somewhat ill at ease, and then went away. Her mother asked her later who he was.

“I haven't a notion. Did you ask him to come here?”

“Yes, I met him at the Baddeleys. He said he'd seen you at various dances. I said I was always at home on Sundays.”

“His name is Fane and he's got some sort of job in the East.”

“Yes, he's a doctor. Is he in love with you?”

“Upon my word, I don't know.”

“I should have thought you knew by now when a young man was in love with you.”

“I wouldn't marry him if he were,” said Kitty lightly.

Mrs. Garstin did not answer. Her silence was heavy with displeasure. Kitty flushed: she knew that her mother did not care now whom she married so long as somehow she got her off her hands.

第九章

她结识他已经有一段时间了，但从未过多地留意过他。她不记得什么时候，在什么地方两个人第一次相见，直到订婚后，他告诉她是在一次舞会上，他的一些朋友带他一起去的。她当然不会注意到他什么，如果她和他跳了一支舞，那仅仅是因为她的脾气好，很高兴和任何一个邀请她的人跳舞。可以说她根本不认识他。一两天以后，在另一场舞会上，他主动上前来搭话。然后，她意识到，她参加的每场舞会他都在场。

“你瞧，我已经至少和你跳了十几次舞了，你得告诉我你的名字了。”终于，她笑着对他说道。

他显然有点儿吃惊。

“你的意思是你还不知道我的名字？以前别人把我介绍给你过呀。”

“哦，但是人们在介绍时总是不那么清楚，假如你对我的名字也完全不知道，我一点儿也不感到奇怪。”

他向她微笑着，他的表情略显严肃，甚至有点儿冷峻，但他的笑容还是很温柔可亲的。

“我当然知道你的芳名。”他停顿了一小会儿，“你不觉得好奇吗？”他接下来又问道。

“像大多数的女人一样好奇。”

“你没有想过去问问别的什么人我的名字吗？”

她暗自觉得好笑，想知道凭什么他以为她会对他的尊姓大名感兴趣。但是，她还是乐意取悦别人的，所以她带着迷人的微笑用一双美目望着他，她的眼睛好似森林里露珠汇成的一潭池水，有着妩媚的亲切。

“那么，你叫什么名字？”

“沃尔特·费恩。”

她不知道他来舞会的原因，他的舞跳得不怎么好，而且似乎他也不认识舞会上的什么人。她曾闪过这样的念头，他一定是爱上她了，但很快她又打消了这个想法，耸了耸肩，她认识太多这样的女孩子了，以为她们遇到的每一个男人都会爱上自己，可是到头来总是发现自己的想法是那么荒诞可笑。可是，她还是开始越来越关注沃尔特了。当然，他的行为举止并不像爱上她的其他年轻人那样，那些年轻人大多数都直截了当地向她表白，而且都想亲吻她，也确实很多人这样做了。但是，沃尔特绝口不谈论她，也几乎不谈他自己，他相当安静。她并不介意，因为她总能滔滔不绝地说，而且当她看到她说的笑话逗得他哈哈大笑时，她自己也很开心。然而，他开口说话时，也并不愚蠢，只是很明显有些羞涩。似乎他住在东方某地，现在正在家里休假。

一个星期天的下午，他来到了凯蒂南肯辛顿的家中。家里已经有了十多个客人了，他坐了一会儿，显得有些局促不安，然后就起身离开了。凯蒂的母亲后来问起她那个人是谁。

“我也不是太清楚，是你邀请他来的吗？”

“是的，我在巴德利家遇见他的，他说在好几个舞会上见到过你，我说我每个星期天都会在家，欢迎他来。”

“他姓费恩，好像在东方有份工作。”

“没错，他是位医生，他爱上你了吗？”

“我发誓，我真的不知道。”

“当一个年轻人爱上你时，我觉得你是应该知道的。”

“就是他爱上了我，我也不会嫁给他的。”凯蒂轻描淡写地说道。

贾斯汀太太没有接话茬儿，她的一言不发就表明她很不高兴。凯蒂的脸唰地红了，她知道母亲现在并不在乎她嫁给谁了，只想让她赶紧嫁人。