双语·《刀锋》 第五章 五

CHAPTER FIVE 5
第五章 五

My little party did not go too badly. Gray and Isabel arrived first；Larry and Sophie Macdonald five minutes later.Isabel and Sophie kissed each other warmly and Isabel and Gray congratulated her on her engagement.I caught the appraising sweep of the eyes with which Isabel took in Sophie's appearance.I was shocked at it.When I saw her in that dive in the Rue de Lappe, outrageously painted, with hennaed hair, in the bright green coat, though she looked outrageous and was very drunk, there was something provocative and even basely alluring in her；but now she looked drab and, though certainly a year or two younger than Isabel, much older.She still had that gallant tilt of her head, but now, I don't know why, it was pathetic.She was letting her hair go back to its natural colour and it had the slatternly look that hair has when it has been dyed and left to grow.Except for a streak of red on her lips she had no make-up on.Her skin was rough and it had an unhealthy pallor.I remembered how vividly green her eyes had looked, but now they were pale and grey.She wore a red dress, obviously brand-new, with hat, shoes, and bag to match；I don't pretend to know anything about women's clothes, but I had a feeling that it was fussy and too elaborate for the occasion.On her breast was a piece of showy artificial jewellery such as you buy in the Rue de Rivoli.Beside Isabel, in black silk, with a string of cultured pearls round her neck and in a very smart hat, she looked cheap and dowdy.
我举办的这个小宴会还是挺不错的。格雷和伊莎贝尔先到；五分钟后，拉里和索菲·麦克唐纳也来了。伊莎贝尔和索菲亲热地互吻。之后，伊莎贝尔和格雷对她表示了祝贺，祝贺她跟拉里订婚。寒暄间，只见伊莎贝尔飞眼将索菲打量了一遍。索菲的变化叫我看了吃惊。上次在拉佩街的那家咖啡馆见到她时，她浓妆艳抹，头发染成了红色，穿一件亮色的绿上衣，神情放荡，喝得醉醺醺的，浑身上下具有一种挑逗的味儿和狐狸精的媚劲。而现在她一脸的晦气，虽然比伊莎贝尔小一两岁，样子却比伊莎贝尔老许多。她虽然仍旧将头扬得高高的，不知为什么，却叫我觉得可怜。她的头发正在恢复原色，显出染过色的头发和新长出的头发杂在一起的那种邋遢相。除了嘴唇上涂了些口红之外，她什么脂粉都没有搽。她皮肤粗糙，呈现出不健康的苍白色。记得她的眼珠是鲜亮的绿色，而现在却变得暗淡无光了。她穿一件红衣服，簇新簇新的，还配了同色的帽子、鞋子和手提包。对于女装，我不能说自己是个内行，但我总觉得她的这套行头过于招摇和刺眼，不适合今天的聚会。她胸前戴了一件很俗丽的人造宝石首饰，就是里沃利街卖的那种大路货。伊莎贝尔一身黑绸衣，颈上挂一串人工养殖的珍珠，头戴一顶很漂亮的帽子，把她比得廉价和庸俗。

I ordered cocktails, but Larry and Sophie refused them. Then Elliott arrived.His progress through the vast foyer was, however, impeded by the hands he had to shake and the hands he had to kiss as he saw one person after the other whom he knew.He behaved as though the Ritz were his private house and he were assuring his guests of his pleasure that they had been able to accept his invitation.He had been told nothing about Sophie except she had lost her husband and child in a motor accident and was now going to marry Larry.When at last he reached us he congratulated them both with the elaborate graciousness of which he was a master.We went in to the dining-room and since we were four men and two women I placed Isabel and Sophie opposite one another at the round table, with Sophie between Gray and myself；but the table was small enough for the conversation to be general.I had already ordered the luncheon and the wine waiter came along with the wine card.
我点了鸡尾酒，不过拉里和索菲都拒绝喝。后来，艾略特姗姗而至。穿过开阔的前厅时，遇见了一个个的熟人，于是他跟这位先生握握手，又在那位女士的手上吻两下，那样子就好像他是里茨饭店的东家，对光临此处的客人们表示热烈欢迎。索菲的事情，我们什么都没有告诉他，只说她丈夫和孩子在车祸中死于非命，现在要跟拉里喜结良缘。当他最终走到我们面前时，他以自己最精通的那一套礼仪对二人表示祝贺，说出的话落落大方、滴水不漏。随后，大家一道步入餐厅。我们共四男二女，于是我让伊莎贝尔和索菲面对面围圆桌而坐，我和格雷分坐在索菲的两边。桌子小，所以谁说话都可以听得清。午宴是提前订好的，专门侍奉酒水的侍者将酒单送了来。

“You don't know anything about wine, my dear fellow，”said Elliott.“Give me the wine card, Albert.”He turned over the pages.“I drink nothing but Vichy myself, but I can't bear to see people drink wine that isn't perfect.”
“你压根就不懂酒，老伙计，”艾略特说，“把酒单给我，阿尔伯特。”他一面翻着酒单，一面还说着话，“我自己只喝维奇矿泉水，但看到别人喝劣等酒，我会受不了的。”

He and Albert, the wine waiter, were old friends and after an animated discussion they decided on the wine I should give my guests. Then he turned to Sophie.
他跟侍奉酒水的侍者阿尔伯特是老朋友。二人经过激烈讨论，才把我应当请客人喝什么酒一事决定了下来。随后，他扭过头来问索菲：

“And where are you going for your honeymoon, my dear?”
“你们准备到哪儿度蜜月呀，亲爱的？”

He glanced at her dress and an almost imperceptible raising of his eyebrows showed me that he had formed an unfavourable opinion of it.
他瞧了一眼索菲的衣装，几乎不被人察觉地微微皱了皱眉头，于是我判断他对那套行头看法不佳。

“We're going to Greece.”
“我们打算到希腊去。”

“I've been trying to get there for ten years，”said Larry，“but somehow I've never been able to manage it.”
“这十年里我一直都想到那儿去一趟，”拉里说，“可由于各种原因，始终未能成行。”

“It ought to be lovely at this time of the year，”said Isabel, with a show of enthusiasm.
“这个季节去，景色一定非常迷人。”伊莎贝尔显出一副很感兴趣的样子说。

She remembered, as I remembered, that that was where Larry proposed to take her when he wanted her to marry him. It seemed to be an idée fixe with Larry to go to Greece on a honeymoon.
她和我都记得，当初拉里准备娶她为妻时，提出要带她去的地方正是希腊。对拉里而言，希腊似乎成了度蜜月的必去之地。

The conversation flowed none too easily and I should have found it a difficult row to hoe if it hadn't been for Isabel. She was on her best behaviour.Whenever silence seemed to threaten us and I racked my brain for some-thing fresh to talk about, she broke in with facile chatter.I was grateful to her.Sophie hardly spoke except when she was spoken to and then it seemed an effort to her.The spirit had gone out of her.You would have said that something had died in her and I asked myself if Larry wasn't putting her to a strain greater than she could support.If as I suspected she had doped as well as drunk, the sudden deprivation must have worn her nerves to a frazzle.Sometimes I intercepted a look between them.In his I saw tenderness and encouragement, but in hers an appeal that was pathetic.It may be that Gray with his sweetness of disposition instinctively felt what I thought I saw, for he began to tell her how Larry had cured him of the headaches that had incapacitated him and went on to say how much he had depended on him and how much he owed him.
席间的谈话进行得并不怎么容易，假如没有伊莎贝尔出面帮衬，我都觉得难以应付当时的场面了。她的表现极其值得称道。一旦冷场的风险出现时，我便绞尽脑汁想发掘出一个新话题，她则站出来捧场，谈笑风生。我对她心存感激。索菲几乎不说话，只有别人跟她讲话，她才勉强回应几句。她已经没有了精气神，似乎一颗心如死灰一般。我心想可能是拉里在改造她时，对她约束过度，令她难以支撑。我怀疑她以前不但酗酒，而且也吸毒，而今突然戒酒戒毒，定会叫她处于崩溃的边缘。有时候，只见二人你看我一眼，我望你一眼。拉里的眼神里含着温存和鼓励，索菲的眼里透露出的则是哀求，令人顿生恻隐之心。格雷天性忠厚，可能本能地觉察到了我所猜测的情况，于是就跟她聊起来，说他以前有头疼病，什么事都做不了，后来拉里治愈了他，还说他现在都离不开拉里了，对拉里感恩不尽。

“Now I'm fit as a flea，”he continued.“As soon as ever I can get a job I'm going back to work. I've got several irons in the fire and I'm hoping to land something before long.Gosh, it'll be good to be back home again.”
“如今，我的身体非常棒，”他滔滔不绝地说着，“只要有机会，我就找工作干。目前正在和几个地方接触，希望不久便会有个眉目。啊，能回国去工作，该多么叫人开心呀。”

Gray meant well, but what he had said was perhaps not very tactful if, as I supposed, Larry to cure Sophie of her aggravated alcoholism had used with her the same method of suggestion-for that to my mind was what it was-that had been successful with Gray.
格雷倒是出于好心，可是他的话也许有些不分场合。我猜想，拉里曾用暗示术（我称之为“暗示术”）医治格雷，并取得了成功，现在又用同样的方法医治索菲酗酒的顽疾，就不知是否能奏效了。

“You never have headaches now, Gray?”asked Elliott.
“你现在一点也不头疼了吗，格雷？”

“I haven't had one for three months and if I think one's coming on I take hold of my charm and I'm all right.”He fished out of his pocket the ancient coin Larry had given him.“I wouldn't sell it for a million dollars.”
“三个月都没有疼过了。万一出现头疼的苗头，我就紧紧抓住我的护身符，便能转危为安。”他说着，从口袋里掏出了那枚拉里送给他的古币，“这是宝贝，你就是给我一百万块钱我也不会卖的。”

We finished luncheon and coffee was served. The wine waiter came up and asked whether we wanted liqueurs.We all refused except Gray, who said he would have a brandy.When the bottle was brought Elliott insisted on looking at it.
饭后，咖啡端了上来。侍奉酒水的侍者走过来问我们还要不要喝点酒。我们都婉拒了，只有格雷说要一瓶白兰地。酒送来时，艾略特一定要看看是什么牌子的。

“Yes, I can recommend it. That'll do you no harm.”
“不错，我觉得不错，对你只有好处没有坏处。”

“A little glass for Monsieur?”asked the waiter.
“先生，你也来一小杯吧？”侍者问。

“Alas, it's forbidden me.”
“哎，我是不能喝的。”

Elliott told him at some length that he was having trouble with his kidneys and that his doctor would not allow him to drink alcohol.
随后，艾略特便详详细细地告诉侍者，说他的肾功能不好，医生不准他喝酒。

“A tear of zubrovka could do Monsieur no harm. It's well known to be very good for the kidneys.We have just received a consignment from Poland.”
“这儿有齐白露加酒，喝一点是不碍事的，先生。人人都知道这种酒对肾有好处。我们刚从波兰进了一批货。”

“Is that true?It's hard to get nowadays. Let me have a look at a bottle.”
“真的吗？这种酒如今是很难弄到手的。你拿一瓶来我看看。”

The wine waiter, a portly, dignified creature with a long silver chain round his neck, went away to fetch it, and Elliott explained that it was the Polish form of vodka but in every way superior.
这位侍者胖乎乎的，有点气质，颈上挂了长长的一条银项链，一听这话，转身就去拿酒了。艾略特解释说齐白露加酒是波兰的伏特加，各方面都胜似俄罗斯的伏特加。

“We used to drink it at the Radziwills when I stayed with them for the shooting. You should have seen those Polish princes putting it away；I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that they'd drink it by the tumbler without turning a hair.Good blood, of course；aristocrats to the tips of their fingers.Sophie, you must try it, and you too, Isabel.It's an experience no one can afford to miss.”
“当初住在拉齐维尔府上参加打猎时，我倒是常常喝这种酒。你们可是没见那些波兰王子们是怎样豪饮的。真的，我可一点不夸张，他们大杯大杯地喝酒，眼皮都不眨一下。那可都是些金枝玉叶呀，从头到脚都是皇族味。索菲，你一定要尝上几口。伊莎贝尔，你也一样。这种机会失不再来。”

The wine waiter brought the bottle. Larry, Sophie, and I refused to be tempted, but Isabel said she would like to try it.I was surprised, for habitually she drank very little and she had had two cocktails and two or three glasses of wine.The waiter poured out a glass of pale green liquid and Isabel sniffed it.
那位侍者把酒拿了来。拉里、索菲和我都不愿沾唇。而伊莎贝尔说她想尝几口。我感到诧异，因为她平时的酒量是很小的，刚才已经喝过两杯鸡尾酒和两三杯葡萄酒了。侍者把那淡绿色的酒液倒了一杯，伊莎贝尔接过来闻了闻。

“Oh, what a lovely smell.”
“啊，酒香扑鼻呀。”

“Hasn't it?”cried Elliott.“That's the herbs they put in it；it's they that give it its delicate taste. Just to keep you company I'll have a drop.It can't hurt me for once.”
“是不是？”艾略特高声说道，“这是因为他们在酒里加了一种草药，让酒的味道更加醇香。我来陪你喝一杯吧。喝一点点，对身体并无害处。”

“It tastes divine，”said Isabel.“It's like mother's milk. I've never tasted anything so good.”
“味道美极了，”伊莎贝尔赞不绝口，“真是像琼浆玉液。这样醇香的酒，以前从没有喝到过。”

Elliott raised his glass to his lips.
艾略特把酒杯举到唇边。

“Oh, how it brings back the old days！You people who never stayed with the Radziwills don't know what living is. That was the grand style.Feudal, you know.You might have thought yourself back in the Middle Ages.You were met at the station by a carriage with six horses and postilions.And at dinner a footman in livery behind every person.”
“啊，举杯在手，往事历历如在眼前！你们没有在拉齐维尔府上住过，不知道什么是真正的生活。那种风格真是无与伦比。要知道，那是封建社会的回归，仿佛又回到了中世纪。到车站去迎接你的是套着六匹马的马车以及专门的车夫。吃饭时，每个客人身后都站着个身穿制服的家仆伺候。”

He went on to describe the magnificence and luxury of the establishment and the brilliance of the parties；and the suspicion, doubtless unworthy, occurred to me that the whole thing was a put-up job between Elliott and the wine waiter to give Elliott an opportunity to discourse upon the grandeur of this princely family and the host of Polish aristocrats he hobnobbed with in their castle. There was no stopping him.
他绘声绘色描述着王府纸醉金迷的生活以及豪华奢侈的宴会。我的心里突然冒出一个疑团（显然是毫无根据的疑团），怀疑这是艾略特和那个侍者精心安排的一出戏，只是为了让艾略特有机会吹嘘吹嘘那个王族以及他在王府结识的波兰贵族们的灯红酒绿的生活。他话匣子一打开，想拦都拦不住了。

“Another glass, Isabel?”
“再来一杯吧，伊莎贝尔？”

“Oh, I daren't. But it is heavenly.I'm so glad to know about it；Gray, we must get some.”
“哎呀，不敢再喝了。不过，这简直像仙酒，喝了叫人心旷神怡。格雷，咱们也应该买几瓶。”

“I'll have some sent round to the apartment.”
“我叫人送几瓶到你们家去。”

“Oh, Uncle Elliott, would you?”cried Isabel enthusiastically.“You are so kind to us. You must try it, Gray；it smells of freshly mown hay and spring flowers, of thyme and lavender, and it's soft on the palate and so comfort-able, it's like listening to music by moonlight.”
“真的吗，艾略特舅舅？”伊莎贝尔乐不可支地叫了起来，“你对我们太好啦。格雷，劝你尝一尝。这酒闻起来像新割的稻草和春天的鲜花，像百里香和薰香草，味道柔和、爽口。喝这酒，就像在月光下听音乐一般惬意。”

It was unlike Isabel to gush inordinately and I wondered if she was a trifle tight. The party broke up.I shook hands with Sophie.
她说话有点语无伦次，跟平时大不相同。我怀疑她喝醉了。筵席散时，我同索菲握手道别。

“When are you going to be married?”I asked her.
“你们什么时候结婚？”我问她。

“The week after next. I hope you'll come to the wedding.”
“下下个星期。希望你能来参加婚礼。”

“I'm afraid I shan't be in Paris. I'm leaving for London tomorrow.”
“恐怕那时候我不在巴黎。我明天就到伦敦去了。”

While I was saying good-bye to the rest of my guests Isabel took Sophie aside and talked to her for a minute, then turned to Gray.
当我和别的客人道别时，伊莎贝尔把索菲拉到一旁，跟她谈了几句话，然后转向格雷说：

“Oh, Gray, I'm not coming home just yet. There's a dress show at Molyneux's and I'm taking Sophie to it.She ought to see the new models.”
“格雷，我现在还不打算回家去。莫利纽克斯服装店那儿有个时装展览，我要带索菲去看看。应该让她看看新式服装。”

“I'd love to，”said Sophie.
“我很乐意去。”索菲说。

We parted. I took Suzanne Rouvier out to dinner that night and next morning started for England.
大家就此分手。当晚，我带苏姗娜·鲁维埃去吃了顿饭，第二天上午便起程前往英国了。