Kate Chopin

The Awakening

觉醒

凯特·肖邦（美）  著

焦丽娟  译

外语教学与研究出版社

FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND RESEARCH PRESS

北京 Beijing

Chinese translation copyright © Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

本书版权由外语教学与研究出版社独家所有。如未获得该社书面同意，书中任何部分之文字及图片，不得用任何方式抄袭、节录、翻印或存储利用于任何数据库及检索系统等。

Published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

No. 19 Xisanhuan Beilu

Beijing, China 100089

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目 录

- I  第一章

- II  第二章

- III  第三章

- IV  第四章

- V  第五章

- VI  第六章

- VII  第七章

- VIII  第八章

- IX  第九章

- X  第十章

- XI  第十一章

- XII  第十二章

- XIII  第十三章

- XIV  第十四章

- XV  第十五章

- XVI  第十六章

- XVII  第十七章

- XVIII  第十八章

- XIX  第十九章

- XX  第二十章

- XXI  第二十一章

- XXII  第二十二章

- XXIII  第二十三章

- XXIV  第二十四章

- XXV  第二十五章

- XXVI  第二十六章

- XXVII  第二十七章

- XXVIII  第二十八章

- XXIX  第二十九章

- XXX  第三十章

- XXXI  第三十一章

- XXXII  第三十二章

- XXXIII  第三十三章

- XXXIV  第三十四章

- XXXV  第三十五章

- XXXVI  第三十六章

- XXXVII  第三十七章

- XXXVIII  第三十八章

- XXXIX  第三十九章

I

第一章

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over:

在门外挂着的鸟笼子里一只绿黄相间的鹦鹉不停地叫着：

"Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!"

“滚！滚！该死的东西！这才像话！”

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence.

它能说一点儿西班牙语，还能说一种谁也听不懂的语言，但是挂在门另一侧的鸟笼里的画眉除外。这只画眉也迎着微风清亮地啁啾着，叫个不停，真让人生气。

Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with any degree of comfort, arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust.

蓬迪里埃先生实在没法舒舒服服地看报纸了。他站了起来，脸上和嘴里都流露着厌恶。

He walked down the gallery and across the narrow "bridges" which connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other. He had been seated before the door of the main house. The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining.

他走下长廊，穿过连接勒布伦家一栋栋别墅的狭窄通道。他原本是坐在正屋门口的。鹦鹉和画眉都是勒布伦夫人的宝贝，它们有权为所欲为地喧闹。但当它们不惹人爱的时候，蓬迪里埃先生也有权走开。

He stopped before the door of his own cottage, which was the fourth one from the main building and next to the last. Seating himself in a wicker rocker which was there, he once more applied himself to the task of reading the newspaper. The day was Sunday; the paper was a day old. The Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle. He was already acquainted with the market reports, and he glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which he had not had time to read before quitting New Orleans the day before.

他走到自己的别墅门前停下来。他的别墅是从正屋数的第四栋，也是倒数第二栋。他在门口的柳条摇椅上坐下来，又接着读报。这天是星期天，报纸是前一天的。星期天的报纸还没送到格兰德岛上。他已经了解了有关市场的报道，便匆忙地瞅了几眼社论和杂七杂八的新闻，这些是他头一天离开新奥尔良前没来得及看的。

Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.

蓬迪里埃先生戴着一副眼镜。他四十来岁，中等身高，身形稍瘦，有点儿驼背。棕色的直发梳成分头。胡子被仔细地修剪得整整齐齐。

Once in a while he withdrew his glance from the newspaper and looked about him. There was more noise than ever over at the house. The main building was called "the house," to distinguish it from the cottages. The chattering and whistling birds were still at it. Two young girls, the Farival twins, were playing a duet from "Zampa" upon the piano. Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside. She was a fresh, pretty woman, clad always in white with elbow sleeves. Her starched skirts crinkled as she came and went. Farther down, before one of the cottages, a lady in black was walking demurely up and down, telling her beads. A good many persons of the pension had gone over to the Cheniere Caminada in Beaudelet's lugger to hear mass. Some young people were out under the wateroaks playing croquet. Mr. Pontellier's two children were there sturdy little fellows of four and five. A quadroon nurse followed them about with a faraway, meditative air. Mr. Pontellier finally lit a cigar and began to smoke, letting the paper drag idly from his hand. He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was advancing at snail's pace from the beach. He could see it plainly between the gaunt trunks of the water-oaks and across the stretch of yellow camomile. The gulf looked far away, melting hazily into the blue of the horizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly. Beneath its pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun. When they reached the cottage, the two seated themselves with some appearance of fatigue upon the upper step of the porch, facing each other, each leaning against a supporting post.

偶尔他会把目光从报纸上移开，看看四周。宅子的噪音比以前更大了。正屋被称作“宅子”，以区别于其他的别墅。鸟儿们还在那儿喋喋不休地叫着。法理瓦尔家的双胞胎小姐妹正在钢琴上弹奏《扎姆巴》（注：《扎姆巴》：三幕喜歌剧）里的二重奏。勒布伦夫人正忙里忙外，一进屋就要对院子里的杂工大声地发号施令；一出门又要用同样的嗓门对饭厅里的侍女指东道西的。她是一个皮肤鲜亮的漂亮女子，总穿着白色短袖衣服。来回进出时她那浆得硬挺的裙子发出沙沙的声响。远处一栋别墅前，一位身穿黑衣服的女子正娴静地来回走动，边走边数着念珠。膳宿公寓里的很多人都乘坐博德莱家的帆船到谢尼·卡米内达去望弥撒了。‎‏一些年轻人在水栎树下玩槌球。蓬迪里埃先生那两个长得结结实实的孩子也在那儿，两个小家伙一个四岁，一个五岁。一个有点黑人血统的保姆跟着他们，心不在焉的样子，好像在想着什么。蓬迪里埃先生终于点了支雪茄烟开始抽起来，任凭报纸从手中散乱地滑落到地上。他的目光停在一把白色的太阳伞上，它正从海滩缓缓地向前移动。透过细长的水栎树干的缝隙，穿过一片黄春菊丛，他可以清楚地看到它。远处，朦朦胧胧中，海湾与蓝色的地平线交融在一起。太阳伞还在徐徐地靠近。粉色边的伞盖下走着他的妻子蓬迪里埃夫人和年轻的罗伯特·勒布伦。他们俩走到别墅跟前时，面对面地坐到了走廊的上层台阶上，每人靠着一根柱子，面露倦色。

"What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat!" exclaimed Mr. Pontellier. He himself had taken a plunge at daylight. That was why the morning seemed long to him.

“真蠢！在这么热的天气里的这个时候去洗澡。”蓬迪里埃先生大声说。他自己在天刚亮时已经下水洗了一阵子。因此这个上午对他来说特别漫长。

"You are burnt beyond recognition," he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage. She held up her hands, strong, shapely hands, and surveyed them critically, drawing up her fawn sleeves above the wrists. Looking at them reminded her of her rings, which she had given to her husband before leaving for the beach. She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm. She slipped them upon her fingers; then clasping her knees, she looked across at Robert and began to laugh. The rings sparkled upon her fingers. He sent back an answering smile.

“你被晒得都让人认不出来了。”他看着他的妻子接着说道，就好像看着一件受了些损坏的贵重私人物件一样。她伸出两只又结实又漂亮的手，又把浅黄色的袖子拉到手腕上边，挑剔地打量着自己的手。看着她的手，她忽然想起了她的戒指，临去海滩前她把它们交给了她的丈夫。她默默地向他伸出手，他明白了她的意思，从背心兜儿里掏出戒指放入她打开的掌心。她把戒指一个个套上，然后抱着双膝看着罗伯特笑起来。戒指在她手指上闪闪发光。罗伯特也冲她回以微笑�

"What is it?" asked Pontellier, looking lazily and amused from one to the other. It was some utter nonsense; some adventure out there in the water, and they both tried to relate it at once. It did not seem half so amusing when told. They realized this, and so did Mr. Pontellier. He yawned and stretched himself. Then he got up, saying he had half a mind to go over to Klein's hotel and play a game of billiards.

“什么事？”蓬迪里埃先生边问边懒散地向两人各看了一眼，感到很好笑。其实完全只是胡闹，是他们在水里遇到的有意思的事，他们俩都争着马上讲出来。可是讲出来以后就没那么有意思了。他们意识到了这一点，蓬迪里埃先生也是这么觉得。他打了个哈欠，又伸伸懒腰。然后他站起来，说他有点想去克莱恩旅馆玩一盘台球。

"Come go along, Lebrun," he proposed to Robert. But Robert admitted quite frankly that he preferred to stay where he was and talk to Mrs. Pontellier.

“走吧，一块儿去玩吧，勒布伦！”他向罗伯特建议道。但罗伯特十分坦率地说他更愿意留下来陪蓬迪里埃夫人聊天。

"Well, send him about his business when he bores you, Edna," instructed her husband as he prepared to leave.

“那么，爱德娜，他要是招你烦了，你就让他干自己的事去吧。”她丈夫准备走时叮嘱她说。

"Here, take the umbrella," she exclaimed, holding it out to him. He accepted the sunshade, and lifting it over his head descended the steps and walked away.

“哎，把伞带上。”她边喊边把伞递给他。他接过伞，撑在头顶，下了台阶走了。

"Coming back to dinner?" his wife called after him. He halted a moment and shrugged his shoulders. He felt in his vest pocket; there was a ten-dollar bill there. He did not know; perhaps he would return for the early dinner and perhaps he would not. It all depended upon the company which he found over at Klein's and the size of "the game." He did not say this, but she understood it, and laughed, nodding good-by to him.

“你回来吃午饭吗？”她的妻子在他身后喊道。他停了一下，耸了耸肩。他伸手摸了摸背心口袋，里面有一张十美元的钞票。他自己也说不好，或许回来吃顿午饭，或许不回。这都要看他在克莱恩旅馆找到什么球友和台球戏的规模而定。他没明说，但她懂他的意思，笑了笑，点了点头表示再见。

Both children wanted to follow their father when they saw him starting out. He kissed them and promised to bring them back bonbons and peanuts.

两个孩子看到爸爸要出门都要跟着去。他亲了亲他们，答应他们回来时会给他们带糖果和花生。

II

第二章

Mrs. Pontellier's eyes were quick and bright; they were a yellowish brown, about the color of her hair. She had a way of turning them swiftly upon an object and holding them there as if lost in some inward maze of contemplation or thought.

蓬迪里埃夫人的眼睛灵动而闪亮，棕黄的颜色接近于她的发色。她看东西时常常眼睛很快地转到这个东西上，然后又盯住它不动，好像陷入了内心的千思万绪之中。

Her eyebrows were a shade darker than her hair. They were thick and almost horizontal, emphasizing the depth of her eyes. She was rather handsome than beautiful. Her face was captivating by reason of a certain frankness of expression and a contradictory subtle play of features. Her manner was engaging.

她眉毛的颜色比发色深些。这又浓又直的眉毛使她的眼睛显得格外深邃。与其说她长得美丽，还不如说她长得俊俏。她有一张迷人的面庞，这是由于她表情坦率，神情难以捉摸而又微妙地变化着。她的确有着动人的风韵。

Robert rolled a cigarette. He smoked cigarettes because he could not afford cigars, he said. He had a cigar in his pocket which Mr. Pontellier had presented him with, and he was saving it for his after-dinner smoke.

罗伯特卷了一支烟。他抽自己卷的纸烟，他说这是因为他抽不起雪茄。他兜里有一支雪茄，是蓬迪里埃先生送给他的，他准备留着饭后抽。

This seemed quite proper and natural on his part. In coloring he was not unlike his companion. A clean-shaved face made the resemblance more pronounced than it would otherwise have been. There rested no shadow of care upon his open countenance. His eyes gathered in and reflected the light and languor of the summer day.

这对于他似乎是很正当且自然的事。在肤色上，他和他的同伴颇为相像。他的脸修得干干净净，使这种相像更加鲜明。从他那明朗的面容看他没有任何忧愁。他的眼睛聚集和反射着夏日的光辉与沉闷。

Mrs. Pontellier reached over for a palm-leaf fan that lay on the porch and began to fan herself, while Robert sent between his lips light puffs from his cigarette. They chatted incessantly: about the things around them; their amusing adventure out in the water—it had again assumed its entertaining aspect; about the wind, the trees, the people who had gone to the Cheniere; about the children playing croquet under the oaks, and the Farival twins, who were now performing the overture to "The Poet and the Peasant."

蓬迪里埃夫人伸手拿起放在门廊上的棕榈叶扇子扇了起来。罗伯特则抽着烟，口吐阵阵轻烟。他们一直在聊天：谈到他们周围的琐事；谈到他们在水里的趣事——这件事现在好像又变得有意思起来；谈到风和树，还有那些去谢尼的人；谈到水栎树下玩槌球的孩子们，以及正在弹奏《诗人和农夫》序曲的法里瓦尔家的双胞胎。

Robert talked a good deal about himself. He was very young, and did not know any better. Mrs. Pontellier talked a little about herself for the same reason. Each was interested in what the other said. Robert spoke of his intention to go to Mexico in the autumn, where fortune awaited him. He was always intending to go to Mexico, but some way never got there. Meanwhile he held on to his modest position in a mercantile house in New Orleans, where an equal familiarity with English, French and Spanish gave him no small value as a clerk and correspondent.

罗伯特讲了很多他自己的事。他还相当年轻，懂得并不多。蓬迪里埃夫人出于同样的原因也只是讲了一点儿关于自己的事。他们彼此对对方说的都颇感兴趣。罗伯特讲到秋天他打算去墨西哥，在那儿他有发财的机会。他一直都想去墨西哥，但因为种种原因一直没去成。他现在在新奥尔良的一家商号拥有一个小职位，由于对英语、法语和西班牙语都同样精通，所以在那儿无论作为书记员还是联络员他都很受重视。

He was spending his summer vacation, as he always did, with his mother at Grand Isle. In former times, before Robert could remember, "the house" had been a summer luxury of the Lebruns. Now, flanked by its dozen or more cottages, which were always filled with exclusive visitors from the "Quartier Francais," it enabled Madame Lebrun to maintain the easy and comfortable existence which appeared to be her birthright.

目前他像往常一样正在格兰德岛他母亲这里度暑假。以前，尚在罗伯特记事前，这座“宅子”曾是专门供勒布伦家来消夏的地方。现在它的两侧盖起了十几栋别墅，总是住满了只从法国居住区来的游客，因此勒布伦夫人仍然可以维持她安逸舒服的生活，过这种生活似乎是她与生俱来的权利。

Mrs. Pontellier talked about her father's Mississippi plantation and her girlhood home in the old Kentucky bluegrass country. She was an American woman, with a small infusion of French which seemed to have been lost in dilution. She read a letter from her sister, who was away in the East, and who had engaged herself to be married. Robert was interested, and wanted to know what manner of girls the sisters were, what the father was like, and how long the mother had been dead.

蓬迪里埃夫人讲起了她父亲在密西西比河上的庄园和她少女时期在熟悉的肯塔基州早熟禾草原地区的家。她是个美国女人，融入了一点法国血统，后来好像也被冲淡并消失了。她读了她妹妹从东方给她寄来的信。她的妹妹已经订婚了，并打算结婚。罗伯特很感兴趣，想知道她的姐妹们是什么样的女孩子，她的父亲又是什么样子，她的母亲去世多长时间了。

When Mrs. Pontellier folded the letter it was time for her to dress for the early dinner.

蓬迪里埃夫人把信收起来的时候，已经是该换衣服吃午饭的时间了。

"I see Leonce isn't coming back," she said, with a glance in the direction whence her husband had disappeared. Robert supposed he was not, as there were a good many New Orleans club men over at Klein's.

“我看莱翁斯不会回来了。”她边说边朝她丈夫离开的方向看了一眼。罗伯特也觉得他不会回来了，因为有很多新奥尔良俱乐部的男人都在克莱恩旅馆那儿。

When Mrs. Pontellier left him to enter her room, the young man descended the steps and strolled over toward the croquet players, where, during the half-hour before dinner, he amused himself with the little Pontellier children, who were very fond of him.

当蓬迪里埃夫人离开他进屋时，这个年轻人就下了台阶，踱步走到玩槌球的孩子们那儿。就在那儿，趁着午饭前的半个小时，他和蓬迪里埃家的小孩们玩了一会儿，孩子们都很喜欢他。

III

第三章

It was eleven o'clock that night when Mr. Pontellier returned from Klein's hotel. He was in an excellent humor, in high spirits, and very talkative. His entrance awoke his wife, who was in bed and fast asleep when he came in. He talked to her while he undressed, telling her anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that he had gathered during the day. From his trousers pockets he took a fistful of crumpled bank notes and a good deal of silver coin, which he piled on the bureau indiscriminately with keys, knife, handkerchief, and whatever else happened to be in his pockets. She was overcome with sleep, and answered him with little half utterances.

那天晚上十一点蓬迪里埃先生才从克莱恩旅馆回到家。他兴致很高，情绪不错，非常健谈。他一进家门就把已经在床上熟睡的妻子吵醒了。他一边脱衣服一边和她说话，告诉她这一天所听来的奇闻趣事、琐碎消息和闲话。他从裤兜儿里掏出一把皱巴巴的钞票，还有很多银币，它们和钥匙、小刀、手绢还有其他任何也装在裤兜里的东西一起被杂乱地堆放在梳妆台上。她太困了，只能支支吾吾地应答着。

He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation.

他感觉非常败兴。他的妻子是他生存的唯一目标，可她对他所在意的事情却毫无兴致，对他的谈话丝毫也不重视。

Mr. Pontellier had forgotten the bonbons and peanuts for the boys. Notwithstanding he loved them very much, and went into the adjoining room where they slept to take a look at them and make sure that they were resting comfortably. The result of his investigation was far from satisfactory. He turned and shifted the youngsters about in bed. One of them began to kick and talk about a basket full of crabs.

蓬迪里埃先生早把孩子们的糖果和花生的事忘到了脑后。但是他是非常疼爱孩子们的，他走进隔壁孩子们的卧室去看了一看，确保孩子们睡得舒适。这一看结果却不令他满意。他把孩子们在床上翻了翻身又挪动了几下。其中一个开始边踢腿边说梦话，说满满一篮子螃蟹之类的胡话。

Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after. Then he lit a cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it.

蓬迪里埃先生回到妻子身边，对她说拉乌尔发高烧，需要照顾。然后他点了支雪茄，走到敞开的门旁边坐下抽烟。

Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had ailed him all day. Mr. Pontellier was too well acquainted with fever symptoms to be mistaken. He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room.

蓬迪里埃夫人非常肯定拉乌尔没发烧。她说他上床时很好，这一天也没感觉哪里不适。可蓬迪里埃先生对发烧的症状非常了解，不会搞错。他向她确保孩子此刻正在隔壁房间饱受高烧之苦。

He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his brokerage business. He could not be in two places at once; making a living for his family on the street, and staying at home to see that no harm befell them. He talked in a monotonous, insistent way.

他责备妻子不关心孩子们，一向忽视他们。照顾孩子如果不是做母亲的本分的话，又究竟该是谁的呢？他自己手头满是经纪行的业务。他不能同时承担这两个重任：又要在外面赚钱养家糊口，又要在家里照看孩子，确保他们安然无恙。他絮絮叨叨地不停地数落着。

Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room. She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head down on the pillow. She said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. When his cigar was smoked out he went to bed, and in half a minute he was fast asleep.

蓬迪里埃夫人从床上跳起来，去了隔壁房间。不一会儿她就回来了，坐在床边，把头倚在枕头上。她什么也不说，也不回答她丈夫的问话。他抽完烟就上了床，半分钟不到就睡熟了。

Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her peignoir. Blowing out the candle, which her husband had left burning, she slipped her bare feet into a pair of satin mules at the foot of the bed and went out on the porch, where she sat down in the wicker chair and began to rock gently to and fro.

可此时，蓬迪里埃夫人却完全清醒了。她开始轻声哭泣起来，在睡衣袖子上擦着眼泪。吹灭她丈夫点着的还在燃着的蜡烛，她光脚穿上放在床脚的缎面拖鞋，往外走到门廊上。在那里她坐进柳条摇椅，开始轻轻地来回摇晃起来。

It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. A single faint light gleamed out from the hallway of the house. There was no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the sea, that was not uplifted at that soft hour. It broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night.

已经是后半夜了。所有别墅都漆黑一片。只有一道微弱的光线从主屋的廊道那里照射过来。外面寂静一片，只能听见水栎树顶一只老猫头鹰的叫声，还有在这夜深人静时分平和的海面上发出的永不停息的声音。它像凄婉的摇篮曲一样打破黑夜的宁静。

The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them. She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm. Turning, she thrust her face, steaming and wet, into the bend of her arm, and she went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms. She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be tacit and self-understood.

蓬迪里埃夫人泪如雨下，睡衣袖子已经湿透，不能再用来擦泪了。她一只手抓住椅背，宽松的衣袖几乎从举起的手臂滑落到肩部。她转过身去，把热而潮湿的脸塞进臂弯里接着大哭，再也无心去擦拭她的面颊、眼睛和手臂了。她自己也说不清为什么哭。自从结婚以来像刚才这样的经历并不少见。不过之前她丈夫对她无微不至的体贴和一贯的忠诚似乎使这些经历显得微不足道，对于这些她是默然领会、心知肚明的。

An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul's summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood. She did not sit there inwardly upbraiding her husband, lamenting at Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken. She was just having a good cry all to herself. The mosquitoes made merry over her, biting her firm, round arms and nipping at her bare insteps.

一种来自于她意识陌生深处的无以名状的压抑感使她整个人充满了莫名的烦闷。这就像阴影，像迷雾，拂过她夏日的心灵。这是一种奇怪而陌生的感觉，是一种心情。她不是坐在那里暗自谴责她的丈夫，也不是在悲叹自己的命运，而正是命运引领她走上这条他们所走过的道路。她只是独自在那里痛哭。蚊子肆意地叮咬着她，叮咬着她结实圆润的手臂，叮咬着她赤裸的脚背。

The little stinging, buzzing imps succeeded in dispelling a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer.

正是这些嗡嗡叫着叮咬她的淘气虫们成功地驱走了她的这种情绪，否则，她也许还会带着这种情绪在黑暗中呆上半夜。

The following morning Mr. Pontellier was up in good time to take the rockaway which was to convey him to the steamer at the wharf. He was returning to the city to his business, and they would not see him again at the Island till the coming Saturday. He had regained his composure, which seemed to have been somewhat impaired the night before. He was eager to be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in Carondelet Street.

第二天一早，蓬迪里埃先生起床很准时，为了坐四轮马车到码头搭汽船。他要回城去处理他的生意，直到下周六他们才会在这个岛上再见到他。此时他很自若，从头一天晚上的坏情绪中恢复了镇静。他急着离开，期望在卡龙德莱特大街过一周快活的生活。

Mr. Pontellier gave his wife half of the money which he had brought away from Klein's hotel the evening before. She liked money as well as most women, and, accepted it with no little satisfaction.

蓬迪里埃先生把头一天晚上从克莱恩旅馆拿回来的钱给了妻子一半。她和大多数女人一样喜欢钱，所以心满意足地收下了。

"It will buy a handsome wedding present for Sister Janet!" she exclaimed, smoothing out the bills as she counted them one by one.

“用这钱可以给珍妮特妹妹买件漂亮的结婚礼物！”她高兴地说，一边把钱弄平一边一张一张地数着。

"Oh! We'll treat Sister Janet better than that, my dear," he laughed, as he prepared to kiss her good-by.

“哦！我们要对她比这样更好些，亲爱的。”他一边笑着说一边准备跟她吻别。

The boys were tumbling about, clinging to his legs, imploring that numerous things be brought back to them. Mr. Pontellier was a great favorite, and ladies, men, children, even nurses, were always on hand to say goodby to him. His wife stood smiling and waving, the boys shouting, as he disappeared in the old rockaway down the sandy road.

孩子们在他周围转，抱着他的腿，求他给他们带回来许多好东西。蓬迪里埃先生很有人缘，女士们、男人们、孩子们，就连保姆们都总是来跟他告别。他的妻子站在那里，一边微笑一边挥手，孩子们叫喊着，看着他坐着旧四轮马车在砂路上远去。

A few days later a box arrived for Mrs. Pontellier from New Orleans. It was from her husband. It was filled with friandises, with luscious and toothsome bits—the finest of fruits, pates, a rare bottle or two, delicious syrups, and bonbons in abundance.

几天后，一个盒子从新奥尔良寄到了蓬迪里埃夫人这里。这是她丈夫寄过来的。盒子里装满了花式小蛋糕，以及各种各样的美味可口的小食品：精美的水果、馅饼、一两瓶名贵好酒、可口的糖浆还有很多糖果。

Mrs. Pontellier was always very generous with the contents of such a box; she was quite used to receiving them when away from home. The pates and fruit were brought to the dining-room; the bonbons were passed around. And the ladies, selecting with dainty and discriminating fingers and a little greedily, all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world. Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit that she knew of none better.

对于盒子里的食品，蓬迪里埃夫人向来很慷慨。她外出度假的时候经常会收到它们。她把馅饼和水果拿到餐厅，糖果则分给周围的人。女士们一边用纤纤细手有点贪婪地挑着糖果，一边齐夸蓬迪里埃先生是世上最好的丈夫。蓬迪里埃夫人也不得不承认她没看到过更好的了。

IV

第四章

It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to define to his own satisfaction or any one else's wherein his wife failed in her duty toward their children. It was something which he felt rather than perceived, and he never voiced the feeling without subsequent regret and ample atonement.

他的妻子到底在哪些地方没有尽到做母亲的责任，蓬迪里埃先生对此还真难做出令自己或别人满意的解释。这其实只是他感觉到的，而不是他察觉到的，而且每次他把这种感觉说出来就开始后悔，接着就尽力弥补。

If one of the little Pontellier boys took a tumble whilst at play, he was not apt to rush crying to his mother's arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up, wipe the water out of his eyes and the sand out of his mouth, and go on playing. Tots as they were, they pulled together and stood their ground in childish battles with doubled fists and uplifted voices, which usually prevailed against the other mother-tots. The quadroon nurse was looked upon as a huge encumbrance, only good to button up waists and panties and to brush and part hair; since it seemed to be a law of society that hair must be parted and brushed.

蓬迪里埃家的孩子如果在玩耍时摔了一跤，通常不会立刻哭着跑到妈妈怀里寻找安慰，而是自己爬起来，擦干泪水，弄掉嘴里的沙子，再接着玩。虽然他们还只是些小娃娃，但在跟其他依赖母亲的小孩子们打架时，他们总是能挥舞着双拳，提高嗓门，绑在一起，共同作战，因此他们总是能在打架中占上风。他们把那个有点黑人血统的保姆看成是个大累赘，他们认为她只会给他们系系衣裤的扣子、梳梳头发，因为头发一定是要梳理整齐似乎是社会的法则。

In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The motherwomen seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.

简单地说，蓬迪里埃夫人不算是个好妈妈。那年夏天在格兰德岛上到处都能看到好妈妈。好妈妈们一眼就能认出来，她们只要感觉自己的幼雏受到伤害，无论是真的还是她们想象的，她们就会立刻张开翅膀去保护他们。她们是这样的女人：宠爱孩子，尊敬丈夫，认为抹杀自我，长出翅膀成为救苦救难的天使是一种神圣的权利。

Many of them were delicious in the role; one of them was the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm. If her husband did not adore her, he was a brute, deserving of death by slow torture. Her name was Adele Ratignolle. There are no words to describe her save the old ones that have served so often to picture the bygone heroine of romance and the fair lady of our dreams. There was nothing subtle or hidden about her charms; her beauty was all there, flaming and apparent: the spun-gold hair that comb nor confining pin could restrain; the blue eyes that were like nothing but sapphires; two lips that pouted, that were so red one could only think of cherries or some other delicious crimson fruit in looking at them. She was growing a little stout, but it did not seem to detract an iota from the grace of every step, pose, gesture. One would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender. Never were hands more exquisite than hers, and it was a joy to look at them when she threaded her needle or adjusted her gold thimble to her taper middle finger as she sewed away on the little night-drawers or fashioned a bodice or a bib.

她们很多人都在甜蜜地扮演着这种角色，其中有一个女人身上更是体现了所有女性的美德与魅力。如果她的丈夫不珍惜她，那么他就是个十恶不赦、不得好死的浑蛋。她的名字是阿黛尔·拉蒂诺尔。除了经常用来描写久远的爱情故事中的女主人公和我们梦中的窈窕淑女的那些陈词滥调外，还真是找不出更好的词来形容她了。她的魅力完全外露，没有什么含蓄与微妙之处。她的美丽全然显现，光彩照人：一头漂亮的金发不管是梳子还是发夹都难束住，一双眼睛像蓝宝石一样闪亮，撅起的两片红唇让人一看就会想起红红的樱桃或是其他深红色的甜蜜果子。她开始有点儿发胖，但这似乎丝毫不影响她步态的优美，姿势的高雅和举止的得体。人们不会要求她那白白的脖颈再稍微瘦些或是她那漂亮的手臂再细些。没有谁的手比她的手更美了，尤其是在她穿针引线或在其纤细的中指上戴着金顶针缝小孩儿睡裤或做着胸衣和围兜的时侯，看着这样一双手简直就是一种享受。

Madame Ratignolle was very fond of Mrs. Pontellier, and often she took her sewing and went over to sit with her in the afternoons. She was sitting there the afternoon of the day the box arrived from New Orleans. She had possession of the rocker, and she was busily engaged in sewing upon a diminutive pair of night-drawers.

拉蒂诺尔夫人很喜欢蓬迪里埃夫人。她经常在下午拿着针线活到她那里坐坐。蓬迪里埃先生从新奥尔良寄来盒装食品的那天下午，她碰巧也在那里。当时她坐在那张摇椅里，正忙着缝制一条小睡裤。

She had brought the pattern of the drawers for Mrs. Pontellier to cut out—a marvel of construction, fashioned to enclose a baby's body so effectually that only two small eyes might look out from the garment, like an Eskimo's. They were designed for winter wear, when treacherous drafts came down chimneys and insidious currents of deadly cold found their way through key-holes.

她拿来了一个小睡裤的样式让蓬迪里埃夫人剪裁－－这真是一个让人惊异的作品：衣服做得正好包住孩子的身体，只露出两只眼睛，就像爱斯基摩人一样。这是专门设计冬天穿的，即便是危险的寒风从烟囱窜入或是冷得要死的寒流阴险地从锁眼袭进，也不用害怕了。

Mrs. Pontellier's mind was quite at rest concerning the present material needs of her children, and she could not see the use of anticipating and making winter night garments the subject of her summer meditations. But she did not want to appear unamiable and uninterested, so she had brought forth newspapers, which she spread upon the floor of the gallery, and under Madame Ratignolle's directions she had cut a pattern of the impervious garment.

蓬迪里埃夫人对于孩子们目前的物质需要很放心，也看不出有什么必要在夏天去想着为孩子做冬季睡衣的事。但是她不想让人感觉她没有亲切感，对此漠不关心，因此她拿出报纸，摊在走廊地面上，在拉蒂诺尔夫人的指点下，把这个风穿不透的睡衣的样式剪出来。

Robert was there, seated as he had been the Sunday before, and Mrs. Pontellier also occupied her former position on the upper step, leaning listlessly against the post. Beside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.

罗伯特也在，还坐在上个星期天坐过的老地方。蓬迪里埃夫人也坐在台阶最上面一级那老地方，懒散地靠着柱子。在她旁边放着一盒糖果，她时不时地拿起来递给拉蒂诺尔夫人。

That lady seemed at a loss to make a selection, but finally settled upon a stick of nougat, wondering if it were not too rich; whether it could possibly hurt her. Madame Ratignolle had been married seven years. About every two years she had a baby. At that time she had three babies, and was beginning to think of a fourth one. She was always talking about her "condition." Her "condition" was in no way apparent, and no one would have known a thing about it but for her persistence in making it the subject of conversation.

那位女士好像不知所措，不知道挑哪块好，最后拿了一块牛轧糖，还担心是不是太腻了会使她不适。拉蒂诺尔夫人结婚七年了。大约每两年就有一个孩子。现在她有三个孩子，正准备要第四个呢。她总是谈起她的身孕。她的身孕不大明显，如果不是她总是在谈话当中不时地提起，没人会知道她怀孕了。

Robert started to reassure her, asserting that he had known a lady who had subsisted upon nougat during the entire—but seeing the color mount into Mrs. Pontellier's face he checked himself and changed the subject.

罗伯特开始安慰她，让她放心，说曾认识一位女士简直靠牛轧糖过活，在她整个……但他看到蓬迪里埃夫人脸色不对，马上停住，换了话题。

Mrs. Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles; never before had she been thrown so intimately among them. There were only Creoles that summer at Lebrun's. They all knew each other, and felt like one large family, among whom existed the most amicable relations. A characteristic which distinguished them and which impressed Mrs. Pontellier most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery. Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her, though she had no difficulty in reconciling it with a lofty chastity which in the Creole woman seems to be inborn and unmistakable.

蓬迪里埃夫人虽然嫁给了一个克里奥尔人，但在克里奥尔人的社交圈子里却并非熟不拘礼，此前也从未十分亲切地融入到他们中间去。那年夏天租住勒布伦家别墅的只有克里奥尔人。他们互相之间很熟悉，感觉像是个大家庭，他们中间存在着最为亲切友好的关系。他们与众不同，给蓬迪里埃夫人印象最深的特点是他们从不表现出拘束。他们无拘无束的表达开始蓬迪里埃夫人是不能理解的，可是后来发现克里奥尔女人们天生的明显的高尚德操，她很容易就谅解了她们。

Never would Edna Pontellier forget the shock with which she heard Madame Ratignolle relating to old Monsieur Farival the harrowing story of one of her accouchements, withholding no intimate detail. She was growing accustomed to like shocks, but she could not keep the mounting color back from her cheeks. Oftener than once her coming had interrupted the droll story with which Robert was entertaining some amused group of married women.

爱德娜·蓬迪里埃永远都不会忘记当她听到拉蒂诺尔夫人跟法里瓦尔老先生讲起一次她生孩子的痛苦经历时她有多么震惊，而且拉蒂诺尔夫人讲得非常详细，没有漏掉任何私密的细节。她已经渐渐习惯于类似的让她吃惊的事，但有时还是禁不住脸红。不止一次，当罗伯特正在讲一个可笑的故事逗那些已婚女子时，爱德娜的到来打断了他。

A book had gone the rounds of the pension. When it came her turn to read it, she did so with profound astonishment. She felt moved to read the book in secret and solitude, though none of the others had done so,—to hide it from view at the sound of approaching footsteps. It was openly criticised and freely discussed at table. Mrs. Pontellier gave over being astonished, and concluded that wonders would never cease.

在这个别墅区曾经传读着一本书。她觉得这种书只能在僻静的角落里偷着读，一听到别人的脚步声就该藏起来。可是没有人这样做。这样的书竟被拿到桌面上公开讲评，自由讨论。蓬迪里埃夫人也不再惊愕，她断定这种怪事会经常出现。

V

第五章

They formed a congenial group sitting there that summer afternoon—Madame Ratignolle sewing away, often stopping to relate a story or incident with much expressive gesture of her perfect hands; Robert and Mrs. Pontellier sitting idle, exchanging occasional words, glances or smiles which indicated a certain advanced stage of intimacy and camaraderie.

一个夏日的午后，他们情投意合的一伙人结伴坐在一起－－拉蒂诺尔夫人在做针线活，时不时地停下来用她那双漂亮的手有声有色地比划着讲述一个故事或是一件真事；罗伯特和蓬迪里埃夫人则懒懒地坐在那里，时不时地交流几句，互相对视一下或是彼此微笑一下，表示他们的情谊和亲昵程度又进了一步。

He had lived in her shadow during the past month. No one thought anything of it. Many had predicted that Robert would devote himself to Mrs. Pontellier when he arrived. Since the age of fifteen, which was eleven years before, Robert each summer at Grand Isle had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame or damsel. Sometimes it was a young girl, again a widow; but as often as not it was some interesting married woman.

过去一个月里他一直跟她形影不离。没有人会多想什么。很多人早就料到罗伯特一来到这儿就会专心陪伴蓬迪里埃夫人。自从早在十一年前他还十五岁的时候，每年夏天来格兰德岛上时，罗伯特都会成为某个漂亮夫人或小姐的忠实随从。有时是一位年轻小姐，也有时是个寡妇，但也经常会是一个有情趣的已婚女子。

For two consecutive seasons he lived in the sunlight of Mademoiselle Duvigne's presence. But she died between summers; then Robert posed as an inconsolable, prostrating himself at the feet of Madame Ratignolle for whatever crumbs of sympathy and comfort she might be pleased to vouchsafe.

在连续两个季度里，他曾经受到杜菲格妮小姐的宠爱。可是，一个夏天过去了，另一个夏天还没来到时，她却死了。于是罗伯特摆出一副伤心欲绝的样子拜倒在拉蒂诺尔夫人的面前，以求她高兴时能恩赐他些许怜悯与抚慰。

Mrs. Pontellier liked to sit and gaze at her fair companion as she might look upon a faultless Madonna.

蓬迪里埃夫人喜欢坐在那里看着她那漂亮的女伴，好像欣赏一尊洁白无瑕的圣母玛利亚的雕像。

"Could any one fathom the cruelty beneath that fair exterior?" murmured Robert. "She knew that I adored her once, and she let me adore her. It was 'Robert, come; go; stand up; sit down; do this; do that; see if the baby sleeps; my thimble, please, that I left God knows where. Come and read Daudet to me while I sew.'"

“有谁能弄清那美丽的外表下所隐藏的冷酷吗？”罗伯特低声说，“她知道我曾经爱慕过她，她也让我爱慕她。常常是‘罗伯特，过来呀；到那儿去；站起来；坐下去；做这个；做那个；去看看小宝贝睡了没有；把我的顶针拿来，上帝啊，我把它放哪儿了呢；来，我缝衣服的时候给我读一段都德（注：法国小说家）的作品。’”

"Par exemple! I never had to ask. You were always there under my feet, like a troublesome cat."

“比如说吧！我从来都不用要求，你总是赖在我的脚下，像只惹人厌的小猫。”

"You mean like an adoring dog. And just as soon as Ratignolle appeared on the scene, then it WAS like a dog. 'Passez! Adieu! Allez vous-en!'"

“你的意思是说像只崇拜你的小狗。等到拉蒂诺尔先生一出现，我还真像一条狗了。‘去吧！再见！滚吧！’”

"Perhaps I feared to make Alphonse jealous," she interjoined, with excessive naivete. That made them all laugh. The right hand jealous of the left! The heart jealous of the soul! But for that matter, the Creole husband is never jealous; with him the gangrene passion is one which has become dwarfed by disuse.

“我那是可能是担心阿尔方斯嫉妒。”拉蒂诺尔夫人过于天真地插话说。这使得大家都笑了起来。就像右手嫉妒左手一样！也像心灵嫉妒灵魂一样！但是对这样的事，克里奥尔的丈夫们是从来不会嫉妒的，这种腐烂了的感情已经因为长期不用而变得退化了。

Meanwhile Robert, addressing Mrs Pontellier, continued to tell of his one time hopeless passion for Madame Ratignolle; of sleepless nights, of consuming flames till the very sea sizzled when he took his daily plunge. While the lady at the needle kept up a little running, contemptuous comment:

此时罗伯特还在继续冲着蓬迪里埃夫人讲他对拉蒂诺尔夫人曾经不可自拔的感情，讲到他因此所度过的不眠之夜，讲到这种炽热的情感火焰又是怎样在他每天冲入大海游泳时发出哧哧的响声。此刻，做着针线活的拉蒂诺尔夫人用一点法语轻蔑地连续评论道：

"Blagueur—farceur—gros bete, va!”

“小丑－－骗子－－怪东西！”

He never assumed this seriocomic tone when alone with Mrs. Pontellier. She never knew precisely what to make of it; at that moment it was impossible for her to guess how much of it was jest and what proportion was earnest. It was understood that he had often spoken words of love to Madame Ratignolle, without any thought of being taken seriously. Mrs. Pontellier was glad he had not assumed a similar role toward herself. It would have been unacceptable and annoying.

当他和蓬迪里埃夫人单独在一起的时候，从来不用这种半严肃半调侃的语气。她真的弄不清是怎么回事，当时她也猜不出这种语气有多少是调侃的成分，又有多少是真心的。谁都明白他曾经常对拉蒂诺尔夫人说些暧昧的话，可从来没想着被当回事。蓬迪里埃夫人非常高兴他没用同样的方式对待她，那可是很让人懊恼、难以接受的。

Mrs. Pontellier had brought her sketching materials, which she sometimes dabbled with in an unprofessional way. She liked the dabbling. She felt in it satisfaction of a kind which no other employment afforded her.

蓬迪里埃夫人随身带着速写工具。她有时候随便画画，画得不专业。她喜欢涂涂画画。画画能给她一种别的什么东西都给予不了她的满足感。

She had long wished to try herself on Madame Ratignolle. Never had that lady seemed a more tempting subject than at that moment, seated there like some sensuous Madonna, with the gleam of the fading day enriching her splendid color.

她早就想试着给拉蒂诺尔夫人画像。那位女士从来没像现在这样有魅力，坐在那里像圣母玛利亚画像一样给人以美感，在落日的余晖下尤其显得光彩夺目。

Robert crossed over and seated himself upon the step below Mrs. Pontellier, that he might watch her work. She handled her brushes with a certain ease and freedom which came, not from long and close acquaintance with them, but from a natural aptitude. Robert followed her work with close attention, giving forth little ejaculatory expressions of appreciation in French, which he addressed to Madame Ratignolle.

罗伯特走了过来，坐在蓬迪里埃夫人下面的一个台阶上，这样可以更方便地看她作画。她用笔轻松自如，并不是因为长期练习之后的熟能生巧，而是因为具有天赋。罗伯特聚精会神地看着她作画，突然用法语冲着拉蒂诺尔夫人赞赏地喊道：

"Mais ce n'est pas mal! Elle s'y connait, elle a de la force, oui."

“画得真不赖！她知道怎样作画，她有能力，一点没错。”

During his oblivious attention he once quietly rested his head against Mrs. Pontellier's arm. As gently she repulsed him. Once again he repeated the offense. She could not but believe it to be thoughtlessness on his part; yet that was no reason she should submit to it. She did not remonstrate, except again to repulse him quietly but firmly. He offered no apology. The picture completed bore no resemblance to Madame Ratignolle. She was greatly disappointed to find that it did not look like her. But it was a fair enough piece of work, and in many respects satisfying.

在入神的欣赏过程中他曾一度把头轻轻地靠在蓬迪里埃夫人的手臂上。她轻轻地推开了他。可他又一次靠了上来。她只好当他是无意之举，但她感觉没有理由听任他那样做。她没有直接表达反对之意，只是又一次轻轻地但很坚定地推开了他。他也没表示歉意。作好的画跟拉蒂诺尔夫人根本不像。她看到画儿画得不像她，颇感失望。但这还算是一幅不错的作品，在很多方面还是令人满意的。

Mrs. Pontellier evidently did not think so. After surveying the sketch critically she drew a broad smudge of paint across its surface, and crumpled the paper between her hands.

蓬迪里埃夫人显然不这么认为。很挑剔地审视了这幅画后，她用颜料在上面涂了宽宽的一道污迹并在手里把画纸揉成了一团。

The youngsters came tumbling up the steps, the quadroon following at the respectful distance which they required her to observe. Mrs. Pontellier made them carry her paints and things into the house. She sought to detain them for a little talk and some pleasantry. But they were greatly in earnest. They had only come to investigate the contents of the bonbon box. They accepted without murmuring what she chose to give them, each holding out two chubby hands scoop-like, in the vain hope that they might be filled; and then away they went.

小孩子们跌跌撞撞地上了台阶，那个有点黑人血统的保姆跟在他们后面，保持了一段距离，这是他们要求她这么做的。蓬迪里埃夫人让他们拿着颜料和其他东西进屋了。她本想把他们留下来聊聊天，逗逗趣。可他们却很认真。他们主要是来检查一下糖果盒里装的东西。他们一声不吭，只顾接着妈妈挑给他们的糖果，都捧着胖胖的小手希望妈妈能给他们满满一捧糖果，可都没能如愿，接着就走开了。

The sun was low in the west, and the breeze soft and languorous that came up from the south, charged with the seductive odor of the sea. Children freshly befurbelowed, were gathering for their games under the oaks. Their voices were high and penetrating.

夕阳西沉，轻柔的南风带着海水诱人的气味慵懒地吹拂过来。孩子们新换了精致的衣服聚在橡树下做游戏。他们时不时地尖声高叫着。

Madame Ratignolle folded her sewing, placing thimble, scissors, and thread all neatly together in the roll, which she pinned securely. She complained of faintness. Mrs. Pontellier flew for the cologne water and a fan. She bathed Madame Ratignolle's face with cologne, while Robert plied the fan with unnecessary vigor.

拉蒂诺尔夫人收起了针线活，将顶针、剪刀、针线整齐地卷在一起，用别针别紧。她叫苦说头晕眼花的。蓬迪里埃夫人很快去拿了古龙香水和一把扇子。她给拉蒂诺尔夫人脸上喷了些古龙香水，罗伯特则使劲地为她摇着扇子。

The spell was soon over, and Mrs. Pontellier could not help wondering if there were not a little imagination responsible for its origin, for the rose tint had never faded from her friend's face.

这阵眩晕很快过去了，蓬迪里埃夫人禁不住怀疑这头晕是不是有点想象出来的，因为拉蒂诺尔夫人脸上的红润一直也没有消退过。

She stood watching the fair woman walk down the long line of galleries with the grace and majesty which queens are sometimes supposed to possess. Her little ones ran to meet her. Two of them clung about her white skirts, the third she took from its nurse and with a thousand endearments bore it along in her own fond, encircling arms. Though, as everybody well knew, the doctor had forbidden her to lift so much as a pin!

她站在那里看着这位美丽的夫人以只有皇后才有的仪态和贵气走下长廊。她的孩子们迎着她跑过来。两个孩子拽着她的白裙子，她把第三个孩子从保姆手里接过来，亲热地抱在手臂里，亲了又亲。可大家都清楚地知道，医生不允许她拿重物，就连一根针都不行呢。

"Are you going bathing?" asked Robert of Mrs. Pontellier. It was not so much a question as a reminder.

“你还要不要去游泳了？”罗伯特冲着蓬迪里埃夫人说。这与其说是在问，不如说是在提醒她。

"Oh, no," she answered, with a tone of indecision. "I'm tired; I think not." Her glance wandered from his face away toward the Gulf, whose sonorous murmur reached her like a loving but imperative entreaty.

“哦，不了，”她回答道，口气有点儿犹豫，“我有点儿累了，所以我想还是不去了。”她的目光从他脸上移向了海湾的方向，海浪那洪亮的哗哗声像是一声声急切的充满爱意的恳求，传入她的耳畔。

"Oh, come!" he insisted. "You mustn't miss your bath. Come on. The water must be delicious; it will not hurt you. Come."

“哦，来吧！”他坚持说，“你一定不能错过现在游泳的好时机。快来吧！海水一定很舒服，对你没坏处的。快来吧！”

He reached up for her big, rough straw hat that hung on a peg outside the door, and put it on her head. They descended the steps, and walked away together toward the beach. The sun was low in the west and the breeze was soft and warm.

他伸手把挂在门外钉子上用粗草编成的大草帽拿下来戴在她头上。他们一起走下台阶，向海滩走去。夕阳西下，微风轻拂，暖意十足。

VI

第六章

Edna Pontellier could not have told why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert, she should in the first place have declined, and in the second place have followed in obedience to one of the two contradictory impulses which impelled her.

爱德娜·蓬迪里埃自己也说不清为什么愿意和罗伯特一起到海滩去。她本应该起初就拒绝他的，但是后来又向驱使她的两股相冲突的冲动中的一股屈服了，跟着他去了。

A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her,—the light which, showing the way, forbids it.

她的心中开始隐隐地亮起一线曙光－－这种光线为她指出一条道路，不允许她这样做。

At that early period it served but to bewilder her. It moved her to dreams, to thoughtfulness, to the shadowy anguish which had overcome her the midnight when she had abandoned herself to tears.

在这种萌芽时期，它只能使她困惑。这使她进入梦幻之中，陷入沉思之中，使她她被一种难以捉摸的烦闷包围着，正是这种烦闷致使她在那天子夜里痛哭一场。

In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eight—perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman.

简单地说，蓬迪里埃夫人开始意识到她作为一个人在整个宇宙间的位置了，也认识到她作为一个个体与自己的内心世界以及周围世界的关系。这或许像是一种有分量的智慧降临到一位二十八岁的少妇的灵魂之上－－这种智慧甚至或许比圣灵常常愿意赐予给任何一位女子的智慧还要多。

But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever emerge from such beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult!

可是万物之初，尤其是世界之初，一定是模糊难辨，纠结缠绕，杂乱无章，且极其困扰人心的。我们中能有几人从这本初中崭露头角！又有多少人在这混乱中陨落！

The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation.

大海的浪声是极具诱惑力的：有时私语，有时喧哗，有时低吟，永无休止，引诱人的心灵徘徊于寂寞的深渊中，消失在内心冥想的迷惘中。

The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.

大海的浪声撞击着人的心弦。大海的抚摸令人陶醉，它把人的身体拥入了它那温柔亲切的怀抱。

VII

第七章

Mrs. Pontellier was not a woman given to confidences, a characteristic hitherto contrary to her nature. Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life—that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions.

蓬迪里埃夫人不是那种善于交知心话的女人，目前看来这种性格与她的本性是截然相反的。甚至在孩童时期，她就生活在自己的内心小世界里。从很早开始她就对这种双重生活心领神会：顺从的外部存在，质疑的内心生活。

That summer at Grand Isle she began to loosen a little the mantle of reserve that had always enveloped her. There may have been—there must have been—influences, both subtle and apparent, working in their several ways to induce her to do this; but the most obvious was the influence of Adele Ratignolle. The excessive physical charm of the Creole had first attracted her, for Edna had a sensuous susceptibility to beauty. Then the candor of the woman's whole existence, which every one might read, and which formed so striking a contrast to her own habitual reserve—this might have furnished a link. Who can tell what metals the gods use in forging the subtle bond which we call sympathy, which we might as well call love.

那年夏天在格兰德岛上，她开始一点点掀起那一直包裹着她的沉默保守的帷幔。可能是，不，肯定是有一种既微妙又显而易见的影响力在几个方面起着作用，促使她这样做的，但其中最明显的当属阿黛尔·拉蒂诺尔的影响。这位克里奥尔女人无与伦比的外在魅力首先吸引了她，因为爱德娜很容易受到美的东西的感染。其次这个女人全部存在的率真之处每个人都能看得到。这与她一贯的沉默保守形成鲜明的对比——这一点也可能起到了推波助澜的作用。谁知道上帝用什么样的金属材料铸成了我们既可称之为同情又可称之为爱的微妙联系呢。

The two women went away one morning to the beach together, arm in arm, under the huge white sunshade. Edna had prevailed upon Madame Ratignolle to leave the children behind, though she could not induce her to relinquish a diminutive roll of needlework, which Adele begged to be allowed to slip into the depths of her pocket. In some unaccountable way they had escaped from Robert.

一天上午这两位女士手拉着手，撑着一把大白伞一起向海滩走去。爱德娜虽然劝服了阿黛尔把孩子们留在家里，可她还是没能阻止她放弃那一小卷针线活。这是在阿黛尔的恳求下爱德娜让她塞进她的口袋里去的。她们俩心照不宣地躲开了罗伯特。

The walk to the beach was no inconsiderable one, consisting as it did of a long, sandy path, upon which a sporadic and tangled growth that bordered it on either side made frequent and unexpected inroads. There were acres of yellow camomile reaching out on either hand. Further away still, vegetable gardens abounded, with frequent small plantations of orange or lemon trees intervening. The dark green clusters glistened from afar in the sun.

去海滩的路并不近，包括一条长长的沙路，沙路两旁零星地长出一些纠结在一起的野草，时不时就出乎意料地侵占到路面上来。许多黄菊从路的两边伸展开来。再远一点的地方是大片的菜园，常常有小片的橘子或柠檬树间落其中。郁郁葱葱的树丛在阳光的照耀下从远处看闪闪发光。

The women were both of goodly height, Madame Ratignolle possessing the more feminine and matronly figure. The charm of Edna Pontellier's physique stole insensibly upon you. The lines of her body were long, clean and symmetrical; it was a body which occasionally fell into splendid poses; there was no suggestion of the trim, stereotyped fashion-plate about it. A casual and indiscriminating observer, in passing, might not cast a second glance upon the figure. But with more feeling and discernment he would have recognized the noble beauty of its modeling, and the graceful severity of poise and movement, which made Edna Pontellier different from the crowd.

两位夫人都身材高挑，拉蒂诺尔夫人更具有女性端庄的仪态。爱德娜·蓬迪里埃形体的魅力会偷偷地无形中吸引着你。她身体的线条是修长、简洁和匀称的，身体的姿态时而十分优雅，丝毫没有那些典型的时髦女人精心修饰的味道。一个经常不在意的粗心过路者可能不会再看她第二眼。但一个具有丰富情感和欣赏眼光的人一定会注意到她体格的高贵之美，以及她姿势和动作的高雅与含蓄，这使她格外与众不同。

She wore a cool muslin that morning—white, with a waving vertical line of brown running through it; also a white linen collar and the big straw hat which she had taken from the peg outside the door. The hat rested any way on her yellow-brown hair, that waved a little, was heavy, and clung close to her head.

那天早晨，她穿了一件白底带棕色竖条波浪线的凉爽的细布衣服，配着一个白色的亚麻领子，头戴那顶她从门外钉子上取下的大草帽。帽子随意地戴在她那略带卷曲的棕黄色的头发上，帽子很沉，紧扣在她头上。

Madame Ratignolle, more careful of her complexion, had twined a gauze veil about her head. She wore dogskin gloves, with gauntlets that protected her wrists. She was dressed in pure white, with a fluffiness of ruffles that became her. The draperies and fluttering things which she wore suited her rich, luxuriant beauty as a greater severity of line could not have done.

拉蒂诺尔夫人对自己的皮肤更加呵护，用一条薄纱的丝巾包在头上。她还戴着狗皮手套，带有长护腕以保护她的手腕。她穿着一件纯白色的带松软花边的衣服，很合体。她穿戴的这些饰物和飘逸的衣服非常适合她这种华丽高贵的美，这种美是更为简洁朴素的衣物衬托不出来的。

There were a number of bath-houses along the beach, of rough but solid construction, built with small, protecting galleries facing the water. Each house consisted of two compartments, and each family at Lebrun's possessed a compartment for itself, fitted out with all the essential paraphernalia of the bath and whatever other conveniences the owners might desire. The two women had no intention of bathing; they had just strolled down to the beach for a walk and to be alone and near the water. The Pontellier and Ratignolle compartments adjoined one another under the same roof.

沿着海滩有很多间浴室，建得简陋但很结实，临水边建有矮小的作遮挡之用的长廊。每个浴室都有两间，租住勒布伦家别墅的每家都各占一间，里面有一切沐浴所需要的随身物品以及主人们可能想要的各种其他器材。两位女士并无沐浴之意，她们只不过在海滩上散散步，在离水近的地方独自呆上一会儿。蓬迪里埃和拉蒂诺尔两家的浴室相邻，处在一个屋檐下。

Mrs. Pontellier had brought down her key through force of habit. Unlocking the door of her bath-room she went inside, and soon emerged, bringing a rug, which she spread upon the floor of the gallery, and two huge hair pillows covered with crash, which she placed against the front of the building.

蓬迪里埃夫人习惯性地随身带着钥匙。她打开浴室的门走了进去，很快又出来了，拿了一条毯子铺在长廊的地上，还把两个套着粗布枕套的大马鬃枕头倚在房屋前墙边。

The two seated themselves there in the shade of the porch, side by side, with their backs against the pillows and their feet extended. Madame Ratignolle removed her veil, wiped her face with a rather delicate handkerchief, and fanned herself with the fan which she always carried suspended somewhere about her person by a long, narrow ribbon. Edna removed her collar and opened her dress at the throat. She took the fan from Madame Ratignolle and began to fan both herself and her companion. It was very warm, and for a while they did nothing but exchange remarks about the heat, the sun, the glare. But there was a breeze blowing, a choppy, stiff wind that whipped the water into froth. It fluttered the skirts of the two women and kept them for a while engaged in adjusting, readjusting, tucking in, securing hair-pins and hat-pins. A few persons were sporting some distance away in the water. The beach was very still of human sound at that hour. The lady in black was reading her morning devotions on the porch of a neighboring bathhouse. Two young lovers were exchanging their hearts' yearnings beneath the children's tent, which they had found unoccupied.

她们俩在走廊的阴凉处并肩坐下，背靠着枕头，两腿伸开。拉蒂诺尔夫人摘下面纱，用一条很精致的手绢擦了擦脸，又拿出那把总是用一根细长丝带系挂在身上某处的扇子扇着风。爱德娜也摘下衣领，解开衣裙的领口。她从拉蒂诺尔夫人手里拿过扇子，为他们两人一起扇了起来。天气暖和，好一阵子她们无所事事，只是闲聊着气温、太阳和刺眼的光照。但此时来了一阵猛烈的风，吹得海面波浪翻滚，泛起泡沫。海风也吹乱了两位女士的裙子，弄得她们一时间直忙着整理、再整理衣着，把衣衫塞到裙子里，把发针和帽针别紧。远处有几个人在海水里嬉戏。那个时分海滩上静无人声。在隔壁的浴室长廊上，那位身穿黑色服装的女士正在念早祷文。一对年轻的恋人发现一个儿童帐篷正空闲着，便趁机在那儿谈情说爱。

Edna Pontellier, casting her eyes about, had finally kept them at rest upon the sea. The day was clear and carried the gaze out as far as the blue sky went; there were a few white clouds suspended idly over the horizon. A lateen sail was visible in the direction of Cat Island, and others to the south seemed almost motionless in the far distance.

爱德娜·蓬迪里埃往周围看了看，最后把目光停落在海面上。天气晴朗，蓝蓝的天空一望无际，几片白云懒散地悬于地平线上。在猫儿岛的方向可以看见一只大三角帆船，其他船只向南行驶，远远看去几乎像是静止的样子。

"Of whom—of what are you thinking?" asked Adele of her companion, whose countenance she had been watching with a little amused attention, arrested by the absorbed expression which seemed to have seized and fixed every feature into a statuesque repose.

“你在想谁？想什么？”阿黛尔问她的同伴。她十分感兴趣地专注地看着她的同伴的脸，被她那陷入沉思的表情所吸引，那表情完全有着像雕像一样的恬静。

"Nothing," returned Mrs. Pontellier, with a start, adding at once: "How stupid! But it seems to me it is the reply we make instinctively to such a question. Let me see," she went on, throwing back her head and narrowing her fine eyes till they shone like two vivid points of light. "Let me see. I was really not conscious of thinking of anything; but perhaps I can retrace my thoughts."

“什么也没想，”蓬迪里埃夫人吃了一惊然后回答道，马上又加上了一句，“多么愚蠢的回答！但我认为这是我们对这样一个问题本能的回答。让我想想啊！”她继续说着，把头往后靠了靠，漂亮的双眼眯成了两个熠熠生辉的光点。“让我想想。我真的没意识到我在想什么，可是或许我会回想起来什么的。”

"Oh! never mind!" laughed Madame Ratignolle. "I am not quite so exacting. I will let you off this time. It is really too hot to think, especially to think about thinking."

“哦！没关系！”拉蒂诺尔夫人笑着说，“我只是随便问问。这次我就放过你吧。这么热的天的确没必要去想事情，尤其是想你的思绪。”

"But for the fun of it," persisted Edna. "First of all, the sight of the water stretching so far away, those motionless sails against the blue sky, made a delicious picture that I just wanted to sit and look at. The hot wind beating in my face made me think—without any connection that I can trace of a summer day in Kentucky, of a meadow that seemed as big as the ocean to the very little girl walking through the grass, which was higher than her waist. She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water. Oh, I see the connection now!”

“还是想想看吧，这会有趣的，”爱德娜坚持说，“首先，看着海水向远处延伸，那些帆船在碧蓝的天空下一动不动，构成了一幅美妙的图画，这正是我坐在这里想看到的。热风拂着我的脸，使我不禁想起了在肯塔基州度过的一个夏天，这似乎没什么联系，但还是让我想起了在广阔如大海的草地上一个小女孩在草丛中穿行，那草比她的腰还要高呢。她展开双臂，边走边拍打那高高的草丛，就像是游泳时拍打水面一样。哦！现在我明白联系在哪儿了。”

"Where were you going that day in Kentucky, walking through the grass?"

“那天在肯塔基州穿过草地时，你打算到哪儿去？”

"I don't remember now. I was just walking diagonally across a big field. My sun-bonnet obstructed the view. I could see only the stretch of green before me, and I felt as if I must walk on forever, without coming to the end of it. I don't remember whether I was frightened or pleased. I must have been entertained.

“我现在记不得了。当时我正斜穿过一大片田野。我的太阳帽遮住了视线。我只能看见眼前的绿色在延伸，我感觉好像我得永远走下去，没有尽头。我不记得当时我是害怕还是高兴。我想我一定是感觉特别有意思吧。

"Likely as not it was Sunday," she laughed; "and I was running away from prayers, from the Presbyterian service, read in a spirit of gloom by my father that chills me yet to think of."

“很可能那是个星期天，”她笑着说，“我逃避做祷告跑掉了，从长老会礼拜仪式上逃走的，我父亲念祷告词的那种阴郁的语调至今让我想起来还不寒而栗。”

"And have you been running away from prayers ever since, ma chere?" asked Madame Ratignolle, amused.

“这么说，亲爱的，从那以后每当做祷告的时候你都溜掉喽？”拉蒂诺尔夫人问她，觉得很有趣。

"No! oh, no!" Edna hastened to say. "I was a little unthinking child in those days, just following a misleading impulse without question. On the contrary, during one period of my life religion took a firm hold upon me; after I was twelve and until-until—why, I suppose until now, though I never thought much about it—just driven along by habit. But do you know," she broke off, turning her quick eyes upon Madame Ratignolle and leaning forward a little so as to bring her face quite close to that of her companion, "sometimes I feel this summer as if I were walking through the green meadow again; idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided."

“不！哦，不！”爱德娜急忙辩解，“那时我只是一个不懂事的小孩，只是被错误的冲动左右。相反，在我生命中的某个时期，宗教深深地占据了我；从十二岁起直到直到，哦，我想一直到现在，尽管我从来没有认真考虑过，只是受习惯驱使而已。但你知道吗，”她停了一下，目光迅速地移到拉蒂诺尔夫人身上，身子往前倾了倾，把脸靠近她同伴的脸，接着说，“有时侯我感觉这个夏天我好像又走在那块绿色草丛中了：懒懒散散地，漫无目的地走着，没有方向感，什么也不想。”

Madame Ratignolle laid her hand over that of Mrs. Pontellier, which was near her. Seeing that the hand was not withdrawn, she clasped it firmly and warmly. She even stroked it a little, fondly, with the other hand, murmuring in an undertone, "Pauvre cherie."

拉蒂诺尔夫人把她的手放在蓬迪里埃夫人那只靠近她的手上。看她没有将手收回，便更坚定更热情地握住了它。她甚至还用另外一只手爱抚地轻拍它，并低语道：“招人怜的人儿啊！”

The action was at first a little confusing to Edna, but she soon lent herself readily to the Creole's gentle caress. She was not accustomed to an outward and spoken expression of affection, either in herself or in others. She and her younger sister, Janet, had quarreled a good deal through force of unfortunate habit. Her older sister, Margaret, was matronly and dignified, probably from having assumed matronly and housewifely responsibilities too early in life, their mother having died when they were quite young, Margaret was not effusive; she was practical. Edna had had an occasional girl friend, but whether accidentally or not, they seemed to have been all of one type—the self-contained. She never realized that the reserve of her own character had much, perhaps everything, to do with this. Her most intimate friend at school had been one of rather exceptional intellectual gifts, who wrote fine-sounding essays, which Edna admired and strove to imitate; and with her she talked and glowed over the English classics, and sometimes held religious and political controversies.

这一举动刚开始让爱德娜感到有点迷惑不解，但很快她就乐意地接受了这位克里奥尔女子亲切的怜爱之举。她不习惯于那种外露的或口头的情感表达，无论是对别人还是对她。因为这个不幸的习惯，她和她的小妹妹珍妮特曾多次吵架。她的姐姐玛格丽特是很庄重高贵的，这可能是因为她们还小的时候妈妈就过世了，她早早地承担起主妇掌管家事的责任，玛格丽特不属于感情奔放型的，她很实际。爱德娜偶尔结交个女性朋友，但不知是否属于巧合，她们好像都是一个类型－－沉默寡言。她从未意识到自己内敛的性格与此有着很大的，或许是一切的关系。她读书时最亲密的朋友是一个相当具有才智的女孩，写过韵律优美的篇章，对此爱德娜非常钦佩并试图模仿。她和她的朋友经常激烈地讨论英国古典文学，有时还对一些宗教和政治问题争论不休。

Edna often wondered at one propensity which sometimes had inwardly disturbed her without causing any outward show or manifestation on her part. At a very early age—perhaps it was when she traversed the ocean of waving grass—she remembered that she had been passionately enamored of a dignified and sad-eyed cavalry officer who visited her father in Kentucky. She could not leave his presence when he was there, nor remove her eyes from his face, which was something like Napoleon's, with a lock of black hair failing across the forehead. But the cavalry officer melted imperceptibly out of her existence.

爱德娜经常对自己的这种习性感到奇怪，这种习性有时使她在内心里感到迷惑，而在外表上却没有丝毫流露。很早以前－－大概是在她穿越起伏的草海时，她记得她狂热地迷恋过一位外表庄重，眼神忧伤的骑兵军官，这位军官当时到肯塔基州拜访她的父亲。只要他在，她就没法离开，也没法把目光从他脸上移开。那张脸有点像拿破仑的脸，有一绺黑发斜披在额前。可是后来这位骑兵军官不知不觉地在她的存在中渐渐消失了。

At another time her affections were deeply engaged by a young gentleman who visited a lady on a neighboring plantation. It was after they went to Mississippi to live. The young man was engaged to be married to the young lady, and they sometimes called upon Margaret, driving over of afternoons in a buggy. Edna was a little miss, just merging into her teens; and the realization that she herself was nothing, nothing, nothing to the engaged young man was a bitter affliction to her. But he, too, went the way of dreams.

还有一次，她被一位年轻绅士深深吸引，对他产生了爱慕之情，当时这位年轻的绅士是到邻近的庄园拜见一位女士的。那是他们搬到密西西比州定居之后的事。这位年轻的绅士与那位年轻的女士订了婚，准备结婚。他们有时下午坐着轻便马车来拜访玛格丽特。当时爱德娜还是个小姑娘，刚刚进入青年期。她意识到这位已订过婚的年轻人对自己毫不在意，这使她很心酸苦痛。但他也在梦幻之中渐渐消失。

She was a grown young woman when she was overtaken by what she supposed to be the climax of her fate. It was when the face and figure of a great tragedian began to haunt her imagination and stir her senses. The persistence of the infatuation lent it an aspect of genuineness. The hopelessness of it colored it with the lofty tones of a great passion.

在她长成为一位年轻女子时，一件她认为是她生命中的关键性事件降临在她身上。当时，一个伟大的悲剧演员的面孔和身影开始萦绕在她的脑海，扰乱了她的心房。这种迷恋的情感挥之不去，好似真情实感。因为这种感情是毫无结果的，这又使它带有一种伟大激情的崇高色彩。

The picture of the tragedian stood enframed upon her desk. Any one may possess the portrait of a tragedian without exciting suspicion or comment. (This was a sinister reflection which she cherished.) In the presence of others she expressed admiration for his exalted gifts, as she handed the photograph around and dwelt upon the fidelity of the likeness. When alone she sometimes picked it up and kissed the cold glass passionately.

这位悲剧演员的照片被她镶在相框里摆在书桌上。谁都可以拥有一张悲剧演员的照片而不致于引起人们强烈的猜疑或评论。（她把这种不祥的的想法珍藏在心中。）当着别人面，她对他那极高的天赋表示钦佩，还把照片传给大家看，并刻意强调它和照片本人的逼真程度。私下里，她有时拿起那冰冷的玻璃相框，深情地吻着它。

Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him. He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with an earnestness and an ardor which left nothing to be desired. He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken. Add to this the violent opposition of her father and her sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier for her husband.

她和莱翁斯·蓬迪里埃的婚姻纯属偶然，这一点跟许多其他的婚姻相似，看起来都像是命运的安排。就在她正处于这种私密的强烈激情之中时，她邂逅了他。正如容易发生在所有男人们身上的那样，他对她一见倾心。他诚挚急切地向她求婚，极其热烈。他取悦了她，他的全情投入使她感到满足。她幻想他们彼此之间会志趣相投，但她这种幻想是错误的。而且，因为他是天主教徒，她的父亲和姐姐玛格丽特强烈反对他们的婚事。这样，我们就不用再找让她接受蓬迪里埃先生做丈夫的缘由了。

The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the tragedian, was not for her in this world. As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams.

如果能同那个悲剧演员结婚的话，她就会幸福至极了，可这辈子是做不到了。于是她觉得，如果做一个受到忠诚的丈夫崇拜的妻子，她可以有一定的地位，在现实生活中有尊严地活下去，因而永远地关上了通往浪漫和梦幻王国的大门。

But it was not long before the tragedian had gone to join the cavalry officer and the engaged young man and a few others; and Edna found herself face to face with the realities. She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its dissolution.

没过多久，这个悲剧演员也和骑兵军官以及订过婚的年轻人还有其他几个人一起远离了她的生活。爱德娜发觉自己面对着现实的生活。她越来越喜欢她的丈夫，她有一种不可名状的满足感，因为她意识到没有一种激情或泛滥的极其不真实的热情会影响到她的感情，使她的感情消失。

She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them. The year before they had spent part of the summer with their grandmother Pontellier in Iberville. Feeling secure regarding their happiness and welfare, she did not miss them except with an occasional intense longing. Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.

她一种不稳定的、冲动的方式爱着她的孩子们。有时她会充满激情地把他们拥在怀里，有时又会忘掉他们。前一年，他们在伊伯维尔和奶奶度过了一部分夏日时光。她觉得他们在奶奶那儿过得很快乐，能得到很好的照顾，所以就不牵挂，只是偶尔有一种见到他们的强烈渴望。孩子们不在她身边是一种解脱，尽管她甚至对自己都不愿意承认这一点。这好像把她从盲目承担下来的职责中解放出来，而命运压根就没有赋予她承担起这种责任的能力。

Edna did not reveal so much as all this to Madame Ratignolle that summer day when they sat with faces turned to the sea. But a good part of it escaped her. She had put her head down on Madame Ratignolle's shoulder. She was flushed and felt intoxicated with the sound of her own voice and the unaccustomed taste of candor. It muddled her like wine, or like a first breath of freedom.

那个夏天当她们面向大海坐在那里的时候，爱德娜并没有把所有的这些讲给拉蒂诺尔夫人听。不过她还是讲了一大部分。她将头靠在拉蒂诺尔夫人的肩膀上。她脸颊发红，陶醉于自己说话的语调和不习惯于的坦诚的感觉之中。这种感觉像美酒一样使她迷醉，或者像初次呼吸到自由的空气一样。

There was the sound of approaching voices. It was Robert, surrounded by a troop of children, searching for them. The two little Pontelliers were with him, and he carried Madame Ratignolle's little girl in his arms. There were other children beside, and two nurse-maids followed, looking disagreeable and resigned.

忽然传来很多人走近的声音。是罗伯特，身边围着很多孩子，正在找她们俩。蓬迪里埃家的两个小家伙在他身边，他怀里还则抱着拉蒂诺尔夫人家的小姑娘。旁边还有其他孩子，两个保姆跟在后面，脸上露出不耐烦但也无奈的神情。

The women at once rose and began to shake out their draperies and relax their muscles. Mrs. Pontellier threw the cushions and rug into the bath-house. The children all scampered off to the awning, and they stood there in a line, gazing upon the intruding lovers, still exchanging their vows and sighs. The lovers got up, with only a silent protest, and walked slowly away somewhere else.

两位夫人马上站起来，抖了抖衣裳，放松放松肌肉。蓬迪里埃夫人把垫子和毯子扔进浴室。孩子们都蹦跳地跑到遮篷下面，站在那一排，盯着那两个抢占他们帐篷的情人看，此刻他们还在山盟海誓，相互慨叹。这对情人站了起来，默默地表示出不满，便慢慢地走开到别处去了。

The children possessed themselves of the tent, and Mrs. Pontellier went over to join them.

孩子们自己占据了帐篷，蓬迪里埃夫人走过去加入到他们的行列。

Madame Ratignolle begged Robert to accompany her to the house; she complained of cramp in her limbs and stiffness of the joints. She leaned draggingly upon his arm as they walked.

拉蒂诺尔夫人要罗伯特陪她回屋去，抱怨说她四肢抽筋，关节僵硬。她靠在他手臂上拖着步子走了。

VIII

第八章

"Do me a favor, Robert," spoke the pretty woman at his side, almost as soon as she and Robert had started their slow, homeward way. She looked up in his face, leaning on his arm beneath the encircling shadow of the umbrella which he had lifted.

“帮我个忙，罗伯特。”刚走上回家的路的这位在他身旁的漂亮夫人立即说道。在他举着的太阳伞的阴影的包围中，她倚在他的手臂上，抬头看着他的脸。

"Granted; as many as you like," he returned, glancing down into her eyes that were full of thoughtfulness and some speculation.

“尽管吩咐，多少都行。”他回答道，往下看着她那充满冥思和遐想的眼神。

"I only ask for one; let Mrs. Pontellier alone."

“我只想求你帮一个忙，别再纠缠蓬迪里埃夫人。”

"Tiens!" he exclaimed, with a sudden, boyish laugh. "Voila que Madame Ratignolle est jalouse!"

“瞧瞧！”他带着点孩子气地突然笑着叫道，“看来拉蒂诺尔夫人有点吃醋！”

"Nonsense! I'm in earnest; I mean what I say. Let Mrs. Pontellier alone."

“胡说！我说正经的，我是认真的。别再纠缠蓬迪里埃夫人了。”

"Why?" he asked; himself growing serious at his companion's solicitation.

“为什么呀？”他问，也开始逐渐严肃地对待起他的同伴的恳求了。

"She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously."

“她跟我们不是一类的，她不像我们。她会真的把你当回事，这对她来说将是个不幸的错误。”

His face flushed with annoyance, and taking off his soft hat he began to beat it impatiently against his leg as he walked. "Why shouldn't she take me seriously?" he demanded sharply. "Am I a comedian, a clown, a jack-in-the-box? Why shouldn't she? You Creoles! I have no patience with you! Am I always to be regarded as a feature of an amusing programme? I hope Mrs. Pontellier does take me seriously. I hope she has discernment enough to find in me something besides the blagueur. If I thought there was any doubt—”

他有点恼了，脸红了起来，摘下呢帽，很不耐烦地边走边把帽子在腿上拍打着。“为什么她就不应该把我当回事？”他很尖利地责问到。“难道我是一个滑稽演员，跳梁小丑，道具玩偶吗？为什么她就不该这样？你们这些克里奥尔人啊！我真是对你们失去耐心了！难道我总是被看作是娱乐节目中取悦人的主角吗？我希望蓬迪里埃夫人能当真。我希望她有充分的识别能力看清我除了吹吹牛皮的小丑外还有什么品质。如果我觉得可疑的话－－”

"Oh, enough, Robert!" she broke into his heated outburst. "You are not thinking of what you are saying. You speak with about as little reflection as we might expect from one of those children down there playing in the sand. If your attentions to any married women here were ever offered with any intention of being convincing, you would not be the gentleman we all know you to be, and you would be unfit to associate with the wives and daughters of the people who trust you."

“哦，够了，罗伯特。”她打断了他激烈的叫嚷。“你不知道自己在说什么。你这样讲话跟那些在沙地上玩的孩子们一样欠思考。如果你对任何一个已婚女子的关注让她们确信有意当真的话，那么你就不是我们大家心目中的正人君子，你也不适合在跟那些信任你的人们的妻子和女儿们来往了。”

Madame Ratignolle had spoken what she believed to be the law and the gospel. The young man shrugged his shoulders impatiently.

拉蒂诺尔夫人讲出了她自己认为是法律和准则的话。这个年轻人不耐烦地耸了耸肩。

"Oh! well! That isn't it," slamming his hat down vehemently upon his head. "You ought to feel that such things are not flattering to say to a fellow."

“哦！行吧！事情不会是那样的。”他使劲地把帽子按在头上。“你应该知道对一个男人说这种话并不讨人喜欢。”

"Should our whole intercourse consist of an exchange of compliments? Ma foi!"

“难道我们现在所有的讲话是在互相恭维吗？真是的！”

"It isn't pleasant to have a woman tell you—” he went on, unheedingly, but breaking off suddenly: "Now if I were like Arobin-you remember Alcee Arobin and that story of the consul's wife at Biloxi?" And he related the story of Alcee Arobin and the consul's wife; and another about the tenor of the French Opera, who received letters which should never have been written; and still other stories, grave and gay, till Mrs. Pontellier and her possible propensity for taking young men seriously was apparently forgotten.

“让一个女人来教训你真令人不快－－”他继续说，毫不理会她的话。忽然他停了下来说，“现在假设我像阿罗宾那样－－你还记不记得阿尔塞·阿罗宾和那个在比罗西的领事的妻子的故事吗？”然后他就讲起了关于阿罗宾和领事的妻子的故事，接着又讲了法国歌剧院男高音歌手收到过很多封本不该写出来的信件的故事，还有一些其它的故事，有低沉的，有欢快的，直到他们显然忘记了蓬迪里埃夫人和她倾向于对年轻男子过于认真的话题为止。

Madame Ratignolle, when they had regained her cottage, went in to take the hour's rest which she considered helpful. Before leaving her, Robert begged her pardon for the impatience—he called it rudeness—with which he had received her well-meant caution.

当他们重新回到她的房屋时，拉蒂诺尔夫人进去休息了一小时，她认为这对她很有帮助。在离开她之前，罗伯特请求她原谅自己在听取她善意的劝告时的不耐烦－－他称之为粗鲁。

"You made one mistake, Adele," he said, with a light smile; "there is no earthly possibility of Mrs. Pontellier ever taking me seriously. You should have warned me against taking myself seriously. Your advice might then have carried some weight and given me subject for some reflection. Au revoir. But you look tired," he added, solicitously. "Would you like a cup of bouillon? Shall I stir you a toddy? Let me mix you a toddy with a drop of Angostura."

“阿黛尔，其实你犯了一个错误，”他微微笑了一下说，“蓬迪里埃夫人根本不可能对我认真。反倒是你应该提醒我不要对她过于认真。那样你的建议才有些分量，会给我提供思考的内容。再见吧。看来你很累，”他又关切地加了一句，“给你来杯牛肉汤好吗？要不我给你调杯棕榈酒？让我在棕榈酒里加点安古斯图拉苦味剂（注：安古斯图拉树皮制剂，一种苦味剂，源于商标名称）吧。”

She acceded to the suggestion of bouillon, which was grateful and acceptable. He went himself to the kitchen, which was a building apart from the cottages and lying to the rear of the house. And he himself brought her the golden-brown bouillon, in a dainty Sevres cup, with a flaky cracker or two on the saucer.

喝杯牛肉汤的建议很对她心思，她很感激地接受了。他亲自去了厨房。厨房与正屋隔开，位于房子后面。他又亲自给她端来金黄色的牛肉汤，用一个精致的塞夫勒瓷杯盛着，还有一两片薄脆饼干，装在一只碟子里。

She thrust a bare, white arm from the curtain which shielded her open door, and received the cup from his hands. She told him he was a bon garcon, and she meant it. Robert thanked her and turned away toward "the house."

她从遮住敞开的门的帘子后面伸出一只赤裸的白皙的手臂从他手中接过杯子。她告诉他说他是个好小伙子，她此话是真心的。罗伯特谢了她，转身向“宅子”走去。

The lovers were just entering the grounds of the pension. They were leaning toward each other as the wateroaks bent from the sea. There was not a particle of earth beneath their feet. Their heads might have been turned upside-down, so absolutely did they tread upon blue ether. The lady in black, creeping behind them, looked a trifle paler and more jaded than usual. There was no sign of Mrs. Pontellier and the children. Robert scanned the distance for any such apparition. They would doubtless remain away till the dinner hour. The young man ascended to his mother's room. It was situated at the top of the house, made up of odd angles and a queer, sloping ceiling. Two broad dormer windows looked out toward the Gulf, and as far across it as a man's eye might reach. The furnishings of the room were light, cool, and practical.

这时那对情人刚进入别墅区的院子。他们互相依偎着就像被海浪冲击的水栎树依靠在一起那样。他们脚下没有一粒儿尘土。他们绝对都可以头朝地脚朝天地在蓝色的苍穹中漫步了。那个穿黑色衣服的女人在他们后面缓慢地走着，脸色看上去比平时有点苍白，也更疲倦。没看见蓬迪里埃夫人和孩子们的踪迹。罗伯特向周围扫视了一番也没发现他们的踪影。毫无疑问，他们会呆到午饭时才回来。于是，这个年轻人就上楼到他妈妈房间去了。这个房间在正屋的顶层，每个屋角都很奇特，屋顶坡也很奇怪。两扇宽宽的天窗面向海湾，向外看去，一望无际。屋内陈设简洁，清爽，实用。

Madame Lebrun was busily engaged at the sewing-machine. A little black girl sat on the floor, and with her hands worked the treadle of the machine. The Creole woman does not take any chances which may be avoided of imperiling her health.

勒布伦夫人正在缝纫机前忙活着。一个黑人小姑娘正坐在地板上用手摇动缝纫机的踏板。对那些有害身体健康的活儿，只要能避免，这位克里奥尔女人是从来不沾手的。

Robert went over and seated himself on the broad sill of one of the dormer windows. He took a book from his pocket and began energetically to read it, judging by the precision and frequency with which he turned the leaves. The sewing-machine made a resounding clatter in the room; it was of a ponderous, by-gone make. In the lulls, Robert and his mother exchanged bits of desultory conversation.

罗伯特走过去坐在一扇天窗的宽阔的窗台上。他从口袋里掏出一本书开始读了起来。从他翻动书页的准确性和频率上来看，他读得很起劲。缝纫机在房间里发出咔哒咔哒的回响声。这台缝纫机是一个笨重的老牌子。插空罗伯特和母亲漫无边际地闲聊着。

"Where is Mrs. Pontellier?"

“蓬迪里埃夫人在哪呢？”

"Down at the beach with the children."

“在下边海滩上跟孩子们在一起。”

"I promised to lend her the Goncourt. Don't forget to take it down when you go; it's there on the bookshelf over the small table." Clatter, clatter, clatter, bang! for the next five or eight minutes.

“我答应过她要把龚古尔的那本小说借给她的。你走的时候别忘了把它带下去，就在那边小桌子上的书架上面。”咔哒！咔哒！咔哒！砰！接着又持续响了五到八分钟。

"Where is Victor going with the rockaway?"

“维克多坐着四轮轻便马车要到哪里去呀？”

"The rockaway? Victor?"

“四轮轻便马车？维克多？”

"Yes; down there in front. He seems to be getting ready to drive away somewhere."

“对啊，就在下面大门口。他好像准备赶着马车到哪里去似的。”

"Call him." Clatter, clatter!

“快叫住他。”咔哒！咔哒！

Robert uttered a shrill, piercing whistle which might have been heard back at the wharf.

罗伯特发出了一声尖锐、有穿透力的就连在码头那儿都能听到的口哨声。

"He won't look up."

“可他不抬头看。”

Madame Lebrun flew to the window. She called "Victor!" She waved a handkerchief and called again. The young fellow below got into the vehicle and started the horse off at a gallop.

勒布伦夫人飞快地跑到窗口。她大叫道：“维克托！”她挥着手绢，又叫了一声。下面的那个年轻人跳上马车，赶着马疾驰而去。

Madame Lebrun went back to the machine, crimson with annoyance. Victor was the younger son and brother—a tete montee, with a temper which invited violence and a will which no ax could break.

勒布伦夫人回到缝纫机那儿，气得面红耳赤。维克多是勒布伦家的小儿子，是罗伯特的弟弟，是个急性子，脾气暴躁、倔强，没人能说服他。

"Whenever you say the word I'm ready to thrash any amount of reason into him that he's able to hold."

“无论何时，只要您说话，我随时都可以教训他一顿，让他懂点道理。”

"If your father had only lived!" Clatter, clatter, clatter, clatter, bang! It was a fixed belief with Madame Lebrun that the conduct of the universe and all things pertaining thereto would have been manifestly of a more intelligent and higher order had not Monsieur Lebrun been removed to other spheres during the early years of their married life.

“如果你爸爸还活着该多好啊！”咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，咔哒，砰！勒布伦夫人固执地认为，如果不是勒布伦先生在他们婚后没几年就早早地去了另一个世界的话，整个宇宙以及所有相关事物的运行都会明显地更加聪明，更加有序。

"What do you hear from Montel?" Montel was a middle-aged gentleman whose vain ambition and desire for the past twenty years had been to fill the void which Monsieur Lebrun's taking off had left in the Lebrun household. Clatter, clatter, bang, clatter!

“蒙泰尔来信了吗？”蒙泰尔是一个中年绅士，在过去二十年里，他一直想填补勒布伦先生去世后勒布伦家里留下的空缺，但这只是徒劳的奢望。咔哒，咔哒，砰，咔哒！

"I have a letter somewhere," looking in the machine drawer and finding the letter in the bottom of the workbasket. "He says to tell you he will be in Vera Cruz the beginning of next month,"—clatter, clatter!—"and if you still have the intention of joining him"—bang! clatter, clatter, bang!

“我有一封他的来信，我把它放在什么地方了。”她往缝纫机抽屉里看了看，在放针线活儿的篮子底下找到了它。“他让我告诉你下个月初他要到维拉克鲁斯”－－咔哒，咔哒－－“假如你仍想跟他一起去”－－砰！咔哒，咔哒，砰！

"Why didn't you tell me so before, mother? You know I wanted—” Clatter, clatter, clatter!

“为什么没早点告诉我呢，妈妈？你知道我想－－”咔哒，咔哒，咔哒！

"Do you see Mrs. Pontellier starting back with the children? She will be in late to luncheon again. She never starts to get ready for luncheon till the last minute." Clatter, clatter! "Where are you going?"

“你看蓬迪里埃夫人带着孩子们回来了？午餐她又要晚了。她总是在最后一刻做好吃午餐的准备。”咔哒，咔哒！“你要去哪里？”

"Where did you say the Goncourt was?"

“你刚才说龚古尔的那本小说放哪了？”

IX

第九章

Every light in the hall was ablaze; every lamp turned as high as it could be without smoking the chimney or threatening explosion. The lamps were fixed at intervals against the wall, encircling the whole room. Some one had gathered orange and lemon branches, and with these fashioned graceful festoons between. The dark green of the branches stood out and glistened against the white muslin curtains which draped the windows, and which puffed, floated, and flapped at the capricious will of a stiff breeze that swept up from the Gulf.

大厅里的所有灯都点着了，每盏灯都点到了最高的亮度，就像差一点就要冒烟或者有爆炸的危险似的。环绕整个房间，靠着墙有间隔地装上了灯。有人还采来些橘子和柠檬树枝，装点在这些雅致的灯饰之间。暗绿的树枝衬托着洁白的亚麻窗帘，闪闪发亮。从海湾那边扫过来一阵阵劲风肆意地吹来，吹得窗帘不停地飞扬飘动。

It was Saturday night a few weeks after the intimate conversation held between Robert and Madame Ratignolle on their way from the beach. An unusual number of husbands, fathers, and friends had come down to stay over Sunday; and they were being suitably entertained by their families, with the material help of Madame Lebrun. The dining tables had all been removed to one end of the hall, and the chairs ranged about in rows and in clusters. Each little family group had had its say and exchanged its domestic gossip earlier in the evening. There was now an apparent disposition to relax; to widen the circle of confidences and give a more general tone to the conversation.

那是个星期六的晚上，离罗伯特和拉蒂诺尔夫人那天在从海滩往回走的路上进行的亲密交谈已有几个星期。回来过星期天的丈夫们、父亲们和朋友们出奇的多；他们受到在这儿的家人体面的款待，还有莱布伦夫人在物质上的帮助。所有的餐桌都移到了大厅的一头，椅子在周围摆成一排排，一圈圈。每个小家庭在黄昏十分已经聊过了家常话。他们现在显然想放松一下，把谈话的圈子扩大，使话题更广一些。

Many of the children had been permitted to sit up beyond their usual bedtime. A small band of them were lying on their stomachs on the floor looking at the colored sheets of the comic papers which Mr. Pontellier had brought down. The little Pontellier boys were permitting them to do so, and making their authority felt.

很多孩子都得到许可，可以玩到比他们正常上床时间晚一些。一小群孩子趴在地上看着蓬迪里埃先生带回来的彩图漫画。蓬迪里埃家的小家伙们带着很有权威的架势允许其他孩子们看这些漫画。

Music, dancing, and a recitation or two were the entertainments furnished, or rather, offered. But there was nothing systematic about the programme, no appearance of prearrangement nor even premeditation.

有音乐、舞蹈和一两段朗诵提供给大家助兴，或者说是友情出演。很明显，这些节目没有体系，不像是有所准备的，甚至是临场发挥的。

At an early hour in the evening the Farival twins were prevailed upon to play the piano. They were girls of fourteen, always clad in the Virgin's colors, blue and white, having been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin at their baptism. They played a duet from "Zampa," and at the earnest solicitation of every one present followed it with the overture to "The Poet and the Peasant."

刚到傍晚时分，法里瓦尔家的双胞胎受邀弹奏钢琴。她们是两个十四岁的姑娘。在接受洗礼时已经献身圣母玛利亚了，所以总穿着蓝白色的贞女服装。她们弹奏了《扎姆巴》里的二重奏，又应在场每个人的诚挚请求接着弹奏了《诗人和农夫》的前奏曲。

"Allez vous-en! Sapristi!" shrieked the parrot outside the door. He was the only being present who possessed sufficient candor to admit that he was not listening to these gracious performances for the first time that summer. Old Monsieur Farival, grandfather of the twins, grew indignant over the interruption, and insisted upon having the bird removed and consigned to regions of darkness. Victor Lebrun objected; and his decrees were as immutable as those of Fate. The parrot fortunately offered no further interruption to the entertainment, the whole venom of his nature apparently having been cherished up and hurled against the twins in that one impetuous outburst.

“滚！该死的东西！”挂在门外的那只鹦鹉尖叫道。它是所有在场者中唯一能坦诚地承认那个夏天它并不是第一次听到这样美妙的表演的。老法里瓦尔先生，也就是这对双胞胎的祖父，对这种干扰非常恼怒，执意要把这只鸟移送去黑暗的地方。维克多·勒布伦反对这样做，而他的决定就像是天命，是不可改变的。幸好这只鹦鹉再不干扰人们的娱乐了。在刚才向双胞胎发出的那一声猛烈的尖叫之后，它本性中积攒的所有恶毒的力量都已经用尽了。

Later a young brother and sister gave recitations, which every one present had heard many times at winter evening entertainments in the city.

后来，一对年轻的兄妹表演了朗诵，这个表演在场的每个人在城里的冬季娱乐活动中听过很多次了。

A little girl performed a skirt dance in the center of the floor. The mother played her accompaniments and at the same time watched her daughter with greedy admiration and nervous apprehension. She need have had no apprehension. The child was mistress of the situation. She had been properly dressed for the occasion in black tulle and black silk tights. Her little neck and arms were bare, and her hair, artificially crimped, stood out like fluffy black plumes over her head. Her poses were full of grace, and her little black-shod toes twinkled as they shot out and upward with a rapidity and suddenness which were bewildering.

一个小女孩在地板中央表演了长裙舞。妈妈为她伴奏并热切而赞赏地看着她的女儿，心中满是焦虑和忐忑不安。她本不需要紧张。这个小女孩完全能控制得了场面。她穿着适合这个场合的黑色绢网裙子和紧身黑绸裤子。她的小脖子和手臂露在外面，满头人工做成的卷发像黑色的羽毛一样蓬松地站立着。她的舞姿优美极了，穿着黑色舞鞋的小脚尖时而飞快地踢出去，时而又突然高高地抬起，使人目不暇接。

But there was no reason why every one should not dance. Madame Ratignolle could not, so it was she who gaily consented to play for the others. She played very well, keeping excellent waltz time and infusing an expression into the strains which was indeed inspiring. She was keeping up her music on account of the children, she said; because she and her husband both considered it a means of brightening the home and making it attractive.

但是不让每个人都参与跳舞是不应该的。拉蒂诺尔夫人因为不能跳舞，所以很愉悦地答应为跳舞的人伴奏。她伴奏非常出色，华尔兹舞曲的拍子把握得非常准确，并在旋律中注入了鼓舞人心的情感。她说她是为了孩子们坚持经常演奏的，因为她和她丈夫都认为这是营造愉快的家庭氛围，使家更具吸引力的一个好方法。

Almost every one danced but the twins, who could not be induced to separate during the brief period when one or the other should be whirling around the room in the arms of a man. They might have danced together, but they did not think of it.

除了双胞胎之外，差不多每个人都跳了舞。没法让她俩分开，让其中一个和一个男人抱着绕着这间屋子跳舞，一小会儿都不行。她们俩本可以自己搭档跳舞，可她们没想着要跳。

The children were sent to bed. Some went submissively; others with shrieks and protests as they were dragged away. They had been permitted to sit up till after the ice-cream, which naturally marked the limit of human indulgence.

孩子们都被送上床睡觉去了。有些孩子很听话地去了，有的则在被拖走的时候又尖叫又抗议的。大人们允许孩子玩到吃完冰激淋之后再走，这自然意味着大人们能对他们纵容的极限了。

The ice-cream was passed around with cake—gold and silver cake arranged on platters in alternate slices; it had been made and frozen during the afternoon back of the kitchen by two black women, under the supervision of Victor. It was pronounced a great success—excellent if it had only contained a little less vanilla or a little more sugar, if it had been frozen a degree harder, and if the salt might have been kept out of portions of it. Victor was proud of his achievement, and went about recommending it and urging every one to partake of it to excess.

冰激淋和蛋糕一起端上来了，金黄色和银白色的蛋糕一片片盛在大浅盘子里，交叉摆放着。在维克托的监督下，两个黑人妇女在后厨房用了一下午的时间做好它们又进行了冰冻。大家都说做得非常成功－－如果再少放点香草添加剂，多放点糖，冻得再硬实一点，盐加得再适量些，那就更好了。维克多为自己的成就感到骄傲，四处推荐，要每个人都尽量多吃些。

After Mrs. Pontellier had danced twice with her husband, once with Robert, and once with Monsieur Ratignolle, who was thin and tall and swayed like a reed in the wind when he danced, she went out on the gallery and seated herself on the low window-sill, where she commanded a view of all that went on in the hall and could look out toward the Gulf. There was a soft effulgence in the east. The moon was coming up, and its mystic shimmer was casting a million lights across the distant, restless water.

蓬迪里埃夫人跟她丈夫跳了两次舞，跟罗伯特跳了一次，又和拉蒂诺尔先生跳了一次。这位先生又瘦又高，跳舞的时候像一根芦苇随风晃动。之后，她走到外边长廊那里，在矮矮的窗台上坐下。在那里，她既可以看清楚大厅里的一切，也可以远眺海湾的景色。这时东方的天空上可以看到柔和的光辉。月亮爬上了天空，神秘的月光一泻千里，在远处那波澜起伏的海面上映出万道银光。

"Would you like to hear Mademoiselle Reisz play?" asked Robert, coming out on the porch where she was. Of course Edna would like to hear Mademoiselle Reisz play; but she feared it would be useless to entreat her.

“你想听雷西小姐弹琴吗？”罗伯特走到她所在的廊前问她。爱德娜当然想听，但她担心请求她没用，请不来她。

"I'll ask her," he said. "I'll tell her that you want to hear her. She likes you. She will come." He turned and hurried away to one of the far cottages, where Mademoiselle Reisz was shuffling away. She was dragging a chair in and out of her room, and at intervals objecting to the crying of a baby, which a nurse in the adjoining cottage was endeavoring to put to sleep. She was a disagreeable little woman, no longer young, who had quarreled with almost every one, owing to a temper which was self-assertive and a disposition to trample upon the rights of others. Robert prevailed upon her without any too great difficulty.

“我去跟她说，”他说道，“我去跟她说你想听她弹琴。她很喜欢你。她会来的。”罗伯特转身急匆匆地赶到远处的一栋别墅。雷西小姐正在那里踱着步子。她拖着一把椅子从屋里搬进搬出的，时不时地对一个婴儿的哭声表示抗议。隔壁别墅里，一个保姆正在努力哄这个婴儿睡觉。她是一个难相处的小个子女人，年纪不轻了；因为她自负，脾气坏，性情古怪，无视别人的权利，她几乎跟这里的每个人都吵过架。可罗伯特没费很大劲就说服了她。

She entered the hall with him during a lull in the dance. She made an awkward, imperious little bow as she went in. She was a homely woman, with a small weazened face and body and eyes that glowed. She had absolutely no taste in dress, and wore a batch of rusty black lace with a bunch of artificial violets pinned to the side of her hair.

在跳舞的间歇，雷西小姐跟他一起进入了大厅。她进来时很别扭地轻轻鞠了一躬，给人感觉专横跋扈的样子。她是一个相貌平平的女子，脸孔和身体都很干瘪，眼睛发亮。她对穿着打扮绝对没有品位，穿着一套褪了色的黑色花边衣裙，头发一侧别着一小束假紫罗兰花。

"Ask Mrs. Pontellier what she would like to hear me play," she requested of Robert. She sat perfectly still before the piano, not touching the keys, while Robert carried her message to Edna at the window. A general air of surprise and genuine satisfaction fell upon every one as they saw the pianist enter. There was a settling down, and a prevailing air of expectancy everywhere. Edna was a trifle embarrassed at being thus signaled out for the imperious little woman's favor. She would not dare to choose, and begged that Mademoiselle Reisz would please herself in her selections.

“去问一下蓬迪里埃夫人想听我弹什么？”她要求罗伯特道。罗伯特走到窗前给爱德娜传口信的时候，她就绝对安静地坐在钢琴前，没动琴键。当人们看到这位钢琴家进来的时候，都非常地惊喜和满足。大家都安静下来，大厅里弥漫着期待的气氛。受到这个专横跋扈的小女人的特别钟爱使爱德娜感觉稍稍有点尴尬。她不敢挑选，而是请求雷西小姐自己随意选曲弹奏。

Edna was what she herself called very fond of music. Musical strains, well rendered, had a way of evoking pictures in her mind. She sometimes liked to sit in the room of mornings when Madame Ratignolle played or practiced. One piece which that lady played Edna had entitled "Solitude." It was a short, plaintive, minor strain. The name of the piece was something else, but she called it "Solitude." When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore. He was naked. His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him.

爱德娜，用她自己的话说，是非常喜欢音乐的。弹奏得好的乐曲能在她脑海中激起一幅幅回忆的画面。她有时喜欢在早上坐在房间里听拉蒂诺尔夫人弹奏或练习。那位小姐弹奏的一支曲子，爱德娜把它称做《孤独曲》。这是一支很短，很哀婉的小调。这支曲子其实另有其名，但爱德娜把它称为《孤独曲》。当她听到这首曲子的时候，她的脑海中就会浮现出一个人影，站在海滩上一块荒凉的岩石旁。他赤裸着身体。当他看着远方的一只小鸟拍打着翅膀飞离他时，他是无奈而绝望的。

Another piece called to her mind a dainty young woman clad in an Empire gown, taking mincing dancing steps as she came down a long avenue between tall hedges. Again, another reminded her of children at play, and still another of nothing on earth but a demure lady stroking a cat.

另一支曲子使她脑海里浮现出一位身穿帝国时期长袍的优雅的年轻女子，迈着斯文的舞蹈步伐，顺着一条夹在两排高高的篱笆之间的长长的林荫道走过来。又一支曲子使她想起了正在玩耍的孩子，还有一支曲子在她眼前呈现出一位娴静的小姐在爱抚一只小猫的画面，除此之外大地上一片白净。

The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth.

雷西小姐弹出的最初几个弦音便使蓬迪里埃夫人的脊背从上到下感到一阵阵强烈的颤抖。她并非第一次听到艺术家弹奏钢琴。但也许这是第一次她有心理准备，渴望接受这一永恒的真理。

She waited for the material pictures which she thought would gather and blaze before her imagination. She waited in vain. She saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair. But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body. She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her.

她期待着脑海中的这些真切的图画在她想象中聚集并大放光彩。可她的等待是徒劳的。她没看到任何孤独、希望、渴求或绝望的画面。而这些情感却在她的灵魂身处被唤起，支配并鞭打着她的心灵，正如海潮每天击打着她美好的身体一样。她颤抖着，抽泣着，泪水模糊了她的视线。

Mademoiselle had finished. She arose, and bowing her stiff, lofty bow, she went away, stopping for neither, thanks nor applause. As she passed along the gallery she patted Edna upon the shoulder.

雷西小姐弹完了。她站起来，生硬而又傲慢地略鞠一躬就走了，没有因为大家的感谢与掌声而做任何停留。她路过长廊的时候，轻轻地拍了拍爱德娜的肩膀。

"Well, how did you like my music?" she asked. The young woman was unable to answer; she pressed the hand of the pianist convulsively. Mademoiselle Reisz perceived her agitation and even her tears. She patted her again upon the shoulder as she said:

“哦，你喜欢我的演奏吗？”她问道。这位年轻的夫人没能作出回答，只是猛劲地按住了这位钢琴家的手。雷西小姐看出了她的激动情绪，甚至也看到她噙着泪水。她又拍了拍她的肩膀说道：

"You are the only one worth playing for. Those others? Bah!" and she went shuffling and sidling on down the gallery toward her room.

“你是唯一值得我为之弹奏的人。其他那些人？呸！”说完就拖着步子侧身穿过长廊回自己房间了。

But she was mistaken about "those others." Her playing had aroused a fever of enthusiasm. "What passion!" "What an artist!" "I have always said no one could play Chopin like Mademoiselle Reisz!" "That last prelude! Bon Dieu! It shakes a man!"

可她对“其他那些人”的想法错了。她的演奏唤起了大家的热情，使大家兴奋不已。“多么有激情啊！”“多么好的一位艺术家啊！”“我总是说没人能像雷西小姐那样把肖邦的曲子弹得那么好吧！”“最后那支前奏曲！美极了！真是震撼人心啊！”

It was growing late, and there was a general disposition to disband. But some one, perhaps it was Robert, thought of a bath at that mystic hour and under that mystic moon.

夜渐深了，大家都有散场的意思。但有人，可能是罗伯特，却考虑要在这神秘的时段到神秘的月光下沐浴呢。

X

第十章

At all events Robert proposed it, and there was not a dissenting voice. There was not one but was ready to follow when he led the way. He did not lead the way, however, he directed the way; and he himself loitered behind with the lovers, who had betrayed a disposition to linger and hold themselves apart. He walked between them, whether with malicious or mischievous intent was not wholly clear, even to himself.

不管怎样，罗伯特最终还是提出了建议，也没有人不赞成。只要他领路，没人不愿意跟他走。最后他也没领路，只是指了方向，而他自己则和那对情侣一起在后面逗留。那对情侣总是喜欢迁延一会儿以和别人保持一段距离，而这次没这样。他在他们中间走着，到底是什么意图，是蓄意的还是故意淘气，没有谁能完全明白，就连他自己也搞不清楚。

The Pontelliers and Ratignolles walked ahead; the women leaning upon the arms of their husbands. Edna could hear Robert's voice behind them, and could sometimes hear what he said. She wondered why he did not join them. It was unlike him not to. Of late he had sometimes held away from her for an entire day, redoubling his devotion upon the next and the next, as though to make up for hours that had been lost. She missed him the days when some pretext served to take him away from her, just as one misses the sun on a cloudy day without having thought much about the sun when it was shining.

蓬迪里埃夫人和拉蒂诺尔夫人在走在前面，各自都靠在她们丈夫的手臂上。爱德娜能听得到罗伯特在他们后面讲话的声音，有时候还能听到他所说的话。她感到奇怪为什么他没有加入他们。他不这样做倒不像他了。最近，他有时一整天都避开她。等到第二天和第三天又加倍对她献殷勤，像是要弥补前一天失去的时光。他找借口来避着她的那些日子里，她很想念他，正如人们在多云天气渴望太阳，而在阳光照耀的日子不会太多地想起太阳一样。

The people walked in little groups toward the beach. They talked and laughed; some of them sang. There was a band playing down at Klein's hotel, and the strains reached them faintly, tempered by the distance. There were strange, rare odors abroad—a tangle of the sea smell and of weeds and damp, new-plowed earth, mingled with the heavy perfume of a field of white blossoms somewhere near. But the night sat lightly upon the sea and the land. There was no weight of darkness; there were no shadows. The white light of the moon had fallen upon the world like the mystery and the softness of sleep.

人们三五成群地向海滩走去。他们谈笑风生，有的还在唱歌。克莱恩酒店那边，有只乐队正在演奏，隐隐约约能听到乐曲的旋律，远远传来，曲调柔和。外面有股奇怪少有的气味－－夹杂着海水、海草和潮湿的新翻泥土的气味，和附近一片田野里盛开的白花散发出来的浓郁香味混合在一起。黑夜静静地笼罩在海面和大地上。夜色不浓，也无阴影。洁白的月色映照着大地，像睡梦一样神秘而轻柔。

Most of them walked into the water as though into a native element. The sea was quiet now, and swelled lazily in broad billows that melted into one another and did not break except upon the beach in little foamy crests that coiled back like slow, white serpents.

大多数人走进水里，就好像进入一个天然的环境里一样。此时海面风平浪静，大片的海面缓慢起伏，又一波一波地消失了，只有在拍打海滩时才形成充满泡沫的浪尖，而立刻又翻卷回去，像一条缓慢的白色巨蛇蜿蜒着向后退去。

Edna had attempted all summer to learn to swim. She had received instructions from both the men and women; in some instances from the children. Robert had pursued a system of lessons almost daily; and he was nearly at the point of discouragement in realizing the futility of his efforts. A certain ungovernable dread hung about her when in the water, unless there was a hand near by that might reach out and reassure her.

爱德娜整个夏天都在尝试着学游泳。她得到男男女女的指教，有时她还向孩子们学习。罗伯特几乎每天都会教她一套游泳课程。当意识到他的努力只是徒劳时，他几乎泄气了。爱德娜下水的时候总是被一种难以控制的恐惧缠绕，除非附近有一只手伸出来能够让她安心。

But that night she was like the little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over-confidence. She could have shouted for joy. She did shout for joy, as with a sweeping stroke or two she lifted her body to the surface of the water.

但那天晚上，她像个刚学步的小孩儿，跌跌撞撞，磕磕绊绊，拉拉扯扯，忽然间感觉到了力量，能够初次独立行走了，既勇敢又洋溢着自信。她兴奋地要叫起来了。她真的叫了出来，使劲划了一两下，把身子浮出了水面。

A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before.

她欣喜万分，好像从外部被赋予了一股重要的力量而得以控制她整个的身心。她变得胆大而不顾后果，过高地估计了自己的力量。她想往远处游，游到以前女人们从未游到过的地方。

Her unlooked-for achievement was the subject of wonder, applause, and admiration. Each one congratulated himself that his special teachings had accomplished this desired end.

她这未曾想到的成就成为人们吃惊、赞许和羡慕的对象。每个人都祝贺他，说是他的特殊训练使爱德娜取得这令人满意的成就。

"How easy it is!" she thought. "It is nothing," she said aloud; "why did I not discover before that it was nothing. Think of the time I have lost splashing about like a baby!" She would not join the groups in their sports and bouts, but intoxicated with her newly conquered power, she swam out alone.

“这么简单呀！”她想。“这根本不算什么事，”她大声说，“为什么我以前就没发现这根本不算什么事呢。想想我像娃娃一样劈里啪啦地打水所浪费的时间吧！”她不愿意加入到别人的戏水和比赛，而是陶醉于新征服的力量中，自己一个人向海里游去了。

She turned her face seaward to gather in an impression of space and solitude, which the vast expanse of water, meeting and melting with the moonlit sky, conveyed to her excited fancy. As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself.

她转过头朝着大海，看到远处那一大片水域和月光映照的天空相接并融合在一起，使她在激动与幻想之中感到空旷与孤寂。她游着，好像要游到无垠的地方而使自己消失在那里。

Once she turned and looked toward the shore, toward the people she had left there. She had not gone any great distance that is, what would have been a great distance for an experienced swimmer. But to her unaccustomed vision the stretch of water behind her assumed the aspect of a barrier which her unaided strength would never be able to overcome.

她时而回头向岸上看一看，向落在在岸边的人们看过去。其实她没有游很远的距离，对一个有经验的游泳者来说，这根本算不上远。但她尚不习惯看到的身后的一大片水域好像变成了一道障碍，若要靠她自己的力量是永远无法克服的。

A quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses. But by an effort she rallied her staggering faculties and managed to regain the land.

一种死亡的兆头突然快速地重击了她的灵魂，一时间使她恐惧不已，全身麻木。但她努力振作精神，鼓足余劲设法游回到岸边。

She made no mention of her encounter with death and her flash of terror, except to say to her husband, "I thought I should have perished out there alone."

她没有提及与死神相遇和那一闪而过的恐惧感，只是跟她丈夫说：“我以为我自己会在那边淹死呢。”

"You were not so very far, my dear; I was watching you", he told her.

你没游出多远，亲爱的，我一直在看着你呢。”他告诉她。

Edna went at once to the bath-house, and she had put on her dry clothes and was ready to return home before the others had left the water. She started to walk away alone. They all called to her and shouted to her. She waved a dissenting hand, and went on, paying no further heed to their renewed cries which sought to detain her.

爱德娜立刻走进浴室，换了干衣服，准备在别人从水里出来之前就回家。她开始独自往回走。大家都叫她，冲她大声喊。她只是挥了一下手表示不愿意留下来并继续往前走，不再理会那些人的一声声叫喊。

"Sometimes I am tempted to think that Mrs. Pontellier is capricious," said Madame Lebrun, who was amusing herself immensely and feared that Edna's abrupt departure might put an end to the pleasure.

“有时候我禁不住要想蓬迪里埃夫人真有点变化无常。”勒布伦夫人说。她自己玩得很尽兴，生怕爱德娜的突然离开会结束这欢快的场面。

"I know she is," assented Mr. Pontellier; "sometimes, not often."

“我知道她是这样，”蓬迪里埃先生同意地说道，“不过只是有时候，不经常这样。”

Edna had not traversed a quarter of the distance on her way home before she was overtaken by Robert.

爱德娜在回家路上还没走到四分之一路程时就被罗伯特追上了。

"Did you think I was afraid?" she asked him, without a shade of annoyance.

“你以为我会害怕呀？”她问他说，丝毫没有恼怒的样子。

"No; I knew you weren't afraid."

“不是，我知道你不会害怕。”

"Then why did you come? Why didn't you stay out there with the others?"

“那你怎么来了？怎么没留在那里跟其他人在一起呢？”

"I never thought of it."

“我根本没想过。”

"Thought of what?"

“没想过什么？”

"Of anything. What difference does it make?"

“什么都没想过。又有什么关系呢？”

"I'm very tired," she uttered, complainingly.

“我非常累。”她抱怨地说道。

"I know you are."

“我知道你很累。”

"You don't know anything about it. Why should you know? I never was so exhausted in my life. But it isn't unpleasant. A thousand emotions have swept through me to-night. I don't comprehend half of them. Don't mind what I'm saying; I am just thinking aloud. I wonder if I shall ever be stirred again as Mademoiselle Reisz's playing moved me to-night. I wonder if any night on earth will ever again be like this one. It is like a night in a dream. The people about me are like some uncanny, half-human beings. There must be spirits abroad to-night.”

“你什么都不知道。你如何会知道呢？我平生从来没有像这样感到精疲力尽。可这并非不愉快。今晚有千思万绪掠过我的脑海。可我连它们的一半都理解不了。不用在意我在说什么，就当我在胡思乱语吧。我不知道以后会不会再有像今晚听雷西小姐的弹奏这样感到震撼的时候了。我不知道以后在这世上是否会有一天晚上像今晚这样了。这就像梦境中的夜晚。我周围的人好像都神秘古怪，似人非人。今晚外面一定有鬼魂出没。”

"There are," whispered Robert, "Didn't you know this was the twenty-eighth of August?”

“肯定是有，”罗伯特说，“你难道忘了今天是八月二十八日吗？”

"The twenty-eighth of August?”

“八月二十八日？”

"Yes. On the twenty-eighth of August, at the hour of midnight, and if the moon is shining—the moon must be shining—a spirit that has haunted these shores for ages rises up from the Gulf. With its own penetrating vision the spirit seeks some one mortal worthy to hold him company, worthy of being exalted for a few hours into realms of the semi-celestials. His search has always hitherto been fruitless, and he has sunk back, disheartened, into the sea. But to-night he found Mrs. Pontellier. Perhaps he will never wholly release her from the spell. Perhaps she will never again suffer a poor, unworthy earthling to walk in the shadow of her divine presence.”

“是的。八月二十八日午夜时分，如果有月光的话－－必须得有月光，这时一个长久以来一直在这片海岸出现的鬼魂就会从海湾上升起。这个鬼魂会凭着敏锐的眼力找寻某个值得与他为伴的人，值得被提升到一个半神的领域去欢度几个小时的人。直到现在他的寻找都没有结果，于是他总是灰心丧气地沉回到海中。可今天晚上他发现了蓬迪里埃夫人。也许这次他不再会使她完全地从他的魔咒中解脱出来。可能她永远不会再忍受一个可怜的、不值得在意的凡人跟在她神圣的身影后面了吧。”

"Don't banter me," she said, wounded at what appeared to be his flippancy. He did not mind the entreaty, but the tone with its delicate note of pathos was like a reproach. He could not explain; he could not tell her that he had penetrated her mood and understood. He said nothing except to offer her his arm, for, by her own admission, she was exhausted. She had been walking alone with her arms hanging limp, letting her white skirts trail along the dewy path. She took his arm, but she did not lean upon it. She let her hand lie listlessly, as though her thoughts were elsewhere—somewhere in advance of her body, and she was striving to overtake them.

“不要戏弄我了。”她说，他的这些看似轻浮的话让她很受伤。他没有理会她的恳求，但她那淡淡的哀婉的语调像是一种责备。他没法解释，没法告诉她他已经猜透并已理解了她的心境。他什么也没说，只是向她伸出了手臂，因为她自己已经承认她精疲力尽了。之前她独自无精打采地垂着手臂走着，让白色长裙拖到沾满露水的小道上。她挽着他的手臂，但没有靠在上面。她懒洋洋地把手搭在他的手臂上，好像思绪已经飞到了别处，一个远离她身体的地方，而她正在努力追赶它们。

Robert assisted her into the hammock which swung from the post before her door out to the trunk of a tree.

罗伯特帮助她躺到悬挂在在门口柱子上和一个树干之间的吊床上。

"Will you stay out here and wait for Mr. Pontellier?" he asked.

“你要在这外面等蓬迪里埃先生吗？”他问她。

"I'll stay out here. Good-night.”

“我会待在这外边。晚安。”

"Shall I get you a pillow?"

“我拿个枕头给你吧？”

"There's one here," she said, feeling about, for they were in the shadow.

“这里有一个。”她边说边四处摸索，因为他们在幽暗处。

"It must be soiled; the children have been tumbling it about."

“那个一定被弄脏了，孩子们一直拿它到处翻滚呢。”

"No matter." And having discovered the pillow, she adjusted it beneath her head. She extended herself in the hammock with a deep breath of relief. She was not a supercilious or an over-dainty woman. She was not much given to reclining in the hammock, and when she did so it was with no cat-like suggestion of voluptuous ease, but with a beneficent repose which seemed to invade her whole body.

“没关系。”她找着了枕头，把它移动到头底下。她在吊床上伸展了一下身体，轻松地长舒了一口气。她不是一个高傲或过分讲究的女人。她平时没有躺在吊床上的喜好，她躺在那里时没有像猫那样的迷人的安逸，而是一种全身舒畅的歇息。

"Shall I stay with you till Mr. Pontellier comes?" asked Robert, seating himself on the outer edge of one of the steps and taking hold of the hammock rope which was fastened to the post.

“我留下来陪你到蓬迪里埃先生回来好吗？”罗伯特边问边在外边的一级台阶边上坐下，手抓在门柱上的系吊床用的绳子上。

"If you wish. Don't swing the hammock. Will you get my white shawl which I left on the window-sill over at the house?”

“你愿意就留下来吧！别摇吊床。把我放在那边房屋窗台上的白色披肩拿来好吗？”

"Are you chilly?"

“你是不是冷了？”

"No; but I shall be presently."

“不冷，不过过会儿会冷的。”

"Presently?" he laughed. "Do you know what time it is? How long are you going to stay out here?"

“过会儿？”他笑了。“你知道现在几点了？你还打算在外面呆多长时间？”

"I don't know. Will you get the shawl?"

“我不知道。你把披肩拿来，好吗？”

"Of course I will," he said, rising. He went over to the house, walking along the grass. She watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight. It was past midnight. It was very quiet.

“当然可以。”他边说边站起身。他沿着草地向房子走去。她看着他的身影在狭长的月光下忽隐忽现。已过午夜。到处寂静无声。

When he returned with the shawl she took it and kept it in her hand. She did not put it around her.

当他拿着披肩回来时，她接过放在手里。她没把披肩围上。

"Did you say I should stay till Mr. Pontellier came back?"

“你说我应该在这里呆到蓬迪里埃先生回来吗？”

"I said you might if you wished to."

“我说过你愿意就留下来。”

He seated himself again and rolled a cigarette, which he smoked in silence. Neither did Mrs. Pontellier speak. No multitude of words could have been more significant than those moments of silence, or more pregnant with the first-felt throbbings of desire.

他又坐了下来，卷了一支烟，默默地抽着。蓬迪里埃夫人也没说话。此时的沉默比任何喋喋不休都更意味深长，更满含着初尝欲望的那种悸动。

When the voices of the bathers were heard approaching, Robert said good-night. She did not answer him. He thought she was asleep. Again she watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight as he walked away.

听到游完泳回来的人声越来越近了，罗伯特道了晚安。她没有回应。他还以为她睡着了。他离开了，她再一次看着他的身影时隐时现地在狭长的月光下消失。

XI

第十一章

"What are you doing out here, Edna? I thought I should find you in bed," said her husband, when he discovered her lying there. He had walked up with Madame Lebrun and left her at the house. His wife did not reply.

“你在外边干什么呢，爱德娜？我想你应该已经上床了。”她丈夫发现她躺在那儿时说。他跟勒布伦夫人一道走回来，在主屋门口跟她道了别。她妻子没回应他。

"Are you asleep?" he asked, bending down close to look at her.

“你是睡着了吗？”他边说边弯下身子靠近她仔细看了看。

"No." Her eyes gleamed bright and intense, with no sleepy shadows, as they looked into his.

“没睡着。”她两眼发亮，炯炯有神，毫无睡意，盯着他的眼睛。

"Do you know it is past one o'clock? Come on," and he mounted the steps and went into their room.

“你知道现在都过一点钟了吧？来，进屋吧！”他跨上台阶进了屋。

"Edna!" called Mr. Pontellier from within, after a few moments had gone by.

“爱德娜！”他从屋里叫道，这时已经过了好一会儿了。

"Don't wait for me," she answered. He thrust his head through the door.

“不用等我。”她回答道。他从门那里探出头来。

"You will take cold out there," he said, irritably. "What folly is this? Why don't you come in?"

“你在外面会感冒的。”他急躁地说。“这太愚蠢了。你为什么不进来？”

"It isn't cold; I have my shawl."

“天不冷，再说我有披肩。”

"The mosquitoes will devour you."

“蚊子会把你吃了。”

"There are no mosquitoes."

“没有蚊子。”

She heard him moving about the room; every sound indicating impatience and irritation. Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us.

她听到他在屋里来回走动，听声音像是很不耐烦和恼怒的样子。要是以前，她早就答应他的请求进去了。她会习惯性地满足他的愿望，没有丝毫屈从或顺应他的强制性意愿的感觉，而是不假思索地那样去做，就像我们每天走路、移动、坐下、站起和度过给我们安排好的单调生活一样。

"Edna, dear, are you not coming in soon?" he asked again, this time fondly, with a note of entreaty.

“爱德娜，亲爱的，你不马上进来吗？”他又问，这回带着亲昵而又恳求的口气。

"No; I am going to stay out here."

“不，我就在这外面呆着。”

"This is more than folly," he blurted out. "I can't permit you to stay out there all night. You must come in the house instantly."

“这太愚蠢了。”他脱口而出，“我不能容许你在那外面呆一整夜。你必须马上进屋。”

With a writhing motion she settled herself more securely in the hammock. She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had; she remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how she should have yielded, feeling as she then did.

她扭动了一下身体，更安稳地躺在吊床里。她感觉她的硬性子上来了，倔强而不屈服。此刻她除了拒绝与违抗之外不可能做别的什么。她在想她丈夫以前曾否跟她这样讲过话，她曾否也屈从于他的发号施令。这当然是有过的，她记得有过。但她不明白，那时她也是这么想的话，她为什么屈从了，她是怎样屈从的。

"Leonce, go to bed," she said, "I mean to stay out here. I don't wish to go in, and I don't intend to. Don't speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you."

“莱翁斯，你睡吧！”她说，“我就想呆在这儿。我不愿意进去，也不打算进去。别再那样跟我说话了，我是不会回答你的。”

Mr. Pontellier had prepared for bed, but he slipped on an extra garment. He opened a bottle of wine, of which he kept a small and select supply in a buffet of his own. He drank a glass of the wine and went out on the gallery and offered a glass to his wife. She did not wish any. He drew up the rocker, hoisted his slippered feet on the rail, and proceeded to smoke a cigar. He smoked two cigars; then he went inside and drank another glass of wine. Mrs. Pontellier again declined to accept a glass when it was offered to her. Mr. Pontellier once more seated himself with elevated feet, and after a reasonable interval of time smoked some more cigars.

蓬迪里埃先生本已准备上床睡了，可现在又披上一件衣服。他开了一瓶红酒，他在自己的酒柜里存了几瓶精选的好酒。他自己喝了一杯酒，又拿了一杯到长廊那儿给他的妻子。她一点儿都不想喝。他拽过摇椅坐下，抬起穿着拖鞋的脚放在栏杆上，接着点了一支烟。他抽了两支烟，接着又进屋喝了一杯酒。他又拿给他妻子一杯酒，而她又一次谢绝了。蓬迪里埃先生又一次抬起脚坐下来，隔了相当一段时间，又抽了好几支烟。

Edna began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul. The physical need for sleep began to overtake her; the exuberance which had sustained and exalted her spirit left her helpless and yielding to the conditions which crowded her in.

爱德娜开始感觉逐渐从梦幻中－－一个甜蜜、怪异和不现实的梦幻中醒来，感觉现实又一次挤压着她的心灵。睡眠的生理需要开始袭扰着她，刚才那种激发着她的情绪、使她精神振作的生气现在离开了她，使她无助，只得屈从于紧紧围住她的现实生活。

The stillest hour of the night had come, the hour before dawn, when the world seems to hold its breath. The moon hung low, and had turned from silver to copper in the sleeping sky. The old owl no longer hooted, and the water-oaks had ceased to moan as they bent their heads.

大地这时好像屏住了呼吸，就在黎明前夕，深夜最静寂的时刻来临了。月亮低悬在静谧的天空中，已由银色变成了古铜色。猫头鹰不再鸣叫，水栎树也垂下了头，停止了呜咽。

Edna arose, cramped from lying so long and still in the hammock. She tottered up the steps, clutching feebly at the post before passing into the house.

爱德娜起身来，由于长时间一动不动地躺在吊床上，感觉有点抽筋。她磕磕绊绊地走上台阶，虚弱地抓着柱子进了屋。

"Are you coming in, Leonce?" she asked, turning her face toward her husband.

“你进不进来，莱翁斯？”她转过脸问她的丈夫。

"Yes, dear," he answered, with a glance following a misty puff of smoke. "Just as soon as I have finished my cigar."

“就来，亲爱的，”他吐了一口烟雾，看了她一眼回答道，“我抽完这支烟就来。”

XII

第十二章

She slept but a few hours. They were troubled and feverish hours, disturbed with dreams that were intangible, that eluded her, leaving only an impression upon her half-awakened senses of something unattainable. She was up and dressed in the cool of the early morning. The air was invigorating and steadied somewhat her faculties. However, she was not seeking refreshment or help from any source, either external or from within. She was blindly following whatever impulse moved her, as if she had placed herself in alien hands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility.

她只睡了短短几个小时。这几小时也是烦恼和躁动不安的，不断地被模模糊糊的怎么也记不清的梦境所困扰，留下来的只是半梦半醒难以如愿的感觉。在充满凉意的早晨，她起来穿好了衣服。这空气使她精力充沛，也稍微稳定了她的情绪。然而，她并不是在借助任何外在的或内在的力量来恢复精力。她是在盲目地任凭冲动的影响引导她，好像把自己置身于一种陌生的力量的指引下，从而使自己从心灵的责任中解脱出来。

Most of the people at that early hour were still in bed and asleep. A few, who intended to go over to the Cheniere for mass, were moving about. The lovers, who had laid their plans the night before, were already strolling toward the wharf. The lady in black, with her Sunday prayer-book, velvet and gold-clasped, and her Sunday silver beads, was following them at no great distance. Old Monsieur Farival was up, and was more than half inclined to do anything that suggested itself. He put on his big straw hat, and taking his umbrella from the stand in the hall, followed the lady in black, never overtaking her.

这么早大多数人还仍在床上睡着。只有少数几个打算到谢尼去望弥撒的人在四处走动。那对情人头一天晚上已有所安排，现在已经在往码头方向缓步走去。穿黑色衣服的女人拿着她那本绒面金边的祷告书和做礼拜用的银色念珠在他们后面不远处跟着。老法里瓦尔先生起来了，他之前半点儿打算都没有，只是想有什么事做什么事。他戴上他的大草帽，从大厅的伞架上拿下他的伞，跟在那个穿黑色衣服的女人后面，一直没超过她。

The little negro girl who worked Madame Lebrun's sewing-machine was sweeping the galleries with long, absent-minded strokes of the broom. Edna sent her up into the house to awaken Robert.

那个在勒布伦家摇缝纫机的黑人小女孩正在长廊上拿着扫帚慢吞吞地心不在焉地扫着地。爱德娜让她到主屋去把罗伯特叫醒。

"Tell him I am going to the Cheniere. The boat is ready; tell him to hurry."

“告诉他我要去谢尼岛。船已备好，告诉他快点。”

He had soon joined her. She had never sent for him before. She had never asked for him. She had never seemed to want him before. She did not appear conscious that she had done anything unusual in commanding his presence. He was apparently equally unconscious of anything extraordinary in the situation. But his face was suffused with a quiet glow when he met her.

罗伯特很快就过来了。她以前从没派人叫过他。她也从没要求他做过什么。她以前好像从来也没需要过他。对于派人叫他过来她好像也没有意识到有什么异常的地方。他也同样没意识到这有什么不寻常的地方。可他一见到她，脸就悄悄地泛起红晕。

They went together back to the kitchen to drink coffee. There was no time to wait for any nicety of service. They stood outside the window and the cook passed them their coffee and a roll, which they drank and ate from the window-sill. Edna said it tasted good.

他们一起回厨房去喝咖啡。他们没有时间等待周到地服务了。他们在窗外站着，厨师给他们递过来咖啡和面包卷，他们就在窗台上吃喝起来。爱德娜说面包卷味道很好。

She had not thought of coffee nor of anything. He told her he had often noticed that she lacked forethought.

她根本没考虑到咖啡或别的什么。他告诉她他早就注意到她缺乏远见。

"Wasn't it enough to think of going to the Cheniere and waking you up?" she laughed. "Do I have to think of everything?—as Leonce says when he's in a bad humor. I don't blame him; he'd never be in a bad humor if it weren't for me."

“我想到了去谢尼岛，想到了把你叫醒，难道这还不够吗？”她笑了笑说，“我难道该事事都考虑到吗？－－就像莱翁斯在情绪糟糕的时候说的那样。我不怪他，要不是因为我，他的情绪也不会那么糟。”

They took a short cut across the sands. At a distance they could see the curious procession moving toward the wharf—the lovers, shoulder to shoulder, creeping; the lady in black, gaining steadily upon them; old Monsieur Farival, losing ground inch by inch, and a young barefooted Spanish girl, with a red kerchief on her head and a basket on her arm, bringing up the rear.

他们抄小路穿过沙滩。远远地他们能够看见一支奇怪的队伍朝码头走去－－那对情人肩并肩缓慢地走着；穿黑色衣服的女人稳步赶上了他们；老法里瓦尔先生一点点掉了队；还有一个光着脚的西班牙小女孩，头上戴一条红色方围巾，胳膊上挎着一个篮子在后面压队。

Robert knew the girl, and he talked to her a little in the boat. No one present understood what they said. Her name was Mariequita. She had a round, sly, piquant face and pretty black eyes. Her hands were small, and she kept them folded over the handle of her basket. Her feet were broad and coarse. She did not strive to hide them. Edna looked at her feet, and noticed the sand and slime between her brown toes.

罗伯特认识这个小女孩，他在船上跟她讲了几句话。在场的人没一个懂得他们在说什么。她的名字叫玛丽吉塔。她的脸圆圆的，俏皮可爱，一双黑眼睛非常漂亮。她的手长得很小，总是紧紧地抓住提篮。她的脚却又大又粗。她并未努力掩藏它们。爱德娜看了一眼她的脚，注意到她棕色的脚趾之间满是沙子和烂泥。

Beaudelet grumbled because Mariequita was there, taking up so much room. In reality he was annoyed at having old Monsieur Farival, who considered himself the better sailor of the two. But he would not quarrel with so old a man as Monsieur Farival, so he quarreled with Mariequita. The girl was deprecatory at one moment, appealing to Robert. She was saucy the next, moving her head up and down, making "eyes" at Robert and making "mouths" at Beaudelet.

博德莱看到玛丽吉塔在船上就嘟哝了一句，嫌她占地方太多。实际上他是对老法里瓦尔先生很恼火，因为这位先生总说自己比他更会驾船。可他不想跟法里瓦尔先生这样岁数大的人争吵，于是便跟玛丽吉塔吵了起来。这个小女孩有一阵子不以为然，并恳求罗伯特的帮助。过一会儿就变得无礼，上下晃着小脑袋，跟罗伯特眉飞色舞，跟博德莱则唇枪舌战。

The lovers were all alone. They saw nothing, they heard nothing. The lady in black was counting her beads for the third time. Old Monsieur Farival talked incessantly of what he knew about handling a boat, and of what Beaudelet did not know on the same subject.

那对情人独自在那里。他们视而不见，充耳不闻。穿黑色衣服的女人正在第三次数她的念珠。老法里瓦尔先生不停地讲他是如何会驾船，而博德莱在这方面又如何不在行。

Edna liked it all. She looked Mariequita up and down, from her ugly brown toes to her pretty black eyes, and back again.

爱德娜喜欢这一切。她上上下下打量着玛丽吉塔，从她难看的棕色脚趾到漂亮的黑眼睛一遍遍地看。

"Why does she look at me like that?" inquired the girl of Robert.

“她为什么那样打量我？”这个小女孩问罗伯特说。

"Maybe she thinks you are pretty. Shall I ask her?"

“大概她认为你长得漂亮。我去问问她吧？”

"No. Is she your sweetheart?"

“不用问。她是你的情人吧？”

"She's a married lady, and has two children."

“她是结过婚的夫人，有两个孩子。”

"Oh! well! Francisco ran away with Sylvano's wife, who had four children. They took all his money and one of the children and stole his boat."

“哦！好吧！弗朗西斯科和有四个孩子的西尔瓦诺的妻子私奔了。他们卷走了他所有的钱，带走了其中的一个孩子，还偷了他的船。

"Shut up!"

“闭嘴！”

"Does she understand?"

“她明白吗？”

"Oh, hush!"

“哦，嘘！”

"Are those two married over there—leaning on each other?”

“那边的那两个结婚了吗？－－相互靠在一起的那两个。”

"Of course not," laughed Robert.

“当然没有了。”罗伯特笑着说。

"Of course not," echoed Mariequita, with a serious, confirmatory bob of the head.

“当然没有了。”玛丽吉塔附和说，严肃而确定地点了点头。

The sun was high up and beginning to bite. The swift breeze seemed to Edna to bury the sting of it into the pores of her face and hands. Robert held his umbrella over her. As they went cutting sidewise through the water, the sails bellied taut, with the wind filling and overflowing them. Old Monsieur Farival laughed sardonically at something as he looked at the sails, and Beaudelet swore at the old man under his breath.

太阳高高地升起，开始晒人了。疾劲的海风像针一样刺入爱德娜脸和手上的毛孔里。罗伯特为她撑起了伞。当船侧穿水面向前驶去时，帆被风吹得满满的，绷紧着。老法里瓦尔先生看了看帆，带着嘲讽的意味笑着什么，而博德莱则压低嗓门骂起这位老先生。

Sailing across the bay to the Cheniere Caminada, Edna felt as if she were being borne away from some anchorage which had held her fast, whose chains had been loosening—had snapped the night before when the mystic spirit was abroad, leaving her free to drift whithersoever she chose to set her sails. Robert spoke to her incessantly; he no longer noticed Mariequita. The girl had shrimps in her bamboo basket. They were covered with Spanish moss. She beat the moss down impatiently, and muttered to herself sullenly.

船穿过海湾到达了谢尼·卡米内达岛，爱德娜感觉好像从一个把她拴得很牢的锚地里解放出来。昨天晚上，那个神秘的鬼魂出来时，拴住她的铁链被拉断并松开了，使她能够自由自在地随意选择扬帆航行。罗伯特不停地跟她说话，不再理会玛丽吉塔了。这个小女孩的竹篮里装着小虾。上面盖着寄生藤。她一边不耐烦地拍打着寄生藤一边愠怒地喃喃自语着。

"Let us go to Grande Terre to-morrow?" said Robert in a low voice.

“我们明天去格兰德·特尔瑞好吗？”罗伯特小声说。

"What shall we do there?"

“我们去干什么呀？”

"Climb up the hill to the old fort and look at the little wriggling gold snakes, and watch the lizards sun themselves."

“爬上山顶到古老的城堡去看蠕动的金色小蛇，看蜥蜴晒太阳。”

She gazed away toward Grande Terre and thought she would like to be alone there with Robert, in the sun, listening to the ocean's roar and watching the slimy lizards writhe in and out among the ruins of the old fort.

她凝望着远处的格兰德·特尔瑞，心里想她很愿意和罗伯特单独到那里去：在阳光下听大海的呼啸声，看滑溜溜的蜥蜴在古老城堡的废墟里四处扭动着身体。

"And the next day or the next we can sail to the Bayou Brulow," he went on.

“接着后天或大后天我们可以航行到贝莱·贝鲁洛去。”他继续说。

"What shall we do there?"

我们到那里能干什么呢？”

"Anything—cast bait for fish.”

“干什么都行－－投饵钓鱼。”

"No; we'll go back to Grande Terre. Let the fish alone."

“不去。我们还是回格兰德·特尔瑞去吧。不管什么鱼了。”

"We'll go wherever you like," he said. "I'll have Tonie come over and help me patch and trim my boat. We shall not need Beaudelet nor any one. Are you afraid of the pirogue?"

“你想上哪儿都行。”他说，“我要让托尼过来帮我把船修补一下。这回我们不需要博德莱或任何人。你害怕乘独木舟吗？”

"Oh, no."

“哦，不怕。”

"Then I'll take you some night in the pirogue when the moon shines. Maybe your Gulf spirit will whisper to you in which of these islands the treasures are hidden—direct you to the very spot, perhaps.”

“那么哪天晚上有月光的时候我带你乘独木舟。或许你那个海湾的鬼魂会小声告诉你哪个岛上藏有财宝，或许还会把你引到确切的地点。”

"And in a day we should be rich!" she laughed. "I'd give it all to you, the pirate gold and every bit of treasure we could dig up. I think you would know how to spend it. Pirate gold isn't a thing to be hoarded or utilized. It is something to squander and throw to the four winds, for the fun of seeing the golden specks fly."

“那么我们马上就能发大财了。”她笑着说，“我会把所有财宝都给你，把我们能挖出来的海盗的金子和所有财宝全给你。我想你会知道怎么把它们花掉。海盗的金子不应该秘藏起来，也不是用来正经花的。它应该是用来挥霍的东西，大把地花掉，也感受一下看着金片飞舞的乐趣。”

"We'd share it, and scatter it together," he said. His face flushed.

“我们分享它，一块儿把它花掉。”他说。他的脸有点红。

They all went together up to the quaint little Gothic church of Our Lady of Lourdes, gleaming all brown and yellow with paint in the sun's glare.

他们和其他人一起朝着古老而雅致的小哥特式圣母教堂走去，在阳光照耀下，它那油漆闪耀着棕黄色的光芒。

Only Beaudelet remained behind, tinkering at his boat, and Mariequita walked away with her basket of shrimps, casting a look of childish ill humor and reproach at Robert from the corner of her eye.

只有博德莱一个人留下来修理他的船；玛丽吉塔提着她的一篮子虾走了，满脸孩子气的任性的样子，斜着眼责怪地看了看罗伯特。

XIII

第十三章

A feeling of oppression and drowsiness overcame Edna during the service. Her head began to ache, and the lights on the altar swayed before her eyes. Another time she might have made an effort to regain her composure; but her one thought was to quit the stifling atmosphere of the church and reach the open air. She arose, climbing over Robert's feet with a muttered apology. Old Monsieur Farival, flurried, curious, stood up, but upon seeing that Robert had followed Mrs. Pontellier, he sank back into his seat. He whispered an anxious inquiry of the lady in black, who did not notice him or reply, but kept her eyes fastened upon the pages of her velvet prayer-book.

在教堂做礼拜时，一种压抑和困倦的感觉使爱德娜无法忍受。她的头开始疼，祭坛上的烛光在她眼前摇曳。换做平时，她会努力振奋精神，可她现在唯一的想法就是要逃离教堂里令人窒息的气氛，到外面去透透气。她站起身，跨过罗伯特的脚，低声说了句抱歉。老法里瓦尔先生感到奇怪，慌张地站了起来，但看到罗伯特跟在蓬迪里埃夫人身后，就又坐回到座位里。他有点焦虑地小声问穿黑色衣服的女人，她没注意听他的话，也没回答，眼睛一直盯着她那本绒边儿的祷告书的书页。

"I felt giddy and almost overcome," Edna said, lifting her hands instinctively to her head and pushing her straw hat up from her forehead. "I couldn't have stayed through the service." They were outside in the shadow of the church. Robert was full of solicitude.

“我感觉头晕目眩的，几乎受不了了。”爱德娜边说边不自觉地抬起手把草帽从额头推起来。“我实在不能在那呆到礼拜结束了。”他们在教堂外面的阴凉处呆着。罗伯特非常担忧。

"It was folly to have thought of going in the first place, let alone staying. Come over to Madame Antoine's; you can rest there." He took her arm and led her away, looking anxiously and continuously down into her face.

“开始你就不应该要来，更别说是呆这么久。来，我们去安托万夫人家吧，你可以在那里休息休息。”他挽着她的胳膊把她带走，不停地焦虑地看着她的脸色。

How still it was, with only the voice of the sea whispering through the reeds that grew in the salt-water pools! The long line of little gray, weather-beaten houses nestled peacefully among the orange trees. It must always have been God's day on that low, drowsy island, Edna thought. They stopped, leaning over a jagged fence made of sea-drift, to ask for water. A youth, a mild-faced Acadian, was drawing water from the cistern, which was nothing more than a rusty buoy, with an opening on one side, sunk in the ground. The water which the youth handed to them in a tin pail was not cold to taste, but it was cool to her heated face, and it greatly revived and refreshed her.

周围真安静啊！只听见海水透过咸水湾里长出的芦苇传出低低的声音。那长长的一排饱经风霜的灰色小房子静静地依偎在橘子树丛中。爱德娜想，在这低洼沉寂的小岛上，一定每天都是安息日吧。他们停了下来，倚在由海上漂浮物做成的凸凹不平的篱笆上，想找水喝。一个面容温和的厄凯底亚青年正从一个蓄水箱里打水。这个水箱埋在地下，一侧有一个出水口，与其说它是蓄水箱还不如说是一个生了锈的浮标。这个青年用镀锡铁皮桶装着水递给他们，水喝起来一点儿也不凉，可是对她那发热的脸来说已算凉爽。这水使她极大地恢复了精神，感觉神清气爽。

Madame Antoine's cot was at the far end of the village. She welcomed them with all the native hospitality, as she would have opened her door to let the sunlight in. She was fat, and walked heavily and clumsily across the floor. She could speak no English, but when Robert made her understand that the lady who accompanied him was ill and desired to rest, she was all eagerness to make Edna feel at home and to dispose of her comfortably.

安托万夫人的小屋舍在村子的远端。她以浓重的乡土热情，非常好客地接待了他们，就像开门迎接阳光一样。她长的很胖，缓慢而又笨拙地走过来。她不会说英语，但当罗伯特让她明白跟他在一起的这位夫人病了，想要休息一下时，她马上不遗余力地想办法让爱德娜感到无拘无束，把她安置得很舒适。

The whole place was immaculately clean, and the big, four-posted bed, snow-white, invited one to repose. It stood in a small side room which looked out across a narrow grass plot toward the shed, where there was a disabled boat lying keel upward.

整个房间洁净无垢，四柱的大床，雪白的被褥，给人舒适恬静的感觉。这张床放在一间小偏屋里，向外看去可以看到一片狭长的草地通向一个小棚，在那儿放了一条龙骨朝上的破船。

Madame Antoine had not gone to mass. Her son Tonie had, but she supposed he would soon be back, and she invited Robert to be seated and wait for him. But he went and sat outside the door and smoked. Madame Antoine busied herself in the large front room preparing dinner. She was boiling mullets over a few red coals in the huge fireplace.

安托万夫人没去望弥撒。她的儿子托尼去了，但她说他很快就会回来，她邀罗伯特坐下来等他。可他却走到门外，坐在那里抽烟。安托万夫人在前面的大房间里忙着准备午餐。她在大火炉里的几块儿烧红的煤上煮鲱鱼。

Edna, left alone in the little side room, loosened her clothes, removing the greater part of them. She bathed her face, her neck and arms in the basin that stood between the windows. She took off her shoes and stockings and stretched herself in the very center of the high, white bed. How luxurious it felt to rest thus in a strange, quaint bed, with its sweet country odor of laurel lingering about the sheets and mattress! She stretched her strong limbs that ached a little. She ran her fingers through her loosened hair for a while. She looked at her round arms as she held them straight up and rubbed them one after the other, observing closely, as if it were something she saw for the first time, the fine, firm quality and texture of her flesh. She clasped her hands easily above her head, and it was thus she fell asleep.

爱德娜独自留在小小的里间里。她松开衣衫，脱下大部分衣服。她在站在两扇窗户之间的脸盆里洗了脸，脖子和手臂。她脱下鞋袜，躺在高高的白色大床中央舒展着身体。此刻，像这样躺在奇异古雅的大床上，闻着月桂花香甜的乡土气味在床单和床垫之间弥散着是多么奢华的感觉呀！她伸了伸有点酸痛的结实的四肢。她把手指插入蓬松的头发里梳了一会儿。她抬起圆润的胳膊看了看，又把两只手臂相互摩擦了几下，仔细地看着手臂上那姣好、结实、富有弹性的肌肉，像是第一次看到似的。她用手舒服地抱着头，就这样睡着了。

She slept lightly at first, half awake and drowsily attentive to the things about her. She could hear Madame Antoine's heavy, scraping tread as she walked back and forth on the sanded floor. Some chickens were clucking outside the windows, scratching for bits of gravel in the grass. Later she half heard the voices of Robert and Tonie talking under the shed. She did not stir. Even her eyelids rested numb and heavily over her sleepy eyes. The voices went on—Tonie's slow, Acadian drawl, Robert's quick, soft, smooth French. She understood French imperfectly unless directly addressed, and the voices were only part of the other drowsy, muffled sounds lulling her senses.

她开始没睡实，半睡半醒，昏昏沉沉地隐约能听见周围的动静。她能听见安托万夫人在沙地上来回走动时发出的沉重的嚓嚓脚步声。一些小鸡在窗外咯咯地叫，扒着草地上的沙粒。后来她又隐约听见罗伯特和托尼在棚子下讲话的声音。她没动弹。她觉得睡意很浓，连眼皮都睁不开。讲话声一直在持续－－托尼那慢悠悠的拉长调子的厄凯底亚乡土话，罗伯特那快速、柔和、流畅的法语。她懂点法语，但不完全懂，除非直接跟她讲话。说话的声音掺杂着别的一些低沉的、懒散的声响催她入眠。

When Edna awoke it was with the conviction that she had slept long and soundly. The voices were hushed under the shed. Madame Antoine's step was no longer to be heard in the adjoining room. Even the chickens had gone elsewhere to scratch and cluck. The mosquito bar was drawn over her; the old woman had come in while she slept and let down the bar. Edna arose quietly from the bed, and looking between the curtains of the window, she saw by the slanting rays of the sun that the afternoon was far advanced. Robert was out there under the shed, reclining in the shade against the sloping keel of the overturned boat. He was reading from a book. Tonie was no longer with him. She wondered what had become of the rest of the party. She peeped out at him two or three times as she stood washing herself in the little basin between the windows.

当爱德娜醒来的时候，确信自己已经酣睡了很久。小棚下的说话声安静下来。隔壁屋里安托万夫人的脚步声也不再听得见。甚至小鸡也跑到别的地方去啄食和咯咯地叫了。蚊帐为她放了下来。在她睡着时老妇人进来放下了蚊帐。爱德娜静静地从床上起身，从窗帘中间往外看去。通过那倾斜的阳光，她能够看出已经是下午晚些时候了。罗伯特在外面小棚下，倚着翻过来的小船的龙骨坐在阴凉处。他正在读一本书。托尼没再跟他在一起。她想知道他们一拨人中的其他人都怎么样了。她在两个窗户之间的小脸盆里洗脸时，偷偷地看了罗伯特两三次。

Madame Antoine had laid some coarse, clean towels upon a chair, and had placed a box of poudre de riz within easy reach. Edna dabbed the powder upon her nose and cheeks as she looked at herself closely in the little distorted mirror which hung on the wall above the basin. Her eyes were bright and wide awake and her face glowed.

安托万夫人在椅背上搭了几条干净的粗毛巾，还在旁边放了一盒擦脸粉，随手就能够得着。爱德娜在鼻子和脸上轻轻地搽了粉，又在脸盆上方悬挂的扭曲变形了的小镜子里仔细地照了照。她双目明亮，不仅神清气爽而且容光焕发。

When she had completed her toilet she walked into the adjoining room. She was very hungry. No one was there. But there was a cloth spread upon the table that stood against the wall, and a cover was laid for one, with a crusty brown loaf and a bottle of wine beside the plate. Edna bit a piece from the brown loaf, tearing it with her strong, white teeth. She poured some of the wine into the glass and drank it down. Then she went softly out of doors, and plucking an orange from the low-hanging bough of a tree, threw it at Robert, who did not know she was awake and up.

她梳洗打扮后，走进了隔壁的屋子。她非常饿。没人在屋里。但靠墙的桌子上铺着桌布，上面还摆好了一份餐具，有一个脆黄的烤面包，盘子边上还放了一瓶葡萄酒。爱德娜咬了一口烤面包，用洁白而有力的牙齿嚼着。她往杯子里倒了一些红酒，喝了下去。然后她轻柔地走到门外，从低悬的树枝上摘下一个橘子，把它扔给罗伯特。他还不知道她已经醒了，并且起来了。

An illumination broke over his whole face when he saw her and joined her under the orange tree.

当他看见她时，立刻满脸大放光彩，并马上走到橘子树下她那儿。

"How many years have I slept?" she inquired. "The whole island seems changed. A new race of beings must have sprung up, leaving only you and me as past relics. How many ages ago did Madame Antoine and Tonie die? and when did our people from Grand Isle disappear from the earth?"

“我睡了多少年了？”她问道，“整个小岛好像都变样了。一定是出现了一个新的人种，只有你我是过去遗留下来的。安托万夫人和托尼是多少年前去世的？和我们一起来格兰德岛的那些人又是什么时候从这个地球上消失的呢？”

He familiarly adjusted a ruffle upon her shoulder.

他很亲密地往她肩膀上轻轻地碰了一下。

"You have slept precisely one hundred years. I was left here to guard your slumbers; and for one hundred years I have been out under the shed reading a book. The only evil I couldn't prevent was to keep a broiled fowl from drying up."

“你睡了正好一百年。我留下来保护你睡觉。一百年来我一直在那小棚下读书。唯一没阻止得了的坏事是把烧鸡烤干了。”

"If it has turned to stone, still will I eat it," said Edna, moving with him into the house. "But really, what has become of Monsieur Farival and the others?"

“就算成为石头，我也会吃的。”爱德娜边说边跟他进了屋。“不过说真的，老法里瓦尔先生和其他人怎么样了？”

"Gone hours ago. When they found that you were sleeping they thought it best not to awake you. Any way, I wouldn't have let them. What was I here for?"

“几个小时前走了。他们发现你在睡觉，觉得最好不要吵醒你。当然了，我也绝不会让他们吵醒你的。否则我在这里干什么？”

"I wonder if Leonce will be uneasy!" she speculated, as she seated herself at table.

“我不知道莱翁斯是否会担心我。”她坐在桌子旁边想着说道。

"Of course not; he knows you are with me," Robert replied, as he busied himself among sundry pans and covered dishes which had been left standing on the hearth.

“当然不会了，他知道你跟我在一起。”罗伯特一边回答一边忙着摆放炉边放着的各种平锅和有盖的餐盘。

"Where are Madame Antoine and her son?" asked Edna.

“安托万夫人和她的儿子在哪里？”爱德娜问。

"Gone to Vespers, and to visit some friends, I believe. I am to take you back in Tonie's boat whenever you are ready to go."

“我想是去做晚祷了，也去看些朋友。你什么时候准备好了我就可以用托尼的船带你回去。

He stirred the smoldering ashes till the broiled fowl began to sizzle afresh. He served her with no mean repast, dripping the coffee anew and sharing it with her. Madame Antoine had cooked little else than the mullets, but while Edna slept Robert had foraged the island. He was childishly gratified to discover her appetite, and to see the relish with which she ate the food which he had procured for her.

他把闷着的炉火拨散开，直到烧鸡开始再次发出滋滋声。他为她做了丰盛的一餐，又煮了咖啡，并跟她一起分享美餐。安托万夫人除了鲱鱼之外没做别的什么，但爱德娜睡着的时候，罗伯特把整个小岛搜了个遍。当罗伯特看到她这么津津有味地把他为她找来的吃的统统吃下去，发现她有这么好的胃口，简直像孩子一样满足。

"Shall we go right away?" she asked, after draining her glass and brushing together the crumbs of the crusty loaf.

“我们马上就走吗？”在喝光了杯子里的酒，又把面包屑扫到一堆之后，她问道。

"The sun isn't as low as it will be in two hours," he answered.

“太阳两个小时之后才会落。”他回答说。

"The sun will be gone in two hours."

“太阳两个小时之内是会落的。”

"Well, let it go; who cares!"

“哦，要落就落吧，谁管它！”

They waited a good while under the orange trees, till Madame Antoine came back, panting, waddling, with a thousand apologies to explain her absence. Tonie did not dare to return. He was shy, and would not willingly face any woman except his mother.

他们在橘子树下呆了好一阵子，直到安托万夫人上气不接下气，摇摇晃晃地走回来，千抱歉万抱歉地为她刚才的失陪解释。托尼不敢回家。他害羞，除了他妈妈外不愿意见任何女人。

It was very pleasant to stay there under the orange trees, while the sun dipped lower and lower, turning the western sky to flaming copper and gold. The shadows lengthened and crept out like stealthy, grotesque monsters across the grass.

当太阳渐渐西沉，把西边的天空染成了古铜色和金黄色的时候，呆在橘子树下是非常惬意的。阴影逐渐变长，像许多鬼鬼祟祟的奇异的怪物一样穿过草坪爬过来。

Edna and Robert both sat upon the ground—that is, he lay upon the ground beside her, occasionally picking at the hem of her muslin gown.

爱德娜和罗伯特都坐在地上－－确切地说，他躺在她身边的草地上，偶尔摆弄一下她的薄纱裙的裙边。

Madame Antoine seated her fat body, broad and squat, upon a bench beside the door. She had been talking all the afternoon, and had wound herself up to the storytelling pitch.

安托万夫人那胖胖的身体满满当当地坐在门外的长椅上。她一下午都在讲话，她突发讲故事的兴致。

And what stories she told them! But twice in her life she had left the Cheniere Caminada, and then for the briefest span. All her years she had squatted and waddled there upon the island, gathering legends of the Baratarians and the sea. The night came on, with the moon to lighten it. Edna could hear the whispering voices of dead men and the click of muffled gold.

她给他们讲了好多故事呀！她这一生只离开过谢尼·卡米内达岛两次，而且历时也极短。这么多年来她一直在这个小岛上安居或行走，收集了很多关于巴雷塔里安人以及大海的传说。夜幕降临了，月亮也升了起来照亮夜空。爱德娜似乎能听到死人的低语声和金子所发出的沉闷的哗啦声。

When she and Robert stepped into Tonie's boat, with the red lateen sail, misty spirit forms were prowling in the shadows and among the reeds, and upon the water were phantom ships, speeding to cover.

当她和罗伯特踏上托尼的船，张起那红色的三角帆时，模糊的鬼影在阴暗处来回游荡。在芦苇间、在水上，有些鬼船正飞快地向隐蔽处驶去。

XIV

第十四章

The youngest boy, Etienne, had been very naughty, Madame Ratignolle said, as she delivered him into the hands of his mother. He had been unwilling to go to bed and had made a scene; whereupon she had taken charge of him and pacified him as well as she could. Raoul had been in bed and asleep for two hours.

拉蒂诺尔夫人把那个最小的男孩艾蒂安交到他妈妈手里时说他很淘气。他一直不愿意上床睡觉，闹了一阵，这样她就一直照顾着他，尽力让他平静下来。拉乌尔已经上床睡了两个小时了。

The youngster was in his long white nightgown, that kept tripping him up as Madame Ratignolle led him along by the hand. With the other chubby fist he rubbed his eyes, which were heavy with sleep and ill humor. Edna took him in her arms, and seating herself in the rocker, began to coddle and caress him, calling him all manner of tender names, soothing him to sleep.

这个小男孩穿着一件白色的长睡衣，拉蒂诺尔夫人牵着他的手走的时候，他总是被睡衣绊着跟头。他用另一只肥胖的小手揉搓着眼睛，困极了，还满肚子不高兴。爱德娜把他抱在怀里坐在摇椅上，开始亲吻他、爱抚他，用各种各样亲昵的名字叫他，哄他入睡。

It was not more than nine o'clock. No one had yet gone to bed but the children.

时间还不到九点钟。除了孩子们还没人上床睡觉。

Leonce had been very uneasy at first, Madame Ratignolle said, and had wanted to start at once for the Cheniere. But Monsieur Farival had assured him that his wife was only overcome with sleep and fatigue, that Tonie would bring her safely back later in the day; and he had thus been dissuaded from crossing the bay. He had gone over to Klein's, looking up some cotton broker whom he wished to see in regard to securities, exchanges, stocks, bonds, or something of the sort, Madame Ratignolle did not remember what. He said he would not remain away late. She herself was suffering from heat and oppression, she said. She carried a bottle of salts and a large fan. She would not consent to remain with Edna, for Monsieur Ratignolle was alone, and he detested above all things to be left alone.

拉蒂诺尔夫人说莱翁斯开始非常不安，还想立马出发到谢尼岛去。但老法里瓦尔先生叫他放心，说他妻子只是又困又乏，晚些时候托尼就会把她安全地送回来，就这样才阻止了他穿过海湾到谢尼岛去。现在他去克莱恩旅馆找一个什么棉花经纪人，他希望能跟他谈一谈关于债券、汇兑、股票、证券之类的事务去了，拉蒂诺尔夫人也记不清到底是什么事了。他说他不会在那里呆很晚的。拉蒂诺尔夫人说她自己热得难受，感到憋闷。她手拿一瓶嗅盐和一把大大的扇子。她没同意留在爱德娜那里，因为拉蒂诺尔先生独自一个人在家，他最讨厌被独自留在家里。

When Etienne had fallen asleep Edna bore him into the back room, and Robert went and lifted the mosquito bar that she might lay the child comfortably in his bed. The quadroon had vanished. When they emerged from the cottage Robert bade Edna good-night.

艾蒂安睡着后，爱德娜把他抱进后屋，罗伯特走进去帮她掀起蚊帐，以便她把孩子舒舒服服地安置在床上。那个有点黑人血统的保姆没影儿了。他们从别墅走出来时，罗伯特同爱德娜道了晚安。

"Do you know we have been together the whole livelong day, Robert—since early this morning?" she said at parting.

“你知道吗？今天我们在一起呆了整整一天呢－－从一大早开始。”分别时她说。

"All but the hundred years when you were sleeping. Goodnight."

“还要除去你在睡觉的那一百年。晚安！”

He pressed her hand and went away in the direction of the beach. He did not join any of the others, but walked alone toward the Gulf.

他紧紧地握了一下她的手，朝海滩的方向走去。他没有加入到其他人，只是独自朝海湾走去。

Edna stayed outside, awaiting her husband's return. She had no desire to sleep or to retire; nor did she feel like going over to sit with the Ratignolles, or to join Madame Lebrun and a group whose animated voices reached her as they sat in conversation before the house. She let her mind wander back over her stay at Grand Isle; and she tried to discover wherein this summer had been different from any and every other summer of her life. She could only realize that she herself—her present self—was in some way different from the other self. That she was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself that colored and changed her environment, she did not yet suspect.

爱德娜留在屋外面，等待她丈夫回来。她没有睡意，也不想去就寝，也不想过去和拉蒂诺尔夫人一起坐坐，或加入到勒布伦夫人那伙人中。她能听见他们坐在主屋前热烈谈话的声音。她让思绪飞回到她在格兰德岛度过的时光，想找到这个夏天与生命中的其他夏天的不同之处。她仅仅能意识到她自己－－她现在的自己－－和另外一个自己，在某些方面是不一样的。可她却没有怀疑到她现在正以不同的眼光看事物，她正在融入一种新的境况，这种境况使她周围的环境更有色彩并有了变化。

She wondered why Robert had gone away and left her. It did not occur to her to think he might have grown tired of being with her the livelong day. She was not tired, and she felt that he was not. She regretted that he had gone. It was so much more natural to have him stay when he was not absolutely required to leave her.

她不知道为什么罗伯特走开了，把她留在这儿。她从未考虑过罗伯特这样整整一天跟她在一起可能会感觉厌倦。她没有感到厌倦，她想他也不会。她很遗憾他走了。如果他没有被请求必须离开的话，那他留下来是再自然不过的事了。

As Edna waited for her husband she sang low a little song that Robert had sung as they crossed the bay. It began with "Ah! Si tu savais," and every verse ended with "si tu savais."

爱德娜等待丈夫时，低声唱起了他们穿过海湾时罗伯特唱过的一首曲子。歌儿的开头是“啊！如果你知道”，在每节的末尾也都是“如果你知道”。

Robert's voice was not pretentious. It was musical and true. The voice, the notes, the whole refrain haunted her memory.

罗伯特的声音一点儿也不做作。听起来动听而真诚。这歌声，这调子，整个的乐曲萦绕在她的记忆中。

XV

第十五章

When Edna entered the dining-room one evening a little late, as was her habit, an unusually animated conversation seemed to be going on. Several persons were talking at once, and Victor's voice was predominating, even over that of his mother. Edna had returned late from her bath, had dressed in some haste, and her face was flushed. Her head, set off by her dainty white gown, suggested a rich, rare blossom. She took her seat at table between old Monsieur Farival and Madame Ratignolle.

一天傍晚，爱德娜稍晚了一些进入餐厅，她一贯这样。那里好像正进行着一场不同寻常的热闹谈话。好几个人同时在说话，维克托的声音压倒所有人，甚至比他妈妈的声音还要高。爱德娜洗浴后回来晚一些，匆忙地打扮了一下，脸色有点红。她的头在雅致的白色长衫的衬托下，给人感觉像一朵娇艳、珍贵的鲜花一样。她在法里瓦尔老先生和拉蒂诺尔夫人之间的位子上坐了下来。

As she seated herself and was about to begin to eat her soup, which had been served when she entered the room, several persons informed her simultaneously that Robert was going to Mexico. She laid her spoon down and looked about her bewildered. He had been with her, reading to her all the morning, and had never even mentioned such a place as Mexico. She had not seen him during the afternoon; she had heard some one say he was at the house, upstairs with his mother. This she had thought nothing of, though she was surprised when he did not join her later in the afternoon, when she went down to the beach.

她一进屋仆人就给她端上了汤。她坐下来刚要开始喝汤时，几个人不约而同地告诉她罗伯特要去墨西哥。她放下汤匙，困惑地看着周围。他一上午都跟她在一起，读书给她听，只字未提墨西哥这个地方。一下午她再没见到他，听人说他在正屋，在楼上和他妈妈在一起。尽管她有点吃惊她下午去海滩的时候他没跟她一起去，但她还是没多想。

She looked across at him, where he sat beside Madame Lebrun, who presided. Edna's face was a blank picture of bewilderment, which she never thought of disguising. He lifted his eyebrows with the pretext of a smile as he returned her glance. He looked embarrassed and uneasy. "When is he going?" she asked of everybody in general, as if Robert were not there to answer for himself.

她扫了他一眼，他就坐在主座位的勒布伦夫人旁边。爱德娜一脸迷惑而茫然的表情，对此她从没想要掩饰。他扬起眉毛，回看了她一眼，笑了一笑试图掩盖一下。他看上去有点尴尬和不安。“他打算什么时候走？”她冲着在座的所有人问道，好像罗伯特不在场，不能自己回答一样。

"To-night!” "This very evening!" "Did you ever!" "What possesses him!" were some of the replies she gathered, uttered simultaneously in French and English.

“就今晚！”“就今天晚上！”“你听过这种事吗？”“他真是鬼迷心窍了！”这些是她得到的回答，有的用英语，有的用法语，不约而同地说出来的。

"Impossible!" she exclaimed. "How can a person start off from Grand Isle to Mexico at a moment's notice, as if he were going over to Klein's or to the wharf or down to the beach?"

“这不可能！”她叫道。“一个人怎么能这么一会儿功夫就要从格兰德岛远赴墨西哥，说走就走，好像是去克莱恩旅馆或码头或是海滩那么简单。”

"I said all along I was going to Mexico; I've been saying so for years!" cried Robert, in an excited and irritable tone, with the air of a man defending himself against a swarm of stinging insects.

“我一直说我打算到墨西哥去，这么多年来我一直在说！”罗伯特喊叫道，带着激动而又恼怒的语调，并摆出一副对着一群叮人的昆虫保护自己的架势。

Madame Lebrun knocked on the table with her knife handle.

勒布伦夫人用刀把敲着桌子。

"Please let Robert explain why he is going, and why he is going to-night," she called out. "Really, this table is getting to be more and more like Bedlam every day, with everybody talking at once. Sometimes—I hope God will forgive me—but positively, sometimes I wish Victor would lose the power of speech.”

“请让罗伯特解释一下他为什么打算走，而且今晚就走。”她喊道，“真是的，这张餐桌越来越像疯人院的餐桌了，每天人人都抢着一起说话。有时候－－愿上帝饶恕我－－可说真的，有时候我希望维克托能变成哑巴。

Victor laughed sardonically as he thanked his mother for her holy wish, of which he failed to see the benefit to anybody, except that it might afford her a more ample opportunity and license to talk herself.

维克托嘲讽地笑了笑，感谢他妈妈的神圣愿望。对于这个愿望，他觉得除了给她自己提供了更多讲话的机会和权限之外，他再也看不出给别人带来任何好处。

Monsieur Farival thought that Victor should have been taken out in mid-ocean in his earliest youth and drowned. Victor thought there would be more logic in thus disposing of old people with an established claim for making themselves universally obnoxious. Madame Lebrun grew a trifle hysterical; Robert called his brother some sharp, hard names.

法里瓦尔先生认为维克托在非常小的时候就应该被带到大海中淹死。而维克托则认为用这种方式处置那些总是引起众人普遍反感的老家伙们才更加合情理。勒布伦夫人变得有些歇斯底里，罗伯特用了尖刻难听的话骂了他弟弟一顿。

"There's nothing much to explain, mother," he said; though he explained, nevertheless—looking chiefly at Edna—that he could only meet the gentleman whom he intended to join at Vera Cruz by taking such and such a steamer, which left New Orleans on such a day; that Beaudelet was going out with his lugger-load of vegetables that night, which gave him an opportunity of reaching the city and making his vessel in time.

“没有什么可解释的，妈妈。”罗伯特说道，可其实他是在解释－－主要是冲着爱德娜－－说他打算在维拉克鲁兹和一位先生见面，只有在某天乘坐某船从奥尔良出发才行。碰巧那天晚上博德莱要装一船蔬菜进城，这就给他提供了一个去奥尔良的机会，这样他就可以准时乘上去维拉克鲁兹的大船。

"But when did you make up your mind to all this?" demanded Monsieur Farival.

“可你是什么时候打定主意要做这一切的？”法里瓦尔先生问道。

"This afternoon," returned Robert, with a shade of annoyance.

“就今天下午。”罗伯特有些恼怒地回答。

"At what time this afternoon?" persisted the old gentleman, with nagging determination, as if he were cross-questioning a criminal in a court of justice.

“今天下午几点？”老先生坚持不懈地追问，像是在法庭上审问罪犯一样。

"At four o'clock this afternoon, Monsieur Farival," Robert replied, in a high voice and with a lofty air, which reminded Edna of some gentleman on the stage.

“下午四点钟，法里瓦尔先生。”罗伯特带着傲慢的表情大声回答，那样子使爱德娜感觉像是她在舞台上看过的某位绅士。

She had forced herself to eat most of her soup, and now she was picking the flaky bits of a court bouillon with her fork.

她强迫自己几乎喝完了汤，现在她正用叉子拨动着几片薄鱼片。

The lovers were profiting by the general conversation on Mexico to speak in whispers of matters which they rightly considered were interesting to no one but themselves. The lady in black had once received a pair of prayer-beads of curious workmanship from Mexico, with very special indulgence attached to them, but she had never been able to ascertain whether the indulgence extended outside the Mexican border. Father Fochel of the Cathedral had attempted to explain it; but he had not done so to her satisfaction. And she begged that Robert would interest himself, and discover, if possible, whether she was entitled to the indulgence accompanying the remarkably curious Mexican prayer-beads.

在众人这场关于墨西哥的议论中，那对情人正好趁机窃窃私语，说些其他人不感兴趣，而只有他们感觉有意思的话题。那位穿黑色衣服的女人曾经收到一对从墨西哥寄来的工艺精湛的念珠。这对念珠有着特别的赦免罪过的作用，可她不确定在墨西哥以外的地方这种赦罪作用是否有效。天主教堂的福什尔神父尝试为她解释，但没能使她满意。于是他请求罗伯特，如果可能的话，希望他愿意帮忙了解了解，她是否有资格被赐予这种极为奇特的墨西哥念珠的赦罪作用。

Madame Ratignolle hoped that Robert would exercise extreme caution in dealing with the Mexicans, who, she considered, were a treacherous people, unscrupulous and revengeful. She trusted she did them no injustice in thus condemning them as a race. She had known personally but one Mexican, who made and sold excellent tamales, and whom she would have trusted implicitly, so soft-spoken was he. One day he was arrested for stabbing his wife. She never knew whether he had been hanged or not.

拉蒂诺尔夫人希望罗伯特在同墨西哥人接触时要极为小心，因为在她看来，墨西哥人是一个狡猾、不择手段和报复心强的民族。她相信她这样谴责这个民族并非冤枉他们。她本人曾认识一个墨西哥人，他制作并出售味道很好的五香玉米粉蒸肉。他说起话来很温和，所以拉蒂诺尔夫人完全地信任他。可有一天他却因为捅了他的妻子而被逮捕。后来她一直不知道他被判了绞刑没有。

Victor had grown hilarious, and was attempting to tell an anecdote about a Mexican girl who served chocolate one winter in a restaurant in Dauphine Street. No one would listen to him but old Monsieur Farival, who went into convulsions over the droll story.

维克托闹得越来越欢实了，他试图给大家讲述关于一个墨西哥小姑娘的奇闻轶事。有一年冬天，这个墨西哥小姑娘在多芬街的一家饭店当服务员，给客人端巧克力饮品。除了老法里瓦尔先生听了这个滑稽的故事笑得前仰后合之外，没人愿意听他的故事。

Edna wondered if they had all gone mad, to be talking and clamoring at that rate. She herself could think of nothing to say about Mexico or the Mexicans.

爱德娜想知道这些人说笑吵闹到这种程度是不是都疯掉了。对于墨西哥和墨西哥人她本人想不起来任何可以谈论的东西。

"At what time do you leave?" she asked Robert.

“你什么时候出发？”她问罗伯特。

"At ten," he told her. "Beaudelet wants to wait for the moon."

“十点。”他告诉她。“博德莱想等到月亮升起来再走。”

"Are you all ready to go?"

“你完全准备好了要走吗？”

"Quite ready. I shall only take a hand-bag, and shall pack my trunk in the city.”

“准备差不多了。我只带一个手提包就行，进了城再打包收拾衣箱。”

He turned to answer some question put to him by his mother, and Edna, having finished her black coffee, left the table.

他转身回答他妈妈问他的某个问题。爱德娜把她的清咖啡喝完就离开餐桌走了。

She went directly to her room. The little cottage was close and stuffy after leaving the outer air. But she did not mind; there appeared to be a hundred different things demanding her attention indoors. She began to set the toilet-stand to rights, grumbling at the negligence of the quadroon, who was in the adjoining room putting the children to bed. She gathered together stray garments that were hanging on the backs of chairs, and put each where it belonged in closet or bureau drawer. She changed her gown for a more comfortable and commodious wrapper. She rearranged her hair, combing and brushing it with unusual energy. Then she went in and assisted the quadroon in getting the boys to bed.

她径直回到了她的房间。从屋外走进来，她感觉小别墅里不通风，让人憋闷。可她并不介意，好像屋里有上百件不同的事情需要她关心。她一边把梳妆台收拾利索一边咕哝着说有点黑人血统的保姆做事粗心。这个保姆正在隔壁房间安顿孩子们上床睡觉。她把乱挂在椅背上的衣服收拾起来，分别放回衣柜和梳妆台的抽屉里。她脱下了长外衣，换上更为舒服、宽松的轻便睡衣。她又重新整理了头发，异常起劲地梳理着、拂拭着。然后她进去帮保姆把孩子们送上床。

They were very playful and inclined to talk—to do anything but lie quiet and go to sleep. Edna sent the quadroon away to her supper and told her she need not return. Then she sat and told the children a story. Instead of soothing it excited them, and added to their wakefulness. She left them in heated argument, speculating about the conclusion of the tale which their mother promised to finish the following night.

他们玩意还很浓，还想讲话——什么都想做，就是不想安静地躺下睡觉。爱德娜打发保姆去吃饭并告诉她不用再回来了。然后她坐下来给孩子们讲了个故事。这故事非但没使他们平静下来，反倒使他们更兴奋，更无睡意。她留下他们自己去展开激烈的争论，猜测他们的妈妈答应第二天晚上要讲的故事结局。

The little black girl came in to say that Madame Lebrun would like to have Mrs. Pontellier go and sit with them over at the house till Mr. Robert went away. Edna returned answer that she had already undressed, that she did not feel quite well, but perhaps she would go over to the house later. She started to dress again, and got as far advanced as to remove her peignoir. But changing her mind once more she resumed the peignoir, and went outside and sat down before her door. She was overheated and irritable, and fanned herself energetically for a while. Madame Ratignolle came down to discover what was the matter.

那个黑人小女孩过来传话说勒布伦夫人想让蓬迪里埃夫人过去坐坐，直到罗伯特出发为止。爱德娜回话说她已经换了衣服，感觉不大舒服，不过或许晚一会儿她会到正屋去。她又开始穿衣服，刚刚把睡衣脱下。可她又改变了主意。她又把它穿上，走出去坐在门口。她感觉闷热烦躁，用扇子使劲扇了一会儿。拉蒂诺尔夫人下来看看是怎么回事。

"All that noise and confusion at the table must have upset me," replied Edna, "and moreover, I hate shocks and surprises. The idea of Robert starting off in such a ridiculously sudden and dramatic way! As if it were a matter of life and death! Never saying a word about it all morning when he was with me."

“刚才餐桌上的混乱和喧嚣使得我心情很不舒畅，”爱德娜回答道，“况且，我最讨厌让我吃惊和意外的事。罗伯特这么突然，这么戏剧性地动身的想法真是太荒唐了。这好像是决定生死的事情似的。他一上午跟我在一起都只字未提。

"Yes," agreed Madame Ratignolle. "I think it was showing us all—you especially—very little consideration. It wouldn't have surprised me in any of the others; those Lebruns are all given to heroics. But I must say I should never have expected such a thing from Robert. Are you not coming down? Come on, dear; it doesn't look friendly."

“可不是嘛，”拉蒂诺尔夫人赞成地说，“我想这明显是他根本没考虑我们大家的感受－－尤其是你的感受。换做是别人我还不会感到意外，勒布伦家的人总容易摆出英雄的架势。可我还得说我还从来没料到罗伯特会这样做。你真不下来吗？来吧，亲爱的，否则的话会显得不大友善。”

"No," said Edna, a little sullenly. "I can't go to the trouble of dressing again; I don't feel like it."

“不去，”爱德娜有点愠怒地说，“我不能再费劲换衣服了。我不愿意。”

"You needn't dress; you look all right; fasten a belt around your waist. Just look at me!"

“你不用再换衣服了，看上去挺好的，系条腰带就行。你看看我！”

"No," persisted Edna; "but you go on. Madame Lebrun might be offended if we both stayed away."

“不。”爱德娜坚持说。“你自己去吧。假如我们两个都不过去，勒布伦夫人会生气的。

Madame Ratignolle kissed Edna good-night, and went away, being in truth rather desirous of joining in the general and animated conversation which was still in progress concerning Mexico and the Mexicans.

拉蒂诺尔夫人吻了一下爱德娜，道了声晚安便走了，其实是很想加入到还在进行中的众人关于墨西哥和墨西哥人的热闹谈话中去。

Somewhat later Robert came up, carrying his hand-bag.

过了有一会儿，罗伯特拎着手提包上来了。

"Aren't you feeling well?" he asked.

“你感觉不大舒服吗？”他问。

"Oh, well enough. Are you going right away?"

“哦，还行。你马上就走吗？”

He lit a match and looked at his watch. "In twenty minutes," he said. The sudden and brief flare of the match emphasized the darkness for a while. He sat down upon a stool which the children had left out on the porch.

他点了一根火柴，看了看表。“二十分钟之后走。”他说。火柴这么短暂地突然亮了一下，显得周围更加黑暗。他在孩子们留在平台上的一个小板凳上坐下。

"Get a chair," said Edna.

“拿把椅子坐吧！”爱德娜说道。

"This will do," he replied. He put on his soft hat and nervously took it off again, and wiping his face with his handkerchief, complained of the heat.

“坐这儿就行。”他回答说。他戴上呢帽，又局促不安地摘下来，还用手绢擦了擦脸，抱怨说天热。

"Take the fan," said Edna, offering it to him.

“拿扇子扇扇吧。”爱德娜边说边把扇子递给他。

"Oh, no! Thank you. It does no good; you have to stop fanning some time, and feel all the more uncomfortable afterward."

“哦，不用了！谢谢。没多大用处，总要停下来不扇，便会感觉更加不舒服。”

"That's one of the ridiculous things which men always say. I have never known one to speak otherwise of fanning. How long will you be gone?"

“那是男人们总是说起的荒唐理论。我没听过哪位男士说扇子好的。你要走多长时间？”

"Forever, perhaps. I don't know. It depends upon a good many things."

“也许永远呆在那儿了。我自己也不知道。要根据很多情况而定。”

"Well, in case it shouldn't be forever, how long will it be?"

“哦，如果不是永远，会是多长时间？”

"I don't know."

“我不知道。”

"This seems to me perfectly preposterous and uncalled for. I don't like it. I don't understand your motive for silence and mystery, never saying a word to me about it this morning." He remained silent, not offering to defend himself. He only said, after a moment:

“对我来说这似乎太荒谬，太没道理了。这我真不喜欢。我不知道你动机何在，这么沉默，这么神秘，一上午跟我都只字不提。他默不作声，也不替自己辩解。过了一会儿，他只说：

"Don't part from me in any ill humor. I never knew you to be out of patience with me before."

“别在我们分别时这么丧气吧。我以前从未感觉你对我这么不耐烦。”

"I don't want to part in any ill humor," she said. "But can't you understand? I've grown used to seeing you, to having you with me all the time, and your action seems unfriendly, even unkind. You don't even offer an excuse for it. Why, I was planning to be together, thinking of how pleasant it would be to see you in the city next winter."

“我并非想在分别时闹得不愉快。”她说，“难道你不能理解吗？我已经习惯看见你，和你在一起，而现在你的做法很不友善，甚至狠心。你甚至连个借口也不给我。哦，我本计划我们要在一起，想想今年冬天在城里跟你见面多令人高兴的事。”

"So was I," he blurted. "Perhaps that's the—” He stood up suddenly and held out his hand. "Good-by, my dear Mrs. Pontellier; good-by. You won't—I hope you won't completely forget me." She clung to his hand, striving to detain him.

“我也想啊。”他随口说道。“也许那是——”他突然站起身来，伸出手。“再见吧，我亲爱的蓬迪里埃夫人，再见。你不会——我希望你不会完全把我忘了。”她抓着他的手，想要多留他一会儿。

"Write to me when you get there, won't you, Robert?" she entreated.

“一到那儿就给我写信好吗，罗伯特？”她恳求道。

"I will, thank you. Good-by.”

“我会写的，谢谢。再见。”

How unlike Robert! The merest acquaintance would have said something more emphatic than "I will, thank you; good-by," to such a request.

这真不像罗伯特呀！对这样的恳求，他竟然只说了句“我会写的，谢谢，再见”，而仅仅熟识的人都不会说出这样的客套话。

He had evidently already taken leave of the people over at the house, for he descended the steps and went to join Beaudelet, who was out there with an oar across his shoulder waiting for Robert. They walked away in the darkness. She could only hear Beaudelet's voice; Robert had apparently not even spoken a word of greeting to his companion.

很明显他已经跟那边主屋里的人道别过了，因为他径直走下台阶去找博德莱了。此时博德莱正扛着桨在那儿等罗伯特呢。他们在黑夜中走远了。她只能听到博德莱的声音，显然罗伯特什么也没说，就连招呼都没跟他的同伴打。

Edna bit her handkerchief convulsively, striving to hold back and to hide, even from herself as she would have hidden from another, the emotion which was troubling—tearing—her. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

爱德娜使劲地咬着手绢，努力控制和掩饰那种困扰和折磨她的情感，不仅不让别人看出，甚至也不让自己感受到。她眼里满含泪水。

For the first time she recognized the symptoms of infatuation which she had felt incipiently as a child, as a girl in her earliest teens, and later as a young woman. The recognition did not lessen the reality, the poignancy of the revelation by any suggestion or promise of instability. The past was nothing to her; offered no lesson which she was willing to heed. The future was a mystery which she never attempted to penetrate. The present alone was significant; was hers, to torture her as it was doing then with the biting conviction that she had lost that which she had held, that she had been denied that which her impassioned, newly awakened being demanded.

她第一次清楚地发觉她当初在儿童时代，紧接着少女时代，再后来是少妇时代所经历过的迷恋的征兆。可发觉到这种迷恋并未以任何变幻莫测的暗示或承诺减少这种感受的现实性，也未能抑制她那哀伤情感的强烈表露。过去对她并不重要，未能给她提供任何她乐于接受的教训。未来是神秘的，她从未想过要深入探析。唯独现在是有意义的，是属于她的，而这正折磨着她，使她痛心地意识到：她曾经把握的，又失去了；她那充满激情的刚刚被唤醒的自我所需要的东西，她得不到了。

XVI

第十六章

"Do you miss your friend greatly?" asked Mademoiselle Reisz one morning as she came creeping up behind Edna, who had just left her cottage on her way to the beach. She spent much of her time in the water since she had acquired finally the art of swimming. As their stay at Grand Isle drew near its close, she felt that she could not give too much time to a diversion which afforded her the only real pleasurable moments that she knew. When Mademoiselle Reisz came and touched her upon the shoulder and spoke to her, the woman seemed to echo the thought which was ever in Edna's mind; or, better, the feeling which constantly possessed her.

“你很想你的朋友吗？”一天早上在爱德娜刚离开家往海滩走的路上，雷西小姐慢慢从她身后赶上来问她。自从她终于掌握了游泳技巧后，她的很多时间是在水里度过的。就在她在格兰德岛度过的时光即将结束的时候，她感觉只有这种消遣方式才能给她带来真正愉悦的时刻，在这上面花再多的时间都不为过。当雷西小姐赶来抚着她的肩膀和她说话时，这个女人好像吐露出埋藏在她心底的想法，或者更恰当地说，是控制着她使她无法自拔的情感。

Robert's going had some way taken the brightness, the color, the meaning out of everything. The conditions of her life were in no way changed, but her whole existence was dulled, like a faded garment which seems to be no longer worth wearing. She sought him everywhere—in others whom she induced to talk about him. She went up in the mornings to Madame Lebrun's room, braving the clatter of the old sewing-machine. She sat there and chatted at intervals as Robert had done. She gazed around the room at the pictures and photographs hanging upon the wall, and discovered in some corner an old family album, which she examined with the keenest interest, appealing to Madame Lebrun for enlightenment concerning the many figures and faces which she discovered between its pages.

罗伯特的离开在某种程度上使一切都失去了光芒、色彩和意义。她的生活境况绝对没有改变，可整个生活本身变得单调乏味了，就像是一件褪了色的衣服，已经不再有穿的价值了。她到处寻找他的影子－－在她能够引得谈论他的其他人身上。她总在早上去勒布伦夫人的房间，甘心在那儿听着老缝纫机的咔哒声。她坐在那里，像罗伯特以前那样趁间歇跟勒布伦夫人聊聊天。她环顾房间四周，凝视着墙上挂着的图画和照片，在房间某个角落发现一个旧的家庭相册。她兴致极高地翻阅着相册，仔细看着相片上的人和脸孔，对于其中的很多还请勒布伦夫人给予说明。

There was a picture of Madame Lebrun with Robert as a baby, seated in her lap, a round-faced infant with a fist in his mouth. The eyes alone in the baby suggested the man. And that was he also in kilts, at the age of five, wearing long curls and holding a whip in his hand. It made Edna laugh, and she laughed, too, at the portrait in his first long trousers; while another interested her, taken when he left for college, looking thin, long-faced, with eyes full of fire, ambition and great intentions. But there was no recent picture, none which suggested the Robert who had gone away five days ago, leaving a void and wilderness behind him.

有一张相片是勒布伦夫人抱着罗伯特照的：罗伯特还是个婴儿，坐在勒布伦夫人的腿上，长着圆圆的娃娃脸，嘴里还吮着小拳头。唯独从眼睛能看出是罗伯特。还有一张是他穿着苏格兰式褶裙照的，当时他五岁，留着长长的卷发，手里还拿着一条鞭子。这张照片使爱德娜笑了起来。还有一张让她发笑的是他第一次穿长裤时照的。另有一张让她感到有趣的是她要去上大学时照的，看上去有些瘦，细长的脸孔，一双闪亮的眼睛，充满雄心抱负的样子。可相册里没有罗伯特的近照，那个五天前走了的罗伯特，只留下了空虚和迷惘。

"Oh, Robert stopped having his pictures taken when he had to pay for them himself! He found wiser use for his money, he says," explained Madame Lebrun. She had a letter from him, written before he left New Orleans. Edna wished to see the letter, and Madame Lebrun told her to look for it either on the table or the dresser, or perhaps it was on the mantelpiece.

“哦，罗伯特到了得自己付钱照相的时候就不再照相了。他说钱应该花在更用得着的地方。”勒布伦夫人解释道。她收到了他的一封来信，这封信是他离开奥尔良之前写的。爱德娜想看看这封信，勒布伦夫人告诉她在桌子上或梳妆台上找一找，也有可能在壁炉架上。

The letter was on the bookshelf. It possessed the greatest interest and attraction for Edna; the envelope, its size and shape, the post-mark, the handwriting. She examined every detail of the outside before opening it. There were only a few lines, setting forth that he would leave the city that afternoon, that he had packed his trunk in good shape, that he was well, and sent her his love and begged to be affectionately remembered to all. There was no special message to Edna except a postscript saying that if Mrs. Pontellier desired to finish the book which he had been reading to her, his mother would find it in his room, among other books there on the table. Edna experienced a pang of jealousy because he had written to his mother rather than to her.

最后信在书架上找到了。这封信引起了爱德娜极大的兴趣：信封，它的大小和形状、邮戳、笔迹对她来说都极具吸引力。她在打开信封之前仔细查看了信封的每一个细节。信里只有几行字，说他要在当天下午从奥尔良出发，他已经打好衣箱，他身体安好，向妈妈问安，并请妈妈代他向所有人问好。他没有什么特别的信儿捎给爱德娜，只在信末的附笔中说：假如蓬迪里埃夫人想要读完他一直念给她听的那本书，他妈妈要到他房间桌子上其他书中间找到它。因为他只给他妈妈写了信，而没写给她，爱德娜感到一阵嫉妒。

Every one seemed to take for granted that she missed him. Even her husband, when he came down the Saturday following Robert's departure, expressed regret that he had gone.

她想念他，这一点每个人都认为理所当然。就连她丈夫，在罗伯特走后的那个星期六回来的时候，也对他的离开表示遗憾。

"How do you get on without him, Edna?" he asked.

“没有他你可怎么办呀，爱德娜？”他问。

"It's very dull without him," she admitted. Mr. Pontellier had seen Robert in the city, and Edna asked him a dozen questions or more. Where had they met? On Carondelet Street, in the morning. They had gone "in" and had a drink and a cigar together. What had they talked about? Chiefly about his prospects in Mexico, which Mr. Pontellier thought were promising. How did he look? How did he seem—grave, or gay, or how? Quite cheerful, and wholly taken up with the idea of his trip, which Mr. Pontellier found altogether natural in a young fellow about to seek fortune and adventure in a strange, queer country.

“没有他一切都很乏味。”她承认道。蓬迪里埃先生曾在城里见过罗伯特，于是爱德娜便问了他很多问题。他们在哪儿见过呀？一大早在卡伦德莱街。他们还进了酒吧一起喝了杯酒抽了支烟。他们都聊了些什么呀？主要是他在墨西哥的前景，蓬迪里埃先生认为是很有前途的。他看上去怎么样呀？他心情怎么样——郁闷还是快乐，或是别的样子？哦，情绪很高，一心想着旅行的事。蓬迪里埃先生认为这对于一个即将到一个陌生奇特的国家去寻求财富和冒险的年轻人来说再自然不过了。

Edna tapped her foot impatiently, and wondered why the children persisted in playing in the sun when they might be under the trees. She went down and led them out of the sun, scolding the quadroon for not being more attentive.

爱德娜不耐烦地用脚轻轻敲击着地面，奇怪孩子们本可以在树下玩，怎么非得坚持在太阳底下玩。她走下去把孩子们从太阳底下领出来，并责备保姆不用心。

It did not strike her as in the least grotesque that she should be making of Robert the object of conversation and leading her husband to speak of him. The sentiment which she entertained for Robert in no way resembled that which she felt for her husband, or had ever felt, or ever expected to feel. She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself. Edna had once told Madame Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for any one. Then had followed a rather heated argument; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language. Edna tried to appease her friend, to explain.

她总是使罗伯特成为谈话的中心，甚至引得她丈夫来讲一讲他，对此她竟然一点儿也不觉得怪异。她心里对罗伯特所怀有的情感跟对她丈夫的感情不同，这种感情对她丈夫从来没有过，她也从未期望会有。她一生都习惯于把一些思想和情感埋藏在心里，而不表达出来。这些思想也从未在她内心斗争过。这些情感属于她，是她自己的，她认为她有权处理这些情感，它们除了跟她自己以外和任何人都没有关系。爱德娜曾经告诉过拉蒂诺尔夫人，她永远不会为了孩子，或者任何人牺牲自己。于是便引起了一场相当激烈的争论。这两位女子好像彼此不能理解对方，也没有共同语言。爱德娜想安抚一下她的朋友，就解释道：

"I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me."

“我愿意放弃一些不重要的东西，我愿意贡献金钱，甚至可以为孩子们牺牲我的生命，但绝不会牺牲我的自我。我不能说得更清楚，这也是我自己刚刚明白的东西，慢慢领会到的。”

"I don't know what you would call the essential, or what you mean by the unessential," said Madame Ratignolle, cheerfully; "but a woman who would give her life for her children could do no more than that—your Bible tells you so. I'm sure I couldn't do more than that."

“我不懂你所谓的重要的东西是什么，不重要的东西又是什么，”拉蒂诺尔夫人情绪高昂地说，“但是一个女人肯为自己的孩子牺牲生命，这可是最大的奉献了－－圣经就是这样告诉你的。我确信我自己做不了更多了。”

"Oh, yes you could!" laughed Edna.

“哦，不是，你能的！”爱德娜笑道。

She was not surprised at Mademoiselle Reisz's question the morning that lady, following her to the beach, tapped her on the shoulder and asked if she did not greatly miss her young friend.

那天早上雷西小姐跟着她走下海滩，拍着她的肩膀问她是不是很想她年轻的朋友的时候，她并不感到吃惊。

"Oh, good morning, Mademoiselle; is it you? Why, of course I miss Robert. Are you going down to bathe?"

“哦，早上好，雷西小姐。是你呀？啊，我当然想罗伯特啦。你要下去游泳吗？”

"Why should I go down to bathe at the very end of the season when I haven't been in the surf all summer," replied the woman, disagreeably.

“我一夏天都没到海里去冲冲，怎么又会在季节末下去游泳呢？”这个女人令人不愉快地回答道。

"I beg your pardon," offered Edna, in some embarrassment, for she should have remembered that Mademoiselle Reisz's avoidance of the water had furnished a theme for much pleasantry. Some among them thought it was on account of her false hair, or the dread of getting the violets wet, while others attributed it to the natural aversion for water sometimes believed to accompany the artistic temperament. Mademoiselle offered Edna some chocolates in a paper bag, which she took from her pocket, by way of showing that she bore no ill feeling. She habitually ate chocolates for their sustaining quality; they contained much nutriment in small compass, she said. They saved her from starvation, as Madame Lebrun's table was utterly impossible; and no one save so impertinent a woman as Madame Lebrun could think of offering such food to people and requiring them to pay for it.

“请原谅。”爱德娜有些尴尬地说，她本该记得雷西小姐总是逃避下水，这常被别人作为笑料来讲。有些人认为这是因为她的假发，或者是因为怕弄湿了她头上的假紫罗兰花。还有些人则认为这是由于她天生对水厌恶，这种厌恶感有时是伴随着艺术气质而来的。雷西小姐从兜里的纸包里拿出一些巧克力递给爱德娜吃，以此表示她没生气。她习惯吃巧克力来维持体力，她说这些小块里含有丰富的营养。巧克力能帮她抵御饥饿，因为勒布伦夫人提供的伙食绝不可能让她不饿。勒布伦夫人真是无耻地无药可救了，给别人提供这样的食物还让别人付钱。

"She must feel very lonely without her son," said Edna, desiring to change the subject. "Her favorite son, too. It must have been quite hard to let him go."

“没有儿子在身边她一定会感到非常孤单。”爱德娜说，很想换个话题。“那可是她最喜欢的儿子。让他离开一定很不好受。”

Mademoiselle laughed maliciously.

雷西小姐不怀好意地笑了起来。

"Her favorite son! Oh, dear! Who could have been imposing such a tale upon you? Aline Lebrun lives for Victor, and for Victor alone. She has spoiled him into the worthless creature he is. She worships him and the ground he walks on. Robert is very well in a way, to give up all the money he can earn to the family, and keep the barest pittance for himself. Favorite son, indeed! I miss the poor fellow myself, my dear. I liked to see him and to hear him about the place the only Lebrun who is worth a pinch of salt. He comes to see me often in the city. I like to play to him. That Victor! hanging would be too good for him. It's a wonder Robert hasn't beaten him to death long ago."

“她最喜欢的儿子！哦，天哪！谁拿这样一套假话敷衍你？阿林·勒布伦是为维克托活着的，只为他一个人。她已经把他宠成一文不值的家伙了。她喜欢他和他的任何举动。从某种程度上说，罗伯特还是很好的，他把能赚来的钱都给了家里，留给自己的是维持最低生活水平的少量费用。最喜爱的儿子，真是！我本人都很想这个可怜的小伙子。我喜欢看见他，听见他在这里出出进进－－他是勒布伦家唯一值得一提的人。在城里时他经常来看我。我喜欢弹奏给他听。而那个维克托！绞死他都不为过。真奇怪罗伯特怎么没早点打死他。”

"I thought he had great patience with his brother," offered Edna, glad to be talking about Robert, no matter what was said.

“我认为他对他弟弟很有耐心。”爱德娜说，她很愿意说说罗伯特，无论说什么都行。

"Oh! he thrashed him well enough a year or two ago," said Mademoiselle. "It was about a Spanish girl, whom Victor considered that he had some sort of claim upon. He met Robert one day talking to the girl, or walking with her, or bathing with her, or carrying her basket—I don't remember what;—and he became so insulting and abusive that Robert gave him a thrashing on the spot that has kept him comparatively in order for a good while. It's about time he was getting another."

“哦！一两年前他曾经狠狠地打过他一次。”雷西小姐说。那是因为一个西班牙小女孩，维克托认为自己对她有某种特权。有一天他碰见罗伯特和那个小女孩说话，或是散步，或是游泳，或是帮她拿篮子什么的－－我也记不清了－－维克托变得很粗鲁，竟然骂了起来，于是罗伯特当场就打了他一顿，使他相对老实了一段时间。我看现在是时候他再挨一顿打了。

"Was her name Mariequita?" asked Edna.

“她的名字叫玛丽吉塔吗？”爱德娜问。

"Mariequita—yes, that was it; Mariequita. I had forgotten. Oh, she's a sly one, and a bad one, that Mariequita!"

“玛丽吉塔－－对，就是这个名字，玛丽吉塔。我还真给忘了。哦。她是个狡猾的女孩，一个坏女孩，那个玛丽吉塔！”

Edna looked down at Mademoiselle Reisz and wondered how she could have listened to her venom so long. For some reason she felt depressed, almost unhappy. She had not intended to go into the water; but she donned her bathing suit, and left Mademoiselle alone, seated under the shade of the children's tent. The water was growing cooler as the season advanced. Edna plunged and swam about with an abandon that thrilled and invigorated her. She remained a long time in the water, half hoping that Mademoiselle Reisz would not wait for her.

爱德娜低头看了雷西小姐一眼，奇怪自己怎么能这么长时间听她在这里口吐恶语呢。因为某种原因，她感到很压抑，几乎是不高兴。她本没打算下水游泳，可她还是穿上了泳装，留下雷西小姐一个人在那里，坐在孩子们的帐篷的阴凉处。随着季节的过去，海水逐渐变凉了。爱德娜投入水里，尽情地四处游着，感到无比兴奋与欢畅。她在水里呆了很久，一半是希望雷西小姐不再等她了。

But Mademoiselle waited. She was very amiable during the walk back, and raved much over Edna's appearance in her bathing suit. She talked about music. She hoped that Edna would go to see her in the city, and wrote her address with the stub of a pencil on a piece of card which she found in her pocket.

可雷西小姐还是在等着她。回去的路上她很亲切，极力赞扬爱德娜穿着泳装的样子。她还讲到了音乐。她希望爱德娜回城时去看她，并从兜里找到一张卡片用铅笔头在上面写下了她的地址。

"When do you leave?" asked Edna.

“你什么时候走？”爱德娜问道。

"Next Monday; and you?"

“下个周一，你呢？”

"The following week," answered Edna, adding, "It has been a pleasant summer, hasn't it, Mademoiselle?"

“再下周。”爱德娜回答，又加上一句，“这是个愉快的夏天，不是吗，雷西小姐？”

"Well," agreed Mademoiselle Reisz, with a shrug, "rather pleasant, if it hadn't been for the mosquitoes and the Farival twins."

“是的，”雷西小姐耸耸肩赞同道，“还算愉快，如果没有蚊子和法里瓦尔家的双胞胎会更好些。”

XVII

第十七章

The Pontelliers possessed a very charming home on Esplanade Street in New Orleans. It was a large, double cottage, with a broad front veranda, whose round, fluted columns supported the sloping roof. The house was painted a dazzling white; the outside shutters, or jalousies, were green. In the yard, which was kept scrupulously neat, were flowers and plants of every description which flourishes in South Louisiana. Within doors the appointments were perfect after the conventional type. The softest carpets and rugs covered the floors; rich and tasteful draperies hung at doors and windows. There were paintings, selected with judgment and discrimination, upon the walls. The cut glass, the silver, the heavy damask which daily appeared upon the table were the envy of many women whose husbands were less generous than Mr. Pontellier.

蓬迪里埃夫妇在新奥尔良埃斯普拉内德街拥有一栋非常漂亮的宅子。这是座宽敞的双层别墅，前面有一个宽大的阳台，刻着凹槽的圆柱子支撑着倾斜的屋顶。房子被漆得白得耀眼，外面的百叶窗或叫遮阳窗是绿色的。院子被精心收拾得干净整洁，里面种着各种各样的花草植物，都是在路易斯安那州南部茂密生长的植物。屋内的陈设按照传统的方式布置得很完美。地板上铺着极为柔软的大小地毯，门窗上都挂着华丽而高雅的帷幔。墙上挂有经过赏析鉴别之后精挑细选出来的图画。雕花玻璃器皿，银器和平日铺在桌子上的厚锦缎台布更让许多女士羡慕不已，她们的丈夫不像蓬迪里埃先生那么慷慨。

Mr. Pontellier was very fond of walking about his house examining its various appointments and details, to see that nothing was amiss. He greatly valued his possessions, chiefly because they were his, and derived genuine pleasure from contemplating a painting, a statuette, a rare lace curtain—no matter what—after he had bought it and placed it among his household gods.

蓬迪里埃先生很喜欢在房子里四处转转，仔细查看各种陈设和配备，看看是否有什么缺少的地方。他很看重他拥有的这些东西，主要是因为这些东西属于他。他买回东西后总是放在其它家居用品旁一起欣赏，从中感受真正的快乐，无论是一幅画、一个小雕塑、一块珍贵的花边窗帘，或者别的什么。

On Tuesday afternoons—Tuesday being Mrs. Pontellier's reception day—there was a constant stream of callers—women who came in carriages or in the street cars, or walked when the air was soft and distance permitted. A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them. A maid, in white fluted cap, offered the callers liqueur, coffee, or chocolate, as they might desire. Mrs. Pontellier, attired in a handsome reception gown, remained in the drawing-room the entire afternoon receiving her visitors. Men sometimes called in the evening with their wives.

每个星期二的下午－－星期二是蓬迪里埃夫人接待客人的日子－－总是客流不断－－夫人们有的乘马车来，有的乘街车来，如果空气好，距离近的话有的也走着来。一个肤色较浅的混血侍童，身穿制服，手捧装名片的小银盘，在门口接待他们。一个侍女，头戴白色褶边帽子，根据客人的喜好，端来烈酒、咖啡或巧克力饮料。蓬迪里埃夫人身穿漂亮的待客长裙，整个下午都在客厅里招待她的客人。男客人有时也在晚上带着妻子来拜访。

This had been the programme which Mrs. Pontellier had religiously followed since her marriage, six years before. Certain evenings during the week she and her husband attended the opera or sometimes the play.

从六年前她结婚以来，蓬迪里埃夫人一直虔诚地遵照这种安排。一周中有些晚上，她和她的丈夫会去看歌剧，有时是话剧。

Mr. Pontellier left his home in the mornings between nine and ten o'clock, and rarely returned before half-past six or seven in the evening—dinner being served at half-past seven.

蓬迪里埃先生每天上午九点到十点之间离开家，很少会在晚上六点半或七点之前回来——晚餐七点半开始。

He and his wife seated themselves at table one Tuesday evening, a few weeks after their return from Grand Isle. They were alone together. The boys were being put to bed; the patter of their bare, escaping feet could be heard occasionally, as well as the pursuing voice of the quadroon, lifted in mild protest and entreaty. Mrs. Pontellier did not wear her usual Tuesday reception gown; she was in ordinary house dress. Mr. Pontellier, who was observant about such things, noticed it, as he served the soup and handed it to the boy in waiting.

他们从格兰德岛回来几周后，一个周二的晚上，他和他的妻子坐在餐桌旁。只有他们俩独自坐在那里。孩子们被送上床睡觉去了。他们时不时地能听到孩子们光着小脚丫逃跑的啪嗒声和混血保姆追赶他们时发出的温和的抗议和恳求的声音。蓬迪里埃夫人没穿每逢周二待客时常穿的长裙，只穿了普通的家居服。对于此类事情，蓬迪里埃先生是很有观察力的。他盛完汤又把汤碗递回去给侍童的时候就注意到了。

"Tired out, Edna? Whom did you have? Many callers?" he asked. He tasted his soup and began to season it with pepper, salt, vinegar, mustard—everything within reach.

“你累了吗，爱德娜？你招待哪些人了？很多客人吗？”他问。他品尝了汤，开始往汤里撒胡椒粉、盐、醋、芥末等伸手够得着的各种调味品。

"There were a good many," replied Edna, who was eating her soup with evident satisfaction. "I found their cards when I got home; I was out."

“很多客人。”爱德娜边喝汤边回答，显然很满意。“我到家后看了他们的名片。我出去了。”

"Out!" exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice as he laid down the vinegar cruet and looked at her through his glasses. "Why, what could have taken you out on Tuesday? What did you have to do?"

“出去了！”她丈夫吃惊地叫道，从他的声音中能听出他真的很惊讶。他放下醋瓶，透过眼镜盯着她。“哎，你有什么事非要周二出去办呢？有什么事你非得去办呢？”

"Nothing. I simply felt like going out, and I went out."

“没什么事。我只是觉得想出去走走，所以就出去了。”

"Well, I hope you left some suitable excuse," said her husband, somewhat appeased, as he added a dash of cayenne pepper to the soup.

“哦，我希望你临走时留了话，留下了合理的理由。”她丈夫说道，算是平静了下来。他在汤里又加了一点胡椒粉。

"No, I left no excuse. I told Joe to say I was out, that was all."

“不，我没留话。我只告诉乔我出去，就这些。”

"Why, my dear, I should think you'd understand by this time that people don't do such things; we've got to observe les convenances if we ever expect to get on and keep up with the procession. If you felt that you had to leave home this afternoon, you should have left some suitable explanation for your absence.

“哦，亲爱的，我本以为到现在你该明白，人们是不会这样做的。如果我们希望能跟上别人的步子，我们必须得遵守礼节。假如你认为你今天下午不得不出门的话，你应该留话对此作出合适的解释呀。”

"This soup is really impossible; it's strange that woman hasn't learned yet to make a decent soup. Any free-lunch stand in town serves a better one. Was Mrs. Belthrop here?”

“这汤简直不堪入口。真是奇怪了，那个女人怎么到现在也没学会做一碗像样的汤。城里任何一家便餐摊提供的汤都比这个汤好。贝尔泰罗普夫人来了吗？”

"Bring the tray with the cards, Joe. I don't remember who was here."

“乔，把装名片的银盘拿过来。我记不得都有谁来过了。”

The boy retired and returned after a moment, bringing the tiny silver tray, which was covered with ladies' visiting cards. He handed it to Mrs. Pontellier.

侍童退了下去，过了一会儿，就拿着那个小银盘回来了，上面放着来访的夫人们的名片。他把银盘递给了蓬迪里埃夫人。

"Give it to Mr. Pontellier," she said.

“把它给蓬迪里埃先生送过去。”她说。

Joe offered the tray to Mr. Pontellier, and removed the soup.

乔把银盘端给了蓬迪里埃先生，撤下了汤。

Mr. Pontellier scanned the names of his wife's callers, reading some of them aloud, with comments as he read.

蓬迪里埃先生查看了他妻子的来客的名字，有些名字还大声读出来并加以评论：

“'The Misses Delasidas.' I worked a big deal in futures for their father this morning; nice girls; it's time they were getting married. 'Mrs. Belthrop.' I tell you what it is, Edna; you can't afford to snub Mrs. Belthrop. Why, Belthrop could buy and sell us ten times over. His business is worth a good, round sum to me. You'd better write her a note. 'Mrs. James Highcamp.' Hugh! the less you have to do with Mrs. Highcamp, the better. 'Madame Laforce.' Came all the way from Carrolton, too, poor old soul. 'Miss Wiggs,' 'Mrs. Eleanor Boltons.'" He pushed the cards aside.

“‘法拉西达家的姑娘们’。我今天上午还和她们的父亲做了一大笔期货交易，都是些好女孩，都到了谈婚论嫁的年龄。‘贝尔泰罗普夫人。’我告诉你是怎么回事吧，爱德娜，对她你可怠慢不得。哦，像我们这样的商行，贝尔泰罗普先生能买卖十家都不止。他的生意对我可是一笔相当的金额。你最好能写一个便条给她解释一下。‘詹姆斯·海坎普夫人。’嘘！跟海坎普夫人你越少打交道越好。‘拉福斯太太’。也大老远的从卡罗尔顿赶来，哦，可怜的老太太。‘威格斯小姐’，‘埃利诺·博尔顿斯夫人’。”他把名片推到了一边。

"Mercy!" exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming. "Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?"

“我的天啊！”爱德娜怒气冲天地叫道。“你为什么把这事看得这么严重，整得这么大惊小怪的呢？”

"I'm not making any fuss over it. But it's just such seeming trifles that we've got to take seriously; such things count."

“我并没有大惊小怪。可正是这些看上去小得不足挂齿的事我们得当回事，这类事情才重要呢。”

The fish was scorched. Mr. Pontellier would not touch it. Edna said she did not mind a little scorched taste. The roast was in some way not to his fancy, and he did not like the manner in which the vegetables were served.

鱼被烧焦了。蓬迪里埃先生一点也不想碰它。爱德娜说她不介意有点儿烧焦的味道。烤肉也有些不合他的口味，蔬菜的做法他也不喜欢。

"It seems to me," he said, "we spend money enough in this house to procure at least one meal a day which a man could eat and retain his self-respect.”

“我想，”他说，“我们家花了够多的钱，应该能让一个人起码一天吃一顿可以下咽的顾及他的尊严的饭吧。”

"You used to think the cook was a treasure," returned Edna, indifferently.

“你过去常认为这个厨子很难得的。”爱德娜冷冷地反驳了他。

"Perhaps she was when she first came; but cooks are only human. They need looking after, like any other class of persons that you employ. Suppose I didn't look after the clerks in my office, just let them run things their own way; they'd soon make a nice mess of me and my business."

“也许她刚来的时候是那样，可是厨子终究是人。她也需要照管，就像你雇佣的其他那帮人一样。如果我对办公室的职员不去照管，就让他们随意处理我的生意，那么他们很快就会把我和我的生意弄得一团糟。

"Where are you going?" asked Edna, seeing that her husband arose from table without having eaten a morsel except a taste of the highly-seasoned soup.

“你要去哪里？”爱德娜问道，她看到她的丈夫除了尝了一口调料加得很浓的汤外什么也没吃就起身离开了餐桌。

"I'm going to get my dinner at the club. Good night." He went into the hall, took his hat and stick from the stand, and left the house.

“我打算到俱乐部去吃晚餐。晚安吧。”他进了大厅，从架子上取下帽子和手杖便离开了家。

She was somewhat familiar with such scenes. They had often made her very unhappy. On a few previous occasions she had been completely deprived of any desire to finish her dinner. Sometimes she had gone into the kitchen to administer a tardy rebuke to the cook. Once she went to her room and studied the cookbook during an entire evening, finally writing out a menu for the week, which left her harassed with a feeling that, after all, she had accomplished no good that was worth the name.

这种场面对她而言可以说是很熟悉的。这也常让她感到非常不愉快。以前有几次这样的场合，她完全没有胃口把晚饭吃完了。有时候她会去厨房勉强地责骂一顿厨子。曾经有一次她回到自己的房间，一晚上都在研究烹调书，最后写出了一周的菜谱，可是这还是使她很烦恼，因为她感觉这其实一点儿实际的用处也没有。

But that evening Edna finished her dinner alone, with forced deliberation. Her face was flushed and her eyes flamed with some inward fire that lighted them. After finishing her dinner she went to her room, having instructed the boy to tell any other callers that she was indisposed.

但那天晚上，她强迫自己独自从容地吃完了晚饭。她脸泛红，内心的火焰使她两眼发光。晚饭后她回了自己的房间，指示侍童告任何其他的客人她身体不适。

It was a large, beautiful room, rich and picturesque in the soft, dim light which the maid had turned low. She went and stood at an open window and looked out upon the deep tangle of the garden below. All the mystery and witchery of the night seemed to have gathered there amid the perfumes and the dusky and tortuous outlines of flowers and foliage. She was seeking herself and finding herself in just such sweet, half-darkness which met her moods. But the voices were not soothing that came to her from the darkness and the sky above and the stars. They jeered and sounded mournful notes without promise, devoid even of hope. She turned back into the room and began to walk to and fro down its whole length, without stopping, without resting. She carried in her hands a thin handkerchief, which she tore into ribbons, rolled into a ball, and flung from her. Once she stopped, and taking off her wedding ring, flung it upon the carpet. When she saw it lying there, she stamped her heel upon it, striving to crush it. But her small boot heel did not make an indenture, not a mark upon the little glittering circlet.

这是一间又大又漂亮的房间，富丽而又别致。女仆已经把灯光调低，房间显得格外暗淡柔和。她过去站在一个开着的窗户旁边，看着下面枝繁叶茂的幽暗花园。所有黑夜的神秘与魅力似乎都聚集在那儿，在芳香中，在鲜花和绿叶的昏暗曲折的轮廓之间。在这样一个符合她情绪的甜蜜的半明半暗的夜幕中，她在寻找并发现了自己。可是，从黑暗，从头顶的天空，从星辰传来的声音并未给她带来些许安慰。它们只有嘲弄和悲戚的调子，没有给予任何允诺，毫无希望。她转身回到自己房间，开始在整个房间无休止地来回走动。她手里拿着一条薄手绢，把它撕成彩条，揉成一团，又扔了出去。她停了一下，摘下手指上的婚戒，扔在地毯上。她看见戒指在地上，就用脚跟去踩它，拼命要碾碎它。可她那小小的鞋后跟没能给它造成任何损伤，这个小东西依旧闪闪发光，一点损坏的痕迹也没有。

In a sweeping passion she seized a glass vase from the table and flung it upon the tiles of the hearth. She wanted to destroy something. The crash and clatter were what she wanted to hear.

一阵强烈的冲动袭遍她的全身，她从桌子上抓起一个玻璃花瓶，向火炉的砖面扔过去。她想毁灭什么东西。嘭隆哗啦的声音正是她想听到的。

A maid, alarmed at the din of breaking glass, entered the room to discover what was the matter.

女仆听见玻璃破碎的声音吓了一跳，进屋来看看发生什么事了。

"A vase fell upon the hearth," said Edna. "Never mind; leave it till morning."

“一个花瓶倒在炉台上了。”爱德娜说。“不要紧，留到明早再收拾吧。”

"Oh! you might get some of the glass in your feet, ma'am," insisted the young woman, picking up bits of the broken vase that were scattered upon the carpet. "And here's your ring, ma'am, under the chair."

“哦！你会踩到玻璃碎片伤了脚的，夫人。”这个年轻女仆坚持说，边说边捡起散在地毯上的花瓶碎片。“哎呀，这是你的戒指，在椅子下面，夫人。”

Edna held out her hand, and taking the ring, slipped it upon her finger.

爱德娜伸手拿过戒指，把它套在手上。

XVIII

第十八章

The following morning Mr. Pontellier, upon leaving for his office, asked Edna if she would not meet him in town in order to look at some new fixtures for the library.

第二天早上，蓬迪里埃先生在离开家去办公室前问爱德娜能否在城里见面，为书房挑选些新的摆设。

"I hardly think we need new fixtures, Leonce. Don't let us get anything new; you are too extravagant. I don't believe you ever think of saving or putting by."

“我并不认为我们需要新的摆设，莱翁斯。我们不要再添置新的东西了，你太奢侈了。我觉得你从不想着攒钱。”

"The way to become rich is to make money, my dear Edna, not to save it," he said. He regretted that she did not feel inclined to go with him and select new fixtures. He kissed her good-by, and told her she was not looking well and must take care of herself. She was unusually pale and very quiet.

“爱德娜，亲爱的，致富是要靠挣钱，不是靠攒钱。”他说。他非常遗憾她不愿意跟他去挑选新摆设。他跟她吻别，告诉她她脸色不好，得照顾好自己。她脸色异常苍白，不愿意讲话。

She stood on the front veranda as he quitted the house, and absently picked a few sprays of jessamine that grew upon a trellis near by. She inhaled the odor of the blossoms and thrust them into the bosom of her white morning gown. The boys were dragging along the banquette a small "express wagon," which they had filled with blocks and sticks. The quadroon was following them with little quick steps, having assumed a fictitious animation and alacrity for the occasion. A fruit vender was crying his wares in the street.

他离家之后，她站在前面的阳台上，心不在焉地从附近的花架上摘下几枝茉莉花。她深深地嗅了嗅花朵的香味，接着把花儿塞进她的白色晨衣的胸口里。孩子们正顺着坡道拖着他们装满小木块和小木棍的一个小“快速马车”。那个混血保姆迈着快速的小碎步跟在他们身后，装出很不自然的乐意和快活的样子来应付这种场合。一个水果小贩正在街上叫卖着他的货物。

Edna looked straight before her with a self-absorbed expression upon her face. She felt no interest in anything about her. The street, the children, the fruit vender, the flowers growing there under her eyes, were all part and parcel of an alien world which had suddenly become antagonistic.

爱德娜直直地看着前方，脸上带着沉湎于自我的神色。她对周围的一切都毫无兴趣。街道，孩子们，水果贩，在她眼下生长着的花朵，这一切的一切都好像属于一个忽然间充满敌意的陌生世界。

She went back into the house. She had thought of speaking to the cook concerning her blunders of the previous night; but Mr. Pontellier had saved her that disagreeable mission, for which she was so poorly fitted. Mr. Pontellier's arguments were usually convincing with those whom he employed. He left home feeling quite sure that he and Edna would sit down that evening, and possibly a few subsequent evenings, to a dinner deserving of the name.

她回到屋里去了。她本考虑要找厨子谈谈她前一天晚上犯的错误，可蓬迪里埃先生替她省去了这份不愉快的任务，而她也太不适合做这个了。蓬迪里埃先生的说教通常对他所雇用的人都是很有说服力的。他离开家时确信当天晚上，或许之后连续几个晚上，他和爱德娜都能坐下享受一顿名副其实的像样晚餐。

Edna spent an hour or two in looking over some of her old sketches. She could see their shortcomings and defects, which were glaring in her eyes. She tried to work a little, but found she was not in the humor. Finally she gathered together a few of the sketches—those which she considered the least discreditable; and she carried them with her when, a little later, she dressed and left the house. She looked handsome and distinguished in her street gown. The tan of the seashore had left her face, and her forehead was smooth, white, and polished beneath her heavy, yellow-brown hair. There were a few freckles on her face, and a small, dark mole near the under lip and one on the temple, half-hidden in her hair.

爱德娜花了一两个小时的时间把以前画的旧画拿出来翻看了一遍。她能够看出它们的缺点和不足，在她眼中是如此明显灼目。她努力想再画点什么，却发现实在没情绪。最后她挑了几张画－－这几张画她认为最不让她丢脸了。过了一会儿，她穿着打扮了一下，拿着画出门了。她穿着上街的衣服看上去漂亮又贵气。在海滩上晒黑了的面庞又恢复了以往的白皙，在浓密的棕黄色头发下的额头格外光洁润白。她的脸上有几个雀斑，下唇附近有一颗小黑痣，太阳穴上也有一颗，若隐若现地藏在头发里。

As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession, ever pressing itself upon her. It was not that she dwelt upon details of their acquaintance, or recalled in any special or peculiar way his personality; it was his being, his existence, which dominated her thought, fading sometimes as if it would melt into the mist of the forgotten, reviving again with an intensity which filled her with an incomprehensible longing.

爱德娜在街上走着的时候，心里想着罗伯特。她仍旧处于对他的迷恋当中。她曾力争忘掉他，也意识到想他是无益的。可是这种想念压在她的心头，摆脱不掉。这并非她总是回想他们交往的细节，或是回忆起他品格上某些特殊或独到的地方，而是罗伯特本人，他的存在占据了她的思想的。有时它会消退，像是在记忆的迷雾中消逝，可一旦重来，就会变得更加强烈，更使她充满了一种难以理解的渴望之情。

Edna was on her way to Madame Ratignolle's. Their intimacy, begun at Grand Isle, had not declined, and they had seen each other with some frequency since their return to the city. The Ratignolles lived at no great distance from Edna's home, on the corner of a side street, where Monsieur Ratignolle owned and conducted a drug store which enjoyed a steady and prosperous trade. His father had been in the business before him, and Monsieur Ratignolle stood well in the community and bore an enviable reputation for integrity and clearheadedness. His family lived in commodious apartments over the store, having an entrance on the side within the porte cochere. There was something which Edna thought very French, very foreign, about their whole manner of living. In the large and pleasant salon which extended across the width of the house, the Ratignolles entertained their friends once a fortnight with a soiree musicale, sometimes diversified by card-playing. There was a friend who played upon the 'cello. One brought his flute and another his violin, while there were some who sang and a number who performed upon the piano with various degrees of taste and agility. The Ratignolles' soirees musicales were widely known, and it was considered a privilege to be invited to them.

爱德娜此时在去往拉蒂诺尔夫人家的路上。她们的亲密交往自从在格兰德岛开始以后并未冷淡，回城后彼此见面非常频繁。拉蒂诺尔家离爱德娜家不远，在一条侧街的拐角。拉蒂诺尔先生在那里经营着一家属于自己的药房，生意做得稳固又兴隆。在他之前，他的父亲也曾做这个生意。拉蒂诺尔先生在这一带是很站得住脚的，而且因为人品好与头脑精明而赢得令人羡慕的声誉。他家住在药房楼上的宽敞公寓里，大门开在侧面，在马车的入口处。爱德娜感觉他们的整个生活方式里有一种很法国化、异国情调的东西。拉蒂诺尔夫妇在他家那大而舒服的，有整个房子那么宽的客厅里，每两个星期举办一次音乐晚会来招待他们的朋友，有时还换个花样，打打纸牌。还有一个朋友演奏大提琴呢。还有一个带来长笛，另一个带来小提琴；有一些人唱歌，还有一些人则以不同程度的品味与技艺弹奏钢琴。拉蒂诺尔家的音乐晚会闻名遐迩，能受邀来参加的人都倍感荣幸。

Edna found her friend engaged in assorting the clothes which had returned that morning from the laundry. She at once abandoned her occupation upon seeing Edna, who had been ushered without ceremony into her presence.

爱德娜发现她的朋友正忙着整理那天早上从洗衣店拿回来的衣服。她一见到并没有客套就被仆人直接带进来的爱德娜，便马上放下了手中的活。

“'Cite can do it as well as I; it is really her business," she explained to Edna, who apologized for interrupting her. And she summoned a young black woman, whom she instructed, in French, to be very careful in checking off the list which she handed her. She told her to notice particularly if a fine linen handkerchief of Monsieur Ratignolle's, which was missing last week, had been returned; and to be sure to set to one side such pieces as required mending and darning.

“这事西蒂也一样能做好，这原本就是她的活。”拉蒂诺尔夫人见爱德娜因为打扰而表示歉意便解释说。然后她叫来一个年轻的黑人妇女，递给她一张清单，并用法语指示她按照单子仔细核对。她告诉她要特别注意有一条上周丢失的细麻手绢这次是不是送回来了，另外还要确保把需要修整和织补的东西放到一边。

Then placing an arm around Edna's waist, she led her to the front of the house, to the salon, where it was cool and sweet with the odor of great roses that stood upon the hearth in jars.

接着她搂着爱德娜的腰把她带到屋子前面，走进客厅。那里很凉快，炉台上花瓶里的大朵玫瑰花散发出阵阵芳香。

Madame Ratignolle looked more beautiful than ever there at home, in a neglige which left her arms almost wholly bare and exposed the rich, melting curves of her white throat.

拉蒂诺尔夫人在家穿着长长的家居服，双臂几乎全部裸露着，并且袒露着她白皙的丰腴动人的颈部曲线，使她看上去更加漂亮。

"Perhaps I shall be able to paint your picture some day," said Edna with a smile when they were seated. She produced the roll of sketches and started to unfold them. "I believe I ought to work again. I feel as if I wanted to be doing something. What do you think of them? Do you think it worth while to take it up again and study some more? I might study for a while with Laidpore."

“或许有一天我能为你画一张像。”她们坐下后爱德娜笑着说。她拿出那卷画，开始把它们展开。“我认为我应该再干点什么。我感觉好像我需要做点什么。你觉得呢？你认为我是不是应该再重新开始画画，再多学一点呢？我可以跟雷德浦尔学一段时间。

She knew that Madame Ratignolle's opinion in such a matter would be next to valueless, that she herself had not alone decided, but determined; but she sought the words of praise and encouragement that would help her to put heart into her venture.

她知道拉蒂诺尔夫人在这样的事上的意见几乎毫无价值，而她自己非但已经做出了决定，而且决心坚定，但是她还是想寻求一些能激励她去做的赞美和鼓励的话。

"Your talent is immense, dear!"

“你极有天赋，亲爱的！”

"Nonsense!" protested Edna, well pleased.

“胡说！”爱德娜嘴里抗议着，心里却很高兴。

"Immense, I tell you," persisted Madame Ratignolle, surveying the sketches one by one, at close range, then holding them at arm's length, narrowing her eyes, and dropping her head on one side. "Surely, this Bavarian peasant is worthy of framing; and this basket of apples! never have I seen anything more lifelike. One might almost be tempted to reach out a hand and take one."

“确实很有天赋，我跟你说。”拉蒂诺尔夫人坚持说。她挨张审视这些画，时而放在跟前，时而伸长胳膊远观，时而眯着眼睛，侧起头仔细欣赏。“真的，这张巴伐利亚农民的画值得装上框裱起来，还有这篮子苹果！我从没见过画得这么逼真的。简直让人禁不住伸手去拿一个。

Edna could not control a feeling which bordered upon complacency at her friend's praise, even realizing, as she did, its true worth. She retained a few of the sketches, and gave all the rest to Madame Ratignolle, who appreciated the gift far beyond its value and proudly exhibited the pictures to her husband when he came up from the store a little later for his midday dinner.

尽管意识到－－其实她一直都明白自己的画的真正价值，但是听了她的朋友的赞美之词，她还是控制不住那种几乎是得意的感觉。她只留下几张画，把其余的都给了拉蒂诺尔夫人。她对这个礼物的赏识远远超出了它的价值，当她丈夫过了一会儿从店里上来吃午饭的时候，她便自豪地把这些画展示给他看。

Mr. Ratignolle was one of those men who are called the salt of the earth. His cheerfulness was unbounded, and it was matched by his goodness of heart, his broad charity, and common sense. He and his wife spoke English with an accent which was only discernible through its un-English emphasis and a certain carefulness and deliberation. Edna's husband spoke English with no accent whatever. The Ratignolles understood each other perfectly. If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union.

拉蒂诺尔先生一直是人们所谓的社会中坚力量。他有着极为愉快的心态，又加之内心善良，古道热肠，通情达理。他和他的妻子说英语都带着不太重的口音，只能从他们非英语的语调和有些小心谨慎的发音中能听得出来。爱德娜的丈夫说英语是一点都不带口音的。不过，拉蒂诺尔夫妻彼此之间完全能听明白。如果这个地球上有哪两个人能完美地融合成一体，那就非他们俩莫属了。

As Edna seated herself at table with them she thought, "Better a dinner of herbs," though it did not take her long to discover that it was no dinner of herbs, but a delicious repast, simple, choice, and in every way satisfying.

当爱德娜和他们一起坐在餐桌边上时，她想这顿饭吃素更好些。可她很快便发现这并不是一顿素餐，而是美味的一餐，既简单又精美，各个方面都令人满意。

Monsieur Ratignolle was delighted to see her, though he found her looking not so well as at Grand Isle, and he advised a tonic. He talked a good deal on various topics, a little politics, some city news and neighborhood gossip. He spoke with an animation and earnestness that gave an exaggerated importance to every syllable he uttered. His wife was keenly interested in everything he said, laying down her fork the better to listen, chiming in, taking the words out of his mouth.

拉蒂诺尔先生见到她很高兴，尽管他发现她看上去没有在格兰德岛上的时候那么气色好。他劝她喝点补品。他谈了很多，话题广泛，说了点政治话题，还有些城里的消息和街头闲话。他讲得既快活又热情，好像对他说出的每个字都夸大了它的重要性。他的妻子对他讲的一切都表现出极大的兴趣。她放下叉子更用心地听，有时插一两句话，有时不等他把话说完就接了过去。

Edna felt depressed rather than soothed after leaving them. The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her, gave her no regret, no longing. It was not a condition of life which fitted her, and she could see in it but an appalling and hopeless ennui. She was moved by a kind of commiseration for Madame Ratignolle,—a pity for that colorless existence which never uplifted its possessor beyond the region of blind contentment, in which no moment of anguish ever visited her soul, in which she would never have the taste of life's delirium. Edna vaguely wondered what she meant by "life's delirium." It had crossed her thought like some unsought, extraneous impression.

离开他们后，爱德娜非但没感到宽慰，倒更觉得沮丧了。对这家庭和睦的一瞥没有让她感觉遗憾，也没有给她任何向往。这并不是一种适合她的生活状态，她从中所能看到的只是可怕而又无望的乏味。她突然深深地同情起拉蒂诺尔夫人了－－怜悯她这种单调乏味的生活。这种生活不会使她精神振奋，而只能使她盲目地满足于现状。在这种生活现状中，没有什么烦恼能够触动她的心灵，她也永远品尝不到生命的热狂的滋味。爱德娜对于她自己所指的“生命的热狂”是什么也模糊不清。这种想法好像只是一种意外获得的外在印象而已，在她的脑海里一闪而过。

XIX

第十九章

Edna could not help but think that it was very foolish, very childish, to have stamped upon her wedding ring and smashed the crystal vase upon the tiles. She was visited by no more outbursts, moving her to such futile expedients. She began to do as she liked and to feel as she liked. She completely abandoned her Tuesdays at home, and did not return the visits of those who had called upon her. She made no ineffectual efforts to conduct her household en bonne menagere, going and coming as it suited her fancy, and, so far as she was able, lending herself to any passing caprice.

爱德娜禁不住想到她踩她的婚戒，又把玻璃花瓶摔碎在壁炉上是多么愚蠢，多么幼稚。她不再感情迸发，激动得做出此种无益的举动。她开始想怎么做就怎么做，想怎么认为就怎么认为。她完全放弃了每周二在家接待宾客的事，对那些来访的客人，也不回访。她不再做徒劳的努力去好好地管理家务，而是随心所欲地进进出出，只要可能，便允许自己使使性子。

Mr. Pontellier had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met a certain tacit submissiveness in his wife. But her new and unexpected line of conduct completely bewildered him. It shocked him. Then her absolute disregard for her duties as a wife angered him. When Mr. Pontellier became rude, Edna grew insolent. She had resolved never to take another step backward.

蓬迪里埃先生，只要妻子对他有种无言的的顺从，便会是一个很有礼貌的丈夫。可她最近的一些出乎意料的新行为方式让他感到很迷惑。他对此感到震惊。而且她对做妻子的责任的公然漠视激怒了他。当蓬迪里埃先生变得粗鲁的时候，她变得更为蛮横了。她决心不再走一步回头路。

"It seems to me the utmost folly for a woman at the head of a household, and the mother of children, to spend in an atelier days which would be better employed contriving for the comfort of her family."

“在我看来，一个女人作为一家之长，作为孩子的母亲，应该花时间致力于家人的舒适生活，而不是把时间浪费在画室里，这样做真是太愚蠢了。”

"I feel like painting," answered Edna. "Perhaps I shan't always feel like it."

“我就是想画画。”爱德娜回答说，“或许我不会总是喜欢这样的。”

"Then in God's name paint! but don't let the family go to the devil. There's Madame Ratignolle; because she keeps up her music, she doesn't let everything else go to chaos. And she's more of a musician than you are a painter."

“天啊，那就画吧！但不要让一家人都跟着遭殃啊。看看拉蒂诺尔夫人吧！她一直玩音乐，但她并没有把别的事弄得乱七八糟啊。比起你这个画家，她才更像个音乐家。”

"She isn't a musician, and I'm not a painter. It isn't on account of painting that I let things go."

“她不是音乐家，我也并非什么画家。并非是由于画画我才放手其他事情的。”

"On account of what, then?"

“那是由于什么？”

"Oh! I don't know. Let me alone; you bother me."

“哦！我自己也不晓得。让我静一静，别烦我。”

It sometimes entered Mr. Pontellier's mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.

有时蓬迪里埃先生脑子里会有一种念头：觉得他的妻子是不是逐渐脑子有点不正常了。他能够清楚地看出她已经不像她自己了。也就是说，他根本没能看出她正在恢复她的原本的自我，日渐抛掉那个虚假的自我。这个虚假的自我就像是我们穿着出现在世人面前的外衣一样。

Her husband let her alone as she requested, and went away to his office. Edna went up to her atelier—a bright room in the top of the house. She was working with great energy and interest, without accomplishing anything, however, which satisfied her even in the smallest degree. For a time she had the whole household enrolled in the service of art. The boys posed for her. They thought it amusing at first, but the occupation soon lost its attractiveness when they discovered that it was not a game arranged especially for their entertainment. The quadroon sat for hours before Edna's palette, patient as a savage, while the house-maid took charge of the children, and the drawing-room went undusted. But the housemaid, too, served her term as model when Edna perceived that the young woman's back and shoulders were molded on classic lines, and that her hair, loosened from its confining cap, became an inspiration. While Edna worked she sometimes sang low the little air, "Ah! si tu savais!"

她的丈夫按她的要求留下她一个人安静一会儿，自己去办公室了。爱德娜上楼去了她的画室－－那是顶楼的一个明亮的房间。她兴致很高，干得很起劲，可是却没能完成一幅令她感到些许满意的作品。有一段时间，她使全家人都卷入到了她的艺术中。孩子们也配合她摆好姿势。开始他们觉得很有意思，可当他们发现这并非是专门为他们安排的趣味游戏的时候，这事很快就失去了吸引力。保姆在她的调色板前连坐几个小时，像野人那样有耐性，而照顾孩子的事由女仆代劳了，客厅的灰尘也没人打扫。可女仆偶尔也轮得上当把模特。爱德娜感觉这个年轻妇女的背部和肩部线条优美，而且从她束发的便帽里露出的松散的头发给人以艺术灵感。爱德娜作画的时候有时低声哼唱那首小曲：“啊！如果你知道！”

It moved her with recollections. She could hear again the ripple of the water, the flapping sail. She could see the glint of the moon upon the bay, and could feel the soft, gusty beating of the hot south wind. A subtle current of desire passed through her body, weakening her hold upon the brushes and making her eyes burn.

回忆往事让她很有感触。她仿佛又听见了海水的起伏，船帆的鼓动。她仿佛看见月光在海湾上闪烁，感觉阵阵热乎乎的南风柔和地吹过来。一股微妙的欲望穿流过她的身体，使她无力拿起画笔，眼睛在灼烧。

There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in. And she found it good to dream and to be alone and unmolested.

有些天她很幸福，但又说不出为什么。她为还活着，还呼吸着而感到幸福，就好像整个人已经和某个完美的南方的日子里的阳光、色彩、芬芳和洋溢的温暖融为一体。她此时喜欢独自在陌生、不熟悉的地方漫游。她找到了很多洒满阳光、慵懒困倦而适合于幻想的安静角落。她发现在这里幻想着，安静独处，不受干扰，真是好极了。

There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why,—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. She could not work on such a day, nor weave fancies to stir her pulses and warm her blood.

有些天她很不快乐，也说不清为什么－－这时，无论乐与忧，生或死，都毫无价值；生活对她好像是一团怪异的喧嚣；人就像虫子一样盲目地挣扎，不可避免地走向毁灭。在这样的日子里她不能工作，也不能编织梦幻来刺激她的脉搏，温暖她的血液。

XX

第二十章

It was during such a mood that Edna hunted up Mademoiselle Reisz. She had not forgotten the rather disagreeable impression left upon her by their last interview; but she nevertheless felt a desire to see her—above all, to listen while she played upon the piano. Quite early in the afternoon she started upon her quest for the pianist. Unfortunately she had mislaid or lost Mademoiselle Reisz's card, and looking up her address in the city directory, she found that the woman lived on Bienville Street, some distance away. The directory which fell into her hands was a year or more old, however, and upon reaching the number indicated, Edna discovered that the house was occupied by a respectable family of mulattoes who had chambres garnies to let. They had been living there for six months, and knew absolutely nothing of a Mademoiselle Reisz. In fact, they knew nothing of any of their neighbors; their lodgers were all people of the highest distinction, they assured Edna. She did not linger to discuss class distinctions with Madame Pouponne, but hastened to a neighboring grocery store, feeling sure that Mademoiselle would have left her address with the proprietor.

在这样一种情绪中爱德娜去找了雷西小姐。她并没有忘记他们上次见面留给她的相当不愉快的印象，可她仍渴望见到她－－尤其是要听她弹钢琴。那天下午很早的时候她就开始去找这位钢琴家。可不幸的是她把雷西小姐的名片放错了地方或弄丢了。在查阅了城市居民的姓名地址簿之后，她发现雷西小姐家住在挺远的比安维尔街。可爱德娜手里的这本地址簿是一年多或是更久以前出版的，等她按照地址簿上的地址找来时，她发现房子里住的是一个有身份的黑白混血的家庭，他们出租带家具的房间。他们已经在这里住了半年了，可对这个雷西小姐却毫不知情。事实上，他们对任何一家邻居都不了解。他们让爱德娜放心，住在他们这里的房客都是最高贵的人。爱德娜没有留下来跟普蓬纳夫人讨论阶级区分，而是匆忙赶到邻近的杂货店，确信雷西小姐可能会把新地址留给了杂货店的老板。

He knew Mademoiselle Reisz a good deal better than he wanted to know her, he informed his questioner. In truth, he did not want to know her at all, or anything concerning her—the most disagreeable and unpopular woman who ever lived in Bienville Street. He thanked heaven she had left the neighborhood, and was equally thankful that he did not know where she had gone.

他告诉爱德娜说他对雷西小姐的了解比他希望所了解的多得多。说真的，对于这位小姐他根本不想了解，也不想知道关于她的任何事。她是曾经在比安维尔街居住过的最令人讨厌和最不受欢迎的女人。他说谢天谢地她已经离开这里，也同样感谢上帝他不知道她去了哪里。

Edna's desire to see Mademoiselle Reisz had increased tenfold since these unlooked-for obstacles had arisen to thwart it. She was wondering who could give her the information she sought, when it suddenly occurred to her that Madame Lebrun would be the one most likely to do so. She knew it was useless to ask Madame Ratignolle, who was on the most distant terms with the musician, and preferred to know nothing concerning her. She had once been almost as emphatic in expressing herself upon the subject as the corner grocer.

这些始料不及的障碍反倒使爱德娜想见雷西小姐的愿望增加了十倍。她正想着谁能为她提供她想要的信息，突然间，她想起勒布伦夫人可能是最有可能的人了。她知道问拉蒂诺尔夫人是没有用的，她跟这位音乐家极为疏远，对她的任何事也不愿意过问。她也曾有一次几乎跟杂货店老板一样强烈地表示过自己对这位小姐的看法。

Edna knew that Madame Lebrun had returned to the city, for it was the middle of November. And she also knew where the Lebruns lived, on Chartres Street.

爱德娜知道勒布伦夫人已经回城了，因为此时已经是十一月中旬了。她也知道勒布伦家住哪儿－－夏特雷街。

Their home from the outside looked like a prison, with iron bars before the door and lower windows. The iron bars were a relic of the old regime, and no one had ever thought of dislodging them. At the side was a high fence enclosing the garden. A gate or door opening upon the street was locked. Edna rang the bell at this side garden gate, and stood upon the banquette, waiting to be admitted.

勒布伦家从外观上看像是监狱，门上和低矮的窗户上都安上了铁栅栏。这些铁栅栏是旧政权的遗迹，也没有人考虑过把它们拆下来。两侧是环绕花园的高高的篱笆墙。朝街的大门是锁着的。爱德娜按响了花园侧门的门铃，站在人行道上等着被允许进去。

It was Victor who opened the gate for her. A black woman, wiping her hands upon her apron, was close at his heels. Before she saw them Edna could hear them in altercation, the woman—plainly an anomaly—claiming the right to be allowed to perform her duties, one of which was to answer the bell.

出来为她开门的是维克托。一个黑人妇女，用围裙擦着手，紧跟在他后面。爱德娜还没见到他们时就听见他们你一句我一句地争吵。这个女人－－明显有点反常－－声称她有权履行自己的职责，其中之一就是听到门铃后去开门。

Victor was surprised and delighted to see Mrs. Pontellier, and he made no attempt to conceal either his astonishment or his delight. He was a dark-browed, good-looking youngster of nineteen, greatly resembling his mother, but with ten times her impetuosity. He instructed the black woman to go at once and inform Madame Lebrun that Mrs. Pontellier desired to see her. The woman grumbled a refusal to do part of her duty when she had not been permitted to do it all, and started back to her interrupted task of weeding the garden. Whereupon Victor administered a rebuke in the form of a volley of abuse, which, owing to its rapidity and incoherence, was all but incomprehensible to Edna. Whatever it was, the rebuke was convincing, for the woman dropped her hoe and went mumbling into the house.

看到蓬迪里埃夫人维克托觉得又惊又喜，他也没试图掩饰他这种惊喜之情。他是个眉毛很浓，长得帅气的十九岁的小伙子，长得非常像他妈妈，可要比他妈妈性急十倍。他命令那个黑人女仆马上去告诉勒布伦夫人，说蓬迪里埃夫人想见她。那个黑人女仆咕哝着说，既然不让她履行全部职责，那么部分的工作她也拒绝做，然后又回到花园继续干被打断的除草的活。维克托用一大串责骂的话训斥她，因为说得又快又不连贯，爱德娜什么也没听明白。不管怎么说，责骂是有说服力的，因为那个女人扔下锄头，咕哝着进屋了。

Edna did not wish to enter. It was very pleasant there on the side porch, where there were chairs, a wicker lounge, and a small table. She seated herself, for she was tired from her long tramp; and she began to rock gently and smooth out the folds of her silk parasol. Victor drew up his chair beside her. He at once explained that the black woman's offensive conduct was all due to imperfect training, as he was not there to take her in hand. He had only come up from the island the morning before, and expected to return next day. He stayed all winter at the island; he lived there, and kept the place in order and got things ready for the summer visitors.

爱德娜不愿意进屋。侧面回廊这里挺舒服，有几把椅子，一个柳条躺椅，还有一张小桌子。她坐了下来，因为走了很长的路后她很累，她坐在摇椅上轻轻地晃着，顺手把她绸伞上的皱褶扯平。维克托拽了把椅子在她身边坐下。他立刻解释说那个黑人妇女的无礼完全是因为调教不严造成的，因为他不常在家里，没能亲自调教她。他头天早上才从岛上回来，打算第二天就回去。他整个冬天都呆在岛上，他住在那里，把一切都弄得井井有条，为夏天要来的游客做好准备。

But a man needed occasional relaxation, he informed Mrs. Pontellier, and every now and again he drummed up a pretext to bring him to the city. My! but he had had a time of it the evening before! He wouldn't want his mother to know, and he began to talk in a whisper. He was scintillant with recollections. Of course, he couldn't think of telling Mrs. Pontellier all about it, she being a woman and not comprehending such things. But it all began with a girl peeping and smiling at him through the shutters as he passed by. Oh! but she was a beauty! Certainly he smiled back, and went up and talked to her. Mrs. Pontellier did not know him if she supposed he was one to let an opportunity like that escape him. Despite herself, the youngster amused her. She must have betrayed in her look some degree of interest or entertainment. The boy grew more daring, and Mrs. Pontellier might have found herself, in a little while, listening to a highly colored story but for the timely appearance of Madame Lebrun.

但他告诉蓬迪里埃夫人，一个人偶尔也需要放松一下，他时不时地就会找个机会进城。天啊！他昨天晚上玩得可是过足了瘾。他不想让他妈妈知道，开始小声说话。他满是可以回忆的事。当然了，他不会考虑把一切都跟蓬迪里埃夫人说。她一个女人不会理解这样的事。事情由一个女孩开始，当他路过时，一个女孩从百叶窗里偷着看他，还冲他笑。哦！她可是个美丽的姑娘！当然了，他也冲她回眸一笑，然后走上去跟她搭话。如果蓬迪里埃夫人认为他是那种轻易让这种机会从他身边溜走的人的话，那说明她对他还不够了解。她不禁被这个小伙子逗得很开心。她一定是在表情中不自觉地流露出了一些兴致，这个小伙子越来越肆无忌惮了。若非勒布伦夫人的及时出现的话，蓬迪里埃夫人一会儿就会听到一段绘声绘色的风流韵事。

That lady was still clad in white, according to her custom of the summer. Her eyes beamed an effusive welcome. Would not Mrs. Pontellier go inside? Would she partake of some refreshment? Why had she not been there before? How was that dear Mr. Pontellier and how were those sweet children? Had Mrs. Pontellier ever known such a warm November?

那位女士还依照夏天的习惯穿着白色衣服。她的眼睛闪亮，欢迎之意溢于言表。蓬迪里埃夫人不进屋坐吗？她要来点茶点吗？她以前怎么总也不来呀？亲爱的蓬迪里埃先生怎么样？还有可爱的孩子们好吗？蓬迪里埃夫人是否曾经经历过这么温暖的十一月？

Victor went and reclined on the wicker lounge behind his mother's chair, where he commanded a view of Edna's face. He had taken her parasol from her hands while he spoke to her, and he now lifted it and twirled it above him as he lay on his back. When Madame Lebrun complained that it was so dull coming back to the city; that she saw so few people now; that even Victor, when he came up from the island for a day or two, had so much to occupy him and engage his time; then it was that the youth went into contortions on the lounge and winked mischievously at Edna. She somehow felt like a confederate in crime, and tried to look severe and disapproving.

维克托走过去躺在他妈妈椅子后面的柳条躺椅上，在那里他能看见爱德娜的脸。他跟她说话的时候从她手中接过了遮阳伞，现在则仰卧在躺椅上举起伞转着。勒布伦夫人开始发牢骚：回到城里生活真是枯燥乏味；她现在见不到几个朋友；就连维克托，刚从岛上回来一两天就忙得脱不开身，把时间排得满满的。这时这个小伙子在躺椅上扭曲着身体，冲爱德娜坏坏地眨着眼睛。她觉得自己好像是个共谋犯，便尽力显得严肃起来，做出一副责备的样子。

There had been but two letters from Robert, with little in them, they told her. Victor said it was really not worth while to go inside for the letters, when his mother entreated him to go in search of them. He remembered the contents, which in truth he rattled off very glibly when put to the test.

他们告诉爱德娜罗伯特来过两封信，但信里没写什么。当他妈妈让他进屋把信找来时，维克托说信里的确没什么值得看的内容。他说记得信的内容，一试他还真把信的内容快速地说了出来。

One letter was written from Vera Cruz and the other from the City of Mexico. He had met Montel, who was doing everything toward his advancement. So far, the financial situation was no improvement over the one he had left in New Orleans, but of course the prospects were vastly better. He wrote of the City of Mexico, the buildings, the people and their habits, the conditions of life which he found there. He sent his love to the family. He inclosed a check to his mother, and hoped she would affectionately remember him to all his friends. That was about the substance of the two letters. Edna felt that if there had been a message for her, she would have received it. The despondent frame of mind in which she had left home began again to overtake her, and she remembered that she wished to find Mademoiselle Reisz.

一封信从维拉克鲁兹写来，另一封信则是从墨西哥城写来的。他已经见到了蒙泰尔，他为罗伯特的发展出了很多力。直到目前，经济状况比他离开奥尔良时没什么改善，但当然前景还是很光明的。他信里写到了墨西哥城，他在那里所见到的建筑，居民以及他们的风俗和生活条件。他向家人问好。他随信给母亲附了一张支票，并希望她代他问候所有的朋友。这就是两封信的大体内容。爱德娜觉得如果罗伯特真给她捎来什么话，他们会告诉她的。她离开家时的那种沮丧情绪又开始占据了她，这时她才想起来她想要雷西小姐的地址。

Madame Lebrun knew where Mademoiselle Reisz lived. She gave Edna the address, regretting that she would not consent to stay and spend the remainder of the afternoon, and pay a visit to Mademoiselle Reisz some other day. The afternoon was already well advanced.

勒布伦夫人确实知道雷西小姐住在哪儿。她把地址给了爱德娜，并对她不能留下来跟他们一起度过下午的余下时光而感到遗憾，还说改天再去拜访雷西小姐。其实整个下午已经快过完了。

Victor escorted her out upon the banquette, lifted her parasol, and held it over her while he walked to the car with her. He entreated her to bear in mind that the disclosures of the afternoon were strictly confidential. She laughed and bantered him a little, remembering too late that she should have been dignified and reserved.

维克托跟她一起往车子那儿走，帮她撑着伞，护送着她走在人行道上。他恳求她对下午的谈话内容严格保密。她笑着，有点打趣着他，过后才意识到她应该更庄重更矜持些。

"How handsome Mrs. Pontellier looked!" said Madame Lebrun to her son.

“蓬迪里埃夫人长得可真好看呀！”勒布伦夫人跟她儿子说。

"Ravishing!" he admitted. "The city atmosphere has improved her. Some way she doesn't seem like the same woman."

“真是很迷人！”他同意道。“城里的氛围使她更迷人了。不过不知为什么，她好像跟过去不是同一个人似的。

XXI

第二十一章

Some people contended that the reason Mademoiselle Reisz always chose apartments up under the roof was to discourage the approach of beggars, peddlars and callers. There were plenty of windows in her little front room. They were for the most part dingy, but as they were nearly always open it did not make so much difference. They often admitted into the room a good deal of smoke and soot; but at the same time all the light and air that there was came through them. From her windows could be seen the crescent of the river, the masts of ships and the big chimneys of the Mississippi steamers. A magnificent piano crowded the apartment. In the next room she slept, and in the third and last she harbored a gasoline stove on which she cooked her meals when disinclined to descend to the neighboring restaurant. It was there also that she ate, keeping her belongings in a rare old buffet, dingy and battered from a hundred years of use.

有些人认为，雷西小姐选择最顶层的公寓是因为要离乞丐、小商贩和访问者远一点。她那间狭小的前屋有很多扇窗户。窗户大多都很脏，不过因为窗户几乎总是敞开着，干净或是脏也没什么区别。大量的煤烟灰尘透过敞开的窗户进入室内，但同时阳光和空气也由此进入。从她的窗户看出去可以看到弯曲的河流，轮船的桅杆和密西西比河上汽轮的大烟囱。一架华丽的大钢琴挤满了房间。旁边的房间是她的卧房，第三间也是最后一间屋子里放了一个汽油炉，她不想去邻近的饭店吃饭的时候就在这个炉子上做饭。那也是她吃饭的地方。她把很多东西存放在一个罕见的老式碗柜里。这个碗柜又脏又破，好像用了百年似的。

When Edna knocked at Mademoiselle Reisz's front room door and entered, she discovered that person standing beside the window, engaged in mending or patching an old prunella gaiter. The little musician laughed all over when she saw Edna. Her laugh consisted of a contortion of the face and all the muscles of the body. She seemed strikingly homely, standing there in the afternoon light. She still wore the shabby lace and the artificial bunch of violets on the side of her head.

爱德娜敲了雷西小姐前屋的门进入室内时发现雷西小姐正站在窗边，忙着修理或补缀一只斜纹呢料的旧鞋罩。这个小个子音乐家看到爱德娜开怀大笑。她笑得面部和全身肌肉都拧着。在午后的阳光中她站在那里显得格外其貌不扬。她仍旧穿着那件破旧的带花边的衣服，一侧头上还戴着一束假紫罗兰花。

"So you remembered me at last," said Mademoiselle. "I had said to myself, 'Ah, bah! she will never come.'"

“你终于想起我来了。”雷西小姐说，“我曾跟自己说：‘啊！呸！她是不会来的。’”

"Did you want me to come?" asked Edna with a smile.

“你想让我来吗？”爱德娜面带微笑地说。

"I had not thought much about it," answered Mademoiselle. The two had seated themselves on a little bumpy sofa which stood against the wall. "I am glad, however, that you came. I have the water boiling back there, and was just about to make some coffee. You will drink a cup with me. And how is la belle dame? Always handsome! always healthy! always contented!" She took Edna's hand between her strong wiry fingers, holding it loosely without warmth, and executing a sort of double theme upon the back and palm.

“我没太多想。”雷西小姐回答道。她们俩在靠墙的一张凹凸不平的小沙发上坐下。“但是，你来了我非常高兴。我在后面那儿正烧着水呢，正要去煮咖啡。跟我一起喝一杯吧。漂亮的夫人，你怎么样啊？总是那么漂亮！总是那么健康！总是那么满足！”她拿过爱德娜的手，用她那瘦而结实的冰凉手指松松地抓着，在她的手背和手掌上弹着，像是在弹奏某个复调旋律。

"Yes," she went on; "I sometimes thought: 'She will never come. She promised as those women in society always do, without meaning it. She will not come.' For I really don't believe you like me, Mrs. Pontellier."

“是的，”雷西小姐继续说，“我有时想：‘她不会来的。她像社交场合的那些女人总是做的那样，随口答应其实绝无诚意。她是不会来的。’因为我的确不认为你喜欢我，蓬迪里埃夫人。”

"I don't know whether I like you or not," replied Edna, gazing down at the little woman with a quizzical look.

“我不知道我是否喜欢你。”爱德娜用古怪的目光凝视着这个矮小的女人。

The candor of Mrs. Pontellier's admission greatly pleased Mademoiselle Reisz. She expressed her gratification by repairing forthwith to the region of the gasoline stove and rewarding her guest with the promised cup of coffee. The coffee and the biscuit accompanying it proved very acceptable to Edna, who had declined refreshment at Madame Lebrun's and was now beginning to feel hungry. Mademoiselle set the tray which she brought in upon a small table near at hand, and seated herself once again on the lumpy sofa.

蓬迪里埃夫人这种直率的承认使雷西小姐很是高兴。为了表达她的满意，她立刻去汽油炉旁为她的客人倒了杯承诺过的咖啡。咖啡和一起端上来的饼干很合爱德娜的胃口。她刚才在勒布伦家谢绝了茶点，现在开始感到饿了。雷西小姐把端过来的茶盘放在手边的一张小桌子上，然后又坐回到那张坑坑洼洼的沙发上。

"I have had a letter from your friend," she remarked, as she poured a little cream into Edna's cup and handed it to her.

“我收到了你朋友的一封来信。”她边说边往爱德娜的杯子里放了一点奶油并递给她。

"My friend?"

“我朋友？”

"Yes, your friend Robert. He wrote to me from the City of Mexico."

“对，你朋友罗伯特。他是从墨西哥城写信给我的。”

"Wrote to YOU?" repeated Edna in amazement, stirring her coffee absently.

“写信给你？”爱德娜惊异地重复道，心不在焉地搅拌着咖啡。

"Yes, to me. Why not? Don't stir all the warmth out of your coffee; drink it. Though the letter might as well have been sent to you; it was nothing but Mrs. Pontellier from beginning to end."

“对啊，写信给我。为什么不行？不要把咖啡里的热气都搅拌开了，快喝吧。不过这封信或许还是本应该寄给你好，从头到尾没谈别的，都是蓬迪里埃夫人。”

"Let me see it," requested the young woman, entreatingly.

“让我看看吧！”这个年轻的女人恳求道。

"No; a letter concerns no one but the person who writes it and the one to whom it is written."

“不可以。一封信只牵涉到写信人和收信人，没有别人。”

"Haven't you just said it concerned me from beginning to end?"

“刚才你不是还说信从头到尾都是关于我的吗？”

"It was written about you, not to you. 'Have you seen Mrs. Pontellier? How is she looking?' he asks. 'As Mrs. Pontellier says,' or 'as Mrs. Pontellier once said.' 'If Mrs. Pontellier should call upon you, play for her that Impromptu of Chopin's, my favorite. I heard it here a day or two ago, but not as you play it. I should like to know how it affects her,' and so on, as if he supposed we were constantly in each other's society."

“信里写到你，但不是写给你的。‘你见过蓬迪里埃夫人吗？她怎么样？’他问。‘正如蓬迪里埃夫人所说’，或是‘正如蓬迪里埃夫人曾说过的那样’，‘如果蓬迪里埃夫人来拜访你，请给她弹奏那首我最喜欢的肖邦的即兴曲。我前一两天在这里听过一次，但弹得和你的弹奏不同。我想知道这首曲子对她有什么影响’，诸如此类，好像他认为我们经常交往似的。”

"Let me see the letter."

“就让我看看信吧！”

"Oh, no."

“哦，不可以。”

"Have you answered it?"

“你已经回信了吗？”

"No."

“还没呢。”

"Let me see the letter."

“就让我看看信吧！”

"No, and again, no."

“不可以，再说一次，不可以。”

"Then play the Impromptu for me."

“那你就给我弹那首即兴曲吧！”

"It is growing late; what time do you have to be home?"

“天色挺晚的了，你得什么时候回家？”

"Time doesn't concern me. Your question seems a little rude. Play the Impromptu."

“我不用顾虑时间。你的问题似乎不大礼貌。快弹奏那首即兴曲吧！”

"But you have told me nothing of yourself. What are you doing?"

“可你还没告诉我关于你的东西呢。你在做些什么？”

"Painting!" laughed Edna. "I am becoming an artist. Think of it!"

“画画。”爱德娜笑着说，“我要变成艺术家了。想想看吧！”

"Ah! an artist! You have pretensions, Madame."

“啊！艺术家！你可真自命不凡啊，夫人。”

"Why pretensions? Do you think I could not become an artist?"

“为什么说是自命不凡？你觉得我不能成为艺术家吗？”

"I do not know you well enough to say. I do not know your talent or your temperament. To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gifts—absolute gifts—which have not been acquired by one's own effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist must possess the courageous soul."

“我对你了解还不够，说不好。我不了解你的才能或秉性。要成为一个艺术家需要很多，要拥有多方面的天赋－－绝对的天赋－－这是靠后天的努力没法获得的。而且，要想成功，一个艺术家必须有无畏的精神。”

"What do you mean by the courageous soul?"

“你所谓的无畏的精神指什么？”

"Courageous, ma foi! The brave soul. The soul that dares and defies."

“无畏，对！勇敢的精神。那种敢于冒险，敢于挑战的精神。”

"Show me the letter and play for me the Impromptu. You see that I have persistence. Does that quality count for anything in art?"

“给我看看那封信，给我弹奏即兴曲吧！你看我有坚持不懈的精神。这种品质对艺术起着重要作用吧？”

"It counts with a foolish old woman whom you have captivated," replied Mademoiselle, with her wriggling laugh.

“这对被你迷住的一个愚蠢的老女人起着重要作用，”雷西小姐边回答边咯咯地笑着。

The letter was right there at hand in the drawer of the little table upon which Edna had just placed her coffee cup. Mademoiselle opened the drawer and drew forth the letter, the topmost one. She placed it in Edna's hands, and without further comment arose and went to the piano.

信就在跟前的小桌子的抽屉里，就是爱德娜刚才放咖啡杯的那张小桌子。雷西小姐打开抽屉，拿出信，那封信就放在最上面。她把信放到爱德娜手里，然后没再做任何评论，起身走到钢琴旁。

Mademoiselle played a soft interlude. It was an improvisation. She sat low at the instrument, and the lines of her body settled into ungraceful curves and angles that gave it an appearance of deformity. Gradually and imperceptibly the interlude melted into the soft opening minor chords of the Chopin Impromptu.

雷西小姐弹了段柔和的间奏。这是个即兴的演奏。她低坐在钢琴旁，身体的线条形成了很不雅观的曲线和角度，看起来像畸形的样子。渐渐地不知不觉地间奏就变成了肖邦的即兴曲的柔和的开场小和弦。

Edna did not know when the Impromptu began or ended. She sat in the sofa corner reading Robert's letter by the fading light. Mademoiselle had glided from the Chopin into the quivering love notes of Isolde's song, and back again to the Impromptu with its soulful and poignant longing.

爱德娜不知道即兴曲是什么时候开始弹奏的或是什么时候结束的。她就着微弱的灯光坐在沙发的角落里读着罗伯特的来信。雷西小姐已经从肖邦很自然地转弹到伊索尔德歌曲中令人心动的缠绵恋歌，然后又弹回到即兴曲，弹奏出它那深沉又强烈的渴望之情。

The shadows deepened in the little room. The music grew strange and fantastic—turbulent, insistent, plaintive and soft with entreaty. The shadows grew deeper. The music filled the room. It floated out upon the night, over the housetops, the crescent of the river, losing itself in the silence of the upper air.

小屋子里的光线渐渐阴暗下来。音乐声也变得奇妙怪异－－时而汹涌澎湃，急迫热切，时而又凄婉哀伤，柔声苦求。光线越来越阴暗了。音乐充溢着整个房间。琴声在夜晚的空气中飘荡，笼罩在屋顶上，弥漫在蜿蜒的河流上，最后消失在静谧的天空中。

Edna was sobbing, just as she had wept one midnight at Grand Isle when strange, new voices awoke in her. She arose in some agitation to take her departure. "May I come again, Mademoiselle?" she asked at the threshold.

爱德娜在抽泣，就像在格兰德岛上有一次半夜她内心的一种新奇的声音唤醒后那样哭泣着。她激动地起身离开。“我还可以再来吗，雷西小姐？”她站在门口问道。

"Come whenever you feel like it. Be careful; the stairs and landings are dark; don't stumble."

“只要你想来，随时都可以来。小心！楼梯和廊阶都很黑，不要绊倒了。”

Mademoiselle reentered and lit a candle. Robert's letter was on the floor. She stooped and picked it up. It was crumpled and damp with tears. Mademoiselle smoothed the letter out, restored it to the envelope, and replaced it in the table drawer.

雷西小姐又进了屋，点亮了一根蜡烛。罗伯特的来信掉在地上。她弯腰将它拾起。信已经皱巴巴的，被泪打湿了。雷西小姐把信展平，装回信封，重新放进桌子抽屉里。

XXII

第二十二章

One morning on his way into town Mr. Pontellier stopped at the house of his old friend and family physician, Doctor Mandelet. The Doctor was a semi-retired physician, resting, as the saying is, upon his laurels. He bore a reputation for wisdom rather than skill—leaving the active practice of medicine to his assistants and younger contemporaries—and was much sought for in matters of consultation. A few families, united to him by bonds of friendship, he still attended when they required the services of a physician. The Pontelliers were among these.

一天早上，蓬迪里埃先生在进城的路上顺道在他的老朋友家庭医生芒代勒家门口停下来。芒代勒医生是个半退休的医生，正如人们所说，满足于自己的既得成就。他的声誉主要在于其智慧而非医术。他把医疗上的具体业务交给他的助手或是更年轻一些的同行们，自己多是从事一些被咨询的工作。有几个家庭因为是朋友的关系，他们需要医生的时候他仍去给看病。蓬迪里埃家就是这几个家庭之一。

Mr. Pontellier found the Doctor reading at the open window of his study. His house stood rather far back from the street, in the center of a delightful garden, so that it was quiet and peaceful at the old gentleman's study window. He was a great reader. He stared up disapprovingly over his eye-glasses as Mr. Pontellier entered, wondering who had the temerity to disturb him at that hour of the morning.

蓬迪里埃先生发现医生正在书房敞开的窗户前看书。他的房子远离街道，位于一个别致的小花园中心，所以这位老先生的书房窗前非常祥静安和。他是一个极爱读书的人。蓬迪里埃先生进来时，他透过眼镜不满地往上瞪着眼睛，想着谁会这么莽撞地一大早来打扰他。

"Ah, Pontellier! Not sick, I hope. Come and have a seat. What news do you bring this morning?" He was quite portly, with a profusion of gray hair, and small blue eyes which age had robbed of much of their brightness but none of their penetration.

“啊，是蓬迪里埃！不是病了吧，我希望。进来坐吧！今天早上有什么消息呀？”他身体较胖，头发灰白了很多，小小的蓝眼睛因为岁月而失去了原有的光亮但却丝毫未失其敏锐。

"Oh! I'm never sick, Doctor. You know that I come of tough fiber—of that old Creole race of Pontelliers that dry up and finally blow away. I came to consult—no, not precisely to consult—to talk to you about Edna. I don't know what ails her."

“哦！我绝没生病，医生。你知道我的身体本就壮实，这源于古老的克里奥尔蓬迪里埃家族，这个家族的人从来都是逐渐衰老最后无疾而终的。我来是咨询－－确切地说也不算是咨询－－就是想跟您谈谈爱德娜的情况。我不知道她生了什么病。”

"Madame Pontellier not well," marveled the Doctor. "Why, I saw her—I think it was a week ago—walking along Canal Street, the picture of health, it seemed to me.”

“蓬迪里埃夫人身体不适吗？”医生有点惊讶。“咦，我见过她－－我想那是一周前吧－－在运河街上走着，我看她很健康的样子。”

"Yes, yes; she seems quite well," said Mr. Pontellier, leaning forward and whirling his stick between his two hands; "but she doesn't act well. She's odd, she's not like herself. I can't make her out, and I thought perhaps you'd help me."

“是的，是的，她看起来很好，”蓬迪里埃先生身体前倾，两手转着他的拐杖，“但她举止不对劲。她很怪，不像原来那样了。我都快认不出她了。我想也许您能帮帮我。”

"How does she act?" inquired the Doctor.

“她举止如何不对劲？”医生问。

"Well, it isn't easy to explain," said Mr. Pontellier, throwing himself back in his chair. "She lets the housekeeping go to the dickens."

“啊，不容易解释，”蓬迪里埃先生向后靠在椅背上说，“她竟然不管家务了。”

"Well, well; women are not all alike, my dear Pontellier. We've got to consider—”

“行啦，行啦，不是所有女人都是一样的，我亲爱的蓬迪里埃先生。我们得考虑－－”

"I know that; I told you I couldn't explain. Her whole attitude—toward me and everybody and everything—has changed. You know I have a quick temper, but I don't want to quarrel or be rude to a woman, especially my wife; yet I'm driven to it, and feel like ten thousand devils after I've made a fool of myself. She's making it devilishly uncomfortable for me," he went on nervously. "She's got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women; and—you understand—we meet in the morning at the breakfast table.”

这个我懂，因此我刚才才说我没法解释清楚。她的整个态度－－对我、对每个人、对每件事的态度——都变了。你知道我脾气急，但我不想吵架或是对女人，尤其是对自己的妻子粗鲁，但我现在被逼成这样了，这真出丑，我简直要疯掉了。她使我极其不舒服。”他紧张地继续说，“她脑子里有一种什么念头，有关女性的永恒权利；而且－－您理解吗－－我们每天只在早餐桌旁能见着。

The old gentleman lifted his shaggy eyebrows, protruded his thick nether lip, and tapped the arms of his chair with his cushioned fingertips.

这位老先生抬起粗浓的眉毛，突起宽厚的下唇，用垫起的手指尖轻轻敲着椅子的扶手。

"What have you been doing to her, Pontellier?"

“最近你一直怎样对她，蓬迪里埃先生？”

"Doing! Parbleu!"

“怎样对她！怎么了？”

"Has she," asked the Doctor, with a smile, "has she been associating of late with a circle of pseudo-intellectual women—super-spiritual superior beings? My wife has been telling me about them.”

“她最近是否，”医生微笑着问道，“她最近是否一直在接触一些伪知性女人－－所谓的超精神的上等人物？我妻子一直在跟我说关于她们的事。”

"That's the trouble," broke in Mr. Pontellier, "she hasn't been associating with any one. She has abandoned her Tuesdays at home, has thrown over all her acquaintances, and goes tramping about by herself, moping in the street-cars, getting in after dark. I tell you she's peculiar. I don't like it; I feel a little worried over it."

“这就是麻烦所在，”蓬迪里埃先生插话说，“她一直不跟任何人接触。她放弃了每周二的家庭接待活动，把所有的熟人都抛开了，自己在在街上乱跑，乘坐街车，天黑后才回家。我告诉你她真怪。我不喜欢这样，对此我有点担忧。”

This was a new aspect for the Doctor. "Nothing hereditary?" he asked, seriously. "Nothing peculiar about her family antecedents, is there?"

这对医生来说还真是个新情况。“不是遗传的问题吧？”他严肃地问，“她的家族前辈没有特殊的病史，是吧？”

"Oh, no, indeed! She comes of sound old Presbyterian Kentucky stock. The old gentleman, her father, I have heard, used to atone for his weekday sins with his Sunday devotions. I know for a fact, that his race horses literally ran away with the prettiest bit of Kentucky farming land I ever laid eyes upon. Margaret—you know Margaret—she has all the Presbyterianism undiluted. And the youngest is something of a vixen. By the way, she gets married in a couple of weeks from now.”

“哦，没有，真的没有。她出身于肯塔基州一个有历史的健康的长老会家族。我听说她父亲那位老绅士过去常常在礼拜天虔诚地祈祷以忏悔他一周的罪过。我知道一件事实，因为赛马，我曾亲眼看过最漂亮的一片肯塔基农场被他输掉了。玛格丽特－－你知道玛格丽特的－－她可是对长老会教义全然遵照的。家族里最小的女儿可是个小辣椒。顺便说一下，她几周后就要结婚了。”

"Send your wife up to the wedding," exclaimed the Doctor, foreseeing a happy solution. "Let her stay among her own people for a while; it will do her good."

“快让你妻子去参加婚礼吧。”医生叫道，预言说这会很好地解决问题。“让她跟自己的家人在一起呆一段时间，这对她有好处。”

"That's what I want her to do. She won't go to the marriage. She says a wedding is one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth. Nice thing for a woman to say to her husband!" exclaimed Mr. Pontellier, fuming anew at the recollection.

“我也想让她这么做，可她不愿意去参加婚礼。她说婚礼是这世上最悲凉的景象之一。一个女人竟对她的丈夫说出这样的好话！”蓬迪里埃先生叫道，一提起这话他就再次怒气冲冲的。

"Pontellier," said the Doctor, after a moment's reflection, "let your wife alone for a while. Don't bother her, and don't let her bother you. Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism—a sensitive and highly organized woman, such as I know Mrs. Pontellier to be, is especially peculiar. It would require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them. And when ordinary fellows like you and me attempt to cope with their idiosyncrasies the result is bungling. Most women are moody and whimsical. This is some passing whim of your wife, due to some cause or causes which you and I needn't try to fathom. But it will pass happily over, especially if you let her alone. Send her around to see me."

“蓬迪里埃先生，”医生想了一会儿说，“让你妻子一个人静一段时间吧。不要打扰她，也别让她烦扰你。我亲爱的朋友，女人是个非常特殊的娇弱的生命体－－并且就我所认识的蓬迪里埃夫人这样的敏感和极为精细的女人尤其特殊。需要一个有天赋的心理学家才能成功地解决她们的问题。像你我这样的凡夫俗子试图对付这些个性特征，其结果必定是一团糟。大多数女人都情绪变化快，古怪念头多。你妻子也是一时有某种怪念头，这是由于某个原因或某些原因，你我不需要去试图猜测。但事情最终会愉快地结束的，尤其是你如果不管她的话。让她过来见我。”

"Oh! I couldn't do that; there'd be no reason for it," objected Mr. Pontellier.

“哦！我不能这么做，没有理由这么做。”蓬迪里埃先生反对道。

"Then I'll go around and see her," said the Doctor. "I'll drop in to dinner some evening en bon ami.

“那么我去见她吧，”医生说，“找一天晚上我作为老朋友到你家吃晚饭。”

"Do! by all means," urged Mr. Pontellier. "What evening will you come? Say Thursday. Will you come Thursday?" he asked, rising to take his leave.

“就这么定了！一定要这么办！”蓬迪里埃先生热切地说道。“哪天晚上你能来？周四吧。周四你能来吗？”他边问边起身准备告辞。

"Very well; Thursday. My wife may possibly have some engagement for me Thursday. In case she has, I shall let you know. Otherwise, you may expect me."

“很好，那就定周四。我妻子可能为我预约了周四的事。一旦她约了，我会让你知道。否则，你就等我吧。”

Mr. Pontellier turned before leaving to say:

蓬迪里埃先生临走时又转身说，

"I am going to New York on business very soon. I have a big scheme on hand, and want to be on the field proper to pull the ropes and handle the ribbons. We'll let you in on the inside if you say so, Doctor," he laughed.

“我不久会去纽约出差，我手头有个大项目，我想在现场亲自掌控和操作。医生，如果你愿意，我们让你也加入进来。”他笑着说。

"No, I thank you, my dear sir," returned the Doctor. "I leave such ventures to you younger men with the fever of life still in your blood."

“不了，谢谢了，亲爱的先生。”医生回答道，“我还是把这样的活动留给你们这些仍然血气方刚的年轻人吧。”

"What I wanted to say," continued Mr. Pontellier, with his hand on the knob; "I may have to be absent a good while. Would you advise me to take Edna along?"

“我想说的是，”蓬迪里埃先生把手放在门把手上继续说，“我可能得离开相当长一段时间。你建议我带爱德娜同去吗？”

"By all means, if she wishes to go. If not, leave her here. Don't contradict her. The mood will pass, I assure you. It may take a month, two, three months—possibly longer, but it will pass; have patience.”

“如果她愿意的话，当然带她去好啦。如果她不愿意去，就把她留在这里。不要跟她拧着来。我向你保证，这种情绪会过去的。也许要一个月、两个月、三个月，或者更长时间，可总会过去的，耐心点。”

"Well, good-by, a jeudi," said Mr. Pontellier, as he let himself out.

“好吧，再见，周四见。”蓬迪里埃先生说完便出去了。

The Doctor would have liked during the course of conversation to ask, "Is there any man in the case?" but he knew his Creole too well to make such a blunder as that.

医生在谈话过程中本想问：“这件事是否涉及任何男士？”但他太了解克里奥尔人，没犯这样唐突的错误。

He did not resume his book immediately, but sat for a while meditatively looking out into the garden.

他没有马上继续读书，而是坐在那里，向外望着花园沉思了一会儿。

XXIII

第二十三章

Edna's father was in the city, and had been with them several days. She was not very warmly or deeply attached to him, but they had certain tastes in common, and when together they were companionable. His coming was in the nature of a welcome disturbance; it seemed to furnish a new direction for her emotions.

爱德娜的爸爸进了城，跟他们一起呆了几天。她和爸爸之间并没有很亲密深切的关系，但他们有某些共同的志趣，因此在一起的时候还是很好相处。爸爸的到来虽然叨扰，还是受到欢迎的，这好像使她的情绪有了新的转向。

He had come to purchase a wedding gift for his daughter, Janet, and an outfit for himself in which he might make a creditable appearance at her marriage. Mr. Pontellier had selected the bridal gift, as every one immediately connected with him always deferred to his taste in such matters. And his suggestions on the question of dress—which too often assumes the nature of a problem—were of inestimable value to his father-in-law. But for the past few days the old gentleman had been upon Edna's hands, and in his society she was becoming acquainted with a new set of sensations. He had been a colonel in the Confederate army, and still maintained, with the title, the military bearing which had always accompanied it. His hair and mustache were white and silky, emphasizing the rugged bronze of his face. He was tall and thin, and wore his coats padded, which gave a fictitious breadth and depth to his shoulders and chest. Edna and her father looked very distinguished together, and excited a good deal of notice during their perambulations. Upon his arrival she began by introducing him to her atelier and making a sketch of him. He took the whole matter very seriously. If her talent had been ten-fold greater than it was, it would not have surprised him, convinced as he was that he had bequeathed to all of his daughters the germs of a masterful capability, which only depended upon their own efforts to be directed toward successful achievement.

他来主要是给女儿珍妮特买结婚礼物的，也给自己买一件外衣，好穿着体面地出现在女儿的婚礼上。蓬迪里埃先生帮他选好了结婚礼物，在这样的事情上他的每个亲戚都是遵从他的品味的。而且他在衣服方面的建议－－通常触及问题的实质－－对其岳父来说具有不可估量的价值。可过去这几天这位老绅士一直受到爱德娜的照顾，而且在他的社交圈里她又逐渐有了一些新的感受。他曾在南部联邦军队中当过上校，现在仍旧保留着和此头衔相配的一向的军队做派。他的头发胡须都已是银白色且柔软光洁，衬托着他那粗糙的古铜色面孔。他又高又瘦，但穿着带垫肩的大衣让人会认为他胸挺肩宽的。爱德娜和她的父亲在一起时看起来非常与众不同，所以他们漫步时尤为引人注意。他一到来她就带他进入她的画室，为他画了一张素描。他很把这个当回事。即使她的天赋比实际高出十倍，他都不会感到吃惊，因为他相信是他赋予了她的女儿们出色的才华，能不能成功并取得成就则取决于她们自己的努力。

Before her pencil he sat rigid and unflinching, as he had faced the cannon's mouth in days gone by. He resented the intrusion of the children, who gaped with wondering eyes at him, sitting so stiff up there in their mother's bright atelier. When they drew near he motioned them away with an expressive action of the foot, loath to disturb the fixed lines of his countenance, his arms, or his rigid shoulders.

在她的画笔前，他坚挺地、一动不动地坐着，就像过去对着炮眼坐着一样。他很讨厌孩子们闯进来，他们睁大眼睛好奇地注视着外公如此僵直地坐在妈妈那明亮的画室里。当他们靠近时，他抬起一只脚示意让他们离开，不想影响他的面部表情、他的手臂和僵直的肩部的固定线条。

Edna, anxious to entertain him, invited Mademoiselle Reisz to meet him, having promised him a treat in her piano playing; but Mademoiselle declined the invitation. So together they attended a soiree musicale at the Ratignolles'. Monsieur and Madame Ratignolle made much of the Colonel, installing him as the guest of honor and engaging him at once to dine with them the following Sunday, or any day which he might select. Madame coquetted with him in the most captivating and naive manner, with eyes, gestures, and a profusion of compliments, till the Colonel's old head felt thirty years younger on his padded shoulders. Edna marveled, not comprehending. She herself was almost devoid of coquetry.

爱德娜热切地希望好好招待爸爸，因而邀请雷西小姐来见他，已经答应请雷西小姐为他弹奏钢琴，可雷西小姐拒绝了她的邀请。因此他们便一起到拉蒂诺尔家参加了音乐晚会。拉蒂诺尔先生和夫人盛情款待了上校，把他当成贵宾并邀请他下周日或是他随意选一天来吃晚饭。拉蒂诺尔夫人用最狐媚且幼稚的举止、姿态和眼神来卖弄风情，并用一连串的奉承话恭维这位老先生，直搞得他垫肩上的老脑袋感觉年轻了三十岁。爱德娜非常吃惊，难以理解。她自己早已没有卖弄风情的兴致。

There were one or two men whom she observed at the soiree musicale; but she would never have felt moved to any kittenish display to attract their notice—to any feline or feminine wiles to express herself toward them. Their personality attracted her in an agreeable way. Her fancy selected them, and she was glad when a lull in the music gave them an opportunity to meet her and talk with her. Often on the street the glance of strange eyes had lingered in her memory, and sometimes had disturbed her.

在晚会上有那么一两个男人引起了她的注意，可她无意显出媚态来吸引他们的注意，或是使用女人惯用的柔媚的伎俩向他们表达自己的心意。他们令人愉快的个性吸引了她。她的喜好使她看中了他们，所以当音乐暂停，他们有机会来见她并和她攀谈的时候，她很高兴。经常在街上有些陌生眼睛的注视在她的记忆里留存，有时也搅扰着她。

Mr. Pontellier did not attend these soirees musicales. He considered them bourgeois, and found more diversion at the club. To Madame Ratignolle he said the music dispensed at her soirees was too "heavy," too far beyond his untrained comprehension. His excuse flattered her. But she disapproved of Mr. Pontellier's club, and she was frank enough to tell Edna so.

蓬迪里埃先生是不参加这些音乐晚会的。他认为这些音乐会有点太小资，而更愿意去俱乐部里找乐子。他对拉蒂诺尔夫人说她家音乐晚会上的音乐太“深奥”了，远远超出了他这种没经过陶冶的人对音乐的理解力。他的这个借口使她感到很愉快。可她不赞成蓬迪里埃先生去俱乐部，也够坦率地这样告诉爱德娜。

"It's a pity Mr. Pontellier doesn't stay home more in the evenings. I think you would be more—well, if you don't mind my saying it—more united, if he did.”

“很遗憾蓬迪里埃先生晚上不在家多呆。我想你们应该会更－－哦，如果你不介意我这样说的话－－更亲近些，如果他呆在家的话。”

"Oh! dear no!" said Edna, with a blank look in her eyes. "What should I do if he stayed home? We wouldn't have anything to say to each other."

“哦！天啊，不！”爱德娜说，眼神茫然。“如果他呆在家我该怎么做？我们互相之间没什么可说的。”

She had not much of anything to say to her father, for that matter; but he did not antagonize her. She discovered that he interested her, though she realized that he might not interest her long; and for the first time in her life she felt as if she were thoroughly acquainted with him. He kept her busy serving him and ministering to his wants. It amused her to do so. She would not permit a servant or one of the children to do anything for him which she might do herself. Her husband noticed, and thought it was the expression of a deep filial attachment which he had never suspected.

就此而言，她跟爸爸也没有很多话说，但他不会因此而冷待她。她发现爸爸很有意思，尽管她知道这感觉不会持续很长时间，但她平生第一次感觉到和爸爸相处得完全融洽。因为要侍候他，随时满足他的需要，他使她忙了起来。这么做她很开心。只要是她自己能为他做的事，她就不允许佣人或任何一个孩子去做。她丈夫注意到这些，以为这是她殷切的孝心的流露，这一点他从未怀疑过。

The Colonel drank numerous "toddies" during the course of the day, which left him, however, imperturbed. He was an expert at concocting strong drinks. He had even invented some, to which he had given fantastic names, and for whose manufacture he required diverse ingredients that it devolved upon Edna to procure for him.

这位上校每天喝很多搀水的烈性酒，但仍能保持清醒。他精通于调制烈性酒。他甚至自己发明了一些调酒，还给自己的酒起了些奇妙的名字。为此需要各种配料，这些他就交给爱德娜帮他弄到。

When Doctor Mandelet dined with the Pontelliers on Thursday he could discern in Mrs. Pontellier no trace of that morbid condition which her husband had reported to him. She was excited and in a manner radiant. She and her father had been to the race course, and their thoughts when they seated themselves at table were still occupied with the events of the afternoon, and their talk was still of the track. The Doctor had not kept pace with turf affairs. He had certain recollections of racing in what he called "the good old times" when the Lecompte stables flourished, and he drew upon this fund of memories so that he might not be left out and seem wholly devoid of the modern spirit. But he failed to impose upon the Colonel, and was even far from impressing him with this trumped-up knowledge of bygone days. Edna had staked her father on his last venture, with the most gratifying results to both of them. Besides, they had met some very charming people, according to the Colonel's impressions. Mrs. Mortimer Merriman and Mrs. James Highcamp, who were there with Alcee Arobin, had joined them and had enlivened the hours in a fashion that warmed him to think of.

周四那天芒代勒医生同蓬迪里埃家人共进晚餐时，并没有看出蓬迪里埃夫人身上有任何她丈夫跟他说的那种病态的迹象。她显得很兴奋，活力四射。她和爸爸去看了赛马，在晚餐桌旁就坐时，思想还是被下午的事占据着，而且他们谈的也还是赛马。医生不了解赛马的新近情况。他回想起过去赛马的一些事，他称那时为“往昔美好时光”，那时莱克姆马业很兴旺。他靠大量的回忆使他不被置之局外，感觉完全跟不上时代的脚步。但他还是没能影响上校，靠他捏造的往日的知识也远远没有给上校留下印象。在上校最后一把押赌时，爱德娜也下了注，令人喜悦的结果是他们双双获利。此外，他们还遇到了一些在上校的印象里很招人喜欢的人。随阿尔塞·阿罗宾一起来的莫蒂梅·梅里曼夫人和詹姆斯·海坎普夫人也加入到他们当中来，活跃了他们的时光，使他想起来就情绪高涨。

Mr. Pontellier himself had no particular leaning toward horseracing, and was even rather inclined to discourage it as a pastime, especially when he considered the fate of that blue-grass farm in Kentucky. He endeavored, in a general way, to express a particular disapproval, and only succeeded in arousing the ire and opposition of his father-in-law. A pretty dispute followed, in which Edna warmly espoused her father's cause and the Doctor remained neutral.

蓬迪里埃先生本人对赛马不是特别地爱好，尤其是想到肯塔基那片郁郁葱葱的农场的命运时，就更倾向于反对把赛马当做消遣。他试图用一般的方式来表达他对赌马的不赞同，结果招来了他岳父的反对，激起了他的愤怒。接下来是一场令人不悦的争论，爱德娜大力拥护她爸爸的观点，医生则保持中立。

He observed his hostess attentively from under his shaggy brows, and noted a subtle change which had transformed her from the listless woman he had known into a being who, for the moment, seemed palpitant with the forces of life. Her speech was warm and energetic. There was no repression in her glance or gesture. She reminded him of some beautiful, sleek animal waking up in the sun.

他浓眉下的双眼密切地注视着女主人，注意到她身上的微妙变化。这种变化使得那个他所熟知的曾经一直无精打采的女人身上此刻似乎有生命的力量在迸发。她说话时热情洋溢，精力充沛。她的眼神和举止中没有丝毫压抑感。她使他想到一个在阳光下醒来的美丽光亮的小动物。

The dinner was excellent. The claret was warm and the champagne was cold, and under their beneficent influence the threatened unpleasantness melted and vanished with the fumes of the wine.

晚餐好极了。红葡萄酒喝得人暖乎乎的，香槟酒又是那么清爽。在这种氛围的积极影响下，刚才不愉快的兆头就随着酒香而融化、消散了。

Mr. Pontellier warmed up and grew reminiscent. He told some amusing plantation experiences, recollections of old Iberville and his youth, when he hunted 'possum in company with some friendly darky; thrashed the pecan trees, shot the grosbec, and roamed the woods and fields in mischievous idleness.

蓬迪里埃先生喝得热乎乎，开始怀旧起来。他讲了一些农场的有趣经历，回忆起旧时他在伊伯维尔度过的时光，以及青年时期的趣事：那时他同一些黑人伙伴一起猎捕负鼠，摇落核桃树上的果实，打蜡嘴雀，懒散而调皮地在树林和田野里漫步。

The Colonel, with little sense of humor and of the fitness of things, related a somber episode of those dark and bitter days, in which he had acted a conspicuous part and always formed a central figure. Nor was the Doctor happier in his selection, when he told the old, ever new and curious story of the waning of a woman's love, seeking strange, new channels, only to return to its legitimate source after days of fierce unrest. It was one of the many little human documents which had been unfolded to him during his long career as a physician. The story did not seem especially to impress Edna. She had one of her own to tell, of a woman who paddled away with her lover one night in a pirogue and never came back. They were lost amid the Baratarian Islands, and no one ever heard of them or found trace of them from that day to this. It was a pure invention. She said that Madame Antoine had related it to her. That, also, was an invention. Perhaps it was a dream she had had. But every glowing word seemed real to those who listened. They could feel the hot breath of the Southern night; they could hear the long sweep of the pirogue through the glistening moonlit water, the beating of birds' wings, rising startled from among the reeds in the salt-water pools; they could see the faces of the lovers, pale, close together, rapt in oblivious forgetfulness, drifting into the unknown.

上校缺乏幽默感也不注重场合，讲了他在过去苦难时期的一些忧郁的往事，在那些事中他起到了明显的作用，总是中心人物。芒代勒医生的选择也不令人高兴。他讲了一个老套而又常新的古怪故事，说的是一个女人在爱情消逝后，试图通过奇怪的新途径寻求出路，结果在经过强烈的动荡后还是回归其合理的归宿。这是他在漫长的行医生涯中所接触到的众多病例中的一个。这个故事好像没有给爱德娜留下特殊的印象。她也讲了一个故事，说一个女人在一个夜晚和她的情人划着独木舟离开，从此再也没有回来。他们在巴拉塔里群岛中失踪，从此杳无音信，没有人找到他们的下落。这个故事纯属虚构。她说这个故事是安托万夫人讲给她听的。这也是瞎编的。也许这是她做过的一个梦。但她的每一个词都洋溢着情感，所有听的人都感觉是真的。大家能够感觉到南方夜晚那炙热的空气；能够听到船桨悠悠地划在闪烁着月光的水面上的声音；还有水鸟从咸水湾的芦苇丛中展翅惊飞的声音；也似乎能够看到一对情人紧靠在一起，面色苍白，在迷惘中忘掉了一切，最后漂入无际的海域。

The champagne was cold, and its subtle fumes played fantastic tricks with Edna's memory that night.

那天晚上，清爽的香槟酒和微微的酒香让爱德娜的回忆充满了幻想。

Outside, away from the glow of the fire and the soft lamplight, the night was chill and murky. The Doctor doubled his old-fashioned cloak across his breast as he strode home through the darkness. He knew his fellow-creatures better than most men; knew that inner life which so seldom unfolds itself to unanointed eyes. He was sorry he had accepted Pontellier's invitation. He was growing old, and beginning to need rest and an imperturbed spirit. He did not want the secrets of other lives thrust upon him.

在室外，远离炉火的光辉和柔和灯光的地方，夜色阴沉，寒气逼人。医生在黑夜中大步走回家时，将老式的斗篷折起来系在胸前。他比大部分人更了解他的这些克里奥尔同胞们，了解他们的对那些没有神性的眼睛从不展露的内心世界。他后悔接受了蓬迪里埃的邀请。他年龄大了，开始需要休息和不被搅扰的安宁。他不想了解他身边人的秘密。

"I hope it isn't Arobin," he muttered to himself as he walked. "I hope to heaven it isn't Alcee Arobin."

“我希望不是阿罗宾。”他边走边自言自语地低语道，“希望老天保佑不是阿尔塞·阿罗宾。”

XXIV

第二十四章

Edna and her father had a warm, and almost violent dispute upon the subject of her refusal to attend her sister's wedding. Mr. Pontellier declined to interfere, to interpose either his influence or his authority. He was following Doctor Mandelet's advice, and letting her do as she liked. The Colonel reproached his daughter for her lack of filial kindness and respect, her want of sisterly affection and womanly consideration. His arguments were labored and unconvincing. He doubted if Janet would accept any excuse—forgetting that Edna had offered none. He doubted if Janet would ever speak to her again, and he was sure Margaret would not.

爱德娜和她父亲对于她拒绝参加她妹妹婚礼的事进行了激动的，几乎是激烈地争吵。蓬迪里埃先生不愿干涉，既不施以任何影响，也不介入自己的威权。他是按照芒代勒医生的建议，让她按自己的意愿做事。上校责备女儿不尊敬孝顺家人，缺乏姐妹手足情谊和女性的体贴。但他的教导对爱德娜来说是做作、没有说服力的。他对珍妮特会接受爱德娜的任何借口表示怀疑－－忘了爱德娜根本没有提供任何借口。他对珍妮特以后还会理她也感到怀疑，他敢肯定玛格丽特是不会再理她了。

Edna was glad to be rid of her father when he finally took himself off with his wedding garments and his bridal gifts, with his padded shoulders, his Bible reading, his "toddies" and ponderous oaths.

当爱德娜的父亲终于拿着他参加婚礼要穿的衣服和结婚礼物，穿着他那有垫肩的衣服，带着他的圣经，烈性酒和连串的赌咒离开时，她很高兴终于摆脱了父亲。

Mr. Pontellier followed him closely. He meant to stop at the wedding on his way to New York and endeavor by every means which money and love could devise to atone somewhat for Edna's incomprehensible action.

紧接着蓬迪里埃先生也走了。他打算在去纽约的路上顺道去参加婚礼，想尽办法用钱和爱来弥补爱德娜不可理喻的做法。

"You are too lenient, too lenient by far, Leonce," asserted the Colonel. "Authority, coercion are what is needed. Put your foot down good and hard; the only way to manage a wife. Take my word for it."

“你太宽容了，到现在都过于宽容了，莱翁斯。”上校断言说，“现在需要威权和逼迫。要狠狠跺脚，这才是管制老婆的唯一方法。相信我的话。”

The Colonel was perhaps unaware that he had coerced his own wife into her grave. Mr. Pontellier had a vague suspicion of it which he thought it needless to mention at that late day.

上校可能没意识到他曾经这样威逼他的妻子而使她进入了坟墓。蓬迪里埃先生对此有点模糊的怀疑，但认为没必要立马就在这一天提及。

Edna was not so consciously gratified at her husband's leaving home as she had been over the departure of her father. As the day approached when he was to leave her for a comparatively long stay, she grew melting and affectionate, remembering his many acts of consideration and his repeated expressions of an ardent attachment. She was solicitous about his health and his welfare. She bustled around, looking after his clothing, thinking about heavy underwear, quite as Madame Ratignolle would have done under similar circumstances. She cried when he went away, calling him her dear, good friend, and she was quite certain she would grow lonely before very long and go to join him in New York.

爱德娜对她丈夫离开家并不像对她父亲离开那样有意识地感到高兴。当蓬迪里埃先生要离家较长时间动身的那天，爱德娜想起他的很多体贴的做法和反复的浓烈爱意的表达，也变得柔情蜜意。她关心他的健康和幸福。她忙里忙外，为他整理衣服，想着给他带点厚内衣，就像在类似情况下拉蒂诺尔夫人会做的那样。他走的时候她哭了，还叫他亲爱的，好朋友，并确定过不了多久她就会感到孤独而到纽约去见他。

But after all, a radiant peace settled upon her when she at last found herself alone. Even the children were gone. Old Madame Pontellier had come herself and carried them off to Iberville with their quadroon. The old madame did not venture to say she was afraid they would be neglected during Leonce's absence; she hardly ventured to think so. She was hungry for them—even a little fierce in her attachment. She did not want them to be wholly "children of the pavement," she always said when begging to have them for a space. She wished them to know the country, with its streams, its fields, its woods, its freedom, so delicious to the young. She wished them to taste something of the life their father had lived and known and loved when he, too, was a little child.

但最终她发现只剩她自己的时候，她竟然感觉格外地安逸。甚至孩子们也走了。老蓬迪里埃夫人亲自过来把孩子们和混血保姆一起带到伊伯维尔去了。老妇人没敢说她害怕在莱翁斯不在家的时候孩子们会被忽视，她几乎不敢这样想。她非常渴望照顾他们，这种渴望甚至有点迫切。每当请求带孩子们回去住一阵子的时候，她总说不想让孩子们完全像“街上的孩子们”那样。她希望孩子们了解乡村，那里有小河、田野、树林。那里的自由自在会让孩子们很喜欢。她希望让他们体验一下当他们的父亲也还是个孩子时所过的生活，所熟知以及喜欢的东西。

When Edna was at last alone, she breathed a big, genuine sigh of relief. A feeling that was unfamiliar but very delicious came over her. She walked all through the house, from one room to another, as if inspecting it for the first time. She tried the various chairs and lounges, as if she had never sat and reclined upon them before. And she perambulated around the outside of the house, investigating, looking to see if windows and shutters were secure and in order. The flowers were like new acquaintances; she approached them in a familiar spirit, and made herself at home among them. The garden walks were damp, and Edna called to the maid to bring out her rubber sandals. And there she stayed, and stooped, digging around the plants, trimming, picking dead, dry leaves. The children's little dog came out, interfering, getting in her way. She scolded him, laughed at him, played with him. The garden smelled so good and looked so pretty in the afternoon sunlight. Edna plucked all the bright flowers she could find, and went into the house with them, she and the little dog.

当爱德娜最终一个人时，她放松地深舒了一口气。一种她所不熟悉但却又很甜蜜的感觉袭遍她的全身。她在房子里四处走来走去，从一个屋走到另一个屋，好像是第一次审视这个房子似的。她在不同的座椅和躺椅上试了试，好像以前从来没在那里坐过或趟过似的。她在房子外围巡回、察看，看看窗子和百叶窗是不是安全关好。园子里的花都好像是新识似的；她亲切地靠近花朵，在花丛中感到舒适自在。花园里的小路有点湿，她喊女仆拿来她的橡胶拖鞋。她就呆在那儿，弯腰给植物松松土，剪剪枝杈，摘摘枯叶。孩子们的小狗跑过来，干扰她，碍着她干活。她训斥他，笑他，又跟他玩。午后的阳光下，花园里芬芳扑鼻，景色怡人。爱德娜把她所能看到的所有鲜艳的花朵都摘了下来，拿着它们和小狗一起回到房子里。

Even the kitchen assumed a sudden interesting character which she had never before perceived. She went in to give directions to the cook, to say that the butcher would have to bring much less meat, that they would require only half their usual quantity of bread, of milk and groceries. She told the cook that she herself would be greatly occupied during Mr. Pontellier's absence, and she begged her to take all thought and responsibility of the larder upon her own shoulders.

甚至厨房都有了一种以前她从未感受到的有趣的东西。她进去指点厨子，说以后只要屠户的很少的肉，还有面包，牛奶以及其它食品只需要通常一半的量就可以。她告诉厨子蓬迪里埃先生不在的这段时间她会很忙，她请厨子全面考虑并负责她以前所需要关心的伙食上的事。

That night Edna dined alone. The candelabra, with a few candies in the center of the table, gave all the light she needed. Outside the circle of light in which she sat, the large dining-room looked solemn and shadowy. The cook, placed upon her mettle, served a delicious repast—a luscious tenderloin broiled a point. The wine tasted good; the marron glace seemed to be just what she wanted. It was so pleasant, too, to dine in a comfortable peignoir.

那天晚上爱德娜独自用餐。餐桌中央的蜡烛架上点的几根蜡烛足以提供她所需要的光线。在她所坐的有光线的地方以外，诺大的餐厅显得庄重而昏暗。厨子大受鼓励，给她端上来美味的晚餐－－鲜美的烤成七分熟的嫩肉。酒的味道不错；糖渍栗子也好像恰是她所想吃的。而且，穿着宽松的便服吃饭也如此令人愉悦。

She thought a little sentimentally about Leonce and the children, and wondered what they were doing. As she gave a dainty scrap or two to the doggie, she talked intimately to him about Etienne and Raoul. He was beside himself with astonishment and delight over these companionable advances, and showed his appreciation by his little quick, snappy barks and a lively agitation.

想起莱翁斯和孩子们她略微有些伤感，想着他们在干什么。她给小狗一两块可口的碎肉吃，一边亲密地同他说着有关艾蒂安和拉乌尔的事。小狗对这些友好的举动感到惊喜异常，欢快地轻声叫着表示感激，活跃地摇动着身子。

Then Edna sat in the library after dinner and read Emerson until she grew sleepy. She realized that she had neglected her reading, and determined to start anew upon a course of improving studies, now that her time was completely her own to do with as she liked.

晚餐后爱德娜坐在书房里读爱默生的作品，直到感到困了为止。她意识到她之前忽视了读书，于是她决心重新开始提高学养，既然现在她的时间完全可以按她的意愿由自己支配。

After a refreshing bath, Edna went to bed. And as she snuggled comfortably beneath the eiderdown a sense of restfulness invaded her, such as she had not known before.

清爽地沐浴之后，爱德娜上床睡觉。当她舒舒服服地蜷在鸭绒被下的时候，一种安宁的感觉侵袭着她，这是她以前从未感受过的。

XXV

第二十五章

When the weather was dark and cloudy Edna could not work. She needed the sun to mellow and temper her mood to the sticking point. She had reached a stage when she seemed to be no longer feeling her way, working, when in the humor, with sureness and ease. And being devoid of ambition, and striving not toward accomplishment, she drew satisfaction from the work in itself.

天气阴暗的时候爱德娜不愿画画。她需要阳光使她陶醉，使她的情绪达到顶点。她已经到了这样一个阶段：她好像不再摸索着画画；当她有作画情绪时，她就能安定自如地画画了。因为没有什么雄心，也不求什么成就，她能从画画本身得到满足感。

On rainy or melancholy days Edna went out and sought the society of the friends she had made at Grand Isle. Or else she stayed indoors and nursed a mood with which she was becoming too familiar for her own comfort and peace of mind. It was not despair; but it seemed to her as if life were passing by, leaving its promise broken and unfulfilled. Yet there were other days when she listened, was led on and deceived by fresh promises which her youth held out to her.

在阴雨或是沉郁的天气，爱德娜就出去找她在格兰德岛交的那些朋友。或者她就呆在家里，抱有一种她已习惯了的心定神凝的情绪。这种情绪并非绝望，但对她来说似乎是生命流逝，前景破灭。然而也有这样的日子：她倾听着自己的心声，产生一种错觉，好像青春又给她带来新的希望。

She went again to the races, and again. Alcee Arobin and Mrs. Highcamp called for her one bright afternoon in Arobin's drag. Mrs. Highcamp was a worldly but unaffected, intelligent, slim, tall blonde woman in the forties, with an indifferent manner and blue eyes that stared. She had a daughter who served her as a pretext for cultivating the society of young men of fashion. Alcee Arobin was one of them. He was a familiar figure at the race course, the opera, the fashionable clubs. There was a perpetual smile in his eyes, which seldom failed to awaken a corresponding cheerfulness in any one who looked into them and listened to his good-humored voice. His manner was quiet, and at times a little insolent. He possessed a good figure, a pleasing face, not overburdened with depth of thought or feeling; and his dress was that of the conventional man of fashion.

爱德娜又一次去了赛马场。一个阳光明媚的下午，阿尔塞·阿罗宾和海坎普夫人乘坐阿罗宾的马车来看望她。海坎普夫人四十几岁，世故但不做作，身材纤细高挑，金发碧眼，聪慧但很冷漠。她有一个女儿，是她结交时髦年轻男士的借口。阿尔塞·阿罗宾便是其中的一个。他在赛马场、歌剧院和时尚俱乐部是大家所熟知的人物。他的眼里永远都充盈着笑意。对于任何注视他的双眼，聆听他轻松幽默的声音的人来说，无不唤起一种相应的喜悦之情。他很安静，但偶尔有点傲慢。他身材很好，脸上没有思虑过度的痕迹，是一张令人愉悦的面孔；他的着装属于那种时髦男士通常的着装。

He admired Edna extravagantly, after meeting her at the races with her father. He had met her before on other occasions, but she had seemed to him unapproachable until that day. It was at his instigation that Mrs. Highcamp called to ask her to go with them to the Jockey Club to witness the turf event of the season.

自从在赛马场遇上爱德娜和她父亲后，他便对她极为爱慕。他之前在多个场合见过爱德娜，但在那天之前，她对他来说一直是遥不可及的。就是在他的鼓动下海坎普夫人才来看望爱德娜并邀她一起去赛马俱乐部看本季的赛马。

There were possibly a few track men out there who knew the race horse as well as Edna, but there was certainly none who knew it better. She sat between her two companions as one having authority to speak. She laughed at Arobin's pretensions, and deplored Mrs. Highcamp's ignorance. The race horse was a friend and intimate associate of her childhood. The atmosphere of the stables and the breath of the blue grass paddock revived in her memory and lingered in her nostrils. She did not perceive that she was talking like her father as the sleek geldings ambled in review before them. She played for very high stakes, and fortune favored her. The fever of the game flamed in her cheeks and eyes, and it got into her blood and into her brain like an intoxicant. People turned their heads to look at her, and more than one lent an attentive car to her utterances, hoping thereby to secure the elusive but ever-desired "tip." Arobin caught the contagion of excitement which drew him to Edna like a magnet. Mrs. Highcamp remained, as usual, unmoved, with her indifferent stare and uplifted eyebrows.

赛马场里没有几个像爱德娜那样懂得赛马的，比她懂的还多的更是没有了。她作为一个有发言权的权威人物坐在两个同伴中间。她嘲笑阿罗宾不懂装懂，慨叹海坎普夫人的无知。赛马是她童年时期的朋友和知己。赛马场马棚的氛围和围场里青草的味道在她的脑海里重新浮现出来，徘徊在她的嗅觉中。当这些健壮的被阉割的雄马缓步行走在他们面前接受检阅时，她没有察觉到她说起话来跟她父亲一模一样。她把赌注下得很高，而且运气总是很好。比赛场上的热烈气氛使她满脸通红，眼睛发亮，像麻醉剂一样注入了她的血液和大脑中。人们纷纷转过头来看她，不只一个人伸长耳朵听她说话，希望从中获取关于赛马的隐蔽但亟需的“小窍门”。阿罗宾也被这种激动所感染，这情绪像是磁铁一样把他吸引到爱德娜身上。海坎普太太一如既往地无动于衷，眼神冷漠，眉毛上扬。

Edna stayed and dined with Mrs. Highcamp upon being urged to do so. Arobin also remained and sent away his drag.

爱德娜受到再三恳求，留下来跟海坎普夫人一起用餐。阿罗宾也留了下来，把自己的马车打发走了。

The dinner was quiet and uninteresting, save for the cheerful efforts of Arobin to enliven things. Mrs. Highcamp deplored the absence of her daughter from the races, and tried to convey to her what she had missed by going to the "Dante reading" instead of joining them. The girl held a geranium leaf up to her nose and said nothing, but looked knowing and noncommittal. Mr. Highcamp was a plain, bald-headed man, who only talked under compulsion. He was unresponsive. Mrs. Highcamp was full of delicate courtesy and consideration toward her husband. She addressed most of her conversation to him at table. They sat in the library after dinner and read the evening papers together under the droplight; while the younger people went into the drawing-room near by and talked. Miss Highcamp played some selections from Grieg upon the piano. She seemed to have apprehended all of the composer's coldness and none of his poetry. While Edna listened she could not help wondering if she had lost her taste for music.

席间一直很安静，了无趣味，除了阿罗宾有兴致地努力想使气氛活跃起来。海坎普太太对于她女儿没能参加赛马深感遗憾，尽力将女儿因为去参加“但丁作品阅读”而没和他们一起去赛马场而错过的东西一一讲给她听。这个女孩什么也不说，只是拿着一片天竺葵的叶子放在鼻子旁边，看上去好像心里清楚只是不想表态。海坎普先生长相朴实，秃顶，不到万不得已不愿讲话。他反应很冷淡。海坎普夫人对她丈夫很有礼貌，而且体贴周到。就餐时主要是她跟他说话。晚餐后他们坐在书房里，一起在吊灯下看晚报，年轻人则去了旁边的客厅聊天。海坎普小姐选了几支格里格的曲子坐在钢琴旁弹奏。她似乎对作曲家的冷漠完全了解，而对他的诗意却一无所知。爱德娜边听边禁不住想是不是自己失去了对音乐的品味。

When the time came for her to go home, Mr. Highcamp grunted a lame offer to escort her, looking down at his slippered feet with tactless concern. It was Arobin who took her home. The car ride was long, and it was late when they reached Esplanade Street. Arobin asked permission to enter for a second to light his cigarette—his match safe was empty. He filled his match safe, but did not light his cigarette until he left her, after she had expressed her willingness to go to the races with him again.

到了爱德娜该回家的时候，海坎普先生一边笨拙地看着他那穿着拖鞋的脚，一边缺乏诚意地咕哝着要送她。最后是阿罗宾送她回家。这段车程很长，等他们到达埃斯普拉内德街时，天色已晚。阿罗宾请求爱德娜允许他进去一小会儿去点支他的雪茄烟－－他的火柴盒空了。他装满了火柴盒，直到爱德娜表示愿意跟他再去看赛马，他才离开并点燃雪茄。

Edna was neither tired nor sleepy. She was hungry again, for the Highcamp dinner, though of excellent quality, had lacked abundance. She rummaged in the larder and brought forth a slice of Gruyere and some crackers. She opened a bottle of beer which she found in the icebox. Edna felt extremely restless and excited. She vacantly hummed a fantastic tune as she poked at the wood embers on the hearth and munched a cracker.

爱德娜既不累也不困。她又饿了，因为海坎普家的晚餐尽管精致美味，但量并不丰富。她在食橱里翻找了一通，拿出一片干酪和一些脆饼干。她把从冰箱里找出来的那瓶啤酒打开。她很激动，难以平静下来。她一边茫然地哼着一首奇异的调子，一边拨弄着炉火的余烬并大声嚼着饼干。

She wanted something to happen—something, anything; she did not know what. She regretted that she had not made Arobin stay a half hour to talk over the horses with her. She counted the money she had won. But there was nothing else to do, so she went to bed, and tossed there for hours in a sort of monotonous agitation.

她希望有什么事发生，什么事都行；她自己也不知道什么事。她后悔没让阿罗宾留下来再呆半个小时，和她聊聊赛马。她点了点她赛马赢的钱。但实在没别的事可做了，所以她上了床。既无聊又烦闷不安，她辗转反侧，好几个小时也没睡着。

In the middle of the night she remembered that she had forgotten to write her regular letter to her husband; and she decided to do so next day and tell him about her afternoon at the Jockey Club. She lay wide awake composing a letter which was nothing like the one which she wrote next day. When the maid awoke her in the morning Edna was dreaming of Mr. Highcamp playing the piano at the entrance of a music store on Canal Street, while his wife was saying to Alcee Arobin, as they boarded an Esplanade Street car:

半夜时爱德娜才想起来她忘了按期给她丈夫写信了。她决定第二天再写，把她下午是如何在赛马俱乐部度过的告诉他。她躺在那儿睡不着，脑子里便构思那封信，而事实上跟她第二天写的那封信完全不一样。早晨女仆喊醒她时，爱德娜还在睡梦中，梦见海坎普先生正在运河街的一家乐器商店门口弹钢琴，而他的妻子一边和阿尔塞·阿罗宾登上一辆滨海街车一边对他说：

"What a pity that so much talent has been neglected! but I must go."

“真遗憾这么多天赋被忽视了！不过我必须得走了。”

When, a few days later, Alcee Arobin again called for Edna in his drag, Mrs. Highcamp was not with him. He said they would pick her up. But as that lady had not been apprised of his intention of picking her up, she was not at home. The daughter was just leaving the house to attend the meeting of a branch Folk Lore Society, and regretted that she could not accompany them. Arobin appeared nonplused, and asked Edna if there were any one else she cared to ask.

几天之后，当阿尔塞·阿罗宾又乘着他的车来拜访爱德娜时，海坎普夫人没和他在一起。他说他们将去接她。但是因为那位夫人事先没有被告知他打算来接她，所以不在家。她的女儿正要离开家去参加民俗协会分会的会议，所以说很遗憾不能陪他们一起去了。阿罗宾好像陷入窘境，问爱德娜想不想约别的什么人同行。

She did not deem it worth while to go in search of any of the fashionable acquaintances from whom she had withdrawn herself. She thought of Madame Ratignolle, but knew that her fair friend did not leave the house, except to take a languid walk around the block with her husband after nightfall. Mademoiselle Reisz would have laughed at such a request from Edna. Madame Lebrun might have enjoyed the outing, but for some reason Edna did not want her. So they went alone, she and Arobin.

爱德娜认为不值得去找任何一个时尚的熟人，她已经从这个圈子脱离出来了。她考虑了拉蒂诺尔夫人，但她知道她的这位好友除了天黑后跟她丈夫在别墅区周围慢慢地散会儿步之外是不外出的。雷西小姐会嘲笑爱德娜这样的请求的。勒布伦夫人很可能会乐意外出，但因为某种原因，爱德娜不想让她去。因此他们两人只好独自去了，她和阿罗宾。

The afternoon was intensely interesting to her. The excitement came back upon her like a remittent fever. Her talk grew familiar and confidential. It was no labor to become intimate with Arobin. His manner invited easy confidence. The preliminary stage of becoming acquainted was one which he always endeavored to ignore when a pretty and engaging woman was concerned.

这天下午她过得特别高兴。那种兴奋又像一阵阵的发烧一样向她袭来。她和阿罗宾讲话也越来越亲近和交心。跟阿罗宾接近起来是不费力的。他的举止很容易博得别人的信任。当涉及到漂亮的女士时，相识的初级阶段是他总能努力越过而并不担心的。

He stayed and dined with Edna. He stayed and sat beside the wood fire. They laughed and talked; and before it was time to go he was telling her how different life might have been if he had known her years before. With ingenuous frankness he spoke of what a wicked, ill-disciplined boy he had been, and impulsively drew up his cuff to exhibit upon his wrist the scar from a saber cut which he had received in a duel outside of Paris when he was nineteen. She touched his hand as she scanned the red cicatrice on the inside of his white wrist. A quick impulse that was somewhat spasmodic impelled her fingers to close in a sort of clutch upon his hand. He felt the pressure of her pointed nails in the flesh of his palm.

他留下来与爱德娜共进晚餐。他留下来坐在炉火旁。他们谈笑风生。临走前他告诉她如果他早几年认识她，生活可能会是多么的不同。他真挚坦诚地说起他曾是个多么没教养的坏小伙儿，并冲动地挽起袖子给她看他手腕上的伤疤，这是他十九岁那年在巴黎郊外的一次决斗中受到的剑伤。当她仔细地察看他白皙的手腕内侧的红色伤疤时碰了一下他的手。一股有点痉挛似的快速冲动使她的手指紧紧地抓住了他的手。他感觉到她尖尖的手指甲压在他的手掌上。

She arose hastily and walked toward the mantel.

她匆忙地站起来朝壁炉走去。

"The sight of a wound or scar always agitates and sickens me," she said. "I shouldn't have looked at it."

“看到伤口或疤痕总是让我烦躁和恶心，”爱德娜说。“我本不该看的。”

"I beg your pardon," he entreated, following her; "it never occurred to me that it might be repulsive."

“请原谅。”他跟着她恳求道，“我从没想过它可能会惹人反感。”

He stood close to her, and the effrontery in his eyes repelled the old, vanishing self in her, yet drew all her awakening sensuousness. He saw enough in her face to impel him to take her hand and hold it while he said his lingering good night.

他站得靠她很近，他眼神里放肆的神态驱走了她身上原有的、正在消失的自我，激起了她正在觉醒的所有知觉。他在她的脸上看到足够的东西来促使他在恋恋不舍地道晚安时握住她的手。

"Will you go to the races again?" he asked.

“你还会再去看赛马吗？”他问。

"No," she said. "I've had enough of the races. I don't want to lose all the money I've won, and I've got to work when the weather is bright, instead of—”

“不去了。”她说。“我已经去了够多次了。我不想把赢的所有钱都输掉。如果天气好，我还得工作，而不是－－”

"Yes; work; to be sure. You promised to show me your work. What morning may I come up to your atelier? To-morrow?”

“哦，工作，那是当然。你答应过给我看你的画的。哪天早晨我能到你的画室？明天怎么样？”

"No!"

“不行！”

"Day after?"

“那后天呢？”

"No, no."

“不行，也不行。”

"Oh, please don't refuse me! I know something of such things. I might help you with a stray suggestion or two."

“哦，请不要拒绝我！对画画我是了解一些的。说不定我能帮你提出零星的建议呢。”

"No. Good night. Why don't you go after you have said good night? I don't like you," she went on in a high, excited pitch, attempting to draw away her hand. She felt that her words lacked dignity and sincerity, and she knew that he felt it.

“不行。晚安。为什么说了晚安之后你还不走？我不喜欢你。”她继续高声地激动地说道，试图把手抽回来。她感觉她的话有失体面，也不真诚，她知道他也感觉到了。

"I'm sorry you don't like me. I'm sorry I offended you. How have I offended you? What have I done? Can't you forgive me?" And he bent and pressed his lips upon her hand as if he wished never more to withdraw them.

“很遗憾你不喜欢我。对不起我冒犯了你。我怎么触怒你了呢？我做了什么？你不能原谅我吗？”他弯下身子把嘴唇贴到她的手上，好像永远都不想收回去。

"Mr. Arobin," she complained, "I'm greatly upset by the excitement of the afternoon; I'm not myself. My manner must have misled you in some way. I wish you to go, please." She spoke in a monotonous, dull tone. He took his hat from the table, and stood with eyes turned from her, looking into the dying fire. For a moment or two he kept an impressive silence.

“阿罗宾先生，”她嗔怪到，“今天下午太兴奋了，使我现在很心烦意乱，有点不适。一定是我的举止在某些方面让你误会了。请你离开。”她说话的语气单调沉闷。他从桌子上拿起帽子，站在那里，眼神从她身上移开，看着要熄灭的炉火。他沉默了一小会儿，那种沉默令人难忘。

"Your manner has not misled me, Mrs. Pontellier," he said finally. "My own emotions have done that. I couldn't help it. When I'm near you, how could I help it? Don't think anything of it, don't bother, please. You see, I go when you command me. If you wish me to stay away, I shall do so. If you let me come back, I—oh! you will let me come back?”

“不是你的举止让我误会，蓬迪里埃夫人。”他最后说道，“是我自己的情感所致。我情不自禁。我跟你在一起的时候自己又怎能禁得住呢？别想这些了，请别烦恼了。你看，你要我走我就走。如果你希望我远离你我一定会照做。如果你让我再来，我－－哦！你还会让我再来吗？”

He cast one appealing glance at her, to which she made no response. Alcee Arobin's manner was so genuine that it often deceived even himself.

他恳切地看了她一眼，但对此她没有做出任何反应。阿尔塞·阿罗宾的态度是那么真诚，经常把自己都能给骗了。

Edna did not care or think whether it were genuine or not. When she was alone she looked mechanically at the back of her hand which he had kissed so warmly. Then she leaned her head down on the mantelpiece. She felt somewhat like a woman who in a moment of passion is betrayed into an act of infidelity, and realizes the significance of the act without being wholly awakened from its glamour. The thought was passing vaguely through her mind, "What would he think?"

爱德娜对于他的态度真诚与否从未在乎也没认真想过。她自己一个人的时候，机械地看着阿罗宾曾热情地吻过的手背。然后她把头靠在壁炉架上。她感觉自己有点像是一个因为一时的感情冲动而被引入歧途而犯下不贞行为的女人，意识到了这种行为的严重性，却又不能从这种诱惑中完全清醒过来。一个模糊的念头在她脑海里闪过：“他会怎么想？”

She did not mean her husband; she was thinking of Robert Lebrun. Her husband seemed to her now like a person whom she had married without love as an excuse.

她指的并不是她丈夫；她想的是罗伯特·勒布伦。她的丈夫对她来说好像是一个并不是因为爱情而跟她结婚的人。

She lit a candle and went up to her room. Alcee Arobin was absolutely nothing to her. Yet his presence, his manners, the warmth of his glances, and above all the touch of his lips upon her hand had acted like a narcotic upon her.

她点了根蜡烛，上楼进了她的房间。阿尔塞·阿罗宾对她来说根本什么都不是。然而他的出现，他的态度，他眼神中的温情，尤其是他嘴唇触碰她的手时的感觉，都像麻醉剂一样在她身上起着作用。

She slept a languorous sleep, interwoven with vanishing dreams.

她懒洋洋地睡着了，睡眠中交织着消逝的梦境。

XXVI

第二十六章

Alcee Arobin wrote Edna an elaborate note of apology, palpitant with sincerity. It embarrassed her; for in a cooler, quieter moment it appeared to her, absurd that she should have taken his action so seriously, so dramatically. She felt sure that the significance of the whole occurrence had lain in her own self-consciousness. If she ignored his note it would give undue importance to a trivial affair. If she replied to it in a serious spirit it would still leave in his mind the impression that she had in a susceptible moment yielded to his influence. After all, it was no great matter to have one's hand kissed. She was provoked at his having written the apology. She answered in as light and bantering a spirit as she fancied it deserved, and said she would be glad to have him look in upon her at work whenever he felt the inclination and his business gave him the opportunity.

阿尔塞·阿罗宾给爱德娜写了封煞费苦心的道歉信，信中充满了诚意。这使她很尴尬，因为她冷静下来的时候意识到她竟然这样严肃地、大惊小怪地把他的行为当回事真有些荒唐。她确信整个事情发生的起因都在于她自己太敏感。如果她不理会他的信，可能会显得小题大做。如果她以严肃的态度回了信，会给他留下一种印象，好像她当时在他的影响下动了感情。毕竟吻一下手不算是什么大不了的事。她对阿罗宾写了这样一封道歉信感到很生气。她用她认为恰当的轻松玩笑的语气写了封回信，说如果阿罗宾愿意，工作时间也允许的话，她很高兴能让他来看她作画。

He responded at once by presenting himself at her home with all his disarming naivete. And then there was scarcely a day which followed that she did not see him or was not reminded of him. He was prolific in pretexts. His attitude became one of good-humored subservience and tacit adoration. He was ready at all times to submit to her moods, which were as often kind as they were cold. She grew accustomed to him. They became intimate and friendly by imperceptible degrees, and then by leaps. He sometimes talked in a way that astonished her at first and brought the crimson into her face; in a way that pleased her at last, appealing to the animalism that stirred impatiently within her.

他立即回应，以一副能让人消除忧虑的天真幼稚的姿态出现在她家里。后来几乎没有一天爱德娜没看见他或是没想到他。他总是能找到许许多多的借口。他对爱德娜的态度变成了温言恭顺和无言的爱慕。他总是很情愿地顺从于爱德娜忽冷忽热变化无端的情绪。她对他也渐渐习惯了。他们之间的亲密和友好从不知不觉已发展到突飞猛进。有时他的说话方式刚开始使她吃惊，然后使她脸红，最后又使她感到很逗，同时也勾起了她内心躁动的情欲。

There was nothing which so quieted the turmoil of Edna's senses as a visit to Mademoiselle Reisz. It was then, in the presence of that personality which was offensive to her, that the woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna's spirit and set it free.

没有什么能像去见雷西小姐那样可以让爱德娜感官的骚动平静下来。尽管这个女人的性格很是令她不快，但就是这样一个女人用她神圣的音乐，似乎触动了她的心灵并放飞了它。

It was misty, with heavy, lowering atmosphere, one afternoon, when Edna climbed the stairs to the pianist's apartments under the roof. Her clothes were dripping with moisture. She felt chilled and pinched as she entered the room. Mademoiselle was poking at a rusty stove that smoked a little and warmed the room indifferently. She was endeavoring to heat a pot of chocolate on the stove. The room looked cheerless and dingy to Edna as she entered. A bust of Beethoven, covered with a hood of dust, scowled at her from the mantelpiece.

那是一个雾蒙蒙的昏暗沉闷的下午，爱德娜爬上台阶来到顶层钢琴家的公寓。她的衣服湿淋淋的。她感觉很冷，进屋时已冻得缩成一团。雷西小姐正在一个生锈的炉子旁边拨火，这个火炉轻微冒着烟，并未使房间暖和多少。她正努力在炉子上热一罐巧克力奶。爱德娜进屋时感觉房间沉闷昏暗。一尊覆满灰尘的贝多芬半身塑像好像从壁炉上沉脸看着她。

"Ah! here comes the sunlight!" exclaimed Mademoiselle, rising from her knees before the stove. "Now it will be warm and bright enough; I can let the fire alone."

“啊！阳光照进来了！”雷西小姐从炉前站起来喊道，“马上就要暖和明亮了，我可以不用管炉火了。”

She closed the stove door with a bang, and approaching, assisted in removing Edna's dripping mackintosh.

她砰地一声关上炉门，走上前帮爱德娜脱下滴着水的雨衣。

"You are cold; you look miserable. The chocolate will soon be hot. But would you rather have a taste of brandy? I have scarcely touched the bottle which you brought me for my cold." A piece of red flannel was wrapped around Mademoiselle's throat; a stiff neck compelled her to hold her head on one side.

“你很冷吧，看上去惨兮兮的。巧克力奶很快就会热了。不过你想尝尝白兰地吗？上次我感冒时你给我带来的那瓶我还没动呢！一块红色的法兰绒围在她脖子上，僵硬的脖子使她不得不把头偏向一边。

"I will take some brandy," said Edna, shivering as she removed her gloves and overshoes. She drank the liquor from the glass as a man would have done. Then flinging herself upon the uncomfortable sofa she said, "Mademoiselle, I am going to move away from my house on Esplanade Street."

“我要喝点白兰地。”爱德娜边说边哆嗦着脱下手套和套鞋。爱德娜用杯子喝着烈性酒，像男人常做的样子。接着她猛地坐在那个不舒服的沙发上说：“雷西小姐，我打算从埃斯普拉内德街的房子里搬出来。”

"Ah!" ejaculated the musician, neither surprised nor especially interested. Nothing ever seemed to astonish her very much. She was endeavoring to adjust the bunch of violets which had become loose from its fastening in her hair. Edna drew her down upon the sofa, and taking a pin from her own hair, secured the shabby artificial flowers in their accustomed place.

“啊！”音乐家突然叫出来，既不惊讶也没表现出特别的兴趣。好像从来没有什么事使她感到特别吃惊。她正努力把从头发上松下来的一束紫罗兰重新别好。爱德娜把她拉到沙发上坐下，从自己的头发里拿下别针，帮她把那束破旧的假花别在原来的位置。

"Aren't you astonished?"

“难道你不感到吃惊吗？”

"Passably. Where are you going? to New York? to Iberville? to your father in Mississippi? where?"

“还行。你打算去哪儿？纽约吗？还是伊伯维尔？还是密西西比你父亲那里？到底去哪里？”

"Just two steps away," laughed Edna, "in a little four-room house around the corner. It looks so cozy, so inviting and restful, whenever I pass by; and it's for rent. I'm tired looking after that big house. It never seemed like mine, anyway—like home. It's too much trouble. I have to keep too many servants. I am tired bothering with them."

“离原来住的地方只有两步远。”爱德娜笑着说，“就在街角那里，一栋四室的小房子。无论什么时候我路过那里，都感觉那房子看上去既舒服又安静，招人喜欢。那房子现在可供出租。打理那个大房子我实在觉得厌倦了。它看上去从来不像是我的，总之，不像一个家的样子。这房子太麻烦。我得用那么多佣人。我讨厌麻烦跟他们打交道。”

"That is not your true reason, ma belle. There is no use in telling me lies. I don't know your reason, but you have not told me the truth." Edna did not protest or endeavor to justify herself.

“真正的原因不在此，我的美人。跟我说谎没用。我不知道真正的原因，但你的确没说实话。”爱德娜没有抗议也没试图为自己辩解。

"The house, the money that provides for it, are not mine. Isn't that enough reason?"

“那房子以及房子上的花费都不是我的。这个理由够充分吧？”

"They are your husband's," returned Mademoiselle, with a shrug and a malicious elevation of the eyebrows.

“它们都是你丈夫的。”雷西小姐回答道，同时耸了耸肩，又把眉毛不怀好意地上挑了一下。

"Oh! I see there is no deceiving you. Then let me tell you: It is a caprice. I have a little money of my own from my mother's estate, which my father sends me by driblets. I won a large sum this winter on the races, and I am beginning to sell my sketches. Laidpore is more and more pleased with my work; he says it grows in force and individuality. I cannot judge of that myself, but I feel that I have gained in ease and confidence. However, as I said, I have sold a good many through Laidpore. I can live in the tiny house for little or nothing, with one servant. Old Celestine, who works occasionally for me, says she will come stay with me and do my work. I know I shall like it, like the feeling of freedom and independence."

“啊！我看没必要骗你。那我告诉你吧：这只是个随心的想法。我自己有一小笔从我母亲遗产里得到的钱，我父亲一点一点给我寄来。今年冬天赛马我赢了一大笔，而且现在我开始卖我的画了。莱德保尔对我的画越来越满意，他说我画画越来有力且有个性了。我不能自己做出判断，但我感觉我已经画得更自如也更有信心了。不过正如我刚才所说，我已通过莱德保尔卖了很多画。我可以和一个佣人住在那个小房子里，没太多需求。那个时不时地帮我做事的老塞莉斯泰因说她要跟我过来住并帮我做事。我知道我会喜欢的，喜欢那种自由和独立的感觉。”

"What does your husband say?"

“你丈夫怎么说？”

"I have not told him yet. I only thought of it this morning. He will think I am demented, no doubt. Perhaps you think so."

“我还没告诉他呢。我今天早晨才想到的。毫无疑问，他会认为我疯了。也许你也是这么认为的。”

Mademoiselle shook her head slowly. "Your reason is not yet clear to me," she said.

雷西小姐慢慢地摇了摇头。她说：“你的理由我还是没搞清楚。”

Neither was it quite clear to Edna herself; but it unfolded itself as she sat for a while in silence. Instinct had prompted her to put away her husband's bounty in casting off her allegiance. She did not know how it would be when he returned. There would have to be an understanding, an explanation. Conditions would some way adjust themselves, she felt; but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself.

其实爱德娜自己也搞不清楚，但她坐在那儿沉默片刻之后，一切就不言自明了。本能驱使她抛开她丈夫对她的慷慨，从而使她从对她丈夫的忠贞中解脱出来。她不知道他回来时会怎么样。一定要做一番解释，还需要理解。她感觉到那时事情会有转机的，但无论发生什么，她已下定决心，除了自己以外，她不再属于另外一个人了。

"I shall give a grand dinner before I leave the old house!" Edna exclaimed. "You will have to come to it, Mademoiselle. I will give you everything that you like to eat and to drink. We shall sing and laugh and be merry for once." And she uttered a sigh that came from the very depths of her being.

“在我离开旧房子前我要举行一次盛大的晚宴！”爱德娜大声说，“雷西小姐，你务必来。我要盛情款待你。我们要尽情地唱，尽情地笑，愉快地过上一回。”然后她发自内心地叹了口气。

If Mademoiselle happened to have received a letter from Robert during the interval of Edna's visits, she would give her the letter unsolicited. And she would seat herself at the piano and play as her humor prompted her while the young woman read the letter.

如果在爱德娜来访期间雷西小姐碰巧收到了罗伯特的来信，不用爱德娜请求，她会主动把信给她看的。当这个年轻女人读信的时候，她会坐在钢琴旁随兴为她弹奏。

The little stove was roaring; it was red-hot, and the chocolate in the tin sizzled and sputtered. Edna went forward and opened the stove door, and Mademoiselle rising, took a letter from under the bust of Beethoven and handed it to Edna.

小炉子里的火烧得很旺，呼呼作响，锡罐里的巧克力奶也滋滋地响，喷溅出来。爱德娜走上前把炉门打开，雷西小姐起身从贝多芬雕像下拿出一封信递给爱德娜。

"Another! so soon!" she exclaimed, her eyes filled with delight. "Tell me, Mademoiselle, does he know that I see his letters?"

“又来一封信！怎么这么快？”她嘴里喊着，眼里满是喜悦的光芒。“告诉我，雷西小姐，他知道我看了他的信吗？”

"Never in the world! He would be angry and would never write to me again if he thought so. Does he write to you? Never a line. Does he send you a message? Never a word. It is because he loves you, poor fool, and is trying to forget you, since you are not free to listen to him or to belong to him."

“完全不知道！他要是知道的话会很生气，而且一定不会再给我写信了。他写信给你了吗？只字片语都没写。他给你捎过信儿吗？从未有一个字捎来。这是因为他爱你，可怜的傻瓜，他正尽力忘记你，因为你不能自由地听从他或属于他。”

"Why do you show me his letters, then?"

“那你为什么要把他的信给我看？”

"Haven't you begged for them? Can I refuse you anything? Oh! you cannot deceive me," and Mademoiselle approached her beloved instrument and began to play. Edna did not at once read the letter. She sat holding it in her hand, while the music penetrated her whole being like an effulgence, warming and brightening the dark places of her soul. It prepared her for joy and exultation.

“不是你求我给你看的吗？我能拒绝你什么吗？啊！你骗不了我。”雷西小姐走近她心爱的钢琴，开始弹奏起来。爱德娜没有马上读信。她坐在那，手里拿着信，琴声像一股灿烂的光辉穿过她的全身，温暖照亮了她那心灵的阴郁之处。这一切使她欢欣并狂喜不已。

"Oh!" she exclaimed, letting the letter fall to the floor. "Why did you not tell me?" She went and grasped Mademoiselle's hands up from the keys. "Oh! unkind! malicious! Why did you not tell me?"

“啊！”她叫着，任凭信滑到了地板上。“你为什么没告诉我？”她过去把雷西小姐的手从琴键上抓了起来。“哦！你真不好！你真狠毒！为什么没告诉我？”

"That he was coming back? No great news, ma foi. I wonder he did not come long ago."

“你指的是他要回来吗？不是件大新闻，我的美人。我奇怪他怎么这么久都没回来。”

"But when, when?" cried Edna, impatiently. "He does not say when."

“但什么时候，到底什么时候他会回来？”爱德娜急切地问。“他自己也没说什么时候。”

"He says 'very soon.' You know as much about it as I do; it is all in the letter."

“他说‘很快’会回来。对此你跟我知道的一样多。都在信里写着呢。”

"But why? Why is he coming? Oh, if I thought—” and she snatched the letter from the floor and turned the pages this way and that way, looking for the reason, which was left untold.

“可为什么呢？他为什么要回来呢？啊，要是我想－－”她从地板上抓起信，翻来覆去地看，想找出信中根本没有提到的原因。

"If I were young and in love with a man," said Mademoiselle, turning on the stool and pressing her wiry hands between her knees as she looked down at Edna, who sat on the floor holding the letter, "it seems to me he would have to be some grand esprit; a man with lofty aims and ability to reach them; one who stood high enough to attract the notice of his fellow-men. It seems to me if I were young and in love I should never deem a man of ordinary caliber worthy of my devotion.”

“要是我还年轻并爱上一位男子－－”雷西小姐说。她转过琴凳，把两只瘦而结实的手放在两膝之间，低头看着拿着信坐在地板上的爱德娜。“在我看来他会是个机智的人；一个有着崇高的理想并有能力实现这些理想的人；一个身居高位能够引起同胞关注的人。如果我现在还年轻并且在谈恋爱，我不会认为一个有普通才能的男子值得我倾慕。”

"Now it is you who are telling lies and seeking to deceive me, Mademoiselle; or else you have never been in love, and know nothing about it. Why," went on Edna, clasping her knees and looking up into Mademoiselle's twisted face, "do you suppose a woman knows why she loves? Does she select? Does she say to herself: 'Go to! Here is a distinguished statesman with presidential possibilities; I shall proceed to fall in love with him.' Or, 'I shall set my heart upon this musician, whose fame is on every tongue?' Or, 'This financier, who controls the world's money markets?'

“现在你是在说谎试图骗我，雷西小姐，要不就是你从来没爱过，对爱情一无所知。哎，”爱德娜抱着双膝抬头看着雷西小姐扭曲的面孔接着说，“你觉得一个女人知道自己为什么爱吗？她有选择机会吗？她会对自己这样说吗：‘去吧！这是个有着当总统的可能性的卓越的政治家，我要爱上他。’或者说，‘我要把心放在这个音乐家的身上，既然他名声显赫、家喻户晓。’或者说，‘还是这个金融家吧，因为他掌控着全世界的金钱市场。’”

"You are purposely misunderstanding me, ma reine. Are you in love with Robert?"

“你在有意曲解我的意思，我的女皇。你是不是爱上罗伯特了？”

"Yes," said Edna. It was the first time she had admitted it, and a glow overspread her face, blotching it with red spots.

“是这样。”爱德娜说。这是她第一次承认这件事，一阵红晕泛过她的面颊，她的脸上布满了红色的斑点。

"Why?" asked her companion. "Why do you love him when you ought not to?"

“为什么呀？”她的同伴问道，　“你为什么要爱上他？这是不应该的呀！”

Edna, with a motion or two, dragged herself on her knees before Mademoiselle Reisz, who took the glowing face between her two hands.

爱德娜动了动身子，双膝跪地挪到雷西小姐跟前。雷西小姐双手捧着她那绯红的脸颊。

"Why? Because his hair is brown and grows away from his temples; because he opens and shuts his eyes, and his nose is a little out of drawing; because he has two lips and a square chin, and a little finger which he can't straighten from having played baseball too energetically in his youth. Because—”

“为什么呀？因为他有一头飘逸的从太阳穴散出去的棕色头发？因为他的眼睛一睁一闭的？因为他的鼻子不适合素描？因为他有双唇和有棱角的下巴？因为他有一个由于小时候打垒球时用力过度而不能伸直的小手指？还是因为－－”

"Because you do, in short," laughed Mademoiselle. "What will you do when he comes back?" she asked.

“简言之，就是因为你爱他。”雷西小姐笑着说。“他若回来了你打算做什么？”她问。

"Do? Nothing, except feel glad and happy to be alive."

“做什么？什么也不做呀，只是感觉很高兴、活着很幸福。”

She was already glad and happy to be alive at the mere thought of his return. The murky, lowering sky, which had depressed her a few hours before, seemed bracing and invigorating as she splashed through the streets on her way home.

一想到他要回来了她就已经很高兴，觉得活着真幸福了。此刻，她溅着积水穿过大街走在回家的路上，几个小时前使她沮丧的阴暗低沉的天气好像使她精神爽快，心情欢快。

She stopped at a confectioner's and ordered a huge box of bonbons for the children in Iberville. She slipped a card in the box, on which she scribbled a tender message and sent an abundance of kisses.

她在糖果店停下来给在伊伯维尔的孩子们订购了一大盒糖果。她在盒子里插了一张卡片，上面潦草地留了很慈爱的话，还有一大堆吻。

Before dinner in the evening Edna wrote a charming letter to her husband, telling him of her intention to move for a while into the little house around the block, and to give a farewell dinner before leaving, regretting that he was not there to share it, to help out with the menu and assist her in entertaining the guests. Her letter was brilliant and brimming with cheerfulness.

那天晚餐前，爱德娜给她丈夫写了一封充满感情的信，告诉他她打算搬到街区附近的一个小房子去住一阵子。离开前她准备举行一次告别宴会，很遗憾他不能在这里跟她一起分享，帮她定菜单和招待客人。她的信写得很好，充溢着轻松愉悦的气息。

XXVII

第二十七章

"What is the matter with you?" asked Arobin that evening. "I never found you in such a happy mood." Edna was tired by that time, and was reclining on the lounge before the fire.

“你怎么了？”那天傍晚阿罗宾问她，“我从没发现你情绪这么好过。”爱德娜当时已经累了，在炉火前的躺椅上靠着。

"Don't you know the weather prophet has told us we shall see the sun pretty soon?"

“难道你不知道天气预报员说我们很快就要见到太阳了吗？”

"Well, that ought to be reason enough," he acquiesced. "You wouldn't give me another if I sat here all night imploring you." He sat close to her on a low tabouret, and as he spoke his fingers lightly touched the hair that fell a little over her forehead. She liked the touch of his fingers through her hair, and closed her eyes sensitively.

“嗯，这个理由够充分，”他勉强承认道，“即便我在这里求你一夜你也不会给出另外一个理由。”他靠近她，在一个低矮的板凳上坐下，一边说话，一边用手指触摸垂在她额头的几缕小碎发。她喜欢他的手指触摸她头发的那种感觉，敏感地闭上眼睛。

"One of these days," she said, "I'm going to pull myself together for a while and think—try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don't know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can't convince myself that I am. I must think about it."

“等哪天，”她说，“我得聚集精神好好考虑一下，我到底属于哪一类女人，老实说，我还真不知道。从目前我所知道的标准看，我算是女性中典型的极坏的女人了。但是在有些地方，我还不能确认我就属于那种类型。我必须要考虑一下了。”

"Don't. What's the use? Why should you bother thinking about it when I can tell you what manner of woman you are." His fingers strayed occasionally down to her warm, smooth cheeks and firm chin, which was growing a little full and double.

“算了，没什么意义。为什么你要烦恼去想这个问题，如果我能来告诉你你到底是哪种女人啊。”他的手指偶尔移动到她温暖、光滑的面颊和坚挺的下颌上。爱德娜的下颌现在有些丰满，出了双下颌。

"Oh, yes! You will tell me that I am adorable; everything that is captivating. Spare yourself the effort."

“得了！你肯定会说我招人喜欢，处处都吸引人。别费那劲了。”

"No; I shan't tell you anything of the sort, though I shouldn't be lying if I did."

“不是啊，我才不会说那种话；不过，即便我说，也不是说谎啊。”

"Do you know Mademoiselle Reisz?" she asked irrelevantly.

“你认识雷西小姐吗？”爱德娜不相及地问道。

"The pianist? I know her by sight. I've heard her play."

“那个钢琴师？我见过她，还听过她的演奏。”

"She says queer things sometimes in a bantering way that you don't notice at the time and you find yourself thinking about afterward."

“她有时会用一种调侃的方式说一些古怪的事情，这些话你不会马上注意到，但是常常令你回过头再去琢磨。”

"For instance?"

“比如说？”

"Well, for instance, when I left her to-day, she put her arms around me and felt my shoulder blades, to see if my wings were strong, she said. 'The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.' Whither would you soar?"

“比如，当我今天离开她的时候，她用她的胳膊抱着我，触摸我的肩胛，还说要看我的翅膀是不是很强壮了。‘想要飞过传统与偏见的地平线的鸟儿，就一定要有强壮的翅膀。看到那些弱者伤痕累累，精疲力竭的踉跄落地，那场面实在悲壮啊。’你会飞向哪里？”

"I'm not thinking of any extraordinary flights. I only half comprehend her."

“我不会想尝试任何一种不平凡的飞行。我对她的话半懂不懂。”

"I've heard she's partially demented," said Arobin.

“听说她有点疯。”阿罗比说道。

"She seems to me wonderfully sane," Edna replied.

“我看她异常清醒。”爱德娜回应道。

"I'm told she's extremely disagreeable and unpleasant. Why have you introduced her at a moment when I desired to talk of you?"

“有人跟我说她十分不招人喜欢，常令人不快。为什么在我想和你谈你自己的时候把她拽进来？”

"Oh! talk of me if you like," cried Edna, clasping her hands beneath her head; "but let me think of something else while you do."

“嗨！你愿意谈我，那就谈吧。”爱德娜一边叫道，一边把她的双手扣在头后面，“但是，当你谈我的时候，我要去想其他的事情。”

"I'm jealous of your thoughts tonight. They're making you a little kinder than usual; but some way I feel as if they were wandering, as if they were not here with me." She only looked at him and smiled. His eyes were very near. He leaned upon the lounge with an arm extended across her, while the other hand still rested upon her hair. They continued silently to look into each other's eyes. When he leaned forward and kissed her, she clasped his head, holding his lips to hers.

“今天晚上，我嫉妒你的那些想法。它们让你比平常略微可亲，但是我有些感觉到它们似乎在漫游，似乎没有与我同在此地。”爱德娜只是微笑地看着他。他的眼睛离她很近。他斜靠在躺椅上，一只胳膊伸出去将她揽住，另一手依然停留在她的发间。他们静静地相互凝视着着对方的眼睛。当阿罗宾探身亲吻她的时候，爱德娜抱紧他的脸，将他的双唇贴向她。

It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire.

这是她人生的第一次真正出于本真的欲求的吻。像一只燃烧的火把点燃了她的欲望。

XXVIII

第二十八章

Edna cried a little that night after Arobin left her. It was only one phase of the multitudinous emotions which had assailed her. There was with her an overwhelming feeling of irresponsibility. There was the shock of the unexpected and the unaccustomed. There was her husband's reproach looking at her from the external things around her which he had provided for her external existence. There was Robert's reproach making itself felt by a quicker, fiercer, more overpowering love, which had awakened within her toward him. Above all, there was understanding. She felt as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to took upon and comprehend the significance of life, that monster made up of beauty and brutality. But among the conflicting sensations which assailed her, there was neither shame nor remorse. There was a dull pang of regret because it was not the kiss of love which had inflamed her, because it was not love which had held this cup of life to her lips.

那天晚上阿罗宾走后，爱德娜哭了一会儿。这只是困扰着她的多种情感中的一种。她满负着一种愧疚的感觉。事情突如其来，出奇不意，让她自己感到震撼。她感到为她提供了物质生活条件的丈夫正在用谴责的眼神看着她，这眼神来自于周围她丈夫供给她的那些物品。她还感到，罗伯特以一种更加迅猛，更加炽烈，更加有力的爱在谴责她，这种爱曾唤醒她的心灵，使她倾心于他。最重要的是，她开始懂了。她感到她眼前的迷雾好像消逝了，使她能够认识和理解生活的意义，生活这个既由美好又由残酷组成的怪物。但是，在所有的这些困扰着她的冲突的情感中，既没有羞愧也没有悔恨。然而她也感到了一阵隐约的遗憾，因为不是爱之吻燃起了她的情欲，她唇边品尝的也不是因爱产生的甘露。

XXIX

第二十九章

Without even waiting for an answer from her husband regarding his opinion or wishes in the matter, Edna hastened her preparations for quitting her home on Esplanade Street and moving into the little house around the block. A feverish anxiety attended her every action in that direction. There was no moment of deliberation, no interval of repose between the thought and its fulfillment. Early upon the morning following those hours passed in Arobin's society, Edna set about securing her new abode and hurrying her arrangements for occupying it. Within the precincts of her home she felt like one who has entered and lingered within the portals of some forbidden temple in which a thousand muffled voices bade her begone.

在她丈夫对于她搬家之事没有答复自己的想法和意见之前，爱德娜实在等不及了，匆忙地准备离开在埃斯普拉内德街的家而搬到附近的那个小房子里。一种热切的渴望伴随着她每一个朝这个方向努力的行动。没有时间仔细考虑，在想法与付诸行动之间也容不得任何间隔来歇歇脚。在阿罗宾的交际圈子里度过几小时后，一大早爱德娜就着手计划到新住所安身，匆忙安排入住事宜。在原先住处的周围，她感觉自己好像是个要进入一座禁寺并在门口徘徊的人，只听见成千个低沉的声音呼唤她离开。

Whatever was her own in the house, everything which she had acquired aside from her husband's bounty, she caused to be transported to the other house, supplying simple and meager deficiencies from her own resources.

房子里所有属于她的东西，只要不是花她丈夫的钱得到的，她都让运到她的小房子里，以弥补她自己微薄和不足的经济来源。

Arobin found her with rolled sleeves, working in company with the house-maid when he looked in during the afternoon. She was splendid and robust, and had never appeared handsomer than in the old blue gown, with a red silk handkerchief knotted at random around her head to protect her hair from the dust. She was mounted upon a high stepladder, unhooking a picture from the wall when he entered. He had found the front door open, and had followed his ring by walking in unceremoniously.

下午阿罗宾来探望时，发现爱德娜正挽起袖子和女仆一道干活。她看上去健康又有活力，穿着件旧的蓝长衫从来没显得这么漂亮过，头上随意地包着一个红绸子手帕，不让灰尘落到头发上。他进来时她正爬在一个高梯上，在把一幅画从墙上摘下来。他发现前门开着，便按了门铃，随后就没讲究礼节直接进来了。

"Come down!" he said. "Do you want to kill yourself?" She greeted him with affected carelessness, and appeared absorbed in her occupation.

“快下来！”他说，“你想要摔死呀？”她假装不在意地跟他打了招呼，好像集中精力在干活。

If he had expected to find her languishing, reproachful, or indulging in sentimental tears, he must have been greatly surprised.

如果他之前以为她是个柔弱，爱耍小性子，或是常常伤感哭泣的人，那他看到她那样子一定是吃惊不小。

He was no doubt prepared for any emergency, ready for any one of the foregoing attitudes, just as he bent himself easily and naturally to the situation which confronted him.

毫无疑问，他做好了应付任何突发情况的准备，准备好了应对任何一种以前她曾有过的态度，就像他很容易自然地应付了之前所面对的情景一样。

"Please come down," he insisted, holding the ladder and looking up at her.

“请下来吧！”他坚持说，一边把住梯子一边抬头看着她。

"No," she answered; "Ellen is afraid to mount the ladder. Joe is working over at the 'pigeon house'—that's the name Ellen gives it, because it's so small and looks like a pigeon house—and some one has to do this.”

“不，”她回答说，“爱伦不敢爬梯子。乔在那边‘鸽舍’里干活－－那是爱伦给小房子起的名字，因为它那么小，看起来像鸽舍－－总得有人来干这个活。

Arobin pulled off his coat, and expressed himself ready and willing to tempt fate in her place. Ellen brought him one of her dust-caps, and went into contortions of mirth, which she found it impossible to control, when she saw him put it on before the mirror as grotesquely as he could. Edna herself could not refrain from smiling when she fastened it at his request. So it was he who in turn mounted the ladder, unhooking pictures and curtains, and dislodging ornaments as Edna directed. When he had finished he took off his dust-cap and went out to wash his hands.

阿罗宾脱下外衣，表示自己准备好愿意替她冒这个险。爱伦把一顶她除尘戴的帽子拿给他，强忍住笑，可后来看到他在镜子前戴帽子的极为滑稽的样子，实在禁不住大笑起来。爱德娜应他的要求给他把帽子系好时，自己也忍不住笑了。于是他接下来爬上梯子，把画和窗帘都摘下来，并按照爱德娜的指示把其他的装饰品也卸下来。干完活后，他摘下除尘帽出去洗手了。

Edna was sitting on the tabouret, idly brushing the tips of a feather duster along the carpet when he came in again.

他再进来时，爱德娜正坐在躺椅上，懒洋洋地在地毯边上蹭着鸡毛掸子上端的羽毛。

"Is there anything more you will let me do?" he asked.

“你还有什么别的活让我干吗？”他问。

"That is all," she answered. "Ellen can manage the rest." She kept the young woman occupied in the drawing-room, unwilling to be left alone with Arobin.

“就这么多了。”她回答说，“剩下的爱伦都能干。”她让年轻的女仆在客厅里忙活，不愿意单独和阿罗宾留下来。

"What about the dinner?" he asked; "the grand event, the coup d'etat?"

“晚宴怎么样了？”他问，“是件大事，就是‘政变’吗？”

"It will be day after to-morrow. Why do you call it the 'coup d'etat?' Oh! it will be very fine; all my best of everything—crystal, silver and gold, Sevres, flowers, music, and champagne to swim in. I'll let Leonce pay the bills. I wonder what he'll say when he sees the bills.

“会在后天。你为什么把它称为‘政变’呢？哦！会搞得很好，要用我所有最好的东西－－水晶器皿、金银器皿、赛福尔瓷器、鲜花、音乐、还有多到可以在里面游泳的香槟酒呢。我要让莱翁斯付钱。我不知道看到账单时他会说什么。”

"And you ask me why I call it a coup d'etat?" Arobin had put on his coat, and he stood before her and asked if his cravat was plumb. She told him it was, looking no higher than the tip of his collar.

“你问我为什么把它称作‘政变’？”阿罗宾已经穿上外衣站在她面前，问她他的领结打得正不正。她告诉他打正了，看上去没有高过他的衣领尖。

"When do you go to the 'pigeon house?'—with all due acknowledgment to Ellen.”

“你什么时候搬去‘鸽舍’？－－很认可爱伦起的这个外号。”

"Day after to-morrow, after the dinner. I shall sleep there.”

“后天，晚宴后。我就要在那儿睡了。”

"Ellen, will you very kindly get me a glass of water?" asked Arobin. "The dust in the curtains, if you will pardon me for hinting such a thing, has parched my throat to a crisp."

“爱伦，麻烦你给我倒杯水好吗？”阿罗宾说，“请原谅我提及这个，窗帘上的灰呛得我喉咙干得难受。”

"While Ellen gets the water," said Edna, rising, "I will say good-by and let you go. I must get rid of this grime, and I have a million things to do and think of.”

“等爱伦给你拿来水，”爱德娜站起来说，“我要跟你说再见并让你离开了。我必须除掉这些污垢，我还有千百万件事要做要考虑呢。”

"When shall I see you?" asked Arobin, seeking to detain her, the maid having left the room.

“我什么时候可以再见你？”女仆离开屋的时候阿罗宾说，试图留住她。

"At the dinner, of course. You are invited."

“当然是宴会上见啦。你是被邀请的对象呀。”

"Not before?—not to-night or to-morrow morning or tomorrow noon or night? or the day after morning or noon? Can't you see yourself, without my telling you, what an eternity it is?"

“之前不行吗？－－今天晚上或是明天早上、中午或晚上不行吗？或是后天早上或中午？我要是不告诉你难道你自己不明白这段时间太久了吗？”

He had followed her into the hall and to the foot of the stairway, looking up at her as she mounted with her face half turned to him.

他跟着她走到大厅和楼梯口，看着她爬上楼梯，侧过脸看着他。

"Not an instant sooner," she said. But she laughed and looked at him with eyes that at once gave him courage to wait and made it torture to wait.

“早一点儿都不行。”她说。但是她看着他笑了，她的眼神立刻给了他等待的勇气，去忍受等待的煎熬。

XXX

第三十章

Though Edna had spoken of the dinner as a very grand affair, it was in truth a very small affair and very select, in so much as the guests invited were few and were selected with discrimination. She had counted upon an even dozen seating themselves at her round mahogany board, forgetting for the moment that Madame Ratignolle was to the last degree souffrante and unpresentable, and not foreseeing that Madame Lebrun would send a thousand regrets at the last moment. So there were only ten, after all, which made a cozy, comfortable number.

虽然爱德娜把这次晚宴说成是盛大的事件，但实际上只是个很小规模、很挑剔的宴会，因为少数的那么几个来宾都是经过仔细甄选的。她数出了刚好十二个人安排他们坐在她的圆形红木餐桌旁，忘记了拉蒂诺尔夫人由于正处在妊娠反应最严重时期而不能出席，也没预料到勒布伦夫人会在最后一刻表示万分歉意而不能参加宴会。所以最终只有十位来宾，不过这还是个让人舒服满意的人数。

There were Mr. and Mrs. Merriman, a pretty, vivacious little woman in the thirties; her husband, a jovial fellow, something of a shallow-pate, who laughed a good deal at other people's witticisms, and had thereby made himself extremely popular. Mrs. Highcamp had accompanied them. Of course, there was Alcee Arobin; and Mademoiselle Reisz had consented to come. Edna had sent her a fresh bunch of violets with black lace trimmings for her hair. Monsieur Ratignolle brought himself and his wife's excuses. Victor Lebrun, who happened to be in the city, bent upon relaxation, had accepted with alacrity. There was a Miss Mayblunt, no longer in her teens, who looked at the world through lorgnettes and with the keenest interest. It was thought and said that she was intellectual; it was suspected of her that she wrote under a nom de guerre. She had come with a gentleman by the name of Gouvernail, connected with one of the daily papers, of whom nothing special could be said, except that he was observant and seemed quiet and inoffensive. Edna herself made the tenth, and at half-past eight they seated themselves at table, Arobin and Monsieur Ratignolle on either side of their hostess.

来宾里有梅里曼先生和太太。梅里曼太太是个三十几岁的小巧活泼的女士；她的丈夫是个快活的男士，他有点头脑肤浅，对别人讲的笑话他总是哈哈大笑，这倒使他很受大家的欢迎。他们是同海坎普夫人一道来的。当然，阿尔塞·阿罗宾也在，还有雷西小姐也同意前来参加宴会。爱德娜之前还给她送去一束新的镶着黑色缎带的紫罗兰花给她做发饰。拉蒂诺尔先生只身前来，捎来他妻子不能出席的理由。维克托·勒布伦碰巧在城里一心想消遣一下，欣然接受了邀请。还有一个梅布朗特小姐，不再是十几岁的小姑娘了，透过她的有柄眼镜，用极为热切的好奇眼光观察着周围。据说她是个知识分子，大家也都这么认为，还怀疑她用笔名发表文章。她是跟一位与报界有联系的名叫古韦内尔的绅士一起来的。至于这位先生没什么特别可说的，除了他具有观察力，好像很安静，性情温和。爱德娜本人就是坐席中的第十个人了。八点半时，大家入席，阿罗宾和拉蒂诺尔先生各自坐在女主人的一侧。

Mrs. Highcamp sat between Arobin and Victor Lebrun. Then came Mrs. Merriman, Mr. Gouvernail, Miss Mayblunt, Mr. Merriman, and Mademoiselle Reisz next to Monsieur Ratignolle.

海坎普太太坐在阿罗宾和维克托·勒布伦之间。再依次是梅里曼太太，古韦纳尔先生，梅布朗特小姐，梅里曼先生，还有雷西小姐坐在拉蒂诺尔先生的旁边。

There was something extremely gorgeous about the appearance of the table, an effect of splendor conveyed by a cover of pale yellow satin under strips of lace-work. There were wax candles, in massive brass candelabra, burning softly under yellow silk shades; full, fragrant roses, yellow and red, abounded. There were silver and gold, as she had said there would be, and crystal which glittered like the gems which the women wore.

餐桌看上去极其炫目，镶着花边的淡黄色的缎子桌布给餐桌增添了不少光彩。大黄铜烛台上蜡烛的烛光在黄绸子灯罩下的灯光的衬托下闪着柔和的光茫，桌子上满是盛开着的散发着香味的黄色和红色玫瑰。正如她所说，还有金银器皿，水晶器皿像女士们佩戴的珠宝一样闪闪发光。

The ordinary stiff dining chairs had been discarded for the occasion and replaced by the most commodious and luxurious which could be collected throughout the house. Mademoiselle Reisz, being exceedingly diminutive, was elevated upon cushions, as small children are sometimes hoisted at table upon bulky volumes.

为了这个场合，普通的硬质餐椅都撤了下去，替换上了整个房子里所能找到的最为宽敞奢华的椅子。雷西小姐因为个子太小，座位上加了好几个垫子，就像孩子们坐在餐桌边要垫上厚厚的书一样。

"Something new, Edna?" exclaimed Miss Mayblunt, with lorgnette directed toward a magnificent cluster of diamonds that sparkled, that almost sputtered, in Edna's hair, just over the center of her forehead.

“新买的吗，爱德娜？”梅布朗特小姐透过她的有柄眼睛看着爱德娜头上闪闪发光的一簇华贵的钻石大声地问，那钻石在爱德娜前额中心的头发上光彩炫目。

"Quite new; 'brand' new, in fact; a present from my husband. It arrived this morning from New York. I may as well admit that this is my birthday, and that I am twenty-nine. In good time I expect you to drink my health. Meanwhile, I shall ask you to begin with this cocktail, composed—would you say 'composed?'" with an appeal to Miss Mayblunt—"composed by my father in honor of Sister Janet's wedding."

“新的，崭新的，我丈夫送给我的礼物。今天早晨刚从纽约捎来的。我还是承认吧，今天是我的生日，今天我二十九岁了。我希望你们能在此祝我健康。同时，我想请你们先喝一杯鸡尾酒，是我父亲为我妹妹珍妮特的婚礼特别调制的，我用“调制”这个词对吧？”她向梅布朗特小姐问道。

Before each guest stood a tiny glass that looked and sparkled like a garnet gem.

每个客人面前都放着一个小杯子，它们像红宝石一样晶莹闪亮。

"Then, all things considered," spoke Arobin, "it might not be amiss to start out by drinking the Colonel's health in the cocktail which he composed, on the birthday of the most charming of women—the daughter whom he invented.”

“那么，通盘考虑的话，”阿罗宾说，“这倒是个不错的主意：让我们首先用上校调制的鸡尾酒为他的健康干杯，就在这位最美的女人——上校的女儿生日这天－－为他干杯！”

Mr. Merriman's laugh at this sally was such a genuine outburst and so contagious that it started the dinner with an agreeable swing that never slackened.

梅里曼先生一听到这些俏皮话就实实在在地哈哈大笑起来，笑得极具感染力，使整个宴会的气氛开始活跃起来，这气氛也一直保持着。

Miss Mayblunt begged to be allowed to keep her cocktail untouched before her, just to look at. The color was marvelous! She could compare it to nothing she had ever seen, and the garnet lights which it emitted were unspeakably rare. She pronounced the Colonel an artist, and stuck to it.

梅布朗特小姐请求大家允许她不喝她面前的鸡尾酒，她要观赏。那颜色美极了！她觉得她以前所看到的没有什么能跟它相媲美，它发出的深红色的光泽是难以名状的，太稀有了。她宣称上校一定是个艺术家，并坚持自己的观点。

Monsieur Ratignolle was prepared to take things seriously; the mets, the entre-mets, the service, the decorations, even the people. He looked up from his pompano and inquired of Arobin if he were related to the gentleman of that name who formed one of the firm of Laitner and Arobin, lawyers. The young man admitted that Laitner was a warm personal friend, who permitted Arobin's name to decorate the firm's letterheads and to appear upon a shingle that graced Perdido Street.

拉蒂诺尔先生倾向于严肃地对待宴会，包括菜肴、甜点、侍应、装饰甚至是来宾。他把眼神从鯧鲹鱼转移到阿罗宾的身上，问他是否跟莱特纳与阿罗宾律师事务所的阿罗宾有任何关系。这个年轻人承认莱特纳是他的关系很好的私交，他同意将阿罗宾的名字出现在公司信纸的信头上和公司的招牌上，这为玻迪都街增色不少。

"There are so many inquisitive people and institutions abounding," said Arobin, "that one is really forced as a matter of convenience these days to assume the virtue of an occupation if he has it not." Monsieur Ratignolle stared a little, and turned to ask Mademoiselle Reisz if she considered the symphony concerts up to the standard which had been set the previous winter. Mademoiselle Reisz answered Monsieur Ratignolle in French, which Edna thought a little rude, under the circumstances, but characteristic. Mademoiselle had only disagreeable things to say of the symphony concerts, and insulting remarks to make of all the musicians of New Orleans, singly and collectively. All her interest seemed to be centered upon the delicacies placed before her.

“有如此多的人或单位愿意打听事，”阿罗宾说，“以至于有人为了方便被迫将本不是自己的职业说成是他的。”拉蒂诺尔先生听得有点目瞪口呆，转过去问雷西小姐她是否认为交响乐会达到了去年冬天举办的音乐会的水平。雷西小姐用法语回答了拉蒂诺尔先生，爱德娜认为在这种场合有点不礼貌，但很符合她的个性。雷西小姐对交响乐会的评价只有些令人不悦的话，对于新奥尔良的音乐家，无论是个人还是集体，都是侮辱的言辞。她的所有兴致似乎都在她面前的美味佳肴上。

Mr. Merriman said that Mr. Arobin's remark about inquisitive people reminded him of a man from Waco the other day at the St. Charles Hotel—but as Mr. Merriman's stories were always lame and lacking point, his wife seldom permitted him to complete them. She interrupted him to ask if he remembered the name of the author whose book she had bought the week before to send to a friend in Geneva. She was talking "books" with Mr. Gouvernail and trying to draw from him his opinion upon current literary topics. Her husband told the story of the Waco man privately to Miss Mayblunt, who pretended to be greatly amused and to think it extremely clever.

梅里曼先生说刚才阿罗宾先生提到的关于有些好打听事的人的话让他想起前几天在圣查理旅馆遇到的一个从瓦可来的人－－但因为梅里曼先生的故事总是蹩脚而缺乏要点，他的妻子很少让他讲完。她打断他的话，问他是否还记得上星期她买来送给日内瓦的一个朋友的那本书的作者名字。她当时正同古韦内尔谈书，试图了解一些他关于当前文学领域的一些话题的观点。她丈夫把这个来自瓦可的人的故事单独讲给了梅布朗特小姐听，她假装听得兴致盎然，认为这个故事很机巧。

Mrs. Highcamp hung with languid but unaffected interest upon the warm and impetuous volubility of her left-hand neighbor, Victor Lebrun. Her attention was never for a moment withdrawn from him after seating herself at table; and when he turned to Mrs. Merriman, who was prettier and more vivacious than Mrs. Highcamp, she waited with easy indifference for an opportunity to reclaim his attention. There was the occasional sound of music, of mandolins, sufficiently removed to be an agreeable accompaniment rather than an interruption to the conversation. Outside the soft, monotonous splash of a fountain could be heard; the sound penetrated into the room with the heavy odor of jessamine that came through the open windows.

海坎普夫人无精打采但不装腔作势地听着她左手边的维克托·勒布伦热情急切地不停讲着话。她落座后注意力一直没离开过他。当他转过去跟那位比海坎普夫人更漂亮更活泼的梅里曼夫人说话时，她则漠然而放松地等待重新引起他的注意。席间偶尔传来音乐声，是曼陀林的乐声，声音离他们足够远，不会干扰他们的交谈而是宜人的伴奏。外面可以听到喷泉水花溅起的单调却又柔和的声音，这声音伴着从窗户飘入的浓浓茉莉花香传进室内。

The golden shimmer of Edna's satin gown spread in rich folds on either side of her. There was a soft fall of lace encircling her shoulders. It was the color of her skin, without the glow, the myriad living tints that one may sometimes discover in vibrant flesh. There was something in her attitude, in her whole appearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chair and spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone.

爱德娜的缎子褶裙在她身体两侧层层铺展开来，闪着金色的微光。柔软的花边吊带绕在肩上。她的肤色并非红润，但在她富有活力的肌体上可以窥见无数生机勃勃的色调。当她把头靠在高高的椅背上，展开双臂时，她的神态和整个外貌有着非凡之处，就好像一个王室的女子在发号施令，环顾四周，独领风骚。

But as she sat there amid her guests, she felt the old ennui overtaking her; the hopelessness which so often assailed her, which came upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous, independent of volition. It was something which announced itself; a chill breath that seemed to issue from some vast cavern wherein discords waited. There came over her the acute longing which always summoned into her spiritual vision the presence of the beloved one, overpowering her at once with a sense of the unattainable.

可当她坐在来宾中的时候，曾经那种倦怠的感觉再次笼罩着她；那种经常困扰她，萦绕着她的绝望感侵袭着她，好像是不受她的意愿所控的外在事物一样。这种情感不宣而至，像是从充满着不和谐音符的深谷中吹出来的一股冷风。突然一种强烈的渴望袭上她的心头，这是总是召唤她心爱的人出现在脑海中的那种渴望，带有一种永不可及的感觉立刻征服了她。

The moments glided on, while a feeling of good fellowship passed around the circle like a mystic cord, holding and binding these people together with jest and laughter. Monsieur Ratignolle was the first to break the pleasant charm. At ten o'clock he excused himself. Madame Ratignolle was waiting for him at home. She was bien souffrante, and she was filled with vague dread, which only her husband's presence could allay.

时间飞速过去，友好的感觉像是神秘的绳索在围桌而坐的人们之间传递着，用欢声笑语把他们紧紧绑在一起。拉蒂诺尔先生第一个打破了愉悦的气氛。十点钟的时候他跟大家告辞。拉蒂诺尔夫人正在家等着他呢。她身体较弱，总是有隐隐约约的害怕的感觉，只有丈夫在身边才能够缓解这种恐惧。

Mademoiselle Reisz arose with Monsieur Ratignolle, who offered to escort her to the car. She had eaten well; she had tasted the good, rich wines, and they must have turned her head, for she bowed pleasantly to all as she withdrew from table. She kissed Edna upon the shoulder, and whispered: "Bonne nuit, ma reine; soyez sage." She had been a little bewildered upon rising, or rather, descending from her cushions, and Monsieur Ratignolle gallantly took her arm and led her away.

雷西小姐也起身要走，拉蒂诺尔先生说愿意护送她上车。她吃得不错，也尝了馥郁的好酒，他们一定使她忘乎所以了，因为她离开餐桌时愉悦地欠身跟大家告别。她吻了爱德娜的肩膀低声跟她说：“晚安，亲爱的，要安分些。”她起身时，或者说从垫子上下来时有点手足无措，拉蒂诺尔先生殷勤地扶起她的手臂陪她走了出去。

Mrs. Highcamp was weaving a garland of roses, yellow and red. When she had finished the garland, she laid it lightly upon Victor's black curls. He was reclining far back in the luxurious chair, holding a glass of champagne to the light.

海坎普太太正在编织玫瑰花环，有红玫瑰和黄玫瑰。她编完花环把它轻轻地放在维克托黑色的卷发上。他向后斜倚在华丽的椅背上，对着灯光举起一杯香槟。

As if a magician's wand had touched him, the garland of roses transformed him into a vision of Oriental beauty. His cheeks were the color of crushed grapes, and his dusky eyes glowed with a languishing fire.

就像被魔术师的魔杖点了他一下似的，玫瑰花环立刻把他变成了一个东方美男子的样子。他面色像压碎的葡萄一样鲜红，黑眸中闪烁着伤感的光芒。

"Sapristi!" exclaimed Arobin.

“我的天啊！”阿罗宾大声喊道。

But Mrs. Highcamp had one more touch to add to the picture. She took from the back of her chair a white silken scarf, with which she had covered her shoulders in the early part of the evening. She draped it across the boy in graceful folds, and in a way to conceal his black, conventional evening dress. He did not seem to mind what she did to him, only smiled, showing a faint gleam of white teeth, while he continued to gaze with narrowing eyes at the light through his glass of champagne.

海坎普太太又加了画龙点睛的一笔。她从椅背上拿起一块白丝巾，晚餐刚开始时她曾把它披在肩上。她把这块丝巾折得很漂亮披在这个小伙子的肩上，遮住了他传统的黑色晚礼服。他对她所做的一切好像并不在意，只是笑着，微微露出洁白的牙齿，继续眯着眼睛透过香槟酒杯凝视着灯光。

"Oh! to be able to paint in color rather than in words!" exclaimed Miss Mayblunt, losing herself in a rhapsodic dream as she looked at him.

“哦！色彩比言辞更能起到渲染的作用！”梅布朗特小姐大声喊道。当她看着维克托的时候，已陷入狂想之中。

“'There was a graven image of Desire Painted with red blood on a ground of gold.'" murmured Gouvernail, under his breath.

“‘有一尊欲望之神的雕像，用鲜血在黄金底座上描绘而成。’”古韦内尔先生压低气息低吟着。

The effect of the wine upon Victor was to change his accustomed volubility into silence. He seemed to have abandoned himself to a reverie, and to be seeing pleasing visions in the amber bead.

酒对维克托的影响是使他从平常的口若悬河变成了默默无言。他好像已经已任由自己沉湎于幻想之中，在琥珀念珠里看到心仪的幻像。

"Sing," entreated Mrs. Highcamp. "Won't you sing to us?"

“唱首歌吧！”海坎普太太请求道，“给我们唱首歌好吗？”

"Let him alone," said Arobin.

“不用理他。”阿罗宾说。

"He's posing," offered Mr. Merriman; "let him have it out."

“他在故意装腔作势，”梅里曼先生说，“让他那么呆着吧！”

"I believe he's paralyzed," laughed Mrs. Merriman. And leaning over the youth's chair, she took the glass from his hand and held it to his lips. He sipped the wine slowly, and when he had drained the glass she laid it upon the table and wiped his lips with her little filmy handkerchief.

“我想他是酩酊大醉了。”梅里曼太太笑着说。斜靠过这个青年的椅子，她把酒杯从他手里拿过来放到他的唇边。他慢慢地呷着酒，等他把杯子里的酒喝干后，她把酒杯放在桌子上，用她的小薄纱手帕给他擦了嘴。

"Yes, I'll sing for you," he said, turning in his chair toward Mrs. Highcamp. He clasped his hands behind his head, and looking up at the ceiling began to hum a little, trying his voice like a musician tuning an instrument. Then, looking at Edna, he began to sing:

“来吧，我给你们唱歌吧。”他边说边把椅子转向海坎普太太。他将双手扣在脑后，仰头看着天花板哼了几声，像音乐家调试乐器一样试了试音。然后他看着爱德娜，开始唱了起来：

"Ah! si tu savais!"

“啊！如果你知道！”

"Stop!" she cried, "don't sing that. I don't want you to sing it," and she laid her glass so impetuously and blindly upon the table as to shatter it against a carafe. The wine spilled over Arobin's legs and some of it trickled down upon Mrs. Highcamp's black gauze gown. Victor had lost all idea of courtesy, or else he thought his hostess was not in earnest, for he laughed and went on:

“停！”爱德娜叫道，“不要唱这首歌。我不想让你唱这首歌。”她猛地把酒杯随意地放到桌子上，不慎碰在一个玻璃酒瓶上，把杯子打碎了。酒洒在阿罗宾的腿上，还有一些滴在了海坎普夫人的黑色薄纱礼服上。维克托完全不顾礼节，要不就是他认为女主人并非是严肃的，因而笑着继续唱到：

"Ah! si tu savais

“啊！如果你知道

Ce que tes yeux me disent”—

你的眼神告诉我”——

"Oh! you mustn't! you mustn't," exclaimed Edna, and pushing back her chair she got up, and going behind him placed her hand over his mouth. He kissed the soft palm that pressed upon his lips.

“哦！你不能唱！你不能唱！”爱德娜大声叫道，她把椅子往后推开站了起来，走到他身后，把手放到他嘴上。他吻了一下按在他嘴上的柔柔的手心。

"No, no, I won't, Mrs. Pontellier. I didn't know you meant it," looking up at her with caressing eyes. The touch of his lips was like a pleasing sting to her hand. She lifted the garland of roses from his head and flung it across the room.

“不唱了，我不唱了，蓬迪里埃夫人。我不知道你是认真的。”他用热切的眼神看着爱德娜。碰触他嘴唇的感觉就像是什么轻柔地叮了她的手一下似的令人愉悦。她把玫瑰花环从他头上拿下来，朝房间另一头扔去。

"Come, Victor; you've posed long enough. Give Mrs. Highcamp her scarf."

“行啦，维克托，你装模做样够久了。把围巾还给海坎普太太吧！”

Mrs. Highcamp undraped the scarf from about him with her own hands. Miss Mayblunt and Mr. Gouvernail suddenly conceived the notion that it was time to say good night. And Mr. and Mrs. Merriman wondered how it could be so late.

海坎普太太亲手把围巾从维克托身上解下来。梅布朗特小姐和古韦内尔先生突然表示也该告辞了。梅里曼夫妇也感觉怎么这么晚了。

Before parting from Victor, Mrs. Highcamp invited him to call upon her daughter, who she knew would be charmed to meet him and talk French and sing French songs with him. Victor expressed his desire and intention to call upon Miss Highcamp at the first opportunity which presented itself. He asked if Arobin were going his way. Arobin was not.

在跟维克托分别之前，海坎普太太邀请他去拜访她的女儿，她说她知道她女儿一定很高兴跟他会面，同他一起讲法语，唱唱法语歌。维克托表示很愿意也很渴望见到海坎普小姐，一有机会就去拜见。他问阿罗宾要不要一道走。阿罗宾说不走。

The mandolin players had long since stolen away. A profound stillness had fallen upon the broad, beautiful street. The voices of Edna's disbanding guests jarred like a discordant note upon the quiet harmony of the night.

曼陀林的演奏者早就悄悄地离开了。深深的沉寂再一次降临这条宽阔美丽的街道。爱德娜家散席的客人的嘈杂声在这样一个安静的夜晚就刺耳的音符一样不和谐。

XXXI

第三十一章

"Well?" questioned Arobin, who had remained with Edna after the others had departed.

“还好吧？”阿罗宾问道，他别人都离开后他留下来陪爱德娜。

"Well," she reiterated, and stood up, stretching her arms, and feeling the need to relax her muscles after having been so long seated.

“还好吧！”她重复着，起身伸了伸胳膊，感觉坐了这么长时间需要放松一下肌肉。

"What next?" he asked.

“接下来做什么？”他问。

"The servants are all gone. They left when the musicians did. I have dismissed them. The house has to be closed and locked, and I shall trot around to the pigeon house, and shall send Celestine over in the morning to straighten things up."

仆人们都离开了。音乐师们离开的时候他们就离开了。我把他们都打发走了。房子得关上门锁好，我要快点到“鸽舍”去，派塞莉斯泰因早上来帮我整理。

He looked around, and began to turn out some of the lights.

他四处看看，开始关上几盏灯。

"What about upstairs?" he inquired.

“楼上情况怎么样？”他问道。

"I think it is all right; but there may be a window or two unlatched. We had better look; you might take a candle and see. And bring me my wrap and hat on the foot of the bed in the middle room."

“我想都好吧，但也许还有一两扇窗没拴。我们最好再看看，你可以拿根蜡烛去看一下。把放在中间屋子床尾的我的披肩和帽子拿给我。

He went up with the light, and Edna began closing doors and windows. She hated to shut in the smoke and the fumes of the wine. Arobin found her cape and hat, which he brought down and helped her to put on.

他拿着蜡烛上去了，爱德娜开始关门窗。她讨厌把烟酒味道关在屋子里。阿罗宾找到她的披肩和帽子，拿下来帮她戴上。

When everything was secured and the lights put out, they left through the front door, Arobin locking it and taking the key, which he carried for Edna. He helped her down the steps.

一切都安排妥当，灯也熄了，他们走前门离开了。阿罗宾锁上门，钥匙他帮爱德娜拿着。他扶着她下了台阶。

"Will you have a spray of jessamine?" he asked, breaking off a few blossoms as he passed.

“你想要一簇茉莉花吗？”经过花丛时他折下几朵问爱德娜。

"No; I don't want anything."

“不，我什么也不想要。”

She seemed disheartened, and had nothing to say. She took his arm, which he offered her, holding up the weight of her satin train with the other hand. She looked down, noticing the black line of his leg moving in and out so close to her against the yellow shimmer of her gown. There was the whistle of a railway train somewhere in the distance, and the midnight bells were ringing. They met no one in their short walk.

她好像很低沉，没有什么话说。她一只手挽着阿罗宾伸过来的胳膊，另一只手提着她拖地的缎子长衣。她往下看了看，看到阿罗宾迈着双腿，黑色的裤腿紧靠着她闪闪发光的黄缎子长裙。远处传来火车鸣笛的声音，午夜的钟声也在回荡着。在他们短暂步行的路途中，他们谁也没碰到。

The "pigeon house" stood behind a locked gate, and a shallow parterre that had been somewhat neglected. There was a small front porch, upon which a long window and the front door opened. The door opened directly into the parlor; there was no side entry. Back in the yard was a room for servants, in which old Celestine had been ensconced.

“鸽舍”位于一扇上了锁的大门和有些无人打理的矮矮的花坛的后面。房前有一个小小的长廊，一扇长窗和前门敞开着。进门直接就是客厅，没有旁厅。后院有一个仆人的屋子，老塞莉斯泰因就住在那里。

Edna had left a lamp burning low upon the table. She had succeeded in making the room look habitable and homelike. There were some books on the table and a lounge near at hand. On the floor was a fresh matting, covered with a rug or two; and on the walls hung a few tasteful pictures. But the room was filled with flowers. These were a surprise to her. Arobin had sent them, and had had Celestine distribute them during Edna's absence. Her bedroom was adjoining, and across a small passage were the diningroom and kitchen.

爱德娜在桌子上留着一盏灯，微微地点着。她把房间布置得舒适而又温馨。桌上有一些书，近旁还有一把躺椅。地板上是新换的垫子，上面还铺着一两块小地毯，墙上挂着几幅很有品位的画。但屋子里摆满了鲜花。这些是给爱德娜的惊喜。爱德娜不在的时候，阿罗宾把它们送来，又吩咐塞莉斯泰因摆好。她的卧室就在旁边，穿过窄小的过道便是餐厅和厨房。

Edna seated herself with every appearance of discomfort.

爱德娜坐下来，看上去很不舒服。

"Are you tired?" he asked.

“你很累吧？”他问。

"Yes, and chilled, and miserable. I feel as if I had been wound up to a certain pitch—too tight—and something inside of me had snapped.” She rested her head against the table upon her bare arm.

“是的，还冷，还很难受。我感觉好像紧张到了极点，好像身体里有一种东西折断了。”她把头趴在桌子上她裸露的胳膊上。

"You want to rest," he said, "and to be quiet. I'll go; I'll leave you and let you rest."

“你想要休息，”他说，“想安静。那我走吧。我离开让你休息吧！”

"Yes," she replied.

“好的。”爱德娜回答说。

He stood up beside her and smoothed her hair with his soft, magnetic hand. His touch conveyed to her a certain physical comfort. She could have fallen quietly asleep there if he had continued to pass his hand over her hair. He brushed the hair upward from the nape of her neck.

他起身站在她身旁，用他那柔软、富有磁性的手抚摸着她的头发。他的抚摸传给她一种身体上的舒适。如果他继续这样抚摸她的头发的话，她很可能会安静地入睡的。他把她的头发从脖子后面轻轻向上梳拢。

"I hope you will feel better and happier in the morning," he said. "You have tried to do too much in the past few days. The dinner was the last straw; you might have dispensed with it."

“我希望你早上醒来会觉得好一些，心情愉悦些。”他说，“过去这几天你做了太多事。晚宴是最后一根稻草，把你累垮了。其实你可以不举行这次晚宴。”

"Yes," she admitted; "it was stupid."

“是啊，”她承认道，“的确是挺蠢的。”

"No, it was delightful; but it has worn you out." His hand had strayed to her beautiful shoulders, and he could feel the response of her flesh to his touch. He seated himself beside her and kissed her lightly upon the shoulder.

“不，还是挺让人高兴的，只是把你累坏了。”他的手落到她美丽的肩膀上，他能感觉到她的身体对于他抚摸的反应。他在她身边坐下，轻轻地吻了吻她的肩膀。

"I thought you were going away," she said, in an uneven voice.

“你不是要走了么。”她说道，声音有点不平静。

"I am, after I have said good night."

“我是要走，等我说了晚安之后就走。”

"Good night," she murmured.

“那晚安吧！”她小声说。

He did not answer, except to continue to caress her. He did not say good night until she had become supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties.

他没回答，只是继续爱抚着她。直到她顺从了他柔情蜜意的请求他才道了晚安。

XXXII

第三十二章

When Mr. Pontellier learned of his wife's intention to abandon her home and take up her residence elsewhere, he immediately wrote her a letter of unqualified disapproval and remonstrance. She had given reasons which he was unwilling to acknowledge as adequate. He hoped she had not acted upon her rash impulse; and he begged her to consider first, foremost, and above all else, what people would say. He was not dreaming of scandal when he uttered this warning; that was a thing which would never have entered into his mind to consider in connection with his wife's name or his own. He was simply thinking of his financial integrity. It might get noised about that the Pontelliers had met with reverses, and were forced to conduct their menage on a humbler scale than heretofore. It might do incalculable mischief to his business prospects.

当蓬迪里埃先生得知妻子有意离家搬到别处去住时，立刻给她写了封信表示坚决不同意并提出抗议。他不认为她所提出的理由是充分的。他希望她不要冲动行事，请求她首先考虑人们会说什么，这才是最重要的。他提出这个警告时根本不是在胡思乱想会有什么丑闻，有关他妻子和他本人名誉的事他脑子里从来没想过。他只是在考虑他财产的健全。很可能会有流言蜚语说蓬迪里埃家遭遇了不幸，不得已削减家务开支。这对他的生意前景可能会产生不可估算的损害。

But remembering Edna's whimsical turn of mind of late, and foreseeing that she had immediately acted upon her impetuous determination, he grasped the situation with his usual promptness and handled it with his well-known business tact and cleverness.

但想起了爱德娜最近脑子里总有怪念头，也预见到她对她那轻率的决定已立即付诸了行动，他像他一贯的那样果断地抓住时机，以他在生意上颇为知名的策略和机敏处理了这件事。

The same mail which brought to Edna his letter of disapproval carried instructions—the most minute instructions—to a well-known architect concerning the remodeling of his home, changes which he had long contemplated, and which he desired carried forward during his temporary absence.

在寄给爱德娜表示不赞成的信的同时，他又寄给一个有名的建筑师一封信，信中极为详细地说明他要改造他的住处，他早就考虑要改变一下，现在希望能在他暂时外出期间实施。

Expert and reliable packers and movers were engaged to convey the furniture, carpets, pictures—everything movable, in short—to places of security. And in an incredibly short time the Pontellier house was turned over to the artisans. There was to be an addition—a small snuggery; there was to be frescoing, and hardwood flooring was to be put into such rooms as had not yet been subjected to this improvement.

专家、可靠的包装工、搬运工都行动起来，把家具、地毯、画－－简言之，所有能够搬动的东西－－都搬到安全的地方。在极短的时间内，蓬迪里埃家的房子就交给了工匠们。要添点东西－－一个舒适的小屋；或是挂上些壁画；或者在以前没有这样改善的房间铺上硬木地板。

Furthermore, in one of the daily papers appeared a brief notice to the effect that Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier were contemplating a summer sojourn abroad, and that their handsome residence on Esplanade Street was undergoing sumptuous alterations, and would not be ready for occupancy until their return. Mr. Pontellier had saved appearances!

而且，在一家日报上还刊登了一个简短的声明，大意是说蓬迪里埃夫妇考虑夏天到国外旅居一阵子。他们在埃斯普拉内德街的漂亮房子正在进行豪华改装，在他们回国之前不能居住。蓬迪里埃先生保住了他的名声！

Edna admired the skill of his maneuver, and avoided any occasion to balk his intentions. When the situation as set forth by Mr. Pontellier was accepted and taken for granted, she was apparently satisfied that it should be so.

爱德娜对他的处理技巧表示赞赏，并尽量不阻碍他的计划。当蓬迪里埃先生声明的这个情况被接受并认为是理所当然时，她显然很满意，觉得事情就应该是这个样子。

The pigeon house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home, while she herself invested it with a charm which it reflected like a warm glow. There was with her a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to "feed upon opinion" when her own soul had invited her.

“鸽舍”也令她很满意。它立刻呈现出一种家的温馨氛围，而她自己也给它带来一种魅力，使它折射出温暖的光辉。她有一种社会地位下降的感觉，但相应地，精神世界却有极大的提升。她为了把自己从责任中解放出来所走的每一步都给她增添了作为一个个体的力量和胸怀。她开始用自己的眼光来看世界，来观察和理解生活更深处的暗流。当自己的心灵召唤她时，她已不再满足于只接受别人的观点。

After a little while, a few days, in fact, Edna went up and spent a week with her children in Iberville. They were delicious February days, with all the summer's promise hovering in the air.

过了一阵子，其实是几天后，爱德娜去伊伯维尔和孩子们一起度过了一个星期。那是二月的美好时光，空气中已弥漫着夏天将至的气息。

How glad she was to see the children! She wept for very pleasure when she felt their little arms clasping her; their hard, ruddy cheeks pressed against her own glowing cheeks. She looked into their faces with hungry eyes that could not be satisfied with looking. And what stories they had to tell their mother! About the pigs, the cows, the mules! About riding to the mill behind Gluglu; fishing back in the lake with their Uncle Jasper; picking pecans with Lidie's little black brood, and hauling chips in their express wagon. It was a thousand times more fun to haul real chips for old lame Susie's real fire than to drag painted blocks along the banquette on Esplanade Street!

看到孩子们她真高兴啊！当她感觉到他们的小胳膊抱着她，他们结实红润的小脸蛋贴着她容光焕发的脸颊时，她高兴得流下泪来。她贪婪地盯着他们的脸看，怎么看都看不够似的。他们有多少故事要跟妈妈讲啊！有关猪啊、牛啊、骡子啊！还有骑马到格拉格鲁后面的磨坊去；和贾思博叔叔一起去后面湖里钓鱼；和丽迪家的黑孩子们一起去拾山核桃，用他们家的快车拉些碎木片。拉这些真的碎木片给瘸腿的苏珊老奶奶烧火用要比在埃斯普拉内德街的院子里拖彩色积木车有趣一千倍呢！

She went with them herself to see the pigs and the cows, to look at the darkies laying the cane, to thrash the pecan trees, and catch fish in the back lake. She lived with them a whole week long, giving them all of herself, and gathering and filling herself with their young existence. They listened, breathless, when she told them the house in Esplanade Street was crowded with workmen, hammering, nailing, sawing, and filling the place with clatter. They wanted to know where their bed was; what had been done with their rocking-horse; and where did Joe sleep, and where had Ellen gone, and the cook? But, above all, they were fired with a desire to see the little house around the block. Was there any place to play? Were there any boys next door? Raoul, with pessimistic foreboding, was convinced that there were only girls next door. Where would they sleep, and where would papa sleep? She told them the fairies would fix it all right.

她亲自和孩子们一起去看猪和牛；去看黑人们砍甘蔗；去摇山核桃树打核桃；还到后面的湖里去钓鱼。她跟他们一起呆了整整一周，全身心地陪他们。他们幼年的活力也使她精神焕发，充满生气。当她告诉他们埃斯普拉内德街的房子里挤满了工人，敲打、锯木和钉钉子，到处都是叮当的声音时，他们屏住呼吸，津津有味地听着。他们想知道他们的床放在哪？他们的木马怎么样了？乔在哪儿睡？爱伦去哪里？还有厨子呢？可更重要的是，他们非常渴望看看街区附近的那个小房子。那里有玩的地方吗？隔壁有男孩子吗？拉乌尔通过悲观的预测，确信隔壁只有女孩子。他们要睡在哪儿？还有爸爸要睡在哪儿呢？她告诉他们仙女们会把一切都安排好的。

The old Madame was charmed with Edna's visit, and showered all manner of delicate attentions upon her. She was delighted to know that the Esplanade Street house was in a dismantled condition. It gave her the promise and pretext to keep the children indefinitely.

老夫人因为爱德娜的来访感到很愉快，百般努力，细心地照顾她。她知道埃斯普拉内德街的房子正在翻修时很是高兴。这相当于给了她借口和承诺无限期地把孩子们留下来。

It was with a wrench and a pang that Edna left her children. She carried away with her the sound of their voices and the touch of their cheeks. All along the journey homeward their presence lingered with her like the memory of a delicious song. But by the time she had regained the city the song no longer echoed in her soul. She was again alone.

跟孩子们离别对爱德娜来说是极大的痛苦和打击。他们的声音还在她耳边回荡，她觉得孩子们的脸仍贴在她的面颊上。在回家的路上，孩子们像对美妙的歌曲的记忆一样萦绕在她的脑海里。等她再回到城里时，这首歌不再回响在她的心灵里。她又独自一个人了。

XXXIII

第三十三章

It happened sometimes when Edna went to see Mademoiselle Reisz that the little musician was absent, giving a lesson or making some small necessary household purchase. The key was always left in a secret hiding-place in the entry, which Edna knew. If Mademoiselle happened to be away, Edna would usually enter and wait for her return.

有时候爱德娜去看雷西小姐时碰巧这位小个子音乐家不在，出去教课或是购买一些小件家居必须品什么的了。钥匙总是藏在门口一个爱德娜知道的秘密地方。假如雷西小姐碰巧不在，爱德娜通常自己开门进屋等她回来。

When she knocked at Mademoiselle Reisz's door one afternoon there was no response; so unlocking the door, as usual, she entered and found the apartment deserted, as she had expected. Her day had been quite filled up, and it was for a rest, for a refuge, and to talk about Robert, that she sought out her friend.

一天下午，她敲雷西小姐的房门时没人应答，于是她便像以往那样自己开门进屋。正如她所料，屋里空无一人。她的日程安排得非常满。她来找她的朋友只是为了休息一下，为了寻求一种慰藉，为了聊聊罗伯特。

She had worked at her canvas—a young Italian character study—all the morning, completing the work without the model; but there had been many interruptions, some incident to her modest housekeeping, and others of a social nature.

一上午她都在她那间意大利式的书房里的画布前工作，在没有模特的情况下完成作品。但在作画过程中多次被打断，有些是简单的家务事，有些则是社交性质的事。

Madame Ratignolle had dragged herself over, avoiding the too public thoroughfares, she said. She complained that Edna had neglected her much of late. Besides, she was consumed with curiosity to see the little house and the manner in which it was conducted. She wanted to hear all about the dinner party; Monsieur Ratignolle had left so early. What had happened after he left? The champagne and grapes which Edna sent over were TOO delicious. She had so little appetite; they had refreshed and toned her stomach. Where on earth was she going to put Mr. Pontellier in that little house, and the boys? And then she made Edna promise to go to her when her hour of trial overtook her.

拉蒂诺尔夫人曾拖着身子来过，她说她尽量避免走大道。她抱怨说爱德娜最近没去看望她。此外，她充满好奇，想看看这个小房子什么样子以及被打理得怎样。她还想听听晚宴的情况，拉蒂诺尔先生早早地就告辞了。他走后都发生了什么事呢？爱德娜送来的香槟和葡萄味道太好了。她本来没什么胃口，这些使她食欲大振。爱德娜究竟准备把蓬迪里埃先生安排在这个小房子的什么地方？还有孩子们呢？接着她让爱德娜答应她，等她受罪的时刻降临时，爱德娜一定要来看她。

"At any time—any time of the day or night, dear," Edna assured her.

“无论什么时候，不管是白天还是黑夜，亲爱的。”爱德娜向她保证道。

Before leaving Madame Ratignolle said:

离开前拉蒂诺尔夫人说：

"In some way you seem to me like a child, Edna. You seem to act without a certain amount of reflection which is necessary in this life. That is the reason I want to say you mustn't mind if I advise you to be a little careful while you are living here alone. Why don't you have some one come and stay with you? Wouldn't Mademoiselle Reisz come?"

“从某种意义上说，你对我来说就像个孩子，爱德娜。你行事好像不经过一定的考虑，这在我们生活中是必要的。正因为这个原因我想说，你别介意如果我建议你独自住在这儿的时候要小心一点。为什么不找个人来跟你同住呢？难道雷西小姐不愿意过来吗？”

"No; she wouldn't wish to come, and I shouldn't want her always with me."

“不愿意，她的确不愿意过来，我也不想总跟她在一起。”

"Well, the reason—you know how evil-minded the world is—some one was talking of Alcee Arobin visiting you. Of course, it wouldn't matter if Mr. Arobin had not such a dreadful reputation. Monsieur Ratignolle was telling me that his attentions alone are considered enough to ruin a woman's name."

“哎，其实原因是－－你知道现在人们心眼有多坏－－有人在谈论阿罗宾经常来拜访你。当然了，如果阿罗宾先生没有那样坏的名声就没什么要紧。拉蒂诺尔先生告诉我单是他献献殷勤就足以毁了一个女人的名声。

"Does he boast of his successes?" asked Edna, indifferently, squinting at her picture.

“他吹嘘他得手了吗？”爱德娜边眯着眼看着她的画边无动于衷地问。

"No, I think not. I believe he is a decent fellow as far as that goes. But his character is so well known among the men. I shan't be able to come back and see you; it was very, very imprudent to-day.”

“没，我认为没有。我相信在那方面他还是个体面的人。但他的为人在男人们中间是人人皆知的。我不能再来看你了。今天真是太轻率了。

"Mind the step!" cried Edna.

“注意台阶！”爱德娜喊道。

"Don't neglect me," entreated Madame Ratignolle; "and don't mind what I said about Arobin, or having some one to stay with you.

“不要把我忘了，”拉蒂诺尔夫人请求说，“也不要介意我说的关于阿罗宾的话，要不找个人来跟你一起住吧！”

"Of course not," Edna laughed. "You may say anything you like to me." They kissed each other good-by. Madame Ratignolle had not far to go, and Edna stood on the porch a while watching her walk down the street.

“当然不会介意啦。”爱德娜笑着说，“你想跟我说什么就说什么。”她们互相吻别。拉蒂诺尔夫人离得不远，爱德娜在廊道上站了一会儿目送她沿街走下去。

Then in the afternoon Mrs. Merriman and Mrs. Highcamp had made their "party call." Edna felt that they might have dispensed with the formality. They had also come to invite her to play vingt-et-un one evening at Mrs. Merriman's. She was asked to go early, to dinner, and Mr. Merriman or Mr. Arobin would take her home. Edna accepted in a half-hearted way. She sometimes felt very tired of Mrs. Highcamp and Mrs. Merriman.

接着，下午的时候，梅里曼太太和海坎普太太因为那次晚宴而“回访”。爱德娜感觉她们本可以免除礼节。她们还顺便邀她哪天晚上到梅里曼太太家去玩二十一点（注：一种扑克游戏）。还要她早点去吃晚餐，梅里曼先生或是阿罗宾会送她回家。爱德娜不是完全情愿地接受了邀请。她有时候对海坎普太太和梅里曼太太感觉非常厌烦。

Late in the afternoon she sought refuge with Mademoiselle Reisz, and stayed there alone, waiting for her, feeling a kind of repose invade her with the very atmosphere of the shabby, unpretentious little room.

下午晚些时候，她又到雷西小姐那里寻求慰藉。她独自在雷西小姐家等她回来，在这间小屋那简陋质朴的氛围中她感觉一种安逸感侵袭着她。

Edna sat at the window, which looked out over the house-tops and across the river. The window frame was filled with pots of flowers, and she sat and picked the dry leaves from a rose geranium. The day was warm, and the breeze which blew from the river was very pleasant. She removed her hat and laid it on the piano. She went on picking the leaves and digging around the plants with her hat pin. Once she thought she heard Mademoiselle Reisz approaching. But it was a young black girl, who came in, bringing a small bundle of laundry, which she deposited in the adjoining room, and went away.

爱德娜坐在窗边，从窗户看出去越过屋顶可以看到河的对面。窗台上放满了花盆，她坐在那儿摘着天竺葵的枯叶。天气暖洋洋的，从河面吹来的微风非常怡人。她把帽子摘下来放在钢琴上。她继续摘枯叶并用帽子上的别针松松花土。有一次她以为她听到了雷西小姐走近的声音。可却是一个黑人小女孩，进来拿着一小捆洗好的衣服，放在隔壁房间就走了。

Edna seated herself at the piano, and softly picked out with one hand the bars of a piece of music which lay open before her. A half-hour went by. There was the occasional sound of people going and coming in the lower hall. She was growing interested in her occupation of picking out the aria, when there was a second rap at the door. She vaguely wondered what these people did when they found Mademoiselle's door locked.

爱德娜坐在钢琴旁，一只手轻轻拿起一本乐谱在面前展开。半个小时过去了。楼下大厅里间或传来人们进进出出的声音。她正聚精会神找抒情曲，这时候突然间又响起敲门声。她有些莫名地想知道这些人发现雷西小姐的门锁着会怎么做。

"Come in," she called, turning her face toward the door. And this time it was Robert Lebrun who presented himself. She attempted to rise; she could not have done so without betraying the agitation which mastered her at sight of him, so she fell back upon the stool, only exclaiming, "Why, Robert!"

“请进。”她喊道，把脸转向了门口。这一次，进来的是罗伯特·勒布伦。她试图站起身来，可她又不能同时不流露出由于看见罗伯特而掌控着她的激动情绪。所以她又跌坐到琴凳上，只是叫着：“哎呀！罗伯特！”

He came and clasped her hand, seemingly without knowing what he was saying or doing.

他过来抓着她的手，看上去不知道怎么说或怎么做。

"Mrs. Pontellier! How do you happen—oh! how well you look! Is Mademoiselle Reisz not here? I never expected to see you.”

“蓬迪里埃夫人！怎么这么巧－－哦！你看上去好极了！雷西小姐不在家吗？我没料到会见到你。”

"When did you come back?" asked Edna in an unsteady voice, wiping her face with her handkerchief. She seemed ill at ease on the piano stool, and he begged her to take the chair by the window.

“你什么时候回来的？”爱德娜用手帕擦着脸，用颤抖的声音问道。她坐在琴凳上好像很不舒服，他请她坐到床边的椅子上。

She did so, mechanically, while he seated himself on the stool.

她机械地照做了，而他则在琴凳上坐下。

"I returned day before yesterday," he answered, while he leaned his arm on the keys, bringing forth a crash of discordant sound.

“我前天回来的。”他回答说。他把胳膊靠在琴键上，使琴发出一连串不悦耳的声音。

"Day before yesterday!" she repeated, aloud; and went on thinking to herself, "day before yesterday," in a sort of an uncomprehending way. She had pictured him seeking her at the very first hour, and he had lived under the same sky since day before yesterday; while only by accident had he stumbled upon her. Mademoiselle must have lied when she said, "Poor fool, he loves you."

“前天！”她大声重复道，然后又以一副很不理解的样子继续自言自语：“前天就回来了。”她曾设想他一回来就会找她，可从前天起他们就在同一片蓝天下生活，而他只是碰巧才撞上了她。雷西小姐曾说：“可怜的傻瓜，他爱你。”她一定在说谎。

"Day before yesterday," she repeated, breaking off a spray of Mademoiselle's geranium; "then if you had not met me here to-day you wouldn't—when—that is, didn't you mean to come and see me?"

“前天，”爱德娜重复着，把雷西小姐的一支天竺葵折断了，“那么，如果你没在这儿看到我的话，你也不会－－什么时候——这么说吧，你不打算来看看我吗？”

"Of course, I should have gone to see you. There have been so many things—” he turned the leaves of Mademoiselle's music nervously. "I started in at once yesterday with the old firm. After all there is as much chance for me here as there was there—that is, I might find it profitable some day. The Mexicans were not very congenial.”

“当然了，我本应该早去看你。可有那么多事情要做－－”他紧张地翻着雷西小姐的乐谱说，“我昨天立马着手联系我原来的公司。毕竟在这里我有着跟在那儿同样的机会－－也就是说，有一天我可能会发现这里是有钱可赚的。墨西哥人不是那么好相处的。”

So he had come back because the Mexicans were not congenial; because business was as profitable here as there; because of any reason, and not because he cared to be near her. She remembered the day she sat on the floor, turning the pages of his letter, seeking the reason which was left untold.

那么就是说他回来是因为墨西哥人不好相处；因为这里的生意和在那里一样有钱可赚；因为任何原因，就不是因为他想离她更近一些。她记得那天她坐在地板上，反复翻看着他的信，寻找他没说出来的理由。

She had not noticed how he looked—only feeling his presence; but she turned deliberately and observed him. After all, he had been absent but a few months, and was not changed. His hair—the color of hers—waved back from his temples in the same way as before. His skin was not more burned than it had been at Grand Isle. She found in his eyes, when he looked at her for one silent moment, the same tender caress, with an added warmth and entreaty which had not been there before the same glance which had penetrated to the sleeping places of her soul and awakened them.

她开始没注意他看上去什么样子——只是感觉他的存在；现在她特意转过身来打量着他。走了几个月，他竟然没变。他的头发－－跟她一样的发色－－还像以往一样从两个鬓角向后梳着。他的皮肤并未比在格兰德岛上的时候晒得更黑。当他默默地看着她时，她发现他的眼神里有着同样的温情，还有过去所没有的热情和恳切的神情－－就是这样的眼神曾经渗入她灵魂中沉睡的深处把她唤醒。

A hundred times Edna had pictured Robert's return, and imagined their first meeting. It was usually at her home, whither he had sought her out at once. She always fancied him expressing or betraying in some way his love for her. And here, the reality was that they sat ten feet apart, she at the window, crushing geranium leaves in her hand and smelling them, he twirling around on the piano stool, saying:

爱德娜曾成百次地想象着罗伯特归来的画面，想象着他回来后他们的第一次相见。无论他在哪里把她找到，设想中的第一次见面通常是在她家里。她总是幻想着罗伯特会以某种方式向她表达或流露出他对她的爱意。而此刻在这里，现实是他们相隔十英尺坐着，她在窗边用手揉碎天竺葵的叶子闻着，他则在琴凳上扭过身子说：

"I was very much surprised to hear of Mr. Pontellier's absence; it's a wonder Mademoiselle Reisz did not tell me; and your moving—mother told me yesterday. I should think you would have gone to New York with him, or to Iberville with the children, rather than be bothered here with housekeeping. And you are going abroad, too, I hear. We shan't have you at Grand Isle next summer; it won't seem—do you see much of Mademoiselle Reisz? She often spoke of you in the few letters she wrote.”

“听到蓬迪里埃先生不在的消息我很吃惊，很奇怪雷西小姐没有告诉我，还有关于你搬家的事－－我母亲昨天告诉我的。我觉得你应该跟蓬迪里埃先生一起去纽约，或是去伊伯维尔跟孩子们呆在一起，而不是在这里为家务所累。我还听说你要到国外去。明年夏天我们在格兰德岛就见不着你了。这好像不－－你常来看雷西小姐吗？她给我写过几封信，经常提及你。”

"Do you remember that you promised to write to me when you went away?" A flush overspread his whole face.

“你还记得离开时曾答应过给我写信吗？”罗伯特听了脸上泛起红晕。

"I couldn't believe that my letters would be of any interest to you."

“我无法相信你会对我的信感兴趣。”

"That is an excuse; it isn't the truth." Edna reached for her hat on the piano. She adjusted it, sticking the hat pin through the heavy coil of hair with some deliberation.

“这是托辞，不是实话。”爱德娜伸手去够放在钢琴上的帽子。她把帽子戴正，慢慢地用别针把帽子别在粗厚的盘发上。

"Are you not going to wait for Mademoiselle Reisz?" asked Robert.

“你不打算等雷西小姐了吗？”罗伯特问。

"No; I have found when she is absent this long, she is liable not to come back till late." She drew on her gloves, and Robert picked up his hat.

“不打算等了，我已知道她若是这么长时间不回来，就可能很晚才回来。”她戴上了她的手套，罗伯特也把他的帽子拿起来。

"Won't you wait for her?" asked Edna.

“难道你也不等她了吗？”爱德娜问。

"Not if you think she will not be back till late," adding, as if suddenly aware of some discourtesy in his speech, "and I should miss the pleasure of walking home with you." Edna locked the door and put the key back in its hiding-place.

“不等了，既然你认为她很晚才会回来，”突然意识到好像这话欠礼貌，他又加上，“况且否则我就错过了送你回家的这个荣幸了。”爱德娜锁好门，把钥匙放回到其隐藏的地方。

They went together, picking their way across muddy streets and sidewalks encumbered with the cheap display of small tradesmen. Part of the distance they rode in the car, and after disembarking, passed the Pontellier mansion, which looked broken and half torn asunder. Robert had never known the house, and looked at it with interest.

他们选择了泥泞的街道和小商贩们摆满便宜货的人行道一起走着。有一段路他们坐了车，下车后，他们经过蓬迪里埃家的住宅，翻修中看上去很破旧，几乎被拆倒。罗伯特以前没来过这个房子，饶有兴致地看着。

"I never knew you in your home," he remarked.

“我从未在你家里见过你。”他说。

"I am glad you did not."

“很高兴你没有。”

"Why?" She did not answer. They went on around the corner, and it seemed as if her dreams were coming true after all, when he followed her into the little house.

“为什么呢？”她没有回答。他们继续走到街角。当罗伯特跟她进入她的小房子时，她感觉好像她的梦想终成真了似的。

"You must stay and dine with me, Robert. You see I am all alone, and it is so long since I have seen you. There is so much I want to ask you."

“你一定要留下来跟我一起吃晚饭，罗伯特。你看我现在独自一个人，也这么久没见到你了。我有好多事想要问你。”

She took off her hat and gloves. He stood irresolute, making some excuse about his mother who expected him; he even muttered something about an engagement. She struck a match and lit the lamp on the table; it was growing dusk. When he saw her face in the lamp-light, looking pained, with all the soft lines gone out of it, he threw his hat aside and seated himself.

她摘下了帽子和手套。他站在那里犹豫着，借口说他母亲在等他，又吞吞吐吐地说有个约会。已近黄昏，她划了根火柴点亮桌子上的灯。当他看到灯光下她的面庞带有痛苦之色，失去了往日的柔和，他把帽子放在一边坐了下来。

"Oh! you know I want to stay if you will let me!" he exclaimed. All the softness came back. She laughed, and went and put her hand on his shoulder.

“哦！你知道，如果你愿意让我留的话，我很想留下来。”他兴奋地说。她的脸庞恢复了柔和之色。她笑了，过去把手放在他肩上。

"This is the first moment you have seemed like the old Robert. I'll go tell Celestine." She hurried away to tell Celestine to set an extra place. She even sent her off in search of some added delicacy which she had not thought of for herself. And she recommended great care in dripping the coffee and having the omelet done to a proper turn.

“这才开始像以前的罗伯特。我去吩咐塞莉斯泰因。”她匆忙去告诉塞莉斯泰因晚餐多留一个位子。她甚至吩咐她再去找几样好菜，这些就连为她自己她都没想过。她还特别关照怎样煮咖啡，炒鸡蛋时什么时候翻个儿合适。

When she reentered, Robert was turning over magazines, sketches, and things that lay upon the table in great disorder. He picked up a photograph, and exclaimed:

当她再进屋时，罗伯特正在翻看杂志、素描和非常杂乱地堆在桌子上的东西。他拿起一张照片喊道：

"Alcee Arobin! What on earth is his picture doing here?"

“阿尔塞·阿罗宾！他的照片怎么会在这儿？”

"I tried to make a sketch of his head one day," answered Edna, "and he thought the photograph might help me. It was at the other house. I thought it had been left there. I must have packed it up with my drawing materials."

“有一天我想给他画幅头像，”爱德娜回答说，“他认为这张照片可能对我有帮助。当时是在那个房子。我还以为把它留在那儿了呢。我一定是把它跟其他的画画材料包在一起了。”

"I should think you would give it back to him if you have finished with it."

“我认为如果你画完了应该把它还给他。”

"Oh! I have a great many such photographs. I never think of returning them. They don't amount to anything." Robert kept on looking at the picture.

“哦！这样的照片我还有很多。我从未想过要还给他们。它们并不是什么重要的东西。罗伯特继续看着照片。

"It seems to me—do you think his head worth drawing? Is he a friend of Mr. Pontellier's? You never said you knew him."

“在我看来－－你认为他的头像值得画吗？他是蓬迪里埃先生的朋友吗？你从没说过你认识他。”

"He isn't a friend of Mr. Pontellier's; he's a friend of mine. I always knew him—that is, it is only of late that I know him pretty well. But I'd rather talk about you, and know what you have been seeing and doing and feeling out there in Mexico." Robert threw aside the picture.

“他不是蓬迪里埃先生的朋友，而是我的一个朋友。我一直认识他－－或者说，只是最近更熟了。不过我更想谈谈你，想了解你在墨西哥的见闻，在那儿做的事和对那儿的感受。”罗伯特把相片扔在一边。

"I've been seeing the waves and the white beach of Grand Isle; the quiet, grassy street of the Cheniere; the old fort at Grande Terre. I've been working like a machine, and feeling like a lost soul. There was nothing interesting."

“我看到过格兰德岛的波涛和白色沙滩；谢尼岛的安静的绿茵街道；还有格兰德·特尔瑞的古堡。我一直像一台机器一样地工作，感觉像一个迷失的幽灵。没有什么有意思的事。”

She leaned her head upon her hand to shade her eyes from the light.

她把头靠在手上以遮住照着她眼睛的灯光。

"And what have you been seeing and doing and feeling all these days?" he asked.

“这些日子你看到些什么？做了些什么？有什么感受？”他问。

"I've been seeing the waves and the white beach of Grand Isle; the quiet, grassy street of the Cheniere Caminada; the old sunny fort at Grande Terre. I've been working with a little more comprehension than a machine, and still feeling like a lost soul. There was nothing interesting."

“我一直在看着格兰德岛的波涛和白色沙滩；谢尼·卡内尔达安静的绿茵街道；格兰德·特尔瑞那阳光照耀下的古堡。我比一台机器更有理解力地工作着，仍感觉像一个迷失的幽灵。没有什么有意思的事。”

"Mrs. Pontellier, you are cruel," he said, with feeling, closing his eyes and resting his head back in his chair. They remained in silence till old Celestine announced dinner.

“蓬迪里埃夫人，你太残忍了。”他闭上眼睛，头靠椅背深情地说。他们就这样默默无语，直到老塞莉斯泰因来宣布晚餐准备好了。

XXXIV

第三十四章

The dining-room was very small. Edna's round mahogany would have almost filled it. As it was there was but a step or two from the little table to the kitchen, to the mantel, the small buffet, and the side door that opened out on the narrow brick-paved yard.

餐厅很小。爱德娜的红木圆桌差不多把它全占满了。好像只需走一两步就可以从小餐桌这儿走到厨房、走到壁炉、走到小餐橱、走到通往狭窄的砖铺庭院的侧门。

A certain degree of ceremony settled upon them with the announcement of dinner. There was no return to personalities. Robert related incidents of his sojourn in Mexico, and Edna talked of events likely to interest him, which had occurred during his absence. The dinner was of ordinary quality, except for the few delicacies which she had sent out to purchase. Old Celestine, with a bandana tignon twisted about her head, hobbled in and out, taking a personal interest in everything; and she lingered occasionally to talk patois with Robert, whom she had known as a boy.

晚餐开始后他们之间保持着一定的礼貌。话题没有再回到个人问题上。罗伯特讲了他呆在墨西哥时的一些事；爱德娜也讲了些他不在期间发生的他可能会感兴趣的事。晚餐是家常便饭，只添了几个她派人去买的好菜。老塞莉斯泰因，头上包着一块印花方巾，蹒跚地进进出出，对一切都挺感兴趣，偶尔停下来用方言跟罗伯特聊上几句；罗伯特还小的时候老塞莉斯泰因就认识他。

He went out to a neighboring cigar stand to purchase cigarette papers, and when he came back he found that Celestine had served the black coffee in the parlor.

他去邻近的烟摊买了香烟纸，等他回来时，他发现塞莉斯泰因正往客厅里端清咖啡。

"Perhaps I shouldn't have come back," he said. "When you are tired of me, tell me to go."

“也许我本不该回来。”他说，“你什么时候厌烦我了就告诉我，让我走。”

"You never tire me. You must have forgotten the hours and hours at Grand Isle in which we grew accustomed to each other and used to being together."

“你从来不会让我感到厌烦。你一定忘了我们在格兰德岛度过的那么多时光，我们在那里逐渐熟悉，经常呆在一起。”

"I have forgotten nothing at Grand Isle," he said, not looking at her, but rolling a cigarette. His tobacco pouch, which he laid upon the table, was a fantastic embroidered silk affair, evidently the handiwork of a woman.

“在格兰德岛的日子我一点儿也没忘。”他说，眼睛没看她，只是埋头卷着烟。他放在桌子上的烟草袋是个很精致的绣花丝绸的玩意儿，明显是个女人的手工活。

"You used to carry your tobacco in a rubber pouch," said Edna, picking up the pouch and examining the needlework.

“你过去常用胶皮烟袋装烟。”爱德娜说着，拿起这个烟袋仔细地看着针线活。

"Yes; it was lost."

“对啊，但那个丢了。”

"Where did you buy this one? In Mexico?"

“这个烟袋你在哪儿买的？是墨西哥吗？”

"It was given to me by a Vera Cruz girl; they are very generous," he replied, striking a match and lighting his cigarette.

“是一个维拉克鲁兹的女孩送给我的；她们非常大方。”他边回答边划了根火柴点着了烟。

"They are very handsome, I suppose, those Mexican women; very picturesque, with their black eyes and their lace scarfs."

“她们一定很美丽，我想，那些墨西哥女人，非常别致，黑眼睛，披着蕾丝边的披肩。”

"Some are; others are hideous, just as you find women everywhere."

“有一些是，但有一些很丑，就像你所有地方看到的女人一样。”

"What was she like—the one who gave you the pouch? You must have known her very well.”

“她长得什么样－－给你烟袋的那个？你一定很了解她吧？”

"She was very ordinary. She wasn't of the slightest importance. I knew her well enough."

“她长相很一般。丝毫没什么出众的地方。我很了解她。”

"Did you visit at her house? Was it interesting? I should like to know and hear about the people you met, and the impressions they made on you."

“你到她家里拜访过她吗？有趣吗？我想了解你遇到的那些人，他们给你留下什么印象。”

"There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water."

“有些人留下的印象不那么持久，就像桨划过水留下的印记一样。”

"Was she such a one?"

“她属于这一类吗？”

"It would be ungenerous for me to admit that she was of that order and kind." He thrust the pouch back in his pocket, as if to put away the subject with the trifle which had brought it up.

“我要是承认她属于这类就太不大度了。”他把烟袋塞回到衣袋中，好像要避开这个小物件所引起的话题。

Arobin dropped in with a message from Mrs. Merriman, to say that the card party was postponed on account of the illness of one of her children.

这时阿罗宾来了，捎来梅里曼太太要他传的口信，说由于她的一个孩子生病，所以玩牌的聚会延期了。

"How do you do, Arobin?" said Robert, rising from the obscurity.

“你好，阿罗宾。”罗伯特从暗处起身说道。

"Oh! Lebrun. To be sure! I heard yesterday you were back. How did they treat you down in Mexique?"

“哦！勒布伦。真是你呀！昨天听说你回来了。墨西哥那边他们待你怎么样？”

"Fairly well."

“相当不错。”

"But not well enough to keep you there. Stunning girls, though, in Mexico. I thought I should never get away from Vera Cruz when I was down there a couple of years ago."

“但没好到把你留在那儿。尽管墨西哥有绝色的美人儿。我想几年前我到维拉克鲁兹的时候真不该再离开。”

"Did they embroider slippers and tobacco pouches and hat-bands and things for you?" asked Edna.

“她们给你绣拖鞋、烟袋、帽带或者别的什么东西了吗？”爱德娜问。

"Oh! my! no! I didn't get so deep in their regard. I fear they made more impression on me than I made on them."

“哦！天啊！没有！我跟她们没那么深的交情。怕是她们给我的印象要比我给她们的印象深吧。”

"You were less fortunate than Robert, then."

“这么说你没有罗伯特幸运了。”

"I am always less fortunate than Robert. Has he been imparting tender confidences?"

“我总是没罗伯特那么幸运。他向你透露他那些温柔的小秘密了吗？”

"I've been imposing myself long enough," said Robert, rising, and shaking hands with Edna. "Please convey my regards to Mr. Pontellier when you write."

“我已经打扰很久了。”罗伯特说着站了起来，跟爱德娜握手告辞。“再写信时请代我问候蓬迪里埃先生。”

He shook hands with Arobin and went away.

他跟阿罗宾握了手便离开了。

"Fine fellow, that Lebrun," said Arobin when Robert had gone. "I never heard you speak of him."

“好小伙子，那个勒布伦。”罗伯特走之后阿罗宾说道，“我从没听你说起过他。”

"I knew him last summer at Grand Isle," she replied. "Here is that photograph of yours. Don't you want it?"

“去年夏天，我在格兰德岛上认识他的。”爱德娜回答说，“这是你那张照片。难道你不想要了？”

"What do I want with it? Throw it away." She threw it back on the table.

“还要它干什么？把它扔了吧。”她把照片又放回到桌子上。

"I'm not going to Mrs. Merriman's," she said. "If you see her, tell her so. But perhaps I had better write. I think I shall write now, and say that I am sorry her child is sick, and tell her not to count on me."

“我不打算去梅里曼太太家了。”她说，“如果你见着她，跟她说一声。不过也许我最好写封信。我想我现在就该写，说听说她的孩子病了我很难过，还要告诉她别算上我了。”

"It would be a good scheme," acquiesced Arobin. "I don't blame you; stupid lot!"

“这主意不错，”阿罗宾赞同道，“我不会怪你的，傻瓜！”

Edna opened the blotter, and having procured paper and pen, began to write the note. Arobin lit a cigar and read the evening paper, which he had in his pocket.

爱德娜打开记事薄，撕下纸，拿起笔开始写便条。阿罗宾点了一支雪茄，从口袋里拿出晚报读了起来。

"What is the date?" she asked. He told her.

“今天几号？”她问。他告诉了她。

"Will you mail this for me when you go out?"

“你出去的时候帮我把它寄了好吗？”

"Certainly." He read to her little bits out of the newspaper, while she straightened things on the table.

“当然可以啦。”爱德娜收拾桌子上的东西时，他给她读报纸上的一些小片段。

"What do you want to do?" he asked, throwing aside the paper. "Do you want to go out for a walk or a drive or anything? It would be a fine night to drive."

“你想做什么？”他把报纸扔到一边问道，“你想出去散散步或是坐车兜风什么的吗？今晚坐车兜风挺合适。”

"No; I don't want to do anything but just be quiet. You go away and amuse yourself. Don't stay."

“不，我什么也不想做，只想安静一会儿。你自己出去找乐子吧。别在这儿呆着了。”

"I'll go away if I must; but I shan't amuse myself. You know that I only live when I am near you."

“如果非让我走我就走，可是我不想自己找乐子。你知道只有你在旁边我才觉得过得快乐。”

He stood up to bid her good night.

他起身跟她道晚安。

"Is that one of the things you always say to women?"

“这是你经常跟女人们说的话吧？”

"I have said it before, but I don't think I ever came so near meaning it," he answered with a smile. There were no warm lights in her eyes; only a dreamy, absent look.

“我以前说过，不过从不像现在这样认真。”他笑着回答。她目光朦胧，眼神里没有热情的光芒，看上去心不在焉。

"Good night. I adore you. Sleep well," he said, and he kissed her hand and went away.

“晚安吧。我很爱你。好好睡吧。”他说着，吻了她的手便离开了。

She stayed alone in a kind of reverie—a sort of stupor. Step by step she lived over every instant of the time she had been with Robert after he had entered Mademoiselle Reisz's door. She recalled his words, his looks. How few and meager they had been for her hungry heart! A vision—a transcendently seductive vision of a Mexican girl arose before her. She writhed with a jealous pang. She wondered when he would come back. He had not said he would come back. She had been with him, had heard his voice and touched his hand. But some way he had seemed nearer to her off there in Mexico.

她独自一个人呆在那儿，陷入幻想中－－一种恍惚的状态。她一点点回忆着罗伯特进入雷西小姐家后她跟他在一起的时光。她回忆着他的话，他的容颜。可是这一切是那么的稀少贫乏，怎么能满足她那饥渴的心！她脑海里出现一个幻觉－－幻觉中出现一个妩媚动人的墨西哥女孩。一阵嫉妒让她极为不安。她想知道他什么时候会再来。他没有说他会再来。她曾和他呆在一起过，听着他的声音，抚摸着他的手。但从某种意义上说，他远在墨西哥时倒好像离她更近似的。

XXXV

第三十五章

The morning was full of sunlight and hope. Edna could see before her no denial—only the promise of excessive joy. She lay in bed awake, with bright eyes full of speculation. "He loves you, poor fool." If she could but get that conviction firmly fixed in her mind, what mattered about the rest? She felt she had been childish and unwise the night before in giving herself over to despondency. She recapitulated the motives which no doubt explained Robert's reserve. They were not insurmountable; they would not hold if he really loved her; they could not hold against her own passion, which he must come to realize in time. She pictured him going to his business that morning. She even saw how he was dressed; how he walked down one street, and turned the corner of another; saw him bending over his desk, talking to people who entered the office, going to his lunch, and perhaps watching for her on the street. He would come to her in the afternoon or evening, sit and roll his cigarette, talk a little, and go away as he had done the night before. But how delicious it would be to have him there with her! She would have no regrets, nor seek to penetrate his reserve if he still chose to wear it.

第二天早上阳光明媚，一切都生机勃勃。爱德娜不再感到压抑－－只有无限的喜悦。她躺在床上，醒着，明亮的双眸充满了思索。“他是爱你的，可怜的傻瓜。”如果她能在大脑中坚信这一点，其他的一切又有什么关系呢？她感觉头一天晚上她的沮丧低沉真是孩子气，不明智。她总结出了毫无疑问地能够解释罗伯特的冷淡的原因。它们并非难以克服。如果他真的爱她，这种冷淡不会持久；面对她的激情，这种冷淡不可能持久；他一定会适时意识到她的激情的。她的脑海里出现了那天早晨他去上班的画面。她甚至好像看到他怎样穿着打扮；怎样走在一条街上，拐过另一个街角；还看到他在办公室伏在桌前同进来的人说话，看到他去吃午饭，或许还在街上张望着找她。下午或傍晚，他会到她这里来，坐在那儿卷支烟，说会儿话，然后像头一天晚上那样离开。但是有他跟她在一起该是多么好呀！如果他选择这样冷淡下去，她也不会遗憾，也不会寻机打破这种局面。

Edna ate her breakfast only half dressed. The maid brought her a delicious printed scrawl from Raoul, expressing his love, asking her to send him some bonbons, and telling her they had found that morning ten tiny white pigs all lying in a row beside Lidie's big white pig.

爱德娜半披着衣服吃了早饭。女仆拿来拉乌尔寄来的自己乱涂的一张有趣的画，表达了他对妈妈的爱，并求她寄些糖果，还告诉她那天早上他们发现丽迪的大白猪旁边躺了一排十只小猪仔。

A letter also came from her husband, saying he hoped to be back early in March, and then they would get ready for that journey abroad which he had promised her so long, which he felt now fully able to afford; he felt able to travel as people should, without any thought of small economies—thanks to his recent speculations in Wall Street.

还有一封信是她丈夫寄来的，说他希望三月初回来，那时他们会准备好到国外旅行，这是他答应她很长时间的事了，现在他完全能负担得起这次旅行，像人们应该的那样去旅行，不用考虑琐碎的经济问题－－因为他最近在华尔街的投机买卖不错。

Much to her surprise she received a note from Arobin, written at midnight from the club. It was to say good morning to her, to hope she had slept well, to assure her of his devotion, which he trusted she in some faintest manner returned.

她还很惊讶地收到了阿罗宾的一个便条，是半夜从俱乐部写来的。便条里他向她问了早安，说希望她睡了个好觉，向她表示他对她的真情，并表示相信她绝不会有丝毫回应的。

All these letters were pleasing to her. She answered the children in a cheerful frame of mind, promising them bonbons, and congratulating them upon their happy find of the little pigs.

所有这些信都使她感到高兴。她很快乐地给孩子们回了信，答应他们糖果的事，并对他们幸福地发现了小猪仔表示祝贺。

She answered her husband with friendly evasiveness,—not with any fixed design to mislead him, only because all sense of reality had gone out of her life; she had abandoned herself to Fate, and awaited the consequences with indifference.

她以友好的模棱两可的态度给她丈夫回了信－－没有任何的肯定的答复以免误导他，因为所有的现实感已远离了她的生活。她已把自己交付于命运，漠然地等待着最后的裁决。

To Arobin's note she made no reply. She put it under Celestine's stove-lid.

对阿罗宾的便条她没有回复。她把它扔进了塞莉斯泰因的火炉盖下。

Edna worked several hours with much spirit. She saw no one but a picture dealer, who asked her if it were true that she was going abroad to study in Paris.

爱德娜精力充沛地工作了几个小时。除了一个画商她没见任何人。这个画商来问她是不是她真的要出国到巴黎去学习。

She said possibly she might, and he negotiated with her for some Parisian studies to reach him in time for the holiday trade in December.

她说可能她会去。商人便和她商量要她把在巴黎学习时的一些画及时地寄给他，以便在十二月的假日交易中出售。

Robert did not come that day. She was keenly disappointed. He did not come the following day, nor the next. Each morning she awoke with hope, and each night she was a prey to despondency. She was tempted to seek him out. But far from yielding to the impulse, she avoided any occasion which might throw her in his way. She did not go to Mademoiselle Reisz's nor pass by Madame Lebrun's, as she might have done if he had still been in Mexico.

那天罗伯特没来。她失望极了。第二天他也没来，接下来那天他还是没来。每天早晨她都怀着希望醒来，而每天晚上她又为低沉沮丧所折磨。她总是很想去找罗伯特。但她没有屈从于这种冲动，避免了可能与他见面的任何机会。她不像他还在墨西哥时那样去雷西小姐家，也不会有意路过勒布伦家。

When Arobin, one night, urged her to drive with him, she went—out to the lake, on the Shell Road. His horses were full of mettle, and even a little unmanageable. She liked the rapid gait at which they spun along, and the quick, sharp sound of the horses' hoofs on the hard road. They did not stop anywhere to eat or to drink. Arobin was not needlessly imprudent. But they ate and they drank when they regained Edna's little dining-room—which was comparatively early in the evening.

一天晚上，当阿罗宾极力劝她跟他驾车去兜风时，她去了－－到贝壳路那里的湖边去兜风。他的马精力充沛，甚至有点难以驾驭。她喜欢马儿疾驰的步伐，喜欢听坚硬的马路上的快而尖利的马蹄声。一路上他们也没停下来吃点什么或是喝点什么。阿罗宾也没有什么不必要的轻率举动。等他们回到爱德娜的小餐室时，时候尚早，他们吃喝了点东西。

It was late when he left her. It was getting to be more than a passing whim with Arobin to see her and be with her. He had detected the latent sensuality, which unfolded under his delicate sense of her nature's requirements like a torpid, torrid, sensitive blossom.

等他离开她时已经很晚了。对阿罗宾来说，来看她，陪着她已经不只是一闪即过的念头了。他早已发现她那潜伏的欲望，他敏锐地察觉到她的这种出于天性的需求就像是一朵狂热而敏感的花苞一样慢慢地展开。

There was no despondency when she fell asleep that night; nor was there hope when she awoke in the morning.

那天晚上她入睡时没感到消沉，早晨醒来时也没怀有任何希望。

XXXVI

第三十六章

There was a garden out in the suburbs; a small, leafy corner, with a few green tables under the orange trees. An old cat slept all day on the stone step in the sun, and an old mulatresse slept her idle hours away in her chair at the open window, till, some one happened to knock on one of the green tables. She had milk and cream cheese to sell, and bread and butter. There was no one who could make such excellent coffee or fry a chicken so golden brown as she.

在郊外有一个花园，一个林荫掩映的小角落里，几张绿色的桌子摆在橘子树下。一只老猫整天睡在阳光下的石阶上。一个黑白混血的老太太坐在敞开的窗边椅子上酣睡以打发无聊的时间，直到有人会敲那些绿色桌子。她有牛奶、乳酪出售，还有面包和黄油。没人能像她那样煮出这样美味的咖啡，也没有人能像她那样把鸡烤得呈现出那种金黄色。

The place was too modest to attract the attention of people of fashion, and so quiet as to have escaped the notice of those in search of pleasure and dissipation. Edna had discovered it accidentally one day when the high-board gate stood ajar. She caught sight of a little green table, blotched with the checkered sunlight that filtered through the quivering leaves overhead. Within she had found the slumbering mulatresse, the drowsy cat, and a glass of milk which reminded her of the milk she had tasted in Iberville.

这个地方太简陋，不能吸引时髦客人的光顾；它也太安静，不能引起寻欢作乐的人们的注意。有一天那高高的木门半开着的时候爱德娜偶然发现了这里。她看见了一张绿色的小桌子，透过头上摇曳的树叶，阳光斑驳地落在桌子上。再往里她还看见那个酣睡着的黑白混血老太太，那只打瞌睡的猫，还有一杯牛奶，使她想起了她在伊伯维尔乡下喝的牛奶。

She often stopped there during her perambulations; sometimes taking a book with her, and sitting an hour or two under the trees when she found the place deserted. Once or twice she took a quiet dinner there alone, having instructed Celestine beforehand to prepare no dinner at home. It was the last place in the city where she would have expected to meet any one she knew.

她散步时经常在那儿停下来。有时她拿着书，发现这个地方安静无人时，就在树下坐下来看一两个小时的书。也有那么一两次她提前吩咐塞莉斯泰因不要为她在家准备晚餐，而独自在那儿安静地吃上一顿饭。在城里，这儿是她最不可能会遇到熟人的地方。

Still she was not astonished when, as she was partaking of a modest dinner late in the afternoon, looking into an open book, stroking the cat, which had made friends with her—she was not greatly astonished to see Robert come in at the tall garden gate.

一天傍晚，她正在吃一顿便饭，一边看着翻开的书，一边还抚摸着已跟她有交情的老猫。这时，她看见罗伯特进来了，站在高高的花园门口，但她并没有十分吃惊。

"I am destined to see you only by accident," she said, shoving the cat off the chair beside her. He was surprised, ill at ease, almost embarrassed at meeting her thus so unexpectedly.

“我注定只有碰巧才能见到你。”她说着把那只猫从她旁边的椅子上推下去。他很惊讶，有点慌张，这样出乎意料地遇见她使他几乎感到很尴尬。

"Do you come here often?" he asked.

“你经常来这里吗？”他问。

"I almost live here," she said.

“我几乎要在这里住了。”她说。

"I used to drop in very often for a cup of Catiche's good coffee. This is the first time since I came back."

“我过去常来喝杯卡蒂歇煮的香喷喷的咖啡。不过这是我回来后的第一次。”

"She'll bring you a plate, and you will share my dinner. There's always enough for two—even three.” Edna had intended to be indifferent and as reserved as he when she met him; she had reached the determination by a laborious train of reasoning, incident to one of her despondent moods. But her resolve melted when she saw him before designing Providence had led him into her path.

“让她给你拿个盘子，你可以跟我吃一份晚餐。量很大，足够两个人，甚至三个人吃了。爱德娜曾打算再见到他时要像他那样冷淡矜持。她费了很大力气给自己讲道理，最终下定了决心，当然这也同她低落的情绪有关。可是当她看见上帝有预谋地把他带到她的生活轨道中来时，她的决心顿时消失。

"Why have you kept away from me, Robert?" she asked, closing the book that lay open upon the table.

“你为什么一直躲着我，罗伯特？”她问，合上放在桌子上的打开的书。

"Why are you so personal, Mrs. Pontellier? Why do you force me to idiotic subterfuges?" he exclaimed with sudden warmth. "I suppose there's no use telling you I've been very busy, or that I've been sick, or that I've been to see you and not found you at home. Please let me off with any one of these excuses."

“你为什么如此过于涉及私人的事，蓬迪里埃夫人？你为什么总是强迫我去编一些愚蠢的托辞？”他大声叫道，语气突然变得热烈起来。“我觉得要是告诉你我最近很忙，或是病了，或是去看你但你不在家这些都没用。请不要让我说这些借口。”

"You are the embodiment of selfishness," she said. "You save yourself something—I don't know what—but there is some selfish motive, and in sparing yourself you never consider for a moment what I think, or how I feel your neglect and indifference. I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into a habit of expressing myself. It doesn't matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like."

“你真是自私的化身，”她说，“你内心有所掩藏－－我不知道是什么－－但你有自私的动机，为了使自己免于伤害，却丝毫不考虑我的想法，或是我对你的冷落与漠视的感受。我想这就是你所认为的不像女人的品质，但我已习惯于表达我的情感。没关系，要是你愿意认为我不像女人，你就那样想好了。”

"No; I only think you cruel, as I said the other day. Maybe not intentionally cruel; but you seem to be forcing me into disclosures which can result in nothing; as if you would have me bare a wound for the pleasure of looking at it, without the intention or power of healing it."

“不是，我只是认为你残忍，就像我那天说的那样。也许你不是有意残忍的，但你似乎在强迫我吐露真情，而这不会有什么好结果，就好像你揭了我的伤疤，只是喜欢看看它而已，并无意也无力为我疗伤。”

"I'm spoiling your dinner, Robert; never mind what I say. You haven't eaten a morsel."

“我真是搞坏了你吃饭的心情，罗伯特。别在意我说的话。你还一点饭没吃呢。”

"I only came in for a cup of coffee." His sensitive face was all disfigured with excitement.

“我只是来喝杯咖啡而已。”他那张敏感的面孔已激动得变了形。

"Isn't this a delightful place?" she remarked. "I am so glad it has never actually been discovered. It is so quiet, so sweet, here. Do you notice there is scarcely a sound to be heard? It's so out of the way; and a good walk from the car. However, I don't mind walking. I always feel so sorry for women who don't like to walk; they miss so much—so many rare little glimpses of life; and we women learn so little of life on the whole.

“这真是个怡人的地方，是吧？”她说道，“我真高兴它没有被大家发现。这里真是宁静，恬然。你有没有注意到这里几乎寂静无声。它离大道很远，下车后要走很长时间。可我不介意走路。我总是为那些不喜欢走路的女士们感到遗憾，她们错过了很多——很多生活中罕见的场景。总之，我们女人对生活了解得太少了。”

"Catiche's coffee is always hot. I don't know how she manages it, here in the open air. Celestine's coffee gets cold bringing it from the kitchen to the dining-room. Three lumps! How can you drink it so sweet? Take some of the cress with your chop; it's so biting and crisp. Then there's the advantage of being able to smoke with your coffee out here. Now, in the city—aren't you going to smoke?"

“卡蒂歇的咖啡总是热乎乎的。我不知道在这户外她是怎么做到的。塞莉斯泰因的咖啡从厨房拿到餐厅就凉了。三块方糖！你怎么能喝这么甜的咖啡？吃些芹菜和排骨吧，很脆，口感不错。还有个好处就是你可以在这里边抽烟边喝咖啡。现在在城里——你不抽烟吗？”

"After a while," he said, laying a cigar on the table.

“过会儿抽。”他说着把雪茄放在桌子上。

"Who gave it to you?" she laughed.

“谁给你的呀？”她笑着问。

"I bought it. I suppose I'm getting reckless; I bought a whole box." She was determined not to be personal again and make him uncomfortable.

“我自己买的。我想我越来越轻率了。我买了一整盒。”她决定不再提及私人问题让他感到不舒服了。

The cat made friends with him, and climbed into his lap when he smoked his cigar. He stroked her silky fur, and talked a little about her. He looked at Edna's book, which he had read; and he told her the end, to save her the trouble of wading through it, he said.

那只猫同他交上了朋友，在他抽烟时爬到了他的腿上。他抚摸着它丝滑的皮毛，说了几句关于它的话。他看了看爱德娜的书，这本书他曾读过，就跟她讲了书的结局，说省着她还得费力地把它读完。

Again he accompanied her back to her home; and it was after dusk when they reached the little "pigeon-house.” She did not ask him to remain, which he was grateful for, as it permitted him to stay without the discomfort of blundering through an excuse which he had no intention of considering. He helped her to light the lamp; then she went into her room to take off her hat and to bathe her face and hands.

他又再次送她回家，等他们回到她的小“鸽舍”时天色已晚。她没有要他留下来，对此他很感激，这等于让他留下来而又免去了他不情愿的费心找借口的尴尬。他帮她点了灯，然后她进了屋，摘下帽子开始洗漱。

When she came back Robert was not examining the pictures and magazines as before; he sat off in the shadow, leaning his head back on the chair as if in a reverie. Edna lingered a moment beside the table, arranging the books there. Then she went across the room to where he sat. She bent over the arm of his chair and called his name.

当她回来时，罗伯特不像以前那样翻阅画和杂志，他坐在暗处，头倚着椅背，好像陷入幻想之中。爱德娜在桌旁停留片刻，整理着书刊。然后她穿过房间走到他坐的地方。她俯身趴在他坐着的椅子的扶手上，叫着他的名字。

"Robert," she said, "are you asleep?"

“罗伯特，”她说，“你睡着了吗？”

"No," he answered, looking up at her.

“没。”他回答说，抬头看着她。

She leaned over and kissed him—a soft, cool, delicate kiss, whose voluptuous sting penetrated his whole being-then she moved away from him. He followed, and took her in his arms, just holding her close to him. She put her hand up to his face and pressed his cheek against her own. The action was full of love and tenderness. He sought her lips again. Then he drew her down upon the sofa beside him and held her hand in both of his.

她靠过去吻了他－－这样温柔、清凉、淡淡的一吻使他销魂，接着她从他身边走开。他跟上她，把她拥入怀里，紧紧地抱着她。她把手放在他的脸上，把它紧紧贴在自己的面颊上。这动作充满了温存与爱意。他再次寻找着她的嘴唇。然后他把她拉到沙发上，让她坐在他身边，双手抓着她的手。

"Now you know," he said, "now you know what I have been fighting against since last summer at Grand Isle; what drove me away and drove me back again."

“现在你知道了，”他说，“知道自从去年夏天在格兰德岛以来我一直做着什么样的思想斗争，又是什么驱使我离开又驱使我回来。”

"Why have you been fighting against it?" she asked. Her face glowed with soft lights.

“你为什么要一直做思想斗争？”她问。她脸上闪着柔和的光。

"Why? Because you were not free; you were Leonce Pontellier's wife. I couldn't help loving you if you were ten times his wife; but so long as I went away from you and kept away I could help telling you so." She put her free hand up to his shoulder, and then against his cheek, rubbing it softly. He kissed her again. His face was warm and flushed.

“因为什么？因为你不是自由人，你是莱翁斯·蓬迪里埃的妻子。可即使你是他的妻子，我也禁不住爱你。但只要我远离你，一直远离你，我就能控制住自己，不跟你说这些话。她把手搭在他的肩上，接着又放在他的脸上，温柔地抚摸着他的面颊。他又吻了吻她。他的脸热烈而绯红。

"There in Mexico I was thinking of you all the time, and longing for you."

“远在墨西哥的时候，我一直很想你，渴望见到你。”

"But not writing to me," she interrupted.

“但就是不给我写信。”她打断他的话。

"Something put into my head that you cared for me; and I lost my senses. I forgot everything but a wild dream of your some way becoming my wife."

“我有这样的念头，认为你在乎我，因此我失去了理智。我忘记一切，只是狂野地梦想着你会成为我的妻子。”

"Your wife!"

“你的妻子！”

"Religion, loyalty, everything would give way if only you cared."

“只要你愿意，宗教、忠贞，一切都会让路的。”

"Then you must have forgotten that I was Leonce Pontellier's wife."

“那么你一定忘了我是莱翁斯·蓬迪里埃的妻子了。”

"Oh! I was demented, dreaming of wild, impossible things, recalling men who had set their wives free, we have heard of such things."

“哦！我简直是神经错乱了，净想些狂妄、不可能的事，记得也有男人让他们的妻子自由，我们曾听过这类事情的。”

"Yes, we have heard of such things."

“的确，我们曾听说过这类事情。”

"I came back full of vague, mad intentions. And when I got here—”

“所以我回来了，带着模糊疯狂的打算。而当我到这里的时候——”

"When you got here you never came near me!" She was still caressing his cheek.

“当你到这里时，你从不靠近我！”她还是在抚摸着他的面颊。

"I realized what a cur I was to dream of such a thing, even if you had been willing."

“我意识到，即使你愿意，我幻想这样的事也是很卑劣的。”

She took his face between her hands and looked into it as if she would never withdraw her eyes more. She kissed him on the forehead, the eyes, the cheeks, and the lips.

她双手捧着他的脸，仔细端详着，好像再也不愿把眼睛从他脸上移开。她吻着他的额头、双眼、脸颊还有嘴唇。

"You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, 'Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours,' I should laugh at you both."

“你是个很傻很傻的孩子，真是在浪费时间幻想不可能的事情，还说什么蓬迪里埃先生会让我自由。我不再是可供蓬迪里埃先生随意处置的财产。我给我自己选择出路的机会。如果他会说：‘嗨，罗伯特，带她走吧，给她幸福，她是你的了。’那样的话我会嘲笑你们俩的。”

His face grew a little white. "What do you mean?" he asked.

他的脸变得有点苍白。“你这是什么意思？”他问。

There was a knock at the door. Old Celestine came in to say that Madame Ratignolle's servant had come around the back way with a message that Madame had been taken sick and begged Mrs. Pontellier to go to her immediately.

忽然有人敲门。老塞莉斯泰因进来说拉蒂诺尔夫人的仆人来传话说夫人快要生了，请蓬迪里埃德里埃夫人马上过去。

"Yes, yes," said Edna, rising; "I promised. Tell her yes—to wait for me. I'll go back with her."

“好的，好的，”爱德娜站起来说，“我答应过她的。告诉她我马上去，让她等着我。我跟她一起回去。”

"Let me walk over with you," offered Robert.

“让我陪你过去吧。”罗伯特提出。

"No," she said; "I will go with the servant. She went into her room to put on her hat, and when she came in again she sat once more upon the sofa beside him. He had not stirred. She put her arms about his neck.

“不用了，”她说，“我同仆人一道去。”她进屋戴上帽子，再回来时又坐到沙发上挨着他。他没有动。她抱住他的脖子。

"Good-by, my sweet Robert. Tell me good-by.” He kissed her with a degree of passion which had not before entered into his caress, and strained her to him.

“再见，亲爱的罗伯特。跟我说再见吧！”他热情地吻着她，远比抚摸她的时候热情，然后又紧紧地拥住了她。

"I love you," she whispered, "only you; no one but you. It was you who awoke me last summer out of a life-long, stupid dream. Oh! you have made me so unhappy with your indifference. Oh! I have suffered, suffered! Now you are here we shall love each other, my Robert. We shall be everything to each other. Nothing else in the world is of any consequence. I must go to my friend; but you will wait for me? No matter how late; you will wait for me, Robert?”

“我爱你，”她小声说，“只爱你一个，没有别人只有你。”是你去年夏天把我从昏睡已久的愚蠢的梦中唤醒。哦！你的冷漠使我如此不快乐。哦！我遭受了痛苦、折磨！现在你在这里了，我们将彼此珍爱，我的罗伯特。我们要珍视彼此。世上任何别的事都无关紧要。现在我必须去看朋友了，你能等我吗？无论多晚你都等着，好吗，罗伯特？”

"Don't go; don't go! Oh! Edna, stay with me," he pleaded. "Why should you go? Stay with me, stay with me."

“别走，别走！哦！爱德娜，留下来陪我。”他请求道，“你为什么要走？留下来陪我，留下来陪我。”

"I shall come back as soon as I can; I shall find you here." She buried her face in his neck, and said good-by again. Her seductive voice, together with his great love for her, had enthralled his senses, had deprived him of every impulse but the longing to hold her and keep her.

我尽可能快地回来，我回到这里找你。”她用面颊贴着他的脖子又跟他说再见。她那诱人的声音，再加上他对她的挚爱，使他销魂，使他忘记一切，只想将她拥入怀中把她留住。

XXXVII

第三十七章

Edna looked in at the drug store. Monsieur Ratignolle was putting up a mixture himself, very carefully, dropping a red liquid into a tiny glass. He was grateful to Edna for having come; her presence would be a comfort to his wife. Madame Ratignolle's sister, who had always been with her at such trying times, had not been able to come up from the plantation, and Adele had been inconsolable until Mrs. Pontellier so kindly promised to come to her. The nurse had been with them at night for the past week, as she lived a great distance away. And Dr. Mandelet had been coming and going all the afternoon. They were then looking for him any moment.

爱德娜到药店里看了看。拉蒂诺尔先生正小心谨慎地举着一种合剂，将一种红色的液体倒入一个小杯子中。他对爱德娜的到来表示感激，她的在场对他妻子将是莫大的安慰。拉蒂诺尔夫人的姐姐以前在这样的艰难时刻总是跟她在一起，可这次没能从农场赶来。阿黛尔之前一直感到不安，直到蓬迪里埃夫人仁慈地答应她会过来她才感到安慰些。过去一周，护士晚上一直陪着她，因为她住得离这儿很远。整个下午芒代勒医生一直来来回回地忙着。他们时刻都需要他。

Edna hastened upstairs by a private stairway that led from the rear of the store to the apartments above. The children were all sleeping in a back room. Madame Ratignolle was in the salon, whither she had strayed in her suffering impatience. She sat on the sofa, clad in an ample white peignoir, holding a handkerchief tight in her hand with a nervous clutch. Her face was drawn and pinched, her sweet blue eyes haggard and unnatural. All her beautiful hair had been drawn back and plaited. It lay in a long braid on the sofa pillow, coiled like a golden serpent. The nurse, a comfortable looking Griffe woman in white apron and cap, was urging her to return to her bedroom.

爱德娜匆忙从药店后面通往上面寓所的私人楼梯上去了。孩子们都在后面的房间里睡了。拉蒂诺尔夫人正在客厅里，变得痛苦而焦急。她坐在沙发上，身穿宽松的白色睡衣，手里紧紧地攥着一块手绢，很紧张地抓着。她的脸枯槁而瘦削，那迷人的蓝眼睛也异常憔悴。漂亮的头发都拢到后面扎成了辫子。长辫搭在沙发枕上像一条金蛇盘旋在那里。那个长相姣好的黑白混血护士戴着白帽子，正极力劝她回卧室。

"There is no use, there is no use," she said at once to Edna. "We must get rid of Mandelet; he is getting too old and careless. He said he would be here at half-past seven; now it must be eight. See what time it is, Josephine.”

“没用的，没用的，”她立刻对爱德娜说，“我们不要再请芒代勒医生了，他太老了，也不细心。他说他七点半会来这里，现在一定有八点了。看看现在几点了，若斯菲娜。”

The woman was possessed of a cheerful nature, and refused to take any situation too seriously, especially a situation with which she was so familiar. She urged Madame to have courage and patience. But Madame only set her teeth hard into her under lip, and Edna saw the sweat gather in beads on her white forehead. After a moment or two she uttered a profound sigh and wiped her face with the handkerchief rolled in a ball. She appeared exhausted. The nurse gave her a fresh handkerchief, sprinkled with cologne water.

这位女士有着达观的性格，在任何情况下都不会慌张，尤其是对她所熟悉的情况。她劝夫人鼓足勇气，耐心等待。可夫人只是紧咬下唇，爱德娜看到汗水在她苍白的额头上结成了汗珠。过了一会儿，她长叹一口气，用卷成一团的手绢擦了擦脸。她看上去精疲力尽。护士递给她一块新手绢，还洒上了香水。

"This is too much!" she cried. "Mandelet ought to be killed! Where is Alphonse? Is it possible I am to be abandoned like this-neglected by every one?”

“这太过分了！”她叫道，“芒代勒应该被处死！阿尔方斯在哪？可以这样把我扔在这里没人管吗？”

"Neglected, indeed!" exclaimed the nurse. Wasn't she there? And here was Mrs. Pontellier leaving, no doubt, a pleasant evening at home to devote to her? And wasn't Monsieur Ratignolle coming that very instant through the hall? And Josephine was quite sure she had heard Doctor Mandelet's coupe. Yes, there it was, down at the door.

“真是没人管啊！”护士大声说道。难道她没在这儿吗？这里不还有蓬迪里埃夫人吗？毫无疑问，她放弃了在家里度过愉快的夜晚而来这里看她。还有拉蒂诺尔先生这时不也正穿过前厅过来了吗？若斯菲娜还确定她听到了芒代勒医生的马车声。是的，到了，就在门口。

Adele consented to go back to her room. She sat on the edge of a little low couch next to her bed.

阿黛尔同意回她自己的房间。她坐在挨着床的一个低矮的睡椅的边上。

Doctor Mandelet paid no attention to Madame Ratignolle's upbraidings. He was accustomed to them at such times, and was too well convinced of her loyalty to doubt it.

芒代勒医生没有在意拉蒂诺尔夫人的谴责。在这种时候他已习惯于这些话，并相信夫人对他的忠心是毋庸置疑的。

He was glad to see Edna, and wanted her to go with him into the salon and entertain him. But Madame Ratignolle would not consent that Edna should leave her for an instant. Between agonizing moments, she chatted a little, and said it took her mind off her sufferings.

他很高兴见到爱德娜，并想让她陪他一起去客厅和他呆一会儿。可拉蒂诺尔夫人不让爱德娜离开她片刻。在阵痛间歇，她闲聊几句，说这样能使她忘记痛苦。

Edna began to feel uneasy. She was seized with a vague dread. Her own like experiences seemed far away, unreal, and only half remembered. She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, the heavy odor of chloroform, a stupor which had deadened sensation, and an awakening to find a little new life to which she had given being, added to the great unnumbered multitude of souls that come and go.

爱德娜开始感觉不安。一种莫名的恐惧攫住了她。她自己的这种经历好像很久远，很不真实，她只隐约记得一部分。她模糊地记得那强烈地疼痛的感觉，那浓浓的氯仿的味道，完全没了知觉的那种昏迷，醒来之后发现她所赋予的那个小生命。就这样她为世间那来来去去的无数的灵魂中又增添了新的一员。

She began to wish she had not come; her presence was not necessary. She might have invented a pretext for staying away; she might even invent a pretext now for going. But Edna did not go. With an inward agony, with a flaming, outspoken revolt against the ways of Nature, she witnessed the scene of torture.

她真希望她没有来，她在这里是没有必要的。她本可能找个借口呆在家里的，她甚至可以找个借口现在回去。可爱德娜没有走。她怀着对自然规律的强烈而直率的反抗，带着内心的苦痛，目睹了这个折磨人的场面。

She was still stunned and speechless with emotion when later she leaned over her friend to kiss her and softly say good-by. Adele, pressing her cheek, whispered in an exhausted voice: "Think of the children, Edna. Oh think of the children! Remember them!"

过后，爱德娜还愣在那里，饱含感情地默默呆着，然后她俯身吻了她的朋友，轻柔地跟她告别。阿黛尔贴着她的面颊，筋疲力竭地低声说：“为孩子们考虑考虑，爱德娜。哦！考虑考虑孩子们吧！记着他们！”

XXXVIII

第三十八章

Edna still felt dazed when she got outside in the open air. The Doctor's coupe had returned for him and stood before the porte cochere. She did not wish to enter the coupe, and told Doctor Mandelet she would walk; she was not afraid, and would go alone. He directed his carriage to meet him at Mrs. Pontellier's, and he started to walk home with her.

爱德娜出来到室外时仍感到很茫乱。医生的马车已经回来接他了，就停在门口的通道那儿。她不想上车，便告诉芒代勒医生她愿意步行，她不害怕，想一个人回去。他吩咐马车到蓬迪里埃夫人的家门口去接他，便陪她一起走回家。

Up—away up, over the narrow street between the tall houses, the stars were blazing. The air was mild and caressing, but cool with the breath of spring and the night. They walked slowly, the Doctor with a heavy, measured tread and his hands behind him; Edna, in an absent-minded way, as she had walked one night at Grand Isle, as if her thoughts had gone ahead of her and she was striving to overtake them.

在那两旁满是高楼的狭窄街道的上空，星光在闪烁。空气柔和怡人，但是伴着春夜的微风还是有些凉意。他们慢慢走着，医生背着手迈着缓慢沉重的步伐，爱德娜心不在焉，就像那天晚上在格兰德岛上散步那样，好像她的思绪已经超越了她，而她正努力赶上它们。

"You shouldn't have been there, Mrs. Pontellier," he said. "That was no place for you. Adele is full of whims at such times. There were a dozen women she might have had with her, unimpressionable women. I felt that it was cruel, cruel. You shouldn't have gone."

“你本不应该去那里，蓬迪里埃夫人。”他说，“那不是你呆的地方。这种时候阿黛尔满脑子怪念头。有十来个女人可以来陪她，那些不易受影响的女人。我觉得这太残忍，太残忍了。你真不该来。”

"Oh, well!" she answered, indifferently. "I don't know that it matters after all. One has to think of the children some time or other; the sooner the better."

“哦！行啦！”她冷漠地回答道，“我不知道这终究有什么关系。人时不时地得考虑孩子，越早越好。”

"When is Leonce coming back?"

“莱翁斯何时会回来？”

"Quite soon. Some time in March."

“很快。三月份的时候。”

"And you are going abroad?"

“你打算到国外去吗？”

"Perhaps—no, I am not going. I'm not going to be forced into doing things. I don't want to go abroad. I want to be let alone. Nobody has any right—except children, perhaps—and even then, it seems to me—or it did seem—” She felt that her speech was voicing the incoherency of her thoughts, and stopped abruptly.

“也许吧－－不，我不准备去。我不愿意被强迫去做什么事。我不想去国外。我想一个人呆着。没有人有权－－或许除了孩子们－－即使是那样，对我来说好像－－或者过去对我来说好像－－”她感觉到了自己语无伦次表现出的思绪混乱，所以突然停了下来。

"The trouble is," sighed the Doctor, grasping her meaning intuitively, "that youth is given up to illusions. It seems to be a provision of Nature; a decoy to secure mothers for the race. And Nature takes no account of moral consequences, of arbitrary conditions which we create, and which we feel obliged to maintain at any cost."

“麻烦的是，”医生从直觉上明白了她的意思，叹口气说，“年轻就容易受错觉误导啊。这好像是自然规律，好像是一个圈套，好让母亲们完成人生历程。自然不会考虑道德后果，不会考虑我们所自行创造的条件，而我们却感到有义务要不惜一切代价来维持它们。”

"Yes," she said. "The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life."

“是啊。”她说，“逝去的岁月如梦一般－－有人可能会继续在梦幻中酣睡下去－－可醒来后却发现－－哦！啊！或者最好还是醒来，即使要遭受痛苦，也比一生都在幻觉中受欺骗要好。”

"It seems to me, my dear child," said the Doctor at parting, holding her hand, "you seem to me to be in trouble. I am not going to ask for your confidence. I will only say that if ever you feel moved to give it to me, perhaps I might help you. I know I would understand, And I tell you there are not many who would—not many, my dear.”

“在我看来，亲爱的孩子，”医生在分手时握着她的手说，“你似乎处于困惑之中。我不会要你向我吐露什么。我只是想说，如果你什么时候愿意向我吐露，或许我可以帮助你。我知道我会理解你，我告诉你不是有很多人会做到－－不会有很多人，亲爱的。”

"Some way I don't feel moved to speak of things that trouble me. Don't think I am ungrateful or that I don't appreciate your sympathy. There are periods of despondency and suffering which take possession of me. But I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others—but no matter-still, I shouldn't want to trample upon the little lives. Oh! I don't know what I'm saying, Doctor. Good night. Don't blame me for anything."

“可能我还是不想谈及困扰我的问题。不要认为我不知感恩或是对你的同情不领情。我会有感到十分沮丧或是痛苦的时侯。但除了愿意用我自己的方式去解决，我不想要别的什么。当然这也是要求很多，为此你得伤害其他的生命、打击很多心灵、无视别人的偏见－－可不管怎样－－我仍不会想要伤害那些幼小的生命。哦！我不知道自己在说什么，医生。晚安。不要因为任何事而怪我。”

"Yes, I will blame you if you don't come and see me soon. We will talk of things you never have dreamt of talking about before. It will do us both good. I don't want you to blame yourself, whatever comes. Good night, my child."

“好的，不过如果你不最近来看我的话我会怪你的。我们要谈谈你从前做梦都不会想到会谈及的话题。这对我们两个人都有好处。无论发生什么事，我都不希望你责怪自己。晚安，我的孩子。”

She let herself in at the gate, but instead of entering she sat upon the step of the porch. The night was quiet and soothing. All the tearing emotion of the last few hours seemed to fall away from her like a somber, uncomfortable garment, which she had but to loosen to be rid of. She went back to that hour before Adele had sent for her; and her senses kindled afresh in thinking of Robert's words, the pressure of his arms, and the feeling of his lips upon her own. She could picture at that moment no greater bliss on earth than possession of the beloved one. His expression of love had already given him to her in part. When she thought that he was there at hand, waiting for her, she grew numb with the intoxication of expectancy. It was so late; he would be asleep perhaps. She would awaken him with a kiss. She hoped he would be asleep that she might arouse him with her caresses.

她走进门，但没有进屋，只是坐在门廊的台阶上。夜很安静，也让人平静。过去几个小时的激动情绪似乎离她远去，像是脱掉了一件褪了色的、令人不舒服的旧衣服，她也只有松开才能脱下来。她又回想到了阿黛尔派人来叫她之前的时光，一想到罗伯特的话，他的拥抱，他的亲吻，她又重新燃起了盎然的兴致。彼刻她感觉人世间没有比拥有至爱更加快乐的事了。他所表达的爱意表明他已经把他的心从某种意义上给予了她。当她想到他就在那里等着她，她便在期待的陶醉中变得麻木。这么晚了，也许他已经睡了。她要吻他一下把他叫醒。她希望他已经睡着，这样她就可以用她的爱抚把他唤醒。

Still, she remembered Adele's voice whispering, "Think of the children; think of them." She meant to think of them; that determination had driven into her soul like a death wound—but not to-night. To-morrow would be time to think of everything.

可她仍又想起了阿黛尔对她的呓语：“考虑考虑孩子们，考虑考虑孩子们吧！”她愿意为他们着想，这种决心像致命伤一样刺入她的灵魂－－但是今晚不要。明天再考虑这一切。

Robert was not waiting for her in the little parlor. He was nowhere at hand. The house was empty. But he had scrawled on a piece of paper that lay in the lamplight:

罗伯特没有在小客厅等她。他根本不在这里。屋子里空空如也。但他在一张纸上草草地留了话，放在台灯下面。

"I love you. Good-by—because I love you.”

“我爱你。再见吧－－正因为我爱你。”

Edna grew faint when she read the words. She went and sat on the sofa. Then she stretched herself out there, never uttering a sound. She did not sleep. She did not go to bed. The lamp sputtered and went out. She was still awake in the morning, when Celestine unlocked the kitchen door and came in to light the fire.

爱德娜读了这几个字后感到眩晕。她走到沙发边坐下。然后在那儿舒展着身体，一声不支。她没有睡着。她也没上床去睡。油灯发出噼啪的声音，之后熄灭了。第二天早上当塞莉斯泰因打开厨房门进来点火时，她仍醒着。

XXXIX

第三十九章

Victor, with hammer and nails and scraps of scantling, was patching a corner of one of the galleries. Mariequita sat near by, dangling her legs, watching him work, and handing him nails from the tool-box. The sun was beating down upon them. The girl had covered her head with her apron folded into a square pad. They had been talking for an hour or more. She was never tired of hearing Victor describe the dinner at Mrs. Pontellier's. He exaggerated every detail, making it appear a veritable Lucullean feast. The flowers were in tubs, he said. The champagne was quaffed from huge golden goblets. Venus rising from the foam could have presented no more entrancing a spectacle than Mrs. Pontellier, blazing with beauty and diamonds at the head of the board, while the other women were all of them youthful houris, possessed of incomparable charms. She got it into her head that Victor was in love with Mrs. Pontellier, and he gave her evasive answers, framed so as to confirm her belief. She grew sullen and cried a little, threatening to go off and leave him to his fine ladies. There were a dozen men crazy about her at the Cheniere; and since it was the fashion to be in love with married people, why, she could run away any time she liked to New Orleans with Celina's husband.

维克托正用锤子、钉子和碎木片修补走廊的一个角落。玛丽吉塔坐在旁边，摇着双腿，看他干活，从工具箱里拿钉子递给他。太阳直射在他们头顶上。那个女孩把围裙叠成方块盖在头顶上。他们已经聊了一个多小时了。对于维克托描述蓬迪里埃夫人家的那次晚宴她是百听不厌。他把每个细节都大肆渲染一番，使它听起来像是一次真正的卢卡拉斯（注：古罗马大将）式的盛宴。他说宴会厅摆满了一簇簇鲜花。他们用金制的大高脚杯畅饮香槟酒。就算是从泡沫中升起的维纳斯女神也没有头戴钻石发饰、艳丽动人的蓬迪里埃夫人令人神魂颠倒，而其他女人全是年轻的美人儿，个个有着无与伦比的魅力。她脑子里闪过一个念头：维克托爱上了蓬迪里埃夫人，而他的回答闪烁其词，如此反应更证实了她的想法。她生气起来，又哭闹了一会儿，威胁说要离开他，让他去找那些高贵的妇人们去吧。在谢尼这里，有十多个男人都对她着迷呢。既然现在爱上已婚的人很流行，那么，她随时都可以跟塞丽娜的丈夫私奔到新奥尔良去。

Celina's husband was a fool, a coward, and a pig, and to prove it to her, Victor intended to hammer his head into a jelly the next time he encountered him. This assurance was very consoling to Mariequita. She dried her eyes, and grew cheerful at the prospect.

塞丽娜的丈夫是个傻瓜、胆小鬼、猪脑袋，为了证明给她看，维克托准备下次看见他要用锤子把他的脑袋砸成果酱。这个保证让玛丽吉塔非常安心。她擦干眼泪，马上高兴了起来。

They were still talking of the dinner and the allurements of city life when Mrs. Pontellier herself slipped around the corner of the house. The two youngsters stayed dumb with amazement before what they considered to be an apparition. But it was really she in flesh and blood, looking tired and a little travel-stained.

他们还在继续说着那天的晚宴和都市生活的魅力，这时候蓬迪里埃夫人从房子拐角处悄然走过来。在这个他们认为是幽灵的人影面前，这两个年轻人惊呆了。可这确实是活生生的蓬迪里埃夫人，看上去劳累不堪，有点旅途的疲惫。

"I walked up from the wharf", she said, "and heard the hammering. I supposed it was you, mending the porch. It's a good thing. I was always tripping over those loose planks last summer. How dreary and deserted everything looks!"

“我是从码头那儿走过来的。”她说，“听到了锤子声。我想可能是你在修长廊。是件好事。去年夏天我总是被这些松了的木板绊倒。现在这里一切看上去是那么的沉闷荒凉！

It took Victor some little time to comprehend that she had come in Beaudelet's lugger, that she had come alone, and for no purpose but to rest.

维克托好一会儿才搞明白她是坐博德莱的船来的，是独自来的，没有特别的目的，只是来休息休息。

"There's nothing fixed up yet, you see. I'll give you my room; it's the only place."

“您看，什么也没准备。我把我的房间给您，这是仅有的住处。”

"Any corner will do," she assured him.

“有个地方就行。”她宽慰他道。

"And if you can stand Philomel's cooking," he went on, "though I might try to get her mother while you are here. Do you think she would come?" turning to Mariequita.

“如果您能将就菲罗梅做的饭，”他继续说，“不过既然您来了，我争取找她妈妈来。你认为她会来吗？”他转过去跟玛丽吉塔说。

Mariequita thought that perhaps Philomel's mother might come for a few days, and money enough.

玛丽吉塔认为如果给她足够多的工钱或许菲罗梅的妈妈会来几天。

Beholding Mrs. Pontellier make her appearance, the girl had at once suspected a lovers' rendezvous. But Victor's astonishment was so genuine, and Mrs. Pontellier's indifference so apparent, that the disturbing notion did not lodge long in her brain. She contemplated with the greatest interest this woman who gave the most sumptuous dinners in America, and who had all the men in New Orleans at her feet.

看到蓬迪里埃夫人出现，这个女孩立刻怀疑这是情人的约会。可是维克托的吃惊是那么真实，蓬迪里埃夫人的冷漠又是那么明显，因此这种恼人的想法没有在她脑子里停留很久。她带着极大的兴致打量着这位举办了全美国最奢华的宴会，并使新奥尔良的所有男人都拜倒在她脚下的女人。

"What time will you have dinner?" asked Edna. "I'm very hungry; but don't get anything extra."

“你们几时吃饭？”爱德娜问，“我非常饿，不过不要额外加菜。”

"I'll have it ready in little or no time," he said, bustling and packing away his tools. "You may go to my room to brush up and rest yourself. Mariequita will show you."

“我立刻就叫人准备好。”他边说边匆忙把工具收好。“您可以先到我的房间梳洗并休息一下。让玛丽吉塔领您去。”

"Thank you, "said Edna. "But, do you know, I have a notion to go down to the beach and take a good wash and even a little swim, before dinner?"

“很感谢。”爱德娜说，“可你知道吗，我还想午饭前去海滩好好洗一洗，甚至还会游上一小会儿呢？”

"The water is too cold!" they both exclaimed. "Don't think of it."

“水太凉了！”他们俩一起叫道，“别想这事。”

"Well, I might go down and try—dip my toes in. Why, it seems to me the sun is hot enough to have warmed the very depths of the ocean. Could you get me a couple of towels? I'd better go right away, so as to be back in time. It would be a little too chilly if I waited till this afternoon."

“那好吧，我可以下去试一试－－用脚趟趟水吧。我看阳光够强的，已经能把海洋深处的水都晒暖了。你能给我拿几块毛巾吗？我最好马上走，以便能及时赶回来。如果等到下午水可能会有点太凉了。”

Mariequita ran over to Victor's room, and returned with some towels, which she gave to Edna.

玛丽吉塔跑到维克托的房间，回来时拿了些毛巾给爱德娜。

"I hope you have fish for dinner," said Edna, as she started to walk away; "but don't do anything extra if you haven't."

“我希望午饭能有鱼吃，”爱德娜临走前说，“但如果没有的话也别另外去做。”

"Run and find Philomel's mother," Victor instructed the girl. "I'll go to the kitchen and see what I can do. By Gimminy! Women have no consideration! She might have sent me word."

“快跑去找菲罗梅的妈妈，”维克托指示那个女孩说，“我去厨房看看能做点什么。真是的！女人考虑事情可真不周全！她本可以给我提前捎个信的。”

Edna walked on down to the beach rather mechanically, not noticing anything special except that the sun was hot. She was not dwelling upon any particular train of thought. She had done all the thinking which was necessary after Robert went away, when she lay awake upon the sofa till morning.

爱德娜非常机械地往海滩走着，除了感觉烈日炎炎外没注意到任何特别的东西。她也没在专注地想某件特别的事。罗伯特走后，她独自躺在沙发上彻夜未眠时已经把该想的事都想了。

She had said over and over to herself: "To-day it is Arobin; to-morrow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesn't matter about Leonce Pontellier—but Raoul and Etienne!” She understood now clearly what she had meant long ago when she said to Adele Ratignolle that she would give up the unessential, but she would never sacrifice herself for her children.

她反复地跟自己说：“今天是阿罗宾，明天可能是别的人。这对我来说没什么区别，莱翁斯·蓬迪里埃也不重要－－但拉乌尔和艾蒂安！她现在清楚地理解很久以前她对阿黛尔·拉蒂诺尔所说的话的意义所在，她说她可以放弃那些不重要的东西，但她不会为了孩子而牺牲自己。

Despondency had come upon her there in the wakeful night, and had never lifted. There was no one thing in the world that she desired. There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even realized that the day would come when he, too, and the thought of him would melt out of her existence, leaving her alone. The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days. But she knew a way to elude them. She was not thinking of these things when she walked down to the beach.

在她醒着的那天晚上，沮丧情绪侵扰着她，到现在也挥之不去。这世间没有她留恋的东西了。除了罗伯特之外，她也不想任何人在她身边。她甚至意识到将来会有那么一天，就连他也会从她脑海里消失，她再也不会想起他，于是只剩下她孤单的自己。孩子们像征服了她的敌人一样出现在她面前，他们控制了她，压倒了她，还试图在她生命中余下的日子里把她拖入灵魂的奴役之中。可她知道有一种方法可以逃避他们。当她往海边走的时候，她不想这些事情了。

The water of the Gulf stretched out before her, gleaming with the million lights of the sun. The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude. All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.

海湾的水面在她面前伸展开来，在阳光照耀下波光粼粼。大海的声音充满了诱惑，无休无止，时而低吟，时而高亢，凄凄婉婉，呼唤着灵魂在孤独的深渊中徘徊。绵延的白色海滩上，由远至近，望过去空无一人。一只翅膀受伤的小鸟正在振翅起飞，可是它盘旋着，拍打着翅膀，翻滚着落了下去，最后跌入水中。

Edna had found her old bathing suit still hanging, faded, upon its accustomed peg.

爱德娜发现她的旧泳衣还挂在原来的木桩上，已经褪了色。

She put it on, leaving her clothing in the bath-house. But when she was there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her, and for the first time in her life she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her.

她把它穿上，把她身穿的衣服留在更衣室里。当她在海边完全一个人时，她把紧箍在她身上的不舒服的泳衣脱下。这是她平生第一次在户外赤裸着身体，沐浴在阳光下，任凭海风吹拂着她，海浪召唤着她。

How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.

赤裸地站在蓝天下感觉是那么奇怪，那么恐怖！但又那么美妙！她感觉像是一个新生的生命，在从未了解的却又熟悉的世界里睁开了眼睛。

The foamy wavelets curled up to her white feet, and coiled like serpents about her ankles. She walked out. The water was chill, but she walked on. The water was deep, but she lifted her white body and reached out with a long, sweeping stroke. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.

溅着泡沫的波浪淹没了她雪白的脚，又像蛇一样盘在她的双膝。她趟水往前走。海水冰凉，但她还是继续往前走。海水很深，但她抬起身体，展开双臂慢慢地用力划水向前。大海的爱抚舒服极了，海水拥着她的身体，温柔而又亲密。

She went on and on. She remembered the night she swam far out, and recalled the terror that seized her at the fear of being unable to regain the shore. She did not look back now, but went on and on, thinking of the blue-grass meadow that she had traversed when a little child, believing that it had no beginning and no end.

她继续向前游着。她回忆起那天晚上她游得很远，并记起当时害怕再也回不到岸上的那种恐惧感。她现在也不回头看，只是往前游，又想起儿时穿过草原的情景，相信那没有起点也没有终点。

Her arms and legs were growing tired.

她胳膊和腿都非常累。

She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul. How Mademoiselle Reisz would have laughed, perhaps sneered, if she knew! "And you call yourself an artist! What pretensions, Madame! The artist must possess the courageous soul that dares and defies."

她想到了莱翁斯和孩子们。他们是她生活的一部分。可他们不应该认为他们能够占有她－－她的身体和灵魂。如果雷西小姐知道的话一定会笑话她，也许还会嗤之以鼻的。“你还称自己为艺术家呢！真是自负啊，女士！艺术家必须拥有敢于挑战与蔑视的勇气。”

Exhaustion was pressing upon and overpowering her.

疲倦慢慢压上了她并最终征服了她。

"Good-by—because I love you.” He did not know; he did not understand. He would never understand. Perhaps Doctor Mandelet would have understood if she had seen him—but it was too late; the shore was far behind her, and her strength was gone.

“再见吧！正因为我爱你。”他根本不知道，他根本不懂。他永远不会懂的。或许如果她去见芒代勒医生，他会理解她的－－但一切都太迟了，海岸已经远远抛在后面，她已经精疲力竭了。

She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heard her father's voice and her sister Margaret's. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air.

她往远处看去，曾经的那种恐惧又一次攫住了她，接着又消失了。爱德娜仿佛又听到她父亲的声音，还有她姐姐玛格丽特。她听到了拴在枫树上的一只老狗的叫声。还听到骑兵军官走过长廊时靴刺发出的铿锵声。还有蜜蜂的嗡嗡叫声和空气中弥漫着的石竹花的清香。

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Table of Contents

I  第一章

II  第二章

III  第三章

IV  第四章

V  第五章

VI  第六章

VII  第七章

VIII  第八章

IX  第九章

X  第十章

XI  第十一章

XII  第十二章

XIII  第十三章

XIV  第十四章

XV  第十五章

XVI  第十六章

XVII  第十七章

XVIII  第十八章

XIX  第十九章

XX  第二十章

XXI  第二十一章

XXII  第二十二章

XXIII  第二十三章

XXIV  第二十四章

XXV  第二十五章

XXVI  第二十六章

XXVII  第二十七章

XXVIII  第二十八章

XXIX  第二十九章

XXX  第三十章

XXXI  第三十一章

XXXII  第三十二章

XXXIII  第三十三章

XXXIV  第三十四章

XXXV  第三十五章

XXXVI  第三十六章

XXXVII  第三十七章

XXXVIII  第三十八章

XXXIX  第三十九章