双语小说连载:纯真年代 The Age of Innocence(9)

"The van der Luydens," said Archer, feeling himself pompous as he spoke, "are the most powerful influence in New York society. Unfortunately--owing to her health--they receive very seldom."
阿切尔自命不凡地说：“范德卢顿夫妇是纽约上流社会最有影响的人物。不幸的是——由于她的健康原因——他们极少接待客人。”

She unclasped her hands from behind her head, and looked at him meditatively.
她松开脑袋后面的两只手，沉思地看着他。

"Isn't that perhaps the reason?"
“也许正是这个原因吧？”

"The reason--?"
“原因——？”

"For their great influence; that they make themselves so rare."
“他们有巨大影响的原因啊；他们故意很少露面。”

He coloured a little, stared at her--and suddenly felt the penetration of the remark. At a stroke she had pricked the van der Luydens and they collapsed. He laughed, and sacrificed them.
他脸色有点发红，瞪大眼睛看着她——猛然顿悟了这句话的洞察力。经她轻轻一击，范德卢顿夫妇便垮台了。他放声大笑，把他们做了牺牲品。
Nastasia brought the tea, with handleless Japanese cups and little covered dishes, placing the tray on a low table.
纳斯塔西娅送来了茶水，还有无柄的日本茶杯和小盖碟。她把茶盘放在一张矮桌上。

"But you'll explain these things to me--you'll tell me all I ought to know," Madame Olenska continued, leaning forward to hand him his cup.
“不过你要向我解释所有这些事情——你要告诉我我应了解的全部情况，”奥兰斯卡夫人接着说，一面向前探探身子，递给他茶杯。

"It's you who are telling me; opening my eyes to things I'd looked at so long that I'd ceased to see them."
“现在是你在开导我，让我睁开眼睛认清那些我看得太久因而不能认清的事物。”

She detached a small gold cigarette-case from one of her bracelets, held it out to him, and took a cigarette herself. On the chimney were long spills for lighting them.
她取下一个小小的金烟盒，向他递过去，她自己也拿了一支香烟。烟囱上放着点烟的长引柴。

"Ah, then we can both help each other. But I want help so much more. You must tell me just what to do."
“啊，那么我们两人可以互相帮助了。不过更需要帮助的是我，你一定要告诉我该做些什么。”

It was on the tip of his tongue to reply: "Don't be seen driving about the streets with Beaufort--" but he was being too deeply drawn into the atmosphere of the room, which was her atmosphere, and to give advice of that sort would have been like telling some one who was bargaining for attar-of-roses in Samarkand that one should always be provided with arctics for a New York winter. New York seemed much farther off than Samarkand, and if they were indeed to help each other she was rendering what might prove the first of their mutual services by making him look at his native city objectively. Viewed thus, as through the wrong end of a telescope, it looked disconcertingly small and distant; but then from Samarkand it would.
他差一点就要回答：“不要让人见到你跟博福特一起坐车逛街——”然而他此刻已被屋子里的气氛深深吸引住了，这是属于她的气氛，他如果提出这样的建议，就好像告诉一个正在萨马尔罕讨价还价买玫瑰油的人，在纽约过冬需要配备橡皮套靴。此刻，纽约似乎比萨马尔罕远多了。而假如真的要互相帮助，那么，她就应该向他提供互相帮助的证据，先帮他客观地看待他的出生地。这样就像从望远镜的反端观察，纽约显得异常渺小与遥远；不过，站到萨马尔罕那边看，情况就是如此。

A flame darted from the logs and she bent over the fire, stretching her thin hands so close to it that a faint halo shone about the oval nails. The light touched to russet the rings of dark hair escaping from her braids, and made her pale face paler.
一片火焰从木柴中跃起，她朝炉火弯了弯身，把瘦削的双手伸得离火很近，一团淡淡的光晕闪烁在她那椭圆的指甲周围。亮光使她发辫上散逸出的浅黑色发鬈变成了黄褐色，并使她苍白的脸色更加苍白。