雙語(yǔ)·《刀鋒》 第四章 四

CHAPTER FOUR 4
第四章 四

I saw Gray and Isabel next day and told them that I had seen Larry. They were as much surprised as I had been.
次日見(jiàn)到格雷和伊莎貝爾，我把巧遇拉里的事跟他們講了，他們倆和我當(dāng)初一樣，也頗感意外。

“It'll be wonderful to see him，”said Isabel.“Let's call him up at once.”
“能見(jiàn)見(jiàn)他是件讓人開(kāi)心的事?！币辽悹栒f(shuō)，“這就給他打個(gè)電話(huà)吧。”

Then I remembered that I hadn't thought of asking him where he was staying. Isabel gave me hell.
我這才想起自己忘記問(wèn)他住在哪里了。為此，伊莎貝爾把我狠狠埋怨了幾句。

“I'm not sure he'd have told me if I had，”I protested, laughing.“Probably my subconscious had something to do with it. Don't you remember, he never liked telling people where he lived.It was one of his oddities.He may walk in at any moment.”
“即便我問(wèn)他，他也不一定會(huì)告訴我的?！蔽倚χq白，“也許，這是我的潛意識(shí)在作怪吧。難道你忘了，他是從來(lái)都不喜歡把自己的住處告訴別人的。他怪也怪在這一點(diǎn)上。他隨時(shí)都可能從哪個(gè)地方鉆出來(lái)?！?/p>

“That would be like him，”said Gray.“Even in the old days you could never count on his being where you expected him to be. He was here today and gone tomorrow.You'd see him in a room and think in a moment you'd go and say hello to him and when you turned round he'd disappeared.”
“他就是這種人，”格雷說(shuō)，“過(guò)去亦是如此，來(lái)無(wú)影去無(wú)蹤，行跡難定，今天在此，明日在彼。你明明看見(jiàn)他在一個(gè)房間里，想著過(guò)會(huì)兒去跟他打個(gè)招呼，但一轉(zhuǎn)身他就不見(jiàn)了?！?/p>

“He always was the most exasperating fellow，”said Isabel.“It's no good denying that. I suppose we shall just have to wait till it suits him to turn up.”
“他歷來(lái)我行我素，十分叫人生氣?！币辽悹栒f(shuō)，“這一點(diǎn)是誰(shuí)都無(wú)法否認(rèn)的。咱們只好等著了，他愿來(lái)的時(shí)候自然會(huì)來(lái)的?！?/p>

He didn't come that day, nor the next, nor the day after. Isabel accused me of having invented the story to annoy.I promised her I hadn't and sought to give her reasons why he hadn't shown up.But they were implausible.Within myself I wondered whether on thinking it over he hadn't made up his mind that he just didn't want to see Gray and Isabel and had wandered off somewhere or other away from Paris.I had a feeling already that he never took root anywhere, but was always prepared at a moment’s notice, for a reason that seemed good to him or on a whim, to move on.
那天他沒(méi)有來(lái)，第二天也沒(méi)有來(lái)，第三天亦沒(méi)有見(jiàn)到他的影子。伊莎貝爾抱怨起來(lái)，說(shuō)這件事是我編出來(lái)的，純粹想惹她生氣。我信誓旦旦地說(shuō)自己沒(méi)有撒謊，并設(shè)想出了一些拉里沒(méi)來(lái)的原因向她解釋。不過(guò)，我說(shuō)的這些原因都是站不住腳的。我心中暗忖，他可能經(jīng)過(guò)仔細(xì)考慮，決定不來(lái)見(jiàn)格雷和伊莎貝爾了，于是一走了之，離開(kāi)巴黎到別的地方去了。我覺(jué)得他如閑云野鶴四處游蕩，只憑一時(shí)高興、一時(shí)興起，或者說(shuō)一時(shí)心血來(lái)潮，便倏忽不見(jiàn)。

He came at last. It was a rainy day and Gray hadn't gone to Mortefontaine.The three of us were together, Isabel and I drinking a cup of tea, Gray sipping a whisky and Perrier, when the butler opened the door and Larry strolled in.Isabel with a cry sprang to her feet and throwing herself into his arms kissed him on both cheeks.Gray, his fat red face redder than ever, warmly wrung his hand.
最后，他終于露面了。那是個(gè)雨天，格雷沒(méi)有去莫特芳丹打球。我們?nèi)齻€(gè)人在一起——伊莎貝爾和我在喝茶，格雷端著一杯摻過(guò)畢雷礦泉水的威士忌細(xì)啜慢飲。管家打開(kāi)房門(mén)，拉里邁著四方步走了進(jìn)來(lái)。伊莎貝爾歡叫一聲像彈簧一樣跳了起來(lái)，沖上去撲進(jìn)他的懷里，在他的臉上左親右親。格雷的一張紅紅胖胖的臉比平時(shí)更紅了，熱情地拉住他的手。

“Gee, I'm glad to see you, Larry，”he said, his voice choked with emotion.
“哈，看見(jiàn)你真讓人高興，拉里?！备窭渍f(shuō)道，激動(dòng)得聲音都有些哽咽了。

Isabel bit her lip and I saw she was constraining herself not to cry.
伊莎貝爾咬著嘴唇，看得出她是強(qiáng)忍住才沒(méi)有哭出聲來(lái)。

“Have a drink, old man，”said Gray unsteadily.
“來(lái)喝杯酒，老伙計(jì)。”格雷顫抖著聲音說(shuō)。

I was touched by their delight at seeing the wanderer. It must have been pleasant for him to perceive how much he meant to them.He smiled happily.It was plain to me that he was, however, completely self-possessed.He noticed the tea things.
小兩口見(jiàn)到這位浪跡天涯的朋友感到由衷的高興，這幅場(chǎng)景見(jiàn)了叫人為之動(dòng)容。一想到自己在他們心中占有如此重要的位置，拉里的心情一定會(huì)非常愉快的。只見(jiàn)他開(kāi)心地綻出了笑容。但我覺(jué)得他內(nèi)心深處是相當(dāng)冷靜的。寒暄間，他一眼看到了桌子上的茶具。

“I'll have a cup of tea，”he said.
“我想喝杯茶?！彼f(shuō)道。

“Oh, gosh, you don't want tea，”cried Gray.“Let's have a bottle of champagne.”
“嘖，嘖，怎么能喝茶呢?！备窭兹氯碌?，“咱們喝瓶香檳酒吧?！?/p>

“I'd prefer tea，”smiled Larry.
“我喜歡喝茶?！崩镄σ饕鞯卣f(shuō)。

His composure had on the others the effect he may have intended. They calmed down, but looked at him still with fond eyes.I don't mean to suggest that he responded to their natural exuberance with an ungracious coldness；on the contrary, he was as cordial and charming as one could wish；but I was conscious in his manner of something that I could only describe as remoteness and I wondered what it signified.
他的冷靜對(duì)那兩口子產(chǎn)生了影響，而這恐怕正是他想看到的。小兩口平靜了下來(lái)，但他們看他的眼神里仍充滿(mǎn)了友愛(ài)。我并不是說(shuō)，拉里對(duì)別人由衷的喜悅，報(bào)以無(wú)禮的冷漠；恰恰相反，他表現(xiàn)得異常彬彬有禮、和藹可親。但在他的言談舉止中隱約可見(jiàn)一種只能稱(chēng)之為超然的東西，至于那東西有著什么深層的含義我卻一無(wú)所知。

“Why didn't you come and see us at once, you horror?”cried Isabel, with a pretence of indignation.“I've been hanging out of the window for the last five days to see you coming and every time the bell rang my heart leapt to my mouth and I had all I could do to swallow it again.”
“你真壞，為什么不早點(diǎn)兒來(lái)看望我們？”伊莎貝爾佯怒嗔怪道，“這五天里，我天天都倚在窗口盼你來(lái)呢。每次門(mén)鈴響，我的心都要跳到嗓子眼里了，要費(fèi)很大的勁才能把它重新咽下去。”

Larry chuckled.
拉里嘿嘿嘿一陣傻笑。

“Mr. M.told me I looked so tough that your man would never let me through the door.I flew over to London to get some clothes.”
“毛姆先生說(shuō)我的樣子太可怕，像個(gè)野蠻人，你們的管家不會(huì)叫我進(jìn)門(mén)的。所以，我飛到倫敦購(gòu)置新裝了?！?/p>

“You needn't have done that，”I smiled.“You could have got a reach-me-down at the Printemps or the Belle Jardinière.”
“你用不著跑那么老遠(yuǎn)，”我笑笑說(shuō)，“在春天百貨公司或百麗服飾店就可以買(mǎi)到現(xiàn)成的衣服?！?/p>

“I thought if I was going to do it at all, I'd better do the thing in style. I haven't bought any European clothes for ten years.I went to your tailor and said I wanted a suit in three days.He said it would take a fortnight, so we compromised on four.I got back from London an hour ago.”
“我覺(jué)得既然要購(gòu)置衣服，就最好弄有格調(diào)的。再說(shuō)，我已經(jīng)有十年沒(méi)有在歐洲買(mǎi)衣服了。于是我就去找你的那個(gè)裁縫，說(shuō)我想做套衣服，三天內(nèi)取貨。他說(shuō)得用兩個(gè)星期，后來(lái)折中定為四天。這不，一小時(shí)前，我剛從倫敦飛了回來(lái)?！?/p>

He wore a blue serge that nicely fitted his slim figure, a white shirt with a soft collar, a blue silk tie, and brown shoes. He had had his hair cut short and shaved off the hair on his face.He looked not only neat, but well-groomed.It was a transformation.He was very thin；his cheekbones were more prominent, his temples hollower, and his eyes in the deep sockets larger than I remembered them；but notwithstanding he looked very well；he looked, indeed, with his deeply sunburnt, unlined face, amazingly young.He was a year younger than Gray, they were both in their early thirties, but whereas Gray looked ten years more than his age, Larry looked ten years less.Gray's movements, owing to his great bulk, were deliberate and rather heavy；but Larry's were light and easy.His manner was boyish, gay, and debonair, but withal it had a serenity that I was peculiarly conscious of and that I did not recollect in the lad I had known before.And as the conversation proceeded, flowing without difficulty as was natural in old friends with so many common memories, with bits of news about Chicago thrown in by Gray and Isabel, trivial gossip, one thing leading to another, with airy laughter, my impression persisted that in Larry, though his laughter was frank and he listened with evident pleasure to Isabel's breezy chatter, there was a very singular detachment.I didn't feel that he was playing a part, he was too natural for that and his sincerity was obvious；I felt that there was something within him, I don't know whether to call it awareness or a sensibility or a force, that remained strangely aloof.
他穿著一套藍(lán)色嗶嘰西服，對(duì)他瘦削的身材來(lái)說(shuō)極為合體，內(nèi)穿一件軟領(lǐng)白襯衣，系一條藍(lán)色絲綢領(lǐng)帶，腳蹬一雙棕色的鞋子。他剪了個(gè)短發(fā)，刮光了臉上的胡子，不僅看上去干凈整潔，而且很入時(shí)，與以前相比判若兩人。由于太瘦，顴骨突出，太陽(yáng)穴凹陷，深藏在眼窩里的那雙眸子比我記憶中的那雙更顯得大了。盡管如此，他的相貌仍是那般英俊瀟灑、風(fēng)流倜儻，一張曬黑了的、沒(méi)有皺紋的臉讓他顯得異常年輕。他和格雷同為三十出頭的人（他比格雷只小一歲），但格雷看上去要老十歲，而他則要年輕十歲。由于是個(gè)大塊頭，格雷動(dòng)作遲緩、笨拙，拉里的一舉一動(dòng)卻輕盈、敏捷。拉里像個(gè)小男孩一般，歡快和活潑，而我深切感覺(jué)到他的內(nèi)心一片寧?kù)o——他已經(jīng)不再是從前我認(rèn)識(shí)的那個(gè)小青年了。談話(huà)在輕松的氣氛中進(jìn)行著，這在老朋友之間是很自然的，因?yàn)樗麄冇兄S多共同的記憶。格雷和伊莎貝爾不時(shí)加幾條芝加哥新聞進(jìn)去，都是些零星花絮，一件連著一件，引得笑聲朗朗。我一直有一個(gè)印象，就是拉里雖則笑得很爽朗，聽(tīng)伊莎貝爾滔滔不絕講話(huà)時(shí)顯得很高興，他的內(nèi)心卻異常落寞。我覺(jué)得他并不是假裝高興；他生性純真，不會(huì)弄虛作假；他的高興顯然是真誠(chéng)的。但我感到在他的內(nèi)心世界里有一樣?xùn)|西，不知該稱(chēng)之為知性、感性，抑或力量，使得他莫名其妙地有點(diǎn)落落寡合。

The children were brought in and made known to Larry, and gave him their polite little knicks. He held out his hand, looking at them with an engaging tenderness in his soft eyes, and they took it, staring at him gravely.Isabel brightly told him they were getting on nicely with their lessons, gave them a cookie each, and sent them away.
兩個(gè)小姑娘被領(lǐng)了進(jìn)來(lái)，和拉里見(jiàn)過(guò)，彬彬有禮地沖著拉里行了個(gè)屈膝禮。拉里伸出手來(lái)，柔和的眼睛里含著慈祥和仁愛(ài)望著她們。小姑娘們握了他的手，兩雙眼睛天真地看著他。伊莎貝爾喜滋滋地告訴拉里，說(shuō)她們的功課都很不錯(cuò)，隨后給了她們每人一塊甜點(diǎn)心，把她們支走了。

“I'll come and read to you for ten minutes when you're in bed.”
“你們睡覺(jué)時(shí)，我去給你們念十分鐘的書(shū)?！?/p>

She did not at that moment want to be interrupted in her pleasure at seeing Larry. The little girls went up to say good night to their father.It was charming to see the love that lit up the red face of that gross man as he took them in his arms and kissed them.No one could help seeing that he proudly adored them and when they were gone he turned to Larry and with a sweet slow smile on his lips said：
此時(shí)此刻，伊莎貝爾沉浸在與拉里重逢的喜悅中，不愿意受到打攪。小姑娘們走上前跟她們的父親道晚安。那個(gè)大塊頭漢子把她們摟在懷里吻了吻，紅臉上涌起濃濃的愛(ài)意，見(jiàn)了讓人感動(dòng)。誰(shuí)都看得出他愛(ài)她們，為她們感到自豪。女兒走后，他唇邊浮起甜蜜的微笑，對(duì)拉里說(shuō)道：

“They're not bad kids, are they?”
“這倆孩子不錯(cuò)吧，是不是？”

Isabel gave him an affectionate glance.
伊莎貝爾深情地望了他一眼。

“If I let Gray have his way he'd spoil them to death. He'd let me starve, that great brute would, to feed the children on caviare and paté de foie gras.”
“要是由著格雷胡來(lái)，他會(huì)把她們慣壞的。這個(gè)大壞蛋，他會(huì)把我餓死，也要買(mǎi)來(lái)魚(yú)子醬和鵝肝給孩子吃，讓她們吃得發(fā)撐?！?/p>

He looked at her with a smile and said：“You're a liar and you know it. I worship the ground you tread on.”
格雷笑著瞧了瞧她說(shuō)：“這你就說(shuō)得不對(duì)了，你心里最清楚。我愛(ài)你愛(ài)得要發(fā)瘋?！?/p>

There was a responsive smile in Isabel's eyes. She knew that and was glad of it.A happy couple.
伊莎貝爾的眼里涌出了會(huì)心的笑意。她對(duì)格雷的愛(ài)心知肚明，并為此感到高興。多么幸福的一對(duì)夫妻！

She insisted that we should stay to dinner. I, thinking they would prefer to be by themselves, made excuses, but she would not listen to them.
她提出要留我們吃晚飯，我覺(jué)得他們也許愿意和拉里單獨(dú)說(shuō)說(shuō)話(huà)，便推說(shuō)有事，而她堅(jiān)決不聽(tīng)我解釋?zhuān)f(shuō)道：

“I'll tell Marie to put another carrot in the soup and there'll be plenty for four. There's a chicken, and you and Gray can eat the legs while Larry and I eat the wings, and she can make the soufflé large enough for all of us.”
“我去告訴瑪麗在湯里多放一根胡蘿卜，就夠四個(gè)人吃的了。還有只雞，你和格雷可以吃腿，我和拉里吃翅膀。她還會(huì)做奶蛋酥的，足夠大家享用?！?/p>

Gray too seemed to want me to stay, so I let myself be persuaded to do what I wanted to.
格雷似乎也想讓我留下。我本來(lái)就不想走，于是便來(lái)了個(gè)恭敬不如從命。

While we waited Isabel told Larry at length what I had already told him in brief. Though she narrated the lamentable story as gaily as possible Gray's face assumed an expression of sullen melancholy.She tried to cheer him up.
等待吃飯的當(dāng)兒，伊莎貝爾把他們的遭遇從頭到尾講了一遍（他們的情況我曾經(jīng)給拉里簡(jiǎn)單介紹過(guò)）。那段悲慘的往事她講起來(lái)雖然語(yǔ)調(diào)盡可能輕松，但格雷的臉上卻布上了一層陰云。她見(jiàn)了，想使格雷高興起來(lái)，便說(shuō)道：

“Anyhow, it's all over now. We've fallen on our feet and we've got the future before us.As soon as things improve, Gray's going to get a splendid job and make millions.”
“現(xiàn)在，一切都過(guò)去了。我們?cè)赃^(guò)跟頭，但前途是光明的。到了峰回路轉(zhuǎn)的時(shí)候，格雷就找個(gè)好工作，掙他個(gè)幾百萬(wàn)塊?！?/p>

Cocktails were brought in and a couple did something to raise the poor fellow's spirits. I saw that Larry, though he took one, scarcely touched it, and when Gray, unobservant, offered him another he refused.We washed our hands and sat down to dinner.Gray had ordered a bottle of champagne, but when the butler began to fill Larry's glass he told him he didn't want any.
雞尾酒送了進(jìn)來(lái)。兩杯酒下肚，可憐的格雷情緒有所好轉(zhuǎn)。我看見(jiàn)拉里雖然拿了一杯酒，卻碰也沒(méi)碰。格雷沒(méi)有注意到這個(gè)，要再敬他一杯，被他婉拒了。然后，大家洗了手，坐下來(lái)吃晚飯。格雷要來(lái)一瓶香檳酒，可是管家給拉里倒酒時(shí)，他卻說(shuō)自己不想喝。

“Oh, but you must have some，”cried Isabel.“It's Uncle Elliott's best and he only gives it to very special guests.”
“嗨，你必須喝一點(diǎn)?！币辽悹柸氯碌溃斑@是艾略特舅舅最好的酒，只用來(lái)招待特殊的貴客?！?/p>

“To tell you the truth I prefer water. After having been in the East so long it's a treat to drink water that's safe.”
“實(shí)話(huà)說(shuō)，我喜歡喝水。在東方待久了，覺(jué)得喝干凈水是最好的。”

“This is an occasion.”
“今天這是特殊場(chǎng)合嘛?！?/p>

“All right, I'll drink a glass.”
“好吧。那我就喝一杯吧?！?/p>

The dinner was excellent, but Isabel noticed, as I did too, that Larry ate very little. It struck her, I suppose, that she had been doing all the talking and that Larry had had no chance to do more than listen, so now she began to question him on his actions during the ten years since she had seen him.He answered with his cordial frankness, but so vaguely as not to tell us much.
飯菜香噴噴的。但我和伊莎貝爾都注意到拉里吃得很少。伊莎貝爾也許覺(jué)得她只顧自己說(shuō)話(huà)，拉里只有聽(tīng)的份兒，無(wú)機(jī)會(huì)插話(huà)，于是便問(wèn)他在這十年未見(jiàn)的時(shí)間里都干了些什么。拉里回答時(shí)語(yǔ)氣坦率、真誠(chéng)，但含糊其詞，等于沒(méi)有告訴我們多少情況。

“Oh, I've been loafing around, you know. I spent a year in Germany and some time in Spain and Italy.And I knocked about the East for a bit.”
“哦，瞎轉(zhuǎn)悠唄。在德國(guó)待了一年，又到西班牙和意大利待了些時(shí)間。后來(lái)又去東方游蕩了一陣子。”

“Where have you just come from now?”
“你這是剛從哪里來(lái)的？”

“India.”
“從印度?！?/p>

“How long were you there?”
“你在印度待了多久？”

“Five years.”
“五年?！?/p>

“Did you have fun?”asked Gray.“Shoot any tigers?”
“玩得痛快嗎？”格雷問(wèn)，“去打老虎了嗎？”

“No，”Larry smiled.
“沒(méi)有?！崩镄α诵φf(shuō)。

“What on earth were you doing with yourself in India for five years?”said Isabel.
“你在印度一待就是五年，都做些什么呢？”伊莎貝爾問(wèn)。

“Playing about，”he answered, with a smile of kindly mockery.
“四處游玩。”拉里回答說(shuō)，臉上露出一絲玩世不恭的微笑。

“What about the Rope Trick?”asked Gray.“Did you see that?”
“‘繩子魔術(shù)’是怎么回事？”格雷問(wèn)，“你見(jiàn)他們表演過(guò)嗎？”

“No, I didn't.”
“沒(méi)有，沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)。”

“What did you see?”
“那你都見(jiàn)到過(guò)什么呢？”

“A lot.”
“那就多了?！?/p>

I put a question to him then.
此時(shí)，我向拉里提了一個(gè)問(wèn)題：

“Is it true that the Yogis acquire powers that would seem to us supernatural?”
“瑜伽修行者是不是真的具有人們所說(shuō)的超自然的能力？”

“I wouldn't know. All I can tell you is that it's commonly believed in India.But the wisest don't attach any importance to powers of that sort；they think they're apt to hinder spiritual progress.I remember one of them telling me of a Yogi who came to the bank of a river；he hadn't the money to pay the ferryman to take him across and the ferryman refused to take him for nothing, so he stepped on the water and walked upon its surface to the other side.The Yogi who told me shrugged his shoulders rather scornfully.‘A miracle like that，’he said，‘is worth no more than the penny it would have cost to go on the ferryboat.’”
“說(shuō)不上來(lái)。我只能告訴你，在印度，人們都普遍這么認(rèn)為。不過(guò)，智者并不看重這種能力，認(rèn)為它會(huì)妨礙修真。記得一位智者給我講過(guò)一個(gè)故事，說(shuō)的是一個(gè)瑜伽師來(lái)到河邊，苦于身上沒(méi)錢(qián)，擺渡的船夫拒絕讓他上船，于是瑜伽師踏水而去，如履平地，徑直抵達(dá)對(duì)岸。講到這里，智者鄙夷地聳了聳肩說(shuō)：‘這樣的雕蟲(chóng)小技不值錢(qián)，只頂?shù)蒙铣硕纱玫囊粋€(gè)銅板?！?/p>

“But d'you think the Yogi really walked over the water?”asked Gray.
“你覺(jué)得瑜伽師真的能踏水如履平地嗎？”格雷問(wèn)道。

“The Yogi who told me believed it implicitly.”
“那位智者是這么說(shuō)的，顯然他相信是真的?！?/p>

It was a pleasure to hear Larry talk, because he had a wonderfully melodious voice；it was light, rich without beingdeep, and with a singular variety of tone. We finished dinner and went back to the drawing-room to have our coffee.I had never been to India and was eager to hear more of it.
聽(tīng)拉里說(shuō)話(huà)是一種享受，因?yàn)樗曇艏兠廊缣旎[之音，圓潤(rùn)、輕快，而不低沉，抑揚(yáng)頓挫恰到好處。飯后，大家回到客廳里喝咖啡。我沒(méi)去過(guò)印度，急切想了解更多的情況。

“Did you come in contact with any writers and thinkers?”I asked.
“你跟作家和思想家有過(guò)接觸嗎？”我問(wèn)。

“I notice that you make a distinction between the two，”said Isabel to tease me.
“我發(fā)現(xiàn)你把作家和思想家分成了兩個(gè)群體?！币辽悹柸⌒ξ艺f(shuō)。

“I made it my business to，”Larry answered.
“當(dāng)然要跟他們接觸了?！崩锘卮鸬?。

“How did you communicate with them?In English?”
“你是怎么和他們交流的？用英語(yǔ)嗎？”

“The most interesting, if they spoke at all, didn't speak it very well and understood less. I learnt Hindustani.And when I went south I picked up enough Tamil to get along pretty well.”
“有意思的是，他們即便會(huì)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)，也說(shuō)得不大好，理解上就更差了。我學(xué)了印度斯坦語(yǔ)，后來(lái)去南方，又學(xué)了泰米爾語(yǔ)，反正足夠交流用的了。”

“How many languages d'you know now, Larry?”
“你現(xiàn)在懂多少種語(yǔ)言呀，拉里？”

“Oh, I don't know. Half a dozen or so.”
“哦，說(shuō)不準(zhǔn)，也就是六七種吧?！?/p>

“I want to know more about the Yogis，”said Isabel.“Did you get to know any of them intimately?”
“我還想多了解一點(diǎn)瑜伽師的情況?！币辽悹栒f(shuō)，“你和他們有沒(méi)有關(guān)系很熟的？”

“As intimately as you can know persons who pass the best part of their time in the Infinite，”he smiled.“I spent two years in the Ashrama of one.”
“和幾位終年苦修的瑜伽師倒是非常熟?！崩镄α诵φf(shuō)，“我曾在一個(gè)苦修林住過(guò)兩年?！?/p>

“Two years?What's an Ashrama?”
“兩年？苦修林是個(gè)什么樣的地方？”

“Well, I suppose you might call it a hermitage. There are holy men who live alone, in a temple, in the forest, or on the slopes of the Himalayas.There are others who attract disciples.A charitable person to acquire merit builds a room, large or small, to lodge a Yogi whose piety has impressed him, and the disciples live with him, sleeping on the veranda or in the cookhouse if there is one or under the trees.I had a tiny hut in the compound just big enough for my camp bed, a chair and a table, and a bookshelf.”
“這個(gè)嘛，你也可以把它叫作隱居地吧。有些圣人喜歡過(guò)獨(dú)居生活，或在廟里，或在林中，或在喜馬拉雅山山麓。還有一些圣人廣招門(mén)徒。一些樂(lè)善好施的人為了積累功德，常常為自己崇拜的瑜伽圣人建造房屋，有大的也有小的，門(mén)徒們也隨著自己的恩師一塊居住，住在晾臺(tái)上、廚房里（如果有廚房的話(huà)），或者棲身于樹(shù)下。我在這樣的苦修林中有一個(gè)斗室，剛能放得下我的行軍床、桌椅和書(shū)架?！?/p>

“Where was this?”I inquired.
“這地方在哪兒？”我問(wèn)。

“In Travancore, a beautiful country of green hills and valleys and soft-flowing rivers. Up in the mountains there are tigers, leopards, elephants, and bison, but the Ashrama was on a lagoon and all around it grew coconuts and areca palms.It was three or four miles from the nearest town, but people used to come from there, and even from much farther, on foot or by bullock cart, to hear the Yogi talk when he was inclined to, or just to sit at his feet and share with one another the peace and blessedness that were radiated from his presence as fragrance is wafted upon the air by a tuberose.”
“在特拉凡哥爾。那兒風(fēng)景如畫(huà)，青山翠谷，細(xì)水蜿蜒流淌。山中有老虎、豹子、大象和野牛，而苦修林位于環(huán)礁湖畔，周?chē)訕?shù)和檳榔樹(shù)郁郁蔥蔥。它距離最鄰近的城鎮(zhèn)也有三四英里遠(yuǎn)，但人們從鎮(zhèn)上或更遠(yuǎn)的地方紛至沓來(lái)，有的步行，有的坐牛車(chē)，來(lái)聽(tīng)瑜伽圣人宣講（如果他有興致的話(huà)），或者僅僅坐在圣人的腳下，享受圣人所帶來(lái)的那一份靜謐和吉祥——那份靜謐和吉祥猶如花香彌漫在空氣中?！?/p>

Gray moved uneasily in his chair. I guessed that the conversation was taking a turn that he found uncomfortable.
格雷在椅子上不安地扭動(dòng)著身子。我猜想可能是因?yàn)檎勗?huà)轉(zhuǎn)了彎，讓他感到不耐煩了。

“Have a drink?”he said to me.
“來(lái)杯酒嗎？”他問(wèn)我。

“No, thanks.”
“不喝。謝謝。”

“Well, I'm going to have one. What about you Isabel?”
“哦，我可要喝一杯了。你喝不喝，伊莎貝爾？”

He raised his great weight from the chair and went over to the table on which stood whisky and Perrier and glasses.
他把巨大、沉重的身軀從椅子上抬起來(lái)，向吧臺(tái)走去，那兒放著威士忌、畢雷礦泉水以及玻璃杯。

“Were there other white men there?”
“那地方還有別的白人嗎？”

“No. I was the only one.”
“沒(méi)有了。只有我一個(gè)白人?！?/p>

“How could you stand it for two years?”cried Isabel.
“兩年的時(shí)間，你怎么能熬得下來(lái)？”

“They passed like a flash. I've spent days that seemed to be unconscionably longer.”
“一眨眼就過(guò)去了。以前過(guò)日子，就是幾天好像也要比這兩年漫長(zhǎng)得多呢?！?/p>

“What did you do with yourself all the time?”
“那么長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間，你都干些什么呀？”

“I read. I took long walks.I went out in a boat on the lagoon.I meditated.Meditation is very hard work；after two or three hours of it you're as exhausted as if you'd driven a car five hundred miles, and all you want to do is to rest.”
“看書(shū)、長(zhǎng)距離散步、湖上蕩舟，以及冥思。冥思十分耗費(fèi)精力，兩三個(gè)小時(shí)就會(huì)叫你精疲力竭，仿佛開(kāi)車(chē)一口氣跑了五百英里的路一樣，只想好好休息一下?！?/p>

Isabel frowned slightly. She was puzzled and I'm not sure that she wasn't a trifle scared.I think she was beginning to have a notion that the Larry who had entered the room a few hours before, though unchanged in appearance and seemingly as open and friendly as he had ever been, was not the same as the Larry, so candid, easy, and gay, wilful to her mind but delightful, that she had known in the past.She had lost him before, and on seeing him again, taking him for the old Larry, she had a feeling that, however altered the circumstances, he was still hers；and now, as though she had sought to catch a sunbeam in her hand and it slipped through her fingers as she grasped it, she was a trifle dismayed.I had looked at her a good deal that evening, which was always a pleasant thing to do, and had seen the fondness in hereyes as they rested on his trim head, with the small ears close to the skull, and how the expression in them changed when they dwelt on his hollow temples and the thinness of his cheek.She glanced at his long lean hands, which notwithstanding their emaciation were strong and virile.Then her gaze lingered on his mobile mouth, well shaped, full without being sensual, and on his serene brow and clean-cut nose.He wore his new clothes not with the bandbox elegance of Elliott, but with a sort of loose carelessness as though he had worn them every day for a year.I felt that he aroused in Isabel motherly instincts I had never felt in her relation with her children.She was an experienced woman；he still looked a boy；and I seemed to read in her air the pride of a mother for her grown-up son because he is talking intelligently and others are listening to him as if he made sense.I don't think the import of what he said penetrated her consciousness.
伊莎貝爾微微皺了皺眉頭。她心里一片迷茫，恐怕也有點(diǎn)害怕。她可能有一種想法，這個(gè)幾小時(shí)前走進(jìn)屋來(lái)的拉里，雖然表面上沒(méi)有變化，好像仍和從前一樣開(kāi)朗和友愛(ài)，但和她過(guò)去認(rèn)識(shí)的那個(gè)拉里，那個(gè)非常坦率、平易、歡快、任性不聽(tīng)話(huà)但討人喜歡的拉里已經(jīng)不是一個(gè)人了。她曾經(jīng)失去了他，如今重逢，起先以為他還是昔日的拉里，盡管歷盡滄桑，卻依舊屬于她。然而現(xiàn)在，她好像抓了一把陽(yáng)光在手里，那陽(yáng)光從指頭縫里溜掉了。這讓她有點(diǎn)沮喪。那天晚上，我一直在盯著她瞧（這在我歷來(lái)都是賞心悅目的事）。我發(fā)現(xiàn)她眼里充滿(mǎn)著喜悅在看拉里那修剪得很整齊的腦袋（兩只小耳朵緊貼著那腦袋殼），當(dāng)她的目光落在拉里凹陷的太陽(yáng)穴和消瘦的臉頰上時(shí)，眼神由喜轉(zhuǎn)憂(yōu)。她又望望他那瘦長(zhǎng)的手——那雙手雖然很瘦，卻強(qiáng)壯有力。后來(lái)，她的目光移向了他那富于表情的嘴——那張嘴的嘴形好看，豐滿(mǎn)但不性感，接著又去看他那平展的額頭和端正的鼻子。他穿一身新裝，雖沒(méi)有艾略特的那種整潔、風(fēng)雅，卻落拓不羈、瀟灑自如，好像那是一身天天穿的日常衣服似的。我覺(jué)得他似乎激起了伊莎貝爾的一種舐?tīng)僦?，而這種感情在她和自己的女兒之間并不曾見(jiàn)。她已有了當(dāng)母親的經(jīng)歷，而他看上去還像個(gè)孩子。她的神情中有一種母性的驕傲，一種為長(zhǎng)大成人的兒子而產(chǎn)生的驕傲——那兒子說(shuō)話(huà)有條有理，引得大家側(cè)耳傾聽(tīng)，仿佛他在講述真理。我覺(jué)得她并沒(méi)有真正理解他話(huà)中的含意。

But I was not done with my questioning.
至此，我的話(huà)仍未問(wèn)完。

“What was your Yogi like?”
“你的瑜伽師是個(gè)什么樣子？”

“In person, d'you mean?Well, he wasn't tall, neither thin nor fat, palish brown in colour and clean-shaven, with close-cropped white hair. He never wore anything but a loincloth, and yet he managed to look as trim and neat and well dressed as a young man in one of Brooks Brothers'advertisements.”
“你指的是外表吧？這個(gè)嘛，個(gè)子不高，不胖也不瘦，淺棕色皮膚，臉刮得光光的，一頭白發(fā)剪得很短，身上除掉一塊圍腰布外，什么也不穿，但看上去就和布克兄弟男裝公司廣告牌上的那個(gè)年輕男子一樣干凈利落，一樣穿著得體?！?/p>

“And what had he got that particularly attracted you?”
“他究竟有什么特殊之處如此吸引你呢？”

Larry looked at me for a full minute before answering. His eyes in their deep sockets seemed as though they were trying to pierce to the depths of my soul.
拉里凝神看著我整整有一分鐘，最后才做出了回答。他那雙深陷在眼窩里的眼睛目光炯炯，好像要射入我的靈魂深處一樣。

“Saintliness.”
“圣徒氣息?！?/p>

I was slightly disconcerted by his reply. In that room, with its fine furniture, with those lovely drawings on the walls, the word fell like a plop of water that has seeped through the ceiling from an overflowing bath.
他的回答使我感到有點(diǎn)意外。在這個(gè)陳設(shè)著精美家具、墻上掛著名畫(huà)的房間里，這句話(huà)就像浴缸里溢出的水從天花板上漏下來(lái)，啪嗒一聲落在了地面上。

“We've read all about the saints, St. Francis, St.John of the Cross, but that was hundreds of years ago.I never thought it possible to meet one who was alive now.From the first time I saw him I never doubted that he was a saint.It was a wonderful experience.”
“咱們都讀過(guò)圣徒傳，其中有圣佛蘭西斯，有十字架的圣約翰，但那都是幾百年前的事了。我從未想到過(guò)能遇見(jiàn)一個(gè)仍活在世上的圣徒。我第一次見(jiàn)到他，就堅(jiān)定不移地相信他是個(gè)圣徒。那是一段美妙的人生經(jīng)歷。”

“And what did you gain from it?”
“你的收獲是什么呢？”

“Peace，”he said casually, with a light smile. Then, abruptly, he rose to his feet.“I must go.”
“寧?kù)o?！彼摽诙?，臉上淡淡一笑。隨后，他突然站起身說(shuō)：“我得走了?！?/p>

“Oh, not yet, Larry，”cried Isabel.“It's quite early.”
“噢，不要走，拉里。”伊莎貝爾叫了起來(lái)，“時(shí)間還早呢?！?/p>

“Good night，”he said, smiling still, taking no notice of her expostulation. He kissed her on the cheek.“I'll see you again in a day or two.”
“晚安。”他說(shuō)道，臉上仍?huà)熘⑿?，絲毫沒(méi)有理會(huì)伊莎貝爾的央求。他在伊莎貝爾的面頰上親了親，對(duì)她說(shuō)道：“過(guò)一兩天我再來(lái)看你們。”

“where are you staying?I'll call you.”
“你住在哪里？我給你打電話(huà)?！?/p>

“Oh, don't bother to do that. You know how difficult it is to get a call through in Paris, and in any case our telephone is generally out of order.”
“哦，勸你別找這個(gè)麻煩了。你也知道在巴黎打個(gè)電話(huà)有多難。再說(shuō)，我們那兒的電話(huà)常常出毛病?！?/p>

I laughed inwardly at the neatness with which Larry had got out of giving an address. It was a queer kink of his to make a secret of his abode.I suggested that they should all dine with me next evening but one in the Bois de Boulogne.It was very pleasant in that balmy spring weather to eat out-of-doors, under the trees, and Gray could drive us there in the coupé.I left with Larry and would willingly have walked some way with him, but as we got into the street he shook hands with me and walked quickly off.I got into a taxi.
拉里不愿說(shuō)出住址，利落地?cái)[脫了窘境，我見(jiàn)了心里不由發(fā)笑。隱瞞住址成了他的一個(gè)古怪的特征。我提出要請(qǐng)大家后天晚上去布倫園林吃飯。在這樣四處飄香的春天，露天坐在大樹(shù)下面吃飯，確是一大享受。到時(shí)候，可以坐上格雷開(kāi)的汽車(chē)一同前往。我跟拉里一同出了門(mén)，本想陪他走一段路，可一到街上他就跟我握了握手，快步走掉了。他走后，我坐上了一輛出租車(chē)。