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纯真年代(牛津简读版)|The Age of Innocence(Oxford Version)

2. 纽兰存有疑虑|2. NEWLAND HAS DOUBTS

属类： 双语小说 【分类】双语小说 -[作者: 伊迪丝.华顿] 阅读：[1448]
对于富人和时尚人士来说，19世纪70年代的纽约社交界充斥着各种规矩：何时应该打黑领带，或者何时适宜进行下午拜访;可以邀请谁参加晚上的聚会，或者听歌剧时可以挨着谁坐;哪些人受欢迎，哪些人不受欢迎。 埃伦·奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人是一位波兰伯爵的妻子，曾在欧洲生活多年，现在孤身一人回到了她在纽约的家。她希望摆脱自己不幸婚姻带来的痛苦，但她不了解纽约社交界的各种规矩。而纽兰·阿彻则深谙于此;他的未婚妻——年轻的梅·韦兰——也按照这些规矩生活着，因为她无法想象还有其他的生活方式。
纽兰、梅和埃伦陷入了一场爱情、名誉和责任的战斗之中。在这场战斗中，礼貌的微笑背后隐藏着强烈的情感，一切尽在不言中，而那穿过拥挤房间的意味深长的一瞥，更是胜过千言万语。
For the rich and the fashionable, New York society in the 1870s was a world full of rules: rules about when to wear a black tie, or the correct time to pay an afternoon visit; rules about who you could invite to your evening parties or sit next to at the opera; rules about who was an acceptable person, and who was not.
Countess Ellen Olenska, who has lived for many years in Europe as the wife of a Polish Count, returns alone to her family in New York. She hopes to leave the pain of her unhappy marriage behind her, but she does not understand the rules of New York society. Newland Archer, however, understands them only too well, and the girl he is engaged to marry, young May Welland, lives her life by the rules, because she cannot imagine any other way of living.
Newland, May, and Ellen are caught in a battle between love, honour, and duty – a battle where strong feelings hide behind polite smiles, where much is left unsaid, and where a single expressive look across a crowded room can carry more meaning than a hundred words.
《 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》
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第二天晚上，西勒顿·杰克逊老先生前来与阿彻一家共进晚餐。纽兰的母亲阿德琳·阿彻已经寡居多年，她并不常参与社交界的活动，但却喜欢知悉圈子中的大小事情。而她的老朋友西勒顿·杰克逊则习惯以收藏家的耐心和科学家对细节的关注来探究人们的私生活。因此，每当阿彻太太想要了解发生的某件事，她便会请杰克逊先生前来吃晚餐。

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要是身处在一个完美的世界，杰克逊先生会希望阿彻太太的饭菜稍加改善。不过，毕竟鱼和熊掌不可兼得。曼森一家和洛弗尔·明戈特一家对吃穿和花钱都很讲究。如果你与他们其中一家共餐，便可以享用到最美味的菜肴和最上等的酒水。另一方面，如果你受邀于无暇顾及粗俗享乐形式的阿彻一家或范德卢顿一家，你却可以跟他们畅谈瑞士的阿尔卑斯山和最新的书籍。因此，当阿彻太太发出友好的邀请时，凡事总习惯往好处看的杰克逊先生会对妹妹索菲说：“上次在明戈特太太家我吃得有点儿多了——到阿德琳家吃少点儿对我会有好处的。”

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阿彻太太和她未嫁的女儿珍妮住在宅邸的一楼，二楼全部归纽兰使用。母亲和女儿时时刻刻都待在一起，在装修精美的起居室里读书或者做针线活。她们偶尔也外出旅行，寻访两人都无比欣赏的秀美风光或艺术作品。长期如此亲密的共同生活培养了她们相近的兴趣，造就了她们使用相同的词汇，甚至相同的讲话方式。每当她们想发表各自的意见的时候，母亲会以“珍妮认为”来打开话匣子，而珍妮则会说“母亲认为……”。

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母女俩长得仿如姐妹：身材高大，脸色透白，肩膀略圆，长鼻梁，笑容甜美。然而，随着岁月的流逝，阿彻太太的黑色绸缎衣裙在她日渐发福的腰身上绷得越来越紧，而阿彻小姐那棕紫相间的衣裙，却在她那处女的身架上显得愈发宽松。

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母女俩深爱着对方，并且都钦佩和尊重纽兰。她们的钦佩让他内心感到满足，他也因此爱着她们俩。他认为，一个男人在自己家里受到尊重并拥有权威是件好事。

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那天晚上，纽兰有自己的理由待在家里。他知道老杰克逊会谈起埃伦·奥兰斯卡，阿彻太太和珍妮当然也想听一听他要讲些什么。三个人都会由于纽兰的在场而略显尴尬，因为他与明戈特家族未来的关系已经公之于众。年轻人饶有兴趣地等着，想看看这将对他们的谈话产生什么样的影响。

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阿彻太太拐弯抹角地从斯特拉瑟斯太太开始谈起。她在博福特家的舞会上露面，令纽约社交界十分意外。“她获得邀请，这真令人遗憾。”她温和地说，“不过，我听说是朱利叶斯·博福特坚持要请她的。”

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“博福特永远也不会了解什么可以让人们接受，什么不行。”杰克逊先生一边说着，一边小心地审视着鱼肉。他想了不下千次，为何阿彻太太的厨师总是把鱼烧焦。

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“哦，博福特当然不是一位绅士。”阿彻太太说，“不过斯特拉瑟斯太太……”她瞥了珍妮一眼，停下话头。有些事不适合让未婚女子知晓——最起码，不适合在公开场合谈论。

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“斯特拉瑟斯太太曾经是一个——”杰克逊先生看见珍妮的眼睛因为好奇而睁得大大的，于是他稍作停顿，然后接着说：“后来莱缪尔·斯特拉瑟斯出现了，而且——最后终于——娶了她。”他在说“最后终于”几个字的前后都稍作停顿，这些停顿意味深长。

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“哦，如今好多人行为都不检点，这也算不了什么。”阿彻太太漫不经心地说。其实，两位女士感兴趣的并非斯特拉瑟斯太太。随后，阿彻太太看准时机，问了她和珍妮真正想了解的事情：“还有纽兰的那位新表姐——奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人？她也参加了舞会吗？”

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阿德琳·阿彻得悉儿子订婚后，一直非常高兴。年轻男人可能会做出其不意的蠢事，而有些女人为了钓到一个丈夫则会不择手段。不过，纽兰作出了一个绝佳的选择——梅·韦兰是纽约最富有也最漂亮的姑娘之一，而且她来自一个很有名望的家族。阿彻太太觉得现在自己可以放心了，她确信自己唯一的儿子在以后的日子里将会过着安稳而无可挑剔的家庭生活。

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然而，他的订婚意味着他将和奥兰斯卡夫人有姻亲关系，这让她感到有些遗憾。那个女人好像忘记了——如果她确实曾经明白过——时刻遵循社交界规则的重要性。

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杰克逊先生向后靠在椅子上。“不，她没到舞会上去。”他缓慢而从容地说道。

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“也许博福特夫妇并不认识她。”珍妮一脸单纯地推测说，尽管她深知这并非事实。

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“博福特太太可能不认识她，但博福特先生肯定认识。”杰克逊先生回答说，“今天下午，全纽约的人都看见奥兰斯卡夫人和他一起沿着第五大道散步。”

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“我的天！”阿彻太太叫道，“她怎么能这样！”

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珍妮大着胆子说：“我听说她穿了一件深蓝色的衣裙去看歌剧，衣裙素色无花纹，就像睡衣一样。”

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“珍妮！”她母亲一脸错愕，珍妮·阿彻脸一红。“不管怎么说，”阿彻太太接着说，“她没有去舞会，总算是得体的了。”

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“我认为这不是她得体不得体的问题。”纽兰说，故意想让母亲感觉不爽，“梅说埃伦本来是打算去的，只是后来又觉得她的那身衣裙不够漂亮，所以才没去。”

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阿彻太太笑了，对于自己的猜测获证实感到高兴。“可怜的埃伦！我们必须谨记，梅多拉·曼森对她进行了怎样稀奇古怪的培养教育。一个姑娘首次参加舞会，居然会穿黑色绸缎衣裙去，你还能指望她作何表现呢？”

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纽兰突然想争辩几句：“她当然是‘可怜的埃伦’，因为她运气不佳，结下了倒霉的婚姻，但我不认为她就非得为什么事情感到羞耻。”

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“人们确实说她……”杰克逊先生开口说，接着停下来，又瞥了珍妮一眼。

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“哦，我知道！”纽兰大声说，“他们说那个秘书帮埃伦离开了她冷酷的丈夫，那个把埃伦当成囚犯看待的人。哎，即便那样又有什么问题吗？遇到这种情况，有哪个男人不会伸出援助之手呢？”

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“我听说她打算离婚。”珍妮大着胆子说。

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“我希望她会！”纽兰大声说。

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“离婚”这个字眼像炸弹一样落在了阿彻家纯净安宁的餐厅里。阿彻太太意味深长地看了儿子一眼，而年轻人也意识到在用人面前谈论这些私事有伤风雅，于是急忙转换话题。

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晚餐之后，按照惯例，女士们到起居室去，而纽兰则带着他的客人去图书室。杰克逊先生坐进一把舒适的扶手椅，高兴地点燃一支纽兰的上等雪茄，然后说：“亲爱的纽兰，你觉得那个秘书仅仅是帮她逃跑吗？可是，一年之后，他还在继续帮助她呢，因为有人在瑞士看见他们住在一起。”

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纽兰脸红了：“住在一起？啊，为什么不可以？她为什么就不应该开始新的人生呢？像她这种年纪的女子，如果丈夫选择和别的女人鬼混，她就应当把自己活活葬送吗？我痛恨这种观点。”他气愤地转过身去点燃雪茄。“女人应当拥有自由，和我们一样的自由。”他补充道。因为过于恼火，他根本没有意识到自己这一发现的全部意义。

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西勒顿·杰克逊先生把脚伸得离炉火更近一些，调侃地吹了个口哨。“你真这么想吗，纽兰？”他面带笑容地说，“嗯，看来奥兰斯基伯爵和你观点相同，我想他未曾费过一丁点儿力气要把他妻子弄回去。”

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那天晚上，杰克逊先生离开之后，纽兰坐在图书室的书桌前，目光落在梅·韦兰送给他的那张大照片上。他注视着这位年轻女子那双严肃的眼睛，以及那微笑着的天真的嘴角，突然有种以前从未有过的忧虑——不久，他就要承担起照顾她的责任。这个令人心悸的姑娘，是他所归属并信奉的这个社会的产物。她对一切全然不知，却又充满期待。突然，她变得很陌生，而他开始意识到，婚姻并非如他所受教导告诉他应期待的那样，是一个安全的港湾，而是进入未知海域的一次航行。

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奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人的到来搅乱了他的思绪，让他在有条不紊的人生中第一次对孰是孰非产生了怀疑。当然，相比奥兰斯基伯爵对待埃伦的方式，他这个丈夫对梅肯定要更亲切，更体贴。不过很明显，他和梅的婚姻仍然有可能出问题，因为向她隐瞒自己的过去是他的义务，而作为已到婚龄的姑娘，她的义务却是拥有没有可隐瞒的过去。这样一来，他们对彼此又有多少理解呢？倘若他们两人互相厌倦或者互相怄气，该怎么办呢？他想起朋友们的婚姻，发现没有一个能与伴侣建立充满爱意的朋友关系。他一直渴望与梅建立那种关系。

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他是真心爱着她，而且他知道，即将结婚的年轻人存有疑虑是很普遍的。他把这归咎于奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人。眼下他刚刚订婚，正处于思想纯净、憧憬光明的时刻，却卷入了一宗丑闻。这宗丑闻可能会为他带来各种他渴望避免的麻烦。

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几天之后，丑闻愈演愈烈。在曼森·明戈特老太太的指挥下，洛弗尔·明戈特家广发请柬，邀请宾客参加宴会。请柬开头用了这样的措词：“为欢迎奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人”。四十八小时之后，发生了让人难以置信的一幕：除了博福特夫妇和西勒顿·杰克逊，其他人都拒绝了明戈特家的邀请。很明显，纽约社交界已经决定不欢迎奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人。

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纽兰得悉此事后大为光火，他说服母亲去请求她颇有影响力的表姐路易莎·范德卢顿，希望她给予支持。

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纽兰·阿彻那个时代的纽约大致由三个群体构成。底层是体面的平民家庭，像莱弗茨家族和杰克逊家族。再往上就是有教养的富裕家族，像明戈特家族和阿彻家族。而在最顶端的则只有三个家族，达戈内特家族、兰宁家族和范德卢顿家族，他们都与欧洲的贵族有姻亲关系。

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阿彻太太和纽兰乘马车径直前往范德卢顿家位于麦迪逊大道那座阴沉的大宅。路易莎在高顶的客厅里接待他们，那里摆满了质地坚实的旧式家具。她礼貌地倾听了阿彻太太的叙述。她对任何寻求帮助的请求一贯都是回答说：“我得先和我丈夫商量一下。”可是这一次，她拉铃叫来一名用人，然后对他说：“如果范德卢顿先生看完了报纸，劳驾他过来一趟。”

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几分钟之后，亨利·范德卢顿走进房间。他向阿彻太太打了招呼，又对纽兰的订婚表示了祝贺。接着，他静静地听阿彻太太将之前对他妻子所讲的内容复述了一遍。屋里一片寂静，这两位俨然皇室成员般的人物考虑着眼下的情况，社会责任的重担压在他们瘦弱衰老的肩头。纽兰和他的母亲则恭恭敬敬地等待着。

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最后，亨利·范德卢顿开口说：“只要出身名门的人获得家族的支持，就应该把家族的决定视为最终决定。我现在才知道，世道竟然沦落至如此地步。”他看了看妻子，见她点头表示赞同。“纽兰，你可能已经知道，路易莎在英国的表弟圣奥斯特雷公爵要来和我们待上几天。我们准备邀请几位朋友来参加宴会，欢迎他。如果奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人愿意成为我们的客人，我相信路易莎会跟我一样高兴的。”

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“太感谢你了，亨利——”阿彻太太说。

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“没什么好谢的，亲爱的阿德琳。这种事情不应该发生在纽约，只要我阻止得了，将来也不会让它再发生。”然后，他领着客人走向门口。

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两小时后，人人都得知，纽约最受人尊敬的夫妇邀请奥兰斯卡夫人参加他们下周为欢迎亲戚圣奥斯特雷公爵举办的宴会。

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在纽约，人们普遍认为奥兰斯卡伯爵夫人“容颜已逝”。她曾经是个光彩照人的漂亮女孩，父母年纪轻轻的便过了身，之后她被梅多拉·曼森姑妈收养。可怜的梅多拉接连嫁了三个不合适的丈夫，然后守了三次寡。然而，她尽其所能地将埃伦抚养成人。她们常常旅游，而埃伦正是在欧洲旅行时，邂逅并嫁给了奥兰斯基伯爵。当这段婚姻以悲剧收场之后，她便回到纽约的亲属身边，寻求安宁与忘却。

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在举行宴会的那天晚上，当纽兰看见她走进范德卢顿家的餐厅时，他当即否定了关于她容貌的普遍看法。她比早些年苍白和瘦削些，但她身上散发着一种神秘的美——她抬头时散发出的自信，还有聪慧的双眼背后藏着她无法言说的苦痛经历。她是在场女性中最年轻的一位。然而，其他年长女性的脸庞平滑柔嫩，看起来比她稚嫩许多。纽兰不敢去想是怎样的经历赋予了她一双那样的眼睛。

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餐后，男士们纷纷走向女士们，公爵径直走向伯爵夫人，和她像老朋友一样交谈起来。很明显，她在欧洲游历时和他见过面。谈话结束之后，按照纽约的常规，她应该等着另一位绅士过来和她交谈，可她并没有这样做，而是站起身走到纽兰身边坐下。

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“梅是一个可爱的姑娘，那么漂亮，那么聪明。”她说道，并朝他微笑，“你很爱她吧？”

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纽兰脸红了。他笑着说：“男人对女人的爱能有多深，我对她的爱就有多深。”

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“真令人高兴！你们是自己认识的——完全不是别人安排的吧？”

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纽兰带着难以置信的表情看着她，面带笑容地问：“你忘了吗——在我们国家，我们不允许别人安排婚姻呀！”

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她的面颊刷的一下红了，他立即为自己草率的言辞感到懊悔。

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“是的，我忘了。如果有时候我犯了这样的错误，你一定得原谅我。在我以前待的地方，情况非常不同，非常糟糕。”她低下了头，他见到她的双唇在颤抖。

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“非常抱歉，”他连忙说，“不过你瞧，你现在周围都是朋友。”

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“是的，我知道。无论我走到哪里，我都有这种感觉，那正是我回家来的原因。我想把最近的一切全部忘掉，重新变回一个彻底的美国人，就像明戈特家和韦兰家的人一样。啊，梅来了，你一定想立即赶到她身边去。”她接着说，身子却没动。她的目光从门口回转，重新落在年轻人的脸上。

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餐后来的宾客纷纷走了进来，纽兰看到梅和她母亲在一起。“哦，她被人们围住了。别人正在向公爵介绍她呢。”他说。

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“那就多陪我一会儿吧。”奥兰斯卡夫人低声说，并用手指碰了一下他的膝盖。虽然只是轻轻的一碰，却犹如亲吻一般令他兴奋。

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“好的，我留下。”他小声说。但这时，范德卢顿先生带来了一位想见伯爵夫人的客人，于是纽兰只好让出了自己的座位。

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奥兰斯卡夫人伸出一只手，向他告别。“那么，明天，五点钟以后——我等你。”她说。

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“明天——”纽兰听见自己重复说，尽管他们之前交谈时并没有约定。

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他走开的时候，见到曾拒绝到洛弗尔·明戈特家与伯爵夫人会面的几对夫妇正等着见她。对他来说，这再一次证明了范德卢顿夫妇在纽约社交界巨大的影响力。

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The next evening old Mr Sillerton Jackson came to have dinner with the Archers. Newland’s mother, Adeline Archer, had long been a widow, and did not often go into society, but she liked to be well informed about what was going on. Her old friend Sillerton Jackson used to study people’s lives with a collector’s patience and a scientist’s attention to detail. So whenever anything happened that Mrs Archer wished to know about, she asked Mr Jackson to dinner.

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In a perfect world, Mr Jackson would have hoped for Mrs Archer’s food to be a little better. But after all, you couldn’t have everything. If you had dinner with the Mansons or the Lovell Mingotts, who cared about eating and clothes and money, you ate the finest food and drank the best wines. On the other hand, if you were invited by the Archers or the van der Luydens, who had no time for the coarser kinds of pleasure, you could talk about the Swiss Alps and the most recent books. So when a friendly command came from Mrs Archer, Mr Jackson, who liked to find the best in every situation, would say to his sister Sophy, ’I over-ate last time I went to Mrs Mingott’s – it’ll do me good to eat a bit less at Adeline’s.’

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Mrs Archer and her unmarried daughter Janey lived on the ground floor of the family house, while Newland had the whole of the first floor to himself. Mother and daughter spent all their time together, reading or sewing in their beautifully furnished sitting room, or occasionally travelling, in search of the scenery or works of art they both admired so much. The long habit of living together in such closeness had given them similar interests, the same vocabulary, and even the same way of beginning a sentence with ’Mother thinks’ or ’Janey thinks’, when each of them wanted to give an opinion that was, in fact, their own.

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They looked almost like sisters, both tall, pale, and a little round-shouldered, with long noses and sweet smiles. As the years passed, however, Mrs Archer’s black silks were stretched more tightly round her thickening waist, while Miss Archer’s brown and purple dresses hung more loosely on her virgin figure.

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Mother and daughter loved each other deeply, and admired and respected Newland. This admiration secretly pleased him, and he loved them for it; he considered it a good thing for a man to be respected and obeyed in his own house.

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Newland had his own reasons for staying at home that evening. He knew old Jackson would talk about Ellen Olenska, and of course Mrs Archer and Janey wanted to hear what he had to tell. All three would be a little embarrassed by Newland’s presence, now that his future connection to the Mingott family had been announced, and the young man waited with amused curiosity to see what effect this would have on their conversation.

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Mrs Archer began indirectly, by talking about Mrs Struthers, a guest whom New York society had been surprised to see at the Beauforts’ ball. ’It’s a pity she was invited,’ she said gently, ’but Julius Beaufort insisted, I hear.’

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Beaufort will never understand what is and is not acceptable,’ said Mr Jackson, cautiously inspecting the fish, and wondering for the thousandth time why Mrs Archer’s cook always burnt it.

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Oh, of course Beaufort is not a gentleman,’ said Mrs Archer. ’And Mrs Struthers is...’ She looked briefly at Janey and paused. There were facts that were not suitable for an unmarried woman to know – or at least, to discuss in public.

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Mrs Struthers is a woman who once lived as a—’ Mr Jackson, catching sight of Janey, whose eyes were wide with interest, stopped, then went on, ’Until Lemuel Struthers came along, and – in the end – married her.’ He left a little pause before and after the words ’in the end’, and the pauses were full of meaning.

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Oh well, so many people behave badly nowadays, it doesn’t matter,’ said Mrs Archer carelessly. In fact, the ladies were not interested in Mrs Struthers, and Mrs Archer chose the moment to ask what she and Janey really wanted to know.’ And Newland’s new cousin – Countess Olenska? Was she at the ball too?’

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Adeline Archer had been very glad to hear of her son’s engagement. Young men could do such unexpected, foolish things, and some women would do anything to trap a husband. But Newland had made an excellent choice – May Welland was one of the wealthiest and most beautiful girls in New York, and from a highly respected family. Mrs Archer felt that now she could relax, confident that her only son would live in safe and blameless domesticity for the rest of his life.

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However, she thought it was a little unfortunate that his engagement meant he would be related to Madame Olenska, who seemed to have forgotten, if indeed she had ever understood, the importance of following society’s rules at all times.

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Mr Jackson leaned back in his chair. ’No, she was not at the ball,’ he said heavily and deliberately.

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Perhaps the Beauforts don’t know her,’ Janey suggested, looking innocent, though she knew very well that was not true.

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Mrs Beaufort may not, but Beaufort certainly does,’ replied Mr Jackson. ’Madame Olenska was seen walking up Fifth Avenue this afternoon with him by the whole of New York.’

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Oh dear!’ cried Mrs Archer. ’How could she!’

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Janey said, greatly daring, ’I heard she had on a dark blue dress at the opera, perfectly plain and flat – like a night-dress.’

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Janey!’ said her mother, shocked, and Janey Archer blushed. ’Anyway,’ continued Mrs Archer, ’she showed better taste in not going to the ball.’

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I don’t think it was a question of good taste,’ said Newland, wanting to annoy his mother a little. ’May said Ellen intended to go, and then decided her dress wasn’t good enough.’

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Mrs Archer smiled, pleased to learn her guess was correct. ’Poor Ellen! We must remember how strangely she was brought up by Medora Manson. What can you expect of a girl who was allowed to wear black silk at her very first evening ball?’

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Newland suddenly became argumentative. ’She’s "poor Ellen" certainly, because she had the bad luck to make a miserable marriage, but I don’t see what she has to be ashamed of.’

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People do say that she...’ began Mr Jackson, and stopped, looking at Janey again.

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Oh, I know!’ cried Newland. ’They say the secretary helped her to get away from her cruel husband, who kept her more or less a prisoner. Well, what’s wrong with that? Which man wouldn’t offer his help in a case like that?’

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Which man wouldn’t offer his help in a case like that?’ cried Newland.

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I hear she intends to get a divorce,’ said Janey bravely.

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I hope she will!’ cried Newland.

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The word ’divorce’ fell like a bomb in the calm purity of the Archer dining room. Mrs Archer gave her son a meaningful look, and the young man, conscious of the bad taste of discussing such personal matters in front of the servants, quickly changed the subject.

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After dinner, as was the custom, the ladies went up to the sitting room, while Newland took his guest to the library. As Mr Jackson sat down in a comfortable armchair and happily lit one of Newland’s excellent cigars, he said, ’You think the secretary just helped her to get away, my dear Newland? Well, he was still helping her a year later then, because someone met them living in Switzerland together.’

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Newland reddened. ’Living together? Well, why not? Why shouldn’t she start a new life? I hate the idea that a woman of her age should bury herself alive if her husband chooses to live with other women.’ He turned away angrily to light his cigar. ’Women ought to be free, as free as we are,’ he added, too irritated to realize the full meaning of his discovery.

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Mr Sillerton Jackson stretched his feet closer to the fire and whistled in amusement. ’Really, Newland?’ he said, with a smile. ’Well, it seems Count Olenski shares your view, because I don’t think he’s lifted a finger to get his wife back.’

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That evening, after Mr Jackson’s departure, Newland sat at his desk in the library, looking at the large photograph of May Welland which she had given him. With a new sense of fear he looked at the serious eyes and smiling, innocent mouth of the young creature who would soon be his responsibility. She was the terrifying product of the society he belonged to and believed in – a young girl who knew nothing and expected everything. Suddenly she seemed like a stranger, and he began to realize that marriage was not the safe harbour he had been taught to expect, but a voyage into unexplored seas.

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The arrival of the Countess Olenska had disturbed him, and made him unsure of what was right, for the first time in his well-ordered life. Naturally, he would be a far kinder and more sensitive husband to May than Count Olenski had been to Ellen. But clearly, things could still go wrong in his marriage to May. What could he and she really know of each other, since it was his duty to hide his past from her, and her duty, as a marriageable girl, to have no past to hide? What if they should tire of each other, or annoy each other? He thought about his friends’ marriages, and saw none that offered the loving friendship which he had been hoping for with May.

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He was sincerely in love, and he knew that doubts were common in young men who were going to be married. He blamed Countess Olenska. Here he was, recently engaged – a moment for pure thoughts and cloudless hopes – and involved in a scandal which could bring all the kinds of problem he would much rather avoid.

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A few days later the scandal worsened. The Lovell Mingotts, led iby old Mrs Manson Mingott, had sent out cards inviting a number of guests to a dinner. The invitations were headed with the words, ’To meet the Countess Olenska’. Forty-eight hours later, the unbelievable had happened: everyone except the Beauforts and Sillerton Jackson had refused the Mingotts’ invitation. It was clear that New York society had decided not to meet the Countess Olenska.

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When Newland heard of this, he was extremely angry, and persuaded his mother to ask her influential cousin, Louisa van der Luyden, for her support.

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The New York of Newland Archer’s day was broadly made up of three groups of people. At the bottom were the respectable, ordinary families like the Leffertses or the Jacksons. Above them were the wealthy people of good family like the Mingotts and the Archers. And right at the top were just three families, the Dagonets, the lannings, and the van der Luydens, all of whom were related to high-born European families.

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Mrs Archer and Newland drove straight to the van der Luydens’ large dark house in Madison Avenue. Here Louisa received them in her high-ceilinged sitting room full of solid, old-fashioned furniture, and listened politely to Mrs Archer’s story. Her usual answer to any request for help was, ’I shall first have to talk this over with my husband,’ but this time she rang for a servant and told him, ’If Mr van der Luyden has finished reading the newspaper, please ask him to be kind enough to come.’

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In a few minutes Henry van der Luyden entered the room. He greeted Mrs Archer and congratulated Newland on his engagement. Then he listened quietly as Mrs Archer repeated what she had told his wife. There was a silence while the two almost royal figures considered the situation, the weight of social responsibility lying heavily on their thin, elderly shoulders. Newland and his mother waited respectfully.

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Finally Henry van der Luyden spoke. ’As long as a member of a well-known family is supported by that family, their decision should be considered final. I had no idea that people were starting to behave so badly.’ He looked at his wife, who bent her head in agreement. ’Newland, you may be aware that Louisa’s English cousin, the Duke of St Austrey, is coming to stay with us for a few days. We are inviting a few friends to dinner here, to meet him, and I am sure Louisa will be as glad as I am if Countess Olenska will let us include her among our guests.’

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Thank you so much, Henry—’ Mrs Archer began.

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There is nothing to thank me for, dear Adeline. This kind of thing must not happen in New York, and shall not, as long as I can prevent it.’ And he guided his guests towards the door.

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Two hours later everyone knew that the most respected couple in New York had invited Madame Olenska to dinner the following week, to meet their relation, the Duke of St Austrey.

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It was generally agreed in New York that Countess Olenska had ’lost her looks’. She had been a brilliantly pretty child, who was adopted by her aunt, Medora Manson, after both her parents died young. Poor Medora married three unsuitable husbands, one after the other, and was widowed three times. However, she brought up Ellen as well as she could. They travelled constantly, and it was while travelling in Europe that Ellen met and married Count Olenski. When the marriage ended in disaster, she had returned to her relations in New York, to rest and to forget.

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When Newland saw her enter the van der Luydens’ dining room on the evening of the dinner, he disagreed at once with the general opinion of her appearance. She was paler and thinner than when she was younger, but there was a mysterious beauty about her – a sureness in the way she carried her head, an unspoken experience of suffering that lay behind those intelligent eyes. She was the youngest woman present, but the smooth soft faces of the older women seemed almost childlike compared with hers. It frightened Newland to think what had happened to her, to give her eyes like that.

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When the men joined the ladies after dinner, the Duke went straight up to the Countess and they talked together like old friends. It was clear she had met him on her travels in Europe. At the end of their conversation, instead of waiting for another gentleman to come and talk to her, which was the custom in New York, she got up and came to sit beside Newland.

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May is a dear girl – so handsome and intelligent,’ she said, smiling at him. ’Are you very much in love with her?’

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Newland reddened, laughing. ’As much as a man can be.’

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How delightful! And you discovered each other yourselves – it wasn’t arranged for you in any way?’

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Newland looked at her in disbelief, and asked with a smile. ’Have you forgotten that in our country we don’t allow our marriages to be arranged for us?’

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She blushed, and at once he was sorry for his careless remark.

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Yes, I’d forgotten. You must forgive me if I sometimes make these mistakes. Things were so different, so bad, where I’ve come from.’ She looked down and he saw that her lips trembled.

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I’m so sorry,’ he said quickly, ’but you are among friends here, you know.’

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Yes, I know. Wherever I go, I have that feeling. That’s why I came home. I want to forget everything in my recent past, to become a complete American again, like the Mingotts and the Wellands. Ah, here’s May arriving, and you will want to hurry away to her,’ she added, but without moving. Her eyes turned back from the door to rest on the young man’s face.

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The after-dinner guests were now entering the room, and Newland saw May with her mother. ’Oh, she’s surrounded by people. She’s being introduced to the Duke just now,’ he said.

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Then stay with me a little longer,’ Madame Olenska said in a low voice, just touching his knee with her finger. It was the lightest touch, but to him it was as exciting as a kiss.

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Yes, let me stay,’ he whispered. But just then Mr van der Luyden came up, with a guest who wanted to meet the Countess, so Newland had to give up his seat.

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Madame Olenska held out her hand to him, to say goodbye. ’Tomorrow, then, after five – I shall expect you,’ she said.

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Tomorrow...’ Newland heard himself repeating, although they had made no arrangement during their conversation.

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As he moved away, he saw, waiting to meet the Countess, a number of the couples who had refused to meet her at the Lovell Mingotts’, and it proved to him yet again the great influence that the van der Luydens had on New York society.

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序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

Jackson

[’dʒæksən]

n.杰克森(姓氏;男子名;地名)

archer

[’ɑːtʃə(r)]

n.射箭运动员;弓箭手

coarse

[kɔːs]

adj.粗糙的;粗俗的

Swiss

[swɪs]

adj.瑞士的

Alps

[ælps]

n.阿尔卑斯山脉

unmarried

[ˌʌn’mærid]

adj.未婚的;独身的

grind

[ɡraɪnd]

v.磨;压迫;碾碎;磨得吱吱响;逐渐停顿

sewing

[’səʊɪŋ]

n.缝纫;缝制物,

vocabulary

[və’kæbjələri]

n.词汇

stretchable

[stretʃəbl]

v.伸展;延伸;张开;夸大

thickening

[’θɪkənɪŋ]

n.变厚;厚的部分;增稠,

obey

[ə’beɪ]

v.服从;遵守;顺从;听从

Ellen

[ˈelən]

n.埃伦(女子名)

conversation

[ˌkɒnvə’seɪʃn]

n.谈话;会话

York

[jɔːk]

约克郡;〈板球〉使击球员出局

Countess

[’kaʊntəs]

n.女伯爵;伯爵夫人

Madame

[’mædəm]

n.夫人

deliberate

[dɪ’lɪbərət]

adj.深思熟虑的;故意的;从容不迫的

Archer

[’ɑːtʃə(r)]

n.射箭运动员;弓箭手

miserable

[’mɪzrəbl]

adj.痛苦的;悲惨的;贫乏的;狼狈的

armchair

[’ɑːmtʃeə(r)]

n.扶手椅;单人沙发;安乐椅

Switzerland

[’swɪtsələnd]

n.瑞士

angrily

[’æŋɡrəli]

adv.气愤地

irritate

[’ɪrɪteɪt]

v.激怒;使疼痛或发炎

amusement

[ə’mjuːzmənt]

n.乐趣，娱乐;消遣

liftable

[lɪftəbl]

a.1. 可以举起的

terrify

[’terɪfaɪ]

v.使害怕;使恐怖;威胁

harbour

[ˈhɑːbə]

港，海港，港口，港湾入港停泊，停泊

past

[pɑːst]

a. 过去的;

sincereness

[sɪn’sɪə(r)]

adj.真诚的;诚挚的

cloudless

[’klaʊdləs]

adj.无云的;晴朗的

respectful

[rɪ’spektfl]

adj.表示尊敬的;有礼貌的;谦恭的

traveled

[’trævld]

adj.有旅行经验的;旅客多的,

dine

[daɪn]

v.用正餐;进餐

thinner

[’θɪnə(r)]

稀释剂

unspeak

[’ʌn’spiːk]

vi.取消前言(撤回)

redden

[’redn]

v.(使)变红;脸红

blush

[blʌʃ]

n.脸红;羞愧

after-dinner

[’ɑːftədɪnə]

adj.饭后的; 晚饭后的

excite

[ɪk’saɪt]

vt.使兴奋;使激动;刺激;激起

goodbye

[gʊdˈbaɪ]

再见

Countess

[’kaʊntəs]

n.女伯爵;伯爵夫人

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