“也许吧。他们正兴高采烈地赶去朋友家吃饭。路上看见一个漂亮女人坐在出租雪橇里；那女人追上了他们,回头看了看,还--至少他们这么觉得--向他们点头微笑。他们当然就跟了上去,策马狂奔。可让他们大吃一惊的是,那美人恰恰在他们要去的那栋房子门口下了车。美人飞跑上楼,直奔顶层。他们瞥见短面纱下红润的嘴唇和一双精致的小脚。”

🔊

beheld /bɪˈheld/

v. (past tense of behold). 看见；注视➕

🔊

sledge /sledʒ/

n. 雪橇➕

🔊

overtakes /ˌoʊvərˈteɪks/

v. (third person singular of overtake). 追上；超过➕

🔊

fancy /ˈfænsi/

v. 想象；认为➕

🔊

gallop /ˈɡæləp/

v. 飞奔；疾驰➕

🔊

amazement /əˈmeɪzmənt/

n. 惊奇；惊愕➕

🔊

alights /əˈlaɪts/

v. (third person singular of alight). （从车、马等）下来➕

🔊

darts /dɑːrts/

v. (third person singular of dart). 猛冲；突进➕

🔊

glimpse /ɡlɪmps/

n. 一瞥；短暂的看见➕

🔊

veil /veɪl/

n. 面纱；遮蔽物➕

🔊

exquisite /ɪkˈskwɪzɪt/

adj. 精致的；优美的➕

🔊 "You describe it with such feeling that I fancy you must be one of the two."

“你讲得这么绘声绘色,我猜你准是那两人之一。”

🔊 "And after what you said, just now! Well, the young men go in to their comrade's; he was giving a farewell dinner. There they certainly did drink a little too much, as one always does at farewell dinners. And at dinner they inquire who lives at the top in that house. No one knows; only their host's valet, in answer to their inquiry whether any 'young ladies' are living on the top floor, answered that there were a great many of them about there. After dinner the two young men go into their host's study, and write a letter to the unknown fair one. They compose an ardent epistle, a declaration in fact, and they carry the letter upstairs themselves, so as to elucidate whatever might appear not perfectly intelligible in the letter."

“可你刚才还说呢！好了,那两个年轻人进了朋友的住处--他正在举办告别宴。在宴会上他们自然多喝了几杯,告别宴上总是如此。席间他们打听那栋楼顶层住着谁。没人知道；只有主人的贴身男仆在回答他们‘顶层有没有住着年轻小姐’时,说那儿可有不少呢。饭后两个年轻人走进主人的书房,给那位不知名的美人写了一封信。他们写了一封热情洋溢的信,其实就是求爱信,然后亲自送上门去,以便当面解释信中可能不够明白的地方。”

🔊

comrade /ˈkɑːmræd/

n. 同志；伙伴➕

🔊

farewell /ˌferˈwel/

n. 告别；欢送➕

🔊

inquire /ɪnˈkwaɪər/

v. 询问；查问➕

🔊

valet /ˈvæleɪ/

n. 男仆；侍从➕

🔊

inquiry /ɪnˈkwaɪəri/

n. 询问；调查➕

🔊

compose /kəmˈpoʊz/

v. 创作（音乐、诗歌等）；组成➕

🔊

ardent /ˈɑːrdnt/

adj. 热烈的；激情的➕

🔊

epistle /ɪˈpɪsl/

n. 书信（尤指长而重要的）➕

🔊

declaration /ˌdekləˈreɪʃən/

n. 宣言；声明➕

🔊

elucidate /ɪˈluːsɪdeɪt/

v. 阐明；解释➕

🔊

intelligible /ɪnˈtelɪdʒəbl/

adj. 可理解的；明白的➕

🔊 "Why are you telling me these horrible stories? Well?"

“你干吗要讲这些可怕的事？后来呢？”

🔊 "They ring. A maid-servant opens the door, they hand her the letter, and assure the maid that they're both so in love that they'll die on the spot at the door. The maid, stupefied, carries in their messages. All at once a gentleman appears with whiskers like sausages, as red as a lobster, announces that there is no one living in the flat except his wife, and sends them both about their business."

“他们按了门铃。一个女仆开了门,他们把信递给她,还信誓旦旦地说他俩都爱得发狂,要在门口当场死掉。女仆吓呆了,进去传话。突然,一个蓄着香肠般络腮胡、脸红得跟龙虾似的先生出现了,宣布这屋子里只住着他太太,然后就把两人赶走了。”

🔊

assure /əˈʃʊr/

v. 向...保证；使确信➕

🔊

stupefied /ˈstuːpɪfaɪd/

adj. 目瞪口呆的；惊呆的➕

🔊

whiskers /ˈwɪskərz/

n. (plural). 胡须；触须➕

🔊

lobster /ˈlɑːbstər/

n. 龙虾➕

🔊 "How do you know he had whiskers like sausages, as you say?"

“你怎么知道他长着你说的那种香肠样络腮胡？”

🔊 "Ah, you shall hear. I've just been to make peace between them."

“啊,你听我说。我刚去给他们调解来着。”

🔊 "Well, and what then?"

“哦,后来呢？”

🔊 "That's the most interesting part of the story. It appears that it's a happy couple, a government clerk and his lady. The government clerk lodges a complaint, and I became a mediator, and such a mediator!... I assure you Talleyrand couldn't hold a candle to me."

“这正是故事最有趣的部分。原来那是一对幸福夫妻,丈夫是个小公务员,妻子贤惠。那个公务员提出控告,我就去做了调解人--而且是多么了不起的调解人！……我敢说,塔列朗跟我比都差远了。”

🔊

mediator /ˈmiːdieɪtər/

n. 调解人；斡旋者➕

🔊

complaint /kəmˈpleɪnt/

n. 投诉；抱怨➕

🔊

lodges /lɑːdʒɪz/

v. (third person singular of lodge). 提出（投诉、上诉等）；存放➕

🔊 "Why, where was the difficulty?"

“哦,这有什么难的呢？”

🔊 "Ah, you shall hear.... We apologize in due form: we are in despair, we entreat forgiveness for the unfortunate misunderstanding. The government clerk with the sausages begins to melt, but he, too, desires to express his sentiments, and as soon as ever he begins to express them, he begins to get hot and say nasty things, and again I'm obliged to trot out all my diplomatic talents. I allowed that their conduct was bad, but I urged him to take into consideration their heedlessness, their youth; then, too, the young men had only just been lunching together. 'You understand. They regret it deeply, and beg you to overlook their misbehavior.' The government clerk was softened once more. 'I consent, count, and am ready to overlook it; but you perceive that my wife-my wife's a respectable woman-has been exposed to the persecution, and insults, and effrontery of young upstarts, scoundrels....' And you must understand, the young upstarts are present all the while, and I have to keep the peace between them. Again I call out all my diplomacy, and again as soon as the thing was about at an end, our friend the government clerk gets hot and red, and his sausages stand on end with wrath, and once more I launch out into diplomatic wiles."

“啊,你听我说……我们正式道了歉:我们万分懊悔,恳求原谅这不幸的误会。那个香肠胡公务员开始心软了,可他也想表达自己的感受,而他一开口就激动起来,说些难听的话,于是我又不得不拿出全部外交手腕。我承认他们的行为不对,但请他考虑他们年轻莽撞,再说那几个年轻人刚一起喝了酒。‘您明白,他们深感懊悔,恳求您原谅他们的失礼。’公务员再次心软了。‘伯爵,我同意,也愿意原谅,但您要知道,我妻子--我妻子是个正派女人--却遭到了那些年轻无赖、流氓的迫害、侮辱和冒犯……’您得明白,那些年轻无赖一直在一旁听着,我还得从中调停。于是我又亮出全部外交手段,眼看事情要解决了,那位公务员又激动得满脸通红,气得胡子都翘起来了,我只好再次施展外交手腕。”

🔊

entreat /ɪnˈtriːt/

v. 恳求,乞求➕

🔊

effrontery /ɪˈfrʌntəri/

n. 厚颜无耻,无礼➕

🔊

upstarts /ˈʌpstɑːts/

n. 暴发户,新贵➕

🔊

wrath /rɒθ/

n. 愤怒,盛怒➕

🔊

diplomatic /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/

adj. 外交的；有策略的➕

🔊 "Ah, he must tell you this story!" said Betsy, laughing, to a lady who came into her box. "He has been making me laugh so."

“啊,他一定得给您讲这个故事！”贝特西笑着对走进她包厢的一位女士说,“他逗得我笑死了。”

🔊 "Well, bonne chance!" she added, giving Vronsky one finger of the hand in which she held her fan, and with a shrug of her shoulders she twitched down the bodice of her gown that had worked up, so as to be duly naked as she moved forward towards the footlights into the light of the gas, and the sight of all eyes.

“好了,祝你好运！”她补充道,把拿折扇的手伸出一个小指让弗龙斯基握了握,然后耸耸肩,把往上滑的连衣裙胸前部分往下拉了拉,好让自己适度裸露,随即朝舞台脚灯走去,走进煤气灯光下,进入所有人的视线。

🔊

shrug /ʃrʌɡ/

n. 耸肩（表示冷漠、怀疑等）➕

🔊

bodice /ˈbɒdɪs/

n. （女装的）紧身上衣➕

🔊

duly /ˈdjuːli/

adv. 适当地；按时地➕

🔊

footlights /ˈfʊtlaɪts/

n. （舞台上的）脚灯➕

🔊 Vronsky drove to the French theater, where he really had to see the colonel of his regiment, who never missed a single performance there. He wanted to see him, to report on the result of his mediation, which had occupied and amused him for the last three days. Petritsky, whom he liked, was implicated in the affair, and the other culprit was a capital fellow and first-rate comrade, who had lately joined the regiment, the young Prince Kedrov. And what was most important, the interests of the regiment were involved in it too.

弗龙斯基乘车前往法国剧院,他必须在那儿见一见团长--团长从来不错过剧院里的任何一场演出。他想向团长汇报调解的结果,这件事过去三天一直让他忙忙碌碌又觉得有趣。他喜欢的佩特里茨基卷入了此事,另一个肇事者是个出色的年轻人,一位极好的伙伴,刚加入团里不久,就是年轻的克德罗夫公爵。而且最重要的是,这件事还关系到全团的荣誉。

🔊

colonel /ˈkɜːnl/

n. 上校➕

🔊

mediation /ˌmiːdiˈeɪʃn/

n. 调解,斡旋➕

🔊

implicated /ˈɪmplɪkeɪtɪd/

adj. 被牵连的,受影响的➕

🔊

culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/

n. 罪犯；肇事者➕

🔊 Both the young men were in Vronsky's company. The colonel of the regiment was waited upon by the government clerk, Venden, with a complaint against his officers, who had insulted his wife. His young wife, so Venden told the story-he had been married half a year-was at church with her mother, and suddenly overcome by indisposition, arising from her interesting condition, she could not remain standing, she drove home in the first sledge, a smart-looking one, she came across. On the spot the officers set off in pursuit of her; she was alarmed, and feeling still more unwell, ran up the staircase home. Venden himself, on returning from his office, heard a ring at their bell and voices, went out, and seeing the intoxicated officers with a letter, he had turned them out. He asked for exemplary punishment.

两个年轻人都在弗龙斯基的连队里。那个公务员文登曾求见团长,控告团里军官侮辱了他妻子。据文登讲,他结婚才半年,年轻的妻子和母亲在教会时突然身体不适--由于她怀孕了--无法站立,便叫了第一辆碰到的漂亮雪橇回家。那些军官当场就追了上去；她受了惊吓,感觉更加难受,跑上楼梯回了家。文登本人下班回家,听到门铃响和说话声,出来一看,见是喝醉的军官拿着一封信,就把他们赶走了。他要求严惩。

🔊

indisposition /ˌɪndɪspəˈzɪʃn/

n. 不适,微恙➕

🔊

intoxicated /ɪnˈtɒksɪkeɪtɪd/

adj. 醉酒的；陶醉的➕

🔊

exemplary /ɪɡˈzempləri/

adj. 模范的；惩戒性的➕

🔊 "Yes, it's all very well," said the colonel to Vronsky, whom he had invited to come and see him. "Petritsky's becoming impossible. Not a week goes by without some scandal. This government clerk won't let it drop, he'll go on with the thing."

“是啊,说得倒轻巧,”团长对受邀前来的弗龙斯基说,“佩特里茨基真是越来越不像话了。没有一周不出乱子。那个公务员不肯罢休,他会继续闹下去的。”

🔊

scandal /ˈskændl/

n. 丑闻➕

🔊 Vronsky saw all the thanklessness of the business, and that there could be no question of a duel in it, that everything must be done to soften the government clerk, and hush the matter up. The colonel had called in Vronsky just because he knew him to be an honorable and intelligent man, and, more than all, a man who cared for the honor of the regiment. They talked it over, and decided that Petritsky and Kedrov must go with Vronsky to Venden's to apologize. The colonel and Vronsky were both fully aware that Vronsky's name and rank would be sure to contribute greatly to the softening of the injured husband's feelings.

弗龙斯基看出这件事很不讨巧,也不可能进行决斗,必须尽力安抚那位公务员,把事态压下去。团长之所以找弗龙斯基来,正是因为他知道他是个正直聪明的人,而且最重要的是,他关心团里的荣誉。他们商量了一下,决定让佩特里茨基和克德罗夫跟着弗龙斯基到文登家去道歉。团长和弗龙斯基都明白,弗龙斯基的名望和军衔无疑会大大有助于安抚受伤丈夫的情绪。

🔊

thanklessness /ˈθæŋkləsnəs/

n. 徒劳,吃力不讨好➕

🔊

duel /ˈdjuːəl/

n. 决斗➕

🔊

honorable /ˈɒnərəbl/

adj. 可敬的；荣誉的➕

🔊

intelligent /ɪnˈtelɪdʒənt/

adj. 聪明的,有智慧的➕

🔊

contribute /kənˈtrɪbjuːt/

v. 贡献,捐献➕

🔊

injured /ˈɪndʒəd/

adj. 受伤的；受委屈的➕

🔊

aware /əˈweər/

adj. 意识到的,知道的➕

🔊 And these two influences were not in fact without effect; though the result remained, as Vronsky had described, uncertain.

这两种影响其实并非没有效果；但结果仍如弗龙斯基所描述的,悬而未决。

🔊 On reaching the French theater, Vronsky retired to the foyer with the colonel, and reported to him his success, or non-success. The colonel, thinking it all over, made up his mind not to pursue the matter further, but then for his own satisfaction proceeded to cross-examine Vronsky about his interview; and it was a long while before he could restrain his laughter, as Vronsky described how the government clerk, after subsiding for a while, would suddenly flare up again, as he recalled the details, and how Vronsky, at the last half word of conciliation, skillfully manœuvered a retreat, shoving Petritsky out before him.

一到法国剧院,弗龙斯基就和团长一起退到休息室,向他汇报自己成功或失败的情况。团长仔细考虑了一番,决定不再追究此事,但为了自己满意,又详细盘问弗龙斯基调解的经过；听到弗龙斯基描述那位公务员如何消停一会儿又突然激动起来--因为他又想起了细节,以及弗龙斯基如何在最后一句和解话尚未说完时就巧妙地抽身而退,把佩特里茨基推在前面,团长忍不住笑了好一阵。

🔊

foyer /ˈfɔɪeɪ/

n. 门厅,休息室➕

🔊

cross-examine /ˌkrɒs ɪɡˈzæmɪn/

v. 盘问,交叉询问➕

🔊

restrain /rɪˈstreɪn/

v. 克制,抑制➕

🔊

subsiding /səbˈsaɪdɪŋ/

v. 消退,平息➕

🔊

flare up /flɛər ʌp/

v. 突然爆发,突然发怒➕

🔊

conciliation /kənˌsɪliˈeɪʃn/

n. 调解,安抚➕

🔊

skillfully /ˈskɪlfəli/

adv. 熟练地,巧妙地➕

🔊

manœuvered /məˈnuːvəd/

v. 巧妙地操纵,调动➕

🔊

retreat /rɪˈtriːt/

n. 撤退,后退➕

🔊

shoving /ˈʃʌvɪŋ/

v. 推,猛推➕

🔊 "It's a disgraceful story, but killing. Kedrov really can't fight the gentleman! Was he so awfully hot?" he commented, laughing. "But what do you say to Claire today? She's marvelous," he went on, speaking of a new French actress. "However often you see her, every day she's different. It's only the French who can do that."

“这事真丢人,但也真笑死人。克德罗夫总不能跟那位先生决斗吧！他真的那么火大吗？”他笑着评论道,“不过你觉得今天的克莱尔怎么样？她棒极了,”他接着说起一位法国新女演员,“不管你看她多少次,她每天都不一样。只有法国人才能做到这样。”

🔊

disgraceful /dɪsˈɡreɪsfl/

adj. 可耻的,丢脸的➕

🔊

killing /ˈkɪlɪŋ/

adj. （口语）极其有趣的,令人捧腹的➕

🔊

marvelous /ˈmɑːrvələs/

adj. 不可思议的,极好的➕

🔊

actress /ˈæktrəs/

n. 女演员➕

Part Two – Chapter five (第五章)

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