🔊 It was about five years after this that I decided to live in Paris for a while. I was growing stale in London. I was tired of doing much the same thing every day. My friends pursued their course with uneventfulness; they had no longer any surprises for me, and when I met them I knew pretty well what they would say; even their love-affairs had a tedious banality. We were like tram-cars running on their lines from terminus to terminus, and it was possible to calculate within small limits the number of passengers they would carry. Life was ordered too pleasantly. I was seized with panic. I gave up my small apartment, sold my few belongings, and resolved to start afresh.

大约五年后,我决定去巴黎住上一阵。在伦敦,我感到日渐乏味。我厌倦了日复一日做着几乎相同的事情。我的朋友们过着平淡无奇的生活；他们再也给不了我任何惊喜,每次见面,我都能大致猜到他们会说些什么；就连他们的风流韵事也透着令人厌倦的俗套。我们就像有轨电车,沿着固定的线路从起点站跑到终点站,载客量都能大致估算出来。生活安排得太惬意了。一阵恐慌攫住了我。于是我放弃了小公寓,变卖了寥寥几件家当,决心重新开始。

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uneventfulness /ˌʌnɪˈventfəlnəs/

n. 平淡无奇,缺乏变化➕

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tedious /ˈtiːdiəs/

adj. 冗长乏味的,令人厌烦的➕

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banality /bəˈnæləti/

n. 陈腐,平凡➕

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terminus /ˈtɜːrmɪnəs/

n. 终点站,终端➕

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start afresh /stɑːrt əˈfreʃ/

v. phrase. 重新开始,从头再来➕

🔊 I called on Mrs. Strickland before I left. I had not seen her for some time, and I noticed changes in her; it was not only that she was older, thinner, and more lined; I think her character had altered. She had made a success of her business, and now had an office in Chancery Lane; she did little typing herself, but spent her time correcting the work of the four girls she employed. She had had the idea of giving it a certain daintiness, and she made much use of blue and red inks; she bound the copy in coarse paper, that looked vaguely like watered silk, in various pale colours; and she had acquired a reputation for neatness and accuracy. She was making money. But she could not get over the idea that to earn her living was somewhat undignified, and she was inclined to remind you that she was a lady by birth. She could not help bringing into her conversation the names of people she knew which would satisfy you that she had not sunk in the social scale. She was a little ashamed of her courage and business capacity, but delighted that she was going to dine the next night with a K.C. who lived in South Kensington. She was pleased to be able to tell you that her son was at Cambridge, and it was with a little laugh that she spoke of the rush of dances to which her daughter, just out, was invited. I suppose I said a very stupid thing.

动身前,我去拜访了斯特里克兰太太。有些时日没见了,我注意到她身上起了变化；不仅是她老了、瘦了、皱纹多了；我看是她的性格也变了。她的生意做得很成功,如今在衡平法巷有了一间办公室；她自己很少打字,大部分时间都在校对雇来的四个姑娘的工作。她有心把生意做得精致些,大量使用蓝红两色墨水；用粗纸装订副本,那种纸泛着淡淡光泽,像波纹绸,颜色素雅；因此她以整洁准确著称。她在赚钱。但她总摆脱不了一个念头:靠双手谋生有失体面,总忍不住提醒你她出身名门。她总是不由自主地在谈话中提到她所认识的那些人的名字,好让你确信她的社会地位并未降低。她对自己的勇气和经商能力有些羞于启齿,但提起明晚要去南肯辛顿一位御用大律师家赴宴,又喜形于色。她很高兴能告诉你儿子在剑桥大学读书,说到刚踏入社交界的女儿被舞会邀约追着跑时,还带着一丝轻笑。我看我是说了句蠢话。

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daintiness /ˈdeɪntinəs/

n. 精致,优美➕

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coarse /kɔːrs/

adj. 粗糙的,粗俗的➕

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vaguely /ˈveɪɡli/

adv. 模糊地,隐约地➕

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watered silk /ˈwɔːtərd sɪlk/

n. phrase. 波纹绸,有波纹效果的丝绸➕