https://online2.tingclass.net/lesson/shi0529/10000/10216/05.mp3
https://image.tingclass.net/statics/js/2012
5.The Memento
5.紀(jì)念品
The window of Miss D'Armande's room looked out onto Broadway and its theatres. But Lynette D'Armande turned her chair round and sat with her back to Broadway. She was an actress, and needed the Broadway theatres, but Broadway did not need her.
從達(dá)曼德小姐的房間望出去,就是百老匯和那里的眾多劇院??墒橇諆?nèi)特·達(dá)曼德把椅子轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)來(lái),背朝百老匯坐著。她是演員,需要百老匯劇院這個(gè)舞臺(tái),可是百老匯不需要她。
She was staying in the Hotel Thalia. Actors go there to rest for the summer and then try to get work for the autumn when the little theatres open again. Miss D'Armande's room in this hotel was a small one, but in it there were many mementoes of her days in the theatre, and there were also pictures of some of her best friends. She looked at one of these pictures now, and smiled at it.
她暫住在塔利亞酒店里。演員們都上這兒來(lái)歇夏,然后等秋季到了,小劇院重新開(kāi)張,再去設(shè)法找工作。達(dá)曼德小姐在這兒住的房間不大,可有很多她在劇院時(shí)的紀(jì)念品,還有一些好朋友的照片。她現(xiàn)在正微笑地看著其中的一張照片。
'I'd like to know where Lee is now,' she said to herself.
“真想知道現(xiàn)在莉在哪兒。”她自言自語(yǔ)道。
She was looking at a picture of Miss Rosalie Ray, a very beautiful young woman. In the picture, Miss Ray was wearing a very short skirt and she was sitting on a swing. Every night in the theatre she went high in the air on her swing, over the heads of all the people. When she did this, all the men in the theatre got very excited and stood up. This was because, when her long beautiful legs were high in the air, her yellow garter flew off and fell down to the men below. She did this every evening, and every evening a hundred hands went up to catch the garter. She did other things. She sang, she danced, but when she got onto her swing, all the men stood up. Miss Ray did not have to try very hard to find work in the theatre.
她看的是羅莎莉·雷小姐的照片,她是個(gè)非常漂亮的年輕女人。照片里的雷小姐穿著一條極短的裙子,坐在秋千上。在劇院里時(shí),她每天晚上都把秋千蕩得高高的,飛過(guò)所有人的頭頂。她蕩秋千的時(shí)候,劇院里所有的男人都興奮不已,站起身來(lái)。這是因?yàn)樗恋拈L(zhǎng)腿會(huì)在空中飛得高高的,黃色的吊襪帶也會(huì)松掉,落在底下的男人身上。她每天晚上都這么干,每天晚上都有上百雙手舉著去抓那吊襪帶。她還干別的,唱歌、跳舞,但是她一上秋千,所有的男人就都站起來(lái)了。雷小姐不用太費(fèi)力,就能在劇院找到工作。
After two years of this, Miss D'Armande remembered, Miss Ray suddenly left the theatre and went to live in the country.
達(dá)曼德小姐記得,這么干了兩年,雷小姐突然離開(kāi)劇院,到鄉(xiāng)下過(guò)日子去了。
And seventeen minutes after Miss D'Armande said, 'I'd like to know where Lee is now', somebody knocked on the door.
就在達(dá)曼德小姐對(duì)自己說(shuō)完“真想知道現(xiàn)在莉在哪兒”十七分鐘后,有人敲門。
It was, of course, Rosalie Ray.
當(dāng)然,來(lái)的正是羅莎莉·雷。
'Come in,' Miss D'Armandc called, and Miss Ray came in. Yes, it was Rosalie. She took off her hat, and Miss D'Armande could see that she looked very tired and unhappy.
“進(jìn)來(lái)。”達(dá)曼德小姐招呼著,雷小姐進(jìn)來(lái)了。對(duì),就是羅莎莉。她摘下帽子,達(dá)曼德小姐看得出,她疲憊不堪,悶悶不樂(lè)。
'I've got the room above you,' Rosalie said. 'They told me at the desk downstairs that you were here.'
“我就住你樓上,”羅莎莉說(shuō),“樓下前臺(tái)的人告訴我你在這兒。”
'I've been here since the end of April,' Lynnette replied. 'I begin work again next week, out in a small town. But you left the theatre three months ago, Lee. Why are you here?'
“我從四月底就在這兒,”琳內(nèi)特答道,“我下禮拜開(kāi)始工作,去一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)上。可你不是三個(gè)月前離開(kāi)了么,莉?怎么又回來(lái)了?”
'I'll tell you, Lynn, but give me a drink first.' Miss D'Armande passed a bottle to her friend.
“我會(huì)告訴你的,琳恩,先讓我喝一杯再說(shuō)。”達(dá)曼德小姐遞給朋友一瓶酒。
'Ah, that's good!' said Rosalie. 'My first drink for three months.' Yes, Lynn, I left the theatre because I was tired of the life, and because I was tired of men—well, the men who come to the theatre. You know we have to fight them off all the time. They're animals! They ask you to go out with them, they buy you a drink or two—and then they think that they can do what they want! It's terrible! And we work hard, we get very little money for it, we wait to get to the top—and it never happens. But most of all, I left because of the men.
“啊,好極了!”羅莎莉說(shuō),“這是我三個(gè)月來(lái)頭一次喝酒。”確實(shí),琳恩,我是離開(kāi)了劇院,因?yàn)槲覅捑肓诉@種生活,厭倦了男人——哼,那些到劇院來(lái)的男人。你知道,我們一天到晚得想法子甩開(kāi)他們。他們?nèi)乔莴F!他們請(qǐng)你出去,給你買上一兩杯酒,然后就以為可以想干嘛干嘛了!真討厭透了!我們辛辛苦苫,掙不了幾個(gè)錢.一心巴望著爬上去——哪有那回事兒!不過(guò)說(shuō)到底,我離開(kāi)還是因?yàn)槟腥恕?br />
'Well, I saved two hundred dollars and when summer came, I left the theatre and went to a little village by the sea on Long Island. I planned to stay there for the summer, and then learn how to be a better actress.'
“噢,我存了兩百塊,等到夏天,我就離開(kāi)了劇院,到了長(zhǎng)島海邊上的一個(gè)小村子里。我打算在那兒過(guò)完夏天,然后學(xué)學(xué)怎么做個(gè)更好的演員。”
'But there was another person who was staying in the same house—the Reverend Arthur Lyle. Yes, Lynn, a man of the church! When I saw him for the first time, I fell in love with him at once. He was a fine man and he had a wonderful voice!
“可是那兒還有個(gè)人,跟我住同一家旅館——阿瑟·萊爾牧師。”是的,琳恩,他是在教堂工作的!我第一次見(jiàn)他,就立刻愛(ài)上了他。他很帥,聲音也很動(dòng)聽(tīng)!
'Well, it's only a short story, Lynn. A month later we decided to marry. We planned to live in a little house near the church, with lots of flowers and animals.
“哎,這個(gè)故事不長(zhǎng),琳恩。一個(gè)月之后,我們決定結(jié)婚。我們打算找個(gè)小房子住,就在教堂邊上,多種花,多養(yǎng)點(diǎn)兒動(dòng)物。”
'No, I didn't tell him that I was an actress. I wanted to forget it and to put that life behind me.
“不,我沒(méi)告訴他我曾是演員。我希望忘掉這些,把這段生活全拋開(kāi)。”
'Oh, I was happy! I went to church, I helped the women in the village. Arthur and I went for long walks— and that little village was the best place in the world. I wanted to live there for ever...
“哦,我開(kāi)心極了!我去教堂,去幫助村里的女人。”阿瑟和我一起長(zhǎng)時(shí)間地散步,那小村子是世界上最好的地方。我想在那兒一直過(guò)到老……
'But one morning, the old woman who worked in the house began to talk about Arthur. She thought that he was wonderful, too. But then she told me that Arthur was in love once before, and that it ended unhappily. She said that, in his desk, he kept a memento — something which belonged to the girl. Sometimes he took it out and looked at it. But she didn't know what it was — and his desk was locked.
“可是有一天早上,在家里幫工的老太太談起了阿瑟。她也覺(jué)得他很好,可她后來(lái)告訴我,阿瑟原來(lái)戀愛(ài)過(guò)一次,結(jié)局不好。”她說(shuō),他桌子里存著一樣紀(jì)念品,是原來(lái)那姑娘的。有時(shí)候他還會(huì)拿出來(lái)看看。但她不知道那到底是什么,而且他的桌子是鎖著的。
'That afternoon I asked him about it.'
“那天下午我問(wèn)起他這事。”
'"Ida," he said, (of course, I used my real name there) "it was before I knew you, and I never met her. It was different from my love for you."'
“‘艾達(dá),’他說(shuō),(當(dāng)然,我在那里用的是真名)‘那是我認(rèn)識(shí)你之前的事兒,而且我從沒(méi)跟她認(rèn)識(shí)過(guò)。那和我對(duì)你的愛(ài)是不一樣的。’
'"Was she beautiful?" I asked.
“‘她漂亮嗎?’我問(wèn)。
'"She was very beautiful," replied Arthur.
“‘她非常漂亮。’阿瑟回答說(shuō)。
'"Did you see her often?"
“‘你常常見(jiàn)她嗎?’
'"About ten times," he said.
“‘大概見(jiàn)過(guò)十次吧。’他說(shuō)。
'"And this memento—did she send it to you?"
“‘那么這個(gè)紀(jì)念品,是她送你的么’
'"It came to me from her," he said.
“‘我是從她那兒得來(lái)的。’他說(shuō)。
'"Why did you never meet her?" I asked.
“‘那你為什么從來(lái)沒(méi)跟她認(rèn)識(shí)過(guò)呢?’我問(wèn)。
'"She was far above me," he answered. "But, Ida, it's finished. You're not angry, are you?"
“‘她高高在上啊。’”他答道,‘可是,艾達(dá),這都過(guò)去了。你沒(méi)生氣吧?’
'"Why, no. I love you ten times more than before." And I did, Lynn. Can you understand that? What a beautiful love that was! He never met her, never spoke to her, but he loved her, and wanted nothing from her. He was different from other men, I thought — a really good man!
“‘噢,沒(méi)有。我更愛(ài)你了,是以前的十倍。’我確實(shí)是這樣做的,琳恩。你明白么?那是一段多美的愛(ài)情啊!他從不認(rèn)識(shí)她,從沒(méi)跟她說(shuō)過(guò)話,但他愛(ài)她,不圖回報(bào)地愛(ài)著她。他和別的男人不一樣,我覺(jué)得他是個(gè)真正的好男人!
'About four o'clock that afternoon, Arthur had to go out. The door of his room was open, his desk was unlocked, and I decided to look at this memento. I opened the desk and slowly I took out the box and opened it.'
“那天下午4點(diǎn)鐘,阿瑟得出門辦事。他房間的門開(kāi)著,桌子沒(méi)鎖。我決定看看那個(gè)紀(jì)念品。我打開(kāi)桌子的抽屜,慢慢地取出盒子,打開(kāi)。
'I took one look at that memento, and then I went to my room and packed my suitcase. My wonderful Arthur, this really good man, was no different from all the other men!'
“我瞧了一眼那紀(jì)念品,就跑回我自己的房間,收拾了行李。我的好阿瑟,這個(gè)真正的好男人,和其他的男人毫無(wú)分別!”
'But, Lee, what was in the box?' Miss D'Armande asked.
“可是,莉,那盒子里是什么?”達(dá)曼德小姐問(wèn)道。
'It was one of my yellow garters!' cried Miss Ray.
“那是我的一條黃色吊襪帶!”雷小姐哭喊著說(shuō)。