雙語·面紗 第九章

9

She had known him but a little while and had never taken much notice of him. She had no idea when or where they had first met till after their engagement he told her that it was at a dance to which some friends had brought him. She certainly paid no attention to him then and if she danced with him it was because she was good-natured and was glad to dance with any one who asked her. She didn't know him from Adam when a day or two later at another dance he came up and spoke to her. Then she remarked that he was at every dance she went to.

“You know, I've danced with you at least a dozen times now and you must tell me your name,” she said to him at last in her laughing way.

He was obviously taken aback.

“Do you mean to say you don't know it? I was introduced to you.”

“Oh, but people always mumble. I shouldn't be at all surprised if you hadn't the ghost of an idea what mine was.”

He smiled at her. His face was grave and a trifle stern, but his smile was very sweet.

“Of course I know it.” He was silent for a moment or two. “Have you no curiosity?” he asked then.

“As much as most women.”

“It didn't occur to you to ask somebody or other what my name was?”

She was faintly amused; she wondered why he thought it could in the least interest her; but she liked to please, so she looked at him with that dazzling smile of hers and her beautiful eyes, dewy ponds under forest trees, held an enchanting kindness.

“Well, what is it?”

“Walter Fane.”

She did not know why he came to dances, he did not dance very well, and he seemed to know few people. She had a passing thought that he was in love with her; but she dismissed it with a shrug of the shoulders: she had known girls who thought every man they met was in love with them and had always found them absurd. But she gave Walter Fane just a little more of her attention. He certainly did not behave like any of the other youths who had been in love with her. Most of them told her so frankly and wanted to kiss her: a good many did. But Walter Fane never talked of her and very little of himself. He was rather silent; she did not mind that because she had plenty to say and it pleased her to see him laugh when she made a facetious remark; but when he talked it was not stupidly. He was evidently shy. It appeared that he lived in the East and was home on leave.

One Sunday afternoon he appeared at their house in South Kensington. There were a dozen people there, and he sat for some time, somewhat ill at ease, and then went away. Her mother asked her later who he was.

“I haven't a notion. Did you ask him to come here?”

“Yes, I met him at the Baddeleys. He said he'd seen you at various dances. I said I was always at home on Sundays.”

“His name is Fane and he's got some sort of job in the East.”

“Yes, he's a doctor. Is he in love with you?”

“Upon my word, I don't know.”

“I should have thought you knew by now when a young man was in love with you.”

“I wouldn't marry him if he were,” said Kitty lightly.

Mrs. Garstin did not answer. Her silence was heavy with displeasure. Kitty flushed: she knew that her mother did not care now whom she married so long as somehow she got her off her hands.

第九章

她結(jié)識(shí)他已經(jīng)有一段時(shí)間了，但從未過多地留意過他。她不記得什么時(shí)候，在什么地方兩個(gè)人第一次相見，直到訂婚后，他告訴她是在一次舞會(huì)上，他的一些朋友帶他一起去的。她當(dāng)然不會(huì)注意到他什么，如果她和他跳了一支舞，那僅僅是因?yàn)樗钠夂?，很高興和任何一個(gè)邀請(qǐng)她的人跳舞?？梢哉f她根本不認(rèn)識(shí)他。一兩天以后，在另一場舞會(huì)上，他主動(dòng)上前來搭話。然后，她意識(shí)到，她參加的每場舞會(huì)他都在場。

“你瞧，我已經(jīng)至少和你跳了十幾次舞了，你得告訴我你的名字了?！苯K于，她笑著對(duì)他說道。

他顯然有點(diǎn)兒吃驚。

“你的意思是你還不知道我的名字？以前別人把我介紹給你過呀?！?/p>

“哦，但是人們在介紹時(shí)總是不那么清楚，假如你對(duì)我的名字也完全不知道，我一點(diǎn)兒也不感到奇怪?！?/p>

他向她微笑著，他的表情略顯嚴(yán)肅，甚至有點(diǎn)兒冷峻，但他的笑容還是很溫柔可親的。

“我當(dāng)然知道你的芳名?！彼ｎD了一小會(huì)兒，“你不覺得好奇嗎？”他接下來又問道。

“像大多數(shù)的女人一樣好奇?！?/p>

“你沒有想過去問問別的什么人我的名字嗎？”

她暗自覺得好笑，想知道憑什么他以為她會(huì)對(duì)他的尊姓大名感興趣。但是，她還是樂意取悅別人的，所以她帶著迷人的微笑用一雙美目望著他，她的眼睛好似森林里露珠匯成的一潭池水，有著嫵媚的親切。

“那么，你叫什么名字？”

“沃爾特·費(fèi)恩。”

她不知道他來舞會(huì)的原因，他的舞跳得不怎么好，而且似乎他也不認(rèn)識(shí)舞會(huì)上的什么人。她曾閃過這樣的念頭，他一定是愛上她了，但很快她又打消了這個(gè)想法，聳了聳肩，她認(rèn)識(shí)太多這樣的女孩子了，以為她們遇到的每一個(gè)男人都會(huì)愛上自己，可是到頭來總是發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的想法是那么荒誕可笑。可是，她還是開始越來越關(guān)注沃爾特了。當(dāng)然，他的行為舉止并不像愛上她的其他年輕人那樣，那些年輕人大多數(shù)都直截了當(dāng)?shù)叵蛩戆?，而且都想親吻她，也確實(shí)很多人這樣做了。但是，沃爾特絕口不談?wù)撍矌缀醪徽勊约?，他相?dāng)安靜。她并不介意，因?yàn)樗偰芴咸喜唤^地說，而且當(dāng)她看到她說的笑話逗得他哈哈大笑時(shí)，她自己也很開心。然而，他開口說話時(shí)，也并不愚蠢，只是很明顯有些羞澀。似乎他住在東方某地，現(xiàn)在正在家里休假。

一個(gè)星期天的下午，他來到了凱蒂南肯辛頓的家中。家里已經(jīng)有了十多個(gè)客人了，他坐了一會(huì)兒，顯得有些局促不安，然后就起身離開了。凱蒂的母親后來問起她那個(gè)人是誰。

“我也不是太清楚，是你邀請(qǐng)他來的嗎？”

“是的，我在巴德利家遇見他的，他說在好幾個(gè)舞會(huì)上見到過你，我說我每個(gè)星期天都會(huì)在家，歡迎他來。”

“他姓費(fèi)恩，好像在東方有份工作?！?/p>

“沒錯(cuò)，他是位醫(yī)生，他愛上你了嗎？”

“我發(fā)誓，我真的不知道?！?/p>

“當(dāng)一個(gè)年輕人愛上你時(shí)，我覺得你是應(yīng)該知道的?！?/p>

“就是他愛上了我，我也不會(huì)嫁給他的?！眲P蒂輕描淡寫地說道。

賈斯汀太太沒有接話茬兒，她的一言不發(fā)就表明她很不高興。凱蒂的臉唰地紅了，她知道母親現(xiàn)在并不在乎她嫁給誰了，只想讓她趕緊嫁人。