雙語(yǔ)·面紗 第七十四章

74

It was not till Kitty was fairly settled at the Townsends, that she discovered that she was weary. The comfort and the unaccustomed amenity of this life broke up the strain under which she had been living. She had forgotten how pleasant it was to take one's ease, how lulling to be surrounded by pretty things, and how agreeable it was to receive attention. She sank back with a sigh of relief into the facile existence of the luxurious East. It was not displeasing to feel that in a discreet and well-bred fashion she was an object of sympathetic interest. Her bereavement was so recent that it was impossible for entertainments to be given for her, but ladies of consequence in the Colony (His Excellency's wife, the wives of the Admiral and of the Chief Justice) came to drink a quiet cup of tea with her. His Excellency's wife said that His Excellency was most anxious to see her and if she would come very quietly to luncheon at Government House (“not a party of course, only ourselves and the A.D.C.'s!”), it would be very nice. These ladies used Kitty as though she were a piece of porcelain which was as fragile as it was precious. She could not fail to see that they looked upon her as a little heroine, and she had sufficient humor to play the part with modesty and discretion. She wished sometimes that Waddington were there; with his malicious shrewdness he would have seen the fun of the situation; and when alone they might have had a good laugh over it together. Dorothy had had a letter from him, and he had said all manner of things about her devoted work at the convent, about her courage and her self-control. Of course he was skillfully pulling their legs: the dirty dog.

第七十四章

直到凱蒂在查理家里完全安頓下來(lái)以后，她才發(fā)現(xiàn)自己真的很疲憊?，F(xiàn)在這種舒適的生活和不太適應(yīng)的安逸讓她從過(guò)去緊張的生活中走了出來(lái)，人一下子松弛了下來(lái)。她已經(jīng)忘了放松是一件多么愜意的事，被周圍漂亮的東西環(huán)繞是一件多么舒心的事，受到別人的關(guān)心是一件多么幸福的事。她如釋重負(fù)地嘆了口氣，東方的奢華的一切都好像能輕而易舉地獲得。用一種審慎、教養(yǎng)良好的形象示人，她成了人們同情的對(duì)象，這種感覺(jué)也沒(méi)有什么不好。她在前不久才遭受喪親之痛，所以也不可能有什么娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)，只是和過(guò)來(lái)陪她的殖民地的貴婦們（總督閣下的夫人、海軍司令和首席大法官的夫人）安靜地喝上一杯茶?？偠介w下的夫人說(shuō)，總督閣下急于見(jiàn)到凱蒂，希望她來(lái)總督府吃一頓安靜的午飯（當(dāng)然不是午餐會(huì)，只有他們自己人和一些副官參加），這次會(huì)面一定會(huì)很棒。這些貴婦把凱蒂當(dāng)成了一件瓷器，既價(jià)值連城又易損易碎。她能看出來(lái)她們視她為一個(gè)年輕的英雄，而她也有足夠多的幽默，謙遜而又矜持地扮演著這個(gè)角色。她有時(shí)希望威廷頓能在這里，以他玩世不恭的精明，一定能看出這情景的滑稽，當(dāng)他們倆單獨(dú)待在一起時(shí)，會(huì)好好地大笑一場(chǎng)。多蘿西曾經(jīng)接到過(guò)他的一封信，他對(duì)凱蒂在修道院里的工作、勇氣和自制力極盡溢美之詞。當(dāng)然，他是在很有技巧地逗她們玩，這條狡猾的老狗。