To own a house in Washington Square is a sign of success in nineteenth-century New York, and Dr Austin Sloper is a successful man. He is also fashionable, interesting, amusing, and clever.
在19世紀的紐約,成功的標志就是在華盛頓廣場擁有一幢自己的房屋,奧斯汀·斯洛珀醫(yī)生就是一個成功的人。他生活時尚,為人風趣,又聰明機智,很招人喜愛。
His daughter Catherine is none of those things. She is a good, simple girl, who loves and admires her father and always tries hard to please him, but she is a great disappointment to him. Dr Sloper does not expect any interest or excitement from Catherine.
這些特點在他女兒凱瑟琳身上卻一個也看不到。她是一個善良單純的姑娘,熱愛并崇拜自己的父親,一心一意想討他的歡心,卻令他非常失望。斯洛珀醫(yī)生從不指望凱瑟琳身上會發(fā)生什么有趣或令人激動的事情。
But life in Washington Square does become rather exciting, after all. Romance arrives, in the shape of a handsome young man who comes to court Catherine. This pleases Catherine's foolish aunt, Mrs Penniman, very much; she thinks Morris Townsend is charming, and so of course does Catherine. Dr Sloper, however, looks at young Mr Townsend rather differently. The Doctor is a rich man, and is conscious that after his death Catherine will inherit a fortune of 30,000 dollars a year. He wonders why such a charming and handsome young man is courting his dull daughter...
但是華盛頓廣場的生活最終卻變得很不平靜。這里發(fā)生了一段羅曼史,一個相貌英俊的年輕人來到這里追求凱瑟琳。凱瑟琳的姑姑,頭腦簡單的彭尼曼夫人著實為此感到高興;她覺得莫里斯·湯森非常迷人,凱瑟琳當然也是這么認為的??墒?,斯洛珀醫(yī)生對年輕的湯森先生卻有著截然不同的看法。醫(yī)生很有錢,也知道自己死后凱瑟琳會繼承一筆每年3萬美元的遺產(chǎn)。他想知道這樣一個英俊瀟灑的年輕人為什么會追求他那毫無趣致的女兒……