雙語小說連載:純真年代 The Age of Innocence(7)

Mrs. Henry van der Luyden listened in silence to her cousin Mrs. Archer's narrative.
亨利·範德盧頓太太默不作聲地聽着表妹阿切爾太太的敘說。

It was all very well to tell yourself in advance that Mrs. van der Luyden was always silent, and that, though non-committal by nature and training, she was very kind to the people she really liked. Even personal experience of these facts was not always a protection from the chill that descended on one in the high-ceilinged white-walled Madison Avenue drawing-room, with the pale brocaded armchairs so obviously uncovered for the occasion, and the gauze still veiling the ormolu mantel ornaments and the beautiful old carved frame of Gainsborough's "Lady Angelica du Lac."
範德盧頓太太一向不愛講話；而且，她的性格和所受的訓練都使她不肯輕易作出承諾，但她對真心喜歡的人還是很有同情心的。對於這些情況，提前做好思想準備固然不錯，但即使你有過親身體驗，也難保就能抵禦得住麥迪遜大街白壁高頂的客廳裏襲來的陣陣寒意。淺色錦緞的扶手椅顯然是爲這次接待剛剛揭去蓋罩，一層薄紗依然罩着鍍金的壁爐裝飾及雕刻精美的蓋恩斯巴羅所畫的“安吉莉卡·杜拉克小姐”畫像的像框。

Mrs. van der Luyden's portrait by Huntington (in black velvet and Venetian point) faced that of her lovely ancestress. It was generally considered "as fine as a Cabanel," and, though twenty years had elapsed since its execution, was still "a perfect likeness." Indeed the Mrs. van der Luyden who sat beneath it listening to Mrs. Archer might have been the twin-sister of the fair and still youngish woman drooping against a gilt armchair before a green rep curtain. Mrs. van der Luyden still wore black velvet and Venetian point when she went into society--or rather (since she never dined out) when she threw open her own doors to receive it. Her fair hair, which had faded without turning grey, was still parted in flat overlapping points on her forehead, and the straight nose that divided her pale blue eyes was only a little more pinched about the nostrils than when the portrait had been painted. She always, indeed, struck Newland Archer as having been rather gruesomely preserved in the airless atmosphere of a perfectly irreproachable existence, as bodies caught in glaciers keep for years a rosy life-in-death.
由亨廷頓繪製的範德盧頓太太的畫像（身着帶威尼斯針繡花邊的黑絲絨），面對着她那位可愛的女前輩的像。這張畫像被普遍認爲“像卡巴內爾的作品一樣精緻”，雖然已經畫了20年，至今仍然顯得“維妙維肖”。的確，坐在畫像下面聽阿切爾太太講話的範德盧頓太太，與畫框中那位靠在綠布窗簾前那把鍍金扶手椅上、眼睛低垂的年輕美女很像一對孿生姐妹。範德盧頓太太參加社交活動——或者不如說她打開自己的家門迎接社交活動（因爲她從不外出用餐）的時候，仍然穿着帶威尼斯針繡花邊的黑絲絨，她的金髮雖然已經褪色，但並未變成灰白，依然從額前的交疊部位平分開。兩隻淡藍色眼睛中間筆直的鼻子，僅僅在鼻孔附近比畫像製作時略顯消瘦。實際上，她總是讓紐蘭·阿切爾覺得，彷彿她一直被可怕地保存在一個沒有空氣的完美實體之中，就像那些被冷凍在冰川中的屍體，好多年還保持着雖死猶生的紅潤。

Like all his family, he esteemed and admired Mrs. van der Luyden; but he found her gentle bending sweetness less approachable than the grimness of some of his mother's old aunts, fierce spinsters who said "No" on principle before they knew what they were going to be asked.
跟家中所有的成員一樣，他敬重並崇拜範德盧頓太太，不過他發現，她那略帶壓制的親切態度還不如母親幾位老姑的嚴厲容易讓人接近，那幾位惡狠狠的老處女不等弄清別人的要求，就會照例說一聲“不行”。

Mrs. van der Luyden's attitude said neither yes nor no, but always appeared to incline to clemency till her thin lips, wavering into the shadow of a smile, made the almost invariable reply: "I shall first have to talk this over with my husband."
範德盧頓太太的態度看不出是與否，不過總顯示出仁慈寬厚的樣子，直至她的薄嘴脣撇出一絲笑意，才幾乎是千篇一律地回答說：“我得先和我丈夫商量一下。”

She and Mr. van der Luyden were so exactly alike that Archer often wondered how, after forty years of the closest conjugality, two such merged identities ever separated themselves enough for anything as controversial as a talking-over. But as neither had ever reached a decision without prefacing it by this mysterious conclave, Mrs. Archer and her son, having set forth their case, waited resignedly for the familiar phrase.
她與範德盧頓先生是那樣相似，阿切爾常常納悶，經過40年親密的夫妻生活，兩個如此融洽的人，怎麼還能分出你我，還有什麼爭端需要商量。然而，由於這對夫妻誰也未曾不經雙方祕密會談就獨自做出過決定，阿切爾太太和兒子闡明他們的問題之後，只好安心地等待熟悉的措辭。

Mrs. van der Luyden, however, who had seldom surprised any one, now surprised them by reaching her long hand toward the bell-rope.
然而很少讓人意外的範德盧頓太太這時卻令母子二人大吃一驚：她伸出長長的手去夠鈴繩。

"I think," she said, "I should like Henry to hear what you have told me."
“我想，”她說道，“我要讓亨利聽一聽你對我講的情況。”

A footman appeared, to whom she gravely added: "If Mr. van der Luyden has finished reading the newspaper, please ask him to be kind enough to come."
一名男僕出現了，她又嚴肅地對他說：“如果範德盧頓先生讀完了報，請他勞神過來一趟。”

She said "reading the newspaper" in the tone in which a Minister's wife might have said: "Presiding at a Cabinet meeting"--not from any arrogance of mind, but because the habit of a life-time, and the attitude of her friends and relations, had led her to consider Mr. van der Luyden's least gesture as having an almost sacerdotal importance.

她講“讀報”的口氣宛如一位大臣的妻子講“主持內閣會議”，這並非由於她成心妄自尊大，而是因爲終生的習慣及親友們的態度致使她認爲，範德盧頓先生的一舉一動猶如執掌大政般重要。

Her promptness of action showed that she considered the case as pressing as Mrs. Archer; but, lest she should be thought to have committed herself in advance, she added, with the sweetest look: "Henry always enjoys seeing you, dear Adeline; and he will wish to congratulate Newland."
行動的迅速表明她跟阿切爾太太一樣覺得情況緊迫；不過惟恐給人未與丈夫商量就率先表態的印象，她又極爲親切地補充說：“亨利一直很樂意見你，親愛的艾德琳；他還想祝賀紐蘭。”

The double doors had solemnly reopened and between them appeared Mr. Henry van der Luyden, tall, spare and frock-coated, with faded fair hair, a straight nose like his wife's and the same look of frozen gentleness in eyes that were merely pale grey instead of pale blue.
雙扇門又被莊嚴地打開，亨利·範德盧頓先生從中間走了進來。他又高又瘦，穿着長禮服，一頭已經稀薄的金髮，跟妻子一樣筆直的鼻子，一樣冷淡斯文的目光，只不過兩隻眼睛是灰色而不是淺藍色。

Mr. van der Luyden greeted Mrs. Archer with cousinly affability, proffered to Newland low-voiced congratulations couched in the same language as his wife's, and seated himself in one of the brocade armchairs with the simplicity of a reigning sovereign.
範德盧頓先生以表親的和藹與阿切爾太太打過招呼，又用跟妻子同樣的措辭向紐蘭低聲表示了祝賀，然後又以在位君主的簡潔在一張錦緞扶手椅裏就坐。

"I had just finished reading the Times," he said, laying his long finger-tips together. "In town my mornings are so much occupied that I find it more convenient to read the newspapers after luncheon."
“我剛剛讀完《紐約時報》，”他說，一面把長長的指尖收攏在一起。“在城裏上午事情太多，我發現午飯後讀報更合適。”

"Ah, there's a great deal to be said for that plan-- indeed I think my uncle Egmont used to say he found it less agitating not to read the morning papers till after dinner," said Mrs. Archer responsively.
“噢，這樣安排是很有道理的——我想我舅舅埃格蒙特過去確實常常說，他發現把晨報留到晚餐後讀，不會使人心煩意亂，”阿切爾太太附和地說。

"Yes: my good father abhorred hurry. But now we live in a constant rush," said Mr. van der Luyden in measured tones, looking with pleasant deliberation about the large shrouded room which to Archer was so complete an image of its owners.
“不錯。我親愛的父親就討厭忙亂，可我們如今卻經常處於緊張狀態，”範德盧頓先生很有分寸地說，一邊從容而又愉快地打量着遮蔽嚴實的大房間。阿切爾覺得這屋子是其主人完美的化身。

"But I hope you HAD finished your reading, Henry?" his wife interposed.

"Quite--quite," he reassured her.

"Then I should like Adeline to tell you--"

"Oh, it's really Newland's story," said his mother smiling; and proceeded to rehearse once more the monstrous tale of the affront inflicted on Mrs. Lovell Mingott.

"Of course," she ended, "Augusta Welland and Mary Mingott both felt that, especially in view of Newland's engagement, you and Henry OUGHT TO KNOW."

"Ah--" said Mr. van der Luyden, drawing a deep breath.

“我希望你真的已經讀完報紙了，亨利？”他妻子插言道。
“完了——讀完了，”他向她保證說。

“那麼，我想讓艾德琳對你講一講——”

“哦，其實是紐蘭的事，”母親面帶笑容地說，接着又複述了一遍洛弗爾·明戈特太太蒙受公開侮辱的咄咄怪事。

“當然，”她最後說，“奧古斯塔·韋蘭跟瑪麗·明戈特都認爲——尤其是考慮到紐蘭的訂婚——你和亨利是應當知道的。”

“噢——”範德盧頓先生深深吸了一口氣說。

There was a silence during which the tick of the monumental ormolu clock on the white marble mantelpiece grew as loud as the boom of a minute-gun. Archer contemplated with awe the two slender faded figures, seated side by side in a kind of viceregal rigidity, mouthpieces of some remote ancestral authority which fate compelled them to wield, when they would so much rather have lived in simplicity and seclusion, digging invisible weeds out of the perfect lawns of Skuytercliff, and playing Patience together in the evenings.
接下來是一陣沉默，白色大理石壁爐臺上那架巨大的鍍金時鐘發出的嘀嗒聲變得像葬禮上一分鐘鳴放一次的炮聲那樣轟轟隆隆。阿切爾敬畏地思忖着這兩個瘦弱的人，他們肩並肩坐在那兒，像總督一樣嚴肅。是命運強迫他們做了遠古祖先的權威代言人，儘管他們可能巴不得深居簡出，在斯庫特克利夫的草坪上挖除雜草，晚上一起玩紙牌遊戲。

Mr. van der Luyden was the first to speak.
範德盧頓先生第一個開口。

"You really think this is due to some--some intentional interference of Lawrence Lefferts's?" he enquired, turning to Archer.
“你真的以爲這是勞倫斯·萊弗茨故意——搗亂的結果嗎？”他轉向阿切爾問道。

"I'm certain of it, sir. Larry has been going it rather harder than usual lately--if cousin Louisa won't mind my mentioning it--having rather a stiff affair with the postmaster's wife in their village, or some one of that sort; and whenever poor Gertrude Lefferts begins to suspect anything, and he's afraid of trouble, he gets up a fuss of this kind, to show how awfully moral he is, and talks at the top of his voice about the impertinence of inviting his wife to meet people he doesn't wish her to know. He's simply using Madame Olenska as a lightning-rod; I've seen him try the same thing often before."
“我敢肯定，大人。拉里最近特別放蕩——但願路易莎舅媽不介意我提這事——和他們村郵電局長的妻子還是什麼人打得火熱；每當格特魯德·萊弗茨產生懷疑，他擔心要出亂子的時候，就挑起這類事端，以顯示他多麼講道德。他扯着嗓門嚷嚷，說邀請他妻子去見他不願讓她見的人是多麼不合適。他純粹是利用奧蘭斯卡夫人做避雷針，他這種把戲我以前見得夠多了。

"The LEFFERTSES!--" said Mrs. van der Luyden.
“萊弗茨這家人！——”範德盧頓太太說。

"The LEFFERTSES!--" echoed Mrs. Archer. "What would uncle Egmont have said of Lawrence Lefferts's pronouncing on anybody's social position? It shows what Society has come to."
“萊弗茨這家人！——”阿切爾太太應聲說。“假若埃格蒙特舅舅聽到勞倫斯·萊弗茨對別人社會地位的看法，他會說什麼呢？這說明上流社會已經到了什麼地步了。”

"We'll hope it has not quite come to that," said Mr. van der Luyden firmly.
“我們但願還沒到那種地步，”範德盧頓先生堅定地說。

"Ah, if only you and Louisa went out more!" sighed Mrs. Archer.
“唉，要是你和路易莎多出去走走就好了！”阿切爾太太嘆息道。

But instantly she became aware of her mistake. The van der Luydens were morbidly sensitive to any criticism of their secluded existence. They were the arbiters of fashion, the Court of last Appeal, and they knew it, and bowed to their fate. But being shy and retiring persons, with no natural inclination for their part, they lived as much as possible in the sylvan solitude of Skuytercliff, and when they came to town, declined all invitations on the plea of Mrs. van der Luyden's health.
然而她立即意識到了自己的錯誤。範德盧頓夫婦對有關他們隱居生活的任何批評都敏感得要命。他們是時尚的仲裁人，是終審法院，而且他們深知這一點，並聽從命運的安排。但由於他們都屬於怯懦畏縮的人，對他們的職責天生缺乏熱情，所以他們儘可能多地住在斯庫特克利夫幽僻的莊園中，進城的時候也以範德盧頓太太的健康爲由，謝絕一切邀請。

Newland Archer came to his mother's rescue. "Everybody in New York knows what you and cousin Louisa represent. That's why Mrs. Mingott felt she ought not to allow this slight on Countess Olenska to pass without consulting you."
紐蘭·阿切爾趕緊出來爲母親解圍，“在紐約，人人都明白你和路易莎舅媽代表着什麼。正因爲如此，明戈特太太才覺得，不應該不與你商量，而聽任人家這樣侮辱奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人。”

Mrs. van der Luyden glanced at her husband, who glanced back at her.
範德盧頓太太瞥了丈夫一眼，他也回頭瞥了她一眼。

"It is the principle that I dislike," said Mr. van der Luyden. "As long as a member of a well-known family is backed up by that family it should be considered-- final."
“我不喜歡那種做法，”範德盧頓先生說。“只要出身名門的人受到家族的支持，就應該把這種支持看作是——永遠不變的。”

"It seems so to me," said his wife, as if she were producing a new thought.
“我也有同感，”他妻子彷彿提出一種新觀點似地說。

"I had no idea," Mr. van der Luyden continued, "that things had come to such a pass." He paused, and looked at his wife again. "It occurs to me, my dear, that the Countess Olenska is already a sort of relation-- through Medora Manson's first husband. At any rate, she will be when Newland marries." He turned toward the young man. "Have you read this morning's Times, Newland?"
“我原來並不知道，”範德盧頓先生接着說，“事情已經到了如此尷尬的地步。”他停住話頭，又看了看妻子。“我想，親愛的，奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人已經算是親戚了 ——通過梅多拉·曼森的第一位丈夫。不管怎麼說，等紐蘭結了婚，她總算是個親戚了。”他又轉向年輕人說：“你讀過今天上午的《時報》了嗎，紐蘭？”

"Why, yes, sir," said Archer, who usually tossed off half a dozen papers with his morning coffee.
“當然，讀過了，先生，”阿切爾說，他通常在早晨喝咖啡時匆匆翻閱報紙。

Husband and wife looked at each other again. Their pale eyes clung together in prolonged and serious consultation; then a faint smile fluttered over Mrs. van der Luyden's face. She had evidently guessed and approved.
丈夫與妻子又互相對視了一下。他們的淺色眼睛交匯在一起，進行了長時間的認真協商；接着，一絲笑意掠過範德盧頓太太的面龐，她顯然已經猜到結果並且也已經同意了。

Mr. van der Luyden turned to Mrs. Archer. "If Louisa's health allowed her to dine out--I wish you would say to Mrs. Lovell Mingott--she and I would have been happy to--er--fill the places of the Lawrence Leffertses at her dinner." He paused to let the irony of this sink in. "As you know, this is impossible." Mrs. Archer sounded a sympathetic assent. "But Newland tells me he has read this morning's Times; therefore he has probably seen that Louisa's relative, the Duke of St. Austrey, arrives next week on the Russia. He is coming to enter his new sloop, the Guinevere, in next summer's International Cup Race; and also to have a little canvasback shooting at Trevenna." Mr. van der Luyden paused again, and continued with increasing benevolence: "Before taking him down to Maryland we are inviting a few friends to meet him here--only a little dinner--with a reception afterward. I am sure Louisa will be as glad as I am if Countess Olenska will let us include her among our guests." He got up, bent his long body with a stiff friendliness toward his cousin, and added: "I think I have Louisa's authority for saying that she will herself leave the invitation to dine when she drives out presently: with our cards--of course with our cards."
範德盧頓先生轉向阿切爾太太說：“假如路易莎的健康狀況允許她外出赴宴——希望你轉告洛弗爾·明戈特太太——我和她會很愉快地出席她家的宴會——呃 ——去補勞倫斯·萊弗茨夫婦的缺。”他停頓一下，以便讓大家領會其中的諷刺意味。“不過你知道，這是不可能的。”阿切爾太太同情地應了一聲表示贊同。“不過紐蘭告訴我他已讀過上午的《時報》；因此他可能已經發現，路易莎的親戚聖奧斯特利公爵下週將乘俄羅斯號抵達紐約。他是來爲他的帆船幾內維亞號參加明年夏天的國際杯比賽進行登記的。他還要在特里文納打一陣野鴨。”範德盧頓先生又停頓了一下，益發慈祥地接着說：“在說服他去馬里蘭之前，我們準備請幾位朋友在這兒見見他——只不過是個小型宴會——事後還要舉行歡迎會。如果奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人肯做我們的客人，我相信路易莎會跟我一樣高興的、”他站了起來，以生硬的友好態度向表妹彎了彎他那修長的身體，又說道：“我想我可以代表路易莎說，她馬上就要乘車外出，親自遞送宴會請柬，還有我們的名片——當然還有我們的名片。”

Mrs. Archer, who knew this to be a hint that the seventeen-hand chestnuts which were never kept waiting were at the door, rose with a hurried murmur of thanks. Mrs. van der Luyden beamed on her with the smile of Esther interceding with Ahasuerus; but her husband raised a protesting hand.
阿切爾太太明白這是讓她告辭的暗示，便匆匆低聲道着謝站起身來。範德盧頓太太眉開眼笑地看着她，那笑容彷彿是以斯帖正在向亞哈隨魯說情，不過她丈夫卻抗議似地舉起一隻手。

"There is nothing to thank me for, dear Adeline; nothing whatever. This kind of thing must not happen in New York; it shall not, as long as I can help it," he pronounced with sovereign gentleness as he steered his cousins to the door.
“沒什麼好謝的，親愛的艾德琳，一點也不用謝。這種事情不能允許在紐約發生；只要我辦得到，就不準再發生。”他帶着王者的風範說，一面領着表親走向門口。

Two hours later, every one knew that the great C-spring barouche in which Mrs. van der Luyden took the air at all seasons had been seen at old Mrs. Mingott's door, where a large square envelope was handed in; and that evening at the Opera Mr. Sillerton Jackson was able to state that the envelope contained a card inviting the Countess Olenska to the dinner which the van der Luydens were giving the following week for their cousin, the Duke of St. Austrey.
兩小時後，人人都已知道有人見到範德盧頓太太社交季節乘坐兜風的C形彈簧大馬車曾在明戈特太太的門前逗留，並遞進去一個方形大信封。而當晚在歌劇院裏，西勒頓·傑克遜便會說明，那信封裏裝着一份請柬，邀請奧蘭斯卡伯爵夫人蔘加範德盧頓夫婦下週爲表弟聖奧斯特利公爵舉辦的宴會。

Some of the younger men in the club box exchanged a smile at this announcement, and glanced sideways at Lawrence Lefferts, who sat carelessly in the front of the box, pulling his long fair moustache, and who remarked with authority, as the soprano paused: "No one but Patti ought to attempt the Sonnambula."
聽了這一通報，俱樂部包廂裏幾個青年人微笑地交換了一下眼色，並斜眼瞅了瞅勞倫斯·萊弗茨。他在包廂前排坐着，正漫不經心地扯弄他那金色的長鬍髭。女高音的歌聲一停，他便權威地說：“除了帕蒂，誰都不配演桑那布拉這個角色。”

雙語小說連載:純真年代 The Age of Innocence(6)