高中英語(yǔ)學(xué)習(xí)：雙語(yǔ)版短篇小說(shuō)-女房東-The Landlady

雙語(yǔ)版TheLandlady女房東RoaldDahl羅爾德·達(dá)爾BillyWeaverhadtravelleddownfromLondonontheslowafternoontrain,withachangeatSwindonontheway,andbythetimehegottoBathitwasaboutnineo’clockintheeveningandthemoonwascomingupoutofaclearstarryskyoverthehousesoppositethestationentrance.Buttheairwasdeadlycoldandthewindwaslikeaflatbladeoficeonhischeeks.比利·威弗乘午后的慢車(chē)從倫敦出外旅游，在斯溫頓換了車(chē)，到達(dá)巴思時(shí)已是晚上九點(diǎn)來(lái)鐘，可以看見(jiàn)車(chē)站出口對(duì)面的房屋籠罩在一片月色之中。天氣異常冷，寒風(fēng)象冰鏟一樣直刺臉孔?！瓻xcuseme,’hesaid,‘butisthereafairlycheaphotelnottoofarawayfromhere?’“對(duì)不起，”他說(shuō)，“請(qǐng)問(wèn)附近有便宜點(diǎn)的旅店嗎？”‘TryTheBellandDragon,’theporteranswered,pointingdowntheroad.‘Theymighttakeyouin.It’saboutaquarterofamilealongontheotherside.’“到’鈴和龍’那邊看看吧，”門(mén)衛(wèi)指著馬路的盡頭說(shuō)，“那邊也許有。往前走四分之一英里，馬路對(duì)面就是?！盉illythankedhimandpickeduphissuitcaseandsetouttowalkthequarter-miletoTheBellandDragon.HehadneverbeentoBathbefore.Hedidn’tknowanyonewholivedthere.ButMrGreensladeattheHeadOfficeinLondonhadtoldhimitwasasplendidcity.‘Findyourownlodgings,’hehadsaid,‘a(chǎn)ndthengoalongandreporttotheBranchManagerassoonasyou’vegotyourselfsettled.’比利謝了門(mén)衛(wèi)，拎著箱子開(kāi)始朝“鈴和龍旅店”的方向走那四分之一英里的路。他以前從未來(lái)過(guò)巴思，誰(shuí)也不認(rèn)識(shí)。不過(guò)倫敦總公司的格林斯雷德先生對(duì)他說(shuō)，這是一座挺不錯(cuò)的城市?！罢业胤阶∠潞螅彼f(shuō)，“就向分管經(jīng)理報(bào)告。”Billywasseventeenyearsold.Hewaswearinganewnavy-blueovercoat,anewbrowntrilbyhat,andanewbrownsuit,andhewasfeelingfine.Hewalkedbrisklydownthestreet.Hewastryingtodoeverythingbrisklythesedays.比利十七歲，身披一件嶄新的海軍藍(lán)大衣，頭上戴的棕色軟氈帽和里面穿的棕色衣褲也都是新的，他自我感覺(jué)很好。他步履輕松地順馬路往前走。這些日子里他做什么事都很輕松。Briskness,hehaddecided,wastheonecommoncharacteristicofallsuccessfulbusinessmen.他認(rèn)為輕松是所有成功的生意人的特點(diǎn)之一?？偣纠锏哪切┐罄习鍟r(shí)時(shí)都談笑風(fēng)生，輕松愉快。ThebigshotsupatHeadOfficewereabsolutelyfantasticallybriskallthetime.Theywereamazing.Therewerenoshopsonthiswidestreetthathewaswalkingalong,onlyalineoftallhousesoneachside,allofthemidentical.Theyhadporchesandpillarsandfourorfivestepsgoinguptotheirfrontdoors,anditwasobviousthatonceuponatimetheyhadbeenveryswankyresidences.Butnow,eveninthedarkness,hecouldseethatthepaintwaspeelingfromthewoodworkontheirdoorsandwindows,andthatthehandsomewhitefa?adeswerecrackedandblotchyfromneglect.他行走的這條寬闊的馬路上沒(méi)有店鋪，兩邊只有一排排高大的房屋，全都一個(gè)模樣，門(mén)廊、圓柱、四到五級(jí)通向前門(mén)的臺(tái)階，顯然這雖一度住過(guò)非常富有的人家。不過(guò)現(xiàn)在即便在黑暗中，他也能看清門(mén)窗木框上剝落的油漆，漂亮的白色大門(mén)也已裂開(kāi)縫隙，污漬斑駁。Suddenly,inadownstairswindowthatwasbrilliantlyilluminatedbyastreet-lampnotsixyardsaway,Billycaughtsightofaprintednoticeproppedupagainsttheglassinoneoftheupperpanes.ItsaidBEDANDBREAKFAST.Therewasavaseofpussy-willows,tallandbeautiful,standingjustunderneaththenotice.忽然，比利在一扇顯然是被六碼外的路燈照亮的櫥窗里，看見(jiàn)一塊支撐著窗格玻璃的招牌，上面寫(xiě)著“提供住宿和早餐”招牌下面立著一只高大漂亮的插著毛絨絨柳條的花瓶。Hestoppedwalking.Hemovedabitcloser.Greencurtains(somesortofvelvetymaterial)werehangingdownoneithersideofthewindow.Thepussy-willowslookedwonderfulbesidethem.Hewentrightupandpeeredthroughtheglassintotheroom,andthefirstthinghesawwasabrightfireburninginthehearth.Onthecarpetinfrontofthefire,aprettylittledachshundwascurledupasleepwithitsnosetuckedintoitsbelly.Theroomitself,sofarashecouldseeinthehalf-darkness,wasfilledwithpleasantfurniture.Therewasababy-grandpianoandabigsofaandseveralplumparmchairs;andinonecornerhespottedalargeparrotinacage.Animalswereusuallyagoodsigninaplacelikethis,Billytoldhimself;andallinall,itlookedtohimasthoughitwouldbeaprettydecenthousetostayin.CertainlyitwouldbemorecomfortablethanTheBellandDragon.他止住腳步，湊近過(guò)去。櫥窗兩側(cè)都掛著綠色窗簾（象是天鵝絨的質(zhì)料），在窗簾的襯托下，毛茸茸的柳條看上去十分動(dòng)人。他透過(guò)櫥窗玻璃朝屋里窺視，首先映入眼簾的是在壁爐里熊熊燃燒的火苗。壁爐前面的地毯上，一只漂亮的德國(guó)小狗鼻子拱著腹部蜷成一團(tuán)在睡覺(jué)?；璋抵锌梢钥闯龇块g里布置著雅致的家具，放著一架小型鋼琴、一張大沙發(fā)和幾把松軟的坐椅。在一個(gè)角落的一只籠子里，還有一只大鸚鵡。在這種地方看見(jiàn)小動(dòng)物，往往是好兆頭，比利對(duì)自己說(shuō)，總之這地方看起來(lái)會(huì)住得很舒服，肯定比“鈴和龍旅店”舒服多啦。Ontheotherhand,apubwouldbemorecongenialthanaboarding-house.Therewouldbebeeranddartsintheevenings,andlotsofpeopletotalkto,anditwouldprobablybeagoodbitcheaper,too.Hehadstayedacoupleofnightsinapuboncebeforeandhehadlikedit.Hehadneverstayedinanyboarding-houses,and,tobeperfectlyhonest,hewasatinybitfrightenedofthem.Thenameitselfconjuredupimagesofwaterycabbage,rapaciouslandladies,andapowerfulsmellofkippersintheliving-room.另外住小客店也要比住寄宿處有意思，到了晚上會(huì)有啤酒喝，會(huì)有擲鏢游戲玩，還會(huì)有人聊天，而且房?jī)r(jià)恐怕也會(huì)便宜不少。他曾經(jīng)在一家小客店住過(guò)幾個(gè)晚上，留下了挺不錯(cuò)的回憶。他從未在寄宿處住過(guò)，老實(shí)說(shuō)吧，對(duì)那種地方有點(diǎn)畏懼，光是寄宿處這名字本身就讓人聯(lián)想到稀稀的白菜，湯，賊摳的女房東和起居室里熏人的咸魚(yú)味兒。Afterditheringaboutlikethisinthecoldfortwoorthreeminutes,BillydecidedthathewouldwalkonandtakealookatTheBellandDragonbeforemakinguphismind.Heturnedtogo.在寒風(fēng)中瑟瑟發(fā)抖了兩三分鐘后，比利覺(jué)得還是先到“鈴和龍”那兒看看后再作決定為好。他轉(zhuǎn)身欲走。Andnowaqueerthinghappenedtohim.Hewasintheactofsteppingbackandturningawayfromthewindowwhenallatoncehiseyewascaughtandheldinthemostpeculiarmannerbythesmallnoticethatwasthere.BEDANDBREAKFAST,itSaid.BEDANDBREAKFAST,BEDANDBREAKFAST,BEDANDBREAKFAST.Eachwordwaslikealargeblackeyestaringathimthroughtheglass,holdinghim,compellinghim,forcinghimtostaywherehewasandnottowalkawayfromthathouse,andthenextthingheknew,hewasactuallymovingacrossfromthewindowtothefrontdoorofthehouse,climbingthestepsthatleduptoit,andreachingforthebell.奇怪的是他剛想離開(kāi)櫥窗，目光卻被那塊小招牌緊緊吸引住。“提供住宿和早餐”，招牌上寫(xiě)道，“提供住宿和早餐”，“提供住宿和早餐”，“提供住宿和早餐”.每個(gè)字都象是一只黑黑的大眼晴，透過(guò)玻璃窗注視他，吸引他，誘惑他，迫使他無(wú)法離開(kāi)原來(lái)的位置，無(wú)法挪步離開(kāi)這棟房屋。還不僅僅如此，接下來(lái)他鬼使神差地走向前門(mén)，跨上臺(tái)階，把手伸向門(mén)鈴。Hepressedthebell.Farawayinabackroomhehearditringing,andthenatonce–itmusthavebeenatoncebecausehehadn’tevenhadtimetotakehisfingerfromthebell-button–thedoorswungopenandawomanwasstandingthere.他撳下門(mén)鈴，聽(tīng)見(jiàn)里面很遠(yuǎn)的一間屋子里響起鈴聲，可是就在剎那間——肯定是在剎那間，因?yàn)樗氖种付歼€未來(lái)得及從按鈕上縮回來(lái)——門(mén)卻吱啞一聲打開(kāi)，現(xiàn)出了一位女人。Normallyyouringthebellandyouhaveatleastahalf-minute’swaitbeforethedooropens.Butthisdamewaslikeajack-in-the-box.Hepressedthebell–andoutshepopped!Itmadehimjump.通常的情況是，你摁響了鈴，等那么半分鐘左右門(mén)才打開(kāi)，可是這女人簡(jiǎn)直就象玩偶匣里的傀儡，他剛一摁鈴——她就蹦了出來(lái)！把他嚇了一跳。Shewasaboutforty-fiveorfiftyyearsold,andthemomentshesawhim,shegavehimawarmwelcomingsmile.她大約四十五到五十歲的光景，一見(jiàn)到他臉上就浮現(xiàn)出歡迎的笑容?！甈leasecomein,’shesaidpleasantly.Shesteppedaside,holdingthedoorwideopen,andBillyfoundhimselfautomaticallystartingforwardintothehouse.Thecompulsionor,moreaccurately,thedesiretofollowafterherintothathousewasextraordinarilystrong.“請(qǐng)進(jìn)來(lái)吧?！彼淇斓卣f(shuō)道，側(cè)身把門(mén)打開(kāi)。比利感到自己不由自主地走進(jìn)了屋子，跟隨她進(jìn)去的那種本能，或者確切地說(shuō)那種欲望，異常強(qiáng)烈?！甀sawthenoticeinthewindow,’hesaid,holdinghimselfback.“我看見(jiàn)了櫥窗上的招牌?！彼f(shuō)，穩(wěn)住自己?！甕es,Iknow.’“對(duì)，我知道?！薄甀waswonderingaboutaroom.’“我正在找地方住?！薄耙呀?jīng)為你準(zhǔn)備好了，親愛(ài)的?！彼f(shuō)?！甀t’sallreadyforyou,mydear,’shesaid.Shehadaroundpinkfaceandverygentleblueeyes.她的臉蛋紅潤(rùn)豐腴，一雙藍(lán)眼晴柔情似水。‘IwasonmywaytoTheBellandDragon,’Billytoldher.‘Butthenoticeinyourwindowjusthappenedtocatchmyeye.’“我正準(zhǔn)備去’鈴和龍’。”比利對(duì)她說(shuō)，“剛好看見(jiàn)你櫥窗里的招牌?！薄甅ydearboy,’shesaid,‘whydon’tyoucomeinoutofthecold?’“親愛(ài)的孩子，”她說(shuō)，“你干嘛還站在寒風(fēng)里不動(dòng)？”‘Howmuchdoyoucharge?’“要多少錢(qián)？”‘Fiveandsixpenceanight,includingbreakfast.’“五塊六一夜，包早餐。”Itwasfantasticallycheap.Itwaslessthanhalfofwhathehadbeenwillingtopay.真是便宜極啦，還不到他原來(lái)準(zhǔn)備出的價(jià)的一半。‘Ifthatistoomuch,’sheadded,‘thenperhapsIcanreduceitjustatinybit.Doyoudesireaneggforbreakfast?Eggsareexpensiveatthemoment.Itwouldbesixpencelesswithouttheegg.’“如果嫌貴，”她又補(bǔ)上一句，“還可以再便宜些。你早餐吃雞蛋嗎？雞蛋現(xiàn)在可不便宜。不吃雞蛋可以再便宜六毛錢(qián)?！薄瓼iveandsixpenceisfine,’heanswered.‘Ishouldlikeverymuchtostayhere.’“五塊六就五塊六吧，我就住這兒。”‘Iknewyouwould.Docomein.’“我知道你會(huì)的。進(jìn)來(lái)吧。”Sheseemedterriblynice.Shelookedexactlylikethemotherofone’sbestschool-friendwelcomingoneintothehousetostayfortheChristmasholidays.Billytookoffhishat,andsteppedoverthethreshold.她顯得格外殷勤，就好象最要好的同學(xué)的媽媽歡迎他前來(lái)過(guò)圣誕節(jié)。比利取下便帽，跨進(jìn)門(mén)檻?！甁usthangitthere,’shesaid,‘a(chǎn)ndletmehelpyouwithyourcoat.’“就掛在那兒吧，”她說(shuō)，“我來(lái)幫你脫大衣?！盩herewerenootherhatsorcoatsinthehall.Therewerenoumbrellas,nowalking-sticks–nothing.客廳里沒(méi)有別的帽子和大衣。沒(méi)有傘，也沒(méi)有手杖——什么都沒(méi)有。‘Wehaveitalltoourselves,’shesaid,smilingathimoverhershoulderassheledthewayupstairs.‘Yousee,itisn’tveryoftenIhavethepleasureoftakingavisitorintomylittlenest.’“這房子歸我們所有，”她領(lǐng)他上樓時(shí)回過(guò)頭對(duì)他粲然一笑，”瞧，我很少有機(jī)會(huì)帶客人進(jìn)我這個(gè)小巢?！盩heoldgirlisslightlydotty,Billytoldhimself.Butatfiveandsixpenceanight,whogivesadamnaboutthat?‘Ishould’vethoughtyou’dbesimplyswampedwithapplicants,’hesaidpolitely.這老姑娘有點(diǎn)神經(jīng)兮兮的，比利心想。可是哪兒找得到五塊六一夜這樣的便宜事？“我原先以為客人會(huì)很多呢。”他彬彬有禮地說(shuō)了一句。‘Oh,Iam,mydear,Iam,ofcourseIam.ButthetroubleisthatI’minclinedtobejustateenyweenybitchoosyandparticular–ifyouseewhatImean.’“哦，那當(dāng)然，親愛(ài)的，那當(dāng)然，只是我這人比較挑剔——不知道你是否明白我的意思?！薄瓵h,yes.’“噢，明白?！薄瓸utI’malwaysready.Everythingisalwaysreadydayandnightinthishousejustontheoff-chancethatanacceptableyounggentlemanwillcomealong.Anditissuchapleasure,mydear,suchaverygreatpleasurewhennowandagainIopenthedoorandIseesomeonestandingtherewhoisjustexactlyright.’Shewashalf-wayupthestairs,andshepausedwithonehandonthestair-rail,turningherheadandsmilingdownathimwithpalelips.‘Likeyou,’sheadded,andherblueeyestravelledslowlyallthewaydownthelengthofBilly’sbody,tohisfeet,andthenupagain.“不過(guò)我總是有備無(wú)患，這間屋子里樣樣都已準(zhǔn)備妥當(dāng)，只等機(jī)會(huì)到來(lái)，進(jìn)來(lái)一位年輕的紳士。每當(dāng)我打開(kāi)門(mén)，看見(jiàn)一位合適的人站在門(mén)口，哦，親愛(ài)的，我是多么快樂(lè)呀?！彼炎叩椒鎏葜醒?，這時(shí)停下來(lái)用手扶住欄桿，回過(guò)頭動(dòng)了動(dòng)蒼白的嘴唇，面含微笑凝視著他?！氨热缒恪！彼由弦痪洌{(lán)色的眼睛緩緩地瀏覽比利的身軀，從頭瀏覽到腳，又從腳瀏覽到頭。Onthefirst-floorlandingshesaidtohim,‘Thisfloorismine.’走到二樓時(shí)她告訴他，“我住這層?！盩heyclimbedupasecondflight.‘Andthisoneisallyours,’shesaid.‘Here’syourroom.Idohopeyou’lllikeit.’Shetookhimintoasmallbutcharmingfrontbedroom,switchingonthelightasshewentin.然后兩人來(lái)到三樓。“這層你住?！彼f(shuō)，“這是你的房間，希望你喜歡。她領(lǐng)他走進(jìn)一間小巧的臥室，進(jìn)門(mén)時(shí)隨手?jǐn)Q亮了電燈?！甌hemorningsuncomesrightinthewindow,MrPerkins.ItisMrPerkins,isn’tit?’“早晨太陽(yáng)會(huì)從窗子上升起，帕金斯先生。是帕金斯先生，對(duì)嗎？”‘No,’hesaid.‘It’sWeaver.’“不，”他答道，“我叫威弗?！薄甅rWeaver.Hownice.I’veputawater-bottlebetweenthesheetstoairthemout,MrWeaver.It’ssuchacomforttohaveahotwater-bottleinastrangebedwithcleansheets,don’tyouagree?Andyoumaylightthegasfireatanytimeifyoufeelchilly.’“威弗先生，多好聽(tīng)啊。我用熱水瓶把床單熨得暖暖的，威弗先生。在一張鋪著干凈床單的陌生床上抱著暖瓶睡覺(jué)，多舒服啊，你說(shuō)呢？如果還覺(jué)得冷，你隨時(shí)都可以點(diǎn)上煤氣取暖器。”‘Thankyou,’Billysaid.‘Thankyoueversomuch.’Henoticedthatthebedspreadhadbeentakenoffthebed,andthatthebedclotheshadbeenneatlyturnedbackononeside,allreadyforsomeonetogetin.“謝謝，”比利說(shuō)，“太謝謝了?！彼⒁獾酱舱旨罕蝗〉?，被褥整整齊齊地鋪開(kāi)，仿佛隨時(shí)都可能有人來(lái)住?！甀’msogladyouappeared,’shesaid,lookingearnestlyintohisface.‘Iwasbeginningtogetworried.’“真高興你能來(lái)，”她說(shuō)，真誠(chéng)之情溢于言表，“我都開(kāi)始有點(diǎn)為你操心了。”‘That’sallright,’Billyansweredbrightly.‘Youmustn’tworryaboutme.’Heputhissuitcaseonthechairandstartedtoopenit.“不要緊，”比利快活地說(shuō)，“不必為我操心?！彼咽痔嵯鋽R在椅子上打開(kāi)。‘Andwhataboutsupper,mydear?Didyoumanagetogetanythingtoeatbeforeyoucamehere?’“晚飯想吃什么，親愛(ài)的？你來(lái)之前吃過(guò)什么了嗎？”‘I’mnotabithungry,thankyou,’hesaid.‘IthinkI’lljustgotobedassoonaspossiblebecausetomorrowI’vegottogetupratherearlyandreporttotheoffice.’“我一點(diǎn)不餓，謝謝。我想馬上睡覺(jué)，因?yàn)槊魈煲淮笤缥疫€要給公司寫(xiě)報(bào)告?！薄甐erywell,then.I’llleaveyounowsothatyoucanunpack.Butbeforeyougotobed,wouldyoubekindenoughtopopintothesitting-roomonthegroundfloorandsignthebook?Everyonehastodothatbecauseit’sthelawoftheland,andwedon’twanttogobreakinganylawsatthisstageoftheproceedings,dowe?’Shegavehimalittlewaveofthehandandwentquicklyoutoftheroomandclosedthedoor.“那么，好吧。我這就走，你慢慢收拾。不過(guò)你能不能在睡覺(jué)前來(lái)樓下起居室簽個(gè)名呢？人人都得這樣做，因?yàn)檫@是房產(chǎn)法規(guī)定的，事情已經(jīng)到了這一步，我們可不想犯法，對(duì)不對(duì)？”她朝他做了個(gè)手勢(shì)，之后走出房間掩上了門(mén)。Now,thefactthathislandladyappearedtobeslightlyoffherrockerdidn’tworryBillyintheleast.Afterall,shewasnotonlyharmless–therewasnoquestionaboutthat–butshewasalsoquiteobviouslyakindandgeneroussoul.Heguessedthatshehadprobablylostasoninthewar,orsomethinglikethat,andhadnevergotoverit.這時(shí)比利對(duì)女房東的異常表現(xiàn)已經(jīng)不再有任何擔(dān)憂。不管怎么說(shuō)，她并沒(méi)有惡意——這一點(diǎn)是毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)的，非但如此，她顯然還是個(gè)大方而富于愛(ài)心的人。他心想，她可能在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)期間失去了兒子，或者碰上了什么類(lèi)似的事，心靈的創(chuàng)傷一直未能愈合。Soafewminuteslater,afterunpackinghissuitcaseandwashinghishands,hetrotteddownstairstothegroundfloorandenteredtheliving-room.Hislandladywasn’tthere,butthefirewasglowinginthehearth,andthelittledachshundwasstillsleepinginfrontofit.Theroomwaswonderfullywarmandcosy.I’maluckyfellow,hethought,rubbinghishands.Thisisabitofallright.因此過(guò)了幾分鐘，他打開(kāi)皮箱并洗過(guò)手后，匆匆下樓來(lái)到起居室。女房東不在，但是壁爐里爐火正旺，那只小狗仍然縮在壁爐前，睡得正香。屋里暖暖和和的，舒服極啦。我真幸運(yùn)，他想，搓了搓雙手。真是事事如意。Hefoundtheguest-booklyingopenonthepiano,sohetookouthispenandwrotedownhisnameandaddress.Therewereonlytwootherentriesabovehisonthepage,and,asonealwaysdoeswithguest-books,hestartedtoreadthem.OnewasaChristopherMulhollandfromCardiff.TheotherwasGregoryW.TemplefromBristol.他看見(jiàn)鋼琴上攤開(kāi)一本住宿登記簿，于是掏出筆在上面寫(xiě)下了自己的姓名和地址。在他的前面只有兩位客人，他很自然地瞅了一眼。一位叫克里斯多夫·穆?tīng)柣籼m德，從加蒂夫來(lái)；另一位叫格里戈利·W·坦普爾，來(lái)自布里斯托。That’sfunny,hethoughtsuddenly.ChristopherMulholland.Itringsabell.奇怪，他忽然想?？死锼苟喾颉Ｄ?tīng)柣籼m德。他好象記起了一件什么事情。Nowwhereonearthhadheheardthatratherunusualnamebefore?他以前在哪兒聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)這么個(gè)不同尋常的名字？Washeaboyatschool?No.Wasitoneofhissister’snumerousyoungmen,perhaps,orafriendofhisfather’s?No,no,itwasn’tanyofthose.Heglanceddownagainatthebook.是學(xué)校里的一個(gè)同學(xué)？不是。是姐姐的不計(jì)其數(shù)的男朋友當(dāng)中的一個(gè)？或者爸爸的朋友？不是。不是。絕對(duì)不是。他又看了看登記簿。ChristopherMulholland231CathedralRoad,CardiffGregoryW.Temple27SycamoreDrive,Bristol克里斯多夫·穆?tīng)柣籼m德，加蒂夫市凱瑟德雷爾路231號(hào)格里戈利·W·坦普爾，布里斯托市塞克莫大道27號(hào)Asamatteroffact,nowhecametothinkofit,hewasn’tatallsurethatthesecondnamedidn’thavealmostasmuchofafamiliarringaboutitasthefirst.結(jié)果他發(fā)現(xiàn)，第二個(gè)名字和第一個(gè)名字一樣，也仿佛與某件事情有關(guān)聯(lián)?！瓽regoryTemple?’hesaidaloud,searchinghismemory.‘ChristopherMulholland?…’“格里戈利·坦普爾？”他一邊讀出聲來(lái)，一邊搜索記憶?！翱死锼苟喾颉つ?tīng)柣籼m德……”‘Suchcharmingboys,’avoicebehindhimanswered,andheturnedandsawhislandladysailingintotheroomwithalargesilvertea-trayinherhands.Shewasholdingitwelloutinfrontofher,andratherhighup,asthoughthetraywereapairofreinsonafriskyhorse.“多可愛(ài)的兩個(gè)孩子呀！”他的身后響起了一個(gè)聲音。他回頭，看見(jiàn)女房東端著一只銀茶盤(pán)步態(tài)優(yōu)雅地走了進(jìn)來(lái)。她把茶盤(pán)端得高高的，盤(pán)子仿佛成了套在一匹烈馬上的籠頭。‘Theysoundsomehowfamiliar,’hesaid.“他們的名字好熟?！彼f(shuō)?！甌heydo?Howinteresting.’“是嗎？真有意思?！薄甀’malmostpositiveI’veheardthosenamesbeforesomewhere.Isn’tthatqueer?Maybeitwasinthenewspapers.Theyweren’tfamousinanyway,werethey?Imeanfamouscricketersorfootballersorsomethinglikethat?’“我敢肯定以前在哪里見(jiàn)過(guò)這些名字，你說(shuō)怪不怪?？赡苁窃趫?bào)紙上。他們不是名人，對(duì)吧，我是說(shuō)棒球明星、足球明星那種人？”‘Famous,’shesaid,settingthetea-traydownonthelowtableinfrontofthesofa.‘Ohno,Idon’tthinktheywerefamous.Buttheywereextraordinarilyhandsome,bothofthem,Icanpromiseyouthat.Theyweretallandyoungandhandsome,mydear,justexactlylikeyou.’“名人，”她把茶盤(pán)擱到沙發(fā)前的茶幾上，“哦，不，我想也們不是名人。不過(guò)他們都特別漂亮，兩人都漂亮，真的。他倆都很修長(zhǎng)，年輕而英俊，親愛(ài)的，就象你一樣?！監(jiān)ncemore,Billyglanceddownatthebook.‘Lookhere,’hesaid,noticingthedates.‘Thislastentryisovertwoyearsold.’比利再次去看登記簿?！澳憧矗彼⒁獾搅巳掌?，后面這位是兩年前登記的?！甀tis?’“是嗎？”‘Yes,indeed.AndChristopherMulholland’sisnearlyayearbeforethat–morethanthreeyearsago.’“是，絕對(duì)是?？死锼苟喾颉つ?tīng)柣籼m德又更早一年——到現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)三年多了?！薄瓺earme,’shesaid,shakingherheadandheavingadaintylittlesigh.‘Iwouldneverhavethoughtit.Howtimedoesflyawayfromusall,doesn’tit,MrWilkins?’“天哪，”她搖搖頭輕嘆一聲，“我都沒(méi)去想過(guò)。時(shí)光過(guò)得真快啊，是不是，威爾金斯先生？”‘It’sWeaver,’Billysaid.‘W-e-a-v-e-r.’“我叫威弗，”比利說(shuō)道，“威——弗?！薄甇h,ofcourseitis!’shecried,sittingdownonthesofa.‘Howsillyofme.Idoapologize.Inoneearandouttheother,that’sme,MrWeaver.’“哦，當(dāng)然啦！”她叫道，在沙發(fā)上坐了下來(lái)?！扒莆叶嗌?。向你道歉。一個(gè)耳朵進(jìn)一個(gè)耳朵出，我就這副德性，威弗先生?！薄甕ouknowsomething?’Billysaid.‘Somethingthat’sreallyquiteextraordinaryaboutallthis?’“你知道什么事情嗎？”比利問(wèn)，“關(guān)于這方面的事？”‘No,dear,Idon’t.’“不，親愛(ài)的，不知道?！薄甒ell,yousee–bothofthesenames,MulhollandandTemple,Inotonlyseemtoremembereachoneofthemseparately,sotospeak,butsomehoworother,insomepeculiarway,theybothappeartobesortofconnectedtogetheraswell.Asthoughtheywerebothfamousforthesamesortofthing,ifyouseewhatImean–like…well…likeDempseyandTunney,forexample,orChurchillandRoosevelt.’“嗯，你瞧——這兩個(gè)名字，穆?tīng)柣籼m德和坦普爾，老實(shí)說(shuō)分開(kāi)我一個(gè)也記不住，但是合起來(lái)就好象跟一件什么事情有關(guān)。他倆好象因?yàn)橥活?lèi)事情而出名，你懂我的意思嗎？——就好象……嗯……就好象丹普西與塔尼，比方說(shuō)吧，或者羅斯福與丘吉爾?！薄瓾owamusing,’shesaid,‘butcomeoverherenow,dear,andsitdownbesidemeonthesofaandI’llgiveyouanicecupofteaandagingerbiscuitbeforeyougotobed.’“那多有意思呀，”她說(shuō)，“過(guò)來(lái)吧，親愛(ài)的，就坐在我身邊好了，在你去睡之前我要給你嘗嘗好香好香的茶，還有姜汁餅干?！薄甕oureallyshouldn’tbother,’Billysaid.‘Ididn’tmeanyoutodoanythinglikethat.’Hestoodbythepiano,watchingherasshefussedaboutwiththecupsandsaucers.Henoticedthatshehadsmall,white,quicklymovinghands,andredfinger-nails.“你真不用費(fèi)心，”比利說(shuō)，“我沒(méi)叫你這樣做?！彼驹阡撉倥?，看著她忙忙碌碌地?cái)[開(kāi)茶杯和碟子。他注意到她的手小巧白嫩，動(dòng)作靈活，指甲蓋涂得猩紅?！甀’malmostpositiveitwasinthenewspapersIsawthem,’Billysaid.‘I’llthinkofitinasecond.I’msureIwill.’“我敢肯定是在報(bào)紙上看到的，”比利說(shuō)，“我再想一想。肯定能想出來(lái)?！盩hereisnothingmoretantalizingthanathinglikethiswhichlingersjustoutsidethebordersofone’smemory.Hehatedtogiveup.沒(méi)有什么比差一點(diǎn)就能想起什么事情更讓人惱火了。他不愿放棄?！甆owwaitaminute,’hesaid.‘Waitjustaminute.Mulholland…ChristopherMulholland…wasn’tthatthenameoftheEtonschoolboywhowasonawalking-tourthroughtheWestCountry,andthenallofasudden…’“等等，”他說(shuō)，“請(qǐng)稍微等一等。穆?tīng)柣籼m德……克里斯多夫·穆?tīng)柣籼m德……是不是那個(gè)伊頓公學(xué)的男孩，他徒步穿過(guò)西部鄉(xiāng)村，后來(lái)忽然間……”‘Milk?’shesaid.‘Andsugar?’“奶？”她問(wèn)，“還是糖？”‘Yes,please.Andthenallofasudden…’“行，謝謝。后來(lái)忽然間……”‘Etonschoolboy?’shesaid.‘Ohno,mydear,thatcan’tpossiblyberightbecausemyMrMulhollandwascertainlynotanEtonschoolboywhenhecametome.HewasaCambridgeundergraduate.Comeoverherenowandsitnexttomeandwarmyourselfinfrontofthislovelyfire.Comeon.Yourtea’sallreadyforyou.’Shepattedtheemptyplacebesideheronthesofa,andshesattheresmilingatBillyandwaitingforhimtocomeover.“伊頓公學(xué)的男孩？”她問(wèn)，“哦，不，親愛(ài)的，根本不可能，因?yàn)槲业哪聽(tīng)柣籼m德先生來(lái)這兒時(shí)根本就不是什么伊頓公學(xué)的男孩，他是牛津大學(xué)的學(xué)生。過(guò)來(lái)這兒，坐到我身邊來(lái)吧，烤烤火暖和暖和。過(guò)來(lái)吧。茶已經(jīng)為你準(zhǔn)備好了?！彼牧伺纳磉叺目瘴恢?，笑吟吟地看著比利，等他過(guò)去。Hecrossedtheroomslowly,andsatdownontheedgeofthesofa.Sheplacedhisteacuponthetableinfrontofhim.他慢慢走了過(guò)去，在沙發(fā)邊緣坐下。她把茶杯放到他面前的茶幾上?！甌hereweare,’shesaid.‘Howniceandcosythisis,isn’tit?’“這下好啦，”她說(shuō)，“真舒服，是不是？”Billystartedsippinghistea.Shedidthesame.Forhalfaminuteorso,neitherofthemspoke.ButBillyknewthatshewaslookingathim.Herbodywashalf-turnedtowardshim,andhecouldfeelhereyesrestingonhisface,watchinghimovertherimofherteacup.Nowandagain,hecaughtawhiffofapeculiarsmellthatseemedtoemanatedirectlyfromherperson.Itwasnotintheleastunpleasant,anditremindedhim–well,hewasn’tquitesurewhatitremindedhimof.Pickledwalnuts?Newleather?Orwasitthecorridorsofahospital?比利開(kāi)始小口啜茶。她也一樣。有那么一兩分鐘，兩人都一言未發(fā)。但是比利知道她一直在看著自己，她的身體迎向他，他可以感覺(jué)到她的目光停留在他的臉上，越過(guò)杯口注視著他。他不時(shí)聞到一絲似乎從她那兒飄過(guò)來(lái)的奇特的氣味，不能說(shuō)不好聞，讓他聯(lián)想起——嗯，他也不清楚聯(lián)想起什么。酸胡桃？新制皮革？或是醫(yī)院的走廊？‘MrMulhollandwasagreatoneforhistea,’shesaidatlength.‘NeverinmylifehaveIseenanyonedrinkasmuchteaasdear,sweetMrMulholland.’“穆?tīng)柣籼m德先生喝起茶來(lái)可厲害啦，”她終于開(kāi)口說(shuō)，“我這一輩子都未見(jiàn)過(guò)象可愛(ài)的穆?tīng)柣籼m德先生那樣能喝茶的人?！薄甀supposeheleftfairlyrecently,’Billysaid.Hewasstillpuzzlinghisheadaboutthetwonames.Hewaspositivenowthathehadseentheminthenewspapers–intheheadlines.“我想他最近才離開(kāi)吧?！北壤f(shuō)。他仍舊對(duì)這兩個(gè)名字感到納悶。他現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)可以肯定在報(bào)紙上見(jiàn)過(guò)這兩個(gè)名字，而且是在標(biāo)題上。‘Left?’shesaid,archingherbrows.‘Butmydearboy,heneverleft.He’sstillhere.MrTempleisalsohere.They’reonthethirdfloor,bothofthemtogether.’“離開(kāi)？”她感到有點(diǎn)驚訝，“可是我親愛(ài)的孩子，他從來(lái)就沒(méi)離開(kāi)呀。他還在這兒，坦普爾先生也在這兒，他們住在三樓，兩人住在一塊兒?！盉illysetdownhiscupslowlyonthetable,andstaredathislandlady.Shesmiledbackathim,andthensheputoutoneofherwhitehandsandpattedhimcomfortinglyontheknee.‘Howoldareyou,mydear?’sheasked.比利緩緩把杯子擱到茶幾上，盯住他的女房東。她朝他回報(bào)以微笑，接著伸出一只雪白的小手，輕輕拍拍他的膝頭?！澳愣啻罅?，親愛(ài)的？”她問(wèn)。‘Seventeen.’“十七?！薄甋eventeen!’shecried.‘Oh,it’stheperfectage!MrMulhollandwasalsoseventeen.ButIthinkhewasatrifleshorterthanyouare,infactI’msurehewas,andhisteethweren’tquitesowhite.Youhavethemostbeautifulteeth,MrWeaver,didyouknowthat?’“十七！”她驚叫，“哦，多妙的年齡，穆?tīng)柣籼m德也是十七，但是我想他要比你矮一點(diǎn)，肯定要矮一點(diǎn)，牙也沒(méi)你的白。你的牙是最漂亮的，威弗先生，你知道嗎？”‘They’renotasgoodastheylook,’Billysaid.‘They’vegotsimplymassesoffillingsinthemattheback.’“不象看起來(lái)的那么好，”比利有點(diǎn)不好意思，“里面補(bǔ)過(guò)?！薄甅rTemple,ofcourse,wasalittleolder,’shesaid,ignoringhisremark.‘Hewasactuallytwenty-eight.AndyetIneverwouldhaveguesseditifhehadn’ttoldme,neverinmywholelife.Therewasn’tablemishonhisbody.’“坦普爾先生要大一點(diǎn)，”她繼續(xù)說(shuō)，沒(méi)有理會(huì)他，“他有二十八歲了?？墒羌偃缢桓嬖V我，我絕不會(huì)猜到，一輩子也猜不到。他身上一塊疤也沒(méi)有?！薄瓵what?’Billysaid.“一塊什么？”比利問(wèn)?！瓾isskinwasjustlikeababy’s.’“他的皮膚就象嬰兒的一樣嫩?！盩herewasapause.Billypickeduphisteacupandtookanothersipofhistea,thenhesetitdownagaingentlyinitssaucer.Hewaitedforhertosaysomethingelse,butsheseemedtohavelapsedintoanotherofhersilences.Hesattherestaringstraightaheadofhimintothefarcorneroftheroom,bitinghislowerlip.一陣沉默。比利端起茶杯，又啜了一口，然后小心放回茶盤(pán)。他等著她說(shuō)點(diǎn)什么，可她仿佛又陷入沉思。他咬了咬下唇，注視著屋子遠(yuǎn)處的角落。‘Thatparrot,’hesaidatlast.‘Youknowsomething?IthadmecompletelyfooledwhenIfirstsawitthroughthewindowfromthestreet.Icouldhaveswornitwasalive.’“那只鸚鵡，”他打破了沉默，說(shuō)，“你知道嗎？在我站在街上往櫥窗里張望時(shí)，確實(shí)把我騙了。我以為它是活的?！薄瓵las,nolonger.’“天哪，怎么會(huì)這樣?！薄甀t’smostterriblycleverthewayit’sbeendone,’hesaid.‘Itdoesn’tlookintheleastbitdead.Whodidit?’“做得真是太逼真了，”他說(shuō)，“一點(diǎn)也不象死的。誰(shuí)做的？”‘Idid.’“我?！薄甕oudid?’“你？”‘Ofcourse,’shesaid.‘AndyouhavemetmylittleBasilaswell?’Shenoddedtowardsthedachshundcurledupsocomfortablyinfrontofthefire.“當(dāng)然。”她說(shuō)，“沒(méi)看見(jiàn)小貝塞爾嗎？”她朝蜷縮在壁爐前酣睡的那只小狗點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。Billylookedatit.Andsuddenly,herealizedthatthisanimalhadallthetimebeenjustassilentandmotionlessastheparrot.Heputoutahandandtoucheditgentlyonthetopofitsback.Thebackwashardandcold,andwhenhepushedthehairtoonesidewithhisfingers,hecouldseetheskinunderneath,greyish-blackanddryandperfectlypreserved.比利拾頭望去。他猛然意識(shí)到，那只小動(dòng)物也象鸚鵡一樣一直一動(dòng)也沒(méi)動(dòng)過(guò)。他伸出手輕輕摸了摸它的背，背部又硬又冷。等他用手指把毛翻至一側(cè)，他看見(jiàn)毛下的皮膚呈淺黑色，非常干燥，保存得很好。‘Goodgraciousme,’hesaid.‘Howabsolutelyfascinating.’Heturnedawayfromthedogandstaredwithdeepadmirationatthelittlewomanbesidehimonthesofa.‘Itmustbemostawfullydifficulttodoathinglikethat.’“我的老天，”他叫道，“簡(jiǎn)直太絕了。”他轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身，用欽佩的眼光看著身邊的這位小婦人?！弊龀蛇@樣一定很難。”‘Notintheleast,’shesaid.‘Istuffallmylittlepetsmyselfwhentheypassaway.Willyouhaveanothercupoftea?’“一點(diǎn)也不?！彼⑽⒁恍?，說(shuō)，“我的小寵物死后，都由我親手制成標(biāo)本。你再喝點(diǎn)茶好嗎？”‘No,thankyou,’Billysaid.Theteatastedfaintlyofbitteralmonds,andhedidn’tmuchcareforit.“不喝了，謝謝?！北壤f(shuō)。茶略微有點(diǎn)杏仁的苦味，不過(guò)他沒(méi)在意?！薄甕oudidsignthebook,didn’tyou?’“你登記過(guò)了，是嗎？”‘Oh,yes.’“是的?！薄甌hat’sgood.Becauselateron,ifIhappentoforgetwhatyouwerecalled,thenIcanalwayscomedownhereandlookitup.IstilldothatalmosteverydaywithMrMulhollandandMr…Mr…’“那就好。因?yàn)橐院蠹偃缥彝四憬惺裁?，我就可以下?lái)查一查。直到現(xiàn)在我差不多每天都還要來(lái)看看穆?tīng)柣籼m德先生和那個(gè)……那個(gè)什么先生?！薄甌emple,’Billysaid.‘GregoryTemple.Excusemyasking,buthaven’ttherebeenanyotherguestshereexcepttheminthelasttwoorthreeyears?’“坦普爾，”比利提醒她，“格里戈利·坦普爾。請(qǐng)?jiān)徫疫@樣問(wèn)你，在最近的兩三年里，除了他倆，就再也沒(méi)有過(guò)別的什么客人嗎？”Holdingherteacuphighinonehand,incliningherheadslightlytotheleft,shelookedupathimOutofthecornersofhereyesandgavehimanothergentlelittlesmile.她一手端著茶杯，腦袋略略一偏，從眼角注視著他，依舊含著溫存的微笑。‘No,mydear,’shesaid.‘Onlyyou.’“沒(méi)有，親愛(ài)的，”她說(shuō)，“只有你?！?/p>

純英文版TheLandladyByRoaldDahlBillyWeaverhadtravelleddownfromLondonontheslowafternoontrain,withachangeatSwindonontheway,andbythetimehegottoBathitwasaboutnineo’clockintheeveningandthemoonwascomingupoutofaclearstarryskyoverthehousesoppositethestationentrance.Buttheairwasdeadlycoldandthewindwaslikeaflatbladeoficeonhischeeks.‘Excuseme,’hesaid,‘butisthereafairlycheaphotelnottoofarawayfromhere?’‘TryTheBellandDragon,’theporteranswered,pointingdowntheroad.‘Theymighttakeyouin.It’saboutaquarterofamilealongontheotherside.’Billythankedhimandpickeduphissuitcaseandsetouttowalkthequarter-miletoTheBellandDragon.HehadneverbeentoBathbefore.Hedidn’tknowanyonewholivedthere.ButMrGreensladeattheHeadOfficeinLondonhadtoldhimitwasasplendidcity.‘Findyourownlodgings,’hehadsaid,‘a(chǎn)ndthengoalongandreporttotheBranchManagerassoonasyou’vegotyourselfsettled.’Billywasseventeenyearsold.Hewaswearinganewnavy-blueovercoat,anewbrowntrilbyhat,andanewbrownsuit,andhewasfeelingfine.Hewalkedbrisklydownthestreet.Hewastryingtodoeverythingbrisklythesedays.Briskness,hehaddecided,wastheonecommoncharacteristicofallsuccessfulbusinessmen.ThebigshotsupatHeadOfficewereabsolutelyfantasticallybriskallthetime.Theywereamazing.Therewerenoshopsonthiswidestreetthathewaswalkingalong,onlyalineoftallhousesoneachside,allofthemidentical.Theyhadporchesandpillarsandfourorfivestepsgoinguptotheirfrontdoors,anditwasobviousthatonceuponatimetheyhadbeenveryswankyresidences.Butnow,eveninthedarkness,hecouldseethatthepaintwaspeelingfromthewoodworkontheirdoorsandwindows,andthatthehandsomewhitefa?adeswerecrackedandblotchyfromneglect.Suddenly,inadownstairswindowthatwasbrilliantlyilluminatedbyastreet-lampnotsixyardsaway,Billycaughtsightofaprintednoticeproppedupagainsttheglassinoneoftheupperpanes.ItsaidBEDANDBREAKFAST.Therewasavaseofpussy-willows,tallandbeautiful,standingjustunderneaththenotice.Hestoppedwalking.Hemovedabitcloser.Greencurtains(somesortofvelvetymaterial)werehangingdownoneithersideofthewindow.Thepussy-willowslookedwonderfulbesidethem.Hewentrightupandpeeredthroughtheglassintotheroom,andthefirstthinghesawwasabrightfireburninginthehearth.Onthecarpetinfrontofthefire,aprettylittledachshundwascurledupasleepwithitsnosetuckedintoitsbelly.Theroomitself,sofarashecouldseeinthehalf-darkness,wasfilledwithpleasantfurniture.Therewasababy-grandpianoandabigsofaandseveralplumparmchairs;andinonecornerhespottedalargeparrotinacage