OU idiot!” said his wife, and threw down her cards.
I turned my head away quickly, to avoid seeing Hayley Delane’s face; though why I wished to avoid it I could not have told you, much less why I should have imagined (if I did) that a man of his age and importance would notice what was happening to the wholly negligible features of a youth like myself.
I turned away so that he should not see how it hurt me to hear him called an idiot, even in joke—well, at least half in joke;
{4}
yet I often thought him an idiot myself, and bad as my own poker1 was, I knew enough of the game to judge that his—when he wasn’t attending—fully justified2 such an outburst from his wife. Why her sally disturbed me I couldn’t have said; nor why, when it was greeted by a shrill3 guffaw4 from her “latest,” young Bolton Byrne, I itched5 to cuff6 the little bounder; nor why, when Hayley Delane, on whom banter7 always dawned slowly but certainly, at length gave forth8 his low rich gurgle of appreciation—why then, most of all, I wanted to blot9 the whole scene from my memory. Why?
There they sat, as I had so often seen them, in Jack10 Alstrop’s luxurious11 bookless library (I’m sure the rich rows behind the glass doors were hollow), while beyond the windows the pale twilight12 thickened to blue over Long Island lawns
{5}
and woods and a moonlit streak13 of sea. No one ever looked out at that, except to conjecture14 what sort of weather there would be the next day for polo, or hunting, or racing15, or whatever use the season required the face of nature to be put to; no one was aware of the twilight, the moon or the blue shadows—and Hayley Delane least of all. Day after day, night after night, he sat anchored at somebody’s poker-table, and fumbled16 absently with his cards....
Yes; that was the man. He didn’t even (as it was once said of a great authority on heraldry) know his own silly business; which was to hang about in his wife’s train, play poker with her friends, and giggle17 at her nonsense and theirs. No wonder Mrs. Delane was sometimes exasperated18. As she said, she hadn’t asked him to marry her! Rather not: all their contemporaries
{6}
could remember what a thunderbolt it had been on his side. The first time he had seen her—at the theater, I think: “Who’s that? Over there—with the heaps of hair?”—“Oh, Leila Gracy? Why, she’s not really pretty....” “Well, I’m going to marry her—” “Marry her? But her father’s that old scoundrel Bill Gracy ... the one....” “I’m going to marry her....” “The one who’s had to resign from all his clubs....” “I’m going to marry her....” And he did; and it was she, if you please, who kept him dangling19, and who would and who wouldn’t, until some whipper-snapper of a youth, who was meanwhile making up his mind about her, had finally decided20 in the negative.
Such had been Hayley Delane’s marriage; and such, I imagined, his way of conducting most of the transactions of his futile21 clumsy life.... Big bursts of im
{7}
pulse—storms he couldn’t control—then long periods of drowsing calm, during which, something made me feel, old regrets and remorses woke and stirred under the indolent surface of his nature. And yet, wasn’t I simply romanticizing a commonplace case? I turned back from the window to look at the group. The bringing of candles to the card-tables had scattered22 pools of illumination throughout the shadowy room; in their radiance Delane’s harsh head stood out like a cliff from a flowery plain. Perhaps it was only his bigness, his heaviness and swarthiness—perhaps his greater age, for he must have been at least fifteen years older than his wife and most of her friends; at any rate, I could never look at him without feeling that he belonged elsewhere, not so much in another society as in another age. For there was no doubt that the so
{8}
ciety he lived in suited him well enough. He shared cheerfully in all the amusements of his little set—rode, played polo, hunted and drove his four-in-hand with the best of them (you will see, by the last allusion23, that we were still in the archaic24 ’nineties). Nor could I guess what other occupations he would have preferred, had he been given his choice. In spite of my admiration25 for him I could not bring myself to think it was Leila Gracy who had subdued26 him to what she worked in. What would he have chosen to do if he had not met her that night at the play? Why, I rather thought, to meet and marry somebody else just like her. No; the difference in him was not in his tastes—it was in something ever so much deeper. Yet what is deeper in a man than his tastes?
In another age, then, he would probably have been doing the equivalent of what
{9}
he was doing now: idling, taking much violent exercise, eating more than was good for him, laughing at the same kind of nonsense, and worshipping, with the same kind of dull routine-worship, the same kind of woman, whether dressed in a crinoline, a farthingale, a peplum or the skins of beasts—it didn’t much matter under what sumptuary dispensation one placed her. Only in that other age there might have been outlets27 for other faculties28, now dormant29, perhaps even atrophied30, but which must—yes, really must—have had something to do with the building of that big friendly forehead, the monumental nose, and the rich dimple which now and then furrowed31 his cheek with light. Did the dimple even mean no more than Leila Gracy?
Well, perhaps it was I who was the idiot, if she’d only known it; an idiot to
{10}
believe in her husband, be obsessed32 by him, oppressed by him, when, for thirty years now, he’d been only the Hayley Delane whom everybody took for granted, and was glad to see, and immediately forgot. Turning from my contemplation of that great structural33 head, I looked at his wife. Her head was still like something in the making, something just flowering, a girl’s head ringed with haze34. Even the kindly35 candles betrayed the lines in her face, the paint on her lips, the peroxide on her hair; but they could not lessen36 her fluidity of outline, or the girlishness that lurked37 in her eyes, floating up from their depths like a startled Naïad. There was an irreducible innocence38 about her, as there so often is about women who have spent their time in amassing39 sentimental40 experiences. As I looked at the husband and wife, thus confronted above the cards,
{11}
I marvelled41 more and more that it was she who ruled and he who bent42 the neck. You will see by this how young I still was.
So young, indeed, that Hayley Delane had dawned on me in my school-days as an accomplished43 fact, a finished monument: like Trinity Church, the Reservoir or the Knickerbocker Club. A New Yorker of my generation could no more imagine him altered or away than any of those venerable institutions. And so I had continued to take him for granted till, my Harvard days over, I had come back after an interval44 of world-wandering to settle down in New York, and he had broken on me afresh as something still not wholly accounted for, and more interesting than I had suspected.
I don’t say the matter kept me awake. I had my own business (in a down-town
{12}
office), and the pleasures of my age; I was hard at work discovering New York. But now and then the Hayley Delane riddle45 would thrust itself between me and my other interests, as it had done tonight just because his wife had sneered46 at him, and he had laughed and thought her funny. And at such times I found myself moved and excited out of all proportion to anything I knew about him, or had observed in him, to justify47 such emotions.
The game was over, the dressing-bell had rung. It rang again presently, with a discreet48 insistence49: Alstrop, easy in all else, preferred that his guests should not be more than half an hour late for dinner.
“I say—Leila!” he finally remonstrated50.
The golden coils drooped51 above her chips. “Yes—yes. Just a minute. Hayley, you’ll have to pay for me.—There,
{13}
I’m going!” She laughed and pushed back her chair.
Delane, laughing also, got up lazily. Byrne flew to open the door for Mrs. Delane; the other women trooped out with her. Delane, having settled her debts, picked up her gold-mesh bag and cigarette-case, and followed.
I turned toward a window opening on the lawn. There was just time to stretch my legs while curling-tongs and powder were being plied52 above stairs. Alstrop joined me, and we stood staring up at a soft dishevelled sky in which the first stars came and went.
“Curse it—looks rotten for our match tomorrow!”
“Yes—but what a good smell the coming rain does give to things!”
He laughed. “You’re an optimist—like old Hayley.
{14}
”
We strolled across the lawn toward the woodland.
“Why like old Hayley?”
“Oh, he’s a regular philosopher. I’ve never seen him put out, have you?”
“No. That must be what makes him look so sad,” I exclaimed.
“Sad? Hayley? Why, I was just saying—”
“Yes, I know. But the only people who are never put out are the people who don’t care; and not caring is about the saddest occupation there is. I’d like to see him in a rage just once.”
My host gave a faint whistle, and remarked: “By Jove, I believe the wind’s hauling round to the north. If it does—” He moistened his finger and held it up.
I knew there was no use in theorizing with Alstrop; but I tried another tack53. “What on earth has Delane done with
{15}
himself all these years?” I asked. Alstrop was forty, or thereabouts, and by a good many years better able than I to cast a backward glance over the problem.
But the effort seemed beyond him. “Why—what years?”
“Well—ever since he left college.”
“Lord! How do I know? I wasn’t there. Hayley must be well past fifty.”
It sounded formidable to my youth; almost like a geological era. And that suited him, in a way—I could imagine him drifting, or silting54, or something measurable by aeons, at the rate of about a millimetre a century.
“How long has he been married?” I asked.
“I don’t know that either; nearly twenty years, I should say. The kids are growing up. The boys are both at Gro
{16}
ton. Leila doesn’t look it, I must say—not in some lights.”
“Well, then, what’s he been doing since he married?”
“Why, what should he have done? He’s always had money enough to do what he likes. He’s got his partnership55 in the bank, of course. They say that rascally56 old father-in-law, whom he refuses to see, gets a good deal of money out of him. You know he’s awfully57 soft-hearted. But he can swing it all, I fancy. Then he sits on lots of boards—Blind Asylum58, Children’s Aid, S.P.C.A., and all the rest. And there isn’t a better sport going.”
“But that’s not what I mean,” I persisted.
Alstrop looked at me through the darkness. “You don’t mean women? I never heard—but then one wouldn’t, very likely. He’s a shut-up fellow.
{17}
”
We turned back to dress for dinner. Yes, that was the word I wanted; he was a shut-up fellow. Even the rudimentary Alstrop felt it. But shut-up consciously, deliberately—or only instinctively59, congenitally? There the mystery lay.
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收听单词发音
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1
poker
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| n.扑克；vt.烙制 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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guffaw
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| n.哄笑；突然的大笑 | |
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itched
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| v.发痒( itch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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banter
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| n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑 | |
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8
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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blot
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| vt.弄脏（用吸墨纸）吸干；n.污点，污渍 | |
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10
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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13
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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14
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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16
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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17
giggle
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| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
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18
exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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19
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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20
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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21
futile
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| adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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23
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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24
archaic
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| adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的 | |
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25
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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26
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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27
outlets
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| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 | |
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28
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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29
dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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30
atrophied
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| adj.萎缩的，衰退的v.（使）萎缩，（使）虚脱，（使）衰退( atrophy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
furrowed
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| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
obsessed
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| adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的 | |
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33
structural
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| adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的 | |
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34
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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35
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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36
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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37
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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38
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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39
amassing
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的现在分词 ) | |
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40
sentimental
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| adj.多愁善感的，感伤的 | |
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41
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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43
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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44
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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45
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 | |
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46
sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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48
discreet
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| adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的 | |
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49
insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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50
remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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51
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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53
tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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54
silting
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| n.淤积，淤塞，充填v.（河流等）为淤泥淤塞( silt的现在分词 )；（使）淤塞 | |
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55
partnership
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| n.合作关系，伙伴关系 | |
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56
rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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57
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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58
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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59
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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