They had loved each other before marriage with a pure and lofty love. They had first met on the sea-shore. He had thought this young girl charming, as she passed by with her light-colored parasol and her dainty dress amid the marine1 landscape against the horizon. He had loved her, blond and slender, in these surroundings of blue ocean and spacious2 sky. He could not distinguish the tenderness which this budding woman awoke in him from the vague and powerful emotion which the fresh salt air and the grand scenery of surf and sunshine and waves aroused in his soul.
She, on the other hand, had loved him because he courted her, because he was young, rich, kind, and attentive3. She had loved him because it is natural for young girls to love men who whisper sweet nothings to them.
So, for three months, they had lived side by side, and hand in hand. The greeting which they exchanged in the morning before the bath, in the freshness of the morning, or in the evening on the sand, under the stars, in the warmth of a calm night, whispered low, very low, already had the flavor of kisses, though their lips had never met.
Each dreamed of the other at night, each thought of the other on awaking, * and, without yet having voiced their sentiments, each longing4 for the other, body and soul.
After marriage their love descended5 to earth. It was at first a tireless, sensuous6 passion, then exalted7 tenderness composed of tangible8 poetry, more refined caresses9, and new and foolish inventions. Every glance and gesture was an expression of passion.
But, little by little, without even noticing it, they began to get tired of each other. Love was still strong, but they had nothing more to reveal to each other, nothing more to learn from each other, no new tale of endearment10, no unexpected outburst, no new way of expressing the well-known, oft-repeated verb.
They tried, however, to rekindle11 the dwindling12 flame of the first love. Every day they tried some new trick or desperate attempt to bring back to their hearts the uncooled ardor13 of their first days of married life. They tried moonlight walks under the trees, in the sweet warmth of the summer evenings: the poetry of mist-covered beaches; the excitement of public festivals.
One morning Henriette said to Paul:
“Will you take me to a cafe for dinner?”
“Certainly, dearie.”
“To some well-known cafe?”
“Of course!”
He looked at her with a questioning glance, seeing that she was thinking of something which she did not wish to tell.
She went on:
“You know, one of those cafes—oh, how can I explain myself?—a sporty cafe!”
He smiled: “Of course, I understand—you mean in one of the cafes which are commonly called bohemian.”
“Yes, that's it. But take me to one of the big places, one where you are known, one where you have already supped—no—dined—well, you know—I—I—oh! I will never dare say it!”
“Go ahead, dearie. Little secrets should no longer exist between us.”
“No, I dare not.”
“Well, I—I—I want to be taken for your sweetheart—there! and I want the boys, who do not know that you are married, to take me for such; and you too—I want you to think that I am your sweetheart for one hour, in that place which must hold so many memories for you. There! And I will play that I am your sweetheart. It's awful, I know—I am abominably15 ashamed, I am as red as a peony. Don't look at me!”
He laughed, greatly amused, and answered:
Toward seven o'clock they went up the stairs of one of the big cafes on the Boulevard, he, smiling, with the look of a conqueror17, she, timid, veiled, delighted. They were immediately shown to one of the luxurious18 private dining-rooms, furnished with four large arm-chairs and a red plush couch. The head waiter entered and brought them the menu. Paul handed it to his wife.
“What do you want to eat?”
“I don't care; order whatever is good.”
After handing his coat to the waiter, he ordered dinner and champagne19. The waiter looked at the young woman and smiled. He took the order and murmured:
“Will Monsieur Paul have his champagne sweet or dry?”
“Dry, very dry.”
Henriette was pleased to hear that this man knew her husband's name. They sat on the couch, side by side, and began to eat.
Ten candles lighted the room and were reflected in the mirrors all around them, which seemed to increase the brilliancy a thousand-fold. Henriette drank glass after glass in order to keep up her courage, although she felt dizzy after the first few glasses. Paul, excited by the memories which returned to him, kept kissing his wife's hands. His eyes were sparkling.
She was feeling strangely excited in this new place, restless, pleased, a little guilty, but full of life. Two waiters, serious, silent, accustomed to seeing and forgetting everything, to entering the room only when it was necessary and to leaving it when they felt they were intruding20, were silently flitting hither and thither21.
Toward the middle of the dinner, Henriette was well under the influence of champagne. She was prattling22 along fearlessly, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glistening23.
“Come, Paul; tell me everything.”
“What, sweetheart?”
“I don't dare tell you.”
“Go on!”
“Have you loved many women before me?”
He hesitated, a little perplexed24, not knowing whether he should hide his adventures or boast of them.
She continued:
“Oh! please tell me. How many have you loved?”
“A few.”
“How many?”
“I don't know. How do you expect me to know such things?”
“Haven't you counted them?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you must have loved a good many!”
“Perhaps.”
“About how many? Just tell me about how many.”
“But I don't know, dearest. Some years a good many, and some years only a few.”
“How many a year, did you say?”
“Sometimes twenty or thirty, sometimes only four or five.”
“Oh! that makes more than a hundred in all!”
“Yes, just about.”
“Oh! I think that is dreadful!”
“Why dreadful?”
“Because it's dreadful when you think of it—all those women—and always—always the same thing. Oh! it's dreadful, just the same—more than a hundred women!”
He was surprised that she should think that dreadful, and answered, with the air of superiority which men take with women when they wish to make them understand that they have said something foolish:
“That's funny! If it is dreadful to have a hundred women, it's dreadful to have one.”
“Oh, no, not at all!”
“Why not?”
“Because with one woman you have a real bond of love which attaches you to her, while with a hundred women it's not the same at all. There is no real love. I don't understand how a man can associate with such women.”
“But they are all right.”
“No, they can't be!”
“Yes, they are!”
“Oh, stop; you disgust me!”
“But then, why did you ask me how many sweethearts I had had?”
“Because——”
“That's no reason!”
“What were they-actresses, little shop-girls, or society women?”
“A few of each.”
“It must have been rather monotonous25 toward the last.”
“Oh, no; it's amusing to change.”
She remained thoughtful, staring at her champagne glass. It was full —she drank it in one gulp26; then putting it back on the table, she threw her arms around her husband's neck and murmured in his ear:
“Oh! how I love you, sweetheart! how I love you!”
He threw his arms around her in a passionate27 embrace. A waiter, who was just entering, backed out, closing the door discreetly28. In about five minutes the head waiter came back, solemn and dignified29, bringing the fruit for dessert. She was once more holding between her fingers a full glass, and gazing into the amber30 liquid as though seeking unknown things. She murmured in a dreamy voice:
“Yes, it must be fun!”
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收听单词发音
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1
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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3
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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4
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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6
sensuous
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| adj.激发美感的；感官的，感觉上的 | |
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7
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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8
tangible
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| adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的 | |
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9
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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10
endearment
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| n.表示亲爱的行为 | |
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11
rekindle
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| v.使再振作；再点火 | |
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12
dwindling
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| adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 ) | |
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13
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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14
prudish
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| adj.装淑女样子的，装规矩的，过分规矩的；adv.过分拘谨地 | |
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15
abominably
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| adv. 可恶地，可恨地，恶劣地 | |
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16
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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17
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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18
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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19
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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20
intruding
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| v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的现在分词)；把…强加于 | |
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21
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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22
prattling
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| v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话( prattle的现在分词 )；发出连续而无意义的声音；闲扯；东拉西扯 | |
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23
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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24
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 | |
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27
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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28
discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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29
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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30
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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