“Penny for your thoughts, Miss Cherrell?”
“I was thinking how the English face has changed since 1900.”
“It’s the hair. Faces in pictures a hundred to a hundred and fifty years ago are much more like ours.”
“Drooping moustaches and chignons do hide expression, but was there the expression?”
“You don’t think the Victorians had as much character?”
“Probably more, but surely they suppressed it; even in their dresses, always more stuff than was needed; frock-coats, high collars, cravats2, bustles3, button boots.”
“The leg WAS on their nerves, but the neck wasn’t.”
“I give you the woman’s necks. But look at their furniture: tassels4, fringes, antimacassars, chandeliers, enormous sideboards. They DID play hide-and-seek with the soul, Mr. Dornford.”
“And every now and then it popped out, like little Edward after unclothing himself under his mother’s dining-table at Windsor.”
“He never did anything quite so perfect again.”
“I don’t know. He was another Restoration in a mild way. Big opening of floodgates under him.” . . .
“He HAS sailed, hasn’t he, Clare?”
“Yes, he’s sailed all right. Look at Dornford! He’s fallen for Dinny completely. I wish she’d take to him.”
“Why shouldn’t she?”
“My dear young man, Dinny’s been in very deep waters. She’s in them even now.”
“I don’t know anyone I’d like better for a sister-inlaw.”
“Don’t you wish you may get her?”
“God! Yes! Don’t I!”
“What do YOU think of Dornford, Tony?”
“Awfully5 decent, not a bit dry.”
“If he were a doctor he’d have a wonderful bedside manner. He’s a Catholic.”
“Wasn’t that against him in the election?”
“It would have been, but his opponent was an atheist6, so they cried quits.”
“Terrible humbug7, politics.”
“But rather fun.”
“Still, Dornford won that Bar point-to-point — he must have guts8.”
“Lots. I should say he’d face anything in his quiet way. I’m quite fond of him.”
“Oh!”
“No intention to incite9 you, Tony.”
“This is like being on board ship, sitting side by side, and — stymied10. Come out for a cigarette.”
“People are coming back. Prepare yourself to point me the moral of the next act. At present I don’t see any.”
“Wait!” . . .
Dinny drew in her breath.
“That’s terrible. I can just remember the Titanic11. Awful, the waste in the world!”
“You’re right.”
“Waste of life, and waste of love.”
“Have YOU come up against much waste?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t care to talk about it?”
“No.”
“I don’t believe that your sister’s going to be wasted. She’s too vivid.”
“Yes, but her head’s in chancery.”
“She’ll duck from under.”
“I can’t bear to think of her life being spoiled. Isn’t there some legal dodge12, Mr. Dornford; without publicity13, I mean?”
“If he would give cause, there need be very little of that.”
“He won’t. He’s feeling vindictive14.”
“I see. Then I’m afraid there’s nothing for it but to wait. These things generally disentangle themselves. Catholics are not supposed to believe in divorce. But if YOU feel this is a case for one —”
“Clare’s only twenty-four. She can’t live alone the rest of her life.”
“Were YOU thinking of doing that?”
“I! That’s different.”
“Yes, you’re very unlike, but to have you wasted would be far worse. Just as much worse as wasting a lovely day in winter is than wasting one in summer.”
“The curtain’s going up.” . . .
“I wonder,” muttered Clare: “It didn’t look to me as if their love would have lasted long. They were eating each other like sugar.”
“My God, if you and I on that boat had been —”
“You’re very young, Tony.”
“Two years older than you.”
“And about ten years younger.”
“Don’t you really believe in love lasting15, Clare?”
“Not passion. And after that generally the deluge16. Only with those two on the Titanic it came too soon. A COLD sea! Ugh!”
“Let me pull your cloak up.”
“I don’t believe I like this show too frightfully, Tony. It digs into you, and I don’t want to be dug into.”
“I liked it better the first time, certainly.”
“Thank you!”
“It’s being close to you, and not close enough. But the war part of the play’s the best.”
“The whole thing makes me feel I don’t want to be alive.”
“That’s ‘the satire17.’”
“One half of him is mocking the other. It gives me the fidgets. Too like oneself.”
“I wish we’d gone to a movie, I could have held your hand.”
“Dornford’s looking at Dinny as if she were the Madonna of the future that he wanted to make a Madonna of the past.”
“So he does, you say.”
“He really has a nice face. I wonder what he’ll think of the war part. ‘Weigh-hey! Up she rises!’” . . .
Dinny sat with closed eyes, acutely feeling the remains18 of moisture on her cheeks.
“But she never would have done that,” she said, huskily, “not waved a flag and cheered. Never! She might have mixed in the crowd, but never that!”
“No, that’s a stage touch. Pity! But a jolly good act. Really good!”
“Those poor gay raddled singing girls, getting more and more wretched and raddled, and that ‘Tipperary’ whistling! The war must have been AWFUL!”
“One got sort of exalted19.”
“Did that feeling last?”
“In a way. Does that seem rather horrible to you?”
“I never can judge what people ought to feel. I’ve heard my brother say something of the kind.”
“It wasn’t the ‘Into Battle’ feeling either — I’m not the fighting man. It’s a cliché to say it was the biggest thing that will ever be in one’s life.”
“You still feel that?”
“It has been up to now. But —! I must tell you while I’ve a chance — I’m in love with you, Dinny. I know nothing about you, you know nothing about me. That doesn’t make any difference. I fell in love with you at once; it’s been getting deeper ever since. I don’t expect you to say anything, but you might think about it now and then . . . .”
Clare shrugged20 her shoulders.
“Did people really go on like that at the Armistice21? Tony! Did people —?”
“What?”
“Really go on like that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where were you?”
“At Wellington, my first term. My father was killed in the war.”
“Oh! I suppose mine might have been, and my brother. But even then! Dinny says my mother cried when the Armistice came.”
“So did mine, I believe.”
“The bit I liked best was that between the son and the girl. But the whole thing makes you feel too much. Take me out, I want a cigarette. No, we’d better not. One always meets people.”
“Damn!”
“Coming here with you was the limit. I’ve promised solemnly not to give offence for a whole year. Oh! cheer up! You’ll see lots of me . . . .”
“‘Greatness, and dignity, and peace,’” murmured Dinny, standing22 up, “and the greatest of these is ‘dignity.’”
“The hardest to come by, anyway.”
“That girl singing in the night club, and the jazzed sky! Thank you awfully, Mr. Dornford. I shan’t forget this play easily.”
“Nor what I said to you?”
“It was very sweet of you, but the aloe only blooms once in a hundred years.”
“I can wait. It’s been a wonderful evening for me.”
“Those two!”
“We’ll pick them up in the hall.”
“Do you think England ever had greatness and dignity and peace?”
“No.”
“But ‘There’s a green hill far away, without a city wall.’ Thank you — I’ve had this cloak three years.”
“Charming it is!”
“I suppose most of these people will go on to night clubs now.”
“Not five per cent.”
“I should like a sniff23 of home air to-night, and a long look at the stars . . . .”
Clare turned her head.
“Don’t, Tony!”
“How then?”
“You’ve been with me all the evening.”
“If only I could take you home!”
“You can’t, my dear. Squeeze my little finger, and pull yourself together.”
“Clare!”
“Look! They’re just in front — now vanish! Get a good long drink at the Club and dream of horses. There! Was that close enough? Good-night, dear Tony!”
“God! Good-night!”
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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2
cravats
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| n.（系在衬衫衣领里面的）男式围巾( cravat的名词复数 ) | |
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bustles
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| 热闹( bustle的名词复数 )； （女裙后部的）衬垫； 撑架 | |
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tassels
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| n.穗( tassel的名词复数 )；流苏状物；（植物的）穗；玉蜀黍的穗状雄花v.抽穗， （玉米）长穗须( tassel的第三人称单数 )；使抽穗， （为了使作物茁壮生长）摘去穗状雄花；用流苏装饰 | |
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5
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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6
atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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8
guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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9
incite
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| v.引起，激动，煽动 | |
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10
stymied
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| n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11
titanic
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| adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的 | |
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12
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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13
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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14
vindictive
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| adj.有报仇心的，怀恨的，惩罚的 | |
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15
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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16
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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17
satire
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| n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品 | |
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18
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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19
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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20
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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21
armistice
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| n.休战，停战协定 | |
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22
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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23
sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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