ONE WAY IN

 I had a very curious dream the other night. In fact, I dreamt that I was dead. I passed through a green baize door and found myself in a small square room. Opposite me was another door inscribed¹ “Elysian Fields,” and in front of it, at a large table with a raised ledge², sat Rhadamanthus. As I entered I saw a graceful³ figure vanish through the door opposite.

 

“It’s no use trying to deceive me,” I observed. “That was Mrs. Hilary, I think; if you don’t mind, I’ll join her.”

 

“I’m afraid I must trouble you to take a seat for a few moments, Mr. Carter,” said Rhadamanthus, “while I run over your little account.”

 

“Any formalities which are usual,” I murmured politely, as I sat down.

 

Rhadamanthus turned over the leaves of a large book.

 

“Carter—Samuel Travers, isn’t it?” he asked.

 

“Yes. For goodness sake don’t confuse me with Vincent Carter. He only paid five shillings in the pound.”

 

“Your case presents some peculiar⁴ features, Mr. Carter,” said Rhadamanthus. “I hope I am not censorious, but—well, that fine at Bowstreet?”

 

“I was a mere⁵ boy,” said I, with some warmth, “and my solicitor⁶ grossly mismanaged the case..”

 

“Well, well!” said he soothingly⁷. “But haven’t you spent a great deal of time at Monte Carlo?”

 

“A man must be somewhere,” said I.

 

Rhadamanthus scratched his nose.

 

“I should have wasted the money anyhow,” I added.

 

“I suppose you would,” he conceded. “But what of this caveat⁸ lodged⁹ by the Dowager Lady Mickleham? That’s rather serious, you know; isn’t it now—joking apart?”

 

“I am disappointed,” I remarked, “to find a man of your experience paying any attention to such an ill-natured old woman.”

 

“We have our rules,” he replied, “and I’m afraid, Mr. Carter, that until that caveat is removed—”

 

“You don’t mean that?”

 

“Really, I’m afraid so.”

 

“Then I may as well go back,” said I, taking my hat.

 

At this moment there was a knock at the door.

 

“Although I can’t oblige you with an order of admission,” said Rhadamanthus, very civilly, “perhaps it would amuse you to listen to a case or two. There’s no hurry, you know. You’ve got lots of time before you.”

 

“It will be an extremely interesting experience,” said I, sitting down again.

 

The door opened, and, as I expected (I don’t know why, but it happens like that in dreams), Dolly Mickleham came in. She did not seem to see me. She bowed to Rhadamanthus, smiled, and took a chair immediately opposite the table.

 

“Mickleham—Dorothea—Countess of—” she said.

 

“Formerly, I think, Dolly Foster?” asked Rhadamanthus.

 

“I don’t see what that’s got to do with it,” said Dolly.

 

“The account runs on,” he explained, and began to consult his big book. Dolly leant back in her chair, slowly peeling off her gloves. Rhadamanthus shut the book with a bang.

 

“It’s not the least use,” he said decisively. “It wouldn’t be kind to pretend that it was, Lady Mickleham.”

 

“Dear, dear,” said Dolly. “What’s the matter?”

 

“Half the women in London have petitioned against you.”

 

“Have they, really?” cried Dolly, to all appearance rather delighted. “What do they say, Mr. Rhadamanthus? Is it in that book? Let me look.” And she held out her hand.

 

“The book’s too heavy for you to hold,” said he.

 

“I’ll come round,” said Dolly. So she went round and leant over his shoulder and read the book.

 

“What’s that scent¹⁰ you’ve got on?” asked Rhadamanthus.

 

“Bouquet du diable,” said she. (I had never heard of the perfume before.) “Isn’t it sweet?”

 

“I haven’t smelt¹¹ it since I was a boy,” sighed Rhadamanthus.

 

“Poor old thing,” said Dolly. “I’m not going to read all this, you know.” And, with a somewhat contemptuous smile, she walked back to her chair. “They ought to be ashamed of themselves,” she added, as she sat down. “It’s just because I’m not a fright.”

 

“Aren’t you a fright?” asked Rhadamanthus. “Where are my spectacles?”

 

He put them on and looked at Dolly.

 

“I must go in, you know,” said Dolly, smiling at Rhadamanthus. “My husband has gone in!”

 

“I shouldn’t have thought you’d consider that conclusive,” said he, with a touch of satire¹² in his tone.

 

“Don’t be horrid,” said Dolly, pouting¹³.

 

There was a pause. Rhadamanthus examined Dolly through his spectacles.

 

“This is a very painful duty,” said he, at last. “I have sat here for a great many years, and I have seldom had a more painful duty.”

 

“It’s very absurd of you,” said Dolly.

 

“I can’t help it, though,” said he.

 

“Do you really mean that I’m not to go in?”

 

“I do, indeed,” said Rhadamanthus.

 

Dolly rose. She leant her arms on the raised ledge which ran along the table, and she leant her chin on her hands.

 

“Really?” she said.

 

“Really,” said he, looking the other way.

 

A sudden change came over Dolly’s face. Her dimples vanished; her eyes grew pathetic and began to shine rather than to sparkle; her lip quivered just a little.

 

“You’re very unkind,” she said in an extremely low tone. “I had no idea you would be so unkind.”

 

Rhadamanthus seemed very uncomfortable.

 

“Don’t do that,” he said, quite sharply, fidgeting with the blotting¹⁴ paper.

 

Dolly began to move slowly round the table. Rhadamanthus sat still. When she was standing¹⁵ close by him, she put her hand lightly on his arm and said:

 

“Please do, Mr. Rhadamanthus.”

 

“It’s as much as my place is worth,” he grumbled¹⁶.

 

Dolly’s eyes shone still, but the faintest little smile began to play about her mouth.

 

“Some day,” she said (with total inappropriateness, now I come to think of it, though it did not strike me so at the time), “you’ll be glad to remember having done a kind thing. When you’re old—because you are not really old now—you will say, ‘I’m glad I didn’t send poor Dolly Mickleham away crying.’”

 

Rhadamanthus uttered an inarticulate sound—half impatience¹⁷, half, I fancy, something else.

 

“We are none of us perfect, I dare say. If I asked your wife—”

 

“I haven’t got a wife,” said Rhadamanthus.

 

“That’s why you’re so hard-hearted,” said Dolly. “A man who’s got a wife is never hard on other women.”

 

There was another pause. Then Rhadamanthus, looking straight at the blotting paper, said:

 

“Oh, well, don’t bother me. Be off with you;” and as he spoke¹⁸, the door behind him opened.

 

“Oh, you old dear!” she cried; and, stooping swiftly, she kissed Rhadamanthus. “You’re horribly bristly!” she laughed; and then, before he could move, she ran through the door.

 

I rose from my seat, taking my hat and stick in my hand. I felt, as you may suppose, that I had been there long enough. When I moved Rhadamanthus looked up, and with an attempt at unconsciousness observed:

 

“We will proceed with your case now, if you please, Mr. Carter.”

 

I looked him full in the face. Rhadamanthus blushed. I pursued my way towards the door.

 

“Stop!” he said, in a blustering¹⁹ tone. “You can’t go there, you know.”

 

I smiled significantly.

 

“Isn’t it rather too late for that sort of thing?” I asked. “You seem to forget that I have been here for the last quarter of an hour.”

 

“I didn’t know she was going to do it,” he protested.

 

“Oh, of course,” said I, “that will be your story. Mine, however, I shall tell in my own way.”

 

Rhadamanthus blushed again. Evidently he felt that he was in a delicate position. We were standing thus, facing one another, when the door began to open again, and Dolly put her head out.

 

“Oh, it’s you, is it?” she said. “I thought I heard your voice. Come along and help me to find Archie.”

 

“This gentleman says I’m not to come in,” said I.

 

“Oh, what nonsense! Now, you really mustn’t be silly, Mr. Rhadamanthus—or I shall have to—Mr. Carter, you weren’t there, were you?”

 

“I was—and a more interesting piece of scandal it has seldom been—”

 

“Hush! I didn’t do anything. Now, you know I didn’t, Mr. Carter!”

 

“No,” said I, “you didn’t. But Rhadamanthus, taking you unawares—”

 

“Oh, be off with you—both of you!” cried Rhadamanthus.

 

“That’s sensible,” said Dolly. “Because you know, there really isn’t any harm in poor Mr. Carter.”

 

Rhadamanthus vanished. Dolly and I went inside.

 

“I suppose everything will be very different here,” said Dolly, and I think she sighed.

 

Whether it were or not I don’t know, for just then I awoke, and found myself saying aloud, in answer to the dream voice and the dream face (which had not gone altogether with the dream).

 

“Not everything”—a speech that, I agree, I ought not to have made, even though it were only in a dream.

 该作者的其它作品
《曾达的囚徒 The Prisoner of Zenda》
《The Heart of Princess Osra》

1 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

3 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

4 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

5 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

6 solicitor   

n.初级律师，事务律师

参考例句：

• The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought.律师的指点值得我深思。
• The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case.律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。

7 soothingly   

adv.抚慰地，安慰地；镇痛地

参考例句：

• The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘，她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。

9 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

11 smelt   

v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼

参考例句：

• Tin is a comparatively easy metal to smelt.锡是比较容易熔化的金属。
• Darby was looking for a way to improve iron when he hit upon the idea of smelting it with coke instead of charcoal.达比一直在寻找改善铁质的方法，他猛然想到可以不用木炭熔炼，而改用焦炭。

12 satire   

n.讽刺，讽刺文学，讽刺作品

参考例句：

• The movie is a clever satire on the advertising industry.那部影片是关于广告业的一部巧妙的讽刺作品。
• Satire is often a form of protest against injustice.讽刺往往是一种对不公正的抗议形式。

13 pouting   

v.撅（嘴）( pout的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The child sat there pouting. 那孩子坐在那儿，一副不高兴的样子。 来自辞典例句
• She was almost pouting at his hesitation. 她几乎要为他这种犹犹豫豫的态度不高兴了。 来自辞典例句

14 blotting   

吸墨水纸

参考例句：

• Water will permeate blotting paper. 水能渗透吸水纸。
• One dab with blotting-paper and the ink was dry. 用吸墨纸轻轻按了一下，墨水就乾了。

15 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

16 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

17 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

18 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

19 blustering   

adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹

参考例句：

• It was five and a half o'clock now, and a raw, blustering morning. 这时才五点半，正是寒气逼人，狂风咆哮的早晨。 来自辞典例句
• So sink the shadows of night, blustering, rainy, and all paths grow dark. 夜色深沉，风狂雨骤；到处途暗路黑。 来自辞典例句