The Pontelliers possessed1 a very charming home on Esplanade Street in New Orleans. It was a large, double cottage, with a broad front veranda2, whose round, fluted3 columns supported the sloping roof. The house was painted a dazzling white; the outside shutters4, or jalousies, were green. In the yard, which was kept scrupulously5 neat, were flowers and plants of every description which flourishes in South Louisiana. Within doors the appointments were perfect after the conventional type. The softest carpets and rugs covered the floors; rich and tasteful draperies hung at doors and windows. There were paintings, selected with judgment6 and discrimination, upon the walls. The cut glass, the silver, the heavy damask which daily appeared upon the table were the envy of many women whose husbands were less generous than Mr. Pontellier.
Mr. Pontellier was very fond of walking about his house examining its various appointments and details, to see that nothing was amiss. He greatly valued his possessions, chiefly because they were his, and derived7 genuine pleasure from contemplating8 a painting, a statuette, a rare lace curtain-no matter what-after he had bought it and placed it among his household gods.
On Tuesday afternoons-Tuesday being Mrs. Pontellier’s reception day-there was a constant stream of callers-women who came in carriages or in the street cars, or walked when the air was soft and distance permitted. A light-colored mulatto boy, in dress coat and bearing a diminutive9 silver tray for the reception of cards, admitted them. A maid, in white fluted cap, offered the callers liqueur, coffee, or chocolate, as they might desire. Mrs. Pontellier, attired10 in a handsome reception gown, remained in the drawing-room the entire afternoon receiving her visitors. Men sometimes called in the evening with their wives.
This had been the programme which Mrs. Pontellier had religiously followed since her marriage, six years before. Certain evenings during the week she and her husband attended the opera or sometimes the play.
Mr. Pontellier left his home in the mornings between nine and ten o’clock, and rarely returned before half-past six or seven in the evening-dinner being served at half-past seven.
He and his wife seated themselves at table one Tuesday evening, a few weeks after their return from Grand Isle12. They were alone together. The boys were being put to bed; the patter of their bare, escaping feet could be heard occasionally, as well as the pursuing voice of the quadroon, lifted in mild protest and entreaty13. Mrs. Pontellier did not wear her usual Tuesday reception gown; she was in ordinary house dress. Mr. Pontellier, who was observant about such things, noticed it, as he served the soup and handed it to the boy in waiting.
“Tired out, Edna? Whom did you have? Many callers?” he asked. He tasted his soup and began to season it with pepper, salt, vinegar, mustard-everything within reach.
“There were a good many,” replied Edna, who was eating her soup with evident satisfaction. “I found their cards when I got home; I was out.”
“Out!” exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation14 in his voice as he laid down the vinegar cruet and looked at her through his glasses. “Why, what could have taken you out on Tuesday? What did you have to do?”
“Nothing. I simply felt like going out, and I went out.”
“Well, I hope you left some suitable excuse,” said her husband, somewhat appeased15, as he added a dash of cayenne pepper to the soup.
“No, I left no excuse. I told Joe to say I was out, that was all.”
“Why, my dear, I should think you’d understand by this time that people don’t do such things; we’ve got to observe les convenances if we ever expect to get on and keep up with the procession. If you felt that you had to leave home this afternoon, you should have left some suitable explanation for your absence.
“This soup is really impossible; it’s strange that woman hasn’t learned yet to make a decent soup. Any free-lunch stand in town serves a better one. Was Mrs. Belthrop here?”
“Bring the tray with the cards, Joe. I don’t remember who was here.”
The boy retired16 and returned after a moment, bringing the tiny silver tray, which was covered with ladies’ visiting cards. He handed it to Mrs. Pontellier.
“Give it to Mr. Pontellier,” she said.
Joe offered the tray to Mr. Pontellier, and removed the soup.
Mr. Pontellier scanned the names of his wife’s callers, reading some of them aloud, with comments as he read.
“‘The Misses Delasidas.’ I worked a big deal in futures17 for their father this morning; nice girls; it’s time they were getting married. ‘Mrs. Belthrop.’ I tell you what it is, Edna; you can’t afford to snub Mrs. Belthrop. Why, Belthrop could buy and sell us ten times over. His business is worth a good, round sum to me. You’d better write her a note. ‘Mrs. James Highcamp.’ Hugh! the less you have to do with Mrs. Highcamp, the better. ‘Madame Laforce.’ Came all the way from Carrolton, too, poor old soul. ‘Miss Wiggs,’ ‘Mrs. Eleanor Boltons.’” He pushed the cards aside.
“Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming18. “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
“I’m not making any fuss over it. But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
The fish was scorched19. Mr. Pontellier would not touch it. Edna said she did not mind a little scorched taste. The roast was in some way not to his fancy, and he did not like the manner in which the vegetables were served.
“It seems to me,” he said, “we spend money enough in this house to procure20 at least one meal a day which a man could eat and retain his self-respect.”
“You used to think the cook was a treasure,” returned Edna, indifferently.
“Perhaps she was when she first came; but cooks are only human. They need looking after, like any other class of persons that you employ. Suppose I didn’t look after the clerks in my office, just let them run things their own way; they’d soon make a nice mess of me and my business.”
“Where are you going?” asked Edna, seeing that her husband arose from table without having eaten a morsel21 except a taste of the highly-seasoned soup.
“I’m going to get my dinner at the club. Good night.” He went into the hall, took his hat and stick from the stand, and left the house.
She was somewhat familiar with such scenes. They had often made her very unhappy. On a few previous occasions she had been completely deprived of any desire to finish her dinner. Sometimes she had gone into the kitchen to administer a tardy22 rebuke23 to the cook. Once she went to her room and studied the cookbook during an entire evening, finally writing out a menu for the week, which left her harassed24 with a feeling that, after all, she had accomplished25 no good that was worth the name.
But that evening Edna finished her dinner alone, with forced deliberation. Her face was flushed and her eyes flamed with some inward fire that lighted them. After finishing her dinner she went to her room, having instructed the boy to tell any other callers that she was indisposed.
It was a large, beautiful room, rich and picturesque26 in the soft, dim light which the maid had turned low. She went and stood at an open window and looked out upon the deep tangle27 of the garden below. All the mystery and witchery of the night seemed to have gathered there amid the perfumes and the dusky and tortuous28 outlines of flowers and foliage29. She was seeking herself and finding herself in just such sweet, half-darkness which met her moods. But the voices were not soothing30 that came to her from the darkness and the sky above and the stars. They jeered31 and sounded mournful notes without promise, devoid32 even of hope. She turned back into the room and began to walk to and fro down its whole length, without stopping, without resting. She carried in her hands a thin handkerchief, which she tore into ribbons, rolled into a ball, and flung from her. Once she stopped, and taking off her wedding ring, flung it upon the carpet. When she saw it lying there, she stamped her heel upon it, striving to crush it. But her small boot heel did not make an indenture33, not a mark upon the little glittering circlet.
In a sweeping34 passion she seized a glass vase from the table and flung it upon the tiles of the hearth35. She wanted to destroy something. The crash and clatter36 were what she wanted to hear.
A maid, alarmed at the din11 of breaking glass, entered the room to discover what was the matter.
“A vase fell upon the hearth,” said Edna. “Never mind; leave it till morning.”
“Oh! you might get some of the glass in your feet, ma’am,” insisted the young woman, picking up bits of the broken vase that were scattered37 upon the carpet. “And here’s your ring, ma’am, under the chair.”
Edna held out her hand, and taking the ring, slipped it upon her finger.
收听单词发音 |
1
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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fluted
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| a.有凹槽的 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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scrupulously
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| adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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diminutive
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| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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appeased
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| 安抚，抚慰( appease的过去式和过去分词 )； 绥靖（满足另一国的要求以避免战争） | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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futures
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| n.期货，期货交易 | |
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fuming
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| 愤怒( fume的现在分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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tardy
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| adj.缓慢的，迟缓的 | |
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rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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30
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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indenture
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| n.契约；合同 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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35
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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36
clatter
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| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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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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