He took the two boys to the Lafayette for dinner, and ordered generously and with the easy and comforting assurance of a man of the world who gives everyone around him a happy feeling of security and well-being6. For Eugene, it was a memorable7 experience.
The fine restaurant — it was perhaps the finest he had yet seen — the French waiters, the delicious food, the beautiful women, the well-dressed, prosperous and worldly-looking men and the pleasant weary languor8 of fading day, the huge nameless thrill and prophecy of oncoming night touched him with a feeling of joy and nameless anticipation9. He felt, as he had never felt before, that strange, seductive promise which the city has at evening, at the end of a day of terrible summer’s heat, and which is so strangely mixed of sorrow and delight, of desolation and the promise of a wild and nameless joy.
And suddenly, all the horror, heat and desolation of the day were forgotten. He forgot the blind horror of the man-swarm thrusting through the mazes10 of the furious streets. He forgot the drowning flood of humid flesh, the pale, wet, suffering faces that thrust from nowhere out of sweltering heat, that were engulfed11 again into the heat-hazed distances of swarming12 streets in which man’s life seemed more uncountable than the sands of the sea, and more blind, lost and horribly forsaken13 than the lives of those eyeless crawls and gropes that scuttle14 blindly and for ever through murky15 ooze16 upon the sea’s vast floor.
The old red light of evening filled his heart again with its wild prophecy, its huge and secret joy, and the great stride of oncoming night revived again, in all their magic, his childhood dreams of the enchanted17 city, the city of great men and glorious women, the city of unceasing joy, of power, triumph and success, and of the fortunate, good, and happy life.
As Mr. Pierce sat there with his air of quiet and urbane18 authority, studying the menu with a little frowning smile through the lenses of a pince-nez that dangled19 fashionably and casually20 from a black silk cord when he was not using it, the boy felt an indescribable sense of wealth and power and prosperous ease. It seemed to him that everything in the world was his for the asking, and the suave21 service of the waiter, hovering22 over Mr. Pierce with poised23 pencil and an attitude of devoted24 respect, the rich designs of snowy linen, the heavy silver, the thick carpets, the handsome women and distinguished-looking men, all added to this feeling of wealth and happiness.
Mr. Pierce kept studying the menu with an air of good-natured seriousness, quizzing his son from time to time with gruff but genial25 banter26:
“Joel,” he would say, “what do you want? Have you any preference of your own or will you leave it to me to decide?”
“Gosh!” Joel answered in his soft, eager tone. “I don’t care, Pups. Whatever you say goes with me! You know, it’s all the same to me, anyway. I can eat anything you order. Only,” he added laughing, “I’d prefer it if there’s no meat. I’d like it much better if you ordered vegetables.”
Mr. Pierce knocked the pince-nez from his nose, and turning to Eugene with an air of agreeable confidence, said:
“What’s wrong with a boy who takes no more interest in his food than that? Can you make it out? It strikes me as the most astonishing thing,” he went on in a gruff, distinguished way, “to see a healthy young man who has no interest in his belly27. Really Joel,” he went on, turning to his son and regarding him with a kind of quizzical but good-humoured sarcasm28, “I’d feel so much better about you if you only liked food more. It’s really tragic29 to see a boy of your age deliberately30 throwing away one of the greatest pleasures in life. Don’t you think so?” he demanded, turning to the other boy again with his air of friendly confidence. “Or have you turned vegetarian31, too?”
“Gosh, no!” Joel said, laughing his hushed eager, immensely agreeable laugh. “He’ll agree with every word you say, Pups. He likes food even more than you do.”
“Then I’m glad to hear it!” said Mr. Pierce approvingly. “I had begun to fear that this younger generation had gone utterly32 to hell. But if the symptoms are only local —” he frowned humorously at his son for a moment —“perhaps it’s not as bad as I thought.”
“You and Pups should get along together beautifully,” said Joel to Eugene. “He loves to eat — he’s a wonderful cook — you should come up to Rhinekill sometime and let him cook one of his meals for you.”
The ordering of the meal proceeded in this agreeable fashion. Mr. Pierce ordered liberally: small pink-fleshed clams33, cold, pungent34 and exciting in their perfect shells, a thick pea soup with little squares of toast-crust floating in it, young chicken, plump and tender, grilled35 so succulently that it seemed to melt away the moment that one put it in his mouth, asparagus and potatoes, and a salad of crisp lettuce36, beautifully mixed, “fatigued,” in a big salad bowl, iced coffee, and a dessert of ripe Camembert and salted crackers37. Mr. Pierce and Eugene ate heartily38 and with obvious relish39, but Joel, in spite of all their protests and his father’s bantering40 ridicule41, which he took with the beautiful laughing good-nature which was one of the finest traits of his character, stuck to his vegetable diet with the gentle doggedness that was also characteristic of him.
Later, when they had finished dinner, they drove uptown in a taxi-cab and went to one of the summer musical shows near Broadway, where an English revue was appearing. The comic actress, Beatrice Lillie, was the star of the performance. Eugene had never heard of her before, but it was evident from the fashionable and “smart” look of the audience, and the way in which Joel and other people greeted every word and gesture, that the actress was “all the rage,” one of those persons who, in addition to their native talent, have some special quality that for a time makes them the darling of the cult-adepts of the world of fashion.
The revue was a clever and amusing one, but it also had a stylish42 quality of fashionable smartness that was more and more beginning to mark the productions of the theatre and the responses of the audience. Thus, in later years, when one had almost completely forgotten the scenes of the revue and its songs and jokes, one could still remember it for the brilliant picture of the life it evoked. And the image of that life was implied rather than portrayed43. The revue was one of those productions which people were beginning to “wear” as they “wore” books or plays or a dress: people went to the revue more because it was “the thing to do,” the thing that everyone was talking about, than because they had a genuine desire to go, more because they had been told that it was “amusing” than from any deep conviction that they would find it so.
Thus, not only in the jokes and songs and scenes of the revue, but in the laughter and applause with which the fashionable audience greeted them, there was a quality that was somewhat strained and metallic44 — a new and disagreeable mirth that was coming into man’s life, which seemed to have its sources not in the warm human earth and blood of humour, but to proceed from something sterile45, sour and acrid46 in his soul. In this hard and essentially47 lifeless merriment there was evident the desire to wound and mock and injure. And this desire came more from fear, a need to divert attention from one’s own nakedness and insecurity by an attack upon a common target, than from any real cruelty or scornful hardihood of the soul.
This fear and insecurity were evident even in the fashionable and sophisticated audience which had come to this theatre to see the smart revue. In the interval48 between the acts, the people streamed up the gangways and out into the lobby, and everywhere one looked, the hostile fear and insecurity of the people were apparent. For the most part the audience was fashionably dressed, the men in evening dress, the women in expensive evening gowns, that revealed their long white arms, the velvet49 perfection of their breasts and long backs. It would have been difficult to find a more assured, sophisticated and wealthy-looking group of people, but in spite of this air of complete worldly assurance, their unhappiness and fear were painfully evident. Their bodies seemed to throw off and to fill the air with a feverish50 electric tension, the texture51 of their thousand voices rising all together in a braided clamour was almost hysterically52 high, and remembering suddenly the quiet murmurous53 drone of voices in a theatre twenty years before, the glamorous54 spell of enchantment55 and happiness that surrounded even the performances of some travelling company in its one-night appearance in a little town, one felt poignantly56 again that something old and pleasant had gone out of life, that something dissonant57, painful and unwholesome had changed man’s rhythm, spread a poisonous infection through the human chemistries.
One also saw, or rather powerfully felt, among these fashionable and worldly-looking men of the great city, something jaded58, puny59, sterile, horribly weary; a quality as if their vital energies had been depleted60 in an unnatural61 way, as if they were emptied out, dried up, sapped of their juice, and could keep going now only by a kind of lifeless dynamism, a dry electric energy which paced them to the tempo62 of the city’s furious life, which would not let them go until it had burned them hollow to a dry grey shell.
By contrast, the vivid loveliness of the women was astonishing. The differences that distinguished these women from these men, in colouring, in the velvety63 texture of the skin, in the sparkling eyes, red mouths, voluptuously64 seductive bodies and general healthiness and glowing elasticity65 of figure, were so great that one was reminded of those insect species whose females are wonderfully and fatally superior in strength and beauty to their drab mates, and who finally devour66 them. And yet, even in the faces and figures of these lovely women, the mutilation of that hard, metallic, blunted-out stamp was also evident: one noticed that the general quality of the tone of all these mixed and intermingled voices was feminine rather than masculine, and that the feminine voice was even more assertive67, arrogant68 and incisive69 in its naked penetration70 than the voices of the men.
In fact, even as the two young men stood in one corner of the lobby, surveying the keyed pulsations of this brilliant scene, a woman’s voice could be heard, speaking with an arrogant and dogmatic assertiveness71 that instantly quenched72 denial and left no room for disagreement, however mild:
“YES! I think she is VERY charming, and VERY clever, and TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY amusing. The dancing is VERY bad; they simply DON’T KNOW HOW to train a chorus. As for the songs, I thought that one she sings about Queen Mary’s hats was AWFULLY73 funny; the rest are only fair. Of course, the decor is ABOMINABLE— but what can you expect? That man who sings the song with her is rather good — the other one, the awful little Cockney thing, is SIMPLY HORRIBLE! Where do they ever find these people, anyway? . . . No! No!” she said harshly and arrogantly74 at this point as one of the men put in a mild, low-voiced, and apologetic interjection of his own, “I do NOT agree with you! I ABSOLUTELY do NOT agree with you: you are ABSOLUTELY wrong! The nursemaid scene is DECIDEDLY the best thing in the show! The restaurant scene is VERY dull, and VERY cheap, and TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY vulgar! And it is VERY stupid of you not to see it!”— And having delivered herself with womanly modesty75 of these tolerant and generous observations, the lady turned, saw Joel, and instantly addressed him, speaking to him in the same arrogant and assertive tones she had used before, and blurting76 her words out through lips that she kept perfectly77 straight and that scarcely seemed to move or open as she spoke78.
“JOEL!” she cried. “What on earth are you doing here? . . . I thought you were at Rhinekill or in Maine? . . . And where’s your mother? . . . Did she come down too? . . . No? Too bad!” she said harshly. “I want VERY much to see her. . . . Yes, I shall be in Newport the week-end after next. . . . Yes, yes,” she went on with metallic harshness, “— with Alice Mortimer. . . . Is she going, too? . . . Good; then I shall see her! — My GOD, no! . . . We’re not staying here. . . . We motored in to see the show. . . . No, no. . . . I’ve been staying at Sands Point. . . . Jerry’s at Southampton. . . . But GOD, no! . . . A whole summer in this hell-hole! . . . The man’s MAD! . . . How d’ya do?” she said curtly80 and harshly, throwing a cold look and a curt79 nod towards Eugene as Joel whispered at his name, and instantly dismissing him. . . . “But do you seriously mean you’re going to spend the whole summer here? . . . Not REALLY! . . . But, my dear child, what in heaven’s name ever prompted you to do an idiotic81 thing like that? . . . Oh! I see!” she said coldly. “Painting, eh . . .”
But now the bell for the curtain sounded, and after a few conventional words of parting they returned to their seats.
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收听单词发音
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1
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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5
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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7
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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9
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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10
mazes
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| 迷宫( maze的名词复数 )； 纷繁复杂的规则； 复杂难懂的细节； 迷宫图 | |
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11
engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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13
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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14
scuttle
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| v.急赶，疾走，逃避；n.天窗；舷窗 | |
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15
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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16
ooze
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| n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露 | |
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17
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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18
urbane
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| adj.温文尔雅的，懂礼的 | |
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dangled
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| 悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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20
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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suave
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| adj.温和的；柔和的；文雅的 | |
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22
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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23
poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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24
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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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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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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28
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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30
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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32
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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clams
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| n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 ) | |
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34
pungent
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| adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的 | |
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grilled
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| adj. 烤的, 炙过的, 有格子的 动词grill的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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lettuce
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| n.莴苣；生菜 | |
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crackers
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| adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘 | |
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38
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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40
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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41
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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42
stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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43
portrayed
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| v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画 | |
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44
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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45
sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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47
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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48
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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49
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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50
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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51
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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52
hysterically
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| ad. 歇斯底里地 | |
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53
murmurous
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| adj.低声的 | |
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54
glamorous
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| adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的 | |
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55
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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56
poignantly
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57
dissonant
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| adj.不和谐的；不悦耳的 | |
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58
jaded
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| adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的 | |
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puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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60
depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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61
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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62
tempo
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| n.(音乐的)速度；节奏，行进速度 | |
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63
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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voluptuously
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| adv.风骚地，体态丰满地 | |
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elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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66
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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67
assertive
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| adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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incisive
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| adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的 | |
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70
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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71
assertiveness
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| n.过分自信 | |
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72
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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73
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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74
arrogantly
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| adv.傲慢地 | |
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75
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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76
blurting
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的现在分词 ) | |
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77
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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78
spoke
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| 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 | |
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79
curt
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| adj.简短的，草率的 | |
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80
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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81
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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