To judge from the extraordinary activity in the pantry, the shining cleanliness which imparted such a new and festal guise1 to certain articles in the salon2 and drawing-room which I had long known as anything but resplendent, and the arrival of some musicians whom Prince Ivan would certainly not have sent for nothing, no small amount of company was to be expected that evening.
At the sound of every vehicle which chanced to pass the house I ran to the window, leaned my head upon my arms, and peered with impatient curiosity into the street.
At last a carriage stopped at our door, and, in the full belief that this must be the Iwins, who had promised to come early, I at once ran downstairs to meet them in the hall.
But, instead of the Iwins, I beheld3 from behind the figure of the footman who opened the door two female figures-one tall and wrapped in a blue cloak trimmed with marten, and the other one short and wrapped in a green shawl from beneath which a pair of little feet, stuck into fur boots, peeped forth4.
Without paying any attention to my presence in the hall (although I thought it my duty, on the appearance of these persons to salute5 them), the shorter one moved towards the taller, and stood silently in front of her. Thereupon the tall lady untied6 the shawl which enveloped7 the head of the little one, and unbuttoned the cloak which hid her form; until, by the time that the footmen had taken charge of these articles and removed the fur boots, there stood forth from the amorphous8 chrysalis a charming girl of twelve, dressed in a short muslin frock, white pantaloons, and smart black satin shoes. Around her, white neck she wore a narrow black velvet9 ribbon, while her head was covered with flaxen curls which so perfectly10 suited her beautiful face in front and her bare neck and shoulders behind that I, would have believed nobody, not even Karl Ivanitch, if he, or she had told me that they only hung so nicely because, ever since the morning, they had been screwed up in fragments of a Moscow newspaper and then warmed with a hot iron. To me it seemed as though she must have been born with those curls.
The most prominent feature in her face was a pair of unusually large half-veiled eyes, which formed a strange, but pleasing, contrast to the small mouth. Her lips were closed, while her eyes looked so grave that the general expression of her face gave one the impression that a smile was never to be looked for from her: wherefore, when a smile did come, it was all the more pleasing.
Trying to escape notice, I slipped through the door of the salon, and then thought it necessary to be seen pacing to and fro, seemingly engaged in thought, as though unconscious of the arrival of guests.
BY the time, however, that the ladies had advanced to the middle of the salon I seemed suddenly to awake from my reverie and told them that Grandmamma was in the drawing room, Madame Valakhin, whose face pleased me extremely (especially since it bore a great resemblance to her daughter's), stroked my head kindly11.
Grandmamma seemed delighted to see Sonetchka, She invited her to come to her, put back a curl which had fallen over her brow, and looking earnestly at her said, "What a charming child!"
Sonetchka blushed, smiled, and, indeed, looked so charming that I myself blushed as I looked at her.
"I hope you are going to enjoy yourself here, my love," said Grandmamma." Pray be as merry and dance as much as ever you can. See, we have two beaux for her already," she added, turning to Madame Valakhin, and stretching out her hand to me.
This coupling of Sonetchka and myself pleased me so much that I blushed again.
Feeling, presently, that, my embarrassment12 was increasing, and hearing the sound of carriages approaching, I thought it wise to retire. In the hall I encountered the Princess Kornakoff, her son, and an incredible number of daughters. They had all of them the same face as their mother, and were very ugly. None of them arrested my attention. They talked in shrill13 tones as they took off their cloaks and boas, and laughed as they bustled14 about-- probably at the fact that there were so many of them!
Etienne was a boy of fifteen, tall and plump, with a sharp face, deep-set bluish eyes, and very large hands and feet for his age. Likewise he was awkward, and had a nervous, unpleasing voice. Nevertheless he seemed very pleased with himself, and was, in my opinion, a boy who could well bear being beaten with rods.
For a long time we confronted one another without speaking as we took stock of each other. When the flood of dresses had swept past I made shift to begin a conversation by asking him whether it had not been very close in the carriage.
"I don't know," he answered indifferently. "I never ride inside it, for it makes me feel sick directly, and Mamma knows that. Whenever we are driving anywhere at night-time I always sit on the box. I like that, for then one sees everything. Philip gives me the reins15, and sometimes the whip too, and then the people inside get a regular--well, you know," he added with a significant gesture "It's splendid then."
"Master Etienne," said a footman, entering the hall, "Philip wishes me to ask you where you put the whip."
"Where I put it? Why, I gave it back to him."
"But he says that you did not."
"Well, I laid it across the carriage-lamps!"
"No, sir, he says that you did not do that either. You had better confess that you took it and lashed16 it to shreds17. I suppose poor Philip will have to make good your mischief18 out of his own pocket." The footman (who looked a grave and honest man) seemed much put out by the affair, and determined19 to sift20 it to the bottom on Philip's behalf.
Out of delicacy21 I pretended to notice nothing and turned aside, but the other footmen present gathered round and looked approvingly at the old servant.
"Hm--well, I DID tear it in pieces," at length confessed Etienne, shrinking from further explanations. "However, I will pay for it. Did you ever hear anything so absurd?" he added to me as he drew me towards the drawing-room.
"But excuse me, sir; HOW are you going to pay for it? I know your ways of paying. You have owed Maria Valericana twenty copecks these eight months now, and you have owed me something for two years, and Peter for--"
"Hold your tongue, will you! " shouted the young fellow, pale with rage "I shall report you for this."
"Oh, you may do so," said the footman. "Yet it is not fair, your highness," he added, with a peculiar22 stress on the title, as he departed with the ladies' wraps to the cloak-room. We ourselves entered the salon.
"Quite right, footman," remarked someone approvingly from the ball behind us.
Grandmamma had a peculiar way of employing, now the second person singular, now the second person plural23, in order to indicate her opinion of people. When the young Prince Etienne went up to her she addressed him as "YOU," and altogether looked at him with such an expression of contempt that, had I been in his place, I should have been utterly24 crestfallen25. Etienne, however, was evidently not a boy of that sort, for he not only took no notice of her reception of him, but none of her person either. In fact, he bowed to the company at large in a way which, though not graceful26, was at least free from embarrassment.
Sonetchka now claimed my whole attention. I remember that, as I stood in the salon with Etienne and Woloda, at a spot whence we could both see and be seen by Sonetchka, I took great pleasure in talking very loud (and all my utterances27 seemed to me both bold and comical) and glancing towards the door of the drawing-room, but that, as soon as ever we happened to move to another spot whence we could neither see nor be seen by her, I became dumb, and thought the conversation had ceased to be enjoyable. The rooms were now full of people--among them (as at all children's parties) a number of elder children who wished to dance and enjoy themselves very much, but who pretended to do everything merely in order to give pleasure to the mistress of the house.
When the Iwins arrived I found that, instead of being as delighted as usual to meet Seriosha, I felt a kind of vexation that he should see and be seen by Sonetchka.
根据饭厅里引人注目的不平常的忙碌，根据客厅和大厅里我早就熟悉的全部物件都增添了一种新鲜和喜庆色彩的灿烂光辉，特别是根据伊凡·伊凡内奇公爵不会平白无故派来他的管弦乐队，根据这种种事实来判断，预料晚上会宾客盈门。
一听到路过的车辆声，我就跑到窗口，把手放到太阳穴和玻璃上，怀着急不可耐的好奇心向外张望。暮色苍茫，最初看不见窗外的一切景物，后来才渐渐分辨出来，正对面，那家早已熟悉的小店铺点着一盏灯；斜对面，是一幢大房子，楼下有两扇窗子露出了灯光；街道中间，有一辆载着两个乘客的弩马拉的马车，或者一辆缓步回家的空四轮马车；终于有一辆轿式马车赶到我们家门前，我完全肯定这是伊文家的人，因为他们答应早一点来；于是我就跑到前厅去迎接他们。然而，这不是伊文家的人，从打开车门的、穿着号衣的仆人的胳臂后面，出现了两个女人：一个身材高大，身穿貂皮领的蓝色大衣，另一个娇小玲珑，全身裹在绿披巾里，从技巾下面只露出她那穿着毛皮靴的小脚。她们丝毫也没有注意到我在前厅里，虽然我认为这两个女人进来时对她们行礼是我的义务，那个娇小的默默地走到高大的女人旁边，就站在她的前面。高大的女人把包住娇小的女人的整个头部的披巾解开，解开她的外衣，当那个穿号衣的仆人接过这些东西，脱掉她的毛皮靴子的时候，裹得紧紧的那个女人变成了一个十二岁的美丽姑娘，她穿着一身短短的敞领薄纱衣服，雪白的裤子，小小的黑鞋。她的白脖颈上围着一条黑天鹅绒的带子；她长着一头深棕色的望发，前面的鬈发和她的美丽小脸非常相称，后面的鬈发和裸露的肩头又那样相称，因此不论任何人告诉我，就是卡尔·伊凡内奇亲口告诉我说，头发这么鬈曲是因为一清早就用一片片的《莫斯科公报》卷起来，而且用很热的火剪烫过，我也不会相信。好象她生来就长着这么一头鬈发似的。
她脸上令人惊异的特点是她那大得出奇、半睁半闭的鼓眼睛，这双眼睛同她的小嘴形成奇异而悦目的对比。她的嘴抿着，她的眼神非常严肃，从她的整个面部表情看来，使人不能希望她会露出笑容，也正因为如此，她的笑容就更加迷人。
我极力不引起人们的注意，溜到大厅门口，我觉得必须踱来踱去，装出一副正在沉思、完全不知道客人们到来的神情。当两位客人走到大厅中间的时候，我仿佛醒悟似的，并脚行了个敬礼，告诉她们外祖母在客厅里。瓦拉希娜夫人和蔼地对我点了点头，我很喜欢她的面孔，特别是因为我觉得她同女儿索妮奇卡的相貌十分相像 ① 。
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①索妮奇卡：索菲亚的小名。
外祖母看见索妮奇卡好象很高兴，让她走近一些，理了理耷拉在她前额上的一绺鬈发，聚精会神地端详着她的面庞，说：“Quelle charmante enfant！” ① 。索妮奇卡微微一笑脸上泛出红晕，显得胜么妩媚动人，我望着她，脸也红了。
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①“Quelle charmante enfant！”：法语“多么迷人的孩子！”
“希望你在我家里不会感到无聊，我的宝贝，”外祖母说，托起她的下巴。“尽情取乐和跳舞吧。我们已经有了一位小姐和两个哥儿了，”她对瓦拉希娜夫人补充说，用手摸了我一下。
这种亲近使我非常愉快，因而又脸红了。
我感觉到自己的羞怯心情在不断增长，而且听到又有一辆马车到来的响声，于是我认为该退出去了。在前厅里，我见到柯尔纳科娃公爵夫人带着她的儿子和难以想象的一大群女儿来了。她的女儿们长相都一样，很象公爵夫人，很难看，因此一个也没有引起我的注意。在她们脱大衣和摘皮围巾时，她们忽然一起尖声尖气地说着话，乱作一团，笑着什么事情，大概是笑她们有那么多人。艾坚是个十五岁模样的男孩，身材高大肥胖，面容枯瘦，眼睛下面是发青的塌眼窝，按年龄说，手脚都嫌太大；他举止笨拙，嗓音难听，忽高忽低，但是好象非常自鸣得意，我想，这大概就是挨树条抽打的那个男孩。
我们面对面站了好久，一声不响地互相仔细打量着；随后我们走近一些，我想大概是打算接吻，但是又望了望彼此的脸色，不知怎地都改变了主意。当他所有的姐妹们衣服悉碎作响地从我们身边走过去时，为了找话说，我问他坐在马车里挤不挤。
“我不知道，”他漫不经心地回答我说，“你要知道，我从来也不坐马车，因为我一坐进去就不舒服，妈妈知道这一点。晚上我们出门的时候，我总坐在驭台上，那可有意思得多了，什么都看得见。菲力普让我赶车，有时我就接过鞭子来。这样赶车，你知道，有时候，”他富于表情地打着手势说，“妙极了！”
“少爷！”有一个仆人走进前厅说，“菲力普问您把鞭子放到哪儿了？”
“怎么问放到哪儿了？我还给他啦。”
“他说您没有还给他。”“
“哦，那就是挂车灯上了。”
“菲力普说也没有挂在车灯上……您最好还是承认，是您拿了把它丢了，为了您淘气，菲力普得自己掏腰包会赔偿，”那个怒冲冲的仆人接下去说，越来越激动了。
那个仆人看上去是个可敬的忧郁的人，非常热烈地袒护着菲力普，决定非把事情弄个水落石出不可。我不由地觉得，应该知趣一些，于是装出好象没有看到什么一样向一旁走去；但是在场的仆人们却完全不这样，他们更走近一些，带着赞许的神情望着那个老仆人。
“哦，丢了就丢了！”文坚说，避免作进一步的解释。“鞭子要花多少钱，回头由我来赔。这真可笑！”他添上一句说，走到我跟前，把我向客厅那边引去。
“不，请问少爷，您拿什么来赔呢？我知道您的赔法：您要偿还玛丽雅·瓦西里耶芙娜的二十个戈比已经有七个多月了；欠我的呢，我想也有一年多了，另外还有欠彼得鲁什卡的……”
“住嘴！”年青的公爵呵斥道，气得脸色铁青，“我没有别的话说了！”
“没有别的话了，没有别的话了！”仆人都囔说。“这可不好啊，少爷！”当我们走进大厅时，他特别富于表情地补充一句说，然后把大衣放到衣橱里去。
“真高明，真高明！”在我们身后，由前厅里传来一个称赞的声音。
外祖母有一种特殊的本领，会利用一定的口气和一定的情况，不是以第二人称多数就是用第二人称单数代名词来表达她对人们的看法。虽然她应用您和你与一般通用的说法相反，但是这种细微差别到了她的嘴里却具有一种完全特殊的意味。当小公爵走近她时，她对他说了三言两语，称呼他您，而且用那么轻视的眼光瞥了他一眼，要是我处在他的地位，一定会手足无措了；但是艾坚显然不是这种性格的孩子，他不但不注意外祖母怎样接待他，甚至对她本人也不注意，而是对大伙行了个礼，举止即使算不得灵巧，至少是十分随便的。索妮奇卡吸引住了我的全部注意力：我记得，当沃洛佳、文坚和我在大厅里可以看见索妮奇卡，而且她也能看见我们和听见我们说话的地方交谈时，我就谈得津津有味；碰巧我说到什么自以为很好笑或者很漂亮的言语时，我就放开嗓门，而且望着客厅的门；但是当我们移到另外一个地方，。从客厅里既看不到我们，也听不见我们说话的声音时，我就默默无言，对于谈话再也没有什么兴趣了。
客厅里和大厅里渐渐挤满了客人；他们中间，象儿童晚会上常有的情形一样，有些大孩子不愿意错过一场寻欢作乐和跳舞的机会，他们所以这样，好象只是为了讨女主人的欢心。
伊文家的孩子们到来时，我不但没有通常见到谢辽沙时所感到的那种乐趣，反而非常奇怪地生他的气，因为他要看看索妮奇卡，并且在她眼前显示一下自己。
收听单词发音 |
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guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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salon
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| n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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amorphous
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| adj.无定形的 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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bustled
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| 闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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plural
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| n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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crestfallen
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| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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utterances
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| n.发声( utterance的名词复数 )；说话方式；语调；言论 | |
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