06

Chapter 1

Before I could reply that he was my neighbor, dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively(命令式的) under mine Tom Buchanan compelled（强迫） me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square. 我还没来得及回答说他是我的邻居，佣人就宣布开饭了。汤姆·布坎农不由分说就把一只紧张的胳臂插在我的胳臂下面，把我从屋子里推出去，仿佛他是在把一个棋子推到棋盘上另一格去似的。

Slenderly, languidly(疲倦的), their hands set lightly on their hips(臀部) the two young women preceded(优先于) us out onto a rosy-colored porch open toward the sunset where four candles flickered(闪烁) on the table in the diminished wind. 两位女郎袅袅婷婷地、懒洋洋地，手轻轻搭在腰上，在我们前面往外走上玫瑰色的阳台。阳台迎着落日，餐桌上有四支蜡烛在减弱了的风中闪烁不定。

‘Why candles?’ objected Daisy,frowning(皱眉). She snapped them out with her fingers. ‘In two weeks it’ll be the longest day in the year.’ She looked at us all radiantly(满面春光的). ‘Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it. “点蜡烛干什么？ ”黛西皱着眉头表示不悦。她用手指把它们掐灭了。“再过两个星期就是一年中最长的一天了。”她满面春风地看着我们大家。“你们是否老在等一年中最长的一天，到头来偏偏还是会错过？我老在等一年中最长的一天，到头来偏偏还是错过了。”

‘We ought to plan something,’ yawned Miss Baker, sitting down at the table as if she were getting into bed. “我们应当计划干点什么。”贝克小姐打着阿欠说道，仿佛上床睡觉似的在桌子旁边坐了下来。

‘All right,’ said Daisy. ‘What’ll we plan?’ She turned to me helplessly. ‘What do people plan?’“好吧，”黛西说，“咱们计划什么呢？”她把脸转向我，无可奈何地问道，“人们究竟计划些什么？”

Before I could answer her eyes fastened with an awed expression on her little finger.‘Look!’ she complained. ‘I hurt it.’ 我还没来得及回答，她便两眼带着畏惧的表情盯着她的小手指。“瞧”她抱怨道，“我把它碰伤了。”

We all looked—the knuckle(指节) was black and blue. 我们大家都瞧了——指关节有点青紫。

‘You did it, Tom,’ she said accusingly(责难地). ‘I know you didn’t mean to but you did do it. That’s what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking（很大的，沉重的） physical specimen(样本) of a——‘“是你搞的，汤姆”她责怪他说，“我知道你不是故意的，但确实是你搞的。这是我的报应，嫁给这么个粗野的男人，一个又粗又大又笨拙的汉子……”

‘I hate that word hulking,’ objected Tom crossly(发着脾气的), ‘even in kidding.’ “我恨笨拙这个词，”汤姆气呼呼地抗议道，“即使开玩笑也不行。”

‘Hulking,’ insisted Daisy“笨拙。”黛西强嘴说。

Sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once, unobtrusively(谨慎的) and with a bantering(幽默的) inconsequence(不连贯,不合理) that was never quite chatter(喋喋不休), that was as cool as their white dresses and their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire. 有时她和贝克小姐同时讲话，可是并不惹人注意，不过开点无关紧要的玩笑，也算不上唠叨，跟她们的白色衣裙以及没有任何欲念的超然的眼睛一样冷漠。

They were here—and they accepted Tom and me, making only a polite pleasant effort to entertain(娱乐,款待) or to be entertained. 她们坐在这里，应酬汤姆和我，只不过是客客气气地尽力款待客人或者接受款待。They knew that presently(现在；一会儿) dinner would be over and a little later the evening too would be over and casually(偶然；随意的) put away. 她们知道一会儿晚饭就吃完了，再过一会儿这一晚也就过去，随随便便就打发掉了。

It was sharply different from the West where an evening was hurried from phase to phase toward its close in a continually disappointed anticipation or else in sheer(纯粹的，十足的) nervous dread(恐惧) of the moment itself.这和西部截然不同，在那里每逢晚上二待客总是迫不及待地从一个阶段到另一个阶段推向结尾，总是有所期待而又不断地感到失望，要不然就对结尾时刻的到来感到十分紧张和恐惧。

‘You make me feel uncivilized,Daisy,’ I confessed on my second glass of corky(软木塞) but rather(而是) impressive claret(干红葡萄酒). ‘Can't you talk about cropsor something? “你让我觉得自己不文明，黛西,”我喝第二杯虽然有点软木塞气味却相当精彩的红葡萄酒时坦白地说，“你不能谈谈庄稼或者谈点儿别的什么吗？”

I meant nothing in particular by this remark but it was taken up in an unexpected way. 我说这句话并没有什么特殊的用意，但它却出乎意外地被人接过去了。

‘Civilization’s going to pieces,’broke out Tom violently.‘I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist(悲观主义的) about things. Have you read ‘The Rise of the Coloured Empires’ by this man Goddard? “文明正在崩溃,”汤姆气势汹汹地大声说，“我近来成了个对世界非常悲观的人。

‘Why, no,’ I answered, rather surprised by his tone. “呃，没有。”我答道，对他的语气感到很吃惊。

‘Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged(sub-补充替代，merger-合并。淹没). It’s all scientific stuff(东西); it has been proved. “我说，这是一本很好的书，人人都应当读一读。书的大意是说，如果我们不当心，白色人种就会……就会完全被淹没了。讲的全是科学道理，已经证明了的。”

‘Tom’s getting very profound(巨大的,深切的),’ said Daisy with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. ‘He reads deep books with long words in them. What was that word we——‘“汤姆变得很渊博了。”黛西说，脸上露出一种并不深切的忧伤的表情。“他看一些深奥的书，书里有许多深奥的字眼。那是个什么字来着，我们……”

‘Well, these books are all scientific,’ insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. ‘This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things. “我说，这些书都是有科学根据的，”汤姆一个劲地说下去，对她不耐烦地瞅了一眼，“这家伙把整个道理讲得一清二楚。我们是占统治地位的人种，我们有责任提高警惕，不然的话，其他人种就会掌握一切

‘We’ve got to beat them down,’whispered Daisy, winking(眨眼)ferociously(残忍的，狠狠的) toward the fervent(炽热的) sun. “我们非打倒他们不可。”黛西低声地讲，一面拼命地对炽热的太阳眨眼。

‘You ought to live in California—’began Miss Baker but Tom interrupted her by shifting heavily in his chair. “你们应当到加利福尼亚安家……”贝克小姐开口说，可是汤姆在椅子沉重地挪动了一下身子，打断了她的话。

‘This idea is that we’re Nordics. I am, and you are and you are and——’ After an infinitesimal hesitation he included Daisy with a slight nod and she winked at me again.‘—and we’ve produced all the things that go to make civilization—oh, science and art and all that. Do you see? “主要的论点是说我们是北欧日耳曼民族。我是，你是，你也是，还有………”稍稍犹疑了一下之后，他点了点头把黛西也包括了进去，这时她又冲我睡了眨眼。“而我们创造了所有那些加在一起构成文明的东西——科学艺术啦，以及其他等等。你们明白吗？”