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庞德烈太太出于习惯带了钥匙。她打开冲澡间的门走进去,很快就拿着一条地毯出来,铺在走廊的地面上,还拿了两个巨大的蒙着粗亚麻布料的毛绒绒的枕头放在房子的前面。3 `& y3 \/ f6 U: a8 x
她俩背靠枕头伸着腿在走廊遮荫的地方并肩坐下来。哈迪挪尔太太摘下头巾,用根颇为精致的手帕擦了擦脸,然后用把扇子,老用根细长的带子拴在身上晃动着的扇子,给自己扇风。埃得娜摘下护肩,解开紧系着喉咙的衣衫,从哈迪挪尔女士那儿拿过扇子给自己和同伴扇风。天气很暖和,有阵子她们什么也没说只说到天气热、太阳、和阳光耀眼。不过刮起了微风,一阵阵的,在水面吹起泡沫,掀起了两位女人的裙子。有阵子她们俩只顾忙着反复整理裙子、忙着扎裙子、忙着扣紧发夹扣紧帽子。有几个人在不远处的水中嬉戏。一时间海滩上阒无人声。那位黑衣女人在旁边的一间冲澡间的走廊上叨念着晨祷。两个年轻的恋人乘小孩子们的遮阳蓬空着,正在遮阳蓬下相互倾吐心中的依恋。( N# c0 C1 z- G) G* a9 T, [
埃得娜٠庞德烈四处观望之后终于在凝视大海。天色晴朗,可极目远眺蓝天的尽头;有几片白云挂在天际一动也不动。沿猫岛的方向可见一片三角形的船帆,南边还有些三角船帆似乎已完全静止在远方。
8 i0 U5 }5 w) ^) q; ] 阿得尔满有兴趣地观看着同伴的面孔,那面孔上的专注表情似乎已遍及全身使之固定成为一尊侧卧着的雕塑, 观看片刻之后她问:“谁呀-你想谁想什么呀” ?
' j: G* q k8 Y9 u$ t5 t “没什么” ,庞德烈太太吃了一惊,然后回答说,又马上补充:“我真傻呀!不过对这样的问题大家似乎都这么出于本能回答。让我想想” ,她仰起头,好看的双眼眯成两活灵活现的光点,接着说:“让我想想,我真不知道在想什么;不过也许能回想起来” 。" s! ~- ]1 ^, d6 i/ w8 r
“呵!别操心了” !哈蒂娜尔女士笑了。“我要求并不苛刻。这次我就放过你。真热啊、热得啥也不能想,尤其不能对思想进行思想” 。
- h+ _! {. w, l1 l! L& U 埃得娜坚持说:“那就当作是好玩吧。首先,海水朝远方伸展那么远,还有蓝天下那些一动不动的船帆,构成一幅惬意的画面我只想坐着看。扑面而来的热风让我想到--为什么会如此我想不起来--让我想到了在肯塔基的一个夏日,想到了草场,在草里走路的那位小姑娘以为草场和海洋一样宽,草比她的腰还深。她边走边像游泳样划动着手臂,像划水样用手拍打着深深的草。啊,我现在看出联系来了”。) m9 P* }$ E( G/ I8 b) Q. Y$ I
“你那天在肯塔基,穿过草场,到哪里去啊” ?% W& k, q) F& I4 E6 P9 `; h
“想不起来去哪里了。只是在走对角线穿过一遍大草原。遮阳帽挡住了视线。只看见一遍绿色在眼前伸展,觉得好像要永远走下去,走不到尽头了。记不得我是害怕还是喜欢。不过肯定觉得好玩” 。' C/ \5 l8 Q* @/ I+ B E
“很可能那是个星期天” ,她笑了笑;“父亲在长老教会的礼拜仪式上作祷告,我在跑开,他作祷告时的忧郁神色到如今想起来都让我心寒” 。
/ E# {% h; k8 g “亲爱的,自那之后你就一直听到祈祷就跑开吗” ?哈蒂娜尔觉得好笑,问道。
1 \4 N- Y/ u" y* N% @0 a “不!呵,不” !埃得娜赶快说。“那时候我是个没有思想的小孩,只是毫无疑问地跟着误导我的本能冲动走。与之相反,有段时间我有坚定的宗教信仰;从十二岁起一直到-直到--怎么啦,大概是直到现在,不过我从未多想--只是出于习惯。不过你知道吗” ?她停下来,眼睛迅速地转过来看着哈迪挪尔女士,身子同时往前靠一点儿好和同伴脸紧挨着脸,“今年夏天有时候我又觉得好像是在那绿色的草场上走,无所事事、毫无目标、什么也没想也没有向导” 。3 ~: B- ~/ y) e# P# T
哈迪挪尔太太把手放在紧挨身边的庞德烈太太的手上,见手没有收回去就紧紧又温暖地握住它。甚至伸出另一只手爱怜地轻轻抚摸,同时压低声调悄悄用法语说:“你好可怜” 。, P% { p W, U
Mrs. Pontellier had brought down her key through force of habit. Unlocking the door of her bath-room she went inside, and soon emerged, bringing a rug, which she spread upon the floor of the gallery, and two huge hair pillows covered with crash, which she placed against the front of the building.
1 F/ i/ c1 c. S7 E) G The two seated themselves there in the shade of the porch, side by side, with their backs against the pillows and their feet extended. Madame Ratignolle removed her veil, wiped her face with a rather delicate handkerchief, and fanned herself with the fan which she always carried suspended somewhere about her person by a long, narrow ribbon. Edna removed her collar and opened her dress at the throat. She took the fan from Madame Ratignolle and began to fan both herself and her companion. It was very warm, and for a while they did nothing but exchange remarks about the heat, the sun, the glare. But there was a breeze blowing, a choppy, stiff wind that whipped the water into froth. It fluttered the skirts of the two women and kept them for a while engaged in adjusting, readjusting, tucking in, securing hair-pins and hat-pins. A few persons were sporting some distance away in the water. The beach was very still of human sound at that hour. The lady in black was reading her morning devotions on the porch of a neighboring bath-house. Two young lovers were exchanging their hearts\' yearnings beneath the children\'s tent, which they had found unoccupied. 5 G$ s1 b0 J& \5 t7 K$ k
Edna Pontellier, casting her eyes about, had finally kept them at rest upon the sea. The day was clear and carried the gaze out as far as the blue sky went; there were a few white clouds suspended idly over the horizon. A lateen sail was visible in the direction of Cat Island, and others to the south seemed almost motionless in the far distance. ' N' f. ?" l3 E3 }7 v' a' p
\"Of whom - of what are you thinking?\" asked Adèle of her companion, whose countenance she had been watching with a little amused attention, arrested by the absorbed expression which seemed to have seized and fixed every feature into a statuesque repose. 4 Z I/ b4 }9 G
\"Nothing,\" returned Mrs. Pontellier, with a start, adding at once: \"How stupid! But it seems to me it is the reply we make instinctively to such a question. Let me see,\" she went on, throwing back her head and narrowing her fine eyes till they shone like two vivid points of light. \"Let me see. I was really not conscious of thinking of anything; but perhaps I can retrace my thoughts.\"
$ p6 E* F8 [/ u9 F6 i \"Oh! never mind!\" laughed Madame Ratignolle. \"I am not quite so exacting. I will let you off this time. It is really too hot to think, especially to think about thinking. \"
- }& h5 Z8 K( ^5 u! A \"But for the fun of it,\" persisted Edna. \"First of all, the sight of the water stretching so far away, those motionless sails against the blue sky, made a delicious picture that I just wanted to sit and look at. The hot wind beating in my face made me think - without any connection that I can trace - of a summer day in Kentucky, of a meadow that seemed as big as the ocean to the very little girl walking through the grass, which was higher than her waist. She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water. Oh, I see the connection now!\"
; X6 `3 P. F9 L" W \"Where were you going that day in Kentucky, walking through the grass?\" D5 `6 k# i O$ p9 N9 D9 y" H
\"I don\'t remember now. I was just walking diagonally across a big field. My sun- bonnet obstructed the view. I could see only the stretch of green before me, and I felt as if I must walk on forever, without coming to the end of it. I don\'t remember whether I was frightened or pleased. I must have been entertained. 2 Z* ^/ C- t1 o
\"Likely as not it was Sunday,\" she laughed; \"and I was running away from prayers, from the Presbyterian service, read in a spirit of gloom by my father that chills me yet to think of.\"
. t! _ _7 C& T. k+ Y( N \"And have you been running away from prayers ever since, ma chère?\" asked Madame Ratignolle, amused. / f& J6 v: q" v( \. [
\"No! oh, no!\" Edna hastened to say. \"I was a little unthinking child in those days, just following a misleading impulse without question. On the contrary, during one period of my life religion took a firm hold upon me; after I was twelve and until - until - why, I suppose until now, though I never thought much about it - just driven along by habit. But do you know,\" she broke off, turning her quick eyes upon Madame Ratignolle and leaning forward a little so as to bring her face quite close to that of her companion, \"sometimes I feel this summer as if I were walking through the green meadow again; idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided.\"
- L0 w1 C1 S" ^ Madame Ratignolle laid her hand over that of Mrs. Pontellier, which was near her. Seeing that the hand was not withdrawn, she clasped it firmly and warmly. She even stroked it a little, fondly, with the other hand, murmuring in an undertone, \"Pauvre chérie.\" |