月亮与六便士【中英字幕】

I enquired atmy hotel for that in which Charles Strickland was living. It was called theHotel des Belges. But the concierge, somewhat to my surprise, had never heardof it. I had understood from Mrs. Strickland that it was a large and sumptuousplace at the back of the Rue de Rivoli. We looked it out in the directory. Theonly hotel of that name was in the Rue des Moines. The quarter was notfashionable; it was not even respectable. I shook my head.

"I'm surethat's not it, " I said.

The conciergeshrugged his shoulders. There was no other hotel of that name in Paris. Itoccurred to me that Strickland had concealed his address, after all. In givinghis partner the one I knew he was perhaps playing a trick on him. I do not knowwhy I had an inkling that it would appeal to Strickland's sense of humour tobring a furious stockbroker over to Paris on a fool's errand to an ill-famed housein a mean street. Still, I thought I had better go and see. Next day about sixo'clock I took a cab to the Rue des Moines, but dismissed it at the corner,since I preferred to walk to the hotel and look at it before I went in. It wasa street of small shops subservient to the needs of poor people, and about themiddle of it, on the left as I walked down, was the Hotel des Belges. 

我在自己落脚的旅馆打听了一个查理斯·思特里克兰德住的地方。他住的那家旅馆名叫比利时旅馆。我很奇怪，看门人竟没听说过这个地方。我从思特里克兰德太太那里听说，这家旅馆很大、很阔气，坐落在利渥里路后边。我们查了一下旅馆商号指南。叫这个名字的旅馆只有一家，在摩纳路。这不是有钱人居住的地区，甚至不是一个体面的地方。我摇了摇头。

“绝对不是这一家。”我说。

看门人耸了耸肩膀。巴黎再没有另一家叫这个名字的旅馆了。我想起来，思特里克兰德本来是不想叫别人知道他行踪的。他给他的合股人这个地址也许是在同他开玩笑。不知道为什么，我暗想这很合思特里克兰德的幽默感，把一个怒气冲冲的证券交易人骗到巴黎一条下流街道上的很不名誉的房子里去，出尽洋相。虽然如此，我觉得我还是得去看一看。第二天六点钟左右我叫了一辆马车，到了摩纳街。我在街角上把车打发掉，我想我还是步行到旅馆，先在外面看看再进去。这一条街两旁都是为穷人开设的小店铺，路走了一半，在我拐进来的左面，就是比利时旅馆。

During thejourney I thought over my errand with misgiving. Now that I was free from thespectacle of Mrs. Strickland's distress I could consider the matter morecalmly. I was puzzled by the contradictions that I saw in her behaviour. Shewas very unhappy, but to excite my sympathy she was able to make a show of herunhappiness. It was evident that she had been prepared to weep, for she hadprovided herself with a sufficiency of handkerchiefs; I admired herforethought, but in retrospect it made her tears perhaps less moving. I couldnot decide whether she desired the return of her husband because she loved him,or because she dreaded the tongue of scandal; and I was perturbed by thesuspicion that the anguish of love contemned was alloyed in her broken heartwith the pangs, sordid to my young mind, of wounded vanity. I had not yetlearnt how contradictory is human nature; I did not know how much pose there isin the sincere, how much baseness in the noble, nor how much goodness in the reprobate.

But there wassomething of an adventure in my trip, and my spirits rose as I approachedParis. I saw myself, too, from the dramatic standpoint, and I was pleased withmy role of the trusted friend bringing back the errant husband to his forgivingwife. I made up my mind to see Strickland the following evening, for I feltinstinctively that the hour must be chosen with delicacy. An appeal to theemotions is little likely to be effectual before luncheon. My own thoughts werethen constantly occupied with love, but I never could imagine connubial blisstill after tea.

旅途中，我仔细考虑了一下这次去巴黎的差事，不觉又有些疑虑。现在我的眼睛已经看不到思特里克兰德太太一副痛楚不堪的样子，好象能够更冷静地考虑这件事了。我在思特里克兰德太太的举动里发现一些矛盾，感到疑惑不解。她非常不幸，但是为了激起我的同情心，她也很会把她的不幸表演给我看。她显然准备要大哭一场，因为她预备好大量的手帕；她这种深思远虑虽然使我佩服，可是如今回想起来，她的眼泪的感人力量却不免减低了。我看不透她要自己丈夫回来是因为爱他呢，还是因为怕别人议论是非；我还怀疑使她肠断心伤的失恋之痛是否也搀杂着虚荣心受到损害的悲伤（这对我年轻的心灵是一件龌龊的事）；这种疑心也使我很惶惑。我那时还不了解人性多么矛盾，我不知道真挚中含有多少做作，高尚中蕴藏着多少卑鄙，或者，即使在邪恶里也找得着美德。

但是我这次到巴黎去是带着一定冒险成分的，当我离目的地越来越近的时候，我的情绪也逐渐高起来。我也从做戏的角度看待自己，对我扮演的这个角色——一个受人衷心相托的朋友把误入歧途的丈夫带回给宽恕的妻子——非常欣赏。我决定第二天晚上再去找思特里克兰德，因为我本能地觉得，必须细致盘算，并选定这一时间。如果想从感情上说动一个人，在午饭以前是很少会成功的。在那些年代里，我自己就常常遐想一些爱情的事，但是只有吃过晚茶后我才能幻想美好婚姻的幸福。

"It can'tgo on at his age, " she said. "After all, he's forty. I couldunderstand it in a young man, but I think it's horrible in a man of his years,with children who are nearly grown up. His health will never stand it. "

Anger struggledin her breast with misery.

"Tell himthat our home cries out for him. Everything is just the same, and yeteverything is different. I can't live without him. I'd sooner kill myself. Talkto him about the past, and all we've gone through together. What am I to say tothe children when they ask for him? His room is exactly as it was when he leftit. It's waiting for him. We're all waiting for him. "

Now she told meexactly what I should say. She gave me elaborate answers to every possibleobservation of his.

"You willdo everything you can for me?" she said pitifully. "Tell him what astate I'm in. "

I saw that shewished me to appeal to his sympathies by every means in my power. She wasweeping freely. I was extraordinarily touched. I felt indignant at Strickland'scold cruelty, and I promised to do all I could to bring him back. I agreed togo over on the next day but one, and to stay in Paris till I had achievedsomething. Then, as it was growing late and we were both exhausted by so muchemotion, I left her.

“象他这样的年龄，不能老过这种生活，”她说，“他到底是四十岁的人了。如果是一个年轻人，我是能够理解的。可是他这种年纪就太可怕了，他的孩子都快长大成人了。再说他的身体也受不住。”

愤怒同痛苦在她胸中搏斗着。

“告诉他，他的家在召唤他回来。家里什么都同过去一样，但是也都同过去不一样了。没有他我无法生活下去。我宁可杀死自己。同他谈谈往事，谈谈我们的共同经历。如果孩子们问起来，我该对他们说什么呢？他的屋子还同他走的时候一模一样。他的屋子在等着他呢。我们都在等着他呢。”

我到那里该谈什么，她句句都告诉我了。她甚至想到思特里克兰德可能说什么话。教给我怎样答对。

“你会尽一切力量替我把这件事办好吧？”她可怜巴巴地说，“把我现在的处境告诉他。”

我看出来，她希望我施展一切手段打动他的怜悯心。她的眼泪一个劲儿往下落。我心里难过极了。我对思特里克兰德的冷酷、残忍非常气愤，我答应她我要尽一切力量把他弄回来。我同意再过一天就启程，不把事情办出个眉目决不回来。这时天色已晚，我们两人也都由于感情激动而疲惫不堪，我就向她告辞了。

I think sheadded this to explain her attitude to me, but I thought it was due to a verynatural jealousy rather than to maternal solicitude.

"Are youin love with him still?"

"I don'tknow. I want him to come back. If he'll do that we'll let bygones be bygones.After all, we've been married for seventeen years. I'm a broadminded woman. Iwouldn't have minded what he did as long as I knew nothing about it. He mustknow that his infatuation won't last. If he'll come back now everything can besmoothed over, and no one will know anything about it. "

It chilled me alittle that Mrs. Strickland should be concerned with gossip, for I did not knowthen how great a part is played in women's life by the opinion of others. Itthrows a shadow of insincerity over their most deeply felt emotions.

It was knownwhere Strickland was staying. His partner, in a violent letter, sent to hisbank, had taunted him with hiding his whereabouts: and Strickland, in a cynicaland humourous reply, had told his partner exactly where to find him. He wasapparently living in an Hotel.

"I'venever heard of it, " said Mrs. Strickland. "But Fred knows it well.He says it's very expensive. "

She flusheddarkly. I imagined that she saw her husband installed in a luxurious suite ofrooms, dining at one smart restaurant after another, and she pictured his daysspent at race-meetings and his evenings at the play.

我想她最后加添的话是为了向我解释她为什么要采取这种态度，但是我却认为她这样做与其说出于母爱不如说由于极其自然的嫉妒心理。

“你还爱他吗？”

“我不知道。我要他回来。如果他回来了，我可以既往不咎。不管怎么说，我们已经是十七年的夫妻了。我不是一个心胸狭小的女人。过去我一直蒙在鼓里，只要我不知道，我也就不会介意这件事。他应该知道这种迷恋是长不了的。如果他现在就回来，事情会很容易弥补过去，谁也发现不了。”

思特里克兰德太太对流言蜚语这样介意，叫我心里有些发凉，因为当时我还不知道旁人的意见对于女人的生活竟有这么大的关系。我认为这种态度对她们深切的情感投掷上一层不真挚的暗影。

思特里克兰德住的地方家里人是知道的。他的合股人曾通过思特里克兰德存款的银行给他写过一封措词严厉的信，责骂他隐匿自己行踪；思特里克兰德在一封冷嘲热讽的回信里告诉这位合股人在什么地方可以找到他。看来他正住在一家旅馆里。

“我没听说过这个地方，”思特里克兰德太太说。“但是弗雷德对这家旅馆非常熟悉。他说这是很昂贵的一家。”

她的脸涨得通红。我猜想她似乎看到自己的丈夫正住在一套豪华的房间里，在一家又一家的讲究的饭店吃饭。她想象他正过着花天酒地的生活，天天去赛马厅，夜夜去剧场。

I was silentfor a moment. Then I thought of the children.

"It musthave been difficult to explain to Robert, " I said.

"Oh, Inever said a word to either of them. You see, we only came up to town the daybefore they had to go back to school. I had the presence of mind to say thattheir father had been called away on business. "

It could nothave been very easy to be bright and careless with that sudden secret in herheart, nor to give her attention to all the things that needed doing to get herchildren comfortably packed off. Mrs. Strickland's voice broke again.

"And whatis to happen to them, poor darlings? How are we going to live?"

She struggledfor self-control, and I saw her hands clench and unclench spasmodically. It wasdreadfully painful.

"Of courseI'll go over to Paris if you think I can do any good, but you must tell meexactly what you want me to do. "

"I wanthim to come back. "

"Iunderstood from Colonel MacAndrew that you'd made up your mind to divorce him."

"I'llnever divorce him, " she answered with a sudden violence. "Tell himthat from me. He'll never be able to marry that woman. I'm as obstinate as heis, and I'll never divorce him. I have to think of my children. "

我半晌儿没有言语。后来我又想起了孩子们。

“这件事一定很难向罗伯特解释，”我说。

“啊，他们俩我谁也没告诉，一个字也没有说。你知道，我们回城的第二天他们就回学校了。我没有张皇失措，我对他们说父亲有事到外地去了。”

心里怀着这样大的一个秘密，要使自己举止得体、装作一副坦然无事的样子，实在很不容易。再说，为了打发孩子上学，还必须花费精力把样样东西打点齐全，也使她煞费苦心。思特里克兰德太太的声音哽住了。

“他们以后可怎么办啊，可怜的宝贝？我这一家人以后怎么活下去啊？”

她拼命克制着自己的感情，我注意到她的两手一会儿握紧，一会儿又松开。那种痛苦简直太可怕了。

“如果你认为我到巴黎去有好处，我当然会去的，但是你一定要同我说清楚，你要叫我去做什么。”

“我要叫他回来。”

“我听麦克安德鲁上校的意思，你已经决心同他离婚了。”

“我永远也不会同他离婚。”她突然气狠狠地说，“把我的话告诉他，他永远也别想同那个女人结婚。我同他一样，是个拗性子，我永远也不同他离婚。我要为我的孩子着想。”

"He alwaysseemed very fond of them. Even if he was tired of me, I wonder that he had theheart to leave them. It's all so incredible. Even now I can hardly believe it'strue. "

At last sheshowed me the letter he had written. I was curious to see it, but had not venturedto ask for it.

"MY DEARAMY,

"I thinkyou will find everything all right in the flat. I have given Anne yourinstructions, and dinner will be ready for you and the children when you come.I shall not be there to meet you. I have made up my mind to live apart fromyou, and I am going to Paris in the morning. I shall post this letter on myarrival. I shall not come back. My decision is irrevocable.

"Yoursalways,

"CHARLESSTRICKLAND. "

"Not aword of explanation or regret. Don't you think it's inhuman?"

"It's avery strange letter under the circumstances, " I replied.

"There'sonly one explanation, and that is that he's not himself. I don't know who thiswoman is who's got hold of him, but she's made him into another man. It'sevidently been going on a long time. "

"Whatmakes you think that?"

"Fredfound that out. My husband said he went to the club three or four nights a weekto play bridge. Fred knows one of the members, and said something about Charlesbeing a great bridge-player. The man was surprised. He said he'd never evenseen Charles in the card-room. It's quite clear now that when I thought Charleswas at his club he was with her. "

“他好象一直很喜欢这两个孩子。即使他对我厌倦了，我不理解他怎么会忍心把孩子也抛弃了。这一切简直令人不能置信。到了今天我也不能相信这会是真事。”

最后她把他写来的信拿出来给我看。我本来就有些好奇，可是一直没敢大胆提出来。

亲爱的阿美：

我想你会发现家中一切都已安排好。你嘱咐安妮的事我都已转告她。你同孩子到家以后晚饭会给你们准备好。我将不能迎接你们了。我已决心同你分居另过，明晨我就去巴黎。这封信我等到巴黎后再发出。我不回来了。我的决定不能更改了。

永远是你的，查理斯·思特里克兰德

“没有一句解释的话，也丝毫没有表示歉仄不安。你是不是觉得这人太没有人性了？”

“在这种情况下这封信是很奇怪，”我回答。

“只有一个解释，那就是他人已经变了。我不知道是哪个女人把他抓在手掌里，但是她肯定把他变成另外一个人了。事情非常清楚，这件事已经进行了很长一段时间了。”

“你这么想有什么根据？”

“弗雷德已经发现了。我丈夫总是说每星期他要去俱乐部打三四个晚上桥牌。弗雷德认识那个俱乐部的一个会员，有一次同他说起查理斯喜欢打桥牌的事。这个人非常惊讶，他说他从来没有在玩牌的屋子看见过查理斯。这就非常清楚了，我以为查理斯在俱乐部的时间，实际上他是在同那个女人厮混。”

"It wasall so unexpected, " she said. "We'd been married seventeen years. Isever dreamed that Charlie was the sort of man to get infatuated with anyone.We always got on very well together. Of course, I had a great many intereststhat he didn't share. "

"Have youfound out who" -- I did not quite know how to express myself -- "whothe person, who it is he's gone away with?"

"No. Noone seems to have an idea. It's so strange. Generally when a man falls in lovewith someone people see them about together, lunching or something, and herfriends always come and tell the wife. I had no warning -- nothing. His lettercame like a thunderbolt. I thought he was perfectly happy. "

She began tocry, poor thing, and I felt very sorry for her. But in a little while she grewcalmer.

"It's nogood making a fool of myself, " she said, drying her eyes. "The onlything is to decide what is the best thing to do. "

She went on,talking somewhat at random, now of the recent past, then of their first meetingand their marriage; but presently I began to form a fairly coherent picture oftheir lives; and it seemed to me that my surmises had not been incorrect. Mrs.Strickland was the daughter of an Indian civilian, who on his retirement hadsettled in the depths of the country, but it was his habit every August to takehis family to Eastbourne for change of air; and it was here, when she wastwenty, that she met Charles Strickland. He was twenty-three. They playedtogether, walked on the front together, listened together to the niggerminstrels; and she had made up her mind to accept him a week before he proposedto her. They lived in London, first in Hampstead, and then, as he grew moreprosperous, in town. Two children were born to them.

“这么突如其来，”她说，“我们结婚十六年了，我做梦也没想到查理斯是这样一个人，会迷上了什么人。我们相处得一直很好。当然了，我有许多兴趣爱好与他不同。”

“你发现没发现是什么人，”——我不知道该怎样措词——“那人是谁，同他一起走的？”

“没有。好象谁都不知道。太奇怪了。在一般情况下，男人如果同什么人有了爱情的事，总会被人看到，出去吃饭啊什么的。做妻子的总有几个朋友来把这些事告诉她。我却没有接到警告——没有任何警告。他的信对我好象是晴天霹雳。我还以为他一直生活得很幸福呢。”

她开始哭起来，可怜的女人，我很替她难过。但是没有过一会儿她又逐渐平静下来。

“不该让人家拿我当笑话看，”她擦了擦眼睛说，“唯一要做的事是从速决定到底该怎么办。”

她继续说下去，有些语无伦次；一会儿说刚过去不久的事，一会儿又说起他们初次相遇和结婚的事。但是这样一来他俩的生活在我的脑子里倒逐渐形成了一幅相当清晰的图画。我觉得我过去的臆测还是正确的，思特里克兰德太太的父亲在印度当过文职官吏，退休以后定居到英国偏远的乡间，但每年八月他总要带着一家老小到伊思特堡恩去换一换环境。她就是在那里认识了查理斯·思特里克兰德的。那一年她二十岁，思特里克兰德二十三岁。他们一起打网球，在滨海大路上散步，听黑人流浪歌手唱歌。在他正式提出以前一个星期她已经决心接受他的求婚了。他们在伦敦定居下来，开始时住在汉普斯台德区，后来他们的生活逐渐富裕起来，便搬到市区里来。他们有两个孩子。

"I thinkit's rather an advantage that he doesn't know you. You see, he never reallyliked Fred; he thought him a fool; he didn't understand soldiers. Fred wouldfly into a passion, and there'd be a quarrel, and things would be worse insteadof better. If you said you came on my behalf, he couldn't refuse to listen toyou. "

"I haven'tknown you very long, " I answered. "I don't see how anyone can beexpected to tackle a case like this unless he knows all the details. I don'twant to pry into what doesn't concern me. Why don't you go and see himyourself?"

"Youforget he isn't alone. "

I held mytongue. I saw myself calling on Charles Strickland and sending in my card; Isaw him come into the room, holding it between finger and thumb:

"To whatdo I owe this honour?"

"I've cometo see you about your wife. "

"Really.When you are a little older you will doubtless learn the advantage of mindingyour own business. If you will be so good as to turn your head slightly to theleft, you will see the door. I wish you good-afternoon. "

I foresaw thatit would be difficult to make my exit with dignity, and I wished to goodnessthat I had not returned to London till Mrs. Strickland had composed herdifficulties. I stole a glance at her. She was immersed in thought. Presentlyshe looked up at me, sighed deeply, and smiled.

“我认为他不认识你反而有利。你知道，他从来也不喜欢弗雷德。他认为弗雷德是个傻瓜。他不了解军人。弗雷德会大发雷霆。两个人大吵一顿，事情不但办不好，反而会更糟。如果你对他说你是代表我去的，他不会拒绝你同他谈谈的。”

“我同你们认识的时间不长，”我回答说。“除非了解全部详细情况，这种事是很难处理的。我不愿意打探同我自己没有关系的事。为什么你不自己去看看他呢？”

“你忘记了，他在那里不是一个人。”

我没有说什么。我想到我去拜访查理斯·思特里克兰德，递上我的名片，我想到他走进屋子里来，用两个指头捏着我的名片。

“您有什么贵干？”

“我来同您谈谈您太太的事。”

“是吗？当您年纪再长几岁的时候，肯定就会懂得不该管别人的闲事了。如果您把头稍微向左转一转，您会看到那里有一扇门。再见。”

可以预见，走出来的时候我很难保持尊严体面。我真希望晚回伦敦几天，等到思特里克兰德太太料理好这件事以后再回来。我偷偷地看了她一眼。她正陷入沉思里。但是她马上就把头抬起来看着我，叹了一口气，笑了一下。

A day or twolater Mrs. Strickland sent me round a note asking if I could go and see herthat evening after dinner. I found her alone. Her black dress, simple toausterity, suggested her bereaved condition, and I was innocently astonishedthat notwithstanding a real emotion she was able to dress the part she had toplay according to her notions of seemliness.

"You saidthat if I wanted you to do anything you wouldn't mind doing it, " sheremarked.

"It wasquite true. "

"Will yougo over to Paris and see Charlie?"

"I?"

I was takenaback. I reflected that I had only seen him once. I did not know what shewanted me to do.

"Fred isset on going. " Fred was Colonel MacAndrew. "But I'm sure he's notthe man to go. He'll only make things worse. I don't know who else to ask."

Her voicetrembled a little, and I felt a brute even to hesitate.

"But I'venot spoken ten words to your husband. He doesn't know me. He'll probably justtell me to go to the devil. "

"Thatwouldn't hurt you, " said Mrs. Strickland, smiling.

"What isit exactly you want me to do?"

She did notanswer directly.

没过一两天，思特里克兰德太太给我寄来一封短信，叫我当天晚上到她家去一趟。我发现只有她一个人在家。她穿着一身黑衣服，朴素得近乎严肃，使人想到她遭遇的不幸。尽管她悲痛的感情是真实的，却没忘记使自己的衣着合乎她脑子里的礼规叫她扮演的角色。我当时不谙世故，感到非常吃惊。

“你说过，要是我有事求你，你乐于帮忙，”她开口说。

“一点儿不错。”

“那么你愿意不愿意到巴黎去看看思特里克兰德是怎么个情况？”

“我？”

我吓了一跳。我想到自己只见过思特里克兰德一面。我不知道她想叫我去办什么事。

“弗雷德决心要去。”弗雷德就是麦克安德鲁上校。“但是我知道他肯定不是办这种事的人。他只会把事弄得更糟。我不知道该求谁去。”

她的声音有些颤抖，我觉得哪怕我稍微犹豫一下，也显得大没有心肝了。

“可是我同你丈夫说过不到十句话。他不认识我。没准儿他一句话就把我打发走了。”

“这对你也没有损害，”思特里克兰德太太笑着说。

“你究竟想叫我去做什么事？”

她并没有直接回答我的问话。

ColonelMacAndrew had a very sketchy knowledge of business matters, and I had none atall, so I did not quite understand under what conditions Strickland had lefthis affairs. I gathered that the deserted partner was very angry and threatenedproceedings. It appeared that when everything was settled he would be four orfive hundred pounds out of pocket.

"It'slucky the furniture in the flat is in Amy's name. She'll have that at allevents. "

"Did youmean it when you said she wouldn't have a job?"

"Of courseI did. She's got two or three hundred pounds and the furniture. "

"But howis she going to live?"

"Godknows. "

The affairseemed to grow more complicated, and the Colonel, with his expletives and hisindignation, confused rather than informed me. I was glad that, catching sightof the clock at the Army and Navy Stores, he remembered an engagement to playcards at his club, and so left me to cut across St. James Park.

麦克安德鲁上校对证券交易的事不太内行，我更是一窍不通，因此我不太清楚思特里克兰德是在什么情况下退出了他经营的交易。我得到的印象是，被他中途甩开的合股人气得要命，威胁说要提出诉讼。看来一切都安排妥善后，这个人的腰包要损失四五百镑钱。

“幸而住房的全套家具都是写在阿美名下的。不管怎么说这些东西她还都能落下。”

“刚才你说她一个便士也没有是真实情况吗？”

“当然是真的。她手头就只有两三百镑钱和那些家具。”

“那她怎样生活呢？”

“天晓得。”

事情变得更加复杂了，再加上上校火冒三丈，骂骂咧咧，不但不能把事情讲清楚，反而叫我越听越糊涂。我很高兴，在他看到陆海军商店上面的大钟的时候，突然记起他要到俱乐部玩牌的约会来。他同我分了手，穿过圣杰姆斯公园往另一个方向走去了。