Muriel Spark - The Girls of Slender Means (Excerpt) 汉译

The gong was about to sound quite soon. Anne kicked her cigarette-stub into a dark corner. Greggie called over her shoulder, “Anne, here comes your boy-friend.” “On time, for once,” said Anne, with the same pretence of scorn that she had adopted when referring to her brother Geoffrey: “Geoffrey would be the last person I would consult.” She moved, with her casual hips, towards the door. A squarebuilt high-colred young man in the uniform of an English captain came smiling in. Anne stood regarding him as if he was the last person in the world she would consult. “Good evening,” he said to Greggie as a well-brought-up man would naturally in the doorway. He made a vague nasal noise of recognition to Anne, which if properly pronounced would have been “Hallo”. She said nothing at all by way of greeting. They were nearly engaged to be married. “Like to come in and see the drawing room wallpaper?” Anne said then. “No, let’s get cracking.” Anne went to get her coat off the banister where she had slung it. He was saying to Greggie, “Lovely evening, isn’t it?” Anne returned with her coat slung over her shoulder. “Bye, Greggie,” she said. “Goodbye,” said the soldier. Anne took his arm. “Have a nice time,” Greggie said. The dinner-gone sounded and there was a scuffle of feet departing from the notice-board and a scamper of feet from the floors above.

吃饭的铃子很快就要响了。安把她吸剩的香烟头，使劲地仍在那暗角上去。格雷琪回过头来叫道：“安，你的男朋友来了。”“这次总算是准时来的，”安说，带着假装的轻蔑，正好像她提到她哥哥时所表示的一样：“我是决不会去找乔匆莱商量的。”她移动了，照常无意识地扭着屁股，向门口走去。一个穿着英国陆军上尉的制服，身体结实，活力充沛的青年，含笑走进来了。安站在那儿把他看做是这世界上她绝不会去找他商量的人似的。“您晚上好。”他对格雷琪说，凡是一个有教养的人，一进门来，见到年长的人自然这样说的。他发出含糊的鼻音来对安招呼了一下，如果要用正规的发言来说时，那便是“哈罗”了。作为应酬的话，她什么也没有说，他们快要订婚了。“你高兴进来看看客厅里的糊壁纸么？”安于是这样说。“不必啦，我们还是马上就走吧。”安走去栏杆边取她的上衣，她早些时候把它掷在那上面的。那军人对格雷琪说：“真是一个可爱的夜晚呀。”安转来了，把她的上衣挂在肩上。“格雷琪，回头见。”她说。“再会。”那军人说，安挽着他的手走了。“希望你们玩的痛快。”格雷琪说。吃饭的铃子终于响了，只听见离开公告牌一阵混乱的脚步声，和从上面楼板上发出的疾走的足音。