目 录 上一节 下一节 
可是，我想认识她；这是要知道她是怎样的一个人的方法，而且还是唯一的方法。 So I told my friend that I insisted that she should give her permission for him to introduce me, and I loitered in the corridors, reflecting that any moment now she would see me and that I should not know what sort of expression to assume when she looked at me. 于是我对朋友说，我一定要他先征得玛格丽特的同意以后，再把我介绍给她。我独自在走廊里踱来踱去，脑子里在想着，她就要看到我了，而我还不知道在她的注视之下应该采取什么态度。 I tried to string together in advance the words I would speak to her. 我尽量把我要对她说的话事先考虑好。 What sublime nonsense love is! 爱情是多么纯洁，多么天真无邪啊！ A moment later, my friend came down again. 过不多久，我的朋友下来了。 
“她等着我们，”他对我说。 'Is she along?' I asked. “她只有一个人吗？”我问道。 'She's with another woman.' “有一个女伴。” 'There aren't any men?' “没有男人吗？” 'No.' “没有。” 
“我们去吧。” My friend made for the theater exit. 我的朋友向剧场的大门走去。 'Hold on, it's not that way, ' I said to him. “喂，不是从那儿走的呀，”我对他说。 'We're going to buy some sweets. She asked for some.' “我们去买些蜜饯，是玛格丽特刚才向我要的。” We went into a confectioner's in the galleries of the Passage de l'Opera. 我们走进了开设在剧场过道上的一个糖果铺。 
我真想把整个铺子都买下来。正在我观看可以买些什么东西装进袋子的时候，我的朋友开口了： 'A pound of sugared raisins.' “糖渍葡萄一斤。” 'Are you sure she likes them?' “您知道她爱吃这个吗？” 'She never eats any other kind of sweets, it's a well-known fact.' “她从来不吃别的蜜饯，这是出了名的。” When we were outside, he went on: 'Now then. Have you any idea what sort of woman I am about to introduce you to? Don't imagine you'll be meeting a duchess, she's just a kept woman ?none more kept, my dear fellow. Don't be shy, just say whatever comes into your head.' “啊！”当我们走出店铺时他接着说，“您知道我要把您介绍给一个什么样的女人？您别以为是把您介绍给一位公爵夫人，她不过是一个妓女罢了，一个地地道道的妓女。亲爱的，您不必拘束，想到什么就说什么好啦。” 
“好吧，好吧，”我嘟嘟囔囔地说。我跟在朋友的后面走着，心里却在想，我的热情看来要冷下去了。 When I stepped into her box, Marguerite was laughing uproariously. 当我走进包厢的时候，玛格丽特放声大笑。 I would have preferred her to be sad. 我倒是愿意看到她愁眉苦脸。 My friend introduced me. Marguerite inclined her head slightly and said: 我的朋友把我介绍给她，玛格丽特对我微微点了点头，接着就说： 'Where are my sweets?' “那么我的蜜饯呢？” 
“在这儿。” As she took them, she looked straight at me. I lowered my eyes and blushed. 在拿蜜饯的时候，她对我望了望，我垂下眼睛，脸涨得绯红。 She leaned across, whispered something into her companion's ear, and both of them burst out laughing. 她俯身在她邻座那个女人的耳边轻轻地说了几句话，随后两个人都放声大笑起来。 It was only too obvious that I was the cause of their mirth: my embarrassment deepened as a result. At the time, I had as a mistress a little middle-class girl, very loving, very cloying, who made me laugh with her sentimentality and sad billets-doux. I realized how much I must have hurt her by the hurt I now felt and, for the space of five minutes, I loved her as never woman was loved. 不用说是我成了她们的笑柄；我发窘的模样更加让她们笑个不停。那时我本来就有一个情妇，她是一个小家碧玉，温柔而多情。她那多情的性格和她伤感的情书经常使我发笑。由于我这时的感受，我终于懂得了我从前对她的态度一定使她非常痛苦，因此有五分钟之久我爱她就像一个从未爱过任何女人的人一样。 Marguerite ate her raisins without paying any further attention to me. 玛格丽特吃着糖渍葡萄不再理我了。 
我的介绍人不愿意让我陷于这种尴尬可笑的境地。“玛格丽特，”他说，“如果迪瓦尔先生没有跟您讲话，您也不必感到奇怪。您把他弄得不知所措，他连该说什么话也不知道了。” 'I rather believe that this gentleman came here with you because you found it tiresome to come alone.' “我看您是因为一个人来觉得无聊才请这位先生陪来的。” 'Were that true, ' I said in turn, 'I would not have asked Ernest to obtain your leave to introduce me.' “如果真是这样的话，”我开口说话了，“那么我就不会请欧内斯特来，要求您同意把我介绍给您了。” 'Perhaps it was just a way of putting off the fatal moment.' “这很可能是一种拖延这个倒霉时刻的办法。” Anyone who has spent any time at all in the company of girls of Marguerite's sort is quite aware of what pleasure they take in making misplaced remarks and teasing men they meet for the first time. It is no doubt a way of levelling the scores for the humiliations which they are often forced to undergo at the hands of the men they see every day. 谁要是曾经跟玛格丽特那样的姑娘稍许有过一点往来，谁就会知道她们喜欢装疯卖傻，喜欢跟她们初次见面的人恶作剧。她们不得不忍受那些每天跟她们见面的人的侮辱，这无疑是对那些侮辱的一种报复。 
因此要对付她们，也要用她们圈内人的某种习惯，而这种习惯我是没有的；再说，我对玛格丽特原有的看法，使我对她的玩笑看得过于认真了，对这个女人的任何方面，我都不能无动于衷。因此我站了起来，带着一种难于掩饰的沮丧声调对她说： 'If that is what you think of me, Madame, all that remains for me is to ask you to forgive my indiscretion and to take my leave, assuring you that it will not happen again.' “如果您认为我是这样一个人的话，夫人，那么我只能请您原谅我的冒失，我不得不向您告辞，并向您保证我以后不会再这样卤莽了。” Thereupon, I bowed and left. 说完，我行了一个礼就出来了。 I had scarcely closed the door when I heard a third burst of laughter. I would dearly have wished for someone to try to elbow me out of his way at that moment. 我刚一关上包厢的门，就听到了第三次哄笑声。这时候我真希望有人来撞我一下。 I returned to my seat in the stalls. 我回到了我的座位上。 
这时候开幕锤敲响了。 Ernest rejoined me. 欧内斯特回到了我的身边。 'What a way to behave!' he said to me as he took his seat. 'They think you're mad.' “您是怎么搞的！”他一面坐下来一面对我说，“她们以为您疯了。”
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