目 录 上一节 下一节 
他拼命忍住泪水，从我家里逃了出去，因为很难说他是走出去的。 I lifted the curtain at my window and saw him get into the cab which was waiting at the door; but he was hardly inside when he burst into tears and buried his face in his handkerchief. 我撩起窗帘，看到他登上了在门口等着他的轻便双轮马车。一进车厢，他的眼泪就不听使唤了。他拿起手帕掩面痛哭起来。 A CONSIDERABLE time elapsed without my hearing a word about Armand, but on the other hand the subject of Marguerite had come up a great deal. 有很长一段时间阿尔芒杳无音讯，而玛格丽特倒经常有人提起。 I do not know if you have noticed, but it only takes the name of someone who should in all likelihood have remained unknown or at least of no particular interest to you, to be pronounced once in your hearing, for all sorts of details to collect round that name, and for you then to have all your friends speak about a subject of which they had never spoken to you before. Next thing, you discover that the person in question was there, just out of range, all the while. You realize that your paths have crossed many times without your noticing, and you find in the events which others recount some tangible link or affinity with certain events in your own past. I had not quite reached that point with Marguerite, since I had seen her, met her, knew her by her face and habits. Yet ever since the auction, her name had cropped up so frequently in my hearing and, in the circumstances which I have related in the previous chapter, her name had become associated with sorrow so profound, that my surprise had gone on growing and my curiosity had increased. 我不知道您可曾有过这样的感觉：一个看来跟您素不相识或者至少是毫无关系的人，一旦有人在您面前提到他的姓名，跟这个人有关的各种琐闻就会慢慢地汇集拢来，您的三朋四友也都会来和您谈起他们从来也没有跟您谈过的事，您几乎就会觉得这个人仿佛就在您的身边。您会发现，在您的生活里，这个人曾屡次出现过，只不过没有引起您的注意罢了。您会在别人讲给您听的那些事情里面找到和您自己生活中的某些经历相吻合、相一致的东西。我跟玛格丽特倒并非如此，因为 曾经看见过她，遇到过她。我还记得她的容貌，知道她的习惯。不过，自从那次拍卖以后，我就经常听见有人提到她的名字。我在前一章中曾提到这种情况，这个名字与一个极其巨大的悲痛牵扯在一起。因此我越来越感到诧异，好奇心也越来越重了。 The result was that now I never approached any friends, with whom I had never spoken of Marguerite, without saying: 过去，我从来也没有跟朋友们谈到过玛格丽特；现在，我一碰到他们就问： 
“您认识一个名字叫玛格丽特·戈蒂埃的女人吗？” 'The Lady of the Camellias?' “茶花女吗？” 'That's her.' “就是她。” 'Rather!' “熟悉得很！” These 'Rather!'sometimes came with smiles which left no possible doubt as to their meaning. “熟悉得很！”他们说这句话的时候，有时脸上还带着那种含义显而易见的微笑。 
“那么，这个姑娘怎么样？”我继续问道。 'A very decent sort. ' “一个好姑娘。” 'Is that all? ' “就这些吗？” 'Heavens! I should hope so. A few more brains and perhaps a bit more heart than the rest of them. ' “我的天！是啊，比别的姑娘聪明一些，可能比她们更善良一些。” 'But you know nothing particular about her? ' “您一点也不知道她有什么特别的事吗？” 
“她曾经使G男爵倾家荡产。” 'Anyone else?' “就这一点吗？” 'She was the mistress of the old Duke de.' “她还做过……老公爵的情妇。” 'Was she really his mistress?' “她真的是他的情妇吗？” 'That's what they say: at any rate, he gave her a great deal of money.' “大家都是这么说的，不管怎么说，那老公爵给过她很多钱。” 
听到的总是那一套泛泛之谈。 But I would have been interested to learn a little about the affair between Marguerite and Armand. 然而，我非常渴望知道一些关于玛格丽特和阿尔芒之间的事。 One day, I chanced upon one of those men who live habitually on intimate terms with the most notorious courtesans. I questioned him. 一天，我遇到了一个人。这个人和那些风月场中的名媛过从甚密。我问她： 'Did you know Marguerite Gautier?' “您认识玛格丽特·戈蒂埃吗？” The answer was that same 'Rather!' 回答又是“熟悉得很”。 
“她是个怎么样的姑娘？” 'A fine-looking, good-hearted type. Her death was a great sadness to me.' “一个美丽善良的姑娘。她死了，我挺难过。” 'She had a lover called Armand Duval, didn't she?' “她有没有一个叫阿尔芒·迪瓦尔的情人？” 'Tall chap with fair hair?' “一个金黄头发的高个儿吗？” 'That's him.' “是啊！” 
“有这么个人。” 'And what was this Armand like?' “阿尔芒是个怎么样的人？” 'A young fellow who threw away the little he had on her, I believe, and was forced to give her up. They say it affected his reason.' “一个年轻人，我相信他把自己仅有的一点儿钱和玛格丽特两人一起花光了，后来他不得不离开了她。据说他几乎为她发了疯。” 'What about her?' “那么玛格丽特呢？” 'She loved him very much too, they also say, but as girls of her sort love. You should never ask more of them than they can give.' “她也非常爱他，大家一直这么说。不过这种爱就像那些姑娘们的爱一样，总不能向她们要求她们没法给的东西吧。” 
“后来阿尔芒怎么样了？” 'Couldn't say. We didn't know him all that well. He stayed five or six months with Marguerite, in the country. When she came back to town, he went off somewhere.' “我一无所知。我们跟他不熟。他和玛格丽特在乡下同居了五六个月。不过那是在乡下，她回到巴黎时，他就走了。” 'And you haven't seen him since?' “以后您就没有看见过他吗？” 'Never.' “没有。” I had not seen Armand again either. I had begun to wonder if, the day he called on me, the recent news of Marguerite's death had not exaggerated the love he had once felt for her and therefore his grief, and I told myself that perhaps, in forgetting the dead girl, he had also forgotten his promise to return to see me. 我也没有再看见过阿尔芒。我甚至在寻思，他来我家，是不是因为他知道了玛格丽特刚才死去的消息而勾起了旧情，因此才格外悲伤。我思忖他也许早就把再来看我的诺言随同死者一起抛到九霄云外去了。 
对别人来说很可能如此，可是阿尔芒不会。他当时那种悲痛欲绝的声调是非常真诚的。因此我从这一个极端又想到了另外一个极端，我想阿尔芒一定是哀伤成疾，我得不到他的消息，是因为他病了，兴许已经死了。
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