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肿徘昂笞笥业囊磺谐怂钠拮又狻Ｋ叩搅颂滥飞肀摺�
“I want to see you；” said Tom intently。 “Get on the next train。” 〃我要见你，〃汤姆热切地说道，〃搭下一班火车。〃
“All right。” 〃好吧。〃
“I’ll meet you by the newsstand on the lower level。” She nodded and moved away from him just as George Wilson emerged with two chairs from his office door。 〃我在车站下层的报摊旁边等你。〃她点点头就从他身边走开，正赶上威尔逊从办公室里搬了两张椅子出来。
We waited for her down the road and out of sight。 It was a few days before the Fourth of July； and a gray； scrawny Italian child was setting torpedoes in a row along the railroad track。 我们在公路上没人看见的地方等她。再过几天就是七月四号①了，因此有一个灰蒙蒙的、骨瘦如柴的意大利小孩沿着铁轨在点放一排〃鱼雷炮〃。 ①美国独立纪念日。
“Terrible place； isn’t it；” said Tom； exchanging a frown with Doctor Eckleburg。 〃多可怕的地方，是不是！〃汤姆说，同时皱起眉头看着埃克尔堡大夫。
“Awful。” 〃糟透了。〃
“It does her good to get away。” 〃换换环境对她有好处。〃
“Doesn’t her husband object？” 〃她丈夫没意见吗？〃
“Wilson？ He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York。 He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive。” 〃威尔逊？他以为她是到纽约去看她妹妹。他蠢得要命，连自己活着都不知道。〃
So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York—or not quite together； for Mrs。 Wilson sat discreetly in another car。 Tom deferred that much to the sensibilities of those East Eggers who might be on the train。 就这样，汤姆？布坎农和他的情人还有我，三人一同上纽约去…或许不能说一同去，因为威尔逊太太很识相，她坐在另一节车厢里。汤姆做了这一点让步，以免引起可能在这趟车上的那些东卵人的反感。
She had changed her dress to a brown figured muslin； which stretched tight over her rather wide hips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York。 At the newsstand she bought a copy of TOWN TATTLE。 and a movingpicture magazine； and in the station drugstore some cold cream and a small flask of perfume。 Upstairs； in the solemn echoing drive she let four taxicabs drive away before she selected a new one； lavendercolored with gray upholstery； and in this we slid out from the mass of the station into the glowing sunshine。 But immediately she turned sharply from the window and； leaning forward； tapped on the front glass。 她已经换上了一件棕色花布连衣裙，到了纽约汤姆扶她下车时那裙子紧紧地绷在她那肥阔的臀部上。她在报摊上买了一份《纽约闲话》和一本电影杂志，又在车站药店①里买了一瓶冷霜和一小瓶香水。在楼上，在那阴沉沉的、有回音的车道里，她放过了四辆出租汽车，然后才选中了一辆新车，车身是淡紫色的，里面坐垫是灰色的。我们坐着这辆车子驶出庞大的车站，开进灿烂的阳光里。可是马上她又猛然把头从车窗前掉过来，身子向前一探，敲敲前面的玻璃。①美国药店兼售糖果、香烟、饮料及其他杂货。
“I want to get one of those dogs；” she said earnestly。 “I want to get one for the apartment。 They’re nice to have—a dog。” 〃我要买一只那样的小狗。〃她热切地说，〃我要买一只养在公寓里。怪有意思的养只狗。〃
We backed up to a gray old man who bore an absurd resemblance to John D。 Rockefeller。 In a basket swung from his neck cowered a dozen very recent puppies of an indeterminate breed。 我们的车子倒退到一个白头发老头跟前，他长得活像约翰？D？洛克菲勒①，真有点滑稽。他脖子上挂着一个篮子，里面蹲着十几条新出世的、难以确定品种的小狗崽子。 ①美国石油大王，亿万富翁。
“What kind are they？” asked Mrs。 Wilson eagerly； as he came to the taxiwindow。 〃它们是什么种？〃威尔逊太太等老头走到出租汽车窗口就急着问道。
“All kinds。 What kind do you want； lady？” 〃各种都有。你要哪一种，太太？〃
“I’d like to get one of those police dogs； I don’t suppose you got that kind？” 〃我想要一条警犬。我看你不一定有那一种吧？〃
The man peered doubtfully into the basket； plunged in his hand and drew one up； wriggling； by the back of the neck。 老头怀疑地向竹篮于里望望，伸手进去捏着颈皮拎起一只来，小狗身子直扭。
“That’s no police dog；” said Tom。 〃这又不是警犬。〃汤姆说。
“No； it’s not exactly a polICE dog；” said the man with disappointment in his voice。 “It’s more of an Airedale。” He passed his hand over the brown washrag of a back。 “Look at that coat。 Some coat。 That’s a dog that’ll never bother you with catching cold。” 〃不是，这不一定是警犬，〃老头说，声音用流露出失望情绪，〃多半是一只硬毛猎狗。〃他的手抚摸着狗背上棕色毛巾似的皮毛。〃你瞧这个皮毛，很不错的皮毛，这条狗绝不会伤风感冒，给你找麻烦的。〃
“I think it’s cute；” said Mrs。 Wilson enthusiastically。 “How much is it？” 〃我觉得它真好玩，〃威尔逊太太热烈地说，〃多少钱？〃
“That dog？” He looked at it admiringly。 “That dog will cost you ten dollars。” 〃这只狗吗？〃老头用赞赏的神气看着它，〃这只狗要十美元。〃
The Airedale—undoubtedly there was an Airedale concerned in it somewhere； though its feet were startlingly white—changed hands and settled down into Mrs。 Wilson’s lap； where she fondled the weatherproof coat with rapture。 这只硬毛猎狗转了手…毫无疑问它的血统里不知什么地方跟硬毛猎狗有过关系，不过它的爪子却白得出奇①…随即安然躺进威尔逊太太的怀里。她欢大喜地地抚摸着那不怕伤风着凉的皮毛。①这种狗背上和两侧往往是黑色，其余部位是棕色。
“Is it a boy or a girl？” she asked delicately。 〃这是雄的还是雌的？〃她委婉地问。
“That dog？ That dog’s a boy。” 〃那只狗？那只狗是雄的。〃
“It’s a bitch；” said Tom decisively。 “Here’s your money。 Go and buy ten more dogs with it。” 〃是只母狗，〃汤姆斩钉截铁地说，〃给你钱。拿去再买十只狗。〃
We drove over to Fifth Avenue； so warm and soft； almost pastoral； on the summer Sunday afternoon that I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a great flock of white sheep turn the corner。 我们坐着车子来到五号路，在这夏天星期日的下午，空气又温暖又柔和，几乎有田园风味。即使看见一大群雪白的绵羊突然从街角拐出来，我也不会感到惊奇。
“Hold on；” I said； “I have to leave you here。” 〃停一下，〃我说，〃我得在这儿跟你们分手了。〃
“No； you don’t；” interposed Tom quickly。“Myrtle’ll be hurt if you don’t e up to the apartment。 Won’t you； Myrtle？” 〃不行，你不能走，〃汤姆连忙插话说，〃茉特尔要生气的，要是你不上公寓去。是不是，茉特尔？〃
“e on；” she urged。 “I’ll telephone my sister Catherine。 She’s said to be very beautiful by people who ought to know。” 〃来吧，〃她恳求我，〃我打电话叫我妹妹凯瑟琳来、很多有眼力的人都说她真漂亮。〃
“Well； I’d like to； but——” 〃呃，我很想来，可是。。。。。。〃
We went on； cutting back again over the Park toward the West Hundreds。 At 158th Street the cab stopped at one slice in a long white cake of apartmenthouses。 Throwing a regal homeing glance around the neighborhood； Mrs。 Wilson gathered up her dog and her other purchases； and went haughtily in。 我们继续前进，又掉头穿过中央公园，向西城一百多号街那边走。出租汽车在一五八号街一大排白色蛋糕似的公寓中的一幢前面停下。威尔逊太太向四周扫视一番，俨然一副皇后回宫的神气，一面捧起小狗和其他买来的东西，趾高气扬地走了进去。
“I’m going to have the McKees e up；” she announced as we rose in the elevator。 “And； of course； I got to call up my sister； too。” 〃我要把麦基夫妇请上来，〃我们乘电梯上楼时她宣布说，'当然，我还要打电话给我妹妹。〃
The apartment was on the top floor—a small livingroom； a small diningroom； a small bedroom； and a bath。 他们的一套房间在最高一层一间小起居室，一间小餐室，一间小卧室，还有一个洗澡间。
The livingroom was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it； so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles。 起居室给一套大得很不相称的织锦靠垫的家具挤得满满当当的，以至于要在室内走动就是不断地绊倒在法国仕女在凡尔赛宫的花园里打秋千的画面上。
The only picture was an overenlarged photograph； apparently a hen sitting on a blurred rock。 Looked at from a distance； however； the hen resolved itself into a bon； and the countenance of a stout old lady beamed down into the room。 墙上挂的唯一的画是一张放得特大的相片，乍一看是一只母鸡蹲在一块模糊的岩石上。可是，从远处看去，母鸡化为一顶女帽，一位胖老太太笑眯眯地俯视着屋子。
Several old copies of TOWN TATTLE。 lay on the table together with a copy of SIMON CALLED PETER； and some of the small scandal magazines of Broadway。 桌子上放着几份旧的《纽约闲话》，还有一本《名字叫彼得的西门》①以及两三本百老汇②的黄色小刊物。
Mrs。 Wilson was first concerned with the do