4.Tildy’s Moment
4.提尔蒂的一时风光
Bogle’s Family Restaurant on Eighth Avenue is not a famous place, but if you need a large cheap meal, then Bogle’s is the place for you.
第八大道上的博格尔家庭餐厅虽不出名，但如果你想吃一顿量大又便宜的饭，那里就是你的好去处。
There are twelve tables in the room, six on each side.
餐厅里有十二张桌子，两边各六张。
Bogle himself sits at the desk by the door and takes the money.
博格尔本人坐在门口的桌旁负责收钱。
There are also two waitresses and a Voice. The Voice comes from the kitchen.
店里还有两名女服务员和一个“声音”，那声音来自厨房。
At the time of my story, one of the waitresses was called Aileen. She was tall, beautiful and full of life.
在我讲这个故事的时候，其中一位女服务员叫艾琳，她身材高挑、美丽且充满活力。
The name of the other waitress was Tildy. She was small, fat and was not beautiful.
另一位女服务员名叫蒂尔迪，她个子矮小、肥胖，长相也不漂亮。
Most of the people who came to eat at Bogle’s were men, and they loved the beautiful Aileen.
来博格尔餐厅吃饭的大多是男人，他们都喜欢美丽的艾琳。
They were happy to wait a long time for their meals because they could look at her.
他们乐意为了用餐等上很长时间，因为这样可以看着她。
Aileen knew how to hold a conversation with twelve people and work hard at the same time.
艾琳懂得如何同时与十二个人交谈并忙碌地工作。
And all the men wanted to take Aileen dancing or give her presents. One gave her a gold ring and one gave her a little dog.
所有的男人都想带艾琳去跳舞或送她礼物，有人送了她一枚金戒指，还有人送了她一只小狗。
And poor Tildy?
而可怜的蒂尔迪呢？
In the busy, noisy restaurant men’s eyes did not follow Tildy. Nobody laughed and talked with her.
在繁忙喧闹的餐厅里，男人们的目光不会停留在蒂尔迪身上，没人和她说笑聊天。
Nobody asked her to go dancing, and nobody gave her presents.
没人请她去跳舞，也没人送她礼物。
She was a good waitress, but when she stood by the tables, the men looked round her to see Aileen.
她是个好服务员，但当她站在桌边时，男人们总是越过她去看艾琳。
But Tildy was happy to work with no thanks, she was happy to see the men with Aileen, she was happy to know that the men loved Aileen.
但蒂尔迪乐于默默工作不求感谢，乐于看到男人们围着艾琳，也乐于知道男人们爱慕艾琳。
She was Aileen’s friend. But deep inside, she, too, wanted a man to love her.
她是艾琳的朋友，但在内心深处，她也渴望有个男人爱她。
Tildy listened to all Aileen’s stories. One day Aileen came in with a black eye.
蒂尔迪倾听着艾琳的所有故事。有一天，艾琳顶着一只乌青的眼眶来上班。
A man hit her because she did want to kiss him. ‘How wonderful to have a black eye for love!’ Tildy thought.
一个男人因为她不愿吻他而打了她。“为了爱情挨上一拳留下乌眼青，多么美妙啊！”蒂尔迪心想。
One of the men who came to Bogle’s was a young man called Mr Seeders. He was a small, thin man, and he worked in an office.
来博格尔餐厅的客人中有一位叫西德斯先生的年轻人，他身材瘦小，在办公室工作。
He knew that Aileen was not interested in him, so he sat at one of Tildy’s tables, said nothing, and ate his fish.
他知道艾琳对他不感兴趣，所以就坐在蒂尔迪负责的桌旁，一言不发地吃他的鱼。
One day when Mr Seeders came in for his meal, he drank too much beer.
有一天西德斯先生来吃饭时喝多了啤酒。
He finished his fish, got up, put his arm round Tildy, kissed her loudly, and walked out of the restaurant.
他吃完鱼站起身，搂住蒂尔迪响亮地亲了一口，然后走出了餐厅。
For a few seconds Tildy just stood there. Then Aileen said to her, ‘Why, Tildy! You bad girl! I must watch you. I don’t want to lose my men to you!’
蒂尔迪愣在那里几秒钟，随后艾琳对她说：“哎呀，蒂尔迪！你这个小坏蛋！我得盯着你了，我可不想让我的男人们被你抢走！”
Suddenly Tildy’s world changed. She understood now that men could like her and want her as much as Aileen.
突然间，蒂尔迪的世界变了，她现在明白男人也可以像喜欢艾琳那样喜欢她、需要她。
She, Tildy, could have a love-life, too. Her eyes were bright, and her face was pink.
她，蒂尔迪，也可以拥有爱情生活了。她的眼睛明亮起来，脸颊泛起了红晕。
She wanted to tell everybody her secret. When the restaurant was quiet, she went and stood by Bogle’s desk.
她想把她的秘密告诉所有人。趁餐厅安静下来时，她走到博格尔的桌旁站定。
‘Do you know what a man in the restaurant did to me today?’ she said. ‘He put his arm round me and he kissed me!’
“你知道今天餐厅里有个男人对我做了什么吗？”她说，“他搂了我还亲了我！”
‘Really!’ Bogle answered. This was good for business. ‘Next week you’ll get a dollar a week more.’
“真的吗！”博格尔回答道，这对生意有好处，“下周起你每周加薪一美元。”
And when, in the evening, the restaurant was busy again, Tildy put down the food on the tables and said quietly, ‘Do you know what a man in the restaurant did to me today? He put his arm round me and kissed me!’
到了晚上餐厅再次忙碌起来时，蒂尔迪把食物放到桌上，轻声说道：“你知道今天餐厅里有个男人对我做了什么吗？他搂了我还亲了我！”
Some of the men in the restaurant were surprised; some of them said, ‘Well done!’ Men began to smile and say nice things to her. Tildy was very happy. Love was now possible in her grey life.
餐厅里的一些男人很惊讶，有些人还说：“干得漂亮！”男人们开始对她微笑并说好听的话。蒂尔迪非常开心，她那灰暗的生活中如今也有了爱情的可能。
For two days Mr Seeders did not come again, and in that time Tildy was a different woman.
接下来的两天西德斯先生没有再来，在这段时间里蒂尔迪仿佛变了一个人。
She wore bright clothes, did her hair differently, and she looked taller and thinner. Now she was a real woman because someone loved her.
她穿上了鲜艳的衣服，换了发型，看起来更高更瘦了。现在她成了一个真正的女人，因为有人爱她了。
She felt excited, and a little afraid. What would Mr Seeders do the next time he came in?
她感到兴奋又有些害怕，西德斯先生下次来的时候会怎么做呢？
At four o’clock in the afternoon of the third day, Mr Seeders came in. There were no people at the tables, and Aileen and Tildy were working at the back of the restaurant. Mr Seeders walked up to them.
第三天下午四点，西德斯先生来了。桌旁没有客人，艾琳和蒂尔迪正在餐厅后面干活，西德斯先生朝她们走了过去。
Tildy looked at him, and she could not speak. Mr Seeders’ face was very red, and he looked uncomfortable.
蒂尔迪看着他，说不出话来。西德斯先生脸涨得通红，显得很不自在。
‘Miss Tildy,’ he said, ‘I want to say that I’m sorry for what I did to you a few days ago. It was the drink, you see. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m very sorry.’
“蒂尔迪小姐，”他说，“我想为几天前对你做的事道歉。你看，都是酒精惹的祸，我当时不知道自己做了什么，真的很抱歉。”
And Mr Seeders left.
说完西德斯先生就离开了。
But Tildy ran into the kitchen, and she began to cry. She could not stop crying.
蒂尔迪跑进厨房哭了起来，怎么也停不下来。
She was no longer beautiful. No man loved her. No man wanted her. The kiss meant nothing to Mr Seeders.
她不再美丽了，没有男人爱她，也没有男人想要她了。那个吻对西德斯先生来说毫无意义。
Tildy did not like him very much, but the kiss was important to her — and now there was nothing.
蒂尔迪并不怎么喜欢他，但那个吻对她很重要——而现在什么都没了。
But she still had her friend, and Aileen put her arm round Tildy. Aileen did not really understand, but she said, ‘Don’t be unhappy, Tildy. That little Seeders has got a face like a dead potato! He’s nothing. A real man never says sorry!’
但她还有朋友，艾琳搂住了蒂尔迪。艾琳其实并不完全理解，但她安慰道：“别难过，蒂尔迪。那个小个子西德斯长得像个死土豆！他算什么东西。真正的男人从不道歉！”
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