The garden party
园会
They need not have worried. The weather was perfect—warm, and without a cloud in the sky. The gardener had been at work since dawn, cutting and brushing the lawns, until the green grass shone. And the roses—the roses were wonderful. Hundreds of flowers had opened during the night. You could almost believe that the roses knew about the garden party!
她们本不必担心。天气完美极了——温暖晴朗，万里无云。园丁从天亮就开始干活，修剪草坪，直到绿草油亮发光。还有那些玫瑰——玫瑰开得美极了。一夜之间，数百朵花竞相绽放。你几乎会相信，这些玫瑰也知道要举办花园派对似的！
While the Sheridan girls were having breakfast, the men came with the marquee.
谢里登家的姑娘们正在吃早餐时，工人们带着大帐篷来了。
‘Where shall we put the marquee, mother?’ asked Meg.
“妈妈，我们把帐篷搭在哪儿？”梅格问道。
‘My dear child, please don’t ask me. I’m determined to make you children organize everything this year. Forget that I am your mother. Pretend I’m one of your guests.’
“亲爱的孩子，别问我。我下定决心今年让你们自己来操办一切。忘掉我是你们的母亲吧。就把我当成你们的一位客人。”
But Meg could not possibly talk to the men. She had just washed her hair. Jose, as usual, wasn’t even dressed yet.
可是梅格没法去跟工人们交涉，她刚洗了头发。乔丝呢，照例连衣服都还没换好。
‘You’ll have to go, Laura. You’re the artistic one in this family.’
“劳拉，你得去。你是咱们家里最有艺术细胞的。”
Laura flew out of the house, still holding a piece bread and butter in her hand. Food always tasted delicious out of doors, and Laura loved arranging things. She always felt that she could do it better than anyone else.
劳拉飞奔出屋，手里还拿着一片黄油面包。在户外吃东西总是格外美味，而且劳拉喜欢张罗事情。她总觉得在这方面自己比谁都强。
Four men were waiting on the garden path. They were carrying big bags of tools, and looked very serious. Laura wished she had left her bread and butter in the house. She blushed, and tried to look business-like.
四个男人在花园小径上等着。他们扛着装满工具的大袋子，神情严肃。劳拉真希望刚才把面包留在屋里。她脸红了，努力装出一副干练的样子。
‘Good morning,’ she said, copying her mother’s voice. But it sounded so silly that she was ashamed, and asked, just like a little girl, ‘Oh, have you come—is it about the marquee?’
“早上好，”她模仿母亲的语调说道。可这声音听起来太可笑了，她不禁感到难为情，便像个小孩子一样问道：“哦，你们是来——搭帐篷的吗？”
‘That’s right, miss,’ said the tallest of the men. He pushed back his hat and smiled down at her.
“没错，小姐，”其中最高的那个男人说。他把帽子往后推了推，低头对她微笑。
His smile was so friendly that Laura felt better immediately. What nice eyes he had—small, but a lovely dark blue! All the men were smiling now. ‘Cheer up! We won’t bite!’ they seemed to be saying. How very nice workmen were! And what a beautiful morning! She mustn’t mention the morning; she must be business-like. The marquee.
他的笑容那么友善，劳拉顿时感觉好多了。他的眼睛多好看啊——虽不大，却是可爱的深蓝色！现在所有的工人都笑了起来。“开心点！我们又不咬人！”他们的笑容仿佛在说。工人们真是太好了！这个早晨也真美！但她不能提什么早晨不早晨的；她得表现得像个办事的人。谈帐篷的事。
‘Well, shall we put it on the lawn over there?’
“嗯，我们把帐篷搭在那边的草坪上好吗？”
She pointed with the hand that was not holding the bread and butter. They all turned and stared. The tall man frowned.
她用没拿面包的那只手指了指。大家都转过头盯着看。高个子男人皱起了眉头。
‘I don’t like it,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t notice it there. You see, with a thing like a marquee, you want it where it hits you—bang in the eye, as you might say.’
“我不喜欢那儿，”他说，“放在那里不起眼。你看，像帐篷这种东西，就得放在显眼的地方——用你的话说，就是一眼就能瞧见。”
Laura had been brought up in a way which made her wonder for a moment whether a workman should use an expression like ‘bang in the eye’ to her. But she understood what he meant.
劳拉从小受到的教养让她一时有些疑惑：一个工人该不该对她说“一眼就能瞧见”这种话。不过她还是明白了他的意思。
‘A corner of the tennis court,’ she suggested. ‘But the band’s going to be in one corner.’
“网球场的角落怎么样？”她提议道，“不过乐队也要占一个角。”
‘Having a band, are you?’ said another workman. He was pale, with a tired look in his dark eyes. What was he thinking?
“还请了乐队？”另一个工人说道。他脸色苍白，黑色的眼睛里透着疲惫。他在想什么呢？
‘Only a very small band,’ Laura said gently. Perhaps he wouldn’t mind a very small band. But the tall man said, ‘Look here, miss, that’s the place. By those trees. Over there.’
“只是个很小的乐队，”劳拉轻声说。也许他不会介意一个小乐队吧。但高个子男人却说：“听着，小姐，就搭在那儿。靠着那些树。就在那边。”
By the karaka trees. The marquee would hide them. And the karaka trees were so lovely, with their big, shiny leaves and orange fruit. Must they be hidden by a marquee?
靠着卡拉卡树。帐篷会把它们遮住。可卡拉卡树那么可爱，叶片硕大光亮，还结着橙色的果实。难道非得让帐篷把它们挡住吗？
They must. The men were already carrying their bags of tools across the lawn. Only the tall man was left. Suddenly, he bent down, touched a rose, and pulled it gently towards him to smell it.
看来只能这样了。工人们已经扛着工具袋穿过草坪走了。只剩下那个高个子男人。突然，他弯下腰，碰了碰一朵玫瑰，轻轻拉过来闻了闻花香。
When Laura saw him do that, she forgot about the karakas. He was a workman who loved the perfume of roses. How many of the men that she knew cared about things like that? Oh, how nice workmen are, she thought. Why couldn’t she have them for her friends, instead of the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper? She liked these men much better.
看到这一幕，劳拉把卡拉卡树抛到了脑后。竟有个热爱玫瑰芬芳的工人！她认识的男人里有几个会在意这种事呢？哦，工人们真好啊，她想。为什么不能和他们做朋友，而要跟那些一起跳舞、来参加周日晚餐的傻小子们混在一起呢？比起那些人，她更喜欢这些工人。
It’s all the fault, she decided, of these stupid differences in social class. Well, for her there were no differences. Absolutely none at all, not a single one… And now there came the sound of hammers. Someone whistled, someone called out, ‘Are you all right, mate?’ ‘Mate!’ How friendly they were! Just to show how happy she was, how she liked being among these friendly men, Laura took a big bite out of her bread and butter. She felt just like a work-girl.
她断定，这一切都是可恶的阶级差别造成的。但在她看来，根本没有什么差别。绝对没有，一丝一毫都没有……这时传来了锤击声。有人吹口哨，有人喊道：“没事吧，伙计？”“伙计！”多么亲切啊！为了表明自己有多快乐，多喜欢和这些友善的工人们待在一起，劳拉大大咬了一口手里的黄油面包。她觉得自己简直就像个女工。
‘Laura, Laura, where are you? Telephone, Laura!’ a voice cried from the house.
“劳拉，劳拉，你在哪儿？电话，劳拉！”屋里传来喊声。
‘Coming!’ She ran across the lawn, up the path and into the house. In the hall, her father and Laurie were brushing their hats, getting ready to go to the office.
“来了！”她跑过草坪，沿着小径冲进屋子。门厅里，父亲和劳里正在刷帽子，准备去办公室。
‘I say, Laura,’ said Laurie, ‘take a look at my coat, can you, before this afternoon? I think it needs ironing.’
“我说，劳拉，”劳里说，“下午之前帮我看看外套行吗？我觉得该熨一下了。”
‘All right,’ she said. Suddenly, she couldn’t stop herself. She ran up to Laurie and threw her arms around him. ‘Oh, I do love parties, don’t you!’ she cried.
“好的，”她说。突然间，她情不自禁地冲到劳里面前，一把抱住他。“哦，我太喜欢派对了，你呢！”她喊道。
‘I’ll say I do!’ said Laurie’s warm, boyish voice. He gave his sister a gentle push. ‘Run off to the phone, old girl.’
“那还用说！”劳里用温暖而充满朝气的嗓音答道。他轻轻推了妹妹一下，“快去接电话吧，丫头。”
The telephone. ‘Yes, yes; oh yes. Kitty? Good morning, dear. Come to lunch, my dear! It will be nothing special—just what’s left over. Yes, isn’t it a perfect morning? Yes, wear your white dress. One moment—mother is saying something.’
电话那头。“是的是的；哦是的。基蒂？早上好，亲爱的。来吃午饭吧，亲爱的！没什么特别的——就是些剩菜。是啊，今早天气真好不是吗？对，穿你那件白裙子。等一下——妈妈有话要说。”
Mrs Sheridan’s voice floated down the stairs. ‘Tell her to wear that sweet hat she wore last Sunday.’
谢里登太太的声音从楼梯上传下来：“告诉她戴上星期天戴的那顶漂亮帽子。”
‘Mother says you must wear that sweet hat you wore last Sunday. Good. One o’clock. Bye-bye!’
“妈妈说你一定要戴上星期天那顶漂亮的帽子。好，一点钟见。再见！”
Laura put down the phone, took a deep breath, and stretched out her arms. Then she stood still, listening. The house was alive with sounds of running feet and distant voices. Somewhere down in the kitchen, a door opened and closed. Sunlight, and little warm winds, played in and out of the windows. Darling little winds.
劳拉放下电话，深吸一口气，伸了个懒腰。然后她静静地站着倾听。屋子里充满了奔跑的脚步声和远处的说话声，生机勃勃。楼下厨房某处，一扇门开了又关。阳光和煦暖的微风在窗间穿梭嬉戏。可爱的小风儿啊。
The door-bell rang, and she heard a man’s voice and then Sadie saying, ‘I’m sure I don’t know. Wait. I’ll ask Mrs Sheridan.’
门铃响了，她听到一个男人的声音，接着是萨迪说：“我真不知道。等等，我去问问谢里登太太。”
‘What is it, Sadie?’ Laura came into the hall.
“怎么了，萨迪？”劳拉走进门厅。
‘The flowers have come from the shop, Miss Laura.’
“花店送花来了，劳拉小姐。”
And there they were, by the door. Box after box, full of pots of pink lilies. No other kind. Nothing but lilies, big pink flowers, wide open and almost frighteningly alive.
就在门口，一箱又一箱，装满了盆栽的粉色百合。别无他种。只有百合，硕大的粉色花朵尽情绽放，鲜活艳丽得几乎令人心惊。
‘O—oh, Sadie!’ said Laura. She bent down to touch them, half expecting the flowers to burn her fingers.
“噢——哦，萨迪！”劳拉说道。她俯身触摸花朵，心里半信半疑地觉得花儿烫手。
‘It must be a mistake,’ she said softly. ‘Nobody ever ordered so many. Sadie, go and find mother.’
“肯定是弄错了，”她轻声说，“没人订过这么多花呀。萨迪，去找妈妈来。”
But at that moment Mrs Sheridan appeared.
就在这时，谢里登太太出现了。
‘It’s quite right,’ she said calmly. ‘I ordered them. Aren’t they lovely?’ She touched Laura on the arm. ‘I was passing the shop yesterday, and I saw them in the window. I thought—for once in my life I shall have enough lilies! The garden party will be a good excuse.’
“没错，”她平静地说，“是我订的。很漂亮吧？”她拍了拍劳拉的手臂，“昨天路过花店时，我在橱窗里看到了它们。我就想——这辈子总算能痛痛快快买一回百合了！正好借花园派对的名义。”
‘But I thought that we children had to organize everything this year,’ said Laura. Sadie had gone, and the man from the flower-shop was outside. She put her arm around her mother’s neck, and gently, very gently, she bit her mother’s ear.
“可我原以为今年一切都由我们这些孩子来操办呢，”劳拉说。萨迪已经走了，花店的送货员还在门外。她搂住母亲的脖子，轻轻地、极轻地咬了一下母亲的耳朵。
‘My darling child, you wouldn’t like me to be a sensible mother, would you? Don’t do that. Here’s the man.’
“我亲爱的宝贝，你总不希望我做个一本正经的母亲吧？别闹了。送货的人来了。”
He was carrying in another box of lilies.
他又搬进来一箱百合。
‘Put them here, please, on either side of the door,’ said Mrs Sheridan. ‘Don’t you agree that they’ll look best there, Laura?’
“请放在这儿，门的两侧各放一些，”谢里登太太吩咐道，“劳拉，你不觉得摆在这儿最好看吗？”
‘Oh, yes, mother.’
“哦，是的，妈妈。”
In the sitting-room, Meg, Jose and little Hans were arranging the furniture.
客厅里，梅格、乔丝和小汉斯正在布置家具。
‘Now we should put the piano here, and move everything else except the chairs out of the room, don’t you think?’
“现在我们把钢琴挪到这儿，除了椅子以外其他东西都搬出去，你觉得呢？”
‘Exactly.’
“正是如此。”
‘Hans, move these tables into the smoking-room, and then brush the carpet, and—one moment, Hans.’
“汉斯，把这些桌子搬到吸烟室去，然后刷刷地毯，还有——等一下，汉斯。”
Jose loved giving orders to the servants, and they loved obeying her. She made them feel that they were all acting together in some exciting play.
乔丝喜欢对仆人发号施令，仆人们也乐意听她指挥。她让他们觉得大家像是在合力演一出激动人心的戏剧。
‘Tell mother and Miss Laura to come here at once.’
“去请太太和劳拉小姐马上过来。”
‘Very good, Miss Jose.’
“遵命，乔丝小姐。”
She turned to Meg. ‘I want to hear what the piano sounds like, in case I have to play this afternoon.’
她转向梅格：“我想听听钢琴音色如何，万一今天下午要我弹琴呢。”
Porn! Ta-ta-ta, tee-ta! At the sound of the piano, Jose’s face changed. She looked with eyes full of suffering at her mother and Laura as they came in. ‘This life is weary,’ she sang.
嘭！嗒-嗒-嗒，嘀-嗒！琴声响起，乔丝的脸色变了。当母亲和劳拉走进来时，她用饱含痛苦的眼神望着她们。“此生多疲倦，”她唱道。
‘A tear—a sigh. A love that changes, And then—goodbye!’
“一滴泪——一声叹。爱易变，终离散——再见！”
But on the word ‘goodbye’, although the piano sounded desperately sad, a big, bright, completely unsympathetic smile appeared on Jose’s face.
然而唱到“再见”时，尽管琴声悲切至极，乔丝脸上却浮现出一个灿烂明媚、毫无同情之意的笑容。
‘Aren’t I singing well today, Mummy?’ she said happily, and started to sing again.
“妈妈，我今天唱得好不好？”她欢快地说，随即又唱了起来。
‘This life is weary, Hope comes to die. A dream…’
“此生多疲倦，希望终幻灭。一场梦……”
But Sadie had come in.
但萨迪进来了。
‘What is it, Sadie?’
“什么事，萨迪？”
‘Please, Miss Jose, cook says she needs the flags for the sandwiches.’
“乔丝小姐，厨娘说她需要插三明治的小旗子。”
‘The flags for the sandwiches, Sadie?’ Mrs Sheridan said in a dreamy voice. And the children knew by her face that she hadn’t got them. ‘Let me see. Tell cook I’ll get them to her in ten minutes.’
“三明治的小旗子，萨迪？”谢里登太太如梦呓般说道。孩子们一看她的表情就知道她把这事忘了。“让我想想。告诉厨娘十分钟后给她送去。”
Sadie went.
萨迪退下了。
‘Now, Laura,’ said her mother quickly, ‘come with me into the smoking-room. I’ve got the names on the back of an envelope. You’ll have to write them on the flags for me. Meg, go upstairs and brush your hair. Jose, go and dress immediately. Quickly, children, or I shall have to speak to your father about you. And Jose—if you go into the kitchen, try and calm cook down, will you? I’m quite frightened of her this morning.’
“好了，劳拉，”母亲急忙说，“跟我到吸烟室去。我把名字写在信封背面了，你得帮我把它们写到小旗子上。梅格，上楼梳头去。乔丝，马上去换衣服。快点，孩子们，不然我可要找你们爸爸告状了。还有乔丝——如果你去厨房，尽量安抚一下厨娘好吗？今天早上我可有点怕她。”
Mrs Sheridan found the envelope, and told Laura what to write on the flags for the sandwiches.
谢里登太太找到信封，告诉劳拉在三明治旗子上写什么。
‘Chicken and banana. Have you done that one?’
“鸡肉香蕉味。那个写好了吗？”
‘Yes.’
“写好了。”
‘Egg and—’ Mrs Sheridan held the envelope away from her. ‘Fish. Can this possibly say fish?’
“鸡蛋和——”谢里登太太把信封拿远了些，“鱼肉。这上面写的真是鱼肉吗？”
‘Yes, mother dear,’ said Laura, looking over her shoulder.
“是的，亲爱的妈妈，”劳拉凑过去看了一眼说道。
‘Fish. It sounds absolutely horrible. Egg and fish.’
“鱼肉。听起来简直糟透了。鸡蛋加鱼肉。”
The flags were finished at last, and Laura took them to the kitchen. Jose was there, talking to the cook, who looked perfectly calm and cheerful.
小旗子终于写完了，劳拉把它们拿到厨房。乔丝正和厨娘聊天，厨娘看起来十分镇定愉快。
‘I have never seen such beautiful sandwiches,’ Jose was saying enthusiastically. ‘How many kinds are there?’
“我从没见过这么漂亮的三明治，”乔丝热情洋溢地说，“一共有多少种？”
‘Fifteen, Miss Jose.’
“十五种，乔丝小姐。”
‘Well, cook, I congratulate you.’
“哎呀，厨娘，真得恭喜你。”
Cook smiled happily.
厨娘开心地笑了。
‘Godber’s has come,’ said Sadie. She meant that the man from Godber’s shop had brought the chocolate cakes. Godber’s chocolate cakes were famous. Nobody ever made their own if they could buy Godber’s.
“戈德伯家的人来了，”萨迪说。意思是戈德伯糕点店的人送巧克力蛋糕来了。戈德伯的巧克力蛋糕远近闻名。只要能买到戈德伯的，谁还会自己做呢。
‘Bring them in and put them on the table, my girl,’ ordered cook.
“端进来放桌上吧，姑娘，”厨娘吩咐道。
Sadie brought them in and went back to the door. Of course, Laura and Jose were far too grown up to care about chocolate cakes. All the same, those cakes looked nice. Very nice. Cook began arranging them on plates.
萨迪把蛋糕端进来后又回到门口。当然，劳拉和乔丝早已长大成人，不再馋巧克力蛋糕了。尽管如此，那些蛋糕看起来确实诱人。非常诱人。厨娘开始往盘子里摆放。
‘Don’t they remind you of all the parties we had when we were children?’ said Laura.
“它们有没有让你想起小时候参加过的那些派对？”劳拉问。
‘I suppose they do,’ said Jose, who never liked to think about the past. ‘They look delicious, I must say.’
“大概有吧，”从不爱回忆往事的乔丝答道，“我得说，看着真好吃。”
‘Have some, my dears,’ said cook in her comfortable voice. ‘Your ma won’t know.’
“尝尝吧，亲爱的姑娘们，”厨娘用她那令人安心的嗓音说，“你们妈妈不会知道的。”
Oh, impossible. Chocolate cake, and so soon after breakfast? It was unimaginable. All the same, two minutes later, Jose and Laura were licking chocolate off their fingers.
哦，那可不行。刚吃完早饭就吃巧克力蛋糕？简直难以想象。然而两分钟后，乔丝和劳拉已经在舔手指上的巧克力屑了。
‘Let’s go into the garden,’ suggested Laura. ‘I want to see how the men are getting on with the marquee. They’re such awfully nice men.’
“我们去花园看看吧，”劳拉提议，“我想去看看工人们帐篷搭得怎么样了。他们真是些极好的人。”
But the door was blocked by cook, Sadie, Godber’s man and Hans.
但门口被厨娘、萨迪、戈德伯店的伙计和汉斯堵住了。
Something had happened.
出事了。
Cook was making little ‘tuk-tuk-tuk’ sounds. Sadie had her hand over her mouth. Hans was trying so hard to understand that his eyes were closed tight. Only Godber’s man was enjoying himself. It was his story.
厨娘嘴里发出“啧啧啧”的声音。萨迪用手捂着嘴。汉斯拼命想听明白，眼睛紧紧闭着。只有戈德伯店的伙计一脸享受。这是他的故事。
‘What’s the matter? What’s happened?’
“怎么了？发生什么事了？”
‘There’s been a horrible accident,’ cook said. ‘A man’s been killed.’
“出了桩可怕的事故，”厨娘说，“死了个人。”
‘A man killed! Where? How? When?’
“死人了！在哪儿？怎么死的？什么时候的事？”
But Godber’s man wanted to tell the story.
但戈德伯店的伙计急于讲述这件事。
‘You know those little cottages just down the road from here, miss?’ Of course she knew them. ‘Well, there’s a young fellow living there, Scott he’s called, he’s got a horse and cart. Something frightened the horse in town this morning, the cart turned over, and this fellow Scott was thrown out. He fell in the road on the back of his head. Killed.’
“小姐，你知道顺着这条路下去的那些小茅屋吧？”她当然知道。“那儿住着个叫斯科特的年轻人，他有辆马车。今早在镇上不知什么东西惊了他的马，车翻了，这个斯科特被甩了出去。后脑勺着地摔在路上。当场毙命。”
‘Dead!’ Laura stared at Godber’s man.
“死了！”劳拉瞪大眼睛盯着戈德伯店的伙计。
‘Dead when they picked him up,’ Godber’s man said with enjoyment. ‘They were taking the body home as I was coming here.’ Then he said, ‘He’s left a wife and five little ones.’
“抬起来的时候就没气了，”戈德伯店的伙计津津有味地说，“我来这儿的时候，他们正把尸体往家运呢。”接着他又补充道，“撇下了老婆和五个小孩。”
‘Jose, come here!’ Laura took her sister’s hand and pulled her across the kitchen and through the door.
“乔丝，过来！”劳拉拉起姐姐的手，把她拽过厨房，拖出门外。
‘Jose,’ she said, ‘how can we stop everything?’
“乔丝，”她说，“我们怎么能继续办派对呢？”
‘Stop everything, Laura!’ cried Jose. ‘What do you mean?’
“停办一切？劳拉！”乔丝叫道，“你什么意思？”
‘Stop the garden party, of course.’ Why did Jose pretend not to understand?
“当然是取消花园派对啊。”乔丝干嘛装作听不懂？
But Jose was even more surprised. ‘Stop the garden party? My dear Laura, don’t be unreasonable. Of course we can’t stop the party. Nobody expects us to. Don’t be so silly.’
可乔丝反而更惊讶了。“取消花园派对？亲爱的劳拉，别不讲道理。我们当然不能取消派对。没人指望我们这么做。别犯傻了。”
‘But we can’t possibly have a garden party with a man dead just outside the front gate.’
“可大门外刚死了人，我们怎么还能开派对呢？”
That really was silly, because the Sheridans’ house was on a hill, and the cottages were right down at the bottom of the hill. There was a wide road between them. True, they were still much too near. They were not suitable neighbours for people like the Sheridans.
这话实在荒唐，因为谢里登家住在山坡上，而那些茅屋在山脚下。中间隔着一条宽阔的马路。虽说距离确实太近了。对于谢里登这样的人家来说，他们算不上合适的邻居。
The cottages were ugly little low brown things. Nothing but rubbish grew in their gardens. Even the smoke coming from their chimneys looked poor and mean. The people who lived in them lived by washing other people’s clothes, or mending shoes or cleaning chimneys. And they all had far too many children.
那些茅屋又矮又丑，灰褐斑驳。院子里长满了杂草垃圾。就连烟囱里冒出的烟也显得寒酸卑微。住在里面的人靠给人洗衣、修鞋或扫烟囱为生。而且家家孩子都多得不得了。
When the Sheridan children were little, they were not allowed to go near the cottages, in case they heard bad language or caught some awful disease. But now that they were grown up, Laura and Laurie sometimes walked past. It was dirty and unpleasant, but Laura and Laurie believed that they should experience all sides of life. They must go everywhere; they must see everything.
谢里登家的孩子们还小的时候，是不许靠近那些茅屋的，生怕听到脏话或染上什么可怕的病。但现在长大了，劳拉和劳里有时会从那里经过。虽然肮脏不堪、令人不适，但他们认为应当体验生活的方方面面。必须走遍各处；必须阅尽世事。
‘Think how that poor woman will feel if she hears a band playing,’ said Laura.
“想想看，如果那位可怜的女人听到乐队演奏，心里该多难受啊，”劳拉说。
‘Oh, Laura!’ Jose began to be seriously annoyed.’If you want to stop a band every time someone has an accident, you’re going to have a very difficult life. I’m just as sorry about it as you are.’ A hard look came into her eyes. She looked at her sister in the way she had looked when they were little girls fighting together. ‘You won’t bring a drunk workman back to life by stopping a party,’ she said softly.
“哦，劳拉！”乔丝真的生气了，“要是每回有人出事你都要叫停乐队，那你这辈子可就难过了。我和你一样难过。”她眼中闪过一丝冷硬的神色。她看着妹妹的眼神，就像小时候姐妹俩打架时那样。“就算取消了派对，你也救不活那个醉鬼工人，”她冷冷地说。
‘Drunk! Who said he was drunk?’ Laura said angrily. She said, just as she had done when she was little, ‘I’m going to tell mother.’
“醉鬼！谁说他是醉鬼了？”劳拉愤怒地说。她像小时候一样嚷道：“我要告诉妈妈去。”
‘Please do, my dear,’ said Jose sweetly.
“请便吧，亲爱的，”乔丝甜甜地说。
‘Mother, can I come into your room?’ said Laura, standing with one hand on her mother’s door.
“妈妈，我能进来吗？”劳拉一手扶着母亲的房门问道。
‘Of course, child. Why, what’s the matter? You look quite pink.’ Mrs Sheridan turned from her mirror. She was trying on a new hat.
“当然可以，孩子。怎么了？你脸红扑扑的。”谢里登太太从镜子前转过身来。她正在试戴一顶新帽子。
‘Mother, a man’s been killed,’ Laura began.
“妈妈，有个男人死了，”劳拉开口道。
‘Not in our garden?’ said her mother.
“不是在我们花园里吧？”母亲问。
‘No, no!’
“不，不是！”
‘Oh, how you frightened me!’ Mrs Sheridan took off the big hat and smiled at her daughter.
“哦，吓死我了！”谢里登太太摘下大帽子，对女儿笑了笑。
‘But listen, mother,’ said Laura. Breathlessly, she told the awful story. ‘Of course, we can’t have our party, can we?’ she said. ‘The band, and everybody arriving. They’d hear us, mother; they’re nearly neighbours!’
“可是您听我说，妈妈，”劳拉急切地把这件惨事讲了一遍。“我们当然不能再办派对了，对吧？”她说，“乐队奏乐，宾客云集。他们会听到的，妈妈；他们几乎就是我们的邻居啊！”
To Laura’s great surprise, her mother behaved just like Jose. It was worse, because she seemed to be amused. She refused to take Laura seriously.
令劳拉大为吃惊的是，母亲的反应竟和乔丝如出一辙。甚至更糟，因为她似乎觉得好笑。她根本不把劳拉的话当回事。
‘But my dear child, be sensible. We only know about the accident by chance. If someone had died there normally—and I don’t know how they keep alive in those dirty little holes—we’d still be having our party, wouldn’t we?’
“可是亲爱的孩子，理智点。我们不过是碰巧知道了这起事故。假如那人是在那儿正常死亡的——天知道他们怎么在那种肮脏的小窝里活下去——我们的派对还不是一样要办？”
Laura had to agree, but she felt it was all wrong.
劳拉不得不承认这话有理，但她仍觉得不对劲。
‘Mother, isn’t it really terribly heartless of us?’ she asked.
“妈妈，我们这样做难道不是太冷酷无情了吗？”她问。
‘Darling!’ Mrs Sheridan got up, holding the hat, and before Laura could stop her, she put it on Laura’s head. ‘My child,’ she said, ‘the hat is yours. It’s much too young for me. You look wonderful in it. Look at yourself!’ And she held up a mirror.
“宝贝！”谢里登太太站起身，拿着帽子，不等劳拉阻止，就把帽子戴在了她头上。“我的孩子，”她说，“这帽子归你了。对我来说太年轻了。你戴着真好看。快看看你自己！”说着举起一面镜子。
‘But mother,’ Laura began again. She couldn’t look at herself. She turned away from the mirror.
“可是妈妈，”劳拉又想开口。她不忍直视镜中的自己，把头转了过去。
This time Mrs Sheridan became angry, just as Jose had done.
这一次，谢里登太太也像乔丝一样生气了。
‘You are being very stupid, Laura,’ she said coldly. ‘People like that won’t expect us to cancel our party. And it’s not very thoughtful of you to ruin the day for everyone else.’
“你太不懂事了，劳拉，”她冷冷地说，“那种人不会指望我们为此取消派对的。你为了这件事扫了大家的兴，也太不顾及别人了。”
‘I don’t understand,’ said Laura, and she walked quickly out of the room and into her own bedroom. There, quite by chance, the first thing she saw was a lovely girl in the mirror, wearing a beautiful black and gold hat. She had never imagined that she could look like that.
“我不明白，”劳拉说完快步走出房间，回到自己的卧室。在那里，无意间映入眼帘的第一样东西，便是镜中那个头戴黑金相间美丽帽子的可爱少女。她从未想过自己竟能这般模样。
Is mother right? She thought. And now she hoped that her mother was right. Am I being stupid? Perhaps it was stupid. For a moment she imagined that poor woman again, and the little children and the body being carried into the house. But now it seemed shadowy and unreal, like a picture in the newspaper. I’ll remember it again after the party’s over, she decided. And somehow that seemed to be the best plan…
妈妈是对的吗？她想。此刻她倒希望母亲是对的。是我太幼稚了吗？或许确实是。有那么一瞬间，她又想起了那个可怜的女人、那些幼小的孩子以及被抬进屋里的尸体。但此刻这一切显得模糊而不真实，宛如报纸上的一幅画。等派对结束了再想这些事吧，她暗自决定。不知怎的，这似乎是最好的安排……
Lunch was over by half-past one. By half-past two they were all ready to begin the party. The band had arrived, and sat in a corner of the tennis court.
一点半午餐结束。两点半一切就绪，派对正式开始。乐队已到场，坐在网球场的一角。
‘My dear!’ screamed Kitty Maitland, ‘aren’t they all too like monkeys in their little red jackets!’
“天哪！”基蒂·梅特兰尖叫道，“他们穿着小红夹克，活像一群猴子！”
Laurie arrived from the office. When she saw him, Laura remembered the accident again. She wanted to tell him about it. If Laurie agreed with the others, it meant that they were right. And she followed him into the hall.
劳里下班回来了。看到他，劳拉又想起了那场事故。她想告诉他。如果劳里也和其他人看法一致，那就说明他们是对的。于是她跟着他进了门厅。
‘Laurie!’
“劳里！”
‘Hallo!’ He was half-way upstairs, but when he turned and saw Laura, he stopped and stared. ‘My word, Laura! You look wonderful,’ said Laurie. ‘What an absolutely topping hat!’
“嗨！”他走到楼梯一半，转身看见劳拉，便停下脚步凝视着她。“天哪，劳拉！你看上去美极了，”劳里赞叹道，“这帽子简直绝了！”
Laura said quietly, ‘Is it?’ and smiled at Laurie. She didn’t tell him about the accident.
劳拉轻声应道：“是吗？”并对劳里微微一笑。她没有提起那场事故。
Soon after that, people started to arrive. The band began to play; the hired waiters ran from the house to the marquee. Wherever you looked, there were couples walking, looking at the flowers, greeting friends, moving on over the lawn. They were like bright birds that had come to visit the Sheridans’ garden for this one afternoon, on their way to—where? Ah, what happiness to be with people who are all happy, to shake hands, kiss, smile.
不久，宾客纷至沓来。乐队奏响乐曲；雇来的侍者在房屋与帐篷间穿梭忙碌。放眼望去，成双成对的人们漫步其间，赏花、问候友人，在草坪上悠然穿行。他们宛如色彩斑斓的鸟儿，在这个午后造访谢里登家的花园，随后又将飞往何方？啊，与同样快乐的人们相聚是何等幸福，握手、亲吻、微笑。
‘Darling Laura, how well you look!’
“亲爱的劳拉，你今天真漂亮！”
‘What a beautiful hat, child!’
“孩子，你的帽子真美！”
‘Laura, you look quite Spanish. I’ve never seen you look so lovely.’
“劳拉，你看起来颇有西班牙风情。我从没见过你这么迷人。”
And Laura, happy, answered softly, ‘Have you had tea? Won’t you have an ice-cream? The coffee and brandy ice creams really are rather special.’ She ran to her father and begged him: ‘Daddy darling, can the band have something to drink?’
快乐的劳拉柔声应答：“喝过茶了吗？来份冰淇淋好吗？咖啡和白兰地口味的冰淇淋真的很特别。”她跑到父亲身边恳求道：“亲爱的爸爸，能给乐队成员送点饮料吗？”
And the perfect afternoon slowly opened, slowly turned to the sun, and slowly closed like a flower.
这个完美的午后缓缓开启，慢慢迎向阳光，又如花朵般徐徐合拢。
‘The most enjoyable garden party…’
“最愉快的花园派对……”
‘The greatest success…’
“空前成功……”
‘Quite the most delicious…’
“美味绝伦……”
Laura helped her mother with the goodbyes. They stood side by side until all the guests had gone.
劳拉协助母亲送客。母女俩并肩而立，直到所有宾客散去。
‘All over, all over,’ said Mrs Sheridan. ‘Go and find all the others, Laura. Let’s go and have some fresh coffee. I’m exhausted. Yes, it’s been very successful. But oh, these parties, these parties! Why do you children insist on giving parties!’ And they all sit down in the empty marquee.
“结束了，全结束了，”谢里登太太说，“劳拉，去把其他人找来。我们去喝杯新鲜咖啡。我累坏了。是的，派对很成功。可是唉，这些派对啊，这些派对！你们这些孩子为什么非要办派对不可！”于是大家纷纷在空荡荡的帐篷里坐下。
‘Have a sandwich, Daddy dear. I wrote the flag.’
“吃个三明治吧，亲爱的爸爸。上面的小旗子是我写的。”
‘Thanks.’ Mr Sheridan took a bite and the sandwich was gone. He took another. ‘Did you hear about a nasty accident that happened today?’ he said.
“谢谢。”谢里登先生咬了一口，三明治便没了影。他又拿起一个。“今天发生了一起严重的事故，听说了吗？”他说。
‘My dear,’ said Mrs Sheridan, holding up her hand, ‘we did. It nearly ruined the party. Laura wanted us to cancel everything.’
“亲爱的，”谢里登太太抬手示意，“我们听说了。差点毁了整个派对。劳拉还想让我们取消一切呢。”
‘Oh, mother!’ Laura did not want them to laugh at her.
“哦，妈妈！”劳拉不想让他们取笑自己。
‘It was a horrible thing, though,’ said Mr Sheridan. ‘The fellow was married, too. Lived in one of those cottages down there. Leaves a wife and a whole crowd of kids, they say.’
“不过确实是桩惨事，”谢里登先生说，“那人结了婚。就住在下面那些茅屋里。听说留下了妻子和一大群孩子。”
There was a long silence. Mrs Sheridan played with her cup. Really, it was most unfortunate that father had mentioned…
一阵长久的沉默。谢里登太太拨弄着茶杯。真是倒霉，偏偏父亲提起了这事……
Suddenly, she looked up. They still had all these perfectly good sandwiches and cakes which had not been eaten at the party. She had one of her clever ideas.
忽然，她抬起头来。派对上还剩下许多完好未动的三明治和蛋糕。她灵机一动。
‘I know,’ she said. ‘Let’s send that poor creature some of this food. We’ll pack a basket. All those children will love it. And I’m sure all the neighbours are calling in. How helpful it will be for her to have some extra food ready. Laura! Get me the big basket from the kitchen cupboard.’
“有了，”她说，“咱们给那个可怜的女人送些吃的去吧。装满满一篮子。那些孩子们肯定喜欢。而且邻居们一定都在探望她，多备些食物对她大有裨益。劳拉！去厨房橱柜里把那个大篮子拿来。”
‘But mother, do you really think it’s a good idea?’ said Laura.
“可是妈妈，您真觉得这是个好主意吗？”劳拉问。
Again, how strange, she seemed to be different from them all. To take the left-over food from their party. Would the poor woman really like that?
又一次，奇怪得很，她仿佛与他们格格不入。拿派对的剩饭剩菜去送人。那个可怜的女人真的会乐意接受吗？
‘Of course! What’s the matter with you today? An hour or so ago you were insisting on us being sympathetic.’
“当然啦！你今天到底怎么了？一个小时前你还坚持要我们表示同情呢。”
Oh well! Laura ran to get the basket. Her mother heaped food into it.
唉，算了！劳拉跑去拿篮子。母亲往里面塞满了食物。
‘Take it yourself, darling,’ she said. ‘Run down with it now. No, wait, take some lilies too. These lilies will seem like something really special to people of that kind.’
“亲自送去吧，宝贝，”她说，“现在就跑一趟。等等，再带些百合花去。对那种人来说，这些百合花可是稀罕物。”
‘She’ll get her dress dirty if she takes flowers,’ said Jose.
“拿花会弄脏裙子的，”乔丝说。
That was true. Just in time. ‘Only the basket, then.And Laura!’—her mother followed her out of the marquee—’whatever happens, don’t…’
说得也是。幸亏提醒及时。“那就只带篮子吧。还有劳拉！”——母亲跟着她走出帐篷——“无论发生什么，千万别……”
‘What, mother?’
“别怎样，妈妈？”
No, it was better not to put ideas into the child’s head. ‘Nothing! Run along.’
不，还是别给孩子灌输那些念头为好。“没什么！快去吧。”
It was beginning to get dark as Laura shut the garden gate. Below her, the road shone white. The little cottages were in deep shadow. How quiet it seemed after the excitement of the day. She was going down to a cottage where a man lay dead, and she couldn’t believe it. Why couldn’t she? She stopped for a moment. And it seemed that kisses, voices, laughter, the fresh smell of the lawn were somehow inside her. She had no room for anything else. How strange! She looked up at the pale sky, and all she thought was, ‘Yes, it was the most successful party.’
劳拉关上花园门时，天色渐暗。脚下的道路泛着白光。小茅屋笼罩在浓重的阴影中。经历了白天的喧嚣，此刻显得格外宁静。她正走向一间躺着死者的茅屋，却无法相信这是真的。为何无法相信？她驻足片刻。只觉得亲吻、笑语、欢歌以及草坪的清新气息仿佛充盈全身。再也容不下其他情绪。多么奇妙！她仰望苍白的天空，心中唯一的念头竟是：“是啊，这确是一场无比成功的派对。”
She crossed the wide road. She was among the cottages. Men and women hurried past. Children played in narrow streets. Noises came from inside the mean little houses. In some there was lamp-light, and shadows moved across the windows.
她穿过宽阔的马路，走进了茅屋区。男女老少匆匆擦肩而过。孩子们在狭窄的街道上玩耍。简陋的小屋里传出各种声响。有些屋内亮着灯，窗上映出晃动的身影。
Laura bent her head and hurried on. She wished now that she had put on a coat. People were staring at her dress and her black and gold hat—oh, how she wished it was a different hat! It was a mistake to come here; she had known all the time that it would be a mistake. Should she go back, even now?
劳拉低着头疾步前行。此刻她真后悔没披件外套。人们纷纷盯着她的裙子和黑金相间的帽子——哦，她多希望自己戴的是另一顶帽子！来这里是个错误；她一直都知道这是个错误。即便此刻，要不要折返呢？
No, too late. There was the house. It must be this one. There were people standing outside. Beside the gate an old, old woman sat in a chair, watching. She had her feet on a newspaper. The voices stopped as Laura came near. They moved to one side to let her walk past. She felt that they were expecting her. They had known that she would come.
不，太迟了。那栋房子就在眼前。定是这一户无疑。门外站着几个人。门旁一位年迈的老妇人坐在椅子上守望，双脚搁在一张报纸上。劳拉近前时，交谈声戛然而止。众人侧身让路。她感觉到他们在等她。他们早知道她会来。
Laura felt very shy and frightened. ‘Is this Mrs Scott’s house?’ she asked a woman, and the woman answered, with a strange little smile, ‘It is, my girl.’
劳拉既羞怯又害怕。“请问这是斯科特太太家吗？”她问一位妇人。那妇人带着诡异的笑容答道：“正是，姑娘。”
Oh, how she wanted to escape from this! She actually said out loud, ‘Help me, God,’ as she walked up the tiny path and knocked at the door. I’ll just leave the basket and go, she decided. I won’t even wait for them to empty it.
哦，她多想逃离此地！走上窄窄的小径敲门时，她竟脱口而出：“上帝救救我吧。”她打定主意放下篮子就走。甚至不愿等他们腾出篮子。
Then the door opened. A little woman in black appeared.
门开了。一个身着黑衣的瘦小女人出现在面前。
Laura said, ‘Are you Mrs Scott?’ But to her horror the woman answered, ‘Come in, please, miss,’ and she was shut in the passage.
劳拉问：“您是斯科特太太吗？”可令她惊恐的是，那女人答道：“请进，小姐，”随即她被关在了过道里。
‘No,’ said Laura, ‘I don’t want to come in. I only want to leave this basket. Mother sent—’
“不，”劳拉说，“我不想进去。我只是来送这个篮子的。我妈妈让我——”
The little woman in the dark passage seemed not to hear her. ‘This way, please, miss,’ she said in an oily voice, and Laura followed her.
昏暗过道里的那个瘦小女人似乎充耳不闻。“这边请，小姐，”她用甜腻的嗓音说道，劳拉只好跟上。
She found herself in a little low kitchen, lit by a smoky lamp. There was a woman sitting by the fire.
她发现自己置身于一间低矮狭小的厨房，一盏煤油灯烟雾缭绕。炉火旁坐着一个女人。
‘Em,’ said the little creature who had let her in. ‘Em! It’s a young lady.’ She turned to Laura. ‘I’m her sister, miss,’ she said. ‘You’ll excuse her, won’t you?’
“埃姆，”领她进来的小个子女人唤道，“埃姆！有位小姐来了。”她转向劳拉，“我是她姐姐，小姐，”她说，“请您别怪她失礼，好吗？”
‘Oh, but of course!’ said Laura. ‘Please, please don’t disturb her. I only want to leave—’
“哦，当然不会！”劳拉连忙说，“请千万别打扰她。我只是想把篮子留下——”
But at that moment the woman by the fire turned round. Her face—red-eyed and wet—looked terrible. She didn’t seem to understand why Laura was there. What did it mean? Why was a stranger standing in the kitchen with a basket? And more tears fell from those poor red eyes.
可就在这时，炉火旁的女人转过身来。她双眼红肿、泪痕满面，模样凄惨。她似乎不明白劳拉为何而来。这是什么意思？为何一个陌生人提着篮子站在厨房里？泪水再次从那可怜的红肿眼眶中涌出。
‘All right, my dear,’ said the sister. ‘I’ll thank the young lady.’ And she gave Laura an oily smile.
“好了，亲爱的，”姐姐说道，“我来替这位小姐道谢。”说罢朝劳拉挤出一个甜腻的微笑。
Laura only wanted to get out, to get away. She went out into the passage, a door opened, and she walked into the bedroom, where the dead man was lying.
劳拉只想离开，远远逃开。她退到过道，一扇门敞开着，她不由自主地走进了卧室，死者就躺在那里。
‘You’d like to see him, wouldn’t you?’ said Em’s sister. ‘Don’t be afraid, my girl. He looks a picture. Not a mark on him. Come along, my dear.’
“您想看看他吧？”埃姆的姐姐说，“别怕，姑娘。他安详得像幅画。身上一点伤痕都没有。来吧，亲爱的。”
Laura went up to the bed.
劳拉走到床边。
A young man lay there, asleep—sleeping so deeply that he was far, far away from them both. So distant, so peaceful. He was dreaming. Never wake him up again. His eyes were closed, deep in his dream. What did garden parties and baskets and dresses mean to him? He was far away from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful. While they were all laughing and the band was playing, this beautiful thing had come to the cottages. Happy… happy… All is well, said that sleeping face. This is what should happen. I am at rest.
一个年轻人躺在那里，沉睡着——睡得如此深沉，以至于远离了尘世的一切。那么遥远，那么安宁。他在做梦。再也别唤醒他了。双目紧闭，沉浸于梦境之中。花园派对、篮子、华服对他而言算得了什么？他已超脱于这一切之外。他是如此美好、圣洁。当众人欢笑、乐队奏鸣之时，这份极致的美悄然降临于陋室。幸福……幸福……那张沉睡的面庞仿佛在诉说：一切安好。本该如此。我已安息。
But at the same time, it made you want to cry, and Laura couldn’t go out of the room without saying something to him. She burst into tears, like a little girl.
可同时，这景象又叫人忍不住落泪。劳拉若不向他倾诉几句，便无法迈出这间屋子。她像个孩童般失声痛哭。
‘Forgive my hat,’ she said.
“原谅我这顶帽子吧，”她说。
And this time she didn’t wait for Em’s sister. She found her way out of the house, past all the people. At the corner of the street she met Laurie.
这一次，她没等埃姆的姐姐。她独自摸索着走出屋子，穿过人群。在街角遇见了劳里。
He appeared out of the shadows. ‘Is that you, Laura?’
他从暗影中现身。“是你吗，劳拉？”
‘Yes.’
“是我。”
‘Mother was getting anxious. Was it all right?’
“妈妈有点担心了。还好吗？”
‘Yes, quite. Oh, Laurie!’ She ran to him and took his arm.
“嗯，挺好的。哦，劳里！”她奔向他，挽住他的手臂。
‘I say, you’re not crying, are you?’ asked her brother.
“喂，你不是哭了吧？”哥哥问道。
Laura shook her head. She was.
劳拉摇摇头。可她确实在哭。
Laurie put his arm round her shoulders. ‘Don’t cry,’ he said, in his warm, loving voice. ‘Was it awful?’
劳里揽住她的肩膀。“别哭了，”他用温暖慈爱的嗓音安慰道，“很可怕吗？”
‘No,’ said Laura. ‘It was absolutely wonderful. But Laurie—’ She stopped. She looked at her brother.
“不，”劳拉说，“简直美妙极了。可是劳里——”她顿住了。凝视着哥哥。
‘Isn’t life,’ she began, ‘isn’t life…’ But what life was, she couldn’t explain. It didn’t matter. She knew he understood.
“人生难道不是，”她喃喃道，“人生难道不是……”可她说不清人生究竟是什么。但这无关紧要。她知道他懂。
‘Isn’t it, darling?’ said Laurie.
“可不是嘛，亲爱的？”劳里轻声应道。
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