Pictures
电影
Eight o’clock in the morning. Miss Ada Moss lay in her narrow bed, staring up at the ceiling.
早上八点钟。艾达·莫斯小姐躺在她狭窄的床上，凝视着天花板。
Her room, which was right at the top of a tall house in Bloomsbury, smelled of wet clothes and face powder and the bag of fried potatoes she had brought in for supper the night before.
她的房间位于布卢姆斯伯里一栋高楼的顶层，弥漫着湿衣服、脂粉以及她昨晚带回来当晚饭的那袋炸土豆的味道。
‘Oh dear,’ thought Miss Moss. ‘I am cold. I wonder why I always wake up so cold in the mornings now. My knees and feet and my back—especially my back—are like ice. And I was always so warm in the old days. It isn’t because I’m thin. I’m just as well-covered as I always was. No, it’s because I don’t have a good hot dinner in the evenings.’
“天哪，”莫斯小姐心想，“我好冷。真奇怪为什么现在早上醒来总是这么冷。我的膝盖、脚和背——尤其是背部——简直像冰一样。可过去我总是很暖和。这不是因为我瘦了，我身上的肉跟以前一样多。不，这是因为晚上没有一顿丰盛的热乎晚饭吃。”
She imagined a row of good hot dinners passing across the ceiling, each with a bottle of good strong beer.
她想象着一排热气腾腾的美餐从天花板上掠过，每顿饭旁边还配着一瓶醇厚的好啤酒。
‘I’d like to get up now,’ she thought, ‘and have a big sensible breakfast.’ Pictures of big sensible breakfasts followed the good hot dinners across the ceiling. Miss Moss pulled the blanket up over her head and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her landlady burst into the room.
“我现在真想起床，”她想，“去吃一顿丰盛实在的早餐。”一幅幅丰盛早餐的画面紧随热餐之后在天花板上浮现。莫斯小姐把毯子拉过头顶，闭上了眼睛。突然，她的房东太太闯进了房间。
‘There’s a letter for you, Miss Moss.’
“有你的一封信，莫斯小姐。”
‘Oh,’ said Miss Moss, in a voice which was much too friendly, ‘thank you very much, Mrs Pine. It’s very good of you to bring me my letters.’
“哦，”莫斯小姐用过分热情的语气说道，“太感谢您了，派恩太太。您亲自给我送信真是太好了。”
‘Oh, it’s nothing,’ said the landlady. ‘I hope it’s the letter that you’ve been waiting for.’
“噢，这没什么，”房东太太说，“希望这是你一直在等的那封信。”
‘Yes,’ said Miss Moss brightly, ‘yes, perhaps it is. I wouldn’t be surprised.’
“是的，”莫斯小姐明快地说，“是啊，也许就是呢。那我也不会感到意外。”
‘Well, I’d be very surprised,’ said the landlady. ‘That’s the truth. And can you open it right now, please? A lot of landladies wouldn’t even ask—they’d just open it themselves. Things can’t go on like this, Miss Moss, indeed they can’t. First you tell me you’ve got the money to pay your rent, then you say you haven’t, then there’s a letter lost in the post or a theatre manager who’s gone to Brighton but will be coming back soon—I’m sick and tired of it all, and I’ve had enough. At a time like this, too, with the price of everything sky-high and my poor boy away at the war in France! If you can’t pay your rent, there’s plenty of other people who would give me good money for a room like this. As my sister Eliza was saying to me only yesterday, Miss Moss, I’ve been much too soft-hearted with you!’
“哼，我倒会非常惊讶，”房东太太说，“老实说吧。你能现在就拆开吗？很多房东根本不会问——她们直接就拆开了。事情不能再这样下去了，莫斯小姐，真的不行了。起初你说有钱付房租，后来又说没钱，再后来不是说信寄丢了，就是说剧院经理去了布莱顿但很快回来——这一切我都烦透了，受够了。偏偏又赶上这个时候，物价飞涨，我那可怜的儿子还在法国打仗！你要是付不起房租，有的是人愿意出高价租这间房。就像我姐姐伊丽莎昨天跟我说的，莫斯小姐，我以前对你实在太心软了！”
Miss Moss did not seem to be listening to this. She tore open the letter. It was from a film company.
莫斯小姐似乎没在听这些。她撕开信封，是一家电影公司寄来的。
‘No suitable parts for a lady of your experience at present,’ she read.
她读道：“目前暂无适合您这般资历女士的角色。”
She stared at it for a long time before she spoke to her landlady.
她盯着信看了许久，才开口对房东太太说话。
‘Well, Mrs Pine,’ she said. ‘I think you’ll be sorry for what you’ve just said. This is from a theatre manager who wants to see me immediately about a part in a new musical show.’
“哎呀，派恩太太，”她说，“我想你会为刚才说的话后悔的。这是一位剧院经理寄来的，他想立刻见我，谈一部新音乐剧里的一个角色。”
But the landlady was too quick for her. She tore the letter out of Miss Moss’s hand.
但房东太太动作比她快，一把从莫斯小姐手中夺过了信。
‘Oh is it, is it indeed!’ she cried.
“哦，是吗？真的是吗！”她嚷道。
‘Give me back that letter. Give it back to me at once, you bad, wicked woman,’ cried Miss Moss. She could not get out of bed because she had a hole in her nightdress.
“把信还给我！马上还给我，你这个坏女人，恶毒的女人！”莫斯小姐哭喊着。因为睡裙上有个破洞，她没法下床。
‘Well, Miss Moss,’ said the landlady, ‘if I don’t get my money by eight o’clock tonight, you can get out of my house, my lady.’
“好吧，莫斯小姐，”房东太太说，“如果今晚八点前我还收不到钱，你就给我滚出去，我的大小姐。”
The door banged and Miss Moss was alone. She threw back the bedclothes, and sat on the side of the bed, shaking with anger and staring at her fat white legs. ‘The old cat,’ she said, ‘the rotten old cat!’ Then she began to pull on her clothes.
门砰地一声关上了，莫斯小姐独自留在屋里。她掀开被子，坐在床边，气得浑身发抖，盯着自己白皙肥胖的双腿。“这个老巫婆，”她骂道，“可恶的老巫婆！”然后她开始穿衣服。
‘Oh, I wish I could pay that woman! Then I’d tell her what I think of her!’ She suddenly saw her face in the mirror, and gave herself a little smile.
“唉，要是我能付清那女人的钱就好了！那样我就能好好告诉她我对她的看法了！”她突然在镜子里看到了自己的脸，便对自己微微一笑。
‘Well, old girl,’ she said, ‘you’re in trouble this time, and no mistake.’ But the person in the mirror stopped smiling.
“哎，老姑娘，”她说，“这次你可真遇上麻烦了，一点没错。”但镜子里的人停止了微笑。
‘You silly thing,’ said Miss Moss. ‘It’s no good crying. You’ll make your nose all red. Come on! Get dressed, and go out and find a job. That’s what you’ve got to do.’
“你这个傻丫头，”莫斯小姐说，“哭有什么用。只会把鼻子哭红。振作点！穿好衣服，出去找工作。这才是你该做的。”
She picked up her bag and shook it. A few small coins fell out.
她拿起手提包摇了摇，掉出来几枚小硬币。
‘I’ll have a nice cup of tea at an ABC café before I go anywhere,’ she decided. ‘I’ve got enough money for that.’
“去别处之前，我先去ABC茶馆喝杯好茶，”她打定主意，“这点钱够喝茶了。”
Ten minutes later, a large lady in a blue dress and a black hat covered in purple flowers looked at herself in the mirror, and sang:
十分钟后，一位身穿蓝裙、头戴缀满紫花黑帽的丰满女士照着镜子唱道：
‘Sweetheart, remember that hope never dies / And it al—ways is dark—est before sunrise.’
“亲爱的，请记住希望永不灭，黎明前的黑暗总最深。”
But the person in the mirror wouldn’t smile at her, and Miss Moss went out.
但镜子里的人不肯对她笑，莫斯小姐便出门了。
When she came to the ABC café, the door was open. A man was carrying boxes of bread in, and two waitresses were combing their hair and talking.
当她来到ABC茶馆时，门开着。一个男人正往里搬面包箱，两个女服务员一边梳头一边聊天。
‘My young man came home from France last night,’ one of the girls sang happily.
“我的心上人昨晚从法国回来了，”其中一个女孩欢快地唱着说。
‘Oh, I say! How topping for you!’ cried the other.
“哦，天哪！真为你高兴！”另一个叫道。
‘Yes, wasn’t it! He brought me a sweet little brooch. Look, it’s got “Dieppe” written on it.’
“是啊，可不是嘛！他送了我一枚可爱的小胸针。瞧，上面还刻着‘迪耶普’呢。”
‘Oh, I say! How topping for you!’
“哦，天哪！真为你高兴！”
The man with the boxes of bread came in again, almost knocking Miss Moss over.
搬面包箱的男人又进来了，差点把莫斯小姐撞倒。
‘Can I have a cup of tea, please?’ she asked.
“请问能给我一杯茶吗？”她问道。
But the waitress went on combing her hair. ‘Oh,’ she sang, ‘we’re not open yet.’ She turned to the other girl. ‘Are we, dear?’
但女服务员继续梳着头发。“哦，”她拖着调子说，“我们还没开门呢。”她转向另一个女孩，“是吧，亲爱的？”
‘Oh, no,’ said the other waitress.
“哦，还没呢，”另一个女服务员答道。
Miss Moss went out. ‘I’ll go to Charing Cross,’ she decided. ‘That’s what I’ll do. And I’ll have coffee, not tea. Coffee’s more filling. Those girls! Her young man came home; he brought her a brooch…’ She began to cross the road.
莫斯小姐走了出来。“我去查令十字街吧，”她决定，“就这么办。我要喝咖啡，不喝茶了。咖啡更顶饱。那些丫头！人家的心上人回来了，还送了胸针……”她开始过马路。
‘Look out, Fatty!’ shouted a taxi-driver. Miss Moss pretended not to hear.
“当心点，胖子！”一个出租车司机喊道。莫斯小姐假装没听见。
‘No, I won’t go to Charing Cross,’ she decided. ‘I’ll go straight to Kig and Kadgit. They open at nine. If I get there early, Mr Kadgit may have something for me… “I’m so glad to see you, Miss Moss. I’ve just heard from a manager who wants a lady… exactly the right part for you… three pounds a week… go and see him immediately. It’s lucky you came so early.”‘
“不，我不去查令十字街了，”她又改了主意，“我直接去基格与卡吉特经纪公司吧。他们九点开门。要是我去得早，卡吉特先生说不定有活儿给我……‘见到你真高兴，莫斯小姐。我刚接到一位经理的消息，他需要一位女士……这个角色简直为你量身定做……每周三英镑……赶紧去见他吧。幸亏你来得早。’”
But there was nobody at Kig and Kadgit except an old woman washing the floor in the passage.
但在基格与卡吉特公司里，除了一个在过道拖地的老妇人外，空无一人。
‘Nobody here yet, Miss,’ the old woman said.
“还没人来呢，小姐，”老妇人说。
‘Oh, isn’t Mr Kadgit here?’ said Miss Moss. ‘I’ll sit down and wait for him, if I may.’
“哦，卡吉特先生不在吗？”莫斯小姐问，“如果可以的话，我想坐下来等他。”
‘You can’t wait in the waiting-room, Miss. I haven’t cleaned it yet. Mr Kadgit never comes in before eleven-thirty on a Saturday. Sometimes he doesn’t come in at all.’
“你不能在候客室等，小姐。我还没打扫呢。周六卡吉特先生十一点半之前从不来。有时候他干脆就不来了。”
‘How silly of me,’ said Miss Moss. ‘I forgot it was Saturday.’
“我真糊涂，”莫斯小姐说，“忘了今天是星期六。”
‘Mind your feet, please, Miss,’ said the old woman. And Miss Moss was out in the street again.
“请抬一下脚，小姐，”老妇人说。于是莫斯小姐又回到了街上。
The nice thing about Beit and Bithem was—it was always crowded. You walked into the waiting-room and you met everybody you knew. The early ones sat on chairs, and the later ones sat on the early ones’ knees, while the men stood around the walls, talking and joking with the ladies.
贝特与比瑟姆经纪公司的好处是——那里总是挤满了人。走进候客室，你能遇见所有认识的人。早到的坐在椅子上，晚到的就坐在早到者的腿上，男人们则靠墙站着，跟女士们谈笑风生。
‘Hello,’ said Miss Moss, in her friendly way. ‘Here we are again!’
“大家好，”莫斯小姐热情地打招呼，“我们又见面啦！”
And young Mr Clayton did a couple of dance-steps and sang: ‘Waiting for the Robert E. Lee!’
年轻的克莱顿先生跳了几个舞步，唱道：“等待罗伯特·E·李号！”
‘Mr Bithem here yet?’ asked Miss Moss, powdering her nose.
“比瑟姆先生来了吗？”莫斯小姐边往鼻子上扑粉边问。
‘Oh, yes, dear!’ cried all the girls together. ‘He’s been here for ages. We’ve been waiting for more than an hour!’
“哦，来了，亲爱的！”女孩们齐声叫道，“他早就到了。我们都等了一个多小时了！”
‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Moss. ‘Any work for us, do you think?’
“哎呀，”莫斯小姐说，“你觉得会有工作给我们吗？”
‘Oh, a few jobs in Africa,’ said young Mr Clayton. ‘A hundred and fifty a week for two years, you know.’
“哦，有几个去非洲的工作，”年轻的克莱顿先生说，“为期两年，每周薪水一百五十镑，你知道的。”
‘Oh!’ cried the girls. ‘Isn’t he a scream? Isn’t he too funny?’
“哦！”女孩们叫道，“他是不是太逗了？简直太搞笑了吧？”
A dark girl with a sad face touched Miss Moss on the arm. ‘I just missed a lovely job yesterday,’ she said. ‘Six weeks on tour, and then the West End. The manager said I would have got it if I’d been a bit stronger-looking. He said the part was made for me—only I’m too thin.’ She stared at Miss Moss, and the dirty, dark red rose on her hat looked as sad and disappointed as she was.
一个面色忧郁的黑发女孩碰了碰莫斯小姐的手臂。“我昨天刚错过了一个好机会，”她说，“巡演六周，然后去西区演出。经理说我看上去再结实一点就能得到那个角色了。他说那角色简直是为我写的——只可惜我太瘦了。”她盯着莫斯小姐，帽子上那朵脏兮兮的暗红色玫瑰看起来和她一样悲伤失落。
‘Oh, dear, that was awfully bad luck,’ Miss Moss said, trying hard not to sound too interested. ‘What was the show called, may I ask?’
“哦，天哪，运气真差，”莫斯小姐说，极力掩饰自己的好奇，“请问那部剧叫什么名字？”
But the sad, dark girl understood what Miss Moss wanted, and a mean look came into her heavy eyes.
但那个忧伤的黑发女孩看穿了莫斯小姐的心思，沉重的眼神中流露出一丝刻薄。
‘Oh, it wasn’t a part for you, my dear,’ she said. ‘He wanted someone young, you know, a dark Spanish type like me. I was too thin, that was the only problem.’
“哦，那角色不适合你，亲爱的，”她说，“他要的是年轻人，你知道的，像我这种黑发西班牙类型的。我只是太瘦了，仅此而已。”
The door opened and Mr Bithem appeared. He kept one hand on the door, and held up the other for silence.
门开了，比瑟姆先生出现了。他一手扶着门，举起另一只手示意大家安静。
‘Look here, ladies’ —and here he paused and gave them his famous smile—’and all you boys.’ They all laughed loudly at that. ‘I’ve got nothing for you this morning. Come back on Monday. I’m expecting several phone calls on Monday.’
“听着，女士们”——他顿了顿，露出了标志性的微笑——“还有你们这些小伙子们。”所有人都大笑起来。“今天上午没什么活儿给你们。周一再来吧。周一我预计会接到几个电话。”
Miss Moss pushed desperately through the crowd. ‘Mr Bithem, I wonder if you’ve had any news from…’
莫斯小姐拼命挤过人群。“比瑟姆先生，不知您有没有收到关于……的消息？”
‘Now, let me see,’ said Mr Bithem slowly, staring at her. He had seen Miss Moss four times a week for—how many weeks was it? ‘Now, who are you?’
“嗯，让我想想，”比瑟姆先生慢吞吞地说，盯着她看。他每周见莫斯小姐四次，已经见了多少周了？“你是谁来着？”
‘Miss Ada Moss.’
“艾达·莫斯小姐。”
‘Oh yes, yes; of course, my dear. Not yet, my dear. Now I had a call for twenty-eight ladies today, but they had to be young and able to kick their legs up a bit. Come back the week after next—there’ll be nothing before that.’
“哦，对对对，当然了，亲爱的。还没有消息，亲爱的。今天倒是有人要招二十八位女士，但要求年轻，还得能把腿踢高点儿。下下周再来吧——在那之前不会有机会了。”
He gave her a big smile, all for herself, and touched her lightly on her fat arm before disappearing back into his office.
他专门对她灿烂一笑，轻轻拍了拍她肥胖的手臂，然后转身消失在办公室里。
At the North-East Film Company they were waiting on the stairs. Miss Moss stood and waited next to a fair little baby-girl of about thirty, in a white hat with fruit all round it.
在东北电影公司，人们都在楼梯上等着。莫斯小姐站在一旁等候，身边是一个约三十岁、长相如婴儿般娇小的金发女子，戴着一顶四周装饰着水果的白帽子。
‘What a crowd!’ Miss Moss said. ‘Is something special happening today?’
“人真多啊！”莫斯小姐说，“今天有什么特别的事吗？”
‘Didn’t you know, dear?’ said the baby, opening her huge, pale eyes. ‘There was a call at nine-thirty for pretty girls. We’ve all been waiting for hours. Have you worked for this company before?’
“你不知道吗，亲爱的？”那位“婴儿”睁大苍白的双眼说道，“九点半有个招募漂亮女孩的通告。我们都等了好几个小时了。你以前在这家公司工作过吗？”
‘No, I don’t think I have,’ said Miss Moss.
“没有，我想我没有，”莫斯小姐回答。
‘They’re a lovely company,’ said the baby. ‘A friend of mine has a friend who gets thirty pounds a day… Have you been in many films?’
“这家公司很不错，”那位“婴儿”说，“我一个朋友的朋友在这里一天能赚三十镑……你拍过很多电影吗？”
‘Well, I’m not really an actress,’ said Miss Moss. ‘I’m a trained singer. But things have been so bad lately that I’ve been doing a little acting.’
“其实我不是专业演员，”莫斯小姐说，“我是受过专业训练的歌手。只是最近境况太差，才偶尔演演戏。”
‘It’s like that, isn’t it, dear?’ said the baby.
“世道就是这样，对吧，亲爱的？”那位“婴儿”说。
‘I had an excellent education at the College of Music,’ said Miss Moss. ‘I’ve often sung in West End shows. But I thought, for a change…’
“我在音乐学院接受过一流的教育，”莫斯小姐说，“经常在西区剧目中演唱。但我想换个行当试试……”
‘Yes, it’s like that, isn’t it, dear?’ said the baby.
“是啊，世道就是这样，对吧，亲爱的？”那位“婴儿”重复道。
At that moment a beautiful secretary appeared at the top of the stairs.
这时，一位漂亮的秘书出现在楼梯顶端。
‘Are you all waiting for news from the North-East Film Company?’
“你们都是在等东北电影公司的消息吗？”
‘Yes!’ they all cried.
“是的！”众人齐声喊道。
‘Well, it’s been cancelled. I’ve just had a phone call.’
“通告取消了。我刚接到电话通知。”
‘And I really needed that money,’ a disappointed voice said.
“可我真的很需要那笔钱啊，”一个失望的声音说道。
The secretary had to laugh. ‘Oh, there was no money in it,’ she said. ‘The North-East never pay their crowd people.’
秘书忍不住笑了。“哦，本来就没钱，”她说，“东北公司从来不给群众演员发薪水。”
There was only a little round window at the Bitter Orange Company. No waiting-room, nobody at all except a girl who came to the window and said, ‘Well?’
苦橙公司只有一个圆形的小窗口。没有候客室，除了一个走到窗前问“什么事？”的女孩外，一个人也没有。
‘Can I see the manager, please?’ Miss Moss said pleasantly.
“请问我能见见经理吗？”莫斯小姐和蔼地问。
The girl closed her eyes for a moment. Miss Moss smiled at her. The girl did not smile back. She frowned. She seemed to smell something unpleasant. Suddenly, she picked up a piece of paper and pushed it through the window at Miss Moss.
女孩闭了一会儿眼。莫斯小姐对她微笑，女孩却没有回以微笑，反而皱起眉头，仿佛闻到了什么难闻的气味。突然，她拿起一张纸，从窗口塞给莫斯小姐。
‘Fill in this form!’ she said, and banged the window shut.
“填这张表！”她说罢，猛地关上了窗户。
‘Can you ride a horse—drive a car—dive—fly a plane—shoot?’ Miss Moss read. She walked along the street, asking herself those questions. A rough, cold wind was blowing. It pulled at her clothes, hit her in the back and then laughed cruelly in her face. It knew that she could not answer the questions.
“你会骑马、开车、跳水、开飞机、射击吗？”莫斯小姐读着表格。她走在街上，反复问着自己这些问题。一阵凛冽的寒风吹来，扯动着她的衣衫，撞击着她的后背，又无情地在她脸上嘲笑。风知道她无法回答这些问题。
In the Square Garden, she found a rubbish basket, and dropped the form in it. Then she sat down on a bench and took out a little mirror to powder her nose. But the person in the mirror made an ugly face at her, and Miss Moss had to cry. She cried for a long time; it cheered her up wonderfully.
在广场花园里，她找到一个垃圾桶，把表格扔了进去。然后她在长椅上坐下，掏出小镜子准备补粉。但镜子里的人却对她做了个鬼脸，莫斯小姐忍不住哭了起来。她哭了很久，这反倒让她感觉好多了。
‘Well, that’s over,’ she said. ‘It’s nice to be able to sit on this bench and rest my feet for a bit. And my nose will soon stop being red. Look at the birds! How close they come. I suppose someone feeds them. No, I’ve got nothing for you…’ She looked past them. What was that big building—the Café de Madrid? Oh, look at that poor child! Down he went with such a crash. Never mind! Up again!… If I don’t get my money by eight o’clock tonight… Café de Madrid. ‘I could just go in and sit there and have a coffee, that’s all,’ thought Miss Moss. ‘Lots of artists go there, too. I might be lucky… A dark handsome gentleman comes in with a friend, and sits at my table, perhaps… “No, Julian, I’ve searched London for a singer who can take the part, and I just can’t find the right person. You see, the music is difficult; have a look at it.” And Miss Moss heard herself saying: “Excuse me, but I happen to be a singer, and I have sung that part many times… “Extraordinary! Come back to my studio and I’ll try your voice now.”… Ten pounds a week… Why should I feel frightened? It’s not fear. Why shouldn’t I go to the Café de Madrid? I’m an honest woman—I’m a professional singer. And I’m only trembling because I’ve had nothing to eat today… “You can get out of my house, my lady.” … Very well, Mrs Pine. Café de Madrid. They have music there in the evenings… “Why don’t they begin?” The singer has not arrived… “Excuse me, I happen to be a singer; I have sung that music many times.”‘
“好了，哭完了，”她说，“能坐在这长椅上歇歇脚真好。鼻子很快就不会红了。看那些小鸟！靠得多近啊。估计有人喂它们吧。可惜我没东西给你们……”她的目光越过鸟儿望向远处。那座大楼是什么——马德里咖啡馆？哦，看那个可怜的孩子！摔得好重啊。没关系！又爬起来了！……要是今晚八点前拿不到钱……马德里咖啡馆。“我可以进去坐坐，只喝杯咖啡就好，”莫斯小姐心想，“很多艺术家也去那儿。说不定我运气好呢……一位英俊黝黑的绅士和朋友走进来，恰好坐在我桌旁……‘不行啊，朱利安，我在伦敦找遍了能演这个角色的歌手，就是找不到合适的人选。你看，这曲子很难；你自己瞧瞧。’然后我听到自己说：‘打扰一下，我碰巧是个歌手，这首曲子我唱过很多次……’‘太不可思议了！跟我回工作室吧，我现在就听听你的嗓音。’……每周十镑……我为什么要害怕？这不是恐惧。我为什么不能去马德里咖啡馆？我是个正经女人——一名职业歌手。我发抖只是因为今天还没吃东西……‘你给我滚出去，我的大小姐。’……好吧，派恩太太。马德里咖啡馆。那里晚上有音乐……‘怎么还不开始？’歌手还没到……‘抱歉，我碰巧是位歌手；这首曲子我唱过很多遍。’”
It was almost dark in the café. Men, tall potted plants, red seats, white stone tables, waiters in black jackets. Miss Moss walked past them all and sat down.
咖啡馆里光线昏暗。男人、高大的盆栽、红色座椅、白石桌面、穿着黑夹克的服务员。莫斯小姐穿过这一切，坐了下来。
Almost immediately, a very large gentleman wearing a very small hat came and sat opposite her.
几乎立刻，一位身材魁梧、戴着顶极小帽子的绅士走过来，在她对面坐下。
‘Good evening!’ he said.
“晚上好！”他说。
Miss Moss said, in her cheerful way: ‘Good evening!’
莫斯小姐用欢快的语调回应：“晚上好！”
‘Fine evening,’ said the large gentleman.
“今晚天气不错，”大块头绅士说。
‘Yes, very fine. Lovely, isn’t it?’ she said.
“是啊，很好。很宜人，不是吗？”她说。
He waved a finger at a waiter. ‘Bring me a large whisky.’ Then he turned to Miss Moss. ‘What’s yours?’
他朝服务员挥了挥手。“给我来一大杯威士忌。”然后转向莫斯小姐，“你要点什么？”
‘Well, I think I’ll take a brandy, thank you very much.’
“嗯，我想来杯白兰地，非常感谢。”
Five minutes later he turned to Miss Moss and blew a cloud of cigar smoke in her face.
五分钟后，他转向莫斯小姐，朝她脸上吐了一口雪茄烟雾。
‘Like the hat,’ he said, looking at the purple flowers.
“喜欢你这顶帽子，”他看着上面的紫花说道。
Miss Moss blushed a deep pink and her heart began to beat very fast.
莫斯小姐的脸涨得通红，心跳也开始加速。
‘I’ve always worn a lot of purple,’ she said.
“我一直很喜欢穿紫色的服饰，”她说。
The large gentleman looked at her for a long time, tapping with his fingers on the table.
大块头绅士久久地注视着她，手指在桌上敲击着。
‘I like a woman with a bit of meat on her bones,’ he said.
“我喜欢丰满点的女人，”他说。
Miss Moss, to her surprise, laughed quite loudly.
莫斯小姐出乎意料地大声笑了起来。
Five minutes later the large gentleman stood up.
五分钟后，大块头绅士站了起来。
‘Well, am I coming to your place, or are you coming to mine?’ he asked.
“那么，是我去你那儿，还是你来我这儿？”他问道。
‘I’ll come with you, if you don’t mind,’ said Miss Moss, and she followed him out of the café.
“如果你不介意的话，我跟你走吧，”莫斯小姐说着，跟随他走出了咖啡馆。
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