His speaking voice, a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed.
他说话的声音,低沉生硬的男高音,加重了他显示出的性情暴戾的印象。
There was a touch of paternal contempt in it,
他说起话来还带着一种长辈式的轻蔑口吻,
even toward people he liked -- and there were men at New Haven who had hated his guts.
即使对他喜欢的人也一样、因此在纽黑文大学的时候时对他恨之入骨的大有人在。
“Now, don't think my opinion on these matters is final,” he seemed to say,
“我说,你可别认为我在这些问题上的意见是说了算的,”他仿佛在说,
“just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are.”
“仅仅因为我力气比你大,比你更有男子汉气概。”
We were in the same senior society,
我们俩属于同一个高年级学生协会,
and I always had the impression that he approved of me
我总觉得他很看重我,
and wanted me to like him with some harsh, defiant wistfulness of his own.
而且带着他那特有的粗野、蛮横的怅惘神气 ,希望我也喜欢他。
We talked for a few minutes on the sunny porch.
我们在阳光和煦的游廊上谈了几分钟。
“I've got a nice place here,” he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly.
“我这地方很不错。”他说,他的眼睛不停地转来转去。
Turning me around by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista,
他抓住我的一只胳臂把我转过身来,他伸出一只宽大的手指点着眼前的景色,
including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses,
在一挥手之间包括了一座意大利风格的下沉式花园,半英亩地色彩艳丽、芬芳馥郁的玫瑰花,
and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore.
以及一艘狮鼻船头的汽艇靠在岸边随着浪潮起伏
“It belonged to Demaine, the oil man.”
“这地方原来属于石油大王德梅因。”
He turned me around again, politely and abruptly. “We'll go inside.”
他又把我推转过身来,客客气气但是不容分说,“我们到里面去吧。”
We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space,
我们穿过一条高高的走廊,走进一间宽敞明亮的玫瑰色的屋子。
fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end.
两头都是落地长窗,把这间屋子轻巧地嵌在这座房子当中。
The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside
这些长窗都半开着。在外面嫩绿的草地的映衬下,显得晶莹耀眼,
that seemed to grow a little way into the house.
那片草仿佛要长到室内来似的。
A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags,
一阵轻风吹过屋里,把窗帘从一头吹进来,又从另一头吹出去,好像一面面白旗,
twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling,
吹向天花板上糖花结婚蛋糕似的装饰;
and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea.
然后轻轻拂过绛色地毯,犹如风吹过海面一般留下一阵阴影。
The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch
屋子里唯一完全静止的东西是一张庞大的长沙发椅,
on which two young women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon.
上面有两个年轻的女人,活像浮在一个停泊在地面的气球上。
They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering
她们俩都身穿白衣,衣裙在风中飘荡,
as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.
好像她们乘气球绕着房子飞了一圈刚被风吹回来似的。
I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall.
我准是站了好一会,倾听窗帘刮动的劈啪声和墙上一幅挂像嘎吱嘎吱的响声。