月亮和六便士 第二十三章(3)

 How did you manage that? I asked. “你怎么弄到这笔买卖的？”我问他。

The woman where I get my bread recommended me. “卖我面包的那个女人把我介绍去的。

He'd told her he was looking out for someone to paint him. 他同她说过，要找一个人给他画像。

I've got to give her twenty francs. 我得给她二十法郎介绍费。”

What's he like? “是怎样一个人？”

Splendid. He's got a great red face like a leg of mutton, and on his right cheek there's an enormous mole¹ with long hairs growing out of it. “太了不起了。一张大红脸象条羊腿。右脸上有一颗大痣，上面还长着大长毛。”

Strickland was in a good humour, and when Dirk Stroeve came up and sat down with us he attacked him with ferocious² banter³. 思特里克兰德这天情绪很好，当戴尔克·施特略夫走来同我们坐在一起时，思特里克兰德马上冷嘲热讽地对他大肆攻击起来。

He showed a skill I should never have credited him with in finding the places where the unhappy Dutchman was most sensitive. 他惯会寻找这位不幸的荷兰人的痛处，技巧的高超实在令我钦佩。

Strickland employed not the rapier of sarcasm⁴ but the bludgeon of invective⁵. 他这次用的不是讥刺的细剑，而是谩骂的大棒。

The attack was so unprovoked that Stroeve, taken unawares, was defenceless. 他的攻击来得非常突然。施特略夫被打得个措手不及，完全失掉防卫能力。

He reminded you of a frightened sheep running aimlessly hither and thither⁶.  象一只受了惊的小羊，没有目的地东跑西窜，

He was startled and amazed. At last the tears ran from his eyes. 张皇失措，晕头转向。最后，泪珠扑簌簌地从他眼睛里滚出来。

And the worst of it was that, though you hated Strickland, and the exhibition was horrible, it was impossible not to laugh. 这件事最糟糕的地方在于，尽管你非常恼恨思特里克兰德，尽管你感到这出戏很可怕，你还是禁不住要笑起来。

Dirk Stroeve was one of those unlucky persons whose most sincere emotions are ridiculous. 有一些人很不幸，即使他们流露的是最真挚的感情也令人感到滑稽可笑，戴尔克·施特略夫正是这样一个人。

But after all when I look back upon that winter in Paris, my pleasantest recollection is of Dirk Stroeve. 但是尽管如此，在我回顾我在巴黎度过的这个冬天时，戴尔克·施特略夫还是给我留下了最愉快的回忆。

There was something very charming in his little household. 他的小家庭有一种魅力，

He and his wife made a picture which the imagination gratefully dwelt upon, and the simplicity⁷ of his love for her had a deliberate grace. 他同他的妻子是一幅叫你思念不置的图画；他对自己妻子的纯真的爱情使人感到是娴雅而高尚的。

1 mole   

n.胎块；痣；克分子

参考例句：

• She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
• The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

2 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

3 banter   

n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑

参考例句：

• The actress exchanged banter with reporters.女演员与记者相互开玩笑。
• She engages in friendly banter with her customers.她常和顾客逗乐。

4 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

5 invective   

n.痛骂，恶意抨击

参考例句：

• He retorted the invective on her.他用恶言讽刺还击她。
• His command of irony and invective was said to be very classic and lethal.据说他嬉笑怒骂的本领是极其杰出的，令人无法招架的。

6 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。

7 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。