人们倒抽了一口气，发出一阵惊愕和恐怖的低语；一个姑娘尖叫起来；一个人站到椅子上，想看得更清楚，却打翻了两根满装精子的试管。

Bloated, sagging, and among those firm youthful bodies, those undistorted faces, a strange and terrifying monster of middle-agedness, Linda advanced into the room, coquettishly smiling her broken and discoloured smile, and rolling as she walked, with what was meant to be a voluptuous undulation, her enormous haunches.

在那些青春矫健的身子和没有歪扭的面孔之间出现了一个离奇可怕的中年的妖怪，面目浮肿、肌肉松弛——是琳妲走进了房间。她卖弄风情地微笑着，那微笑退了色，七零八碎。她走路时滚动着她那巨大的臀部，却自以为是腰肢款摆，冶荡迷人。

Bernard walked beside her.

伯纳走在她的身边。

"There he is," he said, pointing at the Director.

“他就在那儿。”伯纳指着主任说。

"Did you think I didn't recognize him?" Linda asked indignantly; then, turning to the Director, Of course I knew you; Tomakin, I should have known you anywhere, among a thousand.

“你以为我会认不出他呀？”琳妲极为气愤地问，然后便转身对着主任，我当然认得出你，汤玛金，我到哪儿都能认得出你，在一千个人里也认得出你。

But perhaps you've forgotten me.

可你也许忘记了我。

Don't you remember? Don't you remember, Tomakin? Your Linda.

你不记得了吗？不记得我了吗，汤玛金？我是你的琳妲。

She stood looking at him, her head on one side, still smiling, but with a smile that became progressively, in face of the Director's expression of petrified disgust, less and less selfconfident, that wavered and finally went out.

她站在那儿望着他，歪着头微笑着。可那微笑面对着主任那呆板的、厌恶的脸色，逐渐失去了自信，犹豫了，终于消失了。

"Don't you remember, Tomakin?" she repeated in a voice that trembled.

“你想不起来了吗，汤玛金？”北重复道，声音颤抖着。

Her eyes were anxious, agonized.

她的眼光焦急而痛苦。

The blotched and sagging face twisted grotesquely into the grimace of extreme grief.

那肮脏松弛的脸奇异地扭曲了、变做了极端凄惨的怪笑。

"Tomakin!" She held out her arms.

“汤玛金！”她伸出双臂。

Some one began to titter.

有人“哧”地一声笑了出来。

"What's the meaning," began the Director, "of this monstrous …"“这是什么意思？”主任说话了，“这个吓人的……”

"Tomakin!" She ran forward, her blanket trailing behind her, threw her arms round his neck, hid her face on his chest.

“汤冯金！”她向他跑来，毛毡拖在身后，伸出双臂搂住了他的脖子，把脸埋在他的胸前。

A howl of laughter went up irrepressibly.

无法抑制的哈哈大笑爆发了出来。

"… this monstrous practical joke," the Director shouted.

“……这种恶作剧太不像话！”主任大叫道。

Red in the face, he tried to disengage himself from her embrace.

他满脸通红，想挣脱她的拥抱。

Desperately she clung.

可她却死命地搂紧了他。

"But I'm Linda, I'm Linda."'The laughter drowned her voice.

“可我是琳妲，我是琳妲。”哈哈大笑淹没了她的话。

"You made me have a baby," she screamed above the uproar.

“你让我怀了个孩子，”她的尖叫压倒了哄堂大笑，There was a sudden and appalling hush; eyes floated uncomfortably, not knowing where to look.

带来了突然的令人骇然的寂静；大家的目光狼狈，闪烁游移，不知道往什么地方看好。