书城教材教辅新课标英语学习资源库-百万英镑
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第4章 The 1,000,000 BankNote(4)

I waited till he was done with what he was at, then he took me into a back room, and overhauledoverhaul v.检查 a pile of rejected suits, and selected the rattiest one for me. I put it on. It didnt fit, and wasnt in any way attractive, but it was new, and I was anxiousanxious adj.观念的, 担忧的, 渴望的, 盼望的 to have it, so I didnt find any fault, but said, with some diffidence: “It would be an accommodation to me if you could wait some days for the money. I havent any small change about me.”

我等着。他忙完了手头的事,把我带到后面的一个房间,在一摞退货当中翻了一通,给我挑出一套最寒酸的来。我换上了这套衣服。这衣服不合身,毫无魅力可言,可它总是新的,而我正急着要衣服穿哪;没什么可挑剔的,我迟迟疑疑地说:“要是你们能等两天再结账。就帮了我的忙了。现在我一点零钱都没带。”

The fellow worked up a most sarcastic expression of countenance, and said: “Oh, you havent? Well, of course, I didnt expect it. Id only expect gentlemen like you to carry large change.”

那店员端出一副刻薄至极的嘴脸说:“哦,您没带零钱?说真的,我想您也没带。我以为像您这样的先生光会带大票子哪。”

I was nettled, and said: “My friend, you shouldnt judge a stranger always by the clothes he wears. I am quite able to pay for this suit; I simply didnt wish to put you to the trouble of changing a large note.”

我火了,说:“朋友,对一个陌生人的,你们不能总拿衣帽取人哪。这套衣服我买得起,就是不愿让你们找不开一张大票,添麻烦。”

He modified his style a little at that, and said, though still with something of an air: “I didnt mean any particular harm, but as long as rebukesrebuke n.指责, 谴责, 非难 vt.斥责, 指责, 非难,成为对……的指摘 are going, I might say it wasnt quite your affair to jump to the conclusion that we couldnt change any note that you might happen to be carrying around. On the contrary, we can.”

他稍稍收敛了一点,可那种口气还是暴露无遗。他说: “我可没成心出口伤人,不过,您要是出难题的话,我告诉您,您一张口就咬定我们找不开您带的什么票子,这可是多管闲事。正相反,我们找得开。”

I handed the note to him, and said: “Oh, very well, I apologizeapologize vi.道歉, 辩白。”

我把那张钞票递给他,说:“哦,那好,对不起了。”

He received it with a smile, one of those large smiles which goes all around over, and has folds in it, and wrinkleswrinkle n.皱纹 v.使皱, and spirals, and looks like the place where you have thrown a brick in a pond, and then in the act of his taking a glimpse of the bill this smile froze solid, and turned yellow, and looked like those wavywavy adj.波状的, 摇摆的, 起浪的, 波动的, 不稳的, wormy spreads of lavalava n.熔岩, 火山岩 which you find hardened on little levels on the side of Vesuvius. I never before saw a smile caught like that, and perpetuated. The man stood there holding the bill, and looking like that, and the proprietorproprietor n.所有者, 经营者 hustledhustle n.急速活动, 挤, 推, 拥挤喧嚷 vt.驱赶, 驱逐,乱挤, 硬逼(某人)买或做事, 强夺 vi.硬挤过去 up to see what was the matter, and said, briskly: “Well, whats up? Whats the trouble? Whats wanting?”

他笑着接了过去,这是那种无处不在的笑容,笑里有皱,笑里带褶,一圈儿一圈儿的,就像往水池子里面扔了一块砖头;可是,只瞟了一眼钞票,他的笑容就凝固了,脸色大变,就像你在维苏威火山山麓那些平坎上看到的起起伏伏、像虫子爬似的凝固熔岩。我从来没见过谁的笑脸定格成如此这般的永恒状态。这家伙站在那儿捏着钞票,用这副架势定定地瞅。老板过来看到底出了什么事,他神采奕奕地发问: “哎,怎么啦?有什么问题?想要点什么?”

I said: “There isnt any trouble. Im waiting for my change.”

我说:“什么问题也没有。我正等着找钱哪。”

“come, come, get him his change, Tod, get him his change.”

“快点,快点,找给他钱,托德,找给他钱。”

Tod retortedretort v.反驳, 反击, 回报 n.曲颈甑, 曲颈瓶, 蒸器: “Get him his change! Its easy to say, sir, but look at the bill yourself.”

托德反唇相讥:“找给他钱!说得轻巧,先生,自个儿看看吧,您哪。”

The proprietor took a look, gave a low, eloquenteloquent adj.雄辩的, 有口才的, 动人的, 意味深长的 whistle, then made a dive for the pile of rejected clothing, and began to snatch it this way and that, talking all the time excitedly, and as if to himself:那老板看了一眼,低低地吹了一声动听的口哨,一头扎进那摞退货的衣服里乱翻起来。一边翻,一边不停唠叨,好像是自言自语:“Sell an eccentriceccentric adj.古怪 n.行为古怪的人 millionairemillionaire n.百万富翁, 大富豪 such an unspeakable suit as that! Tods a fool—a born fool. Always doing something like this. Drives every millionaire away from this place, because he cant tell a millionaire from a tramp, and never could. Ah, heres the thing I am after. Please get those things off, sir, and throw them in the fire. Do me the favor to put on this shirt and this suit, its just the thing, the very thing—plain, rich, modestmodest adj.谦虚的, 谦让的, 适度的, and just ducally nobbynobby adj.时髦的, 华丽的, made to order for a foreign prince—you may know him, sir, his Serene Highness the Hospodar of Halifax, had to leave it with us and take a mourningsuit because his mother was going to die—which she didnt. But thats all right, we cant always have things the way we—that is, the way they—there! trousers all right, they fit you to a charm, sir, now the waistcoat, aha, right again! Now the coat—Lord! Look at that, now! Perfect—the whole thing! I never saw such a triumphtriumph n.胜利, 成功 v.获得胜利 in all my experience.”

“把一套拿不出手的衣服卖给一位非同寻常的百万富翁!托德这个傻瓜!——生就的傻瓜。老是这个样子。把一个个百万富翁都气走了,就因为他分不清谁是百万富翁,谁是流浪汉,从来就没分清过。啊,我找的就是这件。先生,请把这些东西脱了,都扔到火里头去。您赏我一个脸,穿上这件衬衫和这身套装;合适,太合适了——简洁、考究、庄重,完全是王公贵族的气派;这是给一位外国亲王定做的——先生可能认识,就是尊敬的哈利法克斯·赫斯庞达尔殿下;他把这套衣服放在这儿,又做了一套丧服,因为他母亲快不行了——可后来又没有死。不过这没关系;事情哪能老按咱们——这个,老按他们——嘿!裤子正好,正合您的身,先生;再试试马甲;啊哈,也合适!再穿上外衣——上帝!看看,喏!绝了——真是绝了!我干了一辈子还没见过这么漂亮的衣服哪!”

I expressed my satisfaction.

我表示满意。

“Quite right, sir, quite right, itll do for a makeshiftmakeshift n.将就, 凑合, 权宜之计 adj.权宜之计的, 凑合的, Im bound to say. But wait till you see what well get up for you on your own measure. come, Tod, book and pen, get at it. Length of leg, 32—”and so on. Before I could get in a word he had measured me, and was giving orders for dresssuits, morning suits, shirts, and all sorts of things. When I got a chance I said: “But, my dear sir, I cant give these orders, unless you can wait indefinitely, or change the bill.”

“您圣明,先生,圣明;我敢说,这套衣裳还能先顶一阵儿。不过,您等着,瞧我们按您自个儿的尺码给您做衣裳。快,托德,拿本子和笔;我说你记。裤长三十二英寸——”如此等等。还没等我插一句嘴,他已经量完了,正在吩咐做晚礼服、晨礼服、衬衫以及各色各样的衣服。我插了一个空子说:“亲爱的先生,我不能定做这些衣服,除非您能不定结账的日子,要不然就得给我换开这张钞票。”

“Indefinitely! Its a weak word, sir, a weak word. Eternally—thats the word, sir. Tod, rush these things through, and send them to the gentlemans address without any waste of time. Let the minorminor n.未成年人, 副修科目 adj.较小的, 次要的,二流的, 未成年的 vi.辅修 n.[乐]小调, 小音阶 customers wait. Set down the gentlemans address and—”

“不定日子!这不像话,先生,不像话。是永远——这才像话呢,先生。托德,赶紧把这些衣服做出来,一刻也别耽搁,送到这位先生的府上去。让那些个不要紧的顾客等着。把这位先生的地址记下来,再——”

“Im changing my quarters. I will drop in and leave the new address.”

“我就要搬家了。我什么时候来再留新地址。”

“Quite right, sir, quite right. One moment—let me show you out, sir. There—good day, sir, good day.”

“您圣明,先生,您圣明。稍等——我送送您,先生。好——您走好,先生,您走好。”