In the morning I walked down the Boulevard to the Rue Soufflot for coffee and brioche. —
早晨我沿着大道走到了苏福大街，喝了咖啡和法式小甜面包。 —

It was a fine morning. The horse-chestnut trees in the Luxembourg gardens were in bloom. —
这是个阳光明媚的早晨，卢森堡花园里的世界大道树开满了花。 —

There was the pleasant early-morning feeling of a hot day. —
这是炎热一天的清爽早晨感觉。 —

I read the papers with the coffee and then smoked a cigarette. —
我一边读报一边喝咖啡，然后点了一根香烟。 —

The flower-women were coming up from the market and arranging their daily stock. —
那些卖花的女人们从市场上迎着每日的货物走来，开始摆放。 —

Students went by going up to the law school, or down to the Sorbonne. —
学生们走过，有的去法学院，有的前往巴黎索邦大学。 —

The Boulevard was busy with trams and people going to work. —
大道上车来车往，行人匆匆赶去上班。 —

I got on an S bus and rode down to the Madeleine, standing on the back platform. —
我搭上了一辆S巴士，站在后面的平台上往马德莱娜方向坐去。 —

From the Madeleine I walked along the Boulevard des Capucines to the Opéra, and up to my office. —
从马德莱娜一路沿着卡比辛大道走到了歌剧院，然后上了我的办公楼。 —

I passed the man with the jumping frogs and the man with the boxer toys. —
我路过那个卖跳跳蛙的人和那个卖拳击玩具的人。 —

I stepped aside to avoid walking into the thread with which his girl assistant manipulated the boxers. —
我避让着不碰到他的女助手正在操作拳击玩具的线。 —

She was standing looking away, the thread in her folded hands. —
她站着朝着另一个方向看着，手中拿着折叠的线。 —

The man was urging two tourists to buy. Three more tourists had stopped and were watching. —
那个男人正在劝说两个游客购买，另外三个游客也停下来看着。 —

I walked on behind a man who was pushing a roller that printed the name CINZANO on the sidewalk in damp letters. —
我跟着一个推着滚轮在湿地上印着“CINZANO”字样的人。 —

All along people were going to work. It felt pleasant to be going to work. —
一路上都是匆匆赶去上班的人，感觉自己能去上班是件愉快的事。 —

I walked across the avenue and turned in to my office.
我穿过大街，转入我的办公室。

Up-stairs in the office I read the French morning papers, smoked, and then sat at the typewriter and got off a good morning’s work. —
在办公室楼上，我阅读了法国的早报，抽了根烟，然后坐在打字机前工作了一个愉快的上午。 —

At eleven o’clock I went over to the Quai d’Orsay in a taxi and went in and sat with about a dozen correspondents, while the foreign-office mouthpiece, a young Nouvelle Revue Francaise diplomat in hornrimmed spectacles, talked and answered questions for half an hour. —
十一点的时候，我乘出租车去德尔塞码头，和大约十几位记者一起坐下，而外交部发言人，一位戴着角眼镜的年轻《新法兰西评论》外交官讲话并回答问题半个小时。 —

The President of the Council was in Lyons making a speech, or, rather he was on his way back. —
首相正在里昂发表演讲，或者说，他正在回来的路上。 —

Several people asked questions to hear themselves talk and there were a couple of questions asked by news service men who wanted to know the answers. —
有几个人提问题只是为了听听自己说话，也有几个新闻服务人员提问，想知道答案。 —

There was no news. I shared a taxi back from the Quai d’Orsay with Woolsey and Krum.
没有新闻。我和Woolsey还有Krum一起搭乘出租车回来。

   "What do you do nights, Jake?" asked Krum. "I never see you around."

“杰克，你晚上都在干嘛呢?” Krum问道。 “我从来没看到你在外面呆过。”

   "Oh, I'm over in the Quarter."

“哦，我在区里面。”

   "I'm coming over some night. The Dingo. That's the great place, isn't it?"

“有天晚上我会过来的。那个鼎哥。那是个不错的地方，对吧？”

   "Yes. That, or this new dive, the Select."

“对。还有，或者是那个新开的酒吧，选择。”

   "I've meant to get over," said Krum. "You know how it is, though, with a wife and kids."

“我本来打算过去的，” Krum说。 “不过你也知道，有妻子和孩子在身，事情总是忙不完。”

   "Playing any tennis?" Woolsey asked.

“打网球吗？” Woolsey问。

“Well, no,” said Krum. “I can’t say I’ve played any this year. —
“额，不，” Krum说。 “今年我没有打过。” —

I’ve tried to get away, but Sundays it’s always rained, and the courts are so damned crowded.”
“我试着外出一下，不过每个星期天总下雨，场地又挤得要命。”

   "The Englishmen all have Saturday off," Woolsey said.

“英国人星期六放假，” Woolsey说。

“Lucky beggars,” said Krum. “Well, I’ll tell you. —
“幸运的乞丐，”克鲁姆说。“好吧，我告诉你。 —

Some day I’m not going to be working for an agency. —
总有一天我不会再为代理机构工作。 —

Then I’ll have plenty of time to get out in the country.”
到那时我会有足够的时间到乡间走走。”

   "That's the thing to do. Live out in the country and have a little car."

“那才是正确的事情。住在乡间，有一辆小车。”

   "I've been thinking some about getting a car next year."

“我一直在考虑明年买辆车。”

I banged on the glass. The chauffeur stopped. —
我敲击玻璃。司机停下了。 —

“Here’s my street,” I said. “Come in and have a drink.”
“这就是我的街道，”我说。“进来喝一杯。”

“Thanks, old man,” Krum said. Woolsey shook his head. —
“谢谢，老兄，”克鲁姆说。沃尔西摇了摇头。 —

“I’ve got to file that line he got off this morning.”
“我得整理一下他今早说的那段话。”

   I put a two-franc piece in Krum's hand.

我把两法郎硬币塞到克鲁姆的手里。

   "You're crazy, Jake," he said. "This is on me."

“你疯了，杰克，”他说。“这顿我请。”

   "It's all on the office, anyway."

“反正都是办公室买单。”

   "Nope. I want to get it."

“不是。我想请你。”

   I waved good-by. Krum put his head out. "See you at the lunch on Wednesday."

我挥了挥手告别。克鲁姆把头伸出去。“星期三的午餐见。”

   "You bet."

“当然。”

I went to the office in the elevator. —
我乘电梯去了办公室。 —

Robert Cohn was waiting for me. “Hello, Jake,” he said. —
罗伯特·科恩在等我。“你好，杰克，”他说。 —

“Going out to lunch?”
“出去吃午饭吗？”

   "Yes. Let me see if there is anything new."

“是的。让我看看有没有什么新的东西。”

   "Where will we eat?"

“我们要在哪里吃？”

   "Anywhere."

“随便。”

   I was looking over my desk. "Where do you want to eat?"

我在查看我的桌子上的东西。“你想去哪里吃？”

   "How about Wetzel's? They've got good hors d'oeuvres."

“怎么样去Wetzel’s？他们有很棒的开胃菜。”

In the restaurant we ordered hors d’oeuvres and beer. —
在餐厅里，我们点了开胃菜和啤酒。 —

The sommelier brought the beer, tall, beaded on the outside of the stems, and cold. —
调酒师端来了啤酒，长长的，外面镶有珠子，又冰又凉。 —

There were a dozen different dishes of hors d’oeuvres.
餐桌上有十几种不同的开胃菜。

   "Have any fun last night?" I asked.

“昨晚玩得开心吗？”我问。

   "No. I don't think so."

“没有。我觉得没有。”

   "How's the writing going?"

“写作进行得如何？”

   "Rotten. I can't get this second book going."

“糟糕。我无法让这本第二本书开始起来。”

   "That happens to everybody."

“这种情况对每个人都会发生。”

   "Oh, I'm sure of that. It gets me worried, though."

“哦，我相信。不过这让我有点担心。”

   "Thought any more about going to South America?"

“有没有再考虑去南美洲的事情？”

   "I mean that."

“我是认真的。”

   "Well, why don't you start off?"

“那么，为什么你不开始呢？”

   "Frances."

“弗朗西斯。”

   "Well," I said, "take her with you."

“好吧，”我说，“带上她跟你一起去吧。”

“She wouldn’t like it. That isn’t the sort of thing she likes. —
“她不会喜欢的。那不是她喜欢的事情。 —

She likes a lot of people around.”
她喜欢周围有很多人。”

   "Tell her to go to hell."

“告诉她滚吧。”

   "I can't. I've got certain obligations to her."

“我不行。我对她有一些义务。”

   He shoved the sliced cucumbers away and took a pickled herring.

他把切好的黄瓜推开，拿起一块腌鲱鱼。

   "What do you know about Lady Brett Ashley, Jake?"

“杰克，你了解布雷特·阿什利夫人吗？”

“Her name’s Lady Ashley. Brett’s her own name. She’s a nice girl,” I said. —
“她的名字是阿什利夫人。布雷特是她自己的名字。她是个不错的女孩，”我说。 —

“She’s getting a divorce and she’s going to marry Mike Campbell. —
“她正在离婚，准备嫁给迈克·坎贝尔。” —

He’s over in Scotland now. Why?”
他现在在苏格兰。为什么？

   "She's a remarkably attractive woman."

“她是一个非常有吸引力的女人。”

   "Isn't she?"

“不是吗？”

“There’s a certain quality about her, a certain fineness. —
“她有一种特殊的品质，一种优雅。 —

She seems to be absolutely fine and straight.”
“她看起来绝对很不错，很正直。”

   "She's very nice."

“她非常友好。”

   "I don't know how to describe the quality," Cohn said. "I suppose it's breeding."

“我不知道如何描述这种品质，” 科恩说。 “我想这是出身。”

   "You sound as though you liked her pretty well."

“你听起来好像挺喜欢她的。”

   "I do. I shouldn't wonder if I were in love with her."

“是的。我不会奇怪如果我爱上了她。”

“She’s a drunk,” I said. “She’s in love with Mike Campbell, and she’s going to marry him. —
“她是个酒鬼,“我说。”她爱上了迈克·坎贝尔，她打算嫁给他。” —

He’s going to be rich as hell some day.”
“他以后会变得非常富有。”

   "I don't believe she'll ever marry him."

“我不相信她会嫁给他。”

   "Why not?"

“为什么？”

   "I don't know. I just don't believe it. Have you known her a long time?"

“我不知道。我就是不信。你认识她很久了吗？”

   "Yes," I said. "She was a V. A. D. in a hospital I was in during the war."

“是的,“我说。”她在战争期间曾在我所在的医院担任V. A. D.。”

   "She must have been just a kid then."

“那时候她应该还是个小孩。”

   "She's thirty-four now."

“她现在三十四岁了.”

   "When did she marry Ashley?"

“她什么时候嫁给阿什利的？”

   "During the war. Her own true love had just kicked off with the dysentery."

“在战争期间。她自己真正的爱人刚得了痢疾就去世了。”

   "You talk sort of bitter."

“你说话有点苦涩。”

   "Sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to give you the facts."

“抱歉，我不是故意的。我只是想告诉你事实。”

   "I don't believe she would marry anybody she didn't love."

“我不相信她会嫁给她不爱的任何人。”

   "Well," I said. "She's done it twice."

“嗯，”我说。“她已经做了两次。”

   "I don't believe it."

“我不信。”

   "Well," I said, "don't ask me a lot of fool questions if you don't like the answers."

“嗯,”我说，“你要是不喜欢答案的话就别问些傻问题。”

   "I didn't ask you that."

“我没问你那个。”

   "You asked me what I knew about Brett Ashley."

“你问我知道布雷特·艾什利的什么事。”

   "I didn't ask you to insult her."

“我并没让你侮辱她。”

   "Oh, go to hell."

“哦，去死吧。”

   He stood up from the table his face white, and stood there white and angry behind the little plates of hors d'ceuvres.

他站起来，脸色苍白，站在那儿，白色的愤怒在小开胃菜盘的后方。

   "Sit down," I said. "Don't be a fool."

“坐下，”我说。“别做傻事。”

   "You've got to take that back."

“你必须收回那句话。”

   "Oh, cut out the prep-school stuff."

“不要再扯什么贵族学校的事情了。”

   "Take it back."

“收回。”

   "Sure. Anything. I never heard of Brett Ashley. How's that?"

“好吧。随便。我从来没听说过布雷特·艾什利。怎么样？”

   "No. Not that. About me going to hell."

“不，不是那个。是关于我去地狱的那句话。”

   "Oh, don't go to hell," I said. "Stick around. We're just starting lunch."

“哦，别去地狱，”我说。“留下来吧。我们正要开始吃午饭。”

Cohn smiled again and sat down. He seemed glad to sit down. —
柯恩再次微笑着坐下了。他似乎很高兴能坐下来。 —

What the hell would he have done if he hadn’t sat down? —
如果他没坐下来，他会做什么呢？ —

“You say such damned insulting things, Jake.”
“你说的话真是让人讨厌，杰克。”

   "I'm sorry. I've got a nasty tongue. I never mean it when I say nasty things."

“对不起。我口齿不酸。说恶毒的话时我从来不是认真的。”

   "I know it," Cohn said. "You're really about the best friend I have, Jake."

“我知道，”柯恩说。“你确实是我最好的朋友，杰克。”

   God help you, I thought. "Forget what I said," I said out loud. "I'm sorry."

我在心里想，愿上帝保佑你。我大声说：“不要介意我说的话。对不起。”

   "It's all right. It's fine. I was just sore for a minute."

“没事，没关系。我只是一时生气。”

   "Good. Let's get something else to eat."

“好的。我们去吃点别的东西吧。”

After we finished the lunch we walked up to the Café de la Paix and had coffee. —
吃完午饭后，我们走到了和平咖啡馆喝咖啡。 —

I could feel Cohn wanted to bring up Brett again, but I held him off it. —
我感觉到柯恩想再提到布莱特，但我阻止了他。 —

We talked about one thing and another, and I left him to come to the office.
我们聊了这个那个，之后我离开他去了办公室。