Chapter1
Itbeganin
một
aWoman’sClubinLondononmột
aFebruaryafternoon—anuncomfortableclub,và
andamiserableafternoon—whenMrs.Wilkins,người
whohadcomedownfromHampsteadtomua sắm
shopandhadlunchedathercâu lạc bộ
club,tookupTheTimesfromthebàn
tableinthesmoking-room,andrunningherlistlessmắt
eyedowntheAgonyColumnsawnày
this:.ToThosewhoAppreciateWistaria
và
andSunshine.SmallmediaevalItalian
Lâu đài
CastleontheshoresoftheMediterraneantobeLetFurnishedforthetháng
monthofApril.Necessaryservantsremain.
Z,
Hộp
Box1000,TheTimes.Thatwasitsconception;
tuy nhiên
yet,asinthecaseofnhiều
manyanother,theconceiverwasunawareofitatthemoment.So
hoàn toàn
entirelyunawarewasMrs.WilkinsthatherTư
Aprilforthatyearhadthenvà
andtherebeensettledforherthatshedroppedthenewspapervới
withagesturethatwascả
bothirritatedandresigned,andwentovertothecửa sổ
windowandstareddrearilyoutatthedrippingstreet.Notforherweremediaevalcastles,
ngay cả
eventhosethatarespeciallydescribedasnhỏ
small.Notforhertheshoresin
Tư
ApriloftheMediterranean,andcác
thewistariaandsunshine.Suchdelightswere
chỉ
onlyfortherich.Yetthe
quảng cáo
advertisementhadbeenaddressedtopersonswhoappreciatethesethings,sothatithadbeen,anyhow,addressedtootoher,forshechắc chắn
certainlyappreciatedthem;morethananybodyknew;
morethanshehadevertold.
Nhưng
Butshewaspoor.Inthe
cả
wholeworldshepossessedofherveryownchỉ
onlyninetypounds,savedfromnăm
yeartoyear,putbycẩn thận
carefullypoundbypound,outofherdressallowance.Shehadscraped
này
thissumtogetheratthesuggestionofherchồng
husbandasashieldandrefugechống lại
againstarainyday.Her
ăn mặc
dressallowance,givenherbyhercha
father,was£100ayear,sothatMrs.Wilkins’squần áo
clotheswerewhatherhusband,urginghertotiết kiệm
save,calledmodestandbecoming,và
andheracquaintancetoeachother,khi
whentheyspokeofheratall,whichwashiếm khi
seldomforshewasverynegligible,calledmột
aperfectsight.Mr.
Wilkins,
một
asolicitor,encouragedthrift,exceptthatbranchofitwhichgotintohisthức ăn
food.Hedidnotcallthatthrift,hecalledit
xấu
badhousekeeping.Butforthethrift
mà
which,likemoth,penetratedintoMrs.Wilkins’squần áo
clothesandspoiltthem,hehadnhiều
muchpraise.“Youneverknow,”hesaid,“whenthere
sẽ
willbearainyday,và
andyoumaybeveryvui
gladtofindyouhavemột
anest-egg.Indeedwebothmay.”
Looking
ra
outoftheclubwindowintoShaftesburyAvenue—herswasmột
aneconomicalclub,butconvenientforHampstead,nơi
whereshelived,andforShoolbred’s,nơi
wheresheshopped—Mrs.Wilkins,havingstoodtheresome
thời gian
timeverydrearily,hermind’smắt
eyeontheMediterraneaninTư
April,andthewistaria,andtheenviableopportunitiesofthegiàu
rich,whileherbodilyeyewatchedthethực sự
reallyextremelyhorriblesootyrainfallingđều đặn
steadilyonthehurryingumbrellasvà
andsplashingomnibuses,suddenlywonderedwhethercó lẽ
perhapsthiswasnottherainydayMellersh—MellershwasMr.Wilkins—hadsooftenencouragedhertopreparefor,và
andwhethertogetoutofsuchaclimatevà
andintothesmallmediaevalcastlewasn’tcó lẽ
perhapswhatProvidencehadallalongintendedhertodowithhersavings.Phần
Partofhersavings,ofcourse;có lẽ
perhapsquiteasmallpart.The
lâu đài
castle,beingmediaeval,mightalsobedilapidated,và
anddilapidationsweresurelycheap.Shewouldn’tintheleast
tâm
mindafewofthem,becauseyoudidn’tpayfordilapidationswhichweređã
alreadythere;onthecontrary—byreducingthe
giá
priceyouhadtopaytheythực sự
reallypaidyou.Butwhat
vô nghĩa
nonsensetothinkofit...Sheturned
đi
awayfromthewindowwiththecùng
samegestureofmingledirritationvà
andresignationwithwhichshehadlaiddownTheTimes,và
andcrossedtheroomtowardsthecửa
doorwiththeintentionofgettinghermackintoshvà
andumbrellaandfightingherwayintooneoftheovercrowdedomnibusesvà
andgoingtoShoolbred’sonherwaynhà
homeandbuyingsomesolesforMellersh’sdinner—Mellershwasdifficultvới
withfishandlikedonlysoles,exceptsalmon—whenshebeheldMrs.Arbuthnot,awomansheknewbytầm nhìn
sightasalsolivinginHampsteadvà
andbelongingtotheclub,sittingatthebàn
tableinthemiddleofthephòng
roomonwhichthenewspapersvà
andmagazineswerekept,absorbed,inherturn,inthefirstpageofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinshad
chưa bao giờ
neveryetspokentoMrs.Arbuthnot,người
whobelongedtooneofnhững
thevariouschurchsets,andngười
whoanalysed,classified,dividedandregisterednhững
thepoor;whereassheandMellersh,
khi
whentheydidgoout,wenttocác
thepartiesofimpressionistpainters,ofwhominHampsteadtherewerenhiều
many.Mellershhadasisterwhohad
kết hôn
marriedoneofthemandlivedupontheHeath
Heath,andbecauseofthisallianceMrs.Wilkinswasdrawnintoacirclemà
whichwashighlyunnaturaltoher,và
andshehadlearnedtodreadpictures.Shehadto
nói
saythingsaboutthem,andshedidn’tbiết
knowwhattosay.Sheusedtomurmur,“Marvellous,”
và
andfeelthatitwasnotđủ
enough.Butnobodyminded.
Nobodylistened.
Ai
NobodytookanynoticeofMrs.Wilkins.Shewas
các
thekindofpersonwhoisnotnoticedatparties.Her
quần áo
clothes,infestedbythrift,madeherpracticallyvô
invisible;herfacewasnon-arresting;
her
chuyện
conversationwasreluctant;shewas
nhút nhát
shy.Andifone’sclothes
và
andfaceandconversationaretất cả
allnegligible,thoughtMrs.Wilkins,người
whorecognisedherdisabilities,what,atparties,iscó
thereleftofone?Alsoshewas
luôn luôn
alwayswithWilkins,thatclean-shaven,fine-lookingngười đàn ông
man,whogaveaparty,merelybycomingtonó
it,agreatair.Wilkinswas
rất
veryrespectable.Hewasknowntobehighlythoughtofbyhisseniorpartners.
Hissister’scircleadmiredhim.
Hepronouncedadequatelyintelligentjudgmentsonart
và
andartists.Hewaspithy;
hewas
thận trọng
prudent;heneversaida
từ
wordtoomuch,nor,onthekhác
otherhand,didheevernói
sayawordtoolittle.Heproduced
những
theimpressionofkeepingcopiesofeverythinghesaid;và
andhewassoobviouslyđáng tin cậy
reliablethatitoftenhappenedrằng
thatpeoplewhomethimatthesepartiesbecamediscontentedvới
withtheirownsolicitors,andsau
afteraperiodofrestlessnessextricatedthemselvesvà
andwenttoWilkins.NaturallyMrs.Wilkinswasblottedout.
“She,”saidhissister,
với
withsomethingherselfofthejudicial,thedigested,và
andthefinalinhercách
manner,“shouldstayathome.”Nhưng
ButWilkinscouldnotleavehisvợ
wifeathome.Hewas
một
afamilysolicitor,andallsuchcó
havewivesandshowthem.Với
Withhisintheweekhewenttoparties,và
andwithhisonSundayshewenttonhà thờ
church.Beingstillfairlyyoung—hewasthirty-nine—andambitiousof
già
oldladies,ofwhomhehadnotchưa
yetacquiredinhispracticemột
asufficientnumber,hecouldnotkhả năng
affordtomisschurch,anditwastherethatMrs.Wilkinsbecamefamiliar,thoughkhông bao giờ
neverthroughwords,withMrs.Arbuthnot.Shesawhermarshalling
những
thechildrenofthepoorintopews.Shewould
đi
comeinattheheadoftherước
processionfromtheSundaySchoolchính xác
exactlyfiveminutesbeforethehợp xướng
choir,andgetherboysvà
andgirlsneatlyfittedintotheirallottedseats,và
anddownontheirlittlekneesintheirpreliminaryprayer,và
andupagainontheirfeetjustas,totheswellingcơ quan
organ,thevestrydooropened,và
andthechoirandclergy,bigvới
withthelitaniesandcommandmentstheywerehiện
presentlytorollout,emerged.Shehad
một
asadface,yetshewasrõ ràng
evidentlyefficient.ThecombinationusedtomakeMrs.Wilkins
tự hỏi
wonder,forshehadbeentoldbyMellersh,ondayswhenshehadchỉ
onlybeenabletogetplaice,thatnếu
ifonewereefficientonewouldn’tbedepressed,và
andthatifonedoesone’sviệc
jobwellonebecomesautomaticallysáng
brightandbrisk.AboutMrs.Arbuthnot
có
therewasnothingbrightandbrisk,thoughnhiều
muchinherwaywithcác
theSundaySchoolchildrenthatwastự động
automatic;butwhenMrs.Wilkins,turningfromthe
cửa sổ
window,caughtsightofherinthecâu lạc bộ
clubshewasnotbeingtự động
automaticatall,butwaslookingfixedlyatmột
oneportionofthefirsttrang
pageofTheTimes,holdingthepaperkhá
quitestill,hereyesnotmoving.Shewas
chỉ
juststaring;andherface,asusual,wasthefaceof
một
apatientanddisappointedMadonna.Obeying
một
animpulseshewonderedatngay cả
evenwhileobeyingit,Mrs.Wilkins,thenhút nhát
shyandthereluctant,insteadofproceedingasshehadintendedtothecloakroomvà
andfromthencetoSchoolbred’sinsearchofMellersh’scá
fish,stoppedatthetablevà
andsatdownexactlyoppositeMrs.Arbuthnot,towhomshehadchưa bao giờ
neveryetspokeninhercuộc sống
life.Itwasoneof
những
thoselong,narrowrefectorytables,sothattheywerekhá
quiteclosetoeachother.Mrs.
Arbuthnot,
tuy nhiên
however,didnotlookup.Shecontinuedtogaze,
với
witheyesthatseemedtobedreaming,atmột
onespotonlyofTheTimes.Mrs.
Wilkinswatchedher
một
aminute,tryingtoscrewlên
upcouragetospeaktoher.Shewantedto
hỏi
askherifshehadseenthequảng cáo
advertisement.Shedidnotknow
sao
whyshewantedtoaskhernày
this,butshewantedto.Howstupidnottobe
thể
abletospeaktoher.Shelookedsokind.
Shelookedsounhappy.
Sao
Whycouldn’ttwounhappypeoplerefresheachotherontheirđường
waythroughthisdustybusinessofcuộc sống
lifebyalittletalk—real,tự nhiên
naturaltalk,aboutwhattheyfelt,whattheywouldđã
haveliked,whattheystilltriedtohy vọng
hope?Andshecouldnothelpthinking
rằng
thatMrs.Arbuthnot,too,wasreadingrằng
thatverysameadvertisement.Hereyeswereonthevery
phần
partofthepaper.Wasshe,too,picturingwhatitwouldbelike—thecolour,
những
thefragrance,thelight,thesoftlappingofnhững
theseaamonglittlehotrocks?Colour,fragrance,light,
biển
sea;insteadofShaftesburyAvenue,
và
andthewetomnibuses,andcác
thefishdepartmentatShoolbred’s,và
andtheTubetoHampstead,và
anddinner,andto-morrowthesamevà
andthedayafterthesamevà
andalwaysthesame...Đột nhiên
SuddenlyMrs.Wilkinsfoundherselfleaningqua
acrossthetable.“Areyoureading
về
aboutthemediaevalcastleandthewistaria?”sheheardherselfasking.
Nhiên
NaturallyMrs.Arbuthnotwassurprised;nhưng
butshewasnothalfsonhiều
muchsurprisedasMrs.Wilkinswasatherselfforasking.Mrs.
Arbuthnothadnot
chưa
yettoherknowledgeseteyesontheshabby,lank,loosely-put-togetherhình
figuresittingoppositeher,withitsnhỏ
smallfreckledfaceandbigxám
greyeyesalmostdisappearingundermột
asmashed-downwet-weatherhat,andshegazedathermột
amomentwithoutanswering.Shewasreading
về
aboutthemediaevalcastleandnhững
thewistaria,orratherhadreadvề
aboutittenminutesbefore,và
andsincethenhadbeenlostindreams—oflight,ofcolour,offragrance,ofnhững
thesoftlappingofthebiển
seaamonglittlehotrocks...“Whydoyou
hỏi
askmethat?”shesaidinhergravevoice,forher
đào tạo
trainingofandbythenghèo
poorhadmadehergravevà
andpatient.Mrs.
Wilkinsflushed
và
andlookedexcessivelyshyandsợ hãi
frightened.“Oh,onlybecauseIsawittoo,
và
andIthoughtperhaps—Ithoughtsomehow—”shestammered.
WhereuponMrs.Arbuthnot,hermindbeing
sử dụng
usedtogettingpeopleintolistsvà
anddivisions,fromhabitconsidered,asshegazedthoughtfullyatMrs.Wilkins,dưới
underwhatheading,supposingshehadtoclassifyher,shecouldnhất
mostproperlybeput.“AndI
biết
knowyoubysight,”wentonMrs.Wilkins,người
who,likealltheshy,khi
onceshewasstartedplungedvào
on,frighteningherselftomorevà
andmorespeechbythesheersoundofwhatshehadsaidcuối
lastinherears.“EverySunday—Iseeyou
mỗi
everySundayinchurch—”.“Inchurch?”
echoedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“And
này
thisseemssuchawonderfulthing—thisadvertisementvề
aboutthewistaria—and—”.Mrs.
Wilkins,
người
whomusthavebeenatít
leastthirty,brokeoffandwriggledinherghế
chairwiththemovementofmột
anawkwardandembarrassedschoolgirl.“Itseemssowonderful,”shewentonin
một
akindofburst,“and—itissuchmột
amiserableday...”Và
AndthenshesatlookingatMrs.Arbuthnotvới
withtheeyesofanimprisonedchó
dog.“Thispoorthing,”thoughtMrs.Arbuthnot,whose
cuộc đời
lifewasspentinhelpingvà
andalleviating,“needsadvice.”Sheaccordinglypreparedherself
kiên nhẫn
patientlytogiveit.“Ifyou
thấy
seemeinchurch,”shesaid,kindlyvà
andattentively,“Isupposeyousống
liveinHampsteadtoo?”“Ohyes,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
Và
Andsherepeated,herheadonitsdài
longthinneckdroopingachút
littleasiftherecollectionofHampsteadbowedher,“Ohyes.”“Where?”
askedMrs.Arbuthnot,
người
who,whenadvicewasneeded,naturallyfirstproceededtocollectcác
thefacts.ButMrs.Wilkins,layingher
tay
handsoftlyandcaressinglyonnhững
thepartofTheTimesnơi
wheretheadvertisementwas,asthoughnhững
themereprintedwordsofitwerequý
precious,onlysaid,“Perhapsthat’ssao
whythisseemssowonderful.”“No—I
nghĩ rằng
thinkthat’swonderfulanyhow,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,forgettingfactsvà
andfaintlysighing.“Thenyouwerereadingit?”
“Yes,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,hereyesgoingdreamy
nữa
again.“Wouldn’titbewonderful?”
murmuredMrs.Wilkins.
“Wonderful,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot.
Herface,
mà
whichhadlitup,fadedintokiên nhẫn
patienceagain.“Verywonderful,”shesaid.
“Butit’s
không
nousewastingone’stimethinkingofnhư
suchthings.”“Oh,butitis,”wasMrs.Wilkins’s
nhanh chóng
quick,surprisingreply;surprisingbecauseitwassomuch
giống như
unliketherestofher—thecharacterlessáo
coatandskirt,thecrumpledmũ
hat,theundecidedwispoftóc
hairstragglingout.“Andjust
những
theconsideringofthemisđáng
worthwhileinitself—suchachangefromHampstead—andđôi khi
sometimesIbelieve—Ireallydobelieve—ifoneconsidershardđủ
enoughonegetsthings.”Mrs.
Arbuthnotobservedher
kiên nhẫn
patiently.Inwhatcategorywouldshe,supposingshehadto,
đặt
puther?“Perhaps,”shesaid,leaning
về phía trước
forwardalittle,“youwilltellmeyourtên
name.Ifwearetobefriends”—shesmiledhergravesmile—“asI
hy vọng
hopeweare,wehadbetterbeginatthebeginning.”“Ohyes—howkindofyou.
I’mMrs.Wilkins,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Idon’texpect,”sheadded,flushing,asMrs.Arbuthnotsaidnothing,“thatitconveysanythingtoyou.
Đôi khi
Sometimesit—itdoesn’tseemtoconveyanythingtomeeither.But”—shelooked
quanh
roundwithamovementofseekinghelp—“IamMrs.Wilkins.”Shedidnot
thích
likehername.Itwas
một
amean,smallname,withmột
akindoffacetioustwist,shethought,về
aboutitsendlikethelên
upwardcurveofapugdog’sđuôi
tail.Thereitwas,however.
Có
Therewasnodoinganythingvới
withit.Wilkinsshewas
và
andWilkinsshewouldremain;và
andthoughherhusbandencouragedhertogiveitontất cả
alloccasionsasMrs.Mellersh-Wilkinsshechỉ
onlydidthatwhenhewaswithinearshot,forshethoughtMellershmadeWilkinstệ
worse,emphasisingitinthecách
wayChatsworthonthegate-postsofmột
avillaemphasisesthevilla.Khi
Whenfirsthesuggestedshenên
shouldaddMellershshehadobjectedforthetrên
abovereason,andafterapause—Mellershwasrất
muchtooprudenttospeakexceptsau
afterapause,duringwhichpresumablyhewastakingmột
acarefulmentalcopyofhiscomingobservation—hesaid,rất
muchdispleased,“ButIamnotmột
avilla,”andlookedatherashelooksngười
whohopes,forperhapsthehundredthtime,thathecó thể
maynothavemarriedafool.Ofcoursehewasnot
một
avilla,Mrs.Wilkinsassuredhim;shehad
chưa bao giờ
neversupposedhewas;shehadnotdreamedofmeaning...
shewasonlyjustthinking...
The
nhiều
moresheexplainedthemoreearnestbecameMellersh’shy vọng
hope,familiartohimbynày
thistime,forhehadthenbeenmột
ahusbandfortwoyears,rằng
thathemightnotbybất kỳ
anychancehavemarriedafool;và
andtheyhadaprolongedquarrel,nếu
ifthatcanbecalledaquarrelwhichisconductedvới
withdignifiedsilenceononebên
sideandearnestapologyonthekia
other,astowhetherorkhông
noMrs.Wilkinshadintendedtogợi ý
suggestthatMr.Wilkinswasabiệt thự
villa.“Ibelieve,”shehadthought
khi
whenitwasatlastover—ittookmột
alongwhile—“thatanybodywouldquarrelvề
aboutanythingwhenthey’venotleftoffbeingtogetherformột
asingledayfortwowholeyears.Whatwe
cả
bothneedisaholiday.”“Myhusband,”wentonMrs.WilkinstoMrs.Arbuthnot,tryingto
ném
throwsomelightonherself,“isaluật sư
solicitor.He—”
Shecastaboutforsomethingshecould
nói
sayelucidatoryofMellersh,andfound:“He’s
rất
veryhandsome.”“Well,”saidMrs.Arbuthnotkindly,“that
phải
mustbeagreatpleasuretoyou.”“Why?”
askedMrs.Wilkins.
“Because,”saidMrs.Arbuthnot,
một
alittletakenaback,forliên tục
constantintercoursewiththepoorhadquen
accustomedhertohaveherpronouncementsacceptedkhông
withoutquestion,“becausebeauty—handsomeness—isagiftnhư
likeanyother,andifitisđúng
properlyused—”.Shetrailedoffinto
im lặng
silence.Mrs.Wilkins’sgreatgreyeyeswerefixedonher,
và
anditseemedsuddenlytoMrs.Arbuthnotthatcó lẽ
perhapsshewasbecomingcrystallisedintoathói quen
habitofexposition,andofexpositionafternhững
themannerofnursemaids,throughhavingankhán giả
audiencethatcouldn’tbutagree,thatwouldbesợ
afraid,ifitwished,tointerrupt,thatdidn’tbiết
know,thatwas,infact,atherxót
mercy.ButMrs.Wilkinswasnotlistening;
forjustthen,absurdasitseemed,
một
apicturehadflashedacrosshernão
brain,andthereweretwofiguresinitsittingtogetherdưới
underagreattrailingwistariathatstretchedacrosscác
thebranchesofatreeshedidn’tbiết
know,anditwasherselfvà
andMrs.Arbuthnot—shesawthem—shesawhọ
them.Andbehindthem,brightin
nắng
sunshine,wereoldgreywalls—themediaevalcastle—shesawit—theyweređó
there...She
do đó
thereforestaredatMrs.Arbuthnotvà
anddidnothearatừ
wordshesaid.AndMrs.ArbuthnotstaredtooatMrs.Wilkins,arrestedby
những
theexpressiononherface,whichwassweptbynhững
theexcitementofwhatshesaw,và
andwasasluminousandtremulousdưới
underitaswaterinsunlightkhi
whenitisruffledbymột
agustofwind.At
này
thismoment,ifshehadbeenatmột
aparty,Mrs.Wilkinswouldđã
havebeenlookedatwithquan tâm
interest.Theystaredateachother;
Mrs.Arbuthnot
ngạc nhiên
surprised,inquiringly,Mrs.Wilkinswiththeeyesofsomeonengười
whohashadarevelation.Ofcourse.
Thatwas
cách
howitcouldbedone.Sheherself,shebyherself,couldn’taffordit,
và
andwouldn’tbeable,evenifshecouldaffordit,tođi
gothereallalone;butshe
và
andMrs.Arbuthnottogether...Sheleaned
qua
acrossthetable.“Whydon’twe
thử
tryandgetit?”shewhispered.
Mrs.
Arbuthnotbecame
thậm chí
evenmorewide-eyed.“Getit?”
sherepeated.
“Yes,”saidMrs.Wilkins,
vẫn
stillasthoughsheweresợ
afraidofbeingoverheard.“Not
chỉ
justsithereandsayLàm thế nào
Howwonderful,andthengonhà
hometoHampsteadwithouthavingđặt
putoutafinger—gohomechỉ
justasusualandseevề
aboutthedinnerandthecá
fishjustaswe’vebeendoingforyearsvà
andyearsandwillgoondoingforyearsvà
andyears.Infact,”saidMrs.Wilkins,flushingto
những
therootsofherhair,fornhững
thesoundofwhatshewassaying,ofwhatwascomingpouringra
out,frightenedher,andyetshecouldn’tstop,“Ithấy
seenoendtoit.Có
Thereisnoendtonó
it.Sothatthereoughttobe
một
abreak,thereoughttobeintervals—ineverybody’sinterests.Sao
Why,itwouldreallybebeingunselfishtogoawayvà
andbehappyforachút
little,becausewewouldcomebacksomuchđẹp
nicer.Yousee,afterabit
mọi người đều
everybodyneedsaholiday.”“But—howdoyou
là
mean,getit?”askedMrs.Arbuthnot.
“Takeit,”saidMrs.Wilkins.
“Takeit?”