双语·面纱 第八章

8

But there was a quality of courage in Mrs. Garstin which in itself was admirable. She let no one in her immediate circle, which to her was the world, see how mortified she was by the frustration of her hopes. She made no change in her style of living. By careful management she was able to give as showy dinners as she had done before, and she met her friends with the same bright gaiety which she had so long cultivated. She had a hard and facile fund of chit-chat which in the society she moved in passed for conversation. She was a useful guest among persons to whom small talk did not come easily, for she was never at a loss with a new topic and could be trusted immediately to break an awkward silence with a suitable observation.

It was unlikely now that Bernard Garstin would ever be made a judge of the High Court, but he might still hope for a County Court judgeship or at the worst an appointment in the Colonies. Meanwhile she had the satisfaction of seeing him appointed Recorder of a Welsh town. But it was on her daughters that she set her hopes. By arranging good marriages for them she expected to make up for all the disappointments of her career. There were two, Kitty and Doris. Doris gave no sign of good looks, her nose was too long and her figure was lumpy; so that Mrs. Garstin could hope no more for her than that she should marry a young man who was well off in a suitable profession.

But Kitty was a beauty. She gave promise of being so when she was still a child, for she had large, dark eyes, liquid and vivacious, brown, curling hair in which there was a reddish tint, exquisite teeth and a lovely skin. Her features would never be very good, for her chin was too square and her nose, though not so long as Doris's, too big. Her beauty depended a good deal on her youth, and Mrs. Garstin realised that she must marry in the first flush of her maidenhood. When she came out she was dazzling: her skin was still her greatest beauty, but her eyes with their long lashes were so starry and yet so melting that it gave you a catch at the heart to look into them. She had a charming gaiety and the desire to please. Mrs. Garstin bestowed upon her all the affection, a harsh, competent, calculating affection, of which she was capable; she dreamed ambitious dreams; it was not a good marriage she aimed at for her daughter, but a brilliant one.

Kitty had been brought up with the knowledge that she was going to be a beautiful woman and she more than suspected her mother's ambition. It accorded with her own desires. She was launched upon the world and Mrs. Garstin performed prodigies in getting herself invited to dances where her daughter might meet eligible men. Kitty was a success. She was amusing as well as beautiful, and very soon she had a dozen men in love with her. But none was suitable, and Kitty, charming and friendly with all, took care to commit herself with none. The drawing-room in South Kensington was filled on Sunday afternoons with amorous youth, but Mrs. Garstin observed, with a grim smile of approval, that it needed no effort on her part to keep them at a distance from Kitty. Kitty was prepared to flirt with them, and it diverted her to play one off against the other, but when they proposed to her, as none failed to do, she refused them with tact but decision.

Her first season passed without the perfect suitor presenting himself, and the second also; but she was young and could afford to wait. Mrs. Garstin told her friends that she thought it a pity for a girl to marry till she was twenty-one. But a third year passed and then a fourth. Two or three of her old admirers proposed again, but they were still penniless, one or two boys younger than herself proposed; a retired Indian Civilian, a K.C.I.E., did the same: he was fifty-three. Kitty still danced a great deal, she went to Wimbledon and Lord's, to Ascot and Henley; she was thoroughly enjoying herself; but still no one whose position and income were satisfactory asked her to marry him. Mrs. Garstin began to grow uneasy. She noticed that Kitty was beginning to attract men of forty and over. She reminded her that she would not be any longer so pretty in a year or two and that young girls were coming out all the time. Mrs. Garstin did not mince her words in the domestic circle and she warned her daughter tartly that she would miss her market.

Kitty shrugged her shoulders. She thought herself as pretty as ever, prettier perhaps, for she had learnt how to dress in the last four years, and she had plenty of time. If she wanted to marry just to be married there were a dozen boys who would jump at the chance. Surely the right man would come along sooner or later. But Mrs. Garstin judged the situation more shrewdly: with anger in her heart for the beautiful daughter who had missed her chances she set her standard a little lower. She turned back to the professional class at which she had sneered in her pride and looked about for a young lawyer or a business man whose future inspired her with confidence.

Kitty reached the age of twenty-five and was still unmarried. Mrs. Garstin was exasperated and she did not hesitate often to give Kitty a piece of her very unpleasant mind. She asked her how much longer she expected her father to support her. He had spent sums he could ill afford in order to give her a chance and she had not taken it. It never struck Mrs. Garstin that perhaps her own hard affability had frightened the men, sons of wealthy fathers or heirs to a title, whose visits she had too cordially encouraged. She put down Kitty's failure to stupidity. Then Doris came out. She had a long nose still, and a poor figure, and she danced badly. In her first season she became engaged to Geoffrey Dennison. He was the only son of a prosperous surgeon who had been given a baronetcy during the war. Geoffrey would inherit a title--it is not very grand to be a medical baronet, but a title, thank God, is still a title--and a very comfortable fortune.

Kitty in a panic married Walter Fane.

第八章

然而，贾斯汀太太不乏勇气，这种品质本身是令人钦佩的。她不会让圈子里的人，或者她那个世界的人，看到她因为希望的破灭而感到屈辱的窘相。她的生活方式从不改变，通过精打细算，她能够像以前那样，照常举办高调的晚宴，用她长久以来养成的、和以前一样的欢乐态度来招待朋友。她有一种别人用起来很难，而她得心应手的闲聊的本领，在社交场合她能左右逢源地招呼各色人等。在人群中间，她是个很有用处的客人，在聊天不能顺畅进行时，她总能恰到好处地找到新的话题，察言观色之后，她总能立马挑起打破尴尬沉默的重担。

现在看起来，伯纳德能当上高等法院的法官的希望很渺茫了，但他仍然有希望当上地方法院的法官，或者最不济也能在殖民地的法院中混个法官当当。与此同时，令贾斯汀太太聊以自慰的是看到了他被任命为威尔士某个城镇的刑事法院法官。可是，她还是把希望寄托在女儿们身上，靠着为她们安排一桩好婚事，她想一举把这一辈子的晦气统统去掉。她有两个女儿已经长成，凯蒂和多瑞丝，但多瑞丝长得不好看，鼻子太长，身材也不苗条，所以贾斯汀太太最多只能指望她嫁一个有体面工作、家境还不错的年轻人。

但凯蒂是个美人胚子，她年纪不大的时候就已经乖巧可爱了，一双大眼睛，乌黑的眼珠水汪汪的，扑闪扑闪地透着灵气，褐色的小鬈发泛着红色的微光，洁白而精致的牙齿，以及可爱的皮肤。她的容貌说不上是无可挑剔，因为下巴有点儿太宽，而她的鼻子虽说不像多瑞丝那样长，但有点儿太大。她的美丽很大程度上是因为年轻，而贾斯汀太太意识到必须在她尚处于豆蔻年华时就要给她寻个好婆家。凯蒂出落成一个大姑娘时，着实让人眼前一亮：她的皮肤仍然是最漂亮的地方，睫毛长长的，她在顾转流盼中瞟上你一眼，就能摄人心魄，让你融化在她的美目之中。她的神情中还有一种迷人的欢快，可以感染身边的人。贾斯汀太太把所有的感情一股脑儿地都寄托在了她的身上，这是一种苛刻的、拿手的、精于算计的感情，她擅长。贾斯汀太太有一个野心勃勃的梦想，她不只是要给她的女儿安排一桩好婚事，而是要安排一桩可以光宗耀祖的婚事。

凯蒂就是在这样一种环境中成长起来的，她很清楚自己会成为一个漂亮的女人，心里也很明白她母亲的意图，其实这也是她自己的愿望。她开始进入了这个圈子，在圈子里贾斯汀太太简直就是个奇才，她能让自己频频得到各种舞会的邀请，在那些舞会上她的女儿可能会钓到金龟婿。凯蒂也确实成功地吸引了大多数人的目光，她既快乐又美丽，很快就有十多个男人爱上了她。但是这些追求者中没有一个是合适的人选，凯蒂对他们施展魅力，对所有人都很友好，同时小心翼翼地跟每个人都若即若离。每个礼拜天的下午，南肯辛顿的会客厅中都挤满了爱慕她的年轻人，然而贾斯汀太太带着一丝冷酷的、赞许的微笑观察着，对她来说，不费吹灰之力就能让这些年轻人和凯蒂保持一定的距离。凯蒂准备和他们调情，而且在这些人中挑拨离间，从中取乐。当他们向她求婚时，毫无例外，她都很有技巧而又斩钉截铁地拒绝了他们。

她的第一个社交季就这样过去了，完美的求婚者没有出现。第二个社交季还是如此，但她还年轻，有足够的资本等待。贾斯汀太太告诉她的朋友们，女孩子到了二十一岁还嫁不出去，那可真是个悲哀。可是，第三个年头过去了，接着又是第四个年头。两三个执着的追求者又再次向凯蒂求婚，但他们仍然不名一文，还有一两个比凯蒂还要年轻的小伙子向她求婚，甚至还有一个退了休的印度公务员（他曾获印度帝国勋章，是位骑士，都五十三岁了）也向凯蒂求婚，但凯蒂都没有答应。她现在仍然是各个舞会的常客，她出现在温布尔登和王宫的舞会上，在爱斯科赛马会和亨利皇家赛船会上露面。虽然她自己能够玩得很开心，但依然没有一个地位和收入都能够让她满意的人向她求婚。贾斯汀太太逐渐变得不安起来，她注意到凯蒂开始吸引四十岁以上的男士了。她提醒凯蒂，一两年之后，她将不再年轻漂亮了，而年轻漂亮的姑娘总是会层出不穷。贾斯汀太太在家里一向想说什么就说什么，她刻薄地警告她的女儿，如果还不抓紧，慢慢地她会失去市场。

凯蒂耸了耸肩，她认为自己依然美貌如初，也许还更吸引人了，因为在过去的四年中，她已经学会如何更为得体地穿衣打扮，她还有大把的时间去慢慢选择。如果她动了嫁人的念头，会有一箩筐的小伙子在排着队等着她垂青。毫无疑问，如意郎君迟早会来到身边。然而，贾斯汀太太显然对形势的判断更为老到，而且她心里一直生气她的漂亮女儿已经错过了好机会，迫使她不得不把择婿的标准降得低一点儿。她以前对职员阶层的人士是瞧不上的，谈到他们时，她总是不屑一顾，但现在她开始注意身边年轻的律师或者商业精英了，指望他们的未来会大有前途，让她能够有信心重拾梦想。

凯蒂已经到了二十五岁了，仍然待字闺中。贾斯汀太太更加焦躁不安了，她开始经常动不动就给凯蒂脸子看，话也难听了。她问凯蒂还要让她的父亲养她多久，为了给她创造找到好丈夫的机会，他几乎花光了积蓄，而她的婚姻还是泡影。贾斯汀太太从来没想过，或许是她自己上赶着的态度，过分热心的做派，吓跑了那些登门拜访的富家子弟和有着贵族头衔的年轻继承人，她只是把凯蒂的失败归于凯蒂自己的愚蠢。这时轮到多瑞丝了，她的鼻子过长，身材也不好，舞也跳得差。而她初入社交圈，就成功地跟杰奥弗瑞·丹尼森订了婚，他是家里的独生子，父亲是一位很有钱的外科医生，在战争期间，曾获封准男爵的称号，杰奥弗瑞将继承这一封号——虽然一名医生获得准男爵的称号也并非光宗耀祖的事，但感谢上帝，封号就是封号——更别说杰奥弗瑞将会继承一笔十分丰厚的遗产了。

凯蒂一气之下嫁给了沃尔特·费恩。