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书虫5级《园会》她的第一次舞会

所属教程:书虫5级 园会

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2022年07月25日

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Her first ball

Leila found it hard to say exactly when the ball began. Perhaps it began in the car taking her there. It did not matter that she shared the car with the Sheridan sisters and their brother. She sat back in her own little corner of it, and away she went, past dancing houses and fences and trees.

Have you really never been to a ball before, Leila? But how strange—' cried the Sheridan girls.

We lived so far from anyone else,' Leila said softly. 'In the country we had no near neighbours.'

Oh dear, how hard it was to be calm like the others! She tried not to smile too much; she tried not to care. But everything was so new and exciting. Meg's roses, Jose's necklace, Laura's little dark head above her white dress—she would remember these things for ever.

Her cousin Laurie reached over and touched Laura on the knee.

Listen,' he said. 'We'll do the third and ninth dances together, as usual. OK, darling?'

Oh, how wonderful to have a brother! Leila was so excited that she suddenly wanted to cry, because she was an only child, and no brother had ever said 'OK, darling?' to her; no sister would ever say, as Meg said to Jose at that moment, 'I've never seen your hair look so lovely as it does tonight!'

But there was no time to cry. They were at the hall already. The street was bright with moving lights and happy faces; little white shoes chased each other like birds.

Hold on to me, Leila; you'll get lost,' said Laura.

Come on, girls, let's go straight in,' said Laurie.

Leila put her hand on Laura's arm, and somehow the crowd carried them along and pushed them past the big golden lamp, along the passage and into the little room marked 'Ladies'. Here it was even more crowded and noisy. Everyone was pushing forwards, trying to get to the mirror.

There was a big gas light in the ladies' room. It wouldn't wait; it was dancing already. When the door opened, it jumped up almost as high as the ceiling.

Dark girls, fair girls were combing their hair, opening and closing bags, fastening buttons. And because they were all laughing, it seemed to Leila that they were all lovely.

Aren't there any hairpins?' cried a voice. 'I need some hairpins.'

Be a darling and put some powder on my back,' cried someone else.

But I must have a needle and cotton! I've torn miles off my skirt!' screamed a third.

Then a voice said, 'Pass them along, pass them along!' and the basket of dance programmes went from hand to hand. Lovely little pink and silver programmes with tiny pink pencils. Leila's fingers shook as she took one. She wanted to ask, 'Should I take one, too?' But then Meg cried, 'Ready, Leila?' and they pushed through the crowd towards the doors of the dance-hall.

The band was silent, waiting to begin playing, but the room was full of the noise of talking and laughter. Leila felt that even the little coloured flags which hung from the ceiling were talking. She forgot to be shy. She forgot how, earlier that day, she had sat on her bed with one shoe off and one shoe on and begged her mother to ring up her cousins and say that she couldn't come. The feeling she had had, that she wanted to go home, to be back at her dark lonely house out in the country, suddenly changed to a feeling of complete happiness that she was here at this ball.

She looked at the shining, golden floor, the flowers, the coloured lights, and at the stage, with its red carpet and golden chairs, and the band ready to play, and she thought, 'How lovely! How simply lovely!'

All the girls stood together on one side of the doors, and the men stood on the other side. Older ladies, in dark dresses, walked with little careful steps over the shiny floor towards the stage.

This is my little country cousin Leila. Be nice to her. Find her partners. I'm looking after her,' Meg was telling all the girls.

Strange faces smiled sweetly at Leila. Strange voices answered, 'Of course, my dear.' But Leila knew that the girls didn't really see her. They were looking at the men. Why didn't the men begin? What were they waiting for? They stood there, not talking, just smiling to themselves. Then quite suddenly, they were coming towards the girls, flying towards them over the golden floor.

A tall, fair man flew up to Meg, took her programme and wrote something in it. Meg passed him on to Leila. 'May I have the pleasure?' He wrote in her programme, smiled at her and moved on. Then a dark man came up to Leila, then cousin Laurie and a friend. Then quite an old man—fat and rather bald, too—took her programme and said, 'Let me see, let me see!' He looked at his programme, which was black with names, and at Leila's programme. He seemed to have so much trouble finding a free dance for her that Leila felt ashamed.

Oh, please don't bother!' she said eagerly.

But the fat man wrote something in her programme and looked at her again. 'Do I remember this bright little face?' he said softly. 'Have I seen this little face before?'

At that moment the band began playing; the fat man disappeared. He was carried away on a wave of music that flew over the shining floor, breaking the groups of people into couples and throwing them out to the corners of the room.

Leila had learnt to dance at school. Every Saturday afternoon, the girls were taken to a little hall where Miss Eccles (of London) gave her 'top quality' lessons. But the difference between that poor little hall—with an old woman banging on the piano and Miss Eccles shouting at the girls to lift their feet—the difference between that place and this wonderful place of music and golden light was so great that Leila felt she would die if she didn't dance soon.

Our dance, I think.' Someone smiled and gave her his hand. She didn't need to die, after all. She floated away like a flower on a stream.

Quite a good floor, isn't it?' said a voice close to her ear.

I think it's most beautifully slippery,' said Leila.

Excuse me?' The voice sounded surprised. Leila said it again. There was a tiny pause before the voice said, 'Oh, quite,' and they danced on.

He danced so beautifully. That was the great difference between dancing with men and dancing with girls, Leila decided. Girls bumped into you and stepped on your feet.

The flowers were no longer flowers; they were pink and white flags flying by.

Were you at the Bells' last week?' the voice said. It was a tired voice. Leila wondered whether she should ask him if he needed to stop and rest.

No, this is my first ball,' she said.

He gave a little laugh. 'Oh, I say!'

Yes, it really is the first ball that I've ever been to.' Leila felt quite excited, just talking about it. 'You see, I've lived in the country all my life...'

At that moment the music stopped, and they went to sit down. Leila's partner did not say very much. He stretched out his legs, played with a button on his jacket and looked around the room. But it didn't matter. The band began to play again, and her second partner seemed to appear from nowhere.

Floor's not bad,' said the new voice. 'Were you at the Neaves' last Tuesday?'

Again, Leila explained that this was her first ball. It was strange that her partners did not seem to find this more interesting. It was so exciting! Her first ball! She was at the beginning of everything.

How about an ice-cream?' said her partner. And they went through the doors, down the passage to the supper-room. Leila's face felt hot, and she was terribly thirsty. How sweet the ice-creams looked on their little glass plates, and how deliciously cold the spoons were!

When they came back to the hall, the fat man was waiting for her by the door. It gave Leila quite a shock to see how old he was; he ought to be on the stage with the mothers and fathers. And when she compared him with her other partners, his clothes looked old, too, and not terribly clean.

Come along, little lady,' said the fat man. He held her loosely, and they moved so slowly that it was more like walking than dancing. But he said nothing at all about the floor, 'Your first ball, isn't it?' he said.

How did you know?'

Ah,' said the fat man, 'that's what it is to be old! You see, I've been doing this for the last thirty years.'

Thirty years!' cried Leila. Twelve years before she was born!

Terrible to think about, isn't it?' the fat man said sadly. Leila looked at his bald head, and she felt quite sorry for him.

I think it's wonderful that you can still dance so well,' she said kindly.

Kind little lady,' the fat man said. He held her a little closer. 'Of course,' he said, 'you won't be able to go on as long as this. Oh, no,' said the fat man, 'long before you're as old as I am, you'll be sitting up there on the stage in your nice black dress, watching. And these pretty arms will be little short fat ones.' The fat man shook his head sadly at the thought. 'And you'll smile just like those poor old dears up there, and point to your daughter, and tell the old lady next to you how some terrible man tried to kiss her at a ball. And your poor heart will ache, ache'—he held her even closer, to show how sorry he felt for that poor heart— 'because no one wants to kiss you now. And you'll say how awful these slippery floors are, how dangerous to walk on. Yes, little lady?' the fat man said softly.

Leila gave a light little laugh, but she did not feel like laughing. Was it—could it all be true? Was this first ball only the beginning of her last ball? The music seemed to change. It sounded sad, sad. Oh, how quickly things changed! Why didn't happiness last forever? For ever wouldn't be a bit too long!

I want to stop,' she said in a breathless voice. The fat man led her to the door.

No,' she said, 'I don't want to go outside.'

She stood there by the wall, trying to smile. But deep inside her a little girl threw herself down on her bed and burst into tears. Why did he have to ruin it all?

I say, you know,' said the fat man, 'you mustn't take me seriously, little lady.'

Of course I don't!' said Leila, biting her lip.

More people stood up to dance. The band was getting ready to play again. But Leila didn't want to dance any more. She wanted to be at home, looking out of her bedroom window at the stars.

But then the lovely music started, and a young man came to dance with her. She decided to dance with him and then go, as soon as she could find Meg. Very stiffly, she walked out onto the dance-floor. But in a moment her feet simply danced away with her. The lights, the flowers, the dresses, the pink faces, all became one beautiful flying wheel. When her next partner bumped her into the fat man, she just smiled at him happily. She didn't even recognize him again.

* * *

ball n. formal social gathering for dancing. 正式舞会。

chase v. run after in order to capture or overtake. 追捕;追逐;追赶。

hold on to sb. keep grasping or gripping sb.; not let go of sb. 抓住。

lonely adj. (of places) far from inhabited places; not often visited; remote. (指地方)偏僻的,人迹罕至的;偏远的。

bald adj. (of people) having little or no hair on the scalp. (指人)秃头的,无发或少发的。

ashamed adj. feeling shame, embarrassment, etc. about sth./sb. or because of one's own actions. 为……感到羞耻;感到惭愧。

carry away take away. 拿走;冲去,掠走。

slippery adj. (of a surface) difficult to hold, stand on or move on without slipping because it is smooth, wet, polished, etc. (指物体表面)光滑的,滑的。

bump into sb./sth. knock or strike sth. with a dull-sounding blow; collide with sth. 碰撞或敲击某物(发出低沉的响声);与某人或某物相撞。

from nowhere 不知来自哪里。

她的第一次舞会

利拉发现很难确切地说舞会是从什么时候开始的,可能在送她去参加舞会的车上就已经开始了。虽然她同谢里登家的姑娘们以及她们的哥哥同乘一辆车,但这并没什么关系。她坐在车后部属于她的小角落里,从那些不断跳跃舞动的房屋、篱笆和树木旁边经过。

“你真的从来没有参加过舞会吗,利拉?真奇怪——”谢里登家的姑娘们叫了起来。

“我们住得离别人家太远了,”利拉温柔地说,“在乡下我们没有近邻。”

噢,天呐,要像别人那样保持平静有多难啊!她尽量克制自己别笑得太厉害;竭力表现出满不在乎的样子。可是所有这一切都是那么新鲜,那么令人兴奋。梅格的玫瑰花、乔斯的项链、劳拉那件白色的礼服衬着她深色的头发——她永远也忘不了这一切。

她的表哥劳里伸手拍了拍劳拉的膝盖。

“听着,”他说,“同往常一样,我们还是一起跳第三和第九支舞。行吗,亲爱的?”

噢,要是有个哥哥该有多好啊!利拉是那么激动,突然想大哭一场,因为她是独生女,从来没有兄弟对她说过“行吗,亲爱的?”;也从来没有姐妹对她说过“我从没见你的头发像今晚这么漂亮!”那样的话,就像刚才梅格对乔斯说的那样。

不过没有时间哭鼻子了。他们已经到了舞会大厅。街道上到处是晃动的灯火和人们快活的脸;小白鞋子像小鸟一样互相追逐着。

“拉住我,利拉,要不然你会走丢的。”劳拉说。

“快点儿,姑娘们,我们直接进去吧。”劳里说。

利拉拉着劳拉的胳膊,人群拥着她们往前走,推着她们经过一盏金灿灿的大灯,穿过走道,涌入一间标有“女士更衣室”字样的小房间。这里比外面更拥挤更嘈杂。大家都在往前挤,想挤到镜子前面去。

女士更衣室里挂了一盏大汽灯,它似乎按捺不住,已经翩翩起舞了。门开的时候,汽灯的火苗差点儿跳到了天花板上。

肤色深浅不一的姑娘们都在各自梳理着头发、开合手提包、系扣子。因为人人笑逐颜开,利拉觉得她们个个都很可爱。

“没有发夹了吗?”一个声音嚷道,“我需要发夹。”

“帮忙给我的背上搽些粉。”另一个人也叫了起来。

“我可是非得用针和棉线才行!我的裙子撕了那么长的一个口子!”还有一个人在尖叫。

接着传来了“传过去,传过去!”的说话声。盛着节目单的篮子在人们手中传递着。传过来的是小巧精致的粉色和银色相间的节目单,还带有粉色的小铅笔。利拉拿了一份,她的手指在瑟瑟发抖。她很想问一声:“我也得拿一份吗?”这时梅格叫道:“好了吗,利拉?”她们挤过人群,朝舞会大厅的大门走去。

乐队寂静无声地等着演奏,可房间里却是人声鼎沸,洋溢着欢声笑语。利拉觉得连天花板上挂的小彩旗都在私语。她忘记了羞涩,忘记了那天一大早,她坐在床上只穿好了一只鞋,恳求妈妈给表哥和表姐们打电话说她不去参加舞会的情景。她曾有过的那种想要回家,想要回到乡下那幽暗偏远的房子里的感觉突然完全变成了一种喜悦之情,她很高兴能到这里来参加舞会。

望着流光溢彩的金色地板、花、彩灯,铺着红地毯、摆着金色椅子的舞台,准备演奏的乐队,她暗自思忖:“多美啊!真是太美了!”

女孩子们都站在门的一侧,男士们则站在另一侧。那些上了年纪的身着黑装的女士们,小心翼翼地迈着碎步走过亮晶晶的地板,朝舞台走去。

“这是我乡下来的小表妹利拉,你们可要好好关照她,帮她找舞伴。她可是我要照顾的对象啊。”梅格告诉所有的女孩子说。

一张张陌生的面孔都对着利拉甜甜地微笑。一个个陌生的声音都答应道:“当然会啦,亲爱的。”但是利拉明白这些女孩子们并没有真的在看她,她们的目光都在男人们身上。他们怎么还不开始?还等什么呢?他们站在那儿一句话也不说,只是暗自微笑。突然间他们朝姑娘们走来,简直就像是从金色的地板上朝她们飞来。

一个金发的高个小伙子朝梅格飞奔过来,拿起她的节目单,在上面写了些什么。梅格把他推到利拉身边。“能有幸同你跳舞吗?”他在她的节目单上也写了点儿什么,冲她笑了笑,继续往前走。随后,一个黑人小伙子向利拉走过来。紧接着,表哥劳里和他的一个朋友也过来了。这以后,一个年岁较大的男人——一个秃顶的胖男人——拿起她的节目单说:“让我看看,让我看看!”他看看自己那张黑压压写满了名字的节目单,又看了看利拉的。他好像在很费力地找一支没有安排上的可以和利拉一起跳的舞曲,利拉都觉得不好意思了。

“哦,请别费心了!”她恳切地说。

但是这个胖子还是在她的节目单上写了些什么,然后看了看她。“我还记得这张漂亮的小脸吗?”他柔声说,“我以前见过吗?”

就在那时,乐队开始演奏了,那个胖子也随之不见了踪影。音乐的浪潮在光亮的地板上流淌,把人们分成两人一对,冲到房间的各个角落,那个胖子被这音乐的浪潮卷走了。

利拉在学校的时候学过跳舞。每逢星期六下午,姑娘们就会被带到一个小厅里,在那里由(来自伦敦的)埃克尔丝小姐给她们上“高质量”的舞蹈课。那个简陋的小厅——一个老妇人在“砰砰”地敲击着钢琴,埃克尔丝小姐朝她们大吼着,叫她们把脚抬高——那里同这个充满了音乐和金黄色灯光的美妙地方相比简直有天壤之别。这差别太大了,利拉觉得她再不赶快跳舞的话,肯定会死去的。

“我想该我们俩跳了。”有人微笑着向她伸出了手。她终于不必去死了。她轻快地走了过去,就像一朵顺着溪水漂流的花。

“地板真不错,是吧?”那人贴近她的耳边说。

“这地板真是光滑极了。”利拉说。

“对不起,你说什么?”那声音听起来有些吃惊。利拉又说了一遍。片刻缄默之后,那人回应道:“哦,是很滑。”他们继续跳着。

他跳得好极了。利拉判定这就是跟男舞伴跳舞和跟女舞伴跳舞的巨大差别。跟女舞伴跳舞,她们总会撞到你,踩你的脚。

花已不再是花了;它们变成了飞舞着的粉白相间的彩旗。

“上星期你去参加贝尔家的舞会了吗?”那个人又问。他的声音听起来有些疲惫。利拉不知道她是否应该问他需不需要停下来休息。

“没有,这是我第一次参加舞会。”她说。

他微微笑了一下:“哦,是吗!”

“是的,我真的是第一次来参加舞会。”利拉觉得很激动,自顾自地讲道:“你要知道,我一直生活在乡下……”

这时音乐停了,他们找位子坐了下来。利拉的舞伴话不多。他伸开双腿,手里摆弄着外衣上的扣子,两眼朝四下里张望着。可这并没有什么关系。乐队又开始奏乐了,她的第二个舞伴不知道从什么地方钻了出来。

“地板还不赖,”新舞伴说,“上星期二你去参加尼夫家的舞会了吗?”

利拉又解释了一遍说这是她第一次参加舞会。奇怪的是,她的舞伴好像对舞会并不是很感兴趣。这是多么令人激动的舞会啊!她的第一次舞会!她的一切都才刚刚开始。

“想吃冰淇淋吗?”舞伴问她。两人穿过房门,沿着走廊向晚餐厅走去。利拉的脸发烫,口渴得要命。盛在小玻璃盘上的冰淇淋看上去是那么香甜,勺子也凉凉的,舒服极了!

当他们返回舞厅时,那个胖子正在门口等她。看到他那么老,利拉着实吃了一惊;他应该在舞台上跟那些当了爸爸妈妈的人在一起。利拉拿他跟她的其他舞伴相比,觉得他的衣服也显得破旧,而且不怎么干净。

“过来呀,小姑娘。”胖子说。他只是松松地揽着她,两人缓缓地移动着,与其说是在跳舞,不如说是在散步。可他却只字未提地板。“第一次来跳舞,是吗?”他问。

“你是怎么知道的?”

“哦,”胖子说,“上了年纪就会这样的!你要知道,我参加这样的舞会都有30年了。”

“30年!”利拉叫了一声。她出生前12年他就已经参加这样的舞会了!

“想想都觉得可怕,对吗?”胖子哀伤地说。利拉望着他的秃头,为他深感难过。

“你的舞跳得还是这么好,我觉得真是了不起。”她好心地说。

“好心的小姑娘,”胖子说着把她搂得稍微紧了些,“当然,”他说,“你不会总这样下去的。哦,不会的,”胖子说,“远不到我这般年龄,你就会穿着漂亮的黑衣服坐在舞台上看别人跳舞了。这纤美的臂膀也将会变得粗短肥胖。”想到这儿,胖子难过地摇了摇头,“你会像坐在那边的那些可怜的老太太那样微笑着,指着你的女儿,告诉身旁的老太婆说某个可恶的男人如何想在舞会上吻她。你那可怜的心会感到一阵阵疼痛”——他把她搂得更紧了,想要表明他为那颗可怜的心感到有多么难过——“因为没有人想吻你了。你会抱怨这光滑的地板是多么可怕,走在上面有多么危险。对不对,小姑娘?”胖子轻声说。

利拉淡然一笑,可其实她并不想笑。这是真的吗——这一切会是真的吗?难道她的第一次舞会就是她最后一次舞会的开始吗?音乐似乎也变了调,变得那么凄切,那么悲哀。哦,事物真是瞬息万变啊!幸福为什么不能永存呢?即使是永恒也不算太长啊!

“我不想跳了。”她气喘吁吁地说。胖子领着她走到门口。

“不,”她说,“我不想出去。”

她靠着墙边站着,想笑一笑。但在内心深处,有一个小女孩儿扑倒在床上突然大哭起来。他为什么要毁了这一切呢?

“我说,你呀,”胖子说,“你可别把我的话当真,小姑娘。”

“我才不会呢!”利拉咬着嘴唇说。

更多的人站起来跳舞了。乐队准备演奏下一支曲子了。可是利拉不想再跳了。她想回家,想在家透过卧室的窗户看星星。

可这时又响起了美妙的音乐,一个小伙子过来请她跳舞。她决定先跟他跳舞,然后一找到梅格她就走。她步伐僵硬地走到舞池中间。但一眨眼的工夫,她的脚步便飞舞起来。灯、花朵、衣服、粉红的脸庞,这一切都变成了一只美丽的飞轮。当她的又一个舞伴把她撞到胖子身上时,她只是快乐地朝他微笑着。她甚至都没有认出他来。

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