The Luncheon午餐

【导读】毛姆尤以短篇小说闻名，短篇作品被誉为其文学桂冠上最耀眼的明珠。毛姆一生共创作了120余篇短篇小说，出版了《东方行》（Orientations，1899）、《叶的震颤》（The Trembling of a Leaf，1921）、《木麻黄树》（The Casuarina Tree，1926）、《英国特工阿申登》（Ashenden： Or the British Agent，1928）》、《第一人称单数》（First Person Singular，1931）、《阿金》（Ah King，1933）、《世界主义者》（Cosmopolitans，1936）、《照原方配制》（The Mixture as Before，1940）、《环境的产物》（Creatures of Circumstances，1947）9部短篇小说集。

他的短篇小说主要分为三类：一是以英国海外殖民地为背景，二是以欧洲的社会生活为题材，三是以间谍阿申登为中心人物。《午餐》属于第二类，是毛姆短篇小说中的名篇，反映青年作家在面对异性时的稚嫩和矛盾，以及女读者的贪婪与虚伪，故事生动有趣，令人忍俊不禁。

I caught sight of her at the play and， in answer to her beckoning， I went over during the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and if someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognised her. She addressed me brightly.

我在剧院看戏的时候看到了她，她向我招手。幕间休息时，我走过去在她旁边坐下。我们已经很久没见面了，若非有人提起她的名字，我几乎都认不出她来。她兴致勃勃地跟我聊起来。

“Well， it’s many years since we first met. How time does fly！ We’re none of us getting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you？ You asked me to luncheon.”

“我们认识不少年啦。时间过得真快！转眼，我们都已不再年轻。你还记得我第一回见你的情形吗？你邀请我共进午餐。”

Did I remember？

我能不记得吗？

It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment in the Latin quarter overlooking a cemetery and I was earning barely enough money to keep the body and soul together2. She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. I answered， thanking her， and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot’s afterwards？ Foyot’s is a restaurant at which the French senators eat and it was so far beyond my means that I had never even thought of going there. But I was flattered and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman. （Few men， I may add， learn this until they are too old to make it of any consequence to a woman what they say.） I had eighty francs （gold francs） to last me the rest of the month， and a modest luncheon should not cost more than fifteen. If I cut out coffee for the next two weeks I could manage well enough.

那是二十年前，当时，我还在巴黎，住在拉丁区一间前临公墓的小公寓里。我的收入仅能勉强维持生活。她曾读过我的一本书，并就此事给我写过信。我回信谢谢她，随即又收到她的一封信，说她要路过巴黎，乐意与我一谈；不过时间有限，仅有的空当在下周四。她那天上午在卢森堡公园，不知我可否愿意随后请她在福约餐厅午餐。福约餐厅是法国参议员用餐的地方，远超我的经济能力，我连想都不敢想去那里就餐。可是我被奉承得晕了头，更何况当时太年轻，还没有学会拒绝一位女士。（附带说一句，极少有男人做得到，而等他们学会之时，却年事已高，说什么对女人已经无关紧要了。）我还有八十法郎（金法郎）撑到月底，有节制的一餐所费不会超过十五法郎。接下来的两周省掉咖啡的话，满可以对付过去。

I answered that I would meet my friend—by correspondence—at Foyot’s on Thursday at half-past twelve. She was not so young as I expected and in appearance imposing rather than attractive. She was， in fact， a woman of forty （a charming age， but not one that excites a sudden and devastating passion at first sight）， and she gave me the impression of having more teeth， white and large and even， than were necessary for any practical purpose. She was talkative but since she seemed inclined to talk about me I was prepared to be an attentive listener.

于是我回复说乐意与朋友——笔友——于周四中午十二点半在福约餐厅小聚。她没有我预想的年轻，与其说外表迷人，不如说气势逼人。事实上，她已经四十岁了（一个有魅力的年龄，但也不会令人一见就激情迸发），我当时印象最深的是她的牙齿似乎比实际需要多一些，很白，很大，很齐整。她十分健谈，鉴于她倾向于谈论跟我有关的事情，我就预备着做个好听众。

I was startled when the bill of fare was brought for the prices were a great deal higher than I had anticipated. But she reassured me.

餐单送上来时我心里咯噔一下，价格比我预计的高出许多。但她的话让我放了心。

“I never eat anything for luncheon，” she said.

“我午餐几乎不吃什么。”她说。

“Oh， don’t say that！” I answered generously.

“噢，可别这么说！”我慷慨地说。

“I never eat more than one thing. I think people eat far too much nowadays. A little fish， perhaps. I wonder if they have any salmon.”

“我吃的从来不超过一样。我觉得现在人们都吃得过量。也许，来点儿鱼吧。不知道他们有没有鲑鱼。”

Well， it was early in the year for salmon and it was not on the bill of fare， but I asked the waiter if there was any. Yes， a beautiful salmon had just come in， it was the first they had had. I ordered it for my guest. The waiter asked her if she would have something while it was being cooked.

那会儿时节尚早，鲑鱼也不在餐单上，不过我还是问了侍者。有，一条漂亮的鲑鱼刚刚送到，今年头一份。我为客人点了鲑鱼。侍者又问她等待烹鱼的时候是否来点儿什么别的。

“No，” she answered， “I never eat more than one thing. Unless you have a little caviare. I never mind caviare.”

“不用，”她答道，“我吃的从来不超过一样。除非你们有鱼子酱。鱼子酱我是从不介意来一些的。”

My heart sank a little. I knew I could not afford caviare but I could not very well tell her that. I told the waiter by all means to bring caviare. For myself I chose the cheapest dish on the menu and that was a mutton chop.

我的心微微一沉。我知道鱼子酱我付不起，可总不能明确告诉她。我对侍者说务必要上鱼子酱。我给自己点了菜单上最便宜的一道菜——羊排。

“I think you are unwise to eat meat，” she said. “I don’t know how you can expect to work after eating heavy things like chops. I don’t believe in overloading my stomach.”

“我觉得吃肉可不明智，”她说，“真不知道吃了肉排这种油腻东西你还怎么写作。我可不能让肠胃负担过重。”

Then came the question of drink.

接下来是喝什么的问题。

“I never drink anything for luncheon，” she said.