第十七章（第4/18页）

They left the car in Mestre, in a garage, and took the regular steamer over to Venice. It was a lovely summer afternoon, the shallow lagoon rippled, the full sunshine made Venice, turning its back to them across the water, look dim.

她们把车寄存在梅斯特雷的车行里，乘坐定期的汽船前往威尼斯。那是个宜人的夏日午后，浅浅的湖水荡起微波，对岸的威尼斯背对着她们，阳光耀眼，辨不清整座城市的样貌。

At the station quay they changed to a gondola, giving the man the address. He was a regular gondolier in a white-and-blue blouse, not very good-looking, not at all impressive.

在码头登岸后，她俩换乘凤尾船，将目的地告知船夫。船夫身穿蓝白相间的上衣，相貌平平，并无特别之处。

"Yes! The Villa Esmeralda! Yes! I know it! I have been the gondolier for a gentleman there. But a fair distance out!" He seemed a rather childish, impetuous fellow. He rowed with a certain exaggerated impetuosity, through the dark side-canals with the horrible, slimy green walls, the canals that go through the poorer quarters, where the washing hangs high up on ropes, and there is a slight, or strong, odour of sewage.

“行！埃斯梅拉达别墅！没问题！我知道那地方！那里的一位先生光顾过我的船。可离这儿还挺远呢！”他稚气未脱，冒冒失失的。他急冲冲地划着船，穿过水质混浊的分支河道，岸两边是黏糊糊的绿色墙壁。河道经过城中的贫民区，洗过的衣物晾在绳子上，阴沟的恶臭时浓时淡。

But at last he came to one of the open canals with pavement on either side, and looping bridges, that run straight, at right-angles to the Grand Canal. The two women sat under the little awning, the man was perched above, behind them.

他终于将船划进主河道，岸两边铺设有人行道，河上架设着弯弯的拱桥。河道笔直，跟大运河形成直角。姐妹俩坐在船篷下面，船夫则站在两人背后翘起的船头处。

"Are the signorine staying long at the Villa Esmeralda?" he asked, rowing easy, and "wiping his perspiring face with a white-and-blue handkerchief.

“两位小姐要在埃斯梅拉达别墅长住吗？”他问道，边轻松地操纵着小船，边用蓝白相间的手帕拭去脸上的汗水。

"Some twenty days: we are both married ladies," said Hilda, in her curious hushed voice, that made her Italian sound so foreign.

“大概住二十天左右，我俩都结婚了。”希尔达的语调怪异而沙哑，她的意大利语外国腔十足。

"Ah! Twenty days!" said the man.

“啊！二十天呢！”船夫说。

There was a pause. After which he asked: "Do the signore want a gondolier for the twenty days or so that they will stay at the Villa Esmeralda? Or by the day, or by the week?" Connie and Hilda considered. In Venice, it is always preferable to have one's own gondola, as it is preferable to have one's own car on land.

沉默片刻。他又问：“两位夫人，逗留期间要不要雇船？按天计算，或者按周计算都可以。”康妮和希尔达考虑着他的提议。置身水城威尼斯，雇条凤尾船确实方便得多，就好比在陆地上拥有自己的汽车一样。

"What is there at the Villa? What boats?" "There is a motor-launch, also a gondola. But—” The but meant: they won't be your property.

“别墅里有什么？配有什么船只？”“有只摩托艇，还有条凤尾船。只是……”话锋一转的意思是说，别墅的船你们无法随便调用。

"How much do you charge?" It was about thirty shillings a day, or ten pounds a week.

“你要多少钱？”他的要价为每天30先令，每周10英镑。

"Is that the regular price?" asked Hilda.

“这是市价吗？”希尔达问。

"Less, Signora, less. The regular price—” The sisters considered.

“便宜，夫人，便宜得多。目前的市价是——”姐妹俩思忖着。

"Well," said Hilda, "come tomorrow morning, and we will arrange it. What is your name?" His name was Giovanni, and he wanted to know at what time he should come, and then for whom should he say he was waiting. Hilda had no card. Connie gave him one of hers. He glanced at it swiftly, with his hot, southern blue eyes, then glanced again.

“哦，”希尔达说，“你明早过来吧，到时候咱们再定。你叫什么？”船夫名叫乔瓦尼，他询问碰面的时间，到时候找哪位合适。希尔达没有名片。康妮给他一张自己的。他匆匆瞥了一眼，南欧人那双热烈的蓝色眸子转动着，又看了一遍。

"Ah!" He said, lighting up. "Milady! Milady, isn't it?” "Milady Costanza!" said Connie.

“啊！”他说，脸上泛起光彩。“从男爵夫人！从男爵夫人，是吗？”“康斯坦萨夫人！”康妮答道。