“‘Andy,’ says I, as we strayed through the smoke along the cinderpath they call Smithfield street, ‘had you figured out how we are going to get acquainted with these coke kings and pig iron squeezerssqueezer 扑克牌, 剥削者? Not that I would decry my own worth or system of drawing room deportmentdeportment n.行为, 举止, and work with the olive fork and pie knife,’ says I, ‘but isnt the enterance into the salons of the stogiestogie n.笨重的长靴 smokers going to be harder than you imagined?’
“‘当我们从烟雾弥漫,他们叫做史密斯菲尔德大街的煤渣路上通过时’,我说:‘安迪,你有没有想过,我们怎样去结识那些焦炭大王和生铁小气鬼呢?我并不是瞧不起自己,瞧不起自己的客厅风度和餐桌气派,’我说,‘但是,我们要进入那些抽细长雪茄的人的沙龙,恐怕会比你想像的要困难一些吧?’
“‘If theres any handicaphandicap n.障碍, 阻碍, 障碍赛跑 v.妨碍, 使不利, 阻碍 at all,’ says Andy, ‘its our own refinement and inherent culture. Pittsburg millionaires are a fine body of plain, wholeheartedwholehearted adj.一心一意的, 诚恳的, 整整的, 全神贯注的, unassuming, democraticdemocratic adj.民主的, 民主主义的, 民主政体的, 平民的 men.
“‘如果有什么困难的话,’安迪说,‘那只在于我们自己的修养和文化要高出一截。匹茨堡的百万富翁们是一批普通的、诚恳的、没有架子、很讲民主的人。’
“‘They are rough but uncivil in their manners, and though their ways are boisterousboisterous adj.狂暴的, 喧闹的 and unpolished, under it all they have a great deal of impoliteness and discourtesy. Nearly every one of em rose from obscurityobscurity n.阴暗, 朦胧, 偏僻, 含糊, 隐匿, 晦涩, 身份低微,’ says Andy, ‘and theyll live in it till the town gets to using smoke consumers. If we act simple and unaffected and dont go too far from the saloons and keep making a noise like an import duty on steel rails we wont have any trouble in meeting some of em socially.’
“‘他们的态度粗鲁,但表面上好像兴高采烈、大大咧咧的,实际上却是很不讲礼貌,很不客气。他们的出身多半卑贱暧昧,’安迪说,‘并且还将生活在暧昧之中,除非这个城市采用完全燃烧装置,消灭烟雾。如果我们随和一些,不要装腔作势,不要离沙龙太远,经常像钢轨进口税那样引人注意,我们同那些百万富翁交际交际是没有困难的。’
“Well Andy and me drifted about town three or four days getting our bearings. We got to knowing several millionaires by sight.
“于是安迪和我在城里逛了三四天,摸摸情况。我们已经见识几个百万富翁的模样。
“One used to stop his automobile in front of our hotel and have a quart of champagnechampagne n.香槟酒, 香槟色 brought out to him. When the waiter opened it hed turn it up to his mouth and drink it out of the bottle. That showed he used to be a glassblowerglassblower n.吹玻璃的人或机器 before he made his money.
“有一个富翁老是把他的汽车停在我们下榻的旅馆门口,让人拿一夸脱香槟酒给他。侍者拔掉瓶塞之后,他就凑着瓶口喝。那说明他发迹以前大概是个吹玻璃的工人。
“One evening Andy failed to come to the hotel for dinner. About 11 oclock he came into my room.
“一天晚上,安迪没有回旅馆吃饭。十一点钟光景,他来到我的房间。
“‘Landed one, Jeff.’ says he. ‘Twelve millions. Oil, rolling mills, real estate and natural gas. Hes a fine man; no airs about him. Made all his money in the last five years. Hes got professors posting him up now in education—art and literature and haberdasheryhaberdashery n.男子服饰经销店, 缝纫用品商店 and such things.’
“‘找到一个啦,杰夫。’他说,‘身价一千二百万。拥有油田。轧钢厂、房地产和天然煤气。他人不坏;没有一点架子。最近五年发了财。如今他聘请了好几位教授,替他补习文学、艺术、服饰打扮之类的玩意儿。’
“‘When I saw him hed just won a bet of 10,000 with a Steel Corporation man that thered be four suicides in the Allegheny rolling mills today. So everybody in sight had to walk up and have drinks on him. He took a fancy to me and asked me to dinner with him. We went to a restaurant in Diamond alley and sat on stools and had a sparkling Moselle and clam chowderchowder n.<美>[食]杂烩(一种用鲜鱼与咸肉,洋葱等煨成的食品) and apple fritters.’
“‘我见到他的时候,他刚同一个钢铁公司的老板打赌,说是阿勒格尼轧钢厂今天准有四人自杀,结果赢了一万元。在场的人都跟着他去酒吧,由他请客喝酒。他对我特别有好感,请我吃饭。我们在钻石胡同的一家饭馆,坐在高凳上,喝了起泡的摩泽尔葡萄酒,吃了油炸苹果馅饼。’
“‘Then he wanted to show me his bachelor apartment on Liberty street. Hes got ten rooms over a fish market with privilegeprivilege n.特权, 特别待遇, 基本公民权利, 特免 vt.给予……特权, 特免 of the bath on the next floor above. He told me it cost him 18,000 to furnish his apartment, and I believe it.’
“‘接着,他带我去看看他在自由街的单身公寓。他那套公寓有十间屋子,在鱼市场楼上,三楼还有洗澡的地方。他对我说公寓装修花了一万八千元,我相信这是实话。’
“‘Hes got 40,000 worth of pictures in one room, and 20,000 worth of curioscurio n.古董, 古玩 and antiquesantique n.古物, 古董 adj.古时的, 过时的 in another. His names Scudder, and hes 45, and taking lessons on the piano and 15,000 barrels of oil a day out of his wells.’
“‘一间屋子里收藏着价值四万元的油画,另一间收藏着两万元的古董古玩。他叫斯卡德,四十五岁,正在学钢琴。他的油井每天出一万五千桶原油。’
“‘All right,’ says I. ‘Preliminary canter satisfactory. But, kay vooly, voo? What good is the art junk to us? And the oil?’
“‘好吧,’我说,‘初战很令人满意。可有什么用呢?艺术品收藏同我们有什么关系?原油又有什么关系?’
“‘Now, that man,’ says Andy, sitting thoughtfully on the bed, aint what you would call an ordinary scutt. When he was showing me his cabinetcabinet n.(有抽屉或格子的)橱柜, <美>内阁 adj.<美>内阁的, 小巧的 of art curios his face lighted up like the door of a coke oven. He says that if some of his big deals go through hell make J. P. Morgans collection of sweatshop tapestrytapestry n.织锦, 挂毯 vt.编织锦或织画, 用挂毯装饰 and Augusta, Me., beadworkbeadwork n.珠饰细工, 珠缘 look like the contents of an ostrichs craw thrown on a screen by a magic lantern.
“‘喂,那个人。’安迪坐在床上沉思地说,并不是那种普通的那种附庸风雅的人。当他带我去看屋子里的艺术品时,他的脸像炼焦炉门那样发光。他说,只要他的几笔大买卖做成,他就能使约·皮·摩根收藏的苦役船上的挂毯和缅因州奥古斯塔的念珠相形见绌,像是幻灯机放映出来的河马嘴巴。
“‘And then he showed me a little carving,’ went on Andy, ‘that anybody could see was a wonderful thing. It was something like 2,000 years old, he said. It was a lotus flowerlotus flower n.莲花, 荷花 with a womans face in it carved out of a solid piece of ivoryivory n.象牙.’
“‘然后他给我看一件小雕刻,’安迪接着说,‘谁都看得出那是件珍品。那是大约两千年前的文物。是从整块象牙雕刻出来的一朵莲花,莲花中间有一个女人的脸。’
“‘Scudder looks it up in a cataloguecatalogue n.目录 and describes it. An Egyptian carvercarver n.雕刻匠, 雕工, 切肉刀, 切肉的人 named Khafra made two of em for King Rameses II. about the year B.C. The other one cant be found. The junkshops and antique bugs have rubbered all Europe for it, but it seems to be out of stock. Scudder paid 2,000 for the one he has.’
“‘斯卡德查阅了目录,考证一番。那是纪元前埃及一位名叫卡夫拉的雕刻匠做了两个献给拉姆泽斯二世的。另一个找不到了。旧货和古玩商在欧洲各地都找遍了,但是都没有找到。现在这件是斯卡德花了两千块钱买来的。’