BAD WEATHER 變故

原作契訶夫 Translated by Constance Garnett 1887

BIG raindrops were pattering on the dark windows. It was one of those disgusting summer holiday rains which, when they have begun, last a long time — for weeks, till the frozen holiday maker grows used to it, and sinks into complete apathy. It was cold; there was a feeling of raw, unpleasant dampness. The mother-in-law of a lawyer, called Kvashin, and his wife, Nadyezhda Filippovna, dressed in waterproofs and shawls, were sitting over the dinner table in the dining-room. It was written on the countenance of the elder lady that she was, thank God, well-fed, well-clothed and in good health, that she had married her only daughter to a good man, and now could play her game of patience with an easy conscience; her daughter, a rather short, plump, fair young woman of twenty, with a gentle an?mic face, was reading a book with her elbows on the table; judging from her eyes she was not so much reading as thinking her own thoughts, which were not in the book. Neither of them spoke. There was the sound of the pattering rain, and from the kitchen they could hear the prolonged yawns of the cook.

煙塵塵的窗玻璃上敲打著豆大的雨滴。夏天的雨有時(shí)候一下就是好幾周，任你有再大的火氣也得給澆沒了。天很涼，四處濕潮潮的?？兹f順孔律師的婆婆和媳婦馮氏同坐在餐桌前，各人都穿著雨衣、圍著披肩。老太太挺有福相，一看就是吃穿不愁、豐衣足食的主兒。給親閨女找了這么個(gè)好人家/好姑爺（或作：把…嫁/許給了），自己就可以安安心心地打打牌了。馮氏二十不到，個(gè)頭不高，身段也不算纖細(xì)，長得倒是漂亮。她趴在桌上讀著書，表情很安嫻，卻好像沒大有精神。說是看書，其實(shí)她的心思哪在書上。這娘倆都不說話，只有滴滴答答的雨聲，和廚房里廚子拖腔拉調(diào)的呼嚕。

Kvashin himself was not at home. On rainy days he did not come to the summer villa, but stayed in town; damp, rainy weather affected his bronchitis and prevented him from working. He was of the opinion that the sight of the grey sky and the tears of rain on the windows deprived one of energy and induced the spleen. In the town, where there was greater comfort, bad weather was scarcely noticed.

孔律師沒在家。孔家在鄉(xiāng)下和城里各有一套房子，每逢雨天他準(zhǔn)要留在城里。他一下雨就犯支氣管炎，咳嗽得沒法工作。一看見灰沉沉的天、滴答答的雨，他就和癟了氣似的，一肚子的悶火。城里的條件肯定比鄉(xiāng)下舒服，天氣再壞也無甚影響。

After two games of patience, the old lady shuffled the cards and took a glance at her daughter.

獨(dú)自打了兩圈牌，老太太把牌一洗，看了看自己閨女。

“I have been trying with the cards whether it will be fine to-morrow, and whether our Alexey Stepanovitch will come,” she said. “It is five days since he was here.... The weather is a chastisement from God.”

“我用牌算算這雨明天能不能停，順子幾時(shí)能回來，”她說道，“都出去五天了……這場雨準(zhǔn)是老天爺不高興了?！?/p>

Nadyezhda Filippovna looked indifferently at her mother, got up, and began walking up and down the room.

馮氏瞅了瞅母親，直起身，在屋里走來走去。

“The barometer was rising yesterday,” she said doubtfully, “but they say it is falling again to-day.”

“昨天晴雨表倒是在往上升，”她擔(dān)憂道，“可今天聽他們說又降下去了?！?/p>

The old lady laid out the cards in three long rows and shook her head.

老太太把牌分成三大行，搖了搖頭。

“Do you miss him?” she asked, glancing at her daughter.

“你想他嗎？”老太太掃了一眼馮氏，問道。

“Of course.”

“怎么不想。”

“I see you do. I should think so. He hasn’t been here for five days. In May the utmost was two, or at most three days, and now it is serious, five days! I am not his wife, and yet I miss him. And yesterday, when I heard the barometer was rising, I ordered them to kill a chicken and prepare a carp for Alexey Stepanovitch. He likes them. Your poor father couldn’t bear fish, but he likes it. He always eats it with relish.”

“說的是啊。他都出去五天了。五月那會(huì)兒頂多就兩三天，現(xiàn)在可好，五天！別說你做媳婦的了，連我都想他。昨天聽說要好天了，我還特意叫他們給他殺了只雞，燉了條魚呢。順子就好這口。你爹倒是也愛吃魚，就是他那個(gè)身子消受不了。他回回吃魚都吃得噴香。”

“My heart aches for him,” said the daughter. “We are dull, but it is duller still for him, you know, mamma.”

“我挺掛念順子的?！瘪T氏說道，“咱們?cè)诩叶奸e得發(fā)悶，他在城里還不得憋壞了。”

“I should think so! In the law-courts day in and day out, and in the empty flat at night alone like an owl.”

“那可不！黑天白日往法院跑，夜里到家連個(gè)說話的也沒有，那不得寂寞死?！?/p>

“And what is so awful, mamma, he is alone there without servants; there is no one to set the samovar or bring him water. Why didn’t he engage a valet for the summer months? And what use is the summer villa at all if he does not care for it? I told him there was no need to have it, but no, ‘It is for the sake of your health,’ he said, and what is wrong with my health? It makes me ill that he should have to put up with so much on my account.”

“就是，他那兒連伺候人的都沒有，也沒個(gè)好端茶送水的。他也是，花點(diǎn)錢雇個(gè)下人多好！再者說，一天天放著鄉(xiāng)下的房子不來，還要這兒有什么用？我早就跟他說不用費(fèi)這么些錢，他還硬和我犟，說讓我在這兒好好休養(yǎng)休養(yǎng)，真是，我又沒病，有什么好休養(yǎng)的？為了我讓他白遭那么多罪我怎么過意得去?！?/p>

Looking over her mother’s shoulder, the daughter noticed a mistake in the patience, bent down to the table and began correcting it. A silence followed. Both looked at the cards and imagined how their Alexey Stepanovitch, utterly forlorn, was sitting now in the town in his gloomy, empty study and working, hungry, exhausted, yearning for his family....

馮氏走到老太太身后，恰巧看見有張牌出錯(cuò)了，于是俯下身把牌整理好。又是一陣沉默。兩人各盯著牌，想象著孔萬順一個(gè)人孤孤單單待在市里，業(yè)務(wù)壓身、腹內(nèi)無食，身邊沒一個(gè)知疼著熱的，天可憐見，他得多想回鄉(xiāng)下和她們團(tuán)聚啊……

“Do you know what, mamma?” said Nadyezhda Filippovna suddenly, and her eyes began to shine. “If the weather is the same to-morrow I’ll go by the first train and see him in town! Anyway, I shall find out how he is, have a look at him, and pour out his tea.”

“媽，我有主意了！”馮氏眼一冒光，突然開口道，“要是明天雨還不停，我就搭早班車去市里看他！最起碼看看他怎么樣，給他燒點(diǎn)茶水什么的?！?/p>

And both of them began to wonder how it was that this idea, so simple and easy to carry out, had not occurred to them before. It was only half an hour in the train to the town, and then twenty minutes in a cab. They said a little more, and went off to bed in the same room, feeling more contented.

兩人這才反應(yīng)過來，這么簡單的辦法怎么早就沒想到呢。進(jìn)城坐火車只用半個(gè)鐘頭，下車再坐二十分鐘的馬車就到了。母女倆又聊了幾句話就回屋休息了，倆人睡在同一張床上，彼此都覺得放心了點(diǎn)。

“Oho-ho-ho.... Lord, forgive us sinners!” sighed the old lady when the clock in the hall struck two. “There is no sleeping.”

“哎呀…都這鐘點(diǎn)了！”鐘敲了兩點(diǎn)，老太太嘆息道，“怎么就是睡不著啊?！?/p>

“You are not asleep, mamma?” the daughter asked in a whisper. “I keep thinking of Alyosha. I only hope he won’t ruin his health in town. Goodness knows where he dines and lunches. In restaurants and taverns.”

“媽，你也睡不著嗎？”馮氏小聲嘀咕道，“我滿腦子都是順子。他在市里可別把身體搞壞了。他也不會(huì)做飯，肯定天天下館子?！?/p>

“I have thought of that myself,” sighed the old lady. “The Heavenly Mother save and preserve him. But the rain, the rain!”

“就是?！崩咸珖@道，“求菩薩多保佑吧。唉，這雨還不停，沒完沒了的！”

In the morning the rain was not pattering on the panes, but the sky was still grey. The trees stood looking mournful, and at every gust of wind they scattered drops. The footprints on the muddy path, the ditches and the ruts were full of water. Nadyezhda Filippovna made up her mind to go.

早上，雨停了，天還是陰著。樹木沒精打采的，每逢勁風(fēng)吹過總帶下一樹的雨點(diǎn)。泥土地上的車轍腳印、溝溝渠渠都積滿了水。馮氏準(zhǔn)備動(dòng)身了。

“Give him my love,” said the old lady, wrapping her daughter up. “Tell him not to think too much about his cases.... And he must rest. Let him wrap his throat up when he goes out: the weather — God help us! And take him the chicken; food from home, even if cold, is better than at a restaurant.”

“給我?guī)€(gè)好。”老太太幫閨女打扮齊整，囑咐道，“叫他少惦記工作……保重身體要緊。告訴他出門的時(shí)候把圍脖圍好，眼下這天兒——雨啊，你歇歇吧！把這只雞也捎過去，咱自家做的哪怕涼了也比飯館的好吃?！?/p>

The daughter went away, saying that she would come back by an evening train or else next morning.

馮氏走了，說回頭趕晚車或者明早回來。

But she came back long before dinner-time, when the old lady was sitting on her trunk in her bedroom and drowsily thinking what to cook for her son-in-law’s supper.

誰成想她下午早早就回來了，老太太還坐在臥室的大衣箱上，迷迷糊糊地琢磨著晚飯?jiān)摻o姑爺做點(diǎn)什么。

Going into the room her daughter, pale and agitated, sank on the bed without uttering a word or taking off her hat, and pressed her head into the pillow.

馮氏渾身打戰(zhàn)、臉色蒼白地闖進(jìn)屋，一聲不吭，連帽子都沒摘就撲到了床上，把腦袋深埋進(jìn)枕頭里。

“But what is the matter,” said the old lady in surprise, “why back so soon? Where is Alexey Stepanovitch?”

“怎么了？”老太太訝異道，“怎么這么快就回來了？順子呢？”

Nadyezhda Filippovna raised her head and gazed at her mother with dry, imploring eyes.

馮氏抬起頭，用哭干的淚眼望著母親。

“He is deceiving us, mamma,” she said.

“媽，他外面有人了。”她說道。

“What are you saying? Christ be with you!” cried the old lady in alarm, and her cap slipped off her head. “Who is going to deceive us? Lord, have mercy on us!”

“你說什么！誰告訴你的？”老太太惶恐道，連帽子都嚇掉了，“誰有人了？你把話說清楚！”

“He is deceiving us, mamma!” repeated her daughter, and her chin began to quiver.

“媽，順子在外面有人了！”馮氏又說了一遍，臉蛋止不住顫了起來。

“How do you know?” cried the old lady, turning pale.

“你怎么知道的？”老太太臉也白了，高聲道。

“Our flat is locked up. The porter tells me that Alyosha has not been home once for these five days. He is not living at home! He is not at home, not at home!”

“房子鎖著門，根本就沒人住?？撮T的說這五天壓根就沒見著順子。他沒在家??！他沒在家，他沒在家！”

She waved her hands and burst into loud weeping. uttering nothing but: “Not at home! Not at home!”

馮氏揮著手，號(hào)啕大哭著，能聽清的只有一句話：“沒在家！沒在家！”

She began to be hysterical.

她有點(diǎn)瘋癲了。

“What’s the meaning of it?” muttered the old woman in horror. “Why, he wrote the day before yesterday that he never leaves the flat! Where is he sleeping? Holy Saints!”

“怎么會(huì)這樣？”老太太驚恐地嘟噥道，“不應(yīng)該啊，他前天還寫信說一直在家里來著！這幾天他都在哪兒睡的覺？不會(huì)的！不會(huì)的！”

Nadyezhda Filippovna felt so faint that she could not take off her hat. She looked about her blankly, as though she had been drugged, and convulsively clutched at her mother’s arms.

馮氏哭得暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向，簡直沒力氣把帽子摘下來。她如同抽了大煙一樣，神志不清地打量著周圍，一下子撲進(jìn)了母親的懷里。

“What a person to trust: a porter!” said the old lady, fussing round her daughter and crying. “What a jealous girl you are! He is not going to deceive you, and how dare he? We are not just anybody. Though we are of the merchant class, yet he has no right, for you are his lawful wife! We can take proceedings! I gave twenty thousand roubles with you! You did not want for a dowry!”

“別哭了！看門的告訴你什么就是什么？”老太太胡亂走著，也哭得一把淚，“沒來由的你吃什么風(fēng)醋！他怎么可能在外面找人？他憑什么在外面找人？咱們也是有身份的人家。就算咱家是干買賣/做生意的，你可是他明媒正娶的媳婦，他有什么資格干這種荒唐事！我跟他打不完的官司！你出門的時(shí)候我貼了兩萬的嫁妝！你當(dāng)初連他家一分錢的彩禮都沒要！”

And the old lady herself sobbed and gesticulated, and she felt faint, too, and lay down on her trunk. Neither of them noticed that patches of blue had made their appearance in the sky, that the clouds were more transparent, that the first sunbeam was cautiously gliding over the wet grass in the garden, that with renewed gaiety the sparrows were hopping about the puddles which reflected the racing clouds.

老太太也跟著痛哭流涕、伸手比劃起來，不一會(huì)兒老太太也頭暈了，氣力不支躺在了大衣箱上。母女倆只顧著哭鬧，全不見烏云下露出了幾抹藍(lán)天，云漸漸散了，陽光不聲不響地滑過潮濕的綠草，一池池小水洼倒映著浮云，鳥雀們興高采烈地在水坑里蹦跶著。

Towards evening Kvashin arrived. Before leaving town he had gone to his flat and had learned from the porter that his wife had come in his absence.

傍晚時(shí)分，順子回來了。出城之前他回了趟家，從門房那兒聽說了自己媳婦找上門的事。

“Here I am,” he said gaily, coming into his mother-in-law’s room and pretending not to notice their stern and tear-stained faces. “Here I am! It’s five days since we have seen each other!”

“我回來了。”他歡笑著走進(jìn)臥室，假裝沒看見兩人滿臉的厲色與淚痕，“回來了！這五天忙得，可算回家了！”

He rapidly kissed his wife’s hand and his mother-in-law’s, and with the air of man delighted at having finished a difficult task, he lolled in an arm-chair.

他連忙向媳婦和婆婆道了好，又扮出一臉剛辦完什么大差事的喜色，一屁股栽進(jìn)了扶手椅。

“Ough!” he said, puffing out all the air from his lungs. “Here I have been worried to death. I have scarcely sat down. For almost five days now I have been, as it were, bivouacking. I haven’t been to the flat once, would you believe it? I have been busy the whole time with the meeting of Shipunov’s and Ivantchikov’s creditors; I had to work in Galdeyev’s office at the shop.... I’ve had nothing to eat or to drink, and slept on a bench, I was chilled through.... I hadn’t a free minute. I hadn’t even time to go to the flat. That’s how I came not to be at home, Nadyusha, . . And Kvashin, holding his sides as though his back were aching, glanced stealthily at his wife and mother-in-law to see the effect of his lie, or as he called it, diplomacy. The mother-in-law and wife were looking at each other in joyful astonishment, as though beyond all hope and expectation they had found something precious, which they had lost.... Their faces beamed, their eyes glowed....

“我的天！”他長出了一口氣，說道，“可累死我了。我這幾天四處叫人使喚，都沒個(gè)工夫坐下歇歇。好家伙，我忙得連家都沒回。兩家欠債的叫我跟債主說情，這兩宗事我忙得昏天黑地的。我整天在老臧那兒忙活……連口飯也沒得吃，連口水也沒得喝，就睡在大椅子上，差點(diǎn)沒把我凍死……一刻鐘也閑不得，哪兒有工夫回家。媳婦，就是這么回事，所以你找我的時(shí)候我才不在的……”說罷，順子扭了扭身，裝作背疼的樣子，實(shí)際上偷偷察看著媳婦和婆婆的反應(yīng)，想看看自己的謊，或者用他的話，自己的理由，圓不圓滿/成不成功。只見二人驚喜地對(duì)視了一下，仿佛突然間找回了什么丟失的寶貝似的……二人滿臉放光，眼睛一閃一閃的……

“My dear man,” cried the old lady, jumping up, “why am I sitting here? Tea! Tea at once! Perhaps you are hungry?”

“好姑爺！”老太太高喊一聲，站了起來，“人都死哪兒去了？上茶！快上茶！看把你累的，肯定餓了吧？”

“Of course he is hungry,” cried his wife, pulling off her head a bandage soaked in vinegar. “Mamma, bring the wine, and the savouries. Natalya, lay the table! Oh, my goodness, nothing is ready!”

“肯定餓得不輕。”馮氏把腦門的濕毛巾一扔，高聲道，“媽，好酒好菜預(yù)備上。干活兒的，還不收拾桌子！麻利點(diǎn)！麻利點(diǎn)！什么事非得人說才知道干嗎/不說就不知道干是不是？”

And both of them, frightened, happy, and bustling, ran about the room. The old lady could not look without laughing at her daughter who had slandered an innocent man, and the daughter felt ashamed....

母女倆又驚，又喜，手忙腳亂地跑出了臥室。老太太一個(gè)勁兒笑話閨女吃醋，白白冤枉了好人；馮氏羞得臉都紅了……

The table was soon laid. Kvashin, who smelt of madeira and liqueurs and who could scarcely breathe from repletion, complained of being hungry, forced himself to munch and kept on talking of the meeting of Shipunov’s and Ivantchikov’s creditors, while his wife and mother-in-law could not take their eyes off his face, and both thought:

酒菜備齊了。順子顧不得自己一身的酒味和撐得滿滿當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)亩亲?，硬是嚷嚷著餓了，強(qiáng)逼著自己咽下一口口飯菜，嘴里還談?wù)撝莾蓚€(gè)債主的事。馮氏和老太太的目光一刻不離開他，二人都心想著：

“How clever and kind he is! How handsome!”

“他真機(jī)靈，真老實(shí)！真漂亮！”

“All serene,” thought Kvashin, as he lay down on the well-filled feather bed. “Though they are regular tradesmen’s wives, though they are Philistines, yet they have a charm of their own, and one can spend a day or two of the week here with enjoyment. . . .”

“嘿，妥了?！碧稍诠呐钆畹挠鸾q床上，順子心想道，“別說，那幫小商小販的媳婦一個(gè)個(gè)俗歸俗，可也算得上別具一格的好貨色，每周能一塊兒過個(gè)一兩天/睡個(gè)一兩覺也是件美事哪……”

He wrapped himself up, got warm, and as he dozed off, he said to himself:

他蓋上被，閉上眼，在心里嘀咕道：

“All serene!”

“嘿，妥了！”