26

I slipped into the crowd of tourists and then down an alley.A priest was coming up the alley towards me.He would certainly spoke Italian and could be a likely person to know if Jameson lived in the town.‘Yes,'he knew the American,he said.By the castle,I would find a street called Via Maddre.At the end of the street,I would see a large,white villa.

I found the villa and I found Jameson.He must have been at least sixty-five but he looked nearer fifty,with not a trace of gery in a mane of fair,wavy hair.His wife.Theresa,was dark-haired and olive skinned.She was probably younger than Jameson,a little plump,but still attractive.The ‘villa Jameson'was large;large and expensively furnished.It hadn't been bought on a pension from the US Marines!

The visit wasn't to be social,but it wasn't until after the evening meal was over that Theresa excused herself and I was able to talk to Jameson alone.He listened to my story in silence.He had a habit of running his fingers through his hair when he was thinking.He did it several times before passing any comment on what I had told him.All that he said was,‘Yes,it figures.'Then he got up and walked out onto the terrace.I followed him.

The back of the villa looked clear across to the western slopes of Mount Etna.The greens of filds and vineyards faded into darkening gerys,rising to the cone of the volcano itself,its outline sharp against the evening sky.A thin pall of smoke rose from the crater to join with the red-tinged cloud as they caught the last light of the setting sun.Jameson pointed into the middle distance where a group of white buildings was just visible in the surrounding green.

‘That's Lippari's house and vineyard.'( 文章閱讀網(wǎng)：www.sanwen.net )

‘You know Lippari?'I asked.

‘We're neighbours,'was all he replied.

He ran his hand through his hair once more before turning towards me.'

‘Listen,'he said.‘your father once saved my life.Your father's dead,so let's say,I owe you the favour.I need to think this one through.Go to bed.Tomorrow we'll work something out.'(27)

注釋：

1，slipped into：偷偷地進(jìn)入。

2，and then down：and then I went along。

3，priest：（基督教，尤指羅馬天主教的）牧師，教士，神父；pastor：（主管教堂的）牧師；vicar：教區(qū)牧師。

4，likely：很有可能。

5，a street called Via Maddre：一條名叫馬德烈的街道。Via：（意大利語）街道。called Via Maddre是過去分詞短語做street 的定語。

6，with not a trace of gery in a mane of fair,wavy hair：一頭濃密的波浪式的金發(fā)，竟無一絲兒灰白。這個(gè)with短語作定語，修飾主語“He”。trace of gery ：灰白色的痕跡。mane：馬鬃；a mane of：像馬鬃一樣的；fair：（膚色）白皙，（頭發(fā)）淡黃色或金色。

7，olive skinned：橄欖色的皮膚。比較：an apple skinned ：去了皮的蘋果。

8，plump：豐滿而受看的。

9，large and expensively furnished：家具陳設(shè)豪華氣派。furnish：為配備家具及配套設(shè)備。

10，pension：退休工資，退休金。US Marines：美國(guó)海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)。

11，social：社交的，聯(lián)誼的。

12，it wasn't until after the evening meal was over that：直到晚飯結(jié)束······才；It was···that：強(qiáng)調(diào)句型；not until：直到······才（有機(jī)會(huì)做某事）。

13，excused oneself：（請(qǐng)求離開時(shí)）說聲：對(duì)不起，失陪了。

14，a habit of running his fingers through his hair：用手指梳頭發(fā)的習(xí)慣。

15，did it：it指“用手指梳頭發(fā)”的動(dòng)作。

16, before passing any comment on what I had told him：在對(duì)我所講的情況發(fā)表看法前。what I had told him是 passing any comment on的賓語從句。連接代詞what既引導(dǎo)賓語從句，又在從句中作直接賓語。what：the thing（s） that；所······的。

17，it figures=that figures：有可能，有道理。

18，walked out onto the terrace：走出了屋子，上了露臺(tái)。onto：到······的上面。terrace：露臺(tái)，屋頂平臺(tái)。比較：balcony：樓上的陽臺(tái)。

19, The greens of filds and vineyards faded into darkening gerys,rising to the cone of the volcano itself,its outline sharp against the evening sky. 田野和葡萄園那一片一片的綠色逐漸消失在越來越暗的灰色之中；又隨著圓錐形的火山升起；火山的輪廓映襯在夜空，鮮明突出。fade into:逐漸消失而成為；逐漸隱藏于；cone ：圓錐體，圓錐形；outline：輪廓；sharp against：以······為背景而顯得鮮明突出。

20,A thin pall of smoke rose from the crater to join with the red-tinged cloud as they caught the last light of the setting sun.之中；抓住了夕陽的最后一縷光線而略帶紅色的云霞，與從火山口升起的一層輕輕的煙幕，連成了一片。pall:遮蓋物；crater：火山口；join with：與·····連接；red-tinged：略帶紅色的；setting sun：夕陽。

21，just visible：剛好看得見。

22，let's say=say：假定，假設(shè)（用于請(qǐng)某人考慮某事，或提出建議）。

23，think···through：把······想透徹。

24，work something out：想出解決問題的辦法。

我偷偷混入那群游客，然后鉆進(jìn)了一條小巷。迎面走來一個(gè)牧師；我想他肯定會(huì)意大利語，并且很可能知道詹姆森是否住在這兒?！爱?dāng)然，”他說，他認(rèn)識(shí)那個(gè)美國(guó)人。前面那座城堡旁邊，有一條街道，叫馬德烈街；街道盡頭，那棟很大的白色別墅，就是詹姆森家。

我找到了別墅，找到了詹姆森。他至少六十五歲了，而看起來還不滿五十；滿頭濃密的波浪式的金發(fā)，竟無一絲兒灰白。他的妻子，特蕾莎，倒是滿頭黑發(fā)，橄欖色的肌膚；她很可能比詹姆森年輕一些，略顯豐滿而風(fēng)韻猶存。詹姆森別墅好大喲！而且家具陳設(shè)豪華氣派——這可不是靠美國(guó)海軍陸戰(zhàn)隊(duì)的退休金買得起的！

我來找詹姆森的本意并非禮節(jié)性拜訪，但是直到晚飯結(jié)束，特蕾莎說聲“對(duì)不起，失陪了”而離開后，我才有機(jī)會(huì)與詹姆森叔叔單獨(dú)交談。聽我講述時(shí)，他一言不發(fā)。他有個(gè)習(xí)慣，每當(dāng)思考問題的時(shí)候，就要用手指梳弄頭發(fā)。有好幾次，在對(duì)我所講的情況發(fā)表看法前，他都有這個(gè)動(dòng)作。他所說的全部都是：“嗯，很有可能”。然后起身， 出了屋子，上了露臺(tái)。我也跟了上去。

別墅后面，可以清楚地看到埃特納火山的西坡。田野和葡萄園那一片一片的綠色逐漸消失在越來越暗的灰色之中，又隨著圓錐形的火山升起；火山的輪廓映襯在夜空，鮮明突出。抓住了夕陽的最后一縷光線而略帶紅色的云霞，與從火山口升起的一層輕輕的煙幕，連成了一片。詹姆森指著前面不近不遠(yuǎn)處的一群白色建筑物;因其周圍皆綠色，剛好能看見。

“那兒，就是李帕利的家和他的葡萄園，”他說。

“你認(rèn)識(shí)李帕利？”

“我們是鄰居”。他的回答只有這一句。

他再一次用手梳了一下頭發(fā)，才轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)著我。

“聽著”，他說，“你老爸當(dāng)年救過我一命?，F(xiàn)在，他已經(jīng)過世了。因此，就算是我欠你一個(gè)情吧。這事兒，我還得想個(gè)透徹。去睡吧,明天我們會(huì)有辦法的。”（27）

注釋：

露臺(tái)，又稱陽臺(tái)，是一種從大廈外壁突出，由圓柱或托架支撐的平臺(tái)，其邊沿則建欄桿，以防止物件和人落出平臺(tái)范圍，是為建筑物的延伸。盡管露臺(tái)和陽臺(tái)泛指同一種建筑物，但其實(shí)兩者有其些微分別，無頂也無遮蓋物之平臺(tái)稱露臺(tái)，有遮蓋物者之平臺(tái)稱陽臺(tái)。

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