居伊·德·莫泊桑/Guy de Maupassant
As the mayor was about to sit down to breakfast,word was brought to him that the rural policeman,with two prisoners,was awaiting him at the Hotel de Ville.He went there at once and found old Hochedur standing guard before a middle-class couple whom he was regarding with a severe expression on his face.
The man,a fat old fellow with a red nose and white hair,seemed utterly dejected;while the woman,a little roundabout individual with shining cheeks,looked at the official who had arrested them,with defiant eyes.
“What is it?What is it,Hochedur?”
The rural policeman made his deposition.
He had gone out that morning at his usual time,in order to patrol his beat from the forest of Champioux as far as the boundaries of Argenteuil.He had not noticed anything unusual in the country except that it was a fine day,and that the wheat was doing well,when the son of old Bredel,who was going over his vines,called out to him:
“Here,Daddy Hochedur,go and have a look at the outskirts of the wood.In the first thicket you will find a pair of pigeons who must be a hundred and thirty years old between them!”
He went in the direction indicated,entered the thicket,and there he heard words which made him suspect a flagrant breach of morality.Advancing,therefore,on his hands and knees as if to surprise a poacher,he had arrested the couple whom he found there.
The mayor looked at the culprits in astonishment,for the man was certainly sixty,and the woman fifty-five at least,and he began to question them,beginning with the man,who replied in such a weak voice that he could scarcely be heard.
“What is your name?”
“Nicholas Beaurain.”
“Your occupation?”
“Haberdasher,in the Rue des Martyrs,in Paris.”
“What were you doing in the wood?”
The haberdasher remained silent,with his eyes on his fat paunch,and his hands hanging at his sides,and the mayor continued:
“Do you deny what the officer of the municipal authorities states?”
“No,monsieur.”
“So you confess it?”
“Yes,monsieur.”
“What have you to say in your defence？”
“Nothing,monsieur.”
“Where did you meet the partner in your misdemeanor?”
“She is my wife,monsieur.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes,monsieur.”
“Then-then-you do not live together-in Paris?”
“I beg your pardon,monsieur,but we are living together!”
“But in that case-you must be mad,altogether mad,my dear sir,to get caught playing lovers in the country at ten oclock in the morning.”
The haberdasher seemed ready to cry with shame,and he muttered:“It was she who enticed me!I told her it was very stupid,but when a woman once gets a thing into her head-you know-you cannot get it out.”
The mayor,who liked a joke,smiled and replied:“In your case,the contrary ought to have happened.You would not be here,if she had had the idea only in her head.”
Then Monsieur Beauain was seized with rage and turning to his wife,he said:“Do you see to what you have brought us with your poetry?And now we shall have to go before the courts at our age,for a breach of morals!And we shall have to shut up the shop,sell our good will,and go to some other neighborhood!Thats what it has come to.”
Madame Beaurain got up,and without looking at her husband,she explained herself without embarrassment,without useless modesty,and almost without hesitation.
Of course,monsieur,I know that we have made ourselves ridiculous.Will you allow me to plead my cause like an advocate,or rather like a poor woman?And I hope that you will be kind enough to send us home,and to spare us the disgrace of a prosecution.
Years ago,when I was young,I made Monsieur Beaurain’s acquaintance one Sunday in this neighborhood.He was employed in a draper’s shop,and I was a saleswoman in a ready-made clothing establishment.I remember it as if it were yesterday.I used to come and spend Sundays here occasionally with a friend of mine,Rose Leveque,with whom I lived in the Rue Pigalle,and Rose had a sweetheart,while I had none.He used to bring us here,and one Saturday he told me laughing that he should bring a friend with him the next day.I quite understood what he meant,but I replied that it would be no good;for I was virtuous,monsieur.
The next day we met Monsieur Beaurain at the railway station,and in those days he was good-looking,but I had made up my mind not to encourage him,and I did not.Well,we arrived at Bezons.It was a lovely day,the sort of day that touches your heart.When it is fine even now,just as it used to be formerly,I grow quite foolish,and when I am in the country I utterly lose my head.The green grass,the swallows flying so swiftly,the smell of the grass,the scarlet poppies,the daisies,all that makes me crazy.It is like champagne when one is not accustomed to it!
“Well,it was lovely weather,warm and bright,and it seemed to penetrate your body through your eyes when you looked and through your mouth when you breathed.Rose and Simon hugged and kissed each other every minute,and that gave me a queer feeling!Monsieur Beaurain and I walked behind them,without speaking much,for when people do not know each other,they do not find anything to talk about.He looked timid,and I liked to see his embarrassment.At last we got to the little wood;it was as cool as in a bath there,and we four sat down.Rose and her lover teased me because I looked rather stern,but you will understand that I could not be otherwise.And then they began to kiss and hug again,without putting any more restraint upon themselves than if we had not been there;and then they whispered together,and got up and went off among the trees,without saying a word.You may fancy what I looked like,alone with this young fellow whom I saw for the first time.I felt so confused at seeing them go that it gave me courage,and I began to talk.I asked him what his business was,and he said he was a linen drapers assistant,as I told you just now.We talked for a few minutes,and that made him bold,and he wanted to take liberties with me,but I told him sharply to keep his place.Is not that true,Monsieur Beaurain?”
Monsieur Beaurain,who was looking at his feet in confusion,did not reply,and she continued:“Then he saw that I was virtuous,and he began to make love to me nicely,like an honorable man,and from that time he came every Sunday,for he was very much in love with me.I was very fond of him also,very fond of him!He was a good-looking fellow,formerly,and in short he married me the next September,and we started in business in the Rue des Martyrs.”
“It was a hard struggle for some years,monsieur.Business did not prosper,and we could not afford many country excursions,and,besides,we had got out of the way of them.One has other things in ones head,and thinks more of the cash box than of pretty speeches,when one is in business.We were growing old by degrees without perceiving it,like quiet people who do not think much about love.One does not regret anything as long as one does not notice what one has lost.”
“And then,monsieur,business became better,and we were tranquil as to the future!Then,you see,I do not exactly know what went on in my mind,no,I really do not know,but I began to dream like a little boarding-school girl.The sight of the little carts full of flowers which are drawn about the streets made me cry;the smell of violets sought me out in my easy-chair,behind my cash box,and made my heart beat!Then I would get up and go out on the doorstep to look at the blue sky between the roofs.When one looks up at the sky from the street,it looks like a river which is descending on Paris,winding as it flows,and the swallows pass to and fro in it like fish.These ideas are very stupid at my age!But how can one help it,monsieur,when one has worked all ones life？A moment comes in which one perceives that one could have done something else,and that one regrets,oh!yes,one feels intense regret!Just think,for twenty years I might have gone and had kisses in the woods,like other women.I used to think how delightful it would be to lie under the trees and be in love with someone!And I thought of it every day and every night!I dreamed of the moonlight on the water,until I felt inclined to drown myself.”
“I did not venture to speak to Monsieur Beaurain about this at first.I knew that he would make fun of me,and send me back to sell my needles and cotton!And then,to speak the truth,Monsieur Beaurain never said much to me,but when I looked in the glass,I also understood quite well that I no longer appealed to any one!”
“Well,I made up my mind,and I proposed to him an excursion into the country,to the place where we had first become acquainted.He agreed without mistrusting anything,and we arrived here this morning,about nine oclock.”
“I felt quite young again when I got among the wheat,for a woman’s heart never grows old!And really,I no longer saw my husband as he is at present,but just as he was formerly!That I will swear to you,monsieur.As true as I am standing here I was crazy.I began to kiss him,and he was more surprised than if I had tried to murder him.He kept saying to me:’Why,you must be mad!You are mad this morning!What is the matter with you?I did not listen to him,I only listened to my own heart,and I made him come into the wood with me.That is all.I have spoken the truth,Monsieur le Maire,the whole truth.”
The mayor was a sensible man.He rose from his chair,smiled,and said:“Go in peace,madame,and when you again visit our forests,be more discreet.”
村長正要坐下來吃早餐，突然有人來，打斷了這頓早餐，說是鄉村警察抓到兩個可疑的人，正在辦公室裏等著他去判決。村長立刻趕往那裏，看見巡查員霍希多爾老人表情嚴肅地站在大門前，而他的身後，則站著一對中產階級男女。
那個男的是一個紅鼻子、白頭發的胖老頭，看起來非常沮喪，與他相反的是，那個女的卻容光煥發，並用一種蔑視的目光注視著抓捕她的警察。
“這是怎麽回事，霍希多爾，說說發生了什麽事情？”
這個鄉村警察將事情講敘了一遍。
今天早晨，他像往常一樣從康比西斯樹林到阿金迪爾的邊界上巡邏。放眼望去，真是美好的一天，燦爛的陽光照耀在這片碧綠的田野上，小麥在快樂地成長，四周沒有任何異常情況。這時，正在整理枝藤的年輕人布雷德爾向他喊道：
“這裏，霍希多爾爺爺，過來看看這個樹林！在第一個灌木叢裏，你會發現一對調情的鴿子，但是，他們的年齡加起來一定有130多歲了！”
他順著年輕人所指的方向走去，並鑽進濃密的樹叢裏。這時，他就聽到一對男女的說話聲和喘息聲。這讓他馬上想到一對傷風敗俗的狗男女。於是，他趴在地上，就像一位出人意料的潛入者，慢慢地向聲響的方向移動。最終，當場抓住了這對**的男女。
村長非常驚訝地打量著這對疑犯。因為那個男的看上去應該有60多歲了，而那個女的至少也有55歲了。然後，他開始先審問那個男的，而男人回答的聲音很小，小到幾乎聽不清楚。
“姓名？”
“尼古拉斯·博文。”
“職業？”
“小商人，在巴黎的烈士街。”
“你們在樹林裏幹什麽？”
小商人沉默了，兩眼緊盯著他那肥肥的圓肚皮，兩隻手垂放在兩側。村長繼續問道：
“你對鄉政府鄉村巡查員所說的情況有什麽異議嗎？”
“沒有，長官。”
“那麽，你承認這一切？”
“是的，長官。”
“你還有什麽需要辯解的嗎？”
“沒有，長官。”
“那你在哪裏遇見你的同夥的？”
“長官，她是我的妻子。”
“你的妻子？”
“是的，長官。”
“那麽……那麽，你們不是一起住在巴黎嗎？”
“長官，我請求您的寬恕，但我們一直都住在一起。”
“不過，如果真的如你們所說，你一定瘋了，你們都瘋了，我親愛的先生。上午10點來到這個長滿雜草的樹林裏，做出那種事情，還被當場發現！”
小商人羞愧得眼淚都要流出來了，用極低微的聲音說道：“是她慫恿我的！而且，我也告訴過她這是一件丟人而又愚蠢的事，但是，你也明白，當一個女人決定要做某件事情時，你是無法阻攔的！”
村長麵帶笑容，揶揄著回答道：“可是，這件事情你也有責任，如果你能做到拒絕她，就不會有這些事情發生了。如果你堅持自己的意見，隻讓這些想法留在腦子裏，現在你就不會被拘押在這裏了，不是嗎？”
村長的一席話激起了博文先生的怒氣，他轉向他的妻子斥責道：“你不是說要把我們帶到一個詩情畫意的地方嗎？現在卻麵臨這種尷尬的境地！像我們這個年紀的人，還要因為傷風敗俗去麵對法庭的審問！如果是這樣的結果，商店就不得不關閉，我們又該怎麽麵對街坊鄰居，原來的地方就無法待下去了，後果很可能是這樣。”
博文太太站起來，正眼都不看她的丈夫，鎮定從容，沒有一點的羞愧和不安，她毫不猶豫地解釋道：
“村長先生，當然，我知道我們所做的事情是多麽荒謬、多麽可笑。但是，請允許我像律師那樣，或者更恰當地說，像一個可憐的女人一樣進行自我辯護。在聽完我的故事後，希望你能大發善心，讓我們回家，並赦免對我們這種不光彩事情的起訴。”
“許多年前，當還是少女的時候，我與博文先生在一個星期天，而且就在這個村莊裏認識的。當時，他在一家服裝店當夥計，我在一家服裝店當營業員。到現在，這些事情還清楚地印在我的腦海裏，就像昨天才剛剛發生的那樣。過去，每個星期天我基本上都與一個名叫露絲·雷維克的女友來這裏玩。我和她都住在比加香街。露絲有一個非常帥氣的男朋友，但我沒有。他經常帶我們來這裏玩。一個周末，露絲的男友笑著對我說，下次他要帶一個朋友來。我十分了解話語中隱含的意思。我裝出一種毫不在乎的態度回答：‘沒有必要，我可以照顧自己的。’先生，說這些話，隻是因為我還是比較保守。”
“不久，我們在火車站見到了博文先生。那時的他是個非常帥氣的小夥子。但是，我沒有因此而遷就他，而且之後也沒有遷就過他。隨後，我們來到貝鬆。那天天氣特別好，是一種讓你心曠神怡的天氣，就和現在的天氣一樣好。正是因為今天和那天一樣，我才會變得如此愚蠢。當我來到這片美麗的大自然中，就迷失了自我，綠油油的小草，輕快飛越的燕子，到處散發著青草、罌粟花、白**的氣息。這一切都讓我著迷、瘋狂！就像是一位滴酒不沾的姑娘，突然喝下了整瓶的香檳。”
“天氣真的太好了，風和日麗，晴空萬裏。當兩人看著對方時，好像可以看透對方的一切，甚至呼吸一下，就可以看見你的心房。每隔幾分鍾，露絲和西蒙就要親吻一下，這讓我感覺怪異。博文先生和我跟在他們的背後，因為彼此都不了解，沒有什麽話題可聊。他們也找不到適合的話題。他看起來比較拘謹，而我則很喜歡看他尷尬的表情，非常有趣。最後，我們來到一片小樹林裏，一種涼爽的感覺籠罩全身，就像衝涼一樣。我們四個人坐在草地上。露絲和西蒙取笑我，因為我的表情相當嚴肅。但是，你要理解我不可能像他們倆那樣。他們又開始接吻、擁抱，將我們兩個人當作透明人一般，毫無顧慮。最後，他們站起來，沒留一句話，就到樹林中去了。設想一下我當時要麵臨的情形，單獨與一個第一次見麵的男青年在一起。他們離開後，我有點不知所措，可是這讓我有勇氣和他講話。我問了他的工作，和我前麵提及的一樣，他是個小店鋪的夥計。我們就這樣閑聊了幾分鍾，然而，這反而讓他的膽子更大了，竟然將我當成隨便的人。我非常嚴肅地告訴他，於是回到了自己原來的位置。博文先生，我所說的都是真的吧？”
有些迷糊的博文先生一直盯著自己的腳尖，默不作答。她繼續說道：“這時，他發現我是一個自重的女孩，便以令人尊重的方式追求我。從那天起，每逢星期天他就會過來，因為他已經陷入愛的泥潭中，無法自拔，而我也深深愛上了他。說實話，當時他的確擁有令人著迷的麵孔。簡而言之，第二年的9月，我們就結婚了。婚後，我們在烈士街上開了一家店鋪。”
“前些年，我們的日子過得非常艱辛，生意不景氣，我們也無法支付郊遊的費用。就這樣，我們也慢慢地沒有了那份**，頭腦中被各種事情塞得滿滿的，思考的第一件事情就是錢櫃，而不是甜言蜜語。不知不覺，我們老了，成了循規蹈矩的人，也不去思考什麽是愛情。隻要感覺不到有什麽丟失或缺少，我們就不會去想。”
“先生，現在，我們的生意越來越好了，平靜地麵對未來。之後，我也不確定為什麽腦子裏會有這樣的想法，應該說，我是完全不知道為什麽，我開始懷念少女時代的夢想了。隻要一看見大街上載滿鮮花的小卡車，我就會淚流滿麵。當我坐在賬台背後的圈手椅上，紫羅蘭的芬芳讓我的心怦怦亂跳。接著，我慢慢站起來，走到門前，望著屋脊間蔚藍的天空。當我們在街心觀看天空時，天空宛如一條河流，蜿蜒地流經巴黎。空中的燕子就像河裏遊來遊去的魚。當然，我也知道這個年齡的人有這樣的遐想是一件多麽可笑的事情！但是，先生，對一個已經勞碌了一生的人而言，該怎麽做才能抑製住這樣的渴望呢？有時還會感覺有其他的事情可以做，然而，我也會想起一些令人後悔的事情，想一想，我原本可以和其他女人一樣，來到這個樹林裏，並與愛人親吻。我過去經常幻想和愛人躺在著綠樹叢林中戀愛，這是一件多麽浪漫、多麽美妙的事情啊！而且，不論是白天還是晚上，我一直遐想。我還夢想著水麵上的月光，甚至想跳下去淹死自己。”
“最初，我還不敢對博文先生吐露這些想法。我知道他會取笑我，並且會勸我靜下心來去推銷線團和縫衣針。另外，說實話，盡管博文光先生很少說，不過，當我看到鏡子中自己時，也非常清楚，自己不再是那個令眾人著迷的少女了。”
“最終，我下定決心，提出到我們第一次相識的樹林郊遊。他也毫不猶豫地同意了。今天早上，我們大約9點來到這裏。”
“當我穿越一望無垠的麥田時，我感覺自己再次回到了年輕的時候，因為女人的心是從來不會變老的。實際上，我向你發誓，先生，當我站在那裏時，我感覺身邊的丈夫突然變回當年那個英俊倜儻的小夥子，這真讓我著迷。我開始瘋狂地親吻他。他卻感到極為震驚，仿佛我要殺了他似的。他不停地說道：‘你瘋了！你怎麽大清早就發瘋了！發生什麽事呢？’這些話我一句也沒聽進去，而隻聽自己心中的話。然後，我將他拖進樹林裏，親熱起來。事情就是這樣，親愛的村長先生，每一句話都是實話。”
村長也是個通情達理的人，他站起來，友善地說道：“你們安心回巴黎吧，太太！可是，下次你們拜訪這個樹林時，可要謹慎些，找個更隱蔽的地方……”
詞匯筆記
morality[m?r?liti]n.道德；美德
My mother has strict ideas about morality.
我母親有嚴格的道德觀。
astonishment[?st?ni?m?nt]n.驚訝
They all stared with astonishment.
他們全都驚訝地瞪著眼。
paris[p?ris]n.巴黎
They are honeymooning in Paris.
他們正在巴黎度蜜月。
misdemeanor[，misdimi:n?]n.壞事
As soon as the beautiful girl kneels down in front of the hunter,said:oh,dear,forgive me to your dry misdemeanor!
美麗的姑娘一下跪在獵人麵前，說：“唉，親愛的，原諒我對你幹的壞事！”
小試身手
那個男的是一個紅鼻子、白頭發的胖老頭，看起來非常沮喪。
隻要感覺不到有什麽丟失或缺少，我們就不會去想。
我原本可以和其他女人一樣，來到這個樹林裏，並與愛人親吻。
短語家族
I knew that he would make fun of me,and send me back to sell my needles and cotton!
make fun of：取笑某人
I also understood quite well that I no longer appealed to any one!
no longer：不再