9

The first thing I did when I got off at Penn Station, I went into this phone booth. I felt like giving somebody a buzz. I left my bags right outside the booth so that I could watch them, but as soon as I was inside, I couldn't think of anybody to call up. My brother D.B. was in Hollywood. My kid sister Phoebe goes to bed around nine o'clock--so I couldn't call her up. She wouldn't've cared if I'd woke her up, but the trouble was, she wouldn't've been the one that answered the phone. My parents would be the ones. So that was out. Then I thought of giving Jane Gallagher's mother a buzz, and find out when Jane's vacation started, but I didn't feel like it. Besides, it was pretty late to call up. Then I thought of calling this girl I used to go around with quite frequently, Sally Hayes, because I knew her Christmas vacation had started already--she'd written me this long, phony letter, inviting me over to help her trim the Christmas tree Christmas Eve and all--but I was afraid her mother'd answer the phone. Her mother knew my mother, and I could picture her breaking a goddam leg to get to the phone and tell my mother I was in New York. Besides, I wasn't crazy about talking to old Mrs. Hayes on the phone. She once told Sally I was wild. She said I was wild and that I had no direction in life. Then I thought of calling up this guy that went to the Whooton School when I was there, Carl Luce, but I didn't like him much. So I ended up not calling anybody. I came out of the booth, after about twenty minutes or so, and got my bags and walked over to that tunnel where the cabs are and got a cab.

我下車進了潘恩車站，頭一件事就是進電話間打電話。我很想跟什么人通通話。我把我的手提箱放在電話間門口，以便照看，可我進了里邊，一時又想不起跟誰通話。我哥哥DB在好萊塢。我的小妹妹菲芘在九點左右就上床了——所以我不能打電話給她。我要是把她叫醒，她倒是不在乎，可問題在于接電話的不會是她，而是我的父母。所以這電話決不能打。接著我想到給琴.迦拉格的母親掛個電話，打聽一下琴的假期什么時候開始，可我又不怎么想打。再說時間也太晚了。我于是想到打電話給那位常常跟我在一起的女朋友薩麗.海斯，因為我知道她已放圣誕假了——她寫了封又長又假的信給我，請我在圣誕前夕到她家去幫她修剪圣誕樹——可我又怕她母親來接電話。她母親認識我母親，我可以想象到她一接到電話，也就不怕摔斷他媽的腿，馬上急煎煎打電話去通知我母親，說我已經(jīng)到紐約了。再說，我也不怎么想跟老海斯太太通話。她有一次告訴薩麗說我太野。她說我太野，沒有生活的目標。我于是又想起打電話給那個我在胡敦中學時的同學卡爾.路斯，可我不怎么喜歡他.所以我在電話間里呆了約莫二十分鐘，卻沒打電話就走了出來，拿起我的手提箱，走向停出租汽車的地道，叫了輛汽車。

I'm so damn absent-minded, I gave the driver my regular address, just out of habit and all--I mean I completely forgot I was going to shack up in a hotel for a couple of days and not go home till vacation started. I didn't think of it till we were halfway through the park. Then I said, "Hey, do you mind turning around when you get a chance? I gave you the wrong address. I want to go back downtown."

我當時真他媽的心不在焉，競出于老習慣，把我家里的地址告訴了司機——我是說我壓根兒忘了我要到旅館里去住兩三天，到假期開始后才回家。直到汽車在公園里走了一半，我才想起這件事來，于是我就說：“嗨，你一有機會，馬上拐回去成不成？我把地址說錯啦。我想回市中心去?！?/p>

The driver was sort of a wise guy. "I can't turn around here, Mac. This here's a one-way. I'll have to go all the way to Ninedieth Street now."

　司機是個機靈鬼?！斑@兒可沒法拐，麥克。是條單行線。我得一直開到九十號路。”

I didn't want to start an argument. "Okay," I said. Then I thought of something, all of a sudden. "Hey, listen," I said. "You know those ducks in that lagoon right near Central Park South? That little lake? By any chance, do you happen to know where they go, the ducks, when it gets all frozen over? Do you happen to know, by any chance?" I realized it was only one chance in a million.

我不想跟他爭論?！昂冒?，”我說。接著剎那間我想起了一件事。“嗨，聽著，”我說?！澳阒乐醒牍珗@南頭淺水湖附近的那些鴨子嗎？那個小湖？我問你，在湖水凍嚴實以后，你可知道這些鴨子都上哪兒去了？你知道不知道，我問你？”我知道多半是白問，只有百萬分之一可能性。

He turned around and looked at me like I was a madman. "What're ya tryna do, bud?" he said. "Kid me?"

他回過頭來瞅著我，好象我是瘋子似的?！澳氵@是要干嗎，老弟？”他說。“拿我開玩笑嗎？”

"No--I was just interested, that's all."

“不——我只是很感興趣，問問罷了。”

He didn't say anything more, so I didn't either. Until we came out of the park at Ninetieth Street. Then he said, "All right, buddy. Where to?"

他沒再言語，我也一樣。直到汽車出了公園，開到九十號路，他才說：“好吧，老弟。上哪兒？”

"Well, the thing is, I don't want to stay at any hotels on the East Side where I might run into some acquaintances of mine. I'm traveling incognito," I said. I hate saying corny things like "traveling incognito." But when I'm with somebody that's corny, I always act corny too. "Do you happen to know whose band's at the Taft or the New Yorker, by any chance?"

“呃，問題是，我不想往東區(qū)的旅館，怕遇見熟人。我是在微服旅行，”我說。我最討厭說“微服旅行”這類粗俗的話，可是每遇到一些粗俗的人，我自己也就裝得很粗俗?！澳憧芍涝谒蛱鼗蛘呒~約人夜總會里，是誰的樂隊在伴奏，請問？”

"No idear, Mac."

“不知道，麥克?！?/p>

"Well--take me to the Edmont then," I said. "Would you care to stop on the way and join me for a cocktail? On me. I'm loaded."

　“呃——送我到愛德蒙吧，那么，”我說?！澳阍诎肼飞贤Ｒ幌?，我請你喝杯雞尾酒好不好？我請客。我身上有的是錢?！?/p>

"Can't do it, Mac. Sorry." He certainly was good company. Terrific personality.

“不成，麥克，對不起。”他真是個好伴侶。可怕的性格。

We got to the Edmont Hotel, and I checked in. I'd put on my red hunting cap when I was in the cab, just for the hell of it, but I took it off before I checked in. I didn't want to look like a screwball or something. Which is really ironic. I didn't know then that the goddam hotel was full of perverts and morons. Screwballs all over the place.

我們到了愛德蒙旅館，我就去開了個房間。在汽車里我又戴上了我那頂紅色獵人帽，完全是聊以解悶，可我進旅館之前又把它脫下了。我不愿把自己打扮成一個怪人。說起來也真滑稽可笑。我當時并不知道那個混帳旅館里住的全是變態(tài)的和癡呆的怪人。到處是怪人。

They gave me this very crumby room, with nothing to look out of the window at except the other side of the hotel. I didn't care much. I was too depressed to care whether I had a good view or not. The bellboy that showed me to the room was this very old guy around sixty-five. He was even more depressing than the room was. He was one of those bald guys that comb all their hair over from the side to cover up the baldness. I'd rather be bald than do that. Anyway, what a gorgeous job for a guy around sixty-five years old. Carrying people's suitcases and waiting around for a tip. I suppose he wasn't too intelligent or anything, but it was terrible anyway.

他們給了我一個十分簡陋的房間，從窗口望出去什么也看不見，只看見旅館的另外一邊。我可不怎么在乎。我心里沮喪得要命，就顧不得窗外的景色好不好了。領我進房間的侍者是個六十五歲左右的老頭子，他這人甚至比房間更叫人泄氣。他正是那一類禿子，愛把所有的頭發(fā)全都梳向一邊，來遮掩自己的禿頂。要是我，就寧可露出禿頂，也不干這樣的事。不管怎樣，讓一個六十五歲左右的老頭子來干這種活兒，也未免太難了。給人提行李，等著人賞小費。我猜想他大概沒什么知識，可不管怎樣，那也太可怕了。

After he left, I looked out the window for a while, with my coat on and all. I didn't have anything else to do. You'd be surprised what was going on on the other side of the hotel. They didn't even bother to pull their shades down. I saw one guy, a gray-haired, very distinguished-looking guy with only his shorts on, do something you wouldn't believe me if I told you. First he put his suitcase on the bed. Then he took out all these women's clothes, and put them on. Real women's clothes--silk stockings, high-heeled shoes, brassiere, and one of those corsets with the straps hanging down and all. Then he put on this very tight black evening dress. I swear to God. Then he started walking up and down the room, taking these very small steps, the way a woman does, and smoking a cigarette and looking at himself in the mirror. He was all alone, too. Unless somebody was in the bathroom--I couldn't see that much. Then, in the window almost right over his, I saw a man and a woman squirting water out of their mouths at each other. It probably was highballs, not water, but I couldn't see what they had in their glasses. Anyway, first he'd take a swallow and squirt it all over her, then she did it to him--they took turns, for God's sake. You should've seen them. They were in hysterics the whole time, like it was the funniest thing that ever happened. I'm not kidding, the hotel was lousy with perverts. I was probably the only normal bastard in the whole place--and that isn't saying much. I damn near sent a telegram to old Stradlater telling him to take the first train to New York. He'd have been the king of the hotel.

他走后，我也沒脫大衣什么的，就站在窗邊往外眺望一會兒。我沒別的事可做?？墒锹灭^那一邊房間里在干些什么，你聽了準會吃驚。他們甚至都不把窗簾拉上。我看見有個頭發(fā)花白的家伙，看樣子還很有身份，光穿著褲衩在干一件我說出來你決不相信的事。他先把自己的手提箱放在床上。然后他拿出整整一套婦女服裝，開始穿戴起來。那是一套真正婦女服裝——長統(tǒng)絲襪，高跟皮鞋，奶罩，搭拉著兩條背帶的襯裙，等等。隨后他穿上了一件腰身極小的黑色晚禮服。我可以對天發(fā)誓。隨后他在房間里走來走去，象女人那樣邁著極小的步于，一邊還抽煙照鏡子。而且只有他一個人在房里。除非有人在浴室里——這我看不見。后來，就在他上面的那個窗口，我又看見一對男女在用嘴彼此噴水。也許是加冰的威士忌蘇打，不是水，可我看不出他們杯子里盛的是什么。嗯，他先喝一口，噴了她一身，接著她也照樣噴他——他們就這樣輪流著噴來噴去，我的老天爺。你真應該見見他們。在整個時間內(nèi)他們都歇斯底里發(fā)作，好象這是世界上最最好玩的事兒。我不開玩笑，這家旅館確是住滿心理變態(tài)的人。我也許是這地方唯一的正常人了——而我這么說一點也不夸大。我真想他媽的拍個電報給老斯特拉德萊塔，叫他搭最快一班火車直奔紐約。他準可以在這旅館里稱王哩。

The trouble was, that kind of junk is sort of fascinating to watch, even if you don't want it to be. For instance, that girl that was getting water squirted all over her face, she was pretty good-looking. I mean that's my big trouble. In my mind, I'm probably the biggest sex maniac you ever saw. Sometimes I can think of very crumby stuff I wouldn't mind doing if the opportunity came up. I can even see how it might be quite a lot of fun, in a crumby way, and if you were both sort of drunk and all, to get a girl and squirt water or something all over each other's face. The thing is, though, I don't like the idea. It stinks, if you analyze it. I think if you don't really like a girl, you shouldn't horse around with her at all, and if you do like her, then you're supposed to like her face, and if you like her face, you ought to be careful about doing crumby stuff to it, like squirting water all over it. It's really too bad that so much crumby stuff is a lot of fun sometimes. Girls aren't too much help, either, when you start trying not to get too crumby, when you start trying not to spoil anything really good. I knew this one girl, a couple of years ago, that was even crumbier than I was. Boy, was she crumby! We had a lot of fun, though, for a while, in a crumby way. Sex is something I really don't understand too hot. You never know where the hell you are. I keep making up these sex rules for myself, and then I break them right away. Last year I made a rule that I was going to quit horsing around with girls that, deep down, gave me a pain in the ass. I broke it, though, the same week I made it--the same night, as a matter of fact. I spent the whole night necking with a terrible phony named Anne Louise Sherman. Sex is something I just don't understand. I swear to God I don't.

糟糕的是，這類下流玩藝兒瞧著還相當迷人，盡管你心里頗不以為然。舉例說，這個給噴得滿臉是水的姑娘，長得卻十分漂亮。我是說這是我最糟糕的地方。在我的內(nèi)心中，我這人也許是天底下最最大的色情狂。有時候，我能想出一些十分下流的勾當，只要有機會，我也不會不干。我甚至想象得出，要是男女雙方都喝醉了酒，你要是能找到那么個姑娘，可以彼此往臉上噴水什么的，那該有多好玩——盡管有些下流。不過問題是，我不喜歡這種做法。你要是仔細一分析，就會發(fā)現(xiàn)這種做法非常下流。我想，你要是真不喜歡一個女人，那就干脆別跟她在一起廝混；你要是真喜歡她呢，就該喜歡她的臉，你要是喜歡她的臉，就應該小心愛護它，不應該對它干那種下流事，如往它上面噴水。真正糕的是，許多下流的事情有時候干起來卻十分有趣。而女人們也好不了多少；如果你不想干太下流的事，如果你不想毀壞真正好的東西，她們反倒不樂意。一兩年前，我就遇到過一個姑娘，甚至比我還要下流。嘿，她真是下流極了！我們用一種下流的方式狂歡了一陣，雖然時間不長。性這樣東西，我委實不太了解。你簡直不知道他媽的你自己身在何處。我老給自己定下有關性方面的規(guī)則，可是馬上就破壞。去年我定下規(guī)則，決不跟那些叫我內(nèi)心深處覺得厭惡的始娘一起廝混。這個規(guī)則，我沒出一個星期就破壞了——事實上，在立下規(guī)則的當天晚上就破壞了。我跟一個叫安妮的浪蕩貨摟摟抱抱的整整胡鬧了一晚。性這樣東西，我的確不太了解。我可以對天發(fā)誓我不太了解。

I started toying with the idea, while I kept standing there, of giving old Jane a buzz--I mean calling her long distance at B.M., where she went, instead of calling up her mother to find out when she was coming home. You weren't supposed to call students up late at night, but I had it all figured out. I was going to tell whoever answered the phone that I was her uncle. I was going to say her aunt had just got killed in a car accident and I had to speak to her immediately. It would've worked, too. The only reason I didn't do it was because I wasn't in the mood. If you're not in the mood, you can't do that stuff right.

我站在窗口不動，心里卻起了個念頭，琢磨著要不要給琴掛個電話——我是說掛個長途電話到BM，就是到她念書的那個學校，而不是打電話給她媽，打聽她在什么時候回家。照說是不應該在深更半夜打電話給學生的，可我什么都核計好了。我打算跟不管哪個接電話的人說我是她舅舅。我打算說她舅母剛才撞車死了，我現(xiàn)在馬上要找她說話。這樣做，本來是可能成功的。我沒這么做的唯一原因是我當時情緒不對頭。你要是投那種情緒，這類事是做不好的。

After a while I sat down in a chair and smoked a couple of cigarettes. I was feeling pretty horny. I have to admit it. Then, all of a sudden, I got this idea. I took out my wallet and started looking for this address a guy I met at a party last summer, that went to Princeton, gave me. Finally I found it. It was all a funny color from my wallet, but you could still read it. It was the address of this girl that wasn't exactly a whore or anything but that didn't mind doing it once in a while, this Princeton guy told me. He brought her to a dance at Princeton once, and they nearly kicked him out for bringing her. She used to be a burlesque stripper or something. Anyway, I went over to the phone and gave her a buzz. Her name was Faith Cavendish, and she lived at the Stanford Arms Hotel on Sixty-fifth and Broadway. A dump, no doubt.

過了一會兒我在一把椅子上坐下，抽了一兩支煙。我的性欲上來了，我不得不承認。后來剎那間，我想起了一個主意。我拿出了我的皮夾，開始尋找一個地址，那地址是我今年夏天在舞會上遇到的一個在布林斯敦念書的家伙給我的。最后我找到了那地址，紙已褪了色，可還辨認得出字跡。地址上的那個姑娘不完全是個妓女，可也不反對偶爾客串一次，那個布林斯敦家伙是這樣告訴我的。他有一次帶了她去參加布林斯敦的舞會，差點兒就為這件事給開除出學校。她好象是個脫衣舞女什么的。不管怎樣，我走到電話機旁邊，給她掛了個電話。她的名字叫費絲，住在百老匯六十五條街斯丹福旅館。一個垃圾堆，毫無疑問。

For a while, I didn t think she was home or something. Nobody kept answering. Then, finally, somebody picked up the phone.

一時間，我還以為她不在家里。半晌沒人接電話。最后有人拿起了話筒。

"Hello?" I said. I made my voice quite deep so that she wouldn't suspect my age or anything. I have a pretty deep voice anyway.

　“哈羅？”我說。我把自己的聲音裝得很深沉，不讓她懷疑我的年齡或者別的什么。反正我的聲音本來就很深沉。

"Hello," this woman's voice said. None too friendly, either.

“哈羅，”那女人的聲音說，并不太客氣。

"Is this Miss Faith Cavendish?"

“是費絲小姐嗎？”

"Who's this?" she said. "Who's calling me up at this crazy goddam hour?"

“你是誰？”她說。“是誰在他媽的這個混帳時間打電話給我？”

That sort of scared me a little bit. "Well, I know it's quite late," I said, in this very mature voice and all. "I hope you'll forgive me, but I was very anxious to get in touch with you." I said it suave as hell. I really did.

我聽了倒是稍稍有點兒害怕?！斑溃抑罆r間已經(jīng)挺晚啦，”我說，用的是成年人那種極成熟的聲音?！拔蚁Ｍ茉徫遥覍嵲谔庇诟?lián)系啦。”我說話的口氣溫柔得要命。的確是的。

"Who is this?" she said.

“你是誰？”她說。

"Well, you don't know me, but I'm a friend of Eddie Birdsell's. He suggested that if I were in town sometime, we ought to get together for a cocktail or two."

“呃，您不認識我，可我是愛迪的朋友。他跟我說，我要是進城，可以請您一塊兒喝一兩杯雞尾酒?！?/p>

"Who? You're a friend of who?" Boy, she was a real tigress over the phone. She was damn near yelling at me.

“誰？你是誰的朋友？”嘿，她在電話里真象只雌老虎。她簡直是在跟我大聲呦喝。

"Edmund Birdsell. Eddie Birdsell," I said. I couldn't remember if his name was Edmund or Edward. I only met him once, at a goddam stupid party.

“愛德蒙。愛迪，”我說。我已記不起他的名字是愛德蒙還是愛德華。我只遇見過他一次，是在他媽的那個混帳舞會上遇見的。

"I don't know anybody by that name, Jack. And if you think I enjoy bein' woke up in the middle--""Eddie Birdsell? From Princeton?" I said.

“我不認識叫這名字的人，杰克。你要是認為我高興讓人在深更半夜——”“愛迪？布林斯敦的？”我說。

You could tell she was running the name over in her mind and all.

你感覺得出她正在搜索記憶，想這個名字。

"Birdsell, Birdsell. . . from Princeton.. . Princeton College?"

“是不是布林斯敦學院？”

"That's right," I said.

“對啦，”我說。

"You from Princeton College?"

“你是打布林斯敦學院來的？”

"Well, approximately."

“呃，差不離?！?/p>

"Oh. . . How is Eddie?" she said. "This is certainly a peculiar time to call a person up, though. Jesus Christ."

“哦……愛迪好嗎？”她說?！安贿^在這時候打電話找人，真叫人意想不到。老天爺?！?/p>

"He's fine. He asked to be remembered to you."

“他挺好。他叫我向您問好?！?/p>

"Well, thank you. Remember me to him," she said. "He's a grand person. What's he doing now?" She was getting friendly as hell, all of a sudden.

　“呃，謝謝您。請您代我向他問好?！彼f?！八@人再好沒有。他這會兒在于什么？”剎那間，她變得客氣的要命。

"Oh, you know. Same old stuff," I said. How the hell did I know what he was doing? I hardly knew the guy. I didn't even know if he was still at Princeton. "Look," I said. "Would you be interested in meeting me for a cocktail somewhere?"

　“哦，你知道的。還是那套老玩藝兒，”我說；他媽的我哪知道他是在干什么？我都不怎么認識他。我甚至都不知道他這會兒是不是依舊在布林斯敦?！扒疲蔽艺f?！澳懿荒苜p光在哪兒跟我碰頭，喝一杯雞尾酒？”

"By any chance do you have any idea what time it is?" she said. "What's your name, anyhow, may I ask?" She was getting an English accent, all of a sudden. "You sound a little on the young side."

“我問您，您可知道現(xiàn)在是什么時間啦？”她說。“您到底叫什么名字，請問？”一剎時，她換了英國口音?！奥犇穆曇?，好象還挺年輕?！?/p>

I laughed. "Thank you for the compliment," I said-- suave as hell. "Holden Caulfield's my name." I should've given her a phony name, but I didn't think of it.

我噗哧一笑?！爸x謝您的恭維，”我說——溫柔得要命。“我的名字是霍爾頓.考爾菲德?！蔽冶緫斀o她個假名字的，可我一時沒想到。

"Well, look, Mr. Cawffle. I'm not in the habit of making engagements in the middle of the night. I'm a working gal."

“呃，瞧，考菲爾先生，我可不習慣在深更半夜跟人約會。我是個有工作的?！?/p>

"Tomorrow's Sunday," I told her.

“明天是星期天，”我對她說。

"Well, anyway. I gotta get my beauty sleep. You know how it is."

“呃，不管怎樣，我得好好睡一會兒，保持我的青春，您也知道這個道理?！?/p>

"I thought we might have just one cocktail together. It isn't too late."

“我本來想咱倆也許可以在一塊兒喝杯雞尾灑。時間還不算太晚?！?/p>

"Well. You're very sweet," she said. "Where ya callin' from? Where ya at now, anyways?"

“呢。您真客氣，”她說?！澳窃谀膬捍虻碾娫挘磕@會兒是在哪兒，嗯？”

"Me? I'm in a phone booth."

“我？我是在公用電話間里?！?/p>

"Oh," she said. Then there was this very long pause. "Well, I'd like awfully to get together with you sometime, Mr. Cawffle. You sound very attractive. You sound like a very attractive person. But it is late."

“哦，”她說。接著沉默了半晌?！斑?，我非常愿意在什么時候跟您一塊兒玩玩，考菲爾先生。聽您的聲音十分可愛。您好象是個極可愛的人。不過時間實在太晚啦?！?/p>

"I could come up to your place."

“我可以上您家來?！?/p>

"Well, ordinary, I'd say grand. I mean I'd love to have you drop up for a cocktail, but my roommate happens to be ill. She's been laying here all night without a wink of sleep. She just this minute closed her eyes and all. I mean."

“呃，在平時，我會說這再好沒有了。我是說我倒是很高興您上我家來喝杯雞尾酒，可是不巧得很，跟我同屋的那位恰好病了。她整整一晚都不曾合眼，這會兒才剛睡著哩?！?/p>

"Oh. That's too bad."

“哦。這真太糟糕啦?！?/p>

"Where ya stopping at? Perhaps we could get together for cocktails tomorrow."

“您往在哪兒？明天咱們也許可以一塊兒喝雞尾酒?！?/p>

"I can't make it tomorrow," I said. "Tonight's the only time I can make it." What a dope I was. I shouldn't've said that.

“明天可不成，”我說?！拔抑辉诮裉焱砩嫌锌铡！蔽艺媸莻€大傻瓜。我不應該這樣說的。

"Oh. Well, I'm awfully sorry."

“哦。呃，真是對不起得很。”

"I'll say hello to Eddie for you."

“我可以代您向愛迪問好?！?/p>

"Willya do that? I hope you enjoy your stay in New York. It's a grand place."

“您肯嗎？我希望您在紐約玩得痛快。這是個再好沒有的地方?！?/p>

"I know it is. Thanks. Good night," I said. Then I hung up.

“這我知道。謝謝，再見吧，”我說，接著就把電話掛了。

Boy, I really fouled that up. I should've at least made it for cocktails or something.?

嘿，我真正把事情搞糟啦。我本應該至少約她出來喝喝雞尾酒什么的。