Unit 7B - John Rossiter's Wife
John Rossiter's Wife
Charles G. Norris
The most fascinating place in the United States is Palm Beach and the most interesting spot in Palm Beach is "Whitney's." The name isn't Whitney's at all, but anyone who has ever been to Palm Beach will know the establishment to which I refer.
Whitney's is a restaurant and a gambling place, and sooner or later everybody who comes to Palm Beach visit Whitney's.
There is no restaurant or hotel in France, Italy, Germany, or Spain whose food can compare with Whitney's. At Whitney's there are no menus; you order what you wish from an endless variety of special foods, anything from duck soup to bird's tongues - and the surprising fact is that you get what you order. But on your first visit to Whitney's you often pay little attention to what you eat, for very soon, as the room commences to fill, you can hardly believe your eyes. At every table you soon recognize someone who is either famous or notorious.
After lunch this brilliantly dressed group of persons goes down to the gambling room. By two o'clock this room is well filled, by three it is crowed, and it remains so until the early hours of the morning. It is far more interesting and better conducted than Monte Carlo. I was deeply impressed, and soon I welcomed an opportunity to meet Mr. Whitney himself.
We found him in a small, businesslike office hardly large enough to hold the big old-fashioned roll-top desk and a chair or two. Perhaps there was a safe; I can't remember. The office was protected by some iron bars, and there was a uniformed attendant at the door who admitted us after Mr. Whitney had given the word he would see us.
I found him a man square of jaw, cold of eye, his face rather unexpressive - much what I expected. He runs his gambling place as a business - and it is a matter of pride with him that it is conducted in an efficient, businesslike way. It is said that his profits are two million dollars a season, and I doubt this just as one doubts the salaries of motion picture stars.
However, the man had a strong personality. He interested me. I liked him. I wanted to talk to him, but it is difficult. He was not a very communicative person. Soon I asked how much he lost a season in the way of bad checks and bad debts. He said approximately two hundred thousand dollars, which he didn't seem to consider heavy. As he spoke of this a light came into his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"I had a rather interesting experience the other day, "he said. "I was sitting in my office one morning when word was brought to me that a lady wanted to see me; 'Mrs. John Rossiter,' the man told me. I knew who John Rossiter was, so I told him to show her in."
"Before she said a word she began to cry, not bitterly; but the tears came into her eyes and began to run down her cheeks, and she kept wiping them away with her handkerchief, trying all the time to control herself. I don't like that sort of thing, you know, and I usually avoid it, but this rather impressed me. I felt sorry for her before she opened her mouth.
"Her husband had been gambling, she told me, and on Wednesday - the day before - had lost thirty thousand dollars. I've been acquainted with John Rossiter off and on for five or six years. Every year he has been coming down here, and I've known him well enough to say 'Hello,' but not much more intimately than that. At any rate, I've always had a good feeling about Rossiter. He was a clean-cut man, a good sport, well liked, belonged to a good club, and was rather popular everywhere. I had seen him year after year here, but I hadn't an idea of how he played or what he won or lost. He had an account with me and always paid very promptly at the end of the month if there was any paying to be done.
"Mrs. Rossiter explained that the great problem of her life had been her husband's gambling. She had begged him to keep away from the stock market and from cards, and he'd promise her that he'd stop, but then he'd slip and get caught again. The thirty thousand dollars he had lost on Wednesday about cleaned him and his wife out. It meant - oh, I've forgotten what she told me exactly: selling the home - it was mortgaged already, she said, taking the two girls out of school, herself perhaps having to find a position. It was a long story, I don't remember the details, but I confess that I felt very sorry for her. Taking those two girls out of school was what I believe impressed me, I don't know why exactly. Well, at any rate, I told her that I didn't like the idea of anybody coming here and losing everything. Sentiment, if you like, but it's good business at the same time. It doesn't help an establishment like this to get a reputation that people can lose everything they have here. The result of it all was that I agreed to give her back the money which her husband had lost, but on one condition, and I made that point very clear: John Rossiter was never to enter my place again. I don't like that kind of a loser around here. If he hasn't got the money, he shouldn't play. She promised me with the tears running down her cheeks, and I gave her the money, and she make me feel like a damn fool by kissing both my hands and asking God to bless me - all that foolishness that a grateful woman feels she has to do when you do her a favor.
"I didn't think anything more about the affair until the very next afternoon when it was clearly brought back to my mind. My floor manager came to me and told me that John Rossiter had just come in, and had gone to the gambling room, and was playing at one of the tables. As a rule I never mix in with what happens outside, but this made me pretty mad, so I walked out here myself. "I went straight up to him and said: 'May I speak to you a minute?' And when we were off in a corner away from the crowd, I asked him what he meant by coming into my place."
"'I want to know what this means, 'I demanded. 'Your wife came to see me yesterday morning and told me about your troubles and about your losing thirty thousand dollars here on Wednesday, and I gave her back the money you'd lost on one condition and that was that you were never to enter my doors again. Now, what do you mean by coming here?'"
Rossiter looked at me for a moment. Then he said:
"'Why, Mr. Whitney, there must be some mistake. I'm not married!'"
参考译文——约翰·罗西特的太太
约翰·罗西特的太太
查尔斯·G·诺里斯
美国最迷人的地方是棕榈滩，棕榈滩最有意思的地方是惠特尼饭店。这爿店根本不叫惠特尼，但凡是去过棕榈滩的人，都知道我指的是哪一家店。
惠特尼是家饭店兼赌场，凡是来棕榈滩的人迟早会去光顾惠特尼。
在法国、意大利、德国或是西班牙，没有一家饭店或宾馆的菜肴能与惠特尼的相比。惠特尼饭店里没有菜单，你从那无穷无尽各种各样的独特菜肴当中点自己想点的菜，从鸭汤到鸟舌，什么都行——令人惊讶的是，你点什么就能吃到什么。可是，初访惠特尼时，你常常很少留意自己吃什么，因为不一会儿当饭店开始坐满时，你几乎难以相信自己的眼睛。在每一张桌子上你马上就会认出某个不是享有盛誉，就是臭名昭著的人。
午餐后，这群服饰华丽的人走向赌场。到了两点，屋子就很满了，到了3点便相当拥挤了，就这样一直要延续到次日清晨。这儿比蒙特卡罗有趣多了，管理也好得多，给我留下了很深的印象，不久我愉快地接受了一个采访惠特尼先生本人的机会。
我们在一间整洁有序的小办公室里见到了他，办公室刚能放下一张老式的卷盖式大办公桌和一两把椅子。也许有个保险柜，我记不得了。办公室装有防护铁栅栏，门口有个穿制服的侍者，惠特尼先生发话说见我们后，他便让我们进去。
我见到的是个长着方下巴，眼神冷静，脸上不带表情的人——正如我想象中的那样。他把赌场当作企业来经营——他引以为豪的是：赌场高效率、有条不紊运行着。据说他一季的利润有200万美元，我对此颇有怀疑，就像人们怀疑电影明星的薪金一样。
但这人有着很强的个性，他使我产生了兴趣。我喜欢他。我想跟他谈谈，但这并不容易。 他不是个健谈的人。过了一会儿，我问他每一季由于空头支票或坏账要损失多少。他说大约二十多万美元，这个数目他似乎并不觉得怎么大。正说着时，他眼睛里闪过一道亮光，嘴角浮现出一丝微笑。
“前些天我遇到件颇为有趣的事，”他说。“一天上午，我正坐在办公室里，有人传话说有位女士要见我，‘约翰·罗西特太太，’男侍者告诉我。我知道约翰·罗西特是何许人，于是吩咐他让她进来。
“她还没开口，就开始哭了，哭得并不是很伤心，可眼泪涌出眼睛，淌到脸颊上，她不停地用手帕把眼泪擦去，一直在试图控制自己。我不喜欢人哭哭啼啼，通常我都避开这种事情，可这次我有些感动了。她还没开口说话，我就为她感到难过。
“她告诉我，她丈夫一直在赌钱，星期三——就是前一天——输了3万美元。我跟约翰·罗西特认识断断续续有五六年了。他每年都到这里来，我跟他有些熟了，见面总打个招呼，但并无深交。不管怎么说，我对罗西特一直颇有好感。他外貌整洁，豪爽大度，讨人喜欢，是个上流俱乐部的会员，到哪儿都挺受欢迎的。我在这儿每年都看到他，可我不清楚他怎么玩，输赢有多大。他在我这儿有个账号，总是一到月底就把该付的都爽快地付清。
“罗西特太太解释说，她生活中最大的问题就是她丈夫的好赌。她曾恳求他别去玩股票，别玩牌，他向她保证说他不干了，可过不多久他不知不觉又陷进去而不能自拔。他星期三输掉的3万美元差不多使得他和太太倾家荡产。那意味着——哦，我已记不起她的原话了：变卖房子——房子已经抵押出去了，她说，让两个女儿辍学，她自己也许不得不找份工作。说起来话长,具体细节我记不清了，可我承认，我为她感到非常难过。我想真正动我恻隐之心的是让两个女儿綴学的事，我也说不清为什么。唉，不管怎么说，我告诉她，我不愿意看到有人到这儿来把家产输尽。感情用事，你可以这么说，可这也是一种生意之道。像我们这样的生意，背上个让人进来输得倾家荡产的名声可没什么好处。结果是这样的，我同意把她丈夫输掉的钱还给她，但有一个条件，我把这点说得很清楚：约翰·罗西特再也不能踏进我的店门。我不喜欢看到这儿有那样一个输不起的家伙。他要是没钱就不该玩。她答应了我，眼泪顺着脸颊淌下，我把钱给她，她亲吻我的双手，还要上帝保佑我，弄得我觉得自己像个大傻瓜——你帮了她个忙，一个感恩戴德的女人便觉得自己该做出种种荒唐可笑的事来表恩。
“这事我没再多想，直到第二天下午，这件事才又重新清晰地浮现在我的脑际。我的楼面经理来告诉我，约翰·罗西特刚到，去了赌场，正在桌上赌呢。外面发生什么事我一般从不亲自过问，可这事把我气坏了，于是亲自过去了。“我径直走到他身边，说:‘我可以跟你说句话吗？’我们走到远离人群的一个角落，我便问他到我这儿来到底是什么意思。
“‘我想知道这是怎么回事，’我质问道，‘你太太昨天上午来见我，把你的困境，还有你星期三在这儿输了3万美元的事跟我说了，我把你输的钱还给了她，条件是你再也不能踏进我的门。你说，你到这儿来是何居心？’
“罗西特朝我看了一会儿。随后他说：
“‘我说，惠特尼先生，肯定是弄错了。我可是个单身汉！’”
Key Words:
recognize ['rekəgnaiz]
vt. 认出，认可，承认，意识到，表示感激
opportunity [.ɔpə'tju:niti]
n. 机会，时机
fascinating ['fæsineitiŋ]
adj. 迷人的
variety [və'raiəti]
n. 多样，种类，杂耍
establishment [is'tæbliʃmənt]
n. 确立，制定，设施，机构，权威
brilliantly ['briljəntli]
adv. 辉煌地，光亮地，灿烂地
impressed
adj. 外加的；印象深刻的；了不起的；受感动的
pride [praid]
n. 自豪，骄傲，引以自豪的东西，自尊心
approximately [ə'prɔksimitli]
adv. 近似地，大约
attendant [ə'tendənt]
adj. 伴随的
n. 服务员，侍从，伴随物，
efficient [i'fiʃənt]
adj. 效率高的，胜任的
spoke [spəuk]
v. 说，说话，演说
faint [feint]
n. 昏厥，昏倒
promptly [prɔmptli]
adv. 敏捷地，迅速地
avoid [ə'vɔid]
vt. 避免，逃避
popular ['pɔpjulə]
adj. 流行的，大众的，通俗的，受欢迎的
control [kən'trəul]
n. 克制，控制，管制，操作装置
vt. 控制
impressed
adj. 外加的；印象深刻的；了不起的；受感动的
acquainted [ə'kweintid]
adj. 有知识的，熟悉的，了解的 动词acquaint
stock [stɔk]
n. 存货，储备; 树干; 血统; 股份; 家畜
foolishness
n. 愚蠢；可笑
reputation [.repju'teiʃən]
n. 声誉，好名声
sentiment ['sentimənt]
n. 感情，情趣，意见，观点，多愁善感
establishment [is'tæbliʃmənt]
n. 确立，制定，设施，机构，权威
impressed
adj. 外加的；印象深刻的；了不起的；受感动的
slip [slip]
v. 滑倒，溜走，疏忽，滑脱
n. 滑倒，溜走
grateful ['greitfəl]
adj. 感激的，感谢的
confess [kən'fes]
v. 承认，告白，忏悔
参考资料：
- 大学英语精读(第三版) 第四册:Unit7B John Rossiter's Wife(1)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- http://www.kekenet.com/daxue/201611/46329shtml
- http://www.kekenet.com/daxue/201611/46329shtml
- http://www.kekenet.com/daxue/201611/46329shtml
大学英语精读(第三版) 第四册:Unit7B John Rossiter's Wife(5)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
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