【英文文学】Flappers and Philosophers.docx

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1、【英文文学】Flappers and PhilosophersPart 1 The Offshore Pirate Chapter 1This unlikely story begins on a sea that was a blue dream, as colorful as blue-silk stockings, and beneath a sky as blue as the irises of childrens eyes. From the western half of the sky the sun was shying little golden disks at the

2、sea if you gazed intently enough you could see them skip from wave tip to wave tip until they joined a broad collar of golden coin that was collecting half a mile out and would eventually be a dazzling sunset. About half-way between the Florida shore and the golden collar a white steam-yacht, very y

3、oung and graceful, was riding at anchor and under a blue-and-white awning aft a yellow-haired girl reclined in a wicker settee reading The Revolt of the Angels, by Anatole France.She was about nineteen, slender and supple, with a spoiled alluring mouth and quick gray eyes full of a radiant curiosity

4、. Her feet, stockingless, and adorned rather than clad in blue-satin slippers which swung nonchalantly from her toes, were perched on the arm of a settee adjoining the one she occupied. And as she read she intermittently regaled herself by a faint application to her tongue of a half-lemon that she h

5、eld in her hand. The other half, sucked dry, lay on the deck at her feet and rocked very gently to and fro at the almost imperceptible motion of the tide.The second half-lemon was well-nigh pulpless and the golden collar had grown astonishing in width, when suddenly the drowsy silence which envelope

6、d the yacht was broken by the sound of heavy footsteps and an elderly man topped with orderly gray hair and clad in a white-flannel suit appeared at the head of the companionway. There he paused for a moment until his eyes became accustomed to the sun, and then seeing the girl under the awning he ut

7、tered a long even grunt of disapproval.If he had intended thereby to obtain a rise of any sort he was doomed to disappointment. The girl calmly turned over two pages, turned back one, raised the lemon mechanically to tasting distance, and then very faintly but quite unmistakably yawned.“Ardita!” sai

8、d the gray-haired man sternly.Ardita uttered a small sound indicating nothing.“Ardita!” he repeated. “Ardita!”Ardita raised the lemon languidly, allowing three words to slip out before it reached her tongue.“Oh, shut up.”“Ardita!”“What?”Will you listen to me or will I have to get a servant to hold y

9、ou while I talk to you?”The lemon descended very slowly and scornfully.“Put it in writing.”“Will you have the decency to close that abominable book and discard that damn lemon for two minutes?”“Oh, cant you lemme alone for a second?”“Ardita, I have just received a telephone message from the shore ”“

10、Telephone?” She showed for the first time a faint interest.“Yes, it was ”“Do you mean to say,” she interrupted wonderingly, “at they let you run a wire out here?”“Yes, and just now ”“Wont other boats bump into it?”“No. Its run along the bottom. Five min ”“Well, Ill be darned! Gosh! Science is golden

11、 or something isnt it?”“Will you let me say what I started to?”“Shoot!”“Well it seems well, I am up here ” He paused and swallowed several times distractedly. “Oh, yes. Young woman, Colonel Moreland has called up again to ask me to be sure to bring you in to dinner. His son Toby has come all the way

12、 from New York to meet you and hes invited several other young people. For the last time, will you ”“No” said Ardita shortly, “I wont. I came along on this darn cruise with the one idea of going to Palm Beach, and you knew it, and I absolutely refuse to meet any darn old colonel or any darn young To

13、by or any darn old young people or to set foot in any other darn old town in this crazy state. So you either take me to Palm Beach or else shut up and go away.”“Very well. This is the last straw. In your infatuation for this man. a man who is notorious for his excesses a man your father would not ha

14、ve allowed to so much as mention your name you have rejected the demi-monde rather than the circles in which you have presumably grown up. From now on ”“I know” interrupted Ardita ironically, “from now on you go your way and I go mine. Ive heard that story before. You know Id like nothing better.”“F

15、rom now on,” he announced grandiloquently, “you are no niece of mine. I”“O-o-o-oh!” The cry was wrung from Ardita with the agony of a lost soul. “Will you stop boring me! Will you go way! Will you jump overboard and drown! Do you want me to throw this book at you!”“If you dare do any ”Smack! The Rev

16、olt of the Angels sailed through the air, missed its target by the length of a short nose, and bumped cheerfully down the companionway.The gray-haired man made an instinctive step backward and then two cautious steps forward. Ardita jumped to her five feet four and stared at him defiantly, her gray

17、eyes blazing.“Keep off!”“How dare you!” he cried.“Because I darn please!”“Youve grown unbearable! Your disposition ”“Youve made me that way! No child ever has a bad disposition unless its her fancys fault! Whatever I am, you did it.”Muttering something under his breath her uncle turned and, walking

18、forward called in a loud voice for the launch. Then he returned to the awning, where Ardita had again seated herself and resumed her attention to the lemon.“I am going ashore,” he said slowly. “I will be out again at nine oclock to-night. When I return we start back to New York, wither I shall turn

19、you over to your aunt for the rest of your natural, or rather unnatural, life.” He paused and looked at her, and then all at once something in the utter childness of her beauty seemed to puncture his anger like an inflated tire, and render him helpless, uncertain, utterly fatuous.“Ardita,” he said n

20、ot unkindly, “Im no fool. Ive been round. I know men. And, child, confirmed libertines dont reform until theyre tired and then theyre not themselves theyre husks of themselves.” He looked at her as if expecting agreement, but receiving no sight or sound of it he continued. “Perhaps the man loves you

21、 thats possible. Hes loved many women and hell love many more. Less than a month ago, one month, Ardita, he was involved in a notorious affair with that red-haired woman, Mimi Merril; promised to give her the diamond bracelet that the Czar of Russia gave his mother. You know you read the papers.”“Th

22、rilling scandals by an anxious uncle,” yawned Ardita. “Have it filmed. Wicked clubman making eyes at virtuous flapper. Virtuous flapper conclusively vamped by his lurid past. Plans to meet him at Palm Beach. Foiled by anxious uncle.”“Will you tell me why the devil you want to marry him?”“Im sure I c

23、ouldnt say,” said Audits shortly. “Maybe because hes the only man I know, good or bad, who has an imagination and the courage of his convictions. Maybe its to get away from the young fools that spend their vacuous hours pursuing me around the country. But as for the famous Russian bracelet, you can

24、set your mind at rest on that score. Hes going to give it to me at Palm Beach if youll show a little intelligence.”“How about the red-haired woman?”“He hasnt seen her for six months,” she said angrily. “Dont you suppose I have enough pride to see to that? Dont you know by this time that I can do any

25、 darn thing with any darn man I want to?”She put her chin in the air like the statue of France Aroused, and then spoiled the pose somewhat by raising the lemon for action.“Is it the Russian bracelet that fascinates you?”“No, Im merely trying to give you the sort of argument that would appeal to your

26、 intelligence. And I wish youd go way,” she said, her temper rising again. “You know I never change my mind. Youve been boring me for three days until Im about to go crazy. I wont go ashore! Wont! Do you hear? Wont!”“Very well,” he said, “and you wont go to Palm Beach either. Of all the selfish, spo

27、iled, uncontrolled disagreeable, impossible girl I have ”Splush! The half-lemon caught him in the neck. Simultaneously came a hail from over the side.“The launch is ready, Mr. Farnam.”Too full of words and rage to speak, Mr. Farnam cast one utterly condemning glance at his niece and, turning, ran sw

28、iftly down the ladder.Part 1 The Offshore Pirate Chapter 2Five oclock robed down from the sun and plumped soundlessly into the sea. The golden collar widened into a glittering island; and a faint breeze that had been playing with the edges of the awning and swaying one of the dangling blue slippers

29、became suddenly freighted with song. It was a chorus of men in close harmony and in perfect rhythm to an accompanying sound of oars dealing the blue writers. Ardita lifted her head and listened.“Carrots and Peas,Beans on their knees,Pigs in the seas,Lucky fellows!Blow us a breeze,Blow us a breeze,Bl

30、ow us a breeze,With your bellows.”Arditas brow wrinkled in astonishment. Sitting very still she listened eagerly as the chorus took up a second verse.“Onions and beans,Marshalls and Deans,Goldbergs and GreensAnd Costellos.Blow us a breeze,Blow us a breeze,Blow us a breeze,With your bellows.”With an

31、exclamation she tossed her book to the desk, where it sprawled at a straddle, and hurried to the rail. Fifty feet away a large rowboat was approaching containing seven men, six of them rowing and one standing up in the stern keeping time to their song with an orchestra leaders baton.“Oysters and Roc

32、ks,Sawdust and socks,Who could make clocksOut of cellos?”The leaders eyes suddenly rested on Ardita, who was leaning over the rail spellbound with curiosity. He made a quick movement with his baton and the singing instantly ceased. She saw that he was the only white man in the boat the six rowers we

33、re negroes.“Narcissus ahoy!” he called politely.Whats the idea of all the discord?” demanded Ardita cheerfully. “Is this the varsity crew from the county nut farm?”By this time the boat was scraping the side of the yacht and a great bulking negro in the bow turned round and grasped the ladder. There

34、upon the leader left his position in the stern and before Ardita had realized his intention he ran up the ladder and stood breathless before her on the deck.“The women and children will be spared!” he said briskly. “All crying babies will be immediately drowned and all males put in double irons!” Di

35、gging her hands excitedly down into the pockets of her dress Ardita stared at him, speechless with astonishment. He was a young man with a scornful mouth and the bright blue eyes of a healthy baby set in a dark sensitive face. His hair was pitch black, damp and curly the hair of a Grecian statue gon

36、e brunette. He was trimly built, trimly dressed, and graceful as an agile quarter-back.“Well, Ill be a son of a gun!” she said dazedly.They eyed each other coolly.“Do you surrender the ship?”“Is this an outburst of wit? “ demanded Ardita. “Are you an idiot or just being initiated to some fraternity?

37、”“I asked you if you surrendered the ship.”“I thought the country was dry,” said Ardita disdainfully. “Have you been drinking finger-nail enamel? You better get off this yacht!”“What?” the young mans voice expressed incredulity.“Get off the yacht! You heard me!”He looked at her for a moment as if co

38、nsidering what she had said.“No” said his scornful mouth slowly; “No, I wont get off the yacht. You can get off if you wish.”Going to the rail be gave a curt command and immediately the crew of the rowboat scrambled up the ladder and ranged themselves in line before him, a coal-black and burly darky

39、 at one end and a miniature mulatto of four feet nine at to other. They seemed to be uniformly dressed in some sort of blue costume ornamented with dust, mud, and tatters; over the shoulder of each was slung a small, heavy-looking white sack, and under their arms they carried large black cases appar

40、ently containing musical instruments.“Ten-SHUN!” commanded the young man, snapping his own heels together crisply. “Right DRISS! Front! Step out here, Babe!”The smallest Negro took a quick step forward and saluted.“Take command, go down below, catch the crew and tie em up all except the engineer. Br

41、ing him up to me. Oh, and pile those bags by the rail there.”“Yas-suh!”Babe saluted again and wheeling about motioned for the five others to gather about him. Then after a short whispered consultation they all filed noiselessly down the companionway.“Now,” said the young man cheerfully to Ardita, wh

42、o had witnessed this last scene in withering silence, “if you will swear on your honor as a flapper which probably isnt worth much that youll keep that spoiled little mouth of yours tight shut for forty-eight hours, you can row yourself ashore in our rowboat.”“Otherwise what?”“Otherwise youre going

43、to sea in a ship.”With a little sigh as for a crisis well passed, the young man sank into the settee Ardita had lately vacated and stretched his arms lazily. The corners of his mouth relaxed appreciatively as he looked round at the rich striped awning, the polished brass, and the luxurious fittings

44、of the deck. His eye felt on the book, and then on the exhausted lemon.“Hm,” he said, “Stonewall Jackson claimed that lemon-juice cleared his head. Your head feel pretty clear?”Ardita disdained to answer.“Because inside of five minutes youll have to make a clear decision whether its go or stay.”He p

45、icked up the book and opened it curiously.“The Revolt of the Angels. Sounds pretty good. French, eh?” He stared at her with new interest “You French?”“No.”“Whats your name?”“Farnam.”“Farnam what?”“Ardita Farnam.”“Well Ardita, no use standing up there and chewing out the insides of your mouth. You ou

46、ght to break those nervous habits while youre young. Come over here and sit down.”Ardita took a carved jade case from her pocket, extracted a cigarette and lit it with a conscious coolness, though she knew her hand was trembling a little; then she crossed over with her supple, swinging walk, and sit

47、ting down in the other settee blew a mouthful of smoke at the awning.“You cant get me off this yacht,” she raid steadily; “and you havent got very much sense if you think youll get far with it. My unclell have wirelesses zigzagging all over this ocean by half past six.”“Hm.”She looked quickly at his

48、 face, caught anxiety stamped there plainly in the faintest depression of the mouths corners.“Its all the same to me,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Tisnt my yacht. I dont mind going for a coupla hours cruise. Ill even lend you that book so youll have something to read on the revenue boat that takes you up to Sing-Sing.”He laughed scornfully.“If thats advice you neednt bother. This is part of a plan arranged before I ever knew this yacht existed. If it hadnt been this one itd have been the next one