Chapter 1
第一章

I t was Lady Windermere's last reception before Easter, and Bentinck House was even more crowded than usual. Six Cabinet Ministers had come on from the Speaker's Levée in their stars and ribands, all the pretty women wore their smartest dresses, and at the end of the picture-gallery stood the Princess Sophia of Carlsrühe ⁽¹⁾ a heavy Tartar-looking lady, with tiny black eyes and wonderful emeralds, talking bad French at the top of her voice, and laughing immoderately at everything that was said to her. It was certainly a wonderful medley of people. Gorgeous peeresses chatted affably to violent Radicals, popular preachers brushed coat-tails with eminent sceptics, a perfect bevy of bishops kept following a stout prima-donna from room to room, on the staircase stood several Royal Academicians, disguised as artists, and it was said that at one time the supper-room was absolutely crammed with geniuses. In fact, it was one of Lady Windermere's best nights, and the Princess stayed till nearly half-past eleven.

在温德米尔夫人复活节前的最后一次招待会上，本廷克宅邸比平常还要热闹拥挤。六位阁员从下院议长招待会直接赶来，周身的勋章和绶带；优雅迷人的妇人们穿着自己最漂亮的衣装。画廊的尽头站着卡尔斯鲁厄的索菲娅公主，长相带有浓郁的鞑靼风情，黑色的眼睛小之又小，戴着品质极佳的翡翠首饰。她用最高的嗓门讲着十分糟糕的法语，无论对方说了什么都报以恣肆的笑声。与会人等显然是一盘妙不可言的大杂烩：珠光宝气的贵妇人温言软语地跟狂躁的激进分子谈着天，众人爱戴的牧师与赫赫有名的无神论者擦肩而过，一帮子主教大人跟着一位身材臃肿的歌剧女主角从一个房间转到又一个房间，楼梯上还站着几个装扮成艺术家的皇家艺术院院士。有人说，晚餐室一度被天才人物挤了个满满当当。事实上，这是温德米尔夫人办过的顶尖晚会之一，连公主殿下都呆到了将近十一点半才走。

As soon as she had gone, Lady Windermere returned to the picture-gallery, where a celebrated political economist was solemnly explaining the scientific theory of music to an indignant virtuoso from Hungary, and began to talk to the Duchess of Paisley. She looked wonderfully beautiful with her grand ivory throat, her large blue forget-me-not eyes, and her heavy coils of golden hair. Or pur they were—not that pale straw colour that nowadays usurps the gracious name of gold, but such gold as is woven into sunbeams or hidden in strange amber; and gave to her face something of the frame of a saint, with not a little of the fascination of a sinner. She was a curious psychological study. Early in life she had discovered the important truth that nothing looks so like innocence as an indiscretion; and by a series of reckless escapades, half of them quite harmless, she had acquired all the privileges of a personality. She had more than once changed her husband; indeed, Debrett ⁽²⁾ credits her with three marriages; but as she had never changed her lover, the world had long ago ceased to talk scandal about her. She was now forty years of age, childless, and with that inordinate passion for pleasure which is the secret of remaining young.

Suddenly she looked eagerly round the room, and said, in her clear contralto voice, 'Where is my chiromantist?'

'Your what, Gladys?' exclaimed the Duchess, giving an involuntary start.

'My chiromantist, Duchess; I can't live without him at present.'

'Dear Gladys! you are always so original,' murmured the Duchess, trying to remember what a chiromantist really was, and hoping it was not the same as a chiropodist.

公主殿下一走，温德米尔夫人就回到了画廊里，跟佩斯利公爵夫人聊起天来。在那里，一位声名卓著的政治经济学家正在一本正经地解释音乐的科学道理，听众是一位表情愤慨的匈牙利艺术大师。公爵夫人艳色倾城，象牙色的颈项高贵非凡，大大的眼睛带着勿忘我的蓝色，还有一头浓密的金色卷发。头发是纯金的颜色——不是如今僭用金子高名的那种浅黄的麦秸色，而是织入阳光或是藏于珍奇琥珀之中的那种金色。她的面庞因之带上了圣徒的轮廓，完全弃绝了罪人的魅惑。她是个引人入胜的心理学样本，涉世之初就发现了一条重要真理，那就是轻率与单纯最为神似。经由一连串不管不顾的出轨行为——其中半数无伤大雅——她赢得了一个名人的所有特权。她换过不止一个丈夫，按《德布雷特英国贵族年鉴》的说法是结了三次婚；不过，由于她从来没有换过情人，大众早已不再拿她的丑闻当作谈资。她现年四十岁，没有子女，却还有着超常逾分的享乐激情，并借此留住了青春。

突然间，温德米尔夫人心急火燎地扫视了一下房间，然后用清晰的女低音说道：“我的手相师上哪儿去了？”

“你的什么，格拉迪丝？”公爵夫人叫道，不由自主地惊跳了一下。

“我的手相师，公爵夫人；这阵子缺了他我就没法过。”

“亲爱的格拉迪丝！你老这么有创意，”公爵夫人咕哝着，一边拼命回想手相师究竟是什么东西，一边暗自期望这跟手足病医生不是一类人。

'He comes to see my hand twice a week regularly,' continued Lady Windermere, 'and is most interesting about it.'

'Good heavens!' said the Duchess to herself, 'he is a sort of chiropodist after all. How very dreadful. I hope he is a foreigner at any rate. It wouldn' t be quite so bad then.'

'I must certainly introduce him to you.'

'Introduce him!' cried the Duchess; 'you don't mean to say he is here?' and she began looking about for a small tortoise-shell fan and a very tattered lace shawl, so as to be ready to go at a moment's notice.

'Of course he is here, I would not dream of giving a party without him. He tells me I have a pure psychic hand, and that if my thumb had been the least little bit shorter, I should have been a confirmed pessimist, and gone into a convent.'

'Oh, I see!' said the Duchess, feeling very much relieved; 'he tells fortunes, I suppose?'

'And misfortunes, too,' answered Lady Windermere, 'any amount of them. Next year, for instance, I am in great danger, both by land and sea, so I am going to live in a balloon, and draw up my dinner in a basket every evening. It is all written down on my little finger, or on the palm of my hand, I forget which.'

'But surely that is tempting Providence, Gladys.'

'My dear Duchess, surely Providence can resist temptation by this time. I think everyone should have their hands told once a month, so as to know what not to do. Of course, one does it all the same, but it is so pleasant to be warned. Now if someone doesn't go and fetch Mr Podgers at once, I shall have to go myself.'

“他定期来给我看手，每周两次，”温德米尔夫人接着说，“他对我的手非常有兴趣。”

“天哪！”公爵夫人暗想，“说到底，这还真是个医手足病的。太可怕了。他可千万得是个外国人啊，那样还不至于太糟糕。”

“我一定得把他介绍给你。”

“介绍他！”公爵夫人叫了起来，“你该不是说他就在这里吧？”说着，她开始环顾四周，看自己那把玳瑁做的小扇子以及旧的蕾丝披肩放在哪里，以便做好随时告辞的准备。

“他当然在这里，我搞聚会的时候可不会撇下他。他说我的手充满灵性，还说要是我的拇指再短哪怕一丁点儿的话，我就会是一个无可救药的悲观主义者，就该当修女去了。”

“哦，我明白了！”公爵夫人说道，一下子松了口气，“他是预言运气的，是吧？”

“也预言霉运，”温德米尔夫人答道，“一点儿都不遗漏。比方说，他说我下一年在海上陆上都有大灾，所以我打算住到气球上去，每天用吊篮取晚餐。这兆头要么是写在我的小手指上，要么是写在我的手掌上，我记不清是哪一个了。”

“这样做可是在挑战命运啊，格拉迪丝。”

“亲爱的公爵夫人，我肯定命运至今还经得起挑战。照我看，所有人都该每月看一次手相，这样就可以知道什么事不能干。当然了，你可能还是会照干不误，不过事先有个提醒总是件很让人高兴的事情。好了，要是没人立刻去叫波杰斯先生的话，我就要自己去了。”

'Let me go, Lady Windermere,' said a tall handsome young man, who was standing by, listening to the conversation with an amused smile.

'Thanks so much, Lord Arthur; but I am afraid you wouldn't recognise him.'

'If he is as wonderful as you say, Lady Windermere, I couldn't well miss him. Tell me what he is like, and I'll bring him to you at once.'

'Well, he is not a bit like a chiromantist. I mean he is not mysterious, or esoteric, or romantic-looking. He is a little, stout man, with a funny, bald head, and great gold-rimmed spectacles; something between a family doctor and a country attorney. I'm really very sorry, but it is not my fault. People are so annoying. All my pianists look exactly like poets, and all my poets look exactly like pianists; and I remember last season ⁽³⁾ asking a most dreadful conspirator to dinner, a man who had blown up ever so many people, and always wore a coat of mail, and carried a dagger up his shirt-sleeve; and do you know that when he came he looked just like a nice old clergyman, and cracked jokes all the evening? Of course, he was very amusing, and all that, but I was awfully disappointed; and when I asked him about the coat of mail, he only laughed, and said it was far too cold to wear in England. Ah, here is Mr Podgers! Now, Mr Podgers, I want you to tell the Duchess of Paisley's hand. Duchess, you must take your glove off. No, not the left hand, the other.'

“让我去好了，温德米尔夫人，”一个颀长俊秀的年轻男子应道。他一直站在旁边，带着愉快的微笑听着她俩的谈话。

“太谢谢了，亚瑟勋爵，可我担心你并不认识他。”

“要是他真像你说的那么神奇的话，温德米尔夫人，我应该不会认错的。告诉我他长什么样，我马上就把他找来。”

“好吧，他看起来可一点儿也不像手相师。我是说，他的样子不神秘，不高深，也没什么浪漫色彩。他矮小结实，有个滑稽的秃头，戴着硕大的金边眼镜，像个家庭医生，又像个乡村律师。这么说很不应该，可我也没办法。这些人就是这么烦人。我的钢琴师看着都像诗人，诗人又都跟钢琴师一模一样。我还记得，上个社交季我请了个最可怕的阴谋家来吃晚饭。这个人炸死过很多人，身上总穿着铠甲，袖子里还藏着匕首。可是，他来的时候看着就跟个慈祥的老教士似的，而且整个晚上都在讲笑话，你们能想象吗？当然，他非常有趣，如此等等，可我却失望透了。我问他铠甲是怎么回事，他却只是笑，还说在英格兰穿那个实在是太冷了。啊，波杰斯先生来了！好，波杰斯先生，我要你给佩斯利公爵夫人看看手相。公爵夫人，你得把手套脱掉。不，不是左手，是另外一只。”

'Dear Gladys, I really don't think it is quite right,' said the Duchess, feebly unbuttoning a rather soiled kid glove.

'Nothing interesting ever is,' said Lady Windermere: 'on a fait le monde ainsi. But I must introduce you. Duchess, this is Mr Podgers, my pet chiromantist. Mr Podgers, this is the Duchess of Paisley, and if you say that she has a larger mountain of the moon ⁽⁴⁾ than I have, I will never believe in you again.'

'I am sure, Gladys, there is nothing of the kind in my hand,' said the Duchess gravely.

'Your Grace is quite right,' said Mr Podgers, glancing at the little fat hand with its short square fingers, 'the mountain of the moon is not developed. The line of life, however, is excellent. Kindly bend the wrist. Thank you. Three distinct lines on the rascette! You will live to a great age, Duchess, and be extremely happy. Ambition—very moderate, line of intellect not exaggerated, line of heart...'

'Now, do be indiscreet, Mr Podgers,' cried Lady Windermere.

'Nothing would give me greater pleasure,' said Mr Podgers, bowing, 'if the Duchess ever had been, but I am sorry to say that I see great permanence of affection, combined with a strong sense of duty.'

'Pray go on, Mr Podgers,' said the Duchess, looking quite pleased.

'Economy is not the least of your Grace's virtues,' continued Mr Podgers, and Lady Windermere went off into fits of laughter.

'Economy is a very good thing,' remarked the Duchess complacently; 'when I married Paisley he had eleven castles, and not a single house fit to live in.'

“亲爱的格拉迪丝，我真的觉得这不太好，”公爵夫人一边说，一边勉为其难地脱下了污渍斑斑的小山羊皮手套。

“有趣的事情都不太好，”温德米尔夫人说，“这世道就是这样的。我得给你们介绍介绍。公爵夫人，这是波杰斯先生，我最可爱的手相师。波杰斯先生，这是佩斯利公爵夫人，要是你说她的月亮丘比我的还大的话，我就再也不相信你了。”

“我敢肯定，格拉迪丝，我手上根本就没有这样东西，”公爵夫人一本正经地说。

“夫人您说得很对，”波杰斯先生说道，一边瞥了一眼她那只多肉的小手，还有那些又短又粗的手指，“您的月亮丘没有发育。不过，生命线长得非常好。麻烦您弯一下手腕，谢谢。手腕上有三条清晰的线条！您将会非常长寿，公爵夫人，而且活得十分高兴。野心——非常有限，智慧线不是特别突出，心脏线……”

“好了，有什么就说什么吧，波杰斯先生，”温德米尔夫人叫道。

“再乐意不过了，”波杰斯先生边说边鞠了个躬，“要是公爵夫人也有同感的话。不过，抱歉，我得说我在您手上看到了极其持久的爱情，以及一种强烈的责任感。”

“请接着往下说，波杰斯先生，”公爵夫人说道，看起来相当满意。

“节俭是夫人您的一项重要美德，”波杰斯先生继续说，温德米尔夫人爆发出了阵阵笑声。

“节俭是好事情，”公爵夫人沾沾自喜地评论道，“我嫁给佩斯利的时候，他拥有十一座城堡，能住人的宅子却一座都没有。”

'And now he has twelve houses, and not a single castle,' cried Lady Windermere.

'Well, my dear,' said the Duchess, 'I like...'

'Comfort,' said Mr Podgers, 'and modern improvements, and hot water laid on in every bedroom. Your Grace is quite right. Comfort is the only thing our civilisation can give us.'

'You have told the Duchess's character admirably, Mr Podgers, and now you must tell Lady Flora's; 'and in answer to a nod from the smiling hostess, a tall girl, with sandy Scotch hair, and high shoulder-blades, stepped awkwardly from behind the sofa, and held out a long, bony hand with spatulate fingers.

'Ah, a pianist! see,' said Mr Podgers, 'an excellent pianist, but perhaps hardly a musician. Very reserved, very honest, and with a great love of animals.'

'Quite true!' exclaimed the Duchess, turning to Lady Windermere, 'absolutely true! Flora keeps two dozen collie dogs at Macloskie, and would turn our town house into a menagerie if her father would let her.'

'Well, that is just what I do with my house every Thursday evening,' cried Lady Windermere, laughing, 'only I like lions ⁽⁵⁾ better than collie dogs.'

'Your one mistake, Lady Windermere,' said Mr Podgers, with a pompous bow.

'If a woman can't make her mistakes charming, she is only a female,' was the answer. 'But you must read some more hands for us. Come, Sir Thomas, show Mr Podgers yours;' and a genial-looking old gentleman, in a white waistcoat, came forward, and held out a thick rugged hand, with a very long third finger.

“可现在他有了十二座宅子，城堡却一座也没有了，”温德米尔夫人叫道。

“好吧，亲爱的，”公爵夫人说，“我就是喜欢——”

“舒适，”波杰斯先生说，“以及现代化的设施，还要每间卧室里都有热水。夫人您想得没错，文明能给我们的东西也就只有舒适了。”

“你把公爵夫人的性格看得准极了，波杰斯先生，现在再给弗洛拉夫人看看吧。”女主人微笑着向旁边点了点头，一个高个子女孩随之从沙发后面笨手笨脚地走了出来。这女孩一头威士忌色头发，肩胛很高。她伸出了一只修长而瘦骨嶙峋的手，手指好像一把把刮刀。

“啊哈，这是只钢琴师的手！我看出来了，”波杰斯先生说，“一位出色的钢琴师，但也许还算不上音乐家。非常内敛，非常诚实，对动物非常有爱心。”

“说对了！”公爵夫人叫道，转向了温德米尔夫人，“一点儿都不差！弗洛拉在麦克洛斯基养了两打牧羊犬，要不是她父亲拦着的话，她还打算把我们在城里的房子变成动物园哩。”

“是吗，刚好我每个星期四晚上都是这么打理我的房子的，”温德米尔夫人叫道，一边笑了起来，“只不过我喜欢狮子胜过牧羊犬。”

“您就这么个不是，温德米尔夫人，”波杰斯先生说，还夸张地鞠了个躬。

“女人就得把自己的不是变成可爱，要不就只能算雌性动物，” 温德米尔夫人答道。“你得再多给几个人看看。来吧，托马斯爵士，把你的手给波杰斯先生看看。”一位相貌可亲、身穿白马甲的老年绅士应声走上前来，伸出了一只厚实的手。他的手上满是皱纹，无名指特别地长。

'An adventurous nature; four long voyages in the past, and one to come. Been shipwrecked three times. No, only twice, but in danger of a shipwreck your next journey. A strong Conservative, very punctual, and with a passion for collecting curiosities. Had a severe illness between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Was left a fortune when about thirty. Great aversion to cats and Radicals.'

'Extraordinary!' exclaimed Sir Thomas; 'you must really tell my wife's hand, too.'

'Your second wife's,' said Mr Podgers quietly, still keeping Sir Thomas's hand in his. 'Your second wife's. I shall be charmed;' but Lady Marvel, a melancholy-looking woman, with brown hair and sentimental eyelashes, entirely declined to have her past or her future exposed; and nothing that Lady Windermere could do would induce Monsieur de Koloff, the Russian Ambassador, even to take his gloves off. In fact, many people seemed afraid to face the odd little man with his stereotyped smile, his gold spectacles, and his bright, beady eyes; and when he told poor Lady Fermor, right out before everyone, that she did not care a bit for music, but was extremely fond of musicians, it was generally felt that chiromancy was a most dangerous science, and one that ought not to be encouraged, except in a tête-à-tête.

Lord Arthur Savile, however, who did not know anything about Lady Fermor's unfortunate story, and who had been watching Mr Podgers with a great deal of interest, was filled with an immense curiosity to have his own hand read, and feeling somewhat shy about putting himself forward, crossed over the room to where Lady Windermere was sitting, and, with a charming blush, asked her if she thought Mr Podgers would mind.

把你的手给波杰斯先生看看。”一位相貌可亲、身穿白马甲的老年绅士应声走上前来，伸出了一只厚实的手。他的手上满是皱纹，无名指特别地长。

“您天性喜欢冒险，此前经历过四次远航，还有一次即将到来。碰上过三次海难。不对，只有两次，不过您下一次航行可能又会碰上。您是位强硬的保守派，十分守时，还喜欢收集稀奇物品。你在十六至十八岁之间生过一场大病，大概三十岁时获得了一笔遗产。您非常厌恶猫和激进分子。”

“了不起！”托马斯爵士叫道，“你一定得给我的妻子也看看，真的。”

“应该说是您的第二任妻子，”波杰斯先生平静地说道，并没有放下托马斯爵士的手。“您的第二任妻子。乐意效劳。”可是，面有愁容、长着棕色头发和多情睫毛的马弗尔夫人却全然不愿让自己的过去或是未来曝露人前。俄罗斯大使科洛夫先生更是连手套都不肯脱，温德米尔夫人怎么劝诱都不起作用。事实上，许多人都似乎不敢面对这个小个子男人，不敢面对他一成不变的微笑、他的金边眼镜以及他珠子一般的明亮眼睛。接下来，波杰斯先生当着大家的面坦白地告诉可怜的费莫尔夫人，说她对音乐全无兴趣，倒是对音乐家极度痴迷。这时候大家便有了共识，都觉得手相术是一门极其危险的学问，绝对不能提倡，除非是两个人私下里。

不过，亚瑟·萨维尔勋爵却对此产生了强烈的好奇，想让波杰斯先生看看自己的手。之前他一直兴致盎然地观察着波杰斯先生，并对费莫尔夫人的不幸遭遇一无所知。这会儿他觉得有点害羞，没勇气毛遂自荐，便走到房间对面的温德米尔夫人身边，脸上带着迷人的羞红，问她波杰斯先生会不会愿意给自己看手相。

'Of course, he won't mind,' said Lady Windermere, 'that is what he is here for. All my lions, Lord Arthur, are performing lions, and jump through hoops whenever I ask them. But I must warn you beforehand that I shall tell Sibyl everything. She is coming to lunch with me tomorrow, to talk about bonnets, and if Mr Podgers finds out that you have a bad temper, or a tendency to gout, or a wife living in Bayswater ⁽⁶⁾ I shall certainly let her know all about it.'

Lord Arthur smiled, and shook his head. 'I am not afraid,' he answered. 'Sibyl knows me as well as I know her.'

'Ah! I am a little sorry to hear you say that. The proper basis for marriage is a mutual misunderstanding. No, I am not at all cynical, I have merely got experience, which, however, is very much the same thing. Mr Podgers, Lord Arthur Savile is dying to have his hand read. Don't tell him that he is engaged to one of the most beautiful girls in London, because that appeared in the Morning Post a month ago.'

'Dear Lady Windermere,' cried the Marchioness of Jedburgh, 'do let Mr Podgers stay here a little longer. He has just told me I should go on the stage, and I am so interested.'

'If he has told you that, Lady Jedburgh, I shall certainly take him away. Come over at once, Mr Podgers, and read Lord Arthur's hand.'

“当然，他当然会愿意。”温德米尔夫人说，“他来这儿就是干这个的。我这些狮子，亚瑟勋爵，都是耍把戏的，我叫他们钻圈儿他们就得钻。不过我得先提醒你，我会把一切都告诉西比尔的。明天她要来跟我一起吃午饭，聊聊女式帽子的款式，要是波杰斯先生看出你脾气不好，容易得痛风病，或者是在贝斯沃特养了个老婆的话，我可是什么都不会对她隐瞒的。”

亚瑟勋爵笑了起来，摇了摇头。“我不怕，”他答道，“西比尔了解我，跟我了解她一样。”

“噢，听你这么说我倒有点担心了。婚姻的真正基础正是彼此的误解。不，我这可绝不是愤世嫉俗，只是刚好有过这样的经历而已。波杰斯先生，亚瑟·萨维尔勋爵非常想看看手相。你可别跟他说他和伦敦最漂亮的一个女孩订了婚，因为一个月以前《早报》就把这消息登出来了。”

“亲爱的温德米尔夫人，”杰德伯格侯爵夫人叫道，“还是让波杰斯先生在我这儿多留一会儿吧。他刚跟我说我应该登台表演，这说法让我非常感兴趣。”

“要是他跟你这么说的话，杰德伯格夫人，那我一定得把他带走。赶快过来，波杰斯先生，给亚瑟勋爵看看手相。”

'Well,' said Lady Jedburgh, making a little moue as she rose from the sofa, 'if I am not to be allowed to go on the stage, I must be allowed to be part of the audience at any rate.'

'Of course; we are all going to be part of the audience,' said Lady Windermere; 'and now, Mr Podgers, be sure and tell us something nice. Lord Arthur is one of my special favourites.'

But when Mr Podgers saw Lord Arthur's hand he grew curiously pale, and said nothing. A shudder seemed to pass through him, and his great bushy eyebrows twitched convulsively, in an odd, irritating way they had when he was puzzled. Then some huge beads of perspiration broke out on his yellow forehead, like a poisonous dew, and his fat fingers grew cold and clammy.

Lord Arthur did not fail to notice these strange signs of agitation, and, for the first time in his life, he himself felt fear. His impulse was to rush from the room, but he restrained himself. It was better to know the worst, whatever it was, than to be left in this hideous uncertainty.

'I am waiting, Mr Podgers,' he said.

'We are all waiting,' cried Lady Windermere, in her quick, impatient manner, but the chiromantist made no reply.

'I believe Arthur is going on the stage,' said Lady Jedburgh, 'and that, after your scolding, Mr Podgers is afraid to tell him so.'

Suddenly Mr Podgers dropped Lord Arthur's right hand, and seized hold of his left, bending down so low to examine it that the gold rims of his spectacles seemed almost to touch the palm. For a moment his face became a white mask of horror, but he soon recovered his sang-froid, and looking up at Lady Windermere, said with a forced smile, 'It is the hand of a charming young man.'

“好吧，”杰德伯格夫人说道，从沙发上起身时还做了个小小的怪相，“你们要是不让我上台表演的话，总得让我当当观众吧。”

“当然喽，我们都可以当观众。”温德米尔夫人说，“好了，波杰斯先生，一定要给我们说点儿有意思的。亚瑟勋爵是我特别中意的一个可人儿。”

可是，一看到亚瑟勋爵的手，波杰斯先生的脸就变得出奇地苍白。他什么也没说，全身似乎猛地颤了一下。他浓密的眉毛以一种让人着恼的奇怪方式抽搐起来，每当他茫然无措的时候就是这个样子。接着，他黄色的额头上渗出了大颗大颗的汗珠，仿佛是带有毒性的露水，而他胖乎乎的手指也变得又冷又湿了。

亚瑟勋爵留意到波杰斯先生这些奇怪的焦虑表现，平生第一次感到了害怕。他首先想到的是从这屋子里冲出去，但却控制住了自己。不管事情有多糟糕，知道真相总比悬在这可怕的猜测之中要好。

“我等着呢，波杰斯先生，”他说道。

“我们都等着呢，”温德米尔夫人按捺不住自己的急性子，跟着叫道。手相师却还是没有回答。

“我看是亚瑟也要走上舞台了，”杰德伯格夫人说道，“就因为你刚才的斥责，波杰斯先生不敢这么跟他说了。”

突然间，波杰斯先生放下了亚瑟勋爵的右手，转而抓住他的左手，俯身察看起来。他身子俯得非常低，眼镜的金边都快碰到亚瑟的手掌了。有那么一瞬间，他的脸变成了一张写满恐惧的白色面具，不过他很快又镇静下来，抬头看着温德米尔夫人，勉强挤出一个笑容，说道：“这只手属于一位讨人喜欢的年轻男士。”

波杰斯先生俯身查看亚瑟勋爵的手。有那么一瞬间，他的脸变成了一张写满恐惧的白色面具，不过他很快又镇静下来。

'Of course it is!' answered Lady Windermere, 'but will he be a charming husband? That is what I want to know.'

'All charming young men are,' said Mr Podgers.

'I don't think a husband should be too fascinating,' murmured Lady Jedburgh pensively, 'it is so dangerous.'

'My dear child, they never are too fascinating,' cried Lady Windermere. 'But what I want are details. Details are the only things that interest. What is going to happen to Lord Arthur?'

'Well, within the next few months Lord Arthur will go on a voyage ...'

'Oh yes, his honeymoon, of course!'

'And lose a relative.'

'Not his sister, I hope?' said Lady Jedburgh, in a piteous tone of voice.

'Certainly not his sister,' answered Mr Podgers, with a deprecating wave of the hand, 'a distant relative merely.'

'Well, I am dreadfully disappointed,' said Lady Windermere. 'I have absolutely nothing to tell Sibyl tomorrow. No one cares about distant relatives nowadays. They went out of fashion years ago. However, I suppose she had better have a black silk by her; it always does for church, you know. And now let us go to supper. They are sure to have eaten everything up, but we may find some hot soup. François used to make excellent soup once, but he is so agitated about politics at present that I never feel quite certain about him. I do wish General Boulanger would keep quiet. Duchess, I am sure you are tired?'

'Not at all, dear Gladys,' answered the Duchess, waddling towards the door. 'I have enjoyed myself immensely, and the chiropodist, I mean the chiromantist, is most interesting. Flora, where can my tortoise-shell fan be? Oh, thank you, Sir Thomas, so much. And my lace shawl, Flora? Oh, thank you, Sir Thomas, very kind, I'm sure; 'and the worthy creature finally managed to get downstairs without dropping her scent-bottle more than twice.

“这还用你说！”温德米尔夫人答道，“可他会成为一个讨人喜欢的丈夫吗？这才是我想知道的。”

“讨人喜欢的年轻男士都会的，”波杰斯先生说道。

“按我看，做丈夫的可不能太讨人喜欢，”杰德伯格夫人忧心忡忡地咕哝起来，“那样太危险了。”

“我亲爱的小朋友，他们从来都不会太讨人喜欢，”温德米尔夫人叫道。“可我想知道的是具体的事情，只有具体的事情才有意思。亚瑟勋爵会遇上些什么事情呢？”

“呃，最近几个月之内亚瑟勋爵会出海航行……”

“对，他要去度蜜月，当然喽！”

“还会失去一位亲人。”

“该不会是他的姐姐吧？”杰德伯格夫人可怜巴巴地说道。

“当然不会是他的姐姐，”波杰斯先生答道，还不满地扬了扬手，“一位远亲而已。”

“噢，我可真是失望透了，”温德米尔夫人说。“明天我拿不出什么来告诉西比尔了。现在没人关心什么远亲，他们多年以前就已经过时了。话说回来，我看她还是准备上一条黑丝带比较好，上教堂总能用得着，你知道的。现在我们吃晚饭去吧。他们肯定把东西都吃光了，不过我们兴许还能找着点儿热汤。弗朗索瓦以前能做出非常不错的汤，可他现在太为政治伤神，搞得我对他的手艺也没了把握。但愿布朗热将军能保持安静。公爵夫人，你是累了吗？”

“一点儿也不，亲爱的格拉迪丝，”公爵夫人一边回答，一边蹒跚着走向门口。“我非常地自得其乐，那位手足病医生，我是说手相师，也十分有意思。弗洛拉，我的玳瑁扇子上哪儿去了？噢，谢谢你，托马斯爵士，太谢谢了。我的蕾丝披肩呢，弗洛拉？噢，谢谢你，托马斯爵士，你太好了，真的。”说着说着，这位可敬的夫人终于走下了楼梯，其间也只把自己的香水瓶弄掉了两次。

All this time Lord Arthur Savile had remained standing by the fireplace, with the same feeling of dread over him, the same sickening sense of coming evil. He smiled sadly at his sister, as she swept past him on Lord Plymdale's arm, looking lovely in her pink brocade and pearls, and he hardly heard Lady Windermere when she called to him to follow her. He thought of Sibyl Merton, and the idea that anything could come between them made his eyes dim with tears.

Looking at him, one would have said that Nemesis ⁽⁷⁾ had stolen the shield of Pallas ⁽⁸⁾ and shown him the Gorgon's ⁽⁹⁾ head. He seemed turned to stone, and his face was like marble in its melancholy. He had lived the delicate and luxurious life of a young man of birth and fortune, a life exquisite in its freedom from sordid care, its beautiful boyish insouciance; and now for the first time he became conscious of the terrible mystery of Destiny, of the awful meaning of Doom.

这番忙乱之中，亚瑟·萨维尔勋爵始终站在壁炉边上，心里还是充满恐惧和大难临头的恶心感觉。他姐姐挽着普莱姆戴尔勋爵的胳膊从他身边飘然而过，粉色织锦衣服和珍珠首饰将她衬托得格外迷人。他哀伤地冲她笑了笑，温德米尔夫人叫他跟自己一起走，他也充耳不闻。他想着西比尔·默顿，想到他俩的事情可能会横生枝节，不由得泪眼蒙。

看他的样子，你会觉得是复仇女神偷来雅典娜的盾牌，给他看了戈耳工的头颅。他似乎变成了石头，忧伤的脸庞仿如大理石雕像。这以前，他一直过着高门子弟那种精致奢华的生活，没有肮脏卑贱的生计之忧，只有孩子般纯美的天真自在。如今，他却破天荒地意识到了命运的可怕与神秘，意识到了“末日”一词的恐怖含义。

眼前这一切是多么地疯狂诡异啊！难道他的手上，真的用他自己无法解读而别人可以破译的文字写着什么罪恶的可怕秘密，打着什么血红的犯罪印记吗？难道他已经无路可逃了吗？难道我们都不过是受制于无形力量的棋子，或是任由陶工摆布的器皿，荣辱全不由自主吗？理智让他拒绝相信，感觉却告诉他悲剧即将发生、无法承受的重担已在突然之间落到了他的身上。当演员的是多么幸运啊，他们可以自行选择出演悲剧或是喜剧，选择受苦或是作乐、欢笑或是哭泣。但现实生活却是另一回事，大多数男人和女人都不得不去饰演自己并不胜任的角色：我们的盖登思邓为大家扮演哈姆雷特，而我们的哈姆雷特却不得不像哈尔王子一般插科打诨。世界是一个舞台，演员却搭配得不伦不类。

How mad and monstrous it all seemed! Could it be that written on his hand, in characters that he could not read himself, but that another could decipher, was some fearful secret of sin, some blood-red sign of crime? Was there no escape possible? Were we no better than chessmen, moved by an unseen power, vessels the potter fashions at his fancy, for honour or for shame? His reason revolted against it, and yet he felt that some tragedy was hanging over him, and that he had been suddenly called upon to bear an intolerable burden. Actors are so fortunate. They can choose whether they will appear in tragedy or in comedy, whether they will suffer or make merry, laugh or shed tears. But in real life it is different. Most men and women are forced to perform parts for which they have no qualifications. Our Guildensterns ⁽¹⁰⁾ play Hamlet for us, and our Hamlets have to jest like Prince Hal ⁽¹¹⁾ The world is a stage ⁽¹²⁾ but the play is badly cast.

Suddenly Mr Podgers entered the room. When he saw Lord Arthur he started, and his coarse, fat face became a sort of greenish-yellow colour. The two men's eyes met, and for a moment there was silence.

'The Duchess has left one of her gloves here, Lord Arthur, and has asked me to bring it to her,' said Mr Podgers finally. 'Ah, I see it on the sofa! Good evening.'

'Mr Podgers, I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer to a question I am going to put to you.'

'Another time, Lord Arthur, but the Duchess is anxious. I am afraid I must go.'

'You shall not go. The Duchess is in no hurry.'

'Ladies should not be kept waiting, Lord Arthur,' said Mr Podgers, with his sickly smile. 'The fair sex is apt to be impatient.'

突然间，波杰斯先生走进了房间。看到亚瑟勋爵，他吓了一跳，粗糙肥胖的脸随之变成了黄绿色。两人目光相接，一时间都没有作声。

“公爵夫人把一只手套落在了这里，亚瑟勋爵，所以叫我过来帮她拿，”波杰斯先生终于开了口。“噢，我看见了，就在沙发上！晚安。”

“波杰斯先生，我有个问题，你一定得给我个明确的答案。”

“下次吧，亚瑟勋爵，公爵夫人很着急。我恐怕得走了。”

“你不能走，公爵夫人的事儿不急。”

“让夫人们等可不好，亚瑟勋爵，”波杰斯先生说道，脸上挂着惨淡的笑容。“女性一般都不怎么耐烦。”

Lord Arthur's finely chiselled lips curled in petulant disdain. The poor Duchess seemed to him of very little importance at that moment. He walked across the room to where Mr Podgers was standing, and held his hand out.

'Tell me what you saw there,' he said. 'Tell me the truth. I must know it. I am not a child.'

Mr Podgers's eyes blinked behind his gold-rimmed spectacles and he moved uneasily from one foot to the other, while his fingers played nervously with a flash watch-chain.

'What makes you think that I saw anything in your hand, Lord Arthur, more than I told you?'

'I know you did, and I insist on your telling me what it was. I will pay you. I will give you a cheque for a hundred pounds.'

The green eyes flashed for a moment, and then became dull again.

'Guineas ⁽¹³⁾ said Mr Podgers at last, in a low voice.

'Certainly. I will send you a cheque tomorrow. What is your club?'

'I have no club. That is to say, not just at present. My address is...but allow me to give you my card' —and producing a bit of gilt-edged pasteboard from his waistcoat pocket, Mr Podgers handed it, with a low bow, to Lord Arthur, who read on it,

亚瑟勋爵撅起了线条优美的嘴唇，毫不掩饰自己的轻蔑。此时此刻，可怜的公爵夫人对他来说完全无足轻重。他走到屋子对面波杰斯先生所在的地方，伸出了自己的手。

“跟我说说你看到了什么，”他说，“跟我说实话。我必须知道。我已经不是小孩子了。”

波杰斯先生那双藏在金边眼镜后面的眼睛眨巴了一下，不安地换了换脚，手指紧张地拨弄着一条颇为招摇的表链。

“亚瑟勋爵，你为什么觉得我从你手上看到了什么没告诉你的东西呢？”

“我就是知道你看到了，并且要求你告诉我。我给你钱，给你一张一百镑的支票。”

波杰斯先生绿色的眼睛闪了一闪，跟着又变得黯淡无光了。

“畿尼行吗？”最后，波杰斯先生低声说道。

“当然。我明天就把支票寄给你。你是哪个俱乐部的会员？”

“我没有加入什么俱乐部。我的意思是，目前还没有加入。我的地址是……我还是给你名片好了。”波杰斯先生从马甲口袋里掏出了一张镶有金边的卡片，深鞠一躬，把它递给了亚瑟勋爵。卡片上写着：

塞普蒂默斯·R. 波杰斯先生

专业手相师

威斯特穆恩街103号a

'My hours are from ten to four,' murmured Mr Podgers mechanically, 'and I make a reduction for families.'

'Be quick,' cried Lord Arthur, looking very pale, and holding his hand out.

Mr Podgers glanced nervously round, and drew the heavy portière across the door.

'It will take a little time, Lord Arthur, you had better sit down.'

'Be quick, sir,' cried Lord Arthur again, stamping his foot angrily on the polished floor.

Mr Podgers smiled, drew from his breast-pocket a small magnifying glass, and wiped it carefully with his handkerchief.

'I am quite ready,' he said.

“我的工作时间是早上十点到下午四点，”波杰斯先生机械地咕哝了几句，“全家看相还有优惠。”

“快点儿，”亚瑟勋爵叫道。他面色十分苍白，又一次伸出了手。

波杰斯先生紧张地环顾四周，然后拉上了厚厚的门帘。

“这需要一点儿时间，亚瑟勋爵，你最好坐下来。”

“快点儿吧，先生，”亚瑟勋爵再一次叫道，还怒冲冲地在上光的地板上跺起脚来。

波杰斯先生笑了笑，从胸袋里掏出一把小小的放大镜，用手帕仔细地擦了一遍。

“可以开始了，”他说道。 aXGLVsQYymfVwBKHcfRieY9vr0SwRRm+I8eDOxXMIFzqeITPlod1KtkLYjBDQYLt