Introduction：“Babylon Revisited”is a vivid representation of the boom and decline of the crazy Jazz Age。Charlie’s contradictory attitude towards“the past”reflects the author’s bewildering attitude towards the Jazz Age：though he repents for the dissipated past，he can by no means negate or abandon it，and thus is a reforming sinner wavering between the nightmare past and the dreaming future。Charlie Wales is the protagonist of“Babylon Revisited”and serves as the lensthrough which readers see the events of the story。
Ⅰ
1 “And where’s Mr。Campbell？”Charlie asked。
2 “Gone to Switzerland。Mr。Campbell’s a pretty sick man，Mr。Wales。”
3 “I’m sorry to hear that。And George Hardt？”Charlie inquired。
4 “Back in America，gone to work。”
5 “And where is the Snow Bird？”
6 “He was in here last week。Anyway，his friend，Mr。Schaeffer，is inParis。”
7 Two familiar names from the long list of a year and a half ago。Charlie scribbled an address in his notebook and tore out the page。
8 “If you see Mr。Schaeffer，give him this，”he said。“It’s my brother-in-law’s address。I haven’t settled on a hotel yet。”
9 He was not really disappointed to find Paris was so empty。But the stillness in the Ritz bar was strange and portentous。It was not an American bar any more—he felt polite in it，and not as if he owned it。It had gone back into France。He felt the stillness from the moment he got out of the taxi and saw the doorman，usually in a frenzy of activity at this hour，gossiping with achasseur by theservants’entrance。
10 Passing through the corridor，he heard only a single，bored voice in the once-clamorous women’s room。When he turned into the bar he traveled the twenty feet of green carpet with his eyes fixed straight ahead by old habitand then，with his foot firmly on the rail，he turned and surveyed the room，encountering only a single pair of eyes that fluttered up from a newspaper in the corner。Charlie asked for the head barman，Paul，who in the latter days of thebull-market hadcome to work in his own custom-built car—disembarking，however，with due nicety at the nearest corner。But Paul was at his country house today and Alix giving him information。
inquire：v。询问，问明
scribble：v。潦草地写，乱写，滥写
settle on：决定
portentous：adj。预示性的，不详的
frenzy：n。狂暴，狂怒
chasseur：n。侍者
flutter：vi。悸动，烦扰
barman：n。酒吧间招待员
bull-market：n。（股市中的）牛市
custom-built：adj。定制的，定做的
nicety：n。准确，精密11“No，no more，”Charlie said，“I’m going slow these days。”
12 Alix congratulated him：“You were going pretty strong a couple of yearsago。”
评注：随着故事的展开，查理以前的生活经历、目前的生活状况和对未来的憧憬如同一幅幅被定格的画面，逐次清晰而完整地映入读者的眼帘。个人悲剧与时代背景、情感与现实、期待与无奈在不断交织。
13 “I’ll stick to it all right，”Charlie assured him。“I’ve stuck to it over a year and a half now。”
14 “How do you find conditions in America？”
15 “I haven’t been to America for months。I’m in business in Prague，representing a couple of concerns there。They don’t know about me down there。”
16 Alix smiled。
17 “Remember the night of George Hardt’s bachelor dinner here？”said Charlie。“By the way，what’s become of Claude Fessenden？”
18 Alix lowered his voice confidentially：“He’s in Paris，but he doesn’t come here any more。Paul doesn’t allow it。He ran up a bill of thirtythousand francs，charging all his drinks and his lunches，and usually his dinner，for more than a year。And when Paul finally told him he had to pay，he gave him a bad check。”
19 “I don’t understand it，such a dandy fellow。Now he’s all bloated up—”He made a plump apple of his hands。
20 Charlie watched a group of strident queens installing themselves in a corner。
21 “Nothing affects them，”he thought。“Stocks rise and fall，people loaf or work，but they go on forever。”The place oppressed him。He called for the dice and shook with Alix for the drink。
22 “Here for long，Mr。Wales？”
concern：n。企业
bachelor dinner：为庆祝结婚，西方新郎在婚礼前夜会邀请男性友人聚会狂欢
become of：发生，变成，结局是
confidentially：adv。作为心腹话地
run up：积欠（债款）
dandy：adj。服装华丽的，讲究穿着的
queen：n。男妓
dice：n。骰子23“I’m here for four or five days to see my little girl。”
24 “Oh-h！You have a little girl？”
25 Outside，the fire-red，gas-blue，ghost-green signs shone smokily through the tranquil rain。It was late afternoon and the streets were in movementthe bistros gleamed。At the corner of the Boulevard des Capucines hetook a taxi。The Place de la Concorde moved by in pink majestythey crossed the logical Seine，and Charlie felt the sudden provincial quality of the Left Bank。
26 Charlie directed his taxi to the Avenue de l’Opera，which was out of his way。But he wanted to see the blue hour spread over the magnificent faade，and imagine that the cab horns，playing endlessly the first few bars of Le Plus que Lent，were the trumpets of the Second Empire。They were closing the iron grill infront of Brentano’s Book-store，and people were already at dinner behind the trim little bourgeois hedge of Duval’s。He had never eaten at a really cheap restaurant in Paris。Five-course dinner，four francs fifty，eighteen cents，wine included。For some odd reason he wished that he had。
27 As they rolled on to the Left Bank and he felt its sudden provincialism，hethought，“I spoiled this city for myself。I didn’t realize it，but the days came along one after another，and then two years were gone，and everything was gone，and I was gone。”
28 He was thirty-five，and good to look at。The Irish mobility of his facewas sobered by a deep wrinkle between his eyes。As he rang his brother-in-law’sbell in the Rue Palatine，the wrinkle deepened till it pulled down his browshe felt a cramping sensation in his belly。From behind the maid who opened the door darted a lovely little girl of nine who shrieked“Daddy！”and flew up，struggling like a fish，into his arms。She pulled his head around by one ear and set her cheek against his。
29 “My old pie，”he said。
30 “Oh，daddy，daddy，daddy，daddy，dads，dads，dads！”
31 She drew him into the salon，where the family waited，a boy and girl his daughter’s age，his sister-in-law and her husband。He greeted Marion with his voice pitched carefully to avoid either feigned enthusiasm or dislike，but her response was more frankly tepid，though she minimized her expressionof unalterable distrust by directing her regard toward his child。The two men clasped hands in a friendly way and Lincoln Peters rested his for a moment on Charlie’s shoulder。
32 The room was warm and comfortably American。The three children moved intimately about，playing through the yellow oblongs that led to other roomsthe cheer of six o’clock spoke in the eager smacks of the fire and the sounds of Frenchactivity in the kitchen。But Charlie did not relaxhis heart sat up rigidly inhis body and he drew confidence from his daughter，who from time to time came close to him，holding in her arms the doll he had brought。
bistro：n。小酒馆
faade：n。建筑物的正面
Le Plus que Lent：法语，减慢曲调
provincialism：n。小城气息
sober：v。镇定
cramp：vt。使抽筋
feigned：adj。虚假的
tepid：adj。冷淡的，不热情的
unalterable：adj。不能变更的
oblong：n。椭圆形33“Really extremely well，”he declared in answer to Lincoln’s question。“There’s a lot of business there that isn’t moving at all，but we’re doing even better than ever。In fact，damn well。I’m bringing my sister over from America nextmonth to keep house for me。My income last year was bigger than it was when I had money。You see，the Czechs—”
评注：这个短篇小说最初发表于1931年，当时正值世界性的经济大萧条，股票崩盘，企业倒闭，工人失业。查理的言谈中无不反映出当时的时代危机。
34 His boasting was for a specific purposebut after a moment，seeing a faint restiveness in Lincoln’s eye，he changed the subject：
35 “Those are fine children of yours，well brought up，good manners。”
36 “We think Honoria’s a great little girl too。”
37 Marion Peters came back from the kitchen。She was a tall woman with worried eyes，who had once possessed a fresh American loveliness。Charlie had never been sensitive to it and was always surprised when people spoke of how pretty she had been。From the first there had been an instinctive antipathybetween them。
38 “Well，how do you find Honoria？”she asked。
39 “Wonderful。I was astonished how much she’s grown in ten months。All the children are looking well。”
40 “We haven’t had a doctor for a year。How do you like being back in Paris？”
41 “It seems very funny to see so few Americans around。”
42 “I’m delighted，”Marion said vehemently。“Now at leastyou can go into a store without their assuming you’re a millionaire。We’ve suffered like everybody，but on the whole it’s a good deal pleasanter。”
43 “But it was nice while it lasted，”Charlie said。“We were a sort of royalty，almost infallible，with a sort of magic around us。In the barthis afternoon”—he stumbled，seeing his mistake—“there wasn’t a man I knew。”
44 She looked at him keenly。“I should think you’d have had enough of bars。”
评注：酗酒看来是查理染上的一个顽疾，这其实也是菲兹杰拉德本人在真实生活中的写照。本文诸多细节与作者生平是很相似的。
45 “I only stayed a minute。I take one drink every afternoon，and no more。”
46 “Don’t you want a cocktail before dinner？”Lincoln asked。
47 “I take only one drink every afternoon，and I’ve had that。”
48 “I hope you keep to it，”said Marion。
49 Her dislike was evident in the coldness with which she spoke，but Charlie only smiledhe had larger plans。Her very aggressiveness gave him an advantage，and he knew enough to wait。He wanted them to initiate the discussion of what they knew had brought him to Paris。
50 At dinner he couldn’t decide whether Honoria was most like him or her mother。Fortunate if she didn’t combine the traits of both that hadbrought them todisaster。A great wave of protectiveness went over him。He thought he knew what to do for her。He believed in characteragain as the eternally valuable element。Everything wore out。
Czech：n。捷克人
restiveness：n。不安，慌乱
antipathy：n。憎恶，反感
vehemently：adv。激烈地，暴烈地
infallible：adj。没有错误的，确实可靠的
stumble：v。结结巴巴地说话
aggressiveness：n。咄咄逼人
trait：n。性格
wear out：消退51He left soon after dinner，but not to go home。He was curious to see Parisby night with clearer and more judicious eyes than those of other days。He bought a strapontin for the Casino and watched Josephine Baker go through her chocolate arabesques。
52 After an hour he left and strolled toward Montmartre，up the Rue Pigalle into the Place Blanche。The rain had stopped and there were a few people in evening clothes disembarking from taxis in front of cabarets，and cocottes prowling singly or in pairs，and many Negroes。He passed a lighted door from which issued music，and stopped with the sense of familiarityit was Bricktop’s，where he had parted with so many hours and so much money。A few doors farther on he found another ancient rendezvous and incautiously put his head inside。Immediately an eager orchestra burst into sound，a pair of professional dancers leaped to their feet and matre d’htel swooped toward him，crying，“Crowd just arriving，sir！”But he withdrew quickly。
strapontin：n。折叠式加座
Josephine Baker：约瑟芬·贝克，是当时享誉巴黎的美国黑人女爵士乐舞演员
arabesque：n。蔓藤花纹，指阿拉伯风格的
cabaret：“卡巴莱”餐馆，是有歌舞表演的餐馆或酒吧间
cocotte：n。妓女
prowl：v。巡游
rendezvous：n。约会地点
swoop：vi。飞扑53“You have to be damn drunk，”he thought。
54 Zelli’s was closed，the bleak and sinister cheap hotels surrounding it were darkup in the Rue Blanche there was more light and a local，colloquial French crowd。The Poet’s Cave had disappeared，but the two great mouths of the Caféof Heaven and the Café of Hell still yawned—even devoured，as he watched，the meager contents of a tourist bus—a German，a Japanese，and an American couplewho glanced at him with frightened eyes。
55 So much for the effort and ingenuity of Montmartre。All the catering tovice and waste was on an utterly childish scale，and he suddenly realized the meaning of the word“dissipate”—to dissipate into thin airto make nothing out of something。In the little hours of the night every move from place to place was an enormous human jump，an increase of paying for the privilege of slower and slower motion。
56 He remembered thousand-franc notes given to an orchestra for playing a single number，hundred-franc notes tossed to a doorman for calling a cab。
57 But it hadn’t been given for nothing。
58 It had been given，even the most wildly squandered sum，asan offering to destiny that he might not remember the things most worth remembering，the thingsthat now he would always remember—his child taken from his control，his wifeescaped to a grave in Vermont。
评注：或许并非巧合的是，菲兹杰拉德和他的妻子作为爵士时代的金童玉女，也是巴黎各种声色犬马场所的常客。作家靠着自己畅销的小说赚钱，过着挥金如土的生活。他们也的确育有一女，正如查理一样。
59 In the glare of a brasserie a woman spoke to him。He bought her some eggs and coffee，and then，eluding her encouraging stare，gave her a twenty-franc note and took a taxi to his hotel。
ingenuity：n。独创性，精巧
Montmartre：n。蒙马特尔：法国巴黎北部的一个区，位于右岸地区，以其夜生活和与梵高等艺术家有关联而著名
dissipate：v。浪费（金钱），放荡
squander：v。浪费
brasserie：n。以售啤酒为主的小餐馆
Ⅱ
60 He woke upon a fine fall day—football weather。The depression of yesterday was gone and he liked the people on the streets。At noon he sat opposite Honoria at Le Grand Vatel，the only restaurant he could think of not reminiscent of champagne dinners and long luncheons that began at two and ended in a blurred andvague twilight。
61 “Now，how about vegetables？Oughtn’t you to have some vegetables？”
62 “Well，yes。”
63 “Here’s épinards and chou-fleur and carrots and haricots。”
64 “I’d like chou-fleur。”
65 “Wouldn’t you like to have two vegetables？”
66 “I usually only have one at lunch。”
67 The waiter was pretending to be inordinately fond of children。“Qu’elleest mignonne la petite？Elle parle exactement comme une Fransaise。”
评注：“Qu’elle est mignonne la petite？Elle parle exactementcomme une Fransaise。”这句法语翻译过来是：“真可爱，这个小姑娘！法语说得跟法国人一样漂亮。”
68 “How about dessert？Shall we wait and see？”
69 The waiter disappeared。Honoria looked at her father expectantly。
70 “What are we going to do？”
71 “First，we’re going to that toy store in the Rue Saint-Honoré and buy you anything you like。And then we’re going to the vaudeville at the Empire。”
72 She hesitated。“I like it about the vaudeville，but not the toy store。”
73 “Why not？”
74 “Well，you brought me this doll。”She had it with her。“And I’ve got lots of things。And we’re not rich any more，are we？”
75 “We never were。But today you are to have anything you want。”
76 “All right，”she agreed resignedly。
77 When there had been her mother and a French nurse he had been inclined to be strictnow he extended himself，reached out for a new tolerancehe must be both parents to her and not shut any of her out of communication。
78 “I want to get to know you，”he said gravely。“First let me introduce myself。My name is Charles J。Wales，of Prague。”
79 “Oh，daddy！”her voice cracked with laughter。
80 “And who are you，please？”he persisted，and she accepted a role immediately：“Honoria Wales，Rue Palatine，Paris。”
81 “Married or single？”
82 “No，not married。Single。”
83 He indicated the doll。“But I see you have a child，madame。”
84 Unwilling to disinherit it，she took it to her heart and thought quickly：“Yes，I’ve been married，but I’m not married now。My husband is dead。”
luncheon：n。午宴
épinard：n。[法语]菠菜
chou-fleur：n。[法语]花菜
inordinately：adv。无度地，非常地
vaudeville：n。歌舞杂耍
resignedly：adv。听从地，服从地
disinherit：v。剥夺继承权85He went on quickly，“And the child’s name？”
86 “Simone。That’s after my best friend at school。”
87 “I’m very pleased that you’re doing so well at school。”
88 “I’m third this month，”she boasted。“Elsie”—that was her cousin—“isonly about eighteenth，and Richard is about at the bottom。”
89 “You like Richard and Elsie，don’t you？”
90 “Oh，yes。I like Richard quite well and I like her all right。”
91 Cautiously and casually he asked：“And Aunt Marion and Uncle Lincoln—which do you like best？”
92 “Oh，Uncle Lincoln，I guess。”
93 He was increasingly aware of her presence。As they came in，a murmur of“adorable”followed them，and now the people at the next table bent all their silences upon her，staring as if she were something no more conscious than a flower。
94 “Why don’t I live with you？”she asked suddenly。“Because mamma’s dead？”
95 “You must stay here and learn more French。It would have been hard for daddy to take care of you so well。”
96 “I don’t really need much taking care of any more。I do everything for myself。”
97 Going out of the restaurant，a man and a woman unexpectedly hailed him。
98 “Well，the old Wales！”
99 “Hello there，Lorraine。Dunc。”
100 Sudden ghosts out of the past：Duncan Schaeffer，a friend from college。Lorraine Quarrles，a lovely，pale blonde of thirtyone of a crowd who had helpedthem make months into days in the lavish times of three years ago。
101 “My husband couldn’t come this year，”she said，in answer to hisquestion。“We’re poor as hell。So he gave me two hundred a month and told me I could domy worst on that。This your little girl？”
102 “What about coming back and sitting down？”Duncan asked。
103 “Can’t do it。”He was glad for an excuse。As always，he felt Lorraine’s passionate，provocative attraction，but his own rhythm was different now。
104 “Well，how about dinner？”she asked。
105 “I’m not free。Give me your address and let me call you。”
106 “Charlie，I believe you’re sober，”she said judicially。“I honestly believe he’s sober，Dunc。Pinch him and see if he’s sober。”
107 Charlie indicated Honoria with his head。They both laughed。
108 “What’s your address？”said Duncan skeptically。
109 He hesitated，unwilling to give the name of his hotel。
110 “I’m not settled yet。I’d better call you。We’re going to see the vaudeville at the Empire。”
111 “There！That’s what I want to do，”Lorraine said。“I want to see some clowns and acrobats and jugglers。That’s just what we’ll do，Dunc。”
112 “We’ve got to do an errand first，”said Charlie。“Perhaps we’ll see you there。”
113 “All right，you snob。Good-by，beautiful little girl。”
114 “Good-by。”Honoria bobbed politely。
115 Somehow，an unwelcome encounter。They liked him because he was functioning，because he was seriousthey wanted to see him，because he was stronger than they were now，because they wanted to draw a certain sustenance from his strength。
adorable：adj。可爱的
provocative：adj。煽动的
judicially：adv。公平地
skeptically：adv。怀疑地
acrobat：n。杂技演员
juggler：n。变戏法者
snob：n。势利小人
bob：v。鞠躬行礼
sustenance：n。食物，营养物116 At the Empire，Honoria proudly refused to sit upon her father’s foldedcoat。She was already an individual with a code of her own，and Charlie was more and more absorbed by the desire of putting a little of himself into her before she crystallized utterly。It was hopeless to try to know her in soshort a time。
117 Between the acts they came upon Duncan and Lorraine in the lobby wherethe band was playing。
118 “Have a drink？”
119 “All right，but not up at the bar。We’ll take a table。”
120 “The perfect father。”
121 Listening abstractedly to Lorraine，Charlie watchedHonoria’s eyes leave their table，and he followed them wistfully about the room，wondering what they saw。He met her glance and she smiled。
crystallize：v。明确，定型
abstracted：adj。心不在焉的，出神的
wistfully：adv。渴望地122“I liked that lemonade，”she said。
123 What had she said？What had he expected？Going home in a taxi afterward，he pulled her over until her head rested against his chest。
124 “Darling，do you ever think about your mother？”
125 “Yes，sometimes，”she answered vaguely。
126 “I don’t want you to forget her。Have you got a picture of her？”
127 “Yes，I think so。Anyhow，Aunt Marion has。Why don’t you want me to forget her？”
128 “She loved you very much。”
129 “I loved her too。”
130 They were silent for a moment。
131 “Daddy，I want to come and live with you，”she said suddenly。
132 His heart leapedhe had wanted it to come like this。
133 “Aren’t you perfectly happy？”
134 “Yes，but I love you better than anybody。And you love me better than anybody，don’t you，now that mummy’s dead？”
135 “Of course I do。But you won’t always like me best，honey。You’ll growupand meet somebody your own age and go marry him and forget you ever had a daddy。”
136 “Yes，that’s true，”she agreed tranquilly。
137 He didn’t go in。He was coming back at nine o’clock and he wantedto keep himself fresh and new for the thing he must say then。
138 “When you’re safe inside，just show yourself in that window。”
139 “All right。Good-by，dads，dads，dads，dads。”
140 He waited in the dark street until she appeared，all warm and glowing，in the window above and kissed her fingers out into the night。
Ⅲ
141 They were waiting。Marion sat behind the coffee service in a dignifiedblack dinner dress that just faintly suggested mourning。Lincoln was walking up and down with the animation of one who had already been talking。They were as anxious as he was to get into the question。He opened it almost immediately。
142 “I suppose you know what I want to see you about—why I really came toParis。”
143 Marion played with the black stars on her necklace and frowned。
144 “I’m awfully anxious to have a home，”he continued。“And I’m awfully anxious to have Honoria in it。I appreciate your taking in Honoria for her mother’ssake，but things have changed now”—he hesitated and then continued more forcibly—“changed radically with me，and I want to ask you to reconsider the matter。It would be silly for me to deny that about three years ago I was acting badly—”
145 Marion looked up at him with hard eyes。
146 “—but all that’s over。As I told you，I haven’t had more than adrinka day for over a year，and I take that drink deliberately，so that the idea of alcohol won’t get too big in my imagination。You see the idea？”
147 “No，”said Marion succinctly。
148 “It’s a sort of stint I set myself。It keeps the matter in proportion。”
149 “I get you，”said Lincoln。“You don’t want to admit it’s got any attraction for you。”
150 “Something like that。Sometimes I forget and don’t take it。But Itry to take it。Anyhow，I couldn’t afford to drink in my position。The people I represent are more than satisfied with what I’ve done，and I’m bringing my sister over from Burlington to keep house for me，and I want awfully to have Honoria too。You know that even when her mother and I weren’t getting along well we never let anything that happened touch Honoria。I know she’s fond of me and I know I’m able to take care of her and—well，there you are。How do you feel about it？”
151 He knew that now he would have to take a beating。It would last an hour or two hours，and it would be difficult，but if he modulated his inevitable resentment to the chastened attitude of the reformed sinner，he might win his point in the end。
152 Keep your temper，he told himself。You don’t want to be justified。Youwant Honoria。
153 Lincoln spoke first：“We’ve been talking it over ever since we got your letter last month。We’re happy to have Honoria here。She’s a dear little thing，and we’re glad to be able to help her，but of course that isn’t the question—”
154 Marion interrupted suddenly。“How long are you going to stay sober，Charlie？”she asked。
155 “Permanently，I hope。”
156 “How can anybody count on that？”
157 “You know I never did drink heavily until I gave up business and came over here with nothing to do。Then Helen and I began to run around with—”
158 “Please leave Helen out of it。I can’t bear to hear you talk about herlike that。”
159 He stared at her grimlyhe had never been certain how fond of each other the sisters were in life。
dignified：adj。有威严的
forcibly：adv。用力地
succinctly：adv。简洁地，简便地
stint：n。限制，约束
in proportion：恰如其分地，理智地
modulate：v。调整
count on：指望，信赖
grimly：adv。冷酷地160“My drinking only lasted about a year and a half—from the time wecame over until I—collapsed。”
161 “It was time enough。”
162 “It was time enough，”he agreed。
163 “My duty is entirely to Helen，”she said。“I try to think what she would have wanted me to do。Frankly，from the night you did that terrible thing you haven’t really existed for me。I can’t help that。She was my sister。”
164 “Yes。”
165 “When she was dying she asked me to look out for Honoria。If you hadn’t been in a sanitarium then，it might have helped matters。”
166 He had no answer。
167 “I’ll never in my life be able to forget the morning when Helen knocked at my door，soaked to the skin and shivering，and said you’d locked her out。”
168 Charlie gripped the sides of the chair。This was more difficult than he expectedhe wanted to launch out into a long expostulation and explanation，but he only said：“The night I locked her out—”and she interrupted，“I don’tfeel up to going over that again。”
169 After a moment’s silence Lincoln said：“We’re getting off the subject。You want Marion to set aside her legal guardianship and give you Honoria。I think the main point for her is whether she has confidence in you or not。”
评注：读者终于渐渐了解了事情的来龙去脉，知道查理此行的目的原来是为了争取对女儿的监护权。但是他曾经犯下的大错值得原谅吗？
170 “I don’t blame Marion，”Charlie said slowly，“but I think she can haveentire confidence in me。I had a good record up to three years ago。Of course，it’s within human possibilities I might go wrong any time。But if we wait much longer I’ll lose Honoria’s childhood and my chance for a home。”He shook his head，“I’ll simply lose her，don’t you see？”
171 “Yes，I see，”said Lincoln。
172 “Why didn’t you think of all this before？”Marion asked。
173 “I suppose I did，from time to time，but Helen and I were getting along badly。When I consented to the guardianship，I was flat on my back in a sanitarium and the market had cleaned me out。I knew I’d acted badly，and I thought if itwould bring any peace to Helen，I’d agree to anything。But now it’s different。I’m functioning，I’m behaving damn well，so far as—”
174 “Please don’t swear at me，”Marion said。
评注：我们在查理的身上清晰地看到了菲兹杰拉德的影子。他们都曾生活得骄奢无度、酒醉神迷。他们的妻子都年轻漂亮、耽于享乐。他们夫妻间都试图用金钱和美酒去排解心灵的空虚，然而他们却无可回避地走上了更加空虚的不归路，而等待他们的只能是对以往的忏悔和痛心疾首。
175 He looked at her，startled。With each remark the force of her dislike became more and more apparent。She had built up all her fear of life into one wall and faced it toward him。This trivial reproof was possibly the result of some trouble with the cook several hours before。Charlie became increasingly alarmed atleaving Honoria in this atmosphere of hostility against himselfsooner or later it would come out，in a word here，a shake of the head there，and some of thatdistrust would be irrevocably implanted in Honoria。But he pulled his temper down out of his face and shut it up inside himhe had won a point，for Lincoln realized the absurdity of Marion’s remark and asked her lightly since when she had objected to the word“damn”。
176 “Another thing，”Charlie said：“I’m able to give her certain advantages now。I’m going to take a French governess to Prague with me。I’ve got a lease on a new apartment—”
177 He stopped，realizing that he was blundering。They couldn’t be expected to accept with equanimity the fact that his income was again twice as large as their own。
178 “I suppose you can give her more luxuries than we can，”said Marion。“When you were throwing away money we were living along watching every ten francs。I suppose you’ll start doing it again。”
sanitarium：n。疗养院
expostulation：n。劝告，谏言
set aside：取消，驳回
reproof：n。谴责，非难
absurdity：n。荒谬，谬论
equanimity：n。镇定
luxury：n。奢侈，华贵179“Oh，no，”he said。“I’ve learned。I worked hard for ten years，you know—until I got lucky in the market，like so many people。Terribly lucky。It didn’tseem any use working any more，so I quit。It won’t happen again。”
180 There was a long silence。All of them felt their nerves straining，andfor the first time in a year Charlie wanted a drink。He was sure now that Lincoln Peters wanted him to have his child。
181 Marion shuddered suddenlypart of her saw that Charlie’s feet were planted on the earth now，and her own maternal feeling recognized thenaturalness of his desirebut she had lived for a long time with a prejudice—a prejudice founded on a curious disbelief in her sister’s happiness，and which，in the shock ofone terrible night，had turned to hatred for him。It had all happened at a point in her life where the discouragement of ill health and adverse circumstances made it necessary for her to believe in tangible villainy and a tangible villain。
182 “I can’t help what I think！”she cried out suddenly。“How much you were responsible for Helen’s death，I don’t know。It’s something you’ll have to square with your own conscience。”
183 An electric current of agony surged through himfor a moment he was almost on his feet，an unuttered sound echoing in his throat。He hung on to himself for a moment，another moment。
shudder：vi。战栗，发抖
maternal：adj。似母亲的
adverse circumstances：逆境
villainy：n。恶行，罪恶
square with：（使）与……相符，一致
surge：vi。汹涌，澎湃
184 “Hold on there，”said Lincoln uncomfortably。“I never thought you wereresponsible for that。”
185 “Helen died of heart trouble，”Charlie said dully。
186 “Yes，heart trouble。”Marion spoke as if the phrase had another meaning for her。
187 Then，in the flatness that followed her outburst，she saw him plainly andshe knew he had somehow arrived at control over the situation。Glancing at her husband，she found no help from him，and as abruptly as if it were a matter of no importance，she threw up the sponge。
188 “Do what you like！”she cried，springing up from her chair。“She’s your child。I’m not the person to stand in your way。I think if it were my child I’drather see her—”She managed to check herself。“You two decide it。I can’t stand this。I’m sick。I’m going to bed。”
189 She hurried from the roomafter a moment Lincoln said：
190 “This has been a hard day for her。You know how strongly she feels—”His voice was almost apologetic：“When a woman gets an idea inher head。”
191 “Of course。”
192 “It’s going to be all right。I think she sees now that you—can provide for the child，and so we can’t very well stand in your way or Honoria’s way。”
193 “Thank you，Lincoln。”
194 “I’d better go along and see how she is。”
195 “I’m going。”
196 He was still trembling when he reached the street，but a walk down theRue Bonaparte to the quais set him up，and as he crossed the Seine，fresh and new by the quai lamps，he felt exultant。But back in his room he couldn’t sleep。Theimage of Helen haunted him。Helen whom he had loved so until they had senselessly begun to abuse each other’s love，tear it into shreds。On that terrible February night that Marion remembered so vividly，a slow quarrel had gone on for hours。There was a scene at the Florida，and then he attempted to take her home，andthen she kissed young Webb at a tableafter that there was what she had hysterically said。When he arrived home alone he turned the key in the lock in wild anger。How could he know she would arrive an hour later alone，that there would bea snowstorm in which she wandered about in slippers，too confused to find a taxi？Then the aftermath，her escaping pneumonia by a miracle，and all the attendant horror。They were“reconciled”，but that was the beginning of the end，and Marion，who had seen with her own eyes and who imagined it to be one of many scenesfrom her sister’s martyrdom，never forgot。
outburst：n。（感情等）爆发
throw up the sponge：认输
apologetic：adj。道歉的，认错的
quais：n。quay 码头
exultant：adj。欢跃的
hysterically：adv。歇斯底里地
reconcile：vt。使和解，使和谐
197 Going over it again brought Helen nearer，and in the white，soft lightthat steals upon half sleep near morning he found himself talking to her again。She said that he was perfectly right about Honoria and that she wanted Honoria to be with him。She said she was glad he was being good and doing better。She said a lot of other things—very friendly things—but she was in a swing in a white dress，and swinging faster and faster all the time，so that at the end he could not hear clearly all that she said。
Ⅳ
198 He woke up feeling happy。The door of the world was open again。He made plans，visits，futures for Honoria and himself，but suddenly he grew sad，remembering all the plans he and Helen had made。She had not planned to die。The present was the thing—work to do and someone to love。But not to love too much，forhe knew the injury that a father can do to a daughter or a mother to a son by attaching them too closely：afterward，out in the world，the child would seek in the marriage partner the same blind tenderness and，failing probably to find it，turn against love and life。
199 It was another bright，crisp day。He called Lincoln Peters at the bankwhere he worked and asked if he could count on taking Honoria when he left for Prague。Lincoln agreed that there was no reason for delay。One thing—the legal guardianship。Marion wanted to retain that a while longer。She was upset by the whole matter，and it would oil things if she felt that the situation was still in her control for another year。Charlie agreed，wanting only the tangible，visible child。
200 Then the question of a governess。Charlie sat in a gloomy agency and talked to a cross béarnaise and to a buxom Breton peasant，neither of whom he couldhave endured。There were others whom he would see tomorrow。
201 He lunched with Lincoln Peters at Griffons，trying to keep down his exultation。
202 “There’s nothing quite like your own child，”Lincoln said。“But you understand how Marion feels too。”
203 “She’s forgotten how hard I worked for seven years there，”Charlie said。“She just remembers one night。”
204 “There’s another thing。”Lincoln hesitated。“While you and Helenwere tearing around Europe throwing money away，we were just getting along。I didn’t touch any of the prosperity because I never got ahead enough to carry anything but my insurance。I think Marion felt there was some kind of injustice in it—you not even working toward the end，and getting richer and richer。”
205 “It went just as quick as it came，”said Charlie。
206 “Yes，a lot of it stayed in the hands of chasseurs and saxophone players and matres d’htel—well，the big party’s over now。I just said that to explainMarion’s feeling about those crazy years。If you drop in about six o’clock tonight before Marion’s too tired，we’ll settle the details on the spot。”
207 Back at his hotel，Charlie found a pneumatique that had been redirected from the Ritz bar where Charlie had left his address for the purpose of finding acertain man。
oil：v。加油（使光滑）
tangible：adj。切实的
béarnaise：n。法国西南部的某地
buxom：adj。体态丰满的
exultation：n。狂喜，得意
chasseur：n。侍者
matres d’htel：领班
pneumatique：n。便条208 DEAR CHARLIE：You were so strange when we saw you the other day that I wondered if I did something to offend you。If so，I’m not conscious of it。In fact，I have thought about you too much for the last year，and it’s always been in the back of my mind that I might see you if I came over here。We did have such good times that crazy spring，like the night you and I stole the butcher’s tricycle，and the time we tried to call on the president and you had the old derby rim and the wire cane。Everybody seems so old lately，but I don’t feel old a bit。Couldn’t we get together some time today for old time’s sake？I’ve got a vile hangover for the moment，but will be feeling better this afternoon and will look foryou about five in the sweat-shop at the Ritz。
Always devotedly，
LORRAINE。
209 His first feeling was one of awe that he had actually，in his mature years，stolen a tricycle and pedalled Lorraine all over the toile between the smallhours and dawn。In retrospect it was a nightmare。Locking out Helen didn’t fitin with any other act of his life，but the tricycle incident did—it was one of many。How many weeks or months of dissipation to arrive at that condition of utter irresponsibility？
210 He tried to picture how Lorraine had appeared to him then—very attractiveHelen was unhappy about it，though she said nothing。Yesterday，in the restaurant，Lorraine had seemed trite，blurred，worn away。He emphatically did not want to see her，and he was glad Alix had not given away his hotel address。It was a relief to think，instead，of Honoria，to think Sundays spent with her and of saying good morning to her and of knowing she was there in his house at night，drawing her breath in the darkness。
211 At five he took a taxi and bought presents for all the Peters—a piquant cloth doll，a box of Roman soldiers，flowers for Marion，big linen handkerchiefsfor Lincoln。
212 He saw，when he arrived in the apartment，that Marion had accepted theinevitable。She greeted him now as though he were a recalcitrant member of the family，rather than a menacing outsider。Honoria had been told she was goingCharlie was glad to see that her tact made her conceal her excessive happiness。Only on his lap did she whisper her delight and the question“When？”before she slipped away with the other children。
derby：n。帽状物体
pedal：v。踩脚踏车
the toile：巴黎市区一个由十二条街汇集的广场
small hours：下半夜
dissipation：n。挥霍，放荡
trite：adj。陈腐的
wear away：消逝，消磨，虚度
piquant：adj。顽皮的，淘气的
recalcitrant：adj。不服从的
menacing：adj。威胁的，险恶的213 He and Marion were alone for a minute in the room，and on an impulse he spoke out boldly。
214 “Family quarrels are bitter things。They don’t go according to any rules。They’re not like aches or woundsthey’re more like splits in the skin that won’t heal because there’s not enough material。I wish you and I could be on better terms。”
215 “Some things are hard to forget，”she answered。“It’s a question of confidence。”There was no answer to this and presently she asked，“When do you propose to take her？”
216 “As soon as I can get a governess。I hoped the day after tomorrow。”
217 “That’s impossible。I’ve got to get her things in shape。Not before Saturday。”
218 He yielded。Coming back into the room，Lincoln offered him a drink。
219 “I’ll take my daily whisky，”he said。
220 It was warm here，it was a home，people together by a fire。The children felt very safe and importantthe mother and father were serious，watchful。Theyhad things to do for the children more important than his visit here。A spoonful of medicine was，after all，more important than the strainedrelations betweenMarion and himself。They were not dull people，but they were very much in the grip of life and circumstances。He wondered if he couldn’t do something to get Lincoln out of his rut at the bank。
221 A long peal at the door-bellthe bonne de toute faire passed through and went down the corridor。The door opened upon another long ring，and then voices，andthe three in the salon looked up expectantlyRichard moved to bring the corridor within his range of vision，and Marion rose。Then the maid came back along the corridor，closely followed by the voices，which developed under the light into Duncan Schaeffer and Lorraine Quarrles。
222 They were gay，they were hilarious，they were roaring with laughter。For a moment Charlie was astoundedunable to understand how they ferreted out the Peter’s address。
评注：此处颇为耐人寻味，查理对邓肯二人的到来感到非常震惊，表示不知道他们是如何找上门来的，而实际上我们透过第三人称的叙事，明确地知道这个地址就是查理留给他们的。为什么查理自己做的事情自己却又不敢承认呢？这里微妙地反映出查理人性中脆弱而分裂的一面。
223 “Ah-h-h！”Duncan wagged his finger roguishly atCharlie。“Ah-h-h！”
224 They both slid down another cascade of laughter。Anxious and at a loss，Charlie shook hands with them quickly and presented them to Lincoln and Marion。Marion nodded，scarcely speaking。She had drawn back a step toward the fireher little girl stood beside her，and Marion put an arm about her shoulder。
on an impulse：情不自禁地
strained：adj。紧张的
in the grip of：受……控制
bonne de toute faire：女佣，女仆
hilarious：adj。欢闹的
astound：vt。使惊骇，使大吃一惊
ferret out：搞到，搜索
roguish：adj。流氓的，无赖的
cascade：n。喷流，层叠225 With growing annoyance at the intrusion，Charlie waited for them to explain themselves。After some concentration Duncan said：“We came to invite you outto dinner。Lorraine and I insist that all this shishi，cagy business’bout youraddress got to stop。”
226 Charlie came closer to them，as if to force them backward down the corridor。
227 “Sorry，but I can’t。Tell me where you’ll be and I’ll phone youin half an hour。”
228 This made no impression。Lorraine sat down suddenly on the side of a chair，and focussing her eyes on Richard，cried，“Oh，what a nice little boy！Come here，little boy。”Richard glanced at his mother，but did not move。With a perceptible shrug of her shoulders，Lorraine turned back to Charlie：“Come and dine。Sure your cousins won’mine。See you so sel’om。Or solemn。”
229 “I can’t，”said Charlie sharply。“You two have dinner and I’llphone you。”
230 Her voice became suddenly unpleasant。“All right，we’ll go。But Iremember once when you hammered on my door at four A。M。I was enough of a good sport togive you a drink。Come on，Dunc。”
评注：查理之所以要不断拒绝这些当年的酒肉朋友，就是希望能彻底地和过去一刀两断。
231 Still in slow motion，with blurred，angry faces，with uncertain feet，they retired along the corridor。
232 “Good night，”Charlie said。
233 “Good night！”responded Lorraine emphatically。
234 When he went back into the salon Marion had not moved，only now herson was standing in the circle of her other arm。Lincoln was still swinging Honoria back and forth like a pendulum from side to side。
235 “What an outrage！”Charlie broke out。“What an absolute outrage！”Neitherof them answered。Charlie dropped into an armchair，picked up his drink，set itdown again and said：
236 “People I haven’t seen for two years having the colossal nerve—”
237 He broke off。Marion had made the sound“Oh！”in one swift，furious breath，turned her body from him with a jerk and left the room。
238 Lincoln set down Honoria carefully。
239 “You children go in and start your soup，”he said，and when they obeyed，he said to Charlie：“Marion’s not well and she can’t stand shocks。That kindof people make her really physically sick。”
240 “I didn’t tell them to come here。They wormed your name out of somebody。They deliberately—”
intrusion n。闯入，侵扰
perceptible：adj。可察觉的，显而易见的
pendulum：n。钟摆，摇锤
break out：发脾气
colossal：adj。巨大的，庞大的
with a jerk：猛然地
worm out of：四处打听241“Well，it’s too bad。It doesn’t help matters。Excuse me a minute。”
242 Left alone，Charlie sat tense in his chair。In the next room he could hear the children eating，talking in monosyllables，already oblivious to the scene between their elders。He heard a murmur of conversation from a farther room and then the ticking bell of a telephone receiver picked up，and in a panic he movedto the other side of the room and out of earshot。
243 In a minute Lincoln came back。“Look here，Charlie。I think we’d better call off dinner for tonight。Marion’s in bad shape。”
244 “Is she angry with me？”
245 “Sort of，”he said，almost roughly。“She’s not strong and—”
246 “You mean she’s changed her mind about Honoria？”
247 “She’s pretty bitter right now。I don’t know。You phone me at the banktomorrow。”
248 “I wish you’d explain to her I never dreamed these people would come here。I’m just as sore as you are。”
249 “I couldn’t explain anything to her now。”
250 Charlie got up。He took his coat and hat and started down the corridor。Then he opened the door of the dining room and said in a strange voice，“Good night，children。”
251 Honoria rose and ran around the table to hug him。
252 “Good night，sweetheart，”he said vaguely，and then trying to make hisvoice more tender，trying to conciliate something，“Good night，dear children。”
monosyllable：n。单音节字
oblivious：adj。遗忘的，忘却的
earshot：n。听力所及之范围
sore：adj。疼痛的，痛心的
conciliate：vt。安慰，调和
Ⅴ
253 Charlie went directly to the Ritz bar with the furious idea of findingLorraine and Duncan，but they were not there，and he realized that in any case there was nothing he could do。He had not touched his drink at the Peters’，and now he ordered a whisky-and-soda。
254 Paul came over to say hello。“It’s a great change，”he said sadly。“Wedoabout half the business we did。So many fellows I hear about back in the Stateslost everything，maybe not in the first crash，but then in the second。Your friend George Hardt lost every cent，I hear。Are you back in the States？”
255 “No，I’m in business in Prague。”
256 “I heard that you lost a lot in the crash。”
257 “I did，”and he added grimly，“but I lost everything I wanted inthe boom。”
258 “Selling short。”
259 “Something like that。”
评注：此处颇具双关意味，保罗问查理在1929年纽约股崩中的损失，查理回答被保罗理解为“做空”。而实际上，查理不仅仅是在谈股票的操盘技巧，他说自己在大繁荣时已经失去了自己想要的一切，其实指的不是高位抛出股票，而是说自己感情上的损失，譬如金钱带来的个人酗酒问题和夫妻间越来越深的矛盾隔阂。
260 Again the memory of those days swept over him like a nightmare—the people they had met travellingthen people who couldn’t add a row of figures or speak a coherent sentence。The little man Helen had consented to dance with at the ship’s party，who had insulted her ten feet from the tablethe women and girls carried screaming with drink or drugs out of public places—
furious：adj。狂怒的，狂暴的
sweep over：席卷
coherent：adj。一致的，连贯的
consent：vi。同意，赞成261 The men who locked their wives out in the snow，because the snow oftwenty-nine wasn’t real snow。If you didn’t want it to be snow，you just paid some money。
262 He went to the phone and called the Peters’apartmentLincoln answered。
263 “I called up because this thing is on my mind。Has Marion said anything definite？”
264 “Marion’s sick，”Lincoln answered shortly。“I know this thing isn’t altogether your fault，but I can’t have her go to pieces about it。I’m afraid we’ll have to let it slide for six monthsI can’t take the chance of working her up to this state again。”
265 “I see。”
266 “I’m sorry，Charlie。”
267 He went back to his table。His whisky glass was empty，but he shookhis head when Alix looked at it questioningly。There wasn’t much he could do now except send Honoria some thingshe would send her a lot of things tomorrow。He thought rather angrily that this was just money—he had given so many people money。
268 “No，no more，”he said to another waiter。“What do I owe you？”
评注：查理坐在酒吧，前面摆放着一只空的威士忌酒杯。他已经拒绝了一次侍者的添酒，但如果他继续坐在这个往日中他曾肆意狂欢的场所，他还能坚持不再酗酒吗？
269 He would come back some daythey couldn’t make him pay forever。But he wanted his child，and nothing was much good now，beside that fact。He wasn’t young any more，with a lot of nice thoughts and dreams to have by himself。He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn’t have wanted him to be so alone。
Comprehension Exercises
1 。What is significant about the title？
2 。What are the conflicts in“Babylon Revisited”？What types of conflict（physical，moral，intellectual，or emotional）are they？
3 。What are the symbolic meanings of“doll”and“snow”in this story？
菲兹杰拉德（1896—1940）：美国小说家，1896年9月24日生于明尼苏达州圣保罗市。父亲是家具商。他年轻时试写过剧本。读完高中后考入普林斯顿大学。在校时曾自组剧团，并为校内文学刊物写稿。后因身体欠佳，中途辍学。1917年入伍，终日忙于军训，未曾出国打仗。退伍后坚持业余写作。1920年出版了长篇小说《人间天堂》，从此出了名，小说出版后他与吉姗尔达结婚。婚后携妻寄居巴黎，结识了安德逊、海明威等多位美国作家。1925年《了不起的盖茨比》问世，奠定了他在现代美国文学史上的地位，成了20年代“爵士时代”的发言人和“迷惘的一代”的代表作家之一。菲兹杰拉德成名后继续勤奋笔耕，但婚后妻子讲究排场，后来又精神失常，挥霍无度，给他带来极大痛苦。他经济上入不敷出，一度去好莱坞写剧本挣钱维持生计。1936年不幸染上肺病，妻子又一病不起，使他几乎无法创作，精神濒于崩溃，终日酗酒。1940年12月21日迸发心脏病，死于洛杉矶，年仅44岁。菲兹杰拉德不仅写长篇小说，短篇小说也颇有特色。除上述两部作品外，主要作品还有《夜色温柔》（1934）和《最后一个巨商》（1941）。他的小说生动地反映了20年代“美国梦”的破灭，展示了大萧条时期美国上层社会“荒原时代”的精神面貌。