评论
打印
In a little district west of Washington Square the streets have run crazy and broken themselves into small strips called "places."
在华盛顿广场西边的一个小区里，街道都横七竖八地伸展开去，又分裂成一小条一小条的“胡同”。
These "places" make strange angles and curves. One Street crosses itself a time or two.
这些“胡同”稀奇古怪地拐着弯子。一条街有时自己本身就交叉了不止一次。
An artist once discovered a valuable possibility in this street.
有一回一个画家发现这条街有一种优越性。
Suppose a collector with a bill for paints, paper and canvas should, in traversing this route, suddenly meet himself coming back, without a cent having been paid on account!
要是有个收帐的跑到这条街上，来催要颜料、纸张和画布的钱，他就会突然发现自己两手空空，原路返回，一文钱的账也没有要到！
So, to quaint old Greenwich Village the art people soon came prowling, hunting for north windows and eighteenth-century gables and Dutch attics and low rents.
所以，不久之后不少画家就摸索到这个古色古香的老格林尼治村来，寻求朝北的窗户、18世纪的尖顶山墙、荷兰式的阁楼，以及低廉的房租。
Then they imported some pewter mugs and a chafing dish or two from Sixth Avenue, and became a "colony."
然后，他们又从第六街买来一些蜡酒杯和一两只火锅，这里便成了“艺术区”。
At the top of a squatty, three-story brick Sue and Johnsy had their studio. "Johnsy" was familiar for Joanna.
苏和琼西的画室设在一所又宽又矮的三层楼砖房的顶楼上。“琼西”是琼娜的爱称。
One was from Maine; the other from California.
她俩一个来自缅因州，一个是加利福尼亚州人。
They had met at the table d'hôte of an Eighth Street "Delmonico's," and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so congenial that the joint studio resulted.
她们是在第八街的“台尔蒙尼歌之家”吃份饭时碰到的，她们发现彼此对艺术、生菜色拉和时装的爱好非常一致，便合租了那间画室。
That was in May. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia,
那是5月里的事。到了11月，一个冷酷的、肉眼看不见的、医生们叫做“肺炎”的不速之客，在艺术区里悄悄地游荡，
stalked about the colony, touching one here and there with his icy fingers.
用他冰冷的手指头这里碰一下那里碰一下。
Over on the east side this ravager strode boldly, smiting his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown "places."
在广场东头，这个破坏者明目张胆地踏着大步，一下子就击倒几十个受害者，可是在迷宫一样、狭窄而铺满青苔的“胡同”里，他的步伐就慢了下来。
