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Then he said to me, "Are you educated?"
然后他对我说：“你上过学吗？”
I said unwillingly, "Yes." Then I thought to myself, how stupid, for leaving the question open.
我不情愿地说：“上过。”然后我心想，真够傻的，因为我留下了继续谈论这个话题的机会。
And sure enough he asked, "Far?"
果然，他继续问道什么程度？”
And again unwillingly, I said, "Far."
再次不情愿地，我说挺高。”
He took a big leap. "Degree?"
他把话题的深度向前提了一大步。“拿到学位了吗？”
Yes.
“拿到了。”
Literature?
“是文学学位吗？”
Yes.
“是的。”
He expelled his breath, and gave a long "ah." We had reached his building, Majorca Mansions, not one of those luxurious places. I was glad to see that the entrance lobby was deserted. I wasn't at my ease. The lift was at ground level, marked Whites Only. Van Rensburg opened the door and waved me in. While I was waiting for him to press the button, so that we could get moving and away from that ground floor, he stood with his finger suspended over it, and looked at me with a kind of honest, unselfish envy.
他呼了口气，同时发出了长长的“啊”。我们已到了他住的楼房，梅杰卡公寓，它并不是那种奢华的处所。我很高兴看到大厅入口没有人。我有点紧张。电梯在一层，门上写着“仅供白人使用”。范兰斯堡打开电梯门，招手让我进去。当我等他按下按钮，以便我们可以离开一楼时，他的手指却停留在了按钮上，他站在那里，带着一种诚实的没有私心的羡慕表情看着我。
You were lucky, he said. "Literature，that's what I wanted to do."
“你很幸运。”他说，“文学，那正是我过去想要学的。”
He shook his head and pressed the button, and he didn't speak again until we stopped high up. But before we got out he said suddenly, "If I had had a bookshop, I'd have given that boy a window too."
他摇了摇头并按下了按钮。他没有再开口说话，直到电梯升到高处停了下来。但在我们走出电梯之前，他突然说道如果我有一家书店，我也会用一整个橱窗展览那个青年的作品。”
We got out and walked along one of those polished concrete passageways. On the one side was a wall, and plenty of fresh air, and far down below Von Brandis Street. On the other side were the doors, impersonal doors. Van Rensburg stopped at one of the doors, and said to me, "I won't be a minute."
我们走出电梯，沿着一个锃亮的混凝土楼道走着。楼道一面是一堵墙，空气充足而新鲜，楼下便是冯布兰达斯大街。楼道另一面是门，缺少人情味儿的门。范兰斯堡在其中的—扇门前停了下来对我说我马上就出来。”
