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The Unbearable Bassington-Part20_H.H.Munro(Saki)(1870-1916)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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Courtenay Youghal did not necessarily expect her to be markedly



affectionate in private. Someone had described him, after their

marriage, as one of Nature's bachelors, and she began to see how



aptly the description fitted him.

"Will those Germans on our left never stop talking?" she asked, as



an undying flow of Teutonic small talk rattled and jangled across

the intervening stretch of carpet. "Not one of those three women



has ceased talking for an instant since we've been sitting here."

"They will presently, if only for a moment," said Courtenay; "when



the dish you have ordered comes in there will be a deathly silence

at the next table. No German can see a PLAT brought in for someone



else without being possessed with a great fear that it represents a

more toothsome morsel or a better money's worth than what he has



ordered for himself."

The exuberant Teutonic chatter was balanced on the other side of



the room by an even more penetrating conversation unflaggingly

maintained by a party of Americans, who were sitting in judgment on



the cuisine of the country they were passing through, and finding

few extenuating circumstances.



"What Mr. Lonkins wants is a real DEEP cherry pie," announced a

lady in a tone of dramatic and honest conviction.



"Why, yes, that is so," corroborated a gentleman who was apparently

the Mr. Lonkins in question; "a real DEEP cherry pie."



"We had the same trouble way back in Paris," proclaimed another

lady; "little Jerome and the girls don't want to eat any more CREME



RENVERSEE. I'd give anything if they could get some real cherry

pie."



"Real DEEP cherry pie," assented Mr. Lonkins.

"Way down in Ohio we used to have peach pie that was real good,"



said Mrs. Lonkins, turning on a tap of reminiscence that presently

flowed to a cascade. The subject of pies seemed to lend itself to



indefinite expansion.

"Do those people think of nothing but their food?" asked Elaine, as



the virtues of roasted mutton suddenly came to the fore and

received emphaticrecognition, even the absent and youthful Jerome



being quoted in its favour.

"On the contrary," said Courtenay, "they are a widely-travelled



set, and the man has had a notably interesting career. It is a

form of home-sickness with them to discuss and lament the cookery



and foods that they've never had the leisure to stay at home and

digest. The Wandering Jew probably babbled unremittingly about



some breakfast dish that took so long to prepare that he had never

time to eat it."



A waiter deposited a dish of Wiener Nierenbraten in front of

Elaine. At the same moment a magic hush fell upon the three German



ladies at the adjoining table, and the flicker of a great fear

passed across their eyes. Then they burst forth again into



tumultuous chatter. Courtenay had proved a reliable prophet.

Almost at the same moment as the luncheon-dish appeared on the



scene, two ladies arrived at a neighbouring table, and bowed with

dignified cordiality to Elaine and Courtenay. They were two of the



more worldly and travelled of Elaine's extensive stock of aunts,

and they happened to be making a short stay at the same hotel as



the young couple. They were far too correct and rationally minded

to intrude themselves on their niece, but it was significant of



Elaine's altered view as to the sanctity of honeymoon life that she

secretly rather welcomed the presence of her two relatives in the



hotel, and had found time and occasion to give them more of her

society than she would have considered necessary or desirable a few



weeks ago. The younger of the two she rather liked, in a

restrained fashion, as one likes an unpretentious watering-place or



a restaurant that does not try to give one a musical education in

addition to one's dinner. One felt instinctively about her that



she would never wear rather more valuable diamonds than any other

woman in the room, and would never be the only person to be saved



in a steamboatdisaster or hotel fire. As a child she might have




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