Chapter 7 Neil McAdam

Captain Braden was a good-natured man.When Angus Munro, curator of the museum in Kuala Solor, told him that he had advised his new assistant, Neil McAdam, to check into the Van Dyke Hotel when he arrived in Singapore, and to ask the captain, to stay there with the children. After keeping an eye on him during the days there to keep him out of trouble, the captain replied that he would certainly do his best.Braden, captain of the Sultan Ahmed, always stayed at the Van Dyke Hotel when he was in Singapore.He has a Japanese wife and has always kept a room in that hotel.That is his home.When he returned from a two-week voyage off the coast of Borneo, the hotel's Dutch manager told him that Neil had been staying for two days.The boy sat reading back issues of The Straits Times in the small dusty garden of the hotel.Captain Braden glanced at him first, then went forward to meet him.

"You're McAdam, aren't you?" Neil stood up, blushing up to his ears, and replied shyly, "Yes, I am." "I'm Braden, captain of the 'Sultan Ahmed'. Next Tuesday, you'll be sailing with me. Monro entrusted me with your care. Would you like some Stenja? I guess you're now You should know what this is." "Thank you very much, but I don't drink." He pronounced it with a distinctly Scottish accent. "I don't blame you. Drinking has ruined a lot of pretty good people in this country." He called a Chinese boy and ordered two glasses of whiskey and a baking soda for himself.

"What have you been doing for the past two days?" "Walking around." “Singapore doesn’t have much to do.” "I also found several interesting places." Of course, the first thing he did was to visit the museum.There wasn't much he hadn't seen, but it excited him to think that this was the home of the beasts and the birds, the reptiles, the moths, the butterflies and the insects.Kuala Solor is the capital of Borneo, and because the creatures here will be closely related to him for the next three years, McAdam carefully observed these creatures in the museum.But outside, in the street, everything felt exciting, and if he hadn't been a serious and steady young man, he would have cried out with joy.He never stopped until his legs were sore.He stood on a busy street corner, wandering among the long tracks left by the tricycle.He stood on the bridge of a canal and looked at the small boats on the river that were crowded together like sardines in a tin can.He saw a lot of strange wares on display in the Chinese shops on Victoria Road.Fat, sprightly Bombay merchants stood in front of their shops, trying to sell him silk and gold and leaf jewellery.He looked at the solemn, forlorn Tamils ​​walking the streets with ominous but graceful gait; and the bearded Arabs in their white beanies I couldn't help expressing contempt for them in my heart.The hot sun shines on the scenes in front of you.He was a little confused.He felt that it would take him many years to understand this colorful and redundant world.

After dinner that night, Captain Braden asked him if he would like to take a walk around town. "Since you are here, you should also take a look at life here," he said. They boarded a tricycle and started heading towards Chinatown.The captain, who never drank alcohol during the voyage, made up for himself that day.He feels very comfortable.The tricycle ended up in an alley and stopped in front of a house; so the two got out and started knocking on the door.The door opened, and they passed down a hallway into a large room filled with benches and a plush red carpet.There were many women sitting in it—French, Italian, and American.A mechanical piano made a slightly harsh musical sound, and several couples of men and women were dancing to the music.Captain Braden ordered some wine.Two or three women seemed to be waiting for his invitation, throwing him winks.

"Young man, is there anyone you like here?" the captain asked jokingly. "You mean someone who wants to sleep with her? No." "You know, there's no white girls where you're going." "Oh, that would be nice." "Do you want to see the locals?" "I don't mind." The captain paid for the drink, and they continued on, until they came to the door of another house.Here are some Chinese girls, they are petite and exquisite, their hands and feet are as small as flowers, and they also wear silk clothes full of flowers.Yet their painted faces looked like masks.They always looked at strangers mockingly with their black eyes.They have a strangely inhuman feel to them.

"I brought you here because I thought you should see this kind of place," said Captain Braden, as if doing his duty, "but just to see. Out For some reason, they're very different from us. Some Chinese taverns like that don't let white people in at all. The reason is, they think we stink. It's funny, isn't it? They say we smell like It's a dead body." "Us?" "I prefer Japanese women," said the captain. "They are very nice. You know, my wife is Japanese. Come with me, and I will take you to a place where there are Japanese girls."

Their tricycle was still waiting outside, so they got on again.After Captain Brayden gave an instruction, the pedal boy drove them on.They were ushered into a room by a fat, middle-aged Japanese woman who bowed deeply to them as they entered.She took them into a clean and tidy room, where the floor was only covered with cushions; they sat on the floor, and presently a petite girl entered the room with a tray--on which were two glasses of eau-de-vie. Tea.After bowing shyly to them, she handed them the tea one by one.The captain said a few words to the middle-aged woman, and she looked at Neil and giggled.She said something to the girl who had just left, and soon four more girls came into their room.They were sweet in their kimonos, with glossy black hair combed artfully; they were short and plump, with round faces and smiling eyes.When they enter the door, they will bow deeply to the guests and greet them politely and in a low voice.Their speech was like the chirping of birds.They then knelt down beside the pair, gathered two by two around a guest, and flirted with them happily.Soon, Captain Braden's hand wrapped around the slender waists of the two young girls.They kept talking and laughing and seemed to be having a great time.It seemed to Neil that the two girls beside the captain were laughing at him, because they always stared at him mischievously with those shining eyes, and he couldn't help but blush.The other two girls smiled and hugged him, talking to him in Japanese as if he understood everything they said.Seeing them happy and honest, he smiled.They kept paying attention.They handed him the bowls for his tea to drink from, and then removed them, saving him a lot of trouble.They lit a cigarette for him, and a girl with her small, delicate hand shook the ashes away from his clothes.They caressed his smooth face and looked curiously at his large, youthful hands.They love to play like kittens.

After a while, the captain asked, "Which one do you prefer? Have you made your choice?" "What do you mean by that?" "I'm just waiting for you to settle down, and then, I'll take care of myself." "Oh, I don't want any. I'm going back to sleep." "Why? What's going on with you? You're not afraid, are you?" "No, I just don't like it. But I won't get in your way. I can go back to the hotel by myself." "Oh, if you don't want to, I'll go back with you too. I was just trying to be nice."

The captain then said a few words to the middle-aged woman, and the girls who heard these words suddenly looked at Neil in surprise.The middle-aged woman answered, and the captain shrugged.Then, a girl said something, and they laughed together. "What did she say?" Neal asked. "She's teasing you," replied the captain, laughing. But he looked at Neil curiously.Then, the girl who just made everyone laugh said something directly to Neil.He couldn't understand the girl's words, but the mockery in her eyes made him blush and frown at the same time.He doesn't like people making fun of him.Then the girl laughed, put her arms around Neil's neck, and kissed him softly.

"Come with me, let's go," said the captain. When they got off the tricycle and walked towards the inner hall of the hotel, Neil asked the captain: "What did the girl say that made everyone laugh?" "She said you were still a virgin." "I don't think there's anything funny about that," Neil said, with his slow Scottish accent. "is this real?" "I think so." "How old are you?" "Twenty-two years old." "Then what are you waiting for?" "Wait until the moment of marriage."

The captain fell silent.When he got to the top of the stairs, he held out his hand.There was a strange gleam in his eyes as he said goodnight to the boy, but Neal looked at him calmly and frankly, as if undisturbed. Three days later, they set off.Neil was the only white passenger on board.When the captain is busy, he reads by himself.He was rereading Wallace's The Malay Archipelago.He had read the book as a boy, but now it had a new fascination for him.And when the captain was free, they played cards together, or sat on deck benches and smoked and chatted.Neil's father, a country doctor, had been interested in natural history as long as he could remember.After graduating from secondary school, he went to the University of Edinburgh and obtained a Bachelor of Science with honors.He originally wanted to seek a bishop's position, but came across an advertisement in the "Nature" magazine for the assistant director of the Kuala Solor Museum.Angus Munro, the curator of the museum there, had met Neil's uncle, a Glasgow businessman, while in Edinburgh, and his uncle had written to him asking if he could give the young man a chance.Neal had a special interest in entomology and trained as a taxidermist, which was what the job ad called for.The uncle also attached some certificates issued by Neil's former teachers, and added that Neil was also a member of the school football team during college.A few weeks later, the curator sent a telegram offering to hire Neal; two weeks later, Neal was up. "How is Mr. Monroe?" Neil asked. "He's a nice guy. Everyone loves him." "I've read his papers in scientific journals. There's an article by him in the latest issue of Ibis." "I don't know that at all. But I know he has a Russian wife, and people don't seem to like her very much." "I had a letter from him when I was in Singapore saying they would put me on an internship first to see what I could do." Now, they started up the river.The estuary is dotted with fishermen's villages, with nipa palms and twisted mangroves growing on the banks, and beyond the horizon, dense and verdant virgin forests.The black shadow under the blue sky in the distance is the rough outline of a mountain peak.Neil's heart was beating violently because of all the scenes in front of him. He was very excited and always stared at the beautiful scenery in front of him—he had been looking forward to this mysterious land for a long time.He didn't expect the sky here to be so blue.There are some small pieces of white clouds on the horizon, like a sailboat that cannot sail because of no wind, just enjoying the sunshine there quietly.Under the dazzling light, the green trees in the forest seemed to be shining brightly.Along the river bank, there are Malay huts with thatched roofs everywhere, nestled comfortably under the fruit trees.Many locals live in caves dug into the hillside, which line the river.Neil didn't feel trapped, nor did he feel blue—because the morning sun was shining brightly, he just felt open and free.The country welcomed him with great enthusiasm.He knew that his time here would be very happy.Captain Braden stood on the bridge, and took a friendly look at the child standing under the bridge.During the four days of the trip, he had grown fond of the child.In fact, he doesn't drink, and he might look serious after you've told a joke, but there's something very attractive about his seriousness.To him, everything is so funny, everything is so important - of course, that's why he doesn't think your jokes are funny enough.But even though he doesn't quite understand your joke, he will still smile because he understands that you may be expecting a response from him.He laughs because life is so beautiful.He is very polite.Whenever he asked you to hand something to him, he never forgot to add "please" and finally said "thank you".He was also very handsome - no one could deny that.Neil stood leaning on the railing, with his head bald, looking at the slowly flowing river in front of him.He was tall, about six feet two, with long, loose limbs, broad shoulders and narrow hips; there was something about him that was charmingly dissolute, and one felt that he might commit something at any moment. something illegal.He has curly brown hair with a unique sheen that glistens like gold when the sun shines on it.His eyes were large and blue with a cheerful, good mood.He was considered to have a very pleasant disposition.His nose was not long, nor was it pointed at the tip, his mouth was large, his chin was set in a very resolute manner, and his face was extremely broad.The most striking thing about him, though, was his skin: it was fair and smooth, with a lovely blush on each cheek.Even by women's standards, this is very beautiful skin.Every morning, Captain Braden would play him the same joke. "I said, boy, did you shave today?" At this time, Neil would brush his chin with his hand and reply: "No, do you think it's necessary for me to shave?" The captain is always amused by it. "Why do you need it? Your face is as smooth as a baby's bottom." Neil, on the other hand, would always blush to the ears. "I shave once a week," he'd shoot back. But people like him, not just because of his appearance.And his candor, his frankness, and the freshness with which he faced the world; his zeal, and the solemn way he approached things, and his willingness to debate all the issues that came his way, There is something strange and simple about him that always gives people a very strange feeling.The captain couldn't tell what it was either. "I wonder if it's because he's never had a woman," he said to himself. "That's funny. He's such a good-looking guy, I thought girls would never let him go." However, the "Sultan Ahmed" had reached the corner near Guala Solor, and at this moment the captain's thoughts were finally interrupted by his own work.He went down into the engine room. The Sultan Ahmed has cut its forward speed in half.On the left bank of the river, Kuala Solor has appeared in front of the passengers.This is a neat white town, and on the hill to the right is the town's fortress and the Sultan's palace.A gust of wind picked up, and the Sudanese flag atop a tall building began to flutter fearlessly in the wind.They dropped anchor midstream.A doctor and a police officer boarded a government launch, accompanied by a tall, thin man in a white suit.The captain stood at the front of the gangplank and shook hands with them.Then the captain turned to look at the man behind him. "Well, I have delivered your promising young man to his destination safely." Then he glanced at Neil again, "This is Monroe." The tall and thin man stretched out his hand and looked at Neil carefully.Neil blushed, then smiled again.He has beautiful teeth. "Good morning sir." There was no smile on Monro's lips, but there was a faint smile in his gray eyes.He had sunken cheeks, a long, aquiline nose, and pale lips.He was tanned by the sun here.He looked tired, but his expression was very kind, so Neil immediately had confidence in him.The captain introduced him to the doctor and the policeman, and suggested that they all go for a drink together.When they sat down and the boys brought their beers, Munro took off his sunhat.Neil could see that his short brown hair was turning gray.Monroe was forty years old, quiet, always poised and self-confident, with an intellectual air about him that set him apart from the breezy little doctor and the hulking pompous police officer. "McAdams doesn't drink," said the captain as the boy poured out four glasses of beer. "That's good," said Munro, "I hope you haven't lured him into evil ways." "I tried it when I was in Singapore," replied the captain, flashing his big eyes, "but nothing happened." After finishing his drink, Monroe turned to Neil: "Okay, let's go ashore, shall we?" Monroe's boy carried Neil's luggage, and the two of them stepped onto a sampan.They landed. "Do you want to go straight back to where we're staying, or do you want to walk around first? We've got hours before lunch." "Can we go to the museum?" Neil responded. There was a kind smile in Monro's eyes.He is very happy.Neal was shy and Monro was not naturally talkative, so they walked in silence.There are many small houses of the locals along the river bank, where the Malays lived their old life.They are busy, but not flustered, and you can feel their happiness and normalcy from their actions.The paradigm of the rhythm of life here is life, death, love, and the ordinary affairs of people's daily life.They would go to the bazaars, to the narrow streets with their arcades, places full of Chinese people, working, eating, talking loudly in their way, fighting indefatigably against immortality. "It's probably not as good as Singapore," Munro said, "but I've always found it picturesque." He still spoke with an accent, but it was much better than Neil's - hearing his Scottish accent made Neil relax a lot.He couldn't figure out why the English of the British was also affected. The museum was a beautiful stone building, and as soon as they stepped through the gates of the museum, Munro straightened up instinctively.The waiter at the door saluted Monroe, and Monroe said a few words to him in Malay, obviously introducing Neil to him, because the waiter immediately smiled at Neil and saluted.Compared with the high temperature outside, the inside of the museum looks very cool; compared with the dazzling sunlight on the street, the lighting inside the museum is also very pleasant. "I think you'll be disappointed," Monno said. "We haven't collected half of what we need, but now we're running into a shortage of funds. We can only do our best. So, Please forgive me." When Neil stepped into the hall, he was like a swimmer confidently jumping into the sea in summer.Those specimens are arranged in an orderly manner.Monroe wanted to bring some lessons to people while bringing them fun, so the birds, beasts and reptiles in the museum are arranged in a similar order to their natural environment, so as to give visitors a better understanding of the environment. They leave vivid images of life.Neil forgot his shyness and engaged in discussions with Monroe with childlike enthusiasm.He kept asking questions.He is very excited.Everyone didn't notice the passage of time, and when Monro remembered to look at his watch, he couldn't help being amazed at the passing time.They boarded a tricycle and started driving to their residence. Monroe led the young man into the living room.A woman was lying on the sofa reading a book, and she stood up slowly when she saw them enter the door. "This is my wife. Daria, I'm sorry we may be back too late." "What does it matter?" she replied, laughing. "What could be less important than time?" She held out her great hand to Neil, and stared at him thoughtfully for a long time—but her eyes remained friendly. "I guess you've taken him to the museum." She was thirty-five years old, of medium height, with a well-toned brown face and very pale blue eyes.Her hair was disheveled, parted in the middle, and tied in a knot at the nape of her neck, somewhat moth-like, and oddly pale-brown.Her face was broad, with high cheekbones and a sensual nose.She was not a pretty woman, but there was a grace in her slow movements and a carelessness in her manner that only the most dull could fail to find her attractive.She was wearing a green cotton dress.She speaks English fluently, but with a slight accent. After a few pleasantries, they sat down to lunch.Neil was getting shy again, but Daria didn't seem to notice.She talked and laughed freely.She asked him about the trip and his impressions of Singapore.She described to him some of the people he was about to meet.That afternoon, Monroe would take him to meet the magistrate, and after that, they would go to the club.He will meet everyone there. "You'll be very welcome," she said, looking intently at him with her pale blue eyes.A man less innocent than Neil might have noticed that she had taken a fancy to his figure and youthful vigor, and his shiny curly hair and lovely skin. "People don't like us very much." "Oh, Daria, what nonsense you are. You're too sensitive. They're British, that's all." "They think it's funny that Angus is a scientist, and that I'm vulgar as a Russian. But I don't care about that. They're stupid. They're the most ordinary, narrow-minded, conventional people who live Among these people, it is entirely my misfortune." "Don't make McAdam uncomfortable once he gets here. He'll find them friendly and hospitable." "What is your Christian name?" "Neil." "Then I'll call you that. And you've got to call me Daria—I hate being called Mrs. Monroe. It makes me feel like a parson's wife." Neil blushed.He was embarrassed that Mrs. Munro had made him so close to her so soon.She went on. "However, some people are not bad." "They're very good at what they do, and that's why they're here," Munro said. "They would shoot. They would play football, tennis and cricket. I got along very well with them. But the women were unbearable. They were jealous, always malicious, and lazy. They Neither. If you present them with anything intellectual, they despise you as if you were a brut. What can they talk about? They are not interested in anything. If you talk about the human body , they will think you inappropriate; if you speak of the human soul, they will think you a prudence." "You don't have to pay too much attention to what my wife says," explained Monroe, laughing in his mild and tolerant way, "that's how it is in the East, people are not very smart or stupid, but kind and friendly. Many People are like that." "I don't ask people to be nice and nice. I want them to be full of life and passion. I want them to be interested in humanity. I think they value the spirit over a gin and curry lunch. I want them to understand the meaning of literature and art." value," she added.She suddenly asked Neil, "Do you have a soul?" "Oh, I don't know. I don't quite know what that means." "Why do you blush when I ask you questions? Why are you ashamed of your soul? This is what matters to you. Tell me. I'm interested in you and I want to know all about it." Neil was very embarrassed to have to face a complete stranger in this way.He had never met such a person before.Yet he was a very serious young man, and when he was asked straightforward questions he did his best to answer them.He was embarrassed because Munro was still here. "I don't know what you mean by soul. If you mean the temporal union of an incorporeal or spiritual entity separately created by the Creator with a human body, then my answer is no. It seems to me that as long as a little No one with any level of dispassionate observation would agree with such a radically binary view of human personality. On the other hand, if by soul you mean the collection of spiritual elements that we commonly refer to as the individual personality, then , of course I have." "You are lovely and handsome," she responded with a smile, "no, I mean the desires of the heart and the desires of the flesh, and the infinite power of ourselves. Tell me, you read all the What book, or, just deck tennis on a boat?" Neal was taken aback by the contradictory nature of her answer.If it weren't for the good mood in her eyes and the natural attitude, Neil might have felt offended.Seeing the young man's confusion at the moment, Monro smiled silently.When he laughed, the line from his nose to the corner of his mouth sank deeply. "I read a lot of Conrad's books." "Is it for entertainment or to advance one's mind?" "Both. I adore him so much." Daria stretched out her arms in a gesture of extreme disapproval. "With such ambiguous answers," she cried, "how can you Brits put yourself in the position of a linguistic charlatan? He is as shallow as his countrymen. Those words, those sentences, those rhetorical flourishes, those vain The profundity of the decoration: When you pass through all these pretense to the mind itself, what do you find, except the trivial commonplace? He is like a second-rate actor in romantic costume, chanting Vic A Doe Hugo play. If you watch it for five minutes, you say he's heroic, and then your whole soul is disgusted by it, and you're screaming, no, it's a phony, a phony, a phony. " She finished with such passion as Neil had never seen anyone speak of art and literature with such passion.Her usually pale and colorless cheeks were flushed now, and there was a light in her dull eyes. "No one can create atmosphere like Conrad," Neal said. "When I read his words, I can almost smell, see and feel everything in this East." "Nonsense. What do you know about Dongfang? Everyone can tell you that he made the most ridiculous mistake. If you don't believe me, ask Angus." "Of course he won't always be right," said Monroe cautiously, with a look of deliberation. "The Borneo he described is not the Borneo we know. He just saw it on the deck of a merchant ship. Even so, he wasn't a keen observer. But what does it matter? I don't think fiction has to be bound by fact. I think it's possible to create a dark, sinister, romantic and heroic A nation of souls, a nation of souls, is no small achievement." "My poor Angus, you are a sentimental man." Then she turned to Neil, "You should read Turglev, you should read Tolstoy, you should read Dosto Yevsky." Neal didn't know how to face Daria Monroe.She skipped the initial acquaintance stage and treated Neil like a close friend she had known for a long time.This baffled Neil.This seems reckless.When he meets strangers, his intuition always tells him that he must be careful.He has a good temper, but he doesn't like to get too close to people before he knows the situation.He usually does not place his trust lightly on others unless there is a good reason to do so.But in front of Daria, people are often not autonomous, she will force you to trust her.She's outspoken about her feelings and thoughts—something that most people keep secret.She was nothing like the people he had known, didn't talk like them, didn't act like them.She doesn't mind if what she says is appropriate.She would talk about some of the nature of human beings, and Neil couldn't help blushing.People get excited by her teasing. "Oh, you're such a moralist! Is there something wrong with this? I want a bath, why can't I say it? And if I think you need a bath, why don't I What should I tell you?" "In theory, I think you're right," Neil responded.He was always so wise, so reasonable. She made him tell about his parents, about his brothers, about his life at school.She also told him stories about herself.Her father was a general who was killed in war, and her mother was a princess.They lived in eastern Russia when the Bolsheviks came to power, then they fled to Yokohama.There, they struggled to survive by selling their old jewelry and other items, and it was also here that she married another emigre.Their married life was unhappy and the couple divorced after two years.Her mother died unfortunately, so she was penniless and had to work hard to fend for herself.She was employed by a rescue organization in the United States.She taught at a mission school and also worked for a hospital.These stories made Neil's blood boil, and when she told about a man trying to take advantage of her, Neil felt extremely embarrassed.She told Neil these stories without reservation. "Beast," he said. "Oh, all men are like that," she replied, shrugging.On one occasion, she told him, she even pulled out her revolver in self-defense. "I swear, if the man dares to go one step further, I will kill him. If he dares to do that, I will kill him like a dog." "My God!" Neil exclaimed. It was in Yokohama that she met Angus.At that time, he was on vacation in Japan.His integrity, his obvious decency, his tenderness struck her deeply.He was not a businessman, he was a scientist, and science is almost the brother of art.He gave her peace and security, and she was tired of Japan, and Borneo was a place of mystery.Now, they have been married for five years. She recommended many Russian novelists to Neil.She gave him, and The Brothers Karamazov. "These are the three pinnacles of Russian literature. Read them. This is the greatest novel in the world." Like many Russians, she spoke as if all literature in the world was insignificant except Russian literature, as if a few novels and stories, a few insignificant poems and a few plays could make everything else in the world insignificant. Overshadowed the same.However, Neil was attracted and couldn't help being overwhelmed by everything in front of him. "Neill, you're very much like Alyosha yourself," she said, looking at him with eyes of great tenderness, "an Alyosha with that Irish silence, suspicious and prudent, Never let your soul, let your spiritual beauty come out." "I'm not at all like Alyosha," he replied, somewhat embarrassed. "You don't know what you look like. You don't know yourself at all. Why did you become a naturalist? Is it for the money? You could make more money if you helped your uncle in Glasgow. I Feel something strange, otherworldly in you. I could fall at your feet as Father Zosima did to Dimitri." "Please don't do that," he responded with a smile, blushing at the same time. However, after reading those novels, Neal felt that Daria was no longer so strange.小说里都是她成长的环境，他也逐渐意识到，虽然达里娅与他在苏格兰认识的那些女人很不一样——他的母亲、他的叔叔在格拉斯哥的女儿们，然而她那样的个性在这些俄国小说里却极为常见。他终于不再对她熬夜到很晚，喝很多茶，几乎整天躺在沙发上阅读并且不停地抽烟这些事感到奇怪了。她可以连着很多天里什么事也不做，却不觉得无聊。倦怠与激情在她身上很好地融为了一体。她常常说（当然总不忘耸肩），她只是很偶然地成为了东方人与欧洲人的结合体。她身上有一种如猫般的优雅，确切地表明了她就是个东方人。她的外表看起来很不整洁，他们的起居室里堆满了香烟头、旧报纸和空的罐头盒，但这似乎一点儿也没有妨碍到她。然而她认为自己有点儿像安娜·卡列尼娜，他便将对安娜的同情转移到达里娅身上。他理解她的自负。她鄙视社会上的普通女人是很正常的事——他正在逐渐熟悉的那些人，她们是很平庸的人；然而达里娅的思维却比她们快很多，她有着更为宽泛的文化背景，尤其是，她身上有一种让人感到战栗的敏感，能让其他那些女人显得格外地黯淡无光。当然，她从不会刻意去取悦那些女人。虽说她总是穿着纱笼和马来的传统服饰在家里晃荡，但每当她和安格斯外出就餐时，她总会穿得极为华丽，有时甚至都有些不合时宜。她喜欢显露自己丰满的乳房以及漂亮的背部。她会精心地为自己的脸颊和眼睛做一番修饰，就像即将要登台演出的女演员一样。她的出现往往会引来一些逗趣或是愤慨的扫视，这让尼尔感到很生气，他不禁要为她将自己弄成那样而感到同情。当然，她看起来非常高贵，但那些不了解她的人可能会认为这个女人不值得尊敬。有一些关于她的事情，尼尔觉得永远也无法忘怀。她的胃口极好，吃得比尼尔和安格斯加起来还要多，这让尼尔很是生气。他也极不习惯她在谈论性事时的那份直率。她认为，尼尔在家乡及爱丁堡与许多女人有风流韵事是件理所当然的事情。她强迫他讲出那些刺激性经历的细节。而他身上那份爱尔兰人的狡猾使他成功地避开了她的追问，他以自己特有的谨慎躲过了她的猛攻。而达里娅则总是嘲笑他的缄默。 有时，她会让他感到震惊。他已经习惯了她对自己外貌的欣赏，当她告诉他，他英俊得就像是北欧神话中那些神的时候，他也能做到不动声色。奉承不住地倾泻而来，就像是不断地浇注到鸭子背上的水。但他很不喜欢她用她那大而柔软的手掌及爱抚的手指来抚弄他的鬈发，或是看她微笑着抚摸他那光滑的脸。他不能容忍别人随便碰他。一天，她想要喝点儿奎宁水，便自己动手往桌上的一个杯子里倒水。 “那是我的杯子，”他很快反应道，“我用它来喝过水。” “我也讨厌用别人的杯子喝水。” 她对待香烟的态度也非常有趣。一次——那时他还没到那里多久，他刚点上一只烟，达里娅便走过来，对他说： “我想要这只烟。” 她将那烟从他嘴里夺走，抽了起来。在抽了两三口之后，她说她不想要了，并将烟给了尼尔。她碰过的那烟头上，还留着她的红唇印，尼尔完全不想再接着抽那只烟了。但他想，如果自己直接扔掉，达里娅可能会觉得他很不礼貌。这让他觉得很恶心。她常常会问他要烟抽，而等他递给她后，她总会说： “哦，帮我点燃一下，好吗？” 待他点燃后再递给她时，她总会张大嘴，以便让他直接把烟放她嘴里。在点燃这烟时，难免会把烟头弄湿。他常想，她如何能忍受去抽在他嘴里放过的烟。这些事虽然令人嫌恶，但尼尔也已熟悉这一切了。他确信，蒙诺先生也不会喜欢这点。甚至在俱乐部时，她也这样做过那么一两次。尼尔能感觉到，自己的脸色恐怕在发紫。他真希望达里娅没有这些令人嫌恶的习惯，然而他想，这可能因为她是俄国人的缘故，并且，有一点是大家都无法否认的：她确实是个有趣的伙伴。她的谈话总能让人感到兴奋，打个比方，就像是香槟酒——尼尔曾尝过一次这酒，并认为是种极糟糕的东西。她的谈话总是无所不包。然而她的谈话却有异于男人们：同男人们讲话时，你通常能猜到他们接下来会讲些什么，但你几乎完全无法猜到达里娅接下来会谈些什么。她还有着惊人的直觉。她能给你灵感。她能开阔你的思维，激活你的想象力。同她谈话时，尼尔总是一反常态，浑身都充满了活力；就像是行走在山峰的顶端，精神任意驰骋着，完全没有边界。每当他停下来思索他与她的思绪一起进行了怎样的高空遨游，他总会感到某种满足。这样的谈话总能为感官带来许多乐趣。从很多方面来讲，她都是尼尔所见过的最聪明的女人。此外，她还是安格斯·蒙诺的妻子。 尼尔对达里娅会有所保留，但对蒙诺先生却没有；与蒙诺相比，达里娅在尼尔眼中便不那么卓越了：他非常崇拜她的丈夫。与蒙诺一起时，他完全无需隐藏什么，他也从未如此崇拜过一个人。蒙诺先生理智、沉稳、宽容。尼尔希望自己以后也能成为这样的人。他很少讲话，但一旦开口，必然会有好见地。他是个智者。他的幽默不动声色，然而尼尔却总能会其意。这让俱乐部里那些引人大笑的幽默失去了意义。他和善又有耐性。他有高尚的品质，因此，没有人敢在他面前放肆，但他却并不高傲，也没有不苟言笑。他很诚实，是个完全值得信赖的人。然而除了他的为人以外，尼尔更崇拜作为科学家的他。他有极为丰富的想象力。他做事很仔细，也很认真。尽管他的兴趣是在研究上，他仍然负责尽职地履行着博物馆的日常事务。他这时对竹节虫尤其感兴趣，并打算写一篇关于它们的单性生殖能力的论文。他的实验出了一些意外，这给尼尔留下了深刻的印象。一天，一只被俘的长臂猿挣脱了自己的链锁，吃光了所有的竹节虫幼虫，整个地破坏了蒙诺的实验。尼尔知道后，差点儿就哭了出来。然而安格斯·蒙诺却将那长臂猿抱入自己怀中，微笑着安抚它。 “金刚，金刚，”他援引伊萨克·牛顿爵士的话，“你不知道你究竟造成了多大的破坏。” 同时，他也在研究拟态伪装，并向尼尔灌输他对那些有争议的东西的强烈兴趣。他们总是没完没了地讨论这些问题。尼尔为馆长的博学感到震惊：他的学识完全就是百科全书式的，即使是这样，他还为自己的无知感到羞愧。然而当蒙诺谈到深入这国家去收集标本时，他的激情几乎是带有传染性的。这真是完美的生活，充满了困苦与艰难，常常很匮乏，有时还极危险。但报偿也是丰厚的：发现一个新的品种，甚至是新的物种时所带来的兴奋，考察地优美的风景以及对自然的亲密观察，尤其是摆脱了一切束缚的那种自由——这也是尼尔沉醉于这份工作的主要原因。因为自己的研究工作，蒙诺常常不得不离家而去，并且往往一去就是几个星期，而达里娅总是拒绝陪他前去。对于丛林，她有一种无缘由的恐惧。她非常害怕野兽、蛇以及有毒的昆虫。尽管蒙诺总是反复告诉她，只要人们不去挑逗它们，那些动物是不会伤害人类的，但她仍是克服不了她那出于本能的恐惧。他并不想离开她。她一点儿也不喜欢当地那些人，他知道，自己不在的时候，她的生活一定会无聊得让人难以忍受。然而苏丹国王对博物学很感兴趣，迫切地希望这博物馆里能有这个国家所有的动物群。尼尔将同蒙诺一起去进行一次远征考察，这样他便能学习该如何去工作，对于这一次的出行，他们已经讨论了好几个月。尼尔期待着这一刻早点儿到来，他还从未像这次一样，这么迫切地渴望过某事。 与此同时，他学会了马来语，还略知一些有益于未来旅程的方言。他玩网球和足球，并很快认识了这里所有的人。在足球场上，他抛开了自己对科学的专注以及对俄国小说的兴趣，全心全意地投入到体育的乐趣中。他很强壮，反应很快，跑动也很积极。在这一切结束之后，同其他人一起去冲个澡，再喝上一杯放有柠檬片的奎宁水，顿觉生活是无比惬意。尼尔从未想过会一直同蒙诺夫妇住在一起。瓜拉·索洛尔有很多客栈，但通常的规矩是，人们不该在里面住上超过两星期的时间，而那些没有被安排住所的有公职的单身汉们常常一起去俱乐部，因此往往便聚在一起居住。但尼尔到达这里的时候，四处都没有空缺的房间。然而，一天晚上，在他来到这殖民地约四个月的样子，当他们打完网球后坐在一起休息时，两个男人——华林和琼森——告诉他，他们的一个室友回家了，如果尼尔愿意的话，他们很乐意他搬过去同他们一起住。他们是与他同龄的年轻人，都是足球队的成员，尼尔一直很喜欢他们。华林在海关署工作，而琼森则是警察。听到这个建议，尼尔高兴地跳了起来。他们告诉了他那房子的价格，随后，大家一起商定好了尼尔搬过去的日期——就在两周后。 这天，在用晚餐时，他将此事告知了蒙诺夫妇。 “真的很感谢你们让我在这里待了这么久。这样麻烦你们，我感到很不安，也很惭愧，然而现在，我已经没有任何理由再待在这里了。”“但我们很喜欢你和我们待在一起。”达里娅说，“你不需要任何理由的。” “难道我可以无限期地待在这里吗？” “为什么不可以？你的薪水那么低，为什么还要浪费在食宿上？同华林和琼森待在一起，你一定会觉得无聊又拘谨的。他们都是些蠢货。除了听唱片和踢球，他们脑子里什么东西也没有。” 这倒是真的：免费的住宿确实很合宜。他因此省下了很大一笔钱。他本性节俭，从不会随意花不该花的钱，然而他也为自己感到自豪：他再也不用依靠别人生活了。达里娅默默地观察着他。 “安格斯和我现在已经习惯有你的存在了。我想我们一定会想念你的。如果你愿意，你也可以付给我们膳食费。多你一个人，我们也并没有多花费多少钱，但如果那样能让你觉得好过些的话，我可以算一下你的饮食花费，以后你就负责你那部分的费用。” “有个陌生人在家里，一定是件很讨厌的事情。”他含糊其词地回答说。 “你搬过去住的话，一定会很痛苦的。天啊，他们吃的都是些肮脏的东西。” 在蒙诺家里，你可以吃到瓜拉·索洛尔最好的食物，这点倒是不争的事实。尼尔也不时地在外用餐，而即使是在地方长官的家里，也吃不到如此可口的饭菜。达里娅喜爱美食，并且总能将厨师培训到合格的标准。她做的俄国菜肴非常诱人。达里娅做的洋白菜汤完全值得特意走上五英里去品尝。然而蒙诺却什么也没有说。 “如果你留下来，我会感到很高兴。”此时，他终于开口了，“有你在这里，是件非常合宜的事。如果发生了什么事，我们可以即刻进行讨论。华林和琼森都是很好的人，但我敢说，要不了多久，你便会发现，可以跟他们一起谈论的东西非常有限。” “哦，既然这样，我也很乐意留下来。天知道我有多么喜欢这里。我只是怕妨碍了你们的生活。” 第二日，天空下着倾盆大雨，不能再玩网球或足球了。然而快到六点的时候，尼尔还是穿上雨衣，去了俱乐部。里面空空如也，只有地方长官坐在那里阅读《半月评论》。他叫作特里维廉，并自称是诗人拜伦的朋友。他又高又胖，留着一头白白的短发，又大又红的脸像极了喜剧演员。他很喜欢参加业余戏剧演出，并尤其擅长扮演愤世嫉俗的公爵及诙谐的男管家。他是个单身汉，但人们都认为他很喜欢女孩们，他还喜欢在用餐前喝一点儿杜松子酒。他之所以得到这个职位，是因为他是苏丹国王的朋友。他是个马虎而又自满的人，非常喜欢讲话，不太喜欢工作，他只希望一切顺利，并且没有人给他惹麻烦。尽管人们认为他并不是很称职，但这一带的人都很喜欢他，因为他随和又好客，并且，他现在的样子，显然要比精力更充沛或做事更有效率的人更能为人们带来舒适的生活。看到尼尔进来，他冲他点了点头。 “年轻人，今天虫子们的表现还好吧？” “先生，它们能感知这天气。”尼尔严肃地回答道。 "Hello." 几分钟后，华林、琼森和另一个叫作毕索普的人一起走了进来。毕索普在行政部门就职。尼尔不玩桥牌，因此，毕索普直接向地方长官走了过去。 “先生，你愿意加入我们一起玩桥牌吗？”他问长官，“今天俱乐部没有其他人了。” 长官看了其他人一眼。 “好吧。等我看完这篇文章就来。你们先发牌吧。我再过五分钟就来。” 尼尔走到了三个人跟前。 “哦，我说，华林，非常感谢你们，但我不能搬到你们那里去住了。蒙诺夫妇让我一直跟他们住一起。” 华林于是咧嘴笑了。 “真想不到。” “他们人真好，对吧？他们特别在意这个问题，因此我也没有办法拒绝。” “我都告诉过你什么了？”毕索普说。 “不怪这孩子。”华林回应道。 他们说话的方式让尼尔感到有些不悦。他们似乎觉得这是件很好笑的事。尼尔突然脸红了。 “你们究竟是什么意思？”他叫道。 “哦，别装蒜了。”毕索普说，“我们很清楚达里娅。你并不是第一个被她捕获的英俊的年轻人，你也不会是最后一个。” 毕索普话还没说完，尼尔紧握的拳头就像闪电般击了出去。尼尔击中了毕索普的脸，他因此重重地摔到地板上。琼森扑向尼尔，擒住了他，因为他的感情此时已失去了控制。 “放开我。”他叫道，“如果他不收回这话，我会杀了他。” 我们的长官被这阵骚乱惊扰了，他看向这边，并站起身来。他郑重其事地向几个年轻人走来。 “这是怎么回事儿？这是怎么回事儿？你们到底在玩些什么？” 他们都吃了一惊——他们早已忘记长官的存在了。他可是他们的首领。琼斯于是松开了尼尔，毕索普也从地上爬了起来。长官皱了皱眉，很不客气地对尼尔说道： “你这是什么意思？你打了毕索普吗？” "Yes, sir." "why?" “他讲了些下流的话，还牵涉一个女人的清白。”尼尔非常傲慢地回答道，并且依然是愤怒不止。 长官的双眼闪烁了一下，然而脸上仍旧是一脸严肃。 "Which woman?" “我拒绝回答。”尼尔说着，一边昂起头来，并挺直了腰板。 要不是我们的长官比他高两英寸，并且也比他强壮很多，那效果一定会更好。 “不要做那种可恶的小蠢货。” “是达里娅·蒙诺。”琼斯说道。 “毕索普，你都说了些什么？” “我忘记刚才确切使用的词汇了。我是说，她与这里的许多年轻人都上过床，并且我想，她一定也没有放过和麦克亚当一起做那事的机会。” “这确实是个非常无礼的说法。不过，你们也许可以相互道个歉，并握手言和。你们俩。” “先生，我遭到了猛击。我的眼睛不久就会变得像撒旦的眼睛了。如果我因为讲了真话而道歉，那我才真是该死。” “你已经不小了，应该明白，如果你坚持要说你讲的是事实，那将是一种更大的冒犯。至于你的眼睛，我知道有一种生牛排可以起到非常好的治疗效果。但我认为，你还是应该礼貌地向尼尔道歉，这事实上是一道命令。” Everyone was silent for a while.我们的长官也就那么不动声色地站在那里。 “先生，我为自己所说的话表示歉意。”毕索普闷闷不乐地说。 “麦克亚当，现在轮到你了。” “先生，我很抱歉我刚才打了他。我也为此而道歉。” “握手。” 两个年轻人很严肃地握了手。 “我不希望以后再出现这种事情。这对蒙诺很不好——我想，大家都是很喜欢蒙诺的。你们可以管住自己的嘴吗？” 他们点了点头。 “现在，你们走吧。麦克亚当，你留下来，我想跟你说几句话。” 当房间里只剩下来他们两人后，我们的长官坐下来，并给自己点了根雪茄。他又递了一根给尼尔，不过尼尔只抽香烟。 “你真是个狂暴的年轻人。”长官笑着说，“我不喜欢我的职员在公共场合做出这样的事情。” “蒙诺太太是我的好朋友。她给了我许多帮助。因此，我不愿听到关于她的坏话。” “那么，如果你再在这里待久一点，恐怕就保不住自己的工作了。” 尼尔沉默了一会儿。又高又瘦的他就那么站在我们的长官面前，他那庄严而又年轻的脸上写满了诚实。他挑战般地昂起了头。他激动的情绪使得他话语里的苏格兰口音更重了。 “我和蒙诺夫妇一起住了四个月，我以我的名誉担保，迄今为止，我从未见过任何与那禽兽所说相关的事。蒙诺太太对我从未有过过度亲密的举动。她从未以语言或行动暗示过我，她脑子里有其他什么不恰当的想法。她就像是我的母亲或是姐姐。” 我们的长官望着他，眼里充满了讽刺意味。 “很高兴你能这样讲。这是长久以来，我所听到的关于她的最好的评价。” “先生，你的确相信我所说的话，对吧？” “当然。或许你已经改造了她。”他大声叫起来，“服务生，给我拿杯杜松子酒来。”然后转而对尼尔说道，“那就好。现在你可以走了。但你给我听着，不准再打架了，否则你一定会被解雇的。” 尼尔走在回蒙诺夫妇家的路上时，雨已经停了，繁星在丝绒般的天空中闪闪发光。花园里，萤火虫在四处翩翩起舞。地面上浮起一阵暖香，让人感觉，一旦停下脚步，便能听见草木葱茏生长的声音。夜里的一朵白花散发出一阵迷人的香味。蒙诺正在走廊上打字，而达里娅则整个地躺在一张长椅里读书。她身后的光映照在她的头发上，就像是有个光环围绕着她。她放下手里的书，微笑着抬头看尼尔。她的笑容非常友善。 “尼尔，你到哪儿去了？” “我刚去了俱乐部。” “有人在那里吗？” 此时的场景非常舒适，也充满了安宁的气息，而达里娅的举止也平和而自信，因此，想要不被打动，反倒是挺难的。这里的两个人，各自被自己的思绪萦绕着，然而看起来却那样的团结，他们的亲密显得如此自然，因此，所有人都以为，他们过着非常美满而幸福的生活。尼尔完全不相信毕索普所讲的话，也并未把长官的暗示放在心上。那完全不可信。不管怎样，他知道他们对自己的怀疑纯粹是无中生有，因此，凭什么要去相信其余的部分又是真的？他们的思想都很肮脏，所有的那些人。因为他们都是些下流坯，所以便把所有人都想得跟他们一样坏。他的指关节到现在还有点儿疼，但他为自己打了毕索普而感到高兴。他希望能知道这些下流故事的始作俑者。他一边这么想着，一边拧了拧脖子。 不过现在，蒙诺定好了他们出去考察的日期，因此他们总有很多需要讨论的东西，而一向小心谨慎的他也开始在做准备，以防在最后时候遗漏什么东西。他们计划去到河流的最上游处，然后穿越丛林，在那座鲜为人知的希塔姆山上猎取一些动物标本。他们预计会离开两个月。随着出发之日的临近，蒙诺先生的情绪也日渐高涨起来，尽管他仍不怎么讲话，尽管他仍保持着沉默及自我克制，然而人们却能从他眼里那异乎平日的光彩及脚步的轻快中看出他对此次考察的期盼。一天早上，在博物馆里，蒙诺的好心情似乎更甚于往日。 “我有个好消息要告诉你。”在一起做完一些实验后，蒙诺突然对尼尔说，“达里娅将会和我们同去。” “她吗？那太好了。” 尼尔很高兴——这样，他们的旅程便堪称完美了。 “这是我第一次成功诱使她与我同去。我告诉她，她一定会喜欢这些探险，但她从来也听不进去。女人真是些奇怪的动物。我本已放弃，也没有想过要劝她这次陪我们前往，不过昨天晚上，她突然破天荒地说希望能跟我们一起去。” “这真是太好了。”尼尔说道。 “我也不希望让她太久地独自待在家里。不过现在，我们可以随便逗留多久了。” 一天早上，尼尔一行很早便驶着四艘由马来人驾驶的快速帆船出发了。随行的人中，除了他们的仆役，还有四个迪雅克猎手。他们三人肩并肩躺在软垫上，而软垫上方是遮雨棚；另一艘船上是华人仆役及四个迪雅克人。他们带着供所有人食用的粮食，自身的供给、衣物、书籍以及他们工作中的所有必需品。远离人类文明似乎是件神圣的事情，因此他们都感到非常兴奋。他们聊天，抽烟，也阅读，而眼前的河流只是静静地流淌着。他们在长满绿草的河岸边用餐。暮色降临，他们便停下船来。他们在长屋中过夜，做东的迪雅克主人会用亚力酒、热情的言语及优美的舞蹈来招待他们。第二日，河道开始变狭窄，让他们更进一步地意识到，他们是在进行着走向未知的探险，而河岸边那些充满异国情调的植物，更是让尼尔感到无比陶醉。这是多么不可思议且令人快乐的事情啊！第三日，河水更浅，溪流也更急了，他们便换上了更轻便的船，然而很快，水流变得更加湍急起来，船夫们都无法继续涉水前行，于是，他们不得不在激流中抛下锚来。行船途中，他们不时会遇上急流，然后，一行人便被迫停船上岸，先是卸掉船上的一部分东西，再将船从岩石遍地的道路上拖过。经过五天的艰苦跋涉，他们来到了一个无法再前行的地点。那里有政府的小屋，他们便在这里待了几个晚上。同时，蒙诺也一边为他们的远足做内部安排。他们需要搬运行李的搬夫，也需要在到达希塔姆山后为他们建房子的人。蒙诺觉得有必要见一见附近村子里的首领，并且，自己亲自上门会比让他们过来要节省时间，于是，在到达这里后的第二天，他便带上一个向导及几个迪雅克人，天刚一亮就启程了。他预计几个小时后就可以回来。在他走后，尼尔觉得自己需要洗个澡。在离他们的住处稍远的地方，有一处特别清澈的水池，清澈到人们都能看清水底的每一颗沙粒。那里的河道非常狭窄，以至此岸的树都可以延伸至彼岸。那是个非常可爱的地方。这让尼尔想起了苏格兰的那些水池，那些他儿时曾在里面嬉戏过的水池，但两地的水池却又有着明显的不同。这里的水池有种浪漫的气息，能让人感受到原始的自然，并且总让他产生一些难以言说的感觉。当然，他试过要对此进行分析，然而那些比他年长的同伴认为幸福是无法剖析的。一只翠鸟停在一根突出的树枝上，它身上那鲜艳的蓝色倒映在清澈的小河里。在尼尔脱掉纱笼和衣服涉入水中时，那翠鸟振动着自己如同经过宝石装饰般的翅膀，随即飞走了。那水让人感觉神清气爽，也不是很凉。他不停地泼溅那水，并在河里打滚。他很享受地任由自己强健的四肢在水里做着各种动作。他漂浮起来，透过头顶上树叶间的缝隙欣赏那湛蓝的天空以及不时将水面染成金色的太阳。突然，他听到了一个人的声音。 “尼尔，你的皮肤可真白啊！” 他猛吸了一口气，赶紧让身体没入水中，并转过头去，看到了站在岸边的达里娅。 “我说，我什么衣服也没有穿。” “我看见了。沐浴的时候什么都不穿更好。等一等，我马上下来，这看起来真不错。” 达里娅也是穿着纱笼和短衣。尼尔很快转过头去，看见达里娅已经开始在脱衣服。他听见了她涉入水中的声音。他往更远处划了一些，以让她有更多的空间可游泳，同时又不至于与自己离得过近，然而达里娅却径直向他游来。 “身体上有水的感觉很好吧？”她说。 说完，她笑了，并开始伸出手来，往尼尔脸上泼水。尼尔则感到非常尴尬，甚至都不知道眼睛该往哪里看才好。在如此清澈的水中，不看到达里娅那彻底赤裸的身体是不可能的。现在还不是很糟，然而尼尔却忍不住要去想，从这水中起身将会有多么困难。而达里娅看起来却是很开心的样子。 “我不在乎这样是否会弄湿我的头发。”她说。 她露出后背，开始有力地绕着这水池游泳。他想，等到达里娅想要上岸时，他最好转过身，等她穿好衣服离开后，自己再起来。她似乎丝毫没有意识到此情此景异常尴尬。他非常生气，达里娅这样的举止确实很不得体。她继续若无其事地同他讲话，就好像他们正在陆地上，并且穿着妥当。她甚至还故意要唤起他的注意。 “我的头发看起来是不是很糟糕？在它被弄湿的时候，看起来总是就像鼠尾一样。我现在理一下它们，你帮忙扶着我的肩膀吧。” “哦，好吧，”他说，“不过你最好马上离开。” 过了一会儿，达里娅说道：“我好饿，我们去吃早餐好吗？”“如果你先上岸去穿好衣服，那么我一会儿就过来。” "Ok." 达里娅向前划了两下，游至岸边，尼尔则将头扭向一边，这样，他便看不到她赤身裸体地上岸了。 “我上不去，”她叫道，“你得过来帮帮我。” 跳入池中很容易，但河岸比水面高许多，需要借助树枝才能爬上去。 “我没法帮你。我现在什么也没有穿。” “我知道。忘掉你那一套苏格兰的东西吧。快到岸上去拉我一把。”再没有其他办法可想了。于是，尼尔只能游到岸边，上岸后将达里娅拖了起来。达里娅的纱笼就放在尼尔的纱笼旁边。她漫不经心地拿起自己的纱笼，试图擦干身上的水。尼尔也开始用纱笼拭身，正派的他转过身去，背对着达里娅。 “你的皮肤真是太好了。”她说，“就跟女人的皮肤一样光滑，一样白净。一个那么有阳刚气的男人竟生得这样的皮肤，可真有意思。并且，你的胸膛上竟然没有毛发。” 尼尔用纱笼将身体裹住，伸手去拿自己的衣服。 "are you ready?" 达里娅做了粥、蛋、咸肉、冷肉及酸果酱作为早餐。尼尔有些生气，达里娅将俄罗斯人那一套表现得太过明显了。她今天的举动真是愚蠢，当然，这并未造成什么伤害，但正是这类事情让人联想到别人对她的看法。最糟糕的是，你甚至无法给她暗示。那样的话，她只会嘲笑你。如果瓜拉·索洛尔那些男人看到他们像这样赤身裸体地一起游泳，那么，他们无论如何也不会相信他和达里娅之间并未发生什么不当行为的。理智告诉尼尔，自己真的不能责怪那些人。达里娅确实太过分了，她不该把