williamsomersetmaugham-公共基础学院-辽宁大学.pptVIP

辽宁大学博士研究生教材 辽宁大学公共基础学院 Chapter IV The Luncheon William Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) was an English novelist and playwright．Among his many works were Liza of Lambeth (1897)，Of Human Bondage (1915)，Cakes and Ale (1930)，all novels；and The Circle (1921)，a play．His short stories were collected in All Together (1934)． A naturalist writer，Maugham liked to describe conflicts in life，which he considered meaningless． The Luncheon I caught sight of her at the play(看剧时) and in answer to her beckoning(点头示意) I went over during the interval and sat down beside her. It was long since I had last seen her and if someone had not mentioned her name I hardly think I would have recognized her. She addressed me brightly(她笑容满面地同我打招呼). “Well, it’s many years since we first met. How time does fly! We’re none of us getting any younger. Do you remember the first time I saw you? You asked me to luncheon?” The Luncheon Did I remember? It was twenty years ago and I was living in Paris. I had a tiny apartment in the Latin Quarter overlooking a cemetery and I was earning barely enough money to keep body and soul together(勉强够糊口). She had read a book of mine and had written to me about it. The Luncheon I answered, thanking her, and presently I received from her another letter saying that she was passing through Paris and would like to have a chat with me; but her time was limited and the only free moment she had was on the following Thursday; she was spending the morning at the Luxembourg (卢森堡公园) and would I give her a little luncheon at Foyot’s (弗沃特) afterwards? The Luncheon Foyot’s is a restaurant at which the French senators (参议员) eat and it was so far beyond my means(超过支付能力) that I had never even thought of going there. But I was flattered and I was too young to have learned to say no to a woman. (Few men, I may add, learn this until they are too old to make it of any consequence to a wom