if.thespywholovedme-第3部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　〃Someone's　Rockin'　My　Dream　Boat；〃　and　I　was　back　on　the　River　Thames　and　it　was　five　summers　ago　and　we　were　drifting　down　past　Kings　Eyot　in　a　punt　and　there　was　Windsor　Castle　in　the　distance　and　Derek　was　paddling　while　I　worked　the　portable。　We　only　had　ten　records；　but　whenever　it　came　to　be　the　turn　of　the　Ink　Spots'　L。P。　and　the　record　got　to　〃Dream　Boat；〃　Derek　would　always　plead；　〃Play　it　again；　Viv；〃　and　I　would　have　to　go　down　on　my　knees　and　find　the　place　with　the　needle。
　So　now　my　eyes　filled　with　tears…not　because　of　Derek；　but　because　of　the　sweet　pain　of　boy　and　girl　and　sunshine　and　first　love　with　its　tunes　and　snapshots　and　letters　〃Sealed　With　A　Loving　Kiss。〃　They　were　tears　of　sentiment　for　lost　childhood；　and　of　self…pity　for　the　pain　that　had　been　its　winding　sheet；　and　I　let　two　tears　roll　down　my　cheeks　before　I　brushed　them　away　and　decided　to　have　a　short　orgy　of　remembering。
　My　name　is　Vivienne　Michel　and；　at　the　time　I　was　sitting　in　the　Dreamy　Pines　motel　and　remembering；　I　was　twenty…three。　I　am　five　feet　six；　and　I　always　thought　I　had　a　good　figure　until　the　English　girls　at　Astor　House　told　me　my　behind　stuck　out　too　much　and　that　I　must　wear　a　tighter　bra。　My　eyes；　as　I　have　said；　are　blue　and　my　hair　a　dark　brown　with　a　natural　wave；　and　my　ambition　is　one　day　to　give　it　a　lion's　streak　to　make　me　look　older　and　more　dashing。　I　like　my　rather　high　cheekbones；　although　these　same　girls　said　they　made　me　look　〃foreign；〃　but　my　nose　is　too　small；　and　my　mouth　too　big　so　that　it　often　looks　sexy　when　I　don't　want　it　to。　I　have　a　sanguine　temperament　which　I　like　to　think　is　romantically　tinged　with　melancholy；　but　I　am　wayward　and　independent　to　an　extent　that　worried　the　sisters　at　the　convent　and　exasperated　Miss　Threadgold　at　Astor　House。　（〃Women　should　be　willows；　Vivienne。　It　is　for　men　to　be　oak　and　ash。〃）
　I　am　French…Canadian。　I　was　born　just　outside　Quebec　at　a　little　place　called　Sainte　Famille　on　the　north　coast　of　the　Ile　d'Orleans；　a　long　island　that　lies　like　a　huge　sunken　ship　in　the　middle　of　the　Saint　Lawrence　River　where　it　approaches　the　Quebec　Straits。　I　grew　up　in　and　beside　this　great　river；　with　the　result　that　my　main　hobbies　are　swimming　and　fishing　and　camping　and　other　outdoor　things。　I　can't　remember　much　about　my　parents…except　that　I　loved　my　father　and　got　on　badly　with　my　mother…because　when　I　was　eight　they　were　both　killed　in　a　wartime　air　crash　ing　in　to　land　at　Montreal　on　their　way　to　a　wedding。　The　courts　made　me　a　ward　of　my　widowed　aunt；　Florence　Toussaint；　and　she　moved　into　our　little　house　and　brought　me　up。　We　got　on　all　right；　and　today　I　almost　love　her；　but　she　was　a　Protestant；　while　I　had　been　brought　up　as　a　Catholic；　and　I　became　the　victim　of　the　religious　tug　of　war　that　has　always　been　the　bane　of　priest…ridden　Quebec；　so　nearly　exactly　divided　between　the　faiths。　The　Catholics　won　the　battle　over　my　spiritual　well…being；　and　I　was　educated　in　the　Ursuline　Convent　until　I　was　fifteen。　The　sisters　were　strict　and　the　accent　was　very　much　on　piety；　with　the　result　that　I　learned　a　great　deal　of　religious　history　and　rather　obscure　dogma　which　I　would　gladly　have　exchanged　for　subjects　that　would　have　fitted　me　to　be　something　other　than　a　nurse　or　a　nun；　and；　when　in　the　end　the　atmosphere　became　so　stifling　to　my　spirit　that　I　begged　to　be　taken　away；　my　aunt　gladly　rescued　me　from　〃the　Papists〃　and　it　was　decided　that；　at　the　age　of　sixteen；　I　should　go　to　England　and　be　〃finished。〃　This　caused　something　of　a　local　hullabaloo。　Not　only　are　the　Ursulines　the　center　of　Catholic　tradition　in　Quebec…the　Convent　proudly　owns　the　skull　of　Mont…calm；　for　two　centuries　there　have　never　been　less　than　nine　sisters　kneeling　at　prayer；　night　and　day；　before　the　chapel　altar…but　my　family　had　belonged　to　the　very　innermost　citadel　of　French…Canadianism；　and　that　their　daughter　should　flout　both　treasured　folkways　at　one　blow　was　a　nine　days'　wonder…and　scandal。
　The　true　sons　and　daughters　of　Quebec　form　a　society；　almost　a　secret　society；　that　must　be　as　powerful　as　the　Calvinist　clique　of　Geneva；　and　the　initiates　refer　to　themselves　proudly；　male　or　female；　as　〃Canadiennes。〃　Lower；　much　lower；　down　the　scale　e　the　〃Canadiens〃…Protestant　Canadians。　Then　〃Les　Anglais；〃　which　embraces　all　more　or　less　recent　immigrants　from　Britain；　and　lastly；　〃Les　Américains；〃　a　term　of　contempt。　The　Canadiennes　pride　themselves　on　their　spoken　French；　although　it　is　a　bastard　patois　full　of　two…hundred…year…old　words　which　Frenchmen　themselves　don't　understand　and　is　larded　with　Frenchified　English　words…rather；　I　suppose；　like　the　relationship　of　Afrikaans　to　the　language　of　the　Dutch。　The　snobbery　and　exclusive…ness　of　this　Quebec　clique　extend　even　toward　the　French　who　live　in　France。　These　mother…people　to　the　Canadiennes　are　referred　to　simply　as　〃Etrangers〃！　I　have　told　all　this　at　some　length　to　explain　that　the　defection　from　The　Faith　of　a　Michel　from　Sainte　Famille　was　almost　as　heinous　a　crime　as　a　defection；　if　that　were　possible；　from　the　Mafia　in　Sicily；　and　it　was　made　pretty　plain　to　me　that；　in　leaving　the　Ursulines　and　Quebec；　I　had　just　about　burned　my　bridges　so　far　as　my　spiritual　guardians　and　my　home　town　were　concerned。
　My　aunt　sensibly　pooh…poohed　my　nerves　over　the　social　ostracism　that　followed…most　of　my　friends　were　forbidden　to　have　anything　to　do　with　me…but　the　fact　remains　that　I　arrived　in　England　loaded　with　a　sense　of　guilt　and　〃difference〃　that；　added　to　my　〃colonialism；〃　were　dreadful　psychological　burdens　with　which　to　face　a　smart　finishing　school　for　young　ladies。
　Miss　Threadgold's　Astor　House　was；　like　most　of　these　very　English　establishments；　in　the　Sunningdale　area…a　large　Victorian　stockbrokery　kind　of　place；　whose　upper　floors　had　been　divided　up　with　plasterboard　to　make　bedrooms　for　twenty…five　pairs　of　girls。　Being　a　〃foreigner；〃　I　was　teamed　up　with　the　other　foreigner；　a　dusky　Lebanese　millionairess　with　huge　tufts　of　mouse…colored　hair　in　her　armpits；　and　an　equal　passion　for　chocolate　fudge　and　an　Egyptian　film　star　called　Ben　Said；　whose　gleaming　photograph…gleaming　teeth；　mustache；　eyes；　and　hair…was　soon　to　be　torn　up　and　flushed　down　the　lavatory　by　the　three　senior　girls　of　Rose　Dormitory；　of　which　we　were　both　members。　Actually　I　was　saved　by　the　Lebanese。　She　was　so　dreadful；　petulant；　smelly；　and　obsessed　with　her　money　that　most　of　the　school　took　pity　on　me　and　went　out　of　their　way　to　be　kind。　But　there　were　many　others　who　didn't；　and　I　was　made　to　suffer　agonies　for　my　accent；　my　table　manners；　which　were　considered　uncouth；　my　total　lack　of　savoir…faire；　and；　in　general；　for　being　a　Canadian。　I　was　also；　I　see　now；　much　too　sensitive　and　quicktempered。　I　just　wouldn't　take　the　bullying　and　teasing；　and　when　I　had　roughed　up　two　or　three　of　my　tormentors；　others　got　together　with　them　and　set　upon　me　in　bed　one　night　and　punched　and　pinched　and　soaked　me　with　water　until　I　burst　into　tears　and　promised　1　wouldn't　〃fight　like　an　elk〃　any　more。　After　that；　I　gradually　settled　down；　made　an　armistice　with　the　place；　and　morosely　set　about　learning　to　be　a　〃lady。〃
　It　was　the　holidays　that　made　up　for　everything。　I　made　friends　with　a　Scottish　girl；　Susan　Duff；　who　liked　the　same　open…air　things　as　I　did。　She　too　was　an　only　child；　and　her　parents　were　glad　to　have　me　to　keep　her　pany。　So　there　was　Scotland　in　the　summer　and　skiing　in　the　winter　and　spring…all　over　Europe；　in　Switzerland；　Austria；　Italy…and　we　stuck　to　each　other　through　the　finishing　school　and　at　the　end　we　even　〃came　out〃　together；　and　Aunt　Florence　produced　five　hundred　pounds　as　my　contribution　to　an　idiotic　joint　dance　at　the　Hyde　Park　Hotel；　and　I　got　on　the　same　〃list〃　and　went　the　rounds　of　similar　idiotic　dances　at　which　the　young　men　seemed　to　me　rude　and　spotty　and　totally　unmasculine　pared　with　the　young　Canadians　I　had　known。　（But　I　may　have　been　wrong　because　one　of　the　spottiest　of　them　rode　in　the　Grand　National　that　year　and　finished　the　course！）
　And　then　I　met　Derek。
　By　now　I　was　seventeen　and　a　half；　and　Susan　and　I　were　living　in　a　tiny　three…room　fiat　in　Old　Church　Street　just　off　the　King's　Road。　It　was　the　end　of　June；　and　there　wasn't　much　more　of　our　famous　〃season〃　to　go　and　we　decided　to　give　a　party　for　the　few　people　we　had　met　and　actually　liked。　The　family　across　the　landing　were　going　abroad　on　holiday；　and　they　said　we　could　have　their　flat　in　exchange　for　keeping　an　eye　on　it　while　they　were　away。　We　were　both　of　us　just　about　broke　with　〃keeping　up　with　the　Joneses〃　at　all　these　balls；　and　I　cabled　Aunt　Florence　and　got　a　hundred　pounds　out　of　her；　and　Susan　scraped　up　fifty；　and　we　decided　to　do　it　really　well。　We　were　going　to　ask　about　thirty　people　and　we　guessed　that　only　twenty　would　e。　We　bought　eighteen　bottles　of　champagne…pink　because　it　sounded　more　exciting…a　ten…pound　tin　of　caviar；　two　rather　cheap　tins　of　foie　gras　that　looked　all　right　when　it　was　sliced　up；　and　lots　of　garlicky　things　from　Soho。　We　made　a　lot　of　brown　bread…and…butter　sandwiches　with　watercress　and　smoked　salmon；　and　added　some　sort　of　Christmasy　things　like　Elvas　plums　and　chocolates…a　stupid　idea：　no　one　ate　any　of　them…and；　by　the　time　we　had　spread　the　whole　lot　out　on　a　door　taken　off　its　hinges　and　covered　with　a　gleaming　tablecloth　to　make　it　seem　like　a　buffet；　it　looked　like　a　real　grown…up　feast。
　The　party　was　a　great　success；　almost　too　much　of　a　success。　All　the　thirty　came；　and　some　of　them　brought　others；　and　there　was　a　real　squash　with　people　sitting　on　the　stairs　and　even　one　man　on　the　john　with　a　girl　on　his　lap。　The　noise　and　the　heat　were　terrific。　Perhaps　after　all　we　weren't　such　squares　as　we　had　thought；　or　perhaps　people　really　like　squares　so　long　as　they　are　true　squares　and　don't　pretend。　Anyway；　of　course　the　worst　happened　and　we　ran　out　of　drink！　I　was　standing　by　the　table　when　some　wag　drained　the　last　bottle　of　champagne　and　shouted　in　a　strangled　voice；　〃Water！　Water！　Or　we'll　never　see　England　again。〃　I　got　nervous　and　said　stupidly；　〃Well；　there　just　isn't　any　more；〃　when　a　tall　young　man　standing　against　the　wall　said；　〃Of　course　there　is。　You've　forgotten　the　cellar