2021年经济学人 小说家约翰·勒卡尔(1)

John le Carre, (born David Cornwell) master of the spy novel, died on December 12th, aged¹ 89

约翰·勒卡尔（出生时叫大卫·康威尔）间谍小说大师，于12月12日去世，享年89岁

The house in Gainsborough Gardens was tall and elegant in the red-brick Hampstead manner, with a background of old trees. In front of the houses stretched a dank lawn strewn with leaves. He walked across it quickly to the locked gate on the Well Walk side, which preserved the hidden feel of the place. He might have been going to lunch at the Wells, where the rhubarb crumble² was reliably good. But too many people knew John le Carre there, spotted³ his upright stance and far-sighted gaze, the fine greying head, and might start conversations.

盖恩斯伯勒花园的房子高大典雅，红砖汉普斯特德风格，背景是古树。房子前面是一片潮湿的草地，草地上散落着树叶。他很快地穿过它，走到井边那扇紧锁的大门前，那扇大门保留了这个地方隐秘的感觉。他可能要去威尔斯吃午饭，那里的大黄酥碎确实不错。但是有太多的人知道约翰·勒卡雷在那里，看到他笔直的姿态和远视的目光，那漂亮的灰白的脑袋，可能会开始交谈。

Today he had a different assignation. He turned not left but right, towards the Heath. A weather-boarded barn stood by East Heath Road, with a bench on which it was said that Keats had sat and wept. On the other side of the road, a gravel⁴ track curved down through an avenue of trees. A few dog-walkers wandered on it. It was here, in "Smiley's People", the third part of his George Smiley trilogy, that General Vladimir had been shot in the face by Moscow agents. And there, just off the path, lodged⁵ in a crevice⁶ where a tree forked, Smiley had found the cigarette packet that held the proof he needed.

今天他有一个不同的任务。他不是左转，而是右转，朝着荒野走去。东希思路旁边有一个挡风雨的谷仓，有一张长凳，据说济慈坐在上面哭过。在路的另一边，一条砾石小路弯弯曲曲地穿过林荫道。几个遛狗的人在上面闲逛。在乔治·斯迈利三部曲的第三部分“斯迈利的人”中，弗拉基米尔将军被莫斯科特工射中脸部。在那里，就在小路旁边，斯迈利在一棵分叉的树的缝隙里找到了装着他需要的证据的烟盒。

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 crumble   

vi.碎裂，崩溃；vt.弄碎，摧毁

参考例句：

• Opposition more or less crumbled away.反对势力差不多都瓦解了。
• Even if the seas go dry and rocks crumble,my will will remain firm.纵然海枯石烂，意志永不动摇。

3 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

4 gravel   

n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石

参考例句：

• We bought six bags of gravel for the garden path.我们购买了六袋碎石用来铺花园的小路。
• More gravel is needed to fill the hollow in the drive.需要更多的砾石来填平车道上的坑洼。

5 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 crevice   

n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口

参考例句：

• I saw a plant growing out of a crevice in the wall.我看到墙缝里长出一棵草来。
• He edged the tool into the crevice.他把刀具插进裂缝里。