American Tragedy 美国悲剧 chapter 11

The effect of this adventure on Clyde was such as might have been expected in connection with one so new andstrange to such a world as this. In spite of all that deep and urgent curiosity and desire that had eventually ledhim to that place and caused him to yield, still, because of the moral precepts ¹ with which he had so long been familiar, and also because of the nervous esthetic ² inhibitions which were characteristic of him, he could not butlook back upon all this as decidedly degrading and sinful. His parents were probably right when they preachedthat this was all low and shameful ⁴. And yet this whole adventure and the world in which it was laid, once it wasall over, was lit with a kind of gross, pagan beauty or vulgar charm for him. And until other and more interestingthings had partially ⁵ effaced ⁶ it, he could not help thinking back upon it with considerable interest and pleasure,even., ,In addition he kept telling himself that now, having as much money as he was making, he could go and do aboutas he pleased. He need not go there any more if he did not want to, but he could go to other places that might notbe as low, maybe -- more refined. He wouldn't want to go with a crowd like that again. He would rather have justone girl somewhere if he could find her -- a girl such as those with whom he had seen Sieberling and Doyleassociate. And so, despite all of his troublesome thoughts of the night before, he was thus won quickly over tothis new source of pleasure if not its primary setting. He must find a free pagan girl of his own somewhere if hecould, like Doyle, and spend his money on her. And he could scarcely wait until opportunity should provide him with the means of gratifying himself in this way., ,But more interesting and more to his purpose at the time was the fact that both Hegglund and Ratterer, in spite of, or possibly because of, a secret sense of superiority which they detected in Clyde, were inclined to look uponhim with no little interest and to court him and to include him among all their thoughts of affairs and pleasures., , ,There had never been any keen moral or characterful direction there at all. And so it was that Ratterer and hissister Louise, who was two years younger than himself, now did about as they pleased, and without thinking verymuch about it. But his sister chanced to be shrewd or individual enough not to wish to cast herself away on justany one., ,The interesting part of all this was that Clyde, in spite of a certain strain of refinement ⁹ which caused him to lookaskance at most of this, was still fascinated by the crude picture of life and liberty which it offered. Among suchas these, at least, he could go, do, be as he had never gone or done or been before. And particularly was hepleased and enlightened -- or rather dubiously ¹⁰ liberated ¹¹ -- in connection with his nervousness and uncertainty ¹² inregard to his charm or fascination ¹³ for girls of his own years. For up to this very time, and in spite of his recentfirst visit to the erotic temple to which Hegglund and the others had led him, he was still convinced that he hadno skill with or charm where girls were concerned. Their mere ¹⁴ proximity ¹⁵ or approach was sufficient to cause himto recede ¹⁶ mentally, to chill or palpitate nervously ¹⁷, and to lose what little natural skill he had for conversation orpoised banter ¹⁸ such as other youths possessed ¹⁹. But now, in his visits to the home of Ratterer, as he soondiscovered, he was to have ample opportunity to test whether this shyness and uncertainty could be overcome., ,The legal philosopher's concern is to ascertain the true nature of all the precepts and norms. 法哲学家的兴趣在于探寻所有规范和准则的性质 。 来自辞典例句,That armchair is comfortable but not very esthetic.那张扶手椅坐起来舒服 ，但不太美观
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