He is waiting for the airline ticket counter when he first notices the young woman. She has glossy black hair pulled tightly into a knot at the back of her bead-the man imagines it loosed and cascading to the small of her back-and carries over she shoulder of her leather coat a heavy black purse. She wears black boots of soft leather. He struggles to see her face-she is ahead of him in line-but it is not until she has bought her ticket and turns to walk away that he realizes her beauty, which is pale and dark-eyed and full-mouthed, and which quickens his heart beat. She seems aware that he is staring at her and lowers her gaze abruptly.

他第一次注意到那個年輕女人，是在他到航空公司售票處排隊買票的時候。她的烏黑發(fā)亮的一頭秀發(fā)在腦后緊緊地終成一個客。那人想象著那頭秀發(fā)披散開來瀑布般落在腰間的情形，只見那女人穿著皮外套的肩上挎著一個沉甸甸的黑色坤包，腳上穿著一雙黑色軟皮靴。他竭力想看到她的容貌，她就排在他的前面。但是，一直到她買好票走開，他才睹她的芳容：雪白的皮膚，馬里發(fā)亮的眼睛，豐滿的嘴唇。他心族搖蕩，狂跳不止。那年輕女人代乎察覺到他在注視著她，便突然垂下了眼睛。

The airline clerk interrupts. The man gives up looking at the woman—he thinks she may be about twenty-five—and buys a round-trip, coach class ticket to an eastern city.

售票員一說話打斷了他的想象。他不再看那女人——他想她可能有25歲左右——然后買了一張到東部一個城市的二等往返機票。

His flight leaves in an hour. To kill time, the man steps into one of the airport cocktail bars and orders a scotch and water. While he sips it he watches the flow of travelers through the terminal-including a remarkable number, he thinks, of an unattached pretty women dressed in fashion magazine clothes-until he catches sight of the black-haired girl in the leather coat. She is standing near a Travelers Aid counter, deep in conversation with a second girl, a blond in a cloth coat trimmed with gray fur. He wants somehow to attract the brunette’s attention, to invite her to have a drink with him before her own flight leaves for wherever she is traveling, but even though he believes for a moment she is looking his way he cannot catch her eye from out of the shadows of the bar. In another instant the two women separate; neither of their direction is toward him. He orders a second Scotch and water.

飛機過1個小時才起飛。為了消磨時間，他走進機場的一家雞尾酒吧，要了一杯兌水的蘇格蘭威士忌、他一邊慢慢地喝著酒，一邊望著大廳里川流不息的乘客——他想，其中有好多一定都是未婚的漂亮女人，她們穿的是時裝雜志上介紹的那種衣服——直到后來他又瞥見那個穿皮外套的黑發(fā)姑娘。她站在旅客服務臺旁邊，和另外一個姑娘眉飛色舞地聊著什么。另外那個姑娘金發(fā)碧眼，身穿一件鑲著灰色貓皮的布外套。不知怎么的，他想引起黑發(fā)姑娘的注意，想趁這個姑娘要乘的飛往什么地方去的班機還沒離開之前，請她喝上一杯。然而，盡管他認為她向他這邊張望了一小會兒，但他在酒吧的陰暗處，吸引不了她的秋波。過了沒多大一會兒，這兩個女人就分手了，都沒有朝這個方向走來。他又要了一杯兌水的蘇格蘭威士忌。