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！
¨Itˇll be all right； John。〃
¨Imagine a young fellow like you not to sleep。〃
¨Iˇll get all right。 It just takes a while。〃
¨You got to get all right。 A man canˇt get along that donˇt sleep。 Do you worry about anything？ You got anything on your mind？〃
¨No； John； I donˇt think so。〃
¨You ought to get married； Signor Tenente。 Then you wouldnˇt worry。〃
¨I donˇt know。〃
¨You ought to get married。 Why donˇt you pick out some nice Italian girl with plenty of money？ You could get any one you want。 Youˇre young and you got good decorations and you look nice。 You been wounded a couple of times。〃
¨I canˇt talk the language well enough。〃
¨You talk it fine。 To hell with talking the language。 You donˇt have to talk to them。 Marry them。〃
¨Iˇll think about it。〃
¨You know some girls； donˇt you？〃
¨Sure。〃
¨Well； you marry the one with the most money。 Over here； the way theyˇre brought up； theyˇll all make you a good wife。〃
¨Iˇll think about it。〃
¨Donˇt think about it； Signor Tenente。 Do it。〃
¨All right。〃
¨A man ought to be married。 Youˇll never regret it。 Every man ought to be married。〃
¨All right；〃 I said。 ¨Letˇs try and sleep a while。〃
¨All right Signor Tenente。 Iˇll try it again。 But you remember what I said。〃
¨Iˇll remember it；〃 I said。 ¨Now letˇs sleep a while； John。〃
¨All right；〃 he said。 ¨I hope you sleep； Signor Tenente。〃
I heard him roll in his blankets on the straw and then he was very quiet and I listened to him breathing regularly。 Then he started to snore。 I listened to him snore for a long time and then I stopped listening to him snore and listened to the silk…worms eating。 They ate steadily； making a dropping in the leaves。 I had a new thing to think about and I lay in the dark with my eyes open and thought of all the girls I had ever known and what kind of wives they would make。 It was a very interesting thing to think about and for a while it killed off trout…fishing and interfered with my prayers。 Finally； though； I went back to trout…fishing； because I found that I could remember all the streams and there was always something new about them； while the girls； after I had thought about them a few times； blurred and I could not call them into my mind and finally they all blurred and all became rather the same and I gave up thinking about them almost altogether。 But I kept on with my prayers and I prayed very often for John in the nights and his class was removed from active service before the October offensive。 I was glad he was not there； because he would have been a great worry to me。 He came to the hospital in Milan to see me several months after and he was very disappointed that I had not yet married； and I know he would feel very badly if he knew that； so far； I have never married。 He was going back to America and he was very certain about marriage and knew it would fix up everything。
THE END。
Ernest Hemingway ？ MEN WITHOUT WOMEN
5