“非常抱歉。”彭德利·泰德韦尔说着，把他六英尺一英寸的身躯滑回到椅子里。“我从来没有机会给一个……”
“I’m terribly sorry,” Pendley Tidewell said, sliding his six-feet-one back into his chair. “I never had a chance to photograph a—”
马龙若有所思地看着这个金发青年，想知道他是否真的不在乎钱，是否真的有人能这么头脑简单，以及迈克尔·文宁五十岁对他来说会有什么不同。
Malone looked thoughtfully at the blond youth and wondered if he really didn’t care about money, whether anybody could be so simple-minded, and what difference Michael Venning’s being fifty years old was going to make to him.
这群人开始四处走动。海伦和迈克尔·文宁上楼去了赌博室。彭德利·泰德韦尔给正在和一位当前在市中心热门剧里出演的头发光滑的年轻演员跳舞的莫娜·麦克莱恩拍照。伊迪莎·文宁不知去哪儿了，警惕的卢埃拉跟在后面。马龙和杰克溜达进了酒吧。
The party began to wander. Helene and Michael Venning went upstairs to the gambling rooms. Pendley Tidewell took pictures of Mona McClane dancing with a sleek-haired young actor from a current Loop hit. Editha Venning vanished somewhere, followed by the watchful Louella. Malone and Jake drifted into the bar.
卡西诺赌场的酒吧很小，很温馨，也很随意。有两三张小桌子，都有人坐了。一个快活的年轻人坐在一架半品脱大小的钢琴前，为一群非常欣赏他的听众唱着他自己创作的无礼而生动的民谣。马龙挤到吧台前，和一位正统戏剧明星握了握手，拍了拍市长左膀右臂的后背，说道：“你好啊，老兄。”要了两杯黑麦威士忌，然后对杰克说：“这是个很不错的地方。等你拥有它的时候，你会度过一段美好的时光。”
The Casino bar was small, intimate, and informal. There were two or three tiny tables, all occupied. A cheerful young man sat at a half-pint piano, singing impudent and picturesque ballads of his own position to a highly appreciative group of listeners. Malone pushed his way to the bar, shook hands with a star of the legitimate stage, slapped the back of the mayor’s left-hand man, and said, “Hello, chum,” ordered two ryes, and said to Jake, “This is a very nice joint. You’re going to have a wonderful time when you own it.”
杰克哼了一声，向六七个熟人点了点头打招呼，喝光了他的黑麦威士忌，然后说：“我们上楼去。”
Jake grunted, nodded a greeting to half a dozen acquaintances, downed his rye, and said, “Let’s go upstairs.”
卡西诺赌场的楼梯是原来那座大厦的一部分，很宽，很结实，栏杆和楼梯扶手柱都雕刻得非常精美。马龙挑剔地看着楼梯，说道：“不过，我确实认为，如果我是你，我会把那淡紫色的地毯换成更接近桑葚色的。”
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