The purpose of having the sun go low in the evenings, in the summer, especially in parks, said the voice earnestly, is to make girl’s breasts bob up and down more clearly to the eye. I am convinced that this is the case. Arthur and Fenchurch giggled about this to each other as they passed. She hugged him more tightly for a moment. And I am certain, said the frizzy ginger-haired youth with the long thin nose who was epostulating from his deckchair by the side of the Serpentine, that if one worked the argument through, one would find that it flowed with perfect naturalness and logic from everything, he insisted to his thin dark-haired companion who was slumped in the next door deckchair feeling dejected about his spots, that Darwin was going on about. This is certain. This is indisputable. And, he added, I love it. He turned sharply and squinted through his spectacles at Fenchurch. Arthur steered her away and could feel her silently quaking. Next guess, she said, when she had stopped giggling, come on. All right, he said, your elbow. Your left elbow. There’s something wrong with your left elbow. Wrong again, she said, completely wrong. You’re on completely the wrong track. The summer sun was sinking through the tress in the park, looking as ifLet’s not mince words. Hyde Park is stunning. Everything about it is stunning except for the rubbish on Monday mornings. Even the ducks are stunning. Anyone who can go through Hyde Park on a summer’s evening and not feel moved by it is probably going through in an ambulance with the sheet pulled over their face. It is a park in which people do more extraordinary things than they do elsewhere. Arthur and Fenchurch found a man in shorts practising the bagpipes to himself under a tree. The piper paused to chase off an American couple who had tried, timidly to put some coins on the box his bagpipes came in. No! he shouted at them, go away! I’m only practising. He started resolutely to reinflate his bag, but even the noise this made could not disfigure their mood. Arthur put his arms around her and moved them slowly downwards. I don’t think it can be your bottom, he said after a while, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that at all. Yes, she agreed, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my bottom. They kissed for so long that eventually the piper went and practiced on the other side of the tree. I’ll tell you a story, said Arthur. Good. “太陽，特別是公園的太陽，在夏天的晚上落山，目的就是”一個誠摯的聲音說，“讓眼前女孩起伏的胸部更加明晰。我確信正是這樣。” 阿瑟和芬琪詩經過那個人的時候相視而笑。有一會兒，她把他抱得緊了一些。 “而且我可以肯定，”那個有着薑黃色捲髮和長長的窄鼻子的年輕人躺在蛇湖（注1）旁的摺疊椅上說，“如果有人要搞清楚這個論點，就會發現裏面流淌着完美的邏輯解釋和天然公理，”他對倒在旁邊摺疊椅上正對自己的雀斑感到沮喪的深色頭髮的瘦子同伴堅持着自己的觀點，“這些正是達爾文要囉嗦的事。這是可以肯定的。這是毋庸置疑的。而且，”他補充道，“我就喜歡。” 他猛地轉過身來透過他的鏡片斜視芬琪詩。阿瑟把她抱開，感覺到她在憋住笑聲而不停地發抖。 “你再猜，”當她止住笑了，便說道，“來吧。” “好啦，”他說，“你的肘部。你的左肘部。你的左肘部有些不對頭。” “又錯啦，”她說，“完全錯誤。你完全想偏了。” 夏天的太陽從公園的林間西沉，看起來像是——算了，我們還是不要太把詞語繞來繞去了。海德公園真是太美妙了。它的一切都是那麼美妙——除了週一早上的垃圾。就連那些鴨子都很美妙。如果有人在夏夜經過海德公園而沒有被它所感動震撼，那麼他可能是臉上蓋着白牀單躺在救護車裏經過的。 在這個公園裏，人們會比在別處做更加不尋常的事兒。阿瑟和芬琪詩發現了一個在樹下穿着短褲獨自練習風笛的傢伙。那個風笛手停了下來去追趕一對膽怯地試圖向他的風笛盒裏放幾枚硬幣的美國夫婦。 “不！”他對他們吼道，“滾開！我只是在練習。” 他毅然決然地再次吹脹了風袋，但即便這樣的噪音也沒有破壞他們的興致。 阿瑟用胳臂摟着她慢慢往下走。 “我覺得應該不是你的臀部，”他過了一會兒開口道，“那兒看起來完全沒問題。” “是啊，”她表示贊同，“我的臀部完全沒問題。” 他們吻了好長一段時間以至於那個風笛手最後都要轉到樹的另一面去練習了。 “我要給你講個故事。”阿瑟說。 “好啊。”
