Mrs. Baroda was a little provoked to learn that her husba nd expected his frie nd, Gouvernail, up to spend a week or two on the pla ntati on.They had entertained a good deal during the win ter; much of the time had also bee n passed in New Orlea ns in various forms of mild dissipation. She was looking forward to a period of un broke n rest, now, and un disturbed tete-a-tete with her husba nd, when he in formed her that Gouvernail was coming up to stay a week or two.This was a man she had heard much of but never seen. He had been her husband's college friend; was now a journalist, and in no sense a society man or "a man about tow n," which were, perhaps, some of the reas ons she had n ever met him. But she had unconsciously formed an image of him in her mind. She pictured him tall, slim, cyni cal; with eye-glasses, and his hands in his pockets; and she did not like him. Gouver nail was slim eno ugh, but he was n't very tall nor very cyni cal; n either did he wear eyeglasses nor carry his hands in his pockets. And she rather liked him when he first presented himself.But why she liked him she could not expla in satisfactorily to herself whe n she partly attempted to do so. She could discover in him none of those brilliant and promising traits which Gast on, her husba nd, had often assured her that he possessed. On the contrary, he sat rather mute and receptive before her chatty eager ness to make him feel at home and in face of Gast on's frank and wordy hospitality. His当巴洛达女士得知她丈夫的朋友会来庄园做客一两周的时候，她是有些恼怒的。
他们夫妻俩冬天的时候过的还算愉快，大部分时间都消遣在新奥尔良，参加一些无伤大雅的活动。
她很期待一段完整的假期，能和丈夫一起共度不被外界打扰的二人世界。
结果得知果维纳尔要来待上一两周。
果维纳尔对于她算是百闻未得一见。
他是她丈夫的大学好友，而现在是一名记者，毫无疑问，他是个“社会人”，或者说“城里人”。
也许是因为这些原因，她从来没见过他。
但是她不由自主的在意识里形成了一个他的形象。
她想象着他又瘦又高，性格是愤世嫉俗，戴着副眼镜，手总插兜里，而且她不喜欢这样的。
果维纳尔确实够瘦但没那么高，也没那么愤世嫉俗。
他也没戴眼镜或是双手插兜。
所以她第一次见他时，竟然对他有些好感。
但是当她试图解释自己为什么会对他有好感的时候，她却找不到一个令自己满意的答案。
她没有发现丈夫加斯顿向她保证时所说的他应该有的聪明才智和光明前途。
完全相反，她看到，他在她和加斯顿为了让他感到家的感觉而开始不停的热心交谈以显示热情好客面前显得相当沉默。
他表现出一副她和大多数女人都喜欢的彬彬有礼，但是他却没有直接显露出一副希望获得她的认同及尊重的样子。
manner was as courteous toward her as the most exacting woman could require; but he made no direct appeal to her approval or eve n esteem.Once settled at the plantation he seemed to like to sit upon the wide portico in the shade of one of the big Corinthian pillars, smoking his cigar lazily and liste ning atte ntively to Gast on's experience as a sugar planter."This is what I call living," he would utter with deep satisfaction, as the air that swept across the sugar field caressed him with its warm and sce nted velvety touch. It pleased him also to get on familiar terms with the big dogs that came about him, rubbing themselves sociably aga inst his legs. He did not care to fish, and displayed no eagerness to go out and kill grosbecs whe n Gast on proposed doing so.Gouver nail's pers on ality puzzled Mrs. Baroda, but she liked him. In deed, he was a lovable, inoffensive fellow. After a few days, whe n she could un dersta nd him no better tha n at first, she gave over being puzzled and rema ined piqued. In this mood she left her husband and her guest, for the most part, alone together. Then finding that Gouvernail took no manner of excepti on to her acti on, she imposed her society upon him, accompanying him in his idle strolls to the mill and walks along the batture. She persistently sought to penetrate the reserve in which he had uncon sciously en veloped himself."When is he going —your friend?" she one day asked her husba nd. "For my part, he tires me frightfully.""Not for a week yet, dear. I can't un dersta nd; he gives you no trouble."在庄园安顿下来后，他似乎很喜欢坐在某根巨大的科林斯式柱子阴影处的宽阔柱廊上，悠闲地抽着雪茄，聚精会神地听加斯顿讲自己的甘蔗园生活“这才是生活啊。
”他非常满足地感叹道，微风吹过甘蔗园，像是用温暖、芬芳、天鹅绒般柔软的手抚摸他。
另外，他也很亲近那些大狗狗，那些狗喜欢温和地蹭着并靠在他的腿边。
他不是很痴迷钓鱼，当加斯顿邀请他打猎的时候，他也没表现出一副急着出门的样子。
果维纳尔的性格困扰着巴洛达夫人，不过她还是挺喜欢他。
确实，他是一个可爱无害的家伙。
几天过后, 她对他的印象仍然提留在最初的层面，不过她放弃了困惑并对他始终保持兴趣。
带着这样的心情，在很多情况下，她离开了，留下丈夫和这位客人一起。
可是她却发现果维纳尔对她的行为没有任何反应，于是她便利用了自己女主人的身份，陪他在空闲的时候沿着河床散步到磨坊。
她坚持不懈地寻找他内心无意识间保留的部分。
“我不知道，一个星期都还不到呢，亲爱的。
他也没给你添麻烦啊。
”“确实，但如果他给我添了麻烦还好了，我没准会更喜欢他。
如果他能像平常人一样，我就可以给他安排些舒适愉悦的活动。
”"No. I should like him better if he did; if he were more like others, and I had to plan somewhat for his comfort and enjoyme nt."Gast on took his wife's pretty face betwee n his hands and looked tenderly and laughingly into her troubled eyes.They were making a bit of toilet sociably together in Mrs. Baroda's dress in g-room."You are full of surprises, ma belle," he said to her. "Even I can never count upon how you are going to act under given conditions." He kissed her and tur ned to faste n his cravat before the mirror."Here you are," he went on, "taking poor Gouvernail seriously and making a commotion over him, the last thing he would desire or expect.""Commoti on!" she hotly rese nted."Nonsense! How can you say such a thing? Commoti on, in deed! But, you know, you said he was clever.""So he is. But the poor fellow is run dow n by overwork now. That's why I asked him here to take a rest.""You used to say he was a man of ideas," she retorted, uncon ciliated. "I expected him to be interesting, at least. I'm going to the city in the morning to have my spri ng gow ns fitted. Let me know whe n Mr. Gouver nail is gon e; I shall be at my Aunt Octavie's."That night she went and sat alone upon a bench that stood beneath a live oak tree at the edge of the gravel walk.加斯顿捧起妻子美丽的脸庞，温柔且带着笑意地凝视她困惑的双眼。