第五章（第5/10页）

“嗯，你还是与我们同行的好，万一轮椅又被卡住。上坡的时候，这台引擎确实有点马力不足。”那男人瞥了一眼自己的狗……眼神中充满关切。那猎犬望着主人，轻轻摇动着尾巴。他面露浅笑，柔和的目光中闪过一丝嘲讽或是戏谑，停留片刻便消失不见，又换上那张全无表情的脸孔。下坡时行进的速度相当快，那男人用手扶住轮椅，力求让它走得稳些。他看上去并不像仆从，反倒有自由战士的风范。他身上的某些气质让康妮想起出身行伍的汤米·杜克斯。

When they came to the hazel grove, Connie suddenly ran forward, and opened the gate into the park. As she stood holding it, the two men looked at her in passing, Clifford critically, the other man with a curious, cool wonder; impersonally wanting to see what she looked like. And she saw in his blue, impersonal eyes a look of suffering and detachment, yet a certain warmth. But why was he so aloof, apart? Clifford stopped the chair, once through the gate, and the man came quickly, courteously, to close it.

三人走到榛树丛处，康妮突然跑上前去，敞开通往花园的大门。她站在原地，手扶着门，两个男人通过时，视线都集中在她身上。克利福德面露不悦，守林人那冷峻的目光中则蕴含着讶异与不解，似乎只想要仔细端详她的模样。而从他浅蓝色的冷漠眼神中，康妮窥见的是历经苦难后的超然，但也有某种温情隐藏其间。可他为何表现得如此淡然，不愿与人亲近呢？刚刚踏进花园，克利福德就止住轮椅，那男人则快步走回门前，礼貌地将它合上。

"Why did you run to open?" asked Clifford in his quiet, calm voice, that showed he was displeased. "Mellors would have done it." "I thought you would go straight ahead," said Connie. "And leave you to run after us?" said Clifford.

“你干嘛跑去开门？”克利福德问，低沉平静的语气中现出不快。“这种事梅勒斯会做的。”“我以为你想要径直通过。”康妮说。“让你跟在我们后面跑？”克利福德说。

"Oh, well, I like to run sometimes!" Mellors took the chair again, looking perfectly unheeding, yet Connie felt he noted everything. As he pushed the chair up the steepish rise of the knoll in the park, he breathed rather quickly, through parted lips. He was rather frail really. Curiously full of vitality, but a little frail and quenched. Her woman's instinct sensed it.

“哦，偶尔跑跑也不错！”梅勒斯再度扶住轮椅，似乎根本没留意两人的交谈，但康妮觉得刚才的话都没有逃过他的耳朵。推着轮椅，走上花园中那坡度甚陡的小丘，他张开嘴，急促地喘着气。他其实相当虚弱。虽然莫名充满活力，但体格却算不得强壮。女人敏感的天性察觉到这一点。

Connie fell back, let the chair go on. The day had greyed over; the small blue sky that had poised low on its circular rims of haze was closed in again, the lid was down, there was a raw coldness. It was going to snow. All grey, all grey! The world looked worn out.

康妮放缓脚步，任凭轮椅继续前进。天色变得阴沉，那小小的蓝天原本低悬于浓雾环状边缘的上方，如今却再度被遮蔽，盖子已被合拢，刺骨的寒意肆意弥漫。雪眼看就要落下。一切都是灰暗的，都是阴霾的！整个世界都显得筋疲力竭。

The chair waited at the top of the pink path. Clifford looked round for Connie.

轮椅等在粉色小径的尽头。克利福德回过头望着康妮。

"Not tired, are you?" he said.

“没感觉到累吧？”他问。

"Oh, no!" she said.

“哦，不累！”她应道。

But she was. A strange, weary yearning, a dissatisfaction had started in her. Clifford did not notice: those were not things he was aware of. But the stranger knew. To Connie, everything in her world and life seemed worn out, and her dissatisfaction was older than the hills.

然而，她却真切地感觉到疲倦。莫名的渴望透支着她的身体，不满的情绪在心中升腾。克利福德对此全然不觉，这些根本就不是他能意识到的。但那个陌生人却心如明镜。对康妮而言，周遭生活中的一切似乎都疲惫不堪，心底堆积的不满比周遭起伏的山丘还要古老。

They came to the house, and around to the back, where there were no steps. Clifford managed to swing himself over on to the low, wheeled house-chair; he was very strong and agile with his arms. Then Connie lifted the burden of his dead legs after him.

他们回到拉格比府，绕到后门，那里没有台阶。克利福德摆荡着身体，换到稍低的家用轮椅中，他的双臂强健而灵活。接着，康妮搬起丈夫那两条沉重且全无知觉的残腿。

The keeper, waiting at attention to be dismissed, watched everything narrowly, missing nothing. He went pale, with a sort of fear, when he saw Connie lifting the inert legs of the man in her arms, into the other chair, Clifford pivoting round as she did so. He was frightened.

守林人候在旁边，等着克利福德命他退下，他紧紧地注视着发生的一切，没有半点遗漏。看到康妮将克利福德麻木的双腿抱在怀中，放进另一台轮椅里，他的脸色变得惨白，表情愕然。克利福德掉转轮椅，康妮也回过身来。他显然吃惊非小。

"Thanks, then, for the help, Mellors," said Clifford casually, as he began to wheel down the passage to the servants'quarters.

“谢谢，多亏有你帮忙，梅勒斯。”克利福德漫不经心地说着，开始驱动轮椅驶下走廊，直奔佣人房。

"Nothing else, Sir?" came the neutral voice, like one in a dream.

“没别的吩咐了吗，爵爷？”仍是那漠然的腔调，如同梦中的呓语。

"Nothing, good morning!" "Good morning, Sir." "Good morning! It was kind of you to push the chair up that hill...I hope it wasn't heavy for you," said Connie, looking back at the keeper outside the door.

“没有，再见！”“再见，爵爷。”“再见！幸好有你帮忙推轮椅上坡……希望你不会觉得太重。”康妮说，转头望着门外的守林人。

His eyes came to hers in an instant, as if wakened up. He was aware of her.

四目相接，他如梦方醒。这才意识到康妮在向他道谢。

"Oh no, not heavy!" he said quickly. Then his voice dropped again into the broad sound of the vernacular: "Good mornin' to your Ladyship!” "Who is your game-keeper?”. Connie asked at lunch

“哦，不，不重！”他连忙说。又换上那种刻意的本地土语：“回见，夫人！”“那个守林人叫什么？”午饭时，康妮问。

"Mellors! You saw him," said Clifford.