第九章（第5/9页）

“我想，您准听说了，奥尔索普小姐上周出嫁的事。谁能想到呢！奥尔索普小姐，老鞋匠詹姆斯·奥尔索普的女儿。他们在派伊农场盖了栋房子。老人家去年摔死了，他虽然已经83岁高龄，但手脚却像小伙子那般利落。去年冬天，孩子们在贝斯特伍德山铺了条冰道，把老詹姆斯摔了个四脚朝天，大腿也折了，这要了他的命，可怜的老家伙，真是可惜呀。他把全部财产都留给了泰蒂，儿子们一毛钱也没得到。至于泰蒂，我可是了解的，比大我五年——去年秋天满53岁了。要知道，他们可都是虔诚的教徒。她在主日学校教书30年，直到父亲寿终正寝。那之后，她跟肯布鲁克来的某个家伙过从甚密，我不晓得您是否认识他，是个红鼻子老头，打扮得很是光鲜，名叫威尔科克，在哈里森木场干活。他得有65岁，或者更老些，可看到他俩勾肩搭背，甚至在大门口拥吻，准会觉得他们像对小情侣。真的，她坐在他腿上，通过正对着派伊农场公路的那扇凸窗，谁都可以看得清清楚楚。他几个儿子都40好几了，两年前刚刚丧妻。要是能的话，老詹姆斯·奥尔索普准会从坟墓里爬出来，他生前对女儿管教可严呢！现在，他俩结了婚，搬到肯布鲁克去了，据说她整天穿着睡衣四处闲逛，真是丢人现眼。一把年纪了，还不知廉耻，成何体统呀！为啥他们比年轻人更恶劣，更令人作呕呢。我认为都是电影惹的祸。可又不能不去看。我总在说，多看些具有教育意义的好影片，千万离剧情片和爱情片远些。无论如何也不能让孩子们看！但现实情况是，成年人比孩子更加不知自爱，老家伙的精力都过于充沛。说什么道德呀！没人在乎那玩意儿。没有道德的限制，人们大可以肆意妄为，我也只能这么说。不过，这阵子大伙儿都收敛许多，矿场不太景气，工人们都没钱挣。人人都怨声载道，尤其是婆娘们。男人们倒还好些，能忍耐得住。可他们还能怎么办呢，这些可怜的家伙！可妇女们可不理会，一个劲儿地瞎折腾！她们四处卖弄，还凑份子，给玛丽公主置办结婚礼物。后来，发现人家皇室的彩礼原来那么奢绮华贵，就都发起飙来：她算什么东西，哪里比俺们强呀！斯万·埃德加百货公司为何不送件貂皮大衣给俺，却要给她六件！真后悔当时掏了那十先令！俺倒想知道，她能回赠点什么？俺爹干活那么辛苦，俺连件新春装都买不起，而她的彩礼却车载斗量。穷百姓该搞些钱来花花了，富人们也享受得够可以了。俺想要件新春装，想得发疯，但上哪儿去弄呢？我劝她们，有饭充饥，有衣蔽体，就应该知足，那些光鲜亮丽的奢华衣装，要来也是无用！而她们则会反驳说：“要是公主穷困潦倒，终日破衣烂衫地四处晃，她难道会知足吗？她那样的贵族成车地收礼，而俺却连件春装都买不上。简直没天理呀。公主！腐朽堕落的公主！管用的还是钱，她的钱本就多得用不完，可人家还是不停给她送。俺跟别人有同样的权利，但就是没人给俺一个子儿。别扯什么教育。管用的还是钱。俺想要件新春装，想得要命，可就是搞不来，只是因为没有钱……她们心里只想着漂亮衣服。她们会花七八个畿尼买件大衣，连眼睛都不眨——要知道，她们可是穷矿工的女儿呀——给孩子买顶夏天戴的帽子，也要两个畿尼。然后，她们就会戴着那两畿尼买的帽子，去教堂礼拜，我年轻的时候，女孩们能花三先令六便士买顶帽子，就会恣得不行。听说今年循原会年会的时候，要给主日学校的孩子们搭个看台，几乎有天花板那么高。女一班的老师，汤普森小姐说，光是台子上学生们穿的新制服，就要花去1000多英镑！现在是什么光景呀！可就是无法阻止她们。这些婆娘都被衣装迷昏了头脑。男孩们也好不到哪里去。他们把所有钱都花在自己身上，买衣服，抽烟，在矿工之家狂饮，一个礼拜跑去谢菲尔德逛两三次。唉，世道变了。他们不知天高地厚，不懂思前虑后，现在的年轻人都是如此。而上年纪的男人们则更有耐心，又善解人意，乐得让婆娘们打理一切。而却换来这样的结果。女人们绝对是罪魁祸首。男孩们也赶不上父辈。他们从不愿付出，一心只为自己考虑。要是跟他们讲，应该攒点钱，将来好成家，他们便会说：那事儿又不着急，及时行乐最重要。这年头谁攒钱呀！噢，他们蛮不讲理，自私自利。什么事都要老一辈来承担，这样下去怎么能长久。”克利福德对本村的情况有了新的理解。虽然那地方常让他感到畏惧，但他曾认为村里基本还算稳定。可现在——？“村民里有社会主义者，或是布尔什维克吗？”他问。

"Oh!" said Mrs. Bolton, "you hear a few loud-mouthed ones. But they're mostly women who've got into debt. The men take no notice. I don't believe you'll ever turn our Tevershall men into reds. They're too decent for that. But the young ones blether sometimes. Not that they care for it really. They only want a bit of money in their pocket, to spend at the Welfare, or go gadding to Sheffield. That's all they care. When they've got no money, they'll listen to the reds spouting. But nobody believes in it, really.” "So you think there's no danger?” "Oh no! Not if trade was good, there wouldn't be. But if things were bad for a long spell, the young ones might go funny. I tell you, they're a selfish, spoilt lot. But I don't see how they'd ever do anything. They aren't ever serious about anything, except showing off on motor-bikes and dancing at the Palais-de-danse in Sheffield. You can't make them serious. The serious ones dress up in evening clothes and go off to the Pally to show off before a lot of girls and dance these new Charlestons and what not. I'm sure sometimes the bus'll be full of young fellows in evening suits, collier lads, off to the Pally: let alone those that have gone with their girls in motors or on motor-bikes. They don't give a serious thought to a thing—save Doncaster races, and the Derby: for they all of them bet on every race. And football! But even football's not what it was, not by a long chalk. It's too much like hard work, they say. No, they'd rather be off on motor-bikes to Sheffield or Nottingham, Saturday afternoons.” "But what do they do when they get there?" "Oh, hang around—and have tea in some fine tea-place like the Mikado—and go to the Pally or the pictures or the Empire, with some girl. The girls are as free as the lads. They do just what they like.” "And what do they do when they haven't the money for these things?” "They seem to get it, somehow. And they begin talking nasty then. But I don't see how you're going to get bolshevism, when all the lads want is just money to enjoy themselves, and the girls the same, with fine clothes: and they don't care about another thing. They haven't the brains to be socialists. They haven't enough seriousness to take anything really serious, and they never will have.” Connie thought, how extremely like all the rest of the classes the lower classes sounded. Just the same thing over again, Tevershall or Mayfair or Kensington. There was only one class nowadays: moneyboys. The moneyboy and the moneygirl, the only difference was how much you'd got, and how much you wanted.