第十章（第20/25页）

But Clifford's voice went on, clapping and gurgling with unusual sounds. How extraordinary it was! How extraordinary he was, bent there over the book, queer and rapacious and civilized, with broad shoulders and no real legs! What a strange creature, with the sharp, cold inflexible will of some bird, and no warmth, no warmth at all! One of those creatures of the afterwards, that have no soul, but an extra-alert will, cold will. She shuddered a little, afraid of him. But then, the soft warm flame of life was stronger than he, and the real things were hidden from him.

但克利福德仍没完没了地读着，伴随着尖锐且时断时续的怪异声音。这样的声音多么奇异啊！他的样子同样如此，身体前倾于书本之上，肩膀宽阔厚实，但两腿却毫无知觉。他虽然举止斯文，但却性格古怪，贪得无厌。如此奇异的生物，拥有鸟类般狡黠冷酷、顽强不屈的意志，但却没有热情，半点都没有！这是属于未来世界的某种生物，灵魂缺失，但却拥有高度警觉、冷若冰霜的意志。由于心怀畏惧，她战栗起来。但温柔炽热的生命火焰远非他能相比，而且他也并不了解事实的真相。

The reading finished. She was startled. She looked up, and was more startled still to see Clifford watching her with pale, uncanny eyes, like hate.

诗终于读完。她感到愕然。抬起头，看到克利福德那双可怕的淡蓝色眼睛正直勾勾盯着自己，似乎充满恨意，她惊愕的程度又添几分。

"Thank you so much! You do read Racine beautifully!" she said softly.

“非常感谢！你读拉辛的诗作，读得确实精彩！”她柔声称赞着。

"Almost as beautifully as you listen to him," he said cruelly. "What are you making?" he asked.

“你听得也同样精彩。”他冷冷地回应道。“你在缝什么？”他问。

"I'm making a child's dress, for Mrs. Flint's baby.” He turned away. A child! A child! That was all her obsession.

“我要缝条小裙子，准备送给弗林特太太的女儿。”他背过脸去。孩子！又是孩子！她的心里只想着孩子。

"After all," he said in a declamatory voice, "one gets all one wants out of Racine. Emotions that are ordered and given shape are more important than disorderly emotions.

“归根结底，”他仍用朗诵似的语气说道，“从拉辛的作品中，我们能够获得想要的一切。有理有序的情感，远比任意胡为的冲动重要得多。”

She watched him with wide, vague, veiled eyes. "Yes, I'm sure they are," she said.

她瞪着那双朦胧的大眼睛，茫然地望着他。“没错，你说得很有道理。”她说。

"The modern world has only vulgarized emotion by letting it loose. What we need is classic control." "Yes," she said slowly, thinking of him listening with vacant face to the emotional idiocy of the radio. "People pretend to have emotions, and they really feel nothing. I suppose that is being romantic." "Exactly!" he said.

“当今世界对情感过于放纵，结果只能让它变得庸俗不堪。我们需要的是古典的约束。”“没错，”她缓缓地说，想到他听着收音机里的多愁善感的胡言乱语时，那张茫然空虚的面孔。“世人装出多情的模样，其实却冷酷无情。这多半是浪漫主义在作祟吧。”“一针见血！”他说。

As a matter of fact, he was tired. This evening had tired him. He would rather have been with his technical books, or his pit-manager, or listening-in to the radio.

事实上，他已经乏累不堪。这个夜晚让他精疲力竭。他宁可读点技术性书籍，给矿场的经理们训训话，或者听会儿收音机。

Mrs. Bolton came in with two glasses of malted milk: for Clifford, to make him sleep, and for Connie, to fatten her again. It was a regular night-cap she had introduced.

博尔顿太太走了进来，手拿两杯麦乳精，一杯给克利福德，为的是让他安然入睡，一杯给康妮，为的是让她更加丰盈。她来格拉比后，总会在晚间给主人准备这种饮品。

Connie was glad to go, when she had drunk her glass, and thankful she needn't help Clifford to bed. She took his glass and put it on the tray, then took the tray, to leave it outside.

康妮乐得离开克利福德，喝完麦乳精，庆幸自己不必服侍丈夫就寝。她拿起他的玻璃杯，放到托盘上，端着托盘，打算出去。

"Goodnight Clifford! DO sleep well! The Racine gets into one like a dream. Goodnight!" She had drifted to the door. She was going without kissing him goodnight. He watched her with sharp, cold eyes. So! She did not even kiss him goodnight, after he had spent an evening reading to her. Such depths of callousness in her! Even if the kiss was but a formality, it was on such formalities that life depends. She was a Bolshevik, really. Her instincts were Bolshevistic! He gazed coldly and angrily at the door whence she had gone. Anger!

“晚安，克利福德！睡个好觉！拉辛的诗让人恍若置身梦境。晚安！”她步履轻盈地向房门走去。她居然就这么走了，连晚安吻都没留给他。他望着她的背影，露出恶狠狠的冷冷的目光。好吧！他整晚都在为她读诗，可她道晚安时，竟然没有吻他。这个心如铁石的婆娘！即使亲吻只是种俗套，可生活恰恰就依赖于此类俗套。她简直跟布尔什维克无异。她生来就是个激进分子！他眼睁睁看着她走出房门，满脸冰霜，怒火中烧。怒撞顶梁！

And again the dread of the night came on him. He was a network of nerves, and when he was not braced up to work, and so full of energy: or when he was not listening-in, and so utterly neuter: then he was haunted by anxiety and a sense of dangerous impending void. He was afraid. And Connie could keep the fear off him, if she would. But it was obvious she wouldn't, she wouldn't. She was callous, cold and callous to all that he did for her. He gave up his life for her, and she was callous to him. She only wanted her own way. "The lady loves her will." Now it was a baby she was obsessed by. Just so that it should be her own, all her own, and not his!

可怕的暗夜再度让他惊惧交加。他只是神经网络构成的肉体而已，如果不全神贯注、干劲十足地投入工作，或者超然物外地聆听广播，他总是被焦虑攫住，感觉恐怖的空虚正步步紧逼。他害怕极了。而康妮恰恰是驱散恐惧的灵丹妙药，当然前提是她愿意如此。但显而易见的是，她不愿意，不情愿这样做。她果然心如铁石，对他所做的一切无动于衷。他将自己的生命交托于她，而她却熟视无睹。她只想按自己的意愿行事。“女人生来任性。”她满心想的都是孩子。她只想要自己的孩子，完全属于她自己，跟他毫无干系！