第十一章（第10/12页）

"Did she ask after me?" said Clifford.

“她问起过我吗？”克利福德说。

"Of course! MAY I ask your Ladyship how Sir Clifford is!— I believe she ranks you even higher than Nurse Cavell!

“那还用说！请问夫人，克利福德爵士贵体安泰否？——依我看，在她心里，你甚至比卡维尔护士（注：1865-1915，英国护士，“一战”时期因助协约国军人逃出德国占领下的比利时，而被逮捕并处死。）还高尚呢！

"And I suppose you said I was blooming." "Yes! And she looked as rapt as if I had said the heavens had opened to you. I said if she ever came to Tevershall she was to come to see you." "Me! Whatever for! See me!" "Why yes, Clifford. You can't be so adored without making some slight return. Saint George of Cappadocia was nothing to you, in her eyes.” "And do you think she'll come?” "Oh, she blushed! And looked quite beautiful for a moment, poor thing! Why don't men marry the women who would really adore them?” "The women start adoring too late. But did she say she'd come?” "Oh!" Connie imitated the breathless Miss Bentley, "your Ladyship, if ever I should dare to presume!" "Dare to presume! How absurd! But I hope to God she won't turn up. And how was her tea?” "Oh, Lipton's and very strong. But Clifford, do you realize you are the Roman de la rose of Miss Bentley and lots like her?” "I'm not flattered, even then.” "They treasure up every one of your pictures in the illustrated papers, and probably pray for you every night. It's rather wonderful.” She went upstairs to change.

“我猜你大概说我正精力焕发吧？”“没错！她听得如痴如醉，好像我告诉她天堂的门已经为你打开一样。我跟她说，如果她来特弗沙尔，务必要来看望你。”“我！无缘无故的！来看望我！”“那当然，克利福德。人家那样爱慕你，你总得稍微有所表示吧。在她眼中，卡帕多西亚的圣乔治根本无法跟你相提并论。”“那你觉得她会来吗？”“噢，她羞得脸都红了！那个瞬间真是楚楚动人，可怜的人儿！男人们干嘛不娶那些真正爱慕自己的女人呢？”“女人们的爱恋总是来得太迟。她说她要来吗？”“啊！”康妮模仿起本特利小姐娇喘的样子，“夫人，我哪敢造次呀！”“造次！真是可笑！不过，我还是希望她别来。她家的茶味道如何？”“哦，地道的利普顿红茶，味道香浓。不过，克利福德，你可晓得，在本特利小姐和许多老处女心里，你可是地道的梦中情人呢？”“即使如此，我也没有受宠若惊的感觉。”“她们珍藏着你登在画报上的每张照片，或许每晚还为你祈祷呢。真是不可思议。”她上楼换衣服去了。

That evening he said to her: "You do think, don't you, that there is something eternal in marriage?” She looked at him.

当晚，克利福德对妻子说：“你是否觉得，婚姻中存在着某种东西，能够天长地久？”她望着他。

"But Clifford, you make eternity sound like a lid or a long, long chain that trailed after one, no matter how far one went." He looked at her, annoyed.

“可克利福德，你口中的天长地久，听起来像是某种罩子，或者长长的锁链，即使走到天涯海角，也还是被牵绊着。”他盯着她，面有愠色。

"What I mean," he said, "is that if you go to Venice, you won't go in the hopes of some love affair that you can take au grand sérieux, will you?” "A love affair in Venice AU GRAND S ÉRIEUX? No. I assure you! No, I'd never take a love affair in Venice more than au très petit sérieux.” She spoke with a queer kind of contempt. He knitted his brows, looking at her.

“我的意思是，”他说，“如果你去威尼斯，可别抱着寻找艳遇的企图。”“威尼斯艳遇？不会的。你大可放心！我在威尼斯不会去找任何艳遇，就连逢场作戏的行为都不会有。”她说这番话时，带有吊诡而轻蔑的口吻。他看着她，眉头紧锁。

Coming downstairs in the morning, she found the keeper's dog Flossie sitting in the corridor outside Clifford's room, and whimpering very faintly.

次日清晨，康妮下楼时，发觉守林人的猎犬弗洛西伏在克利福德门外的走廊上，低声呜咽着。

"Why, Flossie!" She said softly. "What are you doing here?" And she quietly opened Clifford's door. Clifford was sitting up in bed, with the bed-table and typewriter pushed aside, and the keeper was standing at attention at the foot of the bed. Flossie ran in. With a faint gesture of head and eyes, Mellors ordered her to the door again, and she slunk out.

“嘿，弗洛西！”她柔声说。“你来这儿干嘛呀？”接着，她轻轻推开克利福德的房门。克利福德正坐在床上，折叠桌和打字机推在一旁，守林人毕恭毕敬地站在床脚。弗洛西跑了进去。梅勒斯用头和眼神微微示意它回到门外去，弗洛西悄无声息地溜了出去。

"Oh, good morning, Clifford!" Connie said. "I didn't know you were busy.” Then she looked at the keeper, saying good morning to him. He murmured his reply, looking at her as if vaguely. But she felt a whiff of passion touch her, from his mere presence.

“哦，早安，克利福德！”康妮说。“我不知道你们有事。”接着，她的目光投向守林人，向他道声早安。他眼神茫然，低声回应着她的问候。但自从见到他，康妮就感觉到激情的热浪扑面袭来。

"Did I interrupt you, Clifford? I'm sorry.” "No, it's nothing of any importance.” She slipped out of the room again, and up to the blue boudoir on the first floor. She sat in the window, and saw him go down the drive, with his curious, silent motion, effaced. He had a natural sort of quiet distinction, an aloof pride, and also a certain look of frailty. A hireling! One of Clifford's hirelings! "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." Was he an underling? Was he? What did he think of her?

“我打搅你们了吧，克利福德？真抱歉。”“没有，都是些鸡毛蒜皮的小事。”她轻手轻脚地退出房间，来到一楼那间蓝色的梳妆室。她临窗而坐，目送他沿车道远去，直到他那与众不同的静默身姿消失不见。他那种浑然天成的安详显得卓尔不凡，他沉默超然的态度透露出骄傲，但也掺杂着某种脆弱的神情。奴仆！克利福德的一名奴仆！“亲爱的勃鲁西斯，不要埋怨命运不济，如果我们失身为奴，那也只能责怪自己。”（注：引自莎士比亚剧作《尤利斯·凯撒》）他当真只是名奴仆吗？真的吗？他又怎样看待她呢？