第十三章（第2/11页）

"Naturally! For the good of everybody. But for their good even more than mine. I can live without the pits. They can't. They'll starve if there are no pits. I've got other provision.” They looked up the shallow valley at the mine, and beyond it, at the black-lidded houses of Tevershall crawling like some serpent up the hill. From the old brown church the bells were ringing: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

“那是当然！为了所有人的利益。但他们得到的好处甚至比我还多。即使失去煤矿，我依然能够生存。他们却不能。没有煤矿，他们统统都要挨饿。而我还有别的经济来源。”他们来到浅谷顶端，遥望着煤矿，还有远处那长蛇般蜿蜒曲折的农舍。那些黑色顶棚的房子属于特弗沙尔村。褐色的老教堂传来钟声，告诉所有人周日的降临。

"But will the men let you dictate terms?" She said. "My dear, they will have to: if one does it gently.” "But mightn't there be a mutual understanding?” "Absolutely: when they realize that the industry comes before the individual.” "But must you own the industry?" She said.

“但他们会任由你发号施令吗？”她问。“亲爱的，如果采取怀柔政策，他们只能乖乖就范。”“难道就没有相互谅解的途径吗？”“当然有，前提是他们认识到产业的利益远远高于个人得失。”“但你非得占有煤矿吗？”她问。

"I don't. But to the extent I do own it, yes, most decidedly. The ownership of property has now become a religious question: as it has been since Jesus and St. Francis. The point is NOT: take all thou hast and give to the poor, but use all thou hast to encourage the industry and give work to the poor. It's the only way to feed all the mouths and clothe all the bodies. Giving away all we have to the poor spells starvation for the poor just as much as for us. And universal starvation is no high aim. Even general poverty is no lovely thing. Poverty is ugly.” "But the disparity?" "That is fate. Why is the star Jupiter bigger than the star Neptune? You can't start altering the make-up of things!” "But when this envy and jealousy and discontent has once started," she began.

“并非如此。但既然已经拥有，那么，自然要继续下去。产权如今已经上升成为宗教问题，自从耶稣基督和圣方济洛（注：1506-1552，西班牙传教士，耶稣会创始人之一）时代就是如此。问题的关键并非将你所拥有尽数施舍给穷苦大众，而是利用你所拥有的，推动产业的发展，给劳苦大众创造就业机会。这才是实现人人有饭吃，人人有衣穿的唯一途径。将我们所拥有的全部施舍给穷人，只会导致世人共同受饿的结果。人人挨饿并非崇高的目标。人人受穷也并非美妙的事情。贫穷即是丑陋。”“可贫富不均又怎样解决？”“这是命运使然。木星为何比海王星大呢？你无法改变宿命！”“但嫉妒和不满一旦出现。”她反唇相讥。

"Do, your best to stop it. Somebody's got to be boss of the show.” "But who is boss of the show?" she asked.

“尽全力阻止这种事情。总要有人当家做主。”“可由谁来扮演这一角色呢？”她问。

"The men who own and run the industries." There was a long silence.

“企业的所有者和运营者。”两人陷入长久的沉默。

"It seems to me they're a bad boss," she said.

“在我看来，他们不配做当家人。”她说。

"Then you suggest what they should do." "They don't take their boss-ship seriously enough," she said.

“那你说说看，他们到底应该怎样做。”“对待自己所占据的高位，他们理应更加审慎。”她说。

"They take it far more seriously than you take your ladyship," he said.

“他们更加看重自己的地位，绝不像你那样，根本不把从男爵夫人的头衔当回事。”他说。

"That's thrust upon me. I don't really want it," she blurted out. He stopped the chair and looked at her.

“那头衔不过是别人强加给我的。我压根儿就不稀罕。”她未加思索，脱口而出。他停住轮椅，看着自己的妻子。

"Who's shirking their responsibility now!” He said. "Who is trying to get away now from the responsibility of their own boss-ship, as you call it?” "But I don't want any boss-ship," she protested.

“现在到底是谁在推卸责任！”他说。“到底是谁在逃避你所谓的高位呢？”“可我根本就不想要高高在上。”她反驳道。

"Ah! But that is funk. You've got it: fated to it. And you should live up to it. Who has given the colliers all they have that's worth having: all their political liberty, and their education, such as it is, their sanitation, their health-conditions, their books, their music, everything. Who has given it them? Have colliers given it to colliers? No! All the Wragbys and Shipleys in England have given their part, and must go on giving. There's your responsibility.” Connie listened, and flushed very red.

“哈！可这是逃避的表现。你已经拥有这种身份，这是命运的安排。你不应让它蒙羞。是谁让矿工得到这值得拥有的一切：政治自由，教育机会，诸如此类，还有卫生条件，医疗保健，书籍，音乐，一切的一切？是谁给予他们这一切？是矿工自己吗？不！英格兰所有的拉格比和希普利们已然人尽其责，并将继续履行自己的使命。这就是你的责任。”康妮听着，脸涨得通红。

"I'd like to give something," she said. "But I'm not allowed. Everything is to be sold and paid for now; and all the things you mention now, Wragby and Shipley SELL them to the people, at a good profit. Everything is sold. You don't give one heart-beat of real sympathy. And besides, who has taken away from the people their natural life and manhood, and given them this industrial horror? Who has done that?” "And what must I do?" He asked, green. "Ask them to come and pillage me?" "Why is Tevershall so ugly, so hideous? Why are their lives so hopeless?" "They built their own Tevershall, that's part of their display of freedom. They built themselves their pretty Tevershall, and they live their own pretty lives. I can't live their lives for them. Every beetle must live its own life.” "But you make them work for you. They live the life of your coal-mine.” "Not at all. Every beetle finds its own food. Not one man is forced to work for me.

“我倒愿意给予些什么。”她说。“但却得不到允许。如今，所有的东西都是商品，明码标价，你刚才提到的全部，都由拉格比和希普利卖给穷苦大众，以博取高额的利润。所有的东西都需要用钱来买。你们从不屑施舍半点真正的同情。还有，是谁让劳苦大众英年早丧，毫无半点做人的尊严，对工业的发展充满畏惧？罪魁祸首究竟是谁？”“那么我应该怎样做？”他反问道，脸色铁青。“请他们来掠夺我？”“为什么特弗沙尔如此丑陋，如此粗鄙？为什么他们的生活毫无希望？”“他们按照自己的意愿建设特弗沙尔，这也是他们享有自由的体现。他们建设出自以为美好的特弗沙尔，过着自得其乐的生活。他们选择怎样的生活方式，我无法做主。就算是甲壳虫也要过自己的生活。”“但你逼他们为你干活。他们根本是为你的煤矿而活。”“一派胡言。就算是甲壳虫也能为自己觅得食物。我从未强迫任何人来煤矿做工。”