第十六章（第6/14页）

Hilda bent her Minerva-like head in silence. Then she looked up.

希尔达没有做声，如同密涅瓦（注：罗马神话中掌管智慧、发明、艺术和武艺的女神）的头颅低垂着。接着，她抬起头。

"Do you want to tell me who he is?" She said.

“你愿意告诉我他是谁吗？”她问。

"He's our game-keeper," faltered Connie, and she flushed vividly, like a shamed child.

“他是我们的守林人。”康妮支吾着，脸羞得通红，活像个做错事的孩子。

"Connie!" Said Hilda, lifting her nose slightly with disgust: a she had from her mother.

“康妮！”希尔达说着，轻轻扬起鼻子以表示鄙视，这是从她们母亲那里学来的动作。

"I know: but he's lovely really. He really understands tenderness," said Connie, trying to apologize for him.

“我知道有些不妥，但他确实是个好人。又总是深情款款。”康妮说，试图为他申辩。

Hilda, like a ruddy, rich-coloured Athena, bowed her head and pondered She was really violently angry. But she dared not show it, because Connie, taking after her father, would straight away become obstreperous and unmanageable.

希尔达如同雅典娜般面露红润，光彩照人，低头沉思着，她其实正强压着心头的怒火。但她不敢流露出来，因为康妮的个性随父亲，任意妄为，难以掌控。

It was true, Hilda did not like Clifford: his cool assurance that he was somebody! She thought he made use of Connie shamefully and impudently. She had hoped her sister would leave him. But, being solid Scotch middle class, she loathed any "lowering" of oneself or the family. She looked up at last.

的确，希尔达讨厌克利福德，讨厌他的冷漠孤傲，自以为是！她鄙视他对康妮的利用，鄙视这种卑劣下流的无耻行径。她曾希望妹妹能弃他而去。但身为苏格兰中产阶级，家资殷实的她难以容忍“贬低”身份或者辱没门楣的举动。她终于抬起头来。

"You'll regret it," she said, "I shan't," cried Connie, flushed red. "He's quite the exception. I really love him. He's lovely as a lover.” Hilda still pondered.

“你会后悔的。”她得出结论。“我不会。”康妮喊道，脸涨得通红。“他绝对是个特例。我深爱着她。他是位美妙的情郎。”希尔达仍在沉思。

"You'll get over him quite soon," she said, "and live to be ashamed of yourself because of him." "I shan't! I hope I'm going to have a child of his.” "Connie!” Said Hilda, hard as a hammer-stroke, and pale with anger.

“很快，你就会跟他分道扬镳，”她说，“并因为与他的关系，而抱羞后半生。”“我不会！我希望能为他生孩子！”“康妮！”希尔达吼道，刺耳的声音好像铁锤的重击，俏脸气得煞白。

"I shall if I possibly can. I should be fearfully proud if I had a child by him." It was no use talking to her. Hilda pondered.

“如果可能的话，我便会为他生孩子。要是能成为他孩子的母亲，我会感到无比骄傲。”再跟她说什么也都徒劳无益。希尔达暗想。

"And doesn't Clifford suspect?" she said.

“克利福德就没起疑心？”她问。

"Oh no! Why should he?" "I've no doubt you've given him plenty of occasion for suspicion," said Hilda.

“噢，没有！他怎么会想得到？”“我确信，你肯定留给他不少起疑的机会。”希尔达说。

"Not it all." "And tonight's business seems quite gratuitous folly. Where does the man live?” "In the cottage at the other end of the wood." "Is he a bachelor?" "No! His wife left him." "How old?" "I don't know. Older than me.” Hilda became more angry at every reply, angry as her mother used to be, in a kind of paroxysm. But still she hid it.

“根本就没有。”“今晚的勾当真是蠢透了，根本没有必要。那男人住在哪儿？”“住在树林那端的农舍里。”“他是个单身汉？”“不是！他的妻子离开了他。”“多大年纪？”“我不清楚。比我年长。”康妮每句回答，都让希尔达的怒火烧得更旺，就像她们的母亲当年一般怒气攻心。但她还是努力掩饰着。

"I would give up tonight's escapade if I were you," she advised calmly.

“如果我是你，今晚就不会去冒险。”她语调平静地劝慰道。

"I can't! I must stay with him tonight, or I can't go to Venice at all. I just can't.” Hilda heard her father over again, and she gave way, out of mere diplomacy. And she consented to drive to Mansfield, both of them, to dinner, to bring Connie back to the lane-end after dark, and to fetch her from the lane-end the next morning, herself sleeping in Mansfield, only half an hour away, good going.

“我做不到！今晚我必须跟他共度，不然我就连威尼斯都不去了。我就是做不到。”希尔达再次从康妮的话里听到父亲的口气，她做出让步，但仅是作为权宜之计。她同意开车载她去曼斯菲尔德，晚餐过后，趁着夜幕送她回到车道尽头，次日清晨再去接她，而自己则在曼斯菲尔德过夜。如果开得快些，两地仅有半小时车程。

But she was furious. She stored it up against her sister, this balk in her plans.

但她依然恼火不已。妹妹打乱了自己设定好的计划，这笔账她已暗暗记下。

Connie flung an emerald-green shawl over her window-sill.

康妮在窗台上系了条翠绿色围巾。

On the strength of her anger, Hilda warmed toward Clifford.

由于她的震怒，希尔达对克利福德的看法不禁有些缓和。

After all, he had a mind. And if he had no sex, functionally, all the better: so much the less to quarrel about! Hilda wanted no more of that sex business, where men became nasty, selfish little horrors. Connie really had less to put up with than many women if she did but know it.

他毕竟颇有才智。如果说他没有性能力，这反倒是件好事，夫妻间不会为此而争吵不休。希尔达打算与性事永诀，男人总会因此变成下流龌龊、自私自利的讨厌鬼。因为远离性事，康妮其实比许多女人都安闲得多，只不过她并不清楚这一点。

And Clifford decided that Hilda, after all, was a decidedly intelligent woman, and would make a man a first-rate helpmate, if he were going in for politics for example. Yes, she had none of Connie's silliness, Connie was more a child: you had to make excuses for her, because she was not altogether dependable.

而克利福德也断定，希尔达虽不讨人喜欢，但毫无疑问是个睿智的女子，若男人想在政坛有所作为，她绝对是个出色的助手。她不像康妮那样傻兮兮的，康妮跟孩子没什么分别：你总得找理由为她辩护，因为她根本无法依靠。