第十六章（第7/14页）

There was an early cup of tea in the hall, where doors were open to let in the sun. Everybody seemed to be panting a little.

大家早早来到饭厅用下午茶，阳光从敞开的门投射进来。彼此似乎各怀心事。

"Good-bye, Connie girl! Come back to me safely.” "Good-bye, Clifford! Yes, I shan't be long." Connie was almost tender.

“再见，康妮丫头！平安归来。”“再见，克利福德！嗯，我不会离开太久的。”康妮几乎是饱含着柔情。

"Good-bye, Hilda! You will keep an eye on her, won't you?” "I'll even keep two!” Said Hilda. "She shan't go very far astray.” "It's a promise!” "Good-bye, Mrs. Bolton! I know you'll look after Sir Clifford nobly.” "I'll do what I can, your Ladyship.” "And write to me if there is any news, and tell me about Sir Clifford, how he is." "Very good, your Ladyship, I will. And have a good time, and come back and cheer us up." Everybody waved. The car went off Connie looked back and saw Clifford, sitting at the top of the steps in his house-chair. After all, he was her husband: Wragby was her home: circumstance had done it.

“再见，希尔达！你会好好照顾她，对吗？”“我会对她倍加关照！”希尔达说。“不会让她太过放纵。”“一言为定！”“再见，博尔顿太太！我知道，你准会无微不至地照看克利福德爵士。”“我会竭尽全力，夫人。”“有事就给我写信，告诉我克利福德爵士的近况。”“好的，夫人，我会照办。希望您旅途愉快，衷心期盼您早日归来，和我们欢聚。”大家挥手作别。希尔达发动了汽车，康妮回首张望，看到台阶顶端的克利福德，他正坐在自己的家用轮椅中。他毕竟是她的丈夫，拉格比是她的家，这是环境决定的事实。

Mrs. Chambers held the gate and wished her ladyship a happy holiday. The car slipped out of the dark spinney that masked the park, on to the highroad where the colliers were trailing home. Hilda turned to the Crosshill Road, that was not a main road, but ran to Mansfield. Connie put on goggles. They ran beside the railway, which was in a cutting below them. Then they crossed the cutting on a bridge.

钱伯斯太太为她们敞开大门，并祝愿夫人度假愉快。汽车驶出遍布着葱郁的灌木丛的园林，开上宽敞的公路，遇上放工的矿工，正拖着沉重的脚步回家去。希尔达调转车头，驶上克罗斯希尔路，这并非是条主要道路，但却通往曼斯菲尔德。康妮戴上风镜。她们沿着铁路线向前进发，铁道位于一旁的路堑里。她们驶过横穿铁路的桥梁。

"That's the lane to the cottage!" said Connie.

“那便是通往农舍的小路。”康妮说。

Hilda glanced at it impatiently.

希尔达瞥了一眼，显得很不耐烦。

"It's a frightful pity we can't go straight off!”

“真可惜，我们没法径直往前开！”

She said. We could have been in Pall Mall by nine o'clock.” "I'm sorry for your sake," said Connie, from behind her goggles.

她抱怨着。“不然，我们九点就能抵达帕尔玛尔。”“真的很抱歉。”康妮在风镜后说。

They were soon at Mansfield, that once-romantic, now utterly disheartening colliery town. Hilda stopped at the hotel named in the motor-car book, and took a room. The whole thing was utterly uninteresting, and she was almost too angry to talk. However, Connie had to tell her something of the man's history.

没用多久，她们就来到曼斯菲尔德。这个昔日充溢着浪漫色彩的城市，如今已经彻底沦为令人沮丧的矿工聚居地。希尔达依照旅行指南，停在某家旅店前面，开了个房间。沿途的一切都无法让她提起兴趣，她气得几乎说不出话。尽管如此，康妮还是忍不住跟姐姐唠叨着自己情郎的过往。

"He! He! What name do you call him by? You only say HE," said Hilda.

“他！他！你平时都怎么称呼他？总是说‘他’。”希尔达说。

"I've never called him by any name: nor he me: which is curious, when you come to think of it. Unless we say Lady Jane and John Thomas. But his name is Oliver Mellors.” "And how would you like to be Mrs. Oliver Mellors, instead of Lady Chatterley?" "I'd love it.” There was nothing to be done with Connie. And anyhow, if the man had been a lieutenant in the army in India for four or five years, he must be more or less presentable. Apparently he had character. Hilda began to relent a little.

“我俩之间从不用姓名相称，想想就会觉得这真的很奇妙。有时候，我们会称呼彼此简夫人和约翰·托马斯。但他的真名叫奥利弗·梅勒斯。”“难道你想放弃查泰莱夫人的头衔，转做奥利弗·梅勒斯太太吗？”“我期盼已久。”康妮真是迷途深陷。不管怎么说，那男人毕竟曾在印度做过四五年中尉，好歹还算摆得上台面。他似乎还有些身份。希尔达的态度缓和许多。

"But you'll be through with him in awhile," she said, "and then you'll be ashamed of having been connected with him. One can't mix up with the working people.” "But you are such a socialist! You're always on the side of the working classes.” "I may be on their side in a political crisis, but being on their side makes me know how impossible it is to mix one's life with theirs. Not out of snobbery, but just because the whole rhythm is different.” Hilda had lived among the real political intellectuals, so she was disastrously unanswerable.

“你们很快就会各奔东西，”她说，“然后，你就会对这段感情懊悔不已。我们没法跟工人阶级混在一起。”“但你本身就是热忱的社会主义者！总是跟工人阶级站在同一阵线。”“每当政局动荡的时节，我或许会跟他们合作，但正是这种经历让我深知，跟他们共同生活简直难以想象。并非瞧不起劳苦大众，但我们跟他们确实不合拍。”希尔达曾经在地道的政治圈里生活过，因此，康妮无从辩驳她的话。

The nondescript evening in the hotel dragged out, and at last they had a nondescript dinner. Then Connie slipped a few things into a little silk bag, and combed her hair once more.

两人就这样僵持着，在旅店中迎来傍晚，又尴尬地共进晚餐。然后，康妮收拾了几样东西，放进绸布小包里，重新梳理着自己的头发。

"After all, Hilda," she said, "love can be wonderful: when you feel you live, and are in the very middle of creation.” It was almost like bragging on her part.

“无论怎样，希尔达，”她说，“爱情总是那样美妙，让你切实地感觉到自己活着，感觉到自己身处宇宙的中心。”她的语气简直有几分卖弄的意味。