第十六章（第9/14页）

“请也给我来杯啤酒！”希尔达说，故作着打趣似的娇羞的神态。他熟视无睹。

He took a blue jug and tramped to the scullery. When he came back with the beer, his face had changed again.

他拿着一只蓝色罐子，慢悠悠地走去洗涤间。端着啤酒回来时，他脸上的表情已非先前的模样。

Connie sat down by the door, and Hilda sat in his seat, with the back to the wall, against the window corner.

康妮坐在门旁，希尔达坐在他常坐的那把椅子上，背靠着墙，正对着窗角。

"That is his chair," said Connie softly. And Hilda rose as if it had burnt her.

“那是他的椅子。”康妮轻声说。希尔达猛地站起身来，好像已经被椅子灼伤。

"Sit yer still, sit yer still! Ta'e ony cheer as yo'n a mind to, none of us is th'big bear," he said, with complete equanimity.

“坐着吧，坐着吧！俺家就这么一把椅子，恁不介意地话就坐吧，反正咱们都不像熊瞎子体格那么庞大。”他完全泰然自若地说着。

And he brought Hilda a glass, and poured her beer first from the blue jug.

他递给希尔达一只玻璃杯，用蓝色罐子先为她斟满啤酒。

"As for cigarettes," he said, "I've got none, but 'appen you've got your own. I dunna smoke, mysen. Shall y'eat summat?" he turned direct to Connie. "Shall t'eat a smite o'summat, if I bring it thee? Tha can usually do wi'a bite.” He spoke the vernacular with a curious calm assurance, as if he were the landlord of the Inn.

“至于香烟，”他说，“俺这儿没有，可或许恁自己带着。俺不抽烟。吃点啥？”他转过脸问康妮。“要吃点啥？俺给恁拿。恁通常都会吃一点。”他说土话时，显得那样淡然自若，好像自己是这家乡间旅栈的老板。

"What is there?" Asked Connie, flushing.

“有什么吃的？”康妮红着脸问。

"Boiled ham, cheese, pickled wa'nuts, if yer like. Nowt much.” "Yes," said Connie. "Won't you, Hilda?” Hilda looked up at him.

“煮熟的火腿，干酪，腌核桃，不知道是否合恁们的意。就只有这么多。”“好的。”康妮说。“你不来点儿吗，希尔达？”希尔达抬头看着他。

"Why do you speak Yorkshire?" She said softly.

“你为什么说约克郡土话？”她轻声问。

"That! That's non Yorkshire, that's Derby.” He looked back at her with that faint, distant grin.

“那个呀！那不是约克郡土话，是德比郡方言。”他回望着她，微微露出冷漠的笑容。

"Derby, then! Why do you speak Derby? You spoke natural English at first." "Did Ah though? An'canna Ah change if Ah'm a mind to 't? Nay, nay, let me talk Derby if it suits me. If yo'n nowt against it.” "It sounds a little affected," said Hilda.

“德比郡，那好！你为什么说德比郡方言？你开始说的明明是标准英语。”“是吗？要是俺乐意，就不准换换吗？没啥，没啥，要是德比郡土话更适合，俺就选它得了。如果恁们不嫌弃的话。”“听起来有些做作。”希尔达说。

"Ay, 'appen so! An'up i'Tevershall yo'd sound affected." he looked again at her, with a queer calculating distance, along his cheek-bone: as if to say: Yi, an'who are you? He tramped away to the pantry for the food.

“唉，或许吧！可在特弗沙尔这旮旯，恁的话听着更做作。”他盯着希尔达，颧骨微扬，摆出一副拒人千里的神态，好像在说：“咦！你算是谁啊？”他起身去储藏室取食物。

The sisters sat in silence. He brought another plate, and knife and fork. The he said: "An'if it's the same to you, I s'll ta'e my coat off like I allers do.” And he took off his coat, and hung it on the peg, then sat down to table in his shirt-sleeves: a shirt of thin, cream-coloured flannel.

姐妹俩沉默相对。他又拿来一份餐具。然后，他说：“要是恁们不见怪，俺得像往常一样把外套宽了。”说完，他脱掉外套，挂在衣钩上，只穿着衬衣坐在桌边，那是件淡黄色的法兰绒薄衬衫。

" 'Elp yerselves!" he said.

“请自便！”他说。

" 'Elp yerselves! Dunna wait f'r axin'!” He cut the bread, then sat motionless. Hilda felt, as Connie once used to, his power of silence and distance. She saw his smallish, sensitive, loose hand on the table. He was no simple working man, not he: he was acting! Acting!

“请自便！难不成还等人家请！”他把面包切开，然后静静地坐在那里。希尔达此刻的感觉，跟当日的康妮一样，深切地体验到他那种沉默和疏远的力量。她注意到他的手随意地搁在桌上，并不太大，但却异常灵活。他并非工人阶级的普通一员，根本就不是，他不过在装模作样而已！不过在装腔作势罢了！

"Still!" She said, as she took a little cheese. "It would be more natural if you spoke to us in normal English, not in vernacular." He looked at her, feeling her devil of a will.

“可是！”她边说，边拿起一小块奶酪。“如果你跟我们说标准英语，或许会更自然些，别再讲土话了。”他望着她，感受到这女人恶魔般的坚强意志。

"Would it?" he said in the normal English. "Would it? Would anything that was said between you and me be quite natural, unless you said you wished me to hell before your sister ever saw me again: and unless I said something almost as unpleasant back again? Would anything else be natural?” "Oh yes!" Said Hilda. "Just good manners would be quite natural." "Second nature, so to speak!" He said: then he began to laugh. "Nay," he said. "I'm weary o'manners. Let me be!” Hilda was frankly baffled and furiously annoyed. After all, he might show that he realized he was being honoured. Instead of which, with his play-acting and lordly airs, he seemed to think it was he who was conferring the honour. Just impudence! Poor misguided Connie, in the man's clutches!

“会吗？”他的话转换成标准英语。“会吗？你我之间说些什么会显得自然呢，除非你承认你希望我下地狱，好让你妹妹再也见不到我；除非我也反唇相讥，说些难听的话？除此之外，还有什么话是自然的呢？”“噢，当然有！”希尔达说。“谈吐得体就会显得很自然。”“也就是所谓第二天性吧！”他说完笑了起来。“没门。”他说。“俺烦透了那些俗礼繁节。让俺随心所欲吧！”很明显，希尔达被驳得哑口无言，恼羞成怒。毕竟，应该感到脸上有光的人是他。可万没想到，他却开始装腔作势，端着十足的派头，似乎认为能到他家做客是别人的荣幸。厚颜无耻的家伙！可怜的康妮，怎么会误入歧途，落入这恶徒的魔爪！