第十七章（第11/13页）

尽管如此，几乎所有人都成为听众，连我也未能免俗。十几年前，公众的羞耻心便能让此类丑闻偃旗息鼓。可如今，这种道德意识已经荡然无存，矿工的婆娘们一个个撸胳膊挽袖子，厚着脸皮破口大骂。人们会以为过去50年间，降生于特弗沙尔的每个婴孩都是圣胎降世，每个不信奉国教的妇人都像圣女贞德那般光芒四射。我们可敬的守林人倒还真有些拉伯雷（注：1483-1553，法国作家）式的浪漫气质，可结果却似乎让他变得比杀妻犯克里平（注：1862-1910，美国医生，因谋杀其妻，在英国伦敦被绞死）更为凶残和令人发指。可是，如果特弗沙尔的村民们对这些描述都深信不疑，那么他们也都不过是群放荡之徒。

The trouble is, however, the execrable Bertha Coutts has not confined herself to her own experiences and sufferings. She has discovered, at the top of her voice, that her husband has been "keeping" women down at the cottage, and has made a few random shots at naming the women. This has brought a few decent names trailing through the mud, and the thing has gone quite considerably too far. An injunction has been taken out against the woman.

可麻烦的是，可恨的贝莎·库茨并不仅仅将自己的经历和遭遇公之于众。她大声疾呼，宣称自己发现丈夫在家里“养”野女人，甚至无所顾忌地指名道姓。这导致几位正派的女子被拖进泥沼，事情愈演愈烈，不可收拾。法庭不得不因此向她发出禁令。

I have had to interview Mellors about the business, as it was impossible to keep the woman away from the wood. He goes about as usual, with his Miller-of-the-Dee air, I care for nobody, no not I, if nobody care for me! Nevertheless, I shrewdly suspect he feels like a dog with a tin can tied to its tail: though he makes a very good show of pretending the tin can isn't there. But I heard that in the village the women call away their children if he is passing, as if he were the Marquis de Sade in person. He goes on with a certain impudence, but I am afraid the tin can is firmly tied to his tail, and that inwardly he repeats, like Don Rodrigo in the Spanish ballad: "Ah, now it bites me where I most have sinned!"

我不得不与梅勒斯面谈此事，因为想把那女人从树林赶走已是天方夜谭。他仍是那副“迪河上磨坊工（注：英国诗歌）”的态度，俺不在乎别人怎么说，不在乎，既然别人也不在乎俺怎么讲！不过，我还是敏锐地察觉到，他就像条尾巴上系着锡罐的狗，虽然他极力遮掩，装作锡罐并不存在。但我听说，只要他路过，村里的女人都会忙不迭地把孩子叫走，好像是萨德侯爵（注：1740-1814，法国贵族，政治家，色情文学作家）亲临。他干脆厚起脸皮，但恐怕那锡罐已经牢牢嵌进他的尾巴里，而在内心世界，他如同西班牙歌谣里的罗德里戈一般反复咏唱：“啊，我罪孽深重的地方，已经被狠狠咬住不放！”

I asked him if he thought he would be able to attend to his duty in the wood, and he said he did not think he had neglected it. I told him it was a nuisance to have the woman trespassing: to which he replied that he had no power to arrest her. Then I hinted at the scandal and its unpleasant course. "Ay," he said. "Folks should do their own fuckin', then they wouldn't want to listen to a lot of clatfart about another man's.” He said it with some bitterness, and no doubt it contains the real germ of truth. The mode of putting it, however, is neither delicate nor respectful. I hinted as much, and then I heard the tin can rattle again. "It's not for a man the shape you're in, Sir Clifford, to twit me for havin' a cod atween my legs.” These things, said indiscriminately to all and sundry, of course do not help him at all, and the rector, and Finley, and Burroughs all think it would be as well if the man left the place.

我问他是否还能负起守林的责任，他却说自己并未有过疏忽。我告诉他，任凭那疯婆娘在林中肆虐实在可恶，他却回答说自己没有将她拘捕的权力。然后，我提及那些丑闻，以及不可收拾的局面。他却说：“是呀。人们只需操心自己的性生活，那样就不会对人家的闲言闲语那么热衷了。”他说这话的时候，语带挖苦，但毫无疑问，这的确是事实。但他说话时的语调既不优雅，也无尊重。我透露出自己的感受，却又听到那锡罐叮当作响。“像您这种情况的人，克利福德爵士，没权力讥笑俺两腿之间的那话儿。”这样的口无遮拦自然对他毫无益处，况且牧师、芬利还有伯勒斯都认为我该将他辞退。

I asked him if it was true that he entertained ladies down at the cottage, and all he said was: "Why, what's that to you, Sir Clifford?” I told him I intended to have decency observed on my estate, to which he replied: "Then you mun button the mouths o' a' th' women.”— When I pressed him about his manner of life at the cottage, he said: "surely you might ma'e a scandal out o' me an' my bitch Flossie. You've missed summat there.” As a matter of fact, for an example of impertinence he'd be hard to beat.

我问他在家里留宿女人是否为实，他却说：“呵，这跟您有什么关系，克利福德爵士？”我说不希望领地里出现有伤风化的丑事，他却说：“那您可要把那些恶婆娘的嘴巴都封上。”我再度追问留宿女人的事，他却回答：“您大可以编段我和母狗弗洛西乱搞的丑事。您可错过了好机会呢。”说实话，他可真是厚颜无耻的典型，无人能及。

I asked him if it would be easy for him to find another job. He said: "if you're hintin' that you'd like to shunt me out of this job, it'd be easy as wink.” So he made no trouble at all about leaving at the end of next week, and apparently is willing to initiate a young fellow, Joe Chambers, into as many mysteries of the craft as possible. I told him I would give him a month's wages extra, when he left. He said he'd rather I kept my money, as I'd no occasion to ease my conscience. I asked him what he meant, and he said: "you don't owe me nothing extra, Sir Clifford, so don't pay me nothing extra. If you think you see my shirt hanging out, just tell me.” Well, there is the end of it for the time being. The woman has gone away: we don't know where to: but she is liable to arrest if she shows her face in Tevershall. And I heard she is mortally afraid of gaol, because she merits it so well. Mellors will depart on Saturday week, and the place will soon become normal again.

我问他另找工作是否容易。他说：“要是您在暗示我卷铺盖走人，那再简单不过。”他毫未犹豫，答应下周末离开，似乎也毫不吝啬，愿意将自己的经验所得传授给年轻的乔·钱伯斯。我说会在他离职时，多付一个月的薪水。他却说宁愿我留着自己的钱，没必要借此换个心安理得。我问他此话怎讲，他说：“您没欠我任何东西，克利福德爵士，也没必要多付我钱。要是您还有什么不满，只管说出来。”好了，眼下这件事终于可以告一段落。那女人不见踪影，谁也不知道她去了哪里，只要她再在特弗沙尔露面，就会立即被关进班房。我听说她对坐牢怕得要命，可确实应该给她点教训。梅勒斯下周六就会走人，这里很快就将恢复原貌。