第四章（第3/7页）

“你的想法可真有趣，查理，”杜克斯说，“性爱只是另一种交流方式，用实际行动把言语表达出来，而不是用嘴巴说出来。依我看，这种观点再正确不过。我们或许可以像交换对天气以及其他问题的看法一样，同异性分享彼此的感觉和情绪。性爱是男女之间习以为常的身体对话方式。如果你与某位异性看法相悖，就不会同她交谈，也就是说沟通要以兴趣为根本的出发点。同样的道理，如果在情感维度缺少共鸣，你也不会产生与异性双宿双栖的欲望。但如果你确实……”“如果确实与某位异性情感相通，一拍即合，就应该跟她共度春宵，”梅说，“和她颠鸾倒凤是唯一该做的事情。就像你跟某人聊得热火朝天，唯一该做的事就是畅所欲言。而不会故作扭捏，闭口不言。只会痛痛快快地将心里的话说出来。两者有异曲同工之处。”“错，”哈蒙德矢口否认，“大错特错。就拿你来说吧，梅，你把半数的精力挥霍在女人身上。虽然才华横溢，但却从未得到淋漓尽致的发挥。在左道旁门上花的心思太多。”“此话或许有理……但哈蒙德，我的朋友，不管婚配与否，你却在男女之事上不够用心。你能够保持心灵的纯洁和正直没错，但它却会逐渐干涸。在我看来，你那颗纯净的心就会枯干得像根小提琴弓。你的高谈阔论恰恰是对自我心灵的贬低。”汤米·杜克斯勃然大笑。

"Go it, you two minds!" he said. "Look at me...I don't do any high and pure mental work, nothing but jot down a few ideas. And yet I neither marry nor run after women. I think Charlie's quite right; if he wants to run after the women, he's quite free not to run too often. But I wouldn't prohibit him from running. As for Hammond, he's got a property instinct, so naturally the straight road and the narrow gate are right for him. You'll see he'll be an English Man of Letters before he's done A.B.C. from top to toe. Then there's me. I'm nothing. Just a squib. And what about you, Clifford? Do you think sex is a dynamo to help a man on to success in the world?” Clifford rarely talked much at these times. He never held forth; his ideas were really not vital enough for it, he was too confused and emotional. Now he blushed and looked uncomfortable.

“别争了，两位大思想家！”他说，“看看我……我从不从事高尚纯洁的思想事业，只是草草记下几个想法。我没结婚，也不去追求女人。我完全认同查理的观点，要是他想追求异性，大可以放手去做，而只需注意适可而止。但我不会阻止他这么做。至于哈蒙德，由于强烈的占有欲作祟，因此对他而言，安分守己和防患未然也是正确的选择。等着瞧吧，有朝一日，他会跻身英国大文豪的行列，从头到脚散发着书卷的气息。而我呢，简直无足轻重。只是喜欢信口胡言而已。你呢，克利福德？性爱是男人功成名就的助推器，对此你怎么看？”每逢这种场合，克利福德都绝少开口说话。从不会滔滔不绝地发表意见，他的观点也的确摆不上台面，往往连他自己都捋不清头绪，又太过感情用事。现在，他的脸涨得通红，表情很是尴尬。

"Well!" he said, "being myself HORS DE COMBAT, I don't see I've anything to say on the matter.” "Not at all," said Dukes, "the top of you's by no means HORS DE COMBAT. You've got the life of the mind sound and intact. So let us hear your ideas.” "Well," stammered Clifford, "even then I don't suppose I have much idea...I suppose marry—and—have—done—with—it would pretty well stand for what I think. Though of course between a man and woman who care for one another, it is a great thing.” "What sort of great thing?" said Tommy.

“呃！”克利福德迟疑道，“我已是残废之人，关于这个问题没什么好说的。”“此言差矣，”杜克斯说，“你的上半身可是完好无缺。且精神生活也没有受到丝毫影响。不妨让我们听听你的高论。”“那好，”克利福德吞吞吐吐地说，“尽管如此，我还是没什么意见……或许‘结婚完事’足以代表我的想法。当然，对于相互倾慕的男女而言，性爱的确至关重要。”“怎么个重要法呢？”汤米追问道。

"Oh...it perfects the intimacy," said Clifford, uneasy as a woman in such talk.

“嗯……它可以拉近彼此的情感。”克利福德说，涉及到这一话题时，他局促不安的样子活像个女人。

"Well, Charlie and I believe that sex is a sort of communication like speech. Let any woman start a sex conversation with me, and it's natural for me to go to bed with her to finish it, all in due season. Unfortunately no woman makes any particular start with me, so I go to bed by myself; and am none the worse for it… I hope so, anyway, for how should I know? Anyhow I've no starry calculations to be interfered with, and no immortal works to write. I'm merely a fellow skulking in the army...” Silence fell. The four men smoked. And Connie sat there and put another stitch in her sewing… Yes, she sat there! She had to sit mum. She had to be quiet as a mouse, not to interfere with the immensely important speculations of these highly-mental gentlemen. But she had to be there. They didn't get on so well without her; their ideas didn't flow so freely. Clifford was much more hedgy and nervous, he got cold feet much quicker in Connie's absence, and the talk didn't run. Tommy Dukes came off best; he was a little inspired by her presence. Hammond she didn't really like; he seemed so selfish in a mental way. And Charles May, though she liked something about him, seemed a little distasteful and messy, in spite of his stars.

“这样啊，我和查理都认为性爱和谈话没啥两样，不过是种交流的方式。要是那名女子要跟我展开性对话，一旦时机成熟，我自然不会放过在床上跟她成其好事的机会。不幸的是，没有女人要和我进行此种交流，因此我只好独守空床，而这也没什么不好的……至少我希望如此，不管怎样，我怎么能够通晓天机呢？我没有天文学问题要去烦忧，也没有不朽著作要去书写。我只是个躲在行伍间、逃避世事的家伙而已……”沉默再度降临。四个男人一声不吭地吸着烟。坐在一旁的康妮继续摆弄着手上的针线活……没错，她就坐在那里！她不得不默不作声地坐在那里。她必须静默得像只老鼠，以免打扰这些才思敏捷的绅士们做出惊世骇俗的推断。但她又必须在场。没有她的存在，男人们的谈论不会如此热火朝天，他们的思路也不会如此敏捷灵活。妻子不在身边，克利福德会变得更加拘谨和胆怯，甚至更快失去发言的勇气，谈话自然也就无法进行下去。汤米·杜克斯的表现最为抢眼，显然是康妮的在场让他颇受鼓舞。她对哈蒙德不太感冒，那家伙的精神太过狭隘。至于查尔斯·梅，虽说也有几分讨她欢喜，但这位仁兄尽管以星辰为研究对象，其谈吐却粗俗无礼，条理混乱。