第七章（第3/10页）

There were people staying in the house, among them Clifford's Aunt Eva, Lady Bennerley. She was a thin woman of sixty, with a red nose, a widow, and still something of a grande DAME. She belonged to one of the best families, and had the character to carry it off. Connie liked her, she was so perfectly simple and rank, as far as she intended to be frank, and superficially kind. Inside herself she was a past-mistress in holding her own, and holding other people a little lower. She was not at all a snob: far too sure of herself. She was perfect at the social sport of coolly holding her own, and making other people defer to her.

家里最近住了好些客人，其中有伊娃·本奈利夫人，克利福德的姑妈。她六十多岁，丈夫早亡，身材干瘦，酒糟鼻，但仍不失贵妇的派头。她出身名门，举手投足间显出大家风范。康妮对她颇有好感，只要她打算直抒胸臆，就会开诚布公，毫无保留，而且外表更是和蔼可亲。至于装腔作势，抬高自己，她更是行家里手。但她绝非势利小人，只是太过夜郎自大。她深谙社交技巧，总能端足架势，让别人唯自己马首是瞻。

She was kind to Connie, and tried to worm into her woman's soul with the sharp gimlet of her well-born observations.

她对康妮甚是友好，试图用自己锐利如锥的高贵眼光，穿透康妮那颗细腻的女人心。

"You're quite wonderful, in my opinion," she said to Connie. "You've done wonders for Clifford. I never saw any budding genius myself, and there he is, all the rage.” Aunt Eva was quite complacently proud of Clifford's success. Another feather in the family cap! She didn't care a straw about his books, but why should she? "Oh, I don't think it's my doing," said Connie.

“我觉得你确实了不起。”她称赞康妮。“你帮克利福德取得惊人的成就。我从未见过如此前程远大的天才作家，而他就是其中之一，如今的确红得发紫。”对于侄儿的成功，伊娃姑妈沾沾自喜，深感骄傲。这可是光宗耀祖的大事！而对于他的作品，她却毫不关心，可她又有什么理由要关心呢？“噢，我认为那并非我的功劳。”康妮说

"It must be! Can't be anybody else's. And it seems to me you don't get enough out of it.” "How?" "Look at the way you are shut up here. I said to Clifford: If that child rebels one day you'll have yourself to thank!

“当然得归功于你！除你之外，还有谁呢？在我看来，你并没有得到应有的回报。”“此话怎讲？”“终日闭门不出可不行。我跟克利福德说过：要是哪天那孩子造起反来，也全是你自食其果！”

"But Clifford never denies me anything," said Connie.

“但克利福德从没阻止我做任何事。”康妮说。

"Look here, my dear child'—and Lady Bennerley laid her thin hand on Connie's arm. "A woman has to live her life, or live to repent not having lived it. Believe me!" And she took another sip of brandy, which maybe was her form of repentance.

“听我说，好孩子，”本奈利夫人用她瘦削的手抓住康妮的胳膊，“女人得过自己想要的生活，不然，就会悔之晚矣。相信我！”她又呷了一口白兰地，这或许就是她懊悔的方式吧。

"But I do live my life, don't I?” "Not in my idea! Clifford should bring you to London, and let you go about. His sort of friends are all right for him, but what are they for you? If I were you I should think it wasn't good enough. You'll let your youth slip by, and you'll spend your old age, and your middle age too, repenting it.” Her ladyship lapsed into contemplative silence, soothed by the brandy.

“可我不正过着自己想要的生活么？”“我可不这么看！克利福德应该带你去伦敦，让你四处走走。他那些朋友和他倒是志趣相投，但对你而言则是另一回事。如果换成我，准会感到不满。这样下去，只会让青春从指缝中溜走，而你将在悔恨中度过自己的后半生。”在白兰地的慰藉下，这位贵妇慢慢陷入沉思，不再做声。

But Connie was not keen on going to London, and being steered into the smart world by Lady Bennerley. She didn't feel really smart, it wasn't interesting. And she did feel the peculiar, withering coldness under it all; like the soil of Labrador, which his gay little flowers on its surface, and a foot down is frozen.

但康妮对去伦敦不太感冒，不想涉足本奈利夫人口中那个五光十色的世界。她跟那个花花世界格格不入，觉得没什么兴趣。她深切地感觉到，那时尚社会的底层存在异乎寻常、足以摧毁一切的酷寒，就像拉布拉多（注：北美洲最大的半岛，位于加拿大东部，哈德逊湾与大西洋及圣劳伦斯湾之间。）冰冻的土壤。地表上生长着欣欣向荣的娇艳花朵，而地表下一英尺的地方则完全被冻结。

Tommy Dukes was at Wragby, and another man, Harry Winterslow, and Jack Strangeways with his wife Olive. The talk was much more desultory than when only the cronies were there, and everybody was a bit bored, for the weather was bad, and there was only billiards, and the pianola to dance to.

汤米·杜克斯也在拉格比，此外还有哈里·温特斯洛，以及杰克·斯特兰韦斯和他的妻子奥利夫。谈话有些漫无边际，不像只是朋友间闲聊那么放得开，大家都觉得有点沉闷，天气也不太好，而可以作为消遣的，除了打台球，就是随着钢琴的伴奏跳跳舞。

Olive was reading a book about the future, when babies would be bred in bottles, and women would be "immunized'.

奥利夫在读一本关于未来世界的书，说到时候婴儿都可以通过试管，进行人工培育，而女人们则可以置身事外。

"Jolly good thing too!" she said. "Then a woman can live her own life." Strangeways wanted children, and she didn't.

“真是太棒了！”她感叹道。“这样的话，女人就可以尽情享受生活。”斯特兰韦斯想要孩子，但她却不愿意生。

"How'd you like to be immunized?” Winterslow asked her, with an ugly smile.

“你很想置身事外吗？”温特斯洛问道，脸上露出丑陋的微笑。

"I hope I am; naturally," she said. "Anyhow the future's going to have more sense, and a woman needn't be dragged down by her FUNCTIONS.” "Perhaps she'll float off into space altogether," said Dukes.

“那当然，我希望如此。”她说。“无论如何，未来世界将更趋于合理，女人也不必再为生理机能所累。”“那她们还不乐得飞上天去呀。”杜克斯说。

"I do think sufficient civilization ought to eliminate a lot of the physical disabilities," said Clifford. "All the love-business for example, it might just as well go. I suppose it would if we could breed babies in bottles.” "No!" cried Olive. "That might leave all the more room for fun." "I suppose," said Lady Bennerley, contemplatively, "if the love-business went, something else would take its place. Morphia, perhaps. A little morphine in all the air. It would be wonderfully refreshing for everybody.” "The government releasing ether into the air on Saturdays, for a cheerful weekend!" said Jack. "Sounds all right, but where should we be by Wednesday?" "So long as you can forget your body you are happy," said Lady Bennerley. "And the moment you begin to be aware of your body, you are wretched. So, if civilization is any good, it has to help us to forget our bodies, and then time passes happily without our knowing it." "Help us to get rid of our bodies altogether," said Winterslow. "It's quite time man began to improve on his own nature, especially the physical side of it.” "Imagine if we floated like tobacco smoke," said Connie.