第十二章（第2/9页）

She set the two cups on the table; there were only two. "Will you have a cup of tea?" she said.

她把两只茶杯摆在桌上，那是仅有的两只茶杯。“想来杯茶吗？”她问。

"If you like. Sugar's in th'cupboard, an'there's a little cream jug. Milk's in a jug in th'pantry.” "Shall I take your plate away?" she asked him. He looked up at her with a faint ironical smile.

“如果您乐意的话。糖搁在橱柜里，还有一小罐奶油。牛奶在食品间的罐子里。”“让我来收拾你的餐盘吧？”她问。他抬头看着她，嘴角微微露出嘲讽的微笑。

"Why...if you like," he said, slowly eating bread and cheese. She went to the back, into the pent-house scullery, where the pump was. On the left was a door, no doubt the pantry door. She unlatched it, and almost smiled at the place he called a pantry; a long narrow white-washed slip of a cupboard. But it managed to contain a little barrel of beer, as well as a few dishes and bits of food. She took a little milk from the yellow jug.

“哦……如果您愿意的话。”他说，慢条斯理地嚼着面包和奶酪。她走到屋后侧间的洗碗池边，那里安着水龙头。左手边有扇门，无疑就是食品间。她拔掉门闩进去，看到他所谓的食品间，几乎笑出声来，那只不过是条狭长的白漆壁橱。但里面还是塞着一小桶啤酒，几只餐盘，还有零零散散的食物。她从黄色的罐子里取出些牛奶。

"How do you get your milk?" She asked him, when she came back to the table.

“你怎么弄到牛奶的？”她回到餐桌旁时问。

"Flints! They leave me a bottle at the warren end. You know, where I met you!" But he was discouraged. She poured out the tea, poising the cream-jug.

“从弗林特家！他们会在牧场尽头给我留一瓶。你知道的，就是上次咱俩碰面的地方！”但他的表情依然沮丧。她斟好茶，拿起奶油罐。

"No milk," he said; then he seemed to hear a noise, and looked keenly through the doorway.

“我不要牛奶。”他说。似乎听到什么动静，警觉地向门外张望。

" 'Appen we'd better shut," he said.

“咱还是关上门为妙。”他说。

"It seems a pity," she replied. "Nobody will come, will they?" "Not unless it's one time in a thousand, but you never know.” "And even then it's no matter," she said. "It's only a cup of tea.” "Where are the spoons?" He reached over, and pulled open the table drawer. Connie sat at the table in the sunshine of the doorway.

“真可惜。”她应道。“没人会来这儿，不是吗？”“万里有一，谁晓得呢。”“有人来也没什么要紧的。”她说。“我们不过在喝茶而已。”“勺子放在哪儿？”他探身拉开餐桌的抽屉。康妮坐在桌旁，沐浴着门口射进来的阳光。

"Flossie!" He said to the dog, who was lying on a little mat at the stair foot. "Go an'hark, hark! He lifted his finger, and his "hark!" was very vivid. The dog trotted out to reconnoitre.

“弗洛西！”他召唤着猎犬，那畜生正趴在楼梯下面的小毡垫上。“去扫听一下！”他竖起一根手指，说“扫听”这个词的时候显得声情并茂。猎犬跑出去巡风放哨了。

"Are you sad today?" She asked him. He turned his blue eyes quickly, and gazed direct on her.

“你今天不开心吗？”她问他。他淡蓝色的眼睛迅速转回来，直直地盯着她。

"Sad! No, bored! I had to go getting summonses for two poachers I caught, and, oh well, I don't like people.” He spoke cold, good English, and there was anger in his voice. "Do you hate being a game-keeper?" she asked.

“不开心！不，是有点烦！我抓到两名偷猎者，只得去给他们讨传票，唉，我讨厌和人打交道。”他说着地道的英语，语气冷淡，又夹杂着愤怒。“你不愿做守林人吗？”她问。

"Being a game-keeper, no! So long as I'm left alone. But when I have to go messing around at the police-station, and various other places, and waiting for a lot of fools to attend to me...oh well, I get mad..." and he smiled, with a certain faint humour.

“守林人？我愿意做。前提是能让我一个人呆着。可让我去警察局或者别的什么地方，浪费宝贵的时间，等着那些蠢货来接待我……噢，我简直快要发疯……”他露出微笑，带着些调侃的意味。

"Couldn't you be really independent?" she asked.

“难道你不能真的独自过活吗？”她问。

"Me? I suppose I could, if you mean manage to exist on my pension. I could! But I've got to work, or I should die. That is, I've got to have something that keeps me occupied. And I'm not in a good enough temper to work for myself. It's got to be a sort of job for somebody else, or I should throw it up in a month, out of bad temper. So altogether I'm very well off here, especially lately...” He laughed at her again, with mocking humour.

“我？如果你是指依靠抚恤金度日，我想我能做到。我当然能！可我必须有事可做，不然会闷死。也就是说，我需要做点什么，来打发时间。我脾气太糟，不适合为自己工作。只能被别人雇佣，不然，不出一个月，我的坏脾气发作起来，准会立马甩手不干。总而言之，我在这儿过得挺好，尤其是最近……”他又朝她笑起来，半是嘲讽，半是诙谐。

"But why are you in a bad temper?" she asked. "Do you mean you are ALWAYS in a bad temper?" "Pretty well," he said, laughing. "I don't quite digest my bile.” "But what bile?" she said.

“可你的脾气为何这么糟呀？”她问。“你是说这坏脾气从没改过吗？”“差不多吧。”他笑着说。“我的胆汁分泌过剩。”“什么胆汁？”她问。

"Bile!" he said.

“胆汁！”他说。

"Don't you know what that is?” She was silent, and disappointed. He was taking no notice of her.

“难不成你不晓得是什么？”她沉默不语，神情失落。他并未注意到这一点。

"I'm going away for a while next month," she said.

“我下个月要远行。”她说。

"You are! Where to?" "Venice! With Sir Clifford? For how long?" "For a month or so," she replied. "Clifford won't go.” "He'll stay here?" he asked.

“远行！去哪里？”“威尼斯！和克利福德爵士一起？呆多久？”“大概一个月左右。”她答道。“克利福德不去。”“他留在拉格比？”他问。

"Yes! He hates to travel as he is." "Ay, poor devil!" he said, with sympathy.