第十二章（第4/9页）

"No! No! Not here! At the hut. Would you mind?" "How do I touch you?" he asked.

“不！不！别在这儿！到小屋去。你不介意吧？”“我是怎样触摸你的？”他问。

"When you feel me." He looked at her, and met her heavy, anxious eyes.

“你总会爱抚我的身体。”他盯着她，发现她的目光里充满沉甸甸的渴望。

"And do you like it when I feel you?" He asked, laughing at her still.

“你喜欢我爱抚你吗？”他问，语气中依然充满嘲弄。

"Yes, do you?" she said.

“当然，你呢？”她问。

"Oh, me!" Then he changed his tone. "Yes," he said. "You know without asking." Which was true.

“噢，我！”他语调一转。“没错。”他说。“你是明知故问。”这倒是他的心里话。

She rose and picked up her hat. "I must go," she said.

她站起身来，拿过帽子。“我得走了。”她说。

"Will you go?" he replied politely.

“您要回府？”他彬彬有礼地问道。

She wanted him to touch her, to say something to her, but he said nothing, only waited politely.

她渴望得到他的抚摸，渴望他对自己倾诉心声，但他什么都没说，只是毕恭毕敬地等在一旁。

"Thank you for the tea," she said.

“谢谢你的茶。”她说。

"I haven't thanked your Ladyship for doing me the honours of my tea-pot," he said.

“我还没向夫人致谢呢，劳您大驾为我沏茶，实在倍感荣幸。”他说。

She went down the path, and he stood in the doorway, faintly grinning. Flossie came running with her tail lifted. And Connie had to plod dumbly across into the wood, knowing he was standing there watching her, with that incomprehensible grin on his face.

她沿小路返回，他则站在门口，微露出苦笑。弗洛西跑上前来，尾巴高高翘着。康妮默默无语地踱进树林，脚步缓慢而沉重，心里清楚他正站在那儿望着自己，脸上挂着莫可名状的笑意。

She walked home very much downcast and annoyed. She didn't at all like his saying he had been made use of because, in a sense, it was true. But he oughtn't to have said it. Therefore, again, she was divided between two feelings: resentment against him, and a desire to make it up with him.

她回到家，情绪低落，烦乱不堪。他说自己惨遭利用，让她深感不悦，但从某种意义来讲，这确是事实。但他不应该明言。于是，她再度因两种对立的情绪而感到左右为难，既对他满怀埋怨，又盼着跟他重归于好。

She passed a very uneasy and irritated tea-time, and at once went up to her room. But when she was there it was no good; she could neither sit nor stand. She would have to do something about it. She would have to go back to the hut; if he was not there, well and good.

整个下午，她始终心绪不宁，坐立不安，用罢下午茶，立刻上楼回到自己房间。但这毫无用处，她依然感觉坐也不是，站也不是。她必须做点什么。她必须重回小屋，要是他没在，就再好不过。

She slipped out of the side door, and took her way direct and a little sullen. When she came to the clearing she was terribly uneasy. But there he was again, in his shirt-sleeves, stooping, letting the hens out of the coops, among the chicks that were now growing a little gawky, but were much more trim than hen-chickens.

她从侧门溜了出来，直奔目的地而去，仍有些闷闷不乐。来到那片林中空地，她的心绪愈加烦乱。他偏偏又在那里，身穿衬衣，弓着身子放母鸡出笼。在他四周撒欢的小鸡们，动作已经不若以往灵活，但与母鸡相比，仍要苗条的多。

She went straight across to him. "You see I've come!" she said.

她径直向他走去。“你看到我来了！”她说。

"Ay, I see it!" He said, straightening his back, and looking at her with a faint amusement.

“是呀，我看到了。”他说着，挺直腰板，嬉皮笑脸地看着她。

"Do you let the hens out now?" she asked.

“你现在放母鸡出笼了吗？”

"Yes, they've sat themselves to skin and bone," he said. "An'now they're not all that anxious to come out an'feed. There's no self in a sitting hen; she's all in the eggs or the chicks.” The poor mother-hens; such blind devotion! Even to eggs not their own! Connie looked at them in compassion. A helpless silence fell between the man and the woman.

“是啊，它们整天窝在笼里，已经瘦得皮包骨头。”他说，“对出来吃食也失去兴趣。孵蛋期间，母鸡完全失去自我，全身心投入到繁衍后代的任务中去。”这些可怜的鸡妈妈，如此不求回报地付出着！甚至不介意所孵的蛋并非属于自己。康妮望着这些伟大的母亲，心生怜悯。这对男女再次被无助的沉默所笼罩。

"Shall us go i'th'ut?" he asked.

“咱俩进屋去？”他问。

"Do you want me?" She asked, in a sort of mistrust.

“你愿意接纳我吗？”她问，心怀疑虑。

"Ay, if you want to come." She was silent.

“是呀，如果你乐意的话。”她不再作声。

"Come then!" he said.

“来吧！”他说。

And she went with him to the hut. It was quite dark when he had shut the door, so he made a small light in the lantern, as before.

接着，她随他走进小屋。他把门掩上，屋里一团漆黑，于是，他如往常那般，将油灯点亮。

"Have you left your underthings off?" he asked her.

“你没穿内衣吧？”他问。

"Yes!" "Ay, well, then I'll take my things off too.” He spread the blankets, putting one at the side for a coverlet. She took off her hat, and shook her hair. He sat down, taking off his shoes and gaiters, and undoing his cord breeches.

“嗯！”“哦，那好，我也把衣服脱掉。”他伸开毛毯，放一条在旁边，准备用来蔽体。她摘掉帽子，轻摇发丝。他坐下来，褪掉鞋子和绑腿，脱下灯芯绒马裤。

"Lie down then!" he said, when he stood in his shirt.

“躺下吧！”他说，仍穿着衬衣站在那里。

She obeyed in silence, and he lay beside her, and pulled the blanket over them both.

她沉默不语，只是照他的意思做，然后，他在她身旁躺下，扯过毛毯盖在两人身上。

"There!" he said.

“我来了！”他说。

And he lifted her dress right back, till he came even to her breasts. He kissed them softly, taking the nipples in his lips in tiny caresses.

他一下将她的衣裙掀了起来，一直掀到胸口。他温柔地亲吻着她的双峰，用嘴唇衔住乳头，轻轻地吸吮着。