第十六章（第2/14页）

"Oh well!" She said. "I fit is so it is so. I don't mind!” "Why, you're all right, my Lady! You've only been sheltering in the hut. It's absolutely nothing.” They went on to the house. Connie marched in to Clifford's room, furious with him, furious with his pale, over-wrought face and prominent eyes.

“噢，好吧！”她说。“既然如此，我也不再追究！”“哦，夫人，幸亏您平安归来！您只是在小屋避避雨而已。这没什么大不了的。”她俩回到拉格比。康妮稳步走进克利福德的房间，心怀愤怒，尤其是看到那苍白紧张的面孔以及外凸的眼睛。

"I must say, I don't think you need send the servants after me," she burst out.

“我不得不说，你没必要派仆人来跟踪我。”她大发雷霆。

"My God!" He exploded. "Where have you been, woman, you've been gone hours, hours, and in a storm like this! What the hell do you go to that-bloody wood for? What have you been up to? It's hours even since the rain stopped, hours! Do you know what time it is? You're enough to drive anybody mad. Where have you been? What in the name of hell have you been doing?” "And what if I don't choose to tell you?” She pulled her hat from her head and shook her hair.

“天呢！”他同样抑制不住愤怒的情绪。“你这婆娘，到底去了哪里，你出去好几个钟头了，好几个钟头，外面下着瓢泼大雨！你去那该死的树林，究竟干了什么勾当？你暗地里到底在谋划什么？雨已经停了好几个钟头，好几个钟头！你知道现在几点了吗？你会把任何人都逼疯的。你到底去了哪里？你究竟干什么去了？”“如果我不想说，你能拿我怎样？”她摘掉帽子，拨弄着头发。

It was very bad for him to get into these rages: Mrs. Bolton had a weary time with him, for days after.

如此的暴怒对他的身体影响极坏，之后的几天，博尔顿太太一直忙着照顾他，累得够呛。

Connie felt a sudden qualm.

康妮突然感到有些内疚。

"But really!" She said, milder. "Anyone would think I'd been I don't know where! I just sat in the hut during all the storm, and made myself a little fire, and was happy.” She spoke now easily. After all, why work him up any more!

“这倒也是！”她的语气温和许多。“谁都会以为我迷了路！我自始自终都坐在小屋里避雨，自己生着炉火，很是逍遥自在。”她开始轻描淡写起来。何苦再去刺激他呢！

He looked at her suspiciously.

他看着妻子，满脸狐疑。

And look at your hair!” He said; "look at yourself!" "Yes!" She replied calmly. "I ran out in the rain with no clothes on." He stared at her speechless.

“看看你的头发！”他说，“看看你这副德行！”“是的！”她答道，镇定自若。“我在雨中裸奔来着。”他盯着她，目瞪口呆。

"You must be mad!" He said.

“你准是疯了！”他说。

"Why? To like a shower bath from the rain?" "And how did you dry yourself?" "On an old towel and at the fire." He still stared at her in a dumbfounded way.

“为什么？就因为喜欢洗雨水浴？”“可你怎么擦干身体呢？”“用条旧毛巾，就着炉火烤了烤。”他仍是那副瞠目结舌的神情，愣愣地望着她。

"And supposing anybody came," he said.

“要是遇到人怎么办？”他问。

"Who would come?" "Who? Why, anybody! And Mellors. Does he come? He must come in the evenings." "Yes, he came later, when it had cleared up, to feed the pheasants with corn." She spoke with amazing nonchalance. Mrs. Bolton, who was listening in the next room, heard in sheer admiration. To think a woman could carry it off so naturally!

“遇到谁？”“谁？无论是谁！梅勒斯。遇到他了吗？他傍晚总会去树林。”“遇到了，雨停之后，他才来的，带着谷粒去喂野鸡。”她若无其事地说着，出人意料地镇定。博尔顿太太正在隔壁偷听，不禁由衷地佩服女主人。试想一下，身为女人的她，竟能如此从容不迫！

"And suppose he'd come while you were running about in the rain with nothing on, like a maniac?” "I suppose he'd have had the fright of his life, and cleared out as fast as he could.” Clifford still stared at her transfixed. What he thought in his under-consciousness he would never know. And he was too much taken aback to form one clear thought in his upper consciousness. He just simply accepted what she said, in a sort of blank. And he admired her. He could not help admiring her. She looked so flushed and handsome and smooth: love smooth.

“要是你在雨中疯狂裸奔的时候，与他碰个正着怎么办？”“我猜他会吓得灵魂出窍，落荒而逃。”克利福德依然怔怔地瞪着她。自己的潜意识里到底在想些什么，连他本人都不知道。他受惊过度，大脑根本无法形成清晰的想法。他只是全盘接受了她的解释，脑袋里空空如也。他对她充满仰慕。他抑制不住自己钦佩的心情。她面色红润，皮肤光滑，美艳不可方物，这都是因为爱情的滋润。

"At least," he said, subsiding, "you'll be lucky if you've got off without a severe cold.” "Oh, I haven't got a cold," she replied. She was thinking to herself of the other man's words: Tha's got the nicest woman's arse of anybody! She wished, she dearly wished she could tell Clifford that this had been said her, during the famous thunderstorm. However! She bore herself rather like an offended queen, and went upstairs to change.

“至少，”他说，情绪渐渐平复下来，“如果你不会因此患上重感冒，那就算是万幸了。”“噢，我没感冒。”她回应道。她心里想着另一个男人的话：恁拥有世间最美的女人的屁股！她希望，由衷地希望能够告诉克利福德，在那场倾盆暴雨中，有人这样赞美她。但话到嘴边又咽下。她端起架子，活像位被冒犯的女王，上楼换衣服去了。

That evening, Clifford wanted to be nice to her. He was reading one of the latest scientific-religious books: he had a streak of a spurious sort of religion in him, and was egocentrically concerned with the future of his own ego. It was like his habit to make conversation to Connie about some book, since the conversation between them had to be made, almost chemically. They had almost chemically to concoct it in their heads.

那天晚上，克利福德极力想要讨好她。他正在读最新出版的一本有关科学的宗教书籍，他对宗教的笃信只不过是惺惺作态，心里真正关心的只不过是自己的前途。自从他俩间的谈话变成没话找话，几乎有些要去制造化学反应的意味，克利福德总习惯跟康妮谈论书籍。他们在脑海里炮制着谈话的内容，很像是在进行化学实验。