第十三章

On Sunday Clifford wanted to go into the wood. It was a lovely morning, the pear-blossom and plum had suddenly appeared in the world in a wonder of white here and there.

时值周日，克利福德想去林中散散心。清晨，风和日煦，梨花李花陡然降世，满眼白色，令人叹为观止。

It was cruel for Clifford, while the world bloomed, to have to be helped from chair to bath-chair. But he had forgotten, and even seemed to have a certain conceit of himself in his lameness. Connie still suffered, having to lift his inert legs into place. Mrs. Bolton did it now, or Field.

正值百花争艳之时，克利福德仍需别人施以援手，才能从家用轮椅换到电动轮椅上，这样的现实的确残酷。但他早已将此遗忘，甚至对自己的残废之躯滋生出自满的情绪。目睹别人把丈夫那毫无知觉的双腿搬过去，放到合适的位置，康妮心里仍感到难受。如今，这差事由博尔顿太太或者菲尔德代劳。

She waited for him at the top of the drive, at the edge of the screen of beeches. His chair came puffing along with a sort of valetudinarian slow importance. As he joined his wife he said: "Sir Clifford on his foaming steed!" "Snorting, at least!" She laughed.

她在车道顶端等他，两棵山毛榉树投下的阴影堪堪将她遮住。轮椅发动起来，噗噗响着，可行进速度如同久病之人那样缓慢。他来到妻子身边时说：“克利福德爵士跨乘唾沫四溅的骏马！”“至少是喷吐鼻息的骏马！”她笑着说。

He stopped and looked round at the facade of the long, low old brown house.

他停住轮椅，回望那座狭长低矮的褐色老屋。

"Wragby doesn't wink an eyelid!” He said. "But then why should it! I ride upon the achievements of the mind of man, and that beats a horse." "I suppose it does. And the souls in Plato riding up to heaven in a two-horse chariot would go in a Ford car now," she said.

“拉格比连眼皮都不抬一下！”他说。“可为什么要抬呢！人类智慧建立的功勋都任我驾驭，比骑匹骏马胜强百倍。”“确实如此。当年柏拉图的灵魂登临天堂，驾的是骈马战车，现在的话，应该换成福特轿车才对。”她说。

"Or a Rolls-Royce: Plato was an aristocrat!” "Quite! No more black horse to thrash and maltreat. Plato never thought we'd go one better than his black steed and his white steed, and have no steeds at all, only an engine!” "Only an engine and gas!" Said Clifford.

“或许要劳斯莱斯才行呢，柏拉图可是位贵族呢！”“有道理！黑色骏马无需再受人鞭笞与虐待。柏拉图做梦也想不到，我们如今比他的黑白二骏更胜一筹，而且根本就没有骏马，有的只是马达！”“只有马达和汽油。”克利福德说。

"I hope I can have some repairs done to the old place next year. I think I shall have about a thousand to spare for that: but work costs so much!” He added.

“明年我想把旧矿区修缮一下。我估计这要花去上千英镑，但工程的耗费总是十分庞大！”他补充说。

"Oh, good!" Said Connie. "If only there aren't more strikes!” "What would be the use of their striking again! Merely ruin the industry, what's left of it: and surely the owls are beginning to see it!” "Perhaps they don't mind ruining the industry," said Connie.

“噢，很好！”康妮说。“但愿别再有罢工就好！”“他们再闹罢工也没什么用处！只会让煤矿工业毁于一旦，将仅存的硕果推上绝路，这些夜猫子很快就会明白我的话！”“或许他们并不在乎煤矿是否走向毁灭。”康妮说。

"Ah, don't talk like a woman!” The industry fills their bellies, even if it can't keep their pockets quite so flush," he said, using turns of speech that oddly had a twang of Mrs. Bolton.

“哈，真是妇人之见！就算煤矿工业无法填满他们的腰包，但至少可以让他们避免食不果腹的尴尬。”他说，语调中居然带着博尔顿太太惯用的鼻音。

"But didn't you say the other day that you were a conservative-anarchist," she asked innocently. He retorted. "And did you understand what I meant?" "All I meant is, people can be what they like and feel what they like and do what they like, strictly privately, so long as they keep the FORM of life intact, and the apparatus." Connie walked on in silence a few paces. Then she said, obstinately: "It sounds like saying an egg may go as addled as it likes, so long as it keeps its shell on whole. But addled eggs do break of themselves." "I don't think people are eggs," he said. "Not even angels' eggs, my dear little evangelist.” He was in rather high feather this bright morning. The larks were trilling away over the park, the distant pit in the hollow was fuming silent steam. It was almost like old days, before the war. Connie didn't really want to argue. But then she did not really want to go to the wood with Clifford either. So she walked beside his chair in a certain obstinacy of spirit.