第十八章（第2/14页）

“你打算怎么办？”“我还没想好。这恰恰是问题的关键。”“没法跟克利福德商量解决此事吗？”“我想克利福德会接受这个孩子。”康妮说。“上次你跟他谈过以后，他对我说过，只要我行事谨慎，他不会介意我怀上别人的孩子。”“他这样说，倒也算明白事理。依我看，这就没什么问题了。”“此话怎讲？”康妮盯着父亲的眼睛问。父亲那双蓝色的明眸与康妮的颇为相近，但眼神却游移不定，有时像个局促不安的男孩，有时则显得闷闷不乐，自私促狭。好在这双眼睛通常透露出愉快与审慎。

"You can present Clifford with an heir to all the Chatterleys, and put another baronet in Wragby." Sir Malcolm's face smiled with a half-sensual smile.

“你可以让克里福德后继有人，使查泰莱家香烟不绝，给拉格比添个小从男爵。”马尔科姆爵士的脸上浮现出笑容，显出几分性感。

"But I don't think I want to," she said.

“可我不想那样。”她说。

"Why not? Feeling entangled with the other man? Well! If you want the truth from me, my child, it's this. The world goes on. Wragby stands and will go on standing. The world is more or less a fixed thing and, externally, we have to adapt ourselves to it. Privately, in my private opinion, we can please ourselves. Emotions change. You may like one man this year and another next. But Wragby still stands. Stick by Wragby as far as Wragby sticks by you. Then please yourself. But you'll get very little out of making a break. You can make a break if you wish. You have an independent income, the only thing that never lets you down. But you won't get much out of it. Put a little baronet in Wragby. It's an amusing thing to do.” And Sir Malcolm sat back and smiled again. Connie did not answer.

“为什么？跟那男人难舍难离？好吧！孩子，你要是想听我明言，我就不妨打开天窗说亮话。世界日新月异。但拉格比现在将来都会始终屹立不摇。这世上总有些东西无法变更，我们必须调整自己，努力适应它，至少做好表面工作。我个人的意见是，私下里我们大可以随心所欲。感情的事常换常新。你即便朝秦暮楚也没问题。可拉格比却将存在下去。只要拉格比愿意接纳你，你就不应背弃它。在此前提下，完全可以及时行乐。可若当真一拍两散，对你没有什么好处。你要是愿意，一刀两断也可以。你有独立的经济来源，完全可以靠此过活。可你这样做实在有些不值。给拉格比生个小从男爵吧。这未尝不是件有趣的事情。”马尔科姆爵士靠向椅背，再度露出微笑。康妮并未作答。

"I hope you had a real man at last," he said to her after a while, sensually alert.

“希望你碰到了真正的男子汉。”过了一会儿，他对女儿说，一副人老心不老的活泼劲儿。

"I did. That's the trouble. There aren't many of them about," she said.

“我碰到的确实是。这正是让我苦恼的地方。世间的男子汉实在是凤毛麟角。”她说。

"No, by God!" he mused.

“没错，天呢！”他沉思片刻。

"There aren't! Well, my dear, to look at you, he was a lucky man. Surely he wouldn't make trouble for you?” "Oh no! He leaves me my own mistress entirely." "Quite! Quite! A genuine man would." Sir Malcolm was pleased. Connie was his favourite daughter, he had always liked the female in her. Not so much of her mother in her as in Hilda. And he had always disliked Clifford. So he was pleased, and very tender with his daughter, as if the unborn child were his child.

“的确如此！哦，亲爱的，看看你牵肠挂肚的模样，他的确是个幸运的家伙。他自然不会给你惹什么麻烦把？”“噢，没有！他让我自己拿主意。”“那是当然！那是当然！这正是大丈夫所为。”马尔科姆爵士兴高采烈。康妮是他最宠爱的女儿，他喜欢她身上的女人味。她不像希尔达，继承了太多母亲的特质。他也从来没青睐过克利福德。这正是他兴高采烈的原因，而且他无微不至地关怀着女儿，简直比孩子的父亲还要尽责。

He drove with her to Hartland's hotel, and saw her installed: then went round to his club. She had refused his company for the evening.

他开车送她去哈特兰饭店，等她安顿好一切，才返回俱乐部。她告诉父亲，晚上不用来陪她。

She found a letter from Mellors.

她收到梅勒斯的信。

I won't come round to your hotel, but I'll wait for you outside the Golden Cock in Adam Street at seven. There he stood, tall and slender, and so different, in a formal suit of thin dark cloth. He had a natural distinction, but he had not the cut-to-pattern look of her class. Yet, she saw at once, he could go anywhere. He had a native breeding which was really much nicer than the cut-to-pattern class thing.