第五章（第9/16页）

守林人候在旁边，等着克利福德命他退下，他紧紧地注视着发生的一切，没有半点遗漏。看到康妮将克利福德麻木的双腿抱在怀中，放进另一台轮椅里，他的脸色变得惨白，表情愕然。克利福德掉转轮椅，康妮也回过身来。他显然吃惊非小。

"Thanks, then, for the help, Mellors," said Clifford casually, as he began to wheel down the passage to the servants'quarters.

“谢谢，多亏有你帮忙，梅勒斯。”克利福德漫不经心地说着，开始驱动轮椅驶下走廊，直奔佣人房。

"Nothing else, Sir?" came the neutral voice, like one in a dream.

“没别的吩咐了吗，爵爷？”仍是那漠然的腔调，如同梦中的呓语。

"Nothing, good morning!" "Good morning, Sir." "Good morning! It was kind of you to push the chair up that hill...I hope it wasn't heavy for you," said Connie, looking back at the keeper outside the door.

“没有，再见！”“再见，爵爷。”“再见！幸好有你帮忙推轮椅上坡……希望你不会觉得太重。”康妮说，转头望着门外的守林人。

His eyes came to hers in an instant, as if wakened up. He was aware of her.

四目相接，他如梦方醒。这才意识到康妮在向他道谢。

"Oh no, not heavy!" he said quickly. Then his voice dropped again into the broad sound of the vernacular: "Good mornin' to your Ladyship!” "Who is your game-keeper?”. Connie asked at lunch

“哦，不，不重！”他连忙说。又换上那种刻意的本地土语：“回见，夫人！”“那个守林人叫什么？”午饭时，康妮问。

"Mellors! You saw him," said Clifford.

“梅勒斯！你见过的。”克利福德答道。

"Yes, but where did he come from?" "Nowhere! He was a Tevershall boy...son of a collier, I believe." "And was he a collier himself?" "Blacksmith on the pit-bank, I believe: overhead smith. But he was keeper here for two years before the war...before he joined up. My father always had a good Opinion of him, so when he came back, and went to the pit for a blacksmith's job, I just took him back here as keeper. I was really very glad to get him...its almost impossible to find a good man round here for a gamekeeper...and it needs a man who knows the people.” "And isn't he married?” "He was. But his wife went off with...with various men...but finally with a collier at Stacks Gate, and I believe she's living there still.” "So this man is alone?" "More or less! He has a mother in the village...and a child, I believe." Clifford looked at Connie, with his pale, slightly prominent blue eyes, in which a certain vagueness was coming. He seemed alert in the foreground, but the background was like the Midlands atmosphere, haze, smoky mist. And the haze seemed to be creeping forward. So when he stared at Connie in his peculiar way, giving her his peculiar, precise information, she felt all the background of his mind filling up with mist, with nothingness. And it frightened her. It made him seem impersonal, almost to idiocy.

“嗯，他是何方人氏？”“什么也不是！他在特弗沙尔长大……父亲大概是名矿工。”“他自己也干这行？”“他是矿区的铁匠，我想应该是井上铁匠。大战爆发前，他曾在这里做过两年守林人……后来就应征入伍了。我父亲对他的评价始终很高，因此他复员后，到矿区申请再当铁匠时，我就让他做回守林人的老本行。他能回来，我的确很开心……能在本地找到适合的守林人实属不易……前提是他要熟稔附近的居民。”“他成家了么？”“他结过婚。但妻子弃他而去……到处跟别的男人乱搞……最后跟斯塔克斯门的某个矿工厮混在一起，或许现在还住在那里呢。”“这样说来，他现在是独身？”“可以这么说！他母亲住在村里……好像还帮他照看着孩子。”克利福德望着康妮，那双微凸的淡蓝色眼睛中弥漫着茫然的神色。他外表看起来精明强干，但内心却好似英格兰中部的天气，阴霾迷蒙，烟雾缭绕。这雾气好像正在向外蔓延。当他用独有的方式凝视着康妮，用别具一格的口吻，简明扼要地向她述说着一切时，康妮感到他的心底充满迷惘和空虚。这让她觉得不寒而栗。被这样的状态所支配，他变得感情淡漠，简直跟白痴无异。