第七章（第16/17页）

Clifford, however, inside himself, never quite forgave Connie for giving up her personal care of him to a strange hired woman. It killed, he said to himself, the real flower of the intimacy between him and her. But Connie didn't mind that. The fine flower of their intimacy was to her rather like an orchid, a bulb stuck parasitic on her tree of life, and producing, to her eyes, a rather shabby flower.

然而，在克利福德心里，始终无法原谅康妮，认为妻子把自己的分内之事推给陌生的女佣。他对自己说，这种行为活活将夫妻之间的亲密之花扼杀。但康妮并不在乎他的感受。对她而言，这朵优雅的亲密之花更像是兰花，球茎寄生在她的生命之树上，在她眼里，结出一支破烂不堪的花朵。

Now she had more time to herself she could softly play the piano, up in her room, and sing: "Touch not the nettle, for the bonds of love are ill to loose." She had not realized till lately how ill to loose they were, these bonds of love. But thank Heaven she had loosened them! She was so glad to be alone, not always to have to talk to him. When he was alone he tapped-tapped-tapped on a typewriter, to infinity. But when he was not "working", and she was there, he talked, always talked; infinite small analysis of people and motives, and results, characters and personalities, till now she had had enough. For years she had loved it, until she had enough, and then suddenly it was too much. She was thankful to be alone.

如今，她拥有更多独处的时间，可以端坐在楼上的起居室里，优雅地弹奏起钢琴，高唱着：“路边荨麻莫采撷，爱的纠葛总难解。”直到现在，她才晓得这纠葛，这爱情的纠葛，是何等难解。但谢天谢地，她终于从束缚中摆脱出来！她很享受这种形影相吊的时光，再也不必总和克利福德瞎扯。女仆不在身边的时候，他就咔嗒咔嗒地轻敲着打字机，片刻也不停歇。但当他处于闲暇状态，碰巧她又在身边，他又会口若悬河，滔滔不绝，没完没了地细致分析着人物形象和作品主题，故事结局和人物性格，而现在她已经烦透了这些。多年以来，她始终很享受这种倾谈，而如今，她已经厌倦了这一切，突然无法再容忍下去了。能清清静静的，真是谢天谢地。

It was as if thousands and thousands of little roots and threads of consciousness in him and her had grown together into a tangled mass, till they could crowd no more, and the plant was dying. Now quietly, subtly, she was unravelling the tangle of his consciousness and hers, breaking the threads gently, one by one, with patience and impatience to get clear. But the bonds of such love are more ill to loose even than most bonds; though Mrs. Bolton's coming had been a great help.

仿佛两人的心灵深处有成千上万的根须和细丝相互连结，缠绕成纷乱繁复的一团，直至再也无法孽生，生命之树奄奄一息。现在，她得以解开两人心灵间纠结的乱麻，从容不迫，慢条斯理，轻柔地将细丝一根根扯断，时而耐心，时而急躁，让自己从束缚中摆脱出来。但畸爱的束缚往往最难解开，而博尔顿太太的到来帮了大忙。

But he still wanted the old intimate evenings of talk with Connie: talk or reading aloud. But now she could arrange that Mrs. Bolton should come at ten to disturb them. At ten o'clock Connie could go upstairs and be alone. Clifford was in good hands with Mrs. Bolton.

但克利福德仍需要保留与康妮倾谈的亲密夜晚，谈天说地，或是高声朗读。但现在，她会安排博尔顿太太十点进房来打断他们。这样，十点一到，康妮就可以自己上楼去，享受独处的时光。博尔顿太太会悉心照顾好克利福德。

Mrs. Bolton ate with Mrs. Betts in the housekeeper's room, since they were all agreeable. And it was curious how much closer the servants'quarters seemed to have come; right up to the doors of Clifford's study, when before they were so remote. For Mrs. Betts would sometimes sit in Mrs. Bolton's room, and Connie heard their lowered voices, and felt somehow the strong, other vibration of the working people almost invading the sitting-room, when she and Clifford were alone. So changed was Wragby merely by Mrs. Bolton's coming.