第七章（第8/17页）

结果，当人去楼空，康妮的情绪却没有好转。她仍拖着沉重的步履艰难前行，愤懑之情紧紧攫住她的下半身，没有半点摆脱的可能。时间似乎放慢了脚步，生活中充斥着莫名的痛苦，日子就这么平淡无奇地过着。只是康妮日渐消瘦，甚至女管家都注意到这一点，问她是否身体有恙。就连汤米·杜克斯都坚持认为她多半病了，可康妮却说自己没关系。特弗沙尔教堂下方的山坡上，耸立着惨白色的墓碑，卡拉拉（注：意大利托斯卡纳大区一城市，以出产白色及蓝灰色大理石闻名）大理石那奇异的色泽，如同假牙般令人生厌，每当在自家园林中望见这恐怖的景象，康妮总会感到不寒而栗。那些假牙似的阴森墓碑，竖满整个山岗，让康妮体验到毛骨悚然的感觉。她觉得，过不了多久，自己也将被埋葬在那里，在这污秽不堪的中英格兰，长眠在墓石与墓碑之下，与群鬼为伍。

She needed help, and she knew it: so she wrote a little CRI DU COEUR to her sister, Hilda. "I'm not well lately, and I don't know what's the matter with me.” Down posted Hilda from Scotland, where she had taken up her abode. She came in March, alone, driving herself in a nimble two-seater. Up the drive she came, tooting up the incline, then sweeping round the oval of grass, where the two great wild beech-trees stood, on the flat in front of the house.

她需要帮助，她清楚这一点，因此便给姐姐希尔达去信，吐露心声。“最近我感觉不太舒服，至于到底出了什么问题，我自己也不明白。”希尔达匆匆从苏格兰赶来，她早已迁居到那里。希尔达赶到拉格比时，已是初春时节，她独自驾着自己那辆轻巧的双座轿车。她顺着车道驶上山坡，喇叭嘟嘟作响，绕过有两株高大野山毛榉的椭圆形草坪，停在屋前的平地上。

Connie had run out to the steps. Hilda pulled up her car, got out, and kissed her sister.

康妮跑到门外的台阶处迎接姐姐。希尔达停好车，走下来亲吻妹妹。

"But Connie!" she cried. "Whatever is the matter?" "Nothing!" said Connie, rather shamefacedly; but she knew how she had suffered in contrast to Hilda. Both sisters had the same rather golden, glowing skin, and soft brown hair, and naturally strong, warm physique. But now Connie was thin and earthy-looking, with a scraggy, yellowish neck, that stuck out of her jumper.

“康妮！”她呼喊着妹妹的名字。“到底怎么回事？”“没什么。”康妮说，面有愧色，她知道自己与希尔达相比显得多么憔悴。曾何几时，姐妹俩都拥有健康的肌肤，闪耀着金黄色的光泽，搭配着柔顺的棕色秀发，以及与生俱来的健康热烈的体魄。可如今的康妮却变得消瘦，粗陋不堪，又细又黄的脖子从毛衣领口探出。

"But you're ill, child!" said Hilda, in the soft, rather breathless voice that both sisters had alike. Hilda was nearly, but not quite, two years older than Connie.

“可你分明是病了，孩子！”希尔达说，她的嗓音柔和，但也有些气喘吁吁，那是姐妹俩共有的特点。希尔达比康妮大将近两岁。

"No, not ill. Perhaps I'm bored," said Connie a little pathetically.

“不，我没病。或许只是闷得慌。”康妮的语气有些哀怨。

The light of battle glowed in Hilda's face; she was a woman, soft and still as she seemed, of the old amazon sort, not made to fit with men.

希尔达的脸庞闪耀着战斗的光芒，虽然身为女子，且温柔娴静，但却拥有亚马逊女战士的气度，从不会对男人屈膝逢迎。

"This wretched place!" she said softly, looking at poor, old, lumbering Wragby with real hate. She looked soft and warm herself, as a ripe pear, and she was an amazon of the real old breed.