第十三章（第2/19页）

“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.

“但你不是曾经以保守派无政府主义者自居吗？”她的问题有些幼稚。他反驳道。“你到底搞没搞清我的意思？”“我是说，人们大可以为所欲为，想所欲想，做所欲做，但这只局限于私生活方面，前提是他们能够保证生活和机制在形式上的完整性。”康妮默行数步。然后，她执拗地说：“这理论听起来是说，鸡蛋大可以臭掉，前提是它的壳保持完整。但坏掉的鸡蛋会自己爆掉。”“人怎么能跟鸡蛋划等号。”他说。“甚至不是天使的蛋，我亲爱的小传道士。”在这个明媚的清晨，他的情绪极佳。百灵鸟在园林上空啾唧啭鸣，远处山谷中的煤矿无声地升腾起蒸气。一切情境宛若旧日时光，大战爆发前的时光。康妮无心再去争辩。但她也再无兴致陪克利福德去林中徜徉。于是，她赌着气，走在轮椅旁边。

"No," he said. "There will be no more strikes, it. The thing is properly managed." "Why not?" "Because strikes will be made as good as impossible." "But will the men let you?" she asked.

“不。”他说。“如果一切尽在掌握，就不再会有罢工出现。”“为什么？”“因为罢工将变得难上加难。”“但矿工们会任由你摆布吗？”她问。

"We shan't ask them. We shall do it while they aren't looking: for their own good, to save the industry.” "For your own good too," she said.

“我们不会征求他们的意见。我们只会在他们还没留意时，就搞定一切，这也是为了他们着想，为了拯救煤矿业。”“也是为了你自己的利益。”她说。

"Naturally! For the good of everybody. But for their good even more than mine. I can live without the pits. They can't. They'll starve if there are no pits. I've got other provision.” They looked up the shallow valley at the mine, and beyond it, at the black-lidded houses of Tevershall crawling like some serpent up the hill. From the old brown church the bells were ringing: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

“那是当然！为了所有人的利益。但他们得到的好处甚至比我还多。即使失去煤矿，我依然能够生存。他们却不能。没有煤矿，他们统统都要挨饿。而我还有别的经济来源。”他们来到浅谷顶端，遥望着煤矿，还有远处那长蛇般蜿蜒曲折的农舍。那些黑色顶棚的房子属于特弗沙尔村。褐色的老教堂传来钟声，告诉所有人周日的降临。

"But will the men let you dictate terms?" She said. "My dear, they will have to: if one does it gently.” "But mightn't there be a mutual understanding?” "Absolutely: when they realize that the industry comes before the individual.” "But must you own the industry?" She said.