第十三章（第3/19页）

“但他们会任由你发号施令吗？”她问。“亲爱的，如果采取怀柔政策，他们只能乖乖就范。”“难道就没有相互谅解的途径吗？”“当然有，前提是他们认识到产业的利益远远高于个人得失。”“但你非得占有煤矿吗？”她问。

"I don't. But to the extent I do own it, yes, most decidedly. The ownership of property has now become a religious question: as it has been since Jesus and St. Francis. The point is NOT: take all thou hast and give to the poor, but use all thou hast to encourage the industry and give work to the poor. It's the only way to feed all the mouths and clothe all the bodies. Giving away all we have to the poor spells starvation for the poor just as much as for us. And universal starvation is no high aim. Even general poverty is no lovely thing. Poverty is ugly.” "But the disparity?" "That is fate. Why is the star Jupiter bigger than the star Neptune? You can't start altering the make-up of things!” "But when this envy and jealousy and discontent has once started," she began.

“并非如此。但既然已经拥有，那么，自然要继续下去。产权如今已经上升成为宗教问题，自从耶稣基督和圣方济洛（注：1506-1552，西班牙传教士，耶稣会创始人之一）时代就是如此。问题的关键并非将你所拥有尽数施舍给穷苦大众，而是利用你所拥有的，推动产业的发展，给劳苦大众创造就业机会。这才是实现人人有饭吃，人人有衣穿的唯一途径。将我们所拥有的全部施舍给穷人，只会导致世人共同受饿的结果。人人挨饿并非崇高的目标。人人受穷也并非美妙的事情。贫穷即是丑陋。”“可贫富不均又怎样解决？”“这是命运使然。木星为何比海王星大呢？你无法改变宿命！”“但嫉妒和不满一旦出现。”她反唇相讥。

"Do, your best to stop it. Somebody's got to be boss of the show.” "But who is boss of the show?" she asked.

“尽全力阻止这种事情。总要有人当家做主。”“可由谁来扮演这一角色呢？”她问。

"The men who own and run the industries." There was a long silence.

“企业的所有者和运营者。”两人陷入长久的沉默。

"It seems to me they're a bad boss," she said.

“在我看来，他们不配做当家人。”她说。

"Then you suggest what they should do." "They don't take their boss-ship seriously enough," she said.

“那你说说看，他们到底应该怎样做。”“对待自己所占据的高位，他们理应更加审慎。”她说。

"They take it far more seriously than you take your ladyship," he said.

“他们更加看重自己的地位，绝不像你那样，根本不把从男爵夫人的头衔当回事。”他说。

"That's thrust upon me. I don't really want it," she blurted out. He stopped the chair and looked at her.

“那头衔不过是别人强加给我的。我压根儿就不稀罕。”她未加思索，脱口而出。他停住轮椅，看着自己的妻子。

"Who's shirking their responsibility now!” He said. "Who is trying to get away now from the responsibility of their own boss-ship, as you call it?” "But I don't want any boss-ship," she protested.

“现在到底是谁在推卸责任！”他说。“到底是谁在逃避你所谓的高位呢？”“可我根本就不想要高高在上。”她反驳道。

"Ah! But that is funk. You've got it: fated to it. And you should live up to it. Who has given the colliers all they have that's worth having: all their political liberty, and their education, such as it is, their sanitation, their health-conditions, their books, their music, everything. Who has given it them? Have colliers given it to colliers? No! All the Wragbys and Shipleys in England have given their part, and must go on giving. There's your responsibility.” Connie listened, and flushed very red.