第十三章（第8/19页）

They passed the narrow track to the hut. Thank heaven it was not wide enough for the chair: hardly wide enough for one person. The chair reached the bottom of the slope, and swerved round, to disappear. And Connie heard a low whistle behind her. She glanced sharply round: the keeper was striding downhill towards her, his dog keeping behind him.

两人路过通往林间小屋的窄径。谢天谢地，小径实在太窄，容不得轮椅通行，就算是人想通过，也要费番周折。轮椅驶到坡底后转弯，消失在视线之外。此时，康妮听到背后传来低低的口哨声。她连忙回头观瞧，守林人正大步走下山坡，来到她的切近，猎犬尾随在后。

"Is Sir Clifford going to the cottage?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

“克利福德爵士要去农舍吗？”他望着她的双眼问。

"No, only to the well." "Ah! Good! Then I can keep out of sight. But I shall see you tonight. I shall wait for you at the park-gate about ten.” He looked again direct into her eyes.

“不，他只是想去约翰井。”“哦！太好了！那样我就不用露面了。可我今晚要见你。十点左右，我在园林门口等你。”他直直地逼视着她的双眸。

"Yes," she faltered.

“好吧。”她的声音有些颤抖。

They heard the Papp! Papp! of Clifford's horn, tooting for Connie.

耳边传来叭叭的声音！叭叭！那是克利福德按响喇叭，催促康妮赶快跟上。

She "Coo-eed!" in reply. The keeper's face flickered with a little grimace, and with his hand he softly brushed her breast upwards, from underneath. She looked at him, frightened, and started running down the hill, calling Coo-ee! again to Clifford. The man above watched her, then turned, grinning faintly, back into his path.

她发出“喂”的喊声，作为回应。守林人微微做了个鬼脸，手已经自下向上轻抚起她的酥胸。她惊讶地瞪了他一眼，赶忙往坡下跑去，嘴里仍发出“喂”的喊声，回应着克利福德。守林人居高临下，目送她远去，继而转过身，隐入身后的窄径，脸上露出浅浅的笑意。

She found Clifford slowly mounting to the spring, which was halfway up the slope of the dark larch-wood. He was there by the time she caught him up.

她发现克利福德正费力地向泉边驶去。那眼泉水位于半山腰处，四周都是幽深的落叶松林。等她赶到，他已经抵达。

"She did that all right," he said, referring to the chair.

“她表现得不错。”他说，指的是自己的轮椅。

Connie looked at the great grey leaves of burdock that grew out ghostly from the edge of the larch-wood. The people call it Robin Hood's Rhubarb. How silent and gloomy it seemed by the well! Yet the water bubbled so bright, wonderful! And there were bits of eye-bright and strong blue bugle...And there, under the bank, the yellow earth was moving. A mole! It emerged, rowing its pink hands, and waving its blind gimlet of a face, with the tiny pink nose-tip uplifted.

康妮看着松林边缘鬼魅般丛生的牛蒡草，它拥有宽大的灰色叶片。当地人将它称作“罗宾汉大黄”。泉眼附近如此寂静和阴暗！而泉水却潺潺流泻着，那样欢快，那样奇妙。这里还见得到几株小米草以及肥硕的蓝色喇叭花……而在那边，围栏下方，黄土被掀开。鼹鼠！它探出身来，粉色的爪子舞动着，螺丝锥似的脑袋茫然四顾，粉色的小鼻尖向上翘着。

"It seems to see with the end of its nose," said Connie.

“它的视觉器官似乎是鼻头。”康妮说。

"Better than with its eyes!" He said. "Will you drink?" "Will you?" She took an enamel mug from a twig on a tree, and stooped to fill it for him. He drank in sips. Then she stooped again, and drank a little herself.

“比眼睛更加敏锐！”他说。“你要喝水吗？”“你呢？”她从树枝上取下一只瓷杯，弯腰为他取水。他呷了几口。接着，她又俯身取了些，自己也喝了一点。