第十六章（第10/24页）

"And doesn't Clifford suspect?" she said.

“克利福德就没起疑心？”她问。

"Oh no! Why should he?" "I've no doubt you've given him plenty of occasion for suspicion," said Hilda.

“噢，没有！他怎么会想得到？”“我确信，你肯定留给他不少起疑的机会。”希尔达说。

"Not it all." "And tonight's business seems quite gratuitous folly. Where does the man live?” "In the cottage at the other end of the wood." "Is he a bachelor?" "No! His wife left him." "How old?" "I don't know. Older than me.” Hilda became more angry at every reply, angry as her mother used to be, in a kind of paroxysm. But still she hid it.

“根本就没有。”“今晚的勾当真是蠢透了，根本没有必要。那男人住在哪儿？”“住在树林那端的农舍里。”“他是个单身汉？”“不是！他的妻子离开了他。”“多大年纪？”“我不清楚。比我年长。”康妮每句回答，都让希尔达的怒火烧得更旺，就像她们的母亲当年一般怒气攻心。但她还是努力掩饰着。

"I would give up tonight's escapade if I were you," she advised calmly.

“如果我是你，今晚就不会去冒险。”她语调平静地劝慰道。

"I can't! I must stay with him tonight, or I can't go to Venice at all. I just can't.” Hilda heard her father over again, and she gave way, out of mere diplomacy. And she consented to drive to Mansfield, both of them, to dinner, to bring Connie back to the lane-end after dark, and to fetch her from the lane-end the next morning, herself sleeping in Mansfield, only half an hour away, good going.

“我做不到！今晚我必须跟他共度，不然我就连威尼斯都不去了。我就是做不到。”希尔达再次从康妮的话里听到父亲的口气，她做出让步，但仅是作为权宜之计。她同意开车载她去曼斯菲尔德，晚餐过后，趁着夜幕送她回到车道尽头，次日清晨再去接她，而自己则在曼斯菲尔德过夜。如果开得快些，两地仅有半小时车程。

But she was furious. She stored it up against her sister, this balk in her plans.

但她依然恼火不已。妹妹打乱了自己设定好的计划，这笔账她已暗暗记下。

Connie flung an emerald-green shawl over her window-sill.

康妮在窗台上系了条翠绿色围巾。

On the strength of her anger, Hilda warmed toward Clifford.

由于她的震怒，希尔达对克利福德的看法不禁有些缓和。

After all, he had a mind. And if he had no sex, functionally, all the better: so much the less to quarrel about! Hilda wanted no more of that sex business, where men became nasty, selfish little horrors. Connie really had less to put up with than many women if she did but know it.

他毕竟颇有才智。如果说他没有性能力，这反倒是件好事，夫妻间不会为此而争吵不休。希尔达打算与性事永诀，男人总会因此变成下流龌龊、自私自利的讨厌鬼。因为远离性事，康妮其实比许多女人都安闲得多，只不过她并不清楚这一点。

And Clifford decided that Hilda, after all, was a decidedly intelligent woman, and would make a man a first-rate helpmate, if he were going in for politics for example. Yes, she had none of Connie's silliness, Connie was more a child: you had to make excuses for her, because she was not altogether dependable.

而克利福德也断定，希尔达虽不讨人喜欢，但毫无疑问是个睿智的女子，若男人想在政坛有所作为，她绝对是个出色的助手。她不像康妮那样傻兮兮的，康妮跟孩子没什么分别：你总得找理由为她辩护，因为她根本无法依靠。

There was an early cup of tea in the hall, where doors were open to let in the sun. Everybody seemed to be panting a little.

大家早早来到饭厅用下午茶，阳光从敞开的门投射进来。彼此似乎各怀心事。