第十六章（第11/24页）

"Good-bye, Connie girl! Come back to me safely.” "Good-bye, Clifford! Yes, I shan't be long." Connie was almost tender.

“再见，康妮丫头！平安归来。”“再见，克利福德！嗯，我不会离开太久的。”康妮几乎是饱含着柔情。

"Good-bye, Hilda! You will keep an eye on her, won't you?” "I'll even keep two!” Said Hilda. "She shan't go very far astray.” "It's a promise!” "Good-bye, Mrs. Bolton! I know you'll look after Sir Clifford nobly.” "I'll do what I can, your Ladyship.” "And write to me if there is any news, and tell me about Sir Clifford, how he is." "Very good, your Ladyship, I will. And have a good time, and come back and cheer us up." Everybody waved. The car went off Connie looked back and saw Clifford, sitting at the top of the steps in his house-chair. After all, he was her husband: Wragby was her home: circumstance had done it.

“再见，希尔达！你会好好照顾她，对吗？”“我会对她倍加关照！”希尔达说。“不会让她太过放纵。”“一言为定！”“再见，博尔顿太太！我知道，你准会无微不至地照看克利福德爵士。”“我会竭尽全力，夫人。”“有事就给我写信，告诉我克利福德爵士的近况。”“好的，夫人，我会照办。希望您旅途愉快，衷心期盼您早日归来，和我们欢聚。”大家挥手作别。希尔达发动了汽车，康妮回首张望，看到台阶顶端的克利福德，他正坐在自己的家用轮椅中。他毕竟是她的丈夫，拉格比是她的家，这是环境决定的事实。

Mrs. Chambers held the gate and wished her ladyship a happy holiday. The car slipped out of the dark spinney that masked the park, on to the highroad where the colliers were trailing home. Hilda turned to the Crosshill Road, that was not a main road, but ran to Mansfield. Connie put on goggles. They ran beside the railway, which was in a cutting below them. Then they crossed the cutting on a bridge.

钱伯斯太太为她们敞开大门，并祝愿夫人度假愉快。汽车驶出遍布着葱郁的灌木丛的园林，开上宽敞的公路，遇上放工的矿工，正拖着沉重的脚步回家去。希尔达调转车头，驶上克罗斯希尔路，这并非是条主要道路，但却通往曼斯菲尔德。康妮戴上风镜。她们沿着铁路线向前进发，铁道位于一旁的路堑里。她们驶过横穿铁路的桥梁。

"That's the lane to the cottage!" said Connie.

“那便是通往农舍的小路。”康妮说。

Hilda glanced at it impatiently.

希尔达瞥了一眼，显得很不耐烦。

"It's a frightful pity we can't go straight off!”

“真可惜，我们没法径直往前开！”

She said. We could have been in Pall Mall by nine o'clock.” "I'm sorry for your sake," said Connie, from behind her goggles.

她抱怨着。“不然，我们九点就能抵达帕尔玛尔。”“真的很抱歉。”康妮在风镜后说。

They were soon at Mansfield, that once-romantic, now utterly disheartening colliery town. Hilda stopped at the hotel named in the motor-car book, and took a room. The whole thing was utterly uninteresting, and she was almost too angry to talk. However, Connie had to tell her something of the man's history.

没用多久，她们就来到曼斯菲尔德。这个昔日充溢着浪漫色彩的城市，如今已经彻底沦为令人沮丧的矿工聚居地。希尔达依照旅行指南，停在某家旅店前面，开了个房间。沿途的一切都无法让她提起兴趣，她气得几乎说不出话。尽管如此，康妮还是忍不住跟姐姐唠叨着自己情郎的过往。

"He! He! What name do you call him by? You only say HE," said Hilda.

“他！他！你平时都怎么称呼他？总是说‘他’。”希尔达说。

"I've never called him by any name: nor he me: which is curious, when you come to think of it. Unless we say Lady Jane and John Thomas. But his name is Oliver Mellors.” "And how would you like to be Mrs. Oliver Mellors, instead of Lady Chatterley?" "I'd love it.” There was nothing to be done with Connie. And anyhow, if the man had been a lieutenant in the army in India for four or five years, he must be more or less presentable. Apparently he had character. Hilda began to relent a little.