第十七章（第21/21页）

So her name was coupled with his in Tevershall! It was a mess. But that would soon die down.

这么说，在特弗沙尔，他和她的私情已经成为茶余饭后的谈资！真是一团糟。可事情很快就会平息。

She was angry, with the complicated and confused anger that made her inert. She did not know what to do nor what to say, so she said and did nothing. She went on at Venice just the same, rowing out in the gondola with Duncan Forbes, bathing, letting the days slip by. Duncan, who had been rather depressingly in love with her ten years ago, was in love with her again. But she said to him: "I only want one thing of men, and that is, that they should leave me alone." So Duncan left her alone: really quite pleased to be able to. All the same, he offered her a soft stream of a queer, inverted sort of love. He wanted to be with her.

她异常愤怒，难以消解的愤怒让人心烦意乱，她因此变得毫无生气。她不知道该做些什么，说些什么，索性也就不说不做。她继续在威尼斯过着自在的日子，跟邓肯·福布斯乘凤尾船过湖畅泳，任凭时光从指缝中溜走。十年前，邓肯曾经追求过她，可惜受挫而回，如今对她旧情复炽。可她只是冷冷地说：“我只要求男人做一件事，那就是别来烦我。”于是，邓肯也听之任之，甚至很高兴能够达到她的要求。不过，他仍然表现出淡淡的奇妙爱意。他想要跟她长相厮守。

"Have you ever thought," he said to her one day, "how very little people are connected with one another. Look at Daniele! He is handsome as a son of the sun. But see how alone he looks in his handsomeness. Yet I bet he has a wife and family, and couldn't possibly go away from them.” "Ask him," said Connie.

“你是否想过，”某天，他对她说，“人们相互之间的联结是多么地微不足道。看看丹尼尔！他英俊得好像太阳神的儿子。但他的英俊之中透出无比落寞的神情。我敢打赌，他准已结婚生子，而且绝不可能背弃自己的家庭。”“不妨问问他。”康妮建议。

Duncan did so. Daniele said he was married, and had two children, both male, aged seven and nine. But he betrayed no emotion over the fact.

邓肯果然照办。丹尼尔说他已有妻室，还生有两个儿子，大的九岁，小的七岁。可他说这些的时候面无表情。

"Perhaps only people who are capable of real togetherness have that look of being alone in the universe," said Connie. "The others have a certain stickiness, they stick to the mass, like Giovanni." "And," she thought to herself, "like you, Duncan."

“或许只有真正能够融入世事的人，才可以表现出这种孤立于宇宙之间的超然态度。”康妮说。“除此之外，其他人都有某种黏性，跟芸芸众生黏连在一起，像乔瓦尼一样。”“而且，”她心里暗想，“你也毫不例外，邓肯。”