第十章（第11/34页）

Constance, for her part, had hurried across the park, home, almost without thinking. As yet she had no afterthought. She would be in time for dinner.

而康斯坦斯此刻正匆匆穿过园林，几乎没有时间去思考。她来不及细细回味。她必须赶回去吃晚餐。

She was annoyed to find the doors fastened, however, so that she had to ring. Mrs. Bolton opened.

紧赶慢赶，她到家时，还是发觉门已闩紧，只能恼怒地按响门铃。开门的是博尔顿太太。

"Why there you are, your Ladyship! I was beginning to wonder if you'd gone lost!" she said a little roguishly. "Sir Clifford hasn't asked for you, though; he's got Mr. Linley in with him, talking over something. It looks as if he'd stay to dinner, doesn't it, my Lady?” "It does rather," said Connie.

“哎呦，您可回来了，夫人！我正在想您是不是迷路了！”她半开玩笑地说，“不过，克利福德爵士还没问起过您，他正和林利先生商量事儿呢。看来他会在这儿吃晚餐，您说是吧，夫人？”“可能吧。”康妮应道。

"Shall I put dinner back a quarter of an hour? That would give you time to dress in comfort." "Perhaps you'd better.” Mr. Linley was the general manager of the collieries, an elderly man from the north, with not quite enough punch to suit Clifford; not up to post-war conditions, nor post-war colliers either, with their 'ca'canny'creed. But Connie liked Mr. Linley, though she was glad to be spared the toadying of his wife.

“是否推迟一刻钟开饭？这样您有时间惬意地穿戴打扮。”“或许是个好主意。”林利先生是矿场的总经理，已过盛年的北方佬，遇事总是优柔寡断，得不到克利福德的赏识。他不懂与时俱进，适应战后的新形势，和那些矿工一样不知变通，谨小慎微。不过，康妮很喜欢林利先生，虽然她对林利太太的阿谀逢迎很是不悦，但好在那女人没来，也免去了她的不快。

Linley stayed to dinner, and Connie was the hostess men liked so much, so modest, yet so attentive and aware, with big, wide blue eyes arid a soft repose that sufficiently hid what she was really thinking. Connie had played this woman so much, it was almost second nature to her; but still, decidedly second. Yet it was curious how everything disappeared from her consciousness while she played it.

林利先生果然留下来用晚饭。康妮这种主妇深得异性青睐，她毫无盛气凌人的架子，对人关照无微不至，又深谙世故。那双天蓝色的大眼睛，温柔沉静的神态，总能恰如其分地将自己的心事隐藏起来。康妮将女主人的角色扮得惟妙惟肖，那几乎成为她的第二天性，但终归是第二。但奇怪的是，她饰演这角色时，总是不知不觉地进入忘我的状态。

She waited patiently till she could go upstairs and think her own thoughts. She was always waiting, it seemed to be her FORTE.

她耐心等待着，到时就可以上楼去，思考自己的事情。她总在等待，似乎那已经成为她的长项。

Once in her room, however, she felt still vague and confused. She didn't know what to think. What sort of a man was he, really? Did he really like her? Not much, she felt. Yet he was kind. There was something, a sort of warm naive kindness, curious and sudden, that almost opened her womb to him. But she felt he might be kind like that to any woman. Though even so, it was curiously soothing, comforting. And he was a passionate man, wholesome and passionate. But perhaps he wasn't quite individual enough; he might be the same with any woman as he had been with her. It really wasn't personal. She was only really a female to him.

可一旦回到房间，她仍旧感到茫然困惑。总是胡思乱想。他到底是怎样的人？他当真喜欢自己吗？不太喜欢，她觉得是这样。可他是那样温柔体贴。起到至关重要作用的，恰恰是这种温和质朴的性格，它不同寻常，突如其来，几乎让她卸去所有防卫。但她怀疑，这家伙或许对每个女人都那样和善。尽管如此，那依然让她倍感安慰和鼓舞。他是个热情似火的汉子，身心健康又激情四射。或许他只是个多情种子，能让所有在一起的女人都如沐春风。他的温柔并非她能独享。对他而言，她不过是个普通异性而已。

But perhaps that was better. And after all, he was kind to the female in her, which no man had ever been. Men were very kind to the PERSON she was, but rather cruel to the female, despising her or ignoring her altogether. Men were awfully kind to Constance Reid or to Lady Chatterley; but not to her womb they weren't kind. And he took no notice of Constance or of Lady Chatterley; he just softly stroked her loins or her breasts.