第十章（第5/34页）

康妮看得着了魔。而与此同时，身为女性的她，深切地体验到孤独之苦，那种感受前所未有地强烈。已经到达无法承受的程度。

She had only one desire now, to go to the clearing in the wood. The rest was a kind of painful dream. But sometimes she was kept all day at Wragby, by her duties as hostess. And then she felt as if she too were going blank, just blank and insane.

此刻的她只有一个愿望，那就是置身于这片林中空地。其他的一切都是痛苦的梦境。但为了尽到女主人的职责，她有时需要全天都留在拉格比。此时，她只觉自己变得无比空虚，极度茫然，几乎陷入疯狂的境地。

One evening, guests or no guests, she escaped after tea. It was late, and she fled across the park like one who fears to be called back. The sun was setting rosy as she entered the wood, but she pressed on among the flowers. The light would last long overhead.

某天傍晚，她顾不得是否有客，用完下午茶，便逃出家门。天色已晚，她飞也似地穿过园林，好像生怕被人叫回去。踏进树林时，玫瑰色的夕阳渐渐西沉，但她仍加紧脚步，在花丛间穿行。头顶的光亮可以持续很久。

She arrived at the clearing flushed and semi-conscious. The keeper was there, in his shirt-sleeves, just closing up the coops for the night, so the little occupants would be safe. But still one little trio was pattering about on tiny feet, alert drab mites, under the straw shelter, refusing to be called in by the anxious mother.

她终于到达目的地，面色绯红，精神恍惚。守林人碰巧也在，他穿着长袖衬衣，正准备合上笼门，好让幼小的住客们安度夜晚。但仍有三只拒绝听从母亲急切的召唤，这些褐色的小机灵鬼迈着轻快的脚步，在草棚下嬉戏。

"I had to come and see the chickens!" she said, panting, glancing shyly at the keeper, almost unaware of him. "Are there any more?" "Thurty-six so far!" he said. "Not bad! He too took a curious pleasure in watching the young things come out.

“我太想来看这些小家伙了！”她气喘吁吁地说，羞怯地瞟了一眼守林人，装作不在意他的存在。“添新的了吗？”“已经36只了！”他答道。“还不赖！”亲眼目睹这些小生命呱呱落地，他欣喜莫名。

Connie crouched in front of the last coop. The three chicks had run in. But still their cheeky heads came poking sharply through the yellow feathers, then withdrawing, then only one beady little head eyeing forth from the vast mother-body.

康妮蹲在第五个鸡笼前。那三只小鸡已经跑了进去。但它们的小脑瓜还是从黄色羽毛中探出来，毫无顾忌，过一会儿又缩进去，只剩一颗小圆脑袋，还绕过妈妈硕大的身躯向外张望。

"I'd love to touch them," she said, putting her lingers gingerly through the bars of the coop. But the mother-hen pecked at her hand fiercely, and Connie drew back startled and frightened.

“我想摸摸它们。”她说着，小心翼翼地把手指从笼栏间伸进去。但鸡妈妈猛地向她啄来，康妮惊惧交加，赶忙将手抽回。

"How she pecks at me! She hates me!" she said in a wondering voice. "But I wouldn't hurt them!” The man standing above her laughed, and crouched down beside her, knees apart, and put his hand with quiet confidence slowly into the coop. The old hen pecked at him, but not so savagely. And slowly, softly, with sure gentle fingers, he felt among the old bird's feathers and drew out a faintly-peeping chick in his closed hand.

“她啄我！她不喜欢我！”她惊魂未定地说，“可我不会伤害它们的！”站在一旁的守林人笑出声来，然后在她身边蹲下，两膝分开，自信地悄悄将手伸进慢慢伸进笼里。老母鸡虽然啄了他一下，但不若刚才那般凶狠。缓缓地，轻轻地，他用温柔稳重的手指，在鸡妈妈的羽毛中摸索着，将一只唧唧叫着的小鸡抓了出来。

"There!" he said, holding out his hand to her. She took the little drab thing between her hands, and there it stood, on its impossible little stalks of legs, its atom of balancing life trembling through its almost weightless feet into Connie's hands. But it lifted its handsome, clean-shaped little head boldly, and looked sharply round, and gave a little 'peep'. "So adorable! So cheeky!" she said softly.

“好了！”她说，把小鸡递给他。她把小家伙捧在手里，它的双腿如麦秆般纤细，将自己颤巍巍地支持着平衡的生命力从它几乎感觉不到分量的双脚传递到康妮的手中。它大胆抬起那美丽匀称的小脑袋，机灵地环顾四周，发出唧唧的叫声。“简直太可爱了！实在太勇敢了！”她轻声说。