第十章（第6/34页）

The keeper, squatting beside her, was also watching with an amused face the bold little bird in her hands. Suddenly he saw a tear fall on to her wrist.

守林人蹲在她旁边，注视着她手中那只勇敢无畏的小鸡，饶有兴致。却蓦地看见一滴眼泪落在她的手腕。

And he stood up, and stood away, moving to the other coop. For suddenly he was aware of the old flame shooting and leaping up in his loins, that he had hoped was quiescent for ever. He fought against it, turning his back to her. But it leapt, and leapt downwards, circling in his knees.

他直起身，远离康妮，向另一个鸡笼走去。因为他突然感觉到小腹处潜伏多日的火焰猛然燃起升腾，他曾经希望这股欲火永远熄灭。他背过身，极力压制着心中的欲望。但它却不断蔓延，向下蔓延，在他的双膝之间打转。

He turned again to look at her. She was kneeling and holding her two hands slowly forward, blindly, so that the chicken should run in to the mother-hen again. And there was something so mute and forlorn in her, compassion flamed in his bowels for her.

他再度转身望向她。她正跪在地上，表情茫然，缓缓向前伸出双手，这样一来，小鸡就能跑进笼里，回到母亲身边。她显得那样静谧，那样凄零，怜惜之情在他的体内油然而生。

Without knowing, he came quickly towards her and crouched beside her again, taking the chick from her hands, because she was afraid of the hen, and putting it back in the coop. At the back of his loins the fire suddenly darted stronger.

不知为何，他快步向她走去，再次蹲在她的身旁，从她手里接过小鸡，将它放回笼中。因为他深知她害怕那护雏心切的母鸡。小腹处的那团火焰燃得更旺了。

He glanced apprehensively at her. Her face was averted, and she was crying blindly, in all the anguish of her generation's forlornness. His heart melted suddenly, like a drop of fire, and he put out his hand and laid his lingers on her knee.

他看着她，目光中充满关切。她把脸扭向一旁，再也无法抑制自己的眼泪，为自己孤寂一生的苦楚黯然神伤。他的心好像一点火花一样瞬间熔化，他伸出手，指尖触碰着她的膝盖。

"You shouldn't cry," he said softly.

“别哭了。”他柔声说。

But then she put her hands over her face and felt that really her heart was broken and nothing mattered any more.

但她却掩面而泣，只感觉心已粉碎，一切都不再重要。

He laid his hand on her shoulder, and softly, gently, it began to travel down the curve of her back, blindly, with a blind stroking motion, to the curve of her crouching loins. And there his hand softly, softly, stroked the curve of her flank, in the blind instinctive caress.

他把手搭在她的肩头，轻柔地顺着她背部的曲线向下游走，盲目地抚触着，直至她蜷曲的腰际。他的手温柔地抚摸着她的纤纤细腰，那是发自男性盲目的本能爱抚。

She had found her scrap of handkerchief and was blindly trying to dry her face.

她掏出手帕，胡乱地擦拭着脸上的泪水。

"Shall you come to the hut?" he said, in a quiet, neutral voice.

“进屋好吗？”他用淡淡的声音平静地劝慰着。

And closing his hand softly on her upper arm, he drew her up and led her slowly to the hut, not letting go of her till she was inside. Then he cleared aside the chair and table, and took a brown, soldier's blanket from the tool chest, spreading it slowly. She glanced at his face, as she stood motionless.

他轻轻牵住她的手臂，拉她起来，引她踱向小屋，直到她置身屋中，才松开手。接着，他把桌椅挪开，从工具箱里取出条棕色军毯，慢慢将它铺开。她站在那里，动也不动，目光移向他的脸庞。

His face was pale and without expression, like that of a man submitting to fate.

他面色苍白，没有半点表情，似乎已经甘愿屈从于命运的安排。

"You lie there," he said softly, and he shut the door, so that it was dark, quite dark.

“躺在这儿。”他的语气依然那样温柔，说着将门掩上。屋里变得黑暗，伸手不见五指。

With a queer obedience, she lay down on the blanket. Then she felt the soft, groping, helplessly desirous hand touching her body, feeling for her face. The hand stroked her face softly, softly, with infinite soothing and assurance, and at last there was the soft touch of a kiss on her cheek.

她出奇地顺从，在毯子上躺下。接着，她感到他的手轻柔地触碰她的身体，摸索她的脸庞，放射出无法抑制的欲望。他的手温柔地、爱怜地抚弄着她的俏脸，让她体验到无限的宽慰和信任。终于，深情的吻贴上她的脸颊。