第十二章（第2/12页）

“哦，茶壶在那边”——他指着墙角土褐色的碗碟柜，“还有茶杯。茶叶在你头顶的炉架上。”她拿过黑色茶壶，从炉架上取下茶叶罐。她将热水注入茶壶，之后呆立半晌，不知道把水倒去哪里。

"Throw it out," he said, aware of her. "It's clean.” She went to the door and threw the drop of water down the path. How lovely it was here, so still, so really woodland. The oaks were putting out ochre yellow leaves: in the garden the red daisies were like red plush buttons. She glanced at the big, hollow sandstone slab of the threshold, now crossed by so few feet.

“倒去外面。”他说，显然是察觉到她的不知所措。“水很干净。”她走到门口，将水倾洒在路面上。这里多么美妙啊，如此静谧，名副其实的林地。橡树发出赭黄色的嫩叶，园中鲜红的雏菊像是长毛绒钮扣。那块硕大凹陷的砂岩门槛映入眼帘，如今已很少有人从上跨越。

"But it's lovely here," she said. "Such a beautiful stillness, everything alive and still." He was eating again, rather slowly and unwillingly, and she could feel he was discouraged. She made the tea in silence, and set the tea-pot on the hob, as she knew the people did. He pushed his plate aside and went to the back place; she heard a latch click, then he came back with cheese on a plate, and butter.

“这里真美。”她赞叹道。“宁静得让人心醉，一切都鲜活而寂静。”他继续吃起午餐来，咀嚼和吞咽都相当缓慢，显得极不情愿，她感觉得到他有些沮丧。她默默沏着茶，接着把茶壶放回到炉架上，她知道这里的百姓都这样做。他把餐盘推开，走向屋后，她听到门闩开启的声音，过了一会，他端着一盘奶酪和黄油回来了。

She set the two cups on the table; there were only two. "Will you have a cup of tea?" she said.

她把两只茶杯摆在桌上，那是仅有的两只茶杯。“想来杯茶吗？”她问。

"If you like. Sugar's in th'cupboard, an'there's a little cream jug. Milk's in a jug in th'pantry.” "Shall I take your plate away?" she asked him. He looked up at her with a faint ironical smile.

“如果您乐意的话。糖搁在橱柜里，还有一小罐奶油。牛奶在食品间的罐子里。”“让我来收拾你的餐盘吧？”她问。他抬头看着她，嘴角微微露出嘲讽的微笑。

"Why...if you like," he said, slowly eating bread and cheese. She went to the back, into the pent-house scullery, where the pump was. On the left was a door, no doubt the pantry door. She unlatched it, and almost smiled at the place he called a pantry; a long narrow white-washed slip of a cupboard. But it managed to contain a little barrel of beer, as well as a few dishes and bits of food. She took a little milk from the yellow jug.

“哦……如果您愿意的话。”他说，慢条斯理地嚼着面包和奶酪。她走到屋后侧间的洗碗池边，那里安着水龙头。左手边有扇门，无疑就是食品间。她拔掉门闩进去，看到他所谓的食品间，几乎笑出声来，那只不过是条狭长的白漆壁橱。但里面还是塞着一小桶啤酒，几只餐盘，还有零零散散的食物。她从黄色的罐子里取出些牛奶。

"How do you get your milk?" She asked him, when she came back to the table.

“你怎么弄到牛奶的？”她回到餐桌旁时问。

"Flints! They leave me a bottle at the warren end. You know, where I met you!" But he was discouraged. She poured out the tea, poising the cream-jug.

“从弗林特家！他们会在牧场尽头给我留一瓶。你知道的，就是上次咱俩碰面的地方！”但他的表情依然沮丧。她斟好茶，拿起奶油罐。

"No milk," he said; then he seemed to hear a noise, and looked keenly through the doorway.

“我不要牛奶。”他说。似乎听到什么动静，警觉地向门外张望。

" 'Appen we'd better shut," he said.

“咱还是关上门为妙。”他说。

"It seems a pity," she replied. "Nobody will come, will they?" "Not unless it's one time in a thousand, but you never know.” "And even then it's no matter," she said. "It's only a cup of tea.” "Where are the spoons?" He reached over, and pulled open the table drawer. Connie sat at the table in the sunshine of the doorway.

“真可惜。”她应道。“没人会来这儿，不是吗？”“万里有一，谁晓得呢。”“有人来也没什么要紧的。”她说。“我们不过在喝茶而已。”“勺子放在哪儿？”他探身拉开餐桌的抽屉。康妮坐在桌旁，沐浴着门口射进来的阳光。

"Flossie!" He said to the dog, who was lying on a little mat at the stair foot. "Go an'hark, hark! He lifted his finger, and his "hark!" was very vivid. The dog trotted out to reconnoitre.