第十六章（第13/20页）

" 'Elp yerselves!" he said.

“请自便！”他说。

" 'Elp yerselves! Dunna wait f'r axin'!” He cut the bread, then sat motionless. Hilda felt, as Connie once used to, his power of silence and distance. She saw his smallish, sensitive, loose hand on the table. He was no simple working man, not he: he was acting! Acting!

“请自便！难不成还等人家请！”他把面包切开，然后静静地坐在那里。希尔达此刻的感觉，跟当日的康妮一样，深切地体验到他那种沉默和疏远的力量。她注意到他的手随意地搁在桌上，并不太大，但却异常灵活。他并非工人阶级的普通一员，根本就不是，他不过在装模作样而已！不过在装腔作势罢了！

"Still!" She said, as she took a little cheese. "It would be more natural if you spoke to us in normal English, not in vernacular." He looked at her, feeling her devil of a will.

“可是！”她边说，边拿起一小块奶酪。“如果你跟我们说标准英语，或许会更自然些，别再讲土话了。”他望着她，感受到这女人恶魔般的坚强意志。

"Would it?" he said in the normal English. "Would it? Would anything that was said between you and me be quite natural, unless you said you wished me to hell before your sister ever saw me again: and unless I said something almost as unpleasant back again? Would anything else be natural?” "Oh yes!" Said Hilda. "Just good manners would be quite natural." "Second nature, so to speak!" He said: then he began to laugh. "Nay," he said. "I'm weary o'manners. Let me be!” Hilda was frankly baffled and furiously annoyed. After all, he might show that he realized he was being honoured. Instead of which, with his play-acting and lordly airs, he seemed to think it was he who was conferring the honour. Just impudence! Poor misguided Connie, in the man's clutches!

“会吗？”他的话转换成标准英语。“会吗？你我之间说些什么会显得自然呢，除非你承认你希望我下地狱，好让你妹妹再也见不到我；除非我也反唇相讥，说些难听的话？除此之外，还有什么话是自然的呢？”“噢，当然有！”希尔达说。“谈吐得体就会显得很自然。”“也就是所谓第二天性吧！”他说完笑了起来。“没门。”他说。“俺烦透了那些俗礼繁节。让俺随心所欲吧！”很明显，希尔达被驳得哑口无言，恼羞成怒。毕竟，应该感到脸上有光的人是他。可万没想到，他却开始装腔作势，端着十足的派头，似乎认为能到他家做客是别人的荣幸。厚颜无耻的家伙！可怜的康妮，怎么会误入歧途，落入这恶徒的魔爪！

The three ate in silence. Hilda looked to see what his table-manners were like. She could not help realizing that he was instinctively much more delicate and well-bred than herself. She had a certain Scottish clumsiness. And moreover, he had all the quiet self-contained assurance of the English, no loose edges. It would be very difficult to get the better of him.

三个人默不作声地吃着。希尔达观察着梅勒斯席间的举止是否得体。她只能承认，与自己相比，他表现出更加优雅的仪态，以及良好的教养，这显然是他内在的品质。她像苏格兰人那样古板，有失圆滑。而他却拥有英格兰人安静沉默、从容不迫的优点，几乎无懈可击。想要他自愿认栽，绝非易事。

But neither would he get the better of her.

但他也别想在希尔达那里讨到便宜。

"And do you really think," she said, a little more humanly, "it's worth the risk.” "Is what worth what risk?" "This escapade with my sister." He flickered his irritating grin.

“你当真认为，”她说，语气不再那样咄咄逼人，“这值得冒风险吗？”“什么事值得冒风险？”“和我妹妹偷情的事。”他那招人恨的笑容再次浮现。

"Yo'maun ax 'er!” Then he looked at Connie.

“恁得问她！”说完，他看着康妮。

"Tha comes o'thine own accord, lass, doesn't ter? It's non me as forces thee?” Connie looked at Hilda.

“恁是心甘情愿的，对吧，亲爱的？俺可没有对恁用强。”康妮望着希尔达。

"I wish you wouldn't cavil, Hilda.” "Naturally I don't want to. But someone has to think about things. You've got to have some sort of continuity in your life. You can't just go making a mess.” There was a moment's pause.

“你最好不要鸡蛋里面挑骨头，希尔达。”“我才懒得那样做呢。可总要有人思前想后。生活总该有些延续性。不能任它乱成一团糟。”又是片刻的沉默。

"Eh, continuity!" He said. "An'what by that? What continuity ave yer got I'your life? I thought you was gettin'divorced. What continuity's that? Continuity o'yer own stubbornness. I can see that much. An'what good's it goin'to do yer? You'll be sick o'yer continuity afore yer a fat sight older. A stubborn woman an er own self-will: ay, they make a fast continuity, they do. Thank heaven, it isn't me as 'as got th'andlin'of yer!” "What right have you to speak like that to me?" Said Hilda.