第十六章（第7/20页）

"Do you think one can only care once?" She asked.

“你认为人一生只能爱一次吗？”她问。

"Or never. Most women never care, never begin to. They don't know what it means. Nor men either. But when I see a woman as cares, my heart stands still for her.” "And do you think men easily take offence?" "Yes! If you wound them on their pride. But aren't women the same? Only our two prides are a bit different.” Connie pondered this. She began again to have some misgiving about her gag away. After all, was she not giving her man the go-by, if only for a short time? And he knew it. That's why he was so queer and sarcastic.

“或者从未爱过。大多数女人从未经历过爱情，从未尝过爱情的滋味。她们不知道爱情意味着什么。男人也一样。但当目睹一个女人付出真情，我的心也会为之停止跳动。”“你认为男人容易生气吗？”“没错！要是你挫伤了他们的自尊。可女人不也一样吗？只不过二者的自尊稍有差异而已。”康妮思索着她的话。她再度担忧起来，对远赴威尼斯的事情心生疑虑。这样做难道不是把自己的男人晾在一边吗？虽说时间并不长。而且他心里有数。所以他才总是怪里怪气，冷嘲热讽。

Still! The human existence is a good deal controlled by the machine of external circumstance. She was in the power of this machine. She couldn't extricate herself all in five minutes. She didn't even want to.

话虽如此！人活于世，多数事情都要受制于外部坏境这台机械。她此刻便被这台机器牢牢掌控。她没办法在五分钟之内摆脱这一切。她甚至没有过这样的想法。

Hilda arrived in good time on Thursday morning, in a nimble two-seater car, with her suit-case strapped firmly behind. She looked as demure and maidenly as ever, but she had the same will of her own. She had the very hell of a will of her own, as her husband had found out. But the husband was now divorcing her.

周四上午，希尔达如期而至，驾驶着她那部便捷的双座汽车，行李箱牢牢绑在车后面。她依然端庄羞涩，一如往昔，但却很有主见。她往往过于坚持己见，这自然瞒不过丈夫的眼睛。但如今，两人正在办理离婚。

Yes, she even made it easy for him to do that, though she had no lover. For the time being, she was "off" men. She was very well content to be quite her own mistress: and mistress of her two children, whom she was going to bring up 'properly', whatever that may mean.

是的，她甚至大开方便之门，助丈夫快些办妥离婚手续，虽然她并没有红杏出墙。如今，她已经“远离”男人。对于这种当家做主的感觉，她感到非常满足，她是两个孩子的依靠，她打算“妥当”地将孩子培养成人，不管未来的路如何艰辛。

Connie was only allowed a suit-case, also. But she had sent on a trunk to her father, who was going by train. No use taking a car to Venice. And Italy much too hot to motor in, in July. He was going comfortably by train. He had just come down from Scotland.

由于空间有限，康妮只能带一只行李箱。但她早已将较大的衣箱托运给父亲，他将乘火车前往。没必要开车去威尼斯。七月的意大利太过炎热，自己开车无异于遭罪。他乐得舒舒服服地乘火车去。他刚从苏格兰赶来伦敦。

So, like a demure arcadian field-marshal, Hilda arranged the material part of the journey. She and Connie sat in the upstairs room, chatting.

娴静的希尔达俨然成为阿卡迪亚（注：古希腊一地区，位于伯罗奔尼撒半岛，其居民与外部世界相对隔绝，过着简朴的田园式生活）陆军元帅，将旅行所需的事项准备得井井有条。她和康妮坐在楼上的房间里聊天。

"But Hilda!" Said Connie, a little frightened. "I want to stay near here tonight. Not here: near here!” Hilda fixed her sister with grey, inscrutable eyes. She seemed so calm: and she was so often furious.

“可是，希尔达！”康妮说，心里有些不安。“我今晚想在附近过夜。不是在拉格比，而是在附近某处。”希尔达盯着自己的妹妹，灰色的双眼让人捉摸不透。她看上去沉着冷静，但暴跳如雷也是常有的事。

"Where, near here?" She asked softly.

“在哪儿？这附近？”她轻声问。

"Well, you know I love somebody, don't you?” "I gathered there was something." "Well he lives near here, and I want to spend this last night with him must! I've promised.” Connie became insistent.

“呃，你知道的，我爱上某个人。”“我猜到有这种事。”“呃，他就住在附近，我出发前，必须跟他共度一晚！我答应过他。”康妮迫切地恳求着姐姐。

Hilda bent her Minerva-like head in silence. Then she looked up.