第十三章（第5/11页）

两人路过通往林间小屋的窄径。谢天谢地，小径实在太窄，容不得轮椅通行，就算是人想通过，也要费番周折。轮椅驶到坡底后转弯，消失在视线之外。此时，康妮听到背后传来低低的口哨声。她连忙回头观瞧，守林人正大步走下山坡，来到她的切近，猎犬尾随在后。

"Is Sir Clifford going to the cottage?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

“克利福德爵士要去农舍吗？”他望着她的双眼问。

"No, only to the well." "Ah! Good! Then I can keep out of sight. But I shall see you tonight. I shall wait for you at the park-gate about ten.” He looked again direct into her eyes.

“不，他只是想去约翰井。”“哦！太好了！那样我就不用露面了。可我今晚要见你。十点左右，我在园林门口等你。”他直直地逼视着她的双眸。

"Yes," she faltered.

“好吧。”她的声音有些颤抖。

They heard the Papp! Papp! of Clifford's horn, tooting for Connie.

耳边传来叭叭的声音！叭叭！那是克利福德按响喇叭，催促康妮赶快跟上。

She "Coo-eed!" in reply. The keeper's face flickered with a little grimace, and with his hand he softly brushed her breast upwards, from underneath. She looked at him, frightened, and started running down the hill, calling Coo-ee! again to Clifford. The man above watched her, then turned, grinning faintly, back into his path.

她发出“喂”的喊声，作为回应。守林人微微做了个鬼脸，手已经自下向上轻抚起她的酥胸。她惊讶地瞪了他一眼，赶忙往坡下跑去，嘴里仍发出“喂”的喊声，回应着克利福德。守林人居高临下，目送她远去，继而转过身，隐入身后的窄径，脸上露出浅浅的笑意。

She found Clifford slowly mounting to the spring, which was halfway up the slope of the dark larch-wood. He was there by the time she caught him up.

她发现克利福德正费力地向泉边驶去。那眼泉水位于半山腰处，四周都是幽深的落叶松林。等她赶到，他已经抵达。

"She did that all right," he said, referring to the chair.

“她表现得不错。”他说，指的是自己的轮椅。

Connie looked at the great grey leaves of burdock that grew out ghostly from the edge of the larch-wood. The people call it Robin Hood's Rhubarb. How silent and gloomy it seemed by the well! Yet the water bubbled so bright, wonderful! And there were bits of eye-bright and strong blue bugle...And there, under the bank, the yellow earth was moving. A mole! It emerged, rowing its pink hands, and waving its blind gimlet of a face, with the tiny pink nose-tip uplifted.

康妮看着松林边缘鬼魅般丛生的牛蒡草，它拥有宽大的灰色叶片。当地人将它称作“罗宾汉大黄”。泉眼附近如此寂静和阴暗！而泉水却潺潺流泻着，那样欢快，那样奇妙。这里还见得到几株小米草以及肥硕的蓝色喇叭花……而在那边，围栏下方，黄土被掀开。鼹鼠！它探出身来，粉色的爪子舞动着，螺丝锥似的脑袋茫然四顾，粉色的小鼻尖向上翘着。

"It seems to see with the end of its nose," said Connie.

“它的视觉器官似乎是鼻头。”康妮说。

"Better than with its eyes!" He said. "Will you drink?" "Will you?" She took an enamel mug from a twig on a tree, and stooped to fill it for him. He drank in sips. Then she stooped again, and drank a little herself.

“比眼睛更加敏锐！”他说。“你要喝水吗？”“你呢？”她从树枝上取下一只瓷杯，弯腰为他取水。他呷了几口。接着，她又俯身取了些，自己也喝了一点。

"So icy!" She said gasping.

“真清凉！”她气喘吁吁地说。

"Good, isn't it! Did you wish?” "Did you?" "Yes, I wished. But I won't tell.” She was aware of the rapping of a woodpecker, then of the wind, soft and eerie through the larches. She looked up. White clouds were crossing the blue.

“真棒，不是吗？你许愿了没？”“你呢？”“嗯，我许了。可不想说出来。”她听见啄木鸟轻击树干的声音，感觉松林中传来的风轻柔而诡异。她仰望天空。白云朵朵掠过蓝天。

"Clouds!" She said.

“云彩！”她赞叹道。

"White lambs only," he replied.

“只是些白色的羊羔而已。”他不以为然。

A shadow crossed the little clearing. The mole had swum out on to the soft yellow earth.

云影移过泉边的小块空地。那只鼹鼠已经爬了出来，将松软的黄土踩在脚下。

"Unpleasant little beast, we ought to kill him," said Clifford.

“讨厌的小东西，我们应该弄死它。”克利福德说。

"Look! He's like a parson in a pulpit," she said.

“看呀！他像圣坛上布道的牧师。”她说。

She gathered some sprigs of woodruff and brought them to him.

她摘了几根车叶草，交到他的手中。

"New-mown hay!” He said. "Doesn't it smell like the romantic ladies of the last century, who had their heads screwed on the right way after all!” She was looking at the white clouds.

“新刈的干草！”他说。“闻起来就像百年前风流的贵妇，好在那时的女人还算精明能干！”她依然望着白色的云朵。

"I wonder if it will rain," she said.

“我在想会不会下雨。”她说。

"Rain! Why! Do you want it to?" They started on the return journey, Clifford jolting cautiously downhill. They came to the dark bottom of the hollow, turned to the right, and after a hundred yards swerved up the foot of the long slope, where bluebells stood in the light.

“下雨！为什么！你盼着下雨吗？”他俩踏上归途，下坡路上轮椅摇摇摆摆，克利福德更加谨慎。两人来到阴暗的谷底，右转后前进一百码，便拐上长长的山坡，那里的风铃草在阳光的照耀下亭亭玉立。

"Now, old girl!" Said Clifford, putting the chair to it.

“现在，轮到你出彩了，老伙计！”克利福德说着，驾着轮椅驶上山坡。

It was a steep and jolty climb. The chair pugged slowly, in a struggling unwilling fashion. Still, she nosed her way up unevenly, till she came to where the hyacinths were all around her, then she balked, struggled, jerked a little way out of the flowers, then stopped. "We'd better sound the horn and see if the keeper will come," said Connie. "He could push her a bit. For that matter, I will push. It helps." "We'll let her breathe," said Clifford. "Do you mind putting a scotch under the wheel?" Connie found a stone, and they waited. After a while Clifford started his motor again, then set the chair in motion. It struggled and faltered like a sick thing, with curious noises.