第十六章

Connie arrived home to an ordeal of cross-questioning. Clifford had been out at tea-time, had come in just before the storm, and where was her ladyship? Nobody knew, only Mrs. Bolton suggested she had gone for a walk into the wood. Into the wood, in such a storm! Clifford for once let himself get into a state of nervous frenzy. He started at every flash of lightning, and blenched at every roll of thunder. He looked at the icy thunder-rain as if it dare the end of the world. He got more and more worked up.

康妮回到家，迎接她的将是被盘问的煎熬。下午茶时分出门的克利福德，正好赶在暴风雨到来前赶回家，可夫人去了哪里？没人知道，只有博尔顿太太猜她大概是去树林散步了。冒着暴风骤雨，去树林散步！这一次，克利福德陷入生平未有的狂躁状态。每道闪电都让他心惊，每声炸雷都使他胆颤。他望着屋外冰冷的雷雨，似乎世界末日就要降临。他的情绪变得更加躁动。

Mrs. Bolton tried to soothe him.

博尔顿太太试着安慰他。

"She'll be sheltering in the hut, till it's over. Don't worry, her Ladyship is all right.” "I don't like her being in the wood in a storm like this! I don't like her being in the wood at all! She's been gone now more than two hours. When did she go out?” "A little while before you came in." "I didn't see her in the park. God knows where she is and what has happened to her.” "Oh, nothing's happened to her. You'll see, she'll be home directly after the rain stops. It's just the rain that's keeping her.” But her ladyship did not come home directly the rain stopped. In fact time went by, the sun came out for his last yellow glimpse, and there still was no sign of her. The sun was set, it was growing dark, and the first dinner-gong had rung.

“她会躲进小屋里直到雨停的。别担心，夫人管保安然无恙。”“下这么大的雨，我可不想她跑去树林！我压根就不愿她去那里！她已经出去两个多小时了。她什么时候离开家的？”“她前脚刚走，您就回来了。”“我没在花园里碰到她。天知道她身在何处，天晓得她出了什么事。”“噢，她不会出事的。您等着看，雨一停，她立马就会回家来。要不是下雨，她不会耽搁这么久。”可雨已经停了，夫人却没有立马回到家中。事实上，时间分秒流逝，昏黄的夕阳洒落最后的余晖，依然不见夫人的影子。太阳已经西沉，暮色笼罩大地，连头遍晚餐铃都已响过。

"It's no good!" said Clifford in a frenzy. "I'm going to send out Field and Betts to find her.” "Oh don't do that!" cried Mrs. Bolton.

“等着根本没用！”克利福德陷入癫狂。“我要派菲尔德和贝茨去找她。”“噢，别那么做！”博尔顿太太喊道。

"They'll think there's a suicide or something. Oh don't start a lot of talk going. Let me slip over to the hut and see if she's not there. I'll find her all right.” So, after some persuasion, Clifford allowed her to go.

“他们会以为夫人寻了短见或什么的呢。那样会招来很多闲言闲语。让我去趟林中小屋，看看她是否在那儿。我准会找她回来。”博尔顿太太好说歹说，克利福德总算答应她去。

And so Connie had come upon her in the drive, alone and palely loitering.

就这样，康妮在车道上遇到她。她形单影只，面色苍白，心惊肉跳，不敢前进。

"You mustn't mind me coming to look for you, my Lady! But Sir Clifford worked himself up into such a state. He made sure you were struck by lightning, or killed by a falling tree. And he was determined to send Field and Betts to the wood to find the body. So I thought I'd better come, rather than set all the servants agog.

“我出来找您，您可别见怪，夫人！克利福德爵士简直急疯了。他断定您不是被雷劈了，就是被树砸死了。打算派菲尔德和贝茨去树林寻找尸体呢。所以，我觉得最好还是我出马，免得让仆人们都寝食难安。”

She spoke nervously. She could still see on Connie's face the smoothness and the half-dream of passion, and she could feel the irritation against herself.

她说话时，流露出不安的情绪。激情过后的光泽和梦幻仍挂在康妮脸上，这瞒不过博尔顿太太的眼睛，她也感觉得到夫人对她深怀不满。

"Quite!" said Connie.

“很好！”康妮说。

And she could say no more.

她再也说不出别的话。

The two women plodded on through the wet world, in silence, while great drops splashed like explosions in the wood. When they came to the park, Connie strode ahead, and Mrs. Bolton panted a little. She was getting plumper.

雨后泥泞的世界里，两个女人沉默不语，缓步前行。硕大的雨滴不时溅落，像是林中发生了爆炸一般。进入园林后，康妮阔步向前，博尔顿太太则落在后面，气喘吁吁。她的身形日渐肥胖。

"How foolish of Clifford to make a fuss!" said Connie at length, angrily, really speaking to herself.

“克利福德真蠢，根本不值得大惊小怪！”康妮气冲冲地抱怨着，其实是在自言自语。

"Oh, you know what men are!

“噢，您晓得，男人就是这副德行！

They like working themselves up. But he'll be all right as soon as he sees your Ladyship.” Connie was very angry that Mrs. Bolton knew her secret: for certainly she knew it.

他们总是神经兮兮的。可只要您一露面，他保证恢复常态。”秘密被博尔顿太太看破，康妮又气又恼，这种事根本逃不过她的眼睛。

Suddenly Constance stood still on the path.

突然，康妮停住脚步，站着一动不动。

"It's monstrous that I should have to be followed!” She said, her eyes flashing.

“简直难以置信，竟然派人跟踪我！”她说着，两眼冒火。

"Oh! Your Ladyship, don't say that! He'd certainly have sent the two men, and they'd have come straight to the hut. I didn't know where it was, really.” Connie flushed darker with rage, at the suggestion. Yet, while her passion was on her, she could not lie. She could not even pretend there was nothing between herself and the keeper. She looked at the other woman, who stood so sly, with her head dropped: yet somehow, in her femaleness, an ally.

“噢！夫人，您千万别这么说！他本打算派那两个男人来的，而他们会直奔小屋而去。而我根本就不知道小屋的具体位置。”康妮听出博尔顿太太话里有话，脸气得更红了。可是，此刻她的心里满怀柔情，根本无法说谎。她甚至不愿惺惺作态，装出与守林人毫无干系的样子。她望着对面的女人，她怯生生地站在那里，头都不敢抬。可无论如何，她也是女人，与自己站在同条战线上。