第五章（第6/13页）
“你来这里有段日子了吧？”康妮问他。
"Eight months, Madam...your Ladyship!" he corrected himself calmly.
“八个月了，女士……夫人！”他纠正了自己的错误，没有半点慌乱。
"And do you like it?" She looked him in the eyes. His eyes narrowed a little, with irony, perhaps with impudence.
“喜欢这儿么？”她凝视着他的眼睛。他的双目微微眯起，眼神中满是嘲讽，又或是傲慢。
"Why, yes, thank you, your Ladyship! I was reared here..." He gave another slight bow, turned, put his hat on, and strode to take hold of the chair. His voice on the last words had fallen into the heavy broad drag of the dialect...perhaps also in mockery, because there had been no trace of dialect before. He might almost be a gentleman. Anyhow, he was a curious, quick, separate fellow, alone, but sure of himself.
“哦，喜欢，谢谢您的关心，夫人！我在这儿长大……”他再次轻鞠一躬，转过身，戴上帽子，跨步向前抓住轮椅。他的话最后几个字带有明显的拖腔，本地的方言就是如此……但或许又是有意取笑，因为他之前说话时根本不带口音。他几乎称得上是位绅士。然而，也是个身手敏捷、独来独往的怪家伙，孑然一身，但却自信满满。
Clifford started the little engine, the man carefully turned the chair, and set it nose-forwards to the incline that curved gently to the dark hazel thicket.
克利福德发动微型引擎，梅勒斯小心翼翼地调转轮椅，前端对着弯弯曲曲的下坡路，通向幽暗的榛丛。
"Is that all then, Sir Clifford?" asked the man.
“还有什么吩咐，克利福德爵士？”他问。
"No, you'd better come along in case she sticks. The engine isn't really strong enough for the uphill work.” The man glanced round for his dog...a thoughtful glance. The spaniel looked at him and faintly moved its tail. A little smile, mocking or teasing her, yet gentle, came into his eyes for a moment, then faded away, and his face was expressionless. They went fairly quickly down the slope, the man with his hand on the rail of the chair, steadying it. He looked like a free soldier rather than a servant. And something about him reminded Connie of Tommy Dukes.
“嗯，你还是与我们同行的好，万一轮椅又被卡住。上坡的时候，这台引擎确实有点马力不足。”那男人瞥了一眼自己的狗……眼神中充满关切。那猎犬望着主人，轻轻摇动着尾巴。他面露浅笑，柔和的目光中闪过一丝嘲讽或是戏谑，停留片刻便消失不见，又换上那张全无表情的脸孔。下坡时行进的速度相当快，那男人用手扶住轮椅，力求让它走得稳些。他看上去并不像仆从，反倒有自由战士的风范。他身上的某些气质让康妮想起出身行伍的汤米·杜克斯。
When they came to the hazel grove, Connie suddenly ran forward, and opened the gate into the park. As she stood holding it, the two men looked at her in passing, Clifford critically, the other man with a curious, cool wonder; impersonally wanting to see what she looked like. And she saw in his blue, impersonal eyes a look of suffering and detachment, yet a certain warmth. But why was he so aloof, apart? Clifford stopped the chair, once through the gate, and the man came quickly, courteously, to close it.
三人走到榛树丛处，康妮突然跑上前去，敞开通往花园的大门。她站在原地，手扶着门，两个男人通过时，视线都集中在她身上。克利福德面露不悦，守林人那冷峻的目光中则蕴含着讶异与不解，似乎只想要仔细端详她的模样。而从他浅蓝色的冷漠眼神中，康妮窥见的是历经苦难后的超然，但也有某种温情隐藏其间。可他为何表现得如此淡然，不愿与人亲近呢？刚刚踏进花园，克利福德就止住轮椅，那男人则快步走回门前，礼貌地将它合上。
"Why did you run to open?" asked Clifford in his quiet, calm voice, that showed he was displeased. "Mellors would have done it." "I thought you would go straight ahead," said Connie. "And leave you to run after us?" said Clifford.
“你干嘛跑去开门？”克利福德问，低沉平静的语气中现出不快。“这种事梅勒斯会做的。”“我以为你想要径直通过。”康妮说。“让你跟在我们后面跑？”克利福德说。
"Oh, well, I like to run sometimes!" Mellors took the chair again, looking perfectly unheeding, yet Connie felt he noted everything. As he pushed the chair up the steepish rise of the knoll in the park, he breathed rather quickly, through parted lips. He was rather frail really. Curiously full of vitality, but a little frail and quenched. Her woman's instinct sensed it.
“哦，偶尔跑跑也不错！”梅勒斯再度扶住轮椅，似乎根本没留意两人的交谈，但康妮觉得刚才的话都没有逃过他的耳朵。推着轮椅，走上花园中那坡度甚陡的小丘，他张开嘴，急促地喘着气。他其实相当虚弱。虽然莫名充满活力，但体格却算不得强壮。女人敏感的天性察觉到这一点。