第十四章（第2/15页）

她两脚只穿着长袜，搭在明亮的铁制围栏上。他去了趟食品间，拿回不少吃的，有面包、黄油以及压缩口条。她感觉有点热，就脱掉了外衣。他帮她挂在门上。

"Shall you have cocoa or tea or coffee to drink?" He asked.

“你喝可可、茶还是咖啡？”他问。

"I don't think I want anything," she said, looking at the table. "But you eat." "Nay, I don't care about it. I'll just feed the dog.” He tramped with a quiet inevitability over the brick floor, putting food for the dog in a brown bowl. The spaniel looked up at him anxiously.

“我什么也不想喝。”她说着，往桌上看看。“你自己吃吧。”“不，我也不打算吃。只是要喂喂狗。”他迈着坚实的步伐，从砖地上走过，脸上露出从容不迫的安然神态，把食物放在一只褐色的碗里。那只猎犬抬头望着主人，显得急不可耐。

"Ay, this is thy supper, tha nedna look as if tha wouldna get it!" He said.

“是呀，这是恁的晚餐，甭摆出没饭吃的可怜相。”他说。

He set the bowl on the stairfoot mat, and sat himself on a chair by the wall, to take off his leggings and boots. The dog instead of eating, came to him again, and sat looking up at him, troubled.

他把碗搁在楼梯角的垫子上，自己在靠墙的椅子上坐下来，准备解开绑腿，脱掉长靴。猎犬非但没吃食，反而跑到主人身边蹲下，抬头望着他，显得很不安。

He slowly unbuckled his leggings. The dog edged a little nearer.

他慢条斯理地解开绑腿的排扣。猎犬又往前凑了凑。

"What's amiss wi' thee then? Art upset because there's somebody else here? Tha'rt a female, tha art! Go an' eat thy supper.” He put his hand on her head, and the bitch leaned her head sideways against him. He slowly, softly pulled the long silky ear.

“怎么回事？来个生人，就怕成那样？母的就是这副德行！赶紧吃恁的晚饭去吧。”他把手搁在它的头上，弗洛西侧着脑袋依靠着主人。他扯弄着它柔滑的长耳朵，动作缓慢而温柔。

"There!" He said. "There! Go an' eat thy supper! Go!” He tilted his chair towards the pot on the mat, and the dog meekly went, and fell to eating.

“去吧！”他说。“去吧！去吃恁的晚饭！快点！”他把椅子往垫子的方向倾斜，猎犬乖乖领命，跑下楼梯吃起食来。

"Do you like dogs?" Connie asked him.

“你喜欢狗吗？”康妮问他。

"No, not really. They're too tame and clinging.” He had taken off his leggings and was unlacing his heavy boots. Connie had turned from the fire. How bare the little room was! Yet over his head on the wall hung a hideous enlarged photograph of a young married couple, apparently him and a bold-faced young woman, no doubt his wife.

“不，不太喜欢。狗的性格太柔顺，总是缠着人不放。”他已经脱去绑腿，正在解那双笨重的长靴。康妮此刻背对着炉火。这间小屋确实简陋！但他头顶墙上挂着的大幅结婚照却格外扎眼，那对年轻的新人分明是他和一个长相轻挑的女子，而那无疑就是他的妻子。

"Is that you?" Connie asked him.

“那是你吗？”康妮问。

He twisted and looked at the enlargement above his head.

他扭头看着头顶的大幅照片。

"Ay! Taken just afore we was married, when I was twenty-one.” He looked at it impassively.

“是呀！俺俩临结婚的时候照的，那阵子我21岁。”他望向结婚照的目光极其冷漠。

"Do you like it?" Connie asked him.

“你喜欢它吗？”康妮问。

"Like it? No! I never liked the thing. But she fixed it all up to have it done, like." He returned to pulling off his boots.

“喜欢？不！我从不会喜欢这劳什子。可她安排好一切，俺也只得随着去照。”他转过脸，继续脱靴子。

"If you don't like it, why do you keep it hanging there? Perhaps your wife would like to have it," she said.

“不喜欢的话，干嘛还挂在这儿？或许你妻子还想要呢。”她说。

He looked up at her with a sudden grin.

他霍得抬头看着她，咧嘴笑起来。

"She carted off iverything as was worth taking from th' 'ouse," he said. "But she left THAT!"

“她走的时候，把家里所有值钱的东西席卷一空。”他说。“可只留下了那张照片！”

"Then why do you keep it? For sentimental reasons?" "Nay, I niver look at it. I hardly knowed it wor theer. It's bin theer sin' we come to this place.” "Why don't you burn it?” She said.

“那你为什么还留着它呢？因为难以忘情？”“才不是呢，俺从不正眼瞧它。几乎都忘记它还挂在那儿。自打俺俩在这里住下，它就挂在那儿。”“干嘛不烧了它？”她提议道。