第七章（第12/13页）

For the first week or so, Mrs. Bolton, however, was very quiet at Wragby, her assured, bossy manner left her, and she was nervous. With Clifford she was shy, almost frightened, and silent. He liked that, and soon recovered his self-possession, letting her do things for him without even noticing her.

可是，来到拉格比仅仅一周多时间，博尔顿太太就变得沉默寡言，她那满满的自信消失不见，颐指气使的神气劲也无踪无影，相反却变得紧张兮兮。在克利福德面前，她显得羞怯，甚至是恐惧，大气都不敢出。他巴不得她这样，很快就恢复了以往的泰然自若，任她忙东忙西，而置若罔闻。

"She's a useful nonentity!" he said. Connie opened her eyes in wonder, but she did not contradict him. So different are impressions on two different people!

“她是个有用的透明人！”他评价道。康妮惊得瞪大眼睛，但她没有反驳。不同的头脑产生的印象截然相异。

And he soon became rather superb, somewhat lordly with the nurse. She had rather expected it, and he played up without knowing. So susceptible we are to what is expected of us! The colliers had been so like children, talking to her, and telling her what hurt them, while she bandaged them, or nursed them. They had always made her feel so grand, almost super-human in her administrations. Now Clifford made her feel small, and like a servant, and she accepted it without a word, adjusting herself to the upper classes.

不久，他变得趾高气昂，对女佣表现出骄横跋扈的态度。这早在康妮的意料之中，他恢复贵族老爷的派头，自己却全然不知。他人的期待总会对我们产生极大的影响！过去她为受伤的矿工包扎，照料他们，而矿工们也温顺得像是孩子，跟她倾谈，吐露自己心中的伤痛。这让她觉得自己从事护理工作时，是如此的不可或缺，超凡脱俗。而现在，克利福德使她感觉自己如此微不足道，跟下人没什么两样，她只能默默接受这一切，调整自己的心态，努力迎合上层阶级。

She came very mute, with her long, handsome face, and downcast eyes, to administer to him. And she said very humbly: "Shall I do this now, Sir Clifford? Shall I do that?" "No, leave it for a time. I'll have it done later.” "Very well, Sir Clifford." "Come in again in half an hour." "Very well, Sir Clifford." "And just take those old papers out, will you?" "Very well, Sir Clifford." She went softly, and in half an hour she came softly again. She was bullied, but she didn't mind. She was experiencing the upper classes. She neither resented nor disliked Clifford; he was just part of a phenomenon, the phenomenon of the high-class folks, so far unknown to her, but now to be known. She felt more at home with Lady Chatterley, and after all it's the mistress of the house matters most.

服侍克利福德的时候，她总是噤若寒蝉，一张端庄秀丽的瓜子脸，双目低垂。她唯唯诺诺地说：“我现在该做这个吗，克利福德爵士？”那个呢？”“不用，过会再说。需要的时候我会吩咐你。”“遵命，克利福德爵士。”“过半小时再来吧。”“遵命，克利福德爵士。”“把这些旧报纸捎走吧。”“遵命，克利福德爵士。”她轻手轻脚地退出去，半小时后，又悄无声息地回来。她被呼来喝去，但却毫不介意。她在体验统治阶级高高在上的感觉。她并不怨恨克利福德，对他也不反感，他只代表着某种现象，代表着与众不同的上层阶级。她对这个阶级尚不了解，而现在正开始慢慢熟悉。在查泰莱夫人面前，她要放松许多，毕竟这座府邸是女主人当家。

Mrs. Bolton helped Clifford to bed at night, and slept across the passage from his room, and came if he rang for her in the night. She also helped him in the morning, and soon valeted him completely, even shaving him, in her soft, tentative woman's way. She was very good and competent, and she soon knew how to have him in her power. He wasn't so very different from the colliers after all, when you lathered his chin, and softly rubbed the bristles. The stand-offishness and the lack of frankness didn't bother her; she was having a new experience.

博尔顿太太每晚都要伺候克利福德就寝，自己则睡在走廊对面的房间，如果他夜里按铃，她就得随叫随到。早上她还要服侍他起床，并很快接管男主人所有的饮食起居，甚至还要替他刮脸，以女性特有的方式，柔情款款，小心翼翼地照料着他。她称职又能干，很快就知道如何掌控克利福德。当你在他下颚涂满肥皂泡，轻轻地摩挲着胡茬，这位爵爷倒也跟低贱的矿工没什么不同。他冷漠而不坦诚的性格，并未让她感到难堪，反倒觉得是在体会新的经验。

Clifford, however, inside himself, never quite forgave Connie for giving up her personal care of him to a strange hired woman. It killed, he said to himself, the real flower of the intimacy between him and her. But Connie didn't mind that. The fine flower of their intimacy was to her rather like an orchid, a bulb stuck parasitic on her tree of life, and producing, to her eyes, a rather shabby flower.