第七章（第8/13页）

Hilda only glowered at him without replying; repartee was not her forte, nor Connie's; so she glowered, and he was much more uncomfortable than if she had said things.

希尔达没有回应，只是怒视着他，妙语巧辩并非她所擅长，同样也不是康妮的强项。因此，她只是目光不错地瞪着他，而反倒比作答更令克利福德感觉难堪。

"I'll take her to a doctor," said Hilda at length. "Can you suggest a good one round here?" "I'm afraid I can't.” "Then I'll take her to London, where we have a doctor we trust.” Though boiling with rage, Clifford said nothing.

“我要带她去看医生。”希尔达最后说。“你能就近推荐位好医生么？”“恐怕我做不到。”“那我就带她去伦敦，那儿有我们信赖的医生。”虽然怒不可遏，但克利福德还是一声没吭。

"I suppose I may as well stay the night," said Hilda, pulling off her gloves, "and I'll drive her to town tomorrow.” Clifford was yellow at the gills with anger, and at evening the whites of his eyes were a little yellow too. He ran to liver. But Hilda was consistently modest and maidenly.

“我想我最好在这里过夜，”希尔达边说，边摘掉手套。“明天再开车带她去伦敦。”克利福德气得脸色蜡黄，傍晚时分，连眼白都泛出黄色。他的脸变成猪肝色。但希尔达依然保持着端庄温柔的姿态。

"You must have a nurse or somebody, to look after you personally. You should really have a manservant," said Hilda as they sat, with apparent calmness, at coffee after dinner. She spoke in her soft, seemingly gentle way, but Clifford felt she was hitting him on the head with a bludgeon.

“你得雇个护士，或者别的什么人，来照顾你的生活起居。你早就应该找个男仆。”希尔达说。吃过晚饭，大家围坐在一起，看似心平气和地品着咖啡。她的语气轻柔，如同和风细雨，而在克利福德听来，却好似当头棒喝。

"You think so?" he said coldly.

“是么？”他冷冷地说。

"I'm sure! It's necessary. Either that, or Father and I must take Connie away for some months. This can't go on.” "What can't go on?” "Haven't you looked at the child!" asked Hilda, gazing at him full stare. He looked rather like a huge, boiled crayfish at the moment; or so she thought.

“那当然！必须这么做。要么你答应雇人，不然父亲和我得把康妮接走几个月。这种情况不可以再继续下去。”“哪种情况不能再继续下去？”“难道你没看到康妮憔悴的样子吗？”希尔达质问道，圆睁二目，死死盯着克利福德。怒火中烧的他此时活像只煮熟的大个龙虾，至少她这么认为。

"Connie and I will discuss it," he said.

“我会和康妮商量此事。”他说。

"I've already discussed it with her," said Hilda.

“我已经和她商量过了。”希尔达寸步不让。

Clifford had been long enough in the hands of nurses; he hated them, because they left him no real privacy. And a manservant!...he couldn't stand a man hanging round him. Almost better any woman. But why not Connie? The two sisters drove off in the morning, Connie looking rather like an Easter lamb, rather small beside Hilda, who held the wheel. Sir Malcolm was away, but the Kensington house was open.

克利福德曾长年接受护士的照料，他对她们并无好感，因为有她们存在，自己便不得清静。至于男仆！……他无法忍受一个男人不离自己左右。但凡是女人就比男仆强。可为什么就不能由康妮来照看自己呢？次日清晨，姐妹俩乘车离开拉格比，康妮活像只复活节羔羊，坐在开车的希尔达旁边，显得又瘦又小。马尔科姆爵士此刻没在伦敦，但肯辛顿的房子却可供他们落脚。

The doctor examined Connie carefully, and asked her all about her life. "I see your photograph, and Sir Clifford's, in the illustrated papers sometimes. Almost notorieties, aren't you? That's how the quiet little girls grow up, though you're only a quiet little girl even now, in spite of the illustrated papers. No, no! There's nothing organically wrong, but it won't do! It won't do! Tell Sir Clifford he's got to bring you to town, or take you abroad, and amuse you. You've got to be amused, got to! Your vitality is much too low; no reserves, no reserves. The nerves of the heart a bit queer already: oh, yes! Nothing but nerves; I'd put you right in a month at Cannes or Biarritz. But it mustn' go on, MUST'T, I tell you, or I won't be answerable for consequences. You're spending your life without renewing it. You've got to be amused, properly, healthily amused. You're spending your vitality without making any. Can't go on, you know. Depression! Avoid depression!” Hilda set her jaw, and that meant something.