目 录 上一节 下一节 
不错，从前拍拉图的灵魂上天去进，是乘着两马的战车去的，现在定要坐福德汽车去了。"她说。 'Or a Rolls-Royce: Plato was an aristocrat!' " 也许要坐罗斯---莱斯汽车去呢：因为柏拉图是个贵族呵！" 'Quite! No more black horse to thrash and maltreat. Plato never thought we'd go one better than his black steed and his white steed, and have no steeds at all, only an engine!' " 真的！再也没有黑马受人鞭鞑和虐待了，柏拉图决没有梦想到我们今日会走得比他的两条黑白骏马更快，决没有梦想到骏马根本就没有了，有的只是机器！" 'Only an engine and gas!' said Clifford. " 只是机器和汽油！"克利福说。 'I hope I can have some repairs done to the old place next year. I think I shall have about a thousand to spare for that: but work costs so much!' he added. " 我希望明年能够把这老屋修整一下，为了这个，我想我得省下一千镑左右，但是工程太贵了！"他又加上一句。 
呵，那很好！"康妮说，"只要不再罢工就好了！" 'What would be the use of their striking again! Merely ruin the industry, what's left of it: and surely the owls are beginning to see it!' " 他们再罢工又有什么好处呢！那只是把工业，把这硕果仅存的一点点工业送上死路罢了，这班家伙应该有觉悟了！" 'Perhaps they don't mind ruining the industry,' said Connie. " 也许他们满不在乎工业上死路呢，康妮说。 'Ah, don't talk like a woman! The industry fills their bellies, even if it can't keep their pockets quite so flush,' he said, using turns of speech that oddly had a twang of Mrs Bolton. " 呵，不要说这种妇人的话！纵令工业不能使他们的腰包满溢，但是他们的肚子是要靠它温饱的呵。"他说着，语调里奇异地带了些波太太的鼻音。 'But didn't you say the other day that you were a conservative-anarchist,' she asked innocently. " 但是那天你不是说过你是个保守派无政府主义者吗？"她天真地问道。 
你没有懂我的意思么？"他反驳道，"我的意思只是说，一个人在私生活上，喜欢怎样做怎样想，便可以怎样做怎样丰想，只要保全了生命的形式和机构。" Connie walked on in silence a few paces. Then she said, obstinately: 康妮静默地走了几步，然后固扫计说； 'It sounds like saying an egg may go as addled as it likes, so long as it keeps its shell on whole. But addled eggs do break of themselves.' " 这仿佛是说，一只蛋喜欢怎样腐败下去，便可以怎样腐败下去，只要保全了蛋壳，但是蛋腐败了是不由得不破裂的。" 'I don't think people are eggs,' he said. 'Not even angels' eggs, my dear little evangelist.' " 我不相信人是和蛋一样的。"他说，"甚至这蛋是天使的蛋，也不能拿来和人相提并论，我亲爱的小传道师。" He was in rather high feather this bright morning. The larks were trilling away over the park, the distant pit in the hollow was fuming silent steam. It was almost like old days, before the war. Connie didn't really want to argue. But then she did not really want to go to the wood with Clifford either. So she walked beside his chair in a certain obstinacy of spirit. 在这样清朗的早晨，他的心情是很愉快的，百灵鸟在园里飞翔嗽卿着，远远地在低凹处的矿场，静悄悄地冒着烟雾。情景差不多同往日，大战前的往日一样，康妮实在不想争论。但是她实在也不想和克利福到林中去。她在他的小车旁走着心里在赌着气。 
不，"他说，如果事情处理得宜，以后不会有罢工的事了" 'Why not?' " 为什么不会有了。" 'Because strikes will be made as good as impossible.' " 因为事情会摆布得差不多罢工成功了。" 'But will the men let you?' she asked. " 但是工人肯么？"她问道。 'We shan't ask them. We shall do it while they aren't looking: for their own good, to save the industry.' " 我们不问他们肯不肯。为了他们自己的益处，为了救护工业，我们要当他们不留神的时候，把事情摆布好了。" 
也为了你自己的好处。"她说。 'Naturally! For the good of everybody. But for their good even more than mine. I can live without the pits. They can't. They'll starve if there are no pits. I've got other provision.' " 自然啦！为了大家的好处，但是他们的好处却比我的好处多，没有煤矿我也能生活下去，我有其他的生计，他们却不能；没有煤矿他们便要挨饿的。" They looked up the shallow valley at the mine, and beyond it, at the black-lidded houses of Tevershall crawling like some serpent up the hill. From the old brown church the bells were ringing: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! 他们在那浅谷的上头，遥望着煤矿场和矿场后面那些达娃斯哈的黑顶的屋宇，好象蛇似沿着山坡起着。那褐色的老教堂的钟声响着：礼拜，礼拜，礼拜！ 'But will the men let you dictate terms?' she said. 'My dear, they will have to: if one does it gently.' " 但是工人们肯让你这样自由摆布么？"她说。"我亲爱的，假如摆布得聪明，他们便不得不让。" 'But mightn't there be a mutual understanding?' " 难道他们与你之间，不可以有互相的谅解么？" 
绝对可以的：如果他们认清了工业第一，个人次之。" 'But must you own the industry?' she said. " 但是你一定要自己占有这工业么？"她说。 'I don't. But to the extent I do own it, yes, most decidedly. The ownership of property has now become a religious question: as it has been since Jesus and St Francis. The point is not: take all thou hast and give to the poor, but use all thou hast to encourage the industry and give work to the poor. It's the only way to feed all the mouths and clothe all the bodies. Giving away all we have to the poor spells starvation for the poor just as much as for us. And universal starvation is no high aim. Even general poverty is no lovely thing. Poverty is ugly.' " 我不，但是我既已占有了，我便得占有它。现在产业所有权的问题已成为一个宗教问题了。这是自从耶稣及圣佛兰西斯以来就这样的。问题并不是：将您所有的一切赐予穷人；而是，利用您所有的一切以发展工业，面子穷人以工作，这是所以便靶靶众生饱暖的唯一方法，把我们所有的一切赐予穷人，那便等于使穷人和我们自己一伙儿饿馁。饥饿的世界是要不得的，甚至人人都穷困了，也不见得怎样有趣，贫穷是丑恶的！" 'But the disparity?' " 但是贫富不均又怎样？" 'That is fate. Why is the star Jupiter bigger than the star Neptune? You can't start altering the make-up of things!' " 那是命，为什么木星比海王星大？你不能转变造化的！" 
但谁是群龙之首呢？"她问道。 'The men who own and run the industries.' " 经营和占有工业的人们。" There was a long silence. 两人间静默了好一会。 'It seems to me they're a bad boss,' she said. " 我觉得这些人都是些坏头目。"她说。 'Then you suggest what they should do.' " 那么他们要怎样才算好头目呢？ 
他们把他们的头目地位不太当你一回事。"她说。 'They take it far more seriously than you take your ladyship,' he said. " 他们对他们的地位，比你对你的男爵夫人的地位，更当作一回事呢。"他说。 'That's thrust upon me. I don't really want it,' she blurted out. He stopped the chair and looked at her. " 但是我的地位是人家强给我的。我自己实在不想。"她脱口而出道，他把车停了，望着她： 'Who's shirking their responsibility now!' he said. 'Who is trying to get away now from the responsibility of their own boss-ship, as you call it?' " 现在是谁想摆脱责任？现在是谁想逃避头目地位---如你所称的---责任。"
| 
