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好！她又在棋盘上给人摆布着了。 Clifford hated her going, but it was only because he didn't feel safe in her absence. Her presence, for some reason, made him feel safe, and free to do the things he was occupied with. He was a great deal at the pits, and wrestling in spirit with the almost hopeless problems of getting out his coal in the most economical fashion and then selling it when he'd got it out. He knew he ought to find some way of using it, or converting it, so that he needn't sell it, or needn't have the chagrin of failing to sell it. But if he made electric power, could he sell that or use it? And to convert into oil was as yet too costly and too elaborate. To keep industry alive there must be more industry, like a madness. 克利福是大大不喜欢她走的，原因只是因为她走了，他便要觉得不"安全"。她在的时候，不知怎么的，他便觉得安全，便觉得可以自由自由地做他的事，他常到煤炕里去，勾心斗角地去求解决那些差不多不能解决的问题，如怎样用最经济的方法去采煤，然后出卖。他知道他应该找个方法去用自己的煤，或者把煤炼成其他的东西，这样他才不必拿出去卖，更不必为没有销路发愁，但是，假如他把煤变成了电力，他自己又用得着么，或卖得了么？至于把煤化成油，此刻还是件太花钱而且不容易的事，要维持工业的生命，便需要创造新的工业，那象是一种狂病。 It was a madness, and it required a madman to succeed in it. Well, he was a little mad. Connie thought so. His very intensity and acumen in the affairs of the pits seemed like a manifestation of madness to her, his very inspirations were the inspirations of insanity. 那是一种狂病，非得一个狂人是成功不了的。晤，他不是有点儿狂么？康妮这么想。她觉得他对于故务的热切和锐敏也是疯狂的表现；甚至他的感奋本身也是疯狂的感奋。 He talked to her of all his serious schemes, and she listened in a kind of wonder, and let him talk. Then the flow ceased, and he turned on the loudspeaker, and became a blank, while apparently his schemes coiled on inside him like a kind of dream. 他对她说着他的伟大的计划，她只惊讶地听着，让他独自说去。一堆废话说完了后，他翻转头去听无线电放音机，失神似的一句话不说。无疑地，他的计划象梦一般的隐退了。 And every night now he played pontoon, that game of the Tommies, with Mrs Bolton, gambling with sixpences. And again, in the gambling he was gone in a kind of unconsciousness, or blank intoxication, or intoxication of blankness, whatever it was. Connie could not bear to see him. But when she had gone to bed, he and Mrs Bolton would gamble on till two and three in the morning, safely, and with strange lust. Mrs Bolton was caught in the lust as much as Clifford: the more so, as she nearly always lost. 现在，每天晚上，他和波太太无实在丘八们所玩的"潘东"脾，并且是赌六便士的。在这方面他也是一样，他一边赌着，一边还迷失在一种无意识的境界里，或一种失神的沉醉里或沉醉的失神里，反正一样，康妮看了真觉难受。可是她回到楼上就寝以后，他和波太太有时还要赌到早上二三点，安然地，怪沉溺地赌。波太太溺命不亚于克利福；她越沉溺，她使差不多输得越多。 
她有一天对康妮说："那晚我输了二十三个先令给克利福男爵。" 'And did he take the money from you?' asked Connie aghast. " 他受了你的钱么？康妮惊愕地问道。 'Why of course, my Lady! Debt of honour!' " 为什么，当然啊，夫人！那是荣誉债呢；" Connie expostulated roundly, and was angry with both of them. The upshot was, Sir Clifford raised Mrs Bolton's wages a hundred a year, and she could gamble on that. Meanwhile, it seemed to Connie, Clifford was really going deader. 康妮严历地遣责他们两个。结果是克利福把波太太的年薪加了一百镑；她赌的钱也有了。同时，康妮觉得克利福日见死气沉沉了。 She told him at length she was leaving on the seventeenth. 她最后告诉他，她十七号便要走了。 
十七号！"他说，"什么时候回来？" 'By the twentieth of July at the latest.' " 最迟是七月二十号左右。" Strangely and blankly he looked at her, with the vagueness of a child, but with the queer blank cunning of an old man. 他怪异地、失神地望着她，飘忽得象一个孩子似的，但又奸诡得象一个老人一样。 'You won't let me down, now, will you?' he said. " 你现在不会把我丢弃了吧，是不是？"他说。 'How?' " 怎么？" 
当你走了以后，我的意思是说，你一定会回来吧？" 'I'm as sure as I can be of anything, that I shall come back.' " 比什么都一定，我将要回来的。" 'Yes! Well! Twentieth of July!' " 是的！好！七月二十！" He looked at her so strangely. Yet he really wanted her to go. That was so curious. He wanted her to go, positively, to have her little adventures and perhaps come home pregnant, and all that. At the same time, he was afraid of her going. 他很怪异地望着她。可是他实在是愿意她走的，那是奇怪的。他的确愿意她走，愿意她有点小浪漫史，也许她怀了个胎回来呢。而同时，她这一去，却又使他害怕…… She was quivering, watching her real opportunity for leaving him altogether, waiting till the time, herself himself should be ripe. 她战栗着，她等待着完全脱离他的时间，等待着她自己、他自己的成熟。 
她坐着，与守猎人谈起她的外出。 'And then when I come back,' she said, 'I can tell Clifford I must leave him. And you and I can go away. They never need even know it is you. We can go to another country, shall we? To Africa or Australia. Shall we?' " 那么当我回来的时候，我可以告诉克利福我要离开他。你和我便可以出走。他们决不必知道是和你走的，我们可以到外国去，是不是？到非洲去或澳洲去。你想怎样？" She was quite thrilled by her plan. 她这个计划使他很兴奋。 'You've never been to the Colonies, have you?' he asked her. " 你从来没有到过殖民地去则不是？"他问道。 'No! Have you?' " 没有！你呢？" 
我到过印度，南非和埃及。" 'Why shouldn't we go to South Africa?' " 为什么不让我们到南非去呢？" 'We might!' he said slowly. " 是的，为什么不？"他慢慢地说。 'Or don't you want to?' she asked. " 也让你不想到那儿去罢？"她问道。 'I don't care. I don't much care what I do.' " 那于我是无所谓的，怎样我都无所谓的。" 
那不便你快乐么？为什么不呢？我们不会穷的。我一年约莫有六百镑的入息，我已经写信去问过了，这数目并不多，但是也够了，是不是？" 'It's riches to me.' " 于我这是很富裕了。" 'Oh, how lovely it will be!' " 啊，那时就快乐了！" 'But I ought to get divorced, and so ought you, unless we're going to have complications.' " 可是我应该离了婚，而你也应该离了婚才行，否则我们便要有麻烦了。"' There was plenty to think about. 要考虑的事情有多着呢。 
另一天，她问些关于他自己的事情。那时他们是在小屋里。外面正在雷雨交加。 'And weren't you happy, when you were a lieutenant and an officer and a gentleman?' " 从前你是一位中尉，一位军官，而又是一位贵绅的那个时候，你是不是快乐的？" 'Happy? All right. I liked my Colonel.' " 快乐？是的。我喜欢我的那位上校。" 'Did you love him?' " 你爱他不？" 'Yes! I loved him.' " 是的，我爱他。"
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