ter 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