a master. Connie attributed it to Mrs. Bolton's influence upon him, just at the crisis in his life.

意识到丈夫对自己过分的依赖，康妮又惧又厌。他对矿场管事发号施令，与董事会成员交换意见，和青年科学家探讨对策，康妮都在旁倾听，他对事物敏锐的洞察力，他对权利的掌控，对那些所谓实干家的操纵，都让她感到愕然。他本身就是一位实干家，高瞻远瞩、有权有势的实干家，大师级的实干家。康妮认为这都应该归功于博尔顿太太的影响，当克利福德的生活深陷危机，她的出现起到了决定性的作用。

But this astute and practical man was almost an idiot when left alone to his own emotional life. He worshipped Connie. She was his wife, a higher being, and he worshipped her with a queer, craven idolatry, like a savage, a worship based on enormous fear, and even hate of the power of the idol, the dread idol. All he wanted was for Connie to swear, to swear not to leave him, not to give him away.

但这位精明强干的实业家，一旦退回到自己的感情生活，就会变得和白痴无异。他崇拜着康妮。她不但是他的妻子，而且是高不可攀的存在，他则像个未开化的野蛮人，畏畏缩缩地迷恋着她，景仰着她。这种景仰源于莫可名状的巨大恐惧，甚至是对被崇拜对象的仇恨，因为这位可怖的偶像拥有无法估计的力量。他唯一的要求是，康妮要发誓对他不离不弃。

"Clifford," she said to him—but this was after she had the key to the hut—” Would you really like me to have a child one day?” He looked at