here, especially lately...” He laughed at her again, with mocking humour.

“我？如果你是指依靠抚恤金度日，我想我能做到。我当然能！可我必须有事可做，不然会闷死。也就是说，我需要做点什么，来打发时间。我脾气太糟，不适合为自己工作。只能被别人雇佣，不然，不出一个月，我的坏脾气发作起来，准会立马甩手不干。总而言之，我在这儿过得挺好，尤其是最近……”他又朝她笑起来，半是嘲讽，半是诙谐。

"But why are you in a bad temper?" she asked. "Do you mean you are ALWAYS in a bad temper?" "Pretty well," he said, laughing. "I don't quite digest my bile.” "But what bile?" she said.

“可你的脾气为何这么糟呀？”她问。“你是说这坏脾气从没改过吗？”“差不多吧。”他笑着说。“我的胆汁分泌过剩。”“什么胆汁？”她问。

"Bile!" he said.

“胆汁！”他说。

"Don't you know what that is?” She was silent, and disappointed. He was taking no notice of her.

“难不成你不晓得是什么？”她沉默不语，神情失落。他并未注意到这一点。

"I'm going away for a while next month," she said.

“我下个月要远行。”她说。

"You are! Where to?" "Venice! With Sir Clifford? For how long?" "For a month or so," she replied. "Clifford won't go.” "He'll stay here?" he asked.

“远行！去哪里？”“威尼斯！和克利福德爵士一起？呆多久？”“大概一个月左右。”她答道。“克利福德不去。”“他留在拉格比？”他问。

"Yes! He hates to travel as he is." "Ay, poor devil!" he said, with sympathy.

“是的！他行动不便，不愿出外旅行。”“是呀，可怜的家伙！”他同情地说。

There was a pause.

两人沉默片刻。

"You won't forget me when I'm gone, will you?" she asked.

“我离开的时候，你不会忘记我吧？”她问。

Again he lifted his eyes and looked full at her.

他又抬起眼睛，全神贯注地凝望着她。

"Forget?" he said.

“忘记？”他说。

"You know nobody forgets. It's not a question of memory;” She wanted to say: "When then?" but she didn't. Instead, she said in a mute kind of voice: "I told Clifford I might have a child." Now he really looked at her, intense and searching.

“要知道，没有人会忘记。这与记忆力无关。”她想问：“那与什么有关？”但话到嘴边又咽下。而是压低声音说：“我跟克利福德说，我或许会身怀六甲。”此刻，他的注意力都集中在她身上，眼神炽热而又充满疑问。

"You did?" He said at last. "And what did he say?" "Oh, he wouldn't mind. He'd be glad, really, so long as it seemed to be his." she dared not look up at him.

“你这么说的？”他终于说道。“他怎样回应？”“噢，他并不介怀。只要孩子名义上属于他，他就会感到很开心。”她不敢直视他的眼睛。

He was silent a long time, then he gazed again on her face.

他沉默良久，目光再度落在她的脸庞。

"No mention of ME, of course?"

“你自然不会提到我，对吗？”

"No. No mention of you," she said.

“没有。我