ves to skin and bone," he said. "An'now they're not all that anxious to come out an'feed. There's no self in a sitting hen; she's all in the eggs or the chicks.” The poor mother-hens; such blind devotion! Even to eggs not their own! Connie looked at them in compassion. A helpless silence fell between the man and the woman.

“是啊，它们整天窝在笼里，已经瘦得皮包骨头。”他说，“对出来吃食也失去兴趣。孵蛋期间，母鸡完全失去自我，全身心投入到繁衍后代的任务中去。”这些可怜的鸡妈妈，如此不求回报地付出着！甚至不介意所孵的蛋并非属于自己。康妮望着这些伟大的母亲，心生怜悯。这对男女再次被无助的沉默所笼罩。

"Shall us go i'th'ut?" he asked.

“咱俩进屋去？”他问。

"Do you want me?" She asked, in a sort of mistrust.

“你愿意接纳我吗？”她问，心怀疑虑。

"Ay, if you want to come." She was silent.

“是呀，如果你乐意的话。”她不再作声。

"Come then!" he said.

“来吧！”他说。

And she went with him to the hut. It was quite dark when he had shut the door, so he made a small light in the lantern, as before.

接着，她随他走进小屋。他把门掩上，屋里一团漆黑，于是，他如往常那般，将油灯点亮。

"Have you left your underthings off?" he asked her.

“你没穿内衣吧？”他问。

"Yes!" "Ay, well, then I'll take my things off too.” He spread the blankets, putting one at the side for a coverlet. She took off her hat, and shook her hair. He sat down, taking off his shoes and gaiters, and undoing his cord breeches.

“嗯！”“哦，那好，我也把衣服脱掉。”他伸开毛毯，放一条在旁边，准备用来蔽体。她摘掉帽子，轻摇发丝。他坐下来，褪掉鞋子和绑腿，脱下灯芯绒马裤。

"Lie down then!" he said, when he stood in his shirt.

“躺下吧！”他说，仍穿着衬衣站在那里。

She obeyed in silence, and he lay beside her, and pulled the blanket over them both.

她沉默不语，只是照他的意思做，然后，他在她身旁躺下，扯过毛毯盖在两人身上。

"There!" he said.

“我来了！”他说。

And he lifted her dress right back, till he came even to her breasts. He kissed them softly, taking the nipples in his lips in tiny caresses.

他一下将她的衣裙掀了起来，一直掀到胸口。他温柔地亲吻着她的双峰，用嘴唇衔住乳头，轻轻地吸吮着。

"Eh, but tha'rt nice, tha'rt nice!” He said, suddenly rubbing his face with a snuggling movement against her warm belly.

“哇哦，恁太妙了，恁太棒了！”他说着，突然把脸贴上她温热的小腹，来回磨蹭着。

And she put her arms round him under his shirt, but she was afraid, afraid of his thin, smooth, naked body, that seemed so powerful, afraid of the violent muscles. S