不会！我希望能为他生孩子！”“康妮！”希尔达吼道，刺耳的声音好像铁锤的重击，俏脸气得煞白。

"I shall if I possibly can. I should be fearfully proud if I had a child by him." It was no use talking to her. Hilda pondered.

“如果可能的话，我便会为他生孩子。要是能成为他孩子的母亲，我会感到无比骄傲。”再跟她说什么也都徒劳无益。希尔达暗想。

"And doesn't Clifford suspect?" she said.

“克利福德就没起疑心？”她问。

"Oh no! Why should he?" "I've no doubt you've given him plenty of occasion for suspicion," said Hilda.

“噢，没有！他怎么会想得到？”“我确信，你肯定留给他不少起疑的机会。”希尔达说。

"Not it all." "And tonight's business seems quite gratuitous folly. Where does the man live?” "In the cottage at the other end of the wood." "Is he a bachelor?" "No! His wife left him." "How old?" "I don't know. Older than me.” Hilda became more angry at every reply, angry as her mother used to be, in a kind of paroxysm. But still she hid it.

“根本就没有。”“今晚的勾当真是蠢透了，根本没有必要。那男人住在哪儿？”“住在树林那端的农舍里。”“他是个单身汉？”“不是！他的妻子离开了他。”“多大年纪？”“我不清楚。比我年长。”康妮每句回答，都让希尔达的怒火烧得更旺，就像她们的母亲当年一般怒气攻心。但她还是努力掩饰着。

"I would give up tonight's escapade if I were you," she advised calmly.

“如果我是你，今晚就不会去冒险。”她语调平静地劝慰道。

"I can't! I must stay with him tonight, or I can't go to Venice at all. I just can't.” Hilda heard her father over again, and she gave way, out of mere diplomacy. And she consented to drive to Mansfield, both of them, to dinner, to bring Connie back to the lane-end after dark, and to fetch her from the lane-end the next morning, herself sleeping in Mansfield, only half an hour away, good going.

“我做不到！今晚我必须跟他共度，不然我就连威尼斯都不去了。我就是做不到。”希尔达再次从康妮的话里听到父亲的口气，她做出让步，但仅是作为权宜之计。她同意开车载她去曼斯菲尔德，晚餐过后，趁着夜幕送她回到车道尽头，次日清晨再去接她，而自己则在曼斯菲尔德过夜。如果开得快些，两地仅有半小时车程。

But she was furious. She stored it up against her sister, this balk in her plans.

但她依然恼火不已。妹妹打乱了自己设定好的计划，这笔账她已暗暗记下。

Connie flung an emerald-green shawl over her window-sill.

康妮在窗台上系了条翠绿色围巾。

On the strength of her anger, Hilda warmed toward Clifford.

由于她的震怒，希尔达对克利福德的看法不禁有些缓和。

After all, he had a mind. And if he had no sex, functionally, all the better: so much the less to quarrel about! Hilda wanted no