11.3 熱天欲去 Venice 渡假

11.3 Joa̍h-thiⁿ boeh khì Venice tō͘-ká

Winter kiâⁿ kàu pâng-keng iáu chi̍t pêng, tēⁿ tio̍h Clifford ê chhiú.

"Hāu-seⁿ-á, siàu-liân-ke, thiaⁿ tio̍h che, lí chai góa sī gōa hoaⁿ-hí! Thiaⁿ tio̍h lí teh ǹg-bāng chi̍t ê hāu-seⁿ: í-ki̍p lí ē koh chhiàⁿ Tevershall ê kang-lâng. Ah, hau-seⁿ-á! ē-tàng pó-chhî ka-cho̍k ê miâ-siaⁿ, koh ū khang-khòe thang hō͘ su-iàu kang-chok ê lâng! ..."

Lāu lâng chin-chiàⁿ kám-tōng.

Keh-kang, Connie tng-teh po-lê hoe-pân chhah n̂g-sek ê ut-kim-hiang.

"Connie," Clifford kóng, "lí kám chai, ū hong-siaⁿ kóng, lí ē thè Wragby seⁿ chi̍t ê hāu-seⁿ thoân hiuⁿ-ian?"

Connie kám-kak tîm-lo̍h khióng-pò͘, m̄-koh yi kek tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ, ná chhah-hoe.

"M̄-chai!" yi kóng. "Sī kóng-chhiò a̍h-sī ok-ì ê?"

I thêng chi̍t-ē chiah hôe-tap:

"Góa ǹg-bāng he lóng m̄-sī, Góa ǹg-bāng he sī ī-giân."

Connie iáu teh chhah yi ê hoe.

"Chá-khí góa chiap-tio̍h Lāu-pē ê phe," yi kóng. "I mn̄g góa, sī m̄-sī chai-iáⁿ i í-keng thè góa tah-èng Alexander Cooper Sià ê iau-chhiáⁿ, boeh tī chhit-goe̍h kap peh-goe̍h khì Venice in ê Esmeralda Pia̍t-chong tō͘-ká."

"Chhit-goe̍h kap peh-goe̍h?" Clifford kóng.

"Oh, góa khó-lêng bē tòa hiah kú lah. Lí kám m̄ tâng-chê lâi-khì?"

"Góa m̄ chhut-kok," Clifford sûi kā ìn. Yi kā yi ê hoe the̍h khì thang-á hia.

"Lí ē kòa-ì góa khì bô?" yi kóng. "Lí chai, he í-keng tah-èng kin-nî joa̍h-lâng khì."

"Lí boeh khì gōa-kú?"

"Tāi-khài 3 lé-pài."

Ta̍k-ê tiām chi̍t khùn.

"Hm̀," Clifford bān-bān kóng, sió-khóa būn-būn. "Góa siūⁿ, 3 lé-pài góa jím ē tiâu: m̄-koh góa tio̍h seng khak-tēng lí ē tò-tńg-lâi."

"Góa tiāⁿ-tio̍h boeh tńg-lâi," yi kán-tan ti̍t-chiap kóng, sim-nih khak-tēng, m̄-koh teh siūⁿ pa̍t-ê cha-po͘ lâng.

Clifford kám-kak tio̍h yi ê khak-tēng, i siong-sìn yi, siong-sìn he sī ūi-tio̍h i. I kám-kak sim-nih ê tōa chio̍h-thâu pàng-lo̍h, sûi tō hoaⁿ-hí.

"Nā án-ne," i kóng, "góa siūⁿ sī bô būn-tê, kám m̄-sī?"

"Góa mā án-ne siūⁿ," yi kóng.

"Lí ē hiáng-siū ōaⁿ-ūi tòa?" Clifford mn̄g. Yi iōng hòⁿ-kî ê nâ-sek ba̍k-chiu khòaⁿ i.

"Góa siūⁿ boeh koh khòaⁿ Venice," yi kóng, "mā boeh kòe chhián-ô͘ hit-pêng ê chi̍t lia̍p soa-tó sé chúi-e̍k. M̄-koh, lí chai, góa thó-ià Lido! Góa mā bô siūⁿ-kóng góa ē kah-ì Alexander Cooper Sià kap Cooper Hu-jîn. M̄-koh, Hilda nā tī hia, goán nā ū ka-tī ê chûn thang kò: tio̍h, án-ne tō ē chin hó-sńg. Góa tān-goān lí ē-tàng tâng-chê lâi."

Yi chin-sim án-ne kóng. Yi chin goān-ì iōng chiah-ê hong-sek hō͘ i hoaⁿ-hí.

"Ah, m̄-koh siūⁿ khòaⁿ māi, tī Paris Pak-chām a̍h-sī Calais Bé-thâu!"

"He ná ē iàu-kín? Góa bat khòaⁿ-tio̍h chiàn-cheng siū-siong ê lâng chē-kiō chhut-mn̂g neh. Koh-kóng, lán chhut-mn̂g ē-sái chē chū-tōng."

"Lán tio̍h tòe 2 ê sin-lô."

"M̄-bián lah! Chhōa Field khì tō ē-sái. Hia ū hia ê sin-lô."

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11.3 熱天欲去 Venice 渡假

Winter 行到房間猶一爿, 捏著 Clifford ê 手.

"後生仔, 少年家, 聽著這, 你知我是偌歡喜! 聽著你 teh ǹg 望一个後生: 以及你會 koh 倩 Tevershall ê 工人. Ah, 後生仔! ē-tàng 保持家族 ê 名聲, koh 有 khang-khòe 通予需要工作 ê 人! ..."

老人真正感動.

隔工, Connie tng-teh 玻璃花瓶插黃色 ê 鬱金香.

"Connie," Clifford 講, "你敢知, 有風聲講, 你會替 Wragby 生一个後生傳香煙?"

Connie 感覺沉落恐怖, m̄-koh 她激定定, ná 插花.

"毋知!" 她講. "是講笑抑是惡意 ê?"

伊停一下才回答:

"我 ǹg 望彼攏毋是, 我 ǹg 望彼是預言."

Connie 猶 teh 插她 ê 花.

"早起我接著老爸 ê 批," 她講. "伊問我, 是毋是知影伊已經替我答應 Alexander Cooper Sià ê 邀請, 欲 tī 七月 kap 八月去 Venice in ê Esmeralda 別莊渡假."

"七月 kap 八月?" Clifford 講.

"Oh, 我可能袂蹛 hiah 久 lah. 你敢毋同齊來去?"

"我毋出國," Clifford 隨 kā 應. 她 kā 她 ê 花提去窗仔遐.

"你會掛意我去無?" 她講. "你知, 彼已經答應今年熱人去."

"你欲去偌久?"

"大概 3 禮拜."

逐个恬一睏.

"Hm̀," Clifford 慢慢講, 小可悶悶. "我想, 3 禮拜我忍會牢: m̄-koh 我著先確定你會倒轉來."

"我定著欲轉來," 她簡單直接講, 心 nih 確定, m̄-koh teh 想別个查埔人.

Clifford 感覺著她 ê 確定, 伊相信她, 相信彼是為著伊. 伊感覺心 nih ê 大石頭放落, 隨 tō 歡喜.

"若 án-ne," 伊講, "我想是無問題, 敢毋是?"

"我 mā án-ne 想," 她講.

"你會享受換位蹛?" Clifford 問. 她用好奇 ê 藍色目睭看伊.

"我想欲 koh 看 Venice," 她講, "mā 欲過淺湖彼爿 ê 一粒沙島洗水浴. M̄-koh, 你知, 我討厭 Lido! 我 mā 無想講我會佮意 Alexander Cooper Sià kap Cooper 夫人. M̄-koh, Hilda 若 tī 遐, 阮若有家己 ê 船通划: 著, án-ne tō 會真好耍. 我但願你 ē-tàng 同齊來."

她真心 án-ne 講. 她真願意用 chiah-ê 方式予伊歡喜.

"Ah, m̄-koh 想看覓, tī Paris 北站抑是 Calais 碼頭!"

"彼那會要緊? 我 bat 看著戰爭受傷 ê 人坐轎出門 neh. Koh 講, 咱出門會使坐自動."

"咱著綴 2 个辛勞."

"毋免 lah! Chhōa Field 去 tō 會使. 遐有遐 ê 辛勞."

--

11.3

Winter came across the room and wrung Clifford’s hand.

’My dear boy, my dear lad, can you believe what it means to me, to hear that! And to hear you are working in the hopes of a son: and that you may again employ every man at Tevershall. Ah, my boy! to keep up the level of the race, and to have work waiting for any man who cares to work! —’

The old man was really moved.

Next day Connie was arranging tall yellow tulips in a glass vase.

’Connie,’ said Clifford, ‘did you know there was a rumour that you are going to supply Wragby with a son and heir?’

Connie felt dim with terror, yet she stood quite still, touching the flowers.

’No!’ she said. ‘Is it a joke? Or malice?’

He paused before he answered:

’Neither, I hope. I hope it may be a prophecy.’

Connie went on with her flowers.

’I had a letter from Father this morning,’ She said. ‘He wants to know if I am aware he has accepted Sir Alexander Cooper’s Invitation for me for July and August, to the Villa Esmeralda in Venice.’

’July AND August?’ said Clifford.

’Oh, I wouldn’t stay all that time. Are you sure you wouldn’t come?’

’I won’t travel abroad,’ said Clifford promptly. She took her flowers to the window.

’Do you mind if I go?’ she said. 'You know it was promised, for this summer.'

’For how long would you go?’


’Perhaps three weeks.’


There was silence for a time.


’Well,’ said Clifford slowly, and a little gloomily. ‘I suppose I could stand it for three weeks: if I were absolutely sure you’d want to come back.’

’I should want to come back,’ she said, with a quiet simplicity, heavy with conviction. She was thinking of the other man.

Clifford felt her conviction, and somehow he believed her, he believed it was for him. He felt immensely relieved, joyful at once.

’In that case,’ he said,
’I think it would be all right, don’t you?’


’I think so,’ she said.


’You’d enjoy the change?’ She looked up at him with strange blue eyes.


’I should like to see Venice again,’ she said, ‘and to bathe from one of the shingle islands across the lagoon. But you know I loathe the Lido! And I don’t fancy I shall like Sir Alexander Cooper and Lady Cooper. But if Hilda is there, and we have a gondola of our own: yes, it will be rather lovely. I DO wish you’d come.’

She said it sincerely. She would so love to make him happy, in these ways.

’Ah, but think of me, though, at the Gare du Nord: at Calais quay!’

’But why not? I see other men carried in litter-chairs, who have been wounded in the war. Besides, we’d motor all the way.’

’We should need to take two men.’

’Oh no! We’d manage with Field. There would always be another man there.’

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