15.7 Tán góa tńg-lâi chiah lâi an-pâi it-chhè
I tiām-tiām.
"M̄-koh Clifford Sià hi-bōng lí tò tńg-lâi, sī bô?
"Oh, góa tio̍h tò tńg-lâi," yi kóng: nn̄g-lâng koh tiām-tiām.
"Lí ē tī Wragby seⁿ chi̍t-ê gín-á, sī bô?" i mn̄g.
Yi ê chhiú siâm i ê ām-kún.
"Lí nā m̄ chhōa góa cháu, góa chí-hó án-ne." yi kóng.
"Chhōa lí cháu khì tó-ūi?"
"Tó-ūi lóng hó! lī-khui! Lī Wragby hn̄g-hn̄g ê ūi."
"Tang-sî"
"Ai-ah, góa tńg-lâi ê sî lah."
"M̄-koh, it-tàn lí lī-khui, tńg-lâi ū siáⁿ hó-chhù, kāng-khoán ê tāi-chì chò nn̄g-kái?" i kóng.
"Oh, góa tio̍h tńg-lâi. Góa í-keng tah-èng ah! Góa ū sêng-sim tah-èng kòe. Koh-kóng, góa tńg-lâi sī ūi-tio̍h lí, chin ê."
"Ūi-tio̍h lín ang ê la̍h-tiûⁿ khàn-siú?"
"Góa bô jīn-ûi che ū siáⁿ koan-hē," yi kóng.
"Bô?" i siūⁿ chi̍t-ē. "Nā án-ne, tang-sî lí chiah boeh koh lī-khui? Ū khak-tēng ê ji̍t-chí bô?"
"Oh, góa m̄-chai. Góa ē ùi Venice tńg-lâi. Kàu-sî lán chiah chún-pī it-chhè."
"Án-chóaⁿ chún-pī?"
"Oh, góa ē kā Clifford kóng. Góa tio̍h ài kā i kóng."
"Chin ê!"
I tiām-tiām. Yi siang-chhiú lám i ê ām-kún.
"Mài hō͘ góa ûi-lân," yi khún-kiû.
"Siáⁿ hō͘ lí ûi-lân?"
"Iú-koan góa khì Venice kap chò an-pâi ê tāi-chì."
I ê bīn siám kòe chi̍t-ê pòaⁿ khó͘-chhiò ê bî-chhiò.
"Góa bē ûi-lân lí," i kóng. "Góa kan-ta boeh chai lí ê bo̍k-tek. M̄-koh lí pēng bô chin-chiàⁿ chai-iáⁿ lí ka-tī. Lí chí-sī teh thoa sî-kan: seng lī-khui, chiah koh khòaⁿ-māi. Góa bô chek-pī lí. Góa siūⁿ lí chin khiáu. Lí khó-lêng kam-goān lâu tī Wragby chò hu-jîn. Góa bô chek-pī lí. Góa bô Wragby thang hō͘ lí. Sū-si̍t, lí mā chai-iáⁿ ùi góa chia lí thang tit-tio̍h siáⁿ. Bô, bô, góa siūⁿ lí bô m̄-tio̍h! Góa chin-chiàⁿ án-ne siūⁿ! Góa pēng bô siūⁿ boeh khò lí seng-oa̍h, hō͘ lí chhī. Che mā tio̍h khó-lū."
Yi m̄-chai án-chóaⁿ, kám-kak i ná sī teh kā pò-ho̍k.
"M̄-koh, lí boeh ài góa, sī bô?" yi mn̄g.
"Lí boeh ài góa bô?"
"Lí chai, góa ài. Che chin chheng-chhó."
"Tio̍h! Lí tang-sî boeh ài góa?"
"Lí chai, tán góa tńg-lâi lán ē-tàng an-pâi it-chhè. Taⁿ góa siáⁿ to kóng bē-lâi. Góa su-iàu léng-chēng koh chheng-chhéⁿ."
"Tio̍h! Tio̍h léng-chēng, chheng-chhéⁿ!"
Yi kám-kak hō͘ jiá-tio̍h.
"M̄-koh, lí siong-sìn góa, sī bô?" yi kóng.
"Oh, choat-tùi!"
Yi thiaⁿ-tio̍h i kháu-khì lāi-té ê khoe-sé.
"Nā án-ne, lí kă kóng," yi ti̍t-chiap kóng, "lí jīn-ûi, góa mài khì Venice khah hó sioh?"
"Góa khak-tēng, lí tio̍h khì Venice khah hó," i iōng léng-tām, sió-khóa khoe-sé ê kháu-khì kā ìn.
"Lí chai, he sī āu lé-pài sì?" yi kóng.
"Góa chai!"
Taⁿ yi khai-sí siūⁿ. Chòe-āu yi kóng:
"Tán góa tńg-lâi, lán tō ē chai-iáⁿ, lán tàu-té sī án-chóaⁿ, sī bô?"
"Oh, tong-jiân!"
Nn̄g-lâng tiong-kan ū koài-kî ê chhim-kau!
"Góa ū khì chhōe lu̍t-su boeh pān góa ê lī-hun," i kóng, sió-khóa bián-kióng.
Yi sió-khóa chùn chi̍t-ē.
"Sī oh!" yi kóng. "Lu̍t-su án-chóaⁿ kóng?"
"I kóng, góa chá tio̍h ài pān ah; taⁿ ē khah khùn-lân. M̄-koh, in-ūi hit-sî góa tī pō͘-tūi, i jīn-ûi boeh pān mā bô būn-tê. Chí kiaⁿ, chi̍t khai-sí pān, yi soah cháu tńg-lâi!"
"Kám tio̍h hō͘ yi chai?"
"Tio̍h! Yi ē chiap tio̍h chi̍t tiuⁿ thong-ti: kap yi tông-ki hit-lâng mā ē chiap tio̍h, i sī kiōng-tông pī-kò."
"Chiâⁿ thó-ià, kok-chióng chhiú-sio̍k! Góa siūⁿ, góa kap Clifford mā tio̍h kiâⁿ chit-tiâu lō͘."
--
15.7 等我轉來才來安排一切
伊恬恬.
"M̄-koh Clifford Sià 希望你倒轉來, 是無?
"Oh, 我著倒轉來," 她講: 兩人 koh 恬恬.
"你會 tī Wragby 生一个囡仔, 是無?" 伊問.
她 ê 手尋伊 ê 頷頸.
"你若毋 chhōa 我走, 我只好 án-ne." 她講.
"Chhōa 你走去佗位?"
"佗位攏好! 離開! 離 Wragby 遠遠 ê 位."
"Tang 時"
"Ai-ah, 我轉來 ê 時 lah."
"M̄-koh, 一旦你離開, 轉來有啥好處, 仝款 ê 代誌做兩改?" 伊講.
"Oh, 我著轉來. 我已經答應 ah! 我有誠心答應過. Koh 講, 我轉來是為著你, 真 ê."
"為著恁翁 ê 獵場看守?"
"我無認為這有啥關係," 她講.
"無?" 伊想一下. "若 án-ne, tang 時你才欲 koh 離開? 有確定 ê 日子無?"
"Oh, 我毋知. 我會 ùi Venice 轉來. 到時咱才準備一切."
"按怎準備?"
"Oh, 我會 kā Clifford 講. 我著愛 kā 伊講."
"真 ê!"
伊恬恬. 她雙手攬伊 ê 頷頸.
"莫予我為難," 她懇求.
"啥予你為難?"
"有關我去 Venice kap 做安排 ê 代誌."
伊 ê 面閃過一个半苦笑 ê 微笑.
"我袂為難你," 伊講. "我干焦欲知你 ê 目的. M̄-koh 你並無真正知影你家己. 你只是 teh 拖時間: 先離開, 才 koh 看覓. 我無責備你. 我想你真巧. 你可能甘願留 tī Wragby 做夫人. 我無責備你. 我無 Wragby 通予你. 事實, 你 mā 知影 ùi 我遮你通得著啥. 無, 無, 我想你無毋著! 我真正 án-ne 想! 我並無想欲靠你生活, 予你飼. 這 mā 著考慮."
她毋知按怎, 感覺伊 ná 是 teh kā 報復.
"M̄-koh, 你欲愛我, 是無?" 她問.
"你欲愛我無?"
"你知, 我愛. 這真清楚."
"著! 你 tang 時欲愛我?"
"你知, 等我轉來咱會當安排一切. 今我啥都講袂來. 我需要冷靜 koh 清醒."
"著! 著冷靜, 清醒!"
她感覺予惹著.
"M̄-koh, 你相信我, 是無?" 她講.
"Oh, 絕對!"
她聽著伊口氣內底 ê 詼洗.
"若 án-ne, 你 kă 講," 她直接講, "你認為, 我莫去 Venice 較好 sioh?"
"我確定, 你著去 Venice 較好," 伊用冷淡, 小可詼洗 ê 口氣 kā 應.
"你知, 彼是後禮拜四?" 她講.
"我知!"
今她開始想. 最後她講:
"等我轉來, 咱 tō 會知影, 咱到底是按怎, 是無?"
"Oh, 當然!"
兩人中間有怪奇 ê 深溝!
"我有去揣律師欲辦我 ê 離婚," 伊講, 小可勉強.
她小可顫一下.
"是 oh!" 她講. "律師按怎講?"
"伊講, 我早著愛辦 ah; 今會較困難. M̄-koh, 因為彼時我 tī 部隊, 伊認為欲辦 mā 無問題. 只驚, 一開始辦, 她煞走轉來!"
"敢著予她知?"
"著! 她會接著一張通知: kap 她同居彼人 mā 會接著, 伊是共同被告."
"誠討厭, 各種手續! 我想, 我 kap Clifford mā 著行這條路."
--
15.7
He was silent.
‘But Sir Clifford expects you to come back to him?’
‘Oh, I must come back,’ she said: and there was silence.
‘And would you have a child in Wragby?’ he asked.
She closed her arm round his neck.
‘If you wouldn’t take me away, I should have to,’ she said.
‘Take you where to?’
‘Anywhere! away! But right away from Wragby.’
‘When?’
‘Why, when I come back.’
‘But what’s the good of coming back, doing the thing twice, if you’re once gone?’ he said.
‘Oh, I must come back. I’ve promised! I’ve promised so faithfully. Besides, I come back to you, really.’
‘To your husband’s game-keeper?’
‘I don’t see that that matters,’ she said.
‘No?’ He mused a while. ‘And when would you think of going away again, then; finally? When exactly?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I’d come back from Venice. And then we’d prepare everything.’
‘How prepare?’
‘Oh, I’d tell Clifford. I’d have to tell him.’
‘Would you!’
He remained silent. She put her arms round his neck.
‘Don’t make it difficult for me,’ she pleaded.
‘Make what difficult?’
‘For me to go to Venice and arrange things.’
A little smile, half a grin, flickered on his face.
‘I don’t make it difficult,’ he said. ‘I only want to find out just what you are after. But you don’t really know yourself. You want to take time: get away and look at it. I don’t blame you. I think you’re wise. You may prefer to stay mistress of Wragby. I don’t blame you. I’ve no Wragbys to offer. In fact, you know what you’ll get out of me. No, no, I think you’re right! I really do! And I’m not keen on coming to live on you, being kept by you. There’s that too.’
She felt somehow as if he were giving her tit for tat.
‘But you want me, don’t you?’ she asked.
‘Do you want me?’
‘You know I do. That’s evident.’
‘Quite! And when do you want me?’
‘You know we can arrange it all when I come back. Now I’m out of breath with you. I must get calm and clear.’
‘Quite! Get calm and clear!’
She was a little offended.
‘But you trust me, don’t you?’ she said.
‘Oh, absolutely!’
She heard the mockery in his tone.
‘Tell me then,’ she said flatly; ‘do you think it would be better if I don’t go to Venice?’
‘I’m sure it’s better if you do go to Venice,’ he replied in the cool, slightly mocking voice.
‘You know it’s next Thursday?’ she said.
‘Yes!’
She now began to muse. At last she said:
‘And we shall know better where we are when I come back, shan’t we?’
‘Oh surely!’
The curious gulf of silence between them!
‘I’ve been to the lawyer about my divorce,’ he said, a little constrainedly.
She gave a slight shudder.
‘Have you!’ she said. ‘And what did he say?’
‘He said I ought to have done it before; that may be a difficulty. But since I was in the army, he thinks it will go through all right. If only it doesn’t bring her down on my head!’
‘Will she have to know?’
‘Yes! she is served with a notice: so is the man she lives with, the co-respondent.’
‘Isn’t it hateful, all the performances! I suppose I’d have to go through it with Clifford.’
--
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