18.6 Lán kóng, che sī pa̍t-ê cha-bo͘-lâng ê gín-á
Connie taⁿ ū chin chē ài khì siūⁿ. Chin chheng-chhó, i boeh oân-choân thoat-lī Bertha Coutts. Connie kám-kak i án-ne tio̍h. Chòe-āu ê kong-kek chin khó-phà. -- Che tāi-piáu yi tio̍h ko͘-to̍k seng-oa̍h kàu chhun-thiⁿ. Hoān-sè yi ē-sái hām Clifford lī-hun. M̄-koh, boeh án-chóaⁿ chò? Nā thê-khí Mellors, i hit-pêng tō bô khó-lêng lī-hun lah. Ū-kàu thó-ià! Kám bē-tàng ti̍t-chiap cháu-khui, kàu thiⁿ-piⁿ hái-kak, thoat-lī chiah-ê chióng-chióng?
Bē-tàng. Tī chit-ê sî-tāi, thiⁿ-piⁿ hái-kak lī London ê Charing Cross m̄-bián gō͘ hun-cheng. Nā ū bô-sòaⁿ-tiān, si̍t-chāi sī bô thiⁿ-piⁿ hái-kak. Afrika ê Dhomey kok-ông hām Tibet ê Lama lóng ē-tàng thiaⁿ tio̍h London hām New York.
Jím-nāi! Jím-nāi! Sè-kài sī chi̍t-ê kóng-tāi koh khó-phà ê ki-khì-bāng, lán tio̍h ài chin sió-sim, bián-tit hō͘ i keⁿ tio̍h, tîⁿ tio̍h.
Connie kā sim-sū kóng hō͘ yin lāu-pē thiaⁿ.
"Lí chai, A-pa, i sī Clifford ê la̍h-tiûⁿ khàn-siú: m̄-koh i bat tī India chò kun-koaⁿ. Chí-sī i tō ná C.E Florence Siōng-hāu, lêng-goān tńg-khì chò su-jîn sū-peng."
Put-jî-kò, Malcolm Sià tùi chhut-miâ ê C.E. Florence he bô soeh-ho̍k-le̍k ê sîn-pì-chú-gī pēng bô hó-kám. I khòaⁿ he khiam-hi ê āu-piah ū chin chē soan-thoân ê sêng-hūn. I khòaⁿ he put-kò sī ah-kē ka-tī lâi kek tōa-pān, che sī i siōng thó-ià ê.
"Lín ê la̍h-tiûⁿ khàn-siú ùi tó lâi ê?" Malcolm Sià hùn-khài kā mn̄g.
"I sī chi̍t-ê khiā tī Tevershall ê thòaⁿ-kang ê kiáⁿ. M̄-koh, i choa̍t-tùi sī chi̍t-ê chiàⁿ-phài ê lâng."
Chit-ê chiok-sū gē-su̍t-ka koh-khah siū-khì.
"Chāi góa khòaⁿ, ná chhiūⁿ sī teh ó͘ kim-khòng," i kóng. "Iah lí bêng-bêng sī chi̍t-ê hó ó͘ ê kim-khòng."
"M̄-sī, A-pa, tāi-chì m̄-sī án-ne. Kìⁿ kòe i, lí tō ē chai. I sī lâm-chú-hàn. Clifford chóng-sī thó-ià i, in-ūi i m̄-goān khut-ho̍k."
"Khòaⁿ khí-lâi, chit-kái i ū chi̍t-ê hó͘ ê pún-lêng."
Malcolm Sià bē-tàng jím-siū cha-bó͘-kiáⁿ kap la̍h-tiûⁿ khàn-siú ū ài-māi ê kiàn-siàu-tāi. I bô kòa-ì ài-māi ê tāi-chì; i kòa-ì ê sī kiàn-siàu-tāi sì-kè thoân.
"Hit-lâng án-chóaⁿ, góa bô ì-kiàn. Hián-jiân i hō͘ lí chin móa-ì. M̄-koh, Thiⁿ ah, siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi, hiah-ê êng-á-ōe. Siūⁿ khòaⁿ-māi, lín āu-bú nā chai, yi ē án-chóaⁿ kóng!"
"Góa chai," Connie kóng. "Êng-á-ōe chin khó-phà, iû-kî sī siōng-liû siā-hōe. Iaah i taⁿ chin-sim boeh pān lī-hun. Góa siūⁿ kòe, lán ē-sái kóng che sī pa̍t-ê cha-po͘-lâng ê gín-á, kin-pún lóng mài the̍h-khí Mellors ê miâ."
"Pa̍t-ê cha-po͘-lâng! Sī siáng?"
"Hoān-sè ē-sái sī Duncan Forbes. I chū-lâi tō sī lán ê pêng-iú, mā sī put-chí-á chhut-miâ ê gē-su̍t-ka. I mā chin kah-ì góa."
"Ai-ah, kai-sí! Khó-liân ê Duncan! Án-ne i ū siáⁿ hó-chhù?"
"Góa mā m̄-chai. Hoān-sè i mā hoaⁿ-hí án-ne."
"Hoaⁿ-hí, ē bô? Hm, i nā hoaⁿ-hí, i tō sī chi̍t-ê koài-lâng. Ai-ah, lí lóng m̄-bat kap i ū ài-māi ê tāi-chì, kám ū?"
"Bô! M̄-koh, i mā m̄-sī chèng-keng su-iàu he. I kan-ta ài góa tī i sin-piⁿ, m̄-bián ū chiap-chhiok."
"Sîn ah, chit tāi ê lâng sī án-chóaⁿ!"
"I siōng kah-ì góa chò i ê model /mo.tèr/, hō͘ i ōe-tô͘. Chí sī góa m̄-bat ín-chún i."
"Khó-liân ah! M̄-koh i khòaⁿ-tio̍h bē-su ta̍k-hāng lóng chin soe-siâu."
"M̄-koh, lí ē chiap-siū lâng kóng i hām góa ê êng-á-ōe?"
"Thiⁿ ah, Connie, che sī siáⁿ kúi-kè ah!"
"Góa chai! Che chin hàm-kó͘! M̄-koh, góa ū siáⁿ hoat-tō͘?"
"Kúi-kè, kòe-koan liáu, iū-koh kúi-kè! Góa siūⁿ góa sī oa̍h-liáu siuⁿ kú ah."
"Ai-ah, A-pa, lí siàu-liân ê sî, kám m̄-sī oân-chāi ū bē chió ê kúi-kè?"
"M̄-koh, góa pó-chèng, he bô kāng."
"Chóng-sī kóng bô kāng."
--
18.6 咱講, 這是別个查埔人 ê 囡仔
Connie 今有真濟愛去想. 真清楚, 伊欲完全脫離 Bertha Coutts. Connie 感覺伊 án-ne 著. 最後 ê 攻擊真可怕. -- 這代表她著孤獨生活到春天. 凡勢她會使和 Clifford 離婚. M̄-koh, 欲按怎做? 若提起 Mellors, 伊彼爿 tō 無可能離婚 lah. 有夠討厭! 敢袂當直接走開, 到天邊海角, 脫離 chiah-ê 種種?
袂當. Tī 這个時代, 天邊海角離 London ê Charing Cross 毋免五分鐘. 若有無線電, 實在是無天邊海角. Afrika ê Dhomey 國王和 Tibet ê Lama 攏會當聽著 London 和 New York.
忍耐! 忍耐! 世界是一个廣大 koh 可怕 ê 機器網, 咱著愛真小心, 免得予伊 keⁿ 著, 纏著.
Connie kā 心事講予姻老爸聽.
"你知, 阿爸, 伊是 Clifford ê 獵場看守: m̄-koh 伊 bat tī India 做軍官. 只是伊 tō ná C.E Florence 上校, 寧願轉去做私人士兵."
不而過, Malcolm Sià 對出名 ê C.E. Florence 彼無說服力 ê 神祕主義並無好感. 伊看彼謙虛 ê 後壁有真濟宣傳 ê 成份. 伊看彼不過是壓低家己來激大範, 這是伊上討厭 ê.
"恁 ê 獵場看守 ùi 佗來 ê?" Malcolm Sià 憤慨 kā 問.
"伊是一个徛 tī Tevershall ê 炭工 ê 囝. M̄-koh, 伊絕對是一个正派 ê 人."
這个爵士藝術家 koh 較受氣.
"在我看, ná 像是 teh ó͘ 金礦," 伊講. "Iah 你明明是一个好 ó͘ ê 金礦."
"毋是, 阿爸, 代誌毋是 án-ne. 見過伊, 你 tō 會知. 伊是男子漢. Clifford 總是討厭伊, 因為伊毋願屈服."
"看起來, 這改伊有一个好 ê 本能."
Malcolm Sià 袂當忍受查某囝 kap 獵場看守有曖昧 ê 見笑代. 伊無掛意曖昧 ê 代誌; 伊掛意 ê 是見笑代四界傳.
"彼人按怎, 我無意見. 顯然伊予你真滿意. M̄-koh, 天 ah, 想看覓. hiah-ê 閒仔話. 想看覓, 恁後母若知, 她會按怎講!"
"我知," Connie 講. "閒仔話真可怕, 尤其是上流社會. Iah 伊今真心欲辦離婚. 我想過, 咱會使講這是別个查埔人 ê 囡仔, 根本攏莫提起 Mellors ê 名."
"別个查埔人! 是 siáng?"
"凡勢會使是 Duncan Forbes. 伊自來 tō 是咱 ê 朋友, mā 是不止仔出名 ê 藝術家. 伊 mā 真佮意我."
"Ai-ah, 該死! 可憐 ê Duncan! Án-ne 伊有啥好處?"
"我 mā 毋知. 凡勢伊 mā 歡喜 án-ne."
"歡喜, 會無? Hm, 伊 nā 歡喜, 伊 tō 是一个怪人. Ai-ah, 你攏 m̄-bat kap 伊有曖昧 ê 代誌, 敢有?"
"無! M̄-koh, 伊 mā 毋是正經需要彼. 伊干焦愛我 tī 伊身邊, 毋免有接觸."
"神 ah, 這代 ê 人是按怎!"
"伊上佮意我做伊 ê model /mo.ter/, 予伊畫圖. 只是我 m̄-bat 允准伊."
"可憐 ah! M̄-koh 伊看著袂輸逐項攏真衰潲."
"M̄-koh, 你會接受人講伊和我 ê 閒仔話?"
"天 ah, Connie, 這是啥詭計 ah!"
"我知! 這真譀古! M̄-koh, 我有啥法度?"
"詭計, 過關了, 又 koh 詭計! 我想我是活了 siuⁿ 久 ah."
"Ai-ah, 阿爸, 你少年 ê 時, 敢毋是宛在有袂少 ê 詭計?"
"M̄-koh, 我保證, 彼無仝."
"總是講無仝."
--
18.6
Connie had now plenty to think of. It was evident he wanted absolutely to be free of Bertha Coutts. And she felt he was right. The last attack had been too grim.—This meant her living alone, till spring. Perhaps she could get divorced from Clifford. But how? If Mellors were named, then there was an end to his divorce. How loathsome! Couldn’t one go right away, to the far ends of the earth, and be free from it all?
One could not. The far ends of the world are not five minutes from Charing Cross, nowadays. While the wireless is active, there are no far ends of the earth. Kings of Dahomey and Lamas of Tibet listen in to London and New York.
Patience! Patience! The world is a vast and ghastly intricacy of mechanism, and one has to be very wary, not to get mangled by it.
Connie confided in her father.
’You see, Father, he was Clifford’s game-keeper: but he was an officer in the army in India. Only he is like Colonel C. E. Florence, who preferred to become a private soldier again.’
Sir Malcolm, however, had no sympathy with the unsatisfactory mysticism of the famous C. E. Florence. He saw too much advertisement behind all the humility. It looked just like the sort of conceit the knight most loathed, the conceit of self-abasement.
’Where did your game-keeper spring from?’ asked Sir Malcolm irritably.
’He was a collier’s son in Tevershall. But he’s absolutely presentable.’
The knighted artist became more angry.
’Looks to me like a gold-digger,’ he said. ‘And you’re a pretty easy gold-mine, apparently.’
’No, Father, it’s not like that. You’d know if you saw him. He’s a man. Clifford always detested him for not being humble.’
’Apparently he had a good instinct, for once.’
What Sir Malcolm could not bear was the scandal of his daughter’s having an intrigue with a game-keeper. He did not mind the intrigue: he minded the scandal.
’I care nothing about the fellow. He’s evidently been able to get round you all right. But, by God, think of all the talk. Think of your step-mother how she’ll take it!’
’I know,’ said Connie. ‘Talk is beastly: especially if you live in society. And he wants so much to get his own divorce. I thought we might perhaps say it was another man’s child, and not mention Mellors’ name at all.’
’Another man’s! What other man’s?’
’Perhaps Duncan Forbes. He has been our friend all his life. And he’s a fairly well-known artist. And he’s fond of me.’
’Well I’m damned! Poor Duncan! And what’s he going to get out of it?’
’I don’t know. But he might rather like it, even.’
’He might, might he? Well, he’s a funny man if he does. Why, you’ve never even had an affair with him, have you?’
’No! But he doesn’t really want it. He only loves me to be near him, but not to touch him.’
’My God, what a generation!’
’He would like me most of all to be a model for him to paint from. Only I never wanted to.’
’God help him! But he looks down-trodden enough for anything.’
’Still, you wouldn’t mind so much the talk about him?’
’My God, Connie, all the bloody contriving!’
’I know! It’s sickening! But what can I do?’
’Contriving, conniving; conniving, contriving! Makes a man think he’s lived too long.’
’Come, Father, if you haven’t done a good deal of contriving and conniving in your time, you may talk.’
’But it was different, I assure you.’
’It’s ALWAYS different.’
--
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