第五章: 吃亏的是女人
“Tess! Can I believe this? Are you mad perhaps? My wife, my Tess — you aren’t mad, are you?”
“苔丝！我能相信这些吗？也许你是疯了？我的妻子，我的苔丝——你没有疯，是吗？”
Her story came to an end. She had not raised her voice: she had not cried. But things seemed to change as the story progressed. The fire looked as if it was laughing at her troubles. All the objects around her appeared not to care about her tragic history. And yet it was only a short time since he had been kissing her. Everything looked different now.
她的故事叙述完了。她没有提高声调：她没有哭。但是随着故事的发展，事情像是发生了变化，炉火像是正在嘲笑她的遭遇。她周围的一切对她的悲惨遭遇似乎都漠不关心。然而，就在不久以前，他还亲吻着她。现在，一切都显得变了样。
Clare stirred the fire. It was unnecessary, but he felt he had to do something. He had not really taken in the whole story yet. He stood up. Now as he began to understand the story in its full horror, his face was like an old man’s. He made uncertain movements, because everything in his head was vague and uncertain. He could not make himself think clearly.
克莱尔拨弄着炉火。虽然没必要，但他觉得他必须做点什么。他还没有完全真正领会这整个故事。他站起来。现在，当他开始体会到这故事全部可怕的内涵时，他的脸变得像一涨老人的脸。他茫然地走来走去，因为他脑子里的一切都是模糊而不确定的。他无法让自己冷静、清晰地思考。
He was talking but could not think at the same time. His brain seemed to have stopped working. He turned away from her. Tess followed him and stood there staring at him with dry eyes. Then she went down on her knees beside him.
他在说话，但与此同时，他仍无法思考。他的头脑好像不听使唤了。他转过身离开她。苔丝跟上去，站在一边用那双无泪的眼睛望着他，然后在他身边跪了下来。
“I am not,” she said.
“我没有疯，”她说。
“And yet,” he said, looking strangely at her, “why didn’t you tell me before? Oh yes, you would have told me, in a way, but I stopped you, I remember!”
“可是，”他神情怪异地看着她，说，“为什么以前你不告诉我？哦，是的，你本来会告诉我的，可以这么说，但是我没让你说，我记起来了！”
And as he did not answer, she said again,
他没有回答，因此她又说道：
“Oh, Tess, it’s not a question of forgiveness! You were one person, now you are another. How can forgiveness put that right?”
“啊，苔丝，这不是宽恕不宽恕的问题。你从前是一个人，现在你是另外一个人了。这怎么是宽恕能改变得了的呢？”
“I thought, Angel, that you loved me — me, my very self! If you do love me, how can you treat me like this? It frightens me! Having begun to love you, I will love you for ever, in all changes, in all troubles, because you are yourself. I ask no more. Then how can you, my husband, stop loving me?”
“安吉尔，我本来以为，你是爱我的——爱我，就是爱我这个人哪！如果你真地爱我，你怎能这样对我呢？我害怕极了！既然爱上了你，我就会永远爱着你。不论遇到什么变故，不论遭受什么困难，我都会爱你，永远地爱你，因为你就是你呀！我别无他求了。那么，为什么你，我自己的丈夫，会不再爱我了呢？”
“I know that.”
“这我知道。”
“Forgive me as you are forgiven! I forgive you, Angel!”
“像你得到宽恕那样宽恕我吧！我宽恕了你，安吉尔！”
“But you do not forgive me?”
“可是你不宽恕我吗？”
“In the name of our love, forgive me!” she whispered with a 168 dry mouth. “I have forgiven you for the same!”
“看在我们相爱的份上，宽恕我吧！”她口干舌燥地喃喃说着，“同样的事情，我可是已经宽恕你了呀！”
He paused, considering this. Then suddenly he started laughing in an unnatural, horrible way. It was like a laugh out of hell.
他住了口，想了一想。接着，他突然狂笑起来，笑得那么怪异，那么可怕，犹如从地狱里发出的笑声。
“Don’t — don’t!” she cried, her face dead white. “It kills me, that laugh! Angel, do you know what you’re doing to me? I’ve been hoping, longing, praying to make you happy!”
“别——别这样！”她叫道，脸色煞白。“你这么笑，会吓死我的！安吉尔，你知道你正在对我做什么吗？我一直期待着、盼望着、祈祷着使你幸福！”
“You — yes, you do.”
“你——是的，你宽恕了我。”
“I repeat, the woman I have been loving is not you.”
“我再说一遍，我一直爱着的女人并不是你。”
“I don’t belong to you any more then, do I, Angel?” she asked helplessly. And at last the tears came. Clare watched her sobbing, and waited until the first violence of her emotion had passed.
“安吉尔，我不再是你的人了，是吗？”她无可奈何地问道。终于，她的眼泪流了下来。克莱尔看着她啜泣，一直等到她第一次的感情狂澜平息下去。
“Another woman in your shape.”
“和你长得一样的另外一个女人。”
“I haven’t had time to think what we should do.”
“我还没有时间考虑我们该怎么办。”
“But who is she?”
“那是谁呢？”
Suddenly she realized how he saw her. For him she was a guilty woman pretending to be an innocent one. There was terror in her white face as she saw this. She could not stand, and he stepped forward, thinking she might fall.
她突然意识到他是怎样看待她的。在他看来，她是一个假装清白的罪人。当她明白了这一点时，她惨白的脸上露出了惊恐的神色。她支撑不住了，他走上前去，以为她要跌倒了。
“Sit down,” he said gently. “You are ill, and I am not surprised.”
“坐下吧，”他轻声说道，“你病了，这并不让我感到意外。”
“Angel,” she said suddenly in a normal voice, “am I too wicked for us to live together?”
“安吉尔，”她突然开口了，声音已恢复正常。“我是不是太坏了，使得我们不能生活在一起？”
She sat down, her face still full of fear and her eyes wild.
她坐了下来，依旧是满脸的恐惧，眼睛里也满是惊恐。
“I won’t ask you to let me live with you, Angel, because I have no right to! I won’t write to tell my family we are married, as I said I would.”
“我不会要求你让我和你一起生活的，安吉尔，因为我没有这样做的权利！我也不会写信给我家里人说我们结婚了，这信我原先说过要写的。”
“Won’t you?”
“你不写了吗？”
“No, I won’t do anything unless you order me to. And if you go away, I won’t follow you. And if you never speak to me again, I won’t ask why, unless you tell me I can.”
“是的，我什么也不做，除非你要我去做。如果你离开我，我不会跟着你。如果你不再对我讲话，我也不会问为什么，除非你说我可以问。”
Clare’s bitter words, however, were not fully understood by Tess. She only knew that he was angry with her. She stood silent, not knowing that he was struggling with his love for her She did not observe a large tear rolling slowly down his cheek He was realizing what a change Tess’s confession had made to his whole life. He had to decide on some action.
然而，苔丝并没有完全领会克莱尔这些酸楚的话语。她只知道他对她生气了。她静静地站着，不知道他正在同他对她的爱作斗争。她没看到一人滴泪珠正顺着他的面颊慢慢滚落卜来。他正在逐渐认识到苔丝的坦白给他的整个生活带来的变化。他必须决定采取某种行动。
“And if I order you to do anything?”
“那么要是我真的要你做什么呢？”
“How good of you. But it seems you have changed. In the past you were keen to look after yourself. Now you are keen to sacrifice yourself.”
“你真好。但是，你像是已经改变了。过去，你热切地想照料自己；现在，你热切地要牺牲自己。”
“Tess,” he said, as gently as he could, “I can’t stay here just now. I’m going out.”
“苔丝，”他尽可能温和地说，“这一会儿，我在这儿待不下去了，我要出去走走。”
He quietly left the room. Two glasses of wine, ready for their supper, remained untouched on the table. Only two or three hours earlier they had drunk tea from the same cup.
他悄悄地走出房间，为晚餐准备的两杯酒仍然放在桌子上，不曾动过。就在两三个小时前，他们还用同一个茶杯共饮过一杯茶。
“I’ll obey you, even if I have to lie down and die.”
“我会服从的，即使是你要我躺下死去也行。”
As he closed the door behind him, Tess jumped up. He had gone: she could not stay. She put out the candles and followed him The rain was over and the night was now clear.
当他把门关在了身后时，苔丝跳了起来。他已经走了，她也待不住了。她熄掉蜡烛，跟了出去。雨已停息，夜色现在也晴朗了。
Clare walked slowly and without purpose. His shape was black and frightening She walked just behind him. There was water on the road, where the stars could be seen reflected. Away from the house the road went through the fields. She followed Clare as a dog follows its owner.
克莱尔漫无目的地缓缓走着，他的身影漆黑吓人。她只是跟在他后面走。路面上积了水，可以看到星星在里面反射的光芒。从房子出来的这条路通向田野。她就像条跟着主人的家犬一般跟随着克莱尔。
“Then won’t you forgive me?”
“那么，难道你还不宽恕我吗？”
He did not answer this question.
他没有回答这个问题。
“H’m, well. No, maybe you would not, but you are not the same. No, not the same But don’t make me blame you.”
“嗯，好啦。是的，也许你不会，但你不一样了。足的，不一对了。但是，不要逼我责怪你。”
“And do you love me?”
“那你还爱我吗？”
“What have I done? Nothing interferes with my love for you. You don’t think I planned it, Angel, do you? I would not deceive you like that!”
“我做了什么啊？没有任何事情妨碍我对你的爱。你不会以为我以前是有意那样做的吧，安吉尔，是不是？我不会那样欺骗你的！”
“I admit it was not so much your fault as his.”
“主要是他的罪过，这我承认。”
Eventually Tess could not help speaking to him.
终于，苔丝忍不住跟他说话了。
She went on begging for forgiveness. Perhaps she said things that would have been better left to silence.
她继续乞求他的宽耍也许当时她保持沉默比说这些话还好些。
“Oh Angel-my mother says she knows several cases which were worse than mine, and the husband has not minded much…well, he has accepted it at least. And in those cases the woman hasn’t loved him as I love you!”
“哦，安吉尔——我母亲说她知道好几件这样的事情，她们的情况比我的更糟，但做丈夫的并不是非常介意……是的，他们至少可以接受它。而那些事例中，女人爱她的丈夫并没有像我爱你这么深！”
“Don’t, Tess, don’t argue. Those are just country people’s ways. There is a correct way of doing things. I think that parson who discovered you were a D’Urberville should have kept quiet. Perhaps you were weak and could not refuse this man because your ancient noble blood has run thin, because your family is no good any more. I thought you were a child of nature, but you have the worst of your ancient family in you!”
“别，苔丝，别争辩了。那些只不过是乡下人的方法。做事情总有一个合乎体统的方法。我认为那个发现了你姓德伯的人应该什么都别说。你柔弱，你无力拒绝那个男人，也许是因为你的古老高贵的血统已经变得稀少，因为你的家族已不再体面堂皇。我原以为你是大自然的孩子，但是你却带有那个古老家族里最坏的东西！”
“I do forgive you, but forgiveness isn’t everything.”
“我是宽恕你了，但是宽恕并不等于一切。”
“Angel! Angel! I was a child when it happened. I knew nothing of men.”
“安吉尔！安吉尔！出那件事的时候，我还是个孩子！我对男人的事儿一点都不懂呀！”
They went on again in silence. They walked slowly for hours, with sad anxious faces, not talking, one behind the other, like a funeral procession. Tess said to her husband:
他们继续无言地走着。带着悲哀忧虑的神情，一言不发地，他们就这样一前一后地慢慢走了几个小时，就像一支送葬的队伍。苔丝对她的丈夫说：
“Don’t talk like that. Do what I ask, go back to the house and go to bed.”
“不要再说这样的话了。我怎么说你就怎么做，现在回到房子里去，上床睡觉。”
“I don’t want to cause you sadness all your life. The river is down there. I can put an end to myself in it. I’m not afraid.”
“我不愿让你的一生都这么痛苦。那儿就有条河在流着，我可以在那里结束我的生命。我不害怕。”
Tess accepted his bitterness, not understanding the details. He did not love her as he had done, and nothing else mattered.
苔丝接受了他这一番谴责之辞，没有去理解它的细节。他已不像过去那样爱她了，别的一切都无关紧要。
“I will,” she said obediently.
“我会的。”她顺从地说道。
As she had nothing more to fear, and nothing more to hope for, she lay down. In a few moments lonely Tess was asleep, in the bedroom once used by the young wives of her ancestor.
因为她已经没有什么可以惧怕，也没有什么可以期待的了，她躺了下来。过了一会儿，寂寞的苔丝睡着了，在那间曾被她的祖先们的年轻妻子使用过的卧室里睡着了。
When she returned to the house, she found everything as they had left it and the fire still burning She went to the bedroom. There was a mistletoe branch hanging above the bed. Now she understood why Angel had brought a strange parcel with him. It was to surprise her. He had delightedly hung it there. Now it looked foolish and out of place.
返回房子时，她发现一切都同他们离开时一样，炉火还在燃烧着。她径直到了卧室。床上方挂着一束桑寄生藤枝。现在她明白了为什么安吉尔随身带了一个奇怪的包裹。他是要给她一个惊喜。他高高兴兴地把它挂在了那儿，可是现在它看起来又傻气又不合时宜。
Later on that night Clare also came back to the house. He prepared a bed downstairs, but crept shoeless upstairs to see if Tess was asleep. He was relieved to see her sleeping deeply. And yet he felt he alone had the whole worry of what action to take, and the responsibility for her life as well as his. He turned away from her door, and then turned back again, pulled by his love for her. But his eye was caught by a painting on the wall of one of Tess’s ancestors, a proud fierce woman, who looked as if she hated and wanted to deceive all men. He thought she and Tess looked alike. That was enough to stop him, and he went downstairs to his lonely bed.
那晚夜深时，克莱尔也回到了屋里。他在楼下准备了一张床，但他光着脚，蹑手蹑脚地走到楼上看看苔丝是否睡着了。看到她已熟睡，他放宽了心。但是他感到，他一个人要全部承担该采取什么行动的焦虑，并且对她和他自己的生活负责了。他转身离开她的房门，又被他对她的爱给拉了回来。但是，他冷不防看到了墙上一幅苔丝祖先的画像，一个自负凶恶的女人，看起来就像是她憎恨并要欺骗所有的男人。他感到她和苔丝有相像之处。这就足以计他止步了，他到楼下自己那张孤独的床上去了。
He looked calm and cold, full of self-control. His face showed he had fought against passion and won, but did not like being the winner. He still found it difficult to accept that Tess, the pure village maiden, was not what she seemed. How unexpected life could be! He put out the candle. The night came in, unconcerned and uninterested, the night which had swallowed up his happiness.
他看起来沉静又冷峻，充满了自制力。他的神情显示出他经历了一场与情欲的战斗，而且他赢了，但他却不喜欢成为这样一个胜者。他依然觉得他难以接受这个事实：苔丝，一个纯洁的乡村少女，竟不是她看起来的这样。生活有时是多么出乎意料啊！他熄灭了蜡烛。夜在漫不经心、漠然地一点点降临，就是这夜吞没了他的幸福和快乐。
When the cleaning woman came, he sent her away, not wanting a third person in the house He found wood to make a fire, and prepared breakfast. People passing the farmhouse saw the smoke rising from the chimney, and envied the newly- married couple in their happiness.
当那个女清洁工到来时，他把她打发走了，他不想房子里有第三个人。他找了些木头，生起了火，开始做早饭。路过这农舍的人看到烟囱里升起炊烟，都羡慕这对幸福的新婚夫妇。
Tess came down immediately. She was already dressed, but her hands and face were cold. She had no fire in her bedroom, where she had been sitting waiting for his call, and staring at the dying mistletoe. Clare’s polite words gave her a moment of hope, which died, however, when she saw his face.
苔丝马上就下来了。她已经穿好了衣服，但手和脸都冰凉冰凉的。她的卧室里没有生火，她就在那儿一直坐着，盯着那束快要枯死的藤枝，等着他叫她。克莱尔彬彬有礼的言谈让她产生了一瞬间的希望，但是，当她看到他的面孔时，这希望消逝了。
When Clare woke up the next morning, the sky was grey and the sun was not shining. The fireplace in the room was full of cold ashes. The two full glasses of wine still stood untouched on the table.
第二天早晨克莱尔睡醒时，天空灰蒙蒙的，没有阳光照耀。房间的壁炉里堆满了冰冷的柴灰。两杯满满的酒仍旧摆在桌子上，不曾被动过。
“Breakfast is ready!” he called upstairs in a normal voice.
“早饭难备好了！”他用一种平常的声音冲着楼上喊道。
They were both, in fact, the ashes of their former fires. After last night’s passionate sorrow, they both felt heavy and lacking in energy.
实际上，他们俩都是他们从前火焰的灰烬。在经历了昨夜的极度悲痛之后，他们俩都很沉重，而且疲惫不堪。
Tess went up to Angel, touching him lightly with her fingers. Was this really the man who once loved her? Her eyes were bright, her cheeks still round, but her lips were pale. She looked absolutely pure. Angel looked at her in wonder. “Tess! Say it isn’t true! It can’t be true!”
苔丝走到安吉尔身边，用手指轻轻地碰碰他。这真地就是那个曾经爱过她的男人吗？她的眼睛晶莹明亮，两颊依然丰满圆润，只是她的双唇没有血色。她看起来纯洁得不容置疑。安吉尔惊诧地注视着她。“苔丝！说吧，那不是真的！那不可能是真的！”
“Is he in England?”
“他在英国吗？”
Tess understood his feelings perfectly. She saw that he had lost in every way.
苔丝了解他的感情，知道他已经完全不知所措了。
“The baby died.”
“孩子死了。”
“But the man?”
“可那个人呢？”
“He is alive.”
“他还活着”。
Despair passed over Clare’s face. He moved vaguely around the room.
一种绝望的神情掠过克莱尔的脸，他茫然地在房间里踱来踱去。
“You can divorce me.”
“你可以和我离婚。”
“Angel — I would not have married you if I had not known that, after all, there is a way out for you… only I hoped you would never…” She was close to tears.
“安吉尔，假如当时我没有意识到这事对你来说至少还有一条出路的话，我是不会和你结婚的……只是我曾希望你将永远不会……”她说着就要哭了。
“Every word?”
“句句是真？”
“Every word.”
“句句是真。”
“Is he living?” asked Angel.
“他还活着吗？”安吉尔问道。
“Good heavens! How can you be so stupid? How can I divorce you?”
“天哪！你怎么会这么傻呢？我怎么能同你离婚呢？”
He world almost have preferred her to lie, so that he could believe her blindly, but she repeated, “It is true.”
他几乎宁愿她撒个谎，这样他就可以睁只眼闭只眼地相信她，但是她重复道：“是真的。”
“Yes.”
“是的。”
“A way out?”
“一条出路？”
“It is true.”
“是真的。”
“Look,” he said, “I thought — any man would have thought-that if I didn’t look for knowledge, good family, and wealth in a wife, if I sacrificed all that, I would be sure of finding a country girl who was at least pure… but… but I should not accuse you.”
“你瞧，”他说，“我原以为——任何男人都会这么以为的——如果在一个妻子身上，我不寻求学识、好的出身和财富的话，如果我牺牲这一切的话，那么我确信我会找到一个至少是纯洁的乡下姑娘……但是……但是，我不应该谴责你。”
“Can’t you, now I have told you everything?”
“你难道不能吗，既然我已经把一切都告诉你了？”
“Oh Tess, you are so childish! You don’t understand the law. No, I can’t.”
“哦，苔丝，你太幼稚了！你不懂法律。不，我不能离婚。”
“The courage to do what?” he asked.
“有胆量去做什么？”他问。
There was shame and misery in Tess’s face.
苔丝的脸上露出了羞愧、痛苦的神情。
“Where?”
“在哪儿？”
“I thought you could,” she whispered. “Don’t think I planned this! I really believed you could take that way out. Oh, then I ought to have done it last night. But I didn’t have the courage. That’s just like me!”
“我原以为你能这么做的，”她轻声说，“不要认为我是算计好的！我真地以为你可以用这种方式解脱的。哦，那昨晚我真应该那么做，可是我没有胆量。我这个人就是这样！”
Clare was shaken by this unexpected confession.
克莱尔被这出乎意料的供认惊得发颤。
“To put an end to myself.”
“结束我自己的生命。”
“In the bedroom, under your mistletoe. With the rope from my box. But I couldn’t in the end! I was afraid that people would talk and you would suffer from that.”
“在卧室里，在你的桑藤下。用我箱子上解下的绳子。但是最终我没做成！我怕人们会议论，你会因此蒙受痛苦。”
“Now, listen. You must never think of such a wicked thing again. Promise me as your husband never to do anything like that.”
“现在，听着。你必须永远不再想那样邪恶的事情。向我，向你的丈夫保证你永远不会做出那种事情。”
“I promise. I see it was wicked. But, Angel, it was to set you free, and to avoid a divorce, which everyone would talk about. But dying by my own hand is too good for me. You, my husband, should kill me. I think I would love you more, if that were possible, if you could bring yourself to do it. I am so much in your way!”
“我保证。我明白这是邪恶的。但是，安吉尔，这是让你获得自由的办法。这样就可以避免一次让人人都议论的离婚。但是，死在我自己手里对我太宽容了。你，我的丈夫，应该杀了我。如果有这种可能，如果你让你自己这么做的话，我想我会更爱你的。我给你带来了这么多的麻烦！”
“Quiet! Don’t talk about it.”
“别说了！别再说这个了。”
She turned her back on him, sobbing as if her heart would break. It would have won round any man but Angel Clare. Deep in him lay a hard logic, which had resisted the Church, and now resisted Tess. She accepted his treatment of her as being what she deserved. She would never have thought of criticizing his hardness. To her he was still perfection.
她转过身去背对着他，心痛欲碎般地啜泣着。这本来会使任何一个男人软下心来，但是安吉尔·克莱尔却无动于衷。在他内心深处，存在着一种坚硬的理性，这种理性让他抵触过教会，现在又来抵触苔丝了。她接受了他对她的态度，把它看做理所当然的。在她眼里，他依然完美。
“What do you mean, Tess? You are my wife, of course.”
“苔丝，你这是什么意思？当然了，你是我的妻子。”
“Well, just as you wish. I will do whatever you like.” They sat down to breakfast, tired and sad. They did not look at each other and they did not eat much. Angel left soon afterwards to start his studies at the flour-mill nearby. Tess cleared the ashes from the fireplace, cleaned the house and prepared the lunch, waiting for his return. At lunch they talked politely of work at the flour-mill and methods of milling. In the afternoon he went back to the mill, and in the evening he studied his books and papers. Tess felt she was in his way and went to the kitchen. He came to find her there.
“好，照你的意思做，无论你想要我做什么，我都会照办的。”又疲惫又伤心地，他们坐下来吃早饭。他们谁也没看对方一眼，草草地吃了一点儿。安吉尔吃完后很快就离开了，到附近的面粉厂，开始学习技术。苔丝清扫了壁炉里的灰烬，打扫了房子，准备午饭，等着他回来。吃午饭时他们客气地谈了谈面粉厂的工作情况以及加工面粉的方法。下午，他又到面粉厂去了，晚上就看他的书和报纸。苔丝觉得自己妨碍他了，就到厨房去了。他到那儿找到了她。
She looked happier. “You mean, I can think of myself as that?” She asked, trembling.
她看起来高兴了些。“你的意思是，我可以这样看待自己？”
“Don’t work in the kitchen like this,” he said. “You’re not my servant, you’re my wife.”
“不要在厨房里这样干活。”他说道，“你不是我的用人，你是我的妻子。”
“I don’t know,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I told you long ago I wasn’t good enough for you. And I’m not good enough! I was right! But you persuaded me!”
“我不知道。”她说道，眼里噙着泪水。“我很早以前就给你讲过，我不够好，配不上你。现在我也不够好！我是对的！但是你说服了我！”
“No. How can we live together as man and wife while that man lives? He is your natural husband, I’m not. If he were dead, that might be different. Anyway, have you thought of the future? have you thought we might have children? They would find out about this. Everybody would talk about it. Can you imagine them growing up under a cloud like that? They would hate you for it.”
“是的。那个人还活着，我们怎么能像夫妇那样一起生活呢？他是你实质上的丈夫，而我却不是。如果他已经死了，情况也许会不同。不过，你考虑过将来没有？考虑过我们也许会有孩子吗？他们会知道这件事，人人都会议论它。你能想象他们在那样的阴影中成长吗？他们会因此而恨你的。”
Another day passed by in the same way. Only once did Tess try to get closer to her husband. As he was leaving for the flour-mill, she put up her mouth to be kissed. He ignored the invitation, and said goodbye coldly. She felt as if he had hit her. How often had he wanted to kiss her in those happy days at Talbothays!
同样的生活又过去了一天。苔丝只尝试过一次去接近她的丈夫。他要离开到面粉厂去的时候，她凑上她的唇，等他吻她。他对她的主动表示不加理睬，只是冷冷地说了声再见。当时她的感觉就像挨了他的打。在塔尔勃塞那些快乐的日子里，他是多么经常地想要吻她啊！
But on his way to the mill Angel regretted his coldness. He wished he had been kinder to her and kissed her once at least.
但是在去往面粉厂的路上，安吉乐对自己的冷酷无情感到后悔。他真希望自己刚才能对她好一些，至少吻她一下。
So they lived through another day-together in the same house, but more separately than ever before. Clare was desperately wondering what to do. Tess no longer even hoped for forgiveness. That evening she said bravely:
于是，他们又捱过去了一天——一起生活在同一幢屋里，可是彼此间的距离却比以往任何时候都大。克莱尔拼命地考虑该怎么办。苔丝对得到宽恕甚至都不再抱希望了。那天晚上，她勇敢地说道：
“I suppose you aren’t going to live with me long, are you, Angel?” She found it difficult to control the muscles of her face.
“我猜想你不打算同我长久地一起生活，是吗，安吉尔？”她发现想控制面部的肌肉真是困难。
Tess’s head was bent. Her eyes felt so heavy they were almost closed. “No, I can’t ask you to stay with me,” she whispered. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
苔丝的头垂下去了。她的眼睛感到沉重得几乎要闭上了。“不，我不能要求你和我在一起，”她轻声说道，“我还从没考虑过那些事情。”
She could have argued that if they went as planned to farm in another country, nobody would know about her past. But perhaps she was right not to argue. A woman knows not only her own sorrow but also her husband’s. He might keep the bitterness alive in his heart, even if nobody knew or talked about it at all. She had lost.
她原可以争辩说，他们可以按照原计划到另一个国家的农场去，在那儿，没有人会知道她的过去。但是她没有争辩，也许这是对的。一个女人不但了解自己的痛苦，而且了解她丈夫的痛苦。即使根本没有人知道或提起这件事，他也许还是会让这份苦楚存在他心里。她已经输了。
She had hoped, as women do, that living together for a time would break down his coldness. Being near him every day was her only hope of winning him back. But she had never imagined she might have children who would reject her. She now remembered how she had criticized her mother for bringing babies into the world without being able to look after them. She realized that she might have made the same mistake as Joan Durbeyfield. She completely accepted Angel’s argument.
她本来希望，像所有女人们会做的那样，一起生活一段时间，会消除他的冷漠。她赢回他的心的唯一希望便是每天都伴在他身旁。但她从来都没想过她也许会有孩子，而他们会排斥她。她现在想起来她怎样地责怪过她母亲，说她无力照管孩子，却把他们带到这个世界来了。她意识到，她也许会和琼·德北犯同样的错误。她完全接受了安吉尔的论点。
On the third day she said, “I accept what you say. We must separate.”
到了第三天，她说：“我接受你讲的道理。我们必须分开。”
Clare had not thought of that. “Can you really?”
克莱尔不曾想到过这事。“你真的行吗？”
“I can go home.”
“我可以回娘家。”
“Yes. If I am with you all the time, I may persuade you to stay, against your better judgement. Then you and I would both be sorry. I must go.”
“是的，如果我和你朝夕相处的话，我也许会说服你留下来，这有悖你更为合理的判断，然后我们俩都会后悔的。我必须走。”
“But what can you do?”
“但是你怎么办呢？”
“Right,” said Angel. His face was pale but his voice was determined.
“你说得对，”安吉尔说。他的脸很苍白，但他的语气很坚决。
“I didn’t like to suggest it,” he said, “but as you have, I think it’s a good idea to part — at least for a while. God knows, we may come togetner again one day!”
“我并不想提出这个建议，”他说，“但是你既然提出了，我认为分开是个好办法——至少分开一段时间。上帝知道，也许有朝一日，我们又会走到一起的！”
Tess was slightly shocked. He had agreed so quickly to her generous offer!
苔丝微微有些震惊。对她慷慨大方的提议，他竟同意得这么快！
These words, which he would never say when awake, were very sweet to Tess. She would not have moved to save her life. She lay in absolute stillness, trying not to breathe, wondering what he was going to do with her. Her trust in him was complete.
这些他醒着的时候永远不会说的话，在苔丝听来，是那么地甜蜜。她不愿为拯救自己而躲避。她一动也不动地躺着，尽力不呼吸。她急切地想知道他会对她做些什么。她对他的信任是完完全全的。
So they both prepared to leave the following day. That night Tess was woken by a noise in the house. At first she thought Angel was coming to her bedroom, and her heart beat wildly with joy. But then she saw his eyes staring emptily ahead of him, and knew he was walking in his sleep. He came to the middle of her room and said very sadly, “Dead! Dead! Dead! Poor darling Tess! So sweet, so good, so pure! My wife, dead!”
于是两个人都准备第二天离开。当晚，苔丝被房子里发出的声响惊醒了。起先，她以为是安吉尔到她卧室来了，她的心欢喜得一阵狂跳。但是，随后她看清了他的眼睛正茫然空洞地直视着前方，知道他这是在梦游。他来到她房间当中，悲戚地说道：“死了！死了！死了！可怜的，亲爱的苔丝！你是多么温柔，多么可爱，多么纯洁呀！”
As they crossed, the water rushed fiercely below them. If Tess had moved in his arms, they would both have fallen into the dangerous water. But she had no right to take his life, although her own was worthless, so she stayed still.
在他们过桥的时候，下面的河水在凶猛湍急地奔流。如果苔丝在他怀里动一动，他们就会双双落入这凶多吉少的河流中。尽管她自己的生命无足轻重，但是她没有权力带走他的生命，因此，她静静地躺着。
He continued downstairs, taking her out of the house towards the river. She had given herself totally up to him, and did not care what happened to her as long as she was with him. They arrived at a place where the river was fast and deep, and Angel started to cross it on the narrow footbridge, still holding Tess. Perhaps he wanted to drown her. Even that would be better than separation.
他继续下楼，又把她抱出了房子，朝那条河走去。她把自己整个儿托付给他了，只要能和他在一起，她不在乎她会出什么事。他们到了一个河水又急又深的地方，安吉尔还是抱着苔丝，开始穿越那条狭窄的人行桥。也许他想淹死她。但即使是那样，也比分离好埃
Angel walked purposefully towards a ruined church near the river. Against the old wall was an empty stone tomb. In this he carefully laid Tess, and kissing her lips, sighed deeply and happily. He immediately lay down on the ground next to the tomb, and looked fast asleep.
安吉尔下意识地走到了河流附近的一座残破的教堂。靠着那座旧墙，有一个空石墓。他把苔丝小心翼翼地放到了里面，吻着她的唇，深深地、愉快地叹息着。然后，他就躺倒在坟墓旁边的地面上。看起来他已经熟睡了。
He picked her up and carried her to the stairs. Was he going to throw her down? She knew he was leaving her the next day, perhaps for ever. She almost hoped they would fall and die together.
他把她抱起来，托着她朝楼梯走去。他要把她摔下去吗？她知道他明天就要离开她了，也许是永远地离开了。她几乎希望他们一起跌下楼，一起死去。
Tess stepped out of the tomb and managed to persuade Angel to walk back to the house, without waking him. It was very cold outside, and both had only night clothes on. She helped him to his sofa bed in the living room, and he still did not wake up.
苔丝从坟墓中走了出来，她设法诱导安吉尔和她走回家去，又不惊醒他。外面很冷，而他们俩都只穿着睡衣。她扶他上了起居室里他那张沙发床，而他仍然没有醒过来。
“Now remember,” he said, “I am not angry with you, but I cannot bear to live with you at the moment. I will try to accept it. But until I come to you, you should not try to come to me.”
“嗯，记住，”他说，“我不怨恨你，可是，这个时候，我无法忍受和你生活在一起。我将会尽力去接受它。但是，在我回到你身边之前，你最好不要来找我。”
Next morning he seemed to remember nothing of the night’s experiences, and Tess did not refer to his sleepwalking. They finished packing and left the farmhouse, where they had hoped to be so happy. After driving some distance Angel stopped the carriage to get down and continue on foot. Tess was going further on in the carriage. He spoke seriously to her as they separated.
第二天早晨，他像是一点儿也记不起来夜里的经历了，而苔丝也没有提起他梦游的事。他们收拾好了行李，就离开了农舍——他们原来希望在那儿度过一段幸福时光的。驾车前行了一段路后，安吉尔停住马车，下来继续步行。苔丝还要坐着马车往前走。在他们告别的时候，他神情严肃地对她说了些话。
“May I write to you?”
“我可以给你写信吗？”
“Oh yes, if you are ill or need anything. You probably won’t, so I might be the first to write.”
“哦，可以，如果你生了病或有什么需要的话。可能你不会有这种事，所以也许是我先给你写。”
The punishment seemed a heavy one to Tess. Had she really deserved this?
这种惩罚对苔丝像是很严酷。她真地是罪有应得吗？
“I agree to the conditions, Angel, because you know best. Only don’t make it too much for me to bear!”
“我同意这些条件，安吉尔，因为你最懂得该怎么办。只是不要做得让我无法承受！”
That was all she said. If she had sobbed or fainted or begged him, he would probably have given way. But she made it easy for him. He gave her some money and they said goodbye. He stood on the road watching the carnage continue up the hill, secretly hoping that Tess would look back. But she was lying half dead with misery inside. He turned to walk on alone, not realizing that he still loved her.
那就是她全部的话。如果当时她哭了、晕倒了或是向他求情，他都可能会屈服让步的。但是她让他轻轻松松地过了这一关。他给了她一笔钱，然后他们就互相道别了。他站在路上，看着马车继续朝山头驶去，默默地希望苔丝能回头看一眼。但是怀着极大痛苦的苔丝此时已近乎昏厥。他转身独自朝前走了，并不知道自己依然是爱她的。
As the carriage drove on through Blackmoor Vale, Tess now began to awake from her sorrow and wonder how she could face her parents. She left the carriage and came into Marlott on foot. When she entered the little cottage, her mother was doing the washing as usual.
当马车穿越黑荒野山谷继续行驶时，苔丝渐渐从悲痛中醒转过来，开始思考该怎样面对她的父母。她下了马车，步行进入马勒特村。当她走进那间小农舍时，她母亲一如往常地在洗着衣服。
“Why Tess!” she cried when she saw her daughter. “I thought you were married! Really married this time!”
“苔丝，为什么？”她看到她女儿，不由得叫了起来，“我以为你结婚了！这次是真的结婚了吧！”
“Yes, mother, I am.”
“是的，妈妈，结婚了。”
“Then where’s your husband?”
“那么，你的丈夫呢？”
“Gone away for a time.”
“要离开一段时间。”
“Gone away! When were you married then? Tuesday, as you said?”
“离开！那么，你们是什么时候结婚的？如你说的，星期二？”
“Yes, mother.”
“是的，妈妈。”
“Married on Tuesday and today it’s only Saturday, and he’s gone away! What strange husbands you seem to find, Tess!”
“星期二结婚，今天才不过是星期六，他就已经走了。看来你是找了一个非常奇怪的丈夫啊，苔丝！”
“Mother!” Tess ran across to Joan and put her head on Joan’s shoulder. “You told me I mustn’t tell him. But I did-I couldn’t help it — and he went away!”
“妈！”苔丝朝琼奔去，把她的头伏在琼的肩上，“你嘱咐我不要告诉他，但是我说了——我忍不住——然后他走了！”
“I know, I know,” sobbed Tess. “But he was so good! I couldn’t lie to him. And if only you knew how much I loved him and how much I wanted to marry him!”
“我知道，我知道，”苔丝哭诉着，“可是他原来是那么好的人！我不能对他撒谎。如果你知道我是多么地爱他，多么地想嫁给他，你就会明白了！”
“Oh you fool, you little fool!” cried her mother.
“哦，你这个傻瓜，你这个小傻瓜！”她母亲喊道。
“Well, it’s too late now,” said Mrs Durbeyfield. “Whatever will your father say? He was very proud of your marriage. He’s been telling them at the public house that you’ll help his noble family become great again. Oh, there he is now!”
“唉，现在已经太迟了，”德北夫人说道，“真不知道你父亲会怎么说？他对你的婚姻非常地自豪。他在酒店里跟他们说，你会帮忙把他的高贵家族重新振兴起来。哦，他来啦！”
Tess ran upstairs, but through the thin walls she could hear the whole story being told to Sir John.
苔丝跑到楼上去了。但是透过薄薄的墙壁，她听到了向约翰爵士叙述的整个事件。
“People will laugh at me in the village!” he said. “Do you think he really did marry her, Joan? Or is it like the first?”
“村里人会笑话我的！”他说，“你认为他真地跟她结婚了吗，琼？还是就像头一次那样？”
Tess could listen no more. Even her own family did not believe her. She could not stay. She gave her mother half the money which Clare had given her, and told her family she was going to join him. And so she left Marlott again, looking for work.
苔丝再也听不下去了，甚至她的家人都不信任她。她无法待在这儿了。她把克莱尔留给她的钱分出一半，给了她母亲，并告诉家里人，她打算去和他团聚。于是她又一次离开了马勒特，去找活儿干。
Angel Clare also returned home. He had spent three weeks since his wedding trying to remain calm and continue his studies, but with the disturbing picture of Tess always in his mind. He was beginning to wonder if he had treated her unfairly. She had been so much a part of his plans for the future that he was now thinking of countries where they could farm together. The idea of Brazil attracted him. The countryside, people and habits would be so different. Perhaps they could make a new life there together. So he went back to Emminster to tell his parents his new plan.
安吉尔·克莱尔也回到了家里。从婚礼之后，他花费了三周的时间试图让自己保持平静并继续学习，但他脑子里总不断地闪现出苔丝的影子，搅得他心神不安。他开始思索自己是不是对她做得太过分了。她曾是他未来生活计划中如此重要的一部分，以至于他现在还在考虑他们可以一起去哪些国家经营农常巴西对他颇具吸引力。那儿的乡村、那儿的居民和风俗都与此地截然不同，也许他们可以一起在那儿开创新的生活。于是他返回爱敏斯特，告诉他父母他的新打算。
“But where’s your wife, dear Angel?” cried his mother when he arrived.
“亲爱的安吉尔，可是，你的妻子呢？”当他到家时，他母亲喊道。
“She’s at her mother’s for the moment. I’ve come home in rather a hurry, because I’ve decided to go to Brazil.”
“她这会儿在她娘家，我是相当匆忙地赶回家的，因为我已经决定了要去巴西。”
“Brazil! But they’re all Roman Catholics there!”
“巴西！但是那儿都是罗马天主教徒！”
But Mr and Mrs Clare were even more interested in their son’s marriage than in Brazil’s religion.
但是比起巴西的宗教来，克莱尔先生和克莱尔夫人对他们儿子的婚姻大事更为关切。
“Angel, we do want to meet your wife. We are not in the least angry about this rather hurried wedding, so why haven’t you brought her? It seems strange.”
“安吉尔，我们真地想见见你的妻子。对你这次草率的婚礼，我们丝毫没有生气。那么，为什么你不把她带来？这显得有点奇怪。”
“Are they? I hadn’t thought of that.”
“是吗？我还没想过这个呢。”
“And a maiden of course?”
“自然是个少女喽？”
“I imagine you were her first love?”
“我想你是她的初恋吧？”
“Is she very pretty?”
“她很漂亮吗？”
“Of course.”
“自然是的。”
“We shall all think of her as your father reads it,” added his mother. As they listened to the ancient, beautiful words, Angel felt like crying.
“当你父亲读这段话时，我们都会想到她。”他母亲加了一句。当他听着这些古老、优美的辞句时，安吉尔简直要哭了。
Angel explained that she would be staying at her mother’s while he went to Brazil alone to see if the country was suitable. He planned to bring her to meet his parents before he went there a second time, with her. But his mother was disappointed at not seeing Tess. She watched her son as he ate, and asked questions.
安吉尔解释说，在他单独赴巴西考察那个国家是否适合期间，她先住在娘家。他安排好了，在下次他和她一起去巴西之前，带她来见他的父母。但他的母亲对于没有见到苔丝非常失望。她看着儿子吃饭，还问了些问题。
“Exactly.”
“正是。”
His father asked no questions, but when the moment for evening prayers arrived, he chose a passage from the Bible.
他的父亲什么也没问，但是到晚上做祈祷的时刻，他从《圣经》里挑选了一段文章。
“This passage is very suitable, as you are here, Angel. It is in praise of a pure wife.”
“安吉尔，这一段非常适合现在这个场合，这是赞美纯洁的妻子的。”
“She certainly is!”
“那是毫无疑问的。”
His mother said, “You see, Angel, the perfect woman, the Bible tells us, is a working woman, not a fine lady, a girl just like your wife. A girl who uses her hands and heart and head for others. I wish I could have met her, Angel. As she is pure, she is fine enough for me.”
他的母亲说：“安吉尔，你看，《圣经》告诉我们，完美的女人是一个勤劳的女人，就像你的妻子那样的姑娘，一个用自己的双手、心灵和头脑为别人奉献的姑娘，而不是一位体面的小姐。安吉尔，我真希望我见过她了。我觉得她已经够好了，因为她是个纯洁的姑娘。”
“She is totally pure!” he replied, and felt that he had to tell that lie, even if he went to hell there and then for it.
“她是完全纯洁的！”他回答道，他觉得自己一定要撒那个谎，哪怕他要为此在此时此地下地狱。
“Angel, why are you going away so soon? Have you quarrelled with your wife in these three weeks? Angel, is she…is she a woman with a past?” The mother’s instinct had found the cause of her son’s worries.
“安吉尔，你为什么这么快就要离去了？这三个星期里，你和你的妻子吵架了吗？安吉尔，她是……她是一个有经历的女人吗？”做母亲的本能发现了儿子忧虑的原由。
Clare’s eyes were full of tears. He quickly said goodnight and went to his room. His mother followed and stood at his door looking anxiously at him.
克莱尔的眼眶里满是泪水。他迅速地道了晚安，就到自己的房间去了。他的母亲跟了过去，站在门口忧虑地看着他。
Clare felt furious with Tess, because she had forced him to deceive his parents. Then he remembered her sweet voice, and the touch of her fingers on his face, and her warm breath on his lips. But this well-meaning young man, despite his advanced ideas, was still limited in his thinking. He could not see that Tess was in character as pure as the pure wife in the Bible.
克莱尔对苔丝感到非常愤怒，因为她逼得他欺骗他的父母。随后，他又想起了她温柔甜美的声音，她的手指在他脸上轻轻触摸的感觉，还有她在他唇上温暖柔和的呼吸。但是这个本意善良的年轻人，尽管有先进的思想，在思维上却不免仍有局限。他不能看到，在本质上，苔丝与《圣经》中描述的圣洁的妻子是一样纯洁的。
“Then never mind the rest. There are few better things in nature than a pure country girl.”
“那就永远不要在乎别的方面。自然界里很难再有比一个纯洁的乡村姑娘更好的事物了。”
The next day Clare left Emminster and began to prepare for his journey to Brazil. One day, returning from doing some business with a farmer, he happened to meet one of the dairymaids from Talbothays, Izz Huett. He knew her secret: she was an honest girl who loved him and who might have made as good a farmer’s wife as Tess. He learnt from Izz that, of the other dairymaids, Retty had become ill, and Marian had started drinking. And Izz herself?
第二天，克莱尔离开了爱敏斯特，开始为去巴西的行程作准备。一天，在同一位农场主了结了一些事情后的返回途中，他碰巧遇上了塔尔勃塞的一个挤奶女工，伊茨·休爱特。他知道她心里的秘密，她爱他，是个诚实的姑娘，而且能成为一个和苔丝一样贤惠的农场主妻子。他从伊茨口中得知了一些其他女工的情况。蕾蒂病倒了，玛丽安开始酗酒。伊茨自己怎么样呢？
“You know it’s wrong in the eyes of the world, don’t you? Do you love me very much? More than Tess?”
“你知道这在世人的眼里是不对的，是不是？你非常非常爱我吗？爱得比苔丝还深？”
A wild anger took hold of Clare. Society and its rules had trapped him in a corner. Why shouldn’t he take his revenge on society?
一种疯狂的愤怒占据了克莱尔的思想。社会和它的法则设下圈套把他逼到了死角，为什么他不向这个社会报复？
“Yes, I will,” said Izz after a pause.
“是的，我愿意，”沉默了一会儿，伊茨说道。
“I do, yes, oh, I do love you, but not more than Tess. Nobody could! She would have laid down her life for you.”
“是的，我爱你，哦，我确实很爱你，但是爱得没有苔丝深。没人能这样！她可以为了你舍弃她的生命。”
“I would have said ‘yes’, and you would have had a woman who loved you!”
“我会说‘好吧’，然后你就拥有了一个爱你的女人！”
“I’m sorry, Izz,” he said suddenly. “Please forget what I said just now! I must be mad!”
“我很抱歉，伊茨，”他突然说道，“请你忘掉我刚才说的话吧！我一定是疯了！”
Clare was silent. A sob rose inside him. He heard Izz’s words again and again in his head: She would have laid down her life for you.
克莱尔哑然无语，他的心在哭泣。他听到伊茨的话一遍又一遍地在脑子里响起：她可以为了你舍弃她的生命。
“Suppose I had asked you to marry me, Izz?” he asked.
“伊茨，假设我请求过你嫁给我，会怎么样？”他问。
“Oh please take me! Oh, I shouldn’t have been so honest!” sobbed Izz.
“哦，带我去吗？喔，我不应该那么老实！”伊茨呜咽着说。
“I’m going to Brazil, Izz, without Tess. We have separated for personal reasons. I may never be able to love you, but will you come with me?”
“伊茨，我将要去巴西了，苔丝不跟着去。我们因为一些私人的原因分手了。可能我永远也不会爱你，但是，你愿意和我一起去吗？”
“Izz, by your honesty you have saved me from doing something wicked. Thank you for that. And please forgive me!”
“伊茨，你的诚实挽救了我，使我避免了一件罪恶的事情。我要因此感谢你，也请你原谅我！”
And so Angel said goodbye to the miserable girl. But he did not turn towards Tess’s village. He continued with his plan, and five days later left the country for Brazil.
于是安吉尔告别了这个可怜的姑娘。但他并没有转回到苔丝的村子。他继续按他的计划行事，五天之后，他离开这个国家到巴西去了。
They wrote to Izz, asking her to join them if she had no other work. It was the coldest winter for years, but Tess and Marian had to go on working in the snow. Tess realized that the farmer was the same Trantridge man who had recognized her in the market town, and had been knocked down by Angel. He made her work twice as hard as the others.
她们给伊茨写信，叫她来跟她们一起干，如果她没别的活儿干的话。这是几年来最冷的一个冬天，可是苔丝和玛丽安必须顶着雪花干活儿。苔丝意识到农场主就是那个在集镇上认出她来的纯瑞脊人，曾经被安吉尔击倒在地。他让她干的活儿比其他人的加重了一倍。
And so the months passed. Tess found occasional dairy work for the spring and summer. She sent all Angel’s money to her family, who as usual had many expenses and hardly any income. She was too proud to ask Angel’s family for more money. That winter she went to work at another farm, where Marian was working. Here the earth was poor, and the work was difficult. But Tess did not mind the hard work in the fields. As she and Marian dug out the vegetables in the pouring rain, they talked of Talbothays and of the sunny green fields and of Angel Clare. Tess did not tell Marian everything, so Marian could not understand why the couple were apart.
时间一个月又一个月地过去了。春夏两季，苔丝就在牛奶场找点临时的活儿干。她把安吉尔留下的钱都寄给了家里，这个家像往常一样总有许多支出，却几乎没有什么收入。她的自尊不允许她向安吉尔的家人伸手要钱。那个冬天她转到另外一个农场干活。玛丽安就在那儿干活儿。这里的土地贫瘠，活儿也很辛苦。但是苔丝并不介意在地里干那些繁重的活儿。当她们淋着倾盆大雨在地里挖菜时，她们就讲讲塔尔勃塞，讲讲阳光明媚的绿色牧场，还有安吉尔·克莱尔。苔丝没有把事情的来龙去脉都告诉玛丽安，所以玛丽安无法理解为什么这对夫妇会分开。
When Izz came, Tess saw her whispering to Marian. Tess had a feeling it was important. “Is it about my husband?” she asked Marian later.
当伊茨到来时，苔丝见她跟玛丽安耳语着什么。苔丝感觉这一定是件重要的事。“是有关我丈夫的事吗？”之后，她向玛丽安问道。
Tess’s face went as white as the snow on the ground.
苔丝的脸变得像地上的雪一样惨白。
“Well yes, Izz said I shouldn’t tell. But he asked her to run away to Brazil with him!”
“嗯，是的，伊茨说我不应该告诉你。可是，他叫她跟他一起私奔到巴西去！”
“What happened?”
“后来呢？”
“He changed his mind. But he was going to take her!”
“他改变了主意。但是他原来是打算带她去的！”
But in the evening, in her room, she could not finish her letter to him. She looked at her wedding ring, which she wore round her neck in the day, and kept on her finger all night. What kind of husband would ask Izz to go to Brazil with him so soon after parting from his wife?
可是到了晚上，她在房间里给他写信时，又写不下去了。她盯着她的结婚戒指，她在白天把它挂在脖子上，到了晚上就整夜把它戴在手上。与妻子分离后，这么快就叫伊茨和他一起去巴西了，这是什么样的丈夫呢？
Tess burst out crying. “I must write to him! It’s my fault! I shouldn’t have left it to him! He said I could write to him! I’ve been neglecting him!”
苔丝放声大哭起来。“我必须给他写信！这是我的过错！我原不该把这事留给他去做的！他说过我可以给他写信！我一直都疏忽他了！”
But this new information made her think again of visiting Angel’s family in Emminster. She wanted to know why he had not written to her. She could meet his parents, who would surely be kind to her in her loneliness. So she decided to walk there from the farm at Flintcomb-Ash on a Sunday, her only free day. It was fifteen miles each way. She dressed in her best, encouraged by Marian and Izz, who sent her on her way at four o’clock in the morning. The girls sincerely loved Tess and wished for her happiness. It was a year since her wedding, and on that bright cold morning her unspoken hope was to win over her husband’s family and so persuade him back to her.
但是这个新信息让她重新考虑起到爱敏斯特拜访安吉尔的家人。她想知道为什么他没有给她写信。她可以见见他的父母，在她孤苦伶仃的时候，他们一定会善待她的。于是她决定在一个她唯一空闲的日子，礼拜天，从弗林特石灰谷的农场出发，步行去那儿。单程的路就有15英里。在玛丽安和伊茨的怂恿下，她穿上了最好的衣服。她们在那天清晨4点钟把她送上了路。姑娘们都真挚地爱着她，由衷地希望她幸福。现在距她结婚的日子已有一年了，在那个睛朗寒冷的早晨，她那不曾说出口的愿望就是赢得她丈夫的家人，然后说服他回到她的身边。
She took a deep breath and rang the bell at the parson’s house. Nobody answered. She tried again. Silence. It was almost with relief that she turned and walked away. Then she suddenly remembered that they must all be at church. So she waited in a quiet part of the street until people began to stream out of church. She immediately recognized Angel’s brothers and even overheard some of their conversation.
她深深地吸了口气，按响了牧师家的门铃。没有人答应。她又按了一次。还是没有动静。她几乎是松了口气，转身离开了。然后她想起来他们一定都在教堂呢。于是她就在街上一个安静的地方等着，直到人们川流不息地从教堂出来了。她马上认出了安吉尔的哥哥们，甚至还远远地听到了他们的谈话。
Although she started cheerfully, she began to lose her courage as she approached Emminster. The church looked forbidding. Perhaps the rather strict parson would not approve of her travelling so far on a Sunday. But she had to go on. She took off her thick walking boots and hid them behind a tree, changing into her pretty shoes. She would collect the boots on the way out of town.
虽然她出来时欢欣鼓舞，但是随着渐渐走近爱敏斯特，她却开始心慌了。教堂显得令人生畏。也许那位相当严格的牧师会不赞许她在礼拜日长途跋涉。可是，她只有往前走了。她脱下笨重的靴子，把它们藏到一棵树后面，然后，换上那双精致漂亮的靴子。她想在出镇的路上再把靴子捡回来。
“It’s certainly very strange. But his ideas have always been most odd.”
“这真是很奇怪。不过，他的想法一直是最古怪的。”
“Poor Angel!” one of them said. “There’s that nice girl, Mercy Chant. Why on earth didn’t he marry her instead of rushing into marriage with a dairymaid?”
“可怜的安吉尔！”其中一个说道，“默茜·钱特，那个好姑娘在那儿。到底为什么他不娶她，而是跟一个挤奶工仓促地结了婚？”
They joined Mercy Chant as she came out of church, and walked together along the road Tess had walked into Emminster.
当默茜·钱特从教堂出来时，他们便上前陪同她一起沿着那条苔丝走进爱敏斯特的路走着。
Tess walked quickly past them, tears running down her face. She continued walking as fast as she could away from Emminster. How unlucky that she had met the sons and not the father! Angel’s parents would have taken poor lonely Tess to their hearts immediately, as they did every other lost soul, without thought of family or education or wealth.
苔丝匆匆地超过了他们，泪水从她脸上潸潸滚下。她继续尽可能快地走着，离开了爱敏斯特。她是多么不走运啊，碰见的偏偏会是两个儿子，而不是父亲。安吉尔的父母会立即打心底里接受孤苦可怜的苔丝，就像他们对每一个迷失的人做的那样，而不会去考虑他的出身、学识或财富。
She grew more and more tired and depressed as she walked the fifteen miles back to Flintcomb-Ash, where only hard work awaited her. But on the way she noticed a crowd listening to a preacher and she stopped for a while to join them. The preacher was describing with enthusiasm how he had been wicked for years and how a certain parson had pointed it out to him: this had gradually turned him from wickedness. But Tess was more shocked by the voice than the words. She moved round behind the crowd to look at his face. As the afternoon sun shone full on him, she recognized Alec D’Urberville.
在返回弗林特石灰谷的15英里路中，她变得越来越疲惫沮丧，那儿只有繁重的活儿等着她干。可是在半路上，她注意到有一群人正在听一个传道士说着什么。她停下脚步，也去听了一会儿。这个传道士正热情高涨地讲述他多年来曾是如何地品行不端，而一个牧师又是怎样地给他指出来：这让他渐渐地从邪恶中转变过来。但是他的声音比他的讲道更让苔丝震惊。她从人群后绕过去看他的脸，午后的阳光充沛地照在他身上，她认出来了，他是亚历克·德伯。
“Look, here’s a pair of old boots,” said one of the brothers, noticing Tess’s boots behind the tree.
“看，这儿有一双旧靴子，”兄弟中有一人说道，他发现了苔丝放在树后的靴子。
“Excellent walking boots, I see,” said Miss Chant. “How wicked to throw them away! Give them to me. I’ll find a poor person who would like them.”
“我觉得，这是很不错的步行靴子。”钱特小姐说道，“这样就扔了，多差劲啊！把它们交给我吧。拿去送给穷人，会有人喜欢的。”
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