牛津书虫系列《苔丝》Chapter13 附中英双语文本

那天傍晚，安吉尔·克莱尔要赶一辆装着一桶桶牛奶的马车去车站。他说服苔丝跟他一起去。
At first there was silence as they drove along the quiet road，simply enjoying being close to each other．Soon drops of rain started falling．Tess's cheeks were pink and her long hair was wet．She had no jacket， and crept close to Clare． She held an old piece of cloth over them both to keep the rain off．
最初，他们沿着安静的马路赶着车子，谁也没吱声，只是默默地体会着彼此靠近的感觉。不久，开始有雨点滴落下来。苔丝的脸颊微红着，她的长发润湿了。她没有穿外套，不知不觉地偎近了克莱尔。她抓起一块旧布盖在他们身上挡雨。
‘Well， dear，’ said Angel，‘ what about my question？’
“嗯，亲爱的，”安吉尔说话了，“我的问题考虑得怎样了？”
‘I'll answer you soon．’
“我很快就会答覆你的。”
‘Before we get home？’
“在我们到家之前？”
‘I'll try．’
“我会尽力。”
They passed an old house． Angel explained that it was an interesting place which belonged to the ancient family of the d’Urbervilles．
他们经过了一座旧房子。安吉尔解释说，这是一个让人好奇的地方，它属于一个叫做德伯的古老家族。
‘It's very sad when a noble family dies out，’he said．
“一个高贵的家族消逝时是会让人伤感的。”他说。
‘Yes，’ said Tess．
“是埃”苔丝说。
At last they reached the station and watched the milk being lifted on to the train． Tess was fascinated．
终于，他们到达了车站，看着牛奶被搬上了火车。苔丝看呆了。
‘Londoners will drink it for breakfast， won't they？ People who don't know we drove for miles in the rain so that it might reach them in time．’
“伦敦人会在早餐时喝到它们，是不是？那些人不知道我们冒着雨赶了这么远的路，就为了让他们能及时喝到牛奶。”
‘That's true， but we drove a little for our own reasons too．Now Tess，’ he said anxiously， as they drove away into the night，‘your heart belongs to me．Why can't you give me your hand as well？’
“确实如此，不过，我们赶车还有一点点我们自己的事情。苔丝，现在，”当他们在夜色中驱车离开时，他急切地问道，“你的心是属于我的，为什么不能答应嫁给我呢？”
‘My only reason is you… I have something to tell you—I must fell you about my past life！’
“我唯一的理由是因为你……我有一些事情要对你说——我必须告诉你我过去的生活！”
‘Tell me if you want to， dearest．I expect you have had as many experiences as that flower over there！’
“亲爱的，要是你愿意，你就对我说吧。我想你就如那儿的鲜花一样有着丰富的经历！”
‘I grew up in Marlott． And at school they said I would make a good teacher． But there was trouble in my family．Father didn't work very hard and he drank a little．’
“我在马勒特村长大。在学校读书的时候，他们说我会成为一个好老师的，但是我们家有点困难。父亲工作不很勤快，还喝酒。”
‘Poor child！That's nothing new．’ He held her more closely to his side．
“可怜的孩子！这不是什么新鲜事。”他把她更紧地搂在了身边。
‘And there is something unusual about me． I…I am not a Durbeyfield， but a d’Urberville． I'm a descendant of the same family who owned that house we passed．’
“然后，关于我自己有件不寻常的事。我……我不姓德北，而姓德伯。我是那个拥有我们路过的那座房子的家族的后代。”
‘A d’Urberville！ And is that the whole story， Tess？’
“德伯家的人！这就是你的所有经历吗？苔丝？”
‘Yes，’she answered faintly．
“是的。”她虚弱地回答说。
‘Well， why should I love you less because of that？’
“可是因为这个，我为什么就得少爱你一些呢？”
‘The dairyman told me you hated old families．’
“奶场主对我说过你嫌恶旧家族。”
He laughed．‘Well， I hate the idea that noble blood should be more important than anything else． But I am really very interested in your news． What do you think of it？’
他大笑了起来。“嗯，我憎恶这种观念，认为高贵的血统比任何其他事情都重要。但是我对你的新闻真地感兴趣。你自己是怎么想的？”
‘I think it's sad， especially here， to see the fields which once belonged to my ancestors．’
“我觉得这让人伤心，特别是在这儿，看到这些曾经属于我的祖先的土地。”
‘So that's the awful secret！’
“所以，这就是那个可怕的秘密喽！”
She had not told him．At the last moment she had not been brave enough．
她还是没有告诉他。在这最后时刻，她失去了足够的勇气。
Angel was delighted．‘You see，Tess，society likes a noble name，and will accept you better as my wife，because you are a d’Urberville． Even my mother will like you better． You must use the name of d’Urberville from this very day．’