【经典名著阅读】《德伯家的苔丝》第三十章（中）

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        She mounted again beside her lover, with a mute obedience characteristic of impassioned natures at times, and when they had wrapped themselves up over head and ears in the sail-cloth again, they plunged back into the now thick night. Tess was so receptive that the few minutes of contact with the whirl of material progress lingered in her thought.她上了车，坐在情人的旁边，她热烈的天性有时表现得既沉默又温顺；他们又用车上的帆布把自己的头和耳朵包裹起来，转身在已经变得很深沉的夜色中往回走了。苔丝是一个十分敏感的人，所以她刚才和物质文明的漩涡接触了几分钟，这种接触就留在她的思想里了。
        'Londoners will drink it at their breakfasts to-morrow, won't they?' she asked. 'Strange people that we have never seen.'“明天早晨伦敦人在吃早饭的时候就可以喝这些牛奶了，是不是？”她问。“他们都是我们从来没有见过的陌生人，是不是？”
        'Yes - I suppose they will. Though not as we send it. When its strength has been lowered, so that it may not get up into their heads.'“不错——我想他们明天就可以喝这些牛奶了。不过他们喝的和我们送的牛奶有些不同。他们喝的牛奶的含量被降低了，免得他们被喝醉了。”
        'Noble men and noble women, ambassadors and centurions, ladies and tradeswomen, and babies who have never seen a cow.'“他们都是高贵的绅士、贵妇、外国大使、千夫长①、太太小姐、还有孩子，他们都从来没有看见过一头奶牛，是不是？”
        'Well, yes; perhaps; particularly centurions.'“哦，是的；也许是的；尤其是千夫长。”
        'Who don't know anything of us, and where it comes from; or think how we two drove miles across the moor to-night in the rain that it might reach 'em in time?'“他们对我们是什么人也不知道的啦？也不知道牛奶是从哪儿来的啦？他们也想不到我们走了好远的路，今天夜里冒雨穿过荒野把牛奶送到车站，好让他们明天早晨喝上牛奶，是不是？”
        'We did not drive entirely on account of these precious Londoners; we drove a little on our own - on account of that anxious matter which you will, I am sure, set at rest, dear Tess. Now,-permit me to put it in this way. You belong to me already, you know; your heart, I mean. Does it not?'“我们并不是完全为了这些宝贵的伦敦人送牛奶的；我们送牛奶也有点儿为我们自己——为了那个让人焦虑的问题，我想，亲爱的苔丝，这个问题你会让我放心的。好啦，请允许我这样说，你知道，你已经属于我了；我是说你的心。是不是这样的？”
        'You know as well as I. O yes - yes!'“你知道得像我一样清楚的。啊，是的——是的！”
        'Then, if your heart does, why not your hand?'“既然你的心答应了，为什么你不答应嫁给我呢？”
        ①千夫长（centurions），古代罗马下级军官的官衔，苔丝的时代没有这种人，表明苔丝对农村以外的知识所知不多。下文克莱尔也提千夫长，是对苔丝的一种调笑。

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        'My only reason was on account of you - on account of a question. I have something to tell you--'“我唯一的理由也是为了你啊——只是为了一个问题，我还有些话同你说——”
        'But suppose it to be entirely for my happiness, and my worldly convenience also?'“我能够认为完全是为了我的幸福，也为了我事业的方便吗？”
        'O yes; if it is for your happiness and worldly convenience. But my life before I came here - I want------'“啊，是的；是为了你的幸福和事业上的方便。但是在我来这儿以前——我想——”
        'Well, it is for my convenience as well as my happiness. If I have a very large farm, either English or colonial, you will be invaluable as a wife to me; better than a woman out of the largest mansion in the country. So please - please, dear Tessy, disabuse your mind of the feeling that you will stand in my way.'“好啦，我本来就是为了自己的幸福和事业的方便才向你求婚的。假如我在英国或者在殖民地拥有一个大农场，你做我的妻子就有无限的价值了；也比娶一个出身在全国都是最高贵门户的女子好得多。所以请你——请你，亲爱的苔丝，你一定要消除心里的那种想法，以为嫁给我会妨碍了我。”
        'But my history. I want you to know it - you must let me tell you - you will not like me so well!'“但是我的过去。我要让你知道我的过去——你一定要让我告诉你——你要是知道了，就不会像现在这样喜欢我了。”
        'Tell it if you wish to, dearest. This precious history then. Yes, I was born at so and so, Anno Domini--'“如果你想说，那你就说吧，最亲爱的。那一定是珍贵的历史。是呀，你要说我于某年某月某日出生，等等——”
        'I was born at Marlott,'she said, catching at his words as a help, lightly as they were spoken. 'And I grew up there. And I was in the Sixth Standard when I left school, and they said I had great aptness, and should make a good teacher, so it was settled that I should be one. But there was trouble in my family; father was not very industrious, and he drank a little.'“我生于马洛特村，”她说，借用了他说的几个字，尽管那几个字也是随随便便说出来的。“我在那儿长大。我离开学校的时候，受了六年的标准教育，他们都说我很能干，应该当一个好教员。但是我家里出现了一些麻烦事；我的父亲不太勤劳，又喜欢喝点儿酒。”
        'Yes, yes. Poor child! Nothing new.' He pressed her more closely to his side.“好啦，好啦。可怜的孩子！这有什么新奇啊。”他把她更紧地搂在自己的怀里。