‘Can't you,now I have told you everything?’
“你難道不能嗎,既然我已經(jīng)把一切都告訴你了?”
‘Oh Tess,you are so childish!You don't understand the law.No,I can't.’
“哦,苔絲,你太幼稚了!你不懂法律。不,我不能離婚。”
There was shame and misery in Tess's face.
苔絲的臉上露出了羞愧、痛苦的神情。
‘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!’
“我原以為你能這么做的,”她輕聲說(shuō),“不要認(rèn)為我是算計(jì)好的!我真地以為你可以用這種方式解脫的。哦,那昨晚我真應(yīng)該那么做,可是我沒(méi)有膽量。我這個(gè)人就是這樣!”
‘The courage to do what?’he asked.
“有膽量去做什么?”他問(wèn)。
‘To put an end to myself.’
“結(jié)束我自己的生命。”
‘Where?’
“在哪兒?”
‘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.’
“在臥室里,在你的桑藤下。用我箱子上解下的繩子。但是最終我沒(méi)做成!我怕人們會(huì)議論,你會(huì)因此蒙受痛苦。”
Clare was shaken by this unexpected confession.
克萊爾被這出乎意料的供認(rèn)驚得發(fā)顫。
‘Now,listen.You must never think of such a wicked thing again.Promise me as your husband never to do anything like that.’
“現(xiàn)在,聽(tīng)著。你必須永遠(yuǎn)不再想那樣邪惡的事情。向我,向你的丈夫保證你永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)做出那種事情。”
‘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!’
“我保證。我明白這是邪惡的。但是,安吉爾,這是讓你獲得自由的辦法。這樣就可以避免一次讓人人都議論的離婚。但是,死在我自己手里對(duì)我太寬容了。你,我的丈夫,應(yīng)該殺了我。如果有這種可能,如果你讓你自己這么做的話(huà),我想我會(huì)更愛(ài)你的。我給你帶來(lái)了這么多的麻煩!”
‘Quiet!Don't talk about it.’
“別說(shuō)了!別再說(shuō)這個(gè)了。”
‘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,無(wú)論你想要我做什么,我都會(huì)照辦的。”又疲憊又傷心地,他們坐下來(lái)吃早飯。他們誰(shuí)也沒(méi)看對(duì)方一眼,草草地吃了一點(diǎn)兒。安吉爾吃完后很快就離開(kāi)了,到附近的面粉廠,開(kāi)始學(xué)習(xí)技術(shù)。苔絲清掃了壁爐里的灰燼,打掃了房子,準(zhǔn)備午飯,等著他回來(lái)。吃午飯時(shí)他們客氣地談了談面粉廠的工作情況以及加工面粉的方法。下午,他又到面粉廠去了,晚上就看他的書(shū)和報(bào)紙。苔絲覺(jué)得自己妨礙他了,就到廚房去了。他到那兒找到了她。
‘Don't work in the kitchen like this,’he said.‘You're not my servant,you're my wife.’
“不要在廚房里這樣干活。”他說(shuō)道,“你不是我的用人,你是我的妻子。”
She looked happier.‘You mean,I can think of myself as that?’She asked,trembling.
她看起來(lái)高興了些。“你的意思是,我可以這樣看待自己?”