苔絲 Chapter16
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.
但是這個新信息讓她重新考慮起到愛敏斯特拜訪安吉爾的家人。她想知道為什么他沒有給她寫信。她可以見見他的父母，在她孤苦伶仃的時候，他們一定會善待她的。于是她決定在一個她唯一空閑的日子，禮拜天，從弗林特石灰谷的農(nóng)場出發(fā)，步行去那兒。單程的路就有15英里。在瑪麗安和伊茨的慫恿下，她穿上了最好的衣服。她們在那天清晨4點鐘把她送上了路。姑娘們都真摯地愛著她，由衷地希望她幸?！，F(xiàn)在距她結婚的日子已有一年了，在那個睛朗寒冷的早晨，她那不曾說出口的愿望就是贏得她丈夫的家人，然后說服他回到她的身邊。
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.
雖然她出來時歡欣鼓舞，但是隨著漸漸走近愛敏斯特，她卻開始心慌了。教堂顯得令人生畏。也許那位相當嚴格的牧師會不贊許她在禮拜日長途跋涉?？墒?，她只有往前走了。她脫下笨重的靴子，把它們藏到一棵樹后面，然后，換上那雙精致漂亮的靴子。她想在出鎮(zhèn)的路上再把靴子撿回來。
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.
她深深地吸了口氣，按響了牧師家的門鈴。沒有人答應。她又按了一次。還是沒有動靜。她幾乎是松了口氣，轉身離開了。然后她想起來他們一定都在教堂呢。于是她就在街上一個安靜的地方等著，直到人們川流不息地從教堂出來了。她馬上認出了安吉爾的哥哥們，甚至還遠遠地聽到了他們的談話。
‘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?’
“可憐的安吉爾!”其中一個說道，“默茜·錢特，那個好姑娘在那兒。到底為什么他不娶她，而是跟一個擠奶工倉促地結了婚?”
‘It's certainly very strange.But his ideas have always been most odd.’
“這真是很奇怪。不過，他的想法一直是最古怪的。”
They joined Mercy Chant as she came out of church，and walked together along the road Tess had walked into Emminster.
當默茜·錢特從教堂出來時，他們便上前陪同她一起沿著那條苔絲走進愛敏斯特的路走著。
‘Look，here's a pair of old boots，’said one of the brothers，noticing Tess's boots behind the tree.
“看，這兒有一雙舊靴子，”兄弟中有一人說道，他發(fā)現(xiàn)了苔絲放在樹后的靴子。
‘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.’
“我覺得，這是很不錯的步行靴子。”錢特小姐說道，“這樣就扔了，多差勁啊!把它們交給我吧。拿去送給窮人，會有人喜歡的。”
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.
苔絲匆匆地超過了他們，淚水從她臉上潸潸滾下。她繼續(xù)盡可能快地走著，離開了愛敏斯特。她是多么不走運啊，碰見的偏偏會是兩個兒子，而不是父親。安吉爾的父母會立即打心底里接受孤苦可憐的苔絲，就像他們對每一個迷失的人做的那樣，而不會去考慮他的出身、學識或財富。
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，她變得越來越疲憊沮喪，那兒只有繁重的活兒等著她干?？墒窃诎肼飞?，她注意到有一群人正在聽一個傳道士說著什么。她停下腳步，也去聽了一會兒。這個傳道士正熱情高漲地講述他多年來曾是如何地品行不端，而一個牧師又是怎樣地給他指出來：這讓他漸漸地從邪惡中轉變過來。但是他的聲音比他的講道更讓苔絲震驚。她從人群后繞過去看他的臉，午后的陽光充沛地照在他身上，她認出來了，他是亞歷克·德伯。
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