Meavwhile Angel Clare returned to his hotel,and sat for a while over breakfast,staring into space.A note arrived from his mother,saying that his brother Cuthbert was going to marry Mercy Chant.Clare threw away the paper.At last he got up,paid the bill and went to the railway station But he could not sit patiently and wait for the next train,in an hour's time.He had nothing to wish for in life,and nobody to love He was in no hurry,but just wanted to get out of that town as soon as possible.
同時,安吉爾·克萊爾回到了他的旅館,整頓早餐他就坐在那兒,死死地盯著前方。他的母親來了封短信,說他的哥哥卡斯伯特就要同默茜·錢特結婚了??巳R爾把信扔掉了。最后他站了起來,付清了賬,走到了火車站??墒撬麩o法耐心地坐在那里等下一趟火車,那得花一個小時。他對生活已不抱任何希望,也沒有人可以愛了。他有充裕的時間,但只想盡快地離開這個城鎮(zhèn)。
So he started walking along the road out of town.The road was open,and dropped down to cross a valley.When he was climbing the far side of the valley,he stopped for breath,and something made him turn round.There was a small black figure in the distance-a human figure,running Clare waited.It looked like a woman,but he never imagined that it could be his wife until she came close and he saw it was less.
于是他開始沿著出城的馬路走著。這條路很開闊,順著下來,橫穿過一座山谷。當他在山谷遠處的那頭爬行時,他停下來喘口氣,有什么東西促使他轉過身去。遠處有個小小的黑影——是一個人的身影,正在跑著??巳R爾等待著。像是一個女人,可是克萊爾一點都沒想到這可能是他的妻子。直到她走近了,他才認出來,那是苔絲。
‘I saw you—turn on to the road-from the station—and I've been following you all this way!’She was pale,breathless and trembling.He did not question her but took her arm and helped her along.They took a footpath under some trees,to avoid being seen.
“我看到你——轉身上了馬路——從火車站——我一直跟了你這么遠!”她臉色蒼白,上氣不接下氣,還有些發(fā)抖。他沒有問什么,挽著她的胳膊,扶著她一起走。他們挑了一條樹下的小路走,以免被人看見。
‘Angel,’she said,‘do you know why I've been running after you?To tell you that I've killed him!’There was a pitiful smile on her white face as she spoke.
“安吉爾,”她說,“你知道我為什么一直追趕著你嗎?我要告訴你,我殺死他了!”她說話時,蒼白的臉上漾出一絲令人憐憫的微笑。
‘What!’he cried,thinking her mind was disturbed.
“什么!”他尖叫道,認為她神志不清了。
‘I don't know how I did it,’she said.‘I had to do it,for you and me,Angel.I was afraid long ago,when I hit him in the mouth with that heavy glove,that I might kill him one day.He has come between us and ruined our lives.I never loved him at all,Angel.You believe me,don't you?Oh,why did you go away,when I loved you so much?But I don't blame you,Angel.Only,will you forgive me now?I could not bear losing you any longer,I had to kill him.Say you love me now,say you do!’
“我不知道我是怎么做的,”她說,“我必須這么做,安吉爾,為了你,也為了我。很早以前,當我用那只笨重的手套抽他的嘴巴時,我就怕有一天我也許會殺了他。他插在我們中間,毀了我們的生活。我根本就不愛他,你相信我,是不是?哦,當初,我那么愛你的時候,你為什么離開我啊?不過,我現在并不責怪你,安吉爾。我只是想問你,安吉爾,現在你會寬恕我嗎?我不能忍受再失去你,我不得不殺死他?,F在,說你愛我吧,說你愛我!”
‘Oh,I do love you,Tess,I do.It has all come back!’he said,holding her tightly in his arms.‘But what do you mean,you've killed him?’
“啊,我是愛你的,苔絲,我確實愛你。一切都回來了!”他說著,把她緊緊地摟到懷里。“可是,你的意思是,你殺死他了?”