Durbeyfield walked on a few steps in a dream,then sat down with his basket.In a few minutes a boy appeared.Durbeyfield called to him.
德北走了幾步,做夢一般。隨后,他就挎著籃子坐了下來。過了幾分鐘,來了一個男孩,德北朝他喊道:
Boy!Take this basket!I want you to go and do something for me.’
“小家伙,拎著我的籃子!我想要你替我辦點事兒。”
The boy frowned.‘Who are you,John Durbeyfield,to order me about and call me“boy”?You know my name as well as I know yours!’
男孩皺起眉頭:“你是誰喲,約翰·德北,對我這么吆三喝四的,還叫我‘小家伙’?咱們倆誰還不知道誰叫什么呀!”
‘Do you,do you?That's the secret!Well,Fred,I don't mind telling you that the secret is that I'm one of a noble family.’And Durbeyfield lay back comfortably on the grass.‘Sir John d’Urberville,that's who I am.And I've got the family seal to prove it!’
“你知道?你知道我的名字?這可是秘密。嗯,弗雷德,我不妨告訴你吧。這個秘密就是我是貴族人家的一員。”德北美滋滋地在草地上躺下來。“約翰·德伯爵士——那便是我,我有家族的印章可以證明!”
‘Oh?’
“哦?”
‘Now take up the basket,and tell them in the village to send a horse and carriage to me immediately.Here's a shilling for you.’
“現在,你拎上籃子,告訴村里的人立即給我派一輛單馬馬車來。這是給你的一先令。”
This made a difference to the boy's view of the situation.
有了這錢,小伙子對這事兒的想法就不同了。
‘Yes,Sir John.Thank you,Sir John.’
“遵命,約翰爵士。謝謝您啦,約翰爵士。”
As they spoke,sounds of music came through the evening air from the village.
他們正說著話,一陣音樂聲穿過夜空從村頭傳來。
‘What's that?’said Durbeyfield.‘Have they heard my news already?’
“怎么回事?”德北說,“他們已經得知我的新聞了嗎?”
‘It's the women dancing,Sir John.’
“那是婦女舞會,約翰爵士。”
The boy went on his way and Durbeyfield lay waiting in the evening sun.Nobody passed by for a long time,and he could just hear the faint music in the distance.
男孩上路走了,德北躺在夕陽下等著。好長一段時間,沒有人路過那兒,他只聽到那悠遠的音樂。