They came downstairs yawning next morning; —
第二天早上,他们打着哈欠下楼来了; —

but skimming and milking were proceeded with as usual, and they went indoors to breakfast. —
但擦牛奶和挤奶照常进行,他们则走进屋子用早餐。 —

Dairyman Crick was discovered stamping about the house. —
发现奶农克里克在屋子里发脾气。 —

He had received a letter, in which a customer had complained that the butter had a twang.
他接到一封信,客户抱怨说黄油有一种味道。

`And begad, so ’t have!’ said the dairyman, who held in his left hand a wooden slice on which a lump of butter was stuck. —
“确实,有!”奶农说着,左手拿着一个黄油块的木片。 —

`Yes - taste for yourself!’
“是的——你自己尝尝!”

Several of them gathered round him; and Mr Clare tasted, Tess tasted, also the other indoor milkmaids, one or two of the milking-men, and last of all Mrs Crick, who came out from the waiting breakfast-table. —
几个人围拢过去;克莱尔先生尝了,苔丝也尝了,其他室内挤奶女工也尝了,还有一两个挤奶工,最后是刚从等待早餐桌走出来的克里克夫人。 —

There certainly was a twang.
的确有一种味道。

The dairyman, who had thrown himself into abstraction to better realize the taste, and so divine the particular species of noxious weed to which it appertained, suddenly exclaimed–
奶农为了更好地体会味道,从理智中投入出来,突然大叫——

`‘Tis garlic! and I thought there wasn’t a blade left in that mead!’
“是大蒜味!我以为那块草地上一个草叶都没有留下来!”

Then all the old hands remembered that a certain dry mead, into which a few of the cows had been admitted of late, had, in years gone by, spoilt the butter in the same way. —
然后,所有老手们都记起,最近一些奶牛进了干草地里,多年前也曾因此毁坏牛油。 —

The dairyman had not recognized the taste at that time, and thought the butter bewitched.
那时奶农并没有辨认出味道,还以为黄油被施了魔法。

We must overhaul that mead,' he resumed;this mustn’t continny!’
“我们必须重新检查那块草地,这不能继续下去!”他继续说。

All having armed themselves with old pointed knives they went out together. —
所有人都拿着旧的尖刀出门了。 —

As the inimical plant could only be present in very microscopic dimensions to have escaped ordinary observation, to find it seemed rather a hopeless attempt in the stretch of rich grass before them. —
因为那种有害的植物只有在微观维度下才能逃过普通观察,所以在眼前茂密的草地中寻找它似乎是一项绝望的尝试。 —

However, they formed themselves into line, all assisting, owing to the importance of the search; —
但是他们排成了一排,大家都在帮忙,因为搜索很重要; —

the dairyman at the upper end with Mr Clare, who had volunteered to help; —
在上方的牛奶工人搭配着自愿帮忙的克莱尔先生; —

then Tess, Marian, Izz Huett, and Retty; —
接下来是蒂丝、玛丽安、艾兹·休特和瑞蒂; —

then Bill Lewell, Jonathan, and the married dairywomen - Beck Knibbs, with her woolly black hair and rolling eyes; —
然后是比尔·卢埃尔、乔纳森和已婚的奶工妇女贝克·尼布斯(她拥有羊毛般的黑发和滚动的眼睛); —

and flaxen Frances, consumptive from the winter damps of the water-meads - who lived in their respective cottages.
还有金发的弗朗西丝,因水草地的冬季潮湿而患结核病—他们住在各自的小屋里;

With eyes fixed upon the ground they crept slowly across a strip of the field, returning a little further down in such a manner that, when they should have finished, not a single inch of the pasture but would have fallen under the eye of some one of them. —
目光盯着地面,他们缓慢地穿过田地的一条小片,再往下走一点,以便完成后,整个牧场的每一寸地都会落在其中一人的眼中; —

It was a most tedious business, not more than half a dozen shoots of garlic being discoverable in the whole field; —
这是一项非常乏味的工作,在整个田地里发现的大蒜苗不超过半打; —

yet such was the herb’s pungency that probably one bite of it by one cow had been sufficient to season the whole dairy’s produce for the day.
然而,这种植物的刺激性是如此之强,可能是一头奶牛咬一口就足以让整个奶场的产品调味一天;

Differing one from another in natures and moods so greatly as they did, they yet formed, bending, a curiously uniform row - automatic, noiseless; —
由于它们在性格和情绪上如此不同,他们弯着身子,排成一个奇怪的统一行列—自动的,无声的; —

and an alien observer passing down the neighbouring lane might well have been excused for massing them as `Hodge’. —
一位路过的外来观察者沿着附近的小路走时,很可能会把他们误认为是农民; —

As they crept along, stooping low to discern the plant, a soft yellow gleam was reflected from the buttercups into their shaded faces, giving them an elfish, moonlit aspect, though the sun was pouring upon their backs in all the strength of noon.
当他们弯着身子走动时,黄色的软草反射出奶蒿的光芒,洒在他们阴暗的脸上,给他们一个精灵般的、月光般的外貌,尽管太阳像中午那样照射在他们的背上;

Angel Clare, who communistically stuck to his rule of taking part with the rest in everything, glanced up now and then. —
安吉尔·克莱尔坚持着他的原则,参与所有事情,他的眼睛时不时地瞥向蒂丝; —

It was not, of course, by accident that he walked next to Tess.
走在蒂丝旁边当然不是偶然的;

`Well, how are you?’ he murmured.
“嗨,你好吗?”他轻声说;

`Very well, thank you, sir,’ she replied demurely.
“我很好,谢谢您,先生,”她谦虚地回答。

As they had been discussing a score of personal matters only half-an-hour before, the introductory style seemed a little superfluous. —
正在半小时前他们还在讨论一堆私人事务,这种开场白显得有点多余。 —

But they got no further in speech just then. —
但他们当时没有再说话。 —

They crept and crept, the hem of her petticoat just touching his gaiter, and his elbow sometimes brushing hers. —
他们悄悄地走着,她裙子的边刚好碰到他的护腿,有时他的肘部会擦到她的。 —

At last the dairyman, who came next, could stand it no longer.
最后,跟在后面的牧场主再也忍受不了了。

`Upon my soul and body, this here stooping do fairly make my back open and shut!’ —
“我的灵魂和身体啊,这弯腰看着真让我的背着实打实地疼!” —

he exclaimed, straightening himself slowly with an excruciated look till quite upright. —
他缓缓站直,满脸痛苦地说道。 —

`And you, maidy Tess, you wasn’t well a day or two ago - this will make your head ache finely! Don’t do any more, if you feel fainty; —
“而且你,泰丝小姐,前几天还不大舒服呢 - 这会让你头痛欲裂的!如果觉得头晕,就别做了; —

leave the rest to finish it.’
把剩下的事情交给别人来做吧。”

Dairyman Crick withdrew, and Tess dropped behind. —
牧场主克里克退出了,泰丝跟在他身后。 —

Mr Clare also stepped out of line, and began privateering about for the weed. —
克莱尔先生也走出了队列,开始四处寻找这种杂草。 —

When she found him near her, her very tension at what she had heard the night before made her the first to speak.
当她发现他靠近自己时,由于昨晚听到的消息让她紧张不安,她成了第一个开口的人。

`Don’t they look pretty?’ she said.
“她们看起来漂亮吧?”她说。

`Who?’
“谁?”

`Izzy Huett and Retty.’
“伊泽·休特和雷蒂。”

Tess had moodily decided that either of these maidens would make a good farmer’s wife, and that she ought to recommend them, and obscure her own wretched charms.
泰丝郁闷地决定这两个女孩中的任意一个都会成为一位优秀的农场主妻子,她应该推荐她们,掩盖自己那难看的魅力。

Pretty? Well, yes - they are pretty girls - fresh looking. I have often thought so.' <span><tang1>漂亮吗?嗯,是的 - 他们是漂亮的女孩 - 神采飞扬。我经常这样想。’

Though, poor dears, prettiness won't last long!' <span><tang1>可是,可怜的家伙,漂亮是不会持久的!’

O no, unfortunately.' <span><tang1>哦不,不幸的是。’

They are excellent dairywomen.' <span><tang1>她们是优秀的挤奶女工。’

Yes: though not better than you.' <span><tang1>是的:虽然没有比你更好。’

They skim better than I.' <span><tang1>她们比我更擅长撇浮沫。’

`Do they?’
克莱尔继续观察着她们 - 他们也观察着他。

Clare remained observing them - not without their observing him.
`她脸红了,’ 塞丝豪情壮志地说道。

She is colouring up,' continued Tess heroically. <span><tang1>谁?’

Who?' <span><tang1>蕾蒂·普里德尔。’

Retty Priddle.' <span><tang1>哦!为什么?’

Oh! Why is that?' <span><tang1>因为你在看她。’

Because you are looking at her.' <span><tang1>为了自己牺牲如此的心情,苔丝无法再进一步说下去,大声说:’ 如果你真的想要一个挤奶女工而不是一个淑女,请娶她们中的一个;

Self-sacrificing as her mood might be Tess could not well go further and cry, Marry one of them, if you really do want a dairywoman and not a lady; --- <span><tang1>不要考虑娶我!’ 她跟着奶农克里克走了,看到克莱尔还在原地。 —

and don’t think of marrying me!’ She followed Dairyman Crick, and had the mournful satisfaction of seeing that Clare remained behind.
`她们可能会比我更适合你。’

From this day she forced herself to take pains to avoid him - never allowing herself, as formerly, to remain long in his company, even if their juxtaposition were purely accidental. —
从这一天起,她强迫自己努力避开他 - 哪怕他们的接触完全是偶然的,也从未让自己像以前那样长时间待在他身边。 —

She gave the other three every chance.
她给予其他三个女仆一切机会。

Tess was woman enough to realize from their avowals to herself that Angel Clare had the honour of all the dairymaids in his keeping, and her perception of his care to avoid compromising the happiness of either in the least degree bred a tender respect in Tess for what she deemed, rightly or wrongly, the self-controlling sense of duty shown by him, a quality which she had never expected to find in one of the opposite sex, and in the absence of which more than one of the simple hearts who were his housemates might have gone weeping on her pilgrimage.
泰丝是女性,能够从他们对她的坦白中意识到,安吉尔·克莱尔对所有女仆都很尊重,并且他避免以任何方式损害她们幸福的用心,使得泰丝为他所表现出的她认为正确或错误的对责任感的自我控制而生出一种深深的尊重,这是她从未想过会在异性中找到的品质,没有这种品质,他的几位室友中的多位朴实的女心可能会哭着去完成自己的朝圣之路。