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It was on Sunday week in the evening, when he was lying in the orchard listening to a blackbird and composing a love poem, that he heard the gate swing to, and saw the girl come running among the trees, with the red—cheeked, stolid Joe in swift pursuit. About twenty yards away the chase ended, and the two stood fronting each other, not noticing the stranger in the grass—the boy pressing on, the girl fending him off. Ashurst could see her face, angry, disturbed; and the youth 's—who would have thought that red—faced yokel could look so distraught! And painfully affected by that sight, he jumped up. They saw him then. Megan dropped her hands, and shrank behind a tree trunk; the boy gave an angry grunt, rushed at the bank, scrambled over and vanished. Ashurst went slowly up to her. She was standing quite still, biting her lip—very pretty, with her fine, dark hair blown loose about her face, and her eyes cast down.
这是个星期日的夜晚，阿什赫斯特躺在果园里，一边聆听着画眉的欢唱，一边构思着一首爱情诗。这时，他听到大门打开了，接着看见那个姑娘往果林中跑着，后面紧跟着冷漠的红脸乔。追逐在离他大约二十码的地方停止了。两人面对面站着，丝毫没有觉察到草丛中的陌生人——小伙子向前逼近，姑娘避开他。阿什赫斯特看到她满脸怒气，心烦意乱。而这个小伙子——谁能想到这个红脸的乡下人看起来竟如此痴狂！这一幕深深地刺痛了他，他跳了起来。于是，他们看到了他。梅甘垂下双手，躲到一棵树后。小伙子愤怒地 “哼” 了一声，跑向土堆，爬了过去，消失了。阿什赫斯特慢慢地靠近了她。她一动不动地站在那里，咬着嘴唇。乌黑漂亮的秀发被风吹散在脸上，她双目低垂，显得甚是俏美。
"I beg your pardon, " he said.
“请原谅！” 他说道。
She gave him one upward look, from eyes much dilated; then, catching her breath, turned away. Ashurst followed.
她抬头看了他一眼，眼睛睁得大大的。她喘了口气，转身离开。阿什赫斯特追上去。
"Megan! "
“梅甘！”
But she went on; and taking hold of her arm, he turned her gently round to him.
但她继续向前走着。他一把抓住她的胳膊，轻轻地将她转到自己面前。
"Stop and speak to me. "
“停下，和我说话。”
"Why do you beg my pardon? It is not to me you should do that. "
“为什么要让我原谅？你不该求我原谅。”
"Well, then, to Joe. "
“好吧，那就对乔说。”
"How dare he come after me? "
“他怎么敢追着我？”
"In love with you, I suppose. "
“喜欢你吧，我想。”
She stamped her foot.
她跺了一下脚。
Ashurst uttered a short laugh. "Would you like me to punch his head? "
阿什赫斯特发出短促的一笑。 “你想要我打烂他的脑袋吗？”
She cried with sudden passion:
突然，她激动地喊了起来：
"You laugh at me—you laugh at us!”
“你笑话我，你笑话我们！”
He caught hold of her hands, but she shrank back, till her passionate little face and loose dark hair were caught among the pink clusters of the apple blossom. Ashurst raised one of her imprisoned hands and put his lips to it. He felt how chivalrous he was, and superior to that clod Joe—just brushing that small, rough hand with his mouth. Her shrinking ceased suddenly; she seemed to tremble towards him. A sweet warmth overtook Ashurst from top to toe. This slim maiden, so simple and fine and pretty, was pleased, then, at the touch of his lips! And, yielding to a swift impulse, he put his arms round her, pressed her to him, and kissed her forehead. Then he was frightened—she went so pale, closing her eyes, so that the long, dark lashes lay on her pale cheeks; her hands, too, lay inert at her sides. The touch of her breast sent a shiver through him. "Megan! " he sighed out, and let her go. In the utter silence a blackbird shouted. Then the girl seized his hand, put it to her cheek, her heart, her lips, kissed it passionately, and fled away among the mossy trunks of the apple trees, till they hid her from him.
他抓住她的手，但她向后缩了回去。她那激动的小脸和松散的黑发与粉嫩的苹果花交杂在一起。阿什赫斯特抬起她被攥紧的一只手，在上面吻了一下。他感觉自己很有骑士风度，比那个乡巴佬乔强多了——他的嘴唇只是轻轻地拂过这只粗糙的小手。她突然不再躲闪，似乎是颤抖着向他靠近。一股甜蜜的暖流从头到脚占据了阿什赫斯特的全身。这个苗条的姑娘是那样纯真美丽。他的吻让她很愉悦！他屈从了瞬间的冲动，抱住了她，把她搂向自己，吻了一下她的前额。然后，他害怕起来——她的脸色变得苍白，眼睛紧闭，长长的黑色睫毛落在她苍白的双颊上，两手软绵绵地垂在身体两侧。触到她胸部的那一刻，他感到浑身一阵颤抖。 “梅甘！” 他叹道，然后放开她。在这完全的寂静里，一只画眉鸣叫着。这姑娘抓起他的手，放在自己脸上、心口、唇上。她热烈地吻着他的手，然后跑到长着青苔的苹果林间，直到她的身影消失在苹果林中不见了。
Ashurst sat down on a twisted old tree growing almost along the ground, and, all throbbing and bewildered, gazed vacantly at the blossom which had crowned her hair—those pink buds with one white open apple star. What had he done? How had he let himself be thus stampeded by beauty—pity—or—just the spring! He felt curiously happy, all the same; happy and triumphant, with shivers running through his limbs, and a vague alarm. This was the beginning of—what? The midges bit him, the dancing gnats tried to fly into his mouth, and all the spring around him seemed to grow more lovely and alive; the songs of the cuckoos and the blackbirds, the laughter of the yaflies, the level—slanting sunlight, the apple blossom which had crowned her head! He got up from the old trunk and strode out of the orchard, wanting space, an open sky, to get on terms with these new sensations. He made for the moor, and from an ash tree in the hedge a magpie flew out to herald him.
阿什赫斯特坐在一棵几乎贴着地面生长的盘曲虬结的老树上，心怦怦直跳，茫然不知所措，呆呆地盯着曾落在她头上的苹果花——粉嫩的花蕾中有一朵盛开着的、如星星一般的白色苹果花。他做了什么？他竟然让自己被美色引诱而丧失自持！真是可怜啊！或许，都是这春天惹的祸！可是，他依然感到一种奇怪的快乐。他感到既快乐又得意，四肢一阵阵颤抖，还有种隐隐约约的惊慌。这是开始——是什么的开始呢？蠓虫叮他，乱舞的蚊子直朝他嘴里飞，周围的春色显得愈加诱人和生机蓬勃了。布谷鸟和画眉的欢唱，啄木鸟的笑声，平射的阳光，还有刚刚落在她头上的苹果花！他从老树干上站起来，阔步走出果园，渴望着空间和一片广阔的天空，以与他新的情感相称。他向原野走去。有一只喜鹊从树篱的一棵梣树上飞出，为他指路。
Of man—at any age from five years on—who can say he has never been in love? Ashurst had loved his partners at his dancing class; loved his nursery governess; girls in school—holidays; perhaps never been quite out of love, cherishing always some more or less remote admiration. But this was different, not remote at all. Quite a new sensation; terribly delightful, bringing a sense of completed manhood. To be holding in his fingers such a wild flower, to be able to put it to his lips, and feel it tremble with delight against them! What intoxication, and—embarrassment! What to do with it—how meet her next time? His first caress had been cool, pitiful; but the next could not be, now that, by her burning little kiss on his hand, by her pressure of it to her heart, he knew that she loved him. Some natures are coarsened by love bestowed on them; others, like Ashurst's, are swayed and drawn, warmed and softened, almost exalted, by what they feel to be a sort of miracle.
男人——从五岁起——谁敢说他从没恋爱过呢？阿什赫斯特曾爱过舞蹈班里的搭档，爱过幼儿园的女教师，还爱过假期里认识的女孩们。也许他从来都不在恋爱之外，但总是怀着某种有些遥远的仰慕。但这次不同，它一点也不遥远。这是一种全新的情感，让人极度地开心，给人带来一种完全成为男人的感觉。能够将这样一朵野花夹在指间，而且能亲吻它，还能感受它在唇间那喜悦的颤抖！多么令人陶醉——又多么让人尴尬啊！该怎么办？下次该如何面对她？他第一次的爱抚是沉着的、充满怜悯的，但下一次就不是这样了。她热烈地吻着他的手，把它按到心口时，他知道她爱自己。有些人会被给予他们的爱宠坏，性情变得粗鄙。而像阿什赫斯特这样的另一些人，会为他们感到是某种奇迹的经历所影响和吸引，变得热情、温柔，甚至高尚。
And up there among the tors he was racked between the passionate desire to revel in this new sensation of spring fulfilled within him, and a vague but very real uneasiness. At one moment he gave himself up completely to his pride at having captured this pretty, trustful, dewy—eyed thing! At the next he thought with factitious solemnity: "Yes, my boy! But look out what you're doing! You know what comes of it!”
他向上走，来到一片突岩中，在矛盾中痛苦挣扎：一方面，他有一种热切的渴望，要纵情于满腔的新春意；另一方面，他又有一丝隐约却真实的不安。一会儿，他完全沉浸在自豪之中——他捕获了这个美丽的、可靠的、有着露珠般眼眸的姑娘的芳心！一会儿，他又带着矫情的严肃想： “不错，好样的！但是，你得当心自己的所作所为！你知道它的后果！”
Dusk dropped down without his noticing—dusk on the carved, Assyrian—looking masses of the rocks. And the voice of Nature said: "This is a new world for you! " As when a man gets up at four o'clock and goes out into a summer morning, and beasts, birds, trees stare at him and he feels as if all had been made new.
他没有注意到夜幕已经降临了——暮色笼罩着雕刻过的、亚述风情的岩石堆上。大自然的声音说道： “这是属于你的全新世界！” 这时的光景，正像一个人在凌晨四点起了床，走进了夏日的清晨。鸟兽草木都凝视着他，让他感觉似乎一切都焕然一新。
He stayed up there for hours, till it grew cold, then groped his way down the stones and heather roots to the road, back into the lane, and came again past the wild meadow to the orchard. There he struck a match and looked at his watch. Nearly twelve! It was black and unstirring in there now, very different from the lingering, bird—befriended brightness of six hours ago! And suddenly he saw this idyll of his with the eyes of the outer world—had mental vision of Mrs. Narracombe's snake—like neck turned, her quick dark glance taking it all in, her shrewd face hardening; saw the gipsy—like cousins coarsely mocking and distrustful; Joe stolid and furious; only the lame man, Jim, with the suffering eyes, seemed tolerable to his mind. And the village pub! —the gossiping matrons he passed on his walks; and then—his own friends—Robert Carton's smile when he went off that morning ten days ago; so ironical and knowing! Disgusting! For a minute he literally hated this earthy, cynical world to which one belonged, willy—nilly. The gate where he was leaning grew grey, a sort of shimmer passed before him and spread into the bluish darkness. The moon! He could just see it over the bank behind; red, nearly round—a strange moon! And turning away, he went up the lane which smelled of the night and cow dung and young leaves. In the straw—yard he could see the dark shapes of cattle, broken by the pale sickles of their horns, like so many thin moons, fallen ends—up. He unlatched the farm gate stealthily. All was dark in the house. Muffling his footsteps, he gained the porch, and, blotted against one of the yew trees, looked up at Megan's window. It was open. Was she sleeping, or lying awake perhaps, disturbed—unhappy at his absence? An owl hooted while he stood there peering up, and the sound seemed to fill the whole night, so quiet was all else, save for the never—ending murmur of the stream running below the orchard. The cuckoos by day, and now the owls—how wonderfully they voiced this troubled ecstasy within him! And suddenly he saw her at her window, looking out. He moved a little from the yew tree, and whispered: "Megan! " She drew back, vanished, reappeared, leaning far down. He stole forward on the grass patch, hit his shin against the green—painted chair, and held his breath at the sound. The pale blur of her stretched—down arm and face did not stir; he moved the chair, and noiselessly mounted it. By stretching up his arm he could just reach. Her hand held the huge key of the front door, and he clasped that burning hand with the cold key in it. He could just see her face, the glint of teeth between her lips, her tumbled hair. She was still dressed—poor child, sitting up for him, no doubt! "Pretty Megan! " Her hot, roughened fingers clung to his; her face had a strange, lost look. To have been able to reach it—even with his hand! The owl hooted, a scent of sweetbriar crept into his nostrils. Then one of the farm dogs barked; her grasp relaxed, she shrank back.
他在那里呆了几个钟头，直到觉得天凉了，才摸索着穿过乱石和石南根，找到路。他回到小路上，再次穿过野草地，来到了果园。在那里，他划了一根火柴，看看表。快十二点了！此刻，果园里一片漆黑，万籁俱静，与六小时前让人流连、惹鸟儿爱怜的明亮场景截然不同！这时，他突然用外在世界的眼睛看见了自己的田园生活——在想象中，他看到纳拉科姆太太转过她那蛇一般的脖子，阴沉的快速一瞥好像把一切都看清楚了，精明的面孔变得冷酷起来；他看到那些吉普赛人模样的表兄弟们粗俗地打趣着，充满了猜疑；他还看到乔迟钝、气急败坏的样子；只有双目中流露着痛苦的瘸子吉姆让他觉得尚能忍受。还有村里的酒馆！他散步时遇到的那些唧唧喳喳的妇人们。然后，他还看到了他的朋友——罗伯特? 加顿十天前离开时露出的笑容，多么讥讽，多么心照不宣啊！可恶！一时间，他真是恨透了这个粗俗、冷嘲热讽的世界。不管是否愿意，谁都要身处其中。他倚着的大门渐渐变成灰白色，一道微光从他面前掠过，散布在浅蓝色的黑暗中。月亮！他正好能看到它悬挂在身后的河岸上。月亮红红的，几乎是个正圆——多么奇怪的月亮啊！他转身回到小路上，空气中混杂着夜的气息和牛粪、嫩叶的气味。在秸秆场上，他可以看到牛的黑色影子。它们的影子被苍白的如镰刀般的牛角割断，好像许多竖着落下的残月。他悄悄打开农舍的大门。屋内一片漆黑。他放轻脚步，小心翼翼地走进门廊，躲到一棵紫杉后面，抬头望着梅甘房间的窗户。是开着的！她是睡了吗？还是醒着躺在床上，心烦意乱——因他的不在而闷闷不乐？他站在那儿向上窥望。除了果园下永不停歇的潺潺溪流声，一切都是那么安静。这时，一只猫头鹰叫了起来，整夜都回荡着这叫声。白天布谷鸟唱，夜晚猫头鹰叫——它们多么传神地表达了他内心纠结的意乱神迷啊！突然，他看到她倚在窗边，向外望去。他从紫杉后向外挪了挪，小声喊道： “梅甘！” 她向后退，消失了，又再次出现，身子向外探得很低。他悄悄地在草地上往前移，小腿不小心碰到了那把绿椅子。他屏住了呼吸。她的脸庞和向下伸出的手臂显出苍白模糊的影子，一动不动。他挪开椅子，爬到椅子上，没有发出声响。他竭力向上伸着手臂。她手里拿着那把正门的大钥匙。他攥住她那握着冰凉钥匙的火热的手。他刚好能看清她的脸、唇间闪亮的牙齿和散乱的头发。她还穿着衣服——可怜的姑娘，她一定是在熬夜等他！ “美丽的梅甘！” 她炙热粗糙的手指抓着他的手，脸上流露出一种茫然的奇怪神情。要是能碰到她的脸多好——即便用手碰到也行啊！猫头鹰还在叫着，一缕野蔷薇的香气钻进他的鼻孔里。接着，农场上的一条狗叫起来。她松开紧握着的手，退了回去。
"Good—night, Megan!”
“晚安，梅甘！”
"Good—night, sir!” She was gone! With a sigh he dropped back to earth, and sitting on that chair, took off his boots. Nothing for it but to creep in and go to bed; yet for a long while he sat unmoving, his feet chilly in the dew, drunk on the memory of her lost, half—smiling face, and the clinging grip of her burning fingers, pressing the cold key into his hand.
“晚安，先生！” 她走了！他叹了一口气，跳回到地上，坐到那把椅子上，脱掉了靴子。没别的办法，只能悄悄回到房间睡觉了。但是，很长一段时间，他只是一动不动地坐在那里，脚在露水里冻得冰凉。他沉醉在回忆里——她那张迷茫、似笑非笑的脸庞，她炙热的手指依依不舍地紧紧攥住他的手，她把冰凉的钥匙塞到他的手里。
He awoke feeling as if he had eaten heavily overnight, instead of having eaten nothing. And far off, unreal, seemed yesterday's romance! Yet it was a golden morning. Full spring had burst at last—in one night the "goldie—cups, " as the little boys called them, seemed to have made the field their own, and from his window he could see apple blossoms covering the orchard as with a rose and white quilt. He went down almost dreading to see Megan; and yet, when not she but Mrs. Narracombe brought in his breakfast, he felt vexed and disappointed. The woman's quick eye and snaky neck seemed to have a new alacrity this morning. Had she noticed?
早上醒来，他感觉自己昨晚像是吃得太多，而不是什么都没吃。昨夜的浪漫想来是多么遥远，多么虚幻！不过，这是一个美好的早晨。春天终于完全绽放——一夜之间，男孩子们所谓的 “金杯花” 似乎已经开满了整个田野。透过窗户，他看到盛开的苹果花像红白相间的被毯一样铺满了整个果园。他下楼时几乎害怕碰到梅甘。但是，当送早餐的是纳拉科姆太太而不是梅甘时，他又感到沮丧和失望。今天早晨，这个妇女狡黠的目光和蛇一样的脖子似乎更加敏捷了。她察觉到什么了吗？
"So you an' t he moon went walkin 'last night, Mr. Ashurst! Did ye have your supper anywheres?”
“原来昨晚您是和月亮一起散步了，阿什赫斯特先生。那您在别处吃晚饭了吗？”
Ashurst shook his head.
阿什赫斯特摇摇头。
"We kept it for you, but I suppose you was too busy in your brain to think o 'such a thing as that?”
“我们给您留晚饭了，可我想您一定在忙着思考，根本想不到吃饭这件事，对吧？”
Was she mocking him, in that voice of hers, which still kept some Welsh crispness against the invading burr of the West Country? If she knew! And at that moment he thought: "No, no; I'll clear out. I won't put myself in such a beastly false position.”
她还保持着威尔士人说话的清脆嗓音，没有受到英格兰西部地区传来的那种浑浊喉音的干扰。她这样说话，是在嘲笑他吗？莫非她知道了！当时他就想： “不行，不行，我得马上走。我不能让自己陷入这种极其违背自己原则的处境。”
But, after breakfast, the longing to see Megan began and increased with every minute, together with fear lest something should have been said to her which had spoiled everything. Sinister that she had not appeared, not given him even a glimpse of her! And the love poem, whose manufacture had been so important and absorbing yesterday afternoon under the apple trees, now seemed so paltry that he tore it up and rolled it into pipe spills. What had he known of love, till she seized his hand and kissed it! And now—what did he not know? But to write of it seemed mere insipidity! He went up to his bedroom to get a book, and his heart began to beat violently, for she was in there making the bed. He stood in the doorway watching; and suddenly, with turbulent joy, he saw her stoop and kiss his pillow, just at the hollow made by his head last night.
但是，吃过早饭后，他就开始渴望见到梅甘，而且这种渴望每分钟都在增强。同时，他也很担心，生怕有人对她说了什么，把一切都搞砸了。她一直都没露面，甚至都没有让他看上一眼，这可不是一个好兆头！还有那首爱情诗。昨天下午，在苹果树下，这首诗的创作是那么郑重其事、引人入胜。不过，现在看来这首诗简直太不值一提了。他把它撕了，卷成了点烟斗的纸捻。在她抓住并吻了他的手之前，他根本不懂什么是爱情！现在——难道他还有什么不懂的吗？可是，要把它写下来就完全索然无味了！他起身到卧室拿本书。他的心开始剧烈地跳起来，因为她正在里面整理床铺。他站在门口看着。突然，他感到心花怒放，因为他看到她弯下腰亲吻他的枕头，正吻在昨晚他的脑袋压凹的那个地方。
How let her know he had seen that pretty act of devotion? And yet, if she heard him stealing away, it would be even worse. She took the pillow up, holding it as if reluctant to shake out the impress of his cheek, dropped it, and turned round.
怎么能让她知道，他看到了这情意绵绵的美妙行为呢？但是，如果她听到自己悄悄走开，那岂不是更糟？她拿起枕头，抱着它，好像不愿抖掉他脸颊压出的痕迹似的。她放下枕头，转过身来。
"Megan! "
“梅甘！”
She put her hands up to her cheeks, but her eyes seemed to look right into him. He had never before realised the depth and purity and touching faithfulness in those dew—bright eyes, and he stammered:
她用手蒙住脸，但眼睛好像在直直地看着他。之前，他从没有意识到这双露珠般明亮的眼睛是那样地深邃纯真，蕴涵着令人感动的坚贞。他结结巴巴地说道：
"It was sweet of you to wait up for me last night. "
“你真好，昨晚一直等我。”
She still said nothing, and he stammered on:
她依旧不作声。他继续支吾道：
"I was wandering about on the moor; it was such a jolly night. I—I've just come up for a book.”
“我在原野上随处走走，昨晚真是一个惬意的夜晚。我——我只是上来拿本书。”
Then, the kiss he had seen her give the pillow afflicted him with sudden headiness, and he went up to her. Touching her eyes with his lips, he thought with queer excitement: "I've done it! Yesterday all was sudden—anyhow; but now—I've done it!” The girl let her forehead rest against his lips, which moved downwards till they reached hers. That first real lover's kiss—strange, wonderful, still almost innocent—in which heart did it make the most disturbance?
然后，她亲吻枕头的一幕刹那间突然让他感到心痛。他走近她。他轻轻地吻了一下她的眼睛，带着奇怪的兴奋想： “我做到了！不管怎样说，昨晚一切都太突然了。但是，现在——我做到了！” 姑娘任由他亲吻前额。他的双唇慢慢向下移动，直到触到了她的双唇。这是恋人真正的初吻——奇特，美妙，依然那样纯洁无暇——这一吻究竟会在谁的心里激荡起最深的涟漪？
"Come to the big apple tree to—night, after they've gone to bed. Megan—promise!”
“今天晚上，等他们都睡了，到那棵苹果树下。梅甘，答应我！”
She whispered back: "I promise. "
她低声答道： “我答应你。”
Then, scared at her white face, scared at everything, he let her go, and went downstairs again. Yes! He had done it now! Accepted her love, declared his own! He went out to the green chair as devoid of a book as ever; and there he sat staring vacantly before him, triumphant and remorseful, while under his nose and behind his back the work of the farm went on. How long he had been sitting in that curious state of vacancy he had no notion when he saw Joe standing a little behind him to the right. The youth had evidently come from hard work in the fields, and stood shifting his feet, breathing loudly, his face coloured like a setting sun, and his arms, below the rolled—up sleeves of his blue shirt, showing the hue and furry sheen of ripe peaches. His red lips were open, his blue eyes with their flaxen lashes stared fixedly at Ashurst, who said ironically:
接着，她惨白的面容让他怕起来，他突然怕起一切来。于是，他松开了她，自己也下了楼。是的！现在他做到了！他接受了她的爱，也表明了自己的爱！他走出来，坐回到那把绿椅子上，手里像往常一样没有拿书。他就坐在那儿，空洞地注视着眼前的一切，既兴奋又懊悔。而在他的鼻子底下和背后，农场的工作依然在进行。他不知道自己在这种奇怪的空白状态下坐了多久。他看到乔站在自己身后右边不远处。显然，这个年轻人刚从地里干完繁重的农活回来，正站在那儿挪动着脚步，大声喘着气。他的脸晒成了夕阳的颜色，挽起的蓝衬衣袖子下露出胳膊，从色泽和毛发上看很像成熟的桃子。他张着红红的嘴唇，亚麻色的睫毛下面那双蓝眼睛正死死地盯着阿什赫斯特。阿什赫斯特嘲讽道：
"Well, Joe, anything I can do for you? "
“喂，乔，有什么要我帮忙的吗？”
"Yeas. "
“有。”
"What, then? "
“什么？”
"Yu can goo away from yere. Us don 'want yu.”
“你可以离开这儿，我们不想要你在这里。”
Ashurst's face, never too humble, assumed its most lordly look.
阿什赫斯特的脸上从来不会有太谦卑的表情，他摆出最高贵的神情。
"Very good of you, but, do you know, I prefer the others should speak for themselves. "
“你说得很好。不过，你知道，我希望其他人自己说出他们的想法。”
The youth moved a pace or two nearer, and the scent of his honest heat afflicted Ashurst's nostrils.
这个年轻人向他靠近了一两步。他身上散发的汗气让阿什赫斯特觉得很刺鼻。
"What d 'yu stay yere for?”
“你为啥还呆在这儿？”
"Because it pleases me. "
“因为我喜欢这儿。”
"Twon't please yu when I've bashed yure head in!”
“我打烂你的头，你就不喜欢这儿了！”
"Indeed! When would you like to begin that? "
“正是如此！你想什么时候动手？”
Joe answered only with the loudness of his breathing, but his eyes looked like those of a young and angry bull. Then a sort of spasm seemed to convulse his face.
乔仅是用粗重的呼吸回答，但眼睛瞪得像一头发怒的小公牛的眼睛一样。接着，他的脸部似乎一阵抽搐。
"Megan don 'want yu.”
“梅甘不要你！”
A rush of jealousy, of contempt, and anger with this thick, loud—breathing rustic got the better of Ashurst's self—possession; he jumped up, and pushed back his chair.
这个大声喘着粗气的乡巴佬迸发出一股夹杂着嫉妒、鄙视和愤怒的情绪，击垮了阿什赫斯特的泰然自若。他跳起来，把椅子推到身后。
"You can go to the devil! "
“你见鬼去吧！”
And as he said those simple words, he saw Megan in the doorway with a tiny brown spaniel puppy in her arms. She came up to him quickly:
就在他说出这几个简单的字的时候，他看到梅甘正站在门口，怀里抱着一只棕色的西班牙小猎犬。她快速朝他走来。
"Its eyes are blue! " she said.
“它的眼睛是蓝色的！” 她说。
Joe turned away; the back of his neck was literally crimson.
乔转身离开。他的脖子后面是十足的深红色了。
Ashurst put his finger to the mouth of the little brown bullfrog of a creature in her arms. How cosy it looked against her!
阿什赫斯特把手指放到她怀里小狗的嘴上逗它，这只棕色的小东西像一只牛蛙。它躺在梅甘的怀里看起来好不惬意！
"It's fond of you already. Ah, Megan, everything is fond of you.”
“它已经喜欢上你了。啊，梅甘，任何东西都会喜欢上你。”
"What was Joe saying to you, please? "
“请问，乔对您说了什么？”
"Telling me to go away, because you didn't want me here.”
“他要我离开，因为你不要我呆在这里。”
She stamped her foot; then looked up at Ashurst. At that adoring look he felt his nerves quiver, just as if he had seen a moth scorching its wings.
她跺了一下脚，然后望着阿什赫斯特。看到她那含情脉脉的神情，就像看到飞蛾燃烧了翅膀一样，他的神经都颤抖起来。
"To—night! " he said. "Don't forget!”
“今晚！” 他说， “别忘了！”
"No. " And smothering her face against the puppy's little fat, brown body, she slipped back into the house.
“不会的。” 她用脸紧紧贴着这只棕色的小胖狗，匆忙回到屋子里。
Ashurst wandered down the lane. At the gate of the wild meadow he came on the lame man and his cows.
阿什赫斯特转悠着到了小路上。他在野草地的入口碰到了瘸子吉姆和他的牛群。
"Beautiful day, Jim! "
“吉姆，天可真好啊！”
"Ah! 'Tes brave weather for the grass. The ashes be later than th' oaks this year. When th 'oak before th' ash—’”
“是啊！这天气对草生长很好。今年，梣树比橡树开花晚。橡树比梣树早开花的时候——”
Ashurst said idly: "Where were you standing when you saw the gipsy bogie, Jim? "
阿什赫斯特漫不经心地说： “吉姆，你看到吉卜赛鬼时站在哪儿了？”
"It might be under that big apple tree, as you might say. "
“可以说就是在那棵大苹果树下。”
"And you really do think it was there? "
“你当真记得是在那儿吗？”
The lame man answered cautiously:
瘸子小心谨慎地回答：
"I shouldn't like to say rightly that't was there. 'Twas in my mind as' t was there.”
“我不敢说它一定在那儿。我觉得它就在那儿。”
"What do you make of it? "
“你怎么解释这事？”
The lame man lowered his voice.
瘸子压低了声音，说道：
"They du zay old master, Mist 'Narracombe come o' gipsy stock. But that's tellin’. They 'm a wonderful people, yu know, for claimin' t heir own. Maybe they knu' e was goin’, and sent this feller along for company. That's what I've a—thought about it.”
“他们说老主人纳拉科姆先生是吉卜赛人。不过，这很难说。你知道，他们是一个很好的民族，爱护自己的族人。也许他们知道他要走了，就派这个家伙来陪他。这就是我对——呃，这事的看法。”
"What was he like? "
“他长什么样子？”
" 'e' ad 'air all over' is face, an 'goin' like this, he was, zame as if 'e' ad a viddle. They zay there's no such thing as bogies, but I've a—zeen the 'air on this dog standin' up of a dark naight, when I couldn 'zee nothin’, meself.”
“他脸上长满了毛，走起来就像这样，还好像拿着一把提琴。他们说根本没有鬼这类东西。不过那天夜里，我看到这只狗的毛都竖起来了。夜里很黑，我自己什么也没看见。”