04-02-02-织工马南 [17]
令，可你最后总能得到你想要的。我盼着看到你结婚，看着你让你的丈夫按你的意思去做，多开心呀！”
“别说这些，”南茜的脸红了，“你知道我永远不会结婚。”
普丽西拉笑了，“我才是那个要单身的女人，如果你不喜欢戈弗雷·凯斯，还有很多别的小伙子。走吧，咱们下楼去！”
虽然普丽西拉确实像她说的那样，不太好看，可她在邻居中人缘很好，因为她开朗而且懂事。而南茜不仅是瑞福洛一带最漂亮的女孩，而且也是最聪明的女孩。
餐桌边拉默特姐妹的座位已经留好了，普丽西拉的座位在爸爸和乡绅之间。南茜觉得自己又脸红了，她被戈弗雷领到了他自己与教区牧师克拉肯索普先生之间的座位上。她知道如果嫁给戈弗雷，自己就会成为瑞福洛最显贵的女人，乡绅的妻子。可她反复对自己强调不能嫁给一个品行不端的人。
她坐下时，一贯对女士彬彬有礼的牧师微笑着说：“啊，南茜小姐，您今晚真漂亮，是不是，戈弗雷？”
戈弗雷没有回答，也尽量不去看南茜。他有太多的话想对她说。可这时对晚会心满意足的乡绅对自己的儿子有些不耐烦了。他认为既然儿子太害羞张不开嘴，那么自己最好亲自说了。
“是的，”乡绅大声说，“我觉得南茜比我见过的任何姑娘都要漂亮。”
桌上所有的人都在一边用餐一边饶有兴趣地听着乡绅的话。“大概戈弗雷还是会娶南茜！”牧师的太太小声对奥斯古德太太说。拉默特先生在桌子对面笔直地坐着，看着女儿。这是一位严肃谨慎的绅士，他认为拉默特家比凯斯家还要好。他早就决定在戈弗雷痛改前非之前不会把南茜嫁给戈弗雷。
这时金布尔先生隔着桌子对南茜发出了邀请：“南茜小姐，可不可以和我跳支舞？”
“行了，金布尔，”乡绅插了进来，“让年轻人玩他们的吧！你把南茜小姐带走，我儿子戈弗雷会生气的。我想他已经邀请南茜小姐和他跳第一支舞了，是不是戈弗雷？”
戈弗雷感到很不自在，他转向南茜，尽量小声地说：“我还没有，可我希望她同意，如果还没人请她的话……”
“不，我还没接受任何人的邀请。”南茜轻声回答，脸又一红。
“那你能否和我跳第一支舞？”戈弗雷的感觉好了一点儿。她没有拒绝自己！
“可以。”南茜冷淡地回答。虽然仍然肯定自己不会嫁给他，可南茜想尽量保持礼貌。
“好呀，你是个幸运的小子，戈弗雷。”金布尔先生笑着说，“我想已经开始奏乐了！”
客人们一对对或三五成群地起身走到大厅里，舞会要开始了。在乡村小乐队的伴奏下，乡绅把牧师的太太领到大厅的尽头带头跳起来，接下来是戈弗雷和南茜，然后是其他客人们。
跳着舞，戈弗雷感到越来越幸福。搂着南茜，他忘掉了一切烦恼。忽然乡绅的脚重重地踩住了南茜的长裙，把衣服腰间的部分扯坏了。南茜让戈弗雷带她到一个清静的地方去整理衣服。戈弗雷把她带进了大厅旁边的一间小屋，希望他们能够有一段单独相处的时间。可南茜坐在了离他最远的椅子上，冷冷地说：“谢谢您，先生，您不必呆在这儿，很抱歉让您从舞会上出来。”
“这样可不太好，”戈弗雷走近她一点儿，说，“你为什么不愿意和我跳舞呢？”
“我不是这个意思！”南茜的脸红得很可爱，“绅士们有那么多事可做，我肯定跳支舞没什么重要。”
“你知道不是这样的，你知道和你跳一支舞对我比任何事都重要。”
南茜有些吃惊，戈弗雷很久没有对她说这样的话了。她坚决地回答：“戈弗雷先生，我恐怕不能相信你。”
“南茜，如果我改变我的生活，你会觉得我好一点儿吗？你会——喜欢我吗？”戈弗雷知道这些话很危险，可这突然来的单独谈话的机会使他讲了比计划里多得多的话。
“我对任何人的好的变化都感到很高兴，先生。”
“你太苛刻了，南茜。”戈弗雷有些苦涩，“你可以帮我变好。我很痛苦——可你什么也感觉不到。”
“我认为品行不端的人才会什么也感觉不到。”南茜尖锐地说，忘了冷静和距离。
戈弗雷很高兴，他想让南茜和他争论，这说明南茜仍然在乎他。可这时普丽西拉闯了进来，说：“好孩子，让我看看你的衣服，我看见乡绅在跳舞的时候踩到你了。”
“我想我得走了。”戈弗雷失望地对普丽西拉说。
“你走不走我都无所谓。”普丽西拉不耐烦地说，她在仔细地看南茜衣服的腰部。
“你想让我走吗？”戈弗雷问南茜。
“随你便。”南茜尽可能恢复以前的冷淡。
“那么我想留下来。”戈弗雷说着坐下来。他今天晚上要尽可能多地呆在南茜身边，不管明天会怎么样。
■ 7 Silas finds his'gold'
But while Godfrey Cass was managing to forget his prob-lems by the lovely Nancy's side，his wife was walking with slow，uncertain steps along the snow－coverea road to Ray－eloe．She was carrying her sleeping child in her arms．
For some time now she had planned to come to Raveloe on New Year's Eve．She knew that her husband would be at the centre of a happy，smiling group of friends，and she had chosen this moment to appear in front of all his family and guests at the Red House dance．'I don't care if Godfrey is ashamed of mes！'she thought bitterly．'I want people to know we're mar－ried！'sometimes she hated her husband， because he was still handsome，and had money，while she was no longer pretty，and very poor．She blamed him for her miserable life，but in her heart she knew she should blame her drinking．It had become a habit wiht her to spend most of the money Godfrey gave her on gin．She had a bottle in her pocket now，which she had lifted to her lips several times during her journey．
It was already seven o'clock in the evening，and there was a freezing wind．Molly did not know she was very near Raveloe．Her legs were tired and the gin was beginning to make her feel sleepy．She thought she would rest for a while，and，still hold－ing her child，she lay down on the snow．She did not notice that the ground was cold． In a few moments the child woke up，crying，'Mummy！'But the mother did not seem to hear．Suddenly，as the child fell gently out of its mother's arms on to the soft snow，it noticed a bright，dancing light on the white ground．Interested，the child stood up to see where the brightness came from，and followed the light to an open door，the door of Silas Marner's cottage．The little one toddled right in through the door and sat down by the bright fire．After a few minutes the child felt pleasantly warm， and fell asleep．
But where was Silas while this was happening？In the evenings he sometimes used to open his door and look out．He had some idea that his money would come back，or that some-one would come with information about the thief Tonight was New Year's Eve，and the villagers had told him to stay awake until midnight，because it would bring him good luck if he saw the beginning of the new year．So tonight he was more restless than usual
“别说这些，”南茜的脸红了，“你知道我永远不会结婚。”
普丽西拉笑了，“我才是那个要单身的女人，如果你不喜欢戈弗雷·凯斯，还有很多别的小伙子。走吧，咱们下楼去！”
虽然普丽西拉确实像她说的那样，不太好看，可她在邻居中人缘很好，因为她开朗而且懂事。而南茜不仅是瑞福洛一带最漂亮的女孩，而且也是最聪明的女孩。
餐桌边拉默特姐妹的座位已经留好了，普丽西拉的座位在爸爸和乡绅之间。南茜觉得自己又脸红了，她被戈弗雷领到了他自己与教区牧师克拉肯索普先生之间的座位上。她知道如果嫁给戈弗雷，自己就会成为瑞福洛最显贵的女人，乡绅的妻子。可她反复对自己强调不能嫁给一个品行不端的人。
她坐下时，一贯对女士彬彬有礼的牧师微笑着说：“啊，南茜小姐，您今晚真漂亮，是不是，戈弗雷？”
戈弗雷没有回答，也尽量不去看南茜。他有太多的话想对她说。可这时对晚会心满意足的乡绅对自己的儿子有些不耐烦了。他认为既然儿子太害羞张不开嘴，那么自己最好亲自说了。
“是的，”乡绅大声说，“我觉得南茜比我见过的任何姑娘都要漂亮。”
桌上所有的人都在一边用餐一边饶有兴趣地听着乡绅的话。“大概戈弗雷还是会娶南茜！”牧师的太太小声对奥斯古德太太说。拉默特先生在桌子对面笔直地坐着，看着女儿。这是一位严肃谨慎的绅士，他认为拉默特家比凯斯家还要好。他早就决定在戈弗雷痛改前非之前不会把南茜嫁给戈弗雷。
这时金布尔先生隔着桌子对南茜发出了邀请：“南茜小姐，可不可以和我跳支舞？”
“行了，金布尔，”乡绅插了进来，“让年轻人玩他们的吧！你把南茜小姐带走，我儿子戈弗雷会生气的。我想他已经邀请南茜小姐和他跳第一支舞了，是不是戈弗雷？”
戈弗雷感到很不自在，他转向南茜，尽量小声地说：“我还没有，可我希望她同意，如果还没人请她的话……”
“不，我还没接受任何人的邀请。”南茜轻声回答，脸又一红。
“那你能否和我跳第一支舞？”戈弗雷的感觉好了一点儿。她没有拒绝自己！
“可以。”南茜冷淡地回答。虽然仍然肯定自己不会嫁给他，可南茜想尽量保持礼貌。
“好呀，你是个幸运的小子，戈弗雷。”金布尔先生笑着说，“我想已经开始奏乐了！”
客人们一对对或三五成群地起身走到大厅里，舞会要开始了。在乡村小乐队的伴奏下，乡绅把牧师的太太领到大厅的尽头带头跳起来，接下来是戈弗雷和南茜，然后是其他客人们。
跳着舞，戈弗雷感到越来越幸福。搂着南茜，他忘掉了一切烦恼。忽然乡绅的脚重重地踩住了南茜的长裙，把衣服腰间的部分扯坏了。南茜让戈弗雷带她到一个清静的地方去整理衣服。戈弗雷把她带进了大厅旁边的一间小屋，希望他们能够有一段单独相处的时间。可南茜坐在了离他最远的椅子上，冷冷地说：“谢谢您，先生，您不必呆在这儿，很抱歉让您从舞会上出来。”
“这样可不太好，”戈弗雷走近她一点儿，说，“你为什么不愿意和我跳舞呢？”
“我不是这个意思！”南茜的脸红得很可爱，“绅士们有那么多事可做，我肯定跳支舞没什么重要。”
“你知道不是这样的，你知道和你跳一支舞对我比任何事都重要。”
南茜有些吃惊，戈弗雷很久没有对她说这样的话了。她坚决地回答：“戈弗雷先生，我恐怕不能相信你。”
“南茜，如果我改变我的生活，你会觉得我好一点儿吗？你会——喜欢我吗？”戈弗雷知道这些话很危险，可这突然来的单独谈话的机会使他讲了比计划里多得多的话。
“我对任何人的好的变化都感到很高兴，先生。”
“你太苛刻了，南茜。”戈弗雷有些苦涩，“你可以帮我变好。我很痛苦——可你什么也感觉不到。”
“我认为品行不端的人才会什么也感觉不到。”南茜尖锐地说，忘了冷静和距离。
戈弗雷很高兴，他想让南茜和他争论，这说明南茜仍然在乎他。可这时普丽西拉闯了进来，说：“好孩子，让我看看你的衣服，我看见乡绅在跳舞的时候踩到你了。”
“我想我得走了。”戈弗雷失望地对普丽西拉说。
“你走不走我都无所谓。”普丽西拉不耐烦地说，她在仔细地看南茜衣服的腰部。
“你想让我走吗？”戈弗雷问南茜。
“随你便。”南茜尽可能恢复以前的冷淡。
“那么我想留下来。”戈弗雷说着坐下来。他今天晚上要尽可能多地呆在南茜身边，不管明天会怎么样。
■ 7 Silas finds his'gold'
But while Godfrey Cass was managing to forget his prob-lems by the lovely Nancy's side，his wife was walking with slow，uncertain steps along the snow－coverea road to Ray－eloe．She was carrying her sleeping child in her arms．
For some time now she had planned to come to Raveloe on New Year's Eve．She knew that her husband would be at the centre of a happy，smiling group of friends，and she had chosen this moment to appear in front of all his family and guests at the Red House dance．'I don't care if Godfrey is ashamed of mes！'she thought bitterly．'I want people to know we're mar－ried！'sometimes she hated her husband， because he was still handsome，and had money，while she was no longer pretty，and very poor．She blamed him for her miserable life，but in her heart she knew she should blame her drinking．It had become a habit wiht her to spend most of the money Godfrey gave her on gin．She had a bottle in her pocket now，which she had lifted to her lips several times during her journey．
It was already seven o'clock in the evening，and there was a freezing wind．Molly did not know she was very near Raveloe．Her legs were tired and the gin was beginning to make her feel sleepy．She thought she would rest for a while，and，still hold－ing her child，she lay down on the snow．She did not notice that the ground was cold． In a few moments the child woke up，crying，'Mummy！'But the mother did not seem to hear．Suddenly，as the child fell gently out of its mother's arms on to the soft snow，it noticed a bright，dancing light on the white ground．Interested，the child stood up to see where the brightness came from，and followed the light to an open door，the door of Silas Marner's cottage．The little one toddled right in through the door and sat down by the bright fire．After a few minutes the child felt pleasantly warm， and fell asleep．
But where was Silas while this was happening？In the evenings he sometimes used to open his door and look out．He had some idea that his money would come back，or that some-one would come with information about the thief Tonight was New Year's Eve，and the villagers had told him to stay awake until midnight，because it would bring him good luck if he saw the beginning of the new year．So tonight he was more restless than usual