05-04-远离尘嚣 [24]
德伍德向她走来。她走开了，沿着河边走去，她能听到身后草里的脚步声。她感到她的四周弥漫着爱意，象空气中的香味。伯德伍德追上了她。
“伊芙丁小姐！”他轻声叫道。
她颤抖了，转身说，“早晨好。”她从他说话的声音已猜出了他的来意。
“我想得太多了，都想不清了，”他直截了当地说，“伊芙丁小姐，我的生活不再属于我，而是属于你。我是来向你求婚的。”
芭丝谢芭努力地不使感情在脸上表现出来。
“我41岁，”他接着说。“从未结过婚，甚至从未想过会结婚。但人都是变化的，我见到你时，我变了。我现在最迫切需要的就是要你做我的妻子。”
“伯德伍德先生，我觉得尽管我非常尊敬您，但这并不足以让我接受你的求婚。”
“没有你我的生活将毫无意义！”他嚷道，有些沉不住气了。“希望你允许我一遍遍地说我爱你！”芭丝谢芭沉默不语。“我希望你能把我当回事，听我说说我的心里话。”他又说道。
芭丝谢芭正准备问他怎么会这样想时，突然记起了那张情人卡。这样，伯德伍德认为芭丝谢芭喜欢他是很自然的。
“我希望我能用漂亮的言词追求你，”农场主继续说，“但我只能说我发疯地爱着你，而且想要你做我的妻子。要不是你燃起了我的希望，我是不会求婚的。”
“伯德伍德先生，这对我太难了！恐怕我不能和你结婚。我并不爱你！我不该寄那张情人卡——请原谅——那样做是欠考虑的。”
“不，不，别说那件事是欠考虑的！说它是你喜欢我的开始。考虑一下你是否愿意我做你的丈夫。我明白对你来说我有点太老了，可是相信我，我会比年轻的人照顾得你更好。你没有需要操心的事。你会拥有你需要的一切！只有天知道你对我意味着什么！”
芭丝谢芭那颗年轻的心对这个敏感的人充满了怜悯，他讲得如此的直率和诚恳。
“别这么说，别这么说！你的感情如此强烈，而我却什么都不觉得，”她回答说。“别再说这个了，我无法考虑！唉，我使你这么痛苦！”
“告诉我你并没有完全拒绝我。给我一线希望！我可以再求婚吗？我可以想你吗？”
“可以，我想可以。”
“我可以希望你下次会接受我的求婚吗？”
“不，别抱希望！我现在得走了。给我时间让我想想。”
“行，我给你时间，”他感激地说。“谢谢你，现在我高兴了。”
“请别这样，伯德伍德先生，要是仅仅因为我同意，你就觉得那么高兴，那你就先别高兴！我必须考虑考虑。”
“我可以等，”他同意了。他们分手，各自回到自己的家里。
■ 8 Bathsheba's sheep in danger
Because Bathsheba was not at all in love with Farmer Boldwood，she was able to consider his proposal of marriage calmly. It was an offer which many women of good family in the area would have been delighted to accept. He was serious，respectable and rich. If she had wanted a husband，she could not have found a good reason for refusing to marry him. But she was still enjoying her new position as mistress of a farm and house，and although she respected and liked him，she did not want to marry him However she was honest enough to feel that，as she had begun the courting by sending him the valentine，she ought not to refuse him now. There was only one person whose opinion she trusted more than her own，and that person was Gabriel Oak. So the next day she decided to ask his advice. She found him with Jan Coggan，sharpening the shears which would be used to shear the sheep.
‘Jan，go and help Joseph with the horses，’she ordered. ‘I'll help you，Gabriel. I want to talk to you. ’
The shears were sharpened
“伊芙丁小姐！”他轻声叫道。
她颤抖了，转身说，“早晨好。”她从他说话的声音已猜出了他的来意。
“我想得太多了，都想不清了，”他直截了当地说，“伊芙丁小姐，我的生活不再属于我，而是属于你。我是来向你求婚的。”
芭丝谢芭努力地不使感情在脸上表现出来。
“我41岁，”他接着说。“从未结过婚，甚至从未想过会结婚。但人都是变化的，我见到你时，我变了。我现在最迫切需要的就是要你做我的妻子。”
“伯德伍德先生，我觉得尽管我非常尊敬您，但这并不足以让我接受你的求婚。”
“没有你我的生活将毫无意义！”他嚷道，有些沉不住气了。“希望你允许我一遍遍地说我爱你！”芭丝谢芭沉默不语。“我希望你能把我当回事，听我说说我的心里话。”他又说道。
芭丝谢芭正准备问他怎么会这样想时，突然记起了那张情人卡。这样，伯德伍德认为芭丝谢芭喜欢他是很自然的。
“我希望我能用漂亮的言词追求你，”农场主继续说，“但我只能说我发疯地爱着你，而且想要你做我的妻子。要不是你燃起了我的希望，我是不会求婚的。”
“伯德伍德先生，这对我太难了！恐怕我不能和你结婚。我并不爱你！我不该寄那张情人卡——请原谅——那样做是欠考虑的。”
“不，不，别说那件事是欠考虑的！说它是你喜欢我的开始。考虑一下你是否愿意我做你的丈夫。我明白对你来说我有点太老了，可是相信我，我会比年轻的人照顾得你更好。你没有需要操心的事。你会拥有你需要的一切！只有天知道你对我意味着什么！”
芭丝谢芭那颗年轻的心对这个敏感的人充满了怜悯，他讲得如此的直率和诚恳。
“别这么说，别这么说！你的感情如此强烈，而我却什么都不觉得，”她回答说。“别再说这个了，我无法考虑！唉，我使你这么痛苦！”
“告诉我你并没有完全拒绝我。给我一线希望！我可以再求婚吗？我可以想你吗？”
“可以，我想可以。”
“我可以希望你下次会接受我的求婚吗？”
“不，别抱希望！我现在得走了。给我时间让我想想。”
“行，我给你时间，”他感激地说。“谢谢你，现在我高兴了。”
“请别这样，伯德伍德先生，要是仅仅因为我同意，你就觉得那么高兴，那你就先别高兴！我必须考虑考虑。”
“我可以等，”他同意了。他们分手，各自回到自己的家里。
■ 8 Bathsheba's sheep in danger
Because Bathsheba was not at all in love with Farmer Boldwood，she was able to consider his proposal of marriage calmly. It was an offer which many women of good family in the area would have been delighted to accept. He was serious，respectable and rich. If she had wanted a husband，she could not have found a good reason for refusing to marry him. But she was still enjoying her new position as mistress of a farm and house，and although she respected and liked him，she did not want to marry him However she was honest enough to feel that，as she had begun the courting by sending him the valentine，she ought not to refuse him now. There was only one person whose opinion she trusted more than her own，and that person was Gabriel Oak. So the next day she decided to ask his advice. She found him with Jan Coggan，sharpening the shears which would be used to shear the sheep.
‘Jan，go and help Joseph with the horses，’she ordered. ‘I'll help you，Gabriel. I want to talk to you. ’
The shears were sharpened