英文
A Changed Man VI
Thus was helped on an event which the conduct of the mutuallyattracted ones had been generating for some time.
It is unnecessary to give details. The—st Foot left for Bristol, and this precipitated their action. After a week of hesitation she agreed to leave her home at Creston and meet Vannicock on the ridge hard by, and to accompany him to Bath, where he had secured lodgings for her, so that she would be only about a dozen miles from his quarters.
Accordingly, on the evening chosen, she laid on her dressing-table a note for her husband, running thus—
DEAR JACK,
I am unable to endure this life any longer, and I have resolved to put man end to it. I told you I should run away if you persisted in being a clergyman, and now I am doing it. One cannot help one's nature. I have resolved to throw in my lot with Mr. Vannicock, and I hope rather than expect you will forgive me.
L.
Then, with hardly a scrap of luggage, she went, ascending to the ridge in the dusk of early evening. Almost on the very spot where her husband had stood at their last tryst she beheld the outline of Vannicock, who had come all the way from Bristol to fetch her.
“I don't like meeting here—it is so unlucky!” she cried to him. “For God's sake let us have a place of our own. Go back to the milestone, and I'll come on.”
He went back to the milestone that stands on the north slope of the ridge, where the old and new roads diverge, and she joined him there.
She was taciturn and sorrowful when he asked her why she would not meet him on the top. At last she inquired how they were going to travel.
He explained that he proposed to walk to Mellstock Hill, on the other side of Casterbridge, where a fly was waiting to take them by a crosscut into the Ivell Road, and onward to that town. The Bristol railway was open to Ivell.
This plan they followed, and walked briskly through the dull gloom till they neared Casterbridge, which place they avoided by turning to the right at the Roman Amphitheatre and bearing round to Durnover Cross. Thence the way was solitary and open across the moor to the hill whereon the Ivell fly awaited them.
“I have noticed for some time,” she said, “a lurid glare over the Durnover end of the town. It seems to come from somewhere about Mixen Lane.”
“The lamps,” he suggested.
“There's not a lamp as big as a rushlight in the whole lane. It is where the cholera is worst.”
By Standfast Corner, a little beyond the Cross, they suddenly obtained an end view of the lane. Large bonfires were burning in the middle of the way, with a view to purifying the air; and from the wretched tenements with which the lane was lined in those days persons were bringing out bedding and clothing. Some was thrown into the fires, the rest placed in wheelbarrows and wheeled into the moor directly in the track of the fugitives.
They followed on, and came up to where a vast copper was set in the open air. Here the linen was boiled and disinfected. By the light of the lanterns Laura discovered that her husband was standing by the copper, and that it was he who unloaded the barrow and immersed its contents. The night was so calm and muggy that the conversation by the copper reached her ears.
“Are there many more loads to-night?”
“There's the clothes o' they that died this afternoon, sir. But that might bide till to-morrow, for you must be tired out.”
“We'll do it at once, for I can't ask anybody else to undertake it. Overturn that road on the grass and fetch the rest.”
The man did so and went off with the barrow. Maumbry paused for a moment to wipe his face, and resumed his homely drudgery amid this squalid and reeking scene, pressing down and stirring the contents of the copper with what looked like an old rolling-pin. The steam therefrom, laden with death, travelled in a low trail across the meadow.
Laura spoke suddenly: “I won't go to-night after all. He is so tired, and I must help him. I didn't know things were so bad as this!”
Vannicock's arm dropped from her waist, where it had been resting as they walked. “Will you leave?” she asked.
“I will if you say I must. But I'd rather help too.” There was no expostulation in his tone.
Laura had gone forward. “Jack,” she said, “I am come to help!”
The weary curate turned and held up the lantern. “O—what, is it you, Laura?” he asked in surprise. “Why did you come into this? You had better go back—the risk is great.”
“But I want to help you, Jack. Please let me help! I didn't come by myself—Mr. Vannicock kept me company. He will make himself useful too, if he's not gone on. Mr. Vannicock!”
The young lieutenant came forward reluctantly. Mr. Maumbry spoke formally to him, adding as he resumed his labour, “I thought the—st Foot had gone to Bristol.”
“We have. But I have run down again for a few things.”
The two newcomers began to assist, Vannicock placing on the ground the small bag containing Laura's toilet articles that he had been carrying. The barrowman soon returned with another load, and all continued work for nearly a half-hour, when a coachman came out from the shadows to the north.
“Beg pardon, sir,” he whispered to Vannicock, “but I've waited so long on Mellstock hill that at last I drove down to the turnpike; and seeing the light here, I ran on to find out what had happened.”
Lieutenant Vannicock told him to wait a few minutes, and the last barrow-load was got through. Mr. Maumbry stretched himself and breathed heavily saying, “There; we can do no more.”
As if from the relaxation of effort he seemed to be seized with violent pain. He pressed his hands to his sides and bent forward.
“Ah! I think it has got hold of me at last,” he said with difficulty. “I must try to get home. Let Mr. Vannicock take you back, Laura.”
He walked a few steps, they helping him, but was obliged to sink down on the grass.
“I am—afraid—you'll have to send for a hurdle, or shutter, or something,” he went on feebly, “or try to get me into the barrow.”
But Vannicock had called to the driver of the fly, and they waited until it was brought on from the turnpike hard by. Mr. Maumbry was placed therein. Laura entered with him, and they drove to his humble residence near the Cross, where he was got upstairs.
Vannicock stood outside by the empty fly awhile, but Laura did not reappear. He thereupon entered the fly and told the driver to take him back to Ivell.
中文
浪子回头 六
这对相互吸引的人早就在酝酿着要做一件事，而这次演出则促成了此事。
细节无须赘述，第Y步兵团要离开巴德茅斯去布里斯托尔了，这加速了他们的行动。犹豫了一个礼拜之后，她同意离开克雷斯顿的住处，在附近的山岭上同范尼科克碰头，跟他一起去巴斯，他会在那里帮她找好住处，这样她离他所在的营地就只有十多英里远。
于是在选定要离开的那天傍晚，她在梳妆台上给丈夫写了一封信，上面写着：
亲爱的杰克，
我无法再继续忍受这样的生活，所以决定要与它作别。我告诉过你，如果你坚持要去当牧师我就会离家出走，现在我履行了诺言。我天性如此，无法改变。我已决定往后要同范尼科克先生休戚与共。我希望——但并不指望——你能原谅我。
萝
然后她连行李都没带就出发了，傍晚时在暮色中登上了山岭。几乎就在上次同她丈夫相会的同一个地点，她看到了范尼科克的身影，他从布里斯托尔一路过来接她。
“我不要在这儿跟你见面——太晦气了！”她朝他喊道，“我的天哪，我们另外选个地方吧。你退回到路碑那里去，我过来见你。”
他往回走到了山岭北面斜坡上的路碑旁，那是老路与新路交会处，她在那里跟他碰了头。
他问她为何不肯在山顶上跟他会面，她沉默不语，面色戚戚。过了一会儿，她询问他们要坐什么交通工具旅行。
他解释说，他打算步行去到卡斯特桥镇另一端的梅尔斯托克山，那里会有一辆轻便的双轮出租马车等着他们，再带他们走捷径到艾威尔公路，一直送他们到艾威尔镇。去布里斯托尔的铁路就经过艾威尔。
他们依计行事，在一片朦胧昏暗中轻快地走着，慢慢靠近了卡斯特桥镇。为避人耳目他们到了罗马圆剧场后便转而向右，绕到了邓诺威十字路口。那儿有一条人烟稀少的路穿过荒原通往梅尔斯托克山，去往艾威尔的马车就在那里等着他们。
“我刚才一直注意到，”她说，“镇上邓诺威区那一头上空闪耀着刺目的光。好像是从米克森巷某个地方传来的。”
“可能是灯光吧。”他猜想说。
“那条巷子里没有一盏比灯芯草蜡烛还大的灯。那是霍乱最严重的地方。”
在过了十字路口稍远一些的斯坦德法斯特拐角，他们突然看到了小巷尽头的景象。在路中间，许多巨大的火堆在熊熊燃烧，以做净化空气之用；人们把铺盖和衣物从巷子里那些沿街的破落房屋里搬出来。有的被扔进了火里，剩下的放到手推车上推到荒原上去，正好在这两个私奔者的必经之路上。
他们沿路继续往前走，看到了露天安放着一口巨大的铜锅。铺盖衣物等就在这里用滚水煮沸消毒。借着灯光，萝拉发现她的丈夫就站在铜锅旁，正是他把手推车上的东西卸下来浸入水中。夜晚如此宁静闷热，铜锅边的对话清晰地传到她耳中。
“今晚还有很多车需要消毒的衣物吗？”
“先生，还有些今天下午死掉的人的衣服。要不我们还是等到明天吧，你肯定已经累得不行了。”
“我们还是马上消毒吧，我不能让别人来做这件事。你把这一车倒在草地上，回去把剩下的拿过来吧。”
男子依言照办，推着手推车走了。蒙布里暂停片刻，擦了擦脸，在这一派肮脏污秽、水汽蒸腾的环境中继续干他那平凡的苦差，用一根看起来像旧擀面杖的东西把铜锅里的衣物下压、搅拌。锅中升腾起的蒸汽，满载着死亡的讯息，低低地飘过草地。
萝拉突然开口说：“我今天晚上还是不去了。他太累了，我一定得帮帮他。我没想到情况会这么糟糕！”
范尼科克的胳膊从她腰上垂了下来，之前走路时他的手一直搂着她的腰。“你会离开吗？”她问。
“如果你坚持要我走的话我就走，不过我更想一起帮忙。”他的语气听起来并没有反对或抗议。
萝拉此刻已经走上前去，“杰克，我来帮你的忙了！”
疲惫不堪的牧师转过身，举起灯笼察看。“啊——怎么会是你，萝拉？”他吃惊地说，“你为什么来这儿掺和？你最好回去——太危险了。”
“但是我想帮你的忙，杰克。请让我一起帮忙吧！我不是一个人，是范尼科克先生陪我来的。如果他还没有走的话，应该也能帮上忙。范尼科克先生！”
年轻的中尉有些不情愿地走上前来。蒙布里先生很正式地跟他交谈了几句，就继续劳作去了，顺便说了一句：“我以为第Y步兵团已经去了布里斯托尔了呢。”
“是的，不过我因为有事处理所以又回来了一趟。”
两位新来的人开始干活，范尼科克把背着的小包放到地上，里面装的是萝拉的盥洗用品。很快推车的男人又推了一车衣物过来了，几人一起干了近半小时，一个马车夫从北面的阴影里冒了出来。
“对不起，先生，”他小声对范尼科克说，“我在梅尔斯托克山那儿等得太久了，最后就赶车下山到了大路上；我看到这儿有光，就过来看看发生了什么事。”
范尼科克中尉告诉他再等几分钟，最后一车衣物已经处理完了。蒙布里先生伸了个懒腰，喘着粗气说：“好啦！我们只能干到这儿了。”
一旦神经松懈下来，他似乎就被剧烈的疼痛侵袭了。他双手按着两肋向前弯下腰。
“啊！我估计病魔最终还是找上我啦，”他吃力地说，“我得想办法回家去，萝拉，让范尼科克先生送你回去吧。”
他在他们的搀扶下走了几步，然后不得不颓然坐在草地上。
“恐——怕——你们得去弄个架子，或者板子之类的来了，”他虚弱地说，“或者想办法把我弄到手推车上去。”
但是范尼科克已经去喊马车夫了。等到车夫把马车从附近的大路上赶过来，蒙布里先生被扶了进去。萝拉也跟着上了马车，来到了他在十字路口附近的简陋住所，把他送上了楼。
范尼科克在屋外空马车旁等候了一阵，但是萝拉没有再出来。他于是上了马车，让车夫带他回艾威尔镇去了。
