The haggling business, which had mainly depended on the horse, became disorganized forthwith. Distress, if not penury, loomed in the distance. Durbeyfield was what was locally called a slack-twisted fellow; he had good strength to work at times; but the times could not be relied on to coincide with the hours of requirement; and, having been unaccustomed to the regular toil of the day labourer, he was not particularly persistent when they did so coincide.
德北菲爾德主要依靠這匹老馬作小本生意，馬一死，生意就立刻垮了。如果說還不會馬上貧窮，那么煩惱已經(jīng)在不遠(yuǎn)的地方出現(xiàn)了。德北菲爾德是當(dāng)?shù)胤Q為懶散骨頭的那種人；有時(shí)候他倒挺有力氣工作；不過這種時(shí)候是靠不住的，因?yàn)椴荒芘銮捎泄ぷ餍枰?；而且，他由于不?xí)慣做日工的正規(guī)勞動，所以每當(dāng)湊巧有工作的時(shí)候，他又特別缺乏毅力。

Tess, meanwhile, as the one who had dragged her parents into this quagmire, was silently wondering what she could do to help them out of it; and then her mother broached her scheme.
同時(shí)，苔絲因?yàn)槭前阉母改竿线M(jìn)泥淖的人，所以心里一直在默不作聲地盤算著怎樣幫助他們從泥淖里擺脫出來；后來，她母親就開始同苔絲商量她的計(jì)劃。

'We must take the ups with the downs, Tess,' said she; 'and never could your high blood have been found out at a more called for moment. You must try your friends. Do ye know that there is a very rich Mrs d'Urberville living on the outskirts o' The Chase, who must be our relation? You must go to her and claim kin, and ask for some help in our trouble.'
“走運(yùn)也好，倒霉也罷，我們總得應(yīng)付，苔絲，”她說：“真是湊巧，最近發(fā)現(xiàn)你身上有高貴的血統(tǒng)，又正是需要它的時(shí)候。你一定要去找你的朋友碰碰運(yùn)氣。有一個(gè)非常富有的德貝維爾夫人住在獵苑的近郊，肯定是我們的親戚，你知道不知道？你一定要去她那兒認(rèn)這門親戚，請她在我們困難的時(shí)候幫幫忙?！?/div>

'I shouldn't care to do that,' says Tess. 'If there is such a lady, 'would be enough for us if she were friendly - not to expect her to give us help.'
“我不愿意去她那兒認(rèn)這門親戚，”苔絲說，“如果真的有這樣一位夫人，她能客氣地對待我們就很不錯了——別指望她會幫助我們?！?/div>

'You could win her round to do anything, my dear. Besides, perhaps there's more in it than you know of. I've heard what I've heard, good now.'
“乖孩子，你會討她的歡心的，你會要她為你做什么她就為你做什么的。另外，也許還有你不知道的好事呢。我聽說過我已經(jīng)聽說過的事了，你猜猜?！?/div>

The oppressive sense of the harm she had done led Tess to be more deferential than she might otherwise have been to the maternal wish; but she could not understand why her mother should find such satisfaction in contemplating an enterprise of, to her, such doubtful profit. Her mother might have made inquiries, and have discovered that this Mrs d'Urberville was a lady of unequalled virtues and charity. But Tess's pride made the part of poor relation one of particular distaste to her.
苔絲心里總有一種她惹了禍的沉重感覺，因此這就使苔絲對她母親的愿望，比平時(shí)順從多了；而且她還弄不明白，在她看來，她母親的計(jì)劃的好處很值得懷疑，而她的母親一想到它就能從中得到滿足。也許她母親已經(jīng)打聽過，發(fā)現(xiàn)那位德貝維爾夫人是一個(gè)極有德行和菩薩心腸的老太太。不過苔絲的自尊心使她覺得，作為一個(gè)窮親戚去求那位老太太，她心里是非常討厭的。

'I'd rather try to get work,' she murmured.
“我寧愿想法找一個(gè)工作?！碧z嘟噥著說。

'Durbeyfield, you can settle it,' said his wife, turning to where he sat in the background. 'If you say she ought to go, she will go.'
“德北菲爾德，你來決定吧，”她的妻子轉(zhuǎn)身對坐在后院的丈夫說，“如果你說她應(yīng)該去，她就會去的?！?/div>

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