06 Fanny's mistake

6 Fanny's mistake
　　At the malthouse the men were discussing Bathsheba. ‘How's she getting on without a farm manager？’the old maltster asked the younger men.
　　‘She can't manage the farm alone，’replied Jacob，‘a(chǎn)nd she won't listen to our advice. Proud，she is. I've often said it，’
　　‘You have，Jacob，you have，that's true，’agreed little Joseph Poorgrass.
　　‘But she's intelligent，’said Billy Smallbury，‘a(chǎn)nd must have some common sense. ’
　　‘It seems her old uncle's furniture wasn't good enough for her，’said the maltster‘I hear she's bought new beds，chairs and a piano！If she's a farmer，why does she want a piano？ ’
　　Just then they heard a heavy footstep outside，and a voice called，‘Neighbours，can I bring a few lambs in there？’
　　‘Of course，shepherd，’they all replied.
　　Gabriel appeared in the doorway，his cheeks red and his healthy face shining. On his shoulders were four half－dead lambs，which he put down carefully，close to the fire.
　　‘I haven't got a shepherd's hut here，as I used to have at Norcombe，’he explained. ‘These new lambs would die if I couldn't keep them warm for a while. It's very kind of you，maltster，to let me bring them in here. ’
　　‘We've been talking of the mistress，and her strange behaviour，shepherd，’said the maltster.
　　‘What have you been saying about her？’asked Gabriel sharply，turning to the others. ‘I suppose you've been speak- ing against her？’he added angrily to Joseph Poorgrass.
　　‘No，no，not a word，’said Joseph，trembling and blushing with terror.
　　‘well，look here，neighbours. ’Gabriel，although normally one of the quietest and most gentle men on earth，had sudden－ly become aggressive. ‘The first man I hear saying anything bad about our mistress will receive this in his face，’and he banged his great heavy hand down on the maltster's table.
　　‘Now don't get so angry，shepherd，and sit down！’said Jacob.
　　‘We hear you're a very clever man，shepherd，’added Joseph Poorgrass from behind the maltster's bed，where he had been hiding. ‘We all wish we were as clever as you，don't we，neighbours？’There was general agreement.
　　‘I think mistress ought to have made you her farm manager，you're so suitable for the job，’continued Joseph. He could see that Gabriel was no longer angry.
　　‘I don't mind confessing I was hoping to be her farm man－ ager，’said Gabriel in his honest way. ‘But Miss Everdene can do as she likes，and she's chosen to manage her own farm—and keep me as an ordinary shepherd only. ’He sounded rather depressed，and looked sadly into the fire.
　　Before anyone could reply，the door opened and Mr Bold－ wood came in. He greeted them all and handed the letter to Gabriel.
　　‘I opened this by mistake，Oak，’he said，‘but it must be for you. I'm sorry. ’
　　‘Oh，it doesn't matter at all，’answered Gabriel，who had no secrets from anyone. He read this letter：
　　Dear friend，
　　I don't know your name，but I want to thank you for your kindness to me on the night I left Weatherbury. I'm also returning the money you gave me. I'm happy to say I'm going to marry the young man who has been courting me， Sergeant Troy. As he is a nobleman's son，I know he wouldn't like me to accept a gift from anyone. Please don't tell anyone about my marriage. We intend to surprise Weatherbury by arriuing there as husband and wife，very soon. Thank you again.
　　Fanny Robin.
　　‘You'd better read it，Mr Boldwood，’said Gabriel. ‘It's from Fanny Robin. She wants to keep this a secret but I know you're interested in her. I met her on my way to Weather- bury，but I didn't know then who she was. ’ When Mr Boldwood had finished reading the letter，he looked very serious. ‘Poor Fanny！’he said. ‘I don't think this Sergeant Troy will ever marry her. He's clever，and handsome，but he can't be trusted. What a silly girl Fanny is！’
　　‘I'm very sorry to hear that，’said Gabriel.
　　‘By the way，Oak，’said Mr Boldwood quietly，as he and the shepherd left the malthouse together，‘could you tell me whose writing this is？’He showed Gabriel the envelope containing the valentine.
　　Gabriel looked at it，and said simply，‘Miss Everdene’s. ’Then he realized that Bathsheba must have written to Mr Boldwood without signing her name，and he looked，puzzled， at the farmer.
　　Mr Boldwood replied rather too quickly to Gabriel's unspo－ ken question. ‘It's quite normal to try to discover who has written the——valentine. That's the——fun of it. ’There was no fun at all in his manner. ‘Goodbye，Oak，’he added，and walked slowly back to his empty house.
　　A few days later，in the town north of Weatherbury where the soldiers were staying，a wedding was arranged As the church clock in the square struck half-past eleven，a handsome young soldier marched into the church and spoke to the vicar Then he stood still in the centre of the church，waiting for his bride. The church was full of the women and girls who had at－ tended the morning service and had decided to wait to see the wedding. They watched the young man's straight back，whis－ pering among themselves. The soldier waited without moving a muscle. The church clock struck a quarter to twelve，and still the bride did not come. The whispers stopped，and there was silence. The young man stood as stiff and straight as the church columns around him. There was a little quiet laughter from some of the women，but soon they were silent again，waiting for the end.
　　As the church clock struck twelve，they listened to the heavy notes ringing out from the church tower. The vicar left his position near the soldier，and disappeared into a back room. Every woman in the church was waiting to see the young man's face，and he knew it. At last he turned，and marched bravely back the way he had come，through the rows of smiling women.
　　When he got outside and crossed the square，he met a girl hurrying towards the church. When she saw him，the anxiety on her face changed to terror.
　　‘Well’？’he said，staring coldly at her.
　　‘Oh Frank，I made a mistake！I thought it was the other church，he one near the market，and I waited there till a quarter to twelve，and then I realized my mistake. But it doesn't matter，because we can just as easily get married tomorrow. ’
　　‘You're a fool，to play games with me！’he replied angrily.
　　‘So shall we get married tomorrow，F(xiàn)rank？’she asked，not understanding how seriously she had offended him. ‘Tomorrow！’he repeated，and laughed. ‘I don't want another experience like that for a while，I can promise you！’
　　‘But Frank，’she begged in a trembling voice，‘it wasn't such a terrible mistake！Now，dear Frank，when will our wedding be？’
　　‘Ah，when？God knows！’he said，and turning away from her，walked rapidly away.




■ 6 范妮的錯(cuò)誤
　　酒店里，人們正在議論芭絲謝芭。
　　“沒(méi)有農(nóng)場(chǎng)經(jīng)理，她怎么辦呢？”年老的酒店老板問(wèn)年輕的人們。
　　“她一個(gè)人搞不好農(nóng)場(chǎng)，”雅各布說(shuō)，“她不聽(tīng)我們的勸告。我總說(shuō)，她很驕傲。”
　　“你是這樣說(shuō)的，雅各布，你是這樣說(shuō)的，你說(shuō)得對(duì)，”矮小的約瑟夫·普格拉斯贊同地說(shuō)。
　　“可是她很聰明，”比利·斯摩伯里說(shuō)，“她一定很有見(jiàn)識(shí)?！?br>　　“好像她對(duì)她年老的叔叔的家具不滿意，”酒店老板說(shuō)?！奥?tīng)說(shuō)她買(mǎi)了新床、新椅子，還有一架鋼琴！如果她要當(dāng)農(nóng)場(chǎng)主，她干嗎要鋼琴呢？”
　　就在這時(shí)，他們聽(tīng)到門(mén)外重重的腳步聲，一個(gè)聲音喊道，“鄉(xiāng)親們，我可以把這幾只羊羔帶進(jìn)去嗎？”
　　“當(dāng)然可以，牧羊人，”他們一起答道。
　　蓋伯瑞爾出現(xiàn)在門(mén)口，他兩頰通紅，健康的臉龐放著光。在他的肩上有四只半死的羊羔，他小心翼翼地把它們放在靠近火的地方。
　　“我在這兒沒(méi)有牧羊人小屋，過(guò)去在諾科姆我有一個(gè)，”他解釋說(shuō)?！叭绻蛔屵@幾只新生的羊羔暖和一會(huì)兒，他們會(huì)死的。老板，你讓我把它們帶進(jìn)來(lái)，真是太感謝你了?！?br>　　“牧羊人，我們正在談?wù)撆魅艘约八牟粚こ５乃魉鶠?，”酒店老板說(shuō)。
　　“你們?cè)谡f(shuō)她什么呢？”蓋伯瑞爾轉(zhuǎn)向眾人厲聲問(wèn)。“我想你們是在說(shuō)她的壞話吧？”他對(duì)著約瑟夫·普格拉斯，生氣地又問(wèn)了一句。
　　“沒(méi)有，沒(méi)有，一句壞話也沒(méi)說(shuō)?！奔s瑟夫說(shuō)。由于害怕顫抖起來(lái)，臉也漲紅了。
　　“哼，告訴你們，鄰居們，”蓋伯瑞爾，這個(gè)世上最安靜、最溫柔的人，突然變得咄咄逼人?！拔乙锹?tīng)到誰(shuí)說(shuō)女主人的壞話，他的臉上首先就會(huì)嘗到這個(gè)，”接著他把他的大手重重地?fù)粼诹司频昀习宓淖雷由稀?br>　　“牧羊人，別生氣，坐下！”雅各布說(shuō)。
　　“牧羊人，我們聽(tīng)說(shuō)你是個(gè)很聰明的人，”約瑟夫·普格拉斯從酒店老板的床后邊接口說(shuō)，他一直躲在那兒?！拔覀兌枷Ｍ覀兿衲阋粯勇斆鳎前?，鄰居們？”人們都表示同意。
　　“我認(rèn)為女主人應(yīng)該讓你當(dāng)她的農(nóng)場(chǎng)經(jīng)理，你太適合干這個(gè)工作了，”約瑟夫接著說(shuō)。他能看出蓋伯瑞爾已不生氣了。
　　“我可以坦白我很希望給她當(dāng)農(nóng)場(chǎng)經(jīng)理，”蓋伯瑞爾誠(chéng)實(shí)地說(shuō)?！安贿^(guò)，伊芙丁小姐有權(quán)做自己愿做的事情，她已決定要自己管理農(nóng)場(chǎng)，而只要我做個(gè)普通的牧羊人?！甭?tīng)起來(lái)他很沮喪，眼睛悲傷地盯著火。
　　別人正要答話，門(mén)開(kāi)了，伯德伍德走了進(jìn)來(lái)。他和大家打過(guò)招呼，把信遞給了蓋伯瑞爾。
　　“奧克，我開(kāi)錯(cuò)了信，”他說(shuō)，“這信一定是給你的。我很抱歉?！?br>　　“咳，沒(méi)關(guān)系，”蓋伯瑞爾對(duì)誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有要保密的，說(shuō)著，他看起信來(lái)：
　　親愛(ài)的朋友，
　　我不知道你的名字，但我想謝謝你，因?yàn)樵谖译x開(kāi)威瑟伯里的那天夜里，你對(duì)我非常好。我也想把你給我的錢(qián)還給你。我很高興地告訴你，我就要與追求我的年輕人托伊中士結(jié)婚了。他是一個(gè)貴族的兒子，我知道他不喜歡我接受別人的禮物。請(qǐng)不要告訴別人我結(jié)婚的事。我們打算不久將以夫妻的身份出現(xiàn)在威瑟伯里，讓人們大吃一驚。再一次的感謝你。
　　范妮·羅賓
　　“你最好讀一讀這封信，伯德伍德先生，”蓋伯瑞爾說(shuō)?！笆欠赌荨ち_賓寫(xiě)來(lái)的。她不想讓別人知道，可我知道你很關(guān)心她。我在來(lái)威瑟伯里的路上碰到了她，那時(shí)我不知道她是誰(shuí)?！?br>　　伯德伍德看完信后，臉上的表情很?chē)?yán)肅?！翱蓱z的范妮！”他說(shuō)。“我認(rèn)為這個(gè)托伊中士不會(huì)和她結(jié)婚。他聰明英俊，但無(wú)法讓人信賴(lài)。范妮是個(gè)多么傻的姑娘??！”
　　“聽(tīng)你這么說(shuō)我很難過(guò)，”蓋伯瑞爾說(shuō)。
　　“順便問(wèn)一下，奧克，”伯德伍德和牧羊人一同離開(kāi)酒店時(shí)，他平靜地說(shuō)，“你能告訴我這是誰(shuí)的字跡嗎？”他讓蓋伯瑞爾看那個(gè)裝著情人卡的信封。
　　蓋伯瑞爾看了看信封，只是說(shuō)，“伊芙丁小姐的字跡。”隨后他意識(shí)到芭絲謝芭一定是給伯德伍德先生寫(xiě)了一封沒(méi)有署名的信。他迷惑不解地看著這位農(nóng)場(chǎng)主。
　　蓋伯瑞爾的問(wèn)題還沒(méi)出口，伯德伍德先生就搶著回答說(shuō)，“想弄清楚是誰(shuí)寫(xiě)的情人卡是很正常的，這就是樂(lè)趣。”他的態(tài)度卻沒(méi)有顯示出任何樂(lè)趣。“再見(jiàn)，奧克，”他說(shuō)著慢慢走回了他的空屋子。
　　幾天后，在士兵們駐扎的威瑟伯里以北的一個(gè)鎮(zhèn)上，一場(chǎng)婚禮正在籌備之中。廣場(chǎng)上教堂的鐘在十一點(diǎn)半敲響時(shí)，一個(gè)年輕英俊的士兵向教堂走去，他向牧師講明了情況，然后靜靜地站在教堂中央，等待著他的新娘。教堂里滿是參加早禱的女人和姑娘們，她們想等著看婚禮。她們望著年輕人筆直的后背，悄聲議論著。這個(gè)士兵一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地等待著。教堂十二點(diǎn)差一刻的鐘聲敲響了，新娘還是沒(méi)有到。竊竊私語(yǔ)聲停止了，教堂里寂靜無(wú)聲。那個(gè)年輕人僵直地站著，就像他身邊教堂里的柱子。有些女人發(fā)出低低的笑聲，但她們很快就又安靜了下來(lái)，等待著最后的結(jié)果。
　　教堂的鐘聲敲響了十二點(diǎn)，人們聽(tīng)到教堂塔頂傳出低沉的音調(diào)。牧師從位于士兵身旁的他的位置上離開(kāi)，走進(jìn)了后房。那個(gè)年輕人知道教堂中所有的女人都在等著看他臉上的表情。終于，他轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身來(lái)，穿過(guò)一排排面帶譏笑的女人，勇敢地從來(lái)的路上走了回去。
　　出了教堂，穿過(guò)廣場(chǎng)時(shí)，他碰上一個(gè)急急忙忙往教堂趕來(lái)的姑娘。她看到他時(shí)，臉上的焦急變成了恐懼。
　　“好?。俊彼芍淅涞卣f(shuō)。
　　“唉，弗蘭克，我弄錯(cuò)了。我以為是另一個(gè)教堂，是靠近集市的那個(gè)教堂，我在那兒一直等到差一刻十二點(diǎn)，后來(lái)意識(shí)到我搞錯(cuò)了。不過(guò)，沒(méi)關(guān)系。明天我們也能一樣容易地結(jié)婚?！?br>　　“你真蠢，跟我玩這種游戲！”他生氣地答道。
　　“弗蘭克，那我們明天結(jié)婚嗎？”她問(wèn)道，并不明白她已惹怒了他。
　　“明天！”他重復(fù)說(shuō)，大笑起來(lái)。“告訴你，我可不想再要一次這樣的經(jīng)歷！”
　　“可是，弗蘭克，”她用顫抖的聲音懇求說(shuō)，“這也不是什么大不了的錯(cuò)！親愛(ài)的弗蘭克，我們什么時(shí)候舉行婚禮？”
　　“哼，什么時(shí)候？天知道！”他說(shuō)著，迅速轉(zhuǎn)身走了。