The parson rode a step or two nearer.
牧师骑着马向他走近一两步。

'It was only my whim,' he said; and, after a moment's hesitation: 'It was on account of a discovery I made some little time ago, whilst I was hunting up pedigrees for the new county history. I am Parson Tringham, the antiquary, of Stagfoot Lane. Don't you really know, Durbeyfield, that you are the lineal representative of the ancient and knightly family of the d'Urbervilles, who derived their descent from Sir Pagan d'Urberville, that renowned knight who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror, as appears by Battle Abbey Roll?'
“那只是我的一时兴致,”他说;然后又稍稍迟疑了一会儿:“那是因为不久前我为了编写新的郡史在查考家谱时的一个发现。我是鹿脚路的考古学家特林汉姆牧师。德北菲尔德,你真的不知道你是德贝维尔这个古老骑士世家的嫡传子孙吗?德贝维尔家是从著名的骑士帕根·德贝维尔爵士传下来的,据纪功寺文档①记载,他是跟随征服者威廉王从诺曼底来的。”

'Never heard it before, sir!'
“过去我从没听说过,先生!”

'Well it's true. Throw up your chin a moment, so that I may catch the profile of your face better. Yes, that's the d'Urberville nose and chin - a little debased. Your ancestor was one of the twelve knights who assisted the Lord of Estremavilla in Normandy in his conquest of Glamorganshire. Branches of your family held manors over all this part of England; their names appear in the Pipe Rolls in the time of King Stephen. In the reign of King John one of them was rich enough to give a manor to the Knights Hospitallers; and in Edward the Second's time your forefather Brian was summoned to Westminster to attend the great Council there. You declined a little in Oliver Cromwell's time, but to no serious extent, and in Charles the Second's reign you were made Knights of the Royal Oak for your loyalty. Aye, there have been generations of Sir Johns among you, and if knighthood were hereditary, like a baronetcy, as it practically was in old times, when men were knighted from father to son, you would be Sir, John now.'
“啊,不错。你把下巴抬起来一点点,让我好好看看你的脸的侧面。不错,这正是德贝维尔家族的鼻子和下巴——但有一点儿衰落。辅佐诺曼底的埃斯彻玛维拉勋爵征服格拉摩甘郡的骑士一共有十二个,你的祖先是他们中间的一个。在英格兰这一带地方,到处都有你们家族分支的采地;在斯蒂芬王时代,派普名册②记载着他们的名字。在约翰王时代,他们的分支中有一支很富有,曾给救护骑士团赠送了一份采地;在爱德华二世时代,你的祖先布里恩也应召到威斯敏斯特参加过大议会。你们家族在奥利弗·克伦威尔时代就有点儿开始衰落,不过没有到严重的程度,在查理斯二世时期,你们家族又因为对王室忠心,被封为皇家橡树爵士。唉,你们家族的约翰爵士已经有好几代了,如果骑士称号也像从男爵一样可以世袭的话,你现在就应该是约翰爵士了,其实在过去的时代里都是世袭的,骑士称号由父亲传给儿子。”

'Ye don't say so!'
“可你没有这样说过呀!”