Clare had resolved never to kiss her until he had obtained her promise; but somehow, as Tess stood there in her prettily tucked-up milking gown, her hair carelessly heaped upon her head till there should be leisure to arrange it when skimming and milking were done, he broke his resolve, and brought his lips to her cheek for one moment. She passed downstairs very quickly, never looking back at him or saying another word. The other maids were already down, and the subject was not pursued. Except Marian they all looked wistfully and suspiciously at the pair, in the sad yellow rays which the morning candles emitted in contrast with the first cold signals of the dawn without.
克莱尔下了决心,除非她答应嫁给他,他是不再吻她了;但是看见苔丝站在那儿,身上穿着漂亮的挤奶长裙,下摆扎在腰里,头发随便地盘在头上,等奶油撤完了,牛奶也挤完了再梳理它们,这时候他的决心瓦解了,就用他的嘴唇在她的面颊上轻轻地吻了一下。她赶忙下了楼,再也没有看他一眼,也没有再说一句话。其他的挤奶女工已经下楼了,所以这个话题他们,就谁也不再提了。除了玛丽安外,所有的人都用沉思和怀疑的目光看着他们两个,在破晓的第一道清冷的晨光的映衬下,早晨的蜡烛散发着忧伤昏黄的光。

When skimming was done - which, as the milk diminished with the approach of autumn, was a lessening process day by day. Retty and the rest went out. The lovers followed them.
撇奶油很快就结束了——秋天来了,奶牛的出奶量减少了,所以撇奶油的时间也就越来越短了——莱蒂和其他的挤奶女工走了。这一对情人也跟在她们的后面走了。

'Our tremulous lives are so different from theirs, are they not?' he musingly observed to her, as he regarded the three figures tripping before him through the frigid pallor of opening day.
“我们小心谨慎地过日子,和她们多么不同呀,是不是?”天色渐渐泛白了,他一面注视着在清冷的白光中走着的三个人影,一面幽默地对苔丝说。

'Not so very different, I think,' she said.
“我觉得并没有什么多大的不同,”她说。

'Why do you think that?'
“你为什么要那样认为呢?”

'There are very few women's lives that are not tremulous,' Tess replied, pausing over the new word as if it impressed her. 'There's more in those three than you think.'
“很少有女人不小心谨慎的,”苔丝回答说,说到这个新词的时候犹豫了一下,仿佛对这个词印象很深刻。“在她们三个人身上,优点比你想的还要多。”

'What is in them?'
“有什么优点?”

'Almost either of 'em,' she began, 'would make - perhaps would make - a properer wife than I. And perhaps they love you as well as I - almost.'
“几乎她们每一个人,”她开始说,“也许她们比我更适合做你的妻子。也许她们和我一样地爱你——几乎是一样。”

'O, Tessy!'
“啊,苔丝!”