A couple of hours later,however,he was woken by the movement of the cart. It was being driven towards Weather-bury by two farm workers,who had not noticed Gabriel. He listened to their conversation.
一两个小时后,马车的颠簸惊醒了他。两个农场工人正把马车赶向威瑟伯里,他们没有注意到盖伯瑞尔。他听到了他们的谈话。

解析:conversation 对话、交谈
eg: The captain came ashore and joined our conversation.
船长上了岸,凑过来和我们说话。

‘She's a handsome woman,that's true,’said one,‘but proud too!And very vain,that's what people say!’
“她是个很漂亮的女人,这倒不假,”一个说,“可是太傲慢!人们都说她很自负!”

解析:vain 徒劳的、徒然的;自负的、自大的
eg: Her modesty is put on; at heart she is very vain.
她的谦逊全是假装的,内心里她是很自负的。

‘Oh,if she's vain,Billy Smallbury,I'll never be able to look at her!I'm such a shy man,as you know!’said the other. ‘A single woman,and vain!And does she pay her farm workers well?’
“唉,比利·斯摩伯里,要是她很自以为是,我就连正眼看她也不敢了!你知道,我是一个害羞的人!”另一个说。“一个单身女人,而且自负!她给她的农场工人报酬高吗?”

‘I don't know about that,Joseph Poorgrass. ’
“这个我不知道,约瑟夫·普格拉斯。”

Gabriel thought they could be talking about Bathsheba,except that the woman they were discussing seemed to be the mistress of a farm. As the cart was now quite near Weather-bury,Gabriel jumped out,unseen by the two men. He climbed a gate into a field,intending to sleep for the rest of the night under a hay-rick,but then he noticed an unusual light in the darkness,about half a mile away. Something was on fire.
盖伯瑞尔想他们谈论的可能是芭丝谢芭,只是他们谈论的女人好像是一个农场的女主人。马车快到威瑟伯里时,盖伯瑞尔跳下了车,那两个人也未发现。他翻越过一个大门进了一块地里,打算在一个干草垛下过夜,就在这时,他注意到大约一英里远的地方黑暗中有不寻常的火光。有东西着火了。

解析:climb 爬、攀登
eg: The old lady climbed up the stairs with difficulty.
这位老太太艰难地爬上楼梯。

on fire 着火、起火
eg: All the houses are on fire.
所有的房子都着火了。