'It was ordered, sir.'
“这本书是订购的，先生。”

'Not by me, or any one belonging to me, I am happy to say.' The shopkeeper looked into his order-book.
“我敢说我没有订购这本书，我家里别的人也没有订购这本书。”书店老板查了查订购登记簿。

'Oh, it has been misdirected, sir,' he said. 'It was ordered by Mr Angel Clare, and should have been sent to him.'
“哦，这本书寄错了，先生，”他说。“这本书是安琪尔·克莱尔先生订购的，应该寄给他才对。”

Mr Clare winced as if he had been struck. He went home pale and dejected, and called Angel into his study.
克莱尔先生听后直往后躲，仿佛被人打了一样。他满脸苍白地回到家里，一脸地沮丧，把安琪尔叫到他的书房里。

'Look into this book, my boy,' he said. 'What do you know about it?'
“你读读这本书吧，我的儿子，”他说。“你知道这是怎么一回事吗？”

'I ordered it,' said Angel simply.
“这是我订购的书，”安琪尔回答得很简单。

'What for?'
“订这本书干什么？”

'To read.'
“读呀。”

'How can you think of reading it?'
“你怎么会想到要读这本书？”

'How can I? Why - it is a system of philosophy. There is no more moral, or even religious, work published.'
“我怎么想到的？为什么——这是一本关于哲学体系的书呀。在已经出版的书里面，没有其它的书比它更符合道德的了，也甚至没有比它更符合宗教的了。”

'Yes - moral enough; I don't deny that. But religious! - and for you, who intend to be a minister of the Gospel!'
“是的—一很道德；我不否认这一点。可是宗教呢？——尤其对你来说，对想当一个宣传福音的牧师的你来说，它不合乎宗教！”

'Since you have alluded to the matter, father,' said the son, with anxious thought upon his face, 'I should like to say, once for all, that I should prefer not to take Orders. I fear I could not conscientiously do so. I love the Church as one loves a parent. I shall always have the warmest affection for her. There is no institution for whose history I have a deeper admiration; but I cannot honestly be ordained her minister, as my brothers are, while she refuses to liberate her mind from an untenable redemptive theolatry.'
“既然你提到这件事，父亲，”儿子说，脸上满是焦虑的神情，“我想最后再说一次，我不愿意担任教职。凭良心说，我恐怕不能够去当牧师。我爱教会就像一个人爱他的父亲一样。对教会我一直怀有最热烈的感情。再也没有一种制度的历史能使我有比它更深的敬爱了；可是，在她还没有把她的思想从奉神赎罪的不堪一击的信念中解放出来，我不能像我两个哥哥一样，真正接受教职做她的牧师。”