There was a great stir in the milk-house just after breakfast. The churn revolved as usual, but the butter would not come. Whenever this happened the dairy was paralyzed. Squish, squash, echoed the milk in the great cylinder, but never arose the sound they waited for.
刚吃过早饭,牛奶房里就一番混乱。搅黄油的机器照常运转着,但是黄油就是搅不出来。只要出现了这种事,奶牛场就瘫痪了。装在大圆桶里的牛奶不停地稀里哗啦地响着,但就是听不到他们盼望听到的出黄油的声音。

Dairyman Crick and his wife, the milkmaids Tess, Marian, Retty Priddle, Izz Huett, and the married ones from the cottages; also Mr Clare, Jonathan Kail, old Deborah, and the rest, stood gazing hopelessly at the churn; and the boy who kept the horse going outside put on moon-like eyes to show his sense of the situation. Even the melancholy horse himself seemed to look in at the window in inquiring despair at each walk round.
奶牛场老板克里克和他的太太,住在场内的挤奶姑娘苔丝、玛丽安、莱蒂·普里德尔、伊茨·体特,住在场外茅屋里的结了婚的女工,还有克莱尔先生、约纳森·凯尔、老德波娜以及其他的人,都站在那儿瞪着搅黄油的机器,谁也没有办法;在外面赶马使机器转动的小伙子眼睛瞪得大大的,对这件事情表现得很关心。就是那匹忧伤的马,每走一圈也似乎要用绝望的神气向窗户里看上一眼。

''Tis years since I went to Conjuror Trendle's son in Egdon - years!' said the dairyman bitterly. 'And he was nothing to what his father had been. I have said fifty times, if I have said once, that I don't believe in en; though a' do cast folks' waters very true. But I shall have to go to 'n if he's alive. O yes, I shall have to go to 'n, if this sort of thing continnys!'
“我没有见到爱敦荒原上的魔术师特伦德尔的儿子,已经有好多年啦!”奶牛场老板痛苦地说。“他同他的父亲比起来,可是差远了。我曾经说过我不相信他,这个话我已经说过五十次了;不过他从人拉的尿中可以预言出一些名堂来倒是真的。但是这次我非得去找他不可了,就是不知道他还活着没有。唉,不错,如果黄油还是搅不出来,我一定得去找他了!”

Even Mr Clare began to feel tragical at the dairyman's desperation.
看见奶牛场老板绝望的样子,就连克莱尔先生也开始感到悲哀起来。

'Conjuror Fall, t'other side of Casterbridge that they used to call "Wide-O", was a very good man when I was a boy,' said Jonathan Kail. 'But he's rotten as touchwood by now.'
“在我小的时候,卡斯特桥那边住着个魔术师,名叫福尔①,大家习惯叫他‘大圆圈’,他倒是一个道行高的人,”约纳森·凯尔说。“不过他现在老得不中用了。”

'My grandfather used to go to Conjuror Mynterne, out at Owlscombe, and a clever man a' were, so I've heard grandf'er say, continued Mr Crick. 'But there's no such genuine folk about nowadays!'
“我的爷爷曾经找过魔术师米顿恩,他住在猫头鹰岗,我听我的爷爷说,他是一个很厉害的人。”克里克先生接着说。“不过眼下找不到他这样有真本事的人了!”

Mrs Crick's mind kept nearer to the matter in hand.
克里克太太心里想的只是眼前的事。

①魔术师福尔(Conjuror Fall),哈代的长篇小说《卡斯特桥市长》中的人物,亨查德曾前往魔术师福尔处询问天气并因判断天气失误而导致在生意竞争中失败。