'Is she of a family such as you would care to marry into - a lady, in short?' asked his startled mother, who had come softly into the study during the conversation.
“她的出身是不是你愿意娶她的那种家庭,简而言之,她是不是一个小姐?”在他们谈话的时候,他的母亲悄悄地走进了书房,听了他的话大吃一惊,问他。

'She is not what in common parlance is called a lady,' said Angel, unflinchingly, 'for she is a cottager's daughter, as I am proud to say. But she is a lady, nevertheless - in feeling and nature.'
“按照普通的说法,她是不能被称为小姐的,”安琪尔急忙说,一点儿也不畏惧。“因为我可以骄傲地说,她是一个乡下小户人家的女儿。但是她在感情和天性方面,你不能不说她是一位小姐。”

'Mercy Chant is of a very good family.'
“梅茜·羌特可是出身于一个高贵的家庭啊。”

'Pooh! - what's the advantage of that, mother?' said Angel quickly. 'How is family to avail the wife of a man who has to rough it as I have, and shall have to do?'
“呸——那有什么好处,母亲?”安琪尔急忙说。“我现在不得不过劳苦的生活,将来也不得不过劳苦的生活,做我这种人的妻子家庭再好又有什么用处呢?”

'Mercy is accomplished. And accomplishments have their charm,' returned his mother, looking at him through her silver spectacles.
“梅茜可是一个多才多艺的姑娘。多才多艺是自有魅力的,”他的母亲透过银边眼镜看着他,反驳他说。

'As to external accomplishments, what will be the use of them in the life I am going to lead? - while as to her reading, I can take that in hand. She'll be apt pupil enough, as you would say if you knew her. She's brim full of poetry - actualized poetry, if I may use the expression. She lives what paper-poets only write... And she is an unimpeachable Christian, I am sure; perhaps of the very tribe, genus, and species you desire to propagate.'
“至于说到外在的才艺,它们对于我将要过的生活又有什么意义呢?——而说到读书,我可以亲自教她呀。你们因为不认识她,不然你们会说,她是一个多么聪明的学生啊。我可以这样比方说,她浑身上下充满了诗意——其实她本身就是诗。在理论上懂得诗的诗人只能把诗写出来,而她却是一首具有生命的诗……而且我敢肯定,她还是一个无可指摘的基督徒;也许她就是你们想宣扬的那一类典型中的一个。”

'O Angel, you are mocking!'
“啊,安琪尔,你是在说笑吧!”

'Mother, I beg pardon. But as she really does attend Church almost every Sunday morning, and is a good Christian girl, I am sure you will tolerate any social shortcomings for the sake of that quality, and feel that I may do worse than choose her.' Angel waxed quite earnest on that rather automatic orthodoxy in his beloved Tess which (never dreaming that it might stand him in such good stead) he had been prone to slight when observing it practised by her and the other milkmaids, because of its obvious unreality amid beliefs essentially naturalistic.
“母亲,你听我说。每个礼拜天的早晨,她可真的都去了教堂,她是一个优秀的基督教徒,我敢肯定,她有了这种品质,你们就会容忍她在社会出身方面的缺陷了,就会认为我要是不娶她,那就是大错而特错了。”他心爱的苔丝身上的正统信仰,那完全是自发产生的,他当时看见苔丝和别的挤奶女工按时去作礼拜时,心里也是瞧不起的,因为在她们本质上是对自然崇拜的信仰里,作礼拜显然就不是诚心诚意的。可是他做梦也没有想到这一点竟会对他大有帮助,成了支持自己的理由,于是对这一点就越说越认真了。