'I did not mention it because I was afraid of endangering my chance of you, darling, the great prize of my life - my Fellowship I call you. My brother's Fellowship was won at his college, mine at Talbothays Dairy. Well, I would not risk it. I was going to tell you a month ago - at the time you agreed to be mine, but I could not; I thought it might frighten you away from me. I put it off; then I thought I would tell you yesterday, to give you a chance at least of escaping me. But I did not. And I did not this morning, when you proposed our confessing our faults on the landing - the sinner that I was! But I must, now I see you sitting there so solemnly. I wonder if you will forgive me?'
“我以前没有说这件事,因为我害怕我会失去你,亲爱的,你是我一生最大的奖赏——我称你为我的奖学金。我哥哥的奖学金是从学院里获得的,而我是从泰波塞斯奶牛场获得的。所以我不敢轻易冒这个险,一个月前我就想告诉你了——那个时候你答应嫁给我,不过我没有告诉你;我想,那会把你从我身边吓走的。我就把这件事推迟了;后来我想我会在昨天告诉你的,要给你一个机会,让你能够从我身边离开。但是我还是没有说。今天早晨我也没有说,就是在你在楼梯口提出把我们各自做的错事说一说的时候——我是一个有罪的人呀!现在我看见你这样严肃地坐在这儿,所以我必须告诉你了。我不知道你是否会宽恕我?”

'O yes! I am sure that--'
“啊,会的!我保证——”

'Well, I hope so. But wait a minute. You don't know. To begin at the beginning. Though I imagine my poor father fears that I am one of the eternally lost for my doctrines, I am of course, a believer in good morals, Tess, as much as you. I used to wish to be a teacher of men, and it was a great disappointment to me when I found I could not enter the Church. I admired spotlessness, even though I could lay no claim to it, and hated impurity, as I hope I do now. Whatever one may think of plenary inspiration, one must heartily subscribe to these words of Paul: "Be thou an example - in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." It is the only safeguard for us poor human beings. "Integer vitae", says a Roman poet, who is strange company for St Paul--
“好吧,我希望你会宽恕我。但是请你等一会儿再说。你还不知道呐。我就从开头说起吧。虽然我想我可怜的父亲担心我是一个永远失去了信仰的人,但是,当然,苔丝,我仍然和你一样是一个相信道德的人。我曾经希望做人们的导师,但是当我发现我不能进入教会的时候,我感到了多么大的失望啊。虽然我没有资格说自己是一个十全十美的人,但是我敬仰纯洁的人,痛恨不纯洁的人,我希望我现在还是如此。无论我们怎样看待完全灵感论,一个人必须诚心承认圣保罗说的话:‘你要做个榜样:在言语上,在谈话中,在仁慈上,在精神上,在信仰上,在纯洁上。’这才是我们可怜人类的唯一保证。‘正直地生活’,一位罗马诗人说过的话,真让人想不到和圣保罗说的完全一样——

The man of upright life, from frailties free,
正直的人的生活中没有缺点,

Stands not in need of Moorish spear or bow.
不需要摩尔人的长矛和弓箭。

Well, a certain place is paved with good intentions, and having felt all that so strongly, you will see what a terrible remorse it bred in me when, in the midst of my fine aims for other people, I myself fell.'
“好啦,某个地方是用良好的愿望铺成的,你会感到一切都是那样奇怪,你还会看见,我心里是多么地懊悔呀,因为我自己堕落了。”

He then told her of that time of his life to which allusion has been made when, tossed about by doubts and difficulties in London, like a cork on the waves, he plunged into eight-and-forty hours' dissipation with a stranger.
他接着告诉苔丝,在他的生活中有段时间产生了幻灭感,因为困惑和困难在伦敦漂泊,就像一个软木塞子在波浪中漂浮一样,跟一个陌生女人过了四十八个小时的放荡生活。