10 Bathsheba in love 
　  
　　Once or twice during the next few days Bathsheba saw Troy working in her hayflelds. He behaved in a pleasant，friendly manner towards her，and she began to lose her fear of him. 
　　‘Cutting your hay is harder work than sword practice！’he told her one day，a smile lighting up his handsome face. 
　　‘Is it？I've never seen sword practice，’she answered. 
　　‘Ah！Would you like to？’asked Troy. 
　　Bathsheba hesitated. She had heard wonderful stories from people who had watched soldiers practising，stories of shining metal flashing through the air. 
　　‘I would like to see it，very much. ’ 
　　‘Well，I'll show you. I can get a sword by this evening. Will you…’and he bent over her，whispering in her ear. 
　　‘Oh no！’said Bathsheba，blushing. ‘I couldn't. ’ 
　　‘Surely you could？ Nobody would know. ’ 
　　‘Well，if I came，Liddy would have to come with me. ’ 
　　‘I don't see why you want to bring her，’Troy said coldly. 
　　‘Well then，I won't bring her—and I'll come. But only for a very short time. ’ 
　　So at eight o'clock that evening，Bathsheba found herself，in spite of her doubts，climbing the hill near her house and go－ing down the other side. Now she was in what seemed like a natural theatre，a deep，round hollow in the ground . It was completely hidden from her house and the path. This was the place where Troy had asked her to meet him. 
　　And Troy，in his bright red uniform，was there. 
　　‘Now，he said，producing his sword，which flashed in the evening sunlight，‘let me show you. One，two，three，four. Like this！A sword can kill a man in a second. ’ 
　　Bathsheba saw a kind of rainbow in the air，and gasped. 
　　‘How cruel and murderous！’she cried. 
　　‘Yes. Now I'll pretend to fight you. You are my enemy，but the only difference from a real fight is that I'll miss you each time. Stand in front of me，and don't move！’ 
　　Bathsheba was beginning to enjoy this. ‘I'll just test you first，’added Troy，‘to see whether you're brave enough. ’ 
　　The sword flashed in the air，from her left to right side. It seemed to go through her body. But there it was again in Troy's hand，perfectly clean and free from blood. 
　　‘Oh！’she cried，frightened. ‘Have you killed me？No，yon haven't！How did you do it？’ 
　　‘I haven't touched you，’said Troy quietly. ‘Now， you aren't afraid，are you？I promise I won't hurt you，or even touch you. ’ 
　　‘I don't think I'm afraid. Is the sword very sharp？’ 
　　‘Oh no—just stand very still. Now！’ 
　　In a second，Bathsheba could no longer see the sky or the ground. The shining weapon flashed above，around and in 110 front of her，catching light from the low sun and whistling as it rushed through the air. Never had Sergeant Troy managed his sword better than today. 
　　‘Your hair is a little untidy，’he said. ‘Allow me，’and before she could move or speak，a curl dropped to the ground. 
　　‘You are very brave，for a woman！’he congratulated her. 
　　‘It was because I didn't expect it. Now I'm afraid of you，I am，really！’ 
　　‘This time I won't even touch your hair. I'm going to kill that insect on your dress. Stand still！’ 
　　Not daring to tremble，she saw the point of his sword coming towards her heart，and，sure that this time she would die，closed her eyes. But when she opened them，she saw the insect，dead，on the point of the sword. 
　　‘It's magic！’she cried. ‘And how could you cut off one of my curls with a sword that isn't sharp？’ 
　　‘It's sharper than any knife，’he said. ‘I had to lie to you about that，to give you the confidence to stand still. ’ 
　　Bathsheba's feelings were almost too much for her to control，and she sat down suddenly in the grass. 
　　‘I could have died，’she whispered. 
　　‘You were perfectly safe，’Troy told her. ‘My sword never makes a mistake. I must leave you now. I'll keep this to re－mind me of you. ’He bent to pick up the curl of hair，which he put carefully in his pocket，next to his heart. She was not strong enough to say or do anything. He came closer，bent 112 again，and a minute later his red coat disappeared through the grass. Bathsheba blushed guiltily and tears rolled down her face. In that minute Troy had kissed her on the lips. 
　　Determined，independent women often show their weakness when they fall in love，and Bathsheba had very little experi-ence of the world，or of men. It was as difficult for her to see Troy's bad qualities，which he kept carefully hidden，as to ad-mire Gabriel Oak's good ones，which were not all obvious at first sight. 
　　One evening a few days later，Gabriel went to find his mis-tress. He knew that she was falling in love，and had decided to warn her of the mistake she was making. He found her walking along a path through the fields. 
　　‘I was worried about your walking alone，miss，’he said. 
　　‘It's rather late，and there are some bad men in the area. ’He was hoping to introduce Troy's name as one of the ‘bad men’. 
　　‘I never meet any，’said Bathsheba lightly. 
　　Gabriel tried again. ‘Farmer Boldwood will be taking care of you in future，of course. ’ 
　　‘What do you mean，Gabriel？’ 
　　‘Well，when you and he are married，miss，as everybody expects. You've let him court you，after all. ’ 
　　‘Everybody is wrong，Gabriel. I didn't promise him any－thing. I respect him，but I won't marry him. ’ 
　　‘I wish you had never met that young Sergeant Troy，114 miss，’be said sadly. ‘He's not good enough for you. ’ 
　　‘How dare you say that！He's of good family，and well－educated！’replied Bathsheba angrily. 
　　‘He can't be trusted，miss. Don't trust him，I beg you. ’ 
　　‘He's as good as anybody in the village！He goes to church regularly！He told me so himself. ’ 
　　‘I'm afraid nobody has ever seen him in church. I certainly haven't. ’Cabriel's heart ached when he saw how completely Bathsheba trusted the soldier. 
　　‘That's because he enters by the old tower door and sits at the back，where he can't be seen，’she replied eagerly. 
　　‘You know，mistress，’said Gabriel in a deep voice full of sadness，‘that I love you and shall love you for ever. I accept that I can't marry you now that I'm poor. But Bathsheba，dear mistress，think of your position！Be careful of your behaviour towards this soldier Mr Boldwood is sixteen years older than you. Consider how well he would lood after you！’ 
　　‘Leave my farm，Cabriel，’said Bathsheba，her face white with anger. ‘You can't speak like that to me，your mistress！’ 
　　‘Don't be foolish！You've already sent me away once. How would you manage without me？No，although I'd like to have my own farm，I'll stay with you，and you know why. ’ 
　　‘Well，I suppose you can stay if you wish. Will you leave me here now please？I ask not as your mistress，but as a woman. 
　　‘Of course，Miss Everdene，’said Gabriel gently. He was a little surprised by her request，as it was getting dark，and they were on a lonely hill some way from her house. As she moved away from him，the reason became clear. The figure of a soldier appeared on the hill and came to meet Bathsheba. Gabriel turned away and walked sadly home. On his way he passed the church，where he looked closely at the old tower door. It was covered with climbing plants，and clearly had not been used for years. 
　　Half an hour later Bathsheba arrived home，with Troy's words of love still in her ears. He had kissed her a second time. Wild and feverish with excitement，she sat down imme-diately to write to Boldwood，to inform him that she could not marry him. The letter would reach him on his business trip. She was so enger to send the letter at once that she called Liddy to post it. 
　　‘Liddy，tell me，’she said urgently，when her maid entered the room，promise me that Sergeant Troy isn't a bad man. Promise me that he doesn't chase girls，as people say！’ 
　　‘But，miss，how can I say he doesn't if he—’ 
　　‘Don't be so cruel，Liddy！Say you don't believe he's had！’ 
　　‘I don't know what to say，miss，’said Liddy，beginning to cry. ‘I'll make you angry whatever I say！’ 
　　‘Oh，how weak I am！How I wish I'd never seen him！You see how much I love him，Liddy！Don't tell anyone my secret，Liddy！’ 
　　‘I'll keep your secret，miss，’said Liddy gently.  
　 
10 芭丝谢芭坠入情网 
　  
　　以后的几天中，芭丝谢芭有一两次看到托伊在干草地里干活。他对她表现出一种和蔼、友好的态度，她不再害怕他了。 
　　“给你割草比练剑更苦！”一天，他对她说，英俊的脸上带着微笑，更加容光焕发。 
　　“是吗？我从没见过练剑，”她答道。 
　　“你愿意看一次吗？”托伊问。 
　　芭丝谢芭有点犹豫。她曾听过看过战士练剑的人讲那些美妙的故事，关于闪亮的金属在空中飞舞的故事。 
　　“我非常愿意看看。” 
　　“好，我表演给你看。我今晚可以弄到一把剑。那你……”他俯身对她耳语着。 
　　“噢，不！”芭丝谢芭羞红了脸说。“我不能。” 
　　“你当然可以。谁也不会知道。” 
　　“要是我来，利蒂也得跟我来。” 
　　“我不懂你为什么要带她，”托伊冷冷地说。 
　　“那好吧，我不带她——我自己来。不过，只来一小会儿。” 
　　那天晚上八点，尽管疑虑重重，芭丝谢芭还是上了她家附近的那座山，然后又从山的另一面下了山。现在她来到的地方看起来像一个天然剧场，一个很深的、圆形的谷底。无论是从她的房里还是从路上都看不到这个地方。这就是托伊要她和他会面的地方。 
　　身着大红军眼的托伊正等在那里。 
　　“现在，”他拿出剑说，剑在夕阳的余辉中闪着光，“让我给你表演表演。一、二、三、四。像这样！倾刻间剑能杀死一个人。” 
　　芭丝谢芭看到空中有一种彩虹，她有点透不过气来。 
　　“多么残酷凶险啊！”她喊道。 
　　“是的。现在我假装和你搏斗。你是敌人，唯一不同于真的搏斗的是每次我都不击中你。站在我面前，别动！” 
　　芭丝谢芭觉得这样挺好玩的。“我先考验你一下，”托伊又说，“看你是否勇敢。” 
　　剑从她的左边至右边，在空中一闪而过。就像穿她的身体而过。可它又落到了托伊手中，干净如初，没有一点血污。 
　　“天哪！”她惊恐地喊到。“你杀死我了吗？不，没有！你是怎么弄的？” 
　　“我没碰你，”托伊平静地说。“怎么，你害怕了，是吗？我说过不会伤着你，连碰都不会碰着你。” 
　　“我并不以为自己害怕。剑很锋利吗？” 
　　“不锋利，站着别动。好！” 
　　刹那间，芭丝谢芭既看不到天也看不到地。剑光闪闪，在她的周围上下翻飞，映着夕阳的余晖，在空中呼啸作声。托伊中士从未像今天这样把剑练得这么好。 
　　“你的头发有点乱，”他说，“允许我，”她还没能动一下或说句话，一绺儿头发已落到了地上。“作为一个女人，你非常勇敢！”他赞叹道。 
　　“那是因为我不知道你会这样。现在，我害怕你了，真的！” 
　　“这次，我都不会碰着你的头发。我要杀死你裙子上的那个虫子。站着别动！” 
　　甚至都不敢抖一下，她看到他的剑尖向自己的心脏刺来。她闭上了眼，确信这次自己必死无疑，等她睁开眼时，她看到那条虫子在剑尖上死了。 
　　“太神奇了！”她叫起来。“你怎么能用不锋利的剑削掉我的头发呢？” 
　　“这把剑比任何一把刀都锋利，”他说，“我只能对你说谎，为的是让你有信心站着别动。” 
　　芭丝谢芭无法控制自己的感情，她跌坐在草地上。 
　　“我差点没了命，”她低声说。 
　　“你绝对安全，”托伊对她说。“我的剑不会出半点差错。现在，我得走了。这个我得留着，好让我想着你。”他弯腰拎起那绺头发，仔细地放到衣袋里，紧贴着他的心口。她仍然软得说不出话，动弹不得。他走近她，俯下身来，他的红上衣马上就消失在草丛里了。她负疚地脸红了，流下了眼泪。就在这一刻，托伊吻了她的双唇。 
　　自主强干的女人坠入情网时，往往会暴露出自身的弱点。芭丝谢芭不谙世事，也不了解男人，因此她很难看到托伊精心掩藏的坏品质，也就无法欣赏盖伯瑞尔·奥克的好品质，况且这种好的品质在初识时并不明显。 
　　几天后的一个晚上，盖伯瑞尔去找他的女主人。他知道她在恋爱，于是决定告诫她，她正在犯错误。他找到她时，她正在田间的一条小路上散步。 
　　“你一个人散步，我挺替你担心，小姐，”他说。“天很晚了，这一带可是有那么几个坏蛋哪！”他是想引出托伊的名字，把他归在“那么几个坏蛋”里。 
　　“我一个也没碰见，”芭丝谢芭轻声说。 
　　盖伯瑞尔重新试探。“将来伯德伍德农场主就会照料你了。” 
　　“你什么意思，盖伯瑞尔？” 
　　“我是说，你和他结婚以后，小姐。大家都这样想。总归是你让他向你求婚的呀。” 
　　“大家都想错了，盖伯瑞尔。我什么也没答应他，我尊重他，可我不会嫁给他的。” 
　　“你真不该见那个年轻的托伊中士，小姐。”他哀伤地说。“他可不大能配得上你。” 
　　“你怎么敢这样说呢！他家境好，又受过良好的教育。”芭丝谢芭生气地回答道。 
　　“他这个人不可信，小姐。别信他，求你啦。” 
　　“他和这个村里的其他任何人都一样，按时上教堂，这是他亲口对我说的。” 
　　“恐怕谁也没在教堂里见过他吧，我是肯定没见过他。”盖伯瑞尔看到芭丝谢芭那样信任那个士兵，心都痛了。 
　　“那是因为他总是从旧塔门进教堂，而且总坐在后排人们看不见的地方。”她急切地回答道。 
　　“你知道吗，主人，”盖伯瑞尔声音低沉，充满伤感，“我爱你，而且将永远爱你。我承认现在我穷，无法娶你。可是芭丝谢芭，我亲爱的主人，你也得想一想自己的情况啊！与那个兵交往时要小心。伯德伍德先生大你16岁，你想想，他肯定会照料好你的！” 
　　“盖伯瑞尔，你得离开我的农场，”芭丝谢芭说，她的睑气得发白。“你不能用那样的口气和我说话，我是你的女主人！” 
　　“别傻了！你已经把我赶走一次了，你没有我怎么能行？不行的。虽然我也想有自己的农场，可是我还是要留下来，你知道这是为了什么。” 
　　“那好吧，如果你想留下来，也可以。不过，请你现在走开好吗？我作为一个女人，而不是你的女主人，求你了。” 
　　“当然可以，伊芙丁小姐。”盖伯瑞尔轻声说道。她的请求令他稍感意外，因为此刻天已渐黑，而此处又是一座偏僻寂静的山上，离开住所尚有一段距离。随着她转身走开，理由便明白了。一个士兵的身影出现在山上，前来与芭丝谢芭相会。盖伯瑞尔转过身去，伤心地回家去了。路过教堂时，他仔细查看了一下那个旧塔门，只见上面覆满藤蔓，显然已经有些年头没有人出入了。 
　　半小时后，芭丝谢芭回到了家，满耳朵灌着托伊的情话。他第二次吻了她，使她激动不已，热情高涨。于是，她立刻坐下来给伯德伍德写信，告诉他自己不能嫁给他。这封信会在他外出办事途中送到他的手里。她急于马上把信发出，于是叫来利蒂，让她去寄。 
　　“利蒂，你告诉我，”她的女仆进屋后，她便急切地说。“对我保证托伊中士不是坏人，对我保证他不像人们说的那样追逐女人。” 
　　“可是，小姐，他追不追女人我也不好说呀……” 
　　“别这么让我痛苦啦，利蒂。对我说你不相信他是坏人。” 
　　“我不知道说什么好，小姐，”利蒂说着哭了起来。“不管我说什么，都会让你生气的！” 
　　“哎呀，我可真软弱，我真不该看见他！你知道我爱他爱极了，利蒂！你千万别把我的秘密告诉别人啊，利蒂！” 
　　“我会替你保密的，小姐。”利蒂轻声地说。 
　　　    


 