13 The storm 
　  
　　There was always a harvest supper for the farm workers after all the hay and wheat had been cut. On behalf of his wife，Sergeant Troy decided to have it one evening at the end of August，in the great barn. The weather was unpleas-antly warm that night. On his way to the harvest supper Gabriel stopped to check the eight huge hay－and wheat－ricks. If，as he suspected，there was a storm，the ricks，which were all uncovered，would be badly damaged. 
　　He went on to the barn，where the farm workers had already finished eating and started dancing. Gabriel had to wait until Sergeant Troy had finished his dance with Bathshe-ba before he could warn him about possible damage to the ricks. Troy，however，was enjoying himself too much to listen to Gabriel's message. 
　　‘Friends，’he was saying，‘I've ordered brandy to be served to you all，so that we can celebrate my wedding properly. ’ 
　　‘No，Frank，don't give them brandy，’begged Bathsheba，‘it will only do them harm！’ 
　　‘Don't be silly！’said Troy. ‘Friends，let's send the women home！Then we men can drink and sing as much as we like！’Angrily，Bathsheba left the barn，followed by the other women. 
　　Gabriel left soon afterwards Later，when he went to check that Bathsheba's sheep were safe，he noticed that they looked very frightened. They were crowded together in a corner，their tails pointing the same way. To the shepherd this meant they were expecting a storm. He went to look at the ricks again. Should the whole harvest of the farm，worth at least seven hundred and fifty pounds，be lost because of a woman's weakness？Never，if I can prevent it！thought Gabriel. 
　　He returned to the barn to ask the other farm workers to help him cover the ricks. But the only noise he could hear coming from the barn was the men's loud and regular breathing，and when he entered，he found them all asleep，in-cluding Troy. The brandy，which they had been too polite to refuse，had made them drunk in a very short time，as they were not used to drinking anything stronger than beer. It was useless trying to wake them. 
　　Gabriel left the barn，and returned to the ricks，two of which he managed to cover with the heavy material kept on the farm for this purpose. The only way to cover the other six ricks was by thatching them with straw，and this was a long and difficult job to do alone. 
　　The moon disappeared，and there was a slow，light wind，like the breath of a dying man，as Gabriel climbed the ladder and started thatching high up on top of the third rick. Light－ning flashed in the sky，and there was a loud crash of thunder. In the sudden brightness Gabriel could see every tree around him，until the light disappeared just as suddenly，leaving him in the blackest darkness. He knew his position was dangerous，but considered his life was not valuable enough to worry about. 
　　Another flash of lightning allowed him to see the figure of a woman running towards the rick. Was it Bathsheba？ 
　　‘Is that you，ma'am？’he called to the darkness. 
　　‘Who's there？’said Bathsheba's voice. 
　　‘It's Gabriel. I'm on the rick，thatching. ’ 
　　‘Oh Gabriel！I'm so worried about the ricks！Can we save them？The thunder woke me. I can't find my husband. Is he there？’ 
　　‘No，he isn't. He's—asleep in the barn. ’ 
　　‘He promised me the ricks would be covered，and he hasn't done it！Can I help you？Let me help！’ 
　　‘You can bring the straw up to me in armfuls，if you aren't afraid to climb the ladder in the dark，’said Gabriel. 
　　‘I'll do anything to help！’she said. She started to go up and down the ladder，carrying the straw. In the brightness of the lightning Gabriel saw their two shadows，wildly enlarged，on the hill in front of him. Then came the loudest crash so far. 
　　‘How terrible！’cried Bathsheba，and held on to his arm. The lightning flashed in a wild dance of death，and thunder came from every part of the huge sky. Bathsheba and Gabriel could only stare，and tremble at the strange and dangerous beauty of the storm. 
　　As they watched，a tall tree in front of them seemed to be burning with a white flame. There was a final，violent crash of thunder，and in the bright light they saw that the tree had been torn in half by the lightning. 
　　‘That was close to us！’said Gabriel. ‘We'd better go down. ’They climbed down and stood together in the darkness，Bathsheba seeming to think only of the storm，Gabriel thinking only of her. 
　　At last he said，‘The storm appears to have passed，but the rain will be coming soon. I'll go up and finish thatching the ricks. ’ 
　　‘Gabriel，you are kind to me！Oh why aren't the others here？Don't tell me，I know. They're all drunk in the barn，aren't they？It was my husband's fault. Gabriel，I want to tell you something. ’The soft flashes of the dying lightning showed her face，very white against the black sky. ‘I care about your good opinion of me，so I want to explain why I went to Bath that night. It wasn't to marry Troy，it was to break off my relationship with him. Perhaps you wonder why I married him then？Well，I suppose I must tell you. It was because he told me he had seen a woman more beautiful than me，and said that if I wanted him as a husband，I must marry him at once！I was wild with love and jealousy，so I married him！’Gabriel did not reply. 
　　‘I'll bring some more straw up to you，shall I？’she offered. 
　　She made several more journeys before he noticed her tired－ness. ‘I think you'd better go indoors now，’he said，as gently as a mother. ‘I'll finish the work alone. ’ 
　　‘If I'm useless，I'll go，’said Bathsheba. ‘But，oh，if you fell…！’ 
　　‘You aren't useless，but you're tired. You've done well. ’ 
　　‘And you've done better，’she said gratefully. ‘Thank you a thousand times，Gabriel！Goodnight. ’ 
　　She disappeared in the darkness. He went on thatching in a kind of dream. She had spoken more warmly to him tonight than she had ever done when she was unmarried and free to speak as warmly as she liked. 
　　The wind changed and became stronger. At the same time heavy rain started falling. As Gabriel worked on the top of the ricks，he suddenly remembered that，eight months before，he had been fighting against fire in the same place as desperately as he was fighting against water now—and for love of the same woman，who did not love him. 
　　It was not until seven o'clock in the morning that Gabriel climbed down from the last rick，exhausted and wet to the skin. He noticed figures coming out of the barn，walking slowly and painfully to their homes. They all looked ashamed except Troy，who was whistling cheerfully as he entered the farmhouse. None of them thought of looking at the ricks. 
　　On his way back to Coggan's house，Gabriel met Boldwood. 
　　‘How are you，sir？’asked Gabriel. 
　　150 
　　‘Yes，it's a wet day. Oh，I'm very well，thank you. ’ 
　　‘You look a little different，sir. ’ 
　　‘No，you're wrong，Oak. I'm just the same. Nothing hurts me. But you look tired. ’ 
　　‘I've been working all night to get our ricks covered. Never worked so hard in my life！Yours are safe of course，sir？’ 
　　‘Oh yes. ’Boldwood added after a silence，‘What did you ask？’ 
　　‘Your ricks are all covered？’ 
　　‘No，none of them. I forgot to tell the men to thatch them. I expect most of my wheat will be destroyed in this rain. ’ 
　　‘Forgot，’repeated Gabriel to himself. It was difficult to believe that the most careful farmer in the area would lose all his harvest because of a moment's forgetfulness. This would never have happened before Boldwood fell in love with Bathsheba. 
　　Boldwood clearly wanted to talk，although it was still raining heavily. ‘Oak，you knew I wanted to get married. ’ 
　　‘I thought my mistress was going to marry you，’said Gabriel sympathetically. ‘However，nothing that we expect ever happens. ’ 
　　He spoke with the calmness of a man used to disaster. 
　　‘Perhaps the villagers laugh at me，’said Boldwood with a pretended lightness. 
　　‘Oh no，I don't think so. ’ 
　　‘But the truth is that we were never engaged，so she never broke off the engagement，you see. ’But Boldwood could not remain calm. ‘Oh Gabriel，’he said wildly，‘I'm weak and foolish，and I feel it's better to die than to live！’After a silence，he continued more normally. ‘I've accepted the fact of her refusal now. I'm sorry，of course，but no woman has ever controlled my life. Well，good morning. ’  
　 
13 风暴 
　  
　　每当所有的干草和麦子全都收割完毕，农场主总会请在农场干活的人们吃一次丰收晚餐。托伊中士代表他的妻子决定于八月底的一个晚上在大谷仓举办晚宴。那晚，天气很热，使人颇感不适。盖伯瑞尔走在路上，停下来查看那八个麦垛。如果像他想的那样有风暴，那么，这些完全没有覆盖着的麦垛将会惨遭毁坏。 
　　他向前走，到了谷仓，干活的人们已经吃完，开始跳起舞来。盖伯瑞尔只得等托伊中士同芭丝谢芭跳完舞，然后才提醒他麦垛可能会遭受的损失。可是，托伊兴致正浓，盖伯瑞尔的话哪里听得进去。 
　　“朋友们，”他说，“我为你们大家订了白兰地，大家可以尽情庆祝我的婚礼！” 
　　“弗兰克，不行啊，别给他们喝白兰地，”芭丝谢芭央求道。“这对他们没好处！” 
　　“你别犯傻！”托伊说，“朋友们，咱们把女人们送回家，留下咱们男人喝个痛快，喝个痛快！“芭丝谢芭生气地走了，后边跟着其他的妇女们。 
　　盖伯瑞尔随后也很快离开了。后来，他又去查看芭丝谢芭的羊，注意到那些羊显得很惊恐。它们在角落里挤成一团，尾巴翘向同一个方向。牧羊人一看就明白，这表明羊群知道暴风雨即将来临。他又去查看麦垛。这是农场的全部收成，至少也值750镑，能让它因为一个女人的软弱便毁之一旦吗？不能，我得设法保护！盖伯瑞尔想。 
　　他返回谷仓，想请其他人们帮他把麦垛盖上。但是，谷仓里传来的声音只有人们大声而有节奏的呼吸，他进去发现人们都睡着了，包括托伊。人们出于礼貌而无法拒绝的白兰地很快就把他们醉倒了，因为他们并不习惯喝比啤酒劲大的酒。想叫醒他们是不行了。 
　　盖伯瑞尔离开谷仓，回到麦垛边，用农场上的遮盖布把其中两垛盖上。若想把其他六垛也盖起来，唯一的办法便是用稻草盖，可一个人单独干，既费时又费力。 
　　月亮消失了，轻风缓缓刮起，仿佛垂死的人的呼吸。这时，盖伯瑞尔爬上梯子，开始在第三垛上盖稻草。天上开始闪电，雷声大作。闪电的一刹那，盖伯瑞尔看到了四周的每一棵树；电光迅即消失，又把他淹没在漆黑的黑暗之中。他知道自己处境危险，但却认为他的生命不值得担心。 
　　又一次闪电中，他看到一个女人的身影向麦垛跑来。难道是芭丝谢芭吗？ 
　　“是你吗，太太？”他向黑暗中大喊。 
　　“谁呀？”是芭丝谢芭的声音。 
　　“盖伯瑞尔，我在麦垛上盖稻草呢。” 
　　“是你，盖伯瑞尔！我正担心这些草垛、麦垛呢！有办法吗？雷声把我惊醒了，我丈夫也找不到。他在这儿吗？” 
　　“他没在。他——他在仓房睡着了。” 
　　“他还答应要把麦垛盖上，可他并没有益！我能帮你吗？我来帮你干吧。” 
　　“你要不怕在这黑天里爬梯子，就给我往上抱稻草吧。”盖伯瑞尔说。 
　　“只要能帮忙，我干什么都可以！”芭丝谢芭喊道。她开始上梯子，爬上爬下地递着稻草。在闪电的光亮里，盖伯瑞尔看见了他们两个身影夸张地映在他面前的小山上。又是一声炸雷。 
　　“太可怕了！”芭丝谢芭叫起来，一边拉住了他的胳膊。一道电光闪过，跳着狂烈的死亡之舞，接着雷声从广阔天空的四面八方传来。这是罕见的暴风雨，很危险，芭丝谢苞和盖伯瑞尔看了，浑身直发抖。 
　　他们看到面前的一棵大树似乎着了火，闪着白色的火苗。接着又是一声巨雷，在耀眼的亮光中，他们看见那棵树被闪电劈成了两半。 
　　“这离咱们太近了！”盖伯瑞尔说。“咱们最好下去。”他们爬下来，在黑暗中一起站着。芭丝谢芭似乎只想着风暴，而盖伯瑞尔却只想着她。 
　　最后，他说：“风暴像是过去了，不过雨很快就会来的。我上去把麦垛盖完吧。” 
　　“盖怕瑞尔，你对我真好！哎呀，他们在哪儿呢？不说我也知道，都醉倒在仓房里了吧？都怨我丈夫。盖伯瑞尔，我想告诉你。”闪电将尽，柔和的亮光照亮了她的脸，映衬着墨黑的天空，非常苍白。“你觉得我好，我十分在意，所以我想对你解释那一晚我去巴斯的原因。我并不是去嫁给托伊的，而是想去和他断绝关系。可能你纳闷我为什么又嫁给了他吧？这个，我想我必须告诉你。他告诉我他看到一个比我漂亮的女人，如果我想让他做我的丈夫，我就必须立即同他结婚！我爱得发狂，嫉妒得要命，就和他结了婚！”盖伯瑞尔没有说什么。 
　　“我给你再抱些稻草，好吗？”她提议。 
　　她又上下几趟，他才注意到她的倦容。“我想你还是回屋内吧，”他像母亲一样温柔地说。“我一个人干完。” 
　　“如果我没用，我就走，”芭丝谢芭说。“可你要是觉得……” 
　　“你不是没用，你是累了。你干得挺好的。” 
　　“你干得更好，”她感激地说，“我对你感谢不尽，盖伯瑞尔！晚安。” 
　　她消失在黑暗中。盖伯瑞尔像在梦幻中一样继续盖稻草。比起她未婚时和自由自在地热情交谈时，今晚她的态度可热情多了。 
　　风向变了，风更大了。与此同时，开始下起了倾盆大雨。盖伯瑞尔在麦垛上干着活，突然记起八个月前他曾在这儿奋力救火，正如他现在拼命救灾一样——为了同一个他爱的女人，而这个女人却并不爱他。 
　　直到早上七点，盖伯瑞尔才从最后一堆麦垛上下来。他筋疲力竭，浑身湿透。他看到有人从仓房中出来，缓慢、痛苦地走回家去。他们都面带愧色，可托伊却不，他兴高采烈地吹着口哨回到房里。他们谁也没想到要看麦垛一眼。 
　　盖伯瑞尔在回考根家的路上，遇到了伯德伍德。 
　　“你好吗，先生？”盖伯瑞尔问道。 
　　“是啊。下雨天。噢，我挺好的，谢谢。” 
　　“你看上去有点异样，先生。” 
　　“没有，奥克，你说错了。我还是那样。没什么会让我悲伤。不过你倒是看着挺疲劳的。” 
　　“我一整夜都在给麦垛盖稻草。一辈子还没这么狠干过呢！你的麦垛没事吧，先生？” 
　　“嗯，挺好的。”伯德伍德沉默了一会儿，又说，“你问什么来着？” 
　　“你的麦垛都盖好了吗？” 
　　“没有，一垛也没盖。我忘记对他们说了。我估计我的大部分麦子都让这场雨给毁了。” 
　　“忘记了，”盖伯瑞尔自语道。难以相信这一带最细心的农场主会因一时疏忽而失掉全部收成。这种事情在伯德伍德爱上芭丝谢芭以前是绝不可能发生的。 
　　伯德伍德显然想说话，尽管天还下着大雨。“奥克，你知道我曾想结婚吧。” 
　　“我本以为我的女主人会嫁给你的，”盖伯瑞尔同情地说。“可是我们预料的事情没有发生。” 
　　他说话时语气平静，就象一个饱经灾患的人。 
　　“可能村民们都在嘲笑我吧，”伯德伍德故作轻松地说。 
　　“没有吧，我觉得不会。” 
　　“但事实上我俩从未订过婚，所以她也从未违背婚约，你看是吧。”但是，伯德伍德无法保持平静。“盖伯瑞尔啊，”他激烈地说。“我又软弱，又蠢，我觉得活着还不如死了好！”沉默了片刻，他恢复了常态，接着又说，“我接受了她的拒绝，当然，我很遗憾没有一个女人曾经支配过我的生命。好吧，就这样，再见。” 
　　　    


 