# ■ 1

One evening at the end of May a middle-aged man was walking home from Shaston to the village of Marlott in the Vale of Blackmoor．His legs were thin and weak，and he could not walk in a straight line．He had an empty egg-basket on his arm， and his hat was old and worn．After a while he passed an elderly parson riding a grey horse．

‘Good night，’said the man with the basket．

‘Good night，Sir John，’said the parson．

After another step or two the man stopped and turned round to speak to the parson．

‘Now，sir，last market-day we met on this road at the same time，and I said “Good night”and you answered“Good night，Sir John，”as you did just now．’

‘I did，’said the parson．

‘And once before that，almost a month ago．’

‘I may have．’

‘So why do you call me Sir John，when I am only John Durbeyfield？’

The parson rode nearer，and after a moment's hesitation，explained：‘It was because I've discovered something of historical interest．I am Parson Tringham，the historian．Do you really not know，Durbeyfield，that you are a direct descendant of the ancient and noble family of the d’Urbervilles？They descended from Sir Pagan d’Urberville，who came from Normandy with William the Conqueror in 1066．’

‘Never heard that before，sir！’

‘Well，it's true．Let me see your face．Yes， you have the d’Urberville nose and chin．D’Urbervilles have owned land and served their King for hundreds of years．There have been many Sir Johns，and you could have been Sir John yourself．’

‘Well！’exclaimed the man．‘And how long has this news about me been known，Parson Tringham？’

‘Nobody knows about it at all，’said the parson．‘I just happened to discover it last spring，when I was trying to find out more about the d’Urbervilles and noticed your name in the village．’

‘I've got an old silver spoon，and an old seal too at home，’said the man，wondering．‘So where do we d”Urbervilles live now，Parson？’

‘You don't live anywhere．You have died，as a noble family．’

‘That's bad．So where do we lie？’

‘In the churchyard at Kingsbere-sub-Greenhill．’

‘And where are our family lands？’

‘You haven't any．’

John Durbeyfield paused．‘And what should I do about it，sir？’

‘Oh，nothing．It's a fact of historical interest，nothing more．Good night．’

‘But you'll come and have some beer with me，Parson Tringham？’

‘No，thank you，not this evening，Durbeyfield．You've had enough already．’The parson rode away，half regretting that he had told Durbeyfield of his discovery．

Durbeyfield walked on a few steps in a dream，then sat down with his basket．In a few minutes a boy appeared．Durbeyfield called to him．

‘Boy！Take this basket！I want you to go and do something for me．’

The boy frowned．‘Who are you，John Durbeyfield，to order me about and call me“boy”？You know my name as well as I know yours！’

‘Do you，do you？That's the secret！Well，Fred，I don't mind telling you that the secret is that I'm one of a noble family．’And Durbeyfield lay back comfortably on the grass．‘Sir John d’Urberville，that's who I am．And I've got the family seal to prove it！’

‘Oh？’

‘Now take up the basket，and tell them in the village to send a horse and carriage to me immediately．Here's a shilling for you．’

This made a difference to the boy's view of the situation．

‘Yes，Sir John．Thank you，Sir John．’

As they spoke，sounds of music came through the evening air from the village．

‘What's that？’said Durbeyfield．‘Have they heard my news already？’

‘It's the women dancing，Sir John．’

The boy went on his way and Durbeyfield lay waiting in the evening sun．Nobody passed by for a long time，and he could just hear the faint music in the distance．

The village of Marlott lies in the beautiful Vale of Blackmoor．Although this valley is only four hours away from London，it has not yet been discovered by tourists and artists．The best view of the vale is from the hills surrounding it；it looks like a map spread out．It is a quiet，sheltered part of the countryside，where the fields are always green and the rivers never dry up．To the south lies the great dividing line of hills．From here to the coast the hills are open，the sun pours down on the huge dry fields，the atmosphere is colourless．But here in the valley lies a completely different countryside，smaller and more delicate．The fields are tiny，the air makes you sleepy，the sky is of the deepest blue．Everywhere you can see a rich greenery of grass and trees，covering smaller hills and valleys．This is the Vale of Blackmoor．

And in the village of Marlott，following ancient custom，the young women gathered to dance every holiday． For this May- Day dance，all wore white dresses．There was a fine，handsome girl among them，with a red ribbon in her hair．As they danced，they noticed a carriage go by． Durbeyfield lay back in it，singing，‘I'm—Sir—John—and—I've—got—a—spoon—and—seal—and—my—family—lies—at—Kingsbere！’The girl with the ribbon，who was called Tess，turned red and said quickly to her friends，‘Father's tired，that's all．’The other girls just laughed but stopped when Tess looked unhappy．The dancing went on．

In the evening the men of the village came to watch and later to join the dancers．Three young strangers，who were passing by，also stopped to look．They explained they were brothers on a walking tour．The older two continued their walk，but the youngest seemed more interested in the girls than his brothers were，and stayed to dance with several of them． As he left the dance， he noticed Tess， who seemed a little sad that he had not chosen her． He looked back from the road， and could still see her in her white dress， standing modestly apart from the dancers． He wished he had danced with her． He wished he had asked her name． But it was too late．He hurried on to join his brothers．

The young stranger had made an impression on Tess． But soon， worried by her father's strange appearance that afternoon，she decided to walk home． After the excitement of the dance， her parents'small cottage was a depressing sight．It was dark inside， as they had only one candle．The furniture was old and worn． There were six children crowded into the tiny space．Their mother was doing the washing at the same time as putting the baby to sleep．Looking after so many children had aged Joan Durbeyfield， but she still showed some of her early prettiness，which Tess had inherited．

‘Let me help with the washing， mother，’said Tess gently．

‘Oh Tess，I'm glad you've come，’said her mother．‘There's something I must tell you．’

‘Is it anything to do with father making such a fool of himself this afternoon？’asked Tess，frowning．

‘That's all part of the excitement！They've discovered we're the oldest family in the whole county，going back a long way！And our real name is d’Urberville！Doesn't that make you proud！That's why your father rode home in the carriage，not because he'd been drinking， as people thought．’

‘I'm glad of that．Will it do us any good， mother？’

‘Oh yes！Great things may come of it．No doubt our noble relations will be arriving in their carriages as soon as they find out．’

‘Where is father now？’asked Tess suddenly．

Her mother did not answer directly．‘He saw the doctor today， you know．It's fat round the heart，he says．That's the cause of his illness． He might last ten years… might last ten months or days．’

Tess looked anxious．Her father， suddenly a great man， to die so soon！‘But where is father？’she asked firmly．

‘Now don't you get angry！’said Mrs Durbeyfield．‘The poor man was feeling so weak after the news that he went to Rolliver's．He needs to build up his strength to deliver the beehives tomorrow，remember．’

‘Oh my God！’cried Tess．‘He went to a public house！And you agreed to it， mother！’

‘No，I didn't，’said Mrs Durbeyfield crossly．‘I've been waiting for you to look after the children while I fetch him．’

Tess knew that her mother greatly looked forwad to these trips to Rolliver's．There she could sit by her husband's side among the beer-drinkers，and forget that the children existed．It was one of the few bright moments in her hardworking life．Mrs Durbeyfield went out，and Tess was left with the children．They were very young，and totally dependent on the Durbeyfield couple：six helpless creatures who had not asked to be born at all，much less to be part of the irresponsible Durbeyfield family．

■ 1

5月末的一天傍晚，有個中年漢子正從夏斯頓回家到黑荒野山谷的馬勒特村去。他雙腿瘦弱，一路東倒西歪。他手挽一個盛雞蛋用的空籃子，帽子又舊又破。走了一會兒，他遇見了一位騎匹灰馬的老牧師。

“晚安。”挽著籃子的人說。

“晚安，約翰爵士，”牧師說道。

剛走出一兩步，這人停了下來，轉過身對牧師說：

“嗯，先生，上次趕集那天，大約也是這個時候，我們在這條路上碰到過的。當時我向您道聲‘晚安’，您也和剛才一樣回答說‘晚安，約翰爵士’。”

“我是那麼說的，”牧師說道。

“而且更早以前還曾有過一回——將近一個月以前吧。”

“我也許是說過的。”

“那麼您為什麼要稱呼我‘約翰爵士’呢？我只不過是約翰·德北呀。”

牧師拍馬走近，略一猶豫，便解釋道：“那是因為最近我發現了一些史實。我是特林厄姆牧師，歷史學家。德北呀，難道你真的不知道自己是那古老而高貴的德伯家族的一支直系後裔嗎？這個家族起始於培根·德伯爵士，他是在1066年隨同征服者威廉國王從諾曼底來到英格蘭的。”

“這事我以前可從沒聽說過，先生！”

“喲，這可是千真萬確的。讓我看看你的臉。沒錯，你有德伯家的鼻子和下巴。德伯家族擁有大片土地，而且數百年來效忠於國王。哦，對啦，你們家族中有過好多個約翰爵士吶，而你自己就可能是一個。”

“哦！”這人驚呼道，“特林厄姆先生，有關我的事情，被發現有多久了？”

“根本沒有人知道，”牧師說，“我是去年春天碰巧發現的，那時我正在努力發掘有關德伯家族的更多情況，於是在村子裡注意到了你的姓氏。”

“我家裡倒是有一把銀匙和一枚舊印。”這人思忖道，“那麼你說，我們德伯家族的人現在住在哪兒呢？”

“你們家族的人哪兒都沒有了。你們這個豪門望族，算是已經完結了。”

“真可悲呀。那麼，我們家族埋在哪兒？”

“綠山底王陴那兒的教堂墓地。”

“我們家族的田地又在哪兒呢？”

“你們什麼也沒有了。”

過了一會兒，約翰·德北又問：“那這事我該怎麼辦呢，先生？”

“唉，毫無辦法。這只是有關歷史的一樁事實，別無他意。告辭了。”

“特林厄姆牧師，您願意來同我一起喝杯啤酒嗎？”

“不，謝謝你啦，今晚不喝了，德北。你已經喝得夠多了。”牧師拍馬離去，有些後悔對德北說了他的發現。

德北走了幾步，做夢一般。隨後，他就挎著籃子坐了下來。過了幾分鐘，來了一個男孩，德北朝他喊道：

“小傢伙，拎著我的籃子！我想要你替我辦點事兒。”

男孩皺起眉頭：“你是誰喲，約翰·德北，對我這麼吆三喝四的，還叫我‘小傢伙’？咱們倆誰還不知道誰叫什麼呀！”

“你知道？你知道我的名字？這可是祕密。嗯，弗雷德，我不妨告訴你吧。這個祕密就是我是貴族人家的一員。”德北美滋滋地在草地上躺下來。“約翰·德伯爵士——那便是我，我有家族的印章可以證明！”

“哦？”

“現在，你拎上籃子，告訴村裡的人立即給我派一輛單馬馬車來。這是給你的一先令。”

有了這錢，小夥子對這事兒的想法就不同了。

“遵命，約翰爵士。謝謝您啦，約翰爵士。”

他們正說著話，一陣音樂聲穿過夜空從村頭傳來。

“怎麼回事？”德北說，“他們已經得知我的新聞了嗎？”

“那是婦女舞會，約翰爵士。”

男孩上路走了，德北躺在夕陽下等著。好長一段時間，沒有人路過那兒，他只聽到那悠遠的音樂。

馬勒特村位於美麗的黑荒野山谷。雖然山谷距倫敦只有四小時的路程，卻尚未被遊客和藝術家們發現。眺望山谷的最好視角是在環繞的山巒上；從那兒看過去，它宛如一幅平展的地圖。這是一片巒嶂掩蔽的寧靜鄉村，田地總是鬱鬱蔥蔥的，溪流從不幹涸。往南是聳立的山脈。由此往海岸去，山巒平緩開闊，陽光傾射在大片乾涸的土地上，空氣了無色彩。但在這裡的山谷間，卻是一派迥異的鄉村景緻，更小更精巧。田地不大，空氣催人入夢，天空是最深最深的湛藍。處處可見那樹木草地的欲滴翠綠，覆蓋了滿山遍谷。這就是黑荒野山谷。

在馬勒特村，遵從古老的習俗，每到假日，年輕婦女們都聚在一起跳舞。為這一次五月節，婦女們都身穿白衣裳。其中有一位纖秀好看的姑娘，頭戴紅色的髮帶。就在她們跳著舞時，她們看到一輛馬車馳過。德北正仰身坐靠其中，唱道：“我是約翰爵士，我有銀匙和印章，我的家庭埋在王陴那裡。”那個頭戴紅髮帶、名叫苔絲的姑娘臉都漲紅了，趕忙對夥伴們說：“父親累了，就這麼回事。”其他的姑娘全都大笑起來，但當她們察覺到苔絲的不悅時便停住了。舞會仍在繼續進行著。

傍晚，村裡的男人們趕來觀看，並跟著跳了起來。還有三個路過的陌生人也停下來看了一會兒。他們解釋說，他們兄弟三人正在遠足旅行的途中。後來兩個哥哥繼續趕路了，而老三似乎比哥哥們對姑娘更感興趣。他待了會兒，並和幾個姑娘跳了舞。就在他離開舞會時，他注意到了苔絲。她看起來有點兒傷心，因為他沒有邀她跳舞。當他在路上回頭張望時，仍能見到穿著一身白色衣裙的她，優雅端莊地站在一群跳舞者的旁邊。他真希望自己當初請她跳了舞，還想問問她的芳名，但現在已經來不及了。他要儘快趕上他的哥哥們。

陌生的年輕人給苔絲留下了印象，但很快苔絲想起了父親下午古怪的模樣，有些擔心。於是她決定走回家去。她剛剛走出舞會，有些興奮，她們家的小屋便顯得有些抑鬱。因為只有一根蠟燭，屋子裡很昏暗。傢俱都是又舊又破的，還有六個孩子擠在這麼一個小地方。苔絲的母親一邊在哄小寶寶入睡，一邊洗著衣服。一個人要照料這麼多孩子，這加速了瓊·德北的衰老，但從她身上仍不難看出幾分年輕時的姿色。苔絲承襲了母親的美貌。

“讓我幫你洗吧，媽，”苔絲溫柔地說。

“喲，苔絲，你回來了我真高興，”她母親說，“我正有事兒要跟你說呢。”

“是關於爸爸下午出醜的事兒嗎？”苔絲皺著眉頭問道。

“就是那件讓人激動的事兒！有人發現我們是整個郡裡最古老的家族。有好長的歷史哩！我們的真實姓氏是德伯！這不讓你覺得驕傲嗎？你爸爸就是因為這個才乘著馬車回家的，可不像人家想的那樣，是因為喝醉了酒。”

“我很高興有這麼回事兒。這對我們有什麼好處嗎，媽？”

“哦，當然！沒準兒能由此產生一些大好事兒呢！毫無疑問，我們那些高貴的親戚一旦得知此事，就會乘坐馬車來看望我們的。”

“現在爸爸在哪兒？”苔絲突然問道。

母親沒有直接回答：“你知道他今天去看醫生了。說病因是心臟周圍堆了脂肪。也許他能再活十年……再活十個月或者十天。”

苔絲愁容滿面。她的父親，一個突然間變得如此偉大的人物，會這麼快就死去！“但爸爸在哪兒啊？”她加重語氣問道。

“嗯，你可別生氣，”德北夫人說，“這可憐的人兒在聽說了那則特大消息後，就渾身酥軟啦，他只好去了羅裡弗酒店。他需要積蓄點兒力氣，要知道，明早他還得趕運那些蜂箱呢。”

“哦，天哪！”苔絲叫了起來，“他上酒店了！而你卻同意了，媽！”

“不，我沒有同意。”德北夫人生氣地說。“我一直在等著你回來照看孩子們，這樣我就可以去接他了。”

苔絲知道母親非常希望到羅裡弗酒店去。在那兒，她可以挨著丈夫坐在一群喝啤酒的人當中，忘掉孩子們的存在。這是她繁重的生活中難得的一小段幸福時光。德北夫人出去了，苔絲留下來與弟弟妹妹們在一起。他們都還這麼小，還全得依靠德北夫婦：六個無助的小生命，他們自己並沒有要求降臨到這個世界上，更沒有想要成為（這樣）不能盡責的德北家庭中的成員。