Chapter 2 Godfrey and Dunstan Cass(1)
第二章戈弗雷·凱斯和鄧斯坦·凱斯（一）
The most important person in Raveloe was Squire Cass, a gentleman farmer, who lived with his three sons in the handsome red house opposite the church, and owned a number of farms outside the village. His wife had died many years before.
拉弗爾最重要的人物是鄉紳凱斯，他妻子多年前就去世了。他與他的三個兒子住在教堂對面漂亮的紅樓裏，在村外擁有許多家農場。
One dark November evening, fifteen years after Silas Marner had first arrived in Raveloe, some of the villagers were drinking beer in the public house, the Rainbow. Old Mr Macey, the church clerk, was remembering the Squire's wife.
十一月的一個黑漆漆的夜晚，在塞拉斯·馬南到拉弗爾村的十五年後，一些村民在一家叫“彩虹”的酒館裏喝啤酒。教堂職員老梅西先生正在緬懷鄉紳的妻子。
‘She was a wonderful lady,’ he said shaking his grey head sadly. ‘Everything was always so pretty and clean at the Red House when she was alive! When she died, all those years ago, the poor Squire, well, he didn't know what to do. And he's still lonely, believe me! That’s why we often see him in here in the evenings. And another thing, if poor Mrs Cass were alive today, I’m sure she'd be very disappointed with her sons. The Squire should make those boys do some work, but instead he lets them stay at home and gives them money to spend on horses, or gambling, or women!’
“她是一位很好的女士，”他傷心地搖搖頭髮都灰白的頭說。“她活着時，紅樓裏的一切都那麼漂亮和乾淨！許多年前，她去世時，可憐的鄉紳，唉，他不知道該怎麼辦。他很孤獨，信我說的！所以我們晚上經常能在這看到他。還有一件事，要是凱斯太太現在還活着的話，我肯定她會對她的兒子們很失望。鄉紳應該讓那些男孩做些工作，但他卻讓他們呆家裏遊手好閒，還給他們錢玩馬，賭博，或找女人！”
‘Come, come, Mr Macey,’ said the landlord. ‘They're rich young gentlemen, after all. You can’t expect them to work on the farms like us country people. But you're right about Dunstan Cass. He’s a bad one, he is. Always borrowing money and never paying it back. Always gambling, always in trouble! He'll come to a bad end, he will!’
“行了，行了，梅西先生，”酒館店主說。“他們畢竟是富有的年輕紳士。你不能指望他們像我們鄉下人一樣在農場幹活。但鄧斯坦·凱斯你是說對了。他是個壞傢伙。老是借錢又不還錢。還總愛賭博、總惹麻煩！他不會有好結局的，他不會！”
‘But the other two are different,’ said the butcher, a red-faced, smiling man. ‘Bob Cass is still only a boy. And Mr Godfrey, the eldest, well, I don’t believe he’ll be like his brother Dunstan. Just look at him! He’s got an open, honest face. And he's going to inherit the Squire’s money and all the land. And what's more, he's going to marry Miss Nancy Lammeter. When she moves into the Red House as Mrs Godfrey Cass, she'll make life more comfortable for all the Casses. She’ll save the Squire money too-the Lammeters have the best of everything in their house, but they’re very careful with their money.’
“但另外兩個不一樣，”笑眯眯的紅臉屠夫說。“鮑勃·凱斯還只是個男孩。戈弗雷先生，最大的那個，呃，我不相信他會像他的弟弟鄧斯坦。看看他！他有一張坦率誠實的臉。他會繼承鄉紳的錢和所有土地。更重要的是，他要娶南希·拉默特小姐。當她以戈弗雷·凱斯夫人的身份搬進紅樓時，她會讓所有凱斯家的人都生活得更加舒適。她也能省下鄉紳的錢——拉默特家的房子裏有各種好東西，但他們花錢很小心。”
The farrier, a small man with a sharp face, always enjoyed disagreeing with the butcher. ‘Mr Godfrey marry Miss Nancy!' he laughed. ‘That’s what you think! Haven't you noticed how Miss Nancy has changed towards Godfrey since last year? You remember, he was away from home, for days and days. Nobody knows what he was doing, but Godfrey hasn't been the same since then. Miss Nancy isn't stupid -she won’t marry a man she can't trust!’
長着尖臉的小個子男人蹄鐵匠總愛跟屠夫過不去。“戈弗雷先生娶南希小姐！”他哈哈大笑。“只有你才這麼想！你沒注意到從去年起南希小姐對戈弗雷的態度變了嗎？你還記得，他離開過家好些天吧。沒人知道他做了什麼，但從那以後戈弗雷就不一樣了。南希小姐又不傻——她不會嫁給一個她不信任的男人！”
The landlord always tried to prevent his customers from arguing. ‘What you all say is very true. But let’s hope that Mr Godfrey doesn't lose his chance of marrying Miss Nancy.’
酒館店主總是極力勸阻顧客爭吵。“你們說的都是事實。但願戈弗雷先生不會錯失娶南希小姐的機會。”
Meanwhile, at the Red House, Godfrey Cass was waiting for his brother in the sitting-room, with a very worried expression on his handsome face. Soon the door opened, and a heavy-looking young man entered. It was Dunstan. He had clearly been drinking.
此時，紅樓裏，戈弗雷·凱斯正在客廳裏等他弟弟，他俊俏的臉上滿是憂心忡忡的表情。不久，門開了，一個面容粗獷的年輕人走了進來。是鄧斯坦。顯然他喝酒了。
‘How I hate him!’ thought Godfrey.
“真討厭他！”戈弗雷想。
‘Well, sir,’ said Dunstan unpleasantly, ‘you sent for me, and as you're the oldest, and you’ll be the Squire one day. I have to obey you. So what do you want?’
“呃，先生，”鄧斯坦不悅地說，“把我叫來，是因爲你年紀最大，總有一天你會成爲鄉紳。我必須服從你。那麼，你叫我來做什麼？”
‘Just listen, will you?' replied Godfrey angrily, ‘if you aren't too drunk to understand! You must pay me back the money I lent you last month. You know I got it from Fowler of Church Farm. He owed the money to the Squire, and asked me to give it to him. Now the Squire is angry with Fowler for not paying, and I've got to give the money back!’
“仔細聽着，行嗎？”戈弗雷憤憤地回，“如果你沒喝得太醉，能聽懂我說話！你必須把我上個月借給你的錢還給我。你知道我是從教會農場的福勒那拿來的錢。他欠鄉紳的錢，讓我把錢還他。現在鄉紳因福勒沒錢還他很生氣，我得把錢還他！”
Dunstan came close to Godfrey and smiled in an evil way. ‘Well, my dear kind brother, why don't you find the money yourself? That would be much less trouble for me!’
鄧斯坦走近戈弗雷，不懷好意地笑了笑。“好吧，我親愛的好兄弟，你爲什麼不自己去弄錢呢？那讓我也少了麻煩！”
Godfrey controlled himself with difficulty. ‘Don't smile at me like that, or I'll hit you!’
戈弗雷極力控制住自己。“別那樣對我笑，否則我會打你！”
‘Oh no, you won’t,’ answered Dunstan. ‘Because if you do, I’ll tell the Squire your secret. I'll tell him that his handsome eldest son fell in love with that poor girl Molly in the town, and married her in a hurry. The Squire'll be angry because you married her in secret, and he’ll disinherit you. Then I’ll get the house and land when the old man dies! But don't worry, I’m a good brother to you. I won't tell him, and you’ll find the money to pay back, I know you will.'
“哦，不，你不會的，”鄧斯坦回。“你要是打我，我就向鄉紳告發你的祕密。我要告訴他，他英俊的長子愛上了城裏的貧苦女孩莫莉，並且還閃婚了。鄉紳會大發雷霆，因爲你擅自娶了她，他也會剝奪你的繼承權。到時候等老人死了我就能拿到房子和土地！但別擔心，我是你的好兄弟。我不會告訴他的，你會弄到錢的，我知道你會的。
PS:本書爲書蟲系列四級讀物，由英國著名女作家喬治·艾略特所著、英國書蟲系列著名作家克萊爾·韋斯特改寫。
英文爲書蟲系列原文，譯文是筆者翻譯。本文僅因個人興趣而譯，故本文謝絕轉載和各種商業用途，同時承諾若出現任何責任由作者承擔，必要時簡書可刪除文章。