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Gabriel thought that twopence did not seem worth bothering about, so he stepped forward. ‘Here，’he said，handing the coins to the gatekeeper，‘let the young woman pass. ’
盖伯瑞尔觉得不值得为两便士如此劳神，所以他走向前。“给，”他说，把硬币递给了守卡人，“让这个姑娘过去。”
The girl in the red jacket looked carelessly down at Gabriel，and told her man to drive on，without even thanking the farmer. Gabriel and the gatekeeper watched the cart move away. ‘That's a lovely young woman，’said the gatekeeper.
穿红色上衣的姑娘不经意地向下看看盖伯瑞尔，吩咐车夫继续赶路，甚至都没有谢一声农夫。盖伯瑞尔和守卡人看着马车走远了。“那个年轻姑娘很漂亮，”守卡人说。
‘But she has her faults，’answered Gabriel.
“不过她有她的缺点，”盖伯瑞尔回答。
‘True，farmer. ’
“没错，农夫。”
‘And the greatest of them is what it always is with women. ’
“最严重的缺点总是与女人为伴。”
‘Wanting to win the argument every time？Oh，you're right. ’
“每次都想取胜？噢，你说得对。”
‘No，her great fault is that she's vain. ’
“不，她最大的缺点是虚荣。”
A few days later，at nearly midnight on the longest night of the year，Gabriel Oak could be heard playing his flute on Nor-combe Hill. The sky was so clear and the stars so visible that the earth could almost be seen turning. In that cold，hard air the sweet notes of the flute rang out. The music came from a little hut on wheels，standing in the corner of a field. Shep－herds'huts like this are used as a shelter during the winter and spring，when shepherds have to stay out all night in the fields，looking after very young lambs.
几天后，在一年中夜最长的那个午夜，可以听到盖伯瑞尔·奥克在诺科姆山上吹笛子。天空是那样晴朗，星星是那样清晰可辨，似乎都能看到地球在转动。在那寒冷的空中回荡着甜美的笛声。在田野的一隅停着一辆车，车上有一间棚屋，音乐即从此传出。冬春两季里，当牧羊人必须整夜呆在户外田野里照料羊羔时，他们的这种棚屋就权当做遮风避寒处。
Gabriel's two hundred and fifty sheep were not yet paid for He knew that，in order to make a success of the farming business，he had to make sure they produced a large number of healthy lambs. So he was determined to spend as many nights as necessary in the fields，to save his lambs from dying of cold or hunger.
盖伯瑞尔的250只羊还没有付钱。他懂得若想靠养羊发迹，他就得保证这些羊能生出大批健康的羊羔。所以他决定需要多少个夜晚留在田野上他就化多少个夜晚，以免羊羔被冻死、饿死。
The hut was warm and quite comfortable inside. There was a stove，and some bread and beer on a shelf. On each side of the hut was a round hole like a window，which could be closed with a piece of wood. These air－holes were usually kept open when the stove was burning， because too much smoke in a small，airless hut could kill the shepherd.
棚屋里很温暖也很舒眼。有一个炉子，架子上有面包和啤酒。在棚屋的两侧各有一个像窗户的圆孔.可以用一块木头关上。当炉子燃着火时，这些通气孔通常是开着的，因为狭小、不通风的小屋中若有过多的烟，会使牧羊人丧生的。
From time to time the sound of the flute stopped， and Gabriel came out of his hut to check his sheep. Whenever he discovered a half-dead new lamb，he brought the creature into the hut. In front of the stove it soon came back to life，and then he could return it to its mother.
笛声不时地停下来，盖伯瑞尔走出他的小屋查看羊群。一旦发现一只半死的新生羊羔，他就把那可怜的东西带到屋里。新生羊羔在炉子前很快就活过来了，然后他就把羊羔送还给它的妈妈。
