Tess wrote a most touching and urgent letter to her mother the very next day, and by the end of the week a response to her communication arrived in Joan Durbeyfield's wandering last-century hand.
第二天，苔絲給母親寫了一封最動情、最緊迫的信，在周末她就收到了母親瓊·德北菲爾德寫給她的回信，信是用上個世紀的花體字寫的。

DEAR TESS, - I write these few lines Hoping they will find you well, as they leave me at Present, thank God for it. Dear Tess, we are all glad to Hear that you are going really to be married soon. But with respect to your question, Tess, I say between ourselves, quite private but very strong, that on no account do you say a word of your Bygone Trouble to him. I did not tell everything to your Father, he being so Proud on account of his Respectability, which, perhaps, your Intended is the same. Many a woman - some of the Highest in the Land - have had a Trouble in their time; and why should you Trumpet yours when others don't Trumpet theirs? No girl would be such a Fool, specially as it is so long ago, and not your Fault at all. I shall answer the same if you ask me fifty times. Besides, you must bear in mind that, knowing it to be your Childish Nature to tell all that's in your heart - so simple! - I made you promise me never to let it out by Word or Deed, having your Welfare in my Mind; and you most solemnly did promise it going from this Door. I have not named either that Question or your coming marriage to your Father, as he would blab it everywhere, poor Simple Man.
親愛的苔絲，——我給你寫一封短信，現(xiàn)在寄出這封信的時候，托上帝的福，我的身體很好，希望你的身體也很好。親愛的苔絲，聽說不久你真的就要結(jié)婚，我們?nèi)胰硕几械胶芨吲d、不過關(guān)于你那個問題，苔絲，要千萬千萬保守秘密，只能讓我們兩個人知道，決不能把你過去的不幸對他說一個字。我沒有把所有的事都告訴你的父親，因為他總以為自己門第高貴，自命不凡，也許你的未婚夫也是如此。許多女人——有些世界上最高貴的女人——一生中也曾有過不幸；為什么她們就可以不聲不響，而你卻要宣揚出去呢？沒有一個女孩子會是這樣傻的，尤其是事情已經(jīng)過去這樣久了，況且本來就不是你的錯。即使你問我五十次，我也是這樣回答你。另外，你一定要把那件事埋在心里，我知道你那種小孩子的天性，愿意把心里的話都告訴別人——你太單純了！——為了你將來的幸福，我曾經(jīng)要你答應(yīng)我，永遠不得以言語和行動泄露你過去的事；你在從這個門口離開的時候，你已經(jīng)鄭重其事地答應(yīng)過我。我還沒有把你那個問題和你現(xiàn)在的婚事，告訴你的父親，因為他一聽說就要到處嚷嚷的，真是一個頭腦簡單的人。

Dear Tess, keep up your Spirits, and we mean to send you a Hogshead of Cyder for your Wedding, knowing there is not much in your parts, and thin Sour Stuff what there is. So no more at present, and with kind love to your Young Man. - From your affectte. Mother, J. DURBEYFIELD.
親愛的苔絲，把你的勇氣鼓起來，我們想在你結(jié)婚的時候送給你一大桶蘋果酒，我們知道你們那一帶的酒不多，而且又淡又酸?，F(xiàn)在不多寫了，代我向你的未婚夫問好?！獝勰愕哪赣H親筆。瓊·德北菲爾德