目 录 上一节 下一节 
我无法消除他的疑虑，便只好低下头去看他那双站立在地毯上的大脚，还叹了一口气，巴不得自己离得远一些。 "I hope that sigh is from the heart, and that you repent of everhaving been the occasion of discomfort to your excellentbenefactress."" 但愿你的叹息是发自内心的，但愿你已后悔不该给你的大恩人带来烦恼。" "Benefactress! benefactress!" said I inwardly: "they all call Mrs.Reed my benefactress; if so, a benefactress is a disagreeablething."" 恩人！恩人！"我心里嘀咕着，"他们都说里德太太是我的恩人，要真是这样，那么恩人倒是个讨厌的家伙。" "Do you say your prayers night and morning?" continued myinterrogator." 你早晚都祷告吗？"我的询问者继续说。 "Yes, sir."" 是的，先生。" 
你读《圣经》吗？" "Sometimes."" 有时候读。" "With pleasure? Are you fond of it?"" 高兴读吗？喜欢不喜欢？" "I like Revelations, and the book of Daniel, and Genesis and Samuel,and a little bit of Exodus, and some parts of Kings and Chronicles,and Job and Jonah."" 我喜欢《启示录》、《但以理书》、《创世纪》和《撒母耳记》，《出埃及记》的一 小部分，《列王记》和《历代志》的几个部分，还有《约伯》和《约拿书》。" 
还有《诗篇》呢？我想你也喜欢吧。" "No, sir."" 不喜欢，先生。" "No? oh, shocking! I have a little boy, younger than you, who knowssix Psalms by heart: and when you ask him which he would ratherhave, a gingerbread-nut to eat or a verse of a Psalm to learn, hesays: 'Oh! the verse of a Psalm! angels sing Psalms;' says he, 'Iwish to be a little angel here below;' he then gets two nuts inrecompense for his infant piety."" 不喜欢？哎呀，真让人吃惊！有个小男孩，比你年纪还小，却能背六首赞美诗。你要是问他，愿意吃姜饼呢，不是背一首赞美诗，他会就'啊，背赞美诗！因为天使也唱。'还说'我真希望当一个人间的小天使，'随后他得到了两块姜饼，作为他小小年纪就那么虔诚的报偿。" "Psalms are not interesting," I remarked." 赞美诗很乏味，"我说。 "That proves you have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God tochange it: to give you a new and clean one: to take away yourheart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."" 这说明你心很坏，你应当祈求上帝给你换一颗新的纯洁的心，把那颗石头般的心取走，赐给你一颗血肉之心。" 
我正要问他换心的手术怎样做时，里德太太插嘴了，吩咐我坐下来，随后她接着话题谈了下去。 "Mr. Brocklehurst, I believe I intimated in the letter which I wroteto you three weeks ago, that this little girl has not quite thecharacter and disposition I could wish: should you admit her intoLowood school, I should be glad if the superintendent and teacherswere requested to keep a strict eye on her, and, above all, to guardagainst her worst fault, a tendency to deceit. I mention this inyour hearing, Jane, that you may not attempt to impose on Mr.Brocklehurst."" 布罗克赫斯特先生，我相信三个星期以前我给你的信中曾经提到，这个小姑娘缺乏我所期望的人品与气质。如果你准许她进罗沃德学校，我乐意恭请校长和教师们对她严加看管，尤其要提防她身上最大的毛病，一种爱说谎的习性。我当着你的面说这件事，简，目的是让你不好再瞒骗布罗克赫斯特先生。" Well might I dread, well might I dislike Mrs. Reed; for it was hernature to wound me cruelly; never was I happy in her presence;however carefully I obeyed, however strenuously I strove to pleaseher, my efforts were still repulsed and repaid by such sentences asthe above. Now, uttered before a stranger, the accusation cut me tothe heart; I dimly perceived that she was already obliterating hopefrom the new phase of existence which she destined me to enter; Ifelt, though I could not have expressed the feeling, that she wassowing aversion and unkindness along my future path; I saw myselftransformed under Mr. Brocklehurst's eye into an artful, noxiouschild, and what could I do to remedy the injury? 我满有理由害怕里德太太，讨厌她，因为她生性就爱刻毒地伤害我，在她面前我从来不会愉快。不管我怎样陪着小心顺从好，千方百计讨她喜心，我的努力仍然受到鄙夷，并被报之以上述这类言词。她当着陌生人的面，竟如此指控我，实在伤透了我的心。我依稀感到，她抹去了我对新生活所怀的希望，这种生活是她特意为我安排的。尽管我不能表露自己的感情，但我感到，她在通向我未来的道路上，播下了反感和无情的种子。我看到自己在布罗克赫斯特先生的眼睛里，已变成了一个工于心计、令人讨厌的孩子，我还能有什么办法来弥合这种伤痕呢？ "Nothing, indeed," thought I, as I struggled to repress a sob, andhastily wiped away some tears, the impotent evidences of my anguish." 说实在，没有，"我思忖道。一面竭力忍住哭泣，急忙擦掉几滴泪水，我无可奈何的痛苦的见证。 "Deceit is, indeed, a sad fault in a child," said Mr. Brocklehurst;"it is akin to falsehood, and all liars will have their portion inthe lake burning with fire and brimstone; she shall, however, bewatched, Mrs. Reed. I will speak to Miss Temple and the teachers."" 在孩子身上，欺骗是一种可悲的缺点，"布罗克赫斯特先生说，"它近乎于说谎，而所有的说谎者，都有份儿落到燃烧着硫磺烈火的湖里。不过，我们会对她严加看管的，我要告诉坦普尔小姐和教师们。" 
我希望根据她的前程来培育她，"我的恩人继续说，"使她成为有用之材，永远保持谦卑。至于假期嘛，要是你许可，就让她一直在罗沃德过吧。" "Your decisions are perfectly judicious, madam," returned Mr.Brocklehurst. "Humility is a Christian grace, and one peculiarlyappropriate to the pupils of Lowood; I, therefore, direct thatespecial care shall be bestowed on its cultivation amongst them. Ihave studied how best to mortify in them the worldly sentiment ofpride; and, only the other day, I had a pleasing proof of mysuccess. My second daughter, Augusta, went with her mama to visitthe school, and on her return she exclaimed: 'Oh, dear papa, howquiet and plain all the girls at Lowood look, with their hair combedbehind their ears, and their long pinafores, and those littleholland pockets outside their frocks--they are almost like poorpeople's children! and,' said she, 'they looked at my dress andmama's, as if they had never seen a silk gown before.'"" 你的决断无比英明，太太，"布罗克赫斯特先生回答。谦恭是基督教徒的美德，对罗沃德的学生尤其适用。为此我下了指令，要特别注重在学生中培养这种品质。我己经探究过如何最有效地抑制他们世俗的骄情。前不久，我还得到了可喜的依据，证明我获得了成功。我的第二个女儿奥古斯塔随同她妈妈访问了学校，一回来她就嚷嚷着说：'啊，亲爱的爸爸，罗沃德学校的姑娘都显得好文静，好朴实呀！头发都梳到了耳后，都戴着长长的围涎，上衣外面都有一个用亚麻细布做的小口袋，他们几乎就同穷人家的孩子一样！还有'，她说，'她们都瞧着我和妈妈的装束，好像从来没有看到过一件丝裙似的。" "This is the state of things I quite approve," returned Mrs. Reed;"had I sought all England over, I could scarcely have found a systemmore exactly fitting a child like Jane Eyre. Consistency, my dearMr. Brocklehurst; I advocate consistency in all things."" 这种状况我十分赞赏，"里德太太回答道，"就是找遍整个英国，也很难找到一个更适合像简.爱这样孩子呆的机构了。韧性，我亲爱的布罗克赫斯特先生，我主张干什么都要有韧性。" "Consistency, madam, is the first of Christian duties; and it hasbeen observed in every arrangement connected with the establishmentof Lowood: plain fare, simple attire, unsophisticatedaccommodations, hardy and active habits; such is the order of theday in the house and its inhabitants."" 夫人，韧性是基督徒的首要职责。它贯串于罗沃德学校的一切安排之中：吃得简单，穿得朴实，住得随便，养成吃苦耐劳、做事巴结的习惯。在学校里，在寄宿者中间，这一切都已蔚然成风。" "Quite right, sir. I may then depend upon this child being receivedas a pupil at Lowood, and there being trained in conformity to herposition and prospects?"" 说得很对，先生。那我可以相信这孩子已被罗沃德学校收为学生，并根据她的地位和前途加以训导了，是吗？" 
太太、你可以这么说。她将被放在培植精选花草的苗圃里，我相信她会因为无比荣幸地被选中而感激涕零的。" "I will send her, then, as soon as possible, Mr. Brocklehurst; for,I assure you, I feel anxious to be relieved of a responsibility thatwas becoming too irksome."" 既然这样，我会尽快送她来的，布罗克赫斯特先生，因为说实在，我急于开卸掉这付令人厌烦的担子呢。" "No doubt, no doubt, madam; and now I wish you good morning. Ishall return to Brocklehurst Hall in the course of a week or two:my good friend, the Archdeacon, will not permit me to leave himsooner. I shall send Miss Temple notice that she is to expect a newgirl, so that there will he no difficulty about receiving her.Good-bye."" 的确，的确是这样，太太。现在我就向你告辞了。一两周之后我才回到布罗克赫斯特府去，我的好朋友一位副主教不让我早走。我会通知坦普尔小姐，一位新来的姑娘要到。这样，接待她也不会有什么困难了。再见。" "Good-bye, Mr. Brocklehurst; remember me to Mrs. and MissBrocklehurst, and to Augusta and Theodore, and Master BroughtonBrocklehurst."" 再见，布罗克赫斯特先生。请向布罗克赫斯特太太和小姐，向奥古斯塔、西奥多和布劳顿.布罗克赫斯特少爷问好。"
| 
