名著·简.爱 - 第11节


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  一定,太太。小姑娘,这里有本书,题目叫《儿童指南》,祷告后再读,尤其要注意那个部分,说的是'一个满口谎言、欺骗成性的淘气鬼,玛莎.格××暴死的经过'。"

   With these words Mr. Brocklehurst put into my hand a thin pamphletsewn in a cover, and having rung for his carriage, he departed.

  说完,布罗克赫斯特先生把一本装有封皮的薄薄小册子塞进我手里,打铃让人备好马车,便离去了。

   Mrs. Reed and I were left alone: some minutes passed in silence;she was sewing, I was watching her. Mrs. Reed might be at that timesome six or seven and thirty; she was a woman of robust frame,square-shouldered and strong-limbed, not tall, and, though stout,not obese: she had a somewhat large face, the under jaw being muchdeveloped and very solid; her brow was low, her chin large andprominent, mouth and nose sufficiently regular; under her lighteyebrows glimmered an eye devoid of ruth; her skin was dark andopaque, her hair nearly flaxen; her constitution was sound as abell--illness never came near her; she was an exact, clever manager;her household and tenantry were thoroughly under her control; herchildren only at times defied her authority and laughed it to scorn;she dressed well, and had a presence and port calculated to set offhandsome attire.

  房间里只剩下了里德太太和我,在沉默中过了几分钟。她在做针钱活,我在打量着她,当时里德太太也许才三十六七岁光景,是个体魄强健的女人,肩膀宽阔,四肢结实,个子不高,身体粗壮但并不肥胖,她的下鄂很发达也很壮实,所以她的脸也就有些大了。她的眉毛很低,下巴又大又突出,嘴巴和鼻子倒是十分匀称的。在她浅色的眉毛下,闪动着一双没有同情心的眼睛。她的皮肤黝黑而灰暗,头发近乎亚麻色。她的体格很好,疾病从不染身。她是一位精明干练的总管,家庭和租赁的产业都由她一手控制。只有她的孩子间或蔑视她的权威,嗤之以鼻。她穿着讲究,她的风度和举止有助于衬托出她漂亮的服饰。

   Sitting on a low stool, a few yards from her arm-chair, I examinedher figure; I perused her features. In my hand I held the tractcontaining the sudden death of the Liar, to which narrative myattention had been pointed as to an appropriate warning. What hadjust passed; what Mrs. Reed had said concerning me to Mr.Brocklehurst; the whole tenor of their conversation, was recent,raw, and stinging in my mind; I had felt every word as acutely as Ihad heard it plainly, and a passion of resentment fomented nowwithin me.

  我坐在一条矮凳上,离她的扶手椅有几码远、打量着她的身材。仔细端详着她的五宫。我手里拿着那本记述说谎者暴死经过的小册子,他们曾把这个故事作为一种恰当的警告引起我注意。刚才发生的一幕,里德太太跟布罗克赫斯特先生所说的关于我的话,他们谈话的内容,仍在耳边回响,刺痛劳我的心扉。每句话都听得明明白白,每句话都那么刺耳。此刻,我的内心正燃起一腔不满之情。

   Mrs. Reed looked up from her work; her eye settled on mine, herfingers at the same time suspended their nimble movements.

  里德太太放下手头的活儿,抬起头来,眼神与我的目光相遇,她的手指也同时停止了飞针走线的活动。

  出去,回到保育室去,"她命令道。我的神情或者别的什么想必使她感到讨厌,因为她说话时尽管克制着,却仍然极其恼怒。我立起身来,走到门边,却又返回,穿过房间到了窗前,一直走到她面前。

   SPEAK I must: I had been trodden on severely, and MUST turn: buthow? What strength had I to dart retaliation at my antagonist? Igathered my energies and launched them in this blunt sentence -

  我非讲不可,我被践踏得够了,我必须反抗。可是怎么反抗呢,我有什么力量来回击对手呢?我鼓足勇气,直截了当地发动了进攻:

   "I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but Ideclare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody inthe world except John Reed; and this book about the liar, you maygive to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and notI.""

  我不骗人,要是我骗,我会说我爱你。但我声明,我不爱你,除了约翰.里德,你是世上我最不喜欢的人,这本写说谎者的书,你尽可以送给你的女儿乔治亚娜,因为说谎的是她,不是我。"

   Mrs. Reed's hands still lay on her work inactive: her eye of icecontinued to dwell freezingly on mine.

  里德太太的手仍一动不动地放在她的活儿上,冷冰冰的目光,继续阴丝丝地凝视着我。

   "What more have you to say?" she asked, rather in the tone in whicha person might address an opponent of adult age than such as isordinarily used to a child."

  你还有什么要说?"她问,那种口气仿佛是对着一个成年对手在讲话,对付孩子通常是不会使用的。

  她的眸子和嗓音,激起了我极大的反感,我激动得难以抑制,直打哆嗦,继续说了下去:

   "I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you auntagain as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I amgrown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how youtreated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, andthat you treated me with miserable cruelty.""

  我很庆幸你不是我亲戚,今生今世我再也不会叫你舅妈了。长大了我也永远不会来看你,要是有人问起我喜欢不喜欢你,你怎样待我,我会说,一想起你就使我讨厌,我会说,你对我冷酷得到了可耻的地步。"

   "How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre?""

  你怎么敢说这话,简.爱?"

   "How dare I, Mrs. Reed? How dare I? Because it is the TRUTH. Youthink I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of loveor kindness; but I cannot live so: and you have no pity. I shallremember how you thrust me back--roughly and violently thrust meback--into the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day;though I was in agony; though I cried out, while suffocating withdistress, 'Have mercy! Have mercy, Aunt Reed!' And that punishmentyou made me suffer because your wicked boy struck me--knocked medown for nothing. I will tell anybody who asks me questions, thisexact tale. People think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard-hearted. YOU are deceitful!""

  我怎么敢,里德太太,我怎么敢,因为这是事实,你以为我没有情感,以为我不需要一点抚爱或亲情就可以打发日子,可是我不能这么生活。还有,你没有怜悯之心,我会记住你怎么推搡我,粗暴地把我弄进红房子,锁在里面,我到死都不会忘记,尽管我很痛苦,尽管我一面泣不成声,一面叫喊,'可怜可怜吧!可怜可怜我吧,里德舅妈!'还有你强加于我的惩罚。完全是因为你那可恶的孩子打了我,无缘无故把我打倒在地,我要把事情的经过,原原本本告诉每个问我的人。人们满以为你是个好女人,其实你很坏,你心肠很狠。你自己才骗人呢!"

   Ere I had finished this reply, my soul began to expand, to exult,with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt. Itseemed as if an invisible bond had burst, and that I had struggledout into unhoped-for liberty. Not without cause was this sentiment:Mrs. Reed looked frightened; her work had slipped from her knee; shewas lifting up her hands, rocking herself to and fro, and eventwisting her face as if she would cry.

  我还没有回答完,内心便已开始感到舒畅和喜悦了,那是一种前所未有的奇怪的自由感和胜利感,无形的束缚似乎己被冲破,我争得了始料未及的自由,这种情感不是无故泛起的,因为里德太太看来慌了神,活儿从她的膝头滑落,她举起双手,身子前后摇晃着,甚至连脸也扭曲了,她仿佛要哭出来了。

  简,你搞错了,你怎么了?怎么抖得那么厉害?想喝水吗?"

   "No, Mrs. Reed.""

  不,里德太太。"

   "Is there anything else you wish for, Jane? I assure you, I desireto be your friend.""

  你想要什么别的吗,简,说实在的,我希望成为你的朋友。"

   "Not you. You told Mr. Brocklehurst I had a bad character, adeceitful disposition; and I'll let everybody at Lowood know whatyou are, and what you have done.""

  你才不会呢。你对布罗克赫斯待先生说我品质恶劣,欺骗成性,那我就要让罗沃德的每个人都知道你的为人和你干的好事。"

   "Jane, you don't understand these things: children must becorrected for their faults.""

  简,这些事儿你不理解,孩子们有缺点应该得到纠正。"

  欺骗不是我的缺点!"我发疯似的大叫一声。

   "But you are passionate, Jane, that you must allow: and now returnto the nursery--there's a dear--and lie down a little.""

  但是你好意气用事,简,这你必须承认。现在回到保育室去吧,乖乖,躺一会儿。"

   "I am not your dear; I cannot lie down: send me to school soon,Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here.""

  我不是你乖乖,我不能躺下,快些送我到学校去吧,里德太太,因为我讨厌住在这儿。"

   "I will indeed send her to school soon," murmured Mrs. Reed sottovoce; and gathering up her work, she abruptly quitted the apartment."

  我真的要快送她去上学了,"里德太太轻声嘀咕着,收拾好针线活,蓦地走出出了房间。

   I was left there alone--winner of the field. It was the hardestbattle I had fought, and the first victory I had gained: I stoodawhile on the rug, where Mr. Brocklehurst had stood, and I enjoyedmy conqueror's solitude. First, I smiled to myself and felt elate;but this fierce pleasure subsided in me as fast as did theaccelerated throb of my pulses. A child cannot quarrel with itselders, as I had done; cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolledplay, as I had given mine, without experiencing afterwards the pangof remorse and the chill of reaction. A ridge of lighted heath,alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a meet emblem of my mindwhen I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed: the same ridge, black andblasted after the flames are dead, would have represented as meetlymy subsequent condition, when half-an-hour's silence and reflectionhad shown me the madness of my conduct, and the dreariness of myhated and hating position.

  我孤零零地站那里,成了战场上的胜利者。这是我所经历的最艰难的-场战斗,也是我第一次获得胜利。我在布罗克赫斯特先生站站过的地毯上站了一会,沉缅于征服者的孤独。我先是暗自发笑,感到十分得意。但是这种狂喜犹如一时加快的脉膊会迅速递减一样,很快就消退了。一个孩子像我这样跟长辈斗嘴,像我这样毫无顾忌地发泄自己的怒气,事后必定要感到悔恨和寒心。我在控诉和恐吓里德太太时,内心恰如一片点燃了的荒野,火光闪烁,来势凶猛,但经过半小时的沉默和反思,深感自己行为的疯狂和自己恨人又被人嫉恨的处境的悲凉时,我内心的这片荒地,便已灰飞烟灭,留下的只有黑色的焦土了。

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名著·简.爱 - 第11节