目 录 上一节 下一节 
我在寄宿学校呆了八年。" She opened her eyes wide. "Whatever cannot ye keep yourself for,then?" 她眼睛睁得大大的。"那你为什么还养不活自己呢？" "I have kept myself; and, I trust, shall keep myself again. Whatare you going to do with these gooseberries?" I inquired, as shebrought out a basket of the fruit." 我养活了自己，而且我相信以后还能养活自己。拿这些鹅莓干什么呀？"她拎出一篮子鹅莓时我问。 "Mak' 'em into pies."" 做饼。" "Give them to me and I'll pick them."" 给我吧，我来拣。" 
不，我什么也不要你干。" "But I must do something. Let me have them."" 但我总得干点什么。还是让我来吧。" She consented; and she even brought me a clean towel to spread overmy dress, "lest," as she said, "I should mucky it." 她同意了，甚至还拿来一块干净的毛巾铺在我衣服上，一面还说："怕你把衣服弄脏了。" "Ye've not been used to sarvant's wark, I see by your hands," sheremarked. "Happen ye've been a dressmaker?"" 你不是干惯佣人活的，从你的手上看得出来，"她说，"也许是个裁缝吧？" "No, you are wrong. And now, never mind what I have been: don'ttrouble your head further about me; but tell me the name of thehouse where we are."" 不是，你猜错啦，现在别管我以前是干什么的。不要为我再去伤你的脑筋，不过告诉我你们这所房子叫什么名字。" 
有人叫它沼泽居，有人叫它沼泽宅。" "And the gentleman who lives here is called Mr. St. John?"" 住在这儿的那位先生叫圣.约翰先生？" "Nay; he doesn't live here: he is only staying a while. When he isat home, he is in his own parish at Morton."" 不，他不住在这儿，只不过暂时呆一下。他的家在自己的教区莫尔顿。" "That village a few miles off?" 离这儿几英里的那个村子？" "Aye."" 是呀。" 
他干什么的。" "He is a parson."" 是个牧师。" I remembered the answer of the old housekeeper at the parsonage,when I had asked to see the clergyman. "This, then, was hisfather's residence?" 我还记得我要求见牧师时那所住宅里老管家的回答。"那么这里是他父亲的居所了？" "Aye; old Mr. Rivers lived here, and his father, and grandfather,and gurt (great) grandfather afore him."" 不错。老里弗斯先生在这儿住过，还有他父亲，他祖父，他曾祖父。" "The name, then, of that gentleman, is Mr. St. John Rivers?"" 那么，那位先生的名字是圣.约翰.里弗斯先生了。" 
是呀，圣.约翰是他受洗礼时的名字。" "And his sisters are called Diana and Mary Rivers?"" 他的妹妹名叫黛安娜和玛丽．里弗斯？" "Yes."" 是的。" "Their father is dead?"" 他们的父亲去世了？" "Dead three weeks sin' of a stroke."" 三个星期前中风死的。" 
他们没有母亲吗，" "The mistress has been dead this mony a year."" 太太去世已经多年了。" "Have you lived with the family long?"" 你同这家人生活得很久了吗？" "I've lived here thirty year. I nursed them all three."" 我住在这里三十年了，三个人都是我带大的。" "That proves you must have been an honest and faithful servant. Iwill say so much for you, though you have had the incivility to callme a beggar."" 那说明你准是个忠厚的仆人。尽管你那么没有礼貌地把我当作乞丐，我还是愿意那么说你的好话。" 
她再次诧异地打量着我。"我相信，"她说，"我完全把你看错了，不过这里来往的骗子很多，你得原谅我。" "And though," I continued, rather severely, "you wished to turn mefrom the door, on a night when you should not have shut out a dog."" 而且，"我往下说，口气颇有些严厉，"尽管你要在一个连条狗都不该撵走的夜晚，把我赶出门外。" "Well, it was hard: but what can a body do? I thought more o' th'childer nor of mysel: poor things! They've like nobody to tak'care on 'em but me. I'm like to look sharpish."" 嗯，是有点狠心。可是叫人怎么办呢？我想得更多的是孩子们而不是我自己，他们也怪可怜的，除了我没有人照应。我总该当心些。" I maintained a grave silence for some minutes. 我沉着脸几分钟没有吱声。 "You munnut think too hardly of me," she again remarked." 你别把我想得太坏，"她又说。 
不过我确实把你想得很坏"，我说，"而且我告诉你为什么--倒不是因为你不许我投宿，或者把我看成了骗子，而是因为你刚才把我没'铜子儿'没房子当成了一种耻辱。有些在世的好人像我一样穷得一个子儿也没有。如果你是个基督徒，你就不该把贫困看作罪过。" "No more I ought," said she: "Mr. St. John tells me so too; and Isee I wor wrang--but I've clear a different notion on you now towhat I had. You look a raight down dacent little crater."" 以后不该这样了，"她说，"圣.约翰先生也是这么同我说的。我知道自己错了一一但是，我现在对你的看法跟以前明显不同了。你看来完全是个体面的小家伙。" "That will do--I forgive you now. Shake hands."She put her floury and horny hand into mine; another and heartiersmile illumined her rough face, and from that moment we werefriends." 那行了--我现在原谅你了，握握手吧。"她把沾了面粉布满老茧的手塞进我手里，她粗糙的脸上闪起了一个更亲切的笑容，从那时起我们便成了朋友。 Hannah was evidently fond of talking. While I picked the fruit, andshe made the paste for the pies, she proceeded to give me sundrydetails about her deceased master and mistress, and "the childer,"as she called the young people. 汉娜显然很健谈。我拣果子她捏面团做饼时，她继续细谈着过世的主人和女主人，以及她称作"孩子们"的年轻人。
| 
