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我相信不会花你的钱吃得很久的，先生，"这是我笨嘴笨舌、粗里粗气的回答。 "No," he said coolly: "when you have indicated to us the residenceof your friends, we can write to them, and you may be restored tohome."" 不，"他冷冷地说："等你把朋友的住址告诉我们后，我们可以写信给他们，你就又可以回家了。" "That, I must plainly tell you, is out of my power to do; beingabsolutely without home and friends."" 我得直率地告诉你们，我没有能力这么做，因为我既没有家，也没有朋友。" The three looked at me, but not distrustfully; I felt there was nosuspicion in their glances: there was more of curiosity. I speakparticularly of the young ladies. St. John's eyes, though clearenough in a literal sense, in a figurative one were difficult tofathom. He seemed to use them rather as instruments to search otherpeople's thoughts, than as agents to reveal his own: the whichcombination of keenness and reserve was considerably more calculatedto embarrass than to encourage. 三位都看着我，但并非不信任。我觉得他们的眼神里没有怀疑的表情，而更多的是好奇。我尤其指小姐们。圣.约翰的眼晴表面看来相当明净，但实际上深不可测。他似乎要把它用作探测别人思想的工具，而不是暴露自己内心的窗口。眼神里热情与冷漠的交融，很大程度上不是为了鼓励别人，而是要使人感到窘迫。 "Do you mean to say," he asked, "that you are completely isolatedfrom every connection?"" 你的意思是说，"他问，"你孤孤单单，没有一个亲朋？" 
是的。没有一根纽带把我同哪位活着的人维系在一起，我也没有任何权利走进英国的任何人家里？" "A most singular position at your age!"" 像你这样年纪，这种状况是绝无仅有的。" Here I saw his glance directed to my hands, which were folded on thetable before me. I wondered what he sought there: his words soonexplained the quest. 说到这里我看到他的目光扫到了我手上，这时我双乎交叉，放在面前的桌子上。我不知道他在找什么。但他的话立刻解释了那种探寻。 "You have never been married? You are a spinster?"" 你没有结婚？是个单身女人？" Diana laughed. "Why, she can't he above seventeen or eighteen yearsold, St. John," said she. 黛安娜大笑起来。"嗨，她不会超过十七、十八岁，圣.约翰。"她说。 
我快十九了，不过没有结过婚，没有。" I felt a burning glow mount to my face; for bitter and agitatingrecollections were awakened by the allusion to marriage. They allsaw the embarrassment and the emotion. Diana and Mary relieved meby turning their eyes elsewhere than to my crimsoned visage; but thecolder and sterner brother continued to gaze, till the trouble hehad excited forced out tears as well as colour. 我只觉得脸上-阵热辣辣的火烧，一提起结婚又勾起了我痛苦和兴奋的回忆。他们都看出了我的发窘和激动。黛安娜和玛丽把目光从我涨得通红的脸上转向别处，以便使我得到宽慰，但是她们那位有些冷漠和严厉的哥哥却继续盯着我，直至他引起的麻烦弄得我既流泪又变脸， "Where did you last reside?" he now asked." 你以前住在什么地方，"他此刻又问了。 "You are too inquisitive, St. John," murmured Mary in a low voice;but he leaned over the table and required an answer by a second firmand piercing look." 你也太爱打听了，圣.约翰，"玛丽低声咕哝着。但他带着诱人肺腑的坚定的眼光，将身子俯过桌子，要求得到回答。 "The name of the place where, and of the person with whom I lived,is my secret," I replied concisely." 我住在哪儿，跟谁住在一起，这是我的秘密，"我回答得很简略。 
在我看来，要是你高兴，不管是圣.约翰还是其他人的提问，你都有权不说，"黛安娜回答说。 "Yet if I know nothing about you or your history, I cannot helpyou," he said. "And you need help, do you not?"" 不过要是我不了解你和你的身世，我无法帮助你，"他说。"而你是需要帮助的，是不是？" "I need it, and I seek it so far, sir, that some true philanthropistwill put me in the way of getting work which I can do, and theremuneration for which will keep me, if but in the barestnecessaries of life."" 到现在为止我需要帮助，也寻求帮助，先生--希望某个真正的慈善家会让我有一份力所能及的工作，以及让我把日子过下去的报酬，就是能满足生活的必需也好。" "I know not whether I am a true philanthropist; yet I am willing toaid you to the utmost of my power in a purpose so honest. First,then, tell me what you have been accustomed to do, and what you CANdo."" 我不知道自己是不是位真正的慈善家，不过我愿意真诚地竭尽全力帮助你。那么首先你得告诉我，你习惯于干什么，你能干什么。" I had now swallowed my tea. I was mightily refreshed by thebeverage; as much so as a giant with wine: it gave new tone to myunstrung nerves, and enabled me to address this penetrating youngjudge steadily. 这会儿我已经吞下了茶点，饮料使我犹如喝了酒的巨人，精神大为振作，它给我衰弱的神经注入了新的活力，使我能够不慌不忙同这位目光敏锐的年轻法官说话， 
里弗斯先生，"我说着转向了他，像他看我那样，堂而皇之毫无羞色地看着他，"你和你的妹妹们己经帮了我很大的忙--一个最伟大的人，能为他的同类所做的，你以你高尚的殷勤，从死亡中拯救了我。你所施予的恩惠，使你绝对有权要求我感激你，并且某种程度上要求知道我的秘密。我会在不损害我心境的平静、自身及他人道德和人身的安全的前提下，尽量把你们所庇护的流浪者的身世说个明白。" "I am an orphan, the daughter of a clergyman. My parents diedbefore I could know them. I was brought up a dependant; educated ina charitable institution. I will even tell you the name of theestablishment, where I passed six years as a pupil, and two as ateacher--Lowood Orphan Asylum, -shire: you will have heard of it,Mr. Rivers?--the Rev. Robert Brocklehurst is the treasurer."" 我是一个孤儿，一个牧师的女儿。我还不能记事父母就去世了。我靠人赡养长大，在一个慈善机构受了教育。我甚至可以告诉你这个机构的名字，在那里我做了六年学生，两年教师一-××郡罗沃德孤儿院，你可能听到过它，里弗斯先主？--罗伯特．布罗克赫斯特牧师是司库。" "I have heard of Mr. Brocklehurst, and I have seen the school."" 我听说过布罗克赫斯特先生，也见过这学校。" "I left Lowood nearly a year since to become a private governess. Iobtained a good situation, and was happy. This place I was obligedto leave four days before I came here. The reason of my departure Icannot and ought not to explain: it would be useless, dangerous,and would sound incredible. No blame attached to me: I am as freefrom culpability as any one of you three. Miserable I am, and mustbe for a time; for the catastrophe which drove me from a house I hadfound a paradise was of a strange and direful nature. I observedbut two points in planning my departure--speed, secrecy: to securethese, I had to leave behind me everything I possessed except asmall parcel; which, in my hurry and trouble of mind, I forgot totake out of the coach that brought me to Whitcross. To thisneighbourhood, then, I came, quite destitute. I slept two nights inthe open air, and wandered about two days without crossing athreshold: but twice in that space of time did I taste food; and itwas when brought by hunger, exhaustion, and despair almost to thelast gasp, that you, Mr. Rivers, forbade me to perish of want atyour door, and took me under the shelter of your roof. I know allyour sisters have done for me since--for I have not been insensibleduring my seeming torpor--and I owe to their spontaneous, genuine,genial compassion as large a debt as to your evangelical charity."" 差不多一年前我离开了罗沃德，去当私人家庭教师。我得到了一份很好的工作，也很愉快。来这里的四天前，我不得不离开那个地方。离开的原因我不能也不该解释，就是解释也没有用--会招来危险，听起来也难以令人置信。我没有责任，像你们三位中的任何一位那样是无罪的。我很难过，以后一段时间还得这样，因为把我从我看作天堂的房子里赶出来的原因，奇怪而可怕。在计划逃离时我看到了两点--速度和秘密，为了做到这两点，我不得不把我的所有统统留下，只拿了一包裹。就是这个小包裹，我也在匆忙和烦恼中，忘了从把我带到惠特克劳斯的马车上拿下来了。于是我囊空如洗来到这附近。我在露天宿了两夜，游荡了两天，没有跨进过一条门槛，在这段时间只有两回吃过东西。正当我由于饥饿、疲乏和绝望到了几乎只剩最后一口气时，你里弗斯先生，不让我饿死冻死在家门口，把我收留进你们的房子。我知道从那时起你妹妹们为我所做的一切--因为在我外表上麻木迟钝的那些日子里，我并不是没有感觉的--我对你们自然、真诚、亲切的怜悯，如同对你合乎福音的慈善，欠下了一笔很大的债。" "Don't make her talk any more now, St. John," said Diana, as Ipaused; "she is evidently not yet fit for excitement. Come to thesofa and sit down now, Miss Elliott."" 这会儿别要她再谈下去了，圣.约翰，"我停下来时黛安娜说。"显然她不宜激动，上沙发这儿来，坐下吧，爱略特小姐。" 
一听这个别名，我不由自主地微微一惊，我己忘了我新起的名字。但什么都逃不过他眼睛的里弗斯先生，立刻注意到了。 "You said your name was Jane Elliott?" he observed." 你说你的名字叫简.爱略特是吗？"他说，
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