目 录 上一节 下一节 
确实如此。尽管里弗斯先生刚听到音乐般的声调时吃了一惊，仿佛一个霹雳在他头上撕裂了云层似的。但就是对方把话说完了，他还是保持着说话人惊吓了他时的姿势，胳膊靠在门上，脸朝西。最后他从容地转过头来，我似乎觉得他旁边出现了一个幻影。离他三尺的地方，有一个穿着纯白衣服的形体一一年青而优美的形体，丰满而线条很美。这人弯下腰下去抚摸卡罗时，抬起了头，把长长的面纱扔到后头，于是一张花也似的美妙绝伦的面孔，映入了他的眼帘。美妙绝伦是说重了一点，但我不愿收回这个词，或者另加修饰。英格兰温和的气候所能塑造的最可爱的面容，英格兰湿润的风和雾蒙蒙的天空所能催生，所能庇护的最纯正的玫瑰色和百合色这种描绘，在眼前这个例子中证明是恰到好处的。不缺一丝妩媚，不见任何缺陷。这位年轻姑娘面部匀称娇嫩，眼睛的形状和颜色就跟我们在可爱的图画上看到的无异，又大又黑又圆，眼睫毛又长又浓，以一种柔和的魅力围着一对美丽的眼睛。画过的眉毛异常清晰。白皙光滑的额头给色泽与光彩所形成的活泼美增添了一种宁静。脸颊呈椭圆形，鲜嫩而滑润。嘴唇也一样鲜嫩，红通通十分健康，外形非常可爱。整齐而闪光的牙齿，没有缺点，下巴有一个小小的酒窝。头发浓密成了一个很好的装饰。总之，合在一起构成理想美的一切优点都是属于她的，我瞧着这个漂亮的家伙，不胜惊讶，对她一心为之赞叹。大自然显然出于偏爱创造了她，忘记给予她通常吝啬的后母会给的小礼，而授予了她外祖母会给的慷慨恩赐。 "A lovely evening, but late for you to be out alone," he said, as hecrushed the snowy heads of the closed flowers with his foot." 是个可爱的傍晚，不过你一个人外出就有些太晚了，"他一面说，一面用脚把没有开的雪白的花头踩烂了。 "Oh, I only came home from S-" (she mentioned the name of a largetown some twenty miles distant) "this afternoon. Papa told me youhad opened your school, and that the new mistress was come; and so Iput on my bonnet after tea, and ran up the valley to see her: thisis she?" pointing to me." 呵，我下午刚从Ｓ市回来（她提了一下相距大约二十英里的一个城市）。爸爸告诉我你己经开办了一所学校，新的女教师已经来了，所以我用完茶后戴上草帽跑到山谷来看她了。就是她吗？"她指着我。 "It is," said St. John." 是的，"圣.约翰说。 "Do you think you shall like Morton?" she asked of me, with a directand naive simplicity of tone and manner, pleasing, if child-like." 你觉得会喜欢莫尔顿吗？"她问我，语调和举止里带着一种直率而幼稚的单纯，虽然有些孩子气，但讨人喜欢。 
我希望我会这样。我很想这么做。" "Did you find your scholars as attentive as you expected?"" 你发现学生像你预料的那么专心么？" "Quite."" 十分专心。" "Do you like your house?"" 你喜欢你的房子吗？" "Very much."" 很喜欢。" 
我布置得好吗？" "Very nicely, indeed."" 真的很好。" "And made a good choice of an attendant for you in Alice Wood?"" 而且选了爱丽丝．伍德来服侍你，不错吧？" "You have indeed. She is teachable and handy." (This then, Ithought, is Miss Oliver, the heiress; favoured, it seems, in thegifts of fortune, as well as in those of nature! What happycombination of the planets presided over her birth, I wonder?)" 确实这样。她可以管教，也很派用处。（那么我想这位就是继承人奥利弗小姐了。她似乎既在家产上又在那些天生丽质上得到了偏爱！我不知道她的出生碰上了什么行星的幸运组合呢？）" "I shall come up and help you to teach sometimes," she added. "Itwill be a change for me to visit you now and then; and I like achange. Mr. Rivers, I have been SO gay during my stay at S-. Lastnight, or rather this morning, I was dancing till two o'clock. The-th regiment are stationed there since the riots; and the officersare the most agreeable men in the world: they put all our youngknife-grinders and scissor merchants to shame."" 有时我会上来帮你教书，"她补充说。"这么时时来看看你，对我也可以换换口味，而我喜欢换口味。里弗斯先生，我呆在Ｓ市的时候非常愉快。昨天晚上，或者说今天早晨，我跳舞一直跳到两点。那，那个，--自从骚乱以后，那个团一直驻扎在那里，而军官们是世上最讨人喜欢的人，他们使我们所有年青的磨刀制剪商相形见绌。 
我好像觉得圣.约翰先生的下唇突了出来，上唇卷起了一会儿。这位哈哈笑着的姑娘告诉他这些情况时，他的嘴看上去紧抿着，下半个脸异乎寻常地严肃和古板。他还从雏菊那儿抬起眼来凝视着她。这是一种没有笑容、搜索探寻、意味深长的目光。她再次一笑，算是对他的回答。笑声很适合她的青春年华，她那玫瑰色的面容，她的酒窝，她那晶莹的眸子。 As he stood, mute and grave, she again fell to caressing Carlo."Poor Carlo loves me," said she. "HE is not stern and distant tohis friends; and if he could speak, he would not be silent." 圣.约翰默不作声十分严肃地站着时，她又开始抚摸起卡罗来。"可怜的，卡罗喜欢我，"她说，"它对朋友不严肃，不疏远。而且要是它能说话，它是不会不吭声的。" As she patted the dog's head, bending with native grace before hisyoung and austere master, I saw a glow rise to that master's face.I saw his solemn eye melt with sudden fire, and flicker withresistless emotion. Flushed and kindled thus, he looked nearly asbeautiful for a man as she for a woman. His chest heaved once, asif his large heart, weary of despotic constriction, had expanded,despite the will, and made a vigorous bound for the attainment ofliberty. 她以天生的优美姿态，在年青而严峻的狗主人面前弯下腰，拍拍狗头时，我看见主人的脸上升起了红晕，看见他严肃的目光，已被突如其来的火花所融化，闪烁着难以克制的激情，因此他的脸烧得通红。作为一个男子，他看上去几乎象她作为一个女人那么漂亮。他的胸部一度起伏着，仿佛那颗巨大的心对专横的约束感到厌倦，已经违背意志扩展起来，强劲有力地跳动了一下，希望获得自由。 "Papa says you never come to see us now," continued Miss Oliver,looking up. "You are quite a stranger at Vale Hall. He is alonethis evening, and not very well: will you return with me and visithim?"" 爸爸说你现在从不来看我们了，"奥利弗小姐抬起头来继续说。"你简直成了溪谷庄园的陌生人了。今天晚上他只有一个人，而且不大舒服。你愿意同我一起回去看看他吗？" "It is not a seasonable hour to intrude on Mr. Oliver," answered St.John." 现在这个时候去打扰奥利弗先生是不合时宜的，"圣.约翰回答。 
不会不合时宜的！但我宣布现在恰是时候，这是爸爸最需要有人陪伴的时刻。工厂一关，他便没事可干了。好吧，里弗斯先生，你可-定得来。你干嘛这么怕羞，这么忧郁？"她自己作了回答，填补了他的沉默所留下的空隙。 "I forgot!" she exclaimed, shaking her beautiful curled head, as ifshocked at herself. "I am so giddy and thoughtless! DO excuse me.It had slipped my memory that you have good reasons to be indisposedfor joining in my chatter. Diana and Mary have left you, and MoorHouse is shut up, and you are so lonely. I am sure I pity you. Docome and see papa."" 我倒忘了，"她大叫起来，摇着美丽的、头发卷曲的脑袋，仿佛对自己感到震惊。"我实在是昏头昏脑，太粗心大意了！-定得原谅我。我倒是忘了你有充分理由不愿跟我闲聊。黛安娜和玛丽已经离开了你，沼泽居已经关闭，你那么孤独。我确实很同情你，一定要来看看爸爸呀。" "Not to-night, Miss Rosamond, not to-night."" 今晚不去了，罗莎蒙德小姐，今晚不去了。" Mr. St. John spoke almost like an automaton: himself only knew theeffort it cost him thus to refuse. 圣.约翰先生几乎像一台机器那样说着话。只有他自己知道要拒绝对方所要付出的力气。 "Well, if you are so obstinate, I will leave you; for I dare notstay any longer: the dew begins to fall. Good evening!"" 好吧，要是你那么固执，我就离开你了，可不敢再这么呆下去，露水已开始落下来了，晚安！"
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