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一天晚上，她照例像孩子一样好动，粗心却并不冒犯地问这问那，一面翻着我小厨房里的碗橱和桌子的抽屉。她看到了两本法文书，一卷席勒的作品，一本德文语法和词典。随后又看到了我的绘画材料，几张速写，其中包括用铅笔画的一个小天使般的小姑娘、我的一个学生的头像和取自莫尔顿溪谷及周围荒原的不同自然景色。她先是惊讶得发呆，随后是高兴得激动不已。 "Had I done these pictures? Did I know French and German? What alove--what a miracle I was! I drew better than her master in thefirst school in S-. Would I sketch a portrait of her, to show topapa?"" 是你画的吗？你懂法文和德文？你真可爱-一真是个奇迹！你比Ｓ城第一所学校的教师还画得好。你愿意为我画一张让我爸爸看看吗？" "With pleasure," I replied; and I felt a thrill of artist--delightat the idea of copying from so perfect and radiant a model. She hadthen on a dark-blue silk dress; her arms and her neck were bare; heronly ornament was her chestnut tresses, which waved over hershoulders with all the wild grace of natural curls. I took a sheetof fine card-board, and drew a careful outline. I promised myselfthe pleasure of colouring it; and, as it was getting late then, Itold her she must come and sit another day." 很乐意，"我回答。一想到要照着这样一个如此完美、如此容光焕发的模特儿画，我便感到了艺术家喜悦的颤栗。那时她穿了深蓝色的丝绸衣服；裸露着胳膊和脖子，唯一的装饰是她栗色的头发，以一种天然卷曲所有的不加修饰的雅致，波浪似地从肩上披下来。我拿了一张精致的卡纸，仔细地画了轮廓，并打算享受将它上彩的乐趣。由于当时天色已晚，我告诉她得改天再坐下来让我画了。 She made such a report of me to her father, that Mr. Oliver himselfaccompanied her next evening--a tall, massive-featured, middle-aged,and grey-headed man, at whose side his lovely daughter looked like abright flower near a hoary turret. He appeared a taciturn, andperhaps a proud personage; but he was very kind to me. The sketchof Rosamond's portrait pleased him highly: he said I must make afinished picture of it. He insisted, too, on my coming the next dayto spend the evening at Vale Hall. 她把我的情况向她父亲作了详尽的报告，结果第二天晚上奥利弗先生居然亲自陪着她来了。他高个子，五官粗大，中等年纪，头发灰白。身边那位可爱的的女儿看上去象一座古塔旁的一朵鲜花。他似乎是个沉默寡言，或许还很自负的人，但对我很客气。罗莎蒙德的那张速写画很使他高兴。他嘱我千万要把它完成，还坚持要我第二天去溪谷庄度过一个夜晚。 I went. I found it a large, handsome residence, showing abundantevidences of wealth in the proprietor. Rosamond was full of gleeand pleasure all the time I stayed. Her father was affable; andwhen he entered into conversation with me after tea, he expressed instrong terms his approbation of what I had done in Morton school,and said he only feared, from what he saw and heard, I was too goodfor the place, and would soon quit it for one more suitable. 我去了，发现这是一所宽敞漂亮的住宅，充分显出主人的富有。我呆在那里时罗莎蒙德一直非常高兴。她父亲和蔼可亲，茶点以后开始同我们交谈时，用很强烈的字眼，对我在莫尔顿学校所做的，表示十分满意。还说就他所见所闻，他担心我在这个地方大材小用，会很快离去干一项更合适的工作。 
真的!"罗莎蒙德嚷道，"她那么聪明，做一个名门家庭的女教师绰绰有余，爸爸。" I thought I would far rather be where I am than in any high familyin the land. Mr. Oliver spoke of Mr. Rivers--of the Rivers family--with great respect. He said it was a very old name in thatneighbourhood; that the ancestors of the house were wealthy; thatall Morton had once belonged to them; that even now he consideredthe representative of that house might, if he liked, make analliance with the best. He accounted it a pity that so fine andtalented a young man should have formed the design of going out as amissionary; it was quite throwing a valuable life away. Itappeared, then, that her father would throw no obstacle in the wayof Rosamond's union with St. John. Mr. Oliver evidently regardedthe young clergyman's good birth, old name, and sacred profession assufficient compensation for the want of fortune. 我想--与其到国内哪个名门家庭，远不如在这里。奥利弗先生说起了里弗斯先生--说起了里弗斯的家庭--肃然起敬。他说在附近地区，这是一个古老的名字，这家的祖宗都很有钱，整个莫尔顿一度属于他们。甚至现在，他认为这家的代表要是乐意，满可以同最好的家庭联姻。他觉得这么好、这么有才能的一个年青人竟然决定出家当传教士，实在可惜。那等于抛弃了一种很有价值的生活。那么看来罗莎蒙德的父亲不会在她与圣.约翰结合的道路上设置任何障碍。奥利弗先生显然认为青年牧师的良好出身、古老的名字和神圣的职业是对他缺乏家财的足够补偿。 It was the 5th of November, and a holiday. My little servant, afterhelping me to clean my house, was gone, well satisfied with the feeof a penny for her aid. All about me was spotless and bright--scoured floor, polished grate, and well-rubbed chairs. I had alsomade myself neat, and had now the afternoon before me to spend as Iwould. 那天是十一月五日，一个假日。我的小佣人帮我清扫了房子后走掉了，对一个便士的酬劳十分满意。我周围窗明几净，一尘不染--擦洗过的地板，磨得锃亮的炉格和擦得干干净净的椅子。我把自己也弄得整整齐齐，这会儿整个下午就随我度过了。 The translation of a few pages of German occupied an hour; then Igot my palette and pencils, and fell to the more soothing, becauseeasier occupation, of completing Rosamond Oliver's miniature. Thehead was finished already: there was but the background to tint andthe drapery to shade off; a touch of carmine, too, to add to theripe lips--a soft curl here and there to the tresses--a deeper tingeto the shadow of the lash under the azured eyelid. I was absorbedin the execution of these nice details, when, after one rapid tap,my door unclosed, admitting St. John Rivers. 翻译几页德文占去了我一个小时。随后我拿了画板和画笔，开始了更为容易因而也更加惬意的工作，完成罗莎蒙德．奥利弗的小画像。头部已经画好，剩下的只是给背景着色，给服饰画上阴影，再在成熟的嘴唇上添一抹胭脂红，--头发这儿那儿再画上一点柔软的卷发--把天蓝的眼盖下睫毛的阴影加深一些。我正全神贯注地画着这些有趣的细节，一阵急促的敲门声响了起来，我那扇门开了，圣.约翰.里弗斯先生走了进来。 "I am come to see how you are spending your holiday," he said."Not, I hope, in thought? No, that is well: while you draw youwill not feel lonely. You see, I mistrust you still, though youhave borne up wonderfully so far. I have brought you a book forevening solace," and he laid on the table a new publication--a poem:one of those genuine productions so often vouchsafed to thefortunate public of those days--the golden age of modern literature.Alas! the readers of our era are less favoured. But courage! Iwill not pause either to accuse or repine. I know poetry is notdead, nor genius lost; nor has Mammon gained power over either, tobind or slay: they will both assert their existence, theirpresence, their liberty and strength again one day. Powerfulangels, safe in heaven! they smile when sordid souls triumph, andfeeble ones weep over their destruction. Poetry destroyed? Geniusbanished? No! Mediocrity, no: do not let envy prompt you to thethought. No; they not only live, but reign and redeem: and withouttheir divine influence spread everywhere, you would be in hell--thehell of your own meanness." 我来看看你怎么过假日，"他说。"但愿没有动什么脑筋？没有，那很好，你一画画就不感到寂莫了。你瞧，我还是不大相信，尽管你到目前为止还是很好地挺过来了，我给你带来了一本书供你晚上消遣，"他把一本新出版的书放在桌上--一部诗：是那个时代--现代文学的黄金时代常常赐予幸运的公众一本货真价实的出版物。哎呀！我们这个时代的读者却没有那份福气。不过拿出勇气来！我不会停下来控诉或者发牢骚。我知道诗歌并没有死亡，天才并未销声匿迹，财神爷也没有把两者征服，把他们捆绑起来或者杀掉，总有一天两者都会表明自己的存在、风采、自由和力量。强大的天使，稳坐天堂吧！当肮脏的灵魂获得胜利，弱者为自己的毁灭恸哭时，他们微笑着。诗歌被毁灭了吗？天才遭到了驱逐吗？没有！中不溜儿的人们，不，别让嫉妒激起你这种想法。不，他们不仅还活着，而且统治着，拯救着。没有它们无处不在的神圣影响，你会进地狱--你自己的卑微所造成的地狱。 
我急不可耐地浏览着《玛米昂》辉煌的篇章（因为《玛米昂》确实如此）时，圣.约翰俯身细看起我的画来。他蓦地惊跳起来，拉直了高高的身子。他什么也没有说，我抬头看他，他避开了我的目光，我很明白他的想法，能直截了当地看出他的心思来。这时候我觉得比他镇定和冷静。随后我暂时占了优势，产生了在可能情况下帮他做些好事的想法。 "With all his firmness and self-control," thought I, "he taskshimself too far: locks every feeling and pang within--expresses,confesses, imparts nothing. I am sure it would benefit him to talka little about this sweet Rosamond, whom he thinks he ought not tomarry: I will make him talk."" 他那么坚定不移和一味自我控制，"我想，"实在太苛刻自己了。他把每种情感和痛苦都锁在内心--什么也不表白，不流露，不告诉。我深信，谈一点他认为不应当娶的可爱的罗莎蒙德，会对他有好处。我要使他开口。" I said first, "Take a chair, Mr. Rivers." But he answered, as healways did, that he could not stay. "Very well," I responded,mentally, "stand if you like; but you shall not go just yet, I amdetermined: solitude is at least as bad for you as it is for me.I'll try if I cannot discover the secret spring of your confidence,and find an aperture in that marble breast through which I can shedone drop of the balm of sympathy." 我先是说："坐一下，里弗斯先生，"可是他照例又回答说，不能逗留。"很好，"我心里回答，"要是你高兴，你就站着吧，但你还不能走，我的决心已下。寂寞对你和对我至少是一样不好，我倒要试试，看我能不能发现你内心的秘密，在你大理石般的胸膛找到一个孔，从那里我可以灌进一滴同情的香油。" "Is this portrait like?" I asked bluntly." 这幅画像不像？"我直截了当地问。 "Like! Like whom? I did not observe it closely."" 像！像谁呀？我没细看。" 
你看了，里弗斯先生。" He almost started at my sudden and strange abruptness: he looked atme astonished. "Oh, that is nothing yet," I muttered within. "Idon't mean to be baffled by a little stiffness on your part; I'mprepared to go to considerable lengths." I continued, "You observedit closely and distinctly; but I have no objection to your lookingat it again," and I rose and placed it in his hand. 他被我直率得有些突然和奇怪的发问弄得几乎跳了起来，惊异地看着我。"呵，那还算不了什么，"我心里嘟哝着。"我不想因为你一点点生硬态度而罢休。我准备付出巨大的努力。"我继续想道，"你看得很仔细很清楚，但我不反对你再看一遍。"我站起来把画放在他手里。 "A well-executed picture," he said; "very soft, clear colouring;very graceful and correct drawing."" 一张画得很好的画，"他说，"色彩柔和清晰，是一张很优美、很恰当的画。"
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