目 录 上一节 下一节 
奥利弗小姐向来有一大群求婚者和献殷勤的人围着她转，不到一个月，我的形象会从她心坎里抹去，她会忘掉我，很可能会跟一个比我更能使她幸福的人结婚。" "You speak coolly enough; but you suffer in the conflict. You arewasting away."" 你说得倒够冷静的，不过你内心很矛盾，很痛苦。你日见消瘦。" "No. If I get a little thin, it is with anxiety about my prospects,yet unsettled--my departure, continually procrastinated. Only thismorning, I received intelligence that the successor, whose arrival Ihave been so long expecting, cannot be ready to replace me for threemonths to come yet; and perhaps the three months may extend to six."" 不，要是我有点儿瘦，那是我为悬而未决的前景担忧的缘故--我的离别日期一拖再拖。就是今大早上我还接到了消息，我一直盼着的后继者，三个月之内无法接替我，也许这三个月又会延长到六个月。" "You tremble and become flushed whenever Miss Oliver enters theschoolroom."" 无论什么时候，奥利弗小姐一走进教室你就颤抖起来、脸涨得通红。" Again the surprised expression crossed his face. He had notimagined that a woman would dare to speak so to a man. For me, Ifelt at home in this sort of discourse. I could never rest incommunication with strong, discreet, and refined minds, whether maleor female, till I had passed the outworks of conventional reserve,and crossed the threshold of confidence, and won a place by theirheart's very hearthstone. 他脸上再次浮起惊讶的表情。他想象不到一个女人居然敢于这么同一个男人说话。至于我，这-类交谈我非常习惯。我与很有头脑、言语谨慎、富有教养的人交际的时候，不管是男人还是女人，我非要绕过缄默的传统防卫工事，踏进奥秘的门槛，在心坎的火炉边上找到一个位置才肯罢休。 
你确实见解独到，"他说，"胆子也不小。你的精神中有一种勇气，你的眼睛有一种穿透力，可是请允许我向你保证，你部份误解了我的情感。你把这些情感想象得比实际的要深沉，要强烈。你给了我甚于我正当要求的同情。我在奥利弗小姐面前脸红，颤抖时，我不是怜悯自己，而是蔑视我的弱点。我知道这并不光彩，它不过是肉体的狂热，我宣布，不是灵魂的抽搐。那灵魂坚加磐石，牢牢扎在骚动不安的大海深处。你知道我是怎么个人--一个冷酷无情的人。" I smiled incredulously. 我怀疑地笑了笑。 "You have taken my confidence by storm," he continued, "and now itis much at your service. I am simply, in my original state--stripped of that blood-bleached robe with which Christianity covershuman deformity--a cold, hard, ambitious man. Natural affectiononly, of all the sentiments, has permanent power over me. Reason,and not feeling, is my guide; my ambition is unlimited: my desireto rise higher, to do more than others, insatiable. I honourendurance, perseverance, industry, talent; because these are themeans by which men achieve great ends and mount to lofty eminence.I watch your career with interest, because I consider you a specimenof a diligent, orderly, energetic woman: not because I deeplycompassionate what you have gone through, or what you still suffer."" 你用突然袭击的办法掏出了我的心里话，"他继续说，"现在就听任你摆布了，剥去用基督教义来掩盖人性缺陷、漂净了血污的袍子，我本是个冷酷无情雄心勃勃的人。只有各种天生的情感会对我产生永久的力量。我的向导是理智而并非情感，我的雄心没有止境，我要比别人爬得高干得多的欲望永不能满足。我尊崇忍耐、坚持、勤勉和才能，因为这是人要干大事业，出大名的必要条件。我兴趣十足地观察了你的经历，因为我认为你是勤勤恳恳、有条有理、精力充沛的女人的典范，倒并不是因为我对你所经历的或正在受的苦深表同情。" "You would describe yourself as a mere pagan philosopher," I said." 你会把自己描述成不过是位异教徒哲学家的。"我说。 "No. There is this difference between me and deistic philosophers:I believe; and I believe the Gospel. You missed your epithet. I amnot a pagan, but a Christian philosopher--a follower of the sect ofJesus. As His disciple I adopt His pure, His merciful, Hisbenignant doctrines. I advocate them: I am sworn to spread them.Won in youth to religion, she has cultivated my original qualitiesthus:- From the minute germ, natural affection, she has developedthe overshadowing tree, philanthropy. From the wild stringy root ofhuman uprightness, she has reared a due sense of the Divine justice.Of the ambition to win power and renown for my wretched self, shehas formed the ambition to spread my Master's kingdom; to achievevictories for the standard of the cross. So much has religion donefor me; turning the original materials to the best account; pruningand training nature. But she could not eradicate nature: nor willit be eradicated 'till this mortal shall put on immortality.'"" 不，我与自然神论的哲学家之间是有区别的：我有信仰，我信奉福音。你用错了修饰语。我不是异教徒哲学家，正是基督教哲学家--一个耶稣教派的信徒，作为他的信徒，我信仰他纯洁、宽厚、仁慈的教义。我主张这样的教义、发誓要为之传播，我年轻时就信仰宗教，于是宗教培养了我最初的品格--它已从小小的幼芽，自然的情感，长成浓荫蔽日的大树，变成了慈善主义，从人类真诚品质的粗糙野生的根子上，相应长出了神圣的公正感。把我为可怜的自我谋求权力和名声的雄心，变成扩大主的天地、为十字架旗帜获得胜利的大志。宗教已为我做了很多，把原始的天性变成最好的品质、修剪和培育了天性。但是无法根除天性，天性也不可能根除，直到"这必死的变成不死的'时候。" 
说完，他拿起放在桌上我画板旁的帽子，再一次看了看画像。 "She IS lovely," he murmured. "She is well named the Rose of theWorld, indeed!"" 她的确可爱，"他喃喃地说。"她不愧为世界上最好的玫瑰，真的。" "And may I not paint one like it for you?"" 我可不可以画一张像这样的给你呢？" "CUI BONO? No."" 干嘛？不必了。" He drew over the picture the sheet of thin paper on which I wasaccustomed to rest my hand in painting, to prevent the cardboardfrom being sullied. What he suddenly saw on this blank paper, itwas impossible for me to tell; but something had caught his eye. Hetook it up with a snatch; he looked at the edge; then shot a glanceat me, inexpressibly peculiar, and quite incomprehensible: a glancethat seemed to take and make note of every point in my shape, face,and dress; for it traversed all, quick, keen as lightning. His lipsparted, as if to speak: but he checked the coming sentence,whatever it was. 他拉过一张薄薄的纸盖在画上，这张纸是我平常作画时怕弄脏纸板常作为垫手用的。他突然在这张空白纸上究竟看到了什么，我无法判断。但某种东西引起了他的注意。他猛地拣起来，看了看纸边，随后瞟了我一眼，那目光奇怪得难以形容，而旦不可理解，似乎摄取并记下了我的体态、面容和服饰的每个细节。它一扫而过，犹如闪电般迅速和锐利。他张开嘴唇，似乎想说话，但把到了嘴边的什么话咽了下去。 
怎么回事？"我问。 "Nothing in the world," was the reply; and, replacing the paper, Isaw him dexterously tear a narrow slip from the margin. Itdisappeared in his glove; and, with one hasty nod and "good-afternoon," he vanished." 什么事也没有"对方回答，一面又把纸放下。我见他利索地从边上撕下一小条，放进了手套，匆勿忙忙点了点头。"下午好，"就消失得无影无踪了。 "Well!" I exclaimed, using an expression of the district, "that capsthe globe, however!"" 嗨！"我用那个地区的一个短语嚷道："这可绝了！" I, in my turn, scrutinised the paper; but saw nothing on it save afew dingy stains of paint where I had tried the tint in my pencil.I pondered the mystery a minute or two; but finding it insolvable,and being certain it could not be of much moment, I dismissed, andsoon forgot it. 我呢，仔细看了看那张纸，但除了我试画笔色泽所留下的几滴暗淡的污渍，我什么也没有看到。我把这个谜琢磨了一两分钟，但无法解开。我相信这也无关紧要，便不再去想它，不久也就忘了。 When Mr. St. John went, it was beginning to snow; the whirling stormcontinued all night. The next day a keen wind brought fresh andblinding falls; by twilight the valley was drifted up and almostimpassable. I had closed my shutter, laid a mat to the door toprevent the snow from blowing in under it, trimmed my fire, andafter sitting nearly an hour on the hearth listening to the muffledfury of the tempest, I lit a candle, took down "Marmion," andbeginning - 圣.约翰先生走掉后，天开始下雪了。暴风雷刮了整整一夜。第二天刺骨的风又带来茫茫大雪，到了黄昏，雪积山谷，道路几乎不通。我关了窗，把一个垫子挂在门上，免得雪从门底下吹进来，整了整火，在炉边坐了近一个小时，倾听着暴风雪低沉的怒吼，我点了根蜡烛，取来了《玛米昂》，开始读了起来-- 
残阳照着诺汉那城堡峭立的陡壁，美丽的特威德河又宽又深，契维奥特山孑然独立；气势雄伟的塔楼和城堡的主垒，两侧那绵延不绝的围墙，都在落日余辉中闪动着金光。 I soon forgot storm in music. 我立刻沉浸在音乐之中，忘掉了暴风雪。 I heard a noise: the wind, I thought, shook the door. No; it wasSt. John Rivers, who, lifting the latch, came in out of the frozenhurricane--the howling darkness--and stood before me: the cloakthat covered his tall figure all white as a glacier. I was almostin consternation, so little had I expected any guest from theblocked-up vale that night. 我听见了一声响动，心想一定是风摇动着门的声音。不，是圣.约翰.里弗斯先生，从天寒地冻的暴风雪中，从怒吼着的黑暗中走出来，拉开门栓，站有我面前。遮盖着他高高身躯的斗篷，像冰川一样一片雪白，我几乎有些惊慌了，在这样的夜晚我不曾料到会有穿过积雪封冻的山谷，前来造访的客人。 "Any ill news?" I demanded. "Has anything happened?"" 有什么坏消息吧？"我问。"出了什么事吗？"
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