目 录 上一节 下一节 
我把书架上的那本书指给他看。他取了下来，像往常一样躲到窗子凹陷处，读了起来。 Now, I did not like this, reader. St. John was a good man; but Ibegan to feel he had spoken truth of himself when he said he washard and cold. The humanities and amenities of life had noattraction for him--its peaceful enjoyments no charm. Literally, helived only to aspire--after what was good and great, certainly; butstill he would never rest, nor approve of others resting round him.As I looked at his lofty forehead, still and pale as a white stone--at his fine lineaments fixed in study--I comprehended all at oncethat he would hardly make a good husband: that it would be a tryingthing to be his wife. I understood, as by inspiration, the natureof his love for Miss Oliver; I agreed with him that it was but alove of the senses. I comprehended how he should despise himselffor the feverish influence it exercised over him; how he should wishto stifle and destroy it; how he should mistrust its ever conductingpermanently to his happiness or hers. I saw he was of the materialfrom which nature hews her heroes--Christian and Pagan--herlawgivers, her statesmen, her conquerors: a steadfast bulwark forgreat interests to rest upon; but, at the fireside, too often a coldcumbrous column, gloomy and out of place. 此刻，我不大喜欢这种举动，读者。圣.约翰是个好人，但我开始觉得他说自己冷酷无情时，他说的是真话。人的美德和人生的欢乐对他没有吸引力--平静的享受也不具魅力。他活着纯粹是为了向往--当然是向往优秀伟大的东西。但他永远不会休息，也不赞成周围的人休息。当我瞧着他白石一般苍白平静的高耸额头--瞧着他陷入沉思的漂亮面容时，我立刻明白他很难成为一个好丈夫，做他的妻子是件够折磨人的事。我恍然领悟到他对奥利弗小姐之爱的实质是什么。我同意他的看法，这不过是一种感官的爱。我理解他怎么会因为这种爱给他带来的狂热影响而鄙视自己，怎么会希望抑杀和毁灭它，而不相信爱会永远有助于他或她的幸福。我明白他是一块大自然可以从中雕刻出英雄来的材料--基督教徒和异教徒英雄--法典制定者、政治家、征服者。他是可以寄托巨大利益的坚强堡垒，但是在火炉旁边，却总是一根冰冷笨重的柱子，阴郁沉闷，格格不入。 "This parlour is not his sphere," I reflected: "the Himalayan ridgeor Caffre bush, even the plague-cursed Guinea Coast swamp would suithim better. Well may he eschew the calm of domestic life; it is nothis element: there his faculties stagnate--they cannot develop orappear to advantage. It is in scenes of strife and danger--wherecourage is proved, and energy exercised, and fortitude tasked--thathe will speak and move, the leader and superior. A merry childwould have the advantage of him on this hearth. He is right tochoose a missionary's career--I see it now."" 这间客厅不是他的天地，"我沉思道："喜马拉雅山谷或者南非丛林，甚至瘟疫流行的几内亚海岸的沼泽，才是他用武之地。他满可以放弃宁静的家庭生活。家庭不是他活动的环境，在这里他的官能会变得迟钝，难以施展或显露。在充满斗争和危险的环境中--显示勇气，发挥能力，考验韧性的地方，--他才会像一个首领和长官那样说活和行动。而在火炉边，一个快乐的孩子也会比他强。他选择传教士的经历是正确的--现在我明白了"。 "They are coming! they are coming!" cried Hannah, throwing open theparlour door. At the same moment old Carlo barked joyfully. Out Iran. It was now dark; but a rumbling of wheels was audible. Hannahsoon had a lantern lit. The vehicle had stopped at the wicket; thedriver opened the door: first one well-known form, then another,stepped out. In a minute I had my face under their bonnets, incontact first with Mary's soft cheek, then with Diana's flowingcurls. They laughed--kissed me--then Hannah: patted Carlo, who washalf wild with delight; asked eagerly if all was well; and beingassured in the affirmative, hastened into the house." 她们来啦！她们来啦！"汉娜砰地打开客厅门嚷道。与此同时，老卡罗高兴地吠叫起来。我跑了出去，此刻天已经黑了，但听得见嘎嘎的车轮声。汉娜立刻点上了提灯。车子在小门边停了下来，车夫开了门，一位熟悉的身躯走了出来，接着又出来了另一位。刹那之间我的面孔便埋进了她的帽子底下，先是触碰了玛丽柔软的脸，随后是黛安娜飘洒的卷发。她们大笑着--吻了吻我--随后吻了汉娜，拍了拍卡罗，卡罗乐得差点发了疯。她们急着问是否一切都好，得到肯定的回答后，便匆匆进了屋。 They were stiff with their long and jolting drive from Whitcross,and chilled with the frosty night air; but their pleasantcountenances expanded to the cheerful firelight. While the driverand Hannah brought in the boxes, they demanded St. John. At thismoment he advanced from the parlour. They both threw their armsround his neck at once. He gave each one quiet kiss, said in a lowtone a few words of welcome, stood a while to be talked to, andthen, intimating that he supposed they would soon rejoin him in theparlour, withdrew there as to a place of refuge. 他们被惠特克劳斯到这里的长途颠簸弄得四肢僵硬，被夜间的寒气冻坏了。但是见了令人振奋的火光便绽开了愉快的笑靥。车夫和汉娜忙着把箱子拿进屋的时候，她们问起了圣.约翰。这时圣.约翰从客厅里走了出来。她们俩立刻搂住了他的脖子，他静静地给了各人一个吻，低声地说了几句欢迎的话，站了一会儿让她们同他交谈，随后便说估计她们很快会同他在客厅会面，像躲进避难所一样钻进了客厅。 
我点了蜡烛好让她们上楼去，但黛安娜得先周到地叮嘱车夫，随后两人在我后面跟着。她们对房间的整修和装饰，对新的帷幔、新的地毯和色泽鲜艳的瓷花瓶都很满意，慷慨地表示了感激。我感到很高兴，我的安排完全符合她们的愿望，我所做的为她们愉快的家园之行增添了生动的魅力。 Sweet was that evening. My cousins, full of exhilaration, were soeloquent in narrative and comment, that their fluency covered St.John's taciturnity: he was sincerely glad to see his sisters; butin their glow of fervour and flow of joy he could not sympathise.The event of the day--that is, the return of Diana and Mary--pleasedhim; but the accompaniments of that event, the glad tumult, thegarrulous glee of reception irked him: I saw he wished the calmermorrow was come. In the very meridian of the night's enjoyment,about an hour after tea, a rap was heard at the door. Hannahentered with the intimation that "a poor lad was come, at thatunlikely time, to fetch Mr. Rivers to see his mother, who wasdrawing away." 那是个可爱的夜晚。兴高彩烈的表姐们，又是叙述又是议论，滔滔不绝，她们的畅谈掩盖了圣.约翰的沉默。看到妹妹们，他由衷地感到高兴，但是她们闪烁的热情，流动的喜悦都无法引起他的共鸣。那天的大事--就是黛安娜和玛丽的归来--谈他感到很愉快，但伴随而来快乐的喧哗，喋喋不休、欣喜万分的接待，使他感到厌倦。我明白他希望宁静的第二天快点到来。用完茶点后一个小时，那晚的欢乐到达了极致，这时却响起来了一阵敲门声，汉娜进来报告说，"一个可怜的少年来得真不是时候，要请里弗斯先生去看看她的母亲，她快要死了。" "Where does she live, Hannah?"" 她住在哪儿，汉娜？" "Clear up at Whitcross Brow, almost four miles off, and moor andmoss all the way."" 一直要到惠特克劳斯坡呢，差不多有四英里路，一路都是沼泽和青苔。" "Tell him I will go."" 告诉他我就去。" 
先生，我想你还是别去好。天黑以后走这样的路是最糟糕的，整个沼泽地都没有路，而且又碰上了天气这么恶劣的晚上--风从来没有刮得那么大，你还是传个话，先生，明天上那儿去。" But he was already in the passage, putting on his cloak; and withoutone objection, one murmur, he departed. It was then nine o'clock:he did not return till midnight. Starved and tired enough he was:but he looked happier than when he set out. He had performed an actof duty; made an exertion; felt his own strength to do and deny, andwas on better terms with himself. 但他已经在过道上了，披上了斗篷，没有反对，没有怨言，便出发了，那时候已经九点。他到了半夜才回来，尽管四肢冻僵，身子疲乏，却显得比出发时还愉快。他完成了一项职责，作了一次努力，感到自己有克己献身的魄力，自我感觉好了不少。 I am afraid the whole of the ensuing week tried his patience. Itwas Christmas week: we took to no settled employment, but spent itin a sort of merry domestic dissipation. The air of the moors, thefreedom of home, the dawn of prosperity, acted on Diana and Mary'sspirits like some life-giving elixir: they were gay from morningtill noon, and from noon till night. They could always talk; andtheir discourse, witty, pithy, original, had such charms for me,that I preferred listening to, and sharing in it, to doing anythingelse. St. John did not rebuke our vivacity; but he escaped from it:he was seldom in the house; his parish was large, the populationscattered, and he found daily business in visiting the sick and poorin its different districts. 我担心接下来的一整周使他很不耐烦。那是圣诞周，我们不干正经事儿，却沉浸在家庭的欢闹之中。荒原的空气，家里的自由自在的气氛，生活富裕的曙光，对黛安娜和玛丽的心灵，犹如起死回生的长生不老药。从上午到下午，从下午到晚上，她们都寻欢作乐。她们总能谈个不休，她们的交谈机智、精辟、富有独创，对我的吸引力很大。我喜欢倾听，喜欢参与，甚过干一切别的事情。圣.约翰对我们的说笑并无非议，但避之不迭。他很少在家，他的教区大，人口分散，访问不同地区的贫苦人家，便成了每天的例行公事。 One morning at breakfast, Diana, after looking a little pensive forsome minutes, asked him, "If his plans were yet unchanged." 一天早晨吃早饭的时候，黛安娜闷闷不乐了一阵子后问道，"你的计划没有改变吗？" "Unchanged and unchangeable," was the reply. And he proceeded toinform us that his departure from England was now definitively fixedfor the ensuing year." 没有改变，也不可改变"便是对方的回答。他接着告诉我们，他离开英国的时间确定在明年。 
那么罗莎蒙德.奥利弗呢？"玛丽问。这句话似乎是脱口而出的，因为她说完不久便做了个手势，仿佛要把它收回去。圣.约翰手里捧着一本书--吃饭时看书是他不合群的习惯--他合上书，抬起头来。 "Rosamond Oliver," said he, "is about to be married to Mr. Granby,one of the best connected and most estimable residents in S-,grandson and heir to Sir Frederic Granby: I had the intelligencefrom her father yesterday."" 罗莎蒙德.奥利弗，"他说"要跟格兰比先生结婚了。他是弗雷德里克.格兰比爵士的孙子和继承人，是Ｓ城家庭背景最好、最受尊敬的居民之一我是昨天从他父亲那儿得到这个消息的。" His sisters looked at each other and at me; we all three looked athim: he was serene as glass. 他的妹妹们相互看看，又看了看我。我们三个人都看着他，他像一块玻璃那样安详。 "The match must have been got up hastily," said Diana: "they cannothave known each other long."" 这门婚事准是定得很匆忙，"黛安娜说，"他们彼此不可能认识很久的。"
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