目 录 上一节 下一节 
但有两个月了。他们十月份在Ｓ城的一个乡间舞会上见的面。可是，眼下这种情况，从各方面看来这门亲事都是称心合意的，没有什么障碍，也就没的必要拖延了。一等弗雷德里克爵士出让给他们的Ｓ城那个地方整修好，可以接待他们了，他们就结婚。" The first time I found St. John alone after this communication, Ifelt tempted to inquire if the event distressed him: but he seemedso little to need sympathy, that, so far from venturing to offer himmore, I experienced some shame at the recollection of what I hadalready hazarded. Besides, I was out of practice in talking to him:his reserve was again frozen over, and my frankness was congealedbeneath it. He had not kept his promise of treating me like hissisters; he continually made little chilling differences between us,which did not at all tend to the development of cordiality: inshort, now that I was acknowledged his kinswoman, and lived underthe same roof with him, I felt the distance between us to be fargreater than when he had known me only as the villageschoolmistress. When I remembered how far I had once been admittedto his confidence, I could hardly comprehend his present frigidity. 这次谈话后我第一回见圣.约翰独自呆着的时候，很想问问他，这件事是不是很使他伤心。但他似乎不需要什么同情，因此，我不但没有冒昧地再有所表示，反而想起自己以前的冒失而感到羞愧。此外，我已疏于同他交谈，他的冷漠态度再次结冻，我的坦率便在底下凝固了。他并没有信守诺言，对我以妹妹相待，而是不断地显出那种小小的令人寒心的区别，丝毫没有要慢慢亲热起来的意思。总之，自从我被认作他的亲人，并同住一屋后，我觉得我们间的距离，远比当初我不过是乡村女教师时大得多。当我记起我曾深得他的信任时，我很难理解他现在的冷淡态度。 Such being the case, I felt not a little surprised when he raisedhis head suddenly from the desk over which he was stooping, and said- 在这种情况下，他突然从趴着的书桌上抬起头来说话时，我不免有些惊讶了。 "You see, Jane, the battle is fought and the victory won."" 你瞧，简，仗己经打过了，而且获得了胜利。" Startled at being thus addressed, I did not immediately reply:after a moment's hesitation I answered - 我被这样的说话方式吓了一跳，没有立即回答。但犹豫了一阵子后，说道： 
可是你确信自己不是那种为胜利付出了重大代价的征服者吗？如果再来一仗岂不会把你毁掉？" "I think not; and if I were, it does not much signify; I shall neverbe called upon to contend for such another. The event of theconflict is decisive: my way is now clear; I thank God for it!" Sosaying, he returned to his papers and his silence." 我想不会。要是会，也并没有多大关系。我永远也不会应召去参加另一次这样的争斗了。争斗的结局是决定性的，现在我的道路已经扫清，我为此而感谢上帝！"说完，他回到了自己的文件和沉默中去了。 As our mutual happiness (i.e., Diana's, Mary's, and mine) settledinto a quieter character, and we resumed our usual habits andregular studies, St. John stayed more at home: he sat with us inthe same room, sometimes for hours together. While Mary drew, Dianapursued a course of encyclopaedic reading she had (to my awe andamazement) undertaken, and I fagged away at German, he pondered amystic lore of his own: that of some Eastern tongue, theacquisition of which he thought necessary to his plans. 我们彼此间的欢乐（即黛安娜的、玛丽的和我的）渐渐地趋于安静了。我们恢复了平时的习惯和正常的学习，圣.约翰呆在家里的时间更多了，与我们一起坐在同一个房间里，有时一坐几小时。这时候玛丽绘画；黛安娜继续她的《百科全书》阅读课程（使我不胜惊讶和敬畏）；我苦读德文；他则思索着自己神秘的学问，就是某种东方语言，他认为要实现自己的计划很需要把它掌握。 Thus engaged, he appeared, sitting in his own recess, quiet andabsorbed enough; but that blue eye of his had a habit of leaving theoutlandish-looking grammar, and wandering over, and sometimes fixingupon us, his fellow-students, with a curious intensity ofobservation: if caught, it would be instantly withdrawn; yet everand anon, it returned searchingly to our table. I wondered what itmeant: I wondered, too, at the punctual satisfaction he neverfailed to exhibit on an occasion that seemed to me of small moment,namely, my weekly visit to Morton school; and still more was Ipuzzled when, if the day was unfavourable, if there was snow, orrain, or high wind, and his sisters urged me not to go, he wouldinvariably make light of their solicitude, and encourage me toaccomplish the task without regard to the elements. 他似乎就这么忙着，坐在自己的角落里，安静而投入。不过他的蓝眼睛惯于离开看上去稀奇古怪的语法，转来转去，有时会出奇地紧盯着我们这些同学，一与别人的目光相通就会立即收敛，但不时又回过来搜索我们的桌子。我感到纳闷，不明白内中的含义。我也觉得奇怪，虽然在我看来每周一次上莫尔顿学校是件小事，但他每次必定要不失时机地表示满意。更使我不解的是，要是某一天天气不好，落雪下雨，或者风很大，她的妹妹们会劝我不要去，而他必定会无视她们的关心，鼓动我不顾恶劣天气去完成使命。 "Jane is not such a weakling as you would make her," he would say:"she can bear a mountain blast, or a shower, or a few flakes ofsnow, as well as any of us. Her constitution is both sound andelastic;--better calculated to endure variations of climate thanmany more robust."" 简可不是那种你们要把她说成的弱者，"他会说，"她会顶着山风，暴雨，或是几片飞雪，比我们准都不差。她体格健康富有适应性--比很多身强力壮的人更能忍受天气的变化。" 
我回到家里，虽然有时风吹雨淋，疲惫不堪，但从不敢抱怨，因为我明白一嘀咕就会惹他生气。无论何时，你坚忍不拔，他会为之高兴，反之，则特别恼火。 One afternoon, however, I got leave to stay at home, because Ireally had a cold. His sisters were gone to Morton in my stead: Isat reading Schiller; he, deciphering his crabbed Oriental scrolls.As I exchanged a translation for an exercise, I happened to look hisway: there I found myself under the influence of the ever-watchfulblue eye. How long it had been searching me through and through,and over and over, I cannot tell: so keen was it, and yet so cold,I felt for the moment superstitious--as if I were sitting in theroom with something uncanny. 一天下午，我却告假呆在家里，因为我确实感冒了。他妹妹们代我去了莫尔顿，我坐着读起席勒的作品来。他在破译鸡爪一样的东方涡卷形字体。我换成练习翻译时，碰巧朝他的方向看了下下，发觉自己正处于那双蓝眼睛的监视之下。它彻彻底底，一遍遍地扫视了多久，我无从知道。他的目光锐利而冷漠，刹那之间我有些迷信了--仿佛同某种不可思议的东西坐在一个屋子里。 "Jane, what are you doing?"" 简，你在干嘛？" "Learning German."" 学习德语。" "I want you to give up German and learn Hindostanee."" 我要你放弃德语，改学印度斯坦语。" 
你不是当真的吧？" "In such earnest that I must have it so: and I will tell you why."" 完全当真，我会告诉你为什么。" He then went on to explain that Hindostanee was the language he washimself at present studying; that, as he advanced, he was apt toforget the commencement; that it would assist him greatly to have apupil with whom he might again and again go over the elements, andso fix them thoroughly in his mind; that his choice had hovered forsome time between me and his sisters; but that he had fixed on mebecause he saw I could sit at a task the longest of the three.Would I do him this favour? I should not, perhaps, have to make thesacrifice long, as it wanted now barely three months to hisdeparture. 随后他继续解释说，印度斯坦语是他眼下正在学习的语言，学了后面容易忘记前面。要是有个学生，对他会有很大帮助，他可以向他一遍遍重复那些基本知识，以便牢记在自己的脑子里。究竟选我还是他的妹妹们，他犹豫了好久。但选中了我，因为他看到我比任何一位都能坐得住。我愿意帮他忙吗？也许我不必作太久的牺牲，因为离他远行的日子只有三个月了。 St. John was not a man to be lightly refused: you felt that everyimpression made on him, either for pain or pleasure, was deep-gravedand permanent. I consented. When Diana and Mary returned, theformer found her scholar transferred from her to her brother: shelaughed, and both she and Mary agreed that St. John should neverhave persuaded them to such a step. He answered quietly - 圣.约翰这个人不是轻易就能拒绝的。让你觉得，他的每个想法，不管是痛苦的，还是愉快的，都是刻骨铭心，永不磨灭的。我同意了。黛安娜和玛丽回到家里，前一位发现自己的学生转到了她哥哥那里，便大笑不已。她和玛丽都认为，圣.约翰绝对说服不了她们走这一步。他平静地答道： "I know it."" 我知道。" 
我发现他是位耐心、克制而又很严格的老师。他期望我做得很多，而一旦我满足了他的期望，他又会以自己的方式表示赞许。渐渐地他产生了某种左右我的力量，使我的头脑失去了自由。他的赞扬和注意比他的冷淡更有抑制作用。只要他在，我就再也不能谈笑自如了，因为一种纠缠不休的直觉，提醒我他讨厌轻松活泼（至少表现在我身上时）。我完全意识到只有态度严肃，干着一本正经的事儿才合他的心意，因此凡他在场的时候，就不可能有别的想头了。我觉得自己被置于一种使人结冻的魔力之下。他说"去"，我就去，他说"来"，我就来；他说"干这个"，我就去干。但是我不喜欢受奴役，很多次都希望他像以前那样忽视我。 One evening when, at bedtime, his sisters and I stood round him,bidding him good-night, he kissed each of them, as was his custom;and, as was equally his custom, he gave me his hand. Diana, whochanced to be in a frolicsome humour (SHE was not painfullycontrolled by his will; for hers, in another way, was as strong),exclaimed - 一天夜里，到了就寝时间，他的妹妹和我都围他而立，同他说声晚安。他照例吻了吻两个妹妹，又照例把手伸给我。黛安娜正好在开玩笑的兴头上（她并没有痛苦地被他的意志控制着，因为从另一个意义上说她的意志力也很强），便大叫道。
| 
