名著·简.爱 - 第17节


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  坦普尔小姐很好,很聪明,她在其余的人之上,因为懂得比她们多得多。"

   "Have you been long here?""

  你来这儿很久了吗?"

   "Two years.""

  两年了。"

   "Are you an orphan?""

  你是孤儿吗?"

   "My mother is dead.""

  我母亲死了。"

  你在这儿愉快吗?"

   "You ask rather too many questions. I have given you answers enoughfor the present: now I want to read.""

  你问得太多了。我给你的回答已经足够,现在我可要看书了。"

   But at that moment the summons sounded for dinner; all re-enteredthe house. The odour which now filled the refectory was scarcelymore appetising than that which had regaled our nostrils atbreakfast: the dinner was served in two huge tin-plated vessels,whence rose a strong steam redolent of rancid fat. I found the messto consist of indifferent potatoes and strange shreds of rusty meat,mixed and cooked together. Of this preparation a tolerably abundantplateful was apportioned to each pupil. I ate what I could, andwondered within myself whether every day's fare would be like this.

  但这时候吃饭铃响了,大家再次进屋去,弥漫在餐厅里的气味并行比早餐时扑鼻而来的味儿更诱人。午餐盛放在两十大白铁桶里,热腾腾冒出一股臭肥肉的气味。我发现这乱糟糟的东西,是烂土豆和几小块不可思议的臭肉搅在一起煮成的,每个学生都分到了相当满的一盘。我尽力而吃。心里暗自纳闷,是否每天的饭食都是这付样子。

   After dinner, we immediately adjourned to the schoolroom: lessonsrecommenced, and were continued till five o'clock.

  吃罢午饭,我们立则去教室,又开始上课,一直到五点钟。

   The only marked event of the afternoon was, that I saw the girl withwhom I had conversed in the verandah dismissed in disgrace by MissScatcherd from a history class, and sent to stand in the middle ofthe large schoolroom. The punishment seemed to me in a high degreeignominious, especially for so great a girl--she looked thirteen orupwards. I expected she would show signs of great distress andshame; but to my surprise she neither wept nor blushed: composed,though grave, she stood, the central mark of all eyes. "How can shebear it so quietly--so firmly?" I asked of myself. "Were I in herplace, it seems to me I should wish the earth to open and swallow meup. She looks as if she were thinking of something beyond herpunishment--beyond her situation: of something not round her norbefore her. I have heard of day-dreams--is she in a day-dream now?Her eyes are fixed on the floor, but I am sure they do not see it--her sight seems turned in, gone down into her heart: she is lookingat what she can remember, I believe; not at what is really present.I wonder what sort of a girl she is--whether good or naughty."

  下午只有一件事引人注目,我看到了在游廊上跟我交谈过的姑娘丢了脸,被斯卡查德小姐逐出历史课,责令站在那个大教室当中,在我看来,这种惩罚实在是奇耻大辱,特别是对像她这样一个大姑娘来说--她看上去有十三岁了,或许还更大,我猜想她会露出伤心和害臊的表情。但使我诧异的是,她既没哭泣,也没脸红,她在众目睽睽之下,站在那里,虽然神情严肃,却非常镇定。"她怎么能那么默默地而又坚定地忍受呢?"我暗自思忖。"要是我,巴不得地球会裂开,把我吞下去。而她看上去仿佛在想惩罚之外的什么事,与她处境无关的事情,某种既不在她周围也不在她眼的的东西,我听说过白日梦、难道她在做白日梦,她的眼晴盯着地板,但可以肯定她视而不见,她的目光似乎是向内的,直视自己的心扉。我想她注视着记忆中的东西,而不是眼前确实存在的事物、我不明白她属于哪一类姑娘,好姑娘,还是淘气鬼。"

  五分钟刚过,我们又用了另一顿饭,吃的是一小杯咖啡和半片黑面包。我狼吞虎咽地吃了面,喝了咖啡,吃得津津有味,不过要是能再来一份,我会非常高兴,因为我仍然很饿,吃完饭后是半小时的娱乐活动,然后是学习,再后是一杯水,一个燕麦饼,祷告,上床,这就是我在罗沃德第一天的生活。

   The next day commenced as before, getting up and dressing byrushlight; but this morning we were obliged to dispense with theceremony of washing; the water in the pitchers was frozen. A changehad taken place in the weather the preceding evening, and a keennorth-east wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroomwindows all night long, had made us shiver in our beds, and turnedthe contents of the ewers to ice.

  第二天开始了,同以前一样,穿衣起身还是借着灯草芯蜡烛的微光,不过今天早晨不得不放弃洗脸仪式了,因为罐里的水都结了冰。头一天夜里、天气变了,刺骨的东北风,透过寝室窗门的缝隙,彻夜呼呼吹着,弄得我们在床上直打哆嗦,罐子里的水也结起了冰。

   Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible-reading wasover, I felt ready to perish with cold. Breakfast-time came atlast, and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality waseatable, the quantity small. How small my portion seemed! I wishedit had been doubled.

  一个半小时的祷告和圣经诵读还没结束,我已觉得快要冻死了。早餐时间终于到来,而且今天的粥没有烧焦,能够下咽,可惜量少。我的那份看上去多少呀!我真希望能增加一倍。

   In the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourthclass, and regular tasks and occupations were assigned me:hitherto, I had only been a spectator of the proceedings at Lowood;I was now to become an actor therein. At first, being littleaccustomed to learn by heart, the lessons appeared to me both longand difficult; the frequent change from task to task, too,bewildered me; and I was glad when, about three o'clock in theafternoon, Miss Smith put into my hands a border of muslin two yardslong, together with needle, thimble, &c., and sent me to sit in aquiet corner of the schoolroom, with directions to hem the same. Atthat hour most of the others were sewing likewise; but one classstill stood round Miss Scatcherd's chair reading, and as all wasquiet, the subject of their lessons could be heard, together withthe manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and theanimadversions or commendations of Miss Scatcherd on theperformance. It was English history: among the readers I observedmy acquaintance of the verandah: at the commencement of the lesson,her place had been at the top of the class, but for some error ofpronunciation, or some inattention to stops, she was suddenly sentto the very bottom. Even in that obscure position, Miss Scatcherdcontinued to make her an object of constant notice: she wascontinually addressing to her such phrases as the following:-

  那天我被编入第四班,给布置了正规任务和作业。在此之前,我在罗沃德不过是静观一切进程的旁观者,而现在己成了其中的一名演员。起先,由于我不习惯背诵,觉得课文似乎又长又难,功课一门门不断变换,弄得我头昏脑胀。下午三点光景,史密斯小姐把一根两码长的平纹细布滚边塞到我手里,连同针和顶针之类的东西,让我坐在教室僻静的角落,根据指令依样画葫芦缝上滚边,我一时喜出望外。在那时刻,其他人也大多一样在缝,只有一个班仍围着斯卡查德小姐的椅子,站着读书。四周鸦雀无声,所以听得见她们功课的内容,也听得见每个姑娘读得怎样,听得见斯卡查德小姐对她们表现的责备和赞扬。这是一堂英国历史课,我注意到在读书的人中,有一位是我在游廊上相识的。开始上课时,她被安排在全班首位,可是由于某些发音错误及对句号的忽视,她突然被降到末尾去了。即使在这种不起眼的位置上,斯卡查德小姐也继续使她成为始终引人注目的对象,不断用这样的措词同她说话:

   "Burns" (such it seems was her name: the girls here were all calledby their surnames, as boys are elsewhere), "Burns, you are standingon the side of your shoe; turn your toes out immediately." "Burns,you poke your chin most unpleasantly; draw it in." "Burns, I insiston your holding your head up; I will not have you before me in thatattitude," &c. &c."

  彭斯,(这似乎就是她的名字,这儿的女孩像其他地方的男孩一样,都按姓来叫的)彭斯,你鞋子踩偏了,快把脚趾伸直。""彭斯,你伸着下巴,多难看,把它收回去。""彭斯,我要你抬起头来,我不允许你在我面前做出这付样子来"等等。

  一章书从头到尾读了两遍,课本便合了起来,姑娘们受到了考问。这堂课讲的是查理一世王朝的一个时期,问的问题形形式式,船舶吨位税呀,按镑收税呀,造船税呀,大多数人似乎都无法回答,但是一到彭斯那里,每一道难题都迎刃而解。她像已经把整堂课的内容都记在脑子里了,任何问题都能应对自如。我一直以为斯卡查德小姐要称赞她专心致志了,谁知她突然大叫起来:

   "You dirty, disagreeable girl! you have never cleaned your nailsthis morning!""

  你这讨厌的邋遢姑娘?你早上根本没有洗过指甲?"

   Burns made no answer: I wondered at her silence.

  彭斯没有回答,我对她的沉默感到纳闷。

   "Why," thought I,"does she not explain that she could neither clean her nails norwash her face, as the water was frozen?""

  为什么,"我想,"她不解释一下,水结冻了,脸和指甲都没法洗?"

   My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desiring me to hold askein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me fromtime to time, asking whether I had ever been at school before,whether I could mark, stitch, knit, &c.; till she dismissed me, Icould not pursue my observations on Miss Scatcherd's movements.When I returned to my seat, that lady was just delivering an orderof which I did not catch the import; but Burns immediately left theclass, and going into the small inner room where the books werekept, returned in half a minute, carrying in her hand a bundle oftwigs tied together at one end. This ominous tool she presented toMiss Scatcherd with a respectful curtesy; then she quietly, andwithout being told, unloosed her pinafore, and the teacher instantlyand sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch oftwigs. Not a tear rose to Burns' eye; and, while I paused from mysewing, because my fingers quivered at this spectacle with asentiment of unavailing and impotent anger, not a feature of herpensive face altered its ordinary expression.

  此刻,史密斯小姐转移了我的注意力,她让我替她撑住一束线,一面绕,一面不时跟我说话。问我以前是否进过学校,能否绣花、缝纫、编织等,直到她打发我走,我才有可能进一步观察斯卡查德小姐的行动。我回到自己的座位上时,那女人正在发布一道命令,命令的内容我没有听清楚。但是彭斯立刻离开了班级,走进里面一个放书的小间,过了半分钟又返回来,手里拿着一束一头扎好的木条。她毕恭毕敬地行了个屈膝礼,把这个不祥的刑具递交给了斯卡查德小姐。随后,她不用吩咐,便默默地解开了罩衣,这位教师立刻用这束木条狠狠地在她脖子上揍了十几下,彭斯没有掉一滴眼泪。见了这种情景,我心头涌起了一种徒劳无益、无能为力的愤怒,气得手指都颤抖起来,而不得不停下手头的针线活。她那忧郁的面容毫不改色,依然保持着平日的表情。

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名著·简.爱 - 第17节