目 录 上一节 下一节 
你的指示一定执行，先生，"坦普尔小姐说。 "And, ma'am," he continued, "the laundress tells me some of thegirls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the ruleslimit them to one."" 还有，小姐，"他继续说下去，"洗衣女工告诉我，有些姑娘一周用两块清洁的领布。这太多了，按规定，限制在一块。" "I think I can explain that circumstance, sir. Agnes and CatherineJohnstone were invited to take tea with some friends at Lowton lastThursday, and I gave them leave to put on clean tuckers for theoccasion."" 我想这件事我可以解释一下，先生。上星期四，艾格妮丝和凯瑟琳.约翰斯通应朋友邀请，上洛顿去用茶点，我允许她们在这种场合戴上干净的领布。" Mr. Brocklehurst nodded. 布罗克赫斯特先生点了点头。 "Well, for once it may pass; but please not to let the circumstanceoccur too often. And there is another thing which surprised me; Ifind, in settling accounts with the housekeeper, that a lunch,consisting of bread and cheese, has twice been served out to thegirls during the past fortnight. How is this? I looked over theregulations, and I find no such meal as lunch mentioned. Whointroduced this innovation? and by what authority?"" 好吧，这一次就算了，但是请不要让这种情况经常发生。还有另一件事也叫我吃惊，我跟管家结帐，发现上两个星期，两次给姑娘们供应了点心，吃了面包奶酪，这是怎么回事？我查了一下规定，没有发现里面提到过点心之类的饭食。是谁搞的改革？又得到了谁的批准？" 
我必须对这一情况负责，先生，"坦普尔小姐回答说。"早饭烧得很糟糕，学生们都咽不下去。我不敢让她们一直饿看肚子到吃中饭。" "Madam, allow me an instant. You are aware that my plan in bringingup these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury andindulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying. Shouldany little accidental disappointment of the appetite occur, such asthe spoiling of a meal, the under or the over dressing of a dish,the incident ought not to be neutralised by replacing with somethingmore delicate the comfort lost, thus pampering the body andobviating the aim of this institution; it ought to be improved tothe spiritual edification of the pupils, by encouraging them toevince fortitude under temporary privation. A brief address onthose occasions would not be mistimed, wherein a judiciousinstructor would take the opportunity of referring to the sufferingsof the primitive Christians; to the torments of martyrs; to theexhortations of our blessed Lord Himself, calling upon His disciplesto take up their cross and follow Him; to His warnings that manshall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth outof the mouth of God; to His divine consolations, "If ye sufferhunger or thirst for My sake, happy are ye." Oh, madam, when youput bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into thesechildren's mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but youlittle think how you starve their immortal souls!"" 小姐，请允许我说上片刻--你该清楚，我培养这些姑娘，不是打算让她们养成娇奢纵欲的习惯，而是使她们刻苦耐劳，善于忍耐，严于克己，要是偶尔有不合胃口的小事发生，譬如一顿饭烧坏了，一个菜作料加少了或者加多了，不应当用更可口的东西代替失去的享乐，来加以补救。那样只会娇纵肉体，偏离这所学校的办学目的。这件事应当用来在精神上开导学生，鼓励她们在暂时困难情况下，发扬坚韧不拔的精神。在这种场合，该不失时宜地发表一个简短的讲话。一位有识见的导师会抓住机会，说一下早期基督徒所受的苦难；说一下殉道者经受的折磨；说一下我们神圣的基督本人的规劝，召唤使徒们背起十字架跟他走；说一下他给予的警告：人活着不是单靠食物，乃是靠上帝口里所说出的一切话；说一下他神圣的安慰'饥渴慕义的人有福了。'啊，小姐，当你不是把烧焦的粥，而是把面包和奶酪放进孩子们嘴里的时候，你也许是在喂她们邪恶的肉体，而你却没有想到，你在使她们不朽的灵魂挨饿！" Mr. Brocklehurst again paused--perhaps overcome by his feelings.Miss Temple had looked down when he first began to speak to her; butshe now gazed straight before her, and her face, naturally pale asmarble, appeared to be assuming also the coldness and fixity of thatmaterial; especially her mouth, closed as if it would have requireda sculptor's chisel to open it, and her brow settled gradually intopetrified severity. 布罗克赫斯特先生又顿了一下，也许是感情太冲动的缘故。他开始讲话时，坦普尔小姐一直低着头，但这会儿眼睛却直视前方。她生来白得像大理石的脸，似乎透出了大理石所特有的冷漠与坚定，尤其是她的嘴巴紧闭着，仿佛只有用雕刻家的凿子才能把它打开，眉宇间渐渐地蒙上了一种凝固了似的严厉神色。 Meantime, Mr. Brocklehurst, standing on the hearth with his handsbehind his back, majestically surveyed the whole school. Suddenlyhis eye gave a blink, as if it had met something that either dazzledor shocked its pupil; turning, he said in more rapid accents than hehad hitherto used - 与此同时，布罗克赫斯特先生倒背着双手站在炉子跟前，威风凛凛地审视着全校。突然他眼睛眨了一下，好像碰上了什么耀眼刺目的东西，转过身来，用比刚才更急促的语调说： "Miss Temple, Miss Temple, what--WHAT is that girl with curled hair?Red hair, ma'am, curled--curled all over?" And extending his canehe pointed to the awful object, his hand shaking as he did so." 坦普尔小姐，坦普尔小姐，那个，那个卷发姑娘是怎么回事？红头发，小姐，怎么卷过了，满头都是卷发？"他用鞭子指着那可怕的东西，他的手抖动着。 
那是朱莉娅.塞弗恩，"坦普尔小姐平静地回答。 "Julia Severn, ma'am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair?Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, doesshe conform to the world so openly--here in an evangelical,charitable establishment--as to wear her hair one mass of curls?"" 朱利娅.塞弗恩，小姐！为什么她，或是别人，烫起卷发来了？她竟然在我们这个福音派慈善机构里，无视学校的训戒和原则，公开媚俗，烫了一头卷发，这是为什么？" "Julia's hair curls naturally," returned Miss Temple, still morequietly." 朱莉娅的头发天生就是卷的，"坦普尔小姐更加平静地回答。 "Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish thesegirls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I haveagain and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arrangedclosely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl's hair must becut off entirely; I will send a barber to-morrow: and I see otherswho have far too much of the excrescence--that tall girl, tell herto turn round. Tell all the first form to rise up and direct theirfaces to the wall."" 天生！不错，但我们不能迁就天性。我希望这些姑娘是受上帝恩惠的孩子，再说何必要留那么多头发？我一再表示我希望头发要剪短，要朴实，要简单。坦普尔小姐，那个姑娘的头发必须统统剪掉，明天我会派个理发匠来。我看见其他人头上的那个累赘物也太多了--那个高个子姑娘，叫她转过身来。叫第一班全体起立，转过脸去朝墙站着。" Miss Temple passed her handkerchief over her lips, as if to smoothaway the involuntary smile that curled them; she gave the order,however, and when the first class could take in what was required ofthem, they obeyed. Leaning a little back on my bench, I could seethe looks and grimaces with which they commented on this manoeuvre:it was a pity Mr. Brocklehurst could not see them too; he wouldperhaps have felt that, whatever he might do with the outside of thecup and platter, the inside was further beyond his interference thanhe imagined. 坦普尔小姐用手帕揩了一下嘴唇，仿佛要抹去嘴角上情不自禁的笑容。不过她还是下了命令。第一班学生弄明白对她们的要求之后，也都服从了。我坐在长凳上，身子微微后仰，可以看得见大家挤眉弄眼，做出各种表情，对这种调遣表示了不满。可惜布罗克赫斯特先生没有能看到，要不然他也许会感受到，他纵然可以摆布杯盘的外表，但其内部，却远非他所想的那样可以随意干涉了。 
他把这些活奖章的背面细细打量了大约五分钟，随后宣布了判决，他的话如丧钟般响了起来： "All those top-knots must be cut off."" 头上的顶髻都得剪掉。" Miss Temple seemed to remonstrate. 坦普尔小姐似乎在抗辩。 "Madam," he pursued, "I have a Master to serve whose kingdom is notof this world: my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts ofthe flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facednessand sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel; and each ofthe young persons before us has a string of hair twisted in plaitswhich vanity itself might have woven; these, I repeat, must be cutoff; think of the time wasted, of--"" 小姐"他进而说，"我要为主效劳，他的王国并不是这个世界。我的使命是节制这些姑娘的肉欲，教导她们衣着要谦卑克制，不梳辫子，不穿贵重衣服。而我们面前的每个年轻人，出于虚荣都把一束束头发编成了辫子。我再说一遍，这些头发必须剪掉，想一想为此而浪费的时间，想……" Mr. Brocklehurst was here interrupted: three other visitors,ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a littlesooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidlyattired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio(fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then infashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of thisgraceful head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaboratelycurled; the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl,trimmed with ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.These ladies were deferentially received by Miss Temple, as Mrs. andthe Misses Brocklehurst, and conducted to seats of honour at the topof the room. It seems they had come in the carriage with theirreverend relative, and had been conducting a rummaging scrutiny ofthe room upstairs, while he transacted business with thehousekeeper, questioned the laundress, and lectured thesuperintendent. They now proceeded to address divers remarks andreproofs to Miss Smith, who was charged with the care of the linenand the inspection of the dormitories: but I had no time to listento what they said; other matters called off and enchanted myattention.Hitherto, while gathering up the discourse of Mr. Brocklehurst andMiss Temple, I had not, at the same time, neglected precautions tosecure my personal safety; which I thought would be effected, if Icould only elude observation. To this end, I had sat well back onthe form, and while seeming to be busy with my sum, had held myslate in such a manner as to conceal my face: I might have escapednotice, had not my treacherous slate somehow happened to slip frommy hand, and falling with an obtrusive crash, directly drawn everyeye upon me; I knew it was all over now, and, as I stooped to pickup the two fragments of slate, I rallied my forces for the worst.It came. 布罗克赫斯特先生说到这儿被打断了。另外三位来访者，都是女的，此刻进了房间。他们来得再早一点就好了，赶得上聆听他关于服饰的高论。她们穿着华丽，一身丝绒、绸缎和毛皮。二位中的两位年轻的（十六、七岁的漂亮姑娘）戴着当时十分时鳍一笑。多好的微笑！我至今还记得，而且知道，这是睿智和真正的勇气的流露，它像天使脸上的反光一样，照亮了她富有特征的面容、瘦削的脸庞和深陷的灰眼睛。然而就在那一刻，海伦.彭斯的胳膊上还佩戴着"不整洁标记"；不到一小时之前我听见斯卡查德小姐罚她明天中饭只吃面包和清水，就因为她在抄写习题时弄脏了练习簿。人的天性就是这样的不完美！即使是最明亮的行星也有这类黑斑，而斯卡查德小姐这样的眼睛只能看到细微的缺陷，却对星球的万丈光芒视而不见。
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