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我暗下决心，要把话说得恰如其分，准确无误。我思考了几分钟，把该说的话理出了个头绪，便一五一十地向她诉说了我悲苦的童年。我己激动得精疲力尽，所以谈到这个伤心的话题时，说话比平时要克制。我还记住了海伦的告诫，不一味沉溺于怨词，叙述时所掺杂的刻薄与恼恨比往日少得多，而且态度收敛，内容简明，听来更加可信。我觉得，我往下说时，坦普尔小姐完全相信我的话。 In the course of the tale I had mentioned Mr. Lloyd as having cometo see me after the fit: for I never forgot the, to me, frightfulepisode of the red-room: in detailing which, my excitement wassure, in some degree, to break bounds; for nothing could soften inmy recollection the spasm of agony which clutched my heart when Mrs.Reed spurned my wild supplication for pardon, and locked me a secondtime in the dark and haunted chamber. 我在叙述自己的经历时，还提到了劳埃德先生，说他在我昏厥后来看过我。我永远忘不了可怕的红房子事件，有详细诉说时，我的情绪有点失态，因为当里德太太断然拒绝我发疯似的求饶，把我第二次关进黑洞洞闹鬼的房子时，那种阵阵揪心的痛苦，在记忆中是什么也抚慰不了的。 I had finished: Miss Temple regarded me a few minutes in silence;she then said - 我讲完了。坦普尔小姐默默地看了我几分钟，随后说： "I know something of Mr. Lloyd; I shall write to him; if his replyagrees with your statement, you shall be publicly cleared from everyimputation; to me, Jane, you are clear now."" 劳埃德先生我有些认识，我会写信给他的。要是他的答复同你说的相符，我们会公开澄清对你的诋毁。对我来说，简，现在你说的相符，我们会公开澄清对你的诋毁。对我来说，简，现在你已经清白了。" She kissed me, and still keeping me at her side (where I was wellcontented to stand, for I derived a child's pleasure from thecontemplation of her face, her dress, her one or two ornaments, herwhite forehead, her clustered and shining curls, and beaming darkeyes), she proceeded to address Helen Burns. 她吻了吻我，仍旧让我呆在她身边（我很乐意站在那里，因为我端详着她的面容、她的装束、她的一、二件饰品、她那白皙的额头、她那一团团闪光的卷发和乌黑发亮的眼睛时，得到了一种孩子般的喜悦）。她开始同海伦.彭斯说话了。 
今晚你感觉怎么样，海伦？你今天咳得厉害吗？" "Not quite so much, I think, ma'am."" 我想不太厉害，小姐。" "And the pain in your chest?"" 胸部的疼痛呢？" "It is a little better."" 好一点了。" Miss Temple got up, took her hand and examined her pulse; then shereturned to her own seat: as she resumed it, I heard her sigh low.She was pensive a few minutes, then rousing herself, she saidcheerfully - 坦普尔小姐站起来，拉过她的手，按了按脉搏，随后回到了自己的座位上。坐定以后，我听她轻声叹了口气。她沉思了一会，随后回过神来，高兴地说： 
不过今晚你们俩是我的客人，我必须按客人相待，"她按了下铃。 "Barbara," she said to the servant who answered it, "I have not yethad tea; bring the tray and place cups for these two young ladies."" 巴巴拉，"她对应召而来的佣人说，"我还没有用茶呢，你把盘子端来，给两位小姐也放上杯子。" And a tray was soon brought. How pretty, to my eyes, did the chinacups and bright teapot look, placed on the little round table nearthe fire! How fragrant was the steam of the beverage, and the scentof the toast! of which, however, I, to my dismay (for I wasbeginning to be hungry) discerned only a very small portion: MissTemple discerned it too. 盘子很快就端来了，在我的目光中，这些放在火炉旁小园桌上的瓷杯和亮晃晃的茶壶多么漂亮！那饮料的热气和烤面包的味儿多香！但使我失望的是（因为我已开始觉得饿了），我发现那份儿很小，坦普尔小姐也同样注意到了， "Barbara," said she, "can you not bring a little more bread andbutter? There is not enough for three."" 巴巴拉，"她说，"不能再拿点面包和黄油来吗？这不够三个人吃呀。" Barbara went out: she returned soon - 巴巴拉走了出去，但很快又回来了。 
小姐，哈登太太说已经按平时的份量送来了。" Mrs. Harden, be it observed, was the housekeeper: a woman after Mr.Brocklehurst's own heart, made up of equal parts of whalebone andiron. 得说明一下，哈登太太是个管家，这个女人很合布罗克赫斯特先生的心意，两人的心一样都是铁铸的。 "Oh, very well!" returned Miss Temple; "we must make it do, Barbara,I suppose." And as the girl withdrew she added, smiling,"Fortunately, I have it in my power to supply deficiencies for thisonce."" 啊，好吧，"坦普尔小姐回答，"我想我们只好将就了，巴巴拉。"等这位姑娘一走，她便笑着补充说："幸好我自己还能够弥补这次的欠缺。" Having invited Helen and me to approach the table, and placed beforeeach of us a cup of tea with one delicious but thin morsel of toast,she got up, unlocked a drawer, and taking from it a parcel wrappedin paper, disclosed presently to our eyes a good-sized seed-cake. 她邀海伦与我凑近桌子，在我们俩面前各放了一杯茶和一小片可口却很薄的烤面包，随后打开抽屉，从里面抽出一个纸包，我们眼前立刻出现了一个大果子饼。 "I meant to give each of you some of this to take with you," saidshe, "but as there is so little toast, you must have it now," andshe proceeded to cut slices with a generous hand." 我本想让你们各自带一点儿回去，"她说，"但是因为烤面包这么少，你们现在就得吃掉了。"她很大方地把饼切成了厚片。 
那天夜晚，我们吃了香甜的饮料和食品，享受了一次盛宴。当她慷慨提供的美食，满足了我们的辘辘饥肠时，我们的女主人面带满意的微笑，望着我们，那笑容也一样令人愉快。 Tea over and the tray removed, she again summoned us to the fire; wesat one on each side of her, and now a conversation followed betweenher and Helen, which it was indeed a privilege to be admitted tohear. 吃完茶点，端走了托盘后，她又招呼我们到火炉边去。我们两人一边一个坐在她身旁。这时，她与海伦开始了谈话，而我能被允许旁听，实在也是有幸。 Miss Temple had always something of serenity in her air, of state inher mien, of refined propriety in her language, which precludeddeviation into the ardent, the excited, the eager: something whichchastened the pleasure of those who looked on her and listened toher, by a controlling sense of awe; and such was my feeling now:but as to Helen Burns, I was struck with wonder. 坦普尔小姐向来神态安详，风度庄重，谈吐文雅得体，这使她不至于陷入狂热、激奋和浮躁，同样也使看着她和倾听她的人，出于一种敬畏心情，不会露出过份的喜悦，这就是我此刻的情感。但海伦的情况却使我十分吃惊。 The refreshing meal, the brilliant fire, the presence and kindnessof her beloved instructress, or, perhaps, more than all these,something in her own unique mind, had roused her powers within her.They woke, they kindled: first, they glowed in the bright tint ofher cheek, which till this hour I had never seen but pale andbloodless; then they shone in the liquid lustre of her eyes, whichhad suddenly acquired a beauty more singular than that of MissTemple's--a beauty neither of fine colour nor long eyelash, norpencilled brow, but of meaning, of movement, of radiance. Then hersoul sat on her lips, and language flowed, from what source I cannottell. Has a girl of fourteen a heart large enough, vigorous enough,to hold the swelling spring of pure, full, fervid eloquence? Suchwas the characteristic of Helen's discourse on that, to me,memorable evening; her spirit seemed hastening to live within a verybrief span as much as many live during a protracted existence. 因为茶点振奋了精神，炉火在熊熊燃烧，因为亲爱的导师在场并待她很好，也许不止这一切，而是她独一无二的头脑中的某种东西，激发了她内在的种种力量。这些力量被唤醒了，被点燃了，起初闪烁在一向苍白而没有血色现在却容光焕发的脸上，随后显露在她水灵灵炯炯有神的眼睛里，这双眼睛突然之间获得了一种比坦普尔小姐的眼睛更为独特的美，它没有好看的色彩，没有长长的睫毛，没有用眉笔描过的眉毛，却那么意味深长，那么流动不息，那么光芒四射。随后她似乎心口交融，说话流畅。这些话从什么源头流出来，我无从判断。一个十四岁的女孩有这样活跃、这样宽大的胸怀，装得下这纯洁、充盈、炽热的雄辩之泉么？这就是那个使我难以忘怀的夜晚海伦谈话的特色。她的心灵仿佛急于要在短暂的片刻中，过得与众多长期苟活的人一样充实。 They conversed of things I had never heard of; of nations and timespast; of countries far away; of secrets of nature discovered orguessed at: they spoke of books: how many they had read! Whatstores of knowledge they possessed! Then they seemed so familiarwith French names and French authors: but my amazement reached itsclimax when Miss Temple asked Helen if she sometimes snatched amoment to recall the Latin her father had taught her, and taking abook from a shelf, bade her read and construe a page of Virgil; andHelen obeyed, my organ of veneration expanding at every soundingline. She had scarcely finished ere the bell announced bedtime! nodelay could be admitted; Miss Temple embraced us both, saying, asshe drew us to her heart - 她们谈论着我从未听说过的事情，谈到了逝去的民族和时代，谈到了遥远的国度；谈到了被发现或臆测到的自然界的奥秘，还谈到了书籍。她们看过的书真多啊！她们掌握的知识真丰富！随后她们似乎对法国人名和法国作者了如指掌。但最使我惊讶的是，这时坦普尔小姐问海伦是不是抽空在复习她爸爸教她的拉丁文，还从书架上取了一本书，吩咐她朗读和解释维吉尔①的一页著作，海伦照着做了。我每听一行朗朗的诗句，对她也就愈加肃然起敬。她几乎还没有读完，上床铃就响了，已不允许任何拖延。坦普尔小姐拥抱了我们俩，她把我们搂到怀里时说： 
上帝保佑你们，我的孩子们！"
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