目 录 上一节 下一节 
这时，晚饭铃响了，把我召唤到了楼下。 I was not free to resume the interrupted chain of my reflectionstill bedtime: even then a teacher who occupied the same room withme kept me from the subject to which I longed to recur, by aprolonged effusion of small talk. How I wished sleep would silenceher. It seemed as if, could I but go back to the idea which hadlast entered my mind as I stood at the window, some inventivesuggestion would rise for my relief. 直到睡觉的时候，我才有空继续那被打断了的沉思。即便在那时，同房间的一位教师还絮絮叨叨闲聊了好久，使我没法回到我所渴望的问题上。我多么希望瞌睡会使她闭上嘴巴！仿佛只要我重新思考伫立窗前时闪过脑际的念头，某个独特的想法便会自己冒出来，使我得以解脱似的。 Miss Gryce snored at last; she was a heavy Welshwoman, and till nowher habitual nasal strains had never been regarded by me in anyother light than as a nuisance; to-night I hailed the first deepnotes with satisfaction; I was debarrassed of interruption; my half-effaced thought instantly revived. 格丽丝小姐终于打瞌了。她是一位笨重的威尔士女人，在此之前我对她惯常的鼻音曲除了认为讨厌，没有别的看法。而今晚我满意地迎来了它最初的深沉曲调，我免除了打扰，心中那抹去了一半的想法又立刻复活了。 "A new servitude! There is something in that," I soliloquised(mentally, be it understood; I did not talk aloud), "I know thereis, because it does not sound too sweet; it is not like such wordsas Liberty, Excitement, Enjoyment: delightful sounds truly; but nomore than sounds for me; and so hollow and fleeting that it is merewaste of time to listen to them. But Servitude! That must bematter of fact. Any one may serve: I have served here eight years;now all I want is to serve elsewhere. Can I not get so much of myown will? Is not the thing feasible? Yes--yes--the end is not sodifficult; if I had only a brain active enough to ferret out themeans of attaining it."" 一种新的苦役！这有一定道理，"我自言自语（要知道，只是心里想想，没有说出口来）。"我知道是有道理，因为它并不十分动听，不像自由、兴奋、享受这些词，它们的声音确实很悦耳，徒然浪费时间。但是这苦役却全然不同！它毕竟是实实在在的，任何个人都可以服苦役。我在这儿已经服了八年，现在我所期求的不过是到别处去服役。难道我连这点愿望也达不到？难道这事不可行？是呀，是呀，要达到目的并非难事，只要我肯动脑筋，找到达到目的之手段。" I sat up in bed by way of arousing this said brain: it was a chillynight; I covered my shoulders with a shawl, and then I proceeded TOTHINK again with all my might. 我从床上坐起来，以便开动脑筋。这是一个寒冷的夜晚，我在肩上围了块披巾，随后便全力以赴地进一步思考起来。 
我需要什么呢？在新的环境、新的面孔、新的房子中一个新的工作。我只要这个，因为好高鹜远是徒劳无益的。人们怎样才能找到一个新工作呢？我猜想他们求助于朋友。但我没有朋友。很多没有朋友的人只好自己动手去找工作，自己救自己，他们采用什么办法呢？" I could not tell: nothing answered me; I then ordered my brain tofind a response, and quickly. It worked and worked faster: I feltthe pulses throb in my head and temples; but for nearly an hour itworked in chaos; and no result came of its efforts. Feverish withvain labour, I got up and took a turn in the room; undrew thecurtain, noted a star or two, shivered with cold, and again crept tobed. 我说不上来，找不到答案。随后我责令自己的头脑找到一个回答，而且要快。我动着脑筋，越动越快。我感到我的脑袋和太阳穴在搏动着。但将近一个小时，我的脑子乱七八糟，一切努力毫无结果。我因为徒劳无功而心乱加麻，便立起身来，在房间里转了转，拉开窗帘，望见一两颗星星，在寒夜中颤抖，我再次爬到床上。 A kind fairy, in my absence, had surely dropped the requiredsuggestion on my pillow; for as I lay down, it came quietly andnaturally to my mind.--"Those who want situations advertise; youmust advertise in the -shire Herald." 准是有一位善良的仙女，趁我不在时把我需要的主意放到了我枕头上，因为我躺下时，这主意悄悄地、自然而然地闪入我脑际。"凡是谋职的人都登广告，你必须在《××郡先驱报》上登广告。" "How? I know nothing about advertising."" 怎么登呢？我对广告一无所知。" Replies rose smooth and prompt now:- 回答来得自然而又及时： 
你必须把广告和广告费放在同一个信封里，寄给《先驱报》的编辑，你必须立即抓住第一个机会把信投到洛顿邮局，回信务必寄往那里邮局的Ｊ.Ｅ.。信寄出后一个星期，你可以去查询。要是来了回音，那就随之行动。" This scheme I went over twice, thrice; it was then digested in mymind; I had it in a clear practical form: I felt satisfied, andfell asleep. 我把这个计划琢磨了二三回，接着便消化在脑子里，我非常清晰地把它具体化了，我很满意，不久便酣然入睡。 With earliest day, I was up: I had my advertisement written,enclosed, and directed before the bell rang to rouse the school; itran thus:- 第二天我一大早就起来了，没等起床铃把全校吵醒就写好了广告，封入信封，写上了地址。信上说： "A young lady accustomed to tuition" (had I not been a teacher twoyears?) "is desirous of meeting with a situation in a private familywhere the children are under fourteen (I thought that as I wasbarely eighteen, it would not do to undertake the guidance of pupilsnearer my own age). She is qualified to teach the usual branches ofa good English education, together with French, Drawing, and Music"(in those days, reader, this now narrow catalogue ofaccomplishments, would have been held tolerably comprehensive)."Address, J.E., Post-office, Lowton, -shire."" 现有一位年轻女士，熟悉教学（我不是做了两年的教师吗？）愿谋一家庭教师职位，儿童年龄须幼于十四岁（我想自己才十八岁，要指导一个跟我年龄相仿的人是断然不行的）。该女士能胜任良好的英国教育所含的普通课科，以及法文、绘画和音乐的教学（读者呀，现在这张狭窄的技能表，在那个时代还算是比较广博的）。回信请寄××郡洛顿邮局，Ｊ.Ｅ.收。" This document remained locked in my drawer all day: after tea, Iasked leave of the new superintendent to go to Lowton, in order toperform some small commissions for myself and one or two of myfellow-teachers; permission was readily granted; I went. It was awalk of two miles, and the evening was wet, but the days were stilllong; I visited a shop or two, slipped the letter into the post-office, and came back through heavy rain, with streaming garments,but with a relieved heart. 这份文件在我抽屉里整整锁了一天。用完茶点以后，我向新来的校长请假去洛顿，为自己也为一两位共事的老师办些小事。她欣然允诺，于是我便去了。一共有两英里步行路程，傍晚还下着雨，好在白昼依然很长。我逛了一两家商店，把信塞进邮局，冒着大雨回来，外衣都淌着水，但心里如释重负。 
接着的那个星期似乎很长，然而，它像世间的万物一样，终于到了尽头。一个秋高气爽的傍晚，我再次踏上了去洛顿的路途。顺便提一句，小路风景如画，沿着小溪向前延伸，穿过弯弯曲曲秀色诱人的山谷。不过那天我想得更多的是那封可能在，可能不在小城等着我的信，而不是草地和溪水的魅力。 My ostensible errand on this occasion was to get measured for a pairof shoes; so I discharged that business first, and when it was done,I stepped across the clean and quiet little street from theshoemaker's to the post-office: it was kept by an old dame, whowore horn spectacles on her nose, and black mittens on her hands. 这时我冠冕堂皇的差使是度量脚码做一双鞋。所以我先去干这件事。了却以后，从鞋匠那儿出来，穿过洁净安宁的小街，来到邮局。管理员是位老妇人，鼻梁上架着角质眼镜，手上戴着黑色露指手套。 "Are there any letters for J.E.?" I asked." 有写给Ｊ.Ｅ.的信吗？"我问。 She peered at me over her spectacles, and then she opened a drawerand fumbled among its contents for a long time, so long that myhopes began to falter. At last, having held a document before herglasses for nearly five minutes, she presented it across thecounter, accompanying the act by another inquisitive and mistrustfulglance--it was for J.E. 她从眼镜上方盯着我，随后打开一个抽屉，在里面放着的东西中间翻了好久好久。时间那么长，我简直开始有些泄气了。最后，她终于把一份文件放到眼镜底上，过了将近五分钟，才越过柜台，递给我，同时投过来刨根究底，疑虑重重的一瞥--这封信是写给Ｊ.Ｅ.的。 "Is there only one?" I demanded." 就只有这么一封？"我问。 
没有了，"她说，我把信放进口袋，回头就走。当时我不能拆开，按照规定我得八点前返回，而这时已经七点半了。 Various duties awaited me on my arrival. I had to sit with thegirls during their hour of study; then it was my turn to readprayers; to see them to bed: afterwards I supped with the otherteachers. Even when we finally retired for the night, theinevitable Miss Gryce was still my companion: we had only a shortend of candle in our candlestick, and I dreaded lest she should talktill it was all burnt out; fortunately, however, the heavy suppershe had eaten produced a soporific effect: she was already snoringbefore I had finished undressing. There still remained an inch ofcandle: I now took out my letter; the seal was an initial F.; Ibroke it; the contents were brief. 一到家便有种种事务等着我去做。姑娘们做功课时我得陪坐着，随后是轮到我读祷告，照应她们上床。在此之后，我与其他教师吃了晚饭。甚至最后到了夜间安寝时，那位始终少不了的格丽丝小姐仍与我作伴。烛台上只剩下一短截蜡烛了，我担心她会喋喋不休，直至烛灭。幸好那一顿饭产生了催眠的效果。我还没有脱好衣服，她已酣声大作。蜡烛只剩一英寸，我取出了信，封口上署着缩写Ｆ．，我拆开信封，发现内容十分简单。
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