目 录 上一节 下一节 
我走过铺着地席的长廊，走下打滑的橡树楼梯，来到了大厅。我站了一会儿，看着墙上的几幅画（记得其中一幅画的是一个穿看护胸铁甲十分威严的男子，另一幅是一个头发上搽了粉戴着珍珠项链的贵妇），看着从天花板上垂下来的青铜灯；看着一个大钟，钟壳是由雕刻得稀奇古怪的橡木做的，因为年长月久和不断地擦拭，变得乌黑发亮了。对我来说一切都显得那样庄严肃穆、富丽堂皇。那时我不大习惯于这种豪华。一扇镶着玻璃的大厅门敞开着，我越过了门槛。这是一个晴朗的秋天早晨，朝阳宁静地照耀着透出黄褐色的树丛和依然绿油油的田野。我往前来到了草坪上，抬头细看这大厦的正面。这是幢三层楼屋宇，虽然有相当规模，但按比例并不觉得宏大，是一座绅士的住宅，而不是贵族的府第。围绕着顶端的城垛，使整座建筑显得很别致。灰色的正面正好被后面一个白嘴鸦的巢穴映衬着，显得很凸出，它的居住者正在边房呱呱叫个不停，飞越草坪和庭园，落到一块大草地上。一道矮篱把草地和庭园分开。草地上长着一排排巨大的老荆棘树丛，强劲多节，大如橡树，一下子说明屋宇名称字源意义的由来。更远的地方是小山。不像罗沃德四周的山那么高耸，那么峻峭，也不像它们那么是一道与世隔绝的屏障。但这些山十分幽静，拥抱着桑菲尔德，给它带来了一种我不曾料到在闹闹嚷嚷的米尔科特地区会有的清静。一个小村庄零零落落地分布在一座小山的一侧，屋顶与树木融为一体。地区教堂坐落在桑菲尔德附近，它古老的钟楼俯视着房子与大门之间的土墩。 I was yet enjoying the calm prospect and pleasant fresh air, yetlistening with delight to the cawing of the rooks, yet surveying thewide, hoary front of the hall, and thinking what a great place itwas for one lonely little dame like Mrs. Fairfax to inhabit, whenthat lady appeared at the door. 我欣赏着这番宁静的景象和诱人的新鲜空气，愉快地倾听着白嘴鸦的呱呱叫声，细细打量着这所庄园宽阔灰白的正面，心里琢磨着，偌大一个地方，居然只住着像费尔法犯斯太太这样一位孤单矮小的贵妇人。就在这时，这位妇人出现在门边了。 "What! out already?" said she. "I see you are an early riser." Iwent up to her, and was received with an affable kiss and shake ofthe hand." 怎么，已经起来了？"她说，"我看你是个喜欢早起的人。"我向她走去，她慈祥地吻了吻我，并同我握了下手。 "How do you like Thornfield?" she asked. I told her I liked it verymuch." 你认为桑菲尔德怎么样？"她问。我告诉她很喜欢。 "Yes," she said, "it is a pretty place; but I fear it will begetting out of order, unless Mr. Rochester should take it into hishead to come and reside here permanently; or, at least, visit itrather oftener: great houses and fine grounds require the presenceof the proprietor."" 是呀，"她说，"是个漂亮的地方。但我担心慢慢地会败落，除非罗切斯特先生想着要来，并永久居住在这儿，或者至少常来看看，大住宅和好庭园需要主人经常光顾才是。" 
罗切斯特先生！"我嚷道，"他是谁？" "The owner of Thornfield," she responded quietly. "Did you not knowhe was called Rochester?"" 桑菲尔德的主人，"她平静地回答，"你不知道他叫罗切斯特吗？" Of course I did not--I had never heard of him before; but the oldlady seemed to regard his existence as a universally understoodfact, with which everybody must be acquainted by instinct. 我当然不知道，我以前从来没有听说过他。但这位老妇人似乎把他的存在，看作尽人皆知的事实，人人都仅凭直感就清楚的。 "I thought," I continued, "Thornfield belonged to you."" 我还以为，"我继续说，"桑菲尔德是你的呢。" "To me? Bless you, child; what an idea! To me! I am only thehousekeeper--the manager. To be sure I am distantly related to theRochesters by the mother's side, or at least my husband was; he wasa clergyman, incumbent of Hay--that little village yonder on thehill--and that church near the gates was his. The present Mr.Rochester's mother was a Fairfax, and second cousin to my husband:but I never presume on the connection--in fact, it is nothing to me;I consider myself quite in the light of an ordinary housekeeper: myemployer is always civil, and I expect nothing more."" 我的？哎哟，我的孩子！多古怪的想法！我的？我不过是个管家--管理人。确实，从母亲份上说，我是罗切斯特家的远亲，或者至少我丈夫是这样。他是个牧师，是海村的--那边山上的那个小村--靠近大门的那个教堂是他管的。现在这位罗切斯特的母亲是费尔法克斯家的人，她的父亲和我丈夫的父亲是堂兄弟，但我从来没有指望这层关系，其实这与我无关。我把自己看作一个普普通通的管家，我的雇主总是客客气气的，而别的我都不指望了"。 
那么，那位小姑娘呢--我的学生？" "She is Mr. Rochester's ward; he commissioned me to find a governessfor her. He intended to have her brought up in -shire, I believe.Here she comes, with her 'bonne,' as she calls her nurse." Theenigma then was explained: this affable and kind little widow wasno great dame; but a dependant like myself. I did not like her theworse for that; on the contrary, I felt better pleased than ever.The equality between her and me was real; not the mere result ofcondescension on her part: so much the better--my position was allthe freer." 她是罗切斯特先生的受监护人。他委托我替她找个家庭教师。我想他有意将她在××郡养育大。瞧她来了，同她称作'bonne'的保姆一起来了。"谜被揭开了，这个和蔼善良的矮小寡妇不是位大贵妇，而是像我一样的寄生者。但我并没有因此而不喜欢她，相反，我感到了从未有过的愉快。她与我之间的平等是实实在在的，不是她屈尊就驾的结果。这样倒更好，我的处境就更自由了。 As I was meditating on this discovery, a little girl, followed byher attendant, came running up the lawn. I looked at my pupil, whodid not at first appear to notice me: she was quite a child,perhaps seven or eight years old, slightly built, with a pale,small-featured face, and a redundancy of hair falling in curls toher waist. 我还在沉思着这个新发现时，一个小女孩由她的侍候者陪着，向草坪这边奔跑过来了。我瞧了一眼我的学生，她开始并没有注意到我。她十足是个孩子，大约七、八岁，个头瘦小，脸色苍白，五官很小，一头累赘的卷发直披到腰上。 "Good morning, Miss Adela," said Mrs. Fairfax. "Come and speak tothe lady who is to teach you, and to make you a clever woman someday." She approached." 早上好，阿德拉小姐，"费尔法克斯太太说，"过来同这位小姐说说话，她会教你读书，让你有一天成为聪明的女人。"她走近了。 "C'est le ma gouverante!" said she, pointing to me, and addressingher nurse; who answered -"C'est ma gouvernante ？"她指着我对她的保姆说，保姆回答： 
Ｍais oui Ｃertainement." "Are they foreigners?" I inquired, amazed at hearing the Frenchlanguage." 他们都是外国人吗？"我听到他们讲法语，便吃惊地问道。 "The nurse is a foreigner, and Adela was born on the Continent; and,I believe, never left it till within six months ago. When she firstcame here she could speak no English; now she can make shift to talkit a little: I don't understand her, she mixes it so with French;but you will make out her meaning very well, I dare say."" 保姆是个外国人，而阿德拉却是生在大陆上的，而且我相信除了六个月前的一次，她从来没有离开过大陆。她初到这儿来的时候，一句英语也不会说，现在倒能转过来讲一点了。她把英语和法语混着讲，我听不懂。我想你会把她的意思搞得很清楚的。" Fortunately I had had the advantage of being taught French by aFrench lady; and as I had always made a point of conversing withMadame Pierrot as often as I could, and had besides, during the lastseven years, learnt a portion of French by heart daily--applyingmyself to take pains with my accent, and imitating as closely aspossible the pronunciation of my teacher, I had acquired a certaindegree of readiness and correctness in the language, and was notlikely to be much at a loss with Mademoiselle Adela. She came andshook hand with me when she heard that I was her governess; and as Iled her in to breakfast, I addressed some phrases to her in her owntongue: she replied briefly at first, but after we were seated atthe table, and she had examined me some ten minutes with her largehazel eyes, she suddenly commenced chattering fluently. 幸好我得益于曾拜一个法国太太为师，学过法语。那时我下了决心抓紧一切机会同皮埃罗夫人交谈。此外，过去七年来还坚持每天背诵一段法语，在语调上狠下功夫，逼真地模仿我老师的发音，因而我的法语已经相当流利和准确，不至于听不懂阿德拉小姐说的话。她听说我是她的家庭教师，便走过来同我握手。我领她进去吃早饭，又用她自己的语言说了几句，起初她回答得很简短，但等我们在桌旁坐定，她用淡褐色的大眼睛审视了我十来分钟之后，突然叽叽喳喳地说开了。 "Ah!" cried she, in French, "you speak my language as well as Mr.Rochester does: I can talk to you as I can to him, and so canSophie. She will be glad: nobody here understands her: MadameFairfax is all English. Sophie is my nurse; she came with me overthe sea in a great ship with a chimney that smoked--how it didsmoke!--and I was sick, and so was Sophie, and so was Mr. Rochester.Mr. Rochester lay down on a sofa in a pretty room called the salon,and Sophie and I had little beds in another place. I nearly fellout of mine; it was like a shelf. And Mademoiselle--what is yourname?"" 啊！"她用法语叫道，"你说我的话同罗切斯特先生说得一样好。我可以同你谈了，像我可以跟他谈一样。索菲娅也可以同你谈了，她会很开心的，这里没有人懂她的话，而费尔法克斯太太又满口英语。索菲娅是我的保姆，同我一起乘了条大船穿过海洋，船上有个烟囱冒着烟，多浓的烟呀！我病倒了，索菲娅也病倒了，还有罗切斯特先生也病倒了。罗切斯特先生躺在沙发上，在一间叫沙龙的漂亮房间里，索菲娅和我睡在另一个地方的小床上。它像个架子，我差点跌了下来。小姐，你叫什么名字？" 
爱--简.爱。"
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