目 录 上一节 下一节 
埃尔？啊，我说不上来。是呀，我们的船在早晨停了下来，天还没有大亮，船在一个大城市靠了岸，一个很大的城市，房子都很黑，全都冒着烟。一点也不像我原来地方漂亮干净的城镇。罗切斯特先生抱着我走过一块板，来到陆地上，索菲娅跟在后面，我们坐进了一辆马车，它把我们带到了一座美丽的大房子，比这座还要大，还要好，叫做旅馆。我们在那里呆了差不多一个星期，我和索菲娅每天去逛一个老大的地方，种满了树，碧绿碧绿的，他们管它叫公园。除了我，那里还有很多孩子，还有一个池塘，池塘里有很多漂亮的鸟，我用面包屑喂它们。" "Can you understand her when she runs on so fast?" asked Mrs.Fairfax." 她讲得那么快，你能听懂吗？"费尔法克斯太太问。 I understood her very well, for I had been accustomed to the fluenttongue of Madame Pierrot. 我完全懂她的话，因为过去早已听惯了皮埃罗夫人流利的语言。 "I wish," continued the good lady, "you would ask her a question ortwo about her parents: I wonder if she remembers them?"" 我希望，"这位善良的夫人继续说，"你问她一两个关于她父母的问题，看她还记不记得他们。 "Adele," I inquired, "with whom did you live when you were in thatpretty clean town you spoke of?"" 阿黛勒，"我问，"在你说的那个既漂亮又干净的镇上，你跟谁一起过日子的？" 
很久以前我跟妈妈住在一起，可是她到圣母玛丽娅那儿去了。妈妈过去常教我跳舞、唱歌、朗诵诗歌。很多很多先生和太太来看妈妈，我老是跳舞给他们看，或者坐在他们膝头上，唱歌给他们听。我喜欢这样，让我现在唱给你听好吗？" She had finished her breakfast, so I permitted her to give aspecimen of her accomplishments. Descending from her chair, shecame and placed herself on my knee; then, folding her little handsdemurely before her, shaking back her curls and lifting her eyes tothe ceiling, she commenced singing a song from some opera. It wasthe strain of a forsaken lady, who, after bewailing the perfidy ofher lover, calls pride to her aid; desires her attendant to deck herin her brightest jewels and richest robes, and resolves to meet thefalse one that night at a ball, and prove to him, by the gaiety ofher demeanour, how little his desertion has affected her. 她已吃了早饭，所以我允许她露一手。她从椅子上下来，走到我面前，坐上我膝头。接着，一本正经地抱着双臂，把卷发往身后一甩，抬眼望着天花板，开始唱起了某出歌剧中的一个曲子。说的是一个被遗弃的女人，对情人的绝情痛苦了一番之后，求助于自己的自尊，要她的侍者用最耀眼的首饰和最华丽的礼服，把她打扮起来，决定在当晚的一个舞会上同那个负心汉见面，以自己欢快的举止向他证明，她并没有因为被遗弃而感到蒙受了什么打击。 The subject seemed strangely chosen for an infant singer; but Isuppose the point of the exhibition lay in hearing the notes of loveand jealousy warbled with the lisp of childhood; and in very badtaste that point was: at least I thought so. 给一位儿童歌手选择这样的题材，似乎有些离奇。不过我猜想，要她表演目的在于听听用童声唱出来的爱情和嫉妒的曲调。但那目的本身就是低级趣味的，至少我这样想。 Adele sang the canzonette tunefully enough, and with the naivete ofher age. This achieved, she jumped from my knee and said, "Now, Mademoiselle, I will repeat you some poetry." 阿黛勒把这支歌唱得悦耳动听，而且还带着她那种年纪会有的天真烂漫的情调。唱完以后，她从我膝头跳下说："小姐，现在我来给你朗诵些诗吧。" Assuming an attitude, she began, "La Ligue des Rats: fable de LaFontaine." She then declaimed the little piece with an attention topunctuation and emphasis, a flexibility of voice and anappropriateness of gesture, very unusual indeed at her age, andwhich proved she had been carefully trained. 她摆好姿势，先报了题目："La ligue des Rats, fable de La Fontaine"，随后她朗诵了这首短诗，十分讲究抑扬顿挫，声调婉转，动作得体，在她这个年纪，实在是很不寻常了，说明她受过悉心的训练。 
这首诗是你妈妈教你的么？"我问。 "Yes, and she just used to say it in this way: 'Qu' avez vous donc?lui dit un de ces rats; parlez!' She made me lift my hand--so--toremind me to raise my voice at the question. Now shall I dance foryou?"" 是的，她总是这么说'Qu' avez vous donc? Lui dit un de ces rats;parlez!'她要我把手举起来，这样，提醒我读问题的时候要提高嗓门儿。现在我来跳舞给你看好吗？" "No, that will do: but after your mama went to the Holy Virgin, asyou say, with whom did you live then?"" 不，行啦。你妈妈到圣母玛丽亚那儿去了后，你跟谁一块儿住呢？" "With Madame Frederic and her husband: she took care of me, but sheis nothing related to me. I think she is poor, for she had not sofine a house as mama. I was not long there. Mr. Rochester asked meif I would like to go and live with him in England, and I said yes;for I knew Mr. Rochester before I knew Madame Frederic, and he wasalways kind to me and gave me pretty dresses and toys: but you seehe has not kept his word, for he has brought me to England, and nowhe is gone back again himself, and I never see him."" 同弗雷德里克太太和她的丈夫。她照顾我，不过她跟我没有亲戚关系。我想她很穷，因为她不像妈妈那样有好房子。我在那里没呆多久。罗切斯特先生问我，是否愿意同他一起住到英国去。我说好的，因为我认得弗雷德里克太太之前就认得罗切斯特先生了。他总是待我很好，送我漂亮的衣服和玩具，可是你瞧他说话不算数，把我带到了英国，自己倒又回去了，我从来没有见过他。" After breakfast, Adele and I withdrew to the library, which room, itappears, Mr. Rochester had directed should be used as theschoolroom. Most of the books were locked up behind glass doors;but there was one bookcase left open containing everything thatcould be needed in the way of elementary works, and several volumesof light literature, poetry, biography, travels, a few romances, &c.I suppose he had considered that these were all the governess wouldrequire for her private perusal; and, indeed, they contented meamply for the present; compared with the scanty pickings I had nowand then been able to glean at Lowood, they seemed to offer anabundant harvest of entertainment and information. In this room,too, there was a cabinet piano, quite new and of superior tone; alsoan easel for painting and a pair of globes. 吃了早饭，阿黛勒和我进了图书室。罗切斯特先生好像曾吩咐把这用作教室。大部分书籍都锁在玻璃门内，但有一个书架却是敞开的，上面摆着基础教育所需要的各类书籍，和几部轻松的文学作品、诗歌、传记、游记和一些传奇故事等。我猜想这些就是他认为家庭女教师自个儿想看的书。的确，有这些书眼下我已经心满意足。同罗沃德书苑偶尔的少量采摘相比，这里所奉献的却是知识和娱乐的大丰收了。在房子里还有一架小巧的钢琴，成 色很新，音调优美。此外，还有一个画架和一对地球仪。 
我发觉我的学生相当听话，虽然不大肯用功。对任何正儿八经的事她都不习惯。我觉得一开始就给她过多限制是不明智的。我已给她讲了很多，也使她学了点东西。因此早晨过去，渐近中午时，我便允许她回到保姆那儿去了。随后我打算在午饭前画些小小的素描，供她学习用。 As I was going upstairs to fetch my portfolio and pencils, Mrs.Fairfax called to me: "Your morning school-hours are over now, Isuppose," said she. She was in a room the folding-doors of whichstood open: I went in when she addressed me. It was a large,stately apartment, with purple chairs and curtains, a Turkey carpet,walnut-panelled walls, one vast window rich in slanted glass, and alofty ceiling, nobly moulded. Mrs. Fairfax was dusting some vasesof fine purple spar, which stood on a sideboard. 我正上楼去取画夹和铅笔，费尔法克斯太太叫住了我："我想你上午的课结束了吧，"她说。她正在一个房间里，房间的折门开着。她招呼我时我便走了进去。这是个气派不凡的大房间，紫色的椅子，紫色的窗帘，土耳其地毯，墙上是胡挑木做的镶板，一扇巨大无比的窗，装配了色彩丰富的染色玻璃，天花板很高，浇铸得宏伟壮丽。费尔法克斯太太正给餐具柜上几个紫色晶石花瓶拂去灰尘。 "What a beautiful room!" I exclaimed, as I looked round; for I hadnever before seen any half so imposing." 多漂亮的房间！"我朝四周看了看，不觉惊叫起来，我从未见过什么房间有它一半那么气派的。 "Yes; this is the dining-room. I have just opened the window, tolet in a little air and sunshine; for everything gets so damp inapartments that are seldom inhabited; the drawing-room yonder feelslike a vault."" 是呀，这是餐室，我刚开了窗，让它进来一点新鲜空气和阳光，这些房间难得有人住，所以什么都是潮腻腻的，那边的客厅简直像墓穴。" She pointed to a wide arch corresponding to the window, and hunglike it with a Tyrian-dyed curtain, now looped up. Mounting to itby two broad steps, and looking through, I thought I caught aglimpse of a fairy place, so bright to my novice-eyes appeared theview beyond. Yet it was merely a very pretty drawing-room, andwithin it a boudoir, both spread with white carpets, on which seemedlaid brilliant garlands of flowers; both ceiled with snowy mouldingsof white grapes and vine-leaves, beneath which glowed in richcontrast crimson couches and ottomans; while the ornaments on thepale Pariain mantelpiece were of sparkling Bohemian glass, ruby red;and between the windows large mirrors repeated the general blendingof snow and fire. 她指了指跟那窗子相对应的一扇又宽又大的拱门，一样也挂着红紫色的帘子，此刻往上卷着。我跨过两步宽阔的台阶，登上拱门，往里面瞅着。我以为自己看见了一个仙境，那景象使我这个刚踏上世途的人顿时眼目清亮。但它不过是一个漂亮的客厅和里面成套的一间闺房。两间房子都铺着白色的地毯，地毯上仿佛摆着鲜艳夺目的花环。天花板上都浇铸着雪白的葡萄和葡萄叶子。与它恰成对比的是，天花板下闪烁着绯红的睡椅和床榻，灰白色的帕罗斯岛大理石壁炉架上，摆着波希米亚闪光玻璃装饰物，像红宝石一般火红。窗户之间的大镜子，也映照出大体红白相间的色调。 
这些房间收拾得多整齐呀，费尔法克斯太太！"我说。"没有帆布罩子，却能做到纤尘不染，要不是空气冷飕飕的，人家准以为天天住着人呢。"
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