目 录 上一节 下一节 
费尔法克斯太太？"我大声叫道，因为这时正听见她走下顶楼的楼梯。"你听见响亮的笑声了吗？那是谁呀？" "Some of the servants, very likely," she answered: "perhaps GracePoole."" 很可能是些仆人，"卮鹚担耙残硎歉窭姿?普尔。" "Did you hear it?" I again inquired." 你听到了吗？"我又问。 "Yes, plainly: I often hear her: she sews in one of these rooms.Sometimes Leah is with her; they are frequently noisy together."" 听到了，很清楚。我常常听到她，她在这儿的一间房子里做针线活，有时莉娅也在，这两个人在一块总是闹闹嚷嚷的。" The laugh was repeated in its low, syllabic tone, and terminated inan odd murmur. 笑声又响起来了，低沉而很有节奏，然后以古怪的嘟哝声告结束。 
格雷斯？"费尔法克斯太太嚷道。 I really did not expect any Grace to answer; for the laugh was astragic, as preternatural a laugh as any I ever heard; and, but thatit was high noon, and that no circumstance of ghostlinessaccompanied the curious cachinnation; but that neither scene norseason favoured fear, I should have been superstitiously afraid.However, the event showed me I was a fool for entertaining a senseeven of surprise. 我其实并不盼望哪位格雷斯来回答，因为这笑声同我所听到过的笑声一样悲惨，一样不可思议。要不是正值中午，要不是鬼魂的出现从来不与奇怪的狂笑相伴，要不是当时的情景和季节并不会激发恐怖情绪，我准会相信迷信，害怕起来呢。然而，这件事表明我真傻，居然还为笑声感到吃惊。 The door nearest me opened, and a servant came out,--a woman ofbetween thirty and forty; a set, square-made figure, red-haired, andwith a hard, plain face: any apparition less romantic or lessghostly could scarcely be conceived. 最靠近我的一扇门开了，一个仆人走了出来，一个年龄在三十到四十之间的女人，虎背熊腰，一头红发，一张冷酷而长相平庸的脸。实在难以想象还有什么幽灵比她更缺少传奇色彩，更不像鬼魂了。 "Too much noise, Grace," said Mrs. Fairfax. "Remember directions!"Grace curtseyed silently and went in." 太闹了，格雷斯，"费尔法克斯太太说。"记住对你的吩咐！"格雷斯默默地行了个屈膝礼，走了进去。 "She is a person we have to sew and assist Leah in her housemaid'swork," continued the widow; "not altogether unobjectionable in somepoints, but she does well enough. By-the-bye, how have you got onwith your new pupil this morning?"" 她是我们雇来做针线活，帮助莉娅干家务活儿的，"寡妇继续说，"在某些方面她并不是无可非议的，不过她干得挺好。顺便问一下，早上你跟你的学生相处得怎么样？" 
于是我们的谈话转到了阿黛勒身上，一直谈到我们来到下面敞亮而欢快的地方。阿黛勒在大厅里迎着我们跑过来，一面还嚷嚷着。 The promise of a smooth career, which my first calm introduction toThornfield Hall seemed to pledge, was not belied on a longeracquaintance with the place and its inmates. Mrs. Fairfax turnedout to be what she appeared, a placid-tempered, kind-natured woman,of competent education and average intelligence. My pupil was alively child, who had been spoilt and indulged, and therefore wassometimes wayward; but as she was committed entirely to my care, andno injudicious interference from any quarter ever thwarted my plansfor her improvement, she soon forgot her little freaks, and becameobedient and teachable. She had no great talents, no marked traitsof character, no peculiar development of feeling or taste whichraised her one inch above the ordinary level of childhood; butneither had she any deficiency or vice which sunk her below it. Shemade reasonable progress, entertained for me a vivacious, thoughperhaps not very profound, affection; and by her simplicity, gayprattle, and efforts to please, inspired me, in return, with adegree of attachment sufficient to make us both content in eachother's society. 我初到桑菲尔德府的时候，一切都显得平平静静，似乎预示着我未来的经历会一帆风顺。我进一步熟悉了这个地方及其居住者以后，发现这预期没有落空。费尔法克斯太太果然与她当初给人的印象相符，性格温和，心地善良，受过足够的教育，具有中等的智力。我的学生非常活泼，但由于过份溺爱己被宠坏，有时显得倔强任性，好在完全由我照管，任何方面都没有进行不明智的干预，破坏我的培养计划，她也很快改掉了任性的举动，变得驯服可教了。她没有非凡的才能，没有个性特色，没有那种使她稍稍超出一般儿童水平的特殊情趣，不过也没有使她居于常人之下的缺陷和恶习。她取得了合情合理的进步，对我怀有一种也许并不很深却十分热烈的感情。她的单纯、她愉快的喁语、她想讨人喜欢的努力，反过来也多少激起了我对她的爱恋，使我们两人之间维系着一种彼此都感到满意的关系。 This, par parenthese, will be thought cool language by persons whoentertain solemn doctrines about the angelic nature of children, andthe duty of those charged with their education to conceive for theman idolatrous devotion: but I am not writing to flatter parentalegotism, to echo cant, or prop up humbug; I am merely telling thetruth. I felt a conscientious solicitude for Adele's welfare andprogress, and a quiet liking for her little self: just as Icherished towards Mrs. Fairfax a thankfulness for her kindness, anda pleasure in her society proportionate to the tranquil regard shehad for me, and the moderation of her mind and character. 这些话，Par?parenthese，会被某些人视为过于冷淡，这些人持有庄严的信条，认为孩子要有天使般的本性，承担孩子教育责任者，应当对他们怀有偶象崇拜般的虔诚。不过这样写并不是迎合父母的利己主义，不是附和时髦的高论，不是支持骗人的空谈。我说的无非是真话。我觉得我真诚地关心阿黛勒的幸福和进步，默默地喜欢这个小家伙，正像我对费尔法克斯太太的好心怀着感激之情一样，同时也因为她对我的默默敬意以及她本人温和的心灵与性情，而觉得同她相处是一种乐趣了。 Anybody may blame me who likes, when I add further, that, now andthen, when I took a walk by myself in the grounds; when I went downto the gates and looked through them along the road; or when, whileAdele played with her nurse, and Mrs. Fairfax made jellies in thestoreroom, I climbed the three staircases, raised the trap-door ofthe attic, and having reached the leads, looked out afar oversequestered field and hill, and along dim sky-line--that then Ilonged for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; whichmight reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I had heardof but never seen--that then I desired more of practical experiencethan I possessed; more of intercourse with my kind, of acquaintancewith variety of character, than was here within my reach. I valuedwhat was good in Mrs. Fairfax, and what was good in Adele; but Ibelieved in the existence of other and more vivid kinds of goodness,and what I believed in I wished to behold. 我想再说几句，谁要是高兴都可以责备我，因为当我独个儿在庭园里散步时，当我走到大门口并透过它往大路望去时，或者当阿黛勒同保姆做着游戏，费尔法克斯太太在储藏室制作果子冻时，我爬上三道楼梯，推开顶楼的活动天窗，来到铅皮屋顶，极目远望与世隔绝的田野和小山，以及暗淡的地平线。随后，我渴望自己具有超越那极限的视力，以便使我的目光抵达繁华的世界，抵达那些我曾有所闻，却从未目睹过的生气勃勃的城镇和地区。随后我渴望掌握比现在更多的实际经验，接触比现在范围内更多与我意气相投的人，熟悉更多类型的个性。我珍重费尔法克斯太太身上的德性，也珍重阿黛勒身上的德性，但我相信还存在着其他更显著的德性，而凡我所信奉的，我都希望看一看。 Who blames me? Many, no doubt; and I shall be called discontented.I could not help it: the restlessness was in my nature; it agitatedme to pain sometimes. Then my sole relief was to walk along thecorridor of the third storey, backwards and forwards, safe in thesilence and solitude of the spot, and allow my mind's eye to dwellon whatever bright visions rose before it--and, certainly, they weremany and glowing; to let my heart be heaved by the exultantmovement, which, while it swelled it in trouble, expanded it withlife; and, best of all, to open my inward ear to a tale that wasnever ended--a tale my imagination created, and narratedcontinuously; quickened with all of incident, life, fire, feeling,that I desired and had not in my actual existence. 谁责备我呢？无疑会有很多人，而且我会被说成贪心不知足。我没有办法，我的个性中有一种骚动不安的东西，有时它搅得我很痛苦。而我唯一的解脱办法是，在三层楼过道上来回踱步。这里悄无声息，孤寂冷落，十分安全，可以任心灵的目光观察浮现在眼前的任何光明的景象--当然这些景象很多，而且都光辉灿烂；可以让心脏随着欢快的跳动而起伏，这种跳动在烦恼中使心脏膨胀，同时又以生命来使它扩展。最理想的是，敞开我心灵的耳朵，来倾听一个永远不会结束的故事。这个故事由我的想象所创造，并被继续不断地讲下去。这个故事还由于那些我朝思暮想，却在我实际生活中所没有的事件、生活、激情和感觉，而显得更加生动。 
说人类应当满足于平静的生活，是徒劳无益的。他们应当有行动，而且要是他们没有办法找到，那就自己来创造。成千上万的人命里注定要承受比我更沉寂的灭亡；而成千上万的人在默默地反抗他们的命运。没有人知道除了政治反抗之外，有多少反抗在人世间芸芸众生中酝酿着。一般都认为女人应当平平静静，但女人跟男人有一样的感觉。她们需要发挥自己的才能，而且也像兄弟们一样需要有用武之地。她们对严厉的束缚，绝对的停滞，都跟男人一样感到痛苦，比她们更享有特权的同类们，只有心胸狭窄者才会说，女人们应当只做做布丁，织织长袜，弹弹钢，绣绣布包，要是她们希望超越世俗认定的女性所应守的规范，做更多的事情，学更多的东西，那么为此去谴责或讥笑她们未是轻率的。 When thus alone, I not unfrequently heard Grace Poole's laugh: thesame peal, the same low, slow ha! ha! which, when first heard, hadthrilled me: I heard, too, her eccentric murmurs; stranger than herlaugh. There were days when she was quite silent; but there wereothers when I could not account for the sounds she made. SometimesI saw her: she would come out of her room with a basin, or a plate,or a tray in her hand, go down to the kitchen and shortly return,generally (oh, romantic reader, forgive me for telling the plaintruth!) bearing a pot of porter. Her appearance always acted as adamper to the curiosity raised by her oral oddities: hard-featuredand staid, she had no point to which interest could attach. I madesome attempts to draw her into conversation, but she seemed a personof few words: a monosyllabic reply usually cut short every effortof that sort. 我这么独自一人时，常常听到格雷斯.普尔的笑声，同样的一阵大笑，同样的低沉、迟缓的哈哈声，初次听来，令人毛骨悚然。我也曾听到过她怪异的低语声，比她的笑声还古怪。有些日子她十分安静，但另一些日子她会发出令人费解的声音。有时我看到了她。她会从房间里出来，手里拿着一个脸盆，或者一个盘子，或者一个托盘，下楼到厨房去，并很快就返回，一般说来（唉，浪漫的读者，请恕我直言！）拿着一罐黑啤酒。她的外表常常会消除她口头的怪癖所引起的好奇。她一脸凶相，表情严肃，没有一点使人感兴趣的地方。我几次想使她开口，但她似乎是个少言寡语的人，回答往往只有一两个字，终于使我意兴全无了。 The other members of the household, viz., John and his wife, Leahthe housemaid, and Sophie the French nurse, were decent people; butin no respect remarkable; with Sophie I used to talk French, andsometimes I asked her questions about her native country; but shewas not of a descriptive or narrative turn, and generally gave suchvapid and confused answers as were calculated rather to check thanencourage inquiry. 府上的其他成员，如约翰夫妇，女佣莉娅和法国保姆索菲娅都是正派人，但决非杰出之辈。我同索菲娅常说法语，有时也问她些关于她故国的问题，但她没有描绘或叙述的才能，一般听作的回答既乏味又混乱，仿佛有意阻止而不是鼓励我继续发问。
| 
