目 录 上一节 下一节 
后来的几天我很少见到罗切斯特先生。早上他似乎忙于事务，下午接待从米尔科特或附近来造访的绅士，有时他们留下来与他共进晚餐。他的伤势好转到可以骑马时，便经常骑马外出，也许是回访，往往到深夜才回来。 During this interval, even Adele was seldom sent for to hispresence, and all my acquaintance with him was confined to anoccasional rencontre in the hall, on the stairs, or in the gallery,when he would sometimes pass me haughtily and coldly, justacknowledging my presence by a distant nod or a cool glance, andsometimes bow and smile with gentlemanlike affability. His changesof mood did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to dowith their alternation; the ebb and flow depended on causes quitedisconnected with me. 在这期间，连阿黛勒也很少给叫到他跟前。我同他的接触，只限于在大厅里、楼梯上，或走廊上偶然相遇。他有时高傲冷漠地从我身边走过，远远地点一下头或冷冷地瞥一眼，承认了我的存在，而有时却很有绅士风度，和蔼可亲地鞠躬和微笑。他情绪的反复并没有使我生气，因为我明白这种变化与我无关，他情绪的起伏完全是由于同我不相干的原因。 One day he had had company to dinner, and had sent for my portfolio;in order, doubtless, to exhibit its contents: the gentlemen wentaway early, to attend a public meeting at Millcote, as Mrs. Fairfaxinformed me; but the night being wet and inclement, Mr. Rochesterdid not accompany them. Soon after they were gone he rang the bell:a message came that I and Adele were to go downstairs. I brushedAdele's hair and made her neat, and having ascertained that I wasmyself in my usual Quaker trim, where there was nothing to retouch--all being too close and plain, braided locks included, to admit ofdisarrangement--we descended, Adele wondering whether the petitcoffre was at length come; for, owing to some mistake, its arrivalhad hitherto been delayed. She was gratified: there it stood, alittle carton, on the table when we entered the dining-room. Sheappeared to know it by instinct. 一天有客来吃饭，他派人来取我的画夹，无疑是要向人家出示里面的画。绅士们走得很早，费尔法克斯太太告诉我，他们要到米尔科特去参加一个公众大会。但那天晚上有雨，天气恶劣、罗切斯特先生没有去作陪。他们走后不久，他便打铃，传话来让我和阿黛勒下楼去。我梳理了阿黛勒的头发，把她打扮得整整齐齐，我自己穿上了平时的贵格会服装，知道确实已经没有再修饰的余地了--一切都那么贴身而又朴实，包括编了辫子的头发在内，丝毫不见凌乱的痕迹--我们便下楼去了。阿黛勒正疑惑着，不知她的petit coffre终于到了没有。因为某些差错，它直到现在还迟迟未来。我们走进餐室，只见桌上放着一个小箱子。阿黛勒非常高兴，她似乎凭直觉就知道了。 "Ma boite! ma boite!" exclaimed she, running towards it."Ma boite ! Ma boite!" 她大嚷着朝它奔过去。 "Yes, there is your 'boite' at last: take it into a corner, yougenuine daughter of Paris, and amuse yourself with disembowellingit," said the deep and rather sarcastic voice of Mr. Rochester,proceeding from the depths of an immense easy-chair at the fireside."And mind," he continued, "don't bother me with any details of theanatomical process, or any notice of the condition of the entrails:let your operation be conducted in silence: tiens-toi tranquille,enfant; comprends-tu?"" 是的，你的'boite'终于到了，把它拿到一个角落去，你这位地道的巴黎女儿，你就去掏你盒子里的东西玩儿吧。"罗切斯特先生用深沉而颇有些讥讽的口吻说，那声音是从火炉旁巨大的安乐椅深处发出来的。"记住，"他继续说，"别用解剖过程的细枝末节问题，或者内脏情况的通报来打搅我，你就静静地去动手术吧--tiens toi tranquille,enfant;comprends tu？" 
阿黛勒似乎并不需要提醒，她已经带着她的宝贝退到了一张沙发上，这会儿正忙着解开系住盖子的绳子。她清除了这个障碍，揭起银色包装薄纸，光一个劲儿地大嚷着。 "Oh ciel! Que c'est beau!" and then remained absorbed in ecstaticcontemplation."Oh! ciel! Que c'est beau!" 随后便沉浸在兴奋的沉思中。 "Is Miss Eyre there?" now demanded the master, half rising from hisseat to look round to the door, near which I still stood." 爱小姐在吗？"此刻这位主人发问了。他从座位上欠起身子，回过头来看看门口，我仍站在门旁。 "Ah! well, come forward; be seated here." He drew a chair near hisown. "I am not fond of the prattle of children," he continued;"for, old bachelor as I am, I have no pleasant associationsconnected with their lisp. It would be intolerable to me to pass awhole evening tete-e-tete with a brat. Don't draw that chairfarther off, Miss Eyre; sit down exactly where I placed it--if youplease, that is. Confound these civilities! I continually forgetthem. Nor do I particularly affect simple-minded old ladies. By-the-bye, I must have mine in mind; it won't do to neglect her; sheis a Fairfax, or wed to one; and blood is said to be thicker thanwater."" 啊！好吧，到前面来，坐在这儿吧。"他把一张椅子拉到自己椅子的旁边。"我不大喜欢听孩子咿咿呀呀，"他继续说，"因为像我这样的老单身汉，他们的喃喃细语，不会让我引起愉快的联想。同一个娃娃面对面消磨整个晚上，让我实在受不了。别把椅子拉得那么开，爱小姐。就在我摆着的地方坐下来--当然，要是你乐意。让那些礼节见鬼去吧！我老是把它们忘掉。我也不特别喜爱头脑简单的老妇人。话得说回来，我得想着点我的那位，她可是怠慢不得。她是费尔法克斯家族的，或是嫁给了家族中的一位。据说血浓于水。" He rang, and despatched an invitation to Mrs. Fairfax, who soonarrived, knitting-basket in hand. 他打铃派人去请费尔法克斯太太，很快她就到了，手里提着编织篮。 
晚上好，夫人，我请你来做件好事。我己不允许阿黛勒跟我谈礼品的事，她肚子里有好多话要说，你做做好事听她讲讲，并跟她谈谈，那你就功德无量了。" Adele, indeed, no sooner saw Mrs. Fairfax, than she summoned her toher sofa, and there quickly filled her lap with the porcelain, theivory, the waxen contents of her "boite;" pouring out, meantime,explanations and raptures in such broken English as she was mistressof. 说真的，阿黛勒一见到费尔法克斯太太，便把她叫到沙发旁，很快在她的膝头摆满了她'boite'中的瓷器、象牙和蜡制品，同时用她所能掌握的瞥脚英语，不住地加以解释，告诉她自己有多开心。 "Now I have performed the part of a good host," pursued Mr.Rochester, "put my guests into the way of amusing each other, Iought to be at liberty to attend to my own pleasure. Miss Eyre,draw your chair still a little farther forward: you are yet too farback; I cannot see you without disturbing my position in thiscomfortable chair, which I have no mind to do."" 哈，我已扮演了一个好主人的角色，"罗切斯特先生继续说，"使我的客人们各得其所，彼此都有乐趣。我应当有权关心一下自己的乐趣了。爱小姐，把你的椅子再往前拉一点，你坐得太靠后了，我在这把舒舒服服的椅子上，不改变一下位置就看不见你，而我又不想动。" I did as I was bid, though I would much rather have remainedsomewhat in the shade; but Mr. Rochester had such a direct way ofgiving orders, it seemed a matter of course to obey him promptly. 我照他的吩咐做了，尽管我宁愿仍旧呆在阴影里。但罗切斯特先生却是那么直来直去地下命令，似乎立刻服从他是理所当然的。 We were, as I have said, in the dining-room: the lustre, which hadbeen lit for dinner, filled the room with a festal breadth of light;the large fire was all red and clear; the purple curtains hung richand ample before the lofty window and loftier arch; everything wasstill, save the subdued chat of Adele (she dared not speak loud),and, filling up each pause, the beating of winter rain against thepanes. 我已作了交代，我们在餐室里。为晚餐而点上的枝形吊灯，使整个房间如节日般大放光明，熊熊炉火通红透亮，高大的窗子和更高大的拱门前悬挂着华贵而宽敞的紫色帷幔。除了阿黛勒压着嗓门的交谈（她不敢高声说话），以及谈话停顿间隙响起了敲窗的冷雨，一切都寂静无声。 
罗切斯特先生坐在锦缎面椅子上，显得同我以前看到的大不相同，不那么严厉，更不那么阴沉。他嘴上浮着笑容，眼睛闪闪发光，是不是因为喝了酒的缘故，我不敢肯定，不过很可能如此。总之，他正在饭后的兴头上，更加健谈，更加亲切，比之早上冷淡僵硬的脾性，显得更为放纵。不过他看上去依然十分严厉。他那硕大的脑袋靠在椅子隆起的靠背上，炉火的光照在他犹如花岗岩镌刻出来的面容上，照进他又大又黑的眸子里--因为他有着 一双乌黑的大眼睛，而且很漂亮，有时在眼睛深处也并非没有某种变化，如果那不是柔情，至少也会使你想起这种感情来。 He had been looking two minutes at the fire, and I had been lookingthe same length of time at him, when, turning suddenly, he caught mygaze fastened on his physiognomy. 他凝视着炉火已经有两分钟了，而我用同样的时间在打量着他。突然他回过头来，瞧见我正盯着他的脸看着。 "You examine me, Miss Eyre," said he: "do you think me handsome?"" 你在仔细看我，爱小姐，"他说，"你认为我长得漂亮吗？" I should, if I had deliberated, have replied to this question bysomething conventionally vague and polite; but the answer somehowslipped from my tongue before I was aware--"No, sir." 要是我仔细考虑的话，我本应当对这个问题作出习惯上含糊、礼貌的回答，但不知怎地我还没意识到就己经冲口而出："不，先生。" "Ah! By my word! there is something singular about you," said he:"you have the air of a little nonnette; quaint, quiet, grave, andsimple, as you sit with your hands before you, and your eyesgenerally bent on the carpet (except, by-the-bye, when they aredirected piercingly to my face; as just now, for instance); and whenone asks you a question, or makes a remark to which you are obligedto reply, you rap out a round rejoinder, which, if not blunt, is atleast brusque. What do you mean by it?"" 啊！我敢打赌，你这人有点儿特别，"他说，"你的神态像个小nonnette，怪僻、文静、严肃、单纯。你坐着的时候把手放在面前，眼睛总是低垂着看地毯（顺便说一句，除了穿心透肺似地扫向我脸庞的时候，譬如像刚才那样），别人问你一个问题，或者发表一番你必须回答的看法时，你会突然直言不讳地回答，不是生硬，就是唐突。你的话是什么意思？"
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