| 目 录 上一节 下一节 
己经过了九点,先生。" "Never mind,--wait a minute: Adele is not ready to go to bed yet.My position, Miss Eyre, with my back to the fire, and my face to theroom, favours observation. While talking to you, I have alsooccasionally watched Adele (I have my own reasons for thinking her acurious study,--reasons that I may, nay, that I shall, impart to yousome day). She pulled out of her box, about ten minutes ago, alittle pink silk frock; rapture lit her face as she unfolded it;coquetry runs in her blood, blends with her brains, and seasons themarrow of her bones. 'Il faut que je l'essaie!' cried she, 'et el'instant meme!' and she rushed out of the room. She is now withSophie, undergoing a robing process: in a few minutes she will re-enter; and I know what I shall see,--a miniature of Celine Varens,as she used to appear on the boards at the rising of-- But nevermind that. However, my tenderest feelings are about to receive ashock: such is my presentiment; stay now, to see whether it will berealised."" 没有关系--等一会儿吧,阿黛勒还没有准备好上床呢,爱小姐,我背靠炉火,面对房间,有利于观察,跟你说话的时候,我也不时注意着她(我有自己的理由把她当作奇特的研究对象,这理由我某一天可以,不,我会讲给你听的),大约十分钟之前,她从箱子里取出一件粉红色丝绸小上衣,打开的时候脸上充满了喜悦,媚俗之气流动在她的血液里,融化在她的脑髓里,沉淀在她的骨髓里。'Il faut que je I'essaie!'她嚷道,'et aIinstant meme!于是她冲出了房间。现在她跟索菲娅在一起,正忙着试装呢。不要几分钟,她会再次进来,我知道我会看到什么--塞莉纳.瓦伦的缩影,当年帷幕开启,她出现在舞台上时的模样,不过,不去管它啦。然而,我的最温柔的感情将为之震动,这就是我的预感,呆着别走,看看是不是会兑现。" Ere long, Adele's little foot was heard tripping across the hall.She entered, transformed as her guardian had predicted. A dress ofrose-coloured satin, very short, and as full in the skirt as itcould be gathered, replaced the brown frock she had previously worn;a wreath of rosebuds circled her forehead; her feet were dressed insilk stockings and small white satin sandals. 不久,我就听见阿黛勒的小脚轻快地走过客厅,她进来了,正如她的保护人所预见的那样,已判若两人。一套玫瑰色缎子衣服代替了原先的棕色上衣,这衣服很短,裙摆大得不能再大。她的额头上戴着一个玫瑰花蕾的花环,脚上穿着丝袜和白缎子小凉鞋。 "Est-ce que ma robe va bien?" cried she, bounding forwards; "et messouliers? et mes bas? Tenez, je crois que je vais danser!""Est ce que ma robe va bien?" 她跳跳蹦蹦跑到前面叫道"et mes souliers? et mes bas? Tenez, je crois que je vais danser!" And spreading out her dress, she chasseed across the room till,having reached Mr. Rochester, she wheeled lightly round before himon tip-toe, then dropped on one knee at his feet, exclaiming - 她展开裙子,用快滑步舞姿穿过房间,到了罗切斯特先生的跟前,踮着脚在他面前轻盈地转了一圈,随后一个膝头着地,蹲在他脚边,嚷着: 
随后她立起来补充了一句:"C'est comme cela que maman faisait, n'est ce pas,Monsieur?" "Pre-cise-ly!" was the answer; "and, 'comme cela,' she charmed myEnglish gold out of my British breeches' pocket. I have been green,too, Miss Eyre,--ay, grass green: not a more vernal tint freshensyou now than once freshened me. My Spring is gone, however, but ithas left me that French floweret on my hands, which, in some moods,I would fain be rid of. Not valuing now the root whence it sprang;having found that it was of a sort which nothing but gold dust couldmanure, I have but half a liking to the blossom, especially when itlooks so artificial as just now. I keep it and rear it rather onthe Roman Catholic principle of expiating numerous sins, great orsmall, by one good work. I'll explain all this some day. Good-night."" 确--实--像"他答道,"而且'commecela',她把我迷住了,从我英国裤袋里骗走了我英国的钱。我也很稚嫩,爱小姐--唉,青草一般稚嫩,一度使我生气勃勃的青春色彩并不淡于如今的你。不过我的春天已经逝去,但它在我手中留下了一小朵法国小花,在某些心境中,我真想把它摆脱。我并不珍重生出它的根来,还发现它需要用金土来培植,于是我对这朵花三心二意了,特别是像现在这样它看上去多么矫揉造作。我收留它,养育它,多半是按照罗马天主教教义,用做一件好事来赎无数大大小小的罪孽。改天再给你解释这一切,晚安。" Mr. Rochester did, on a future occasion, explain it. It was oneafternoon, when he chanced to meet me and Adele in the grounds: andwhile she played with Pilot and her shuttlecock, he asked me to walkup and down a long beech avenue within sight of her. 在日后某个场合,罗切斯特先生的确对这件事情作了解释。一天下午,他在庭院里碰到了我和阿黛勒。趁阿黛勒正逗着派洛特,玩着板羽球的时候,他请我去一条长长的布满山毛榉的小路上散步,从那儿看得见阿黛勒。 He then said that she was the daughter of a French opera-dancer,Celine Varens, towards whom he had once cherished what he called a"grande passion." This passion Celine had professed to return witheven superior ardour. He thought himself her idol, ugly as he was:he believed, as he said, that she preferred his "taille d'athlete"to the elegance of the Apollo Belvidere. 他随之告诉我阿黛勒是法国歌剧演员塞莉纳.瓦伦的女儿,他对这位歌剧演员,一度怀着他所说的"grandepassion"。而对这种恋情,塞莉纳宣称将以更加火热的激情来回报。尽管他长得丑,他却认为自己是她的偶像。他相信,如他所说,比之贝尔维德尔的阿波罗的优美,她更喜欢他的"tailled'athlete"。 "And, Miss Eyre, so much was I flattered by this preference of theGallic sylph for her British gnome, that I installed her in anhotel; gave her a complete establishment of servants, a carriage,cashmeres, diamonds, dentelles, &c. In short, I began the processof ruining myself in the received style, like any other spoony. Ihad not, it seems, the originality to chalk out a new road to shameand destruction, but trode the old track with stupid exactness notto deviate an inch from the beaten centre. I had--as I deserved tohave--the fate of all other spoonies. Happening to call one eveningwhen Celine did not expect me, I found her out; but it was a warmnight, and I was tired with strolling through Paris, so I sat downin her boudoir; happy to breathe the air consecrated so lately byher presence. No,--I exaggerate; I never thought there was anyconsecrating virtue about her: it was rather a sort of pastilleperfume she had left; a scent of musk and amber, than an odour ofsanctity. I was just beginning to stifle with the fumes ofconservatory flowers and sprinkled essences, when I bethought myselfto open the window and step out on to the balcony. It was moonlightand gaslight besides, and very still and serene. The balcony wasfurnished with a chair or two; I sat down, and took out a cigar,--Iwill take one now, if you will excuse me."" 爱小姐,这位法国美女竟钟情于一个英国侏儒、我简直受宠若惊了,于是我把她安顿在城里的一间房子里,配备了一整套的仆役和马车,送给她山羊绒、钻石和花边等等。总之,我像任何一个痴情汉一样,开始按世俗的方式毁灭自己了。我似乎缺乏独创,不会踏出一条通向耻辱和毁灭的新路,而是傻乎乎地严格循着旧道,不离别人的足迹半步。我遭到了--我活该如此--所有别的痴情汉一样的命运。一天晚上,我去拜访塞莉纳。她不知道我要去,所以我到时她不在家。这是一个暖和的夜晚,我因为步行穿过巴黎城,已很有倦意,便在她的闺房坐了下来,愉快地呼吸着新近由于她的到来而神圣化了的空气。不--我言过其实了,我从来不认为她身上有什么神圣的德性。这不过是她所留下的一种香锭的香气,与其说是神圣的香气,还不如说一种麝香和琥珀的气味。我正开始沉醉在暖房花朵的气息和弥漫着的幽幽清香里时,蓦地想起去打开窗门,走到阳台上去。这时月色朗照,汽灯闪亮,十分静谧。阳台上摆着一两把椅子,我坐了下来,取出一支雪茄--请原谅,现在我要抽一支。" 
说到这里他停顿了一下,同时拿出一根雪茄点燃了。他把雪茄放到嘴里,把一缕哈瓦那烟云雾喷进寒冷而阴沉的空气里,他继续说: "I liked bonbons too in those days, Miss Eyre, and I was croquant--(overlook the barbarism)--croquant chocolate comfits, and smokingalternately, watching meantime the equipages that rolled along thefashionable streets towards the neighbouring opera-house, when in anelegant close carriage drawn by a beautiful pair of English horses,and distinctly seen in the brilliant city-night, I recognised the'voiture' I had given Celine. She was returning: of course myheart thumped with impatience against the iron rails I leant upon.The carriage stopped, as I had expected, at the hotel door; my flame(that is the very word for an opera inamorata) alighted: thoughmuffed in a cloak--an unnecessary encumbrance, by-the-bye, on sowarm a June evening--I knew her instantly by her little foot, seenpeeping from the skirt of her dress, as she skipped from thecarriage-step. Bending over the balcony, I was about to murmur 'Monange'--in a tone, of course, which should be audible to the ear oflove alone--when a figure jumped from the carriage after her;cloaked also; but that was a spurred heel which had rung on thepavement, and that was a hatted head which now passed under thearched porte cochere of the hotel." 在那些日子里我还喜欢夹心糖,爱小姐。而当时我一会儿croquant"(也顾不得野蛮了)巧克力糖果,一会儿吸烟,同时凝视着经过时髦的街道向邻近歌剧院驶去的马车。这时来了一辆精制的轿式马车,由一对漂亮的英国马拉着,在灯火辉煌的城市夜景中,看得清清楚楚。我认出来正是我赠送给塞莉纳的'voiture'。是她回来了。当然,我那颗倚在铁栏杆上的心急不可耐地跳动着。不出我所料,马车在房门口停了下来。我的情人(这两个字恰好用来形容一个唱歌剧的情人)从车上走下,尽管罩着斗篷--顺便说一句,那么暖和的六月夜晚,这完全是多此一举。--她从马车踏步上跳下来时,我从那双露在裙子下的小脚,立刻认出了她来。我从阳台上探出身子,正要响响地叫一声'MonAnge'--用的声气光能让情人听见--这时,一个身影在她后面跳下了马车,也披着斗篷。但一只带踢马刺的脚跟,在人行道上响了起来,一个戴礼帽的头正从房子拱形的portecochere经过。 "You never felt jealousy, did you, Miss Eyre? Of course not: Ineed not ask you; because you never felt love. You have bothsentiments yet to experience: your soul sleeps; the shock is yet tobe given which shall waken it. You think all existence lapses in asquiet a flow as that in which your youth has hitherto slid away.Floating on with closed eyes and muffled ears, you neither see therocks bristling not far off in the bed of the flood, nor hear thebreakers boil at their base. But I tell you--and you may mark mywords--you will come some day to a craggy pass in the channel, wherethe whole of life's stream will be broken up into whirl and tumult,foam and noise: either you will be dashed to atoms on crag points,or lifted up and borne on by some master-wave into a calmer current--as I am now." 你从来没有嫉妒过是不是,爱小姐?当然没有。我不必问你了,因为你从来没有恋爱过。还没有体会过这两种感情。你的灵魂正在沉睡,只有使它震惊才能将它唤醒,你认为一切生活,就像你的青春悄悄逝去一样,也都是静静地流走的。你闭着眼睛,塞住了耳朵,随波逐流,你既没有看到不远的地方涨了潮的河床上礁石林立,也没有听到浪涛在礁石底部翻腾,但我告诉你--你仔细听着--某一天你会来到河道中岩石嶙峋的关隘,这里,你整个生命的河流会被撞得粉碎,成了漩涡和骚动,泡沫和喧哗,你不是在岩石尖上冲得粉身碎骨,就是被某些大浪掀起来,汇入更平静的河流,就像我现在一样。 "I like this day; I like that sky of steel; I like the sternness andstillness of the world under this frost. I like Thornfield, itsantiquity, its retirement, its old crow-trees and thorn-trees, itsgrey facade, and lines of dark windows reflecting that metal welkin:and yet how long have I abhorred the very thought of it, shunned itlike a great plague-house? How I do still abhor -"" 我喜欢今天这样的日子,喜欢铁灰色的天空,喜欢严寒中庄严肃穆的世界,喜欢桑菲尔德,喜欢它的古色古香,它的旷远幽静,它乌鸦栖息的老树和荆棘,它灰色的正面,它映出灰色苍穹的一排排黛色窗户。可是在漫长的岁月里,我一想到它就觉得厌恶,像躲避瘟疫滋生地一样避之不迭:就是现在我依然多么讨厌--"
| |