名著·简.爱 - 第63节


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  我想我本可以反问这个问题,但我不愿那么放肆,只是回答说:

   "I did not wish to disturb you, as you seemed engaged, sir.""

  我不想打搅你,因为你好像正忙着呢,先生。"

   "What have you been doing during my absence?""

  我外出期间你一直在干些什么呢?"

   "Nothing particular; teaching Adele as usual.""

  没有什么特别事儿,照例教阿黛勒。"

   "And getting a good deal paler than you were--as I saw at firstsight. What is the matter?""

  而且比以前苍白了,这我一眼就看出来了,你怎么啦?"

  没事儿,先生。"

   "Did you take any cold that night you half drowned me?""

  你差点淹死我的那天夜里着了凉吗?"

   "Not she least.""

  绝对没有。"

   "Return to the drawing-room: you are deserting too early.""

  回到客厅里去吧,你走得太早了。"

   "I am tired, sir.""

  我累了,先生。"

  他瞧了我一会儿。

   "And a little depressed," he said. "What about? Tell me.""

  而且心情有些不快,"他说。"为什么事儿?告诉我吧。"

   "Nothing--nothing, sir. I am not depressed.""

  没有--实在没有,先生。我的心情没有不快。"

   "But I affirm that you are: so much depressed that a few more wordswould bring tears to your eyes--indeed, they are there now, shiningand swimming; and a bead has slipped from the lash and fallen on tothe flag. If I had time, and was not in mortal dread of someprating prig of a servant passing, I would know what all this means.Well, to-night I excuse you; but understand that so long as myvisitors stay, I expect you to appear in the drawing-room everyevening; it is my wish; don't neglect it. Now go, and send Sophiefor Adele. Good-night, my--" He stopped, bit his lip, and abruptlyleft me."

  可是我可以肯定你心里不高兴,而且已经到了这个地步,只要再说几句你就要掉泪了--其实此刻你的泪花己在闪动,一颗泪珠已从眼睫毛上滚下,落在石板地上了。要是我有时间,要不是我怕撞见一本正经爱饶舌的仆人,我准会弄明白内中的缘由。好吧,今晚我就原谅你了。不过你得知道,只要客人们还在这里呆着,我希望你每天晚上都在客厅露面。这是我的愿望,不要置之不理,现在你走吧,叫索菲娅来把阿黛勒带走。晚安,我的--"他刹住了,咬着嘴唇,蓦地离开了我。

   Merry days were these at Thornfield Hall; and busy days too: howdifferent from the first three months of stillness, monotony, andsolitude I had passed beneath its roof! All sad feelings seemed nowdriven from the house, all gloomy associations forgotten: there waslife everywhere, movement all day long. You could not now traversethe gallery, once so hushed, nor enter the front chambers, once sotenantless, without encountering a smart lady's-maid or a dandyvalet.

  那些是桑菲尔德府欢乐的日子,也是忙碌的日子。同最初三个月我在这儿度过的平静、单调和孤寂的日子相比,真是天差地别!如今一切哀伤情调已经烟消云散,一切阴郁的联想已忘得一干二净,到处热热闹闹,整天人来客往。过去静悄悄的门廓,空无住客的前房,现在一走进去就会撞见漂亮的侍女,或者衣饰华丽的男仆。

  无论是厨房,还是管家的食品室,佣人的厅堂和门厅,都一样热闹非凡。只有在和煦的春日里,蔚蓝的天空和明媚的阳光,把人们吸引到庭园里去的时候,几间大客厅才显得空荡沉寂。即使天气转坏,几日里阴雨连绵,也似乎不曾使他们扫兴,室外的娱乐一停止,室内的倒反而更加活泼多样了。

   I wondered what they were going to do the first evening a change ofentertainment was proposed: they spoke of "playing charades," butin my ignorance I did not understand the term. The servants werecalled in, the dining-room tables wheeled away, the lights otherwisedisposed, the chairs placed in a semicircle opposite the arch.While Mr. Rochester and the other gentlemen directed thesealterations, the ladies were running up and down stairs ringing fortheir maids. Mrs. Fairfax was summoned to give informationrespecting the resources of the house in shawls, dresses, draperiesof any kind; and certain wardrobes of the third storey wereransacked, and their contents, in the shape of brocaded and hoopedpetticoats, satin sacques, black modes, lace lappets, &c., werebrought down in armfuls by the abigails; then a selection was made,and such things as were chosen were carried to the boudoir withinthe drawing-room.

  第一个晚上有人建议改变一下娱乐方式的时候,我心里纳闷他们会干什么。他们说起要玩"字谜游戏",但我一无所知,一时不明白这个名称。仆人们被叫了进来,餐桌给搬走了,灯光己另作处理,椅子正对着拱门排成了半圆形。罗切斯特先生和其他男宾们指挥着作些变动时,女士们在楼梯上跑上跑下,按铃使唤仆人。费尔法克斯太太应召进房,报告各类披肩、服装和帐幔等家藏物资情况。三楼的有些大橱也来个兜底翻寻,里面的一应物件,如带裙环的织锦裙子、缎子宽身女裙、黑色丝织品、花边垂带等,都由使女们成包捧下楼来,经过挑选,又把选中的东西送进客厅内的小厅里。

   Meantime, Mr. Rochester had again summoned the ladies round him, andwas selecting certain of their number to be of his party. "MissIngram is mine, of course," said he: afterwards he named the twoMisses Eshton, and Mrs. Dent. He looked at me: I happened to benear him, as I had been fastening the clasp of Mrs. Dent's bracelet,which had got loose.

  与此同时,罗切斯特先生把女士们再次叫到他周围,选中了几位加入他一组。"当然英格拉姆小姐是属于我的,"他说,随后他又点了两位埃希顿小姐和登特夫人的名。他瞧了瞧我,我恰巧在他身边,替登特太太把松开的手镯扣好。

   "Will you play?" he asked. I shook my head. He did not insist,which I rather feared he would have done; he allowed me to returnquietly to my usual seat."

  你来玩吗?"他问。我摇了摇头。他没有坚持,我真怕他会呢。他允许我安静地回到平时的座位上去。

   He and his aids now withdrew behind the curtain: the other party,which was headed by Colonel Dent, sat down on the crescent ofchairs. One of the gentlemen, Mr. Eshton, observing me, seemed topropose that I should be asked to join them; but Lady Ingraminstantly negatived the notion.

  他和搭档们退到了帐幔后头,而由登特上校领头的一组人,在排成半圆形的椅子上坐了下来。其中一位叫埃希顿先生的男士,注意到了我,好像提议我应当加入他们,但英格拉姆夫人立即否决了他的建议。

  不行,"我听见她说,"她看上去一付蠢相,玩不来这类游戏。"

   Ere long a bell tinkled, and the curtain drew up. Within the arch,the bulky figure of Sir George Lynn, whom Mr. Rochester had likewisechosen, was seen enveloped in a white sheet: before him, on atable, lay open a large book; and at his side stood Amy Eshton,draped in Mr. Rochester's cloak, and holding a book in her hand.Somebody, unseen, rang the bell merrily; then Adele (who hadinsisted on being one of her guardian's party), bounded forward,scattering round her the contents of a basket of flowers she carriedon her arm. Then appeared the magnificent figure of Miss Ingram,clad in white, a long veil on her head, and a wreath of roses roundher brow; by her side walked Mr. Rochester, and together they drewnear the table. They knelt; while Mrs. Dent and Louisa Eshton,dressed also in white, took up their stations behind them. Aceremony followed, in dumb show, in which it was easy to recognisethe pantomime of a marriage. At its termination, Colonel Dent andhis party consulted in whispers for two minutes, then the Colonelcalled out -

  没过多久,铃声响了,幕拉开了。在半圆形之内,出现了乔治.林恩爵士用白布裹着的巨大身影,他也是由罗切斯特先生选中的。他前面的一张桌子上,放着一本大书,他一侧站着艾米.埃希顿,身上披着罗切斯特先生的斗篷,手里拿着一本书。有人在看不见的地方摇响了欢快的铃声。随后阿黛勒(她坚持参加监护人的一组)跳跳蹦蹦来到前面,把挽在胳膊上的一篮子花,朝她周围撒去。接着雍容华贵的英格拉姆小姐露面了,一身素装,头披长纱,额上戴着圈玫瑰花。她身边走着罗切斯特先生,两人一起跪向桌子。他们跪了下来,与此同时,一样浑身著白的登特太太和路易莎.埃希顿,在他们身后站定。接着一个用哑剧来表现的仪式开始了,不难看出,这是场哑剧婚礼。结束时登特上校和他的一伙人悄悄地商量了两分钟,随后上校嚷道:

   "Bride!" Mr. Rochester bowed, and the curtain fell."

  新娘!"罗切斯特先生行了鞠躬礼,随后幕落。

   A considerable interval elapsed before it again rose. Its secondrising displayed a more elaborately prepared scene than the last.The drawing-room, as I have before observed, was raised two stepsabove the dining-room, and on the top of the upper step, placed ayard or two back within the room, appeared a large marble basin--which I recognised as an ornament of the conservatory--where itusually stood, surrounded by exotics, and tenanted by gold fish--andwhence it must have been transported with some trouble, on accountof its size and weight.

  过了好一会儿,帐幕才再次拉开。第二幕表演比第一幕显得更加精心准备。如我以前所观察的那样,客厅已垫得比餐室高出两个台阶,在客厅内靠后一两码的顶端台阶上,放置着一个硕大的大理石盆,我认出来那是温室里的一个装饰品--平时里面养着金鱼,周围布满了异国花草--它体积大,份量重,搬到这儿来一定是花了一番周折的。

   Seated on the carpet, by the side of this basin, was seen Mr.Rochester, costumed in shawls, with a turban on his head. His darkeyes and swarthy skin and Paynim features suited the costumeexactly: he looked the very model of an Eastern emir, an agent or avictim of the bowstring. Presently advanced into view Miss Ingram.She, too, was attired in oriental fashion: a crimson scarf tiedsash-like round the waist: an embroidered handkerchief knottedabout her temples; her beautifully-moulded arms bare, one of themupraised in the act of supporting a pitcher, poised gracefully onher head. Both her cast of form and feature, her complexion and hergeneral air, suggested the idea of some Israelitish princess of thepatriarchal days; and such was doubtless the character she intendedto represent.

  在这个大盆子旁边的地毯上,坐着罗切斯特先生,身裹披巾,额缠头巾。他乌黑的眼睛、黝黑的皮肤和穆斯林式的五官,与这身打扮十分般配。他看上去活象一个东方的酋长,一个绞死人和被人绞死的角色。不久,英格拉姆小姐登场了。她也是一身东方式装束。一条大红围巾象腰带似地缠在腰间;一块绣花手帕围住额头;她那形态美丽的双臂赤裸着,其中的一条高高举起,优美地托着顶在头上的一个坛子。她的体态和容貌,她的肤色和神韵,使人想起了宗法时代的以色列公主,无疑那正是她想要扮演的角色。

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名著·简.爱 - 第63节