目 录 上一节 下一节 
我照他说的做了。罗切斯特先生端着灯，站在走廊上。 "I want you," he said: "come this way: take your time, and make nonoise."" 我需要你帮忙，"他说，"这边走，慢一点，别出声。" My slippers were thin: I could walk the matted floor as softly as acat. He glided up the gallery and up the stairs, and stopped in thedark, low corridor of the fateful third storey: I had followed andstood at his side. 我穿的是一双很薄的拖鞋，走在铺好席子的地板上，轻得像只猫。他溜过走廊，上了楼梯，在多事的三楼幽暗低矮的走廊上，停住了脚步，我尾随着，站在他旁边。 "Have you a sponge in your room?" he asked in a whisper." 你房间里有没有海绵？"他低声耳语道。 "Yes, sir."" 有，先生。" 
有没有盐--易挥发的盐？""有的。" "Go back and fetch both."" 回去把这两样都拿来。" I returned, sought the sponge on the washstand, the salts in mydrawer, and once more retraced my steps. He still waited; he held akey in his hand: approaching one of the small, black doors, he putit in the lock; he paused, and addressed me again. 我回到房间，从脸盆架上找到了海绵，从抽屉里找到了食盐，并顺原路返回。他依旧等待着，手里拿了把钥匙。他走近其中一扇黑色的小门，把钥匙插进锁孔，却又停下来同我说起话来。 "You don't turn sick at the sight of blood?"" 见到血你不会恶心吧？" "I think I shall not: I have never been tried yet."" 我想不会吧，我从来没有经历过。" 
我回答时不觉毛骨愧然，不过没有打寒颤，也没有头晕。 "Just give me your hand," he said: "it will not do to risk afainting fit."" 把手伸给我，"他说，"可不能冒让你昏倒的危险。" I put my fingers into his. "Warm and steady," was his remark: heturned the key and opened the door. 我把手指放在他手里。"温暖而沉着"便是他的评价。他转动了一下钥匙，开了门。 I saw a room I remembered to have seen before, the day Mrs. Fairfaxshowed me over the house: it was hung with tapestry; but thetapestry was now looped up in one part, and there was a doorapparent, which had then been concealed. This door was open; alight shone out of the room within: I heard thence a snarling,snatching sound, almost like a dog quarrelling. Mr. Rochester,putting down his candle, said to me, "Wait a minute," and he wentforward to the inner apartment. A shout of laughter greeted hisentrance; noisy at first, and terminating in Grace Poole's owngoblin ha! ha! SHE then was there. He made some sort ofarrangement without speaking, though I heard a low voice addresshim: he came out and closed the door behind him. 我看见了一个似曾见过的房间，记得就在费尔法克斯太太带我流览整幢房子的那一天。房间里悬着挂毯，但此刻一部份已经卷了起来，露出了一扇门，以前是遮蔽着的。门敞开着，里面的灯光射向门外。我从那里听到了一阵断断续续的咆哮声，同狗叫差不多。罗切斯特先生放下蜡烛，对我说了声"等一下，"便往前向内间走去。他一进去便响起了一阵笑声，先是闹闹嚷嚷，后来以格雷斯．普尔妖怪般的哈哈声而告终。她当时就在那儿。他一声不吭地作了安排，不过我还听到有人低声地同他说了话。他走了出来，随手关了门。 "Here, Jane!" he said; and I walked round to the other side of alarge bed, which with its drawn curtains concealed a considerableportion of the chamber. An easy-chair was near the bed-head: a mansat in it, dressed with the exception of his coat; he was still; hishead leant back; his eyes were closed. Mr. Rochester held thecandle over him; I recognised in his pale and seemingly lifelessface--the stranger, Mason: I saw too that his linen on one side,and one arm, was almost soaked in blood." 这儿来，简！"他说，我绕到了一张大床的另外一头，这张帷幔紧锁的床遮去了大半个房间。床头边有把安乐椅，椅子上坐了个人，除了外套什么都穿上了。他一动不动，脑袋往后靠着，双眼紧闭。罗切斯特先生把蜡烛端过他头顶。从苍白没有血色的脸上，我认出了那个陌生人梅森。我还看到，他内衣的一边和一只胳膊几乎都浸透了血。 
拿着蜡烛，"罗切斯特先生说。我取过蜡烛，而他从脸盆架上端来了一盆水。"端着它，"他说。我听从了。他拿了海绵，在脸盆里浸了一下，润了润死尸般的脸。他向我要了嗅盐瓶，把它放在梅森的鼻子底下。不久梅森先生张开眼睛，呻吟起来。罗切斯特先生解开了伤者的衬衫，那人的胳膊和肩膀都包扎了绷带。他把很快滴下来的血用海绵吸去。 "Is there immediate danger?" murmured Mr. Mason." 有生命危险吗？"梅森先生喃喃地说。 "Pooh! No--a mere scratch. Don't be so overcome, man: bear up!I'll fetch a surgeon for you now, myself: you'll be able to beremoved by morning, I hope. Jane," he continued." 去去！没有--不过划破了一点皮。别那么消沉，伙计。鼓起劲儿来！现在我亲自给你去请医生，希望到了早上就可以把你送走。简--"他继续说。， "Sir?"" 什么，先生？" "I shall have to leave you in this room with this gentleman, for anhour, or perhaps two hours: you will sponge the blood as I do whenit returns: if he feels faint, you will put the glass of water onthat stand to his lips, and your salts to his nose. You will notspeak to him on any pretext--and--Richard, it will be at the perilof your life if you speak to her: open your lips--agitate yourself--and I'll not answer for the consequences."" 我得撇下你在这间房子里，同这位先生呆上一小时，也许两小时。要是血又流出来，你就象我那样用海绵把它吸掉。要是他感到头昏，你就把架子上的那杯水端到他嘴边，把盐放在他鼻子底下。无论如何不要同他说话--而--理查德--如果你同她说话，你就会有生命危险，譬如说张开嘴--让自己激动起来--那我就概不负责了。" 
这个可怜的男人哼了起来。他看上去好像不敢轻举妄动，怕死，或者害怕别的什么东西，似乎差不多使他僵硬了。罗切斯特先生这这时已浸染了血的海绵放进我手里，我就照他那样使用起来。他看了我一会儿，随后说，"记住！--别说话！"便离开了房间。钥匙在锁孔喀喀响起，他远去的脚步声听不到时，我体会到了一种奇怪的感觉。 Here then I was in the third storey, fastened into one of its mysticcells; night around me; a pale and bloody spectacle under my eyesand hands; a murderess hardly separated from me by a single door:yes--that was appalling--the rest I could bear; but I shuddered atthe thought of Grace Poole bursting out upon me. 结果我就在这里三层楼上了，被锁进了一个神秘的小房间。我的周围是暗夜，我的眼皮底下和手下，是白煞煞血淋淋的景象；一个女谋杀犯与我几乎只有一门之隔。是的--那令人胆颤心惊--其余的倒还可以忍受。但是我一想到格雷斯.普尔会向我扑来，便浑身直打哆嗦了。 I must keep to my post, however. I must watch this ghastlycountenance--these blue, still lips forbidden to unclose--these eyesnow shut, now opening, now wandering through the room, now fixing onme, and ever glazed with the dulness of horror. I must dip my handagain and again in the basin of blood and water, and wipe away thetrickling gore. I must see the light of the unsnuffed candle waneon my employment; the shadows darken on the wrought, antiquetapestry round me, and grow black under the hangings of the vast oldbed, and quiver strangely over the doors of a great cabinetopposite--whose front, divided into twelve panels, bore, in grimdesign, the heads of the twelve apostles, each enclosed in itsseparate panel as in a frame; while above them at the top rose anebon crucifix and a dying Christ. 然而我得坚守岗位。我得看着这鬼一样的面孔--看着这色如死灰、一动不动，不许张开的嘴唇--看着这双时闭时开，时而在房间里转来转去，时而盯着我，吓得总是呆滞无光的眼睛。我得把手一次次浸入那盆血水里，擦去淌下的鲜血，我得在忙碌中眼看着没有剪过烛蕊的烛光渐渐暗淡下去，阴影落到了我周围精致古老的挂毯上，在陈旧的大床的帷幔下变得越来越浓重，而且在对面一个大柜的门上奇异地抖动起来--柜子的正面分成十二块嵌板，嵌板上画着十二使徒的头，面目狰狞，每个头单独占一块嵌板，就像在一个框框之中。在这些头颅的上端高悬着一个乌木十字架和殉难的基督。 According as the shifting obscurity and flickering gleam hoveredhere or glanced there, it was now the bearded physician, Luke, thatbent his brow; now St. John's long hair that waved; and anon thedevilish face of Judas, that grew out of the panel, and seemedgathering life and threatening a revelation of the arch-traitor--ofSatan himself--in his subordinate's form. 游移的暗影和闪烁的光芒在四处浮动和跳跃，我一会儿看到了胡子医生路加垂着头；一会儿看到了圣约翰飘动的长发；不久又看到了犹大魔鬼似的面孔，在嵌板上突现出来，似乎渐渐地有了生命，眼看就要以最大的背叛者撒旦的化身出现。 Amidst all this, I had to listen as well as watch: to listen forthe movements of the wild beast or the fiend in yonder side den.But since Mr. Rochester's visit it seemed spellbound: all the nightI heard but three sounds at three long intervals,--a step creak, amomentary renewal of the snarling, canine noise, and a deep humangroan. 在这种情形下，我既得细听又得静观，细听有没有野兽或者那边窠穴中魔鬼的动静。可是自从罗切斯特先生来过之后，它似乎已被镇住了。整整一夜我只听见过三声响动，三次之间的间隔很长--一次吱吱的脚步声，一次重又响起短暂的狗叫似的声音，一次人的深沉的呻吟声。 
此外，我自己也心烦意乱。究竟是一种什么罪行，以人的化身出现，蛰居在这座与世隔绝的大厦里，房主人既无法驱赶也难以制服？究竟是什么不可思议的东西，在夜深人静之时冲将出来，弄得一会儿起火，一会儿流血？究竟是什么畜生，以普通女人的面貌和体态伪装自己，发出的声音一会儿象假冒的魔鬼，一会儿像觅腐尸而食的猛禽？
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