目 录 上一节 下一节 
是我，里德舅妈。" "Who--I?" was her answer. "Who are you?" looking at me withsurprise and a sort of alarm, but still not wildly. "You are quitea stranger to me--where is Bessie?"" 谁--我？"她回答。"你是谁？"她诧异地看着我，颇有些吃惊，但并没有失去控制。"我完全不认识你--贝茜呢？" "She is at the lodge, aunt."" 她在门房，舅妈。" "Aunt," she repeated. "Who calls me aunt? You are not one of theGibsons; and yet I know you--that face, and the eyes and forehead,are quiet familiar to me: you are like--why, you are like JaneEyre!"" 舅妈！"她重复了一声。"谁叫我舅妈来着？你不是吉卜森家的人，不过我知道你--那张面孔，那双眼睛和那个前额，我很熟悉。你像--唉，你像简.爱！" I said nothing: I was afraid of occasioning some shock by declaringmy identity. 我没有吭声，怕一说出我的身份会引起某种震惊， 
可是，"她说，"恐怕这是个错觉，我的想法欺骗了我。我很想看看简.爱，我想象出跟她相似的地方，但实际并不存在，况且八年当中她的变化一定很大，"这时我和气地让她放心，我就是她设想中的人。见她明白我的意思，头脑也还镇静，我便告诉她，贝茜如何派丈夫把我从桑菲尔德叫来。" "I am very ill, I know," she said ere long. "I was trying to turnmyself a few minutes since, and find I cannot move a limb. It is aswell I should ease my mind before I die: what we think little of inhealth, burdens us at such an hour as the present is to me. Is thenurse here? or is there no one in the room but you?"" 我的病很重，这我知道，"没有多久她说"几分钟之前，我一直想翻身，却发觉四肢都动弹不得。也许我没有死就该安下心来。健康时我们想得很少的事，在眼下这样的时刻，却成了我沉重的负担。护士在吗？房间里除了你，没有别人吗？" I assured her we were alone. 我让她放心只有我们两个。 "Well, I have twice done you a wrong which I regret now. One was inbreaking the promise which I gave my husband to bring you up as myown child; the other--" she stopped. "After all, it is of no greatimportance, perhaps," she murmured to herself: "and then I may getbetter; and to humble myself so to her is painful."" 唉，我两次做了对不起你的事，现在很懊悔。一次是违背了我向丈夫许下的，把你当作自己孩子抚养成人的诺言。另一次--"她停住了。"也许这毕竟无关紧要。"她喃喃地自言自语说："那样我也许会好过些，但是，向她低声下气实在使我痛苦。" She made an effort to alter her position, but failed: her facechanged; she seemed to experience some inward sensation--theprecursor, perhaps, of the last pang. 她挣扎着要改变一下她的位置，但没有成功。她的脸变了形。她似乎经历着某种内心的冲动--也许是最后一阵痛苦的先兆。 
唉，我得了却它。永恒就在前头，我还是告诉她好。走到我化妆盒跟前去，打开它，把你看到的一封信拿出来。" I obeyed her directions. "Read the letter," she said. 我听从她的吩咐。"把信读一读，"她说。 It was short, and thus conceived:- 这封信很短，内中写道： "Madam,--Will you have the goodness to send me the address of myniece, Jane Eyre, and to tell me how she is? It is my intention towrite shortly and desire her to come to me at Madeira. Providencehas blessed my endeavours to secure a competency; and as I amunmarried and childless, I wish to adopt her during my life, andbequeath her at my death whatever I may have to leave.--I am, Madam,&c., &c., 夫人：烦请惠寄我侄女简.爱的地址，并告知其近况。我欲立即去信，盼她来马德里我处。皇天不负有心之人，目前我家境富裕。我未娶无后，甚望有生之年将她收为养女，并在死后将全部财产馈赠予她。顺致敬意。 "JOHN EYRE, Madeira." 约翰．爱谨启于马德里 
写信的时间是三年之前。 "Why did I never hear of this?" I asked." 为什么我从来没有听说过这回事？"我问。 "Because I disliked you too fixedly and thoroughly ever to lend ahand in lifting you to prosperity. I could not forget your conductto me, Jane--the fury with which you once turned on me; the tone inwhich you declared you abhorred me the worst of anybody in theworld; the unchildlike look and voice with which you affirmed thatthe very thought of me made you sick, and asserted that I hadtreated you with miserable cruelty. I could not forget my ownsensations when you thus started up and poured out the venom of yourmind: I felt fear as if an animal that I had struck or pushed hadlooked up at me with human eyes and cursed me in a man's voice.--Bring me some water! Oh, make haste!"" 因为我对你的厌恶已经根深蒂固，因此不愿意帮助你发迹。我忘不了你对我的举动，简--你一度冲我而发的火气；你说你在世上最讨厌我时的腔调；你声言一想起我就使你恶心、我待你很冷酷时丝毫不像孩子的神情与口气。我也忘不了你惊跳起来，把心头的一腔毒气喷吐出来时，我自己的感受。我觉得害怕，仿佛我打过推过的动物，用人一样的目光瞧着我，用人一样的嗓门儿，诅咒我--拿些水来！唉，快点！" "Dear Mrs. Reed," said I, as I offered her the draught she required,"think no more of all this, let it pass away from your mind.Forgive me for my passionate language: I was a child then; eight,nine years have passed since that day."" 亲爱的里德太太，"我把她要的水端给她时说，"别再想这些了，你就忘了它吧，原谅我那些激烈的言词，当时我还是个孩子，现在八、九年已经过去了。" She heeded nothing of what I said; but when she had tasted the waterand drawn breath, she went on thus - 她对我说的话毫不理会。不过喝了水，透过气来后，她又继续说： 
我告诉你我忘不了这些，并且报复了。任你由叔叔领养，安安稳稳舒舒服服过日子，我是不能忍受的。我写信给他，说是很遗憾使他失望了，但简.爱已经去世，在罗沃德死于斑疹伤寒。现在随你怎么办吧，写封信否认我的说法--尽快揭露我的谎话。我想，你生来就是我的冤家。只剩一口气了，还让我叨念过去的事来折磨我，要不是因为你，我是不会经不住诱惑，去干那种事的。" "If you could but be persuaded to think no more of it, aunt, and toregard me with kindness and forgiveness"" 但愿你能听从劝告，忘掉这些，舅妈，宽容慈祥地对待我--" "You have a very bad disposition," said she, "and one to this day Ifeel it impossible to understand: how for nine years you could bepatient and quiescent under any treatment, and in the tenth breakout all fire and violence, I can never comprehend."" 你的脾气很糟，"她说，"这种性格我到今天都难以理解，九年中，不管怎样对待你，你都耐着性子，默默无声，而到了第十年，却突然发作，火气冲天，我永远无法理解。" "My disposition is not so bad as you think: I am passionate, butnot vindictive. Many a time, as a little child, I should have beenglad to love you if you would have let me; and I long earnestly tobe reconciled to you now: kiss me, aunt."" 我的脾性并不是象你想的那么坏，我易动感情，却没有报复心。小时候，有很多次，只要你允许，我很愿意爱你。现在我诚恳希望同你和好。亲亲我吧，舅妈。" I approached my cheek to her lips: she would not touch it. Shesaid I oppressed her by leaning over the bed, and again demandedwater. As I laid her down--for I raised her and supported her on myarm while she drank--I covered her ice-cold and clammy hand withmine: the feeble fingers shrank from my touch--the glazing eyesshunned my gaze. 我把脸颊凑向她嘴唇。她不愿碰它，还说我倚在床上压着她了，而且再次要水喝。我让她躺下时--因为我扶起她，让她靠着我的胳膊喝水--把手放在她冷冰冰，湿腻腻的手上，她衰竭无力的手指缩了回去了--迟滞的眼睛避开了我的目光。 
那么，爱我也好，恨我也好，随你便吧，"我最后说，"反正你已经彻底得到了我的宽恕。现在你去请求上帝的宽恕，安息吧。" Poor, suffering woman! it was too late for her to make now theeffort to change her habitual frame of mind: living, she had everhated me--dying, she must hate me still. 可怜而痛苦的女人！现在再要努力改变她惯有的想法，已经为时太晚了。活着的时候，她一直恨我--临终的时候，她一定依然恨我。 The nurse now entered, and Bessie followed. I yet lingered half-an-hour longer, hoping to see some sign of amity: but she gave none.She was fast relapsing into stupor; nor did her mind again rally:at twelve o'clock that night she died. I was not present to closeher eyes, nor were either of her daughters. They came to tell usthe next morning that all was over. She was by that time laid out.Eliza and I went to look at her: Georgiana, who had burst out intoloud weeping, said she dared not go. There was stretched SarahReed's once robust and active frame, rigid and still: her eye offlint was covered with its cold lid; her brow and strong traits woreyet the impress of her inexorable soul. A strange and solemn objectwas that corpse to me. I gazed on it with gloom and pain: nothingsoft, nothing sweet, nothing pitying, or hopeful, or subduing did itinspire; only a grating anguish for HER woes--not MY loss--and asombre tearless dismay at the fearfulness of death in such a form. 此刻，护士进来了，后面跟着贝茜。不过我又呆了半小时，希望看到某种和解的表情，但她没有任何显露。她很快进入昏迷状态，没有再清醒过来。当晚十二点她去世了。我没有在场替她合上眼睛，她的两个女儿也不在。第二天早上她们来告诉我，一切都过去了。那时她的遗体已等候入殓，伊丽莎和我都去瞻仰，乔治亚娜嚎啕大哭，说是不敢去看。那里躺着萨拉．里德的躯体，过去是那么强健而充满生机，如今却僵硬不动了。冰冷的眼皮遮没了她无情的眸子，额头和独特的面容仍带着她冷酷灵魂的印记。对我来说，那具尸体既奇怪而又庄严。我忧伤而痛苦地凝视着它，没有激起温柔、甜蜜、惋惜，或是希望、压抑的感觉，而只是一种为她的不幸--不是我的损失--而产生的揪心的痛苦，一种害怕这么死去，心灰意冷、欲哭无泪的沮丧。
| 
