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从这扇窗子后得清门房和马车道。我在蒙着-簇簇银白色霜花的窗玻璃上，正哈出-块可以往外窥视的地方时，只见大门开了，一辆马车驶了进来，我毫不在意地看着它爬上小道，因为尽管马车经常光临盖茨黑德府，却从未进来一位我所感兴趣的客人。这辆车在房子前面停下，门铃大作，来客被请进了门，既然这种事情与我无关，百无聊赖之中，我便被一种更有生气的景象所吸引了。那是一只小小的、饿坏了的知更鸟，从什么地方飞来，落 在紧贴靠窗的墙上一棵光秃秃的樱桃树枝头，叽叽喳喳叫个不停。这时，桌上放着我早饭吃剩的牛奶和面包，我把一小块面包弄碎，并正推窗把它放到窗沿上时，贝茜奔上楼梯，走进了保育室。 "Miss Jane, take off your pinafore; what are you doing there? Haveyou washed your hands and face this morning?" " 简小姐、把围涎脱掉。你在那儿干什么呀？今天早上抹了脸，洗了手了吗？" I gave another tugbefore I answered, for I wanted the bird to be secure of its bread:the sash yielded; I scattered the crumbs, some on the stone sill,some on the cherry-tree bough, then, closing the window, I replied - 我先没有回答，顾自又推了一下窗子，因为我要让这鸟儿万无一失地吃到面包。窗子终于松动了，我撒出了面包屑，有的落在石头窗沿上，有的落在樱桃树枝上。随后我关好窗，一面回答说： "No, Bessie; I have only just finished dusting." 没有呢，贝茜，我才掸好灰尘。" "Troublesome, careless child! and what are you doing now? You lookquite red, as if you had been about some mischief: what were youopening the window for?"" 你这个粗心大意的淘气鬼！这会儿在干什么呀？你的脸通红通红，好像干了什么坏事似的，你开窗干啥？" 
贝茜似乎很匆忙，已等不及听我解释，省却了我回答的麻烦。她将我一把拖到洗脸架前，不由分说往我脸上、手上擦了肥皂，抹上水，用一块粗糙的毛巾一揩，虽然重手重脚，倒也干脆爽快。她又用一把粗毛刷子，把我的头清理了一番，脱下我的围涎，急急忙忙把我带到楼梯口，嘱我径直下楼去，说是早餐室有人找我。 I would have asked who wanted me: I would have demanded if Mrs.Reed was there; but Bessie was already gone, and had closed thenursery-door upon me. I slowly descended. For nearly three months,I had never been called to Mrs. Reed's presence; restricted so longto the nursery, the breakfast, dining, and drawing-rooms were becomefor me awful regions, on which it dismayed me to intrude. 我本想问她是谁在找我，打听一下里德太太是不是在那里。可是贝茜己经走了，还在我身后关上了保育室的门，我慢吞吞地走下楼梯。近三个月来，我从未被叫到里德太太跟前。由于在保育室里禁锢了那么久，早餐室、餐室和客厅都成了令我心寒的地方，一跨进去便惶惶不安。 I now stood in the empty hall; before me was the breakfast-roomdoor, and I stopped, intimidated and trembling. What a miserablelittle poltroon had fear, engendered of unjust punishment, made ofme in those days! I feared to return to the nursery, and feared togo forward to the parlour; ten minutes I stood in agitatedhesitation; the vehement ringing of the breakfast-room bell decidedme; I MUST enter. 此刻，我站在空空荡荡的大厅里，面前就是餐室的门。我停住了脚步，吓得直打哆嗦，可怜的胆小鬼，那时候不公的惩罚竟使她怕成了这付样子！我既不敢退后返回保育室，又怕往前走向客厅。我焦虑不安、犹犹豫豫地站了十来分钟，直到早餐室一阵喧闹的铃声使我横下了心来：我非进去不可了。 "Who could want me?" I asked inwardly, as with both hands I turnedthe stiff door-handle, which, for a second or two, resisted myefforts. "What should I see besides Aunt Reed in the apartment?--aman or a woman?" The handle turned, the door unclosed, and passingthrough and curtseying low, I looked up at--a black pillar!--such,at least, appeared to me, at first sight, the straight, narrow,sable-clad shape standing erect on the rug: the grim face at thetop was like a carved mask, placed above the shaft by way ofcapital." 谁会找我呢？"我心里有些纳闷，一面用两只手去转动僵硬的门把手，足有一两秒钟，那把手纹丝不动，"除了里德舅妈之外，我还会在客厅里见到谁呢？--男人还是女人？"把手转动了一下，门开了。我进去行了一个低低的屈膝礼，抬起来头竟看见了一根黑色的柱子！至少猛一看来是这样。那笔直、狭小裹着貂皮的东西直挺挺立在地毯上，那张凶神恶煞般的脸，像是雕刻成的假面，置于柱子顶端当作柱顶似的。 Mrs. Reed occupied her usual seat by the fireside; she made a signalto me to approach; I did so, and she introduced me to the stonystranger with the words: "This is the little girl respecting whom Iapplied to you." 里德太太坐在壁炉旁往常所坐的位置上，她示意我走近她。我照着做了。她用这样的话把我介绍给那个毫无表情的陌生人："这就是我跟你谈起过的小女孩。" 
他--因为是个男人--缓缓地把头转向我站立的地方，用他那双浓眉下闪着好奇的目光的灰色眼睛审视着我，随后响起了他严肃的男低音："她个子很小，几岁了？" "Ten years."" 十岁。" "So much?" was the doubtful answer; and he prolonged his scrutinyfor some minutes. Presently he addressed me--"Your name, littlegirl?"" 这么大了，"他满腹狐疑地问道。随后又细细打量了我几分钟，马上跟我说起话来。.""你叫什么名字，小姑娘？" "Jane Eyre, sir" 简.爱，先生。" In uttering these words I looked up: he seemed to me a tallgentleman; but then I was very little; his features were large, andthey and all the lines of his frame were equally harsh and prim. 说完，我抬起头来，我觉得他是位身材高大的斗士，不过，那时我自己是个小不点。他的五官粗大、每个部位以及骨架上的每根线条，都是同样的粗糙和刻板。 
瞧，简.爱，你是个好孩子吗？" Impossible to reply to this in the affirmative: my little worldheld a contrary opinion: I was silent. Mrs. Reed answered for meby an expressive shake of the head, adding soon, "Perhaps the lesssaid on that subject the better, Mr. Brocklehurst." 我不可能回答说"是的"，我那个小天地里的人都持有相反的意见，于是我沉默不语。里德太太使劲摇了一下头，等于是替我作了回答，并立即补充说："这个话题也许还是少谈为炒。布罗克赫斯特先生。" "Sorry indeed to hear it! she and I must have some talk;" andbending from the perpendicular, he installed his person in the arm-chair opposite Mrs. Reed's. "Come here," he said." 很遗憾听你这么说：我同她必须谈一谈。"他俯下原本垂直的身子，一屁股坐进里德太太对面的扶手椅里。"过来，"他说。 I stepped across the rug; he placed me square and straight beforehim. What a face he had, now that it was almost on a level withmine! what a great nose! and what a mouth! and what large prominentteeth! 我走过地毯，他让我面对面笔直站在他面前，这时他的脸与我的几乎处在同一个水平面上，那是一张多怪的脸呀！多大的鼻子，多难看的嘴巴！还有那一口的大板牙？ "No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especiallya naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go afterdeath?"" 一个淘气孩子的模样最让人痛心，"他开始说，"尤其是不听话的小姑娘。你知道坏人死后到哪里去吗？" 
他们下地狱，"我的回答既现成又正统。 "And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"" 地狱是什么地方？能告诉我吗？" "A pit full of fire."" 是个火坑。" "And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning therefor ever?"" 你愿意落到那个火坑里，永远被火烤吗？" "No, sir."" 不，先生。" 
那你必须怎样才能避免呢？" I deliberated a moment; my answer, when it did come, wasobjectionable: "I must keep in good health, and not die." 我细细思忖了一会，终于作出了令人讨厌的回答："我得保持健康，不要死掉。" "How can you keep in good health? Children younger than you diedaily. I buried a little child of five years old only a day or twosince,--a good little child, whose soul is now in heaven. It is tobe feared the same could not be said of you were you to be calledhence."" 你怎么可能保持健康呢？比你年纪小的孩子，每天都有死掉的。一两天前我才埋葬过一个只有五岁的孩子，一个好孩子，现在他的灵魂已经上了天，要是你被召唤去的话，恐怕很难说能同他一样了。"
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