From my discourse with Mr. Lloyd, and from the above reported conference between Bessie and Abbot, I gathered enough of hope to suffice as a motive for wishing to get well: —
通过我与洛伊德先生的交谈，以及上述贝西和阿博特之间的会议，我积聚了足够的希望来作为恢复健康的动力。 —

a change seemed near,—I desired and waited it in silence. It tarried, however: —
一种改变似乎近在咫尺，我期望着，默默地等待着。然而，它迟迟未来。 —

days and weeks passed: I had regained my normal state of health, but no new allusion was made to the subject over which I brooded. —
日子过去了，周而复始，我已经恢复了正常的身体状态，但对于我反复思索的问题，没有任何新的暗示。 —

Mrs. Reed surveyed me at times with a severe eye, but seldom addressed me: —
里德夫人有时会严厉地审视着我，但很少与我交谈。 —

since my illness, she had drawn a more marked line of separation than ever between me and her own children; —
自从我生病以来，她在我和她自己的孩子之间划定了更加明显的隔离线； —

appointing me a small closet to sleep in by myself, condemning me to take my meals alone, and pass all my time in the nursery, while my cousins were constantly in the drawing-room. —
给我一个小小的壁橱独自睡觉，让我一个人吃饭，并且让我所有的时间都在孩子房间度过，而我的表亲们则经常待在客厅里。 —

Not a hint, however, did she drop about sending me to school: —
然而，她没有提到送我去上学的意思； —

still I felt an instinctive certainty that she would not long endure me under the same roof with her; —
尽管如此，我能本能地感觉到她不会再长时间容忍我和她住在同一屋檐下； —

for her glance, now more than ever, when turned on me, expressed an insuperable and rooted aversion.
她投向我的目光，比以往任何时候都表达出无法逾越和根深蒂固的厌恶。

Eliza and Georgiana, evidently acting according to orders, spoke to me as little as possible: —
伊莱扎和乔治安娜显然按照命令行事，尽量少和我说话。 —

John thrust his tongue in his cheek whenever he saw me, and once attempted chastisement; —
约翰每次见到我都会嘴里塞着舌头，还曾试图惩罚我。 —

but as I instantly turned against him, roused by the same sentiment of deep ire and desperate revolt which had stirred my corruption before, he thought it better to desist, and ran from me uttering execrations, and vowing I had burst his nose. —
但是我立刻反击了他，激发起了我以前被腐败感所触动的愤怒和绝望的叛乱情绪，他觉得最好还是停止，并辱骂着从我身边跑开，发誓我打破了他的鼻子。 —

I had indeed levelled at that prominent feature as hard a blow as my knuckles could inflict; —
事实上，我用手指关节所能施加的最大力气狠狠地打在他那张突出的脸上。 —

and when I saw that either that or my look daunted him, I had the greatest inclination to follow up my advantage to purpose; —
当我看到这要么是这个打击或我的目光使他胆寒时，我最想做的就是继续利用我的优势。 —

but he was already with his mama. I heard him in a blubbering tone commence the tale of how “that nasty Jane Eyre” had flown at him like a mad cat: —
但他已经和他妈妈在一起了。我听到他用哭哭啼啼的语气开始叙述“那个可恶的簡·爱尔”如何像疯猫一样扑向他： —

he was stopped rather harshly—
他被人粗暴地停了下来—

“Don’t talk to me about her, John: I told you not to go near her; she is not worthy of notice; —
“约翰，别和我谈她：我告诉过你不要接近她，她不值得我们注意； —

I do not choose that either you or your sisters should associate with her.”
我不希望你们姐妹与她来往。”

Here, leaning over the banister, I cried out suddenly, and without at all deliberating on my words—
在这里，我倚在楼栏杆上，突然大声喊出来，毫不犹豫地说出这句话——

“They are not fit to associate with me.”
“他们不配和我交往。”

Mrs. Reed was rather a stout woman; but, on hearing this strange and audacious declaration, she ran nimbly up the stair, swept me like a whirlwind into the nursery, and crushing me down on the edge of my crib, dared me in an emphatic voice to rise from that place, or utter one syllable during the remainder of the day.
里德太太是个相当魁梧的女人；但是当她听到这个奇怪而放肆的宣言时，她迅速跑上楼梯，像旋风一样把我扔进了托儿所，狠狠地按在婴儿床的边缘上，并用强调的语气威胁我在这个地方起身或者在这一天的剩下时间里说上一句话。

“What would Uncle Reed say to you, if he were alive?” was my scarcely voluntary demand. —
“如果里德叔叔还活着的话，他会对你说什么？”这是我几乎下意识地问出口的要求。 —

I say scarcely voluntary, for it seemed as if my tongue pronounced words without my will consenting to their utterance: —
我说几乎下意识地，因为似乎是我的舌头在没有我的意愿同意的情况下发出了这些话语： —

something spoke out of me over which I had no control.
有些东西从我身上说出来，我无法控制。

“What?” said Mrs. Reed under her breath: —
“什么？”里德太太用低声问道： —

her usually cold composed grey eye became troubled with a look like fear; —
她通常冷静淡定的灰色眼睛变得不安，带着一丝恐惧的神情； —

she took her hand from my arm, and gazed at me as if she really did not know whether I were child or fiend. —
她把手从我的胳膊上抬起来，凝视着我，仿佛真的不知道我是孩子还是恶魔。 —

I was now in for it.
现在我遇到了麻烦。

“My Uncle Reed is in heaven, and can see all you do and think; and so can papa and mama: —
“我叔叔里德在天堂，可以看到你做的一切和你的想法；爸爸妈妈也一样： —

they know how you shut me up all day long, and how you wish me dead.”
他们知道你整天关着我，希望我死。”

Mrs. Reed soon rallied her spirits: she shook me most soundly, she boxed both my ears, and then left me without a word. —
里德太太很快恢复了精神：她狠狠地摇了摇我，给了我两个巴掌，然后一言不发地离开了。 —

Bessie supplied the hiatus by a homily of an hour’s length, in which she proved beyond a doubt that I was the most wicked and abandoned child ever reared under a roof. —
“贝西以一个长达一个小时的布道来填补空白，她毫不含糊地证明了我是在这个屋檐下长大的最坏最堕落的孩子。” —

I half believed her; for I felt indeed only bad feelings surging in my breast.
我有点相信她；因为我的内心只有坏情绪涌动。

November, December, and half of January passed away. —
十一月、十二月和一月的下半月过去了。 —

Christmas and the New Year had been celebrated at Gateshead with the usual festive cheer; —
圣诞节和新年在盖茨黑德以传统的欢乐方式庆祝； —

presents had been interchanged, dinners and evening parties given. —
互换了礼物，举办了晚宴和晚会。 —

From every enjoyment I was, of course, excluded: —
当然，我被排除在所有的享受之外。 —

my share of the gaiety consisted in witnessing the daily apparelling of Eliza and Georgiana, and seeing them descend to the drawing-room, dressed out in thin muslin frocks and scarlet sashes, with hair elaborately ringletted; —
我对欢乐的分享在于目睹伊莱扎和乔治安娜每天穿着华丽的薄纱裙子和红色腰带，头发精心盘成卷发； —

and afterwards, in listening to the sound of the piano or the harp played below, to the passing to and fro of the butler and footman, to the jingling of glass and china as refreshments were handed, to the broken hum of conversation as the drawing-room door opened and closed. —
然后，听着楼下钢琴或竖琴的声音，听着男仆和侍者来回走动的声音，听着送饮料时玻璃和瓷器的叮当声，听着客厅门开关时破碎的谈话声； —

When tired of this occupation, I would retire from the stairhead to the solitary and silent nursery: there, though somewhat sad, I was not miserable. —
当厌倦了这个活动，我就会从楼梯口退到孤寂而寂静的儿童房：在那里，虽然有些悲伤，但我并不难过； —

To speak truth, I had not the least wish to go into company, for in company I was very rarely noticed; —
说实话，我没有一点愿望去参加社交活动，因为在社交活动中，我很少受到关注； —

and if Bessie had but been kind and companionable, I should have deemed it a treat to spend the evenings quietly with her, instead of passing them under the formidable eye of Mrs. Reed, in a room full of ladies and gentlemen. —
如果贝西能够友善和可亲，我宁愿安静地与她一起度过晚上，而不是在里德夫人的可怕目光下，与一群女士和先生们一起度过。 —

But Bessie, as soon as she had dressed her young ladies, used to take herself off to the lively regions of the kitchen and housekeeper’s room, generally bearing the candle along with her. —
但是贝西，一旦她帮年轻的女士们穿好衣服，就会立刻离开，前往厨房和管家的房间，通常会带着蜡烛。 —

I then sat with my doll on my knee till the fire got low, glancing round occasionally to make sure that nothing worse than myself haunted the shadowy room; —
然后我坐在膝上，拿着我的洋娃娃，直到火变得低矮，偶尔环顾四周，确保除了我自己没有更糟糕的东西出现在这个昏暗的房间里。 —

and when the embers sank to a dull red, I undressed hastily, tugging at knots and strings as I best might, and sought shelter from cold and darkness in my crib. —
当余烬变成暗红色时，我匆忙脱衣服，尽力解开节点和绳子，然后寻找庇护所，远离寒冷和黑暗，躺进我的小床里。 —

To this crib I always took my doll; human beings must love something, and, in the dearth of worthier objects of affection, I contrived to find a pleasure in loving and cherishing a faded graven image, shabby as a miniature scarecrow. —
我总是把我的洋娃娃带到这个小床上；人类必须爱一些东西，在缺乏更高尚的感情对象时，我设法找到了在爱护着一个褪色的雕像，它像个破旧的稻草人一样。 —

It puzzles me now to remember with what absurd sincerity I doated on this little toy, half fancying it alive and capable of sensation. —
现在回想起来，我对这个小玩具的痴迷真是令人困惑，我半信半疑地认为它是活着的，能够感觉到。 —

I could not sleep unless it was folded in my night-gown; —
除非它被包在我的睡袍里，我无法入睡。 —

and when it lay there safe and warm, I was comparatively happy, believing it to be happy likewise.
并且当它平安和温暖地躺在那里时，我感到相对快乐，相信它也是快乐的。

Long did the hours seem while I waited the departure of the company, and listened for the sound of Bessie’s step on the stairs: —
等待公司离开的时间似乎很长，我听着贝西走上楼梯的声音。 —

sometimes she would come up in the interval to seek her thimble or her scissors, or perhaps to bring me something by way of supper—a bun or a cheese-cake—then she would sit on the bed while I ate it, and when I had finished, she would tuck the clothes round me, and twice she kissed me, and said, “Good night, Miss Jane.” When thus gentle, Bessie seemed to me the best, prettiest, kindest being in the world; —
有时她会在中间上来找针扣或剪刀，或者给我带点东西当晚餐 - 小圆面包或乳酪蛋糕 - 然后她会坐在床边等着我吃完，然后给我掖好被子，她还亲了我两次并说：“晚安，简小姐。”当贝西这样温柔的时候，她对我来说就是世界上最好、最漂亮、最善良的人； —

and I wished most intensely that she would always be so pleasant and amiable, and never push me about, or scold, or task me unreasonably, as she was too often wont to do. —
我非常希望她总是这样友善和和蔼可亲，不要再推我，责骂我，或者无理地给我任务了。 —

Bessie Lee must, I think, have been a girl of good natural capacity, for she was smart in all she did, and had a remarkable knack of narrative; —
我认为贝西·李一定是一个天生聪明的女孩，因为她在做的每件事情上都很聪明，并且在叙述方面有着出色的天赋； —

so, at least, I judge from the impression made on me by her nursery tales. —
至少根据她给我讲的童话故事给我留下的印象来看是这样的。 —

She was pretty too, if my recollections of her face and person are correct. —
如果我对她的面容和样貌的回忆是正确的，她也很漂亮。 —

I remember her as a slim young woman, with black hair, dark eyes, very nice features, and good, clear complexion; —
我记得她是一个苗条的年轻女子，黑发，深邃的眼睛，非常好看的特征，皮肤也很好、很白。 —

but she had a capricious and hasty temper, and indifferent ideas of principle or justice: —
但她脾气任性，心直口快，对原则或者公正没有特别的看法。 —

still, such as she was, I preferred her to any one else at Gateshead Hall.
尽管如此，她仍然是我在盖茨黑德庄园最喜欢的人选。

It was the fifteenth of January, about nine o’clock in the morning: —
那是一月十五日早上九点左右。 —

Bessie was gone down to breakfast; my cousins had not yet been summoned to their mama; —
贝西已经去吃早餐了，我的表兄妹们还没有被叫去见他们的妈妈。 —

Eliza was putting on her bonnet and warm garden-coat to go and feed her poultry, an occupation of which she was fond: —
伊莱扎正在戴上她的帽子和保暖的园艺外套，要去喂养她的家禽，这是她喜欢做的事情。 —

and not less so of selling the eggs to the housekeeper and hoarding up the money she thus obtained. —
她不仅喜欢把鸡蛋卖给女管家并存起来赚钱，也喜欢与园丁进行关于花卉根茎、种子和苗木的硬性讨价还价。 —

She had a turn for traffic, and a marked propensity for saving; —
她对交易有天赋，并且有保存金钱的明显倾向。 —

shown not only in the vending of eggs and chickens, but also in driving hard bargains with the gardener about flower-roots, seeds, and slips of plants; —
这种倾向不仅表现在销售鸡蛋和鸡肉上，还表现在与园丁就花卉根茎、种子和苗木的价格讨价还价上。 —

that functionary having orders from Mrs. Reed to buy of his young lady all the products of her parterre she wished to sell: —
这名官员获得了里德夫人的指令，要从她的小姐那里买下她想要卖掉的花园里的所有产品。 —

and Eliza would have sold the hair off her head if she could have made a handsome profit thereby. —
如果伊莱扎能从中获得可观的利润，她甚至会把自己的头发也卖掉。 —

As to her money, she first secreted it in odd corners, wrapped in a rag or an old curl-paper; —
至于她的钱，她首先将它藏在各个角落，用一块布或一根旧的发卷包裹起来。 —

but some of these hoards having been discovered by the housemaid, Eliza, fearful of one day losing her valued treasure, consented to intrust it to her mother, at a usurious rate of interest—fifty or sixty per cent. —
但是有些贮藏地点被女仆发现了，伊莱扎担心有一天会失去这个宝贝，就同意以高利息的方式将其交给母亲保管，每个季度收取五六成的利息。 —

; which interest she exacted every quarter, keeping her accounts in a little book with anxious accuracy.
她会迫切地在一本小账本上记录下这些利息，保持着精确的账目。

Georgiana sat on a high stool, dressing her hair at the glass, and interweaving her curls with artificial flowers and faded feathers, of which she had found a store in a drawer in the attic. —
乔治亚娜坐在高脚凳上，对着镜子梳理着自己的头发，将人造花和褪色的羽毛编织进自己的卷发里，这些她在阁楼的抽屉里找到的。 —

I was making my bed, having received strict orders from Bessie to get it arranged before she returned (for Bessie now frequently employed me as a sort of under-nurserymaid, to tidy the room, dust the chairs, &c. —
我正在整理床铺，因为贝西向我下达了严厉的命令，要求我在她回来之前将床整理好（因为贝西如今经常雇用我作为一种类似助理保姆的角色，来收拾房间，擦拭椅子等）。 —

). Having spread the quilt and folded my night-dress, I went to the window-seat to put in order some picture-books and doll’s house furniture scattered there; —
在铺好被子并叠好睡衣后，我走到窗台上整理散落在那里的绘本和娃娃家具。 —

an abrupt command from Georgiana to let her playthings alone (for the tiny chairs and mirrors, the fairy plates and cups, were her property) stopped my proceedings; —
乔治安娜突然下令让我别碰她的玩具（因为那些小椅子、镜子、仙女盘子和杯子都是她的财产），于是我停止了我的行动。 —

and then, for lack of other occupation, I fell to breathing on the frost-flowers with which the window was fretted, and thus clearing a space in the glass through which I might look out on the grounds, where all was still and petrified under the influence of a hard frost.
由于没有其他可以做的事情，我便开始在玻璃上吹气，以便消除窗户上铺满的冰花，从而清晰地看到外面的庭院，那里在严寒的影响下一切都静止不动。

From this window were visible the porter’s lodge and the carriage-road, and just as I had dissolved so much of the silver-white foliage veiling the panes as left room to look out, I saw the gates thrown open and a carriage roll through. —
从这扇窗户上可以看到门房和马车道，当我揭开部分覆盖在窗户上的银白色叶子，留下了足够的空间往外看时，我看到门开了，一辆马车经过。 —

I watched it ascending the drive with indifference; —
我无动于衷地看着它驶上了车道； —

carriages often came to Gateshead, but none ever brought visitors in whom I was interested; —
马车经常来到盖茨黑德，但却没有带来任何我感兴趣的访客； —

it stopped in front of the house, the door-bell rang loudly, the new-comer was admitted. —
它停在房子前面，门铃声响得很大，新来者被允许进入。 —

All this being nothing to me, my vacant attention soon found livelier attraction in the spectacle of a little hungry robin, which came and chirruped on the twigs of the leafless cherry-tree nailed against the wall near the casement. —
对我来说这一切都无关紧要，我空洞的注意力很快被一个小饥饿的知更鸟所吸引，它停在紧贴墙壁的没有叶子的樱桃树的枝杈上叽喳叫着。 —

The remains of my breakfast of bread and milk stood on the table, and having crumbled a morsel of roll, I was tugging at the sash to put out the crumbs on the window-sill, when Bessie came running upstairs into the nursery.
我的早餐剩下了一些面包和牛奶放在桌子上，我撕了一小块面包，正打算拉开窗户的抽屉放面包屑到窗台上，这时贝西跑上楼来到了儿童房。

“Miss Jane, take off your pinafore; what are you doing there? —
“简小姐，脱掉你的罩裙，你在那里做什么？ —

Have you washed your hands and face this morning? —
你今天早上洗过手和脸了吗？ —

” I gave another tug before I answered, for I wanted the bird to be secure of its bread: —
我在回答之前再用力扯了一下，因为我希望鸟儿能够安全地得到面包： —

the sash yielded; I scattered the crumbs, some on the stone sill, some on the cherry-tree bough, then, closing the window, I replied—
腰带松了；我把面包屑撒在石窗台上，一些撒在樱桃树的树枝上，然后关上窗户，回答道——

“No, Bessie; I have only just finished dusting.”
“没有，贝西；我刚刚才把房间打扫好。”

“Troublesome, careless child! and what are you doing now? —
“讨厌，粗心的孩子！你现在在做什么？ —

You look quite red, as if you had been about some mischief: —
你的脸看起来红红的，好像刚做了什么坏事一样： —

what were you opening the window for?”
你为什么要打开窗户？”

I was spared the trouble of answering, for Bessie seemed in too great a hurry to listen to explanations; —
我省了回答的麻烦，因为贝西似乎太急于听解释了； —

she hauled me to the washstand, inflicted a merciless, but happily brief scrub on my face and hands with soap, water, and a coarse towel; —
她把我拖到洗脸池，用肥皂、水和粗毛巾给我的脸和手狠狠地擦洗了一番； —

disciplined my head with a bristly brush, denuded me of my pinafore, and then hurrying me to the top of the stairs, bid me go down directly, as I was wanted in the breakfast-room.
然后用硬刷子梳理我的头发，脱下我的罩裙，然后催促我赶快下楼，因为早餐厅需要我去。

I would have asked who wanted me: I would have demanded if Mrs. Reed was there; —
我本来会问谁想见我：我本来会询问里德太太在不在; —

but Bessie was already gone, and had closed the nursery-door upon me. I slowly descended. —
但是贝西已经走了，关上了我在保育室门上。我慢慢下楼。 —

For nearly three months, I had never been called to Mrs. Reed’s presence; —
几乎三个月了，我从未被叫到里德太太的面前； —

restricted so long to the nursery, the breakfast, dining, and drawing-rooms were become for me awful regions, on which it dismayed me to intrude.
在保育室呆了这么久，早餐厅、餐厅和客厅对我来说成了令人畏惧的地方，我不敢进去。

I now stood in the empty hall; before me was the breakfast-room door, and I stopped, intimidated and trembling. —
我现在站在空荡荡的大厅里；面前是早餐厅的门，我停住了，胆怯地发抖。 —

What a miserable little poltroon had fear, engendered of unjust punishment, made of me in those days! —
那些日子里，这种由不公正的惩罚产生的恐惧，让我成为了一个多么可怜的懦夫！ —

I feared to return to the nursery, and feared to go forward to the parlour; —
我害怕回到保育室，也害怕往前走到客厅； —

ten minutes I stood in agitated hesitation; —
十分钟里，我在动摇不定中站着； —

the vehement ringing of the breakfast-room bell decided me; I must enter.
早餐厅的铃声响个不停，让我做出了决定，我必须进去。

“Who could want me?” I asked inwardly, as with both hands I turned the stiff door-handle, which, for a second or two, resisted my efforts. —
“谁会想见我？”我在心里问道，同时用双手拧着僵硬的门把手，一两秒间，门抗住了我的努力。 —

“What should I see besides Aunt Reed in the apartment?—a man or a woman? —
“除了里德阿姨以外，我在公寓里应该看到谁？—一个男人还是一个女人？ —

” The handle turned, the door unclosed, and passing through and curtseying low, I looked up at—a black pillar! —
“门把手转动了，门打开了，我走了进去，躬身行礼，抬头看见——一个黑色的柱子！ —

—such, at least, appeared to me, at first sight, the straight, narrow, sable-clad shape standing erect on the rug: —
至少对我来说，一开始看，站在地毯上的是一个笔挺、狭长、穿着黑色衣服的形状： —

the grim face at the top was like a carved mask, placed above the shaft by way of capital.
柱子顶部的冷酷脸庞就像是一个雕刻的面具，被放在柱子上方作为顶点。

Mrs. Reed occupied her usual seat by the fireside; she made a signal to me to approach; —
里德夫人坐在火炉旁的惯常位置上；她向我做了一个示意，让我过去； —

I did so, and she introduced me to the stony stranger with the words: —
我就这么做了，并且她用这样的话将我介绍给了那个冷漠的陌生人： —

“This is the little girl respecting whom I applied to you.”
“这就是我向你询问的小女孩。”

He, for it was a man, turned his head slowly towards where I stood, and having examined me with the two inquisitive-looking grey eyes which twinkled under a pair of bushy brows, said solemnly, and in a bass voice, “Her size is small: —
他，因为他确实是个男人，缓慢地转过头，目光在一双浓密的眉毛下闪烁的两只好奇灰眼睛里研究了一下我，庄重地用低沉的声音说道：“她的体型很小： —

what is her age?”
她多大年纪？”

“Ten years.”
“十岁。”

“So much?” was the doubtful answer; and he prolonged his scrutiny for some minutes. —
“这么多吗？”是怀疑的回答；他延长了他的审视几分钟。 —

Presently he addressed me—“Your name, little girl?”
他转向我说：“你叫什么名字，小姑娘？”

“Jane Eyre, sir.”
“简，爵士。”

In uttering these words I looked up: he seemed to me a tall gentleman; but then I was very little; —
在说这些话时，我抬头看着他：他对我来说是个高大的绅士；但那时候我还是个小孩子； —

his features were large, and they and all the lines of his frame were equally harsh and prim.
他的面容粗糙，他整个身躯的线条也同样粗糙而拘谨。

“Well, Jane Eyre, and are you a good child?”
“好吧，简，你是个乖孩子吗？”

Impossible to reply to this in the affirmative: my little world held a contrary opinion: —
无法肯定地回答这个问题：我的小世界持相反的观点： —

I was silent. Mrs. Reed answered for me by an expressive shake of the head, adding soon, “Perhaps the less said on that subject the better, Mr. Brocklehurst.”
我保持沉默。丽德夫人用一个表达性的摇头代替了我的回答，很快补充说：“也许对那个话题说得越少越好，布罗克尔斯特先生。”

“Sorry indeed to hear it! she and I must have some talk; —
“真是遗憾！她和我必须谈一谈；” —

” and bending from the perpendicular, he installed his person in the arm-chair opposite Mrs. Reed’s. —
然后他从直立的位置弯下腰，坐在丽德夫人对面的扶手椅上。 —

“Come here,” he said.
“过来，”他说。

I stepped across the rug; he placed me square and straight before him. —
我跨过地毯走过去；他让我正方形地站在他面前。 —

What a face he had, now that it was almost on a level with mine! —
他的脸啊，现在几乎和我的脸平齐了！ —

what a great nose! and what a mouth! and what large prominent teeth!
多么大的鼻子啊！多么大的嘴巴！还有多么凸显的大牙齿！

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child,” he began, “especially a naughty little girl. —
“没有什么比一个淘气的孩子更令人伤心的了，”他开始说，“尤其是一个淘气的小女孩。” —

Do you know where the wicked go after death?”
你知道恶人死后去哪里吗？

“They go to hell,” was my ready and orthodox answer.
“他们去地狱，”我的回答既敏捷又正统。

“And what is hell? Can you tell me that?”
“地狱是什么？你能告诉我吗？”

“A pit full of fire.”
“一片火海。”

“And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?”
“你愿意落入那个地狱，永远在那里燃烧吗？”

“No, sir.”
“不，先生。”

“What must you do to avoid it?”
“为了避免这样，你必须做什么？”

I deliberated a moment; my answer, when it did come, was objectionable: —
我思考了片刻；我的回答并不受欢迎： —

“I must keep in good health, and not die.”
“我必须保持身体健康，不能死去。”

“How can you keep in good health? Children younger than you die daily. —
“你怎么保持身体健康？比你年纪小的孩子每天都会死去。” —

I buried a little child of five years old only a day or two since,—a good little child, whose soul is now in heaven. —
我仅在几天前埋葬了一个五岁的小孩子，是个好孩子，他的灵魂现在在天堂。 —

It is to be feared the same could not be said of you were you to be called hence.”
可惜如果你离开了这个世界，恐怕不能说同样的事情。”

Not being in a condition to remove his doubt, I only cast my eyes down on the two large feet planted on the rug, and sighed, wishing myself far enough away.
由于不能排除他的疑虑，我只能低下头看着踏在地毯上的两只大脚，叹了口气，希望自己能离得更远。

“I hope that sigh is from the heart, and that you repent of ever having been the occasion of discomfort to your excellent benefactress.”
“我希望这叹息是发自内心的，并且你为曾经给你这位优秀恩人带来不快感到后悔。”

“Benefactress! benefactress!” said I inwardly: —
“恩人！恩人！”我内心中说道： —

“they all call Mrs. Reed my benefactress; —
“他们都称里德夫人是我的恩人； —

if so, a benefactress is a disagreeable thing.”
如果是这样，恩人还真是个令人讨厌的东西。”

“Do you say your prayers night and morning?” continued my interrogator.
“你每天晚上和早上都祈祷吗？”继续问我的询问者。

“Yes, sir.”
“是的，先生。”

“Do you read your Bible?”
“你读圣经吗？”

“Sometimes.”
“有时候。”

“With pleasure? Are you fond of it?”
“喜欢吗？你喜欢它吗？”

“I like Revelations, and the book of Daniel, and Genesis and Samuel, and a little bit of Exodus, and some parts of Kings and Chronicles, and Job and Jonah.”
“我喜欢《启示录》，还有《但以理》、《创世纪》和《撒母耳记》，还有《出埃及记》的一小部分，以及列王记和历代志的一些部分，还有约伯记和约拿。”

“And the Psalms? I hope you like them?”
“还有诗篇？希望你喜欢它们。”

“No, sir.”
“不，先生。”

“No? oh, shocking! I have a little boy, younger than you, who knows six Psalms by heart: —
“不喜欢？哦，太令人震惊了！我有一个比你小的小男孩，他背下了六篇诗篇。” —

and when you ask him which he would rather have, a gingerbread-nut to eat or a verse of a Psalm to learn, he says: —
当你问他宁愿要吃姜饼坚果还是学习一节诗篇时，他说： —

‘Oh! the verse of a Psalm! angels sing Psalms; —
“哦！我选学一节诗篇！天使们唱诗篇； —

’ says he, ‘I wish to be a little angel here below; —
”他说，“我想在这儿下凡变成一个小天使； —

’ he then gets two nuts in recompense for his infant piety.”
”于是他因为他童年的虔诚而得到两颗坚果作为补偿。”

“Psalms are not interesting,” I remarked.
“诗篇不有趣，”我评论道。

“That proves you have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God to change it: —
“这证明你有一个邪恶的心；你必须祷告上帝改变它： —

to give you a new and clean one: to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
改赐给你一个崭新纯洁的心；剥去你的石头般的心，赐予你一颗柔软的心。”

I was about to propound a question, touching the manner in which that operation of changing my heart was to be performed, when Mrs. Reed interposed, telling me to sit down; —
当我即将提出一个问题，问关于如何进行这个改变我的心的手术时，里德夫人插话让我坐下； —

she then proceeded to carry on the conversation herself.
然后她自己继续谈话。

“Mr. Brocklehurst, I believe I intimated in the letter which I wrote to you three weeks ago, that this little girl has not quite the character and disposition I could wish: —
“布鲁克尔斯特先生，我相信在我三周前写给您的信中，我提到这个小女孩并不完全符合我希望的性格和性情。” —

should you admit her into Lowood school, I should be glad if the superintendent and teachers were requested to keep a strict eye on her, and, above all, to guard against her worst fault, a tendency to deceit. —
如果你让她进入洛伍德学校，我会很高兴，如果督导和老师们被要求对她严加监管，尤其是要提防她最严重的毛病，那就是爱撒谎。 —

I mention this in your hearing, Jane, that you may not attempt to impose on Mr. Brocklehurst.”
我在简面前提到这个，是为了让你不要欺骗布罗克尔斯特先生。

Well might I dread, well might I dislike Mrs. Reed; for it was her nature to wound me cruelly; —
我为什么害怕，为什么讨厌里德夫人，是因为她天生就喜欢残忍地伤害我。 —

never was I happy in her presence; however carefully I obeyed, however strenuously I strove to please her, my efforts were still repulsed and repaid by such sentences as the above. —
每当我在她面前，我从来都不快乐；无论我多么听话，无论我多么努力取悦她，我的努力总是被拒绝和回报，就像上面那样的话语。 —

Now, uttered before a stranger, the accusation cut me to the heart; —
现在，在一个陌生人面前，这个指责刺痛了我心。 —

I dimly perceived that she was already obliterating hope from the new phase of existence which she destined me to enter; —
我模糊地感觉到，她已经开始从我注定要进入的新生活阶段中抹掉了希望。 —

I felt, though I could not have expressed the feeling, that she was sowing aversion and unkindness along my future path; —
我感到，尽管我无法表达这种感觉，她正在我的未来道路上播下厌恶和不友善的种子。 —

I saw myself transformed under Mr. Brocklehurst’s eye into an artful, noxious child, and what could I do to remedy the injury?
我看到自己在布罗克尔斯特先生的目光下变成了一个狡猾而令人讨厌的孩子，那么我能做些什么来弥补这个伤害呢？

“Nothing, indeed,” thought I, as I struggled to repress a sob, and hastily wiped away some tears, the impotent evidences of my anguish.
“确实什么都不能做”，我想着，努力压抑住哭声，匆忙擦去了一些泪水，那是我无助痛苦的证据。

“Deceit is, indeed, a sad fault in a child,” said Mr. Brocklehurst; —
“欺骗确实是孩子的一个悲哀缺点，”布罗克尔斯特先生说道； —

“it is akin to falsehood, and all liars will have their portion in the lake burning with fire and brimstone; —
“它类似于虚假，所有说谎者将在烈火与硫磺的池子中受到惩罚； —

she shall, however, be watched, Mrs. Reed. I will speak to Miss Temple and the teachers.”
“然而，她将会受到监视，里德夫人。我会和庙小姐以及老师们谈谈。”

“I should wish her to be brought up in a manner suiting her prospects,” continued my benefactress; —
“我希望她按照她的前程的要求来教育，”我的恩人继续说道； —

“to be made useful, to be kept humble: —
“让她变得有用，保持谦卑： —

as for the vacations, she will, with your permission, spend them always at Lowood.”
至于假期，她将会在洛伍德度过，如果您允许的话。”

“Your decisions are perfectly judicious, madam,” returned Mr. Brocklehurst. —
“您的决定非常明智，夫人，”布罗克尔斯特先生回答道。 —

“Humility is a Christian grace, and one peculiarly appropriate to the pupils of Lowood; —
“谦卑是基督教的美德，而且特别适用于洛伍德的学生们。 —

I, therefore, direct that especial care shall be bestowed on its cultivation amongst them. —
因此，我指示要特别注重在他们中间培养这种特殊的关怀。 —

I have studied how best to mortify in them the worldly sentiment of pride; —
我研究过如何最好地使他们摆脱世俗的骄傲情感; —

and, only the other day, I had a pleasing proof of my success. —
就在前几天，我有了一个令人愉快的成功证明。 —

My second daughter, Augusta, went with her mama to visit the school, and on her return she exclaimed: —
我的二女儿奥古斯塔和她妈妈去参观学校，回来后她大声说道： —

‘Oh, dear papa, how quiet and plain all the girls at Lowood look, with their hair combed behind their ears, and their long pinafores, and those little holland pockets outside their frocks—they are almost like poor people’s children! —
“哦，亲爱的爸爸，洛伍德的女孩子们怎么都那么安静和朴素，把头发梳到耳朵后面，还有长长的围裙，外面还有那些小的荷兰布口袋——她们几乎就像是穷人的孩子! —

and,’ said she, ‘they looked at my dress and mama’s, as if they had never seen a silk gown before.’”
“而且，”她说，“她们看着我的衣服和妈妈的衣服，好像以前从没见过丝绸的裙子一样。”

“This is the state of things I quite approve,” returned Mrs. Reed; —
“这就是我完全认可的事情，”里德夫人回答说; —

“had I sought all England over, I could scarcely have found a system more exactly fitting a child like Jane Eyre. Consistency, my dear Mr. Brocklehurst; —
“我即使在整个英格兰寻找，也几乎无法找到一个更适合像简·爱勒这样的孩子的系统。一贯性，亲爱的布罗克尔斯特先生; —

I advocate consistency in all things.”
我提倡一切事物的一贯性。”

“Consistency, madam, is the first of Christian duties; —
“一致性，夫人，是基督教的首要责任； —

and it has been observed in every arrangement connected with the establishment of Lowood: —
并且在洛伍德的所有安排中，我们都坚持不懈地遵守这一原则： —

plain fare, simple attire, unsophisticated accommodations, hardy and active habits; —
简单的餐食，朴素的服饰，简朴的住宿，健壮而活跃的习惯； —

such is the order of the day in the house and its inhabitants.”
在这个家中，这就是日常秩序和居民的特点。”

“Quite right, sir. I may then depend upon this child being received as a pupil at Lowood, and there being trained in conformity to her position and prospects?”
“非常正确，先生。那么我可以相信这个孩子会被接纳为洛伍德的学生，并按照她的地位和前途接受培训？”

“Madam, you may: she shall be placed in that nursery of chosen plants, and I trust she will show herself grateful for the inestimable privilege of her election.”
“夫人，你可以。她将被安置在这个被挑选的花园中，而我相信她会对被选中的无价之宝表达感激之情。”

“I will send her, then, as soon as possible, Mr. Brocklehurst; —
“那么，我将尽快送她去，布罗克尔斯特先生； —

for, I assure you, I feel anxious to be relieved of a responsibility that was becoming too irksome.”
因为我向您保证，我希望摆脱这个责任，它变得太令人厌烦了。”

“No doubt, no doubt, madam; and now I wish you good morning. —
“毫无疑问，毫无疑问，夫人；现在请允许我告别。 —

I shall return to Brocklehurst Hall in the course of a week or two: —
我将在一两个星期后回到布罗克尔斯特庄园： —

my good friend, the Archdeacon, will not permit me to leave him sooner. —
我的好朋友，阿奇迪亚克（Archdeacon）不让我离开他。 —

I shall send Miss Temple notice that she is to expect a new girl, so that there will be no difficulty about receiving her. Good-bye.”
我会给废止爱尔兰通相信学校（Miss Temple）发个通知，告诉她即将有个新女孩到来，这样接待上就不会有任何困难了。再见。

“Good-bye, Mr. Brocklehurst; remember me to Mrs. and Miss Brocklehurst, and to Augusta and Theodore, and Master Broughton Brocklehurst.”
再见，布罗克尔斯特先生，替我向布罗克尔斯特夫人和小姐问好，也向奥古斯塔和西奥多、以及布罗克尔斯特小主人打声招呼。

“I will, madam. Little girl, here is a book entitled the ‘Child’s Guide’; —
我会，夫人。小姑娘，这是一本名为《儿童指南》的书； —

read it with prayer, especially that part containing ‘An account of the awfully sudden death of Martha G——, a naughty child addicted to falsehood and deceit.’”
读的时候要配合祷告，特别是那一部分关于“一个名叫玛莎·G的顽皮撒谎的孩子突然死亡的叙述”。

With these words Mr. Brocklehurst put into my hand a thin pamphlet sewn in a cover, and having rung for his carriage, he departed.
说完这些话后，布罗克尔斯特先生把一本精装的薄小册子放到我的手里，然后叫了车离开了。

Mrs. Reed and I were left alone: some minutes passed in silence; she was sewing, I was watching her. —
里德夫人和我留在了房间里，几分钟的沉默过去了；她在缝纫，我在看着她。 —

Mrs. Reed might be at that time some six or seven and thirty; —
当时的里德夫人可能已经三十六、七岁了。 —

she was a woman of robust frame, square-shouldered and strong-limbed, not tall, and, though stout, not obese: —
她是一个身体强壮的女人，肩宽胯骨粗壮，不高但也不肥胖； —

she had a somewhat large face, the under jaw being much developed and very solid; —
她有一个相当大的脸，下颌骨发达而坚固； —

her brow was low, her chin large and prominent, mouth and nose sufficiently regular; —
她的额头很低，下巴突出明显，嘴巴和鼻子相当端正； —

under her light eyebrows glimmered an eye devoid of ruth; —
她的浅色眉毛下闪烁着一双冷酷无情的眼睛； —

her skin was dark and opaque, her hair nearly flaxen; —
她的肤色深黑而不透明，头发几乎是亚麻色的； —

her constitution was sound as a bell—illness never came near her; —
她的体质像铃铛一样健康，从来没有得病过； —

she was an exact, clever manager; her household and tenantry were thoroughly under her control; —
她是一个精确而聪明的管理者，她的家务事和佃户都完全在她的掌控之下； —

her children only at times defied her authority and laughed it to scorn; —
她的孩子们只是偶尔违抗她的权威，并嘲笑它； —

she dressed well, and had a presence and port calculated to set off handsome attire.
她穿着得体，且她的气质和风采可以显示出漂亮的服饰；

Sitting on a low stool, a few yards from her arm-chair, I examined her figure; —
坐在她的扶手椅旁边的一个小凳子上，我仔细观察她的身材； —

I perused her features. In my hand I held the tract containing the sudden death of the Liar, to which narrative my attention had been pointed as to an appropriate warning. —
我打量着她的面容。我手里拿着一个关于骗子突然死亡的小册子，人们把这个故事视为一个适当的警示。 —

What had just passed; what Mrs. Reed had said concerning me to Mr. Brocklehurst; —
究竟是什么刚刚过去了；穆斯里德对布洛克斯特先生说的关于我的话； —

the whole tenor of their conversation, was recent, raw, and stinging in my mind; —
他们谈话的整个风气在我脑海里仍然历历在目，新鲜而刺人； —

I had felt every word as acutely as I had heard it plainly, and a passion of resentment fomented now within me.
我感受到每一个字都如此深刻，就像我亲耳听到一样，一种愤恨的激情在我心中酝酿。

Mrs. Reed looked up from her work; her eye settled on mine, her fingers at the same time suspended their nimble movements.
穆斯里德从工作中抬起头来，目光落在我的身上，同时她灵巧的手指停了下来。

“Go out of the room; return to the nursery,” was her mandate. —
“离开房间，回到托儿所，”她下令道。 —

My look or something else must have struck her as offensive, for she spoke with extreme though suppressed irritation. —
我的表情或其他什么东西肯定冒犯到她了，因为她带着极度但又压抑的恼怒说话。 —

I got up, I went to the door; I came back again; —
我站起身，走向门口；又回来了； —

I walked to the window, across the room, then close up to her.
我走到窗边，在房间里走来走去，然后靠近她。

Speak I must: I had been trodden on severely, and must turn: but how? —
我必须说话：我已经受到了严厉的踩踏，必须回击：但是，该怎么做呢？ —

What strength had I to dart retaliation at my antagonist? —
我汇集自己的力量，将它们用在这个直接的句子上—— —

I gathered my energies and launched them in this blunt sentence—
我毫不客气地说出这个断然的句子——

“I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: —
“我并不虚伪：如果我虚伪的话，我会说我爱你; 但我声明我不爱你。” —

I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed; —
“我除了约翰·里德之外，对世界上任何人都最讨厌你。” —

and this book about the liar, you may give to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and not I.”
“关于撒谎者的这本书，你可以给你的女儿乔治安娜，因为说谎的是她，而不是我。”

Mrs. Reed’s hands still lay on her work inactive: —
里德夫人的手仍然懒散地放在她的工作上。 —

her eye of ice continued to dwell freezingly on mine.
她冰冷的眼睛继续冷冷地盯着我。

“What more have you to say?” she asked, rather in the tone in which a person might address an opponent of adult age than such as is ordinarily used to a child.
“你还有什么要说的？”她问道，语气更像是对待一个成年对手而不是通常对待一个孩子的方式。

That eye of hers, that voice stirred every antipathy I had. —
她的眼睛，她的声音激发了我所有的厌恶。 —

Shaking from head to foot, thrilled with ungovernable excitement, I continued—
身体颤抖，激动不已，我继续说道-

“I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. —
“我很高兴你不是我的亲戚：我再也不会叫你阿姨了，只要我活着。 —

I will never come to see you when I am grown up; —
我长大后再也不会来看你。” —

and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.”
如果有人问我对你的喜欢和你对待我的方式，我会说你的存在让我恶心，并且你对我非常残忍。

“How dare you affirm that, Jane Eyre?”
“你怎么敢这样断言，简·爱尔？”

“How dare I, Mrs. Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth. —
“我为什么不能这样说，里德夫人？为什么我不能说出真相呢？ —

You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; —
你以为我没有感情，认为我可以没有一丁点的爱与善意； —

but I cannot live so: and you have no pity. —
但是我不能生活得这么样子：而你却没有一丝怜悯。 —

I shall remember how you thrust me back—roughly and violently thrust me back—into the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day; —
我会记住你当时是如何将我粗暴地推开，强行将我关进红房子，并锁住那里，直到我的死去； —

though I was in agony; though I cried out, while suffocating with distress, ‘Have mercy! —
虽然我当时非常痛苦；虽然我在窒息的痛苦中哭喊着，“求你饶恕！ —

Have mercy, Aunt Reed!’ And that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy struck me—knocked me down for nothing. —
Aunt Reed，请开恩！你因为你那邪恶的孩子无故打我而让我遭受的惩罚。 —

I will tell anybody who asks me questions, this exact tale. —
如果有人问我问题，我会如实讲述这个故事。 —

People think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard-hearted. —
人们认为你是个善良的女人，但你是坏的，冷酷无情。 —

You are deceitful!”
你很虚伪！

How dare I, Mrs. Reed? How dare I? Because it is the truth
我敢如此，Mrs. Reed？我敢如此？因为这是事实。

Ere I had finished this reply, my soul began to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt. —
还没等我完成这个回答，我的灵魂就开始膨胀，充满了奇怪的自由、胜利的感觉，这是我曾经感受到的最奇异的感觉。 —

It seemed as if an invisible bond had burst, and that I had struggled out into unhoped-for liberty. —
就像一个看不见的束缚破裂了，而我挣脱出来，获得了意想不到的自由。 —

Not without cause was this sentiment: Mrs. Reed looked frightened; —
是有理由产生这种情绪的：Mrs. Reed看起来吓坏了； —

her work had slipped from her knee; she was lifting up her hands, rocking herself to and fro, and even twisting her face as if she would cry.
她的手工从膝盖上滑落下来；她抬起手来，摇摆不定，甚至扭曲着脸，好像要哭一样。

“Jane, you are under a mistake: what is the matter with you? —
“简，你误会了：你怎么了？ —

Why do you tremble so violently? Would you like to drink some water?”
为什么你这么剧烈地颤抖？你想喝点水吗？”

“No, Mrs. Reed.”
“不，Mrs. Reed。”

“Is there anything else you wish for, Jane? I assure you, I desire to be your friend.”
“简，你还有什么愿望吗？我保证，我想成为你的朋友。”

“Not you. You told Mr. Brocklehurst I had a bad character, a deceitful disposition; —
“不是你。你告诉布罗克尔斯特先生我品行不好，有欺诈的倾向； —

and I’ll let everybody at Lowood know what you are, and what you have done.”
我会让洛伍德的每个人都知道你是什么样子，你做过什么。”

“Jane, you don’t understand these things: children must be corrected for their faults.”
“简，你不明白这些事情：孩子们必须为他们的错误受到纠正。”

“Deceit is not my fault!” I cried out in a savage, high voice.
“欺诈不是我的错！”我愤怒地高声喊道。

“But you are passionate, Jane, that you must allow: —
“但是你很冲动，简，你必须承认： —

and now return to the nursery—there’s a dear—and lie down a little.”
现在回到儿童房去，亲爱的，躺一会儿。”

“I am not your dear; I cannot lie down: —
“我不是你的亲爱的；我不能躺下： —

send me to school soon, Mrs. Reed, for I hate to live here.”
快把我送去上学吧，里德夫人，我讨厌住在这里。”

“I will indeed send her to school soon,” murmured Mrs. Reed sotto voce; —
“我确实会尽快送她上学的。”里德夫人小声嘀咕道； —

and gathering up her work, she abruptly quitted the apartment.
然后她收拾起她的工作，突然离开了房间。

I was left there alone—winner of the field. —
我被独自留在那里——战胜了对手。 —

It was the hardest battle I had fought, and the first victory I had gained: —
这是我打过的最艰难的一场战斗，也是我取得的第一次胜利。 —

I stood awhile on the rug, where Mr. Brocklehurst had stood, and I enjoyed my conqueror’s solitude. —
我站在地毯上，布罗克尔斯特先生也曾站在这里，我享受着我战胜者的独居。 —

First, I smiled to myself and felt elate; —
首先，我对自己微笑，感到欢欣鼓舞； —

but this fierce pleasure subsided in me as fast as did the accelerated throb of my pulses. —
但是这种狂热的愉悦在我身上迅速消退，就像脉搏的加速一样。 —

A child cannot quarrel with its elders, as I had done; —
一个孩子不能与长辈争吵，就像我所做的那样； —

cannot give its furious feelings uncontrolled play, as I had given mine, without experiencing afterwards the pang of remorse and the chill of reaction. —
一个孩子不能毫无控制地发泄愤怒的情绪，就像我曾经那样，否则就会在之后感到懊悔的痛苦和反应的寒意。 —

A ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a meet emblem of my mind when I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed: —
一片闪烁活动、炽热、吞噬的光明草地脊，会成为我指责和威胁里心情的最佳象征： —

the same ridge, black and blasted after the flames are dead, would have represented as meetly my subsequent condition, when half-an-hour’s silence and reflection had shown me the madness of my conduct, and the dreariness of my hated and hating position.
同样一片已经死去的火焰后的黑色和枯萎的草地脊，会同样恰当地代表我之后的状态，当半小时的沉默和思考向我展示了我行为的疯狂和我所厌恶和憎恨的处境的荒凉时。

Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; —
我第一次尝到了一丝复仇的滋味； —

as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: —
就像香醇的酒一样，在吞下去后，温暖而辛辣。 —

its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned. —
它的后味，金属味和腐蚀性，让我有一种被毒害的感觉。 —

Willingly would I now have gone and asked Mrs. Reed’s pardon; —
我现在情愿去请求里德夫人的宽恕； —

but I knew, partly from experience and partly from instinct, that was the way to make her repulse me with double scorn, thereby re-exciting every turbulent impulse of my nature.
但我知道，部分是因为经验，部分是凭直觉，这样做只会让她更加鄙视我，重新激发我内心所有的冲动。

I would fain exercise some better faculty than that of fierce speaking; —
我宁愿运用一些比激烈言辞更好的能力； —

fain find nourishment for some less fiendish feeling than that of sombre indignation. —
我宁愿寻找一些比阴郁愤怒更温和的情感的滋养。 —

I took a book—some Arabian tales; I sat down and endeavoured to read. —
我拿起一本书，一些阿拉伯故事；我坐下来试图阅读。 —

I could make no sense of the subject; my own thoughts swam always between me and the page I had usually found fascinating. —
我对这个主题一无所知，我的思绪总是在我和通常令人着迷的那一页之间飘浮。 —

I opened the glass-door in the breakfast-room: the shrubbery was quite still: —
我打开了早餐室的玻璃门：林地静悄悄的； —

the black frost reigned, unbroken by sun or breeze, through the grounds. —
黑色的霜像统治着整个庭园，没有日光或微风。 —

I covered my head and arms with the skirt of my frock, and went out to walk in a part of the plantation which was quite sequestrated; —
我用裙摆遮住头和手臂，走出去在一个完全隐蔽的庄园部分散步。 —

but I found no pleasure in the silent trees, the falling fir-cones, the congealed relics of autumn, russet leaves, swept by past winds in heaps, and now stiffened together. —
但是我对沉默的树木、飘落的松果、秋天凝结的遗物、积成一堆的红褐色树叶，被过去的风吹起来，现在已经凝固在一起，没有任何兴趣。 —

I leaned against a gate, and looked into an empty field where no sheep were feeding, where the short grass was nipped and blanched. —
我靠在一个大门上，望着一片空地，没有绵羊在吃草，短草被咬得发白。 —

It was a very grey day; a most opaque sky, “onding on snaw,” canopied all; —
那天是非常灰暗的一天；最不透明的天空彷佛要下雪；各种形状的雪花偶尔飘落，落在坚硬的路上和灰白的草地上，却不融化。 —

thence flakes fell at intervals, which settled on the hard path and on the hoary lea without melting. —
我站在那儿，一个可怜的孩子，一遍又一遍地低声自语：“我该怎么办？我该怎么办？” —

I stood, a wretched child enough, whispering to myself over and over again, “What shall I do? —
突然间，我听见一个清脆的声音喊道：“简小姐！你在哪儿？快来吃午饭！” —

—what shall I do?”
我很清楚那声音是贝西的声音，但我没有动弹；她轻快的脚步沿着小径走来。

All at once I heard a clear voice call, “Miss Jane! where are you? Come to lunch!”
“你这个调皮的小东西！”她说道，“你为什么不在叫你的时候过来？”

It was Bessie, I knew well enough; but I did not stir; her light step came tripping down the path.
与我沉思的思绪相比，贝西的出现似乎很愉快；

“You naughty little thing!” she said. “Why don’t you come when you are called?”
我知道那是贝西说的。”她说：“你这个调皮的小东西！为什么你叫你的时候不过来？”

Bessie’s presence, compared with the thoughts over which I had been brooding, seemed cheerful; —
与我沉思的思绪相比，贝西的出现似乎很愉快； —

even though, as usual, she was somewhat cross. —
尽管和往常一样，她有点生气。 —

The fact is, after my conflict with and victory over Mrs. Reed, I was not disposed to care much for the nursemaid’s transitory anger; —
事实是，在与里德夫人的冲突和胜利之后，我并不怎么在意保姆的暂时的愤怒； —

and I was disposed to bask in her youthful lightness of heart. —
而我却很喜欢她年轻的轻松心情。 —

I just put my two arms round her and said, “Come, Bessie! don’t scold.”
我只是把双臂搂住她，说：“来，贝西！别生气了。”

The action was more frank and fearless than any I was habituated to indulge in: —
这个举动比我平时的举止更坦率、更无畏： —

somehow it pleased her.
不知怎么的，这使她高兴起来。

“You are a strange child, Miss Jane,” she said, as she looked down at me; —
“简小姐，你真是个奇怪的孩子，”她低头看着我说， —

“a little roving, solitary thing: and you are going to school, I suppose?”
“一个喜欢漫游的孤独的小东西：你要去上学了，我猜是吧？”

I nodded.
我点了点头。

“And won’t you be sorry to leave poor Bessie?”
“离开可怜的贝西你不会难过吗？”

“What does Bessie care for me? She is always scolding me.”
“贝西在乎我吗？她经常责骂我。”

“Because you’re such a queer, frightened, shy little thing. You should be bolder.”
“因为你是个怪怪胆小羞涩的小东西。你应该更勇敢些。”

“What! to get more knocks?”
“怎么！为了挨更多打？”

“Nonsense! But you are rather put upon, that’s certain. —
“胡说！但你确实受到了些欺负。 —

My mother said, when she came to see me last week, that she would not like a little one of her own to be in your place. —
我的妈妈上周来看我时说，她不愿意让自己的孩子处在你的位置上。 —

—Now, come in, and I’ve some good news for you.”
“现在进来，我有好消息要告诉你。”

“I don’t think you have, Bessie.”
“我不这么认为，贝西。”

“Child! what do you mean? What sorrowful eyes you fix on me! —
“孩子！你是什么意思？你用那样悲伤的眼神盯着我！ —

Well, but Missis and the young ladies and Master John are going out to tea this afternoon, and you shall have tea with me. —
好吧，今天下午夫人、小姐们和约翰先生要去喝茶，你可以和我一起喝茶。 —

I’ll ask cook to bake you a little cake, and then you shall help me to look over your drawers; —
我会请厨师给你烤一个小蛋糕，然后你可以帮我整理你的抽屉。 —

for I am soon to pack your trunk. Missis intends you to leave Gateshead in a day or two, and you shall choose what toys you like to take with you.”
因为不久后你就要离开盖茨黑德了，你可以选择带走你喜欢的玩具。

“Bessie, you must promise not to scold me any more till I go.”
“贝西，你必须答应在我离开之前不再责备我了。”

“Well, I will; but mind you are a very good girl, and don’t be afraid of me. —
“好吧，我答应；但要记住你要做个很乖巧的女孩，不要害怕我。 —

Don’t start when I chance to speak rather sharply; —
当我发脾气说话时不要吓一跳；这太让人恼火了。 —

it’s so provoking.”
“太让人恼火了”。

“I don’t think I shall ever be afraid of you again, Bessie, because I have got used to you, and I shall soon have another set of people to dread.”
“我想我再也不会害怕你了，贝西，因为我已经习惯了你，而且很快我会有另一群人让我忌惮。”

“If you dread them they’ll dislike you.”
“如果你忌惮他们，他们会不喜欢你。”

“As you do, Bessie?”
“那你像贝西一样忌惮他们吗？”

“I don’t dislike you, Miss; I believe I am fonder of you than of all the others.”
“我并不讨厌你，小姐；我相信我比其他人更喜欢你。”

“You don’t show it.”
“可你没有表现出来。”

“You little sharp thing! you’ve got quite a new way of talking. —
“你这个聪明的小东西！你说话的方式变得全新了。 —

What makes you so venturesome and hardy?”
是什么让你如此胆大妄为？”

“Why, I shall soon be away from you, and besides”—I was going to say something about what had passed between me and Mrs. Reed, but on second thoughts I considered it better to remain silent on that head.
“唔，我很快就要离开你了，而且再说了”——我本来想谈谈我和里德夫人之间发生的事，但又考虑了一下，觉得最好还是保持沉默。

“And so you’re glad to leave me?”
“那你很高兴离开我吗？”

“Not at all, Bessie; indeed, just now I’m rather sorry.”
“一点也不，贝西；实际上，现在我有点后悔了。”

“Just now! and rather! How coolly my little lady says it! —
“现在！而且还是有点！我的小姑娘说得多冷静啊！ —

I dare say now if I were to ask you for a kiss you wouldn’t give it me: —
我敢打赌，如果我要求你亲一个吻，你是不会给我的： —

you’d say you’d rather not.”
你会说你“宁愿”不给。”

“I’ll kiss you and welcome: bend your head down.” Bessie stooped; —
“我会吻你并欢迎你：低下你的头。”贝西弯腰； —

we mutually embraced, and I followed her into the house quite comforted. —
我们互相拥抱，她引领我进入屋子里，让我感到很舒适。 —

That afternoon lapsed in peace and harmony; —
那个下午过得平静与和谐； —

and in the evening Bessie told me some of her most enchanting stories, and sang me some of her sweetest songs. —
晚上，贝西告诉我她最迷人的故事，还唱给我听她最动人的歌曲； —

Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine.
即使对我来说，生活也有一丝阳光的闪耀。