A new chapter in a novel is something like a new scene in a play; —
小说里的新章节就像剧中的新场景； —

and when I draw up the curtain this time, reader, you must fancy you see a room in the George Inn at Millcote, with such large figured papering on the walls as inn rooms have; —
当我这次拉开帷幕的时候，读者，你必须想象你看到了米尔科特的乔治旅馆的一间房间，墙上贴着那种宾馆通常有的大花纹的壁纸； —

such a carpet, such furniture, such ornaments on the mantelpiece, such prints, including a portrait of George the Third, and another of the Prince of Wales, and a representation of the death of Wolfe. All this is visible to you by the light of an oil lamp hanging from the ceiling, and by that of an excellent fire, near which I sit in my cloak and bonnet; —
还有那么一张地毯、一些家具、壁炉架上的装饰品，还有一些画作，包括一幅乔治三世的肖像，另外还有一幅威尔士亲王的画像以及一幅沃尔夫的死亡场景的画作。你能通过从天花板上悬挂的一盏油灯和一堆火的光照看到这一切，而我则坐在火炉旁边，穿着斗篷和帽子； —

my muff and umbrella lie on the table, and I am warming away the numbness and chill contracted by sixteen hours’ exposure to the rawness of an October day: —
我的暖手套和雨伞放在桌子上，我正在取暖，驱除因为被大约十六个小时暴露在十月天气的寒冷和湿冷所引起的麻木感； —

I left Lowton at four o’clock A.M., and the Millcote town clock is now just striking eight.
我在凌晨四点离开洛顿，现在米尔科特的市钟刚刚敲八点；

Reader, though I look comfortably accommodated, I am not very tranquil in my mind. —
读者，虽然我看起来舒服得有地方住，可我的内心并不太平静。 —

I thought when the coach stopped here there would be some one to meet me; —
我原以为当教练在这里停下的时候会有人来接我； —

I looked anxiously round as I descended the wooden steps the “boots” placed for my convenience, expecting to hear my name pronounced, and to see some description of carriage waiting to convey me to Thornfield. —
当我走下“便利的”木制台阶时，我焦急地四处张望，期待听到有人念出我的名字，并看到等待着带我去索恩菲尔德的车辆； —

Nothing of the sort was visible; and when I asked a waiter if any one had been to inquire after a Miss Eyre, I was answered in the negative: —
可是并没有看到任何像那样的情景；当我问一个侍者是否有人来打听过一个叫做爱尔的小姐时，他的回答是否定的； —

so I had no resource but to request to be shown into a private room: —
因此我别无选择，只能请求被带到一个私人房间： —

and here I am waiting, while all sorts of doubts and fears are troubling my thoughts.
而我现在就在这里等待，各种疑虑和恐惧困扰着我的思绪；

It is a very strange sensation to inexperienced youth to feel itself quite alone in the world, cut adrift from every connection, uncertain whether the port to which it is bound can be reached, and prevented by many impediments from returning to that it has quitted. —
对于缺乏经验的年轻人来说，感到自己完全孤独于这个世界之中，与所有联系都断绝了，不确定是否能到达预定的港口，而又因为许多障碍无法返回已经离开的地方，这是一种非常奇怪的感觉； —

The charm of adventure sweetens that sensation, the glow of pride warms it; —
冒险的魅力使这种感觉变得愉快，自豪的光辉使其温暖。 —

but then the throb of fear disturbs it; and fear with me became predominant when half-an-hour elapsed and still I was alone. —
但是恐惧的刺痛打断了宁静；当半个小时过去了但我仍然独自一人时，恐惧便变得主导。 —

I bethought myself to ring the bell.
我想起来按铃。

“Is there a place in this neighbourhood called Thornfield? —
“这附近有一个叫做索恩菲尔德的地方吗？” —

” I asked of the waiter who answered the summons.
我问刚来回应的服务员。

“Thornfield? I don’t know, ma’am; I’ll inquire at the bar. —
“索恩菲尔德？我不知道，女士；我会去酒吧问问。” —

” He vanished, but reappeared instantly—
他消失了，但立刻又出现了。

“Is your name Eyre, Miss?”
“您姓爱尔吗，小姐？”

“Yes.”
“是的。”

“Person here waiting for you.”
“有人在这等您。”

I jumped up, took my muff and umbrella, and hastened into the inn-passage: —
我跳起来，拿起我的手袋和雨伞，匆匆走进旅馆走廊。 —

a man was standing by the open door, and in the lamp-lit street I dimly saw a one-horse conveyance.
在敞开的门旁边站着一个男人，在被灯光照亮的街道上我隐约看到了一辆一匹马的车子。

“This will be your luggage, I suppose?” said the man rather abruptly when he saw me, pointing to my trunk in the passage.
“这应该是您的行李吧？”当他看到我时，那个男人有些生硬地说道，指着我放在走廊中的箱子。

“Yes.” He hoisted it on to the vehicle, which was a sort of car, and then I got in; —
“是的。”他把它放上了车子，那是一种类似于车的交通工具，然后我上了车。 —

before he shut me up, I asked him how far it was to Thornfield.
在他关上车门之前，我问他离索恩菲尔德有多远。

“A matter of six miles.”
“大约六英里的距离。”

“How long shall we be before we get there?”
“我们还要多久才能到那儿？”

“Happen an hour and a half.”
“大概一个半小时。”

He fastened the car door, climbed to his own seat outside, and we set off. —
他把车门锁上，爬上自己的座位，我们就出发了。 —

Our progress was leisurely, and gave me ample time to reflect; —
我们的进程很悠闲，给我足够的时间反思； —

I was content to be at length so near the end of my journey; —
我很满足地意识到自己离旅途的终点如此之近； —

and as I leaned back in the comfortable though not elegant conveyance, I meditated much at my ease.
当我靠在这个舒适却不太雅致的座椅上时，我可以轻松地陷入沉思。

“I suppose,” thought I, “judging from the plainness of the servant and carriage, Mrs. Fairfax is not a very dashing person: —
“我想，从仆人和马车的朴素程度来判断，费尔法克斯夫人应该不是一个很抢眼的人： —

so much the better; I never lived amongst fine people but once, and I was very miserable with them. —
这样就更好了；我只在高贵的人群中生活过一次，我和他们在一起非常不愉快。 —

I wonder if she lives alone except this little girl; —
我想知道她是否只和这个小女孩一起生活； —

if so, and if she is in any degree amiable, I shall surely be able to get on with her; —
如果是这样的话，而且她在某种程度上是可爱的，我一定能和她相处融洽； —

I will do my best; it is a pity that doing one’s best does not always answer. —
我会尽力而为；可惜做到最好并非总能得到回报。 —

At Lowood, indeed, I took that resolution, kept it, and succeeded in pleasing; —
在洛伍德，我做出了这个决定，也成功地取悦了对方。 —

but with Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. —
但是在里德夫人面前，我记得我的最好总是遭到冷遇和嘲笑。 —

I pray God Mrs. Fairfax may not turn out a second Mrs. Reed; —
我祈祷上帝，费尔法克斯夫人不要成为第二个里德夫人； —

but if she does, I am not bound to stay with her! —
但是如果她成为了，我没有义务与她待在一起！ —

let the worst come to the worst, I can advertise again. —
无论情况如何糟糕，我可以重新发布广告。 —

How far are we on our road now, I wonder?”
我们现在走了多远了，我想知道？”

I let down the window and looked out; Millcote was behind us; —
我把窗户摇了下来，往外看去；我们后面是米尔科特； —

judging by the number of its lights, it seemed a place of considerable magnitude, much larger than Lowton. —
根据灯光的数量判断，它似乎是一个相当大的地方，比洛顿要大得多。 —

We were now, as far as I could see, on a sort of common; —
据我所见，我们现在是在一个类似平地的地方； —

but there were houses scattered all over the district; —
但是这个地区到处都有房子散布； —

I felt we were in a different region to Lowood, more populous, less picturesque; —
我感觉我们处于一个与洛伍德不同的地方，人口更多，风景不那么美丽； —

more stirring, less romantic.
更加活跃，不那么浪漫。

The roads were heavy, the night misty; my conductor let his horse walk all the way, and the hour and a half extended, I verily believe, to two hours; —
道路很沉重，夜晚有雾；我的向导让马一路慢行，一个半小时伸展了，我真心相信伸展到两个小时； —

at last he turned in his seat and said—
最后他转过身来说—

“You’re noan so far fro’ Thornfield now.”
“你距离索恩菲尔德不远了。”

Again I looked out: we were passing a church; —
我又往外看了一眼：我们正经过一座教堂； —

I saw its low broad tower against the sky, and its bell was tolling a quarter; —
我看到它那宽广低矮的塔楼耸立在天空中，它的钟正在敲响一刻钟； —

I saw a narrow galaxy of lights too, on a hillside, marking a village or hamlet. —
我也看到一个小小的光星群，在山坡上，标志着一个村庄或小镇。 —

About ten minutes after, the driver got down and opened a pair of gates: —
大约十分钟后，司机下车并打开一对大门： —

we passed through, and they clashed to behind us. —
我们穿过去，门在我们身后砰然关上。 —

We now slowly ascended a drive, and came upon the long front of a house: —
我们现在缓慢地上了一段车道，来到了一座长长的房子前： —

candlelight gleamed from one curtained bow-window; all the rest were dark. —
从一个有帘子的弓形窗户中闪烁着烛光；其他窗户都很昏暗。 —

The car stopped at the front door; it was opened by a maid-servant; —
汽车在前门停下；门由一位女仆打开； —

I alighted and went in.
我下车走了进去。

“Will you walk this way, ma’am?” said the girl; —
“请跟我这边走，夫人。”那个女孩说； —

and I followed her across a square hall with high doors all round: —
我跟着她穿过一个四方形的大厅，周围有很高的门： —

she ushered me into a room whose double illumination of fire and candle at first dazzled me, contrasting as it did with the darkness to which my eyes had been for two hours inured; —
她把我引到一个房间，那里的火光和烛光的双重照明起初让我眼花缭乱，与两个小时以来我眼睛习惯的黑暗形成鲜明对比； —

when I could see, however, a cosy and agreeable picture presented itself to my view.
然而当我能看清楚时，我看到了一个温馨而令人愉快的画面。

A snug small room; a round table by a cheerful fire; —
一个温暖的小屋子；在一把高背且古老式样的扶手椅上，坐着一个打扮得干净划一的小老太太，戴着寡妇帽子，穿着黑丝礼服，系着洁白的纱质围裙； —

an arm-chair high-backed and old-fashioned, wherein sat the neatest imaginable little elderly lady, in widow’s cap, black silk gown, and snowy muslin apron; —
就像我想象中的费尔法克斯夫人一样，只是没有那么威严，看起来更和蔼可亲； —

exactly like what I had fancied Mrs. Fairfax, only less stately and milder looking. —
她正在织毛衣，一只大猫端坐在她的脚下； —

She was occupied in knitting; a large cat sat demurely at her feet; —
总之，这里的家庭舒适度完美无缺； —

nothing in short was wanting to complete the beau-ideal of domestic comfort. —
对于一个新的家庭教师来说，没有比这更让人放心的介绍了； —

A more reassuring introduction for a new governess could scarcely be conceived; —
没有什么宏伟足以让人感到压抑，没有什么庄重足以让人感到尴尬； —

there was no grandeur to overwhelm, no stateliness to embarrass; —
当我进屋时，这位老太太站起来，友好地走上前来迎接我； —

and then, as I entered, the old lady got up and promptly and kindly came forward to meet me.
“你好，亲爱的，我想你一定坐了一段漫长的车；

“How do you do, my dear? I am afraid you have had a tedious ride; —
约翰开车开得太慢了；你一定很冷，来靠近火炉吧”; —

John drives so slowly; you must be cold, come to the fire.”
“是费尔法克斯夫人吧？” 我问道；

“Mrs. Fairfax, I suppose?” said I.
“是的，你说对了：请坐下吧；

“Yes, you are right: do sit down.”
‘

She conducted me to her own chair, and then began to remove my shawl and untie my bonnet-strings; —
她引导我到她自己的椅子那里，然后开始脱下我的披肩和解开我的帽带； —

I begged she would not give herself so much trouble.
我请求她不要给自己添麻烦。

“Oh, it is no trouble; I dare say your own hands are almost numbed with cold. —
“哦，这没什么麻烦；我敢说你的双手几乎冻僵了。 —

Leah, make a little hot negus and cut a sandwich or two: —
莉亚，调一点热的热红酒，再切几个三明治：这是储藏室的钥匙。” —

here are the keys of the storeroom.”
她从口袋里拿出一串非常像家庭主妇那样的钥匙，交给了女仆。

And she produced from her pocket a most housewifely bunch of keys, and delivered them to the servant.
“现在，靠近火堆一点，”她继续说道。

“Now, then, draw nearer to the fire,” she continued. —
“现在，靠近火堆一点，”她继续说道。 —

“You’ve brought your luggage with you, haven’t you, my dear?”
“亲爱的，你带着行李来了吧？”

“Yes, ma’am.”
“是的，夫人。”

“I’ll see it carried into your room,” she said, and bustled out.
她说道，“我会帮你把行李送到你的房间的。”然后匆忙离开了。

“She treats me like a visitor,” thought I. “I little expected such a reception; —
“她对我像对待一个客人一样，”我心中想道。“我没想到会有这样的接待； —

I anticipated only coldness and stiffness: —
“我预料到只会有冷漠和拘谨： —

this is not like what I have heard of the treatment of governesses; —
“这与我听说的女家庭教师受待遇不同； —

but I must not exult too soon.”
“但我不应该过早庆幸。”

She returned; with her own hands cleared her knitting apparatus and a book or two from the table, to make room for the tray which Leah now brought, and then herself handed me the refreshments. —
她回来了；亲自把织毛衣的工具和几本书从桌子上收拾走，为了给盘子让出空间，莉娅端来了盘子，然后她亲自给我送上了点心。 —

I felt rather confused at being the object of more attention than I had ever before received, and, that too, shown by my employer and superior; —
我觉得有些困惑，因为从未有人如此关注过我，而且这种关注还是来自我的雇主和上级； —

but as she did not herself seem to consider she was doing anything out of her place, I thought it better to take her civilities quietly.
但是她似乎并没有觉得自己做了超出自己地位的事情，所以我觉得最好还是安静地接受她的好意。

“Shall I have the pleasure of seeing Miss Fairfax to-night? —
“今晚我有幸能见到费尔法克斯小姐吗？ —

” I asked, when I had partaken of what she offered me.
“我问道，在我享用了她给我的东西之后。

“What did you say, my dear? I am a little deaf,” returned the good lady, approaching her ear to my mouth.
“你说什么了，亲爱的？我有点耳背，”那位善良的女士回答道，把耳朵贴近我的嘴边。

I repeated the question more distinctly.
我重复了这个问题更清楚地。

“Miss Fairfax? Oh, you mean Miss Varens! Varens is the name of your future pupil.”
“费尔法克斯小姐吗？哦，你是说瓦伦斯小姐！瓦伦斯是你未来学生的名字。”

“Indeed! Then she is not your daughter?”
“真的吗！那她不是你的女儿？”

“No,—I have no family.”
“不，我没有家人。”

I should have followed up my first inquiry, by asking in what way Miss Varens was connected with her; but I recollected it was not polite to ask too many questions: —
我本应该追问一下，瓦伦斯小姐和她有何关联；但我想起来问太多问题是不礼貌的： —

besides, I was sure to hear in time.
而且我肯定会及时得到答案的。

“I am so glad,” she continued, as she sat down opposite to me, and took the cat on her knee; —
“我很高兴，”她继续说道，坐在我对面，把猫放在膝上； —

“I am so glad you are come; it will be quite pleasant living here now with a companion. —
“我很高兴你来了；有个伴儿一起住在这里会很愉快。 —

To be sure it is pleasant at any time; for Thornfield is a fine old hall, rather neglected of late years perhaps, but still it is a respectable place; —
当然，任何时候都很愉快；因为索恩菲尔德是一座美丽的古老庄园，虽然近年来有些疏忽，但仍然是个体面的地方； —

yet you know in winter-time one feels dreary quite alone in the best quarters. —
然而你知道，冬天时候一个人在最好的住所里也会感到沮丧。 —

I say alone—Leah is a nice girl to be sure, and John and his wife are very decent people; —
我说一个人——莉亚是个不错的女孩，约翰和他的妻子也是非常体面的人； —

but then you see they are only servants, and one can’t converse with them on terms of equality: —
但是你看，他们只是仆人，我们无法平等交谈； —

one must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing one’s authority. —
我们必须保持适当的距离，以免失去自己的权威。 —

I’m sure last winter (it was a very severe one, if you recollect, and when it did not snow, it rained and blew), not a creature but the butcher and postman came to the house, from November till February; —
我敢肯定去年冬天（你还记得，那是个非常严寒的冬季，如果你记得的话，没有下雪就是下雨和刮风）从11月到2月，除了屠夫和邮递员之外，没有任何人来过我们家； —

and I really got quite melancholy with sitting night after night alone; —
我真的因为一个人晚上一个劲地坐下去而变得沮丧； —

I had Leah in to read to me sometimes; but I don’t think the poor girl liked the task much: —
有时候我让莉亚给我读书，但她似乎不太喜欢那个任务； —

she felt it confining. In spring and summer one got on better: —
她觉得那让人感到拘束。在春夏两季我们相处得更好； —

sunshine and long days make such a difference; —
阳光和长日子带来了很大的不同； —

and then, just at the commencement of this autumn, little Adela Varens came and her nurse: —
而且，就在这个秋天开始的时候，小阿黛拉·瓦伦斯和她的护士来了； —

a child makes a house alive all at once; —
一个孩子突然让房子变得生机勃勃起来； —

and now you are here I shall be quite gay.”
“现在你来了，我将非常高兴。”

My heart really warmed to the worthy lady as I heard her talk; —
听到这位值得尊敬的女士说话，我的内心真的很温暖。 —

and I drew my chair a little nearer to her, and expressed my sincere wish that she might find my company as agreeable as she anticipated.
我靠近她的椅子，真诚地表达了我希望她觉得我的陪伴与她期望的一样令人愉快。

“But I’ll not keep you sitting up late to-night,” said she; —
“但是我不会让你今晚等太晚，”她说， —

“it is on the stroke of twelve now, and you have been travelling all day: you must feel tired. —
“现在已经快十二点了，而你一整天都在旅行：你一定感到累了。 —

If you have got your feet well warmed, I’ll show you your bedroom. —
如果你的脚已经暖和了，我会给你看你的卧室。 —

I’ve had the room next to mine prepared for you; —
我已经为你准备了我隔壁的房间； —

it is only a small apartment, but I thought you would like it better than one of the large front chambers: —
虽然只是一个小房间，但我想你会喜欢它，更胜过大的前厅： —

to be sure they have finer furniture, but they are so dreary and solitary, I never sleep in them myself.”
当然它们有更好的家具，但它们非常阴郁和孤寂，我从来不会在那里睡觉。”

I thanked her for her considerate choice, and as I really felt fatigued with my long journey, expressed my readiness to retire. —
我感谢她的体贴选择，并表示我真的感到旅途劳累，准备退休休息。 —

She took her candle, and I followed her from the room. —
她拿起蜡烛，我跟着她离开了房间。 —

First she went to see if the hall-door was fastened; —
首先，她去看大门是否上了锁； —

having taken the key from the lock, she led the way upstairs. The steps and banisters were of oak; —
她从锁中取下钥匙，带领着我上了楼。楼梯和栏杆都是橡木做的； —

the staircase window was high and latticed; —
楼梯的窗户高高隔着花格； —

both it and the long gallery into which the bedroom doors opened looked as if they belonged to a church rather than a house. —
无论是楼梯窗户还是通往卧室门的长长走廊，都给人一种属于教堂而不是房屋的感觉； —

A very chill and vault-like air pervaded the stairs and gallery, suggesting cheerless ideas of space and solitude; —
楼梯和走廊里弥漫着一股寒冷而阴暗的气息，给人一种荒凉和孤寂的感觉； —

and I was glad, when finally ushered into my chamber, to find it of small dimensions, and furnished in ordinary, modern style.
当我终于被引导进我的房间，看到它不大且摆设着普通的现代风格时，我感到很高兴；

When Mrs. Fairfax had bidden me a kind good-night, and I had fastened my door, gazed leisurely round, and in some measure effaced the eerie impression made by that wide hall, that dark and spacious staircase, and that long, cold gallery, by the livelier aspect of my little room, I remembered that, after a day of bodily fatigue and mental anxiety, I was now at last in safe haven. —
当费尔法克斯夫人亲切地跟我道了晚安之后，我锁好了门，周围仔细地看了一圈，从某种程度上消除了大厅的那种可怕印象，那个黑暗而宽敞的楼梯和冷冷的走廊，我终于安全地来到了避风港。 —

The impulse of gratitude swelled my heart, and I knelt down at the bedside, and offered up thanks where thanks were due; —
感激之情涌动着我的心，我跪在床边，向应得的人表达感谢； —

not forgetting, ere I rose, to implore aid on my further path, and the power of meriting the kindness which seemed so frankly offered me before it was earned. —
在起身之前，我不忘恳求进一步的帮助，以及赢得这份善意的力量，虽然我尚未配得上它。 —

My couch had no thorns in it that night; my solitary room no fears. —
那个夜晚，我的床舒适无比，我独居的房间不再有恐惧。 —

At once weary and content, I slept soon and soundly: —
疲惫而满足，我很快入睡，而且睡得很香。 —

when I awoke it was broad day.
当我醒来时，天已经亮了。

The chamber looked such a bright little place to me as the sun shone in between the gay blue chintz window curtains, showing papered walls and a carpeted floor, so unlike the bare planks and stained plaster of Lowood, that my spirits rose at the view. —
房间在阳光透过华丽的蓝色精织窗帘时显得那么明亮，展现出墙上的壁纸和地板上的地毯，与洛伍德那些光秃秃的木板和破损的灰泥墙壁形成鲜明对比，我看到这样一处美丽之地，心情一片开朗。 —

Externals have a great effect on the young: —
外部环境对年轻人有着巨大的影响。 —

I thought that a fairer era of life was beginning for me, one that was to have its flowers and pleasures, as well as its thorns and toils. —
我以为我即将迎来一个更美好的人生时代，一个既有花朵和欢乐，又有荆棘和努力的时代。 —

My faculties, roused by the change of scene, the new field offered to hope, seemed all astir. —
新的环境唤醒了我的全部能力和希望，使它们焕发出无限活力。 —

I cannot precisely define what they expected, but it was something pleasant: —
我无法确切地定义他们期望的是什么，但肯定是令人愉快的事情。 —

not perhaps that day or that month, but at an indefinite future period.
也许不是那一天或那一个月，而是在一个不确定的将来时期。

I rose; I dressed myself with care: obliged to be plain—for I had no article of attire that was not made with extreme simplicity—I was still by nature solicitous to be neat. —
我起身，仔细地穿着：由于我没有任何一件不是极简单制作的服装，所以我不得不变得朴素——但本性使我一直关心整洁。 —

It was not my habit to be disregardful of appearance or careless of the impression I made: —
我不习惯怠慢外表或不在意自己给人的印象： —

on the contrary, I ever wished to look as well as I could, and to please as much as my want of beauty would permit. —
相反，我一直希望自己看起来尽可能好看，并尽量取悦他人，尽管我缺乏容貌上的美丽。 —

I sometimes regretted that I was not handsomer; —
有时候我会为自己不够好看感到遗憾； —

I sometimes wished to have rosy cheeks, a straight nose, and small cherry mouth; —
有时候我希望自己有红润的脸颊，直直的鼻子和小巧的嘴巴； —

I desired to be tall, stately, and finely developed in figure; —
我渴望自己身材高大、端庄、发育好； —

I felt it a misfortune that I was so little, so pale, and had features so irregular and so marked. —
我觉得自己很不幸，身材这么矮小，面色苍白，五官又不规则，又那么有特点。 —

And why had I these aspirations and these regrets? It would be difficult to say: —
为什么我有这些渴望和遗憾呢？很难说清楚： —

I could not then distinctly say it to myself; —
那时我自己也无法明确地说出来。 —

yet I had a reason, and a logical, natural reason too. —
然而，我有一个原因，而且是一个合乎逻辑和自然的原因。 —

However, when I had brushed my hair very smooth, and put on my black frock—which, Quakerlike as it was, at least had the merit of fitting to a nicety—and adjusted my clean white tucker, I thought I should do respectably enough to appear before Mrs. Fairfax, and that my new pupil would not at least recoil from me with antipathy. —
然而，当我把头发梳得很顺滑，穿上我的黑色礼服——虽然像贵格会的装束，但至少能恰到好处地合身——系好我干净的白色领巾，我觉得我至少能体面地出现在费尔法克斯夫人面前，我的新学生不会对我产生厌恶感。 —

Having opened my chamber window, and seen that I left all things straight and neat on the toilet table, I ventured forth.
我打开了我的房间窗户，确保梳妆台上一切整洁有序，然后我冒险走出去。

Traversing the long and matted gallery, I descended the slippery steps of oak; —
穿过长长的、垫毛的走廊，我走下了光滑的橡木楼梯。 —

then I gained the hall: I halted there a minute; —
然后我来到了大厅：我在那里停留了一分钟。 —

I looked at some pictures on the walls (one, I remember, represented a grim man in a cuirass, and one a lady with powdered hair and a pearl necklace), at a bronze lamp pendent from the ceiling, at a great clock whose case was of oak curiously carved, and ebon black with time and rubbing. —
我看着墙上的一些画（其中一幅我记得描绘了一个穿着胸甲的严厉的男人，另一幅画则是一个戴着珍珠项链的女士），看着一个悬挂在天花板上的古铜灯，看着一个由橡木精心雕刻而成、岁月与摩擦使之变得漆黑的大钟。 —

Everything appeared very stately and imposing to me; —
对我来说，一切都显得庄严而威严。 —

but then I was so little accustomed to grandeur. —
但是我对宏伟的景象并不习惯。 —

The hall-door, which was half of glass, stood open; I stepped over the threshold. —
大门是半玻璃的，敞开着；我跨过门槛。 —

It was a fine autumn morning; the early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields; —
这是一个美丽的秋天早晨；早晨的阳光平静地照耀在褐色的树林和仍然翠绿的田野上； —

advancing on to the lawn, I looked up and surveyed the front of the mansion. —
我走上草坪，仰望着庄园的正面。 —

It was three storeys high, of proportions not vast, though considerable: —
它有三层高，尺寸不算巨大，但也很大； —

a gentleman’s manor-house, not a nobleman’s seat: —
是一座绅士的庄园，不是贵族的住所； —

battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look. —
顶部的堡垒给它增添了一种风景如画的外观。 —

Its grey front stood out well from the background of a rookery, whose cawing tenants were now on the wing: —
这个灰色的正面与鸦屋的背景相映成趣，现在那些咕咕叫的居民们正在飞翔着； —

they flew over the lawn and grounds to alight in a great meadow, from which these were separated by a sunk fence, and where an array of mighty old thorn trees, strong, knotty, and broad as oaks, at once explained the etymology of the mansion’s designation. —
它们飞越草坪和庄园，落在一个巨大的牧场上，与此相隔的是一道下沉的围栏，在那里，一排强壮、多节和粗壮的老刺树像橡树一样向人们解释着庄园名字的词源。 —

Farther off were hills: not so lofty as those round Lowood, nor so craggy, nor so like barriers of separation from the living world; —
更远的地方是山丘：不像洛伍德那样高大，也不像那样崎岖，也不像那样与世隔绝； —

but yet quiet and lonely hills enough, and seeming to embrace Thornfield with a seclusion I had not expected to find existent so near the stirring locality of Millcote. —
但它们足够安静孤寂，并似乎与米尔科特这个繁忙地区的近在咫尺相隔离。 —

A little hamlet, whose roofs were blent with trees, straggled up the side of one of these hills; —
一个小小的村庄，屋顶上长满了树木，蔓延到了其中一座山的一边； —

the church of the district stood nearer Thornfield: —
区的教堂靠近索恩菲尔德： —

its old tower-top looked over a knoll between the house and gates.
它古老的塔尖俯瞰着房屋和门之间的小山丘。

I was yet enjoying the calm prospect and pleasant fresh air, yet listening with delight to the cawing of the rooks, yet surveying the wide, hoary front of the hall, and thinking what a great place it was for one lonely little dame like Mrs. Fairfax to inhabit, when that lady appeared at the door.
我仍在享受着宁静的景色和宜人的新鲜空气，仍然乐于聆听着乌鸦的叫声，仍然观察着大厅宽广苔痕斑驳的正面，想着像费尔法克斯夫人这样一个孤独的小贵妇人在这样一个宏伟的地方居住是多么不同寻常，就在这时，那位女士出现在门口。

“What! out already?” said she. “I see you are an early riser. —
“你已经出来了？”她说。“我看得出你是个早起的人。” —

” I went up to her, and was received with an affable kiss and shake of the hand.
“我走到她面前，她亲切地亲吻了我一下，并与我握手。

“How do you like Thornfield?” she asked. I told her I liked it very much.
“你喜欢索恩菲尔德吗？”她问道。我告诉她我非常喜欢。

“Yes,” she said, “it is a pretty place; —
“是的，”她说，“这是个漂亮的地方； —

but I fear it will be getting out of order, unless Mr. Rochester should take it into his head to come and reside here permanently; —
我担心它会变得破败，除非罗切斯特先生下定决心常驻此地； —

or, at least, visit it rather oftener: great houses and fine grounds require the presence of the proprietor.”
者，至少要经常来访：大宅邸和美丽的庭园需要业主的在场。”

“Mr. Rochester!” I exclaimed. “Who is he?”
“罗切斯特先生！”我惊呼道，“他是谁？”

“The owner of Thornfield,” she responded quietly. —
“索恩菲尔德的主人，”她平静地回答。 —

“Did you not know he was called Rochester?”
“你不知道他叫罗切斯特吗？”

Of course I did not—I had never heard of him before; —
当然我不知道——以前从未听说过他； —

but the old lady seemed to regard his existence as a universally understood fact, with which everybody must be acquainted by instinct.
这位老太太似乎把他的存在当作一种普遍了解的事实，人人都应该本能地知道。

“I thought,” I continued, “Thornfield belonged to you.”
我以为，”我继续说，“索恩菲尔德是你的。”

“To me? Bless you, child; what an idea! To me! I am only the housekeeper—the manager. —
“归我？天哪，孩子；你有什么奇怪的想法！归我？我只是管家——管理员。” —

To be sure I am distantly related to the Rochesters by the mother’s side, or at least my husband was; —
确切地说，我和罗切斯特是远房亲属，至少我丈夫是； —

he was a clergyman, incumbent of Hay—that little village yonder on the hill—and that church near the gates was his. —
他是一个牧师，在山上那个小村庄海的教堂任职，就在那些大门附近； —

The present Mr. Rochester’s mother was a Fairfax, and second cousin to my husband: —
现任罗切斯特先生的母亲是费尔法克斯家族的人，也是我丈夫的堂弟； —

but I never presume on the connection—in fact, it is nothing to me; —
但我从不借此进行自夸，实际上这和我无关； —

I consider myself quite in the light of an ordinary housekeeper: —
我把自己视为一位普通的管家； —

my employer is always civil, and I expect nothing more.”
我的雇主始终对我很礼貌，我对此也不指望更多；

“And the little girl—my pupil!”
而这个小女孩是我的学生！

“She is Mr. Rochester’s ward; he commissioned me to find a governess for her. —
她是罗切斯特先生的被扶养人；他委托我找个家庭教师照顾她。 —

He intended to have her brought up in ——shire, I believe. —
他原本打算让她在夏洛特郡长大，我想。 —

Here she comes, with her ‘bonne,’ as she calls her nurse.” The enigma then was explained: —
她来了，和她的“盆娜”一起。然后，谜底揭晓了： —

this affable and kind little widow was no great dame; but a dependent like myself. —
这位和蔼可亲、友善的小寡妇并不是什么大人物，而是和我一样的依赖者。 —

I did not like her the worse for that; on the contrary, I felt better pleased than ever. —
我对此反而感到更加高兴，一点不觉得她更糟糕。 —

The equality between her and me was real; —
她和我之间的平等是真实的； —

not the mere result of condescension on her part: —
不是她傲慢表现的结果： —

so much the better—my position was all the freer.
如此乐不可支-我的地位更加自由。

As I was meditating on this discovery, a little girl, followed by her attendant, came running up the lawn. —
当我思考着这个发现时，一个小女孩，后面跟着她的护理人员，跑向草坪。 —

I looked at my pupil, who did not at first appear to notice me: —
我看着我的学生，一开始似乎没有注意到我： —

she was quite a child, perhaps seven or eight years old, slightly built, with a pale, small-featured face, and a redundancy of hair falling in curls to her waist.
她还是个孩子，可能七八岁，身材纤细，脸色苍白，五官小巧，头发卷曲到腰间。

“Good morning, Miss Adela,” said Mrs. Fairfax. —
“早上好，阿黛拉小姐。”费尔法克斯夫人说道。 —

“Come and speak to the lady who is to teach you, and to make you a clever woman some day.” She approached.
“过来和这位将来要教你、让你成为聪明女人的女士说话。”她走了过来。

“C’est là ma gouvernante!” said she, pointing to me, and addressing her nurse; who answered—
“这是我的女家庭教师！”她指着我，对她的保姆说；保姆回答道-

“Mais oui, certainement.”
“但是是的，当然是。”

“Are they foreigners?” I inquired, amazed at hearing the French language.
“他们是外国人吗？”听到法语我很惊讶地问道。

“The nurse is a foreigner, and Adela was born on the Continent; —
“保姆是外国人，而阿黛拉在大陆出生； —

and, I believe, never left it till within six months ago. —
我相信，她在半年前以前从未离开过这里。 —

When she first came here she could speak no English; now she can make shift to talk it a little: —
当她刚来这里时，她不会说英语；现在她能够勉强用一点点了。 —

I don’t understand her, she mixes it so with French; —
我听不懂她，她把法语和英语搞得很混乱。 —

but you will make out her meaning very well, I dare say.”
但是我敢说你能够很好地理解她的意思。

Fortunately I had had the advantage of being taught French by a French lady; —
幸运的是，我有机会由一位法国女士教授法语； —

and as I had always made a point of conversing with Madame Pierrot as often as I could, and had besides, during the last seven years, learnt a portion of French by heart daily—applying myself to take pains with my accent, and imitating as closely as possible the pronunciation of my teacher, I had acquired a certain degree of readiness and correctness in the language, and was not likely to be much at a loss with Mademoiselle Adela. She came and shook hands with me when she heard that I was her governess; —
而且，过去七年来，我一直努力与皮埃罗太太交谈，每天都背诵法语的一部分，努力注意自己的发音，并尽量模仿我的老师的发音，我在这门语言上积累了一定程度的熟练和准确，并不太可能在与阿黛拉小姐的交流中有太大问题。当她听说我是她的家庭教师时，她过来和我握手； —

and as I led her in to breakfast, I addressed some phrases to her in her own tongue: —
当我把她带进早餐时，我用她自己的母语对她说了几句话。 —

she replied briefly at first, but after we were seated at the table, and she had examined me some ten minutes with her large hazel eyes, she suddenly commenced chattering fluently.
她一开始回答了简短的话，但是当我们坐下来，她用她那双大大的褐色眼睛仔细地审视了我十分钟后，突然开始滔滔不绝地说话。

“Ah!” cried she, in French, “you speak my language as well as Mr. Rochester does: —
“啊！”她用法语喊道，“你说我的语言就像罗切斯特先生一样流利： —

I can talk to you as I can to him, and so can Sophie. She will be glad: —
我可以和你像和他一样交流，索菲也会很高兴: —

nobody here understands her: Madame Fairfax is all English. Sophie is my nurse; —
这里没有人听得懂她: 费尔法克斯夫人都是讲英语的。索菲是我的保姆； —

she came with me over the sea in a great ship with a chimney that smoked—how it did smoke! —
她和我一起坐一艘大烟囱冒烟的船过海来的 - 多么冒烟啊！ —

—and I was sick, and so was Sophie, and so was Mr. Rochester. —
- 我当时很晕船，索菲也是，罗切斯特先生也是。 —

Mr. Rochester lay down on a sofa in a pretty room called the salon, and Sophie and I had little beds in another place. —
罗切斯特先生躺在一个叫沙龙的漂亮房间的沙发上，索菲和我在另一个地方有小床。 —

I nearly fell out of mine; it was like a shelf. —
我差点从床上掉下来；它就像一个架子一样。 —

And Mademoiselle—what is your name?”
请问小姐,你叫什么名字？”

“Eyre—Jane Eyre.”
“爱尔 - 简·爱尔。”

“Aire? Bah! I cannot say it. Well, our ship stopped in the morning, before it was quite daylight, at a great city—a huge city, with very dark houses and all smoky; —
“阿伊尔？呸！我不能说它。好吧，我们的船在早上停下来，天还没有完全亮，停在一个大城市——一个巨大的城市，有着非常黑暗的房子，都冒着烟， —

not at all like the pretty clean town I came from; —
一点也不像我来自的漂亮干净的小镇； —

and Mr. Rochester carried me in his arms over a plank to the land, and Sophie came after, and we all got into a coach, which took us to a beautiful large house, larger than this and finer, called an hotel. —
罗切斯特先生把我抱在怀里，从一块木板上把我带到了岸上，索菲跟在后面，我们都坐上了一辆车，车子带我们到了一座美丽宽敞的大房子，比这座还大、更漂亮，叫做宾馆。 —

We stayed there nearly a week: I and Sophie used to walk every day in a great green place full of trees, called the Park; —
我们在那里住了将近一周：我和索菲每天都在一个被树木环绕的大绿地里散步，叫做公园； —

and there were many children there besides me, and a pond with beautiful birds in it, that I fed with crumbs.”
除了我之外，那里还有很多其他孩子，还有一片有着美丽鸟儿的池塘，我用面包屑喂它们。”

“Can you understand her when she runs on so fast?” asked Mrs. Fairfax.
“她说得那么快，你能听懂吗？” 费尔法克斯夫人问道。

I understood her very well, for I had been accustomed to the fluent tongue of Madame Pierrot.
我非常理解她，因为我已经习惯了皮耶罗夫人流利的口音。

“I wish,” continued the good lady, “you would ask her a question or two about her parents: —
“我希望，”好夫人继续说道，“你能问她一两个关于她父母的问题：” —

I wonder if she remembers them?”
我想知道她是否记得他们？”

“Adèle,” I inquired, “with whom did you live when you were in that pretty clean town you spoke of?”
“艾黛尔，”我询问道，“当你生活在你所说的那个干净漂亮的城镇时，你和谁一起生活？”

“I lived long ago with mama; but she is gone to the Holy Virgin. —
“我很久以前和妈妈一起生活；但她已经去见圣母了。 —

Mama used to teach me to dance and sing, and to say verses. —
妈妈过去教我跳舞、唱歌和背诵诗句。 —

A great many gentlemen and ladies came to see mama, and I used to dance before them, or to sit on their knees and sing to them: —
很多绅士和淑女来看望妈妈，我会在他们面前跳舞，或者坐在他们膝上为他们唱歌： —

I liked it. Shall I let you hear me sing now?”
我喜欢这样。你想听我现在唱歌吗？”

She had finished her breakfast, so I permitted her to give a specimen of her accomplishments. —
她已经吃完了早餐，所以我允许她展示一下她的才艺。 —

Descending from her chair, she came and placed herself on my knee; —
她从椅子上下来，坐在我的膝盖上； —

then, folding her little hands demurely before her, shaking back her curls and lifting her eyes to the ceiling, she commenced singing a song from some opera. —
然后，她端庄地双手合十，甩开她的卷发，抬起眼睛望着天花板，开始唱起了某个歌剧的歌曲。 —

It was the strain of a forsaken lady, who, after bewailing the perfidy of her lover, calls pride to her aid; —
那是一个被遗弃的女子的悲伤的调子，她在哀叹她情人的背叛之后，调动起自己的骄傲； —

desires her attendant to deck her in her brightest jewels and richest robes, and resolves to meet the false one that night at a ball, and prove to him, by the gaiety of her demeanour, how little his desertion has affected her.
她希望她的侍从给她穿上最亮丽的珠宝和最华丽的礼服，并决定在晚上的舞会上与那个虚伪的人见面，通过她快乐的态度向他证明他的离弃对她的影响微乎其微。

The subject seemed strangely chosen for an infant singer; —
这个主题对于一个幼童歌手来说似乎选择得很奇怪。 —

but I suppose the point of the exhibition lay in hearing the notes of love and jealousy warbled with the lisp of childhood; —
但我想，展示的重点在于听到爱情和嫉妒的音符用儿童的口吃唱出来。 —

and in very bad taste that point was: at least I thought so.
而且那个重点真的很不合时宜，至少我是这么认为的。

Adèle sang the canzonette tunefully enough, and with the naïveté of her age. —
雅黛尔唱得很悦耳，像她这个年纪特有的天真。 —

This achieved, she jumped from my knee and said, “Now, Mademoiselle, I will repeat you some poetry.”
唱完后，她从我膝上跳下来说：“现在，小姐，我要给您背诗。”

Assuming an attitude, she began, “La Ligue des Rats: fable de La Fontaine. —
她摆出一种姿势，开始：“老鼠联盟：拉封丹的寓言。” —

” She then declaimed the little piece with an attention to punctuation and emphasis, a flexibility of voice and an appropriateness of gesture, very unusual indeed at her age, and which proved she had been carefully trained.
她随后以一个她这个年纪很不寻常的关注标点和强调、声音的灵活性和手势的得当而朗诵了这首小诗，这表明她得到了精心的培训。

“Was it your mama who taught you that piece?” I asked.
“是你妈妈教给你那段话的吗？” 我问道。

“Yes, and she just used to say it in this way: ‘Qu’avez vous donc? lui dit un de ces rats; —
“是的，她就是这样说的：‘Qu’avez vous donc? lui dit un de ces rats; —

parlez!’ She made me lift my hand—so—to remind me to raise my voice at the question. —
parlez！’她让我举起手来，这样提醒我在问题上提高嗓门。 —

Now shall I dance for you?”
我现在可以为你跳舞吗？”

“No, that will do: but after your mama went to the Holy Virgin, as you say, with whom did you live then?”
“不，那就够了：但是在你妈妈去找圣母之后，你跟谁住在一起？”

“With Madame Frédéric and her husband: she took care of me, but she is nothing related to me. —
“和弗雷德里克夫人和她丈夫一起：她照顾我，但她和我没有任何亲戚关系。 —

I think she is poor, for she had not so fine a house as mama. I was not long there. —
我觉得她很穷，因为她的房子没有妈妈的好。我在那里待得不久。” —

Mr. Rochester asked me if I would like to go and live with him in England, and I said yes; —
罗切斯特先生问我是否愿意和他一起去英格兰生活，我说了是； —

for I knew Mr. Rochester before I knew Madame Frédéric, and he was always kind to me and gave me pretty dresses and toys: —
因为在认识弗雷德里克夫人之前我就认识罗切斯特先生了，他对我总是很好，给我漂亮的衣服和玩具； —

but you see he has not kept his word, for he has brought me to England, and now he is gone back again himself, and I never see him.”
但你看，他没有遵守他的诺言，他将我带到了英格兰，现在他却自己回去了，我再也见不到他了。”

After breakfast, Adèle and I withdrew to the library, which room, it appears, Mr. Rochester had directed should be used as the schoolroom. —
早饭后，阿琦和我退到了图书馆，据说罗切斯特先生指示这个房间应该用作学习室。 —

Most of the books were locked up behind glass doors; —
大部分书都被锁在玻璃门后面； —

but there was one bookcase left open containing everything that could be needed in the way of elementary works, and several volumes of light literature, poetry, biography, travels, a few romances, &c. —
但有一个书架被打开，里面装满了一切可能需要的基础工作及几卷轻松文学、诗歌、传记、旅行纪实和一些小说等等。 —

I suppose he had considered that these were all the governess would require for her private perusal; and, indeed, they contented me amply for the present; —
我想他可能认为这是女家庭教师私自阅读所需要的书籍；事实上，对我来说，它们已经足够了。 —

compared with the scanty pickings I had now and then been able to glean at Lowood, they seemed to offer an abundant harvest of entertainment and information. —
与我之前偶尔在洛伍德收集到的微薄收入相比，它们似乎提供了丰富的娱乐和信息。 —

In this room, too, there was a cabinet piano, quite new and of superior tone; —
这个房间里还有一架全新的高音柜式钢琴； —

also an easel for painting and a pair of globes.
还有一个用于绘画的画架和一对地球仪。

I found my pupil sufficiently docile, though disinclined to apply: —
我发现我的学生很听话，尽管不太愿意去学习： —

she had not been used to regular occupation of any kind. —
她以前从来没有习惯过有规律的工作。 —

I felt it would be injudicious to confine her too much at first; —
我觉得一开始限制她太多不太妥当； —

so, when I had talked to her a great deal, and got her to learn a little, and when the morning had advanced to noon, I allowed her to return to her nurse. —
所以，当我已经和她聊了很多，并让她学了一点东西时，天已经到了正午，我让她回到她的保姆那里。 —

I then proposed to occupy myself till dinner-time in drawing some little sketches for her use.
然后我提议在晚餐时间之前用一些小草图来打发时间。

As I was going upstairs to fetch my portfolio and pencils, Mrs. Fairfax called to me: —
当我上楼去取我的文件夹和铅笔时，费尔法克斯夫人叫住了我： —

“Your morning school-hours are over now, I suppose,” said she. —
“我猜你的早上上学的时间已经结束了”，她说。 —

She was in a room the folding-doors of which stood open: I went in when she addressed me. —
她在一个开着折叠门的房间里，当她和我说话的时候，我走了进去。 —

It was a large, stately apartment, with purple chairs and curtains, a Turkey carpet, walnut-panelled walls, one vast window rich in stained glass, and a lofty ceiling, nobly moulded. —
这是一个宽敞而庄严的房间，有紫色的椅子和窗帘，土耳其地毯，镶嵌着梨木板的墙壁，一个装饰着色彩斑斓的玻璃窗户，和一个高耸的天花板，雄伟地塑造着。 —

Mrs. Fairfax was dusting some vases of fine purple spar, which stood on a sideboard.
费尔法克斯夫人正在擦拭放在餐边柜上的一些精致的紫色方英石花瓶。

“What a beautiful room!” I exclaimed, as I looked round; —
“多美的房间啊！”我惊叹道，环顾四周； —

for I had never before seen any half so imposing.
因为我从未见过如此壮观的房间。

“Yes; this is the dining-room. I have just opened the window, to let in a little air and sunshine; —
“是的；这是餐厅。我刚刚打开了窗户，让一点空气和阳光进来； —

for everything gets so damp in apartments that are seldom inhabited; —
因为很少有人住的房间里的一切都会变得潮湿； —

the drawing-room yonder feels like a vault.”
那边的客厅感觉像一个墓穴。”

She pointed to a wide arch corresponding to the window, and hung like it with a Tyrian-dyed curtain, now looped up. —
她指着对应窗户的一个宽大拱门，并像窗户一样挂着一幅泰坦染色的帷幕，现在被扣起来。 —

Mounting to it by two broad steps, and looking through, I thought I caught a glimpse of a fairy place, so bright to my novice-eyes appeared the view beyond. —
我通过两级宽阔的台阶来到它前面，透过窗户，我觉得我看到了一个仙境，对于我这个新手来说，那个景象显得如此明亮。 —

Yet it was merely a very pretty drawing-room, and within it a boudoir, both spread with white carpets, on which seemed laid brilliant garlands of flowers; —
然而，它只是一个非常漂亮的客厅，里面有一个卧室，两者都铺有白色的地毯，上面似乎摆放着绚丽的花环； —

both ceiled with snowy mouldings of white grapes and vine-leaves, beneath which glowed in rich contrast crimson couches and ottomans; —
它们的天花板装饰着雪白的葡萄和藤叶，从中散发出丰富的对比色，红色的沙发和脚凳闪耀着光彩； —

while the ornaments on the pale Parian mantelpiece were of sparkling Bohemian glass, ruby red; —
而苍白的帕里安式壁炉上的装饰是闪闪发光的波希米亚玻璃，红得宝石般夺目； —

and between the windows large mirrors repeated the general blending of snow and fire.
在窗户之间的大镜子里，反射出了冰雪和火焰的综合效果。

“In what order you keep these rooms, Mrs. Fairfax!” said I. “No dust, no canvas coverings: —
“这些房间您是按照什么顺序收拾的，费尔法克斯夫人！”我说。“没有任何尘土，没有帆布覆盖物： —

except that the air feels chilly, one would think they were inhabited daily.”
除了感觉有点凉意，人们会认为这些房间每天都有人住。”

“Why, Miss Eyre, though Mr. Rochester’s visits here are rare, they are always sudden and unexpected; —
“为什么，爱尔小姐，尽管罗切斯特先生很少来这里，但他的到访总是突然和意外的； —

and as I observed that it put him out to find everything swathed up, and to have a bustle of arrangement on his arrival, I thought it best to keep the rooms in readiness.”
我注意到这样的情况会让他有些不悦，他会发现一切都被遮盖起来，到达时会有一片忙乱，所以我觉得最好保持房间的整洁。”

“Is Mr. Rochester an exacting, fastidious sort of man?”
“罗切斯特先生是一个挑剔、过于讲究的人吗？”

“Not particularly so; but he has a gentleman’s tastes and habits, and he expects to have things managed in conformity to them.”
“不是特别如此；但他有绅士的品味和习惯，他希望事情按照他的要求来管理。”

“Do you like him? Is he generally liked?”
“你喜欢他吗？他通常受欢迎吗？”

“Oh, yes; the family have always been respected here. —
“哦，是的；这个家族一直在这里受到尊敬。 —

Almost all the land in this neighbourhood, as far as you can see, has belonged to the Rochesters time out of mind.”
至于你能看到的这片附近的土地，几乎都属于罗切斯特家世代相传。”

“Well, but, leaving his land out of the question, do you like him? Is he liked for himself?”
“好吧，但是，抛开他的土地不谈，你喜欢他吗？他是因为他的个人品质而受欢迎吗？”

“I have no cause to do otherwise than like him; —
“我没有理由不喜欢他； —

and I believe he is considered a just and liberal landlord by his tenants: —
并且我相信他的租户认为他是一位公正和慷慨的地主： —

but he has never lived much amongst them.”
但是他从来没有和他们住在一起。”

“But has he no peculiarities? What, in short, is his character?”
“但是他没有什么特殊之处吗？总之，他是什么样的人？”

“Oh! his character is unimpeachable, I suppose. He is rather peculiar, perhaps: —
“哦！我认为他的品格是无可指责的。或许有点古怪： —

he has travelled a great deal, and seen a great deal of the world, I should think. —
他去过很多地方，见过很多世面，我想。 —

I dare say he is clever, but I never had much conversation with him.”
我敢说他很聪明，但是我从来没有和他多谈过。”

“In what way is he peculiar?”
“他有什么特别之处呢？”

“I don’t know—it is not easy to describe—nothing striking, but you feel it when he speaks to you; —
“我不知道，很难描述，没有显著的特点，但与他交谈时你会感觉到； —

you cannot be always sure whether he is in jest or earnest, whether he is pleased or the contrary; —
你无法确定他是在开玩笑还是认真，他是高兴还是不满； —

you don’t thoroughly understand him, in short—at least, I don’t: —
你对他完全不了解，总之，至少我是这样的： —

but it is of no consequence, he is a very good master.”
但这没有关系，他是一个非常好的雇主。”

This was all the account I got from Mrs. Fairfax of her employer and mine. —
这是我从费尔法克斯夫人那里得到的关于我的雇主的全部描述。 —

There are people who seem to have no notion of sketching a character, or observing and describing salient points, either in persons or things: —
有些人似乎对勾勒一个人或事物的特点没有概念，也不会观察和描述显著的细节： —

the good lady evidently belonged to this class; my queries puzzled, but did not draw her out. —
很明显，这位好夫人属于这一类；我的问题让她困惑了，但没有引出更多的信息。 —

Mr. Rochester was Mr. Rochester in her eyes; a gentleman, a landed proprietor—nothing more: —
在她眼中，罗切斯特先生就是罗切斯特先生；一个绅士，一个土地所有者，没有其他的。 —

she inquired and searched no further, and evidently wondered at my wish to gain a more definite notion of his identity.
她没有进一步询问和搜寻，显然对我想要更清晰地了解他的身份感到奇怪。

When we left the dining-room, she proposed to show me over the rest of the house; —
当我们离开餐厅的时候，她提议带我参观房子里的其他地方； —

and I followed her upstairs and downstairs, admiring as I went; —
我跟着她上楼下楼，一路赞叹不已； —

for all was well arranged and handsome. The large front chambers I thought especially grand: —
因为一切都布置得井井有条，非常漂亮。我尤其觉得前面的大房间非常壮观； —

and some of the third-storey rooms, though dark and low, were interesting from their air of antiquity. —
而且一些位于三楼的房间虽然昏暗而低矮，却因为古老的气息而颇具魅力。 —

The furniture once appropriated to the lower apartments had from time to time been removed here, as fashions changed: —
这些曾在低层房间使用过的家具，随着时尚变迁，逐渐被搬到这里来了； —

and the imperfect light entering by their narrow casement showed bedsteads of a hundred years old; —
穿过狭小的窗户射进来的微弱光线映照出一百年前的床架； —

chests in oak or walnut, looking, with their strange carvings of palm branches and cherubs’ heads, like types of the Hebrew ark; —
橡木或胡桃木制成的柜子，上面雕刻着棕榈树枝和天使头像，看起来像是希伯来人的约柜； —

rows of venerable chairs, high-backed and narrow; —
一排庄重而狭窄的高背椅子； —

stools still more antiquated, on whose cushioned tops were yet apparent traces of half-effaced embroideries, wrought by fingers that for two generations had been coffin-dust. —
更为古老的凳子上，还能看到从已半模糊的绣花图案上依稀可见的痕迹，这些绣花是由已经成为棺材灰尘的两代人的手工所完成的。 —

All these relics gave to the third storey of Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: —
所有这些文物给索恩菲尔德大厅的三楼带来了一个过去的家的感觉： —

a shrine of memory. I liked the hush, the gloom, the quaintness of these retreats in the day; —
一座记忆的神龛。我喜欢这些天地中的寂静、阴暗和古雅； —

but I by no means coveted a night’s repose on one of those wide and heavy beds: —
但我绝不想在那些宽大而沉重的床上度过一夜的休息； —

shut in, some of them, with doors of oak; —
有些被橡木门封闭； —

shaded, others, with wrought old English hangings crusted with thick work, portraying effigies of strange flowers, and stranger birds, and strangest human beings,—all which would have looked strange, indeed, by the pallid gleam of moonlight.
有些被陈旧的英式窗帘遮蔽着，上面镶嵌着精美的图案，描绘着奇怪的花朵、更奇怪的鸟类，以及最奇怪的人类形象，这一切在苍白的月光下看起来实在是奇怪；

“Do the servants sleep in these rooms?” I asked.
“仆人们睡在这些房间里吗？”我问道；

“No; they occupy a range of smaller apartments to the back; no one ever sleeps here: —
“不，他们住在后边一排的小房间里；这里从来没有人睡过； —

one would almost say that, if there were a ghost at Thornfield Hall, this would be its haunt.”
差不多可以说，如果索恩菲尔德大厅有鬼，那它一定就会在这里出没。”

“So I think: you have no ghost, then?”
“我也是这么想的，那么你们没有鬼吗？”

“None that I ever heard of,” returned Mrs. Fairfax, smiling.
“据我所知，没有，”费尔法克斯夫人微笑着回答道。

“Nor any traditions of one? no legends or ghost stories?”
“也没有任何关于鬼的传说吗？没有传说或鬼故事吗？”

“I believe not. And yet it is said the Rochesters have been rather a violent than a quiet race in their time: —
“我不相信。然而据说罗切斯特一族在他们的时代比较暴躁而不是安静： —

perhaps, though, that is the reason they rest tranquilly in their graves now.”
也许，然而，这也许是他们现在静静安息在坟墓中的原因。”

“Yes—‘after life’s fitful fever they sleep well,’” I muttered. —
“是的，‘人世的苦烦一旦过去，他们就会安然入睡’，”我喃喃自语道。 —

“Where are you going now, Mrs. Fairfax? —
“你现在要去哪里，费尔法克斯夫人？ —

” for she was moving away.
”因为她正在离开。

“On to the leads; will you come and see the view from thence? —
“到天台上去，你要来看看那里的景色吗？ —

” I followed still, up a very narrow staircase to the attics, and thence by a ladder and through a trap-door to the roof of the hall. —
”我仍然跟随着她，穿过一个非常狭窄的楼梯到达阁楼，然后通过一个天窗和一个活板门到达大厅的屋顶。 —

I was now on a level with the crow colony, and could see into their nests. —
现在我和乌鸦群位于同一水平线上，可以看到它们的巢穴。 —

Leaning over the battlements and looking far down, I surveyed the grounds laid out like a map: —
倚在城墙上，往下俯瞰，我看到敷设得像一张地图的庭院： —

the bright and velvet lawn closely girdling the grey base of the mansion; —
明亮而柔软的草坪紧密地环绕着灰色的庄园基座； —

the field, wide as a park, dotted with its ancient timber; —
宽阔如公园的田地上点缀着古老的树木； —

the wood, dun and sere, divided by a path visibly overgrown, greener with moss than the trees were with foliage; —
密林，黄褐而枯萎，被一条明显长满青苔的小路分割开来，比树木上的叶子更绿。” —

the church at the gates, the road, the tranquil hills, all reposing in the autumn day’s sun; —
所有都在秋日的阳光下休憩着，大门口的教堂、道路和宁静的山岗。 —

the horizon bounded by a propitious sky, azure, marbled with pearly white. —
地平线在一片幸运的天空之中，蔚蓝中夹杂着珍珠般的白色。 —

No feature in the scene was extraordinary, but all was pleasing. —
场景中没有一处特别之处，但都令人愉悦。 —

When I turned from it and repassed the trap-door, I could scarcely see my way down the ladder; —
当我转身离开，并重新通过陷阱门时，我几乎看不见自己走下楼梯的路； —

the attic seemed black as a vault compared with that arch of blue air to which I had been looking up, and to that sunlit scene of grove, pasture, and green hill, of which the hall was the centre, and over which I had been gazing with delight.
阁楼相对于那蔚蓝的空中拱顶而言，显得黑暗如同墓穴。那阳光照耀下的林地、牧场和绿色的山丘构成了中心，我一直怀着喜悦凝视着它们。

Mrs. Fairfax stayed behind a moment to fasten the trap-door; —
费尔法克斯夫人稍事停留，将陷阱门关好。 —

I, by dint of groping, found the outlet from the attic, and proceeded to descend the narrow garret staircase. —
我摸索着找到了阁楼的出口，并开始沿着狭窄的阁楼楼梯下降。 —

I lingered in the long passage to which this led, separating the front and back rooms of the third storey: —
我在这个廊道里逗留，这个廊道将第三层的前后两个房间隔开。 —

narrow, low, and dim, with only one little window at the far end, and looking, with its two rows of small black doors all shut, like a corridor in some Bluebeard’s castle.
狭窄、低矮而昏暗，只有一个小窗户位于远端，整个走廊看起来像是蓝胡子城堡中的一条走廊，它的两排小黑门都紧闭着。

While I paced softly on, the last sound I expected to hear in so still a region, a laugh, struck my ear. —
当我轻轻踱步时，我听到了这个寂静之地最不该听到的声音，一个笑声，萦绕在我的耳边。 —

It was a curious laugh; distinct, formal, mirthless. I stopped: —
这是一个奇怪的笑声，清晰、正式而毫无喜感。我停下来。 —

the sound ceased, only for an instant; it began again, louder: —
声音停下来了，只是瞬间而已；它又响起，更大声了。 —

for at first, though distinct, it was very low. —
因为起初，尽管清晰，但却很低沉。 —

It passed off in a clamorous peal that seemed to wake an echo in every lonely chamber; —
它消失在一连串的喧嚣笑声中，仿佛每一个孤寂的房间都有一个回声； —

though it originated but in one, and I could have pointed out the door whence the accents issued.
尽管它只是来自其中一个房间，我可以指出声音发出的那扇门。

“Mrs. Fairfax!” I called out: for I now heard her descending the great stairs. —
“费尔法克斯夫人！”我喊道：因为我现在听到她正下楼梯的声音。 —

“Did you hear that loud laugh? Who is it?”
“你听到那个大声笑了吗？是谁？”

“Some of the servants, very likely,” she answered: “perhaps Grace Poole.”
“很有可能是一些仆人，也许是格蕾丝·普尔。”她回答道。

“Did you hear it?” I again inquired.
“你听到了吗？”我再次问道。

“Yes, plainly: I often hear her: she sews in one of these rooms. —
“听到了，很明显：我经常听见她的声音，她在其中的一个房间里缝纫。” —

Sometimes Leah is with her; they are frequently noisy together.”
有时候蕾娅和她在一起，她们经常一起吵闹。

The laugh was repeated in its low, syllabic tone, and terminated in an odd murmur.
那笑声以低沉、音节化的声调重复着，终止于一种奇怪的低语声。

“Grace!” exclaimed Mrs. Fairfax.
“格蕾丝！”费尔法克斯夫人惊叫道。

I really did not expect any Grace to answer; —
我真的没想到会有人名叫格蕾丝回应； —

for the laugh was as tragic, as preternatural a laugh as any I ever heard; —
因为那个笑声是如此悲剧，如此超自然，是我听过的任何笑声中最为诡异的； —

and, but that it was high noon, and that no circumstance of ghostliness accompanied the curious cachinnation; —
如果不是正午，以及没有任何与鬼怪有关的情境伴随着这种奇特的笑声； —

but that neither scene nor season favoured fear, I should have been superstitiously afraid. —
如果既没有场景又没有季节来滋生恐惧，我本会战战兢兢地害怕。 —

However, the event showed me I was a fool for entertaining a sense even of surprise.
然而，这件事让我明白自己是个傻瓜，甚至感到惊讶都是多余的。

The door nearest me opened, and a servant came out,—a woman of between thirty and forty; —
最靠近我的那扇门打开了，一个仆人出来了——一个年龄在三十到四十之间的妇人； —

a set, square-made figure, red-haired, and with a hard, plain face: —
一个身材匀称的女人，红头发，一张坚毅而朴实的脸： —

any apparition less romantic or less ghostly could scarcely be conceived.
几乎可以说没有比她更远离浪漫或鬼怪的幽灵形象。

“Too much noise, Grace,” said Mrs. Fairfax. —
“太吵了，格蕾丝。”费尔法克斯夫人说。 —

“Remember directions!” Grace curtseyed silently and went in.
“记住要求！”格蕾丝默默地行了个礼，回去了。

“She is a person we have to sew and assist Leah in her housemaid’s work,” continued the widow; —
“她是一个我们必须缝补和协助利亚在她的女仆工作中的人，”寡妇继续说； —

“not altogether unobjectionable in some points, but she does well enough. —
“在某些方面不是完全无可指摘，但她还可以接受。 —

By-the-bye, how have you got on with your new pupil this morning?”
顺便问一下，你今天早上和你的新学生相处得如何？”

The conversation, thus turned on Adèle, continued till we reached the light and cheerful region below. —
对于阿黛尔的对话，一直持续到我们到达了明亮而愉快的下方地区。 —

Adèle came running to meet us in the hall, exclaiming—
阿黛尔在大厅里跑过来迎接我们，大叫着-

“Mesdames, vous êtes servies!” adding, “J’ai bien faim, moi!”
“女士们，您已经用餐！”并补充说：“我很饿！”

We found dinner ready, and waiting for us in Mrs. Fairfax’s room.
我们发现晚餐准备好了，在费尔法克斯夫人的房间里等着我们。