When Mr. St. John went, it was beginning to snow; the whirling storm continued all night. —
圣约翰先生离开时，开始下雪了；那旋转的暴风雪整夜都持续不停。 —

The next day a keen wind brought fresh and blinding falls; —
第二天，一阵刺骨的风带来了新的眩目的降雪。 —

by twilight the valley was drifted up and almost impassable. —
傍晚时分，山谷积雪堆积，几乎无法通行。 —

I had closed my shutter, laid a mat to the door to prevent the snow from blowing in under it, trimmed my fire, and after sitting nearly an hour on the hearth listening to the muffled fury of the tempest, I lit a candle, took down “Marmion,” and beginning—
我关上百叶窗，门前放上垫子防止雪飘进来，在壁炉旁坐了将近一个小时，倾听那暴风雪被掩盖的怒吼声，然后我点亮一支蜡烛，取出《马米翁》，开始念道：

“Day set on Norham’s castled steep, And Tweed’s fair river broad and deep, And Cheviot’s mountains lone; —
“日暮诺拉姆的城堡高台，以及宽广深邃的特威德河，还有谢维特的孤山； —

The massive towers, the donjon keep, The flanking walls that round them sweep, In yellow lustre shone”—
庄重的塔楼，中世纪的主楼，以及环绕其周围的壁垒，都闪耀着黄色光芒。”

I soon forgot storm in music.
我很快就把风暴中的音乐忘记了。

I heard a noise: the wind, I thought, shook the door. No; —
我听到一阵声响：我以为是风在震动门。不是； —

it was St. John Rivers, who, lifting the latch, came in out of the frozen hurricane—the howling darkness—and stood before me: —
是里弗斯·圣约翰，他拉起门闩，从冰冷的飓风、咆哮的黑暗中走进来，站在我面前。 —

the cloak that covered his tall figure all white as a glacier. —
他高大的身影被一件像冰山一样洁白的披风所覆盖。 —

I was almost in consternation, so little had I expected any guest from the blocked-up vale that night.
我几乎惊慌失措，因为我根本没有预料到那天晚上会有来自被堵塞的山谷的任何客人。

“Any ill news?” I demanded. “Has anything happened?”
“有什么坏消息吗？”我问道。“发生了什么事吗？”

“No. How very easily alarmed you are!” he answered, removing his cloak and hanging it up against the door, towards which he again coolly pushed the mat which his entrance had deranged. —
“没有。你为什么这么容易惊慌？”他回答道，脱下披风并将其挂在门上，然后冷静地推回了被他进来时弄乱的地垫。 —

He stamped the snow from his boots.
他在鞋上踩掉了雪。

“I shall sully the purity of your floor,” said he, “but you must excuse me for once. —
“我会弄脏你的地板了，”他说，“但这一次你必须原谅我。” —

” Then he approached the fire. “I have had hard work to get here, I assure you,” he observed, as he warmed his hands over the flame. —
然后他走近火炉。“我跋山涉水才来到这里，我向你保证。”他在火焰上暖着手时观察道。 —

“One drift took me up to the waist; happily the snow is quite soft yet.”
“某个风雪让我陷到腰部；幸运的是，雪还很松软。”

“But why are you come?” I could not forbear saying.
“但你为什么来了？”我禁不住问道。

“Rather an inhospitable question to put to a visitor; —
“对一个客人来说，这是个不太好客的问题；不过既然你问了，我简单地回答是为了和你聊聊天； —

but since you ask it, I answer simply to have a little talk with you; —
I do not hold the secret of the blocked-up vale；no human being does；though I alone know why the thing is blocked up. —

I got tired of my mute books and empty rooms. —
我厌倦了那些无声的书和空荡荡的房间。 —

Besides, since yesterday I have experienced the excitement of a person to whom a tale has been half-told, and who is impatient to hear the sequel.”
另外，自从昨天起我就感受到了一个听到一半故事的人的兴奋，迫不及待地想要听到后续的部分。

He sat down. I recalled his singular conduct of yesterday, and really I began to fear his wits were touched. —
他坐下了。我想起他昨天奇怪的行为，真的开始担心他的理智是否受到影响。 —

If he were insane, however, his was a very cool and collected insanity: —
如果他疯了，那么他的疯狂是非常冷静和镇定的。 —

I had never seen that handsome-featured face of his look more like chiselled marble than it did just now, as he put aside his snow-wet hair from his forehead and let the firelight shine free on his pale brow and cheek as pale, where it grieved me to discover the hollow trace of care or sorrow now so plainly graved. —
他那英俊的面容从来没有像现在这样像被刻成大理石一样，他把湿漉漉的头发梳到一边，让火光自由地照在他苍白的额头和惋惜地发现那里明显刻上了伤感或忧伤的痕迹的脸颊上。 —

I waited, expecting he would say something I could at least comprehend; —
我等着，期望他会说些我至少能理解的话； —

but his hand was now at his chin, his finger on his lip: he was thinking. —
但是他的手现在放在下巴，手指放在嘴唇上，他正在思考。 —

It struck me that his hand looked wasted like his face. —
我觉得他的手看起来像他的脸一样消瘦。 —

A perhaps uncalled-for gush of pity came over my heart: —
我不禁感到一阵怜悯之情涌上心头。 —

I was moved to say—
我感动地说道——

“I wish Diana or Mary would come and live with you: —
“我希望戴安娜或玛丽能和你一起住； —

it is too bad that you should be quite alone; —
你一个人可真可惜； —

and you are recklessly rash about your own health.”
你对自己的健康太冒险了。”

“Not at all,” said he: “I care for myself when necessary. —
“哪里，”他说，“我必要时会照顾自己的。 —

I am well now. What do you see amiss in me?”
我现在很好。你觉得我有什么问题吗？”

This was said with a careless, abstracted indifference, which showed that my solicitude was, at least in his opinion, wholly superfluous. I was silenced.
他说这话时带着漫不经心、心不在焉的态度，似乎对我所关心的毫不在意。我不再说话。

He still slowly moved his finger over his upper lip, and still his eye dwelt dreamily on the glowing grate; —
他仍然缓慢地在上唇上抚摸着，目光依然迷离地注视着炽热的炉火； —

thinking it urgent to say something, I asked him presently if he felt any cold draught from the door, which was behind him.
“想找个话题，我马上问他，你感觉门后有没有冷风。”

“No, no!” he responded shortly and somewhat testily.
“没有，没有！”他有些生硬地回答道。

“Well,” I reflected, “if you won’t talk, you may be still; —
“好吧，”我心想，“你不想说话，那你就安静点吧； —

I’ll let you alone now, and return to my book.”
我现在把你放下，继续读我的书。”

So I snuffed the candle and resumed the perusal of “Marmion.” He soon stirred; —
于是我掐灭蜡烛，继续阅读《马米翁》。他很快动了一下； —

my eye was instantly drawn to his movements; —
我的注意力立刻被他的动作吸引住； —

he only took out a morocco pocket-book, thence produced a letter, which he read in silence, folded it, put it back, relapsed into meditation. —
他只拿出一个摩洛哥皮夹，从中拿出一封信，静静地阅读了起来，然后折叠好放回去，沉思了起来。 —

It was vain to try to read with such an inscrutable fixture before me; —
面对这个难以揣摩的人，我试图阅读是徒劳的； —

nor could I, in impatience, consent to be dumb; —
我不愿沉默下去，对他说话他可能会拒绝，但我必须开口。 —

he might rebuff me if he liked, but talk I would.
你最近听到戴安娜和玛丽的消息吗？

“Have you heard from Diana and Mary lately?”
自从一个星期前给你看的那封信以来，没有了其他消息。

“Not since the letter I showed you a week ago.”
你的安排没有发生变化吧？

“There has not been any change made about your own arrangements? —
你不会被提前召回离开英格兰吧？ —

You will not be summoned to leave England sooner than you expected?”
我真的不敢指望这样的好事会发生在我身上。

“I fear not, indeed: such chance is too good to befall me. —
至此为止无功而返，我改变了话题。我开始谈论学校和我的学生们。 —

” Baffled so far, I changed my ground. I bethought myself to talk about the school and my scholars.
玛丽·加里特的母亲好些了，她今天早上回到了学校，下周我还会有四个新学生来自锻造坊附近，本来他们今天就应该来的，可惜下雪了。

“Mary Garrett’s mother is better, and Mary came back to the school this morning, and I shall have four new girls next week from the Foundry Close—they would have come to-day but for the snow.”
真的吗？

“Indeed!”
奥利弗先生付两个人的学费。

“Mr. Oliver pays for two.”
是吗？

“Does he?”
他付吗？

“He means to give the whole school a treat at Christmas.”
“他打算在圣诞节给整个学校一个小礼物。”

“I know.”
“我知道。”

“Was it your suggestion?”
“是你提的建议吗？”

“No.”
“不是。”

“Whose, then?”
“那是谁的建议？”

“His daughter’s, I think.”
“我想是他的女儿的建议。”

“It is like her: she is so good-natured.”
“这很像她：她太好心了。”

“Yes.”
“是的。”

Again came the blank of a pause: the clock struck eight strokes. —
又一次出现了停顿的空白：钟声敲响了八下。 —

It aroused him; he uncrossed his legs, sat erect, turned to me.
这声音唤醒了他；他放下腿，坐直身子，转向我。

“Leave your book a moment, and come a little nearer the fire,” he said.
“把书放下一会儿，靠近火来一点，”他说。

Wondering, and of my wonder finding no end, I complied.
我感到好奇，对我的好奇心无法了结，于是我照做了。

“Half-an-hour ago,” he pursued, “I spoke of my impatience to hear the sequel of a tale: —
“半小时前，”他继续说道，”我提到了我迫不及待地想要听到故事的结局： —

on reflection, I find the matter will be better managed by my assuming the narrator’s part, and converting you into a listener. —
经过考虑，我发现通过我扮演叙述者的角色，并将你变成一个听众更加合适。 —

Before commencing, it is but fair to warn you that the story will sound somewhat hackneyed in your ears; —
在开始之前，有必要提醒你，这个故事在你的耳中听起来可能有些陈旧。 —

but stale details often regain a degree of freshness when they pass through new lips. —
但是陈旧的细节当它们经过新的嘴巴传播时往往会恢复一定的新鲜感。 —

For the rest, whether trite or novel, it is short.
对于其余的事情，无论是陈腐还是新奇，都是简短的。

“Twenty years ago, a poor curate—never mind his name at this moment—fell in love with a rich man’s daughter; —
“二十年前，一个贫穷的牧师-此刻不要在意他的名字-爱上了一个富人的女儿； —

she fell in love with him, and married him, against the advice of all her friends, who consequently disowned her immediately after the wedding. —
她也爱上了他，并且在婚礼后违背了所有朋友的建议与他结婚，因此那些朋友立即对她断绝往来。 —

Before two years passed, the rash pair were both dead, and laid quietly side by side under one slab. (I have seen their grave; —
两年不到，这对鲁莽的夫妻都去世了，安静地躺在同一块墓石下。（我曾见过他们的坟墓； —

it formed part of the pavement of a huge churchyard surrounding the grim, soot-black old cathedral of an overgrown manufacturing town in ——shire. —
它是座在一个巨大教堂周围的庄严、墨黑的庄严的墓地的一部分，那里是一个过度发展的制造业城镇在——郡。 —

) They left a daughter, which, at its very birth, Charity received in her lap—cold as that of the snow-drift I almost stuck fast in to-night. —
）他们留下了一个女儿，在她刚出生时，慈善把她接到她的怀里，就像我今晚险些陷进的雪堆一样冷。 —

Charity carried the friendless thing to the house of its rich maternal relations; —
慈善把这个无依无靠的孩子带到她富有的母亲亲戚家里； —

it was reared by an aunt-in-law, called (I come to names now) Mrs. Reed of Gateshead. —
它是由一个姑姑养大的，姑姑的名字叫（我现在要说名字了）盖茨黑德的里德夫人。 —

You start—did you hear a noise? I daresay it is only a rat scrambling along the rafters of the adjoining schoolroom: —
你开始了——你听到了什么声音吗？我敢说那只是一只老鼠在旁边教室的横梁上爬动。 —

it was a barn before I had it repaired and altered, and barns are generally haunted by rats. —
那是一个修理和改建之前的谷仓，而谷仓通常会有老鼠出没。 —

—To proceed. Mrs. Reed kept the orphan ten years: —
继续说下去。里德夫人养活了这个孤儿十年。 —

whether it was happy or not with her, I cannot say, never having been told; —
它在她那里是幸福还是不幸福，我不知道，因为从来没有人告诉过我。 —

but at the end of that time she transferred it to a place you know—being no other than Lowood School, where you so long resided yourself. —
但在那段时间结束后，她把它送到了一个你知道的地方——那就是你曾住过的洛伍德学校。 —

It seems her career there was very honourable: —
在那里，它的事业非常光荣。 —

from a pupil, she became a teacher, like yourself—really it strikes me there are parallel points in her history and yours—she left it to be a governess: —
从一个学生，她成为了一位老师，就像你一样，真的，我觉得你们的经历有些相似之处——她离开了学校去当一个女家庭教师。 —

there, again, your fates were analogous; —
这里又是一样，你们的命运有些相似。 —

she undertook the education of the ward of a certain Mr. Rochester.”
她接受了一个叫罗切斯特先生的当地人的孩子的教育。

“Mr. Rivers!” I interrupted.
“里弗斯先生！”我打断道。

“I can guess your feelings,” he said, “but restrain them for a while: I have nearly finished; —
“我能猜到你的感受，”他说，“但请暂时控制住它们：我差不多快说完了； —

hear me to the end. Of Mr. Rochester’s character I know nothing, but the one fact that he professed to offer honourable marriage to this young girl, and that at the very altar she discovered he had a wife yet alive, though a lunatic. —
请听我说到最后。关于罗切斯特先生的品格，我一无所知，除了一个事实，就是他声称要与这个年轻女孩结婚，并且在婚礼仪式上她发现他还有一位活着的妻子，尽管是个疯子。 —

What his subsequent conduct and proposals were is a matter of pure conjecture; —
他随后的行为和提议是纯粹的猜测； —

but when an event transpired which rendered inquiry after the governess necessary, it was discovered she was gone—no one could tell when, where, or how. —
但当一个必须追查这位女家庭教师的事件发生时，发现她已经离开了——没有人知道她是何时、何地或以何种方式离开。 —

She had left Thornfield Hall in the night; every research after her course had been vain: —
她是在夜间离开索恩菲尔德庄园的；对她行踪的一切调查都是徒劳的： —

the country had been scoured far and wide; —
广泛搜寻了整个乡村； —

no vestige of information could be gathered respecting her. —
没有获得任何关于她的线索。 —

Yet that she should be found is become a matter of serious urgency: —
然而，她被找到已经变成了一个十分紧迫的问题： —

advertisements have been put in all the papers; —
各大报纸上都刊登了广告； —

I myself have received a letter from one Mr. Briggs, a solicitor, communicating the details I have just imparted. —
我本人收到了一封来自某个名叫布里格斯先生的律师的信，信中传达了我刚才传达的细节。 —

Is it not an odd tale?”
这难道不是一个奇怪的故事吗？

“Just tell me this,” said I, “and since you know so much, you surely can tell it me—what of Mr. Rochester? —
“告诉我这个，”我说，“既然你知道这么多，你肯定能告诉我——罗切斯特先生怎么样了？ —

How and where is he? What is he doing? Is he well?”
他在哪里？他在做什么？他身体好吗？”

“I am ignorant of all concerning Mr. Rochester: —
“我对罗切斯特先生一无所知： —

the letter never mentions him but to narrate the fraudulent and illegal attempt I have adverted to. —
信中并没有提到他，只是叙述了我所提到的欺诈和非法的企图。 —

You should rather ask the name of the governess—the nature of the event which requires her appearance.”
你应该问问这位女家庭教师的名字——需要她出现的事件的性质。”

“Did no one go to Thornfield Hall, then? Did no one see Mr. Rochester?”
“那没人去索恩菲尔德庄园吗？没人见到过罗切斯特先生吗？”

“I suppose not.”
“我想没有。”

“But they wrote to him?”
“但他们给他写信了吧？”

“Of course.”
“当然。”

“And what did he say? Who has his letters?”
“他怎么说？他的信在谁手里？”

“Mr. Briggs intimates that the answer to his application was not from Mr. Rochester, but from a lady: —
“布里格斯先生暗示，回复他的申请的并不是罗切斯特先生，而是一个女士： —

it is signed ‘Alice Fairfax.’”
信上签名的是‘爱丽丝·费尔法克斯’。”

I felt cold and dismayed: my worst fears then were probably true: —
我感到寒冷和沮丧：那时我最担心的恐怕是真的： —

he had in all probability left England and rushed in reckless desperation to some former haunt on the Continent. —
他很有可能离开了英国，匆忙地冲向了大陆上的某个曾经的聚会场所。 —

And what opiate for his severe sufferings—what object for his strong passions—had he sought there? —
他在那里寻找的是什么镇痛剂来缓解严重的痛苦，他热情的目标是什么？ —

I dared not answer the question. Oh, my poor master—once almost my husband—whom I had often called “my dear Edward!”
我不敢回答这个问题。哦，可怜的主人——曾经几乎是我的丈夫——我常常称之为“我亲爱的爱德华！”

“He must have been a bad man,” observed Mr. Rivers.
“他一定是个坏人，”里弗斯先生观察到。

“You don’t know him—don’t pronounce an opinion upon him,” I said, with warmth.
“你不了解他——不要对他发表意见，”我热情地说道。

“Very well,” he answered quietly: “and indeed my head is otherwise occupied than with him: —
“好吧，”他平静地回答道：“我的头脑除了他之外还有别的事情:我得完成我的故事。既然你不会问家庭教师的名字，我就必须自己说出来。 —

I have my tale to finish. Since you won’t ask the governess’s name, I must tell it of my own accord. —
等一下！我把它带在这里——总是更令人满意的看到重要的事情写下来，确实写在白纸黑字上。” —

Stay! I have it here—it is always more satisfactory to see important points written down, fairly committed to black and white.”
口袋里的记事本再次被认真地取出来，打开，翻找；

And the pocket-book was again deliberately produced, opened, sought through; —
我必须自己说出来。 —

from one of its compartments was extracted a shabby slip of paper, hastily torn off: —
从其中一个隔间中拿出了一张破烂的纸条，被匆忙地撕下来。 —

I recognised in its texture and its stains of ultra-marine, and lake, and vermillion, the ravished margin of the portrait-cover. —
我通过它的质感和大理石和湖蓝色、朱红色的污渍，认出了被撕下的封面边缘。 —

He got up, held it close to my eyes: and I read, traced in Indian ink, in my own handwriting, the words “JANE EYRE”—the work doubtless of some moment of abstraction.
他站起身，把它靠近我的眼睛：我读出了用墨水在上面书写的、用我自己的笔迹写下的“简·爱尔”这几个字，无疑是某个心不在焉的时刻留下的作品。

“Briggs wrote to me of a Jane Eyre:” he said, “the advertisements demanded a Jane Eyre: —
“布里格斯给我写过关于一个“简·爱尔”的信”，他说：”广告上要求找一个“简·爱尔”。 —

I knew a Jane Elliott.—I confess I had my suspicions, but it was only yesterday afternoon they were at once resolved into certainty. —
我认识一个简·埃利奥特。我承认我有些怀疑，但直到昨天下午我才得到证实。 —

You own the name and renounce the alias?”
你承认这个名字并放弃那个“化名”？

“Yes—yes; but where is Mr. Briggs? He perhaps knows more of Mr. Rochester than you do.”
“是的，是的，但是布里格斯先生在哪里呢？他也许比你更了解罗切斯特先生。”

“Briggs is in London. I should doubt his knowing anything at all about Mr. Rochester; —
“布里格斯先生在伦敦。我怀疑他对罗切斯特先生一无所知； —

it is not in Mr. Rochester he is interested. —
他对罗切斯特先生没有兴趣。 —

Meantime, you forget essential points in pursuing trifles: —
与此同时，你在追寻些无关紧要的事情时忽略了重要的要点。 —

you do not inquire why Mr. Briggs sought after you—what he wanted with you.”
你没有询问布里格斯先生为什么追求你——他想要你做什么。”

“Well, what did he want?”
“嗯，他想要什么？”

“Merely to tell you that your uncle, Mr. Eyre of Madeira, is dead; —
“只是告诉你，你的叔叔，马德拉的爱尔先生，去世了； —

that he has left you all his property, and that you are now rich—merely that—nothing more.”
他把所有财产都留给了你，现在你很富有—只是这样—没有别的。”

“I!—rich?”
“我！—富有？”

“Yes, you, rich—quite an heiress.”
“是的，你，富有—是个相当大的继承人。”

Silence succeeded.
沉默随之而来。

“You must prove your identity of course,” resumed St. John presently: —
“你当然必须证明你的身份，” 然后圣约翰继续说道： —

“a step which will offer no difficulties; you can then enter on immediate possession. —
“这一步不会有任何困难；然后你可以立即开始享受财产。 —

Your fortune is vested in the English funds; —
你的财产被存放在英国基金中； —

Briggs has the will and the necessary documents.”
布里格斯手中有遗嘱和必要的文件。”

Here was a new card turned up! It is a fine thing, reader, to be lifted in a moment from indigence to wealth—a very fine thing; —
这是一张新的牌面！读者，一瞬间从贫穷到富有，这是一件很好的事情—非常棒； —

but not a matter one can comprehend, or consequently enjoy, all at once. —
但不是一个能够一下子理解或享受的事情。 —

And then there are other chances in life far more thrilling and rapture-giving: —
而且生活中还有其他更刺激和令人陶醉的机会： —

this is solid, an affair of the actual world, nothing ideal about it: —
这是实实在在的，是与现实世界有关的事情，没有任何理想的成分在其中： —

all its associations are solid and sober, and its manifestations are the same. —
所有的关联都是稳固而冷静的，它的表现也是如此。 —

One does not jump, and spring, and shout hurrah! at hearing one has got a fortune; —
当听说自己得到了一笔财富，人们不会跳起来，欢呼雀跃； —

one begins to consider responsibilities, and to ponder business; —
人们开始考虑责任，并思考生意； —

on a base of steady satisfaction rise certain grave cares, and we contain ourselves, and brood over our bliss with a solemn brow.
在稳定的满足感基础上，一些庄重的忧虑浮现出来，我们内心感到自制，以庄重的眉头默默思索着我们的幸福；

Besides, the words Legacy, Bequest, go side by side with the words, Death, Funeral. —
除此之外，遗产、遗赠这些词汇与死亡、葬礼这些词语并驾齐驱； —

My uncle I had heard was dead—my only relative; —
我听说我的叔叔去世了——他是我唯一的亲戚； —

ever since being made aware of his existence, I had cherished the hope of one day seeing him: —
自从我知道他的存在，我一直怀着希望有朝一日能见到他： —

now, I never should. And then this money came only to me: —
现在，我永远见不到他了。而这笔钱只属于我： —

not to me and a rejoicing family, but to my isolated self. It was a grand boon doubtless; —
不是属于我和一个欢乐的家庭，而只属于孤独的我。这无疑是一大恩惠； —

and independence would be glorious—yes, I felt that—that thought swelled my heart.
独立将是辉煌的——是的，我感受到了那种思想涌动在心中；

“You unbend your forehead at last,” said Mr. Rivers. —
“你终于放松了额头。”里弗斯先生说。 —

“I thought Medusa had looked at you, and that you were turning to stone. —
“我以为美杜莎注视着你，你正在变成石头。 —

Perhaps now you will ask how much you are worth?”
或许现在你会问自己值多少钱？”

“How much am I worth?”
“我值多少钱？”

“Oh, a trifle! Nothing of course to speak of—twenty thousand pounds, I think they say—but what is that?”
“哦，区区一点小事！当然没什么大不了的——据说是二万英镑，但那算什么呢？”

“Twenty thousand pounds?”
“二万英镑？”

Here was a new stunner—I had been calculating on four or five thousand. —
这真是个全新的震惊——我一直在估计四五千。 —

This news actually took my breath for a moment: —
这个消息实际上让我屏住了呼吸一会儿： —

Mr. St. John, whom I had never heard laugh before, laughed now.
圣约翰先生，我以前从未听过他笑过，现在却在笑了。

“Well,” said he, “if you had committed a murder, and I had told you your crime was discovered, you could scarcely look more aghast.”
“哦，”他说道，“如果你犯了谋杀罪，我告诉你你的罪行已被发现，你就几乎不可能看起来更惊恐。”

“It is a large sum—don’t you think there is a mistake?”
“这可是一大笔款项——难道你觉得有错误吗？”

“No mistake at all.”
“完全没有错误。”

“Perhaps you have read the figures wrong—it may be two thousand!”
“也许你读错了数字——可能是两千！”

“It is written in letters, not figures,—twenty thousand.”
“是用文字写的，而不是数字——二万。”

I again felt rather like an individual of but average gastronomical powers sitting down to feast alone at a table spread with provisions for a hundred. —
我又感觉自己有些像一位口味普通的人独自坐在一张摆满了一百人份食物的餐桌前享用。 —

Mr. Rivers rose now and put his cloak on.
里弗斯先生现在站起身穿上了他的斗篷。

“If it were not such a very wild night,” he said, “I would send Hannah down to keep you company: —
“如果今晚不是如此狂风暴雨的话，”他说，“我会派汉娜下去陪你： —

you look too desperately miserable to be left alone. But Hannah, poor woman! —
你看起来太绝望了，不该将你一个人留下来。但是，汉娜，可怜的女人！ —

could not stride the drifts so well as I: her legs are not quite so long: —
在穿越雪堆时，她的步伐没有我那么好：她的腿不如我那么长。 —

so I must e’en leave you to your sorrows. Good-night.”
所以，我只好让你继续忧伤。晚安。

He was lifting the latch: a sudden thought occurred to me.
他正在拉门闩，我突然想到一个念头。

“Stop one minute!” I cried.
“等一分钟！”我喊道。

“Well?”
“什么事？”

“It puzzles me to know why Mr. Briggs wrote to you about me; —
“不明白为什么布里格斯先生给你写信关于我； —

or how he knew you, or could fancy that you, living in such an out-of-the-way place, had the power to aid in my discovery.”
或者他是怎么认识你，又或者他如何想象你，住在这样一个偏僻的地方，有助于我的发现。”

“Oh! I am a clergyman,” he said; “and the clergy are often appealed to about odd matters. —
“哦！我是一名牧师，”他说，“牧师经常被请教一些奇怪的事情。” —

” Again the latch rattled.
门闩再次发出咔嗒声。

“No; that does not satisfy me!” I exclaimed: —
“不，这不能让我满意！”我大声说道。 —

and indeed there was something in the hasty and unexplanatory reply which, instead of allaying, piqued my curiosity more than ever.
的确，他那匆忙而没有解释性的回答，不但没有平息我的好奇心，反而激起了我更大的兴趣。

“It is a very strange piece of business,” I added; “I must know more about it.”
“这是非常奇怪的事情，”我补充道，“我必须了解更多。”

“Another time.”
“以后再说。”

“No; to-night!—to-night!” and as he turned from the door, I placed myself between it and him. —
“不，今晚！——今晚！”当他转身离开门时，我站在门和他之间。 —

He looked rather embarrassed.
他显得有点尴尬。

“You certainly shall not go till you have told me all,” I said.
“在告诉我全部之前，你绝对不能走。”我说。

“I would rather not just now.”
“我现在不想说。”

“You shall!—you must!”
“你必须！——你必须！”

“I would rather Diana or Mary informed you.”
“我宁愿由戴安娜或玛丽告诉你。”

Of course these objections wrought my eagerness to a climax: —
当然，这些反对意见让我的渴望达到了顶点：它必须得到满足，而且不能拖延；我告诉他了这一点。 —

gratified it must be, and that without delay; and I told him so.
“但是我告诉过你，我是一个固执的人，难以被说服。”他说。

“But I apprised you that I was a hard man,” said he, “difficult to persuade.”
“而且我是一个顽强的女人，不可能被拖延。”

“And I am a hard woman,—impossible to put off.”
“而且我是一个顽强的女人，不可能被拖延。”

And I am a hard woman,—impossible to put off
“而且我是一个顽强的女人，不可能被拖延。”

“And then,” he pursued, “I am cold: no fervour infects me.”
“然后，”他继续说，“我很冷静：没有热情感染我。”

“Whereas I am hot, and fire dissolves ice. —
“而我是热情的，火能融化冰。” —

The blaze there has thawed all the snow from your cloak; —
那里的火光融化了你披风上的所有雪花；同样的道理，它流到了我的地板上，在那里像踩过的街道一样。 —

by the same token, it has streamed on to my floor, and made it like a trampled street. —
那里的火光融化了你披风上的所有雪花；同样的道理，它流到了我的地板上，在那里像踩过的街道一样。 —

As you hope ever to be forgiven, Mr. Rivers, the high crime and misdemeanour of spoiling a sanded kitchen, tell me what I wish to know.”
希望您能得到宽恕，里弗斯先生，您犯了弄脏砂岩厨房的重罪与轻罪，请告诉我我想知道的事情。

“Well, then,” he said, “I yield; if not to your earnestness, to your perseverance: —
“那好吧，”他说，“我屈服了；如果不是因为你的热情，那就是因为你的坚持不懈：就像水滴石穿一样。另外，你必须知道，有一天你会知道的，现在知道也好。” —

as stone is worn by continual dropping. Besides, you must know some day,—as well now as later. —
你的名字是简·爱尔吗？ —

Your name is Jane Eyre?”
“当然：这一切都在之前就定下来了。”

“Of course: that was all settled before.”
“也许你不知道，我和你的名字一样？

“You are not, perhaps, aware that I am your namesake? —
我叫圣·约翰·爱尔·里弗斯。” —

—that I was christened St. John Eyre Rivers?”
“不，真的吗！我现在回想起来曾看到过你的名字缩写中包含字母E，你以前借给我的书上有写过；

“No, indeed! I remember now seeing the letter E. comprised in your initials written in books you have at different times lent me; —
但我从没问过它代表什么名字。 —

but I never asked for what name it stood. —
那又怎样？当然——” —

But what then? Surely—”
我停住了：我无法相信自己去思考，更不用说表达这个突然冲上心头的，确凿的可能性。

I stopped: I could not trust myself to entertain, much less to express, the thought that rushed upon me—that embodied itself,—that, in a second, stood out a strong, solid probability. —
情形逐渐交织、衔接，渐渐地变得有条不紊： —

Circumstances knit themselves, fitted themselves, shot into order: —
将事情自圆其说，一目了然。 —

the chain that had been lying hitherto a formless lump of links was drawn out straight,—every ring was perfect, the connection complete. —
到目前为止，原先无形的链条从中拉直，每个环都完美无缺，连接完整。 —

I knew, by instinct, how the matter stood, before St. John had said another word; —
在St. John又说出一个字之前，我凭直觉知道事情的真相。 —

but I cannot expect the reader to have the same intuitive perception, so I must repeat his explanation.
但我不能指望读者有同样的直觉洞察力，所以我必须重复他的解释。

“My mother’s name was Eyre; she had two brothers; —
“我母亲的名字叫做Eyre，她有两个兄弟； —

one a clergyman, who married Miss Jane Reed, of Gateshead; —
一个是牧师，娶了Gateshead的简·里德小姐； —

the other, John Eyre, Esq., merchant, late of Funchal, Madeira. —
另一个是商人约翰·Eyre先生，曾在马德拉的丰沙尔担任职务。 —

Mr. Briggs, being Mr. Eyre’s solicitor, wrote to us last August to inform us of our uncle’s death, and to say that he had left his property to his brother the clergyman’s orphan daughter, overlooking us, in consequence of a quarrel, never forgiven, between him and my father. —
布里格斯先生是Eyre先生的律师，去年八月写信告诉我们我们叔叔去世了，并说他把财产留给了兄弟牧师的孤女，而忽视了我们，原因是叔叔与我父亲之间有一场永远不能宽恕的争吵。 —

He wrote again a few weeks since, to intimate that the heiress was lost, and asking if we knew anything of her. —
他在几周前又写信说继承人失踪了，问我们是否知道她的消息。 —

A name casually written on a slip of paper has enabled me to find her out. —
一张写着随意名字的纸条让我找到了她。 —

You know the rest.” Again he was going, but I set my back against the door.
你知道剩下的部分。”他又要走了，但是我把背靠在门上。

“Do let me speak,” I said; “let me have one moment to draw breath and reflect. —
“让我说话吧，”我说，“给我一刻钟喘口气和思考。 —

” I paused—he stood before me, hat in hand, looking composed enough. I resumed—
”我停了下来-他站在我面前，手里拿着帽子，显得很沉着。我接着说-

“Your mother was my father’s sister?”
“你的母亲是我父亲的妹妹吗？

“Yes.”
“是的。”

“My aunt, consequently?”
“所以你是我的姑姑？”

He bowed.
他点了点头。

“My uncle John was your uncle John? You, Diana, and Mary are his sister’s children, as I am his brother’s child?”
“我大伯约翰也是你的大伯约翰吗？你们三个，戴安娜和玛丽，是他妹妹的孩子，就像我是他兄弟的孩子？”

“Undeniably.”
“无可否认。”

“You three, then, are my cousins; half our blood on each side flows from the same source?”
“那么你们三个是我的表兄弟姐妹；我们双方的血都来自同一个源头？”

“We are cousins; yes.”
“我们是表兄弟姐妹；是的。”

I surveyed him. It seemed I had found a brother: one I could be proud of,—one I could love; —
我审视着他。似乎我找到了一个兄弟 - 一个我可以自豪的人，一个我可以爱的人； —

and two sisters, whose qualities were such, that, when I knew them but as mere strangers, they had inspired me with genuine affection and admiration. —
还有两个姐妹，他们的品质是如此的出色，以至于当我只是把她们当做陌生人认识时，她们就激发了我真挚的情感和钦佩之情。 —

The two girls, on whom, kneeling down on the wet ground, and looking through the low, latticed window of Moor House kitchen, I had gazed with so bitter a mixture of interest and despair, were my near kinswomen; —
看着跪在湿滑的地面上，透过摩尔别墅厨房的低状窗户凝视的那两个女孩，是我近亲； —

and the young and stately gentleman who had found me almost dying at his threshold was my blood relation. —
发现我几乎奄奄一息地躺在他门口的那位年轻而威严的绅士，是我的血亲； —

Glorious discovery to a lonely wretch! This was wealth indeed!—wealth to the heart! —
孤独的可怜人，这是一个了不起的发现！这真的是财富！——心灵的财富！ —

—a mine of pure, genial affections. This was a blessing, bright, vivid, and exhilarating; —
——纯净的、充满活力的感情之矿。这是个美妙的福祉，鲜明而令人振奋； —

—not like the ponderous gift of gold: rich and welcome enough in its way, but sobering from its weight. —
——不像沉重的黄金礼物：在某种程度上是丰厚而令人欢迎的，但因其重量而让人冷静。 —

I now clapped my hands in sudden joy—my pulse bounded, my veins thrilled.
现在我兴奋得拍着手，脉搏猛跳，血液激荡。

“Oh, I am glad!—I am glad!” I exclaimed.
“哦，我很高兴！——我很高兴！”我喊道。

St. John smiled. “Did I not say you neglected essential points to pursue trifles?” he asked. —
圣约翰笑了。“我不是说过你忽略了重要的事情只是追求些小事吗？”他问道。 —

“You were serious when I told you you had got a fortune; —
“当我告诉你你得到了一笔财产时，你是认真的； —

and now, for a matter of no moment, you are excited.”
现在，因为一件不重要的事情，你却兴奋起来。”

“What can you mean? It may be of no moment to you; —
“你可以意味着什么？对你来说可能无足轻重； —

you have sisters and don’t care for a cousin; but I had nobody; —
你有姐妹们，对表亲不在乎；但我一个人， —

and now three relations,—or two, if you don’t choose to be counted,—are born into my world full-grown. —
现在却多了三个亲戚——或者如果你不愿意算的话，那就两个。” —

I say again, I am glad!”
我再说一遍，我很高兴！

I walked fast through the room: I stopped, half suffocated with the thoughts that rose faster than I could receive, comprehend, settle them: —
我快步走过房间：停下来，思绪涌动得比我能理解、领会、安顿它们的速度还要快： —

—thoughts of what might, could, would, and should be, and that ere long. —
关于可能、能够、应该以及很快会发生的想法。 —

I looked at the blank wall: it seemed a sky thick with ascending stars,—every one lit me to a purpose or delight. —
我看着空白的墙壁：它看起来像一片布满星星的天空，每颗星星都给我点亮了一种目标或快乐。 —

Those who had saved my life, whom, till this hour, I had loved barrenly, I could now benefit. —
那些救过我命的人，直到现在我只是单纯地爱着他们，现在我能帮到他们。 —

They were under a yoke,—I could free them: they were scattered,—I could reunite them: —
他们被奴役着，我可以解放他们：他们被驱散了，我可以团结他们： —

the independence, the affluence which was mine, might be theirs too. Were we not four? —
我的独立、富裕也可以成为他们的。难道我们不是四个人吗？ —

Twenty thousand pounds shared equally would be five thousand each, justice—enough and to spare: —
平均分配两万英镑，每个人五千，公平—足够和充裕： —

justice would be done,—mutual happiness secured. Now the wealth did not weigh on me: —
公正将得到实现—共同的幸福将得到保障。现在这个财富不再让我感到沉重： —

now it was not a mere bequest of coin,—it was a legacy of life, hope, enjoyment.
现在它不再只是一个金币的遗赠，而是一份生活、希望、享受的遗产。

How I looked while these ideas were taking my spirit by storm, I cannot tell; —
关于这些想法如何激起我的精神，我不能说清楚； —

but I perceived soon that Mr. Rivers had placed a chair behind me, and was gently attempting to make me sit down on it. —
但很快我意识到里弗斯先生把一把椅子放在我身后，轻轻地试图让我坐在上面。 —

He also advised me to be composed; I scorned the insinuation of helplessness and distraction, shook off his hand, and began to walk about again.
他还劝我要冷静下来；我蔑视了无助和困惑的暗示，挣脱了他的手，又开始四处走动。

“Write to Diana and Mary to-morrow,” I said, “and tell them to come home directly. —
“明天写信给黛安娜和玛丽，”我说，“告诉她们立刻回家。 —

Diana said they would both consider themselves rich with a thousand pounds, so with five thousand they will do very well.”
黛安娜说拥有一千英镑时她们都会觉得自己很富有，所以有五千英镑她们会很好的。”

“Tell me where I can get you a glass of water,” said St. John; —
“告诉我哪里可以给你找到一杯水，”圣约翰说道； —

“you must really make an effort to tranquillise your feelings.”
“你必须努力平静你的情绪。”

“Nonsense! and what sort of an effect will the bequest have on you? —
“胡说八道！这笔遗赠会对你有什么影响？ —

Will it keep you in England, induce you to marry Miss Oliver, and settle down like an ordinary mortal?”
它会让你留在英格兰，让你娶奥利弗小姐，像一个普通人一样安顿下来吗？”

“You wander: your head becomes confused. —
“你迷路了：你的脑子变得混乱。 —

I have been too abrupt in communicating the news; —
我在传递这个消息时太过突然了； —

it has excited you beyond your strength.”
“它激动你超过了你的力量。”

“Mr. Rivers! you quite put me out of patience: I am rational enough; —
“里弗斯先生！你让我失去耐心了：我还是足够理性的； —

it is you who misunderstand, or rather who affect to misunderstand.”
是你误解了，或者更准确地说是你故意误解。”

“Perhaps, if you explained yourself a little more fully, I should comprehend better.”
“也许，如果你再详细解释一下，我会更好地理解。”

“Explain! What is there to explain? You cannot fail to see that twenty thousand pounds, the sum in question, divided equally between the nephew and three nieces of our uncle, will give five thousand to each? —
“解释什么？你不会不明白这笔二万英镑，就是我们叔叔的遗产，平均分给侄子和三个侄女，每人五千英镑吗？” —

What I want is, that you should write to your sisters and tell them of the fortune that has accrued to them.”
“我想要的是，你应该写信给你的姐妹们，告诉她们有了这笔财产。”

“To you, you mean.”
“你是指你自己。”

“I have intimated my view of the case: I am incapable of taking any other. —
“我已经表达了我的观点：我无法接受其他观点。” —

I am not brutally selfish, blindly unjust, or fiendishly ungrateful. —
“我并不是冷酷自私、盲目不公正或恶魔般的忘恩负义。” —

Besides, I am resolved I will have a home and connections. —
“此外，我决心要有一个家和亲属。” —

I like Moor House, and I will live at Moor House; —
“我喜欢摩尔府，我将住在摩尔府； —

I like Diana and Mary, and I will attach myself for life to Diana and Mary. It would please and benefit me to have five thousand pounds; —
我喜欢黛安娜和玛丽，并且我将一生都依附于黛安娜和玛丽。如果我有五千英镑，那将使我满意并得益; —

it would torment and oppress me to have twenty thousand; —
如果我有二万英镑，那将使我痛苦和压迫; —

which, moreover, could never be mine in justice, though it might in law. —
而且，尽管在法律上可能可以获得，但从道义上来说，那永远不会是我的。 —

I abandon to you, then, what is absolutely superfluous to me. —
因此，我将放弃对我来说绝对多余的东西。 —

Let there be no opposition, and no discussion about it; —
让我们没有反对意见，也不要进行讨论; —

let us agree amongst each other, and decide the point at once.”
我们彼此达成协议，并立即做出决定。”

“This is acting on first impulses; you must take days to consider such a matter, ere your word can be regarded as valid.”
“这是一时冲动的表现;在你的承诺能被视为有效之前，你必须花几天时间考虑这样的事情。”

“Oh! if all you doubt is my sincerity, I am easy: you see the justice of the case?”
“哦!如果你怀疑的只是我的诚意，我很容易解释:你看到了这个案子的公正性吗?”

“I do see a certain justice; but it is contrary to all custom. —
“我确实看到了某种公正性;但这与所有的习俗相违背。 —

Besides, the entire fortune is your right: my uncle gained it by his own efforts; —
此外，整个财产都是你的权利:我叔叔凭借自己的努力获得了它; —

he was free to leave it to whom he would: he left it to you. —
他有权将其留给任何人:他选择了你。 —

After all, justice permits you to keep it: —
毕竟，公正允许你留下它: —

you may, with a clear conscience, consider it absolutely your own.”
你可以光明正大地认为它完全属于你自己。”

“With me,” said I, “it is fully as much a matter of feeling as of conscience: —
“对我来说，那是感觉和良心的问题一样重要： —

I must indulge my feelings; I so seldom have had an opportunity of doing so. —
我必须追求我的感受；我很少有机会这样做。 —

Were you to argue, object, and annoy me for a year, I could not forego the delicious pleasure of which I have caught a glimpse—that of repaying, in part, a mighty obligation, and winning to myself lifelong friends.”
即使你争论、反对并困扰我一年，我也无法放弃我曾经一瞥到的美好愉悦——在某种程度上还上我巨大的恩情，并赢得终身的朋友。”

“You think so now,” rejoined St. John, “because you do not know what it is to possess, nor consequently to enjoy wealth: —
“你现在是这么想的，”圣约翰回答道，”因为你不知道拥有财富的意义，也没有机会享受财富： —

you cannot form a notion of the importance twenty thousand pounds would give you; —
你无法想象两万英镑将会给你带来的重要性； —

of the place it would enable you to take in society; —
它将使你在社会中能够担当的角色； —

of the prospects it would open to you: you cannot—”
它将为你打开的前景：你无法——”

“And you,” I interrupted, “cannot at all imagine the craving I have for fraternal and sisterly love. —
“而且，”我打断道，”你根本无法想象我对兄弟姐妹之爱的渴望。 —

I never had a home, I never had brothers or sisters; —
我从未有过家，我从未有过兄弟姐妹； —

I must and will have them now: you are not reluctant to admit me and own me, are you?”
现在我必须并且会得到它们：你不会拒绝认可我和拥有我，对吗？

“Jane, I will be your brother—my sisters will be your sisters—without stipulating for this sacrifice of your just rights.”
简，我将成为你的兄弟——我的姐妹们也将成为你的姐妹们——不会为了这种牺牲你的合法权益而加以约束。

“Brother? Yes; at the distance of a thousand leagues! Sisters? Yes; slaving amongst strangers! —
兄弟？是的；千里之外的兄弟！姐妹们？是的；在陌生人中辛苦劳作！ —

I, wealthy—gorged with gold I never earned and do not merit! You, penniless! —
我，富有——充斥着从未赚到也不值得的金钱！你，一贫如洗！ —

Famous equality and fraternisation! Close union! Intimate attachment!”
费米斯的平等和兄弟情！紧密结合！亲密依赖！

“But, Jane, your aspirations after family ties and domestic happiness may be realised otherwise than by the means you contemplate: you may marry.”
但是，简，你对家庭关系和家庭幸福的渴望可能通过其他方式实现：你可以结婚。

“Nonsense, again! Marry! I don’t want to marry, and never shall marry.”
胡说，又来了！结婚！我不想结婚，永远不会结婚。

“That is saying too much: such hazardous affirmations are a proof of the excitement under which you labour.”
那说得太过了：这种冒险的断言是你现在所受的激动的证据。

“It is not saying too much: I know what I feel, and how averse are my inclinations to the bare thought of marriage. —
这并不夸张：我知道自己的感受，以及我对婚姻这个念头多么厌恶。 —

No one would take me for love; and I will not be regarded in the light of a mere money speculation. —
没人会因为爱而接受我；我不希望被当作纯粹的金钱投资来看待。 —

And I do not want a stranger—unsympathising, alien, different from me; I want my kindred: —
而且我不想要一个陌生人，缺乏同情心，与我不同的人；我想要我的亲属： —

those with whom I have full fellow-feeling. Say again you will be my brother: —
那些我完全有共鸣的人。再说一遍你愿意成为我的兄弟： —

when you uttered the words I was satisfied, happy; —
当你说出这些话时，我感到满足，快乐； —

repeat them, if you can, repeat them sincerely.”
如果你能真诚地再次重复它们，就重复吧。”

“I think I can. I know I have always loved my own sisters; —
“我想我可以。我一直都爱着我的姐妹们； —

and I know on what my affection for them is grounded,—respect for their worth and admiration of their talents. —
我知道我对她们的感情是基于对她们价值的尊重和对她们才华的钦佩。 —

You too have principle and mind: your tastes and habits resemble Diana’s and Mary’s; —
你也有原则和智慧：你的品味和习惯与黛安娜和玛丽相似； —

your presence is always agreeable to me; —
你的存在对我来说总是令人愉快的； —

in your conversation I have already for some time found a salutary solace. —
在你的交谈中，我已经一段时间找到了一种有益的慰藉。 —

I feel I can easily and naturally make room in my heart for you, as my third and youngest sister.”
我感到我可以轻松而自然地把你放在我的心中，作为我的第三个、也是最年轻的姐妹。”

“Thank you: that contents me for to-night. Now you had better go; —
“谢谢你，今晚我满意了。现在你最好离开； —

for if you stay longer, you will perhaps irritate me afresh by some mistrustful scruple.”
如果你们再呆得久，也许会因为某种不信任而再次惹我生气。

“And the school, Miss Eyre? It must now be shut up, I suppose?”
“学校，爱尔小姐？我想这必须要关门了，是吗？”

“No. I will retain my post of mistress till you get a substitute.”
“不。在你找到替代者之前，我将继续担任校长的职务。”

He smiled approbation: we shook hands, and he took leave.
他满意地笑了笑，我们握手道别。

I need not narrate in detail the further struggles I had, and arguments I used, to get matters regarding the legacy settled as I wished. —
我不需要详细叙述我为了按照我所希望的方式解决有关遗产的事情所做的进一步努力和争辩。 —

My task was a very hard one; but, as I was absolutely resolved—as my cousins saw at length that my mind was really and immutably fixed on making a just division of the property—as they must in their own hearts have felt the equity of the intention; —
我的任务非常艰巨；但是，我坚决决定——正如我表亲们最终看到的那样，我的想法确实已经坚定不移地决定要公正地划分财产——他们必须在内心深处感到我的意图的公平性； —

and must, besides, have been innately conscious that in my place they would have done precisely what I wished to do—they yielded at length so far as to consent to put the affair to arbitration. —
并且必须在本质上意识到，在我身上，他们会做正是我所希望做的事情——他们最终同意了把这件事交给仲裁。 —

The judges chosen were Mr. Oliver and an able lawyer: both coincided in my opinion: —
被选择的评委是奥利弗先生和一位能干的律师：两人都支持我的观点。 —

I carried my point. The instruments of transfer were drawn out: —
我坚持了我的观点。转让的文件被起草出来： —

St. John, Diana, Mary, and I, each became possessed of a competency.
圣约翰，黛安娜，玛丽和我，每个人都得到了一份适量的财产。