牛津書蟲系列 簡愛 chapter 5

5 Mr Brocklehurst’s visit and its results

5 布魯克赫斯特先生的來訪及其后果

It was difficult for me to get used to the school rules at Lowood，and to the hard physical conditions.In January，F(xiàn)ebruary and March there was deep snow，but we still had to spend an hour outside every day.We had no boots or gloves，and my hands and feet ached badly.We were growing children，and needed more food than was provided.Sometimes the big girls bullied us little ones and made us hand over our teatime bread or evening biscuit.

我很難適應(yīng)洛伍德的校規(guī)和艱苦的生活條件。1月、2月和3月，雪積得很厚，但我們?nèi)员仨毭刻煸趹敉饣顒?dòng)一小時(shí)。我們沒有靴子和手套，我的手腳疼得很厲害。我們正在長身體，需要比供給量更多的食品。有時(shí)大孩子欺負(fù)小孩子，逼我們把下午茶、面包或晚上的餅干交給她們。

One afternoon，when I had been at Lowood for three weeks，a visitor arrived.All the teachers and pupils stood respectfully as he entered the schoolroom.I looked up.There，next to Miss Temple，stood the same black column which had frowned on me in the breakfast-room at Gateshead.I had been afraid he would come.I remembered only too well Mrs Reed’s description of my character，and the promise he had given her to warn teachers at Lowood about my wickedness.Now they would consider me a bad child for ever.

我到洛伍德三星期后的一個(gè)下午，有一個(gè)客人來了。所有的老師和學(xué)生都恭敬地站著，看他走進(jìn)教室。我抬頭一看，站在丹伯爾小姐身邊的不就是在蓋茨赫德的早餐室里對我皺眉頭的大黑柱子嘛!我就怕他來。我清清楚楚地記得里德太太就我品行所說的一番話，也記得他向她保證要提醒洛伍德的老師們我是多么壞?，F(xiàn)在她們會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)認(rèn)為我是個(gè)壞孩子了。

At first Mr Brocklehurst spoke in a murmur to Miss Temple.I could just hear because I was in the front of the class.

布魯克赫斯特先生先對丹伯爾小姐低語了幾句。因?yàn)檎驹谇芭?，我剛好能聽到一點(diǎn)兒。

’Tell the housekeeper she must count the needles，and only give out one at a time to the girls，they lose them so easily!And Miss Temple，please make sure the girls stockings are mended more carefully.Some of them have a lot of holes.’

“告訴管家她必須清點(diǎn)針數(shù)，每次只發(fā)給學(xué)生們一根針，她們太容易弄丟了。丹伯爾小姐，姑娘們的長筒襪應(yīng)該補(bǔ)得再仔細(xì)些，有的洞太多了。”

’I shall follow your instructions，sir，’said Miss Temple.

“先生，我會(huì)照辦的。”丹伯爾小姐說。

’And another thing which surprises me，I find that a lunch of bread and cheese has been served to the girls recently.Why is this?There is nothing about it in the rules!Who is responsible?’ ’I myself，sir，’answered Miss Temple.’The breakfast was so badly cooked that the girls couldn’t possibly eat it，so they were hungry.’

“還有一件事讓我奇怪，我發(fā)現(xiàn)最近孩子們吃了一頓有面包和奶酪的午飯。為什么?校規(guī)里沒這規(guī)定!誰負(fù)責(zé)任?”“先生，我本人。”丹伯爾小姐答道。“早餐做得很差。孩子們無法吃下去，所以餓著肚子。”

’Madam，listen to me for a moment.You know that I am trying to bring up these girls to be strong，patient and unselfish.If some little luxury is not available，do not replace it with something else，but tell them to be brave and suffer，like Christ Himself.Remember what the Bible says，man shall not live by bread alone，but by the word of God!Madam，when you put bread into these children’s mouths，you feed their bodies but you starve，their souls!’

“女士，你聽我說。你知道我要把這些孩子培養(yǎng)得強(qiáng)壯、耐心和無私。如果缺了點(diǎn)兒奢侈品，不要用其他東西來彌補(bǔ)，應(yīng)該告訴她們要勇敢，要像基督那樣去受苦。記錐圣經(jīng)》里的話，人不能僅靠面包活著，人要靠上帝的話活著。女士，當(dāng)你把面包放到這些孩子的嘴里時(shí)，你填飽了她們的肚子，卻給她們的心靈帶來了饑饉。”

Miss Temple did not reply.She looked straight in front of hef，and her face was as cold and hard as marble.Mr Brocklehurst，on the other hand，now looked round at the girls，and almost jumped in surprise

丹伯爾小姐沒有答話，她直視前面，臉孔如大理石般冰冷僵硬。而布魯克赫斯特先生這時(shí)卻掃視著孩子們，突然驚訝得幾乎跳起來。

’Who—what is that girl with red hair，with curls，madam，with curls everywhere?’

“這是誰?這個(gè)紅頭發(fā)女孩兒是誰?鬈發(fā)，滿頭鬈發(fā)!”

’That is Julia Severn，’said Miss Temple quietly.’Her hair curls naturally，you see.’

“她是朱麗雅·沙文。”丹伯爾小姐輕聲說。“您知道，她天生鬈發(fā)。”

’Naturally!Yes，but it is God we obey，not nature!Miss Temple，that girl’s hair must be cut off.I have said again and again that hair must be arranged modestly and plainly.I see other girls here with too much hair.Yes，I shall send someone tomorrow to cut all the girls’ hair.’

“天生!是的，可我們遵從的是上帝，而不是天性!丹伯爾小姐，必須得把那姑娘的頭發(fā)剪了。我曾反復(fù)說頭發(fā)必須梳理得簡單樸實(shí)，我看這兒的其他孩子頭發(fā)也太多了。好吧，明天我派個(gè)人來，給所有的孩子理發(fā)。”

’Mr Brocklehurst…’began Miss Temple.

“布魯克赫斯特先生……”丹伯爾小姐剛開口。

’No， Miss Temple，I insist. To please God these girls must have short， straight hair and plain， simple clothes…’

“不，丹伯爾小姐，我一定要這樣做。為了讓上帝高興，這些孩子必須只留短短的直發(fā)，穿樸素、簡單的衣服……”

He was interrupted by the arrival of three ladies，who had unfortunately not heard his comments on dress and hair.They all wore the most expensive clothes and had beautiful，long，curly hair.I heard Miss Temple greet them as the wife and daughters of Mr Brocklehurst.

他的講話被三位女士的到來打斷了，可惜她們沒有聽到他關(guān)于頭發(fā)和衣裝的高論。她們都穿著最昂貴的衣服，留著長長的美麗的鬈發(fā)。我聽到丹伯爾小姐和她們打招呼，她們是布魯克赫斯特先生的太太和女兒。

I had hoped to hide my face behind my slate while Mr Brocklehurst was talking，so that he would not recognize me，but suddenly the slate fell from my hand and broke in two on the hard floor.I knew only too well what would happen next.

他說話時(shí)，我本想把自己的臉藏到石板后，好讓他認(rèn)不出來，可是石板突然從我手中滑落，掉在地上碎成了兩片。我完全知道下面該發(fā)生什么了。

’A careless girl!’said Mr Brocklehurst quietly，almost to himself’The new girl，I see. I must not forget to say something to the whole school about her.’and then to me，aloud，

“粗心大意的孩子!”布魯克赫斯特先生輕聲說，幾乎像在自言自語。“我知道了，是新來的。我不能忘了向全校講講她的事。”然后他大聲對我說：

’Come here，child.’

“孩子，到這兒來。”

I was too frightened to move，but two big girls pushed me towards him. Miss Temple whispered kindly in my ear，’Don’t be afraid，Jane.I saw it was an accident.’Her kindness touched me，but I knew that soon she would hear the lies about me，and then she would hate me!

我害怕得動(dòng)彈不得，但兩個(gè)大女孩把我推了過去。丹伯爾小姐親切地在我耳邊悄悄說：“簡，別害怕。我看到你不是故意的。”她的好心感動(dòng)了我，可我知道她會(huì)聽到關(guān)于我的謊言，然后就會(huì)討厭我了!

’Put the child on that chair，said Mr Brocklehurst.Someone lifted me up on to a high chair，so that I was close to his nose.Frightened and shaking，I felt everyone’s eyes on me.

“讓她站在那把椅子上。”布魯克赫斯特先生說。于是有人把我抱到一把高高的椅子上，我都快碰到他的鼻子了。我害怕得發(fā)抖，覺得每個(gè)人的眼睛都在盯著我。

’You see this girl?’began the black marble column.’She is young，she books like an ordinary child.Nothing about her tells you she is evil. But she is all wickedness! Children， don’t talk to her，stay away from her.Teachers， watch her， punish her body to save her soul—if indeed she has a soul，because this Child…I can hardly say it… this child is a liar!’

“你們看到這個(gè)女孩了?”黑石頭柱子開始說話了。“她很小，看上去像個(gè)普通的孩子。從她身上看不出她是邪惡的，但她壞透了。孩子們，不要跟她說話，躲開她。老師們，監(jiān)視她，懲罰她的身體以便拯救她的靈魂——如果她有靈魂。因?yàn)檫@個(gè)孩子……我真難以啟齒……這孩子會(huì)撒謊!”

’How shocking!’said the two Brocklehurst daughters，each wiping a tear or two from their eyes.

“真叫人吃驚!”布魯克赫斯特的兩個(gè)女兒同聲說，還用手擦著眼中的一兩滴淚。

’I learned this fact，’continued the great man，’from Mrs Reed，the kind lady who took care of her after her parents’death and brought her up as a member of the family. In the end Mrs Reed was so afraid of this child’s evil influence on her own children that she had to send her here.Teachers， watch her carefully!’

這個(gè)了不起的人又說：“我是從里德太太那兒得知這一切的。這位好心的女士從她父母去世后就照顧她，把她當(dāng)作自家人一樣撫養(yǎng)。最后里德太太因?yàn)榉浅?dān)心這孩子會(huì)對自己的子女產(chǎn)生惡劣的影響，不得不把她送到這里。老師們，認(rèn)真監(jiān)督她!”

The Brocklehurst farmily stood up and moved slowly out of the schoolroom.At the door， my judge turned and said，

布魯克赫斯特一家站起來，慢慢走出教室。走到門口，我的審判者轉(zhuǎn)過身來說：

’She must stand half an hour longer on that chair， and nobody may speak to her for the rest of the day.’

“她還得在椅子上再站上半個(gè)小時(shí)，今天誰也不許同她講話。”

So there I was， high up on the chair， publicly displayed as an ugly example of evil.Feelings of shame and anger boiled up inside me，but just as I felt I could not bear it any longer，Helen Burns walked past me and lifted her eyes to mine. Her look calmed me.What a smile she had!It was an intelligent，brave smile，lighting up her thin face and her tired grey eyes.

于是我就這樣高高地站在椅子上，作為邪惡的丑惡典型示眾。我心中充滿羞愧和憤怒，我正覺得再也無法忍受時(shí)，海倫·伯恩斯從我面前走過，抬起頭來看著我。她的目光讓我平靜下來。她笑得多好!那是智慧、勇敢的微笑，映亮了她瘦削的臉頰和疲憊的灰色眼睛。

When all the girls left the schoolroom at five o’clock， I climbed down from the chair and sat on the floor.I no longer felt strong or calm， and I began to cry bitterly.I had wanted so much to make friends at Lowood， to be good， to deserve praise. Now nobody would believe me or perhaps even speak to me.Could I ever start a new life after this?

5點(diǎn)鐘，所有女孩都離開了教室。我從椅子上爬下來，坐在了地上。我再也不覺得堅(jiān)強(qiáng)和平靜了，開始放聲大哭。我曾渴望在洛伍德交朋友，做好孩子，得到表揚(yáng)，現(xiàn)在誰也不會(huì)再相信我，可能也不會(huì)再跟我說話了。我以后還能開始新生活嗎?

’Never!’I cried.’I wish I were dead!’Just then Helen arrived，bringing my coffee and bread.I was too upset to eat or drink，but she sat with me for some time， talking gently to me， wiping away my tears， and helping me to recover. When Miss Temple came to look for me， she found us sitting quietly together.

“永遠(yuǎn)不能!”我喊道。“我真希望自己死了!”正在這時(shí)海倫來了，給我拿了咖啡和面包。我難過得不想吃，也不想喝，但她陪我坐了一會(huì)兒，輕聲跟我說話，給我擦眼淚，幫助我恢復(fù)常態(tài)。丹伯爾小姐來找我時(shí)，看到我們倆正靜靜地坐在一起。

’Gome up to my room，both of you，’she said.

“到我房間里來，倆人都來。”她說。

We went to her warm，comfortable room upstairs.

我們來到她樓上溫暖、舒適的房間。

’Now tell me the truth， Jane，’she said.’You have been accused， and you must have the chance to defend yourself.’

“簡，現(xiàn)在跟我說實(shí)話。”她說。“你受到指責(zé)，必須有機(jī)會(huì)為自己辯護(hù)。”

And so I told her the whole story of my lonely childhood with the Reed family，and of my terrible experience in the red room.

于是我向她講述了我在里德家度過的孤獨(dú)的童年，以及在紅房子里的可怕經(jīng)歷。

’I know Dr Lloyd，who saw you when you were ill，’she said.’I’ll write to him and see if he agrees with what you say.If he does，I shall publicly tell the school you are not a liar.I believe you now，Jane.’And she kissed me.She turned to Helen.

“我認(rèn)識(shí)你生病時(shí)去看你的洛依德先生。”她說。“我會(huì)寫信給他，看他是否同意你的說法。如果他同意，我將公開告訴全校，你沒撒謊。簡，現(xiàn)在我相信你了。”她吻了我，然后轉(zhuǎn)向海倫。

’How are you tonight， Helen? Have you coughed a lot today?’

“海倫，你今晚怎么樣?今天咳得厲害嗎?”

’Not very much，ma’am.’

“不厲害，太太。”

’And the pain in your chest?’

“胸口還疼嗎?”

’It’s a little better，I think.’

“我覺得好點(diǎn)兒了。”

Miss Temple examined Helen carefully，and sighed a little Then she gave us some tea and toast.For a while I felt I was in heaven，eating and drinking in the warm，pretty room，with kind Miss Temple and Helen.

丹伯爾小姐端詳著海倫，嘆了口氣。然后她讓我們喝茶，吃烤面包片。一時(shí)間我覺得自己到了天堂，在溫暖、漂亮的房子里，和善良的丹伯爾小姐還有海倫一起又吃又喝。

But when we reached our bedroom，Miss Scatcherd was checking the drawers.

但是當(dāng)我們到教室時(shí)，斯蓋查德小姐正在檢查抽屜。

’Burns!’she said.’Yours is far too untidy!Tomorrow，all day， you will wear a notice on your forehead saying UN-TIDY!’

“伯恩斯!”她說。“你的抽屜太亂了!明天一天，你必須在腦門上貼上一個(gè)字——亂!”

Helen said Miss Scatcherd was quite right，and wore the notice all the next day But I was furious，and at the end of the afternoon，tore it off her head and threw it in the fire.

海倫說斯蓋查德小姐一點(diǎn)兒沒錯(cuò)，第二天果然貼上了字條。但是，我氣憤極了，傍晚，我把字條從她頭上揪下來，扔進(jìn)了火里。

When Miss Temple received a letter from Dr Lloyd，agreeing that what I had said was true，she told the whole school that I had been wrongly accused and was not a liar From that moment，I felt I was accepted，and set to work to learn as much as I could，and make as many friends as possible.

丹伯爾小姐收到了洛依德醫(yī)生的回信，同意我說的是實(shí)情。于是她向全校宣布我被錯(cuò)怪了，我不是個(gè)撒謊的人。從那一刻起，我覺得自己被接受了，開始努力學(xué)習(xí)，廣交朋友。