《简·爱》 Chapter 10 第十章（6）

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Even when we finally retired¹ for the night, the inevitable² Miss Gryce was still my companion.

甚至最后到了夜间安寝时，那位始终少不了的格丽丝小姐仍与我作伴。

We had only a short end of candle in our candlestick,

烛台上只剩下一短截蜡烛了，

and I dreaded³ lest she should talk till it was all burnt out.

我担心她会喋喋不休，直至烛灭。

Fortunately, however, the heavy supper she had eaten produced a soporific effect.

幸好那一顿饭产生了催眠的效果。

She was already snoring before I had finished undressing.

我还没有脱好衣服，她已酣声大作。

There still remained an inch of candle.

蜡烛只剩一英寸。

I now took out my letter; the seal was an initial F. .

我取出了信，封口上署着缩写F.。

I broke it; the contents were brief.

我拆开信封，发现内容十分简单。

If J.E., who advertised in the —shire Herald⁴ of last Thursday, possesses the acquirements mentioned,

如上周四在郡《先驱报》上登了广告的Ｊ.Ｅ。具备她所提及的修养，

and if she is in a position to give satisfactory references as to character and competency,

如她能为自己的品格与能力提供满意的证明人，

a situation can be offered her where there is but one pupil, a little girl, under ten years of age;

即可获得一份工作，仅需教一名学生，一个不满十岁的小女孩，

And where the salary is thirty pounds per annum.

年薪为三十英镑。

J.E. is requested to send references, name, address, and all particulars to the direction:

务请将证明人及其姓名、地址和详情寄往下列姓名和地址：

"Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield, near Millcote, —shire."

“米尔科特附近，桑菲尔德，费尔法克斯太太收。”

I examined the document long.

我把文件细看了很久。

The writing was old-fashioned and rather uncertain, like that of an elderly lady.

字体很老式，笔迹不大稳，像是一位老年妇女写的。

This circumstance was satisfactory.

这一情况倒是让人满意的。

A private fear had haunted me, that in thus acting⁵ for myself,

我曾暗自担心，我自作主张，独自行动，

and by my own guidance, I ran the risk of getting into some scrape.

会有陷入某种困境的危险。

And, above all things, I wished the result of my endeavours to be respectable, proper, en regle.

尤其是我希望自己努力得来的成果是体面的、正当的、en regle。

I now felt that an elderly lady was no bad ingredient in the business I had on hand.

我现在觉得手头的这件事涉及一位老年妇女倒是好事。

Mrs. Fairfax! I saw her in a black gown and widow's cap, frigid⁶, perhaps,

费尔法克斯太太！我想象她穿着黑色的长袍，戴着寡妇帽，也许索然无味，

but not uncivil: a model of elderly English respectability.

但井不失为一位典型的英国老派体面人物。

Thornfield! that, doubtless, was the name of her house.

桑菲尔德！毫无疑问，那是她住宅的名称。

A neat orderly spot, I was sure, though I failed in my efforts to conceive a correct plan of the premises⁷.

肯定是个整洁而井井有条的地方，尽管我无力设想这幢房子的确切结构。

Millcote, — shire. I brushed up my recollections of the map of England, yes, I saw it.

××郡的米尔科特，我重温了记忆中的英国地图。

Both the shire and the town.

不错，郡和镇都看到了。

-shire was seventy miles nearer London than the remote county where I now resided.

××郡比我现在居住的最偏远的郡，离伦敦要近七十英里。

That was a recommendation to me.

这对我来说是十分可取的。

I longed to go where there was life and movement.

我向往活跃热闹的地方。

Millcote was a large manufacturing town on the banks of the A-.

禾尔科特是个大工业城市，坐落在埃×河岸上，

A busy place enough, doubtless. So much the better.

无疑是够热闹的。这样岂不更好。

It would be a complete change at least.

至少也是个彻底的改变。

Not that my fancy was much captivated by the idea of long chimneys and clouds of smoke

倒不是我的想象被那些高高的烟囱和团团烟雾所吸引，

"but," I argued, "Thornfield will, probably, be a good way from the town."

“不过，”我争辩着，“或许桑菲尔德离镇很远呢。”

Here the socket⁸ of the candle dropped, and the wick went out.

这时残烛落入了烛台孔中，烛芯熄灭了。

Next day new steps were to be taken.

第二天我得采取一些新的措施。

My plans could no longer be confined to my own breast.

这个计划不能再闷在自己心里了。

I must impart them in order to achieve their success.

为了获得成功我必须说出口。

Having sought and obtained an audience of the superintendent⁹ during the noontide recreation,

下午娱乐活动时间，我去拜见了校长，

I told her I had a prospect¹⁰ of getting a new situation

告诉她我有可能找到一个新的职位，

where the salary would be double what I now received (for at Lowood I only got 15 pounds per annum).

薪金是我目前所得的两倍（在罗沃德我的年薪为十五镑）。

And requested she would break the matter for me to Mr. Brocklehurst, or some of the committee,

请她替我把这事透露给布罗克赫斯特先生或委员会里的某些人，

and ascertain¹¹ whether they would permit me to mention them as references.

并问明白他们是否允许我把他们作为证明人提出来。

She obligingly consented to act as mediatrix in the matter.

她一口答应充当这件事情的协调人。

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

3 dreaded   

adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
• He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》

4 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

7 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

8 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

9 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

10 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

11 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。