《简·爱》 Chapter 11 第十一章（4）

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"I'll see it carried into your room," she said, and bustled¹ out.

“我来叫人搬到你房间去，”她说着，急急忙忙走了出去。

"She treats me like a visitor," thought I.

“她把我当客人看待了，”我想。

I little expected such a reception;

我没有料到会受到这样的接待。

I anticipated only coldness and stiffness.

我所期望的只是冷漠与生硬。

This is not like what I have heard of the treatment of governesses, but I must not exult² too soon.

这不像我耳闻的家庭女教师的待遇。但我也决不能高兴得太早。

She returned, with her own hands cleared her knitting apparatus³ and a book or two from the table,

她回来了，亲自动手从桌上把她的编织工具和一两本书挪开，

to make room for the tray which Leah now brought, and then herself handed me the refreshments⁴.

为莉娅端来的托盘腾出了地方。接着她亲自把点心递给我。

I felt rather confused at being the object of more attention than I had ever before received,

我颇有些受宠若惊，我从来没有受到过这样的关心，

and, that too, shown by my employer and superior.

况且这种关心来自我的雇主和上司。

But as she did not herself seem to consider she was doing anything out of her place,

可是她似乎并不认为自己的行动有什么出格，

I thought it better to take her civilities quietly.

所以我想还是对她的礼仪采取默认态度好。

"Shall I have the pleasure of seeing Miss Fairfax tonight?"

“今晚我能见一见费尔法克斯小姐吗？”

I asked, when I had partaken of what she offered me.

我吃完了她递给我的点心后问。

"What did you say, my dear? I am a little deaf," returned the good lady, approaching her ear to my mouth.

“你说什么呀，亲爱的，我耳朵有些背。”这位好心的夫人问道，一边把耳朵凑近我的嘴巴。

I repeated the question more distinctly.

我把这个问题更清楚地重复了一遍。

Miss Fairfax? Oh, you mean Miss Varens! Varens is the name of your future pupil.

费尔法克斯小姐？噢，你的意思是瓦伦小姐！瓦伦是你要教的学生的名字。

Indeed! Then she is not your daughter?

真的，那她不是你女儿？

No, I have no family.

不是，我没有家庭。

I should have followed up my first inquiry⁵, by asking in what way Miss Varens was connected with her.

我本想接着第一个问题继续往下问，问她瓦伦小姐同她是什么关系。

But I recollected⁷ it was not polite to ask too many questions.

但转念一想，觉得问那么多问题不太礼貌。

Besides, I was sure to hear in time.

更何况，到时候我肯定会有所闻的。

"I am so glad," she continued, as she sat down opposite to me, and took the cat on her knee.

“我很高兴，”她在我对面坐下，把那只猫放到膝头，继续说。

I am so glad you are come.

我很高兴你来了。

It will be quite pleasant living here now with a companion.

现在有人作伴，住在这儿是很愉快的。

To be sure it is pleasant at any time.

当然，什么时候都很愉快。

For Thornfield is a fine old hall, rather neglected of late years perhaps, but still it is a respectable place.

桑菲尔德是一个很好的老庄园，也许近几年有些冷落，但它还是个体面的地方。

Yet you know in winter-time one feels dreary⁸ quite alone in the best quarters.

不过你知道，在冬天，即使住在最好的房子里你也会觉得孤独凄凉的。

I say alone — Leah is a nice girl to be sure, and John and his wife are very decent people.

我说孤独 — 莉娅当然是位可爱的姑娘，约翰夫妇是正派人。

But then you see they are only servants, and one can't converse⁹ with them on terms of equality.

但你知道他们不过是仆人，总不能同他们平等交谈吧。

one must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing one's authority.

你得同他们保持适当的距离、免得担心失去威信。

I 'm sure last winter (it was a very severe one, if you recollect⁶, and when it did not snow, it rained and blew) ,

确实去年冬天（如果你还记得的话，那是个很冷的冬天，不是下雪，就是刮风下雨），

not a creature but the butcher and postman came to the house, from November till February.

从十一月到今年二月，除了卖肉的和送信的，没有人到府上来过。

And I really got quite melancholy¹⁰ with sitting night after night alone.

一夜一夜地独自坐着，我真感到忧伤。

I had Leah in to read to me sometimes; but I don't think the poor girl liked the task much.

有时我让莉娅进来读些东西给我听听，不过我想这可怜姑娘并不喜欢这差使。

She felt it confining.

她觉得这挺束缚人。

In spring and summer one got on better.

春秋两季情况好些。

Sunshine and long days make such a difference.

阳光和长长的白天使得一切大不相同。

And then, just at the commencement of this autumn, little Adela Varens came and her nurse.

随后，秋季刚刚开始，小阿德拉.瓦伦和她的保姆就来了。

A child makes a house alive all at once.

一个孩子立刻使一幢房子活了起来。

And now you are here I shall be quite gay.

而现在你也来了，我会非常愉快。

1 bustled   

闹哄哄地忙乱，奔忙( bustle的过去式和过去分词 )； 催促

参考例句：

• She bustled around in the kitchen. 她在厨房里忙得团团转。
• The hostress bustled about with an assumption of authority. 女主人摆出一副权威的样子忙来忙去。

2 exult   

v.狂喜，欢腾；欢欣鼓舞

参考例句：

• Few people would not exult at the abolition of slavery.奴隶制被废除了，人们无不为之欢乐鼓舞。
• Let's exult with the children at the drawing near of Children's Day.六一儿童节到了，让我们陪着小朋友们一起欢腾。

3 apparatus   

n.装置，器械；器具，设备

参考例句：

• The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。
• They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

4 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

5 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

6 recollect   

v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得

参考例句：

• He tried to recollect things and drown himself in them.他极力回想过去的事情而沉浸于回忆之中。
• She could not recollect being there.她回想不起曾经到过那儿。

7 recollected   

adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I recollected that she had red hair. 我记得她有一头红发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His efforts, the Duke recollected many years later, were distinctly half-hearted. 据公爵许多年之后的回忆，他当时明显只是敷衍了事。 来自辞典例句

8 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

9 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。

10 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。