《简·爱》 Chapter 11 第十一章（13）

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Well, but, leaving his land out of the question, do you like him? Is he liked for himself?

哦，不过撇开他的土地不谈，你喜欢他吗？别人喜欢他本人吗？

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 tenants¹, but he has never lived much amongst them.

我相信他的佃户们都认为他是个公正大方的乡绅，不过他从来没有在他们中间生活得很久。

But has he no peculiarities³? What, in short, is his character?

但他没有跟别人不一样的地方吗？他的性格究竟怎样？

Oh! his character is unimpeachable⁴, I suppose.

啊，我想他的性格是无可指责的。

He is rather peculiar², perhaps.

也许他有些特别。

He has travelled a great deal, and seen a great deal of the world, I should think.

我想他到过很多地方，见过很多世面。

I dare say he is clever, but I never had much conversation with him.

他一定很聪明，不过我没有同他说过很多话。

In what way is he peculiar?

他在哪方面跟别人不一样呢？

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 — 不容易说清楚 — 不很突出，但他同你说话时，你感觉得出来。

You cannot be always sure whether he is in jest or earnest, whether he is pleased or the contrary.

你总是吃不准他在说笑还是当真，他是高兴，还是恰恰相反。

You don't thoroughly⁵ understand him, in short — at least, I don't.

总之，你没法彻底了解他——至少我不行。

But it is of no consequence, he is a very good master.

但这无关紧要，他是一个很好的主人。

This was all the account I got from Mrs. Fairfax of her employer and mine.

这就是我从费尔法克斯太太那儿听来，关于我们两人的雇主的全部情况。

There are people who seem to have no notion of sketching⁶ a character, or observing and describing salient points, either in persons or things.

有些人似乎不知道如何刻划一个人，不知道观察和描绘人和事的特点。

The good lady evidently belonged to this class.

这位善良的太太就属于这类人。

My queries⁷ puzzled, but did not draw her out.

我的问话使她大惑不解，却并没有掏出她的话来。

Mr. Rochester was Mr. Rochester in her eyes. A gentleman, a landed proprietor⁸ — nothing more.

在她眼里，罗切斯特先生就是罗切斯特先生。一个绅士，一位土地拥有者 — 别无其他。

She inquired and searched no further, and evidently wondered at my wish to gain a more definite notion of his identity.

她不作进一步询问和探求，显然对我希望进一步确切了解他的个性感到难以理解。

When we left the dining-room, she proposed to show me over the rest of the house.

我们离开餐厅时，她提议带我去看看房子其余的地方。

And I followed her upstairs and downstairs, admiring as I went; for all was well arranged and handsome.

我跟着她上楼下楼，一路走一路羡慕不已。一切都安排得那么妥贴，一切都那么漂亮。

The large front chambers⁹ I thought especially grand:

我想宽敞的前房特别豪华。

And some of the third-storey rooms, though dark and low, were interesting from their air of antiquity¹⁰.

还有三楼的某些房间，虽然又暗又低，但从古色古香的气派看来，还是别有情趣的。

The furniture once appropriated to the lower apartments had from time to time been removed here, as fashions changed.

一度归层次更底房间使用的家具，因为时尚的变更，逐渐搬到了这里。

And the imperfect light entering by their narrow casement¹¹ showed bedsteads of a hundred years old, chests in oak or walnut¹²,

从狭窄的窗扉投射进来的斑驳光影，映照出了有上百年历史的床架，映照出了橡树或胡桃树做的柜子，

looking, with their strange carvings¹³ of palm branches and cherubs¹⁴' heads, like types of the Hebrew ark, rows of venerable chairs, high-backed and narrow;

上面奇怪地雕刻着棕榈树枝和小天使头部，看上去很像各种希伯莱约柜，映照出了一排排历史悠久、窄小高背的椅子；

stools still more antiquated¹⁵, on whose cushioned tops were yet apparent traces of half-effaced embroideries¹⁶, wrought¹⁷ by fingers that for two generations had been coffin-dust.

映照出了更加古老的凳子，坐垫上明显留着磨损了一半的刺绣，当年做绣活的手指化为尘土已经有两代之久了。

All these relics¹⁸ gave to the third storey of Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine¹⁹ of memory.

这一切陈迹使桑菲尔德府三楼成了往昔的家园，回忆的圣地。

1 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

3 peculiarities   

n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪

参考例句：

• the cultural peculiarities of the English 英国人的文化特点
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another. 他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

4 unimpeachable   

adj.无可指责的；adv.无可怀疑地

参考例句：

• He said all five were men of unimpeachable character.他说这五个都是品格完美无缺的人。
• It is the revenge that nature takes on persons of unimpeachable character.这是自然对人品无瑕的人的报复。

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 sketching   

n.草图

参考例句：

• They are sketching out proposals for a new road. 他们正在草拟修建新路的计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "Imagination is busy sketching rose-tinted pictures of joy. “飞舞驰骋的想象描绘出一幅幅玫瑰色欢乐的场景。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

7 queries   

n.问题( query的名词复数 )；疑问；询问；问号v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的第三人称单数 )；询问

参考例句：

• Our assistants will be happy to answer your queries. 我们的助理很乐意回答诸位的问题。
• Her queries were rhetorical,and best ignored. 她的质问只不过是说说而已，最好不予理睬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 proprietor   

n.所有人；业主；经营者

参考例句：

• The proprietor was an old acquaintance of his.业主是他的一位旧相识。
• The proprietor of the corner grocery was a strange thing in my life.拐角杂货店店主是我生活中的一个怪物。

9 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

10 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

11 casement   

n.竖铰链窗；窗扉

参考例句：

• A casement is a window that opens by means of hinges at the side.竖铰链窗是一种用边上的铰链开启的窗户。
• With the casement half open,a cold breeze rushed inside.窗扉半开，凉风袭来。

12 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

13 carvings   

n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town. 贝雕是该城的特产。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 cherubs   

小天使，胖娃娃( cherub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。
• Angels, Cherubs and Seraphs-Dignity, glory and honor. 天使、小天使、六翼天使－尊严、荣耀和名誉。

15 antiquated   

adj.陈旧的，过时的

参考例句：

• Many factories are so antiquated they are not worth saving.很多工厂过于陈旧落后，已不值得挽救。
• A train of antiquated coaches was waiting for us at the siding.一列陈旧的火车在侧线上等着我们。

16 embroideries   

刺绣( embroidery的名词复数 )； 刺绣品； 刺绣法

参考例句：

• Some of the embroideries are in bold, bright colours; others are quietly elegant. 刺绣品有的鲜艳，有的淡雅。
• These embroideries permitted Annabel and Midge to play their game in the luxury of peaceful consciences. 这样加以润饰，就使安娜博尔和米吉在做这个游戏时心安理得，毫无内疚。

17 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

18 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

19 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。