有声名著之简爱Jene Eyer Chapter19

　　PART FOUR LIFE AT MOOR¹ HOUSE
CHAPTER NINETEEN Finding² a Home
After traveling for two days. I arrived on the moor, a huge area with grass and many hills. After the coach left, I realized that I had left my clothes inside it, and that I had no money. I was alone on the open moor! There were many white roads that went across the moor. I walked until I found a dry place to sleep under a small hill. Luckily it was a warm night, with no rain. The next day was hot and sunny, and I needed food and water, so I knew I had to find a village.
I walked sown³ one of the roads until I found a group of houses. I knocked on the doors and asked if there was any work I could do, but no one could help me. I could not beg for food, although I was extremely⁴ hungry. That night I slept outside again, but this time the air was cold. The next day I looked for work again, but there was nothing for me to do. I was now very weak from hunger. I began to wonder why I should try to stay alive, when I did not want to live.
It was getting dark again, and I was alone on the moor. Suddenly I saw a small light nearby. I guessed that the light meant there was a house, so I decided⁵ to try and find it. And finally I arrived at the house. Standing⁶ by the door, I could see into a small window. An old woman and two young ladies were sitting by the fire. The room looked so bright and clean and the women looked so kind that I decided to ask for their help. The old woman opened the door, but she would not let me speak to young ladies. She closed the door firmly, leaving me alone in the darkness and cold. I fell on to the wet doorstep, worn⁷ out and hopeless. No one would help me, and I was so miserable⁸ that I was ready to die. But the young ladies’ brother found me, when he came home a few minutes later. He brought me into the house, where the ladies gave me a meal and asked my name.
“Jane Elliott,” I replied. I did not want anybody to know who I was, or where I had come from. Finally they took me upstairs to a bedroom, and I fell into a warm , dry bed.
For three days and nights I lay in bed, tired from the awful experience at Thornfield. I hardly knew where I was. When I began to feel stronger, Hannah, the old lady, came to sit with me and told me all about the three people in the house. She had cared for them since they were children. Their family name was Rivers, and both their parents were dead. Their father, sadly and died only three weeks before this. The girls were named Diana and Mary. They had no money and had to work as governesses. Their brother, St. John, worked at the church in the nearest village. He was a Christian⁹, and very serous. The house I had found was called Moor House, and the Rivers family did not come here often.
Diana and Mary were very kind to me when I became stronger. However, their brother St. John seemed very serious and not friendly. He was young and very handsome. I knew that Diana and Mary wanted to know all about me, but they did not want to ask questions that would hurt me, so we did not talk of the past. But St. John asked me many questions. I only told him a little about myself. I said that after going to Lowood School. I became a governess for a rich family. Then an unfortunate event, that was not my fault, made me have to leave the house. That was all I would tell him. I offered to do any kind of work, such teaching¹⁰, sewing, or cleaning, so that I could make my own money. St. John very glad that I wanted to work, and promised to find me a job.

1 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

2 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

3 sown   

v.（在已播种有另一种作物的土地上）套种（晚栽作物）( undersow的过去式和过去分词 )；sow的过去分词

参考例句：

• We sowed our vegetable seed yesterday.Have you sown yours? 昨天我们播下了菜籽，你也播了吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Once you've sown, you just have to trust to luck. 播下种子后，让它听天由命长吧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 worn   

adj.用旧的，疲倦的；vbl.wear的过去分词

参考例句：

• The child's trousers have worn through at the knees.孩子裤子的膝盖处磨破了。
• My shoes are worn out.我的鞋子穿坏了。

8 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

9 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

10 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。