《简·爱》 Chapter 10 第十章（6）（在线收听）

Even when we finally retired for the night, the inevitable 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 dreaded 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 Herald 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 acting 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, frigid, 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 premises.

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 socket 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 superintendent 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 prospect 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 ascertain 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。