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Even when we finally retired for the night, the inevitable Miss Gryce was still my companion.
甚至最后到了夜間安寢時，那位始終少不了的格麗絲小姐仍與我作伴。
We had only a short end of candle in our candlestick,
燭臺上只剩下一短截蠟燭了，
and I dreaded lest she should talk till it was all burnt out.
我擔心她會喋喋不休，直至燭滅。
Fortunately, however, the heavy supper she had eaten produced a soporific effect.
幸好那一頓飯產生了催眠的效果。
She was already snoring before I had finished undressing.
我還沒有脫好衣服，她已酣聲大作。
There still remained an inch of candle.
蠟燭只剩一英寸。
I now took out my letter; the seal was an initial F. .
我取出了信，封口上署著縮寫F.。
I broke it; the contents were brief.
我拆開信封，發現內容十分簡單。
If J.E., who advertised in the —shire Herald of last Thursday, possesses the acquirements mentioned,
如上周四在郡《先驅報》上登了廣告的Ｊ.Ｅ。具備她所提及的修養，
and if she is in a position to give satisfactory references as to character and competency,
如她能為自己的品格與能力提供滿意的證明人，
a situation can be offered her where there is but one pupil, a little girl, under ten years of age;
即可獲得一份工作，僅需教一名學生，一個不滿十歲的小女孩，
And where the salary is thirty pounds per annum.
年薪為三十英鎊。
J.E. is requested to send references, name, address, and all particulars to the direction:
務請將證明人及其姓名、地址和詳情寄往下列姓名和地址：
"Mrs. Fairfax, Thornfield, near Millcote, —shire."
“米爾科特附近，桑菲爾德，費爾法克斯太太收。”
I examined the document long.
我把文件細看了很久。
The writing was old-fashioned and rather uncertain, like that of an elderly lady.
字體很老式，筆跡不大穩，像是一位老年婦女寫的。
This circumstance was satisfactory.
這一情況倒是讓人滿意的。
A private fear had haunted me, that in thus acting for myself,
我曾暗自擔心，我自作主張，獨自行動，
and by my own guidance, I ran the risk of getting into some scrape.
會有陷入某種困境的危險。
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來的成果是體面的、正當的、en regle。
I now felt that an elderly lady was no bad ingredient in the business I had on hand.
我現在覺得手頭的這件事涉及一位老年婦女倒是好事。
Mrs. Fairfax! I saw her in a black gown and widow's cap, frigid, perhaps,
費爾法克斯太太！我想象她穿著黑色的長袍，戴著寡婦帽，也許索然無味，
but not uncivil: a model of elderly English respectability.
但井不失為一位典型的英國老派體面人物。
Thornfield! that, doubtless, was the name of her house.
桑菲爾德！毫無疑問，那是她住宅的名稱。
A neat orderly spot, I was sure, though I failed in my efforts to conceive a correct plan of the premises.
肯定是個整潔而井井有條的地方，盡管我無力設想這幢房子的確切結構。
Millcote, — shire. I brushed up my recollections of the map of England, yes, I saw it.
××郡的米爾科特，我重溫了記憶中的英國地圖。
Both the shire and the town.
不錯，郡和鎮都看到了。
-shire was seventy miles nearer London than the remote county where I now resided.
××郡比我現在居住的最偏遠的郡，離倫敦要近七十英里。
That was a recommendation to me.
這對我來說是十分可取的。
I longed to go where there was life and movement.
我向往活躍熱鬧的地方。
Millcote was a large manufacturing town on the banks of the A-.
禾爾科特是個大工業城市，坐落在埃×河岸上，
A busy place enough, doubtless. So much the better.
無疑是夠熱鬧的。這樣豈不更好。
It would be a complete change at least.
至少也是個徹底的改變。
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煙囪和團團煙霧所吸引，
"but," I argued, "Thornfield will, probably, be a good way from the town."
“不過，”我爭辯著，“或許桑菲爾德離鎮很遠呢。”
Here the socket of the candle dropped, and the wick went out.
這時殘燭落入了燭臺孔中，燭芯熄滅了。
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.
這個計劃不能再悶在自己心里了。
I must impart them in order to achieve their success.
為了獲得成功我必須說出口。
Having sought and obtained an audience of the superintendent during the noontide recreation,
下午娛樂活動時間，我去拜見了校長，
I told her I had a prospect of getting a new situation
告訴她我有可能找到一個新的職位，
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兩倍（在羅沃德我的年薪為十五鎊）。
And requested she would break the matter for me to Mr. Brocklehurst, or some of the committee,
請她替我把這事透露給布羅克赫斯特先生或委員會里的某些人，
and ascertain whether they would permit me to mention them as references.
并問明白他們是否允許我把他們作為證明人提出來。
She obligingly consented to act as mediatrix in the matter.
她一口答應充當這件事情的協調人。
