3 The rider in the moonlight

Chapter 3 The rider in the moonlight So many children died, it caused a great scandal, and Mr. Brocklehurst was held responsible. Soon after, everything changed. The school moved to a better building; the food improved, our clothes were warmer, and we had new teachers, who were kind and inspiring. I stayed there for six years as a pupil, and two as a teacher myself. I was happy enough, until restlessness overcame me. I wanted change- new faces, new circumstances. I decided to advertise for a position as a governess. My advertisement was answered. A Mrs. Fairfax of Thornfield Hall, seventy miles away, wanted my services for a little girl named Adèle.

这么多的孩子死了，这引起了一场大丑闻，布罗克赫斯特先生要为此负责。 不久之后，一切都变了。 学校搬到了一幢更好的大楼；食物改善了，我们的衣服更暖和了，我们有了新老师，他们很善良，很鼓舞人心。 我在那里当了六年学生，我自己当了两年老师。 我很快乐，直到不安压倒了我。 我想要改变——新的面孔，新的环境。 我决定登广告招聘家庭教师。 我的广告得到了回应。 七十英里外桑菲尔德府的费尔法克斯太太要我为一个叫阿迪勒的小女孩服务。

There I went, half thrilled by my adventure, half anxious at what lay ahead. Thornfield Hall rose three floors high, topped with battlements where rooks flew in and out. In the distance, a ring of hills gave it a quiet, lonely air. Inside, the hall and gallery were more like a church than a house- vast, dark and eerie.

我去了，一半为这次冒险而激动，一半为前面的事情而焦虑。 桑菲尔德府有三层楼高，顶上有城垛，白嘴鸦在上面飞进飞出。 远处群山环绕，给它一种宁静、孤独的气氛。 在里面，大厅和画廊与其说是一座房子，不如说是一座教堂——巨大、黑暗、阴森。

"Hello, my dear," Mrs. Fairfax greeted me when I arrived. "Let me show you your room." She treats me as a visitor, not a servant, I thought, gratefully. My room, down a long corridor, breathed luxury to me. After unpacking, I asked to meet my pupil, Adèle Fairfax. "Oh, she's not my daughter," said Mrs. Fairfax, with a smile. "She's French. She's Mr. Rochester's ward." "Who is Mr. Rochester?" "Why, he owns Thornfield." "I thought it belonged to you." "Oh no!" She laughed. "I'm the housekeeper. We live quietly here," she added. "Just Adèle, Grace Poole- the upstairs servant- and other servants, of course. Mr. Rochester travels abroad. He seldom comes home." A little girl entered the room, about seven years old, with curls to her waist.

“你好，亲爱的，”我到达时费尔法克斯太太向我打招呼。 “我带你去看看你的房间吧。” 她把我当作客人，而不是仆人，我感激地想。 沿着一条长长的走廊，我的房间给我带来了奢华的感觉。 打开行李后，我要求见见我的学生阿迪勒·费尔法克斯。 “哦，她不是我女儿，”费尔法克斯太太笑着说。 “她是法国人。她是罗切斯特先生的养女。” “罗切斯特先生是谁？”“唔，他是桑菲尔德的主人。” “我还以为它是你的呢。” “哦,不!”她笑了。“我是管家。 我们在这里安静地生活。”她补充道。 “只有阿迪勒，格雷斯·普尔——楼上的仆人——当然还有其他仆人。 罗切斯特先生出国旅行。 他很少回家。”一个小女孩走进房间，大约七岁，头发卷到腰上。

"Bonjour Adèle," I said. She replied in a gabble of French, which I, well-taught at school, understood easily. She offered to sing and dance for me and our bond grew from there. I quickly became fond of her and enjoyed my work but I was puzzled by Mr. Rochester's absence. I asked Mrs. Fairfax about him- it seemed so strange to own a home like Thornfield and not be in it. "He's clever," she began, "but peculiar." "In what way?" I asked. "You can't make out if he's joking or serious, or even pleased. I don't really understand him."

“你好。”我说。她用断断续续的法语回答，我在学校受过良好的教育，很容易听懂。 她主动提出为我唱歌跳舞，从那时起我们的关系就越来越亲密了。 我很快就喜欢上了她，也喜欢上了我的工作，但罗切斯特先生的缺席使我感到困惑。 我向费尔法克斯太太问起他——拥有桑菲尔德这样的房子却不在里面，这似乎太奇怪了。 “他很聪明，”她开始说，“但很古怪。” “以什么方式？”我问。你看不出他是在开玩笑还是认真的，甚至是高兴。 我真的不了解他。”

We were upstairs as we spoke, walking along the corridor to my room. At the end was an attic staircase leading to the third floor. From above came a sound- the last I expected to hear- a laugh. It stopped, and began again, a low, mirthless laugh that echoed into every corner. "What is that?" I exclaimed. "Grace Poole," said Mrs. Fairfax quickly. "She sometimes sews in the attics. Grace!" she called. I expected no answer. The noise was too ghostly for human lips, but a door opened and a woman came down the attic stairs, a squat figure, utterly unlike the phantom of my imagination. "Too much noise, Grace," Mrs. Fairfax said. Grace, nodding silently, plodded back upstairs. October, November, December passed. In January, Adèle had a cold, and I gave her a break from lessons, wishing I'd had such

我们说话的时候正在楼上，沿着走廊向我的房间走去。 尽头是通往三楼的阁楼楼梯。 从上面传来一个声音——这是我万万没想到的——笑声。 它停了下来，又开始了，一个低沉的、不愉快的笑声回荡在每个角落。 “那是什么？”我叫道。 “格雷斯·普尔，”费尔法克斯太太赶紧说。 “她有时在阁楼做针线活。 格蕾丝！”她喊道。我不指望有人回答。 这声音太可怕了，人的嘴唇听不出来，但一扇门开了，一个女人从阁楼楼梯上走下来，一个矮胖的身影，完全不像我想象中的幽灵。 “太吵了，格雷斯，”费尔法克斯太太说。 格蕾丝默默地点头，慢悠悠地走上楼去。 十月、十一月、十二月过去了。 一月份，ad<s:1>勒感冒了，我让她休息了一会儿，希望我也能这样

treats in my childhood. It was a fine, cold day, and I went on an afternoon walk. I meandered in the lanes, watching the early moon rise pale above the branches, listening to rippling streams flowing through the dales. As the sky darkened, I saw a dog gliding ghost-like past the hazel trees, then a horse, and on its back, a rider.

在我的童年。那是一个晴朗而寒冷的日子，我下午出去散步。 我在巷子里漫步，望着初升的月亮苍白地挂在树枝上，听着溪谷里潺潺的流水声。 当天空变暗时，我看到一只狗像幽灵一样从榛树旁滑过，然后是一匹马，骑在马背上的是一个骑手。