T06.mp34:02
來自圖說英語
LIFE AT GATESHEAD HALL
It was a cold winter day. The wind had brought dark clouds and heavy rain, so it was impossible to take a walk. Eliza, John and Georgiana were gathered round their mother in the sitting-room. She lay on a sofa by the fireside, looking perfectly happy with her darlings about her. But she told me not to come near them because I was not a good child.
I went to a small room next to the drawing-room. Taking a book from a bookcase, I climbed up into the window-seat. Here I sat behind the curtains and started reading. I was quite happy until I heard the voice of John Reed.
"Where is she?" he said, calling to his sisters."Eliza! Georgiana! Jane is not here."
I was glad that I had drawn the curtains, and I prayed that I should not be discovered. But Eliza was quicker than John. She said at once, "She is in the window-seat of course."
I came out immediately. "What do you want?" I asked.
"Say 'What do you want, Master Reed'," was his reply. "I want you to come here," he added. And he sat down in an armchair.
John Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen: four years older than I, for I was only ten. He was big and stout for his age, with a large face and an unhealthy skin. John had not much love for his mother and sisters, but he really hated me. As I came up to his chair, he spent about three minutes in putting out his tongue at me. Then he hit me suddenly and hard.
"What were you doing behind the curtains?"
"I was reading."
"Show me the book."
I returned to the window and brought the book. "You have no business to read our books," John Reed continued. "You are a dependent, Mama says. Your father left you no money. You ought to beg, and not live with a gentleman's children. Go and stand by the door."
I did so. I turned round and saw that he was going to throw the book at me; I tried to avoid it, but it was too late. I was knocked over and fell against the door, striking my head and cutting it badly. The pain was very sharp.
"Wicked, cruel boy!" I said. "You are like a murderer - you are like a slave-driver!"
"What!" he cried. "What did you say to me? Did you hear her, Eliza and Georgiana? I'll tell Mama. But first - "
He ran at me and grasped my hair and my shoulder. But I was desperate now. I don't know what I did with my hands, but I heard him cry for help.
Mrs. Reed came. "Take her away to the red room and lock her in," she said. Four hands then quickly carried me upstairs.
"For shame!" cried the maid. "To strike a gentleman, your young master!"
"Master? How is he my master? Am I a servant?"
"You ought to know, Miss," said the nurse, "that you owe much to Mrs. Reed. She keeps you. If she turns you away, you will have to go to the poor-house."
These words were not new to me; so I did not answer.
在蓋茲海德府的生活
那是一個寒冷的冬日。風捲烏雲，大雨傾盆，出去散步是不可能了。起居室裡伊麗莎、約翰、喬治安娜簇擁在他們母親的周圍，她斜靠在火爐邊的沙發上，有心愛的孩子們在身邊，她很是快活。但是她不讓我挨近，因為我不是好孩子。
我溜進了會客室隔壁的一間小屋子，從書架上拿下一本書，爬上了窗座。我坐在窗簾後面開始看起書來。有一陣兒我很快活，但接著就聽到了約翰·裡德的嚷嚷聲。
“她在哪兒？”他大聲問，叫來了他的妹妹。“伊麗莎，喬治安娜，簡不在這兒了。”
幸好我拉上了窗簾，我祈禱上帝別被他們發現。可是伊麗莎比約翰腦子靈活，她馬上說：“她肯定在窗臺上。”
我趕緊出來。“有什麼事？”我問道。
“說‘裡德少爺，有什麼事？’”他這樣答道。“我要你到這兒來！”他接著說。然後他在一張扶手椅上坐了下來。
約翰·裡德是個14歲的孩子，比我大4歲，那年我才10歲。從年齡上看，他不該長得這麼肥胖粗大。他臉盤很大,而膚色灰白。約翰對他的母親和姐妹沒有多少感情，對我則是惡狠狠的樣子。我來到他椅子前，他伸出舌頭衝著我達三分鐘之久,然後突然使勁打我。
“你躲在窗簾後幹什麼？”
“我在看書。”
“把書給我拿來。”
我回到窗口把書拿了回來。“你沒權看我們的書，”約翰·裡德接著說，“媽媽說你是個靠別人養活的人，你父親沒給你留下錢。你應該去要飯，不應該和我們這些大戶人家的孩子們一起生活。走，站到門口去。”
我照他說的做了。我轉過身，看見他舉起書朝我扔來，我往旁邊一閃，但已經來不及了。書砸在我身上，我跌倒了，頭撞在門上，磕破了，疼得很厲害。
“你這個狠毒的壞蛋！”我說，“你真像個殺人犯——你像個奴隸主。”
“什麼？”他嚷道。“你對我說些什麼？伊麗莎，喬治安娜，你們聽見她說的話沒有？我要告訴媽媽，不過我先要——”
他朝我撲過來，抓住我的頭髮和肩膀。那時我什麼也不顧了，我不知道自己的雙手幹了些什麼，只聽見他大聲呼救。
裡德太太來了。“把她帶到那間紅屋子裡去關起來，”她說。當即就有四隻手抓住我，把我拖上樓去。
“真不像話！”侍女說，“居然打起體面人家的少爺，你的小東家來。”
“東家？他怎麼是我的東家？難道我是傭人？”
“你該放明白些，小姐，”女保姆說，“你受著裡德太太的恩惠，是她在養活你。她要是把你攆出去，那你只好進貧民院了。”
這些話對我來說並不新鮮，因此我沒有回答。
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