听名著练听力之简爱篇 第39期

PART THREE - A YOUNG WOMAN AT THORNFIELD
CHAPTER TEN
A Conversation with Grace¹ Poole

In the morning I wanted to see Mr. Rochester but I could not find him. At first, I thought he had told his servants that the fire was an [-----1-----]. When I passed his bedroom, I saw Grace Poole sitting in a chair and cleaning something. She did not look like someone who could kill another person. But I decided² to talk to her.
"Good morning, Grace," I said, coming into the room. "Tell me, what happened last night? Why was there a fire? All the servants are talking about it."
"Good morning, Miss Eyre," She said. "Well, Master Edward was reading in bed and [-----2-----]. The candle must have fallen over. The candle put the sheets on fire, but he was able to put the fire out quickly with some water."
"How strange!" I said quietly. "Didn't anybody wake up, and hear what was happening?" When I said this, Grace seemed to look at me more carefully. I noticed a strange look on her face, like [-----3-----].
"Well, Mrs. Fairfax and you have rooms near Master Edward's. Mrs. Fairfax is a heavy sleeper³, like most old people, and she didn't hear anything.But you're young, Miss Eyre. Did you hear a noise?"
"Yes," I said. "I'm sure I heard a strange laugh."
Grace did not look upset by my words. Instead she went on cleaning the room calmly.
 

1 grace   

n.优雅，雅致，魅力，恩惠，慈悲

参考例句：

• She is a beautiful girl with the grace and poise.她是一位仪态优雅的佳丽。
• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。

2 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。

3 sleeper   

n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺

参考例句：

• I usually go up to London on the sleeper. 我一般都乘卧车去伦敦。
• But first he explained that he was a very heavy sleeper. 但首先他解释说自己睡觉很沉。