《简·爱》 Chapter 14 第十四章（4）（在线收听）

What do you mean by it?

你的话是什么意思？

Sir, I was too plain; I beg your pardon.

先生，怪我太直率了，请你原谅。

I ought to have replied that it was not easy to give an impromptu answer to a question about appearances; that tastes mostly differ.

我本应当说，像容貌这样的问题，不是轻易可以当场回答的；应当说人的审美趣味各有不同。

And that beauty is of little consequence, or something of that sort.

应当说漂亮并不重要，或者诸如此类的话。

You ought to have replied no such thing.

你本来就不应当这样来回答。

Beauty of little consequence, indeed!

漂亮并不重要，确实如此！

And so, under pretence of softening the previous outrage, of stroking and soothing me into placidity, you stick a sly penknife under my ear!

原来你是假装要缓和一下刚才的无礼态度，抚慰我使我心平气和，而实际上你是在我耳朵下面狡猾地捅了一刀。

Go on. What fault do you find with me, pray?

讲下去，请问你发现我有什么缺点？

I suppose I have all my limbs and all my features like any other man?

我想我像别人一样有鼻子有眼睛的。

Mr. Rochester, allow me to disown my first answer. I intended no pointed repartee. It was only a blunder.

罗切斯特先生，请允许我收回我第一个回答。我并无妙语伤人的意思，只不过是失言而已。

Just so. I think so. And you shall be answerable for it. Criticise me. Does my forehead not please you?

就是这么回事，我想是这样。而你要对此负责。你就挑我的毛病吧，我的前额使你不愉快吗？

He lifted up the sable waves of hair which lay horizontally over his brow, and showed a solid enough mass of intellectual organs, but an abrupt deficiency where the suave sign of benevolence should have risen.

他抓起了横贴在额前的波浪似的黑发，露出一大块坚实的智力器官，但是却缺乏那种本该有的仁慈敦厚的迹象。

Now, ma' am, am I a fool?

好吧，小姐，我是个傻瓜吗？

Far from it, sir. You would, perhaps, think me rude if I inquired in return whether you are a philanthropist?

绝对不是这样，先生。要是我反过来问你是不是一个慈善家，你也会认为我粗暴无礼吗？

There again! Another stick of the penknife, when she pretended to pat my head.

你又来了！又捅了我一刀，一面还假装拍拍我的头。

And that is because I said I did not like the society of children and old women (low be it spoken! ).

那是因为我曾说我不喜欢同孩子和老人在一起（轻声点儿！）。

No, young lady, I am not a general philanthropist, but I bear a conscience;

不，年轻小姐，我不是一个一般意义上的慈善家，不过我有一颗良心。

And he pointed to the prominences which are said to indicate that faculty, and which, fortunately for him, were sufficiently conspicuous, giving, indeed, a marked breadth to the upper part of his head.

于是他指了指据说是表示良心的突出的地方。幸亏对他来说，那地方很显眼，使他脑袋的上半部有着引人注目的宽度。

"And, besides, I once had a kind of rude tenderness of heart.

“此外，我曾有过一种原始的柔情。