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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.
在盖兹海德府的生活
那是一个寒冷的冬日。风卷乌云，大雨倾盆，出去散步是不可能了。起居室里伊丽莎、约翰、乔治安娜簇拥在他们母亲的周围，她斜靠在火炉边的沙发上，有心爱的孩子们在身边，她很是快活。但是她不让我挨近，因为我不是好孩子。
我溜进了会客室隔壁的一间小屋子，从书架上拿下一本书，爬上了窗座。我坐在窗帘后面开始看起书来。有一阵儿我很快活，但接着就听到了约翰•里德的嚷嚷声。
“她在哪儿？”他大声问，叫来了他的妹妹。“伊丽莎，乔治安娜，简不在这儿了。”
幸好我拉上了窗帘，我祈祷上帝别被他们发现。可是伊丽莎比约翰脑子灵活，她马上说：“她肯定在窗台上。”
我赶紧出来。“有什么事？”我问道。
“说‘里德少爷，有什么事？’”他这样答道。“我要你到这儿来！”他接着说。然后他在一张扶手椅上坐了下来。
约翰•里德是个14岁的孩子，比我大4岁，那年我才10岁。从年龄上看，他不该长得这么肥胖粗大。他脸盘很大,而肤色灰白。约翰对他的母亲和姐妹没有多少感情，对我则是恶狠狠的样子。我来到他椅子前，他伸出舌头冲着我达三分钟之久,然后突然使劲打我。
“你躲在窗帘后干什么？”
“我在看书。”
“把书给我拿来。”
我回到窗口把书拿了回来。“你没权看我们的书，”约翰•里德接着说，“妈妈说你是个靠别人养活的人，你父亲没给你留下钱。你应该去要饭，不应该和我们这些大户人家的孩子们一起生活。走，站到门口去。”
我照他说的做了。我转过身，看见他举起书朝我扔来，我往旁边一闪，但已经来不及了。书砸在我身上，我跌倒了，头撞在门上，磕破了，疼得很厉害。
“你这个狠毒的坏蛋！”我说，“你真像个杀人犯——你像个奴隶主。”
“什么？”他嚷道。“你对我说些什么？伊丽莎，乔治安娜，你们听见她说的话没有？我要告诉妈妈，不过我先要——”
他朝我扑过来，抓住我的头发和肩膀。那时我什么也不顾了，我不知道自己的双手干了些什么，只听见他大声呼救。
里德太太来了。“把她带到那间红屋子里去关起来，”她说。当即就有四只手抓住我，把我拖上楼去。
“真不像话！”侍女说，“居然打起体面人家的少爷，你的小东家来。”
“东家？他怎么是我的东家？难道我是佣人？”
“你该放明白些，小姐，”女保姆说，“你受着里德太太的恩惠，是她在养活你。她要是把你撵出去，那你只好进贫民院了。”
这些话对我来说并不新鲜，因此我没有回答。
