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'Papa，'Charlotte said. 'Mr Nicholls and I have something to say to you.
"爸爸，"夏洛蒂说，"尼可斯先生和我有件事要告诉您。"
I did not like that. 'Mr Nicholls and I…'It did not sound good to me.
我可不乐意她那么说："尼可斯先生和我……"听上去不大妙。
'I am busy，'I said. 'I have a lot of work. Charlotte smiled.
"我没空，"我说，"我有好多事要干。" 夏洛蒂微笑了。
'That's because you don't have a good curate，papa.
那是因为您没有一个称职的副牧师，爸爸。
When Mr Nicholls was here，your life was easy.
如果尼可斯先生在这儿，您会很轻松的。
'Perhaps，'I said. 'But he was going to Australia， I thought.
"也许吧，"我说道，"但我记得他要去澳大利亚的呀。
Why haven't you gone，sir？ Mr Nicholls spoke for the first time.
您怎么还没有走呵，先生？"尼可斯先生第一次开口讲了话。
He looked very tall and proud，I thought.
我记得他看上去个子很高，神情自豪。
'There are two reasons，sir，'he said.
"有两个原因，先生，"他说，
'First，because I have decided not to go to Australia.
"首先是因为我决定不去澳大利亚了，另外……"
And also…' He stopped，and looked down at Charlotte.
他停下来，低头看着夏洛蒂。
She smiled up at him，and I felt my blood run cold.
她抬头笑吟吟地望着他。我觉得血液都要冷却了。
'…and also，because your daughter Charlotte and I would like to be married.
"……另外，因为您的女儿夏洛蒂和我要结婚了。
We have come to ask you to agree.
我们现在是来请求您的同意的。"
I don't remember what I said next.
我记不得后来我说了什么，
I think there were a lot of unkind words between us，and some tears.
大概是我们两人之间说了一大堆不友好的话，都流了泪。
But in the end I agreed.
不过最后我还是同意了。
I agreed because Charlotte wanted it，not because of Arthur Nicholls.
之所以这样做是为了夏洛蒂，这是她想要的；而不是因为亚瑟·尼可斯。
In June that year they were married in my church.
那年6月份，他们在我主持的教堂结了婚，
I did not go-I could not give Charlotte away to that man.
可我没去--我不愿把夏洛蒂交给那个男人。
But he came back here to be my curate， and he and Charlotte lived in this house with me.
但他仍回到这里来作我的副牧师。他、夏洛蒂和我一起住在这所房子里。
He is still here now.
他现在还在这儿。
Perhaps he will read this.
或许他会读到这段文字。
If he does， he will know that he was right，and I was wrong.
如果读了，他就会知道他是对的，而我错了。
Mr Nicholls was，after all，a good husband for Charlotte.
不管怎样，尼可斯先生是夏洛蒂的好丈夫。
I understood，after a while， that he honestly loved her， and he could make her happy.
他们结婚之后我才看出来。他真诚地爱着她，也给她带来了欢乐。
She began to smile and laugh again.
她开始笑了，
Her eyes shone，she sang sometimes as she worked.
她的眸子闪耀着光彩。有时工作着就会唱起歌来。
Our house became a home again.
我们的家又像个家了。
She went with him to see his family in Ireland，and travelled to the far west of that country.
她和他一起去过他的爱尔兰老家，一直旅行到西边的尽头。
Mr Nicholls did most of my church work for me.
尼可斯先生为我分担了教堂的绝大部分工作；
Charlotte began a new book Emma，she called it.
夏洛蒂开始着手写一本新书--《爱玛》。
And one day in December 1854 she came into my room，smiling.
1854年12月的一天，她来到了我的房间，脸上挂着微笑，
I could see that she was excited.
看得出她很兴奋。
'What is it，my dear？ Have you finished your book？'
"怎么了，亲爱的？你写完书了？"
'No，not yet，papa.
"不，还没呢，爸爸。
But I have something wonderful to tell you.
但我有个好消息告诉您。
What do you think？'
您猜是什么？"
'I don't know，my dear.
"我猜不出，亲爱的。
If it's not your book，then…'
如果不是关于书的，那么……"
'I told Arthur yesterday.
"我昨天已经告诉了亚瑟。
I am going to have a child.
我怀孕了。"
