It was the 5th of November, and a holiday.
那天是十一月五日,一个假日。
My little servant, after helping me to clean my house, was gone, well satisfied with the fee of a penny for her aid.
我的小佣人帮我清扫了房子后走掉了,对一个便士的酬劳十分满意。
All about me was spotless and bright -- scoured floor, polished grate, and well-rubbed chairs.
我周围窗明几净,一尘不染——擦洗过的地板,磨得锃亮的炉格和擦得干干净净的椅子。
I had also made myself neat, and had now the afternoon before me to spend as I would.
我把自己也弄得整整齐齐,这会儿整个下午就随我度过了。
The translation of a few pages of German occupied an hour;
翻译几页德文占去了我一个小时。
then I got my palette and pencils, and fell to the more soothing, because easier occupation, of completing Rosamond Oliver's miniature.
随后我拿了画板和画笔,开始了更为容易因而也更加惬意的工作,完成罗莎蒙德.奥利弗的小画像。
The head was finished already: there was but the background to tint and the drapery to shade off;
头部已经画好,剩下的只是给背景着色,给服饰画上阴影,
a touch of carmine, too, to add to the ripe lips -- a soft curl here and there to the tresses --
再在成熟的嘴唇上添一抹胭脂红,——头发这儿那儿再画上一点柔软的卷发——
a deeper tinge to the shadow of the lash under the azured eyelid.
把天蓝的眼盖下睫毛的阴影加深一些。
I was absorbed in the execution of these nice details, when, after one rapid tap, my door unclosed, admitting St. John Rivers.
我正全神贯注地画着这些有趣的细节,一阵急促的敲门声响了起来,我那扇门开了,圣·约翰·里弗斯先生走了进来。
"I am come to see how you are spending your holiday," he said.
“我来看看你怎么过假日,”他说。
"Not, I hope, in thought?
“但愿没有动什么脑筋?
No, that is well: while you draw you will not feel lonely.
没有,那很好,你一画画就不感到寂莫了。
You see, I mistrust you still, though you have borne up wonderfully so far.
你瞧,我还是不大相信,尽管你到目前为止还是很好地挺过来了,
I have brought you a book for evening solace," and he laid on the table a new publication --
我给你带来了一本书供你晚上消遣,”他把一本新出版的书放在桌上——
a poem: one of those genuine productions so often vouchsafed to the fortunate public of those days -- the golden age of modern literature.
一部诗:是那个时代——现代文学的黄金时代常常赐予幸运的公众一本货真价实的出版物。
Alas! the readers of our era are less favoured.
哎呀!我们这个时代的读者却没有那份福气。