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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VI

The next day commenced as before, getting up and dressing by rushlight; but this morning we were obliged to dispense with the ceremony of washing; the water in the pitchers was frozen.

A change had taken place in the weather the preceding evening, and a keen north-east wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroom windows all night long, had made us shiver in our beds, and turned the contents of the ewers to ice. Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible-reading was over, I felt ready to perish with cold.

Breakfast-time came at last, and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the quantity small. How small my portion seemed! I wished it had been doubled. In the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourth class, and regular tasks and occupations were assigned me: hitherto, I had only been a spectator of the proceedings at Lowood; I was now to become an actor therein.

At first, being little accustomed to learn by heart, the lessons appeared to me both long and difficult; the frequent change from task to task, too, bewildered me; and I was glad when, about three o'clock in the afternoon, Miss Smith put into my hands a border of muslin two yards long, together with needle, thimble, &c., and sent me to sit in a quiet corner of the schoolroom, with directions to hem the same. At that hour most of the others were sewing likewise; but one class still stood round Miss Scatcherd's chair reading, and as all was quiet, the subject of their lessons could be heard, together with the manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and the animadversions or commendations of Miss Scatcherd on the performance. It was English history: among the readers I observed my acquaintance of the verandah: at the commencement of the lesson, her place had been at the top of the class, but for some error of pronunciation, or some inattention to stops, she was suddenly sent to the very bottom. Even in that obscure position, Miss Scatcherd continued to make her an object of constant notice: she was continually addressing to her such phrases as the following:— “Burns” (such it seems was her name: the girls here were all called by their surnames, as boys are elsewhere), “Burns, you are standing on the side of your shoe; turn your toes out immediately.” “Burns, you poke your chin most unpleasantly; draw it in.” “Burns, I insist on your holding your head up; I will not have you before me in that attitude,” &c. &c. A chapter having been read through twice, the books were closed and the girls examined.

The lesson had comprised part of the reign of Charles I., and there were sundry questions about tonnage and poundage and ship-money, which most of them appeared unable to answer; still, every little difficulty was solved instantly when it reached Burns: her memory seemed to have retained the substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers on every point. I kept expecting that Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention; but, instead of that, she suddenly cried out— “You dirty, disagreeable girl!

you have never cleaned your nails this morning!” Burns made no answer: I wondered at her silence.

“Why,” thought I, “does she not explain that she could neither clean her nails nor wash her face, as the water was frozen?” My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desiring me to hold a skein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me from time to time, asking whether I had ever been at school before, whether I could mark, stitch, knit, &c.; till she dismissed me, I could not pursue my observations on Miss Scatcherd's movements. When I returned to my seat, that lady was just delivering an order of which I did not catch the import; but Burns immediately left the class, and going into the small inner room where the books were kept, returned in half a minute, carrying in her hand a bundle of twigs tied together at one end. This ominous tool she presented to Miss Scatcherd with a respectful curtesy; then she quietly, and without being told, unloosed her pinafore, and the teacher instantly and sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch of twigs. Not a tear rose to Burns' eye; and, while I paused from my sewing, because my fingers quivered at this spectacle with a sentiment of unavailing and impotent anger, not a feature of her pensive face altered its ordinary expression. “Hardened girl!” exclaimed Miss Scatcherd; “nothing can correct you of your slatternly habits: carry the rod away.”

Burns obeyed: I looked at her narrowly as she emerged from the book-closet; she was just putting back her handkerchief into her pocket, and the trace of a tear glistened on her thin cheek.

The play-hour in the evening I thought the pleasantest fraction of the day at Lowood: the bit of bread, the draught of coffee swallowed at five o'clock had revived vitality, if it had not satisfied hunger: the long restraint of the day was slackened; the schoolroom felt warmer than in the morning—its fires being allowed to burn a little more brightly, to supply, in some measure, the place of candles, not yet introduced: the ruddy gloaming, the licensed uproar, the confusion of many voices gave one a welcome sense of liberty.

On the evening of the day on which I had seen Miss Scatcherd flog her pupil, Burns, I wandered as usual among the forms and tables and laughing groups without a companion, yet not feeling lonely: when I passed the windows, I now and then lifted a blind, and looked out; it snowed fast, a drift was already forming against the lower panes; putting my ear close to the window, I could distinguish from the gleeful tumult within, the disconsolate moan of the wind outside.

Probably, if I had lately left a good home and kind parents, this would have been the hour when I should most keenly have regretted the separation; that wind would then have saddened my heart; this obscure chaos would have disturbed my peace!

as it was, I derived from both a strange excitement, and reckless and feverish, I wished the wind to howl more wildly, the gloom to deepen to darkness, and the confusion to rise to clamour. Jumping over forms, and creeping under tables, I made my way to one of the fire-places; there, kneeling by the high wire fender, I found Burns, absorbed, silent, abstracted from all round her by the companionship of a book, which she read by the dim glare of the embers.

“Is it still ‘Rasselas'?” I asked, coming behind her.

“Yes,” she said, “and I have just finished it.”

And in five minutes more she shut it up.

I was glad of this. “Now,” thought I, “I can perhaps get her to talk.” I sat down by her on the floor. “What is your name besides Burns?”

“Helen.”

“Do you come a long way from here?”

“I come from a place farther north, quite on the borders of Scotland.”

“Will you ever go back?”

“I hope so; but nobody can be sure of the future.”

“You must wish to leave Lowood?”

“No!

why should I? I was sent to Lowood to get an education; and it would be of no use going away until I have attained that object.” “But that teacher, Miss Scatcherd, is so cruel to you?”

“Cruel?

Not at all! She is severe: she dislikes my faults.” “And if I were in your place I should dislike her; I should resist her.

If she struck me with that rod, I should get it from her hand; I should break it under her nose.” “Probably you would do nothing of the sort: but if you did, Mr. Brocklehurst would expel you from the school; that would be a great grief to your relations.

It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil.” “But then it seems disgraceful to be flogged, and to be sent to stand in the middle of a room full of people; and you are such a great girl: I am far younger than you, and I could not bear it.”

“Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear.”

I heard her with wonder: I could not comprehend this doctrine of endurance; and still less could I understand or sympathise with the forbearance she expressed for her chastiser.

Still I felt that Helen Burns considered things by a light invisible to my eyes. I suspected she might be right and I wrong; but I would not ponder the matter deeply; like Felix, I put it off to a more convenient season. “You say you have faults, Helen: what are they?

To me you seem very good.” “Then learn from me, not to judge by appearances: I am, as Miss Scatcherd said, slatternly; I seldom put, and never keep, things, in order; I am careless; I forget rules; I read when I should learn my lessons; I have no method; and sometimes I say, like you, I cannot bear to be subjected to systematic arrangements.

This is all very provoking to Miss Scatcherd, who is naturally neat, punctual, and particular.” “And cross and cruel,” I added; but Helen Burns would not admit my addition: she kept silence.

“Is Miss Temple as severe to you as Miss Scatcherd?”

At the utterance of Miss Temple's name, a soft smile flitted over her grave face.

“Miss Temple is full of goodness; it pains her to be severe to any one, even the worst in the school: she sees my errors, and tells me of them gently; and, if I do anything worthy of praise, she gives me my meed liberally.

One strong proof of my wretchedly defective nature is, that even her expostulations, so mild, so rational, have not influence to cure me of my faults; and even her praise, though I value it most highly, cannot stimulate me to continued care and foresight.” “That is curious,” said I, “it is so easy to be careful.”

“For you I have no doubt it is.

I observed you in your class this morning, and saw you were closely attentive: your thoughts never seemed to wander while Miss Miller explained the lesson and questioned you. Now, mine continually rove away; when I should be listening to Miss Scatcherd, and collecting all she says with assiduity, often I lose the very sound of her voice; I fall into a sort of dream. Sometimes I think I am in Northumberland, and that the noises I hear round me are the bubbling of a little brook which runs through Deepden, near our house;—then, when it comes to my turn to reply, I have to be awakened; and having heard nothing of what was read for listening to the visionary brook, I have no answer ready.” “Yet how well you replied this afternoon.”

“It was mere chance; the subject on which we had been reading had interested me.

This afternoon, instead of dreaming of Deepden, I was wondering how a man who wished to do right could act so unjustly and unwisely as Charles the First sometimes did; and I thought what a pity it was that, with his integrity and conscientiousness, he could see no farther than the prerogatives of the crown. If he had but been able to look to a distance, and see how what they call the spirit of the age was tending! Still, I like Charles—I respect him—I pity him, poor murdered king! Yes, his enemies were the worst: they shed blood they had no right to shed. How dared they kill him!” Helen was talking to herself now: she had forgotten I could not very well understand her—that I was ignorant, or nearly so, of the subject she discussed.

I recalled her to my level. “And when Miss Temple teaches you, do your thoughts wander then?”

“No, certainly, not often; because Miss Temple has generally something to say which is newer than my own reflections; her language is singularly agreeable to me, and the information she communicates is often just what I wished to gain.”

“Well, then, with Miss Temple you are good?”

“Yes, in a passive way: I make no effort; I follow as inclination guides me.

There is no merit in such goodness.” “A great deal: you are good to those who are good to you.

It is all I ever desire to be. If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.” “You will change your mind, I hope, when you grow older: as yet you are but a little untaught girl.”

“But I feel this, Helen; I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly.

It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved.” “Heathens and savage tribes hold that doctrine, but Christians and civilised nations disown it.”

“How?

I don't understand.” “It is not violence that best overcomes hate—nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury.”

“What then?”

“Read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how He acts; make His word your rule, and His conduct your example.”

“What does He say?”

“Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.”

“Then I should love Mrs. Reed, which I cannot do; I should bless her son John, which is impossible.”

In her turn, Helen Burns asked me to explain, and I proceeded forthwith to pour out, in my own way, the tale of my sufferings and resentments.

Bitter and truculent when excited, I spoke as I felt, without reserve or softening. Helen heard me patiently to the end: I expected she would then make a remark, but she said nothing.

“Well,” I asked impatiently, “is not Mrs. Reed a hard-hearted, bad woman?”

“She has been unkind to you, no doubt; because you see, she dislikes your cast of character, as Miss Scatcherd does mine; but how minutely you remember all she has done and said to you!

What a singularly deep impression her injustice seems to have made on your heart! No ill-usage so brands its record on my feelings. Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited? Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs. We are, and must be, one and all, burdened with faults in this world: but the time will soon come when, I trust, we shall put them off in putting off our corruptible bodies; when debasement and sin will fall from us with this cumbrous frame of flesh, and only the spark of the spirit will remain,—the impalpable principle of light and thought, pure as when it left the Creator to inspire the creature: whence it came it will return; perhaps again to be communicated to some being higher than man—perhaps to pass through gradations of glory, from the pale human soul to brighten to the seraph! Surely it will never, on the contrary, be suffered to degenerate from man to fiend? No; I cannot believe that: I hold another creed: which no one ever taught me, and which I seldom mention; but in which I delight, and to which I cling: for it extends hope to all: it makes Eternity a rest—a mighty home, not a terror and an abyss. Besides, with this creed, I can so clearly distinguish between the criminal and his crime; I can so sincerely forgive the first while I abhor the last: with this creed revenge never worries my heart, degradation never too deeply disgusts me, injustice never crushes me too low: I live in calm, looking to the end.” Helen's head, always drooping, sank a little lower as she finished this sentence.

I saw by her look she wished no longer to talk to me, but rather to converse with her own thoughts. She was not allowed much time for meditation: a monitor, a great rough girl, presently came up, exclaiming in a strong Cumberland accent— “Helen Burns, if you don't go and put your drawer in order, and fold up your work this minute, I'll tell Miss Scatcherd to come and look at it!”

Helen sighed as her reverie fled, and getting up, obeyed the monitor without reply as without delay.

CHAPTER VI CAPÍTULO VI ГЛАВА VI BÖLÜM VI

The next day commenced as before, getting up and dressing by rushlight; but this morning we were obliged to dispense with the ceremony of washing; the water in the pitchers was frozen. Le lendemain commença comme avant, se levant et s'habillant à la lumière de la jonc; mais ce matin nous avons été obligés de nous dispenser de la cérémonie du lavage; l'eau des pichets était gelée.

A change had taken place in the weather the preceding evening, and a keen north-east wind, whistling through the crevices of our bedroom windows all night long, had made us shiver in our beds, and turned the contents of the ewers to ice. Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible-reading was over, I felt ready to perish with cold.

Breakfast-time came at last, and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the quantity small. How small my portion seemed! I wished it had been doubled. J'aurais aimé qu'il soit doublé. In the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourth class, and regular tasks and occupations were assigned me: hitherto, I had only been a spectator of the proceedings at Lowood; I was now to become an actor therein. Au cours de la journée, je fus inscrit dans la quatrième classe, et des tâches et des occupations régulières me furent assignées: jusque-là, je n'avais été que spectateur des débats de Lowood; J'allais maintenant y devenir acteur.

At first, being little accustomed to learn by heart, the lessons appeared to me both long and difficult; the frequent change from task to task, too, bewildered me; and I was glad when, about three o’clock in the afternoon, Miss Smith put into my hands a border of muslin two yards long, together with needle, thimble, &c., and sent me to sit in a quiet corner of the schoolroom, with directions to hem the same. Au début, étant peu habituée à apprendre par cœur, les leçons me parurent longues et difficiles ; le changement fréquent de tâche me déconcertait également ; et je fus heureuse lorsque, vers trois heures de l'après-midi, Mlle Smith me mit entre les mains une bordure de mousseline de deux mètres de long, ainsi qu'une aiguille, un dé, etc. et m'envoya m'asseoir dans un coin tranquille de la salle de classe, en m'indiquant de faire un ourlet. At that hour most of the others were sewing likewise; but one class still stood round Miss Scatcherd’s chair reading, and as all was quiet, the subject of their lessons could be heard, together with the manner in which each girl acquitted herself, and the animadversions or commendations of Miss Scatcherd on the performance. A cette heure-là, la plupart des autres cousaient de même; mais une classe se tenait toujours autour de la chaise de lecture de Mlle Scatcherd, et comme tout était calme, le sujet de leurs leçons pouvait être entendu, ainsi que la manière dont chaque fille s'acquittait, et les animadversions ou les félicitations de Mlle Scatcherd sur la performance. It was English history: among the readers I observed my acquaintance of the verandah: at the commencement of the lesson, her place had been at the top of the class, but for some error of pronunciation, or some inattention to stops, she was suddenly sent to the very bottom. Il s'agissait d'histoire anglaise : parmi les lecteurs, j'ai observé ma connaissance de la véranda : au début de la leçon, elle avait été placée en tête de classe, mais pour une erreur de prononciation ou un manque d'attention aux arrêts, elle a été soudainement envoyée tout en bas de l'échelle. Even in that obscure position, Miss Scatcherd continued to make her an object of constant notice: she was continually addressing to her such phrases as the following:— Même dans cette position obscure, Mlle Scatcherd continuait à en faire un objet de constante attention: elle lui adressait continuellement des phrases telles que: “Burns” (such it seems was her name: the girls here were all called by their surnames, as boys are elsewhere), “Burns, you are standing on the side of your shoe; turn your toes out immediately.”  “Burns, you poke your chin most unpleasantly; draw it in.”  “Burns, I insist on your holding your head up; I will not have you before me in that attitude,” &c. «Burns» (tel semble être son nom: les filles ici étaient toutes appelées par leur nom de famille, comme les garçons le sont ailleurs), «Burns, vous êtes debout sur le côté de votre chaussure; tournez les orteils immédiatement. » «Burns, vous vous piquez le menton le plus désagréablement; attirez-le. " «Burns, j'insiste pour que vous leviez la tête; Je ne vous aurai pas devant moi dans cette attitude », etc. &c. A chapter having been read through twice, the books were closed and the girls examined. Un chapitre ayant été lu deux fois, les livres ont été fermés et les filles examinées.

The lesson had comprised part of the reign of Charles I., and there were sundry questions about tonnage and poundage and ship-money, which most of them appeared unable to answer; still, every little difficulty was solved instantly when it reached Burns: her memory seemed to have retained the substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers on every point. La leçon avait fait partie du règne de Charles Ier, et il y avait diverses questions sur le tonnage, la livre et l'argent des navires, auxquelles la plupart d'entre eux semblaient incapables de répondre; pourtant, chaque petite difficulté était résolue instantanément lorsqu'elle atteignit Burns: sa mémoire semblait avoir conservé la substance de toute la leçon, et elle était prête avec des réponses sur chaque point. I kept expecting that Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention; but, instead of that, she suddenly cried out— J'espérais toujours que Miss Scatcherd louerait son attention; mais, au lieu de cela, elle a soudainement crié - “You dirty, disagreeable girl!

you have never cleaned your nails this morning!” vous n'avez jamais nettoyé vos ongles ce matin! Burns made no answer: I wondered at her silence. Burns ne répondit pas: je m'étonnais de son silence.

“Why,” thought I, “does she not explain that she could neither clean her nails nor wash her face, as the water was frozen?” "Pourquoi n'explique-t-elle pas qu'elle n'a pu ni se laver les ongles, ni se laver le visage, car l'eau était gelée ? My attention was now called off by Miss Smith desiring me to hold a skein of thread: while she was winding it, she talked to me from time to time, asking whether I had ever been at school before, whether I could mark, stitch, knit, &c.; till she dismissed me, I could not pursue my observations on Miss Scatcherd’s movements. Pendant qu'elle l'enroulait, elle me parlait de temps en temps, me demandant si j'avais déjà été à l'école auparavant, si je savais marquer, piquer, tricoter, etc. When I returned to my seat, that lady was just delivering an order of which I did not catch the import; but Burns immediately left the class, and going into the small inner room where the books were kept, returned in half a minute, carrying in her hand a bundle of twigs tied together at one end. Lorsque je retournai à ma place, cette dame venait de donner un ordre dont je ne saisis pas la portée ; mais Burns quitta immédiatement la classe et, se rendant dans la petite pièce intérieure où se trouvaient les livres, revint au bout d'une demi-minute, portant à la main un fagot de brindilles attachées ensemble par un bout. This ominous tool she presented to Miss Scatcherd with a respectful curtesy; then she quietly, and without being told, unloosed her pinafore, and the teacher instantly and sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch of twigs. Cet outil inquiétant, elle a présenté à Mlle Scatcherd avec une courtoisie respectueuse; puis, tranquillement, et sans qu'on le lui dise, elle défit son tablier, et le professeur lui infligea aussitôt et brusquement une douzaine de coups avec le bouquet de brindilles. Not a tear rose to Burns' eye; and, while I paused from my sewing, because my fingers quivered at this spectacle with a sentiment of unavailing and impotent anger, not a feature of her pensive face altered its ordinary expression. Pas une larme ne monta aux yeux de Burns; et, pendant que je m'arrêtais de ma couture, parce que mes doigts tremblaient à ce spectacle avec un sentiment de colère inutile et impuissante, aucun trait de son visage pensif n'a changé son expression ordinaire. “Hardened girl!” exclaimed Miss Scatcherd; “nothing can correct you of your slatternly habits: carry the rod away.” «Fille endurcie!» s'écria miss Scatcherd; "Rien ne peut vous corriger de vos habitudes lamentables: emportez la verge."

Burns obeyed: I looked at her narrowly as she emerged from the book-closet; she was just putting back her handkerchief into her pocket, and the trace of a tear glistened on her thin cheek. Burns obéit: je la regardai de près en sortant du placard; elle était juste en train de remettre son mouchoir dans sa poche, et la trace d'une larme brillait sur sa fine joue.

The play-hour in the evening I thought the pleasantest fraction of the day at Lowood: the bit of bread, the draught of coffee swallowed at five o’clock had revived vitality, if it had not satisfied hunger: the long restraint of the day was slackened; the schoolroom felt warmer than in the morning—its fires being allowed to burn a little more brightly, to supply, in some measure, the place of candles, not yet introduced: the ruddy gloaming, the licensed uproar, the confusion of many voices gave one a welcome sense of liberty. L'heure de jeu du soir je trouvais la fraction la plus agréable de la journée à Lowood: le morceau de pain, la tasse de café avalée à cinq heures avaient ravivé la vitalité, si elle n'avait pas satisfait la faim: la longue retenue de la journée était relâché; la salle de classe était plus chaude que le matin - ses feux étant autorisés à brûler un peu plus vivement, pour fournir, dans une certaine mesure, la place de bougies, pas encore introduites: le gloaming vermeil, le tollé autorisé, la confusion de nombreuses voix un sentiment de liberté bienvenu.

On the evening of the day on which I had seen Miss Scatcherd flog her pupil, Burns, I wandered as usual among the forms and tables and laughing groups without a companion, yet not feeling lonely: when I passed the windows, I now and then lifted a blind, and looked out; it snowed fast, a drift was already forming against the lower panes; putting my ear close to the window, I could distinguish from the gleeful tumult within, the disconsolate moan of the wind outside. Le soir du jour où j'avais vu Mlle Scatcherd fouetter son élève, Burns, j'errais comme d'habitude parmi les formes, les tables et les groupes rieurs sans compagnon, mais ne me sentant pas seule: quand je passais les fenêtres, je me promenais de temps en temps souleva un store et regarda dehors; il neigeait vite, une dérive se formait déjà contre les vitres inférieures; en mettant mon oreille près de la fenêtre, je pouvais distinguer du tumulte joyeux à l'intérieur, le gémissement inconsolable du vent à l'extérieur.

Probably, if I had lately left a good home and kind parents, this would have been the hour when I should most keenly have regretted the separation; that wind would then have saddened my heart; this obscure chaos would have disturbed my peace! Probablement, si j'avais quitté dernièrement un bon foyer et de bons parents, cela aurait été l'heure où j'aurais le plus vivement regretté la séparation; ce vent aurait alors attristé mon cœur; cet obscur chaos aurait troublé ma paix!

as it was, I derived from both a strange excitement, and reckless and feverish, I wished the wind to howl more wildly, the gloom to deepen to darkness, and the confusion to rise to clamour. pour ainsi dire, je tirais à la fois d'une excitation étrange, et téméraire et fiévreux, je souhaitais que le vent hurle plus sauvagement, que la tristesse s'aggrave en ténèbres et que la confusion monte en clameurs. Jumping over forms, and creeping under tables, I made my way to one of the fire-places; there, kneeling by the high wire fender, I found Burns, absorbed, silent, abstracted from all round her by the companionship of a book, which she read by the dim glare of the embers. Sautant par-dessus les formes et rampant sous les tables, je me dirigeai vers l'une des cheminées; là, à genoux près du haut garde-boue, je trouvai Burns, absorbé, silencieux, éloigné de tout autour d'elle par la compagnie d'un livre qu'elle lisait à la faible lueur des braises.

“Is it still ‘Rasselas'?” I asked, coming behind her.

“Yes,” she said, “and I have just finished it.”

And in five minutes more she shut it up. Et cinq minutes plus tard, elle l'a fait taire.

I was glad of this. “Now,” thought I, “I can perhaps get her to talk.”  I sat down by her on the floor. “What is your name besides Burns?” «Quel est votre nom à part Burns?»

“Helen.”

“Do you come a long way from here?” "Vous venez de loin ?"

“I come from a place farther north, quite on the borders of Scotland.”

“Will you ever go back?”

“I hope so; but nobody can be sure of the future.”

“You must wish to leave Lowood?”

“No!

why should I? I was sent to Lowood to get an education; and it would be of no use going away until I have attained that object.” “But that teacher, Miss Scatcherd, is so cruel to you?”

“Cruel?

Not at all! She is severe: she dislikes my faults.” “And if I were in your place I should dislike her; I should resist her.

If she struck me with that rod, I should get it from her hand; I should break it under her nose.” Si elle me frappait avec cette verge, je la prendrais de sa main; Je devrais le casser sous son nez. “Probably you would do nothing of the sort: but if you did, Mr. Brocklehurst would expel you from the school; that would be a great grief to your relations. «Vous ne feriez probablement rien de tel: mais si vous le faisiez, M. Brocklehurst vous expulserait de l'école; ce serait un grand chagrin pour vos relations.

It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil.” Il vaut bien mieux endurer patiemment une intelligence que personne d'autre que vous-même ne ressent que de commettre une action hâtive dont les mauvaises conséquences s'étendent à tous ceux qui sont liés à vous; et en plus, la Bible nous demande de rendre le bien pour le mal. “But then it seems disgraceful to be flogged, and to be sent to stand in the middle of a room full of people; and you are such a great girl: I am far younger than you, and I could not bear it.” «Mais alors, il semble honteux d'être fouetté et d'être envoyé se tenir debout au milieu d'une salle pleine de monde; et tu es une si grande fille: je suis bien plus jeune que toi et je ne pourrais pas le supporter.

“Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear.” «Pourtant, il serait de votre devoir de le supporter, si vous ne pouviez pas l'éviter: il est faible et ridicule de dire que vous ne pouvez pas supporter ce que votre destin doit supporter.»

I heard her with wonder: I could not comprehend this doctrine of endurance; and still less could I understand or sympathise with the forbearance she expressed for her chastiser. Je l'entendis avec étonnement: je ne pouvais pas comprendre cette doctrine de l'endurance; et encore moins pourrais-je comprendre ou sympathiser avec la patience qu'elle exprimait pour son châtiment.

Still I felt that Helen Burns considered things by a light invisible to my eyes. Pourtant je sentais qu'Helen Burns considérait les choses par une lumière invisible à mes yeux. I suspected she might be right and I wrong; but I would not ponder the matter deeply; like Felix, I put it off to a more convenient season. Je soupçonnais qu'elle avait raison et moi tort; mais je ne réfléchirais pas profondément à la question; comme Félix, je l'ai remis à une saison plus pratique. “You say you have faults, Helen: what are they?

To me you seem very good.” “Then learn from me, not to judge by appearances: I am, as Miss Scatcherd said, slatternly; I seldom put, and never keep, things, in order; I am careless; I forget rules; I read when I should learn my lessons; I have no method; and sometimes I say, like you, I cannot bear to be subjected to systematic arrangements. «Alors apprenez de moi, à ne pas juger par les apparences: je suis, comme le disait Miss Scatcherd, maussade; Je mets rarement et je ne garde jamais les choses en ordre; Je suis insouciant; J'oublie les règles; Je lis quand je devrais apprendre mes leçons; Je n'ai aucune méthode; et parfois je dis, comme vous, que je ne peux pas supporter d'être soumis à des arrangements systématiques.

This is all very provoking to Miss Scatcherd, who is naturally neat, punctual, and particular.” “And cross and cruel,” I added; but Helen Burns would not admit my addition: she kept silence. «Et croisé et cruel», ai-je ajouté; mais Helen Burns n'a pas voulu admettre mon ajout: elle a gardé le silence.

“Is Miss Temple as severe to you as Miss Scatcherd?”

At the utterance of Miss Temple’s name, a soft smile flitted over her grave face. À la prononciation du nom de Miss Temple, un doux sourire flotta sur son visage grave.

“Miss Temple is full of goodness; it pains her to be severe to any one, even the worst in the school: she sees my errors, and tells me of them gently; and, if I do anything worthy of praise, she gives me my meed liberally. «Miss Temple est pleine de bonté; cela lui fait mal d'être sévère envers qui que ce soit, même le pire de l'école: elle voit mes erreurs et m'en parle avec douceur; et, si je fais quelque chose qui mérite des éloges, elle me donne généreusement mon meed.

One strong proof of my wretchedly defective nature is, that even her expostulations, so mild, so rational, have not influence to cure me of my faults; and even her praise, though I value it most highly, cannot stimulate me to continued care and foresight.” Une preuve solide de ma nature misérablement défectueuse est que même ses propos, si doux, si rationnels, n'ont pas d'influence pour me guérir de mes défauts; et même son éloge, bien que je l'apprécie le plus, ne peut pas me stimuler à continuer de faire attention et de prévoir. “That is curious,” said I, “it is so easy to be careful.”

“For you I have no doubt it is. «Pour vous, je n'en doute pas.

I observed you in your class this morning, and saw you were closely attentive: your thoughts never seemed to wander while Miss Miller explained the lesson and questioned you. Now, mine continually rove away; when I should be listening to Miss Scatcherd, and collecting all she says with assiduity, often I lose the very sound of her voice; I fall into a sort of dream. Maintenant, le mien s'éloignait continuellement; quand j'écouterais miss Scatcherd et que je rassemblais tout ce qu'elle dit avec assiduité, souvent je perds le son même de sa voix; Je tombe dans une sorte de rêve. Sometimes I think I am in Northumberland, and that the noises I hear round me are the bubbling of a little brook which runs through Deepden, near our house;—then, when it comes to my turn to reply, I have to be awakened; and having heard nothing of what was read for listening to the visionary brook, I have no answer ready.” Parfois, je pense que je suis dans le Northumberland, et que les bruits que j'entends autour de moi sont le bouillonnement d'un petit ruisseau qui traverse Deepden, près de notre maison; - alors, quand vient à mon tour de répondre, il faut que je sois réveillé; et n'ayant rien entendu de ce qui a été lu pour écouter le ruisseau visionnaire, je n'ai pas de réponse prête. “Yet how well you replied this afternoon.”

“It was mere chance; the subject on which we had been reading had interested me. «C'était un simple hasard; le sujet sur lequel nous avions lu m'avait intéressé.

This afternoon, instead of dreaming of Deepden, I was wondering how a man who wished to do right could act so unjustly and unwisely as Charles the First sometimes did; and I thought what a pity it was that, with his integrity and conscientiousness, he could see no farther than the prerogatives of the crown. Cet après-midi, au lieu de rêver à Deepden, je me demandais comment un homme qui voulait faire le bien pouvait agir si injustement et imprudemment comme le faisait parfois Charles Premier; et je pensais qu'il était dommage que, avec son intégrité et sa conscience, il ne puisse voir plus loin que les prérogatives de la couronne. 今天下午,我没有梦想着《 Deepden》,而是想做一个想做对的人,怎么会像查尔斯一世有时那样不公正,不明智地行动?我觉得很可惜,凭借他的正直和尽职尽责,他看到的最高不过是王冠的特权。 If he had but been able to look to a distance, and see how what they call the spirit of the age was tending! S'il avait pu regarder à distance et voir comment ce qu'ils appellent l'esprit du temps allait! Still, I like Charles—I respect him—I pity him, poor murdered king! Yes, his enemies were the worst: they shed blood they had no right to shed. Oui, ses ennemis étaient les pires: ils versaient du sang qu'ils n'avaient pas le droit de verser. How dared they kill him!” Helen was talking to herself now: she had forgotten I could not very well understand her—that I was ignorant, or nearly so, of the subject she discussed. Helen se parlait à elle-même maintenant : elle avait oublié que je ne pouvais pas très bien la comprendre - que j'étais ignorant, ou presque, du sujet dont elle parlait.

I recalled her to my level. Je l'ai rappelée à mon niveau. “And when Miss Temple teaches you, do your thoughts wander then?” "Et quand Miss Temple vous enseigne, vos pensées vagabondent-elles ?"

“No, certainly, not often; because Miss Temple has generally something to say which is newer than my own reflections; her language is singularly agreeable to me, and the information she communicates is often just what I wished to gain.”

“Well, then, with Miss Temple you are good?” «Alors, avec Miss Temple, tu vas bien?

“Yes, in a passive way: I make no effort; I follow as inclination guides me.

There is no merit in such goodness.” “A great deal: you are good to those who are good to you. «Beaucoup: vous êtes bon pour ceux qui sont bons pour vous.

It is all I ever desire to be. If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. Si les gens étaient toujours gentils et obéissants envers ceux qui sont cruels et injustes, les gens méchants l'auraient fait à leur guise: ils n'auraient jamais peur et ne changeraient donc jamais, mais s'aggraveraient de plus en plus. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.” Lorsque nous sommes frappés sans raison, nous devrions riposter très durement, j'en suis sûr, au point d'apprendre à la personne qui nous a frappés à ne plus jamais le faire". “You will change your mind, I hope, when you grow older: as yet you are but a little untaught girl.” «Tu changeras d'avis, j'espère, en vieillissant: tu n'es encore qu'une petite fille sans instruction.

“But I feel this, Helen; I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly. «Mais je le sens, Helen; Je dois détester ceux qui, quoi que je fasse pour leur plaire, s'obstinent à me détester; Je dois résister à ceux qui me punissent injustement.

It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved.” Il est aussi naturel que je devrais aimer ceux qui me montrent de l'affection, ou me soumettre à la punition quand je pense que c'est mérité. “Heathens and savage tribes hold that doctrine, but Christians and civilised nations disown it.”

“How?

I don’t understand.” “It is not violence that best overcomes hate—nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury.”

“What then?”

“Read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how He acts; make His word your rule, and His conduct your example.”

“What does He say?”

“Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.” «Aimez vos ennemis; bénissez ceux qui vous maudissent; faites du bien à ceux qui vous haïssent et qui vous utilisent malgré tout.

“Then I should love Mrs. Reed, which I cannot do; I should bless her son John, which is impossible.”

In her turn, Helen Burns asked me to explain, and I proceeded forthwith to pour out, in my own way, the tale of my sufferings and resentments. A son tour, Helen Burns me demanda de m'expliquer, et je me mis aussitôt à répandre, à ma manière, le récit de mes souffrances et de mes ressentiments.

Bitter and truculent when excited, I spoke as I felt, without reserve or softening. Amère et truculente quand elle était excitée, je parlais comme je le ressentais, sans réserve ni adoucissement. Helen heard me patiently to the end: I expected she would then make a remark, but she said nothing.

“Well,” I asked impatiently, “is not Mrs. Reed a hard-hearted, bad woman?”

“She has been unkind to you, no doubt; because you see, she dislikes your cast of character, as Miss Scatcherd does mine; but how minutely you remember all she has done and said to you! "Elle n'a pas été aimable avec vous, sans doute, parce que, voyez-vous, elle n'aime pas votre caractère, comme Mlle Scatcherd le mien ; mais comme vous vous rappelez minutieusement tout ce qu'elle vous a fait et dit !

What a singularly deep impression her injustice seems to have made on your heart! Quelle impression singulièrement profonde son injustice semble avoir faite sur votre cœur ! No ill-usage so brands its record on my feelings. Pas de mauvais usage, donc marque son bilan sur mes sentiments. Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited? Ne seriez-vous pas plus heureux si vous essayiez d'oublier sa sévérité, ainsi que les émotions passionnées qu'elle excitait? Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs. La vie me paraît trop courte pour être passée à nourrir l'animosité ou à enregistrer les torts. We are, and must be, one and all, burdened with faults in this world: but the time will soon come when, I trust, we shall put them off in putting off our corruptible bodies; when debasement and sin will fall from us with this cumbrous frame of flesh, and only the spark of the spirit will remain,—the impalpable principle of light and thought, pure as when it left the Creator to inspire the creature: whence it came it will return; perhaps again to be communicated to some being higher than man—perhaps to pass through gradations of glory, from the pale human soul to brighten to the seraph! Nous sommes, et devons être, un et tous, accablés de fautes dans ce monde: mais le temps viendra bientôt où, j'espère, nous les retarderons de remettre nos corps corruptibles; quand l'avilissement et le péché tomberont de nous avec cette charpente encombrante, et que seule l'étincelle de l'esprit restera, - le principe impalpable de lumière et de pensée, pur comme quand il quitta le Créateur pour inspirer la créature: d'où il venait reviendra; peut-être encore pour être communiqué à quelque être plus élevé que l'homme - peut-être pour passer par des gradations de gloire, de la pâle âme humaine pour égayer au séraphin! Surely it will never, on the contrary, be suffered to degenerate from man to fiend? Au contraire, il ne sera jamais souffert de dégénérer d'homme en démon? No; I cannot believe that: I hold another creed: which no one ever taught me, and which I seldom mention; but in which I delight, and to which I cling: for it extends hope to all: it makes Eternity a rest—a mighty home, not a terror and an abyss. Non; Je ne peux pas croire que: j'ai un autre credo: que personne ne m'a jamais appris, et que je mentionne rarement; mais auquel je prends plaisir, et auquel je m'accroche: car elle étend l'espérance à tous: elle fait de l'Éternité un repos - une demeure puissante, non une terreur et un abîme. Besides, with this creed, I can so clearly distinguish between the criminal and his crime; I can so sincerely forgive the first while I abhor the last: with this creed revenge never worries my heart, degradation never too deeply disgusts me, injustice never crushes me too low: I live in calm, looking to the end.” D'ailleurs, avec ce credo, je peux si clairement distinguer le criminel de son crime; Je peux si sincèrement pardonner le premier tandis que j'abhorre le dernier: avec ce credo, la vengeance n'inquiète jamais mon cœur, la dégradation ne me dégoûte jamais trop profondément, l'injustice ne m'écrase jamais trop bas: je vis dans le calme, regardant jusqu'au bout. Helen’s head, always drooping, sank a little lower as she finished this sentence. La tête d'Helen, toujours tombante, s'enfonça un peu plus bas alors qu'elle terminait cette phrase.

I saw by her look she wished no longer to talk to me, but rather to converse with her own thoughts. She was not allowed much time for meditation: a monitor, a great rough girl, presently came up, exclaiming in a strong Cumberland accent— On ne lui laissa pas beaucoup de temps pour la méditation: un moniteur, une grande fille rude, s'approcha, s'exclamant avec un fort accent de Cumberland - “Helen Burns, if you don’t go and put your drawer in order, and fold up your work this minute, I’ll tell Miss Scatcherd to come and look at it!” «Helen Burns, si vous n'allez pas mettre votre tiroir en ordre, et pliez votre travail cette minute, je dirai à Miss Scatcherd de venir le regarder!

Helen sighed as her reverie fled, and getting up, obeyed the monitor without reply as without delay. Helen soupira alors que sa rêverie s'enfuyait, et se levant, obéit au moniteur sans réponse comme sans délai.