"He will sacrifice all to his long-framed resolves," she said:

“他会为他长期形成的决定而牺牲一切，”她说：

"natural affection and feelings more potent still.

“但天性的爱恋与感情却更加强烈。

St. John looks quiet, Jane; but he hides a fever in his vitals.

圣·约翰看上去文文静静，简，但是他的躯体里隐藏着一种热情。

You would think him gentle, yet in some things he is inexorable as death;

你可能认为他很温顺，但在某些事情上，他可以像死一般冷酷。

and the worst of it is, my conscience will hardly permit me to dissuade him from his severe decision:

最糟糕的是，我的良心几乎不容我说服他放弃自己苛刻的决定。

certainly, I cannot for a moment blame him for it.

当然我也绝不能为此而责备他。

It is right, noble, Christian: yet it breaks my heart!"

这是正当、高尚、符合基督教精神的，但使我心碎。”

And the tears gushed to her fine eyes.

说完，眼泪一下子涌上了她漂亮的眼睛。

Mary bent her head low over her work.

玛丽低着头干着自己的活儿。

"We are now without father: we shall soon be without home and brother," she murmured,

“如今我们已没有父亲，很快就要没有家，没有哥哥了，”她喃喃地说。

At that moment a little accident supervened,

这时候发生了一个小小的插曲，

which seemed decreed by fate purposely to prove the truth of the adage,

仿佛也是天意，

that "misfortunes never come singly,"

要证实“祸不单行”的格言，

and to add to their distresses the vexing one of the slip between the cup and the lip.

伤心之中因眼看到手的东西又失掉而更添恼怒。

St. John passed the window reading a letter. He entered.

圣·约翰走过窗前，读着一封信，他走进房间。

"Our uncle John is dead," said he.

“我们的舅舅去世了，”他说。

Both the sisters seemed struck: not shocked or appalled;

两位姐妹都似乎一怔，既不感到震惊也不表示惊讶。

the tidings appeared in their eyes rather momentous than afflicting.

在她们的眼睛里这消息显得很重要，但并不令人痛苦。

"Dead?" repeated Diana.

“死了？”黛安娜重复说。

"Yes."

“是的。”

She riveted a searching gaze on her brother's face.

她带着搜索的目光紧盯着她哥哥的脸庞。

"And what then?" she demanded, in a low voice.

“那又怎样呢？”她低声问。

"What then, Die?" he replied, maintaining a marble immobility of feature.

“那又怎样，死了？”他回答，面部象大理石一样毫无表情。

"What then? Why -- nothing. Read."

“那又怎样？哎呀—一没有怎样。自己看吧。”