简爱
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte / 夏洛蒂 伯朗特
Part Three — A governess at Thornfield
17
The wedding day
We had no friends or family to accompany us to the church. I had not told my Reed cousins about our wedding, but I had written to my uncle, John Eyre, in Madeira. Mr Rochester was in such a hurry that he only allowed me a short time to put on my wedding dress and veil.
‘Jane, you look lovely, ’ he said. ‘But you can only have ten minutes for breakfast! ’ We almost ran up the road to the church, his strong hand holding mine. His dark face looked stern, and he did not speak. I did not notice the weather or my surroundings at all, I only wanted to know why he looked so fierce. Suddenly he noticed how pale I was, and stopped for a moment to let me get my breath back. Then we walked more slowly into the church.
The priest and the clerk were waiting for us. There was nobody else except two strangers who were standing at the back of the church. The ceremony began, and soon I heard the priest come to the point in the wedding where he had to ask, ‘Is there any reason why these two people should not be married? ’
The priest paused for a second, as was the custom, but before he could continue, a voice from the back of the church said clearly,
‘There is a reason. ’
The priest looked up from his book, and stood silent. Mr Rochester said in his deep voice, without turning his head, ‘Continue with the ceremony. ’
Silence fell again. Then the priest shook his head. ‘I must investigate this first, ’ he said. One of the strangers from the back of the church came forward and said, calmly and quietly,
‘This wedding cannot continue, because Mr Rochester is already married. ’
I felt as if I had been hit. Mr Rochester’s whole face was like colourless marble. Without speaking or smiling, he was holding me tightly round the waist, as if he would never let go.
‘Who are you? ’ he growled at the stranger. ‘And tell me what you know of this supposed wife of mine. ’
17. 婚礼
我们没有朋友或家人陪伴去教堂。我没有把婚礼的事告诉里德家的表姊妹，但给马迪拉的约翰·爱舅舅写了信。罗切斯特先生那么心急，只给了我很短的时间让我穿上结婚礼服、戴好面纱。
“简，你可爱极了。”他说，“不过你只有十分钟吃早饭！”我们几乎是跑着来到教堂，他有力的臂膀搂着我，深色的脸膛表情严肃，一语不发。我根本没有注意到天气和周围的环境，只是纳闷他为什么看上去这么严厉。突然他注意到我脸色发白，赶紧停了一下让我喘口气。然后，我们放慢脚步，走进教堂。
牧师和执事正等着我们。除了教堂后面站着的两个陌生人，再无他人。仪式开始了，很快牧师就进行到了婚礼中他必须问的一句：“有没有理由说明这俩人不应结婚？”
牧师照例停顿了一会儿，然而在他继续之前，教堂后面传来一个清晰的声音：
“是有一个理由。”
牧师从书本中抬起头来，静静地站着。罗切斯特先生没有回头，用他深沉的声音说：“仪式继续进行。”
又是一阵沉默。然后，牧师摇着头说：“我必须先调查一下。”其中一个陌生人从教堂后面走上前来，镇静地轻声说：
“婚礼不能继续，因为罗切斯特先生已经结婚了。”
我觉得自己像被猛击了一下。罗切斯特先生的脸整个变成了无色的大理石。他既没说话也没有笑，只是紧紧搂着我的腰，好像永远不想放手似的。
“你是谁？”他冲陌生人吼道。“告诉我，关于我所谓的妻子你知道些什么！”