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"Yes, sir; for hours if you will."
“是的，先生。听你几小时都行。”
"I ask only minutes. Jane, did you ever hear or know at I was not the eldest son of my house:
“我只要求几分钟。简，你是否听到过，或者知道我在家里不是老大，
that I had once a brother older than I?"
我还有一个年龄比我大的哥哥？”
"I remember Mrs. Fairfax told me so once."
“我记得费尔法克斯太太有一次告诉过我。”
"And did you ever hear that my father was an avaricious, grasping man?"
“你听说过我的父亲是个贪得无厌的人吗？”
"I have understood something to that effect."
“我大致了解一些。”
"Well, Jane, being so, it was his resolution to keep the property together;
“好吧，简，出于贪婪，我父亲决心把他的财产合在一起，
he could not bear the idea of dividing his estate and leaving me a fair portion:
而不能容忍把它分割，留给我相当一部分。
all, he resolved, should go to my brother, Rowland.
他决定一切都归我哥哥罗兰，
Yet as little could he endure that a son of his should be a poor man.
然而也不忍心一个儿子成为穷光蛋。
I must be provided for by a wealthy marriage. He sought me a partner betimes.
他还得通过一桩富有的婚事解决我的生计。不久他替我找了个伴侣。
Mr. Mason, a West India planter and merchant, was his old acquaintance.
他有一个叫梅森先生的老相识，是西印度的种植园主和商人。
He was certain his possessions were real and vast: he made inquiries.
他做了调查，肯定梅森先生家业殷实巨大。
Mr. Mason, he found, had a son and daughter;
他发现梅森先生有一双儿女，
and he learned from him that he could and would give the latter a fortune of thirty thousand pounds: that sufficed.
还知道梅森先生能够，也愿意给他的女儿三万英镑的财产，那已经足够了。
