Emma 爱玛 - Chapter 20

Jane Fairfax was an orphan ¹, the only child of Mrs. Bates's youngest daughter.,The marriage of Lieut. Fairfax of the regiment ² of infantry ³, and Miss Jane Bates, had had its day of fame and pleasure, hope and interest; but nothing now remained of it, save the melancholy ⁴ remembrance of him dying in action abroad--of his widow sinking under consumption and grief soon afterwards--and this girl.,By birth she belonged to Highbury: and when at three years old, on losing her mother, she became the property, the charge, the consolation ⁵, the fondling of her grandmother and aunt, there had seemed every probability of her being permanently ⁶ fixed ⁷ there; of her being taught only what very limited means could command, and growing up with no advantages of connexion or improvement, to be engrafted on what nature had given her in a pleasing person, good understanding, and warm-hearted, well-meaning relations., ,But the compassionate ⁹ feelings of a friend of her father gave a change to her destiny. This was Colonel Campbell, who had very highly regarded Fairfax, as an excellent officer and most deserving young man; and farther, had been indebted to him for such attentions, during a severe camp-fever, as he believed had saved his life. These were claims which he did not learn to overlook, though some years passed away from the death of poor Fairfax, before his own return to England put any thing in his power. When he did return, he sought out the child and took notice of her. He was a married man, with only one living child, a girl, about Jane's age: and Jane became their guest, paying them long visits and growing a favourite with all; and before she was nine years old, his daughter's great fondness for her, and his own wish of being a real friend, united to produce an offer from Colonel Campbell of undertaking ¹⁰ the whole charge of her education. It was accepted; and from that period Jane had belonged to Colonel Campbell's family, and had lived with them entirely ¹¹, only visiting her grandmother from time to time., , ,Such was Jane Fairfax's history. She had fallen into good hands, known nothing but kindness from the Campbells, and been given an excellent education. Living constantly with right-minded and well-informed people, her heart and understanding had received every advantage of discipline and culture; and Colonel Campbell's residence being in London, every lighter ¹² talent had been done full justice to, by the attendance of first-rate masters. Her disposition ¹³ and abilities were equally worthy ¹⁴ of all that friendship could do; and at eighteen or nineteen she was, as far as such an early age can be qualified ¹⁵ for the care of children, fully ¹⁶ competent to the office of instruction herself; but she was too much beloved to be parted with. Neither father nor mother could promote, and the daughter could not endure it. The evil day was put off. It was easy to decide that she was still too young; and Jane remained with them, sharing, as another daughter, in all the rational pleasures of an elegant society, and a judicious ¹⁷ mixture of home and amusement, with only the drawback of the future, the sobering suggestions of her own good understanding to remind her that all this might soon be over., ,The affection of the whole family, the warm attachment ¹⁸ of Miss Campbell in particular, was the more honourable ¹⁹ to each party from the circumstance of Jane's decided ²⁰ superiority both in beauty and acquirements. That nature had given it in feature could not be unseen by the young woman, nor could her higher powers of mind be unfelt by the parents. They continued together with unabated regard however, till the marriage of Miss Campbell, who by that chance, that luck which so often defies anticipation ²¹ in matrimonial affairs, giving attraction to what is moderate rather than to what is superior, engaged the affections of Mr. Dixon, a young man, rich and agreeable, almost as soon as they were acquainted; and was eligibly ²² and happily settled, while Jane Fairfax had yet her bread to earn., ,The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。,As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团 。