第46页
《简·爱(英文版)》章节:第46页,宠文网网友提供全文无弹窗免费在线阅读。!
cane he pointed to the awful object, his hand shaking as he did so.
'It is Julia Severn,' replied Miss Temple, very quietly.
'Julia Severn, ma'am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair?
Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, does
she conform to the world so openly- here in an evangelical, charitable
establishment- as to wear her hair one mass of curls?'
'Julia's hair curls naturally,' returned Miss Temple, still more
quietly.
'Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish
these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I
have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged
closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl's hair must be
cut off entirely; I will send a barber tomorrow: and I see others
who have far too much of the excrescence- that tall girl, tell her
to turn round. Tell all the first form to rise up and direct their
faces to the wall.'
Miss Temple passed her handkerchief over her lips, as if to
smooth away the involuntary smile that curled them; she gave the
order, however, and when the first class could take in what was
required of them, they obeyed. Leaning a little back on my bench, I
could see the looks and grimaces with which they commented on this
manoeuvre: it was a pity Mr. Brocklehurst could not see them too; he
would perhaps have felt that, whatever he might do with the outside of
the cup and platter, the inside was further beyond his interference
than he imagined.
He scrutinised the reverse of these living medals some five
minutes, then pronounced sentence. These words fell like the knell
of doom-
'All those top-knots must be cut off.'
Miss Temple seemed to remonstrate.
'Madam,' he pursued, 'I have a Master to serve whose kingdom is not
of this world: my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of
the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and
sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel; and each of the
young persons before us has a string of hair twisted in plaits which
vanity itself might have woven; these, I repeat, must be cut off;
think of the time wasted, of-'
Mr. Brocklehurst was here interrupted: three other visitors,
ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little
sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly
attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio (fine
girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then in fashion,
shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this graceful
head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled;
the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with
ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.
These ladies were deferentially received by Miss Temple, as Mrs.
and the Misses Brocklehurst, and conducted to seats of honour at the
top of the room. It seems they had come in the carriage with their