miserably³⁹ short of the true heroic height. At present she did not know her own poverty, for she had no lover to portray⁴⁰. She had reached the age of seventeen, without having seen one amiable⁴¹ youth who could call forth⁴² her sensibility, without having inspired one real passion, and without having excited even any admiration⁴³ but what was very moderate and very transient. This was strange indeed! But strange things may be generally accounted for if their cause be fairly searched out. There was not one lord in the neighbourhood; no -- not even a baronet. There was not one family among their acquaintance who had reared and supported a boy accidentally found at their door -- not one young man whose origin was unknown. Her father had no ward⁵, and the squire⁴⁴ of the parish no children.

But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness⁴⁵ of forty surrounding families cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a hero in her way.

Mr. Allen, who owned the chief of the property about Fullerton, the village in Wiltshire where the Morlands lived, was ordered to Bath for the benefit of a gouty constitution -- and his lady, a good-humoured woman, fond of Miss Morland, and probably aware that if adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad, invited her to go with them. Mr. and Mrs. Morland were all compliance⁴⁶, and Catherine all happiness.

凡是在凯瑟琳·莫兰的幼年时代见过她的人，谁都想不到她命中注定会成为女主角。她的家庭出身，父母的性格、她自己的品貌气质，统统对她不利。她父亲是个牧师，既不受人冷落，也没陷入贫穷。为人十分体面，不过他起了个“理查德”的俗名，长得从来不算英俊；他除了两份优厚的牧师俸禄之外，还有一笔相当可观的独立资产。而且，他一点也不喜欢把女儿关在家里。她母亲是个朴实能干的女人，她性情平和，而更为了不起的是．她身体健壮。她在凯瑟琳出世之前生过三个儿子。在生凯瑟琳时，人们都担心她活不成了，不料她还是活了下来，接连又生了六个孩子，并且眼看着他们在她身边长大成人，而她自己也一直很健康。一家人家要是养了十个孩子，个个有头有脑，四肢齐全，总被人们称作美好的家庭。不过，莫兰家除此而外。没有别的好称道的，因为这些孩子大都长得很平常。而凯瑟琳多年来一直像其他孩子一样难看。她细瘦个儿，笨里笨气的，皮肤灰里透黄，不见血色；头发又黑又直，五官粗粝。她的相貌不过如此，她的智力似乎同样不适宜作女主角。她对男孩子玩的游戏样样都喜爱。她非但不喜欢布娃娃，就连那些比较适合女主角身分的幼儿爱好，诸如养个睡鼠。喂只金丝雀，浇浇玫瑰花，她都觉得远远没有打板球来得有趣。确实，她不喜欢花园、偶尔采几朵花，那多半是出于好淘气，至少别人是这么推测的，因为她专采那些不准采的花。她就是这个脾气。她的资质也同样很特别。无论什么东西，不教就学不会，弄不懂，有时即使教过了，她也学不会，因为她往往心不在焉，时而还笨头笨脑的。她母亲花了三个月工夫，才教她背会了一首诗《乞丐请愿歌》，结果还是她的大妹妹比她背得好。凯瑟琳并非总是很笨．决非如此。《兔子和朋友》这个寓言，她比英格兰哪个姑娘学得都快。她母亲希望她学音乐，凯瑟琳也认准自己会喜欢音乐，因为她很爱拨弄那架无人问津的旧琴，于是她从八岁起便开始学习音乐。没想她学了一年便吃不消了。莫兰太太对女儿们力不从心或是不感兴趣的事情从不勉强．因此她让凯瑟琳半途而废了。辞退音乐教师那天，是凯瑟琳一生最快活的日子。她并不特别喜爱绘画，不过，每逢能从母亲那儿要来一只信封。或是随便抓到一张什么稀奇古怪的纸头，她就信笔画起来，什么房子啦，树啦。母鸡和雏鸡啦，画来画去全是一个模样。她父亲教她写字和算术。母亲教她法文。但是她哪一门都学不好，一有机会便逃避上课。这真是个不可思议的怪人！十岁的年纪就表现得如此放纵不羁。可她既没坏心眼，也没坏脾气，很少固执己见，难得与人争吵，对弟弟妹妹十分宽和．很少欺侮他们。此外，她喜欢吵闹和撒野，不愿关在家里，不爱清洁，天下的事情她最爱做的，便是躺在屋后的绿茵坡上往下打滚。

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