Emily and Anne did know, of course. They had known about Charlotte's book for a long time. Jane Eyre was not the first book that Charlotte had sent to a publisher（出版者）. Over a year ago, she had written another book, The Professor（ 教授）, and sent it to one publisher（出版者） after another. Each publisher had sent it back in a packet（小包(裹)） addressed（写名字地址） to Cara Bell（钟）. And then Charlotte had sent it, in the same old packet, to another publisher, and then another, and got it back again.

  "Why didn't you change the paper on the packet, my dear?" I asked. Charlotte smiled（ 微笑）. "I didn't think of it, Papa. The worst day was when we were in Manchester, going to the eye-doctor. Do you remember? The packet came back then. That was the day before（ 在…之前） I started writing Jane Eyre."

  "Do you mean that you started writing Jane Eyre while（正当…的时候） I was lying（躺） in that dark room in Manchester?" "That's right, Papa." "But that's only six months ago. And here is the book in my hand." "Yes, Papa. The book was printed（印刷） a month after（ 在…之后） I sent it to the publisher（出版者）." "My dear! They decided very quickly that they liked it then." "I think they did, Papa. After all（ 全部）, it is a good book, isn't it?" She smiled at me. "I don't think I have ever seen her so happy."

  "She is a very small person, Charlotte, and not a beautiful woman. But when she smiles like that, her face shines（ 发光） like a fine painting." "My wife, Maria, used to look like that sometimes when I first met her. I took her hand in mine（矿）." "It is a very good book, my dear. I cannot tell you how proud（骄傲的） I am." She touched（触摸） my hand. "Thank you, Papa." "But you must not be proud of me alone（单独地）, you know. Anne and Emily—" "Oh, no, Charlotte, please," Emily said.

  But Charlotte did not stop. Anne and Emily have written books, too—books just as（当…的时候） good as（当…的时候） mine（矿）, and their books will soon be published（公布） as（当…的时候） well. "Let me introduce you, Papa. These young ladies（女士） are not your daughters. They are Acton-Bell and Ellis-Bell, brothers of the famous writer Cara-Bell." Emily's face was bright（明亮的） red, but Anne and Charlotte started laughing. I was very surprised（感到惊讶的）.

  "All three of you," I said. "But why do you use these strange（陌生的） names?" "Because people are stupid（ 愚蠢的）, Papa," Anne said. "No one thinks women can write good books, so we have used men's names instead（代替）. And now they say that Cara-Bell is a writer who understands women very well." She laughed again. "My dears, my dears!" I held（拿住） out my hands to them and kissed（吻） each one of them in turn.

  "I don't know what to say. I am so pleased（开心的） for you all. You have made your old Papa happy today." Something in Emily's face stopped me. "Emily, you will let me read your book, won't you?" She thought for a moment. "Yes, Papa, of course, but it's very different from Charlotte's. I'm not sure you're like it."