狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第48章Part3

Captain Cuttle patted Diogenes when he made allusion to him, and Diogenes met that overture graciously, half-way. During the administration of the restoratives he had clearly been in two minds whether to fly at the Captain or to offer him his friendship; and he had expressed that conflict of feeling by alternate waggings of his tail, and displays of his teeth, with now and then a growl or so. But by this time, his doubts were all removed. It was plain that he considered the Captain one of the most amiable of men, and a man whom it was an honour to a dog to know.
In evidence of these convictions, Diogenes attended on the Captain while he made some tea and toast, and showed a lively interest in his housekeeping. But it was in vain for the kind Captain to make such preparations for Florence, who sorely tried to do some honour to them, but could touch nothing, and could only weep and weep again.
'Well, well!' said the compassionate Captain, 'arter turning in, my Heart's Delight, you'll get more way upon you. Now, I'll serve out your allowance, my lad.' To Diogenes. 'And you shall keep guard on your mistress aloft.'
Diogenes, however, although he had been eyeing his intended breakfast with a watering mouth and glistening eyes, instead of falling to, ravenously, when it was put before him, pricked up his ears, darted to the shop-door, and barked there furiously: burrowing with his head at the bottom, as if he were bent on mining his way out.
'Can there be anybody there!' asked Florence, in alarm.
'No, my lady lass,' returned the Captain. 'Who'd stay there, without making any noise! Keep up a good heart, pretty. It's only people going by.'
But for all that, Diogenes barked and barked, and burrowed and burrowed, with pertinacious fury; and whenever he stopped to listen, appeared to receive some new conviction into his mind, for he set to, barking and burrowing again, a dozen times. Even when he was persuaded to return to his breakfast, he came jogging back to it, with a very doubtful air; and was off again, in another paroxysm, before touching a morsel.
'If there should be someone listening and watching,' whispered Florence. 'Someone who saw me come - who followed me, perhaps.'
'It ain't the young woman, lady lass, is it?' said the Captain, taken with a bright idea
'Susan?' said Florence, shaking her head. 'Ah no! Susan has been gone from me a long time.'
'Not deserted, I hope?' said the Captain. 'Don't say that that there young woman's run, my pretty!'
'Oh, no, no!' cried Florence. 'She is one of the truest hearts in the world!'
The Captain was greatly relieved by this reply, and expressed his satisfaction by taking off his hard glazed hat, and dabbing his head all over with his handkerchief, rolled up like a ball, observing several times, with infinite complacency, and with a beaming countenance, that he know'd it.
'So you're quiet now, are you, brother?' said the Captain to Diogenes. 'There warn't nobody there, my lady lass, bless you!'
Diogenes was not so sure of that. The door still had an attraction for him at intervals; and he went snuffing about it, and growling to himself, unable to forget the subject. This incident, coupled with the Captain's observation of Florence's fatigue and faintness, decided him to prepare Sol Gills's chamber as a place of retirement for her immediately. He therefore hastily betook himself to the top of the house, and made the best arrangement of it that his imagination and his means suggested.
It was very clean already; and the Captain being an orderly man, and accustomed to make things ship-shape, converted the bed into a couch, by covering it all over with a clean white drapery. By a similar contrivance, the Captain converted the little dressing-table into a species of altar, on which he set forth two silver teaspoons, a flower-pot, a telescope, his celebrated watch, a pocket-comb, and a song-book, as a small collection of rarities, that made a choice appearance. Having darkened the window, and straightened the pieces of carpet on the floor, the Captain surveyed these preparations with great delight, and descended to the little parlour again, to bring Florence to her bower.
Nothing would induce the Captain to believe that it was possible for Florence to walk upstairs. If he could have got the idea into his head, he would have considered it an outrageous breach of hospitality to allow her to do so. Florence was too weak to dispute the point, and the Captain carried her up out of hand, laid her down, and covered her with a great watch-coat.
'My lady lass!' said the Captain, 'you're as safe here as if you was at the top of St Paul's Cathedral, with the ladder cast off. Sleep is what you want, afore all other things, and may you be able to show yourself smart with that there balsam for the still small woice of a wounded mind! When there's anything you want, my Heart's Delight, as this here humble house or town can offer, pass the word to Ed'ard Cuttle, as'll stand off and on outside that door, and that there man will wibrate with joy.' The Captain concluded by kissing the hand that Florence stretched out to him, with the chivalry of any old knight-errant, and walking on tiptoe out of the room.
Descending to the little parlour, Captain Cuttle, after holding a hasty council with himself, decided to open the shop-door for a few minutes, and satisfy himself that now, at all events, there was no one loitering about it. Accordingly he set it open, and stood upon the threshold, keeping a bright look-out, and sweeping the whole street with his spectacles.
'How de do, Captain Gills?' said a voice beside him. The Captain, looking down, found that he had been boarded by Mr Toots while sweeping the horizon.
'How are, you, my lad?' replied the Captain.

卡特爾船長提到戴奧吉尼斯的時候，撫摸撫摸它，戴奧吉尼斯親切地迎着他走過去接受這一建議。在船長對弗洛倫斯進行搶救措施的時候，他顯然打不定主意，是向船長猛撲過去呢，還是向他表示友好。他感情上的這種鬥爭，表現在或者搖搖尾巴，或者露露牙齒，有時還嗥叫一、兩聲。但到這時他的疑團已完全消除了。很明顯，他認爲船長是最和藹可親的人們當中的一位，跟他認識對任何一條狗來說都是光榮的。
可以證明他懷有這樣信念的是，當船長在泡茶和烤麪包片的時候，他一直跟隨着船長，並對他的家務管理表示出濃厚的興趣。可是仁厚的船長給弗洛倫斯準備這些飲食卻是白費力氣，她本想要表示一點領情的心意，儘量設法吃一點，但卻什麼也吃不下去，而只能哭着，不住地哭着。
“好了，好了，”富有同情心的船長說道，”你需要睡覺了，我的心的喜悅，睡一覺之後你跑的航程會更多。現在，我要給你發口糧了，我的孩子。”他對戴奧吉尼斯說道。”在這之後，你應當到樓上去守衛你的女主人。”
戴奧吉尼斯起初雖然流着口水，眼睛閃着亮光，直盯盯地看着指定給他的早餐，但是當把早餐端到他面前的時候，他卻沒有餓得迫不及待地向它撲過去，而是豎起耳朵，奔到店門邊，狂暴地吠叫着，並用鼻面在門檻下面打着洞，彷彿他想要掘通一條出路似的。
“難道那裏有什麼人嗎？”弗洛倫斯驚恐地問道。
“沒有，我的小姑娘夫人，”船長回答道。”有誰到這裏會不敲門的呢？大膽些，別害怕，寶貝。看來只不過有人路過這裏罷了。”
可是雖然這麼說，戴奧吉尼斯仍懷着難以消除的怒氣，吠叫着，吠叫着，在門檻下面打着洞，打着洞；每當他停下來聽一聽的時候，他總好像是更有信心似的，因爲他又開始吠叫和打洞，這樣反覆了十多次。甚至當勸他回去吃早餐的時候，他還是露出十分疑惑的神色，慢吞吞地走着；然後一口也沒吃，又突然發起怒來，向門口猛衝過去。
“是不是有什麼人在那裏偷聽和偷看？”弗洛倫斯低聲說道，”也許有什麼人看到我到這裏來了--有什麼人跟隨着我吧。”
“那位姑娘不會到這裏來吧，小姑娘夫人？”船長心中忽然閃現出一個想法，就這樣問道。
“蘇珊？”弗洛倫斯搖搖頭，說道。”噯，不會的！蘇珊早就離開我了。”
“我希望，不是拋開你，擅自離走的吧？”船長問道。”別跟我講那位姑娘逃跑的事，我的寶貝！”
“啊，不，不！”弗洛倫斯喊道，”她的心是世界上最忠誠的心當中的一個。”
船長聽到這個回答，感到十分寬慰，他取下那頂上了光的硬帽子，用卷得像一隻球似的手絹輕輕拍打着腦袋各處，並懷着無比自得的心情，露出喜氣洋洋的神色，幾次重複說道，他知道這一點，他就這樣來表示他的滿意。
“好了，你現在安靜了，是不是，老弟？”船長對戴奧吉尼斯說道，”那裏沒有什麼人，我的小姑娘夫人，上帝保佑您！”
戴奧吉尼斯對這一點倒並不是那麼確信無疑。門仍不時吸引他的注意。他嗅嗅它，嗥叫着。沒有把這件事忘記。這個情況，以及船長注意到弗洛倫斯的疲倦和虛弱，使卡特爾船長決定立即把所爾?吉爾斯的臥房收拾收拾，作爲她隱居休息的地方。因此他急忙跑到房屋頂層，憑着他的想象和他能夠動用的材料，把它儘可能佈置得好一些。
房間已經很乾淨了；船長是個有條理的人，習慣於把東西收拾得像船裏一樣整整齊齊；他把牀改成一張躺椅，在上面蓋一塊乾淨的白布；船長採用類似的設計，把化妝臺改成一個類似聖壇似的東西；他在上面擺了兩隻銀茶匙，一個花盆，一架望遠鏡，他的有名的表，一隻可以隨身攜帶的梳子，一本歌曲集；這些珍品集合在一起，看上去十分優美。船長把窗簾拉下，使房間的光線陰暗一些，又把地板上的地毯拉平，然後十分高興地把這些佈置好了的物品打量了一番以後，又走到樓下的小客廳裏去把弗洛倫斯安置到她的閨房裏來。
船長無論如何也不會相信弗洛倫斯有力氣走上樓去；如果他真以爲她有力氣上去的話，那麼他也認爲讓弗洛倫斯獨自上樓，是粗暴地違反了他殷勤款待客人的規則。弗洛倫斯太虛弱了，不能不同意他的這個看法，所以船長立即用手把她託着送上樓，然後放下來，用航海值班時穿着的一件厚大衣蓋在她身上。
“我的小姑娘夫人，”船長說道，”我把梯子抽掉以後，您在這裏就像待在聖保羅大教堂裏一樣安全了。您首先需要睡覺；您的受了創傷的心還有一些痛，但採用香膏治療之後，也許能使你精神愉快起來！我的心的喜悅，如果您需要什麼東西，這個粗陋的住宅或這個城市能夠提供的話，那麼請您就對愛德華?卡特爾說一句；他將到門外去給您站崗放哨，這樣您就會使他心裏高興，精神振奮的。”船長說完之後，像一位老遊俠騎士一樣，崇敬有禮地吻了吻弗洛倫斯向他伸出的手，並踮着腳尖走出了房間。
卡特爾船長走到樓下小會客室裏，心裏急忙琢磨了一番之後，決定把店門打開幾分鐘，使他自己放心，至少現在沒有什麼人在附近閒逛。因此，他打開門，站在門檻上，小心戒備，戴上眼鏡，掃視着整個街道。
“您好，吉爾斯船長！”他身旁的一個聲音說道。船長低頭看，發現當他向遠處掃視的時候，圖茨先生已經靠近他了。
“您好嗎，我的孩子，”船長回答道。