狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第44章Part8

'Do what, Mr Toots!' cried Susan.
'Why, come home to my place, and have some dinner before you start,' said Mr Toots. 'My cook's a most respectable woman - one of the most motherly people I ever saw - and she'll be delighted to make you comfortable. Her son,' said Mr Toots, as an additional recommendation, 'was educated in the Bluecoat School,' and blown up in a powder-mill.'
Susan accepting this kind offer, Mr Toots conducted her to his dwelling, where they were received by the Matron in question who fully justified his character of her, and by the Chicken who at first supposed, on seeing a lady in the vehicle, that Mr Dombey had been doubled up, ably to his old recommendation, and Miss Dombey abducted. This gentleman awakened in Miss Nipper some considerable astonishment; for, having been defeated by the Larkey Boy, his visage was in a state of such great dilapidation, as to be hardly presentable in society with comfort to the beholders. The Chicken himself attributed this punishment to his having had the misfortune to get into Chancery early in the proceedings, when he was severely fibbed by the Larkey one, and heavily grassed. But it appeared from the published records of that great contest that the Larkey Boy had had it all his own way from the beginning, and that the Chicken had been tapped, and bunged, and had received pepper, and had been made groggy, and had come up piping, and had endured a complication of similar strange inconveniences, until he had been gone into and finished.
After a good repast, and much hospitality, Susan set out for the coach-office in another cabriolet, with Mr Toots inside, as before, and the Chicken on the box, who, whatever distinction he conferred on the little party by the moral weight and heroism of his character, was scarcely ornamental to it, physically speaking, on account of his plasters; which were numerous. But the Chicken had registered a vow, in secret, that he would never leave Mr Toots (who was secretly pining to get rid of him), for any less consideration than the good-will and fixtures of a public-house; and being ambitious to go into that line, and drink himself to death as soon as possible, he felt it his cue to make his company unacceptable.
The night-coach by which Susan was to go, was on the point of departure. Mr Toots having put her inside, lingered by the window, irresolutely, until the driver was about to mount; when, standing on the step, and putting in a face that by the light of the lamp was anxious and confused, he said abruptly:
'I say, Susan! Miss Dombey, you know - '
'Yes, Sir.'
'Do you think she could - you know - eh?'
'I beg your pardon, Mr Toots,' said Susan, 'but I don't hear you.
'Do you think she could be brought, you know - not exactly at once, but in time - in a long time - to - to love me, you know? There!' said poor Mr Toots.
'Oh dear no!' returned Susan, shaking her head. 'I should say, never. Never!'
'Thank'ee!' said Mr Toots. 'It's of no consequence. Good-night. It's of no consequence, thank'ee!'

“怎麼辦，圖茨先生？”蘇珊哭着問道。
“唔，到我家去，先吃一頓晚飯再上路，”圖茨先生說道。“我家的廚娘是一位品格極爲高尚的婦女--心地極爲慈善，她一定會高高興興地把您照料得十分舒適如意。她的兒子，”圖茨先生補充介紹道，”在慈善學校中受過教育，後來在一個火藥工廠中被炸死了。”
蘇珊接受了這個善良的邀請，圖茨先生把她一直送到他的住所；上面提到的那位大嬸和鬥雞先生在這裏迎接他們。那位大嬸完全跟圖茨先生介紹的情形一樣。鬥雞先生起初看到馬車裏有一位小姐，還以爲他先前的建議終於被採納，董貝先生已被打得直不起腰來，董貝小姐已被誘拐到這裏來了。這位先生使尼珀姑娘相當吃驚，因爲他被拉基?博伊打敗之後，面貌受到極大的損毀，進入社交界時很難使看到的人感到舒服。鬥雞把他所吃到的苦頭歸咎於他在拳鬥過程中，頭不幸很快被夾在對方腋下，在這之後，拉基狠狠地打了他一拳，把他往地上猛地一擲。但是從這次偉大競賽的已經公佈的記錄來看，拉基?博伊一開始就按照他自己的意思去打，鬥雞被打在身上，被打得鼻青眼腫，被接連速擊，逼得他搖搖晃晃，高聲哭叫，還受到了好多類似的苦楚，直到最後被徹底制服爲止。
蘇珊在十分好客的氣氛中吃了一頓豐盛的晚飯之後，乘坐了另一輛單馬篷車到驛車車站去；圖茨先生跟先前一樣，跟她並排坐在車子裏。鬥雞則坐在馬車伕的座位上；雖然他憑他道義上的影響和英雄主義的品格，對他們這幾位同行的人可能增添了不小的光彩，不過就他的外表來說，因爲他的臉上貼滿了膏藥，因此未必能成爲他們美麗的裝飾。但是鬥雞先生暗地裏發過誓，在他還不能把一個酒吧的招牌和不動產弄到手可以經營它之前，他決不離開圖茨先生（圖茨先生暗地裏卻很想擺脫他）。由於他雄心勃勃地想進入這個行業，並儘早把自己喝得酩酊大醉，他覺得他必須先讓他周圍的人厭惡他在場。
蘇珊乘坐的夜間的驛車立刻就要開動了。圖茨先生攙扶她進去、坐好以後，一直遲疑不決地在窗口磨蹭着不走，直到馬車伕準備爬上座位的時候，他才站在車子的臺階上，把臉孔探進去（從燈光中可以看到他臉上那焦慮的、困窘的神色），語無倫次地說道：
“我說，蘇珊！董貝小姐，您知道--”
“是的，先生。”
“您認爲她會--您知道--嗯？”
“請原諒，圖茨先生，”蘇珊說道，”您的話我沒聽明白。”
“您認爲她能不能，您知道--不是說現在立刻就，而是說以後--過很久以後--終於--會--會愛我嗎，您知道？就是這！”可憐的圖茨先生說道。
“啊，不會！”蘇珊搖搖頭，回答道，”我要說那是永遠不會的。永遠--不會！”
“謝謝您！”圖茨先生說道，”這無關緊要。再見。這無關緊要，謝謝您！”