狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第36章Part4

There was a throng in the state-rooms upstairs, increasing every minute; but still Mr Dombey's list of visitors appeared to have some native impossibility of amalgamation with Mrs Dombey's list, and no one could have doubted which was which. The single exception to this rule perhaps was Mr Carker, who now smiled among the company, and who, as he stood in the circle that was gathered about Mrs Dombey - watchful of her, of them, his chief, Cleopatra and the Major, Florence, and everything around - appeared at ease with both divisions of guests, and not marked as exclusively belonging to either.
Florence had a dread of him, which made his presence in the room a nightmare to her. She could not avoid the recollection of it, for her eyes were drawn towards him every now and then, by an attraction of dislike and distrust that she could not resist. Yet her thoughts were busy with other things; for as she sat apart - not unadmired or unsought, but in the gentleness of her quiet spirit - she felt how little part her father had in what was going on, and saw, with pain, how ill at ease he seemed to be, and how little regarded he was as he lingered about near the door, for those visitors whom he wished to distinguish with particular attention, and took them up to introduce them to his wife, who received them with proud coldness, but showed no interest or wish to please, and never, after the bare ceremony of reception, in consultation of his wishes, or in welcome of his friends, opened her lips. It was not the less perplexing or painful to Florence, that she who acted thus, treated her so kindly and with such loving consideration, that it almost seemed an ungrateful return on her part even to know of what was passing before her eyes.
Happy Florence would have been, might she have ventured to bear her father company, by so much as a look; and happy Florence was, in little suspecting the main cause of his uneasiness. But afraid of seeming to know that he was placed at any did advantage, lest he should be resentful of that knowledge; and divided between her impulse towards him, and her grateful affection for Edith; she scarcely dared to raise her eyes towards either. Anxious and unhappy for them both, the thought stole on her through the crowd, that it might have been better for them if this noise of tongues and tread of feet had never come there, - if the old dulness and decay had never been replaced by novelty and splendour, - if the neglected child had found no friend in Edith, but had lived her solitary life, unpitied and forgotten.
Mrs Chick had some such thoughts too, but they were not so quietly developed in her mind. This good matron had been outraged in the first instance by not receiving an invitation to dinner. That blow partially recovered, she had gone to a vast expense to make such a figure before Mrs Dombey at home, as should dazzle the senses of that lady, and heap mortification, mountains high, on the head of Mrs Skewton.
'But I am made,' said Mrs Chick to Mr Chick, 'of no more account than Florence! Who takes the smallest notice of me? No one!'
'No one, my dear,' assented Mr Chick, who was seated by the side of Mrs Chick against the wall, and could console himself, even there, by softly whistling.
'Does it at all appear as if I was wanted here?' exclaimed Mrs Chick, with flashing eyes.
'No, my dear, I don't think it does,' said Mr Chic
'Paul's mad!' said Mrs Chic
Mr Chick whistled.

樓上大廳裏的人羣每分鐘都在增加；可是跟先前一樣，董貝先生名單上的客人們跟董貝夫人名單上的客人們混雜在一起的可能性是天然不存在的，任何人也不會分辨不清，誰是屬於哪一份名單上的。這一規則唯一例外的情形也許可以算是卡克先生吧。他向所有的人都露出微笑，站在聚集在董貝夫人周圍的人羣中，注視着她，注視着他們。注視着他的老闆、克利奧佩特拉、少校、弗洛倫斯以及四周的一切；他跟這兩幫客人相處得都無拘無束，看不出是屬於哪一幫的。
弗洛倫斯害怕他，他在房間裏對她來說是個夢魘。她不能忘記有他在場，由於她不能抗拒對他的厭惡與不信任，因此她的眼睛不時朝他那邊望一下。可是她的思想卻在翻騰着別的事情，因爲當她坐在一旁的時候--並不是由於沒有人愛慕她或尋找她，而是由於她安靜、文雅的性格才坐在一旁的--，她覺得她的父親在流行着的活動中是多麼不起作用；她痛苦地看到，他似乎是多麼不自在；當他停留在門旁，迎接着那些他希望特別厚待的客人，並把他們領去介紹給他的妻子的時候，他又是多麼不受尊重；他的妻子高傲地、冷漠地接見了這些客人，但絲毫也沒有興趣或願望去討他們的喜歡；在煞風景的接見儀式之後，她也沒有考慮他的願望或對他的朋友表示歡迎，一直不開口說一句話。使弗洛倫斯同樣困惑不解或痛苦的是，這樣行事的伊迪絲卻這麼親切，這麼慈愛、體貼地對待她；就她來說，甚至連注意到在她眼前所發生的這一切情形，幾乎都好像是忘恩負義似的。
弗洛倫斯如果敢哪怕用眼光陪伴一下父親的話，那麼她該會多麼幸福啊！但弗洛倫斯沒有去猜疑他不自在的主要原因，就這一點來說她倒是幸福的。不過，她害怕表露出她似乎知道他處於不利的境地，唯恐他會對她憤怒不滿；加上她一方面情不自禁地想親近他，一方面又對伊迪絲懷着感激的感情，處在這樣矛盾衝突的心情中，她就不敢擡起眼睛去看他們兩人當中的任何一個人。她爲他們兩人感到焦急不安，鬱鬱不樂，所以在擁擠的人羣中，她心中暗暗地產生了這樣一些想法：如果這裏從來就聽不到這些嘈雜熱鬧的談話聲和走來走去的腳步聲，如果往日沉悶無趣、淒涼冷落的景象從來就沒有被現在新穎別緻和富麗堂皇的景象所代替，如果這個受到冷落的孩子從來沒有從伊迪絲那裏找到友誼，而是一直過着她那被人遺忘、沒人可憐的孤獨的生活的話，那麼對他們來說，這也許反倒比現在更好。
奇剋夫人也有一些這樣的想法，但是這些想法並不是平平靜靜地在她的心中展開。這位善良的家庭主婦一開頭就因爲沒有被邀請參加晚宴而受到了侮辱。她從這個打擊中部分恢復過來之後，不惜破費大筆金錢，決心把自己打扮成一位穿着豪華的人物，在招待會上出現在董貝夫人的面前，使她見了眼花繚亂，並在斯丘頓夫人頭上堆上高山般重重的屈辱。
“可是我卻被看得連弗洛倫斯也不如了！”奇剋夫人對奇克先生說道，”有誰絲毫注意過我？誰也沒有！”
“誰也沒有，我親愛的，”奇克先生同意地說道。他背靠着牆，坐在奇剋夫人的身旁，甚至在這裏，他也只能輕輕地吹吹口哨，聊以自慰。
“這有一點點像需要我在這裏的樣子嗎？”奇剋夫人眼睛閃發出亮光，高聲喊叫道。
“不錯，我親愛的，我看不像，”奇克先生說道。
“保羅瘋了！”奇剋夫人說道。
奇克先生吹吹口哨。