狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第28章Part 5

'Oh, Diogenes is quite well, Miss Dombey,' Toots would cry. 'I called to ask this morning.'
'Thank you very much!' the pleasant voice of Florence would reply.
'Won't you come ashore, Toots?' Sir Barnet would say then. 'Come! you're in no hurry. Come and see us.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence, thank you!' Mr Toots would blushingly rejoin. 'I thought Miss Dombey might like to know, that's all. Good-bye!' And poor Mr Toots, who was dying to accept the invitation, but hadn't the courage to do it, signed to the Chicken, with an aching heart, and away went the Joy, cleaving the water like an arrow.
The Joy was lying in a state of extraordinary splendour, at the garden steps, on the morning of Florence's departure. When she went downstairs to take leave, after her talk with Susan, she found Mr Toots awaiting her in the drawing-room.
'Oh, how de do, Miss Dombey?' said the stricken Toots, always dreadfully disconcerted when the desire of his heart was gained, and he was speaking to her; 'thank you, I'm very well indeed, I hope you're the same, so was Diogenes yesterday.'
'You are very kind,' said Florence.
'Thank you, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind, in this fine weather, coming home by water, Miss Dombey. There's plenty of room in the boat for your maid.'
'I am very much obliged to you,' said Florence, hesitating. 'I really am - but I would rather not.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'Good morning.'
'Won't you wait and see Lady Skettles?' asked Florence, kindly.
'Oh no, thank you,' returned Mr Toots, 'it's of no consequence at all.'
So shy was Mr Toots on such occasions, and so flurried! But Lady Skettles entering at the moment, Mr Toots was suddenly seized with a passion for asking her how she did, and hoping she was very well; nor could Mr Toots by any possibility leave off shaking hands with her, until Sir Barnet appeared: to whom he immediately clung with the tenacity of desperation.
'We are losing, today, Toots,' said Sir Barnet, turning towards Florence, 'the light of our house, I assure you'
'Oh, it's of no conseq - I mean yes, to be sure,' faltered the embarrassed Mr Toots. 'Good morning!'

“啊，戴奧吉尼斯很健康，董貝小姐，”圖茨先生會喊道，“今天早上我去打聽過。”
“非常感謝您！”弗洛倫斯會用愉快的聲音回答道。
“您不上岸來嗎，圖茨！”巴尼特爵士這時會這樣說，“上來吧！您又不急着上什麼地方去。來看看我們吧。”
“哦，這無關緊要，謝謝您！”圖茨先生會紅着臉回答道，“我想董貝小姐也許會高興知道這個情況；我要說的都說完了。再見吧！”可憐的圖茨先生真盼望能接受這個邀請，但卻又沒有這樣的勇氣，所以就懷着痛苦的心情，向鬥雞打了個手勢，於是“歡樂”就離開了，像箭一般地破浪前進。
弗洛倫斯要離開這裏的這天早晨，“歡樂”裝飾得十分豪華，停泊在花園的臺階旁邊。當弗洛倫斯跟蘇珊談話以後下樓去告別時，她發現圖茨先生正在客廳裏等待她。
“您好，董貝小姐！”感動的圖茨說道；當他心中的願望得到滿足的時候，他經常可怕地倉皇失措；這時他對她說道，“謝謝您，我確實很健康，我希望您也一樣，戴奧吉尼斯昨天也是這樣。”
“謝謝您的好意，”弗洛倫斯說。
“謝謝您，這無關緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“今天天氣很好，我想您也許不會反對從水路回家吧，董貝小姐。船裏寬敞得很，您的侍女也可以跟您同船走。”
“我十分感謝您，”弗洛倫斯遲疑地說道，“我確實感謝，不過——我不想那樣走。”
“哦，這無關緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“早上好。”
“您不等一下，看看斯克特爾斯夫人嗎？”弗洛倫斯親切地問道。
“哦不，謝謝您，”圖茨先生說道，“這根本無關緊要。”
圖茨先生在這種場合下是這麼害羞，這麼慌張啊！可是斯克特爾斯夫人就在這時候進來了，圖茨先生突然想要問問她好嗎，並祝她健康；圖茨先生跟她握手的時候怎麼也下不了決心把手放下，直到巴尼特爵士來到爲止；一看到巴尼特爵士，圖茨先生就立刻緊緊地把他抓住。
“圖茨，”巴尼特爵士朝着弗洛倫斯說道，“我肯定地對您說，我們今天將失去屋子裏的明燈了。”
“哦，這無關緊要——我是想說，您說得完全不錯，”侷促不安的圖茨結結巴巴地說道，“再見吧！”