狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第26章Part 9

'Then perhaps I had better answer it myself,' said Mrs Skewton, 'though I had thought of asking you to be my secretary, darling.' As Edith made no movement, and no answer, Mrs Skewton begged the Major to wheel her little table nearer, and to set open the desk it contained, and to take out pen and paper for her; all which congenial offices of gallantry the Major discharged, with much submission and devotion.
'Your regards, Edith, my dear?' said Mrs Skewton, pausing, pen in hand, at the postscript.
'What you will, Mama,' she answered, without turning her head, and with supreme indifference.
Mrs Skewton wrote what she would, without seeking for any more explicit directions, and handed her letter to the Major, who receiving it as a precious charge, made a show of laying it near his heart, but was fain to put it in the pocket of his pantaloons on account of the insecurity of his waistcoat The Major then took a very polished and chivalrous farewell of both ladies, which the elder one acknowledged in her usual manner, while the younger, sitting with her face addressed to the window, bent her head so slightly that it would have been a greater compliment to the Major to have made no sign at all, and to have left him to infer that he had not been heard or thought of.
'As to alteration in her, Sir,' mused the Major on his way back; on which expedition - the afternoon being sunny and hot - he ordered the Native and the light baggage to the front, and walked in the shadow of that expatriated prince: 'as to alteration, Sir, and pining, and so forth, that won't go down with Joseph Bagstock, None of that, Sir. It won't do here. But as to there being something of a division between 'em - or a gulf as the mother calls it - damme, Sir, that seems true enough. And it's odd enough! Well, Sir!' panted the Major, 'Edith Granger and Dombey are well matched; let 'em fight it out! Bagstock backs the winner!'
The Major, by saying these latter words aloud, in the vigour of his thoughts, caused the unhappy Native to stop, and turn round, in the belief that he was personally addressed. Exasperated to the last degree by this act of insubordination, the Major (though he was swelling with enjoyment of his own humour, at the moment of its occurrence instantly thrust his cane among the Native's ribs, and continued to stir him up, at short intervals, all the way to the hotel.
Nor was the Major less exasperated as he dressed for dinner, during which operation the dark servant underwent the pelting of a shower of miscellaneous objects, varying in size from a boot to a hairbrush, and including everything that came within his master's reach. For the Major plumed himself on having the Native in a perfect state of drill, and visited the least departure from strict discipline with this kind of fatigue duty. Add to this, that he maintained the Native about his person as a counter-irritant against the gout, and all other vexations, mental as well as bodily; and the Native would appear to have earned his pay - which was not large.
At length, the Major having disposed of all the missiles that were convenient to his hand, and having called the Native so many new names as must have given him great occasion to marvel at the resources of the English language, submitted to have his cravat put on; and being dressed, and finding himself in a brisk flow of spirits after this exercise, went downstairs to enliven 'Dombey' and his right-hand man.
Dombey was not yet in the room, but the right-hand man was there, and his dental treasures were, as usual, ready for the Major.
'Well, Sir!' said the Major. 'How have you passed the time since I had the happiness of meeting you? Have you walked at all?'
'A saunter of barely half an hour's duration,' returned Carker. 'We have been so much occupied.'
'Business, eh?'

“那麼，也許還是由我親自來複信好，”斯丘頓夫人說道，“本來，我曾想請你來當我的祕書的，我親愛的。”由於伊迪絲一動不動，也不答腔，所以斯丘頓夫人就請少校把她的小桌子推近一些，打開桌子裏面包含的寫字檯，替她取出筆和紙；少校十分順從和熱心地完成了這些殷勤的、合適的服務。
“寫上你的問候吧，伊迪絲，我親愛的？”斯丘頓夫人寫到附言時，手中拿着筆，停下來問道。
“你愛寫什麼就寫什麼，媽媽，”她沒有回頭，漠不關心地回答道。
斯丘頓夫人隨自己的心意寫下去，不再要求她給予明確的指示；她寫好之後就把它遞給少校；少校把它作爲一項寶貴的任務接受下來，裝作要把它擱到挨近心的地方，但由於背心不安全，就只好擱在褲兜裏。然後，少校向兩位夫人作了極爲優雅、極有騎士風度的告別；年老的夫人按照她往常的方式回了禮，年輕的夫人則臉對着窗子坐在那裏，幾乎覺察不到地把頭點了一下；如果她毫無表示，讓少校去猜想，她是沒有聽到他或注意到他，那麼這反倒給少校多留一些面子呢。
“說什麼她發生了變化，先生，”少校在歸途中默想着；由於下午太陽當空，氣候炎熱，他就命令本地人拿着他的隨身物品走在前面，他自己則在那位被放逐出國的王子的身影下走着；“什麼變化呀，憔悴呀，等等，約瑟夫·白格斯托克決不會上當。壓根兒沒有那麼回事，先生。這是不會發生的。但要是說到她們母女之間存在意見分岐——或者像那位母親所說的，有一道鴻溝——，他媽的，先生，這倒似乎千真萬確。真是奇妙極了！唔，先生！”少校喘着氣，“伊迪絲·格蘭傑和董貝倒是旗鼓相當的對手；讓他們打出個高低來吧！白格斯托克支持勝利者！”
少校想得正帶勁的時候，情不自禁地大聲說出了最後這幾個字，倒黴的本地人以爲少校正在喊他，就站住腳跟，回過頭來。本地人這忤逆的行動使少校火冒三丈，雖然他當時正洋洋自得，十分開心，但看到這個情況，就立即用手杖戳到本地人的肋骨之間，以後每隔短短一段時間又繼續不斷地捅捅他，直到旅館爲止。
少校穿禮服準備去吃晚飯的時候，怒氣還沒有消退。從靴子到發刷，凡是他手邊拿得到的各種大小物品，都像陣雨一般紛紛投擲到黑僕人的身上。因爲少校自誇對本地人進行了完美無缺的訓練，他對嚴格的紀律稍有違犯，少校就逼迫他去完成教練以外的勞累的雜役。此外，少校還把本地人當作減輕痛苦以及其他身體病痛和精神苦惱的手段；看來本地人並沒有白拿他那份菲薄的工資。
少校拋掉了手邊所有的飛彈，使用了許多新的渾名來稱呼本地人（這的確使他很有理由對英語詞彙的豐富感到吃驚）之後，終於不得不繫上領帶。當他穿好衣服，覺得自己在這陣運動之後精神爽快、生氣勃勃的時候，他就走下樓去跟董貝和他的左右手說笑逗趣。
董貝沒有到房間裏來，但是他的那位左右手卻已經在那裏；像往常那樣，他那珍寶般的牙齒立即顯示在少校眼前。
“唔，先生！”少校說道，“自從我榮幸地跟您見面以後，這段時間您是怎麼度過的？出去走走沒有？”
“出去逛了僅僅半個小時，”卡克回答道，“我們很忙。”
“業務上的事吧，是不是？”