狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第23章Part 8

The state of mind in which poor Walter had gone to Captain Cuttle's, on the day when Brogley the broker came into possession, and when there seemed to him to be an execution in the very steeples, was pretty much the same as that in which Florence now took her way to Uncle Sol's; with this difference, that Florence suffered the added pain of thinking that she had been, perhaps, the innocent occasion of involving Walter in peril, and all to whom he was dear, herself included, in an agony of suspense. For the rest, uncertainty and danger seemed written upon everything. The weathercocks on spires and housetops were mysterious with hints of stormy wind, and pointed, like so many ghostly fingers, out to dangerous seas, where fragments of great wrecks were drifting, perhaps, and helpless men were rocked upon them into a sleep as deep as the unfathomable waters. When Florence came into the City, and passed gentlemen who were talking together, she dreaded to hear them speaking of the ship, an'd saying it was lost. Pictures and prints of vessels fighting with the rolling waves filled her with alarm. The smoke and clouds, though moving gently, moved too fast for her apprehensions, and made herfear there was a tempest blowing at that moment on the ocean.
Susan Nipper may or may not have been affected similarly, but having her attention much engaged in struggles with boys, whenever there was any press of people - for, between that grade of human kind and herself, there was some natural animosity that invariably broke out, whenever they came together - it would seem that she had not much leisure on the road for intellectual operations,
Arriving in good time abreast of the wooden Midshipman on the opposite side of the way, and waiting for an opportunity to cross the street, they were a little surprised at first to see, at the Instrument-maker's door, a round-headed lad, with his chubby face addressed towards the sky, who, as they looked at him, suddenly thrust into his capacious mouth two fingers of each hand, and with the assistance of that machinery whistled, with astonishing shrillness, to some pigeons at a considerable elevation in the air.
'Mrs Richards's eldest, Miss!' said Susan, 'and the worrit of Mrs Richards's life!'
As Polly had been to tell Florence of the resuscitated prospects of her son and heir, Florence was prepared for the meeting: so, a favourable moment presenting itself, they both hastened across, without any further contemplation of Mrs Richards's bane' That sporting character, unconscious of their approach, again whistled with his utmost might, and then yelled in a rapture of excitement, 'Strays! Whip! Strays!' which identification had such an effect upon the conscience-stricken pigeons, that instead of going direct to some town in the North of England, as appeared to have been their original intention, they began to wheel and falter; whereupon Mrs Richards's first born pierced them with another whistle, and again yelled, in a voice that rose above the turmoil of the street, 'Strays! Who~oop! Strays!'
From this transport, he was abruptly recalled to terrestrial objects, by a poke from Miss Nipper, which sent him into the shop,
'Is this the way you show your penitence, when Mrs Richards has been fretting for you months and months?' said Susan, following the poke. 'Where's Mr Gills?'
Rob, who smoothed his first rebellious glance at Miss Nipper when he saw Florence following, put his knuckles to his hair, in honour of the latter, and said to the former, that Mr Gills was out'
Fetch him home,' said Miss Nipper, with authority, 'and say that my young lady's here.'
'I don't know where he's gone,' said Rob.

當票據落到經紀人布羅格利手裏，強制執行的命令似乎就在教堂的尖塔上的那一天，可憐的沃爾特前去找卡特爾船長時一路上的心情，跟弗洛倫斯現在前去看所爾舅舅時一路上的心情非常相似；所不同的只是弗洛倫斯想到，她也許就是使沃爾特陷於危險、使所有疼愛他的人陷於懸慮不安的痛苦之中的無辜的根由時，心中感到另有一層難受。還有一點就是，她彷彿覺得所有的事物上面都寫着不確定和危險的字眼。尖塔和屋頂上的風標神祕地暗示着暴風，並像許多鬼怪的手指一樣，指點着危險的海洋；遭難的船的碎片也許正在海洋上漂流，得不到援救的人們在碎片上被海浪搖晃着進入了深沉的睡眠，深沉得就像那無法測量的海水一般。當弗洛倫斯走到城裏，經過那些正在一起談話的先生們的身邊時，她害怕聽到他們談到那艘船，說它已經沉沒了。那些描繪與洶涌的波濤搏鬥的船的圖片和版畫使她心中充滿驚恐。煙和雲塊儘管是慢悠悠地飄動着，但她卻憂心忡忡，覺得它飄動得太快了，她擔心這時海洋上正吹颳着大風暴。
蘇珊·尼珀的心情，也許是，也許不是跟弗洛倫斯一樣焦急不安；可是每當她們走進擁擠的人羣時，她的注意力都集中於跟頑童吵架——因爲她跟這一類人之間存在着某種天然的敵意，當他們走到一起時，這種敵意就一定會爆發的——，所以她一路上似乎沒有剩下多少時間用來從事腦力方面的活動了。
她們適時地走到道路對過、跟木製海軍軍官候補生並列的地點，正在等候機會穿過街道，這時她們最初有些吃驚地看到，在儀器製造商的門口有一個腦袋圓圓的孩子，胖鼓鼓的臉正朝着天空；當她們望着他時，他突然兩隻手向寬闊的嘴裏插進兩隻手指，用這個辦法向一些正在高空飛翔的鴿子吹着口哨，聲音尖銳得令人吃驚。
“這是理查茲大嫂的大兒子，小姐！”蘇珊說，“叫理查茲大嫂傷心苦惱的孩子！”
由於波利曾經到弗洛倫斯那裏講過她對她的兒子和繼承人重新寄以希望的事，所以弗洛倫斯對這樣的相遇是有準備的，因此，一看到合適的時刻，她們就急忙穿過街道，不再去注意理查茲大嫂的禍根了。這位捕獵的喜愛者沒有發覺她們已經走近，又使足了最大的勁頭吹着口哨，歡天喜地地叫喊道：“迷路的小寶貝！嗬—嗬！迷路的小寶貝！”這個招呼對那些感覺靈敏的鴿子們產生了很大的影響；它們沒有按照似乎是它們原先的打算，直接飛到英國北方的什麼城市去，而是開始來回盤旋，躊躇不決，於是理查茲的大兒子用另一次口哨來打動它們，重新喊叫道，“迷路的小寶貝！嗬—嗬！迷路的小寶貝！”，喊聲壓倒了街道的喧囂聲。
尼珀姑娘戳了他一下，把他突然從心蕩神移的狂喜中喚回到現實的世界上。這一戳把他推進了店鋪。
“你就是這樣悔過自新的嗎？理查茲大嫂爲你焦急不安了好幾個月好幾個月呀！”蘇珊戳了以後說道，“吉爾斯先生在哪裏？”
羅布最初向尼珀姑娘怨恨地看了一下，但在看到後面跟着的弗洛倫斯時平靜下來了；他把指節舉向頭髮，向弗洛倫斯致敬，並對尼珀姑娘說，吉爾斯先生出去了。
“去把他請回來！”尼珀姑娘威嚴地說道，“告訴他，我的小姐到這裏來了。”
“我不知道他到那裏去了，”羅布說道。