狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第22章Part 11

The Game Chicken, who was quite the Apollo of Mr Toots's Pantheon, had introduced to him a marker who taught billiards, a Life Guard who taught fencing, a jobmaster who taught riding, a Cornish gentleman who was up to anything in the athletic line, and two or three other friends connected no less intimately with the fine arts. Under whose auspices Mr Toots could hardly fail to improve apace, and under whose tuition he went to work.
But however it came about, it came to pass, even while these gentlemen had the gloss of novelty upon them, that Mr Toots felt, he didn't know how, unsettled and uneasy. There were husks in his corn, that even Game Chickens couldn't peck up; gloomy giants in his leisure, that even Game Chickens couldn't knock down. Nothing seemed to do Mr Toots so much good as incessantly leaving cards at Mr Dombey's door. No taxgatherer in the British Dominions - that wide-spread territory on which the sun never sets, and where the tax-gatherer never goes to bed - was more regular and persevering in his calls than Mr Toots.
Mr Toots never went upstairs; and always performed the same ceremonies, richly dressed for the purpose, at the hall door.
'Oh! Good morning!' would be Mr Toots's first remark to the servant. 'For Mr Dombey,' would be Mr Toots's next remark, as he handed in a card. 'For Miss Dombey,' would be his next, as he handed in another.
Mr Toots would then turn round as if to go away; but the man knew him by this time, and knew he wouldn't.
'Oh, I beg your pardon,' Mr Toots would say, as if a thought had suddenly descended on him. 'Is the young woman at home?'
The man would rather think she was;, but wouldn't quite know. Then he would ring a bell that rang upstairs, and would look up the staircase, and would say, yes, she was at home, and was coming down. Then Miss Nipper would appear, and the man would retire.
'Oh! How de do?' Mr Toots would say, with a chuckle and a blush.
Susan would thank him, and say she was very well.
'How's Diogenes going on?' would be Mr Toots's second interrogation.
Very well indeed. Miss Florence was fonder and fonder of him every day. Mr Toots was sure to hail this with a burst of chuckles, like the opening of a bottle of some effervescent beverage.
'Miss Florence is quite well, Sir,' Susan would add.

鬥雞簡直可以說是圖茨先生的萬神殿中的阿波羅。他給圖茨先生介紹了一位記分員教他打檯球，一位近衛騎兵旅的成員教他擊劍，一位出租馬匹的人教他騎馬，還給他介紹了一位通曉各種運動知識的康威爾紳士和其他兩、三位對文化藝術很內行的朋友。在他們的主持下，圖茨先生無法不取得飛快的進步；在他們的教導下，他着手工作。
但是不管情況是怎麼發生的，它還是發生了。儘管這些先生們對他還保持着新鮮事物的光澤，但圖茨先生不知是什麼原因，總覺得心神不定，煩悶不安。他的穀粒上有一層外殼，甚至連鬥雞也不能把它啄掉；鬱鬱不樂的巨人支配了他的閒暇的時間，甚至連鬥雞也不能把他打倒。似乎沒有什麼事情能比得上不斷到董貝先生家去留下名片對圖茨先生更有裨益的了。大不列顛有着太陽永遠不落、收稅人永遠不睡的遼闊的領土，可是在它的統治區域中，從來沒有一個收稅人的登門訪問能比圖茨先生的訪問更定期、更堅持不斷的了。
圖茨先生從來不上樓去；他總是特地打扮得漂漂亮亮的，在前廳門口完成那老一套的儀式。
“啊，早上好！”這通常是圖茨先生對僕人說的第一句話。“這是給董貝先生的，”這是圖茨先生的第二句話；這時他遞過去一張名片。“這是給董貝小姐的，”這是他接下去的一句話；這時他又遞過去另一張名片。
圖茨先生這時會轉過身子，彷彿要離開的樣子；但是僕人早就瞭解他，知道他不會走。
“哦，我請您原諒，”圖茨先生會說，彷彿他腦子中突然閃現出一個念頭似的，“那位年輕的女人在家嗎？”
僕人猜想她在家，但不很肯定。於是他會按一下通到樓上的鈴，往樓上望一望，然後說，“是的，她在家，就要下來了。”於是尼珀小姐來到他面前，僕人則離開他們。
“啊，您好！”圖茨先生會這樣說，同時吃吃地笑一下，臉孔紅一下。
蘇珊會謝謝他，說她很好。
“戴奧吉尼斯怎麼樣？”這會是圖茨先生的第二句問話。
確實很好。弗洛倫斯小姐一天天愈來愈喜歡他。這時圖茨先生必定會發出一陣吃吃的笑聲，好像打開一瓶泡沫翻滾、發出響聲的飲料一樣。
“弗洛倫斯小姐很好，先生，”蘇珊會補充說道。