雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第8章 Part 10大綱

The Castle of this ogress and child-queller was in a steep by-street at Brighton; where the soil was more than usually chalky, flinty, and sterile, and the houses were more than usually brittle and thin; where the small front-gardens had the unaccountable property of producing nothing but marigolds, whatever was sown in them; and where snails were constantly discovered holding on to the street doors, and other public places they were not expected to ornament, with the tenacity of cupping-glasses. In the winter time the air couldn't be got out of the Castle, and in the summer time it couldn't be got in. There was such a continual reverberation of wind in it, that it sounded like a great shell, which the inhabitants were obliged to hold to their ears night and day, whether they liked it or no. It was not, naturally, a fresh-smelling house; and in the window of the front parlour, which was never opened, Mrs Pipchin kept a collection of plants in pots, which imparted an earthy flavour of their own to the establishment. However choice examples of their kind, too, these plants were of a kind peculiarly adapted to the embowerment of Mrs Pipchin. There were half-a-dozen specimens of the cactus, writhing round bits of lath, like hairy serpents; another specimen shooting out broad claws, like a green lobster; several creeping vegetables, possessed of sticky and adhesive leaves; and one uncomfortable flower-pot hanging to the ceiling, which appeared to have boiled over, and tickling people underneath with its long green ends, reminded them of spiders - in which Mrs Pipchin's dwelling was uncommonly prolific, though perhaps it challenged competition still more proudly, in the season, in point of earwigs.

這位惡魔和兒童鎮壓者的城堡坐落在布賴頓的一條陡峭的小街上，那裏的土壤比通常更富於白堊，更堅硬，更貧瘠；那裏的房屋比通常更不堅固、更不厚實；房屋門前的小花園有一個莫名其妙的特點，就是：不論播種什麼，長出的都是金盞花；那裏經常可以看到蝸牛以吸杯那種毫不放鬆的勁頭吸附在臨街的大門上及其他人們不指望它們去裝飾的公共場所。冬天空氣不能從城堡中流出，夏天則空氣不能流進去。風在裏面經久不斷地迴盪着，城堡就像一隻大貝殼似地發出聲音，住在裏面的人們不論是否樂意，都不得不日日夜夜捂着耳朵。房屋裏的氣味自然是不新鮮的；前面客廳的窗子永遠也不打開；皮普欽太太在窗口擺了幾盆植物，它們散發出的泥土氣味充滿了這座房屋。這些植物不論是從它們品種中多麼精選出來的樣品，它們都是屬於特別適合於皮普欽太太住所的那種品種。這裏有五六種仙人掌，像長了毛髮的蛇似地圍繞着一些板條蜿蜒移行，另外一個品種像綠色的大螯蝦一樣，伸出了寬闊的鉗子；有幾種爬行植物長着粘附性的葉子；有一個令人感到不快的花盆懸掛在天花板下面，盆裏的植物看上去像是煮沸了的水似地從盆裏漫溢出來，它長長的綠色的嫩枝撩撥着下面的行人，使他們聯想起了蜘蛛；——皮普欽太太的住所中蜘蛛異常之多，然而在一年當中的某一個季節內，這個住所卻可以更得意洋洋地提議以蠼螋的數目來跟別的住所競賽。

Mrs Pipchin's scale of charges being high, however, to all who could afford to pay, and Mrs Pipchin very seldom sweetening the equable acidity of her nature in favour of anybody, she was held to be an old 'lady of remarkable firmness, who was quite scientific in her knowledge of the childish character.' On this reputation, and on the broken heart of Mr Pipchin, she had contrived, taking one year with another, to eke out a tolerable sufficient living since her husband's demise. Within three days after Mrs Chick's first allusion to her, this excellent old lady had the satisfaction of anticipating a handsome addition to her current receipts, from the pocket of Mr Dombey; and of receiving Florence and her little brother Paul, as inmates of the Castle.

可是皮普欽太太對於一切能支付得起的人收費都是昂貴的；皮普欽太太也很少爲了照顧什麼人而把她始終堅硬的心腸鬆軟一下，所以人們都認爲她是一位意志非常堅決、對孩子的性格掌握了十分科學的知識的老太太。她依仗着她的這種聲譽，也依仗着皮普欽先生的破碎的心，在丈夫與世長辭之後，想方設法，年復一年，辛辛苦苦地維持了一個相當不錯的生活。在奇剋夫人第一次提到她之後的三天之內，這位卓越的老太太就稱心滿意地期待着在她現有的收入之外，再從董貝先生的錢袋中得到一筆可觀的補充，同時期待着接受弗洛倫斯和她的小弟弟保羅成爲這座城堡的居民。

Mrs Chick and Miss Tox, who had brought them down on the previous night (which they all passed at an Hotel), had just driven away from the door, on their journey home again; and Mrs Pipchin, with her back to the fire, stood, reviewing the new-comers, like an old soldier. Mrs Pipchin's middle-aged niece, her good-natured and devoted slave, but possessing a gaunt and iron-bound aspect, and much afflicted with boils on her nose, was divesting Master Bitherstone of the clean collar he had worn on parade. Miss Pankey, the only other little boarder at present, had that moment been walked off to the Castle Dungeon (an empty apartment at the back, devoted to correctional purposes), for having sniffed thrice, in the presence of visitors.

奇剋夫人與托克斯小姐是在昨天夜間把他們姐弟兩人領到布賴頓來的（他們在旅館裏度過了這一夜）。當她們乘坐着馬車剛離開大門，又踏上歸途的時候，皮普欽太太背對着壁爐，像一位老兵一樣站在那裏打量着這兩位新來的人。皮普欽太太有一位中年的侄女，是她忠心耿耿的奴僕；她性情溫厚，但卻有着瘦削的、嚴厲的外貌，鼻子上長着一些癤子，使她十分苦惱；這時她正從比瑟斯通少爺身上脫下他剛纔受檢閱時所穿的一件乾淨的衣領。目前僅有的另一位寄宿生潘基小姐因爲當着來訪客人的面三次呼呼地吸氣，在這之前已經被領到城堡地牢（這是後面的一個空房間，專用來作爲懲罰的場所）裏去了。

'Well, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin to Paul, 'how do you think you shall like me?'

“唔，先生，”皮普欽太太對保羅說道，“您應當喜歡我，這您是怎麼想的？”

'I don't think I shall like you at all,' replied Paul. 'I want to go away. This isn't my house.'

“我想我根本不會喜歡您，”保羅回答道。“我 想離開這裏，這不是我家的房屋。”

'No. It's mine,' retorted Mrs Pipchin.

“是的，這是我的房屋。”

註釋：peculiarly adv. 特別；尤其；古怪地；奇怪地
例句：
(1) This question is peculiarly difficult.
這個問題特別難。
(2) He is peculiarly fortunate in his wife.
他有這樣的好妻子是非常幸運的。
(3) All the characters were peculiarly unsympathetic.
所有的角色都讓人特別地感到厭惡。
(4) Note, that this is not a peculiarly British problem.
需要指出的是，這不是英國特有的問題。
(5) The side mirrors are peculiarly hollow for the most part.
側後視鏡是誘因空心的大部分。
(6) Cricket is peculiarly the English man's own outdoor game.
板球乃英國人特有的戶外運動。

present vt. 提出；介紹；呈現；贈送
vi. 舉槍瞄準
adj. 現在的；出席的
n. 現在；禮物；瞄準
詞組：
present oneself 出席
at present 目前，現在
present situation 現狀
at the present 目前；當前
present condition 目前的狀態
present status 現狀
for the present 暫時，目前
present something at someone 舉槍對準某人瞄準，用(武器)對準某人
present time 目前；現在時（時態）
present at 出席；在場
at the present time 目前
birthday present 生日禮物
present value 現值
present with 贈（禮物）
past and present 過去與現在
live in the present 活在當下
at the present stage 在現階段；目前
net present value 淨現值，現在淨價值；純現價
present itself vt. 出現，呈現
the present day 目前；當代
例句：
(1) It will be a great present.
這會是一個很棒的禮物。
(2) Here is a present from our company.
這是我們公司送給你的禮物。
(3) Why are you leaving your present job?
你爲什麼要離開現在的工作呢？
(4) Under the present educational system.
在現有的教育體制下。
(5) And what is the best present to all of them?
對以上的人及所有人的最好禮物是什麼？
(6) I just got the best birthday present of all !
我剛剛得到了最好的生日禮物！
(7) Good idea! She'll be happy to see my present.
好主意！她看到我給她的禮物，一定會很高興。