雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第8章 Part 4大綱

He didn't ask the question of his father this time. Perhaps he had seen, with a child's quickness, that it had already made his father uncomfortable. But he repeated the thought aloud, as if it were quite an old one to him, and had troubled him very much; and sat with his chin resting on his hand, still cogitating and looking for an explanation in the fire.
Mr Dombey having recovered from his surprise, not to say his alarm (for it was the very first occasion on which the child had ever broached the subject of his mother to him, though he had had him sitting by his side, in this same manner, evening after evening), expounded to him how that money, though a very potent spirit, never to be disparaged on any account whatever, could not keep people alive whose time was come to die; and how that we must all die, unfortunately, even in the City, though we were never so rich. But how that money caused us to be honoured, feared, respected, courted, and admired, and made us powerful and glorious in the eyes of all men; and how that it could, very often, even keep off death, for a long time together. How, for example, it had secured to his Mama the services of Mr Pilkins, by which be, Paul, had often profited himself; likewise of the great Doctor Parker Peps, whom he had never known. And how it could do all, that could be done. This, with more to the same purpose, Mr Dombey instilled into the mind of his son, who listened attentively, and seemed to understand the greater part of what was said to him.
'It can't make me strong and quite well, either, Papa; can it?' asked Paul, after a short silence; rubbing his tiny hands.
'Why, you are strong and quite well,' returned Mr Dombey. 'Are you not?'
Oh! the age of the face that was turned up again, with an expression, half of melancholy, half of slyness, on it!
'You are as strong and well as such little people usually are? Eh?' said Mr Dombey.
'Florence is older than I am, but I'm not as strong and well as Florence, 'I know,' returned the child; 'and I believe that when Florence was as little as me, she could play a great deal longer at a time without tiring herself. I am so tired sometimes,' said little Paul, warming his hands, and looking in between the bars of the grate, as if some ghostly puppet-show were performing there, 'and my bones ache so (Wickam says it's my bones), that I don't know what to do.'

這次他沒有向他的父親問這個問題。也許他已以孩子機敏的觀察力看出，它已經使他的父親感到不安了。可是他大聲地把這個思想重複地說出來，彷彿這對他來說是一個存在已久的思想，曾使他十分苦惱；然後他用手支託着下巴，坐在那裏，慎重地思考着，想從火中找到一個解釋。
董貝先生從他的驚奇（且不說是恐慌）中恢復過來以後（因爲這孩子雖然一個晚上又一個晚上在他身旁以同樣的姿態坐着，但這卻是他第一次向他提出他母親的問題），向他詳細地說明，錢雖然是個神通很廣大的精靈，決不能以任何理由輕視它，但它卻不能使到了時候該死的人們活下來；而且很不幸，雖然我們從不曾像現在這樣富裕過，但是即使是在城市裏，我們所有的人也都是一定要死的。不過，儘管如此，錢卻可以使我們得到榮譽，使人們畏懼、尊敬、奉承和羨慕我們，並使我們在所有人們的眼中看來權勢顯赫，榮耀光彩。它常常能把死亡推遲得很久。舉個例子來說，它能使他媽媽獲得皮爾金斯先生（保羅本人也常常從他那裏受益）和傑出的帕克•佩普斯醫生（他從來不知道他）的治療。它能做到一切它能做到的事情。董貝先生把所有這一切以及爲了達到同一目的所要說的其他事情都灌輸到他兒子的心中；他的兒子專心致志地聽着，似乎對他所說的話他大部分都聽懂了。
“它也不能使我強壯和十分健康，是不是，爸爸？”保羅經過短時間的沉默之後，搓搓小手，問道。
“不過你是強壯和十分健康的，”董貝先生回答道。“難道不是嗎？”
啊，那張重新擡起來、露出半是憂鬱、半是狡猾的表情的臉是多麼老氣橫秋啊
“你就跟你同樣的小人兒通常的情形一樣，強壯，健康，是不是，嗯？”董貝先生說道。
“弗洛倫斯比我大，但是我知道，我不像弗洛倫斯那麼強壯、健康，”孩子回答道；“不過我相信，弗洛倫斯像我這樣小的時候，她能一次比我玩得長久得多，而不會感到累。我有時卻感到很累，”小保羅烘烘手，說道，一邊往爐柵的欄柵中間望進去，彷彿那裏正在表演什麼鬼怪木偶戲似的，“而且我的骨頭痛得很（威肯姆說，這是我的骨頭），我不知道該怎麼辦。”