雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第五章 Part 3
Mrs Chick interposed with some motherly words about going to sleep like a dear, but Florence repeated her supplication, with a frightened look, and in a voice broken by sobs and tears.
'I'll not wake him,' she said, covering her face and hanging down her head. 'I'll only touch him with my hand, and go to sleep. Oh, pray, pray, let me lie by my brother tonight, for I believe he's fond of me!'
奇剋夫人插進來，說了些像母親般的話，要她像乖孩子那樣去睡覺；可是弗洛倫斯還是露出受驚的神色，一遍又一遍地懇求着；她的聲音不時被抽泣與眼淚所打斷。
“我不會鬧醒他，”她捂着臉，低着頭，說道。“我只用我的手摸着他，然後睡去。啊，我求求你們，求求你們，讓我今天躺在弟弟身旁吧，因爲我相信他愛我！”
Richards took her without a word, and carrying her to the little bed in which the infant was sleeping, laid her down by his side. She crept as near him as she could without disturbing his rest; and stretching out one arm so that it timidly embraced his neck, and hiding her face on the other, over which her damp and scattered hair fell loose, lay motionless.
'Poor little thing,' said Miss Tox; 'she has been dreaming, I daresay.'
理查茲沒有說一句話，把她抱起來，抱到那個嬰孩睡覺的小牀上，讓她在他的身旁躺下。她儘量爬過去挨近他，不去打攪他的安息；然後她伸出一隻胳膊，畏畏縮縮地摟着他的脖子，用另一隻胳膊捂住她的臉；她那潮溼的、散亂的頭髮鬆散地落在她的臉上，她就這樣一動不動地躺在那裏。
“可憐的小東西，”托克斯小姐說道，“我想，她一定夢見什麼了。”
Dreaming, perhaps, of loving tones for ever silent, of loving eyes for ever closed, of loving arms again wound round her, and relaxing in that dream within the dam which no tongue can relate. Seeking, perhaps - in dreams - some natural comfort for a heart, deeply and sorely wounded, though so young a child's: and finding it, perhaps, in dreams, if not in waking, cold, substantial truth. This trivial incident had so interrupted the current of conversation, that it was difficult of resumption; and Mrs Chick moreover had been so affected by the contemplation of her own tolerant nature, that she was not in spirits. The two friends accordingly soon made an end of their tea, and a servant was despatched to fetch a hackney cabriolet for Miss Tox. Miss Tox had great experience in hackney cabs, and her starting in one was generally a work of time, as she was systematic in the preparatory arrangements.
這件小事破壞了談話的頭緒，很難使它恢復了；加上奇剋夫人又沉思她自己那寬容的性格，心神分散，這時情緒不高。因此兩位朋友很快就結束了喝茶，派遣一位僕人爲托克斯小姐僱用一輛出租的單馬篷車。托克斯小姐在僱用出租馬車方面是有豐富經驗的，她在動身的時候通常總要佔用好多時間，因爲她事先要有條不紊地做好準備性的安排。
註釋：damp vt. 使潮溼；使阻尼；使沮喪，抑制
vi. 減幅，阻尼；變潮溼 n. 潮溼，溼氣 adj. 潮溼的
例句：
1. Wounds festered in the damp, they never healed.
傷口在潮溼中潰爛，永遠也不能癒合。
2. The underneath part felt damp.
底層很潮溼。
'Have the goodness, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'first of all, to carry out a pen and ink and take his number legibly.'
“勞駕您，託林森，”托克斯小姐說道，“首先請帶上一支筆和墨水，把他的號碼清楚地記下來。”
'Yes, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'Then, if you please, Towlinson,'said Miss Tox, 'have the goodnessto turn the cushion. Which,' said Miss Tox apart to Mrs Chick, 'is generally damp, my dear.'
'Yes, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'I'll trouble you also, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'with this card and this shilling. He's to drive to the card, and is to understand that he will not on any account have more than the shilling.'
'No, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'And I'm sorry to give you so much trouble, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, looking at him pensively.
“一定照辦，小姐，”託林森說道。
“然後，勞駕您，託林森，”托克斯小姐說道，“把椅墊翻過來。”托克斯小姐轉過身去單獨對奇剋夫人說道，“它通常是潮溼的，我親愛的。”
“一定照辦，小姐，”託林森說道。
“我還得麻煩您帶上這張名片和一個先令，”托克斯小姐說道，“他必須把我送到名片上列出的地址，而且還必須明白，除了這個先令之外，他無論如何也不能要求我給更多的錢了。”
“一定照辦，小姐，”託林森說道。
“還有，我很抱歉，給您添了這麼多麻煩，託林森，”托克斯小姐若有所思地看着他。
'Not at all, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'Mention to the man, then, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'that the lady's uncle is a magistrate, and that if he gives her any of his impertinence he will be punished terribly. You can pretend to say that, if you please, Towlinson, in a friendly way, and because you know it was done to another man, who died.'
'Certainly, Miss,' said Towlinson.
“一點也不，小姐，”託林森說道。
“那麼，勞駕您，託林森，請跟車伕說，”托克斯小姐說道，“這位夫人的舅舅是一位治安法庭的法官，如果他要對她稍有一點無禮的話，那麼他就會受到嚴厲的懲罰。如果您願意的話，託林森，您可以假裝用一種友好的口吻對他說這件事，因爲您知道，過去曾經這樣處治過另一位車伕，他已經死了。”
“毫無問題，一定照辦，”託林森說道。
'And now good-night to my sweet, sweet, sweet, godson,' said Miss Tox, with a soft shower of kisses at each repetition of the adjective; 'and Louisa, my dear friend, promise me to take a little something warm before you go to bed, and not to distress yourself!'
It was with extreme difficulty that Nipper, the black-eyed, who looked on steadfastly, contained herself at this crisis, and until the subsequent departure of Mrs Chick. But the nursery being at length free of visitors, she made herself some recompense for her late restraint.
“好啦，現在我祝我親愛的，親愛的，親愛的教子晚安，再見了，”托克斯小姐說道，她每當重複說一次那個形容詞的時候，都要伴送出一陣陣溫柔的吻。“還有，路易莎，我親愛的朋友，請答應我，在睡覺前喝點兒溫暖的東西，同時自己別太傷心了！”
在奇剋夫人隨後離開之前，一直在密切注視着黑眼睛的尼珀，在這關鍵性的時刻，她很困難地剋制着自己。但是當育兒室終於擺脫了這兩位來客之後，她對自己剛纔所受的壓抑多少進行了一些補償。
註釋：impertinence n. 魯莽，無理；不恰當
例句：
1. He had the impertinence to demand a raise.
他竟冒失地要求增加工資。
2. I've had enough of your impertinence.
你太沒禮貌，我已經受夠了。
'You might keep me in a strait-waistcoat for six weeks,' said Nipper, 'and when I got it off I'd only be more aggravated, who ever heard the like of them two Griffins, Mrs Richards?'
'And then to talk of having been dreaming, poor dear!' said Polly.
“你可以讓我穿緊身衣①穿上六個星期，”尼珀說道，“而當我把它脫掉的時候，我只會更加發怒。理查茲大嫂，有誰聽說過有像她們這兩個格里芬②一樣的嗎？”
“還說一定夢見什麼了，可憐的乖乖！”波利說道。
'Oh you beauties!' cried Susan Nipper, affecting to salute the door by which the ladies had departed. 'Never be a Dombey won't she? It's to be hoped she won't, we don't want any more such, one's enough.'
'Don't wake the children, Susan dear,' said Polly.
'I'm very much beholden to you, Mrs Richards,' said Susan, who was not by any means discriminating in her wrath, 'and really feel it as a honour to receive your commands, being a black slave and a mulotter. Mrs Richards, if there's any other orders, you can give me, pray mention 'em.'
“哼，您們這兩位美人！”蘇珊•尼珀向兩位女士離開的那扇門故意敬了一個禮，喊道，“她永遠也不會像 董貝家裏的人，是不是？希望她不會。一位已足夠了，我們不想再要這樣的人了。”
“別把孩子吵醒了，親愛的蘇珊，”波利說道。
“我對您十分感謝，理查茲大嫂，”蘇珊說道，她在憤怒之中是不分青紅皁白的，“我是一個黑奴，是一個白人與黑人所生的混血兒，接受您的命令我真感到榮幸。理查茲大嫂，如果還有什麼其他命令您可以向我下達的，那就請說吧！”
'Nonsense; orders,' said Polly.
'Oh! bless your heart, Mrs Richards,' cried Susan, 'temporaries always orders permanencies here, didn't you know that, why wherever was you born, Mrs Richards? But wherever you was born, Mrs Richards,' pursued Spitfire, shaking her head resolutely, 'and whenever, and however (which is best known to yourself), you may bear in mind, please, that it's one thing to give orders, and quite another thing to take 'em. A person may tell a person to dive off a bridge head foremost into five-and-forty feet of water, Mrs Richards, but a person may be very far from diving.'
“胡說！哪裏是什麼命令！”波利說道。
“啊！上帝保佑您的心，理查茲大嫂，”蘇珊喊道，“幹臨時性活的人在這裏總是命令幹長期性活的人，難道您這一點也不知道嗎？那麼說您是在什麼地方出生的呢，理查茲大嫂？可是，不論您是在什麼地方出生的，理查茲大嫂，”噴火器堅決地搖着頭，繼續說道，“也不論您是在什麼時候出生的和怎樣出生的（這一點您自己最清楚了），請您記住，下達命令是一回事，接受命令又是另外一回事。一個人可以告訴另一個人頭朝下，從橋上往下跳，跳到四十五英尺深的水裏去，理查茲大嫂，但是這另一個人可能根本就不想跳水。”
'There now,' said Polly, 'you're angry because you're a good little thing, and fond of Miss Florence; and yet you turn round on me, because there's nobody else.'
'It's very easy for some to keep their tempers, and be soft-spoken, Mrs Richards,' returned Susan, slightly mollified, 'when their child's made as much of as a prince, and is petted and patted till it wishes its friends further, but when a sweet young pretty innocent, that never ought to have a cross word spoken to or of it, is rundown, the case is very different indeed. My goodness gracious me, Miss Floy, you naughty, sinful child, if you don't shut your eyes this minute, I'll call in them hobgoblins that lives in the cock-loft to come and eat you up alive!'
“您看，”波利說道，“您生氣了，因爲您是一位善良的小人兒，而且喜愛弗洛倫斯小姐；但是由於這裏沒有別的人，您就衝着我出氣了。”
“對有些人來說，捺住性子，說話溫柔，是一件很容易的事，理查茲大嫂，”蘇珊氣有些消了，回答道，“因爲這時候她們的孩子受到了像王子一樣的對待，被寵愛，被愛撫，直到孩子希望有別的朋友爲止。可是一位可愛的、漂亮的、天真的小女孩子，本來不應當當面對她說一句壞話，也不應當在背後議論她一句壞話的，卻受到了不正當的指責，這情況確實是大不相同的了。哎呀，我的天哪！弗洛伊小姐，您這淘氣的、造孽的孩子，要是您不在這1分鐘內閉上您的眼睛的話，那麼我就要把住在頂樓裏的妖魔叫進來，把您活活地吃掉啦！”
註釋：gracious adj. 親切的；高尚的；和藹的；雅緻的
int. 天哪；哎呀 adj. 親切的；高尚的；和藹的；雅緻的
例句：
1. All this gracious living isn't for me; I prefer the simple life.
這種優裕的生活對我不合適;我還是喜歡簡樸的生活。
2. The queen was gracious enough to invite us.
女王親切地邀請了我們。
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①緊身衣（stait－waistcoat）：是管制瘋人和囚犯的一種衣服。
②格里芬（Griffin）：希臘神話中的鷲頭飛獅。這裏指怪物。
