雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第三章 Part 3

Spitfire seemed to be in the main a good-natured little body, although a disciple of that school of trainers of the young idea which holds that childhood, like money, must be shaken and rattled and jostled about a good deal to keep it bright. For, beig thus appealed to with some endearing gestures and caresses, she folded her small arms and shook her head, and conveyed a relenting expression into her very-wide-open black eyes.

總的說來，噴火器似乎是一位性格善良的小人兒，雖然在培訓孩子的智力方面，她是這樣一種學派的信徒，這種學派主張，孩子就像硬幣一樣，必須震動它們，叮叮噹噹地打響它們，並讓它們磕磕碰碰，才能使它們發亮。因爲，當弗洛倫斯向她這樣懇求和向她作出了親熱的姿態與愛撫之後，她抱攏了兩隻胳膊，搖搖頭，並在張得很大的黑眼睛中流露出了憐憫的神情。

'It ain't right of you to ask it, Miss Floy, for you know I can't refuse you, but Mrs Richards and me will see what can be done, if Mrs Richards likes, I may wish, you see, to take a voyage to Chaney, Mrs Richards, but I mayn't know how to leave the London Docks.'
Richards assented to the proposition.

“您向我提出這樣的請求是不好的，弗洛伊小姐，因爲您知道我不能拒絕您，但是理查茲大嫂和我將考慮考慮怎麼辦，如果理查茲大嫂願意，您知道，我可能希望航行到中國去一趟，理查茲大嫂，可是我可能還不知道怎樣離開倫敦碼頭呢。”
理查茲同意這個意見。

'This house ain't so exactly ringing with merry-making,' said Miss Nipper, 'that one need be lonelier than one must be. Your Toxes and your Chickses may draw out my two front double teeth, Mrs Richards, but that's no reason why I need offer 'em the whole set.'
This proposition was also assented to by Richards, as an obvious one.

“這個公館並不是真正充滿歡樂的，”尼珀姑娘說道，“一個人需要過很孤獨的生活，比他應該過的孤獨生活更孤獨。你們這些托克斯們，你們這些奇克們可以把我的兩隻門牙拔掉，理查茲大嫂，但是我沒有理由要把我的全副牙齒都奉獻給她們。”
這個意見理查茲也同意了，因爲這是顯然無疑的。

註釋：convey vt. 傳達；運輸；讓與
例句：
1. Please convey my sympathy to your wife.
請向你夫人轉達我的慰問。
2. My letter will convey some idea of my mode of life.
我的信將使你瞭解到一些我的生活方式。


So I'm able, I'm sure,'said Susan Nipper, 'to live friendly, Mrs Richards, while Master Paul continues a permanency, if the means can be planned out without going openly against orders, but goodness gracious Miss Floy, you haven't got your things off yet, you naughty child, you haven't, come along!'
With these words, Susan Nipper, in a transport of coercion, made a charge at her young ward, and swept her out of the room.

“所以毫無疑問，”蘇珊•尼珀說道，“只要保羅少爺還歸您管，理查茲大嫂，只要我們能想出個辦法不會違抗上面的命令，我完全同意我們友好相處，可是我的老天爺呀，弗洛伊小姐，您怎麼還不打算走哪，您這淘氣的孩子，您還不打算走哪，跟我來吧！”
蘇珊•尼珀說了這些話之後，立即採取了強迫的手段，向她這位年幼的被撫養人發動了襲擊，把她飛快地拖出了房間。

The child, in her grief and neglect, was so gentle, so quiet, and uncomplaining; was possessed of so much affection that no one seemed to care to have, and so much sorrowful intelligence that no one seemed to mind or think about the wounding of, that Polly's heart was sore when she was left alone again. In the simple passage that had taken place between herself and the motherless little girl, her own motherly heart had been touched no less than the child's; and she felt, as the child did, that there was something of confidence and interest between them from that moment.

女孩子處於悲傷與被冷落的境地中，是那麼溫柔，那麼安靜和沒有怨言；她心裏充滿了那麼深厚的感情，似乎沒有一個人需要它；她的心又那麼多愁善感，似乎沒有一個人關心它或怕傷害它；因此當波利又獨自留下來的時候，她的心感到痛苦。在她與那失去母親的小女孩所進行的簡單的交談中，她本人做母親的心被感動的程度並不比女孩子小。她像那女孩子一樣，覺得從那時刻起，在她們之間已經產生了信任與關懷。

Notwithstanding Mr Toodle's great reliance on Polly, she was perhaps in point of artificial accomplishments very little his superior. She had been good-humouredly working and drudging for her life all her life, and was a sober steady-going person, with matter-of-fact ideas about the butcher and baker, and the division of pence into farthings. But she was a good plain sample of a nature that is ever, in the mass, better, truer, higher, nobler, quicker to feel, and much more constant to retain, all tenderness and pity, self-denial and devotion, than the nature of men. And, perhaps, unlearned as she was, she could have brought a dawning knowledge home to Mr Dombey at that early day, which would not then have struck him in the end like lightning.

雖然圖德爾先生對波利極爲信任，但在知識技能方面她卻不見得能勝過她。有些婦女的性格總的來說，比男子的性格更爲善良、真誠、卓越、高尚，感覺更爲敏捷，而且在保持溫柔、憐憫、自我犧牲和忠誠的品質方面也比男子更爲恆久，她就是這種婦女性格的一個優秀的、明顯的樣本。雖然她沒有什麼文化知識，可是她卻能夠在事情一開始的時候，就讓董貝先生了解一些情況，這樣就不會在最後像閃電似地使他萬分驚愕。

But this is from the purpose. Polly only thought, at that time, of improving on her successful propitiation of Miss Nipper, and devising some means of having little Florence aide her, lawfully, and without rebellion. An opening happened to present itself that very night.
She had been rung down into the glass room as usual, and had walked about and about it a long time, with the baby in her arms, when, to her great surprise and dismay, Mr Dombey - whom she had seen at first leaning on his elbow at the table, and afterwards walking up and down the middle room, drawing, each time, a little nearer, she thought, to the open folding doors came out, suddenly, and stopped before her.
'Good evening, Richards.'

但是我們已經離題了。那時候，波利所想到的只是把她從尼珀姑娘那裏成功地取得的好感再推進一步，並想出辦法使小弗洛倫斯合法地待在她的身邊，而且不違抗主人的意旨。就在那天晚上，出現了一個好機會。
她跟往常一樣，聽到鈴聲，就下樓到玻璃房裏，手中抱着嬰孩走來走去，走了好久；忽然，使她大感意外和驚愕的是，董貝先生從裏面走了出來，停在她的前面。
“晚上好，理查茲。”

註釋：rebellion n. 叛亂；反抗；謀反；不服從
例句：
1. The police crushed out the rebellion in the prison.
警察把發生在監獄中的暴亂鎮壓了下去。
2. The people would rise in open rebellion if oppressed by a monarchy.
如果遭到君主制的壓迫，人民就會起來反抗。

Just the same austere, stiff gentleman, as he had appeared to her on that first day. Such a hard-looking gentleman, that she involuntarily dropped her eyes and her curtsey at the same time.
'How is Master Paul, Richards?'
'Quite thriving, Sir, and well.'
'He looks so,' said Mr Dombey, glancing with great interest at the tiny face she uncovered for his observation, and yet affecting to be half careless of it. 'They give you everything you want, I hope?'
'Oh yes, thank you, Sir.'

仍然是她在第一天看到的那位嚴厲的、生硬呆板的先生。他那不苟言笑的神色使她不由自主地低下了眼睛，行了個屈膝禮。
“保羅少爺好嗎，理查茲？”
“很壯實，先生，很健康。”
“他看來是這樣，”董貝先生說道，一邊懷着極大的興趣，朝着她掀開讓他觀察的很小的臉孔看了一眼，但卻裝作對它不大關心的樣子，說道，“我希望，您需要的東西他們都給您了吧？”
“啊，是的，謝謝您，先生。”

She suddenly appended such an obvious hesitation to this reply, however, that Mr Dombey, who had turned away; stopped, and turned round again, inquiringly.
'If you please, Sir, the child is very much disposed to take notice of things,' said Richards, with another curtsey, 'and upstairs is a little dull for him, perhaps, Sir.'
'I begged them to take you out for airings, constantly,' said Mr Dombey. 'Very well! You shall go out oftener. You're quite right to mention it.'
'I beg your pardon, Sir,' faltered Polly, 'but we go out quite plenty Sir, thank you.'
'What would you have then?' asked Mr Dombey.
'Indeed Sir, I don't exactly know,' said Polly, 'unless - '
'Yes?'
'I believe nothing is so good for making children lively and cheerful, Sir, as seeing other children playing about 'em,' observed Polly, taking courage.
'I think I mentioned to you, Richards, when you came here,' said Mr Dombey, with a frown, 'that I wished you to see as little of your family as possible.'
'Oh dear yes, Sir, I wasn't so much as thinking of that.'
'I am glad of it,' said Mr Dombey hastily. 'You can continue your walk if you please.'

可是她回答的時候，忽然流露出了明顯的遲疑的口氣，因此已經走開了的董貝先生又停下腳步，露出詢問的神色，重新轉過身來。
“我覺得，先生，要使孩子活潑愉快，最好的辦法莫過於讓他們看到別的孩子在他們周圍玩耍，”波利鼓起勇氣，說出了她的意見。
“我記得當您到這裏來的時候，我曾經跟您說過，”董貝先生皺了皺眉頭，說道，“我希望您儘可能不去探望您的家庭。如果您願意，您就繼續散步吧。”

註釋：continue vi. 繼續，延續；仍舊，連續 vt. 繼續說…；使…繼續；使…延長
例句：
1. It will continue to develop.
它將繼續發展下去。
2. He is to continue as manager.
他要繼續當經理。

With that, he disappeared into his inner room; and Polly had the satisfaction of feeling that he had thoroughly misunderstood her object, and that she had fallen into disgrace without the least advancement of her purpose.
Next night, she found him walking about the conservatory when she came down. As she stopped at the door, checked by this unusual sight, and uncertain whether to advance or retreat, he called her in. His mind was too much set on Dombey and Son, it soon appeared, to admit of his having forgotten her suggestion.
If you really think that sort of society is good for the child,' he said sharply, as if there had been no interval since she proposed it, 'where's Miss Florence?

'說完這些話，他就走進裏面的房間去了；波利看出，他完全誤解了她的意思；她碰了一鼻子灰，而卻一點也沒有達到她的目的。
第二天晚上，當她走下樓來的時候，她發現他正在暖房裏踱着步子。她看到這不同往常的情形，心中遲疑，就在門口停住，不知道該往前走還是該往後退，正在這時候，他喊她進去。“如果您真的認爲那樣的伴侶對孩子是有益的話，”他突然地說道，彷彿在她提出建議之後並沒有間隔過一段時間似的，“弗洛倫斯小姐在哪裏？”

'Nothing could be better than Miss Florence, Sir,' said Polly eagerly, 'but I understood from her maid that they were not to '
Mr Dombey rang the bell, and walked till it was answered.
'Tell them always to let Miss Florence be with Richards when she chooses, and go out with her, and so forth. Tell them to let the children be together, when Richards wishes it.'

“沒有什麼能比弗洛倫斯小姐更好的了，先生，”波利熱情洋溢地說道，“但是我從她的小保姆那裏瞭解到，他們不——”
董貝先生搖了搖鈴，然後踱着步子，等着僕人跑來。
“告訴他們，只要理查茲喜歡，就讓弗洛倫斯小姐跟理查茲在一起，跟她一起出去，等等。告訴他們，只要理查茲願意，就讓兩個孩子在一起。”

The iron was now hot, and Richards striking on it boldly it was a good cause and she bold in it, though instinctively afraid of Mr Dombey requested that Miss Florence might be sent down then and there, to make friends with her little brother. She feigned to be dandling the child as the servant retired on this errand, but she thought that she saw Mr Dombey's colour changed; that the expression of his face quite altered; that he turned, hurriedly, as if to gainsay what he had said, or she had said, or both, and was only deterred by very shame.

鐵現在熱了，理查茲就大膽地敲打着它——這是個好事情，所以雖然她本能地害怕董貝先生，但是她還是勇敢地去做它——，她請求把弗洛倫斯小姐立刻送下樓來，送到她那裏，跟她的小弟弟做朋友。當僕人離開去執行這項任務的時候，她裝出撫弄孩子的樣子，可是她覺得，她看到董貝先生的臉色變了；他臉上的神情完全不同了；他急忙轉過身來，彷彿想把他說過的話，或她說過的話，或兩人都說過的話，收回去，只是由於不好意思才遲疑着沒有說出來。

註釋：errand n. 使命；差事；差使
例句：
1. I'll go there to do an errand.
我將去那裏辦件事。
2. For a moment he forgot his errand.
有一小會兒，他忘掉了自己的使命。