雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第二章 Part 1

In which Timely Provision is made for an Emergency that will sometimes arise in the best-regulated Families.
在管理得極好的家庭中有時是會發生這種突然事件的。

'I shall never cease to congratulate myself,' said Mrs Chick,' on having said, when I little thought what was in store for us, really as if I was inspired by something, that I forgave poor dear Fanny everything. Whatever happens, that must always be a comfort to me!'
“我說過，”奇剋夫人說道，“對可憐的親愛的範妮我一切都寬恕了，這一點我將永遠感到慶幸；那時候我根本沒有預料到將會發生什麼事情，那時候我確實彷彿是得到了什麼靈感似的。不論怎麼樣，這句話對我來說永遠是一個安慰！”

Mrs Chick made this impressive observation in the drawing room, after having descended thither from the inspection of the mantua makers upstairs, who were busy on the family Mourning. She delivered it for the behoof of Mr Chick, who was a stout bald gentleman, with a very large face, and his hands continually in his pockets, and who had a tendency in his nature to whistle and hum tunes, which, sensible of the indecorum of such sounds in a house of grief, he was at some pains to repress at present.
奇剋夫人這些令人難忘的話是她在樓上監視女衣裁縫忙着給這個家庭縫製喪服之後，下到客廳裏的時候的。她發表這些意見是爲了點撥奇克先生而說給他聽的。奇克先生是一位肥壯的、禿頂的先生，臉很大，兩隻手老插在衣袋裏，生性愛吹口哨和哼曲子；他知道，在一個沉浸在悲痛氣氛的家庭裏發出這種聲音是不合禮節的，所以現在正竭力剋制着自己。

Don't you over exert yourself, Loo,' said Mr Chick, 'or you'll be laid up with spasms, I see. Right tol loor rul! Bless my soul, I forgot! We're here one day and gone the next!'
“別操勞過度了，路，”奇克先生說道，“要不然你就會發生痙攣而臥牀不起了！託魯魯！託魯魯！哎呀，我忘了！我們今天還在這個世界上，明天就可能一命嗚呼了！”

註釋：congratulate vt. 祝賀, 慶祝
例句:
1. One can congratulate oneself on one's victories. 一個人也可以自己慶祝自己的勝利。
2. You can congratulate yourself on having done a good job. 你的工作做得很出色，你應該感到自豪。

Mrs Chick contented herself with a glance of reproof, and then proceeded with the thread of her discourse.
奇剋夫人責備地看了他一眼，也就罷了，然後接着剛纔的話頭，繼續說下去。

'I am sure,' she said, 'I hope this heart-rending occurrence will be a warning to all of us, to accustom ourselves to rouse ourselves, and to make efforts in time where they're required of us. There's a moral in everything, if we would only avail ourselves of it. It will be our own faults if we lose sight of this one.' Mr Chick invaded the grave silence which ensued on this remark with the singularly inappropriate air of 'A cobbler there was;' and checking himself, in some confusion, observed, that it was undoubtedly our own faults if we didn't improve such melancholy occasions as the present.
'Which might be better improved, I should think, Mr C.,' retorted his helpmate, after a short pause, 'than by the introduction, either of the college hornpipe, or the equally unmeaning and unfeeling remark of rump teiddity, bow-wow-wow!' which Mr Chick had indeed indulged in, under his breath, and which Mrs Chick repeated in a tone of withering scorn.

“說實在的，”她說道，“我希望，發生了這件令人傷心的事情，對我們大家來說將是個警告：我們必須習慣於振作起精神，而且當需要的時候，我們就必須及時作出努力。只要我們善於吸取，從每一件事情中都可以吸取教訓。如果我們現在看不到這個教訓的話，那麼這將是我們自己的過錯。”
在這番議論發表之後，隨之而來的是肅靜無聲，但奇克先生哼了一個非常不適宜的曲子《有一個補鞋匠》，因此就把它打破了；他有些慌亂地糾正了自己之後說，如果我們不利用這種悲傷的機會來吸取一些教訓的話，那麼這將無疑是我們自己的過錯。

'Merely habit, my dear,' pleaded Mr Chick.
'Nonsense! Habit!' returned his wife. 'If you're a rational being, don't make such ridiculous excuses. Habit! If I was to get a habit (as you call it) of walking on the ceiling, like the flies, I should hear enough of it, I daresay.

“這不過是習慣罷了，我親愛的，”奇克先生辯護道。
“胡扯！習慣！”他的妻子回答道，“如果你是個有理性的動物，你就別作出這樣可笑的辯解。習慣！如果我得了一個像你所說的習慣，像蒼蠅一樣在天花板上走來走去，那麼我想我對這就會聽夠了。”

註釋: indulge vt. 1. 放縱, 容許 2. 使（自己）沉溺於，滿足（自己的慾望等）
例句:
1. Don't always indulge in empty talk.
別總是紙上談兵。
2. There is no need to indulge in such heroics.
根本沒有必要這樣肆意誇張。


It appeared so probable that such a habit might be attended with some degree of notoriety, that Mr Chick didn't venture to dispute the position.
'Bow-wow-wow!' repeated Mrs Chick with an emphasis of blighting contempt on the last syllable. 'More like a professional singer with the hydrophobia, than a man in your station of life!'
'How's the Baby, Loo?' asked Mr Chick: to change the subject.
'What Baby do you mean?' answered Mrs Chick.
'The poor bereaved little baby,' said Mr Chick. 'I don't know of any other, my dear.'
'You don't know of any other,'retorted Mrs Chick. 'More shame for you, I was going to say.
Mr Chick looked astonished.
'I am sure the morning I have had, with that dining-room downstairs, one mass of babies, no one in their senses would believe.'
'One mass of babies!' repeated Mr Chick, staring with an alarmed expression about him.
'It would have occurred to most men,' said Mrs Chick, 'that poor dear Fanny being no more, those words of mine will always be a balm and comfort to me,' here she dried her eyes; 'it becomes necessary to provide a Nurse.'
'Oh! Ah!' said Mr Chick. 'Toor-ru! such is life, I mean. I hope you are suited, my dear.'

看來這個習慣很可能在一定程度上會帶來不好的名聲，所以奇克先生不敢再進行爭辯。
“嬰孩怎麼樣了，路？”奇克先生改變話題，說道。
“你說的是哪個嬰孩？”奇剋夫人反問道，“說實在的，頭腦健全的人誰也不會相信，今天早上我在樓下餐廳裏見到了一大羣嬰孩。”
“一大羣嬰孩？”奇克先生重複道，一邊露出驚慌的神色，張大眼睛，向四周環視着。
“大多數的男子都會想到，”奇剋夫人說道，“因爲可憐的親愛的範妮已經不在了，這樣就有必要去物色一個奶媽。”
“哦！啊！”奇克先生說道，“託—魯—我要說，這就是生活。我希望你已物色到一箇中意的，我親愛的。”

'Indeed I am not,' said Mrs Chick; 'nor likely to be, so far as I can see, and in the meantime the poor child seems likely to be starved to death. Paul is so very particular naturally so, of course, having set his whole heart on this one boy and there are so many objections to everybody that offers, that I don't see, myself, the least chance of an arrangement. Meanwhile, of course, the child is... '
'Going to the Devil,' said Mr Chick, thoughtfully, 'to be sure.'
Admonished, however, that he had committed himself, by the indignation expressed in Mrs Chick's countenance at the idea of a Dombey going there; and thinking to atone for his misconduct by a bright suggestion, he added: 'Couldn't something temporary be done with a teapot?'

“我確實沒有物色到一箇中意的，”奇剋夫人說道，“照我看，也不大可能物色到了。當然，在這期間，這孩子——”
“將見鬼去了，”奇克先生若有所思地說道，“一定的。”
可是奇剋夫人一聽見他們董貝家裏的一個人竟會去到那裏去時，臉上露出的憤怒的神色警告他，他已犯了一個大錯誤。爲了補救他的過失，他就提出了一個巧妙的建議，說道：
“難道不能臨時用茶壺來餵奶嗎？”

註釋：commit v. 犯罪, 承諾, 委託, 託付
例句:
1. They tried to persuade her to commit perjury.
他們竭力說服她出庭作僞證。
2. One cannot commit crimes with impunity.
一個人不能犯了罪不受懲罰。

If he had meant to bring the subject prematurely to a close, he could not have done it more effectually. After looking at him for some moments in silent resignation, Mrs Chick said she trusted he hadn't said it in aggravation, because that would do very little honour to his heart. She trusted he hadn't said it seriously, because that would do very little honour to his head. As in any case, he couldn't, however sanguine his disposition, hope to offer a remark that would be a greater outrage on human nature in general, we would beg to leave the discussion at that point.
Mrs Chick then walked majestically to the window and peeped through the blind, attracted by the sound of wheels. Mr Chick, finding that his destiny was, for the time, against him, said no more, and walked off. But it was not always thus with Mr Chick. He was often in the ascendant himself, and at those times punished Louisa roundly. In their matrimonial bickerings they were, upon the whole, a well-matched, fairly-balanced, give-and-take couple. It would have been, generally speaking, very difficult to have betted on the winner. Often when Mr Chick seemed beaten, he would suddenly make a start, turn the tables, clatter them about the ears of Mrs Chick, and carry all before him. Being liable himself to similar unlooked for checks from Mrs Chick, their little contests usually possessed a character of uncertainty that was very animating.

如果他有意趕快結束這個話題的話，那麼他不可能比這取得更大的成功了。奇剋夫人默不作聲，無可奈何地看了他一會兒之後，轔轔的車輪聲吸引了她的注意，她就威風凜凜地走到窗前，通過百葉窗向外窺視。奇克先生覺得現在命運跟他作對，於是不再說什麼，就走出房間去了。不過奇克先生的情況並不總是這樣的。他常常佔據優勢，在這種時候他就嚴厲地懲罰路易莎。他們在夫妻爭吵中總的來說是旗鼓相當，勢均力敵，針鋒相對的一對。一般說來，很難打賭說，誰一定會贏。時常當奇克先生似乎已被打敗了的時候，他會突然發動反攻，扭轉局勢，在奇剋夫人的耳邊耀武揚威，終於大獲全勝。由於他本人同樣也可能遭到奇剋夫人的突然襲擊，所以他們的小吵小鬧通常具有變化不定的特色。這是很富有生氣的。

Miss Tox had arrived on the wheels just now alluded to, and came Running into the room in a breathless condition.
'My dear Louisa,'said Miss Tox, 'is the vacancy still unsupplied?'
'You good soul, yes,' said Mrs Chick.
'Then, my dear Louisa,' returned Miss Tox, 'I hope and believe but in one moment, my dear, I'll introduce the party.'
Running downstairs again as fast as she had run up, Miss Tox got the party out of the hackney coach, and soon returned with it under convoy.

托克斯小姐乘着我們剛剛提到的車子來到，氣喘吁吁地跑進房間。
“我親愛的路易莎，”托克斯小姐說道，“是不是還沒有找到奶媽？”
“還沒有呢，我的好人兒，”奇剋夫人說道。
“那麼，我親愛的路易莎，”托克斯小姐回答道，“我希望，並且相信——不過，等一會兒，我親愛的，我將把當事人，介紹給您。”
托克斯小姐像跑上樓來一樣快地跑下樓去，把當事人從出租馬車中扶出，並立刻護送着回到樓上。

註釋：possessed of : 擁有，獲得
例句:
1. He is possessed of great wealth.
他擁有巨大的財富。
2. I have possessed myself of that secret.
我已經獲得了那份祕密。