狄更斯雙語小説:《董貝父子》第40章Part3

'Madam,' said Mr Dombey, with his most offensive air of state, 'I have made you my wife. You bear my name. You are associated with my position and my reputation. I will not say that the world in generAl may be disposed to think you honoured by that association; but I will say that I am accustomed to "insist," to my connexions and dependents.'
'Which may you be pleased to consider me? she asked.
'Possibly I may think that my wife should partake - or does partake, and cannot help herself - of both characters, Mrs Dombey.'
She bent her eyes upon him steadily, and set her trembling lips. He saw her bosom throb, and saw her face flush and turn white. All this he could know, and did: but he could not know that one word was whispering in the deep recesses of her heart, to keep her quiet; and that the word was Florence.
Blind idiot, rushing to a precipice! He thought she stood in awe of him.
'You are too expensive, Madam,' said Mr Dombey. 'You are extravagant. You waste a great deal of money - or what would be a great deal in the pockets of most gentlemen - in cultivating a kind of society that is useless to me, and, indeed, that upon the whole is disagreeable to me. I have to insist upon a total change in all these respects. I know that in the novelty of possessing a tithe of such means as Fortune has placed at your disposal, ladies are apt to run into a sudden extreme. There has been more than enough of that extreme. I beg that Mrs Granger's very different experiences may now come to the instruction of Mrs Dombey.'
Still the fixed look, the trembling lips, the throbbing breast, the face now crimson and now white; and still the deep whisper Florence, Florence, speaking to her in the beating of her heart.
His insolence of self-importance dilated as he saw this alteration in her. Swollen no less by her past scorn of him, and his so recent feeling of disadvantage, than by her present submission (as he took it to be), it became too mighty for his breast, and burst all bounds. Why, who could long resist his lofty will and pleasure! He had resolved to conquer her, and look here!
'You will further please, Madam,' said Mr Dombey, in a tone of sovereign command, 'to understand distinctly, that I am to be deferred to and obeyed. That I must have a positive show and confession of deference before the world, Madam. I am used to this. I require it as my right. In short I will have it. I consider it no unreasonable return for the worldly advancement that has befallen you; and I believe nobody will be surprised, either at its being required from you, or at your making it. - To Me - To Me!' he added, with emphasis.
No word from her. No change in her. Her eyes upon him.

“夫人，”董貝先生極不客氣地説道，”我娶了您做我的妻子，您姓我的姓，您和我的地位和名聲聯繫在一起。我不想説，世界上的人們普遍地認為，我們的結合使您得到光榮；但是我想説，我習慣於向我的家屬和靠我贍養的人們‘堅持’我的要求。”
“照您看，我是屬於哪一類人呢？”她問道。
“也許我可以認為，我的妻子應當同時屬於--或者實際上就同時屬於這兩類人；這是她沒有辦法改變的，董貝夫人。”
她把眼睛轉到他身上，注視着他，緊閉着顫抖的嘴脣。他看到她的胸脯在跳動，看到她的臉色驟然發紅，隨後又變白。這一切他能夠看到，也看到了；可是他無法知道，在她內心深處正低聲響着四個字，使她保持冷靜；這四個字就是弗洛倫斯。
瞎了眼睛的白痴呀，正在向懸崖猛衝過去！他心裏想，她在害怕他呢！
“您太揮霍了，夫人，”董貝先生説道，”您奢侈無度。您浪費了大量的金錢--或者，説得更明白些，對大多數上層社會的先生們來説，這也是大量的金錢--，來進行一種對我毫無益處、甚至根本使我不愉快的社交活動。我不得不堅持，您在所有這些方面應當有個徹底的轉變。我知道，你們夫人在獲得了這些命運交由你們支配的一小部分財產之後，出於新奇的心情，總愛突然走向極端。這種極端已經超過足夠的地步了。我希望，格蘭傑夫人曾經有過的截然不同的經驗，現在會對董貝夫人有益。”
仍然是那凝神的注視，顫抖的嘴脣，跳動的胸脯，時而轉紅時而變白的臉孔；在她心房跳動的時候，仍然是那深沉的低聲在對她呼喚：弗洛倫斯，弗洛倫斯。
當他看到她發生了這些變化的時候，他自尊自大的傲慢增長了。她過去對他的輕蔑和他剛才處境不利的感覺，跟她現在的柔順（他以為是這樣），同樣促進了他傲慢情緒的滋長；它已發展到他自己難以控制的地步，超越了一切限度。好啊，誰能夠長久地抗拒他的崇高的意志與願望呢！他已下定決心要戰勝她。請往下看吧！
“而且，夫人，”董貝先生用威嚴的命令語氣説道，”還要請您清清楚楚地懂得：您應當尊敬我，服從我。在社會上的人們面前，您應當向我表示出絕對的、明顯的尊敬，夫人。我習慣於這樣。我有權利要求這樣。總之，我願意這樣。我認為這是您對您現在享有的崇高的社會地位理所應當地作出的報答。我相信，不論是在我要求下您向我表示尊敬或是您自己有意向我表示尊敬，誰都不會感到驚奇。--對我表示尊敬！--對我表示尊敬！”他着重地補充了最後這兩句話。
她一言不發。她沒有任何變化。她的眼光注視着他。