雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第8章 Part 8
“皮普欽太太是誰，路易莎？”董貝先生問道，他對這樣隨隨便便地介紹一位他以前從沒有聽說過的人感到吃驚。
'Mrs Pipchin, my dear Paul,' returned his sister, 'is an elderly lady - Miss Tox knows her whole history - who has for some time devoted all the energies of her mind, with the greatest success, to the study and treatment of infancy, and who has been extremely well connected. Her husband broke his heart in - how did you say her husband broke his heart, my dear? I forget the precise circumstances.
“我親愛的保羅，”他的妹妹回答道，“皮普欽太太是一位上了年紀的女士——托克斯小姐知道她的全部歷史——，有一個時期曾把全部心血都從事於對幼兒的研究與護理，取得了很大的成功；她還有一些門第高貴的親戚。她的丈夫是傷心而死的——您說她的丈夫是怎樣傷心而死的，我親愛的？我已記不清那樣詳情細節了。”
'In pumping water out of the Peruvian Mines,' replied Miss Tox.
“當時他在祕魯用泵把水從礦井裏抽出來，”托克斯小姐回答道。
'Not being a Pumper himself, of course,' said Mrs Chick, glancing at her brother; and it really did seem necessary to offer the explanation, for Miss Tox had spoken of him as if he had died at the handle; 'but having invested money in the speculation, which failed. I believe that Mrs Pipchin's management of children is quite astonishing. I have heard it commended in private circles ever since I was - dear me - how high!' Mrs Chick's eye wandered about the bookcase near the bust of Mr Pitt, which was about ten feet from the ground.
“當然，他自己倒不是一位抽水泵的工人，”奇剋夫人向她的哥哥看了一眼，說道；這個解釋似乎確實是必要的，因爲從托克斯小姐所 說的話聽起來，彷彿他是死在水泵的搖柄旁邊似的；“而是在那個企業中投資，它後來破產了。我相信皮普欽太太對孩子的管理是相當驚人的。我曾在一些要好的朋友中間聽到大家讚揚她，那還是當我是——我的天——多麼高！”奇剋夫人的眼光正轉到書櫥上、離地大約有十英尺的皮特先生的半身像上。
'Perhaps I should say of Mrs Pipchin, my dear Sir,' observed Miss Tox, with an ingenuous blush, 'having been so pointedly referred to, that the encomium which has been passed upon her by your sweet sister is well merited. Many ladies and gentleman, now grown up to be interesting members of society, have been indebted to her care. The humble individual who addresses you was once under her charge. I believe juvenile nobility itself is no stranger to her establishment.'
“我親愛的先生，”托克斯小姐天真地紅了紅臉，說道，“對於這位明確提到了的皮普欽太太，也許我得說一下，令妹對她的讚詞是她當之無愧的。許多當今已成爲社會重要人物的女士們與先生們都曾受惠於她的教養。現在跟您講話的鄙人也曾經一度接受過她的管教。我想，名門貴族的青少年對她的所都並不陌生。”
'Do I understand that this respectable matron keeps an establishment, Miss Tox?' the Mr Dombey, condescendingly.
'Why, I really don't know,' rejoined that lady, 'whether I am justified in calling it so. It is not a Preparatory School by any means. Should I express my meaning,' said Miss Tox, with peculiar sweetness,'if I designated it an infantine Boarding-House of a very select description?'
“您是說，這位可敬的女士開辦着一個什麼所嗎，托克斯小姐？”董貝先生謙和地問道。“唔，”那位小姐回答道，“我確實不知道我這樣稱呼它是否合適。那決不是一個預備學校；”托克斯小姐特別溫柔親切地說道，“如果我把它稱爲最上等的幼兒供膳寄宿所，那麼也許我能把我的意思表達出來吧？”
'On an exceedingly limited and particular scale,' suggested Mrs Chick, with a glance at her brother.
“這個所對幼兒的挑選是特別嚴格的，人數是極爲有限的，”奇剋夫人向她的哥哥 看了一眼，提示道.
