雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第六章 Part 12

'Ah! True! More shame for him,' thought Walter. After a minute's pause, during which he had been looking down upon the gentle patient little face moving on at his side, he said, 'The strangest man, Mr. Carker the Junior is, Miss Florence, that ever you heard of. If you could understand what an extraordinary interest he takes in me, and yet how he shuns me and avoids me; and what a low place he holds in our office, and how he is never advanced, and never complains, though year after year he sees young men passed over his head, and though his brother (younger than he is), is our head Manager, you would be as much puzzled about him as I am.' As Florence could hardly be expected to understand much about it, Walter bestirred himself with his accustomed boyish animation and restlessness to change the subject; and one of the unfortunate shoes coming off again opportunely, proposed to carry Florence to his uncle's in his arms. Florence, though very tired, laughingly declined the proposal, lest he should let her fall; and as they were already near the wooden Midshipman, and as Walter went on to cite various precedents, from shipwrecks and other moving accidents, where younger boys than he had triumphantly rescued and carried off older girls than Florence, they were still in full conversation about it when they arrived at the Instrument-maker's door.
“啊！不錯！這使他更丟臉，”沃爾特想道。他停了一分鐘，向下看着在他身邊行走的女孩子的那張溫柔的、耐性的小臉，然後以他慣有的孩子的活潑與機靈，設法改變話題；碰巧這時那倒黴的鞋子又有一隻掉下了，他就建議把弗洛倫斯抱到他舅舅家裏去。弗洛倫斯雖然十分疲乏，但卻仍大笑着謝絕了他的建議，因爲唯恐他抱不住會使她掉下來。他們離開木製海軍軍官候補生已經不遠，沃爾特又繼續從船舶遇難及其他動人的事故中援引各種先例，說有些比他還小的男孩子曾經勝利地搶救和抱出比弗洛倫斯還大的女孩子；因此當他們到達儀器製造商的門口時，他們仍在興高采烈地交談着這些故事。
'Holloa, Uncle Sol!' cried Walter, bursting into the shop, and speaking incoherently and out of breath, from that time forth, for the rest of the evening. 'Here's a wonderful adventure! Here's Mr. Dombey's daughter lost in the streets, and robbed of her clothes by an old witch of a woman - found by me - brought home to our parlour to rest - look here!'
“喂，所爾舅舅！”沃爾特衝進店鋪，喊道，並且從這時起，整個晚上都是沒有條理地、上氣不接下氣地說着。“這真是一件奇妙的遭遇！董貝先生的女兒在街上迷路了，一位老妖婆把她的衣服都搶去了——是我找到的——把她領到我們家裏來，讓她在我們家的客廳裏休息休息——請看這裏！”
'Good Heaven!' said Uncle Sol, starting back against his favorite compass-case. 'It can't be! Well, I - ''No, nor anybody else,' said Walter, anticipating the rest. 'Nobody would, nobody could, you know. Here! just help me lift the little sofa near the fire, will you, Uncle Sol - take care of the plates - cut some dinner for her, will you, Uncle - throw those shoes under the grate. Miss Florence - put your feet on the fender to dry - how damp they are - here's an adventure, Uncle, eh? - God bless my soul, how hot I am!'
“我的老天爺！”所爾舅舅吃驚地往後退縮，靠在他所喜愛的羅盤盒子上。“這不可能！唔，我——” “是的，其他任何人也都不曾遇到過這樣的事情，”沃爾特預料到他還要說的話。“沒有任何人會，沒有任何人能遇到這樣的事情，你知道。請到這裏來！幫我把這張小沙發擡到壁爐旁好嗎，所爾舅舅？——請 做幾盤菜——給她吃點晚餐好嗎，舅舅？——請把這雙鞋子扔到爐柵底下，董貝小姐——把您的腳擱到火爐圍欄上烘一烘——它們多溼呀——這是個奇遇，是不是，舅舅？——上帝保佑我的靈魂，我是多麼熱啊！”
Solomon Gills was quite as hot, by sympathy, and in excessive bewilderment. He patted Florence's head, pressed her to eat, pressed her to drink, rubbed the soles of her feet with his pocket-handkerchief heated at the fire, followed his locomotive nephew with his eyes, and ears, and had no clear perception of anything except that he was being constantly knocked against and tumbled over by that excited young gentleman, as he darted about the room attempting to accomplish twenty things at once, and doing nothing at all.
所羅門•吉爾斯由於同情並處在極度的不知所措的狀態中，也同樣覺得很熱。他輕輕地拍拍弗洛倫斯的頭，勸她吃，勸她喝，用在爐子上烘熱的手絹擦着她腳上腫痛的地方，眼睛和耳朵則跟着他的火車頭般的外甥轉，腦子裏糊里糊塗，什麼也不明白，只覺得他不時被那位興奮的年輕人在房間裏奔來竄去的時候碰着、撞着；那位年輕人想一下子完成二十件事，但卻一件事也沒有完成。
'Here, wait a minute, Uncle,' he continued, catching up a candle, 'till I run upstairs, and get another jacket on, and then I'll be off. I say, Uncle, isn't this an adventure?'
“請等一會兒，舅舅，”他拿起一支蠟燭，繼續說道，“我現在到樓上去，穿上另一件短上衣，然後我就出發。我說，舅舅，這是不是一件奇遇？”
'My dear boy,' said Solomon, who, with his spectacles on his forehead and the great chronometer in his pocket, was incessantly oscillating between Florence on the sofa, and his nephew in all parts of the parlour, 'it's the most extraordinary - '
“我親愛的孩子，”所羅門說道；他前額上架着眼鏡，衣袋裏裝着很大的精密計時錶，一會兒跑到在沙發上的弗洛倫斯那裏，一會兒跑到客廳裏各個角落的外甥那裏，一直在他們中間跑個不停，“這是極不尋常的——”
'No, but do, Uncle, please - do, Miss Florence - dinner, you know, Uncle.'
“是的，但是，舅舅，請——弗洛倫斯，請——你 知道，晚飯，舅舅。”
'Yes, yes, yes,' cried Solomon, cutting instantly into a leg of mutton, as if he were catering for a giant. 'I'll take care of her, Wally! I understand. Pretty dear! Famished, of course. You go and get ready. Lord bless me! Sir Richard Whittington thrice Lord Mayor of London.'
“是的，是的，是的，”所羅門立刻往一條羊腿上砍了一刀，彷彿他是在給一位巨人籌辦宴席似的。“我會好好照料她的，沃利！我明白。親愛的寶貝！當然，餓壞了。你去準備好。天主保佑我！理查德•惠廷頓爵士三次擔任倫敦市長！”