雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第六章 Part 5

She was a very ugly old woman, with red rims round her eyes, and a mouth that mumbled and chattered of itself whenshe was not speaking. She was miserably dressed, and carried some skins over her arm. She seemed to have followed Florence some little way at all events, for she had lost her breath; and this made her uglier still, as she stood trying to regain it: working her shrivelled yellow face and throat into all sorts of contortions.
她是一位很醜陋的老太婆，眼睛周圍有一道道紅圈；當她不說話的時候，她閉着嘴，用牙根咀嚼着，牙齒髮出卡嗒卡嗒的響聲。她的衣衫襤褸，胳膊上掛着幾張獸皮。她似乎在弗洛倫斯後面至少已經跟隨了一小段路了，因爲這時她已經喘不過氣來。她站着設法恢復呼吸，皺縮的、發黃的臉孔與喉嚨扭曲成各種形狀，這時候她就顯得更加醜陋了。
Florence was afraid of her, and looked, hesitating, up the street, of which she had almost reached the bottom. It was a solitary place - more a back road than a street - and there was no one in it but her- self and the old woman.
弗洛倫斯害怕她，躊躇不決地往街道那邊望過去，幾乎都望到了盡頭。這是個冷僻的地方，不像一條街，而像是一條偏僻的道路，除了她與這位老太婆外，這裏沒有別的人。
'You needn't be frightened now,' said the old woman, still holding her tight. 'Come along with me.'
“您現在不用害怕，”老太婆仍舊緊握着她的手，說道，“跟我來。”
'I - I don't know you. What's your name?' asked Florence.
“我——我不認識您。您姓什麼？”弗洛倫斯問道。
'Mrs Brown,' said the old woman. 'Good Mrs Brown.'
“布朗太太，”老太婆說道。“善良的布朗太太。”
'Are they near here?' asked Florence, beginning to be led away.
“她們就在附近嗎？”弗洛倫斯問道，她已被領着走了。
'Susan ain't far off,' said Good Mrs Brown; 'and the others are close to her.'
“蘇珊在不遠的地方，”善良的布朗太太說道：“其他的人離她很近。”
'Is anybody hurt?' cried Florence.
“有誰受傷了？”弗洛倫斯問道。
'Not a bit of it,' said Good Mrs Brown.
“一點也沒有，”善良的布朗太太說道。
The child shed tears of delight on hearing this, and accompanied the old woman willingly; though she could not help glancing at her face as they went along - particularly at that industrious mouth - and wondering whether Bad Mrs Brown, if there were such a person, was at all like her.
女孩子聽到這話，高興得流出了眼淚，樂意地陪着這位老太婆走去，雖然當她們向前走去的時候，她不由自主地往她的臉孔、特別是往她那張孜孜不倦的嘴巴望上一眼，心中納悶，兇惡的布朗太太（如果世界上真有這樣一個人的話）是不是長得就像她一樣。
They had not gone far, but had gone by some very uncomfortable places, such as brick-fields and tile-yards, when the old woman turned down a dirty lane, where the mud lay in deep black ruts in the middle of the road. She stopped before a shabby little house, as closely shut up as a house that was full of cracks and crevices could be. Opening the door with a key she took out of her bonnet, she pushed the child before her into a back room, where there was a great heap of rags of different colours lying on the floor; a heap of bones, and a heap of sifted dust or cinders; but there was no furniture at all, and the walls and ceiling were quite black.
她們沒有走得很遠，只是走過了像磚廠、瓦廠這樣一些很索然無趣、毫無快感的地方，這時候老太婆轉到一條骯髒的小巷，巷子里路中間深深的黑色車轍中注滿了泥漿。她在一間破舊的小房屋前停下來，屋子是緊鎖着的，就像一間充滿了漏洞和裂縫的房屋總是緊鎖着的那樣。她從帽子中取出一把鑰匙，開了門以後，就把她前面的女孩子推進了一間後面的房間；房間的地板上堆着一大堆各種顏色的破布、一堆骨頭和一堆篩過的灰燼或煤渣；沒有任何傢俱；牆和天花板都是很黑的。
The child became so terrified the she was stricken speechless, and looked as though about to swoon.
女孩子嚇得一句話也說不出來，看上去就像要暈倒似的。
'Now don't be a young mule,' said Good Mrs Brown, reviving her with a shake. 'I'm not a going to hurt you. Sit upon the rags.'
“現在別當一頭小蠢騾子了，”善良的布朗太太搖搖她的身子，使她清醒過來，說道，“我不會傷害您。您就坐在破布上吧。”
Florence obeyed her, holding out her folded hands, in mute supplication.
弗洛倫斯依從了她，一邊向她伸出合攏的兩手，默默地哀求。