雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第六章 Part 4

Now, it happened that poor Biler's life had been, since yesterday morning, rendered weary by the costume of the Charitable Grinders. The youth of the streets could not endure it. No young vagabond could be brought to bear its contemplation for a moment, without throwing himself upon the unoffending wearer, and doing him a mischief. His social existence had been more like that of an early Christian, than an innocent child of the nineteenth century. He had been stoned in the streets. He had been overthrown into gutters; bespattered with mud; violently flattened against re strangers to his person had lifted his yellow cap off his head, and cast it to the winds. His legs had not only undergone verbal criticisms and reviling, but had been handled and pinched. That very morning, he had received a perfectly unsolicited black eye on his way to the Grinders' establishment, and had been punished for it by the master: a superannuated old Grinder of savage disposition, who had been appointed schoolmaster because he didn't know anything, and wasn't fit for anything, and for whose cruel cane all chubby little boys had a perfect fascination.'
可憐的拜勒從昨天早上穿上慈善的磨工的制服以後，他的生活就陷入了困境，日子很不好過了。街道上的青年不能容忍它。年輕的無賴們一看到它，沒有一個能忍耐一分鐘而不立即向這位無罪的穿着者猛衝過去，對他進行傷害的。他在社會上的地位像是一個早期的基督教徒，而不像是個十九世紀的無辜兒童。他在街道上曾經受到石頭的扔擲。他曾經被推翻到街溝裏，被濺了一身泥；他曾經被猛烈地往柱子上擠壓。跟他素不相識的浪蕩漢曾把他的黃色的便帽從頭上揭走，向風中拋去。他的兩腿不僅遭到語言上的非難與辱罵，而且在肉體上被捏被掐。就在那天早上，在他去磨工學校上學的路途中，他的眼眶完全平白無故地被打得發青，而且還爲此而受到教師的懲罰。這位教師原先是位磨工，已經超過了服務年齡，性情野蠻；他被聘請當教師是因爲他對什麼都一竅不通，也不適合做任何事情；所有長得圓圓胖胖的小男孩見到他那根殘酷無情的棍子都會嚇得魂不附體。
Thus it fell out that Biler, on his way home, sought unfrequented paths; and slunk along by narrow passages and back streets, to avoid his tormentors. Being compelled to emerge into the main road, his ill fortune brought him at last where a small party of boys, headed by a ferocious young butcher, was lying in wait for any means of pleasurable excitement that might happen. These, finding a Charitable Grinder in the midst of them - unaccountably delivered over, as it were, into their hands - set up a general yell and rushed upon him.
因此，結果是，拜勒回家時，尋找那些人跡罕至的小路，沿着狹窄的小巷和偏僻的背街，偷偷摸摸地行走，以免和那些折磨他的人相遇。由於最後不得不 出現在大路上，所以厄運終於又降臨到他的頭上。有一小羣以一位殘暴的年輕屠夫爲首的男孩子正躺在那裏等待着有什麼可供他們開心取樂的事情發生。這些人看到一位慈善的磨工突然出現在他們中間——好像莫名其妙地送交到他們手中似的——就一齊大喊了一聲，向他猛衝過去。
But it so fell out likewise, that, at the same time, Polly, looking hopelessly along the road before her, after a good hour's walk, had said it was no use going any further, when suddenly she saw this sight. She no sooner saw it than, uttering a hasty exclamation, and giving Master Dombey to the black-eyed, she started to the rescue of her unhappy little son.
但碰巧就在這個時候，波利來到了。在這之前，她已走了整整一個小時的路程，毫無希望地望着前面的道路，說道，再往前走也沒有用了；就在這個時候，她突然看到了這個情景。她一看見它，就性急地驚叫了一聲，把董貝少爺遞給了黑眼睛，立即開始去搶救她的不幸的幼小的兒子。
Surprises, like misfortunes, rarely come alone. The astonished Susan Nipper and her two young charges were rescued by the bystanders from under the very wheels of a passing carriage before they knew what had happened; and at that moment (it was market day) a thundering alarm of 'Mad Bull!' was raised. With a wild confusion before her, of people running up and down, and shouting, and wheels running over them, and boys fighting, and mad bulls coming up, and the nurse in the midst of all these dangers being torn to pieces, Florence screamed and ran. She ran till she was exhausted, urging Susan to do the same; and then, stopping and wringing her hands as she remembered they had left the other nurse behind, found, with a sensation of terror not to be described, that she was quite alone.
意外的事情就像不幸的事情一樣，很少是單獨降臨的。吃驚的蘇珊•尼珀和她兩個年幼的被撫養的孩子在還 沒有明白髮生了什麼事情之前，被旁觀的人們從一輛駛過的四輪馬車輪子下面搶救了出來；就在這個時刻（那天是個集市日），傳來了雷鳴般的警報聲：“瘋牛來了！”弗洛倫斯只見眼前人們 來來往往地奔跑，呼喊，車輪正從他們身上駛過；男孩子們在打架；瘋牛跑過來了；保姆在這些危險中被撕得粉碎；她在這一片極大的混亂中，一邊尖聲喊叫，一邊向前奔跑。她一邊跑，一邊催促蘇珊跟她一起跑，一直跑到筋疲力盡爲止；當她記起她們還把另一位保姆拋在後面的時候，她就停下來，雙手使勁地絞扭，這時，她懷着無法形容的恐怖感覺， 發現她只是單獨一人。
'Susan! Susan!' cried Florence, clapping her hands in the very ecstasy of her alarm. 'Oh, where are they? Where are they?'
“蘇珊！蘇珊！”弗洛倫斯在極度驚慌之中，拍手喊道，“啊，她們在哪裏？她們在哪裏？”
'Where are they?' said an old woman, coming hobbling across as fast as she could from the opposite side of the way. 'Why did you run away from 'em?'
“她們在哪裏？”一位老太婆從道路的那一邊儘快地一拐一拐地步過來，說道，“您爲什麼從她們那裏跑開了？”
'I was frightened,' answered Florence. 'I didn't know what I did. I thought they were with me. Where are they?'
“我受到了驚嚇，”弗洛倫斯回答道。“我不知道我做了什麼事情，我還以爲她們跟我在一起呢。她們在哪裏？”
The old woman took her by the wrist, and said, 'I'll show you.'
老太婆拉住她的手，說道，“您跟我來，我告訴您她們在哪裏。”