狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第56章Part4

Mr Sownds the beadle, and Mrs Miff the pew-opener, are early at their posts in the fine church where Mr Dombey was married. A yellow-faced old gentleman from India, is going to take unto himself a young wife this morning, and six carriages full of company are expected, and Mrs Miff has been informed that the yellow-faced old gentleman could pave the road to church with diamonds and hardly miss them. The nuptial benediction is to be a superior one, proceeding from a very reverend, a dean, and the lady is to be given away, as an extraordinary present, by somebody who comes express from the Horse Guards
Mrs Miff is more intolerant of common people this morning, than she generally is; and she his always strong opinions on that subject, for it is associated with free sittings. Mrs Miff is not a student of political economy (she thinks the science is connected with dissenters; 'Baptists or Wesleyans, or some o' them,' she says), but she can never understand what business your common folks have to be married. 'Drat 'em,' says Mrs Miff 'you read the same things over 'em' and instead of sovereigns get sixpences!'
Mr Sownds the beadle is more liberal than Mrs Miff - but then he is not a pew-opener. 'It must be done, Ma'am,' he says. 'We must marry 'em. We must have our national schools to walk at the head of, and we must have our standing armies. We must marry 'em, Ma'am,' says Mr Sownds, 'and keep the country going.'
Mr Sownds is sitting on the steps and Mrs Miff is dusting in the church, when a young couple, plainly dressed, come in. The mortified bonnet of Mrs Miff is sharply turned towards them, for she espies in this early visit indications of a runaway match. But they don't want to be married - 'Only,' says the gentleman, 'to walk round the church.' And as he slips a genteel compliment into the palm of Mrs Miff, her vinegary face relaxes, and her mortified bonnet and her spare dry figure dip and crackle.
Mrs Miff resumes her dusting and plumps up her cushions - for the yellow-faced old gentleman is reported to have tender knees - but keeps her glazed, pew-opening eye on the young couple who are walking round the church. 'Ahem,' coughs Mrs Miff whose cough is drier than the hay in any hassock in her charge, 'you'll come to us one of these mornings, my dears, unless I'm much mistaken!'
They are looking at a tablet on the wall, erected to the memory of someone dead. They are a long way off from Mrs Miff, but Mrs Miff can see with half an eye how she is leaning on his arm, and how his head is bent down over her. 'Well, well,' says Mrs Miff, 'you might do worse. For you're a tidy pair!'
There is nothing personal in Mrs Miff's remark. She merely speaks of stock-in-trade. She is hardly more curious in couples than in coffins. She is such a spare, straight, dry old lady - such a pew of a woman - that you should find as many individual sympathies in a chip. Mr Sownds, now, who is fleshy, and has scarlet in his coat, is of a different temperament. He says, as they stand upon the steps watching the young couple away, that she has a pretty figure, hasn't she, and as well as he could see (for she held her head down coming out), an uncommon pretty face. 'Altogether, Mrs Miff,' says Mr Sownds with a relish, 'she is what you may call a rose-bud.'
Mrs Miff assents with a spare nod of her mortified bonnet; but approves of this so little, that she inwardly resolves she wouldn't be the wife of Mr Sownds for any money he could give her, Beadle as he is.
And what are the young couple saying as they leave the church, and go out at the gate?
'Dear Walter, thank you! I can go away, now, happy.'

教區事務員桑茲先生和教堂領座人米福太太很早就到董貝先生結婚的那座華麗的教堂來，待在他們的工作崗位上了。這天上午有一位印度的黃臉的老先生要娶一位年輕的妻子，預料有六輛馬車的客人要來參加婚禮。米福太太還聽說，這位黃臉的老先生能夠用鑽石鋪砌通到教堂的道路，而他幾乎不會發覺他的財產少去了這樣一筆數字。結婚的祝福儀式將是極爲隆重的，--由副主教大師親自主持，新娘將作爲一個特別貴重的禮物，由警衛騎兵第三團特地派來的某個人送給男方主婚人。
米福太太這天早上對普通的人們比平日更不能容忍；在這個問題上她的意見向來是強烈的，因爲這是與免費座位有關的。米福太太並不是研究政治經濟學的（她認爲這門科學是跟不信奉英國國教的人有關的，”跟浸禮教徒或韋斯利教派的教徒有關”，她說），可是她無論如何也不明白，爲什麼你們這些普通的人們也必須結婚。”討厭！”米福太太說道，”您向他們唸的東西跟向別人唸的東西完全一樣，可是從他們那裏只能得到一些六便士的硬幣，而得不到金鎊！”
教區事務員桑茲先生比米福太太心胸寬大--不過要知道他不是個領座人。”事情還得辦，夫人，”他說道，”我們還得讓他們結婚。我們首先還得補充我們國民學校的學生，我們還得要有我們的常備軍。我們還得讓他們結婚，夫人，”桑茲先生說道，”這樣才能使國家繁榮昌盛。”
桑茲先生坐在臺階上、米福太太在教堂裏撣灰塵的時候，一對穿著樸素的年輕人走進教堂。米福太太的乾癟的帽子敏捷地轉向他們，因爲他們這樣老早來到教堂，她從這一點看出這對人有從家裏逃出來的跡象。可是他們並不想要結婚，”只是到教堂來轉轉，”--那位先生說道。由於他在米福太太的手掌裏塞了慷慨的禮金，她那尖酸刻薄的臉孔就開朗起來了，她那乾癟的帽子和枯瘦的身形也向下低垂，行了個屈膝禮，併發出了窸窸窣窣的。
米福太太重新撣灰塵，並把坐墊敲打得蓬鬆一些--因爲據說黃臉的老先生膝蓋嬌嫩--，但她那雙沒有光澤的、習慣於領座的眼睛並沒有離開那對在教堂裏走來走去的年輕人。”阿嗨，”米福太太咳嗽道，她的咳嗽比她管理的膝墊裏的乾草還要幹，”你們不久有一天還會到我們這裏來的，我這麼說沒錯吧，我親愛的。”
他們在看鑲嵌在牆上的一塊紀念某個死者的石碑。他們離米福太太很遠，但是米福太太卻能用半隻眼睛看到她怎樣靠在他的胳膊上，他的頭怎樣低垂到她的頭上。”唔，唔，”米福太太說道，”你們可能做更荒唐的事情，因爲你們是很巧妙的一對！”
在米福太太的話中沒有吐露她個人的感情。她對成雙結對的男女幾乎並不比對棺材更感興趣。她是一位消瘦的、筆直的、乾枯的老太太--不像個女人，而像是一張教堂裏的條凳式座位--，從她那裏找到的同情就跟從木片中找到的一樣多。但是肥頭胖耳、穿着深紅色飾邊禮服的桑茲先生卻是另一種性格的人。當他們站在臺階上目送着這一對年輕人離去的時候，他說，”這姑娘的身材優美，是不是？”，而且就他所能看到的來說（因爲她走出教堂的時候低着頭），她的面貌也非常漂亮。”總的來說，米福太太，”桑茲先生津津有味地說道，”您可以管她叫做一個玫瑰骨朵。”
米福太太戴着乾癟帽子的頭微微地點了點，絲毫也不贊成這些話；桑茲先生雖然是個教區事務員，但她心裏打定主意，不論他給她多少錢，她也決不做他的妻子。
這一對年輕人走出教堂，在大門口向外走去的時候，說了些什麼呢？
“親愛的沃爾特，謝謝你！現在我可以快樂地離開了。”