狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第42章Part9

'Your allusion to it is opportune,' said Mr Dombey, after a little hesitation; 'for it prepares the way to what I was beginning to say to you, and reminds me that that involves no absolutely new relations between us, although it may involve more personal confidence on my part than I have hitherto - '
'Distinguished me with,' suggested Carker, bending his head again: 'I will not say to you how honoured I am; for a man like you well knows how much honour he has in his power to bestow at pleasure.'
'Mrs Dombey and myself,' said Mr Dombey, passing this compliment with august self-denial, 'are not quite agreed upon some points. We do not appear to understand each other yet' Mrs Dombey has something to learn.'
'Mrs Dombey is distinguished by many rare attractions; and has been accustomed, no doubt, to receive much adulation,' said the smooth, sleek watcher of his slightest look and tone. 'But where there is affection, duty, and respect, any little mistakes engendered by such causes are soon set right.'
Mr Dombey's thoughts instinctively flew back to the face that had looked at him in his wife's dressing-room when an imperious hand was stretched towards the door; and remembering the affection, duty, and respect, expressed in it, he felt the blood rush to his own face quite as plainly as the watchful eyes upon him saw it there.
'Mrs Dombey and myself,' he went on to say, 'had some discussion, before Mrs Skewton's death, upon the causes of my dissatisfaction; of which you will have formed a general understanding from having been a witness of what passed between Mrs Dombey and myself on the evening when you were at our - at my house.'
'When I so much regretted being present,' said the smiling Carker. 'Proud as a man in my position nay must be of your familiar notice - though I give you no credit for it; you may do anything you please without losing caste - and honoured as I was by an early presentation to Mrs Dombey, before she was made eminent by bearing your name, I almost regretted that night, I assure you, that I had been the object of such especial good fortune'

“您提到這一點正是時候，”董貝先生略略遲疑之後，說道，”因爲您爲我正想開頭和您談的問題鋪平了道路，並且提醒我，這並不涉及我們兩人之間要建立什麼完全新的關係，雖然就我這方面來說，我對您的信任可能會超過我過去任何時候--”
“所賞賜給我的光榮，”卡克提示道，一面又低下頭去：”我不想對您說，我是多麼榮幸；因爲像您這樣的人十分了解，在您的權力範圍之內您能隨意授予人們多大的光榮。”
“董貝夫人和我本人，”董貝先生用威嚴的、克己的態度聽完這些恭維的話之後說道，”在一些問題上沒有取得十分一致的意見。我們彼此好像還不瞭解。董貝夫人還應當學習一些東西。”
“董貝夫人具有許多珍貴的吸引人的品質，毫無疑問，過去一向習慣於接受人們的奉承，”這位花言巧語、狡黠圓滑的人說道，他對他主人的眼色和聲調的最微小的地方都是注意觀察的。”但是在具有愛情、責任感和尊敬的家庭裏，由於這種原因所產生的任何小小的誤會是很快就會消除的。”
董貝先生的思想不由得飛回到他妻子在化妝室裏，不容違抗地用手指向門口時看着他的那張臉；當他回憶起在這張臉上所顯示出的愛情、責任感和尊敬時，他清楚地感到血涌到了他自己的臉上；那雙注意觀察的眼睛也同樣清楚地看到了這一點。
“在斯丘頓夫人逝世前，”他繼續說道，”董貝夫人曾和我對我不滿的原因進行過一些討論；那天晚上您在我們的--在我的家裏親眼見到董貝夫人和我之間發生的情形，因此您對我們的討論將會有一個大概的瞭解。”
“我正非常悔恨當時我在場呢！”笑嘻嘻的卡克說道。”雖然像我這樣地位的人得到您親密無間的關注--儘管我是不配得到這種關注的，而您則可以不失身份地做任何您認爲合適的事情--必然一定會感到自豪，雖然在董貝夫人沒有姓您的姓、成爲地位崇高的夫人之前我就榮幸地被較早地介紹給她認識，可是說實話，那天晚上會有這樣特殊的幸運落到我的身上，我幾乎感到遺憾。”