狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第34章Part2

'From beyond seas?' cried the old woman, starting up.
'Ay, from beyond seas.'
The old woman raked the fire together, hurriedly, and going close to her visitor who had entered, and shut the door, and who now stood in the middle of the room, put her hand upon the drenched cloak, and turned the unresisting figure, so as to have it in the full light of the fire. She did not find what she had expected, whatever that might be; for she let the cloak go again, and uttered a querulous cry of disappointment and misery.
'What is the matter?' asked her visitor.
'Oho! Oho!' cried the old woman, turning her face upward, with a terrible howl.
'What is the matter?' asked the visitor again.
'It's not my gal!' cried the old woman, tossing up her arms, and clasping her hands above her head. 'Where's my Alice? Where's my handsome daughter? They've been the death of her!'
'They've not been the death of her yet, if your name's Marwood,' said the visitor.
'Have you seen my gal, then?' cried the old woman. 'Has she wrote to me?'
'She said you couldn't read,' returned the other.
'No more I can!' exclaimed the old woman, wringing her hands.
'Have you no light here?' said the other, looking round the room.
The old woman, mumbling and shaking her head, and muttering to herself about her handsome daughter, brought a candle from a cupboard in the corner, and thrusting it into the fire with a trembling hand, lighted it with some difficulty and set it on the table. Its dirty wick burnt dimly at first, being choked in its own grease; and when the bleared eyes and failing sight of the old woman could distinguish anything by its light, her visitor was sitting with her arms folded, her eyes turned downwards, and a handkerchief she had worn upon her head lying on the table by her side.
'She sent to me by word of mouth then, my gal, Alice?' mumbled the old woman, after waiting for some moments. 'What did she say?'
'Look,' returned the visitor.
The old woman repeated the word in a scared uncertain way; and, shading her eyes, looked at the speaker, round the room, and at the speaker once again.
'Alice said look again, mother;' and the speaker fixed her eyes upon her.

“是海外來的嗎？”老太婆驚跳起來，喊道。
“是的，是海外來的。”
老太婆急忙把煤火耙攏，走到這時已關上門、走進來、站在房間中間的客人的跟前，把手放到她溼透了的斗篷上，把這位不加抗拒的女人的身子轉過來，好讓火光充分照射到她。不管她所期望的是什麼，她的期望落空了；因爲她又放開斗篷、氣忿忿地發出了一聲失望與痛苦的喊叫。
“怎麼回事？”客人問道。
“嗬嗬！嗬嗬！”老太婆仰着臉，可怕地嚎啕大哭起來。
“怎麼回事？”客人又問道。
“這不是我的女兒！”老太婆把胳膊往上一舉，在頭頂緊緊地握着手，哭道，”我的艾麗斯在哪裏？我漂亮的女兒在哪裏？他們把她給弄死了！”
“他們還沒有把她弄死，如果您姓馬伍德的話，”客人說道。
“這麼說，您看到過我的女兒了嗎？”老太婆喊道，”她給我寫信了嗎？”
“她說您不認得字，”客人回答道。
“我現在也還是不認得！”老太婆使勁地絞扭着雙手，高聲喊道。
“您這裏沒有蠟燭嗎？”客人向房間四處環視了一下，問道。
老太婆閉着嘴用牙根咀嚼着，同時搖着頭，又喃喃自語地說着她漂亮的女兒，一邊從角落裏的碗櫃中取出一支蠟燭，用顫抖的手把它插進爐火，費勁地點亮了，然後把它放在桌子上。骯髒的燭心起初因爲被溶流的油脂堵住，火光幽暗不明。當老太婆昏花的眼睛和衰弱的視力藉着亮光能夠看清東西的時候，她的客人已經坐下，交叉着胳膊，低垂着眼睛；她曾經系在頭上的手絹已攤放在她身旁的桌子上。
“這麼說，我的女兒艾麗斯，她託您給我捎口信來了？”老太婆等了一會兒之後，嘟嘟囔囔地問道。”她說些什麼？”
“您看吧，”客人說道。
老太婆驚愕地、捉摸不準地重複地說了這幾個字；她用手遮着眼睛，向說話的人看看，向房間四下裏看看，又重新向說話的人看看。
“艾麗斯說，請您再看看，媽媽，”說話的人目不轉睛地注視着她。