狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第32章Part 3

The Captain, with an abashed and guilty air, immediately walked on tiptoe to the little parlour and locked himself in. Rob, opening the door, would have parleyed with the visitor on the threshold if the visitor had come in female guise; but the figure being of the male sex, and Rob's orders only applying to women, Rob held the door open and allowed it to enter: which it did very quickly, glad to get out of the driving rain.
'A job for Burgess and Co. at any rate,' said the visitor, looking over his shoulder compassionately at his own legs, which were very wet and covered with splashes. 'Oh, how-de-do, Mr Gills?'
The salutation was addressed to the Captain, now emerging from the back parlour with a most transparent and utterly futile affectation of coming out by accidence.
'Thankee,' the gentleman went on to say in the same breath; 'I'm very well indeed, myself, I'm much obliged to you. My name is Toots, - Mister Toots.'
The Captain remembered to have seen this young gentleman at the wedding, and made him a bow. Mr Toots replied with a chuckle; and being embarrassed, as he generally was, breathed hard, shook hands with the Captain for a long time, and then falling on Rob the Grinder, in the absence of any other resource, shook hands with him in a most affectionate and cordial manner.
'I say! I should like to speak a word to you, Mr Gills, if you please,' said Toots at length, with surprising presence of mind. 'I say! Miss D.O.M. you know!'
The Captain, with responsive gravity and mystery, immediately waved his hook towards the little parlour, whither Mr Toots followed him.
'Oh! I beg your pardon though,' said Mr Toots, looking up In the Captain's face as he sat down in a chair by the fire, which the Captain placed for him; 'you don't happen to know the Chicken at all; do you, Mr Gills?'
'The Chicken?' said the Captain.
'The Game Chicken,' said Mr Toots.

船長露出羞愧和有罪的神色，立即踮着腳尖，偷偷地溜進了小客廳，把自己鎖在裏面。羅布開了門，如果來訪的人是穿着女裝的話，他本準備好在門口跟她談判一番的，可是他是個男的，而羅布所接受的命令只適用於婦女，所以羅布把門打開，讓他進來。那人急忙走進，高興地躲避了外面的滂沱大雨。
“伯吉斯公司又有活好乾了，”來訪的人說道，一邊憐惜地回過頭看看他的褲子；褲子被淋得很溼，濺滿了污泥，”啊，吉爾斯先生，您好嗎？”
這問候的話是對着船長說的；船長這時從後客廳中走出來，極爲明顯和不熟練地假裝成偶爾來到這裏似的。
“謝謝您，”那位先生沒有停頓，一口氣往下說道，”我自己確實很好，我很感謝您。我姓圖茨，--圖茨先生。”
船長記得在婚禮中看見過這位年輕人，就向他鞠了個躬。圖茨先生吃吃地笑了一下，作爲回答；然後，由於侷促不安（就跟他通常的情況一樣），就急促地喘氣，和船長長時間地握手；然後，因爲想不出別的主意，他轉向磨工羅布，極爲親切和熱誠地跟他握手。
“是這樣的，如果您同意的話，我想跟您說一句話，吉爾斯先生，”圖茨先生終於令人驚奇地鎮靜下來，說道，”是這樣的！董貝小姐--您知道！”
船長用同樣莊重與神祕的神態，立刻把他的鉤子朝小客廳揮了一下，圖茨先生就跟隨着他走到那裏。
“啊，我請您原諒，”圖茨先生坐在船長替他放在爐邊的椅子中，仰望着船長的臉孔，說道，”您也許不知道雞吧，是不是，吉爾斯先生？”
“雞？”船長問道。
“鬥雞，”圖茨先生說道。