狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第32章Part 1

Honest Captain Cuttle, as the weeks flew over him in his fortified retreat, by no means abated any of his prudent provisions against surprise, because of the non-appearance of the enemy. The Captain argued that his present security was too profound and wonderful to endure much longer; he knew that when the wind stood in a fair quarter, the weathercock was seldom nailed there; and he was too well acquainted with the determined and dauntless character of Mrs MacStinger, to doubt that that heroic woman had devoted herself to the task of his discovery and capture. Trembling beneath the weight of these reasons, Captain Cuttle lived a very close and retired life; seldom stirring abroad until after dark; venturing even then only into the obscurest streets; never going forth at all on Sundays; and both within and without the walls of his retreat, avoiding bonnets, as if they were worn by raging lions.
The Captain never dreamed that in the event of his being pounced upon by Mrs MacStinger, in his walks, it would be possible to offer resistance. He felt that it could not be done. He saw himself, in his mind's eye, put meekly in a hackney-coach, and carried off to his old lodgings. He foresaw that, once immured there, he was a lost man: his hat gone; Mrs MacStinger watchful of him day and night; reproaches heaped upon his head, before the infant family; himself the guilty object of suspicion and distrust; an ogre in the children's eyes, and in their mother's a detected traitor.
A violent perspiration, and a lowness of spirits, always came over the Captain as this gloomy picture presented itself to his imagination. It generally did so previous to his stealing out of doors at night for air and exercise. Sensible of the risk he ran, the Captain took leave of Rob, at those times, with the solemnity which became a man who might never return: exhorting him, in the event of his (the Captain's) being lost sight of, for a time, to tread in the paths of virtue, and keep the brazen instruments well polished.
But not to throw away a chance; and to secure to himself a means, in case of the worst, of holding communication with the external world; Captain Cuttle soon conceived the happy idea of teaching Rob the Grinder some secret signal, by which that adherent might make his presence and fidelity known to his commander, in the hour of adversity. After much cogitation, the Captain decided in favour of instructing him to whistle the marine melody, 'Oh cheerily, cheerily!' and Rob the Grinder attaining a point as near perfection in that accomplishment as a landsman could hope to reach, the Captain impressed these mysterious instructions on his mind:
'Now, my lad, stand by! If ever I'm took - '
'Took, Captain!' interposed Rob, with his round eyes wide open.
'Ah!' said Captain Cuttle darkly, 'if ever I goes away, meaning to come back to supper, and don't come within hail again, twenty-four hours arter my loss, go you to Brig Place and whistle that 'ere tune near my old moorings - not as if you was a meaning of it, you understand, but as if you'd drifted there, promiscuous. If I answer in that tune, you sheer off, my lad, and come back four-and-twenty hours arterwards; if I answer in another tune, do you stand off and on, and wait till I throw out further signals. Do you understand them orders, now?'
'What am I to stand off and on of, Captain?' inquired Rob. 'The horse-road?'

誠實的卡特爾船長在他的設置了防禦工事的避難所中度過了好幾個星期之後，決不因爲敵人沒有出現就撤銷他爲防止突然襲擊而採取的謹慎措施。船長認爲，他目前這種過分高度的安全，這種過分奇妙的安全是難於持續很久的；他知道，當吹順風的時候，風標不會長久在那裏固定不動；他對麥克斯廷傑太太那毅然決然、毫不畏縮的性格十分熟悉，所以毫不懷疑，這位英勇的女人已打定主意，千方百計要把他尋找出來和逮捕回去。在這些顧慮的重壓下，船長戰戰兢兢地過着十分閉塞和與世隔絕的生活，天黑以前很少出外活動，甚至在天黑以後也只敢冒險到最偏僻的街道上去走走；一到星期天，他就寸步也不離屋子；不論是在他避難所的牆內還是牆外，他都避開女帽，彷彿它們是由狂怒的獅子戴着的。
船長從沒有夢想過：當他出去散步時，麥克斯廷傑太太猛撲過來把他抓住的時候，他可能進行抵抗。他覺得不能那樣做。他在想象中已看到自己順服地被安置在出租馬車裏，運送到他原先的住所中。他預見到，他一旦被禁閉在那裏，他就會成爲一個毫無希望的人，他的帽子也就會被取走了；麥克斯廷傑太太將日夜監視着他；當着小孩子們的面，各種譴責都將紛紛落到他的頭上；他本人將成爲一個被懷疑和不受信任的有罪的對象；在孩子們的心目中他是個吃人的魔鬼；在他們母親的心目中他將是個被查獲的叛變者。
當這幅悽慘的景象在他的幻想中出現的時候，船長常常汗流浹背，情緒消沉。當他夜裏悄悄離開屋子出去呼吸新鮮空氣和活動活動之前，通常發生這種情形。船長明白他所冒的危險，所以在這種時候總是像一個可能永遠不再回來的人那樣一本正經地向羅布告別，勸告他，萬一他（船長）在一段時間中不見了，他就規規矩矩地做人，把銅製的儀器好好擦亮。
但是卡特爾船長不願放棄任何得救的機會，併爲了在最壞的情況下保證能和外界保持聯繫，不久就想出了一個巧妙的主意，就是教給磨工羅布一些信號，這樣在遭遇不幸時，這位追隨者就可以發出信號，使他的司令知道他已前來效忠。船長經過反覆思考後，決定教他吹”啊，興高采烈地、興高采烈地！”這支海上歌曲的口哨。磨工羅布把口哨吹得十分熟練，一個住在陸地上的人最多也只能指望達到那樣完美的程度了，這時船長就向他發出以下神祕的指示，讓他記在心上：
“唔，我的孩子，做好準備！如果我什麼時候被抓去的話--”
“被抓去，船長！”羅布圓眼睛睜得大大的，打斷他說道。
“是的！”船長陰鬱地說道，”如果我什麼時候出去，本打算回來吃晚飯的，但後來卻沒有出現在你近旁的話，那麼，在發現我丟失之後二十四個鐘頭之後，你就跑到布里格廣場，在我過去停泊的地方附近吹這支曲子；不過，你要知道，你得別讓人聽出你有什麼意圖，而要裝出彷彿你是偶爾漂流到那裏去的。如果我也用這支曲子回答你，那麼你就掉轉船頭離開，我的孩子，過二十四個鐘頭再回來；如果我用另一支曲子回答你，你就一會兒駛離海岸，一會兒靠近海岸，等待我給你新的信號爲止。這些命令你聽明白了沒有？”
“我一會兒駛離海岸，一會兒靠近海岸，這指什麼，船長？”
羅布問道，”是指馬路嗎？”