狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第26章Part 10

'A variety of little matters necessary to be gone through,' replied Carker. 'But do you know - this is quite unusual with me, educated in a distrustful school, and who am not generally disposed to be communicative,' he said, breaking off, and speaking in a charming tone of frankness - 'but I feel quite confidential with you, Major Bagstock.'
'You do me honour, Sir,' returned the Major. 'You may be.'
'Do you know, then,' pursued Carker, 'that I have not found my friend - our friend, I ought rather to call him - '
'Meaning Dombey, Sir?' cried the Major. 'You see me, Mr Carker, standing here! J. B.?'
He was puffy enough to see, and blue enough; and Mr Carker intimated the he had that pleasure.
'Then you see a man, Sir, who would go through fire and water to serve Dombey,' returned Major Bagstock.
Mr Carker smiled, and said he was sure of it. 'Do you know, Major,' he proceeded: 'to resume where I left off' that I have not found our friend so attentive to business today, as usual?'
'No?' observed the delighted Major.
'I have found him a little abstracted, and with his attention disposed to wander,' said Carker.
'By Jove, Sir,' cried the Major, 'there's a lady in the case.'
'Indeed, I begin to believe there really is,' returned Carker; 'I thought you might be jesting when you seemed to hint at it; for I know you military men -
The Major gave the horse's cough, and shook his head and shoulders, as much as to say, 'Well! we are gay dogs, there's no denying.' He then seized Mr Carker by the button-hole, and with starting eyes whispered in his ear, that she was a woman of extraordinary charms, Sir. That she was a young widow, Sir. That she was of a fine family, Sir. That Dombey was over head and ears in love with her, Sir, and that it would be a good match on both sides; for she had beauty, blood, and talent, and Dombey had fortune; and what more could any couple have? Hearing Mr Dombey's footsteps without, the Major cut himself short by saying, that Mr Carker would see her tomorrow morning, and would judge for himself; and between his mental excitement, and the exertion of saying all this in wheezy whispers, the Major sat gurgling in the throat and watering at the eyes, until dinner was ready.
The Major, like some other noble animals, exhibited himself to great advantage at feeding-time. On this occasion, he shone resplendent at one end of the table, supported by the milder lustre of Mr Dombey at the other; while Carker on one side lent his ray to either light, or suffered it to merge into both, as occasion arose.
During the first course or two, the Major was usually grave; for the Native, in obedience to general orders, secretly issued, collected every sauce and cruet round him, and gave him a great deal to do, in taking out the stoppers, and mixing up the contents in his plate. Besides which, the Native had private zests and flavours on a side-table, with which the Major daily scorched himself; to say nothing of strange machines out of which he spirited unknown liquids into the Major's drink. But on this occasion, Major Bagstock, even amidst these many occupations, found time to be social; and his sociality consisted in excessive slyness for the behoof of Mr Carker, and the betrayal of Mr Dombey's state of mind.
'Dombey,' said the Major, 'you don't eat; what's the matter?'

“好多瑣碎的事情得處理完，”卡克回答道，“但是您知道——對於像我這樣一個在懷疑學校中受過教育，平時又不好交際的人來說，這是很不尋常的，”他突然停止，用一種可愛的坦率的語氣說道，“但是對於您，白格斯托克少校，我覺得完全可以推心置腹。”
“您使我感到光榮，先生，”少校回答道，“您可以把我當成您的知心朋友。”
“那麼，您知不知道，”卡克繼續說道，“我發現我的朋友——不，我應當把他稱爲我們的朋友——”
“您是指董貝嗎，先生？”少校喊道，“您看到我站在這裏了嗎，卡克先生？您看到喬·白了嗎？”
他很肥胖，膚色很發青，是不會看不到的，卡克先生就告訴他，他很高興地看到了。
“那麼，先生，您是看到了一位願意赴湯蹈火去爲董貝效勞的人了，”白格斯托克少校回答道。
卡克先生笑嘻嘻地說，他完全相信這一點。“少校，”他繼續說道，“讓我回到我沒講完的地方吧，我發現我們的朋友今天對業務不像往常那麼專心致志了，您知不知道？”
“真的嗎？”興高采烈的少校問道。
“我發現他有些心不在焉，注意力不大集中，”卡克說道。
“天啊，先生，”少校喊道，“有一個女人在這裏面作怪呢。”
“說真的，我開始相信真有了，”卡克回答道，“最初當您似乎暗示這一點的時候，我還以爲您可能在開玩笑呢，因爲我知道你們軍人——”
少校發出馬一般的咳嗽聲，搖晃着腦袋和肩膀，似乎在說，“不錯，我們都是些愛開心逗樂的人，這用不着否認。”然後他抓住卡克先生的鈕釦孔，凸鼓着眼睛，對着他的耳朵低聲說道：她是個非常嫵媚的女人，先生；她是個年輕的寡婦，先生；她出身於名門望族，先生；董貝已經深深地愛上她了，先生；對雙方來說，這都是美好的匹配，因爲她有美麗的姿色，高貴的血統和出衆的才能，董貝則有巨大的財富；哪對夫妻能比他們有更多的東西呢？少校這時聽到門外董貝先生的腳步聲，就匆匆把話收住，說，卡克先生明天早上就可以看見她，他自己就可以作出判斷了；由於精神激動並呼哧呼哧喘着氣地咬着耳朵說了這些話，少校坐在那裏，喉嚨咕嘟咕嘟發響。眼睛裏涌着淚水，直到晚飯開上爲止。
少校像其他某些高貴動物一樣，在進食的時候充分地顯示自己。這時候，他坐在餐桌的一端，光輝四射；董貝先生坐在餐桌的另一端，發出較弱的光芒；卡克則坐在餐桌的邊旁，根據不同情況，把他的光線時而借給這一邊，時而借給那一邊，或讓它消融在雙方的光線之中。
在上第一、二道菜時，少校通常是神色莊重的，因爲本地人遵照他通常的囑咐，悄悄地在他周圍擺放了各種配菜和調味瓶，少校把瓶塞拔出和在盤子裏攪拌食品，有一陣子好忙。此外，本地人還在旁邊的小桌子上擺放了各種香料、佐料，少校每天用它們來刺激胃口，更不要說本地人還從那些奇形怪狀的容器中給少校倒上好些不知名的飲料了。但是這一天，白格斯托克少校甚至在這樣忙碌着的時候，還擠出時間來交談；他的交談是極爲狡猾地用了心計的，爲的是讓卡克先生心眼開竅和暴露董貝先生的精神狀態。
“董貝，”少校說道，“您什麼也不吃，是怎麼回事？”