狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第23章Part 19

'I - I have so much to do. I - I mean to think of, and arrange. I couldn't do it, Ned, indeed. I must go out again, and be alone, and turn my mind to many things to-day.'
The Captain looked at the Instrument-maker, and looked at Florence, and again at the Instrument-maker. 'To-morrow, then,' he suggested, at last.
'Yes, yes. To-morrow,' said the old man. 'Think of me to-morrow. Say to-morrow.'
'I shall come here early, mind, Sol Gills,' stipulated the Captain.
'Yes, yes. The first thing tomorrow morning,' said old Sol; 'and now good-bye, Ned Cuttle, and God bless you!'
Squeezing both the Captain's hands, with uncommon fervour, as he said it, the old man turned to Florence, folded hers in his own, and put them to his lips; then hurried her out to the coach with very singular precipitation. Altogether, he made such an effect on Captain Cuttle that the Captain lingered behind, and instructed Rob to be particularly gentle and attentive to his master until the morning: which injunction he strengthened with the payment of one shilling down, and the promise of another sixpence before noon next day. This kind office performed, Captain Cuttle, who considered himself the natural and lawful body-guard of Florence, mounted the box with a mighty sense of his trust, and escorted her home. At parting, he assured her that he would stand by Sol Gills, close and true; and once again inquired of Susan Nipper, unable to forget her gallant words in reference to Mrs MacStinger, 'Would you, do you think my dear, though?'
When the desolate house had closed upon the two, the Captain's thoughts reverted to the old Instrument-maker, and he felt uncomfortable. Therefore, instead of going home, he walked up and down the street several times, and, eking out his leisure until evening, dined late at a certain angular little tavern in the City, with a public parlour like a wedge, to which glazed hats much resorted. The Captain's principal intention was to pass Sol Gills's, after dark, and look in through the window: which he did, The parlour door stood open, and he could see his old friend writing busily and steadily at the table within, while the little Midshipman, already sheltered from the night dews, watched him from the counter; under which Rob the Grinder made his own bed, preparatory to shutting the shop. Reassured by the tranquillity that reigned within the precincts of the wooden mariner, the Captain headed for Brig Place, resolving to weigh anchor betimes in the morning.

“我——我還有好多事要做。我——我的意思是說，還有好多事情要想，要安排。說真的，內德，我不能。今天我還必須再出去一趟，還要一個人待着，並且思考許多事情。”
船長看看儀器製造商，看看弗洛倫斯，又看看儀器製造商。“那就明天吧，”最後他這樣建議。
“好，好，明天。”老人說道，“明天請記得我，就定下明天吧。”
“我一早就到這裏來，記住，所爾·吉爾斯，”船長約定道。
“好，好，這是明天早上的第一件事情，”老所爾說，“現在再見吧，內德·卡特爾，上帝保佑你！”
老人一邊說，一邊表現出異乎尋常的熱情，緊緊地握着船長的雙手，然後轉向弗洛倫斯，把她的手握在他的手裏，接着把它們拉到他的嘴脣上，然後急忙把她送出去上馬車；他的那種急匆匆的神情是很異乎尋常的。總的說來，他給卡特爾船長留下了一個十分強烈的印象，因此船長就故意留在後面，吩咐羅布在明天早上的這一段時間裏，對他主人要特別溫順，特別殷勤照顧。爲了確保他的命令能夠執行，船長當時就支付了一個先令，並答應明天中午以前再給六便士。卡特爾船長完成了這件好事之後，認爲自己是弗洛倫斯天然的和合法的保鏢，就登上馬車伕的座位，心中深深意識到自己所負的責任，把她一直護送到家。告別的時候，他向她保證，他將會親密地和忠實地幫助所爾·吉爾斯。因爲他不能忘記蘇珊·尼珀關於對付麥克斯廷傑太太的豪言壯語，所以又一次問她，“您認爲您會那麼做嗎，我親愛的？”
當她們兩人被關進淒涼的公館中去以後，船長的思想又回到老儀器製造商的身上，他感到不安。因此，他沒有回家，而是在街道上來來去去地走了好多次，來消磨時間，直到黃昏來臨，很晚纔在城中一個坐落在街角的小酒館中吃晚飯；這個小酒館有一個楔形的酒吧間，上了光的帽子是經常在那裏出現的。船長的主要目的是在天黑以後，走過所爾·吉爾斯的家，從窗子裏向裏看看。他確實這麼做了。客廳的門敞開着，他可以看到他的老朋友正伏在桌子上急匆匆地、不間斷地寫着；小小的海軍軍官候補生爲了躲避夜露，早已移放到屋裏，這時正從櫃檯上注視着他；磨工羅布在櫃檯下面鋪好牀鋪，下一步就是把店門關上。木製海員管轄區域內籠罩着一片安靜的氣氛，這使船長放了心，於是他就向布里格廣場開航，決心第二天一早就起錨。