狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第23章Part 12

'But I couldn't rest,' said Florence, 'without coming to ask you what you think about dear Walter - who is my brother now- and whether there is anything to fear, and whether you will not go and console his poor Uncle every day, until we have some intelligence of him?'
At these words Captain Cuttle, as by an involuntary gesture, clapped his hand to his head, on which the hard glazed hat was not, and looked discomfited.
'Have you any fears for Walter's safety?' inquired Florence, from whose face the Captain (so enraptured he was with it) could not take his eyes: while she, in her turn, looked earnestly at him, to be assured of the sincerity of his reply.
'No, Heart's-delight,' said Captain Cuttle, 'I am not afeard. Wal'r is a lad as'll go through a deal o' hard weather. Wal'r is a lad as'll bring as much success to that 'ere brig as a lad is capable on. Wal'r,' said the Captain, his eyes glistening with the praise of his young friend, and his hook raised to announce a beautiful quotation, 'is what you may call a out'ard and visible sign of an in'ard and spirited grasp, and when found make a note of.'
Florence, who did not quite understand this, though the Captain evidentllty thought it full of meaning, and highly satisfactory, mildly looked to him for something more.
'I am not afeard, my Heart's-delight,' resumed the Captain, 'There's been most uncommon bad weather in them latitudes, there's no denyin', and they have drove and drove and been beat off, may be t'other side the world. But the ship's a good ship, and the lad's a good lad; and it ain't easy, thank the Lord,' the Captain made a little bow, 'to break up hearts of oak, whether they're in brigs or buzzums. Here we have 'em both ways, which is bringing it up with a round turn, and so I ain't a bit afeard as yet.'

“可是，”弗洛倫斯說道，“如果我不前來問問您，您對親愛的沃爾特——他現在是我的哥哥了——的情況是怎麼想的，是不是有什麼使人憂慮的事情，在我們得到他的消息之前您是不是將每天前去安慰安慰他的舅舅，如果我不前來問問這些，我是安不下心來的。”
卡特爾船長聽了這些話，好像是一種出於無意的動作，用手拍拍沒有戴着上了光的帽子的腦袋，露出爲難的神色。
“您是不是對沃爾特的安全有什麼憂慮？”弗洛倫斯問道；船長的眼睛不能離開她的臉（他看到它喜歡得不得了），而她則懇切地注視着他，想要確信他的回答是真誠的。
“不，我心中的喜悅，”卡特爾船長說，“我不憂慮！沃爾是個經受得起很多險惡氣候的孩子。沃爾是個能給這艘橫帆雙桅船帶來大吉大利，使它順利航行的孩子。沃爾，”船長說道，他讚揚他的年輕的朋友時，眼睛閃閃發光，同時舉起鉤子，預示着要說出一段美妙的引文，“沃爾是一個您可以稱爲內在的、精神上的力量的外部的、可見的象徵。當您找到這段話的時候，請把它記下來。”
船長顯然認爲這段引文充滿了深刻的意義，內容十分精彩，但是弗洛倫斯卻並不理解它；她溫柔地望着他，等待着他再說些什麼。
“我不憂慮，我心中的喜悅，”船長繼續說道，“無可否認，在那些緯度的地方，有着最爲罕見的險惡氣候，狂風暴雨可能把他們驅趕到世界的另一邊去了。可是船是艘好船，孩子是個好孩子，謝謝天主，”船長稍稍地鞠了個躬，“要摧毀櫟樹的心是不容易的，不論它們是在橫帆雙桅船上還是在胸膛裏。這兩樣心我們現在都有，這就保證會帶來平安無恙的結果，所以我現在還一點也不憂慮。”