狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第23章Part 6

There were many careless loungers through the street, as the summer evening deepened into night, who glanced across the road at the sombre house, and saw the youthful figure at the window, such a contrast to it, looking upward at the stars as they began to shine, who would have slept the worse if they had known on what design she mused so steady. The reputation of the mansion as a haunted house, would not have been the gayer with some humble dwellers elsewhere, who were struck by its external gloom in passing and repassing on their daily avocations, and so named it, if they could have read its story in the darkening face. But Florence held her sacred purpose, unsuspected and unaided: and studied only how to bring her father to the understanding that she loved him, and made no appeal against him in any wandering thought.
Thus Florence lived alone in the deserted house, and day succeeded day, and still she lived alone, and the monotonous walls looked down upon her with a stare, as if they had a Gorgon-like intent to stare her youth and beauty into stone.
Susan Nipper stood opposite to her young mistress one morning, as she folded and sealed a note she had been writing: and showed in her looks an approving knowledge of its contents.
'Better late than never, dear Miss Floy,' said Susan, 'and I do say, that even a visit to them old Skettleses will be a Godsend.'
'It is very good of Sir Barnet and Lady Skettles, Susan,' returned Florence, with a mild correction of that young lady's familiar mention of the family in question, 'to repeat their invitation so kindly.'
Miss Nipper, who was perhaps the most thoroughgoing partisan on the face of the earth, and who carried her partisanship into all matters great or small, and perpetually waged war with it against society, screwed up her lips and shook her head, as a protest against any recognition of disinterestedness in the Skettleses, and a plea in bar that they would have valuable consideration for their kindness, in the company of Florence.
'They know what they're about, if ever people did,' murmured Miss Nipper, drawing in her breath 'oh! trust them Skettleses for that!'
'I am not very anxious to go to Fulham, Susan, I confess,' said Florence thoughtfully: 'but it will be right to go. I think it will be better.'
'Much better,' interposed Susan, with another emphatic shake of her head.
'And so,' said Florence, 'though I would prefer to have gone when there was no one there, instead of in this vacation time, when it seems there are some young people staying in the house, I have thankfully said yes.'
'For which I say, Miss Floy, Oh be joyful!' returned Susan, 'Ah!

當夏晚的暮色逐漸加深、轉變成夜間的時候，街上有許多無憂無慮的閒逛的人，從街道對過向這座陰沉的房屋看看，看到一個年輕的人影正在仰望閃耀的星星，她與這座房屋形成了一個鮮明的對照；如果他們知道她心中堅定不移地懷抱着什麼打算的話，那麼他們是會睡不安穩的。有些住在別處的膽小的居民爲了從事日常事務，來來回回地經過這裏時，看到它那陰沉沉的外表，感到十分驚愕，以爲裏面一定有鬼魂經常出沒，就給它取了個鬼屋的名稱；如果他們能讀到它那憂鬱的外表所包含的歷史，那麼他們就不會因爲這座公館有着鬼屋的名聲而心情感到輕鬆一些的。可是弗洛倫斯抱着她的神聖目的，沒有受到任何懷疑，也沒有得到任何幫助；她只是思考着怎樣使她的父親瞭解到她愛他；在她的浮思漫想中從來沒有一點責怪的念頭。
弗洛倫斯就這樣孤獨地居住在這座無人過問的公館中；一天又一天地過去，她仍孤獨地居住着；單調沉悶的牆壁含着一動不動的眼光俯視着她，彷彿它們懷着戈岡一般的意圖，決心使她的青春和美貌轉變成石頭似的。
有一天早上，當弗洛倫斯在摺疊和封上一封她剛寫好的短箋時，蘇珊·尼珀站在她年輕的女主人面前，臉上流露出贊成的神情，表示她已知道這封短箋的內容了。
“遲去比不去好，親愛的弗洛伊小姐，”蘇珊說道，“我確實這麼說，哪怕就是去拜訪拜訪老斯克特爾斯他們，也是天賜的幸福。”
“蘇珊，巴尼特爵士和斯克特爾斯夫人確實是一片好意”，弗洛倫斯溫和地糾正了這位姑娘對這家人過於隨便的稱呼，回答道，“他們又十分客氣地來邀請了。”
尼珀姑娘也許是世界上最能偏袒同類、責難異己的人了；她把她的這種宗派觀念帶到大大小小的一切事情之中，經常不斷地向社會宣戰；這時她歪着嘴脣，搖搖頭，表示不承認斯克特爾斯這家人就沒有私心，並準備隨時到法庭去答辯，弗洛倫斯到他們那裏去玩，他們的殷勤是會得到豐厚報酬的。
“人們做事情總知道他們爲的是什麼；”尼珀小姐吸進一口氣，嘀咕着說道，“得啦，就相信斯克特爾斯他們吧！”
“說實在的，蘇珊，我並不特別想去富勒姆，”弗洛倫斯若有所思地說道，“不過去是對的。我想，那樣好些。”
“好得多，”蘇珊插嘴道，又有力地點了一下頭。
“儘管我寧願在那裏沒人的時候去，”弗洛倫斯繼續說道，“而不是現在放假的時候去，（現在屋子裏似乎還有什麼年輕人住在那裏呢），不過我還是感謝地接受了這次邀請。”
“這我得說，弗洛伊小姐，快活快活吧！”蘇珊回答道，“噯呀呀！”