狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第19章Part 09

'And, Wal'r,' said the Captain, when they took their seats at table, if your Uncle's the man I think him, he'll bring out the last bottle of the Madeira on the present occasion.'
'No, no, Ned,' returned the old man. 'No! That shall be opened when Walter comes home again.'
'Well said!' cried the Captain. 'Hear him!'
'There it lies,' said Sol Gills, 'down in the little cellar, covered with dirt and cobwebs. There may be dirt and cobwebs over you and me perhaps, Ned, before it sees the light.'
'Hear him! 'cried the Captain. 'Good morality! Wal'r, my lad. Train up a fig-tree in the way it should go, and when you are old sit under the shade on it. Overhaul the - Well,' said the Captain on second thoughts, 'I ain't quite certain where that's to be found, but when found, make a note of. Sol Gills, heave ahead again!'
'But there or somewhere, it shall lie, Ned, until Wally comes back to claim it,' said the old man. 'That's all I meant to say.'
'And well said too,' returned the Captain; 'and if we three don't crack that bottle in company, I'll give you two leave to.'
Notwithstanding the Captain's excessive joviality, he made but a poor hand at the smoky tongue, though he tried very hard, when anybody looked at him, to appear as if he were eating with a vast apetite. He was terribly afraid, likewise, of being left alone with either Uncle or nephew; appearing to consider that his only chance of safety as to keeping up appearances, was in there being always three together. This terror on the part of the Captain, reduced him to such ingenious evasions as running to the door, when Solomon went to put his coat on, under pretence of having seen an extraordinary hackney-coach pass: and darting out into the road when Walter went upstairs to take leave of the lodgers, on a feint of smelling fire in a neighbouring chimney. These artifices Captain Cuttle deemed inscrutable by any uninspired observer.
Walter was coming down from his parting expedition upstairs, and was crossing the shop to go back to the little parlour, when he saw a faded face he knew, looking in at the door, and darted towards it.
'Mr Carker!' cried Walter, pressing the hand of John Carker the Junior. 'Pray come in! This is kind of you, to be here so early to say good-bye to me. You knew how glad it would make me to shake hands with you, once, before going away. I cannot say how glad I am to have this opportunity. Pray come in.'
'It is not likely that we may ever meet again, Walter,' returned the other, gently resisting his invitation, 'and I am glad of this opportunity too. I may venture to speak to you, and to take you by the hand, on the eve of separation. I shall not have to resist your frank approaches, Walter, any more.
There was a melancholy in his smile as he said it, that showed he had found some company and friendship for his thoughts even in that.

“沃爾，”當他們在桌旁坐下的時候，船長說道，“如果你舅舅是我所想的那種人，遇上今天這樣的日子，他是會取出他最後的那瓶馬德拉白葡萄酒的。”
“不，不，內德，”老人回答道，“不，那瓶酒等沃爾特重新回到家裏時再打開。”
“說得好！”船長喊道，“聽他說吧！”
“它躺在那裏，”所爾·吉爾斯說，“躺在下面的小地窖裏，上面覆蓋着塵土和蜘蛛網。在它重見陽光之前，內德，也許你和我身上也已覆蓋着塵土和蜘蛛網了。”
“聽他說吧！”船長喊道，“極妙的寓意！沃爾，我的孩子，栽一株無花果，讓它好好長大，等你老了，就坐在樹蔭下休息。翻一下——不過，”船長想了一下，說，“我不能很肯定從哪本書裏可以找到這句話；可是你要是收到的話，請把它記下來。所爾·吉爾斯。重新往前用力拉吧①！”
“可是它得躺在那裏或別的什麼地方，內德，直到沃利回來要求喝它的時候，”老人說道，“這就是我所想要說的一切。”
“說得也不錯，”船長回答道，“如果我們三人不能一起打開那瓶酒的話，那麼我允許你們兩人把我的那份也喝掉！”
船長雖然談笑風生，十分興高采烈，但他對付那條燻黑的舌頭的本領卻怪差勁，儘管當有人看着他的時候，他極力裝出胃口很好地吃着。而且，他很害怕和舅舅或外甥單獨在一起，好像他認爲，他要保持這種春風滿面的神態，唯一安全的機會是三個人老待在一起。船長由於懷有這種恐懼心理，他就想出了好些機智的逃避方法：當所羅門走去穿外衣的時候，他就假裝看到一輛不同尋常的出租馬車經過而跑到門口；當沃爾特上樓去跟房客們告別時，他就假裝聞到鄰近煙囪的火焦味而衝到街上。船長認爲，沒有靈感的觀察者是很難看破他的這些巧計的。
沃爾特去樓上告別之後走下樓來，正穿過店鋪向小客廳走回的時候，他看到一張他認識的憔悴的臉正向門裏探望，就立即向他急衝過去。
“卡克先生！”沃爾特緊握着約翰·卡克先生的手，喊道，“請進來吧！您真客氣，起得這麼早來向我告別。您知道，我多麼高興能在離別之前再跟您握一次手啊。我說不出我是多麼高興能有這個機會。請進來吧！”
“我們不見得以後還能再見面了，沃爾特，”那一位委婉地謝絕了他的邀請，“我也因爲有這個機會而感到高興。在即將離別之前，我也許可以不揣冒昧地來跟您說說話和握握手。沃爾特，我將不再迫不得已反對您坦率地跟我接近了”。
當他說這些話的時候，在他的微笑中還帶有一些憂鬱的東西，這表明他甚至在沃爾特要跟他接近的想法本身中也看到了關懷與友誼。