雙語小説連載:《董貝父子》第9章 Part 3大綱
'I say, Uncle! You musn't really, you know!' urged Walter. 'Don't!'
Old Sol endeavoured to assume a cheery look, and smiled across the little table at him as pleasantly as he could.
老所爾努力裝出一副高興的神色，向桌子對面的他儘量愉快地微笑着。'There's nothing more than usual the matter; is there, Uncle?' said Walter, leaning his elbows on the tea tray, and bending over, to speak the more confidentially and kindly. 'Be open with me, Uncle, if there is, and tell me all about it.'
“沒有發生跟往常不同的什麼事吧，是不是，舅舅？”沃爾特把兩隻胳膊肘支在茶盤上，身子向前彎過去，更加親密、更加親切地説道：“別對我瞞什麼，舅舅，如果發生了什麼事情，那麼請把一切都告訴我。”
'No, no, no,' returned Old Sol. 'More than usual? No, no. What should there be the matter more than usual?'
“沒有，沒有，沒有，”老所爾回答道。“跟往常有什麼不同的事嗎？沒有，沒有，會發生跟往常不同的什麼事情呢？”Walter answered with an incredulous shake of his head. 'That's what I want to know,' he said, 'and you ask me! I'll tell you what, Uncle, when I see you like this, I am quite sorry that I live with you.'
沃爾特表示不大相信地搖搖頭，作為回答。“這就是我想要知道的，”他説道，“可是你卻問我！我將告訴你，舅舅，當我看到你這種樣子的時候，我就會因為跟你住在一起而感到十分遺憾。”Old Sol opened his eyes involuntarily.
老所爾不自覺地張開了眼睛。'Yes. Though nobody ever was happier than I am and always have been with you, I am quite sorry that I live with you, when I see you with anything in your mind.'
“是的，雖然沒有什麼人能比我現在更幸福，而且我跟你在一起一直是幸福的，可是每當我看到你有什麼心事的時候，我就會因為和你住在一起而感到十分遺憾。”'I am a little dull at such times, I know,' observed Solomon, meekly rubbing his hands.
“我知道，我在這種時候有些沉悶，”所羅門温和地搓着手，説道。'What I mean, Uncle Sol,' pursued Walter, bending over a little more to pat him on the shoulder, 'is, that then I feel you ought to have, sitting here and pouring out the tea instead of me, a nice little dumpling of a wife, you know, - a comfortable, capital, cosy old lady, who was just a match for you, and knew how to manage you, and keep you in good heart. Here am I, as loving a nephew as ever was (I am sure I ought to be!) but I am only a nephew, and I can't be such a companion to you when you're low and out of sorts as she would have made herself, years ago, though I'm sure I'd give any money if I could cheer you up. And so I say, when I see you with anything on your mind, that I feel quite sorry you haven't got somebody better about you than a blundering young rough-and-tough boy like me, who has got the will to console you, Uncle, but hasn't got the way - hasn't got the way,' repeated Walter, reaching over further yet, to shake his Uncle by the hand.
“我想要説的是，所爾舅舅，”沃爾特把身子往前再彎過去一點，好拍拍他的肩膀，“這種時候我就覺得你應當有一位和善的、矮小的、胖乎乎的妻子，而不是我跟你坐在一起，給你倒茶；你知道，——她是一位賢惠的、能使你感到愉快的、和你情投意合的老太太，跟你正好相配；她知道怎樣照顧你，讓你心情舒暢。可是現在卻是我在這裏；我是一個很愛你的外甥（我相信我應當是！），可是我只是一個外甥；當你悶悶不樂，心緒不佳的時候，我就不能成為像她那樣幾年前就知道怎麼做的伴侶了，雖然我相信，如果我能使你高興起來，那麼要我拿出多少錢來我都是願意的。所以我説，每當我看到你有什麼心事，而除了像我這樣一個常常出漏子的粗魯小夥子外，你沒有一個更好的人在身旁的時候，我就感到很遺憾。我倒有意安慰安慰你，舅舅，可是我不知道該怎麼辦才好——不知道怎麼辦才好。”沃爾特重複説了一句，一邊把身子向前再彎過去一些，好和他的舅舅握握手。'Wally, my dear boy,' said Solomon, 'if the cosy little old lady had taken her place in this parlour five and forty years ago, I never could have been fonder of her than I am of you.'
“沃利，我親愛的孩子，”所羅門説道，“如果那位和我情投意合的、矮小的老太太在四十五年前就在這客廳裏佔據了她的位置，那麼我也決不會像我現在這樣喜歡你一樣地喜歡她的。”'I know that, Uncle Sol,' returned Walter. 'Lord bless you, I know that. But you wouldn't have had the whole weight of any uncomfortable secrets if she had been with you, because she would have known how to relieve you of 'em, and I don't.'
“我知道這一點，所爾舅舅，”沃爾特回答道。“上帝保佑你，我知道這一點。可是如果她跟你在一起，那麼你有了不好對外人説的不稱心的事情，你就不會承擔它的全部負擔了，因為她知道怎樣讓你把它們解脱掉的，而我就不知道了。”註釋：endeavour n. 盡力，竭力
vt. 竭力做到，試圖或力圖（做某事）
vi. 竭力；企圖
例句：
1. I will endeavour to do everything well.
請盡力將貨物及時裝船。
2. Where there is no hope can be no endeavour.
沒有希望就不可能作出努力。
3. Shuttle Endeavour links with space station.
奮進號航天飛機與空間站連接起來。
4. We must always endeavour to improve our work.
你必須努力改進自己的工作。
5. We will endeavour to promote fair competition.
我們會致力促進公平競爭。
6. Lightning delays space shuttle Endeavour launch.
由於雷電天氣，美國奮進號推遲發射。
7. Please make every endeavour to arrive punctually.
請儘量準時到達。
8. The endeavour to become international.
在努力成為國際。
relieve vt. 解除，減輕；使不單調乏味；換…的班；解圍；使放心
[ 過去式relieved 過去分詞relieved 現在分詞relieving ]
詞組：
relieve oneself v. 大小便
relieve stress 減壓，緩解壓力
relieve from 從…中解除，減輕
relieve of 解除；消除；減輕…之…
例句：
vt.
headache has been relieved.
我的頭痛已經輕些了。
2. We were relieved to hear you were admitted to a university.
聽説你考上了大學我們就放心了。
me relieve you of your luggage.
讓我幫你拿行李。
4. They are trying to build up funds to relieve the poverty-stricken families.
他們設法籌集資金來救濟非常貧困的家庭。
5. Children cannot be relieved from supporting their parents.
子女不能不履行贍養父母的義務。
6. She relieved her feelings by throwing down her husband's books on the floor.
她把丈夫的書扔在地板上以發泄她的不滿情緒。
watchman of the storehouse will be relieved at 10 p.m.
庫房的看守人將於晚上十點換班。
8. They often danced to relieve the dull evening.
他們晚上無聊時常常以跳舞來調劑。
9. The white building was relieved against the blue sky.
這座白色建築物在藍天的襯托下顯得十分突出。
10. He used to relieve himself in the garden when he was a boy.
他小時候常在花園裏大小便。
