雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第四章 Part 5
His face, remarkable for a brown solidity, brightened as he shook hands with Uncle and nephew; but he seemed to be of a laconic disposition, and merely said:
'How goes it?'
'All well,' said Mr Gills, pushing the bottle towards him.
他的臉是褐色的，結實的，十分引人注目；當他和舅甥兩人握手的時候，他臉上露出了喜色；但他似乎生性是一位言辭簡潔的人，只是說道：
“事情怎麼樣？”
“一切都好，”吉爾斯把酒瓶推到他那邊，說道。
He took it up, and having surveyed and smelt it, said with extraordinary expression:
'The?'
'The,' returned the Instrument-maker.
他拿起酒瓶，細細地看了一下，聞了一下，然後露出異乎尋常的表情，說道：
“是它嗎？”
“是它，”儀器製造商回答道。
Upon that he whistled as he filled his glass, and seemed to think they were making holiday indeed.
'Wal'r!' he said, arranging his hair (which was thin) with his hook, and then pointing it at the Instrument-maker, 'Look at him! Love! Honour! And Obey! Overhaul your catechism till you find that passage, and when found turn the leaf down. Success, my boy!'
在這之後，他一邊往杯子裏倒酒，一邊吹口哨，似乎在想，他們真正在歡慶節日呢。
“沃爾！”他用鉤子梳理了一下稀疏的頭髮，然後指着儀器製造商，說道，“看着他！愛他！尊敬他！並服從他！翻一下你的《教義問答》，把這一段話找到①，找到的時候把書頁折一下。祝你成功，我的孩子！”
He was so perfectly satisfied both with his quotation and his reference to it, that he could not help repeating the words again in a low voice, and saying he had forgotten 'em these forty year.
他對這段語錄和他的引用都十分滿意，因此情不自禁地低聲重複說着這段話，並說他在這四十年中已把它們忘記了。
註釋：disposition n. 處置；[心理] 性情；[軍] 部署；傾向
例句：
1. I had shown an obliging disposition to render her some little services.
我表示願意爲她辦些零星小事。
2. John resembles his father very much in disposition and appearance.
約翰在性格和外表方面都很像其父。
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①“愛他！尊敬他！並服從他！”，這實際上是在婚禮儀式上說的話，並不是《教義問答》中的話。船長記錯了。
'But I never wanted two or three words in my life that I didn't know where to lay my hand upon 'em, Gills,' he observed.
'It comes of not wasting language as some do.'
The reflection perhaps reminded him that he had better, like young Norval's father, '"ncrease his store." At any rate he became silent, and remained so, until old Sol went out into the shop to light it up, when he turned to Walter, and said, without any introductory remark:
“不過，吉爾斯，在我一生中還不曾發生過我不知道到哪裏去找到我所需要的兩、三個字的，”他說道， “因此，我不像有些人那樣愛講廢話。”
這個意見也許提醒他，他最好像年輕的諾瓦爾①的父親一樣，“增加他的儲存”，使他的知識更豐富一些。不管怎麼樣，他沉默下來，而且保持着沉默，直到老所爾離開餐桌到店鋪裏去點燈的時候，他才轉向沃爾特，沒有開場白，就說道：
'I suppose he could make a clock if he tried?'
'I shouldn't wonder, Captain Cuttle,' returned the boy.
“我想如果他試一試的話，他能做出一隻鍾。”
“我對這不會奇怪，卡特爾船長，”孩子回答道。
'And it would go!' said Captain Cuttle, making a species of serpent in the air with his hook. 'Lord, how that clock would go!'
“這隻鍾還能走！”船長用鉤子在空中劃了一道像一種蛇一樣的線條，“我的天主，那種怎麼會走哪！”
For a moment or two he seemed quite lost in contemplating the pace of this ideal timepiece, and sat looking at the boy as if his face were the dial.
在一兩秒鐘的時間內，他似乎完全出神地在思考着這隻理想的鐘走動的快慢，並坐在那裏看着孩子，彷彿他的臉是針盤似的。
'But he's chockful of science,' he observed, waving his hook towards the stock-in-trade. 'Look'ye here! Here's a collection of 'em. Earth, air, or water. It's all one. Only say where you'll have it. Up in a balloon? There you are. Down in a bell? There you are. D'ye want to put the North Star in a pair of scales and weigh it? He'll do it for you.'
“可是他腦子裏裝滿了科學，”他用鉤子指着那些存貨，說道，“往這裏看一看吧！這裏是這些東西的集合：泥土、空氣或水。這裏全都有了。只要說一下你準備到哪裏去就行了。你想乘汽球到天上去嗎？那你就到那裏了！你想乘潛水艇到水底下去嗎？那你就到那裏了！你是不是想把北極星放到天平上去稱一稱？他會給你辦到。”
It may be gathered from these remarks that Captain Cuttle's reverence for the stock of instruments was profound, and that his philosophy knew little or no distinction between trading in it and inventing it.
從這些話中可以看出，卡特爾船長對這些儀器的存貨懷着深深的敬意；也可以看出，他對買賣這些儀器與發明這些儀器之間的區別沒有什麼理解或完全不理解。
註釋：introductory adj. 引導的，介紹的；開端的
例句：
1. The first two chapters provide introductory and background material.
頭兩篇提供入門性的和背景性的材料。
2. This book includes a good introductory chapter on forests.
這本書有一章關於森林的很好的序篇。
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①諾瓦爾（Norval）：蘇格蘭戲劇家瓊•霍姆（JoneHom，1722—1808年）所寫悲劇《道格拉斯》（Douglas）中的主人翁；該悲劇的主題取自蘇格蘭的敘事詩。
'Ah!' he said, with a sigh, 'it's a fine thing to understand 'em. And yet it's a fine thing not to understand 'em. I hardly know which is best. It's so comfortable to sit here and feel that you might be weighed, measured, magnified, electrified, polarized, played the very devil with: and never know how.'
“啊！”他嘆了一口氣，說道，“懂得它們是一件好事，可是不懂得它們也是一件好事。我真不知道哪一件更好一些。坐在這裏，覺得你可能被稱，被計量，被放大，被通電，被給以極性，被傷害，但卻不知道是怎樣做到這些的，這是一件愉快的事情。”
Nothing short of the wonderful Madeira, combined with the occasion (which rendered it desirable to improve and expand Walter's mind), could have ever loosened his tongue to the extent of giving utterance to this prodigious oration. He seemed quite amazed himself at the manner in which it opened up to view the sources of the taciturn delight he had had in eating Sunday dinners in that parlour for ten years. Becoming a sadder and a wiser man, he mused and held his peace.
除了這奇妙的馬德拉葡萄酒加上這令人高興的時刻（他需要利用這時刻來提高和發展沃爾特的智力）之外，沒有什麼能打開他的話匣子，使他發表出這番精彩的言論。他自己似乎也感到很驚奇，這馬德拉酒用這樣一種方式使他看到了這十年來每逢星期天他在這客廳裏吃晚飯時所享有的默默的喜悅的源泉。然後他變得憂傷，也更爲慎重，就沉思着，默默無言。“聽着！”他所欽佩的對象回來了，喊道，“在你喝摻水的烈酒之前，內德，我們必須把這一瓶喝光。”“做好準備！①”內德把他的酒杯倒滿，說道，“給這孩子再倒一些。”
'Come!' cried the subject of this admiration, returning. 'Before you have your glass of grog, Ned, we must finish the bottle.'
'Stand by!' said Ned, filling his glass. 'Give the boy some more.'
'No more, thank'e, Uncle!'
'Yes, yes,' said Sol, 'a little more. We'll finish the bottle, to the House, Ned - Walter's House. Why it may be his House one of these days, in part. Who knows? Sir Richard Whittington married his master's daughter.'
“不要了，謝謝你，舅舅！”
“不，不，”所爾說道，“再喝一點兒。我們得把這一瓶喝光，爲公司乾杯，內德——爲沃爾特的公司乾杯。是呀，有朝一日這個公司也可能將部分地屬於他的呢。誰知道呢？理查德•惠廷頓②爵士不是娶了他主人的女兒嗎？”
註釋：taciturn adj. 沉默寡言的；無言的，不太說話的
例句：
1. He kept apart from his fellow-travellers, knowing Mr Fogg's taciturn tastes;
他知道福克生性不好聊天，所以自己就躲得遠點兒。
reverted to his old taciturn ways.
他又恢復了他的靜默寡言。
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①做好準備（standby）：船長命令船員們準備拋錨或準備執行其他任務時的用語。卡特爾船長時常講這句話。
②這本小說中多次提到英國民間故事中的主人翁理查德•惠廷頓（RichardWhittington）。根據這個民間傳說，500多年前，可憐的孤兒迪克（即理查德•惠廷頓）從農村到倫敦去碰運氣，後來被善良的富商菲茨沃德收留，在他家中做工。迪克受不了廚娘的虐待，在一個萬聖節的早上從家中逃出去。當他來到海蓋特，在路邊坐下來，不知該走哪條路的時候，突然在寧靜的早晨的空氣中傳來了鮑教堂的鐘聲，彷彿對他說：“回去吧，惠廷頓，您是一個好公民。回去吧，惠廷頓，倫敦的市長！”鐘聲一遍又一遍地說着同樣的話。於是他站起來轉身順原路回到主人家中，沒有被人發現。北非有一個國家巴巴里耗子橫行，國王由於從富商的商船中得到迪克送去出賣的小貓，制服了鼠害，就用貴重的寶石來換小貓，於是迪克發了大財。他和主人的女兒艾麗斯極爲相愛，後來結了婚。此後不久，理查德•惠廷頓爵士三次出任倫敦市長。
'"Turn again Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, and when you are old you will never depart from it,"' interposed the Captain. 'Wal'r! Overhaul the book, my lad.'
'And although Mr Dombey hasn't a daughter,' Sol began.
'Yes, yes, he has, Uncle,' said the boy, reddening and laughing.
'Has he?' cried the old man. 'Indeed I think he has too.
“回去吧，惠廷頓，倫敦的市長，！當你老了的時候，你將永遠也不會再離開它了，”船長打斷他的話，說道，“沃爾，翻一翻書本，我的孩子。”
“只不過董貝先生沒有女兒，”所爾開始說道。
“不，不，他有，舅舅，”孩子紅着臉，大笑着說道。
“他有嗎？”老人喊道。“不錯，我想他也有女兒。”
'Oh! I know he has,' said the boy. 'Some of 'em were talking about it in the office today. And they do say, Uncle and Captain Cuttle,' lowering his voice, 'that he's taken a dislike to her, and that she's left, unnoticed, among the servants, and that his mind's so set all the while upon having his son in the House, that although he's only a baby now, he is going to have balances struck oftener than formerly, and the books kept closer than they used to be, and has even been seen (when he thought he wasn't) walking in the Docks, looking at his ships and property and all that, as if he was exulting like, over what he and his son will possess together. That's what they say. Of course, I don't know.
“啊，我知道他有，”孩子說道。“公司裏有些人今天還在辦公室裏談起這些事。舅舅，卡特爾船長，”他壓低了聲音，“他們說他不喜歡她，不關心她，讓她跟僕人住在一起；他的心思完全往一個地方想，就是要讓他的兒子擔任公司的合夥人；所以雖然他的兒子現在還只不過是個嬰孩，可是他現在卻要求公司的帳目比過去結得更勤一些，帳本比過去記得更細一些，甚至還有人看見他（他自以爲沒有被人看見）在碼頭上散步，一邊望着他的商船和貨物以及其他這一類東西，彷彿他看到他和他兒子將要共同佔有這一切，於是就感到興高采烈了。這是他們所說的。我當然什麼也不知道。”
'He knows all about her already, you see,' said the instrument-maker.
'Nonsense, Uncle,' cried the boy, still reddening and laughing, boy-like. 'How can I help hearing what they tell me?'
'The Son's a little in our way at present, I'm afraid, Ned,' said the old man, humouring the joke.
'Very much,' said the Captain.
'Nevertheless, we'll drink him,' pursued Sol. 'So, here's to Dombey and Son.'
'Oh, very well, Uncle,' said the boy, merrily. 'Since you have introduced the mention of her, and have connected me with her and have said that I know all about her, I shall make bold to amend the toast. So here's to Dombey and Son and Daughter!'
“你看，他已經瞭解了她的一切，”儀器製造商說道。
“胡說，舅舅，”孩子仍舊紅着臉，大笑着，孩子氣地喊道。“我怎麼能不聽到他們告訴我的話呢？”
“我擔心，內德，這個兒子現在有些妨礙我們，”老人開玩笑地說道。
“非常妨礙，”船長說道。
“儘管這樣，我們還是要爲他祝酒，”所爾繼續說道，“所以讓我們來爲董貝父子乾杯！”
“啊，好極了，舅舅，”孩子開心地說道，“既然你們已經談到了她，又把我跟她扯在一起，而且還說我已經瞭解了她的一切，那麼我將不揣冒昧地把這祝酒詞修改一下。讓我們來爲董貝父——子——女乾杯！”
註釋：property n. 性質，性能；財產；所有權
例句：
1. The bankrupt had made over all his property to his wife.
這個破產者已把他所有的財產轉讓給了他的妻子。
2. By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.
欣賞能使別人的卓越成爲我們自己的財富。
