狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第51章Part3
'You will excuse - even you, Major,' replies Mr Dombey, 'my entering into any further detail at present. The intelligence is of a singular kind, and singularly obtained. It may turn out to be valueless; it may turn out to be true; I cannot say at present. My explanation must stop here.'
Although this is but a dry reply to the Major's purple enthusiasm, the Major receives it graciously, and is delighted to think that the world has such a fair prospect of soon receiving its due. Cousin Feenix is then presented with his meed of acknowledgment by the husband of his lovely and accomplished relative, and Cousin Feenix and Major Bagstock retire, leaving that husband to the world again, and to ponder at leisure on their representation of its state of mind concerning his affairs, and on its just and reasonable expectations.
But who sits in the housekeeper's room, shedding tears, and talking to Mrs Pipchin in a low tone, with uplifted hands? It is a lady with her face concealed in a very close black bonnet, which appears not to belong to her. It is Miss Tox, who has borrowed this disguise from her servant, and comes from Princess's Place, thus secretly, to revive her old acquaintance with Mrs Pipchin, in order to get certain information of the state of Mr Dombey.
'How does he bear it, my dear creature?' asks Miss Tox.
'Well,' says Mrs Pipchin, in her snappish way, 'he's pretty much as usual.'
'Externally,' suggests Miss Tox 'But what he feels within!'
Mrs Pipchin's hard grey eye looks doubtful as she answers, in three distinct jerks, 'Ah! Perhaps. I suppose so.'
'To tell you my mind, Lucretia,' says Mrs Pipchin; she still calls Miss Tox Lucretia, on account of having made her first experiments in the child-quelling line of business on that lady, when an unfortunate and weazen little girl of tender years; 'to tell you my mind, Lucretia, I think it's a good riddance. I don't want any of your brazen faces here, myself!'
'Brazen indeed! Well may you say brazen, Mrs Pipchin!' returned Miss Tox. 'To leave him! Such a noble figure of a man!' And here Miss Tox is overcome.
'I don't know about noble, I'm sure,' observes Mrs Pipchin; irascibly rubbing her nose. 'But I know this - that when people meet with trials, they must bear 'em. Hoity, toity! I have had enough to bear myself, in my time! What a fuss there is! She's gone, and well got rid of. Nobody wants her back, I should think!' This hint of the Peruvian Mines, causes Miss Tox to rise to go away; when Mrs Pipchin rings the bell for Towlinson to show her out, Mr Towlinson, not having seen Miss Tox for ages, grins, and hopes she's well; observing that he didn't know her at first, in that bonnet.
'Pretty well, Towlinson, I thank you,' says Miss Tox. 'I beg you'll have the goodness, when you happen to see me here, not to mention it. My visits are merely to Mrs Pipchin.'
'Very good, Miss,' says Towlinson.
“董貝，我很高興聽到這，”少校說道。”我祝賀您。”
“請原諒，少校，”董貝先生回答道，”甚至對您，我現在也還不能談到詳細的情形。消息是奇怪的，得到消息的方式也是奇怪的。它可能毫無價值，但也可能是真實的。我現在還不能說什麼。我的解釋就到這裏爲止。”
雖然對熱情得臉色發紫的少校來說，這是個索然無趣的回答，可是少校有禮貌地接受了它，並高興地想到，社會可以期望很快就能得到它應當得到的東西。然後，菲尼克斯表哥聽到了他的可愛的、多才多藝的親戚的丈夫表示感謝的話；然後，菲尼克斯表哥和白格斯托克少校起身告辭，把那位丈夫留下重新面對着社會；他在閒暇的時候可能思考着他們兩位反映了上流社會對他的私事的一些看法和它的公正的、合理的期望。
可是誰坐在女管家的房間裏，舉起雙手，流着眼淚，在低聲地跟皮普欽太太談話呢？這是一位用一頂很窄小的黑帽子把自己臉孔掩藏起來的女士，那頂帽子看來不是屬於她自己的。這是托克斯小姐，她從她的僕人那裏借來這個化妝的物品，從公主廣場來到這裏，恢復她跟皮普欽太太舊日的交情，以便得到董貝先生的消息。
“他怎麼忍受這打擊呢，我親愛的？”托克斯小姐問道。
“唔，”皮普欽太太用暴躁的態度回答道，”他跟往常一樣。”
“表面上是這樣，”托克斯小姐提示道。”可是他心裏是怎樣的感覺啊！”
皮普欽太太清楚而短促地回答道，”啊！也許。我想是這樣。”這時她冷酷的、灰色的眼睛露出了疑問的神色。
“跟你說句心裏話，盧克麗霞，”皮普欽太太說道；她仍舊管托克斯小姐叫盧克麗霞，因爲她就是這位女士壓制孩子的事業中的頭一批試驗品，當時她是個不幸的、孱弱的、年齡很小的女孩子；”跟你說句心裏話，盧克麗霞，我認爲，除掉她倒是件好事。我這裏不需要你這種厚顏無恥的女人！”
“真是厚顏無恥！您說得不錯，就是厚顏無恥！”托克斯小姐回答道。”拋棄他！這樣高尚的人！”這時托克斯小姐極爲激動。
“說真的，我不知道什麼高尚不高尚，”皮普欽太太暴躁地擦擦鼻子，說道，”可是我知道，當人們遇到考驗的時候，他們必須經受得住。哎呀！我本人這一輩子經受的考驗真是夠多的了！這有什麼值得大驚小怪的！她走了，沒有她反倒好。我想這裏沒有一個人想要她回來！”從祕魯礦井發出的這個暗示使托克斯小姐站起身來告辭；皮普欽太太搖搖鈴，讓託林森領她出去。託林森先生好久沒有見到托克斯小姐了，所以咧着嘴笑着，並祝她身體健康，同時指出，她戴了這頂帽子使他起先認不出她來了。
“謝謝您，託林森，我身體不錯，”托克斯小姐說道，”我想麻煩您幫個忙，以後當您碰巧看到我在這裏的時候，請別跟別人提起這件事。我只是來看看皮普欽太太。”
“很好，小姐，”託林森說道。
