狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第50章Part2

'Why, Wal'r,' said the Captain, turning his eyes upon him with a faint approach to a severe expression, 'ain't I been on the look-out for any tidings of that man o' science, old Sol Gills, your Uncle, day and night, ever since I lost him? Ain't my heart been heavy and watchful always, along of him and you? Sleeping and waking, ain't I been upon my post, and wouldn't I scorn to quit it while this here Midshipman held together!'
'Yes, Captain Cuttle,' replied Walter, grasping his hand, 'I know you would, and I know how faithful and earnest all you say and feel is. I am sure of it. You don't doubt that I am as sure of it as I am that my foot is again upon this door-step, or that I again have hold of this true hand. Do you?'
'No, no, Wal'r,' returned the Captain, with his beaming
'I'll hazard no more conjectures,' said Walter, fervently shaking the hard hand of the Captain, who shook his with no less goodwill. 'All I will add is, Heaven forbid that I should touch my Uncle's possessions, Captain Cuttle! Everything that he left here, shall remain in the care of the truest of stewards and kindest of men - and if his name is not Cuttle, he has no name! Now, best of friends, about - Miss Dombey.'
There was a change in Walter's manner, as he came to these two words; and when he uttered them, all his confidence and cheerfulness appeared to have deserted him.
'I thought, before Miss Dombey stopped me when I spoke of her father last night,' said Walter, ' - you remember how?'
The Captain well remembered, and shook his head.
'I thought,' said Walter, 'before that, that we had but one hard duty to perform, and that it was, to prevail upon her to communicate with her friends, and to return home.'
The Captain muttered a feeble 'Awast!' or a 'Stand by!' or something or other, equally pertinent to the occasion; but it was rendered so extremely feeble by the total discomfiture with which he received this announcement, that what it was, is mere matter of conjecture.
'But,' said Walter, 'that is over. I think so, no longer. I would sooner be put back again upon that piece of wreck, on which I have so often floated, since my preservation, in my dreams, and there left to drift, and drive, and die!'
'Hooroar, my lad!' exclaimed the Captain, in a burst of uncontrollable satisfaction. 'Hooroar! hooroar! hooroar!'
'To think that she, so young, so good, and beautiful,' said Walter, 'so delicately brought up, and born to such a different fortune, should strive with the rough world! But we have seen the gulf that cuts off all behind her, though no one but herself can know how deep it is; and there is no return.
Captain Cuttle, without quite understanding this, greatly approved of it, and observed in a tone of strong corroboration, that the wind was quite abaft.
'She ought not to be alone here; ought she, Captain Cuttle?' said Walter, anxiously.
'Well, my lad,' replied the Captain, after a little sagacious consideration. 'I don't know. You being here to keep her company, you see, and you two being jintly - '
'Dear Captain Cuttle!' remonstrated Walter. 'I being here! Miss Dombey, in her guileless innocent heart, regards me as her adopted brother; but what would the guile and guilt of my heart be, if I pretended to believe that I had any right to approach her, familiarly, in that character - if I pretended to forget that I am bound, in honour, not to do it?'
'Wal'r, my lad,' hinted the Captain, with some revival of his discomfiture, 'ain't there no other character as - '
'Oh!' returned Walter, 'would you have me die in her esteem - in such esteem as hers - and put a veil between myself and her angel's face for ever, by taking advantage of her being here for refuge, so trusting and so unprotected, to endeavour to exalt myself into her lover? What do I say? There is no one in the world who would be more opposed to me if I could do so, than you.'
'Wal'r, my lad,' said the Captain, drooping more and more, 'prowiding as there is any just cause or impediment why two persons should not be jined together in the house of bondage, for which you'll overhaul the place and make a note, I hope I should declare it as promised and wowed in the banns. So there ain't no other character; ain't there, my lad?'
Walter briskly waved his hand in the negative.

“什麼，沃爾，”船長神色稍稍嚴肅起來，注視着他，說道，”從我失去這位通曉科學的人，老所爾?吉爾斯，你的舅舅的時候起，難道我不曾日日夜夜、眼巴巴地在盼望着他的消息嗎？難道我的心不曾感到沉重，難道我不是一直在等候着他和你嗎？難道我不論睡着還是醒着不都在堅守着我的崗位嗎？難道在海軍軍官候補生還是完好無恙的時候，我不曾認爲把它拋棄是卑鄙可恥的嗎？”
“是的，卡特爾船長，”沃爾特緊握着他的手，回答道，”我知道您是會這樣的。我也知道您所說的，所感覺的一切是多麼忠實與真摯。我對這深信不疑。我相信它就像我相信我的腳踩在這門口的臺階上或我又握住了這隻真誠的手一樣，這一點您不會懷疑吧，是不是？”
“不會，不會，沃爾，”船長臉上喜氣洋溢地回答道。
“我不再胡亂猜想了，”沃爾特熱烈地握着船長堅硬的手，說道，船長也同樣親切地握着他的手。”我只想補充一句：我要是動一動我舅舅的財產，老天爺都不允許！他所留在這裏的一切東西，將繼續由世界上最誠實的管家和最厚道的人照管。這個人不是別人，他就姓卡特爾。現在，我最好的朋友，讓我們談談--董貝小姐吧。”
沃爾特將要提到這四個字的時候，他的神態有些變化；當他把這四個字說出來的時候，他的信心與興致似乎完全離開他了。
“昨天晚上當我提到董貝小姐的父親的時候，她阻止了我，”沃爾特說道，”--您記得當時的情況吧？”
船長記得很清楚，所以點點頭。
“在這之前，我原來的想法是，”沃爾特說道，”我們必須履行一個艱難的職責，就是勸說她跟她的朋友們通信，並回到家裏去。”
船長用微弱的沒了一聲”等一等！”或”做好準備！”或在當時情況下同樣恰當的什麼話；可是由於他聽到沃爾特宣佈他的這個打算時心慌意亂，所以他的微弱極了，究竟他說了什麼話，用只能猜測罷了。
“可是，”沃爾特說道，”那已經過去了。我現在不再那麼想了。我寧肯重新待在那條遇難的船的碎片上（從我得救的時候起，我曾經多次在夢中在它上面漂流），我寧肯聽憑風吹浪打，隨波逐流，最後死去，也不願意她回去！”
“萬歲，我的孩子！”船長在難以抑制的稱心滿意的衝動下，大聲喊叫道，”萬歲！萬歲！萬歲！”
“只要想一想，她是那麼年輕，那麼善良，那麼漂亮，”沃爾特說道，”過去是那麼嬌生慣養，生來是準備接受另一種命運的，如今卻竟必須跟這殘酷無情的世界進行鬥爭！那條把她和她過去的一切完全切斷的鴻溝，雖然除了她本人之外，誰也不知道有多少深，可是我們已經看到它了。事態已經無法挽回。”
卡特爾船長不很明白這些話的含意，但卻表示十分贊同，並用深表同感的語氣說道，很順風。
“她不應當一個人留在這裏，是不是，卡特爾船長？”沃爾特焦急不安地問道。
“唔，我的孩子，”船長聰明地思索了一會兒之後，回答道，”這我不知道。你現在在這裏，可以陪伴她，而當你們兩人在一起的時候--”
“親愛的卡特爾船長！”沃爾特提出異議道。”我在這裏！董貝小姐在她純潔、天真的心中，是把我認做她的哥哥的；可是如果我自以爲我有權以這種身份放肆地接近她，如果我假裝已經忘記我在道義上決不應該那樣做的話，那麼我的心該是多麼的奸詐與有罪呢？”
“沃爾，我的孩子，”船長又露出有些心煩意亂的神色，暗示道，”難道就不能以任何別的身份了嗎？”
“啊！”沃爾特回答道，”她這麼信任、這麼沒有保護地到這裏來避難，如果我利用這種機會，死乞白賴地向她求愛，成爲她的情人的話，那麼您是不是想使她不再尊敬我（是她那樣的尊敬！），在我本人與她那天使般的臉孔中間永遠掛下一塊帷幕呢？我該怎麼說？如果我能那樣做的話，那麼世界上沒有什麼人能比您更嚴厲地責備我了！”
“沃爾，我的孩子，”船長愈來愈意氣消沉地說道，”如果有什麼正當的理由或障礙使兩個人不能在教堂裏結合的話--你可以翻翻書本，找到這句話的時候請做個記號--，我希望我能在結婚預告中通告這一點。這麼說，就沒有別的身份了嗎？難道就沒有了嗎，我的孩子？”
沃爾特敏捷地揮揮手，作了否定的回答。