狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第50章Part1
The Captain could be indueed by no persuasion of Walter's to wind up the big watch, or to take back the canister, or to touch the sugar-tongs and teaspoons. 'No, no, my lad;' was the Captain's invariable reply to any solicitation of the kind, 'I've made that there little property over, jintly.' These words he repeated with great unction and gravity, evidently believing that they had the virtue of an Act of Parliament, and that unless he committed himself by some new admission of ownership, no flaw could be found in such a form of conveyance.
It was an advantage of the new arrangement, that besides the greater seclusion it afforded Florence, it admitted of the Midshipman being restored to his usual post of observation, and also of the shop shutters being taken down. The latter ceremony, however little importance the unconscious Captain attached to it, was not wholly superfluous; for, on the previous day, so much excitement had been occasioned in the neighbourhood, by the shutters remaining unopened, that the Instrument-maker's house had been honoured with an unusual share of public observation, and had been intently stared at from the opposite side of the way, by groups of hungry gazers, at any time between sunrise and sunset. The idlers and vagabonds had been particularly interested in the Captain's fate; constantly grovelling in the mud to apply their eyes to the cellar-grating, under the shop-window, and delighting their imaginations with the fancy that they could see a piece of his coat as he hung in a corner; though this settlement of him was stoutly disputed by an opposite faction, who were of opinion that he lay murdered with a hammer, on the stairs. It was not without exciting some discontent, therefore, that the subject of these rumours was seen early in the morning standing at his shop-door as hale and hearty as if nothing had happened; and the beadle of that quarter, a man of an ambitious character, who had expected to have the distinction of being present at the breaking open of the door, and of giving evidence in full uniform before the coroner, went so far as to say to an opposite neighbour, that the chap in the glazed hat had better not try it on there - without more particularly mentioning what - and further, that he, the beadle, would keep his eye upon him.
'Captain Cuttle,' said Walter, musing, when they stood resting from their labours at the shop-door, looking down the old familiar street; it being still early in the morning; 'nothing at all of Uncle Sol, in all that time!'
'Nothing at all, my lad,' replied the Captain, shaking his head.
'Gone in search of me, dear, kind old man,' said Walter: 'yet never write to you! But why not? He says, in effect, in this packet that you gave me,' taking the paper from his pocket, which had been opened in the presence of the enlightened Bunsby, 'that if you never hear from him before opening it, you may believe him dead. Heaven forbid! But you would have heard of him, even if he were dead! Someone would have written, surely, by his desire, if he could not; and have said, "on such a day, there died in my house," or "under my care," or so forth, "Mr Solomon Gills of London, who left this last remembrance and this last request to you".'
The Captain, who had never climbed to such a clear height of probability before, was greatly impressed by the wide prospect it opened, and answered, with a thoughtful shake of his head, 'Well said, my lad; wery well said.'
'I have been thinking of this, or, at least,' said Walter, colouring, 'I have been thinking of one thing and another, all through a sleepless night, and I cannot believe, Captain Cuttle, but that my Uncle Sol (Lord bless him!) is alive, and will return. I don't so much wonder at his going away, because, leaving out of consideration that spice of the marvellous which was always in his character, and his great affection for me, before which every other consideration of his life became nothing, as no one ought to know so well as I who had the best of fathers in him,' - Walter's voice was indistinct and husky here, and he looked away, along the street, - 'leaving that out of consideration, I say, I have often read and heard of people who, having some near and dear relative, who was supposed to be shipwrecked at sea, have gone down to live on that part of the sea-shore where any tidings of the missing ship might be expected to arrive, though only an hour or two sooner than elsewhere, or have even gone upon her track to the place whither she was bound, as if their going would create intelligence. I think I should do such a thing myself, as soon as another, or sooner than many, perhaps. But why my Uncle shouldn't write to you, when he so clearly intended to do so, or how he should die abroad, and you not know it through some other hand, I cannot make out.'
Captain Cuttle observed, with a shake of his head, that Jack Bunsby himself hadn't made it out, and that he was a man as could give a pretty taut opinion too.
'If my Uncle had been a heedless young man, likely to be entrapped by jovial company to some drinking-place, where he was to be got rid of for the sake of what money he might have about him,' said Walter; 'or if he had been a reckless sailor, going ashore with two or three months' pay in his pocket, I could understand his disappearing, and leaving no trace behind. But, being what he was - and is, I hope - I can't believe it.'
'Wal'r, my lad,' inquired the Captain, wistfully eyeing him as he pondered and pondered, 'what do you make of it, then?'
'Captain Cuttle,' returned Walter, 'I don't know what to make of it. I suppose he never has written! There is no doubt about that?'
'If so be as Sol Gills wrote, my lad,' replied the Captain, argumentatively, 'where's his dispatch?'
'Say that he entrusted it to some private hand,' suggested Walter, 'and that it has been forgotten, or carelessly thrown aside, or lost. Even that is more probable to me, than the other event. In short, I not only cannot bear to contemplate that other event, Captain Cuttle, but I can't, and won't.' 'Hope, you see, Wal'r,' said the Captain, sagely, 'Hope. It's that as animates you. Hope is a buoy, for which you overhaul your Little Warbler, sentimental diwision, but Lord, my lad, like any other buoy, it only floats; it can't be steered nowhere. Along with the figure-head of Hope,' said the Captain, 'there's a anchor; but what's the good of my having a anchor, if I can't find no bottom to let it go in?'
Captain Cuttle said this rather in his character of a sagacious citizen and householder, bound to impart a morsel from his stores of wisdom to an inexperienced youth, than in his own proper person. Indeed, his face was quite luminous as he spoke, with new hope, caught from Walter; and he appropriately concluded by slapping him on the back; and saying, with enthusiasm, 'Hooroar, my lad! Indiwidually, I'm o' your opinion.' Walter, with his cheerful laugh, returned the salutation, and said:
'Only one word more about my Uncle at present' Captain Cuttle. I suppose it is impossible that he can have written in the ordinary course - by mail packet, or ship letter, you understand - '
'Ay, ay, my lad,' said the Captain approvingly.
And that you have missed the letter, anyhow?'
在木製海軍軍官候補生家中的頂樓裏有一個空房間，過去是沃爾特的臥室。沃爾特一清早喚醒船長之後，建議把最好的傢俱從小客廳搬到那裏去，把房間裝飾得儘量漂亮一些，使弗洛倫斯起牀以後就可以搬進去住。卡特爾船長搬得臉孔通紅，氣喘吁吁，但他覺得沒有什麼比這更使他愉快的了；用他自己的話來說，他是心甘情願這樣做的；兩三個小時以後，這個頂樓就被改造成一個陸地上的船艙，用小客廳裏最精美的物品裝飾着；其中甚至包括那幅韃靼人的快速帆船的畫，船長把它掛在壁爐架上方，高興極了；他離開它向後倒退，出神地讚賞它，在這之後的半個鐘頭內，其他什麼事也幹不了。
沃爾特不論怎麼勸說，也不能使船長去把他的大表的發條擰緊，取回茶葉罐或動一動方糖箝子和茶匙。”不，不，我的孩子，”船長對這類懇求總是始終不變地回答道，”這份小小的財產我已轉交給你們共同使用了。”他熱心地、認真地重複着這些話，顯然他相信它們具有議會法令一樣的效力；除非他自己重新承認他享有所有權，否則這種轉讓財產的形式是找不出什麼毛病來的。
這種新的安排有一個好處，就是除了使弗洛倫斯可以居住到更爲隱僻的地方外，還可以把海軍軍官候補生重新安置到他經常的觀察崗哨上去，而且店鋪裏的護窗板也可以拆下來了。心中毫無猜疑的船長對後一個措施不論多麼不重視，但它決不是完全多餘的，因爲前一天護窗板一直關閉着，這在鄰近的居民中引起了很大的鬨動；儀器製造商的住宅榮幸地受到了公衆異乎尋常的注意；從日出到日落，時時都有幾羣愛看熱鬧的人聚集在道路對面，密切注視着它。那些遊手好閒的人和無賴們對船長的命運特別感興趣，他們不時地趴在泥地上，通過店鋪窗子下面地窖的格柵往裏面探望，高興地想象着船長在一個角落裏上吊死了，他們可以看到他的外衣的一部分，可是另一夥人竭力反對對他的下落持這種看法，他們認爲他被人用錘子暗殺了，現正躺在樓梯上。因此，當他們看到這些謠傳的對象一清早站在店鋪門口，身體十分硬朗，彷彿什麼事情也沒有發生過的一樣，他們不免感到有些失望；這個區域的教區事務員是一位有野心的人，原先曾希望在把門強行砸開的時候他能光榮地在場，並穿上全套禮服到驗屍官前去作證，這時竟然對對面的鄰居說，這位戴着上了光的帽子的傢伙最好別開這樣的玩笑--他沒有具體說明是什麼玩笑--，還說他（教區事務員）要監視他。
“卡特爾船長，”當他們勞動之後，站在店鋪門口休息，眺望着熟悉的老街道的時候，沃爾特沉思地說道，”這些時候一直來就沒有聽到所爾舅舅的一點音訊嗎？”
“一點音訊也沒有，我的孩子，”船長搖搖頭，回答道。
“親愛的、仁慈的老人出去尋找我，”沃爾特說道，”然而卻沒有給您寫過一封信！可是爲什麼沒有寫呢？實際上，在您交給我的這個包裹裏的信中，”他從衣袋中掏出那頁當着聰明的邦斯貝的面拆開的信，”他說，如果當您打開它的時候，您聽不到他的絲毫音訊的話，那麼您可以相信他已死了。但願上帝阻止這樣的事情！但是即使他?確?實已經死了的話，那麼您也是會?聽?到他的音訊的！如果他自己不能寫的話，那麼也一定會有人按照他的願望寫信通知您：‘他已在某月某日死在我家裏，’或‘他在我的照料下死去’，等等，‘倫敦人所羅門?吉爾斯先生要求向您轉達他這個最後的問候和這個最後的請求’。”
船長以前從來沒有攀登上這樣開闊的可能性的高峯，現在對展現在他面前的寬廣的前景產生了深刻的印象；他若有所思地搖着頭，回答道，”說得好，我的孩子，說得很好。”
“在這難以入睡的夜裏，我一直在想着這件事情；不過，”沃爾特紅着臉，說道，”我也還想到其他一些事情；我不能不相信，卡特爾船長，我的所爾舅舅（願上帝保佑他！）還活着；他將會回來。他的出走我並不感到很奇怪，因爲，別提經常成爲他性格特點的那種不可思議的東西，也別提他對我深厚的感情--在這種深厚的感情前面，他對他生命的其他考慮都是不值一顧的；要知道，我從他那裏受到了世界上最好的父親纔會給予的關懷；沒有任何人能比我對這一點了解得更清楚的了。”--這時沃爾特的乾啞了，聽不清了，他把眼睛轉開，沿着街道望過去，”這一切都不去提了；我是說，我時常從書本中讀到和聽人說過，有些人有個什麼親近的親愛的親屬可能在海上遭遇到船隻失事，他們就遷居到海邊的那些地方去，以便能早聽到遇難船的消息，哪怕早聽一、兩個小時也好；他們或者甚至沿着航線走去，直到那條船的目的地爲止，彷彿他們的旅行會產生出消息來似的。我想，我自己也會做這種事情，做得比別人一樣快，也許比許多人還快一些。我的舅舅顯然打算這樣去做，可是這時候他爲什麼沒有寫信給您呢？再說，他怎麼能在外面死去，而您卻沒有從別的什麼人那裏瞭解到這一點呢--我實在不明白！”
卡特爾船長搖搖頭說，傑克?邦斯貝是一位能說出絕妙意見來的人，可是連他也不明白這一點。
“如果我的舅舅是一位粗心大意的年輕人的話，那麼他的那些快活的朋友可能會把他誘騙到一個什麼酒店裏，把他收拾掉，以便搶佔他身上的錢財；”沃爾特說道，”或者如果他是個冒冒失失的海員，口袋裏裝着兩、三個月的工資，跑上岸去，那麼我能明白他爲什麼銷聲匿跡的原因。可是他過去是那樣的一個人--我希望，他現在也仍然是那樣的一個人--，我就不能相信他會這樣毫無音訊地死去。”
“沃爾，我的孩子，”船長在思索着、思索着的時候、愁悶地凝視着他，問道，”那麼你是怎樣解釋這件事的呢？”
“卡特爾船長，”沃爾特回答道，”我不知道怎樣解釋這件事。我假定，他從來沒有給您寫過信！這沒有什麼可以懷疑的吧？”
“如果所爾?吉爾斯寫過的話，我的孩子，”船長爭辯地回答道，”那麼他的信在哪裏呢？”
“假定他把它託交給了什麼人，”沃爾特假設着，說道，”而它被遺忘了或者被隨便地扔在一旁，或者被丟失了。哪怕是這樣的猜想在我看來也要比其他情況更可能發生。總之，我不僅忍受不了去揣摩其他情況，而且不能，也不想去揣摩。””你知道，沃爾，這是希望，”船長像哲人一樣說道，”希望！是它鼓舞了你。希望是個救生圈--請翻一下你的《小鳴禽》這本書中的感傷篇，就可以找到這句話，可是老天爺，我的孩子，希望就像其他的救生圈一樣，只是漂浮在水面，而不能把它駕駛到哪裏去。除了希望之神這個船頭的雕塑外，還有錨，”船長繼續說道，”可是如果我找不到海底的一個地方可以把它拋下去，我有一個錨又有什麼好處呢？”
卡特爾船長的這些話與其說是以他本人獨特的身份說的，還不如說是以一位有才智的公民與戶主的身份，有責任把自己的點滴智慧傳授給沒有經驗的年輕人，所以才說出的。可是他在說話的時候，確實由於從沃爾特那裏獲得新的希望而容光煥發，他輕輕地拍拍他的背，懷着熱情，適當地結束他的話，說道，”萬歲，我的孩子！我本人贊成你的意見。”沃爾特用快樂的笑聲回答了他的歡呼，說道：
“關於舅舅，我只想再講一句話，卡特爾船長。我想，他通過通常的方式--通過郵局或郵船--來寫信是不可能的，您懂得這一點。”
“是的，是的，我的孩子，”船長贊同地說道。
“您把信丟失也是不可能的，是不是？”
