狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第46章Part7

'I wonder,' said the Manager, 'that you can come and go, without inquiring how our master is'.
'We had word this morning in the Counting House, that Mr Dombey was doing well,' replied his brother.
'You are such a meek fellow,' said the Manager, with a smile, - 'but you have grown so, in the course of years - that if any harm came to him, you'd be miserable, I dare swear now.'
'I should be truly sorry, James,' returned the other.
'He would be sorry!' said the Manager, pointing at him, as if there were some other person present to whom he was appealing. 'He would be truly sorry! This brother of mine! This junior of the place, this slighted piece of lumber, pushed aside with his face to the wall, like a rotten picture, and left so, for Heaven knows how many years he's all gratitude and respect, and devotion too, he would have me believe!'
'I would have you believe nothing, James,' returned the other. 'Be as just to me as you would to any other man below you. You ask a question, and I answer it.'
'And have you nothing, Spaniel,' said the Manager, with unusual irascibility, 'to complain of in him? No proud treatment to resent, no insolence, no foolery of state, no exaction of any sort! What the devil! are you man or mouse?'
'It would be strange if any two persons could be together for so many years, especially as superior and inferior, without each having something to complain of in the other - as he thought, at all events, replied John Carker. 'But apart from my history here - '
'His history here!' exclaimed the Manager. 'Why, there it is. The very fact that makes him an extreme case, puts him out of the whole chapter! Well?'
'Apart from that, which, as you hint, gives me a reason to be thankful that I alone (happily for all the rest) possess, surely there is no one in the House who would not say and feel at least as much. You do not think that anybody here would be indifferent to a mischance or misfortune happening to the head of the House, or anything than truly sorry for it?'
'You have good reason to be bound to him too!' said the Manager, contemptuously. 'Why, don't you believe that you are kept here, as a cheap example, and a famous instance of the clemency of Dombey and Son, redounding to the credit of the illustrious House?'
'No,' replied his brother, mildly, 'I have long believed that I am kept here for more kind and disinterested reasons.
'But you were going,' said the Manager, with the snarl of a tiger-cat, 'to recite some Christian precept, I observed.'
'Nay, James,' returned the other, 'though the tie of brotherhood between us has been long broken and thrown away - '
'Who broke it, good Sir?' said the Manager.
'I, by my misconduct. I do not charge it upon you.'

“我感到奇怪，”經理說道，”你來來去去，連我們主人的健康情況怎麼樣也可以不問一問。”
“今天早上我們在辦公室裏聽說，董貝先生的身體恢復得不錯，”他的哥哥回答道。
“你是這樣一位卑躬屈節的人，”經理微笑了一下，說道，--”不過，在這些歲月中你已變成了這樣子--，我現在敢發誓說，如果他遭到什麼災禍的話，那麼你是會感到悲傷的。”
“我一定會真正感到難過，詹姆斯，”那一位回答道。
“他會感到難過！”經理指着他說道，彷彿他正在向這裏另一個人求助似的。”他會真正感到難過！我的這位哥哥！這位這裏的小職員，這塊誰也看不起的廢物，他被人們推在一旁，臉朝着牆壁，就像是一張拙劣的圖畫一樣！他就一直是這樣，天知道過了多少年；可是他對他卻非常感激、尊敬與忠誠，而且想要我相信這一點！”
“我什麼也不想要你相信，詹姆士，”另一位回答道。”請像對待你的其他任何下屬那樣公正地對待我吧。你向我提了一個問題，我只不過回答它罷了。”
“你這條搖尾乞憐的狗，對他就沒有什麼抱怨的嗎？”經理以尋常少見的易怒的脾氣，說道，”難道就沒有盛氣凌人的態度、蠻橫無禮的行爲、愚笨無知的狀態、吹毛求疵的挑剔，使你怨恨的嗎？見你的鬼！你是人還是耗子？”
“任何兩個人，特別是上級和下級，如果相處這麼多年，彼此沒有一點怨言，這倒是奇怪的--不管怎麼樣，他是這麼想的，”約翰?卡克回答道，”不過，撇開我的歷史不提--”
“他的歷史！”經理高聲喊道，”哦，確有這麼回事。這件事實本身使他成了一種特殊情況，因此就可以把他的一切全都一筆勾銷！唔，往下講吧。”
“我的這段歷史，正像你所暗示的，使我具有獨特的理由對他懷着感激的心情（其他的人很幸運，沒有像我這樣的理由），可是把這段歷史撇開不提，公司裏也確實沒有一個人不是這樣說和這樣感覺的。難道你不認爲這裏有什麼人對公司老闆遭遇的不幸或災禍會漠不關心或會對這不真正感到難過的嗎？”
“當然，你有充分的理由對他感恩戴德！”經理輕蔑地說道。”唷，難道你不相信，把你留在這裏是作爲一個廉價的實例和著名的證據，說明董貝父子公司待人處事寬厚，因而有助於擡高這個大名鼎鼎的公司的美好聲望嗎？”
“我不相信，”他的哥哥溫和地回答道，”很久以來我一直相信，是由於更爲仁慈和無私的理由才把我留下來的。”
“我看你好像要背誦一段基督的什麼訓誡吧，”經理像山貓般咆哮道。
“不是，詹姆士，”另一位回答道，”雖然我們之間兄弟情誼的紐帶早已斷裂，並已被拋棄了--”
“誰斷裂的，親愛的先生？”經理問道。
“我，由於我的行爲不正。我不把過失推到你身上。”