狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第46章Part3

'Let him alone, will you, Misses Brown?' cried Rob, pushing away her hand. 'You're enough to drive a penitent cove mad!'
'Why, what hurt do I do him, child?' returned the old woman.
'Hurt?' said Rob. 'He's got a master that would find it out if he was touched with a straw.' And he blew upon the place where the old woman's hand had rested for a moment, and smoothed it gently with his finger, as if he seriously believed what he said.
The old woman looking back to mumble and mouth at her daughter, who followed, kept close to Rob's heels as he walked on with the bridle in his hand; and pursued the conversation.
'A good place, Rob, eh?' said she. 'You're in luck, my child.'
'Oh don't talk about luck, Misses Brown,' returned the wretched Grinder, facing round and stopping. 'If you'd never come, or if you'd go away, then indeed a cove might be considered tolerable lucky. Can't you go along, Misses Brown, and not foller me!' blubbered Rob, with sudden defiance. 'If the young woman's a friend of yours, why don't she take you away, instead of letting you make yourself so disgraceful!'
'What!' croaked the old woman, putting her face close to his, with a malevolent grin upon it that puckered up the loose skin down in her very throat. 'Do you deny your old chum! Have you lurked to my house fifty times, and slept sound in a corner when you had no other bed but the paving-stones, and do you talk to me like this! Have I bought and sold with you, and helped you in my way of business, schoolboy, sneak, and what not, and do you tell me to go along? Could I raise a crowd of old company about you to-morrow morning, that would follow you to ruin like copies of your own shadow, and do you turn on me with your bold looks! I'll go. Come, Alice.'
'Stop, Misses Brown!' cried the distracted Grinder. 'What are you doing of? Don't put yourself in a passion! Don't let her go, if you please. I haven't meant any offence. I said "how d'ye do," at first, didn't I? But you wouldn't answer. How you do? Besides,' said Rob piteously, 'look here! How can a cove stand talking in the street with his master's prad a wanting to be took to be rubbed down, and his master up to every individgle thing that happens!'
The old woman made a show of being partially appeased, but shook her head, and mouthed and muttered still.
'Come along to the stables, and have a glass of something that's good for you, Misses Brown, can't you?' said Rob, 'instead of going on, like that, which is no good to you, nor anybody else. Come along with her, will you be so kind?' said Rob. 'I'm sure I'm delighted to see her, if it wasn't for the horse!'
With this apology, Rob turned away, a rueful picture of despair, and walked his charge down a bye street' The old woman, mouthing at her daughter, followed close upon him. The daughter followed.
Turning into a silent little square or court-yard that had a great church tower rising above it, and a packer's warehouse, and a bottle-maker's warehouse, for its places of business, Rob the Grinder delivered the white-legged horse to the hostler of a quaint stable at the corner; and inviting Mrs Brown and her daughter to seat themselves upon a stone bench at the gate of that establishment, soon reappeared from a neighbouring public-house with a pewter measure and a glass.
'Here's master - Mr Carker, child!' said the old woman, slowly, as her sentiment before drinking. 'Lord bless him!'
'Why, I didn't tell you who he was,' observed Rob, with staring eyes.

“別去動他好不好，布朗太太？”羅布把她的手推開，大聲喊道，”您真要把一位悔過自新的年輕小夥子逼得發瘋了！”
“嘿，我傷害它什麼啦，孩子？”老太婆回答道。
“傷害？”羅布說道，”您就是用稻草碰它一下，它的主人也能發覺。”他把老太婆的手碰過的地方吹了吹，用手指輕輕地把它撫平，彷彿他當真相信他所說的話似的。
老太婆回頭望了望跟隨在後面的女兒，向她嘀咕了一句並歪歪嘴巴；當羅布手裏拿着繮繩繼續向前走去的時候，她緊緊跟在他的後面，繼續和他交談。
“你有了個好差使了，羅布，是不是？”她說道，”你走運了，我的孩子。”
“唉，別談走運了，布朗太太，”可憐的磨工左顧右盼，停住腳步，回答道，”如果您沒有遇見我，或者如果您走開的話，那麼，說實在的，一位年輕小夥子可以說是相當走運了。您離開我吧，布朗太太，別在我後面跟着！”羅布突然反抗地哇哇大哭起來，”如果那位年輕的女人是您的一位朋友的話，那麼她爲什麼不把您領開，而讓您這樣丟臉呢！”
“什麼！”老太婆用哭喪的說道，一邊把臉湊近他的臉，對它齜牙咧嘴地笑了笑，她脖子上鬆弛的皮膚都因而往下垂掛着了。”你竟翻臉不認你的老朋友了！過去當你除了石砌的道路，找不到別的牀鋪的時候，難道你不曾五十次偷偷地躲藏在我家裏，在角落裏呼呼大睡嗎？現在你竟居然這樣對我這樣說話！難道我過去不曾跟你一道去買賣，還幫助你這小學生偷偷地逃學，還有什麼我不曾做過的，而你現在竟居然叫我走開！難道我不能在明天早上把你過去的一羣夥伴召集起來，像你的許多影子一樣，跟隨着你，把你徹底搞垮嗎？你現在竟居然放肆無禮地看着我！我就走。艾麗斯，我們走吧！”
“站住，布朗太太！”心煩意亂的磨工喊道，”您這是幹什麼來着？您別生氣！請別讓她走。我完全不想冒犯您。我開頭的時候不是對您說過，‘您好嗎？’是不是？可是您不願意回答。您好嗎？還有一點，”羅布可憐巴巴地說道，”請聽我說！一位年輕小夥子需要把他主人的馬牽去洗刷乾淨，而他的主人又是個什麼丁點小事都能覺察出來的人，這時他怎麼能站在街上跟人講話呢？”
老太婆裝出稍稍息怒的樣子，但仍然搖着頭，歪着嘴巴，嘟囔着。
“跟我到馬廄去，喝一杯對您身體有益的東西，好不好，布朗太太？”羅布說道，”不要像現在這樣閒蕩着，那對您，對其他任何人都沒有好處。您肯不肯跟她一道跟我來？”羅布說道，”說真的，要不是有這匹馬的話，我真高興見到她！”
羅布這樣賠了禮之後，拐了一個彎，牽着馬沿着一條小街走去，這時他那神態真是一幅悲觀絕望的悲慘圖景。老太婆向她女兒歪歪嘴，緊緊跟在他後面。女兒隨後跟着。
他們轉進一個寂靜的小廣場，或者說得正確些，一個院子裏。一座雄偉的教堂鐘樓巍然聳立在這裏，還有一個包裝作坊的倉庫和一個酒瓶廠的倉庫也坐落在這裏。磨工羅布把那匹白腿的馬交給院子角落裏一所舊式馬廄的馬伕，請布朗太太和她的女兒坐在馬廄門口的石長凳上，不久他就從鄰近的酒吧裏出來，拿着一隻白鑞的酒壺和一隻酒杯。
“孩子，爲你的主人卡克先生的健康乾杯！”老太婆在喝酒之前慢吞吞地說出她的祝願。”天主保佑他！”
“怎麼！我以前沒跟您說過我的主人是誰啊？”羅布眼睛張得大大地說道。