狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第44章Part7

'Susan, who is an old friend of mine, the oldest friend I have,' said Florence, 'is about to leave here suddenly, and quite alone, poor girl. She is going home, a little way into the country. Might I ask you to take care of her until she is in the coach?'
'Miss Dombey,' returned Mr Toots, 'you really do me an honour and a kindness. This proof of your confidence, after the manner in which I was Beast enough to conduct myself at Brighton - '
'Yes,' said Florence, hurriedly - 'no - don't think of that. Then would you have the kindness to - to go? and to be ready to meet her when she comes out? Thank you a thousand times! You ease my mind so much. She doesn't seem so desolate. You cannot think how grateful I feel to you, or what a good friend I am sure you are!' and Florence in her earnestness thanked him again and again; and Mr Toots, in his earnestness, hurried away - but backwards, that he might lose no glimpse of her.
Florence had not the courage to go out, when she saw poor Susan in the hall, with Mrs Pipchin driving her forth, and Diogenes jumping about her, and terrifying Mrs Pipchin to the last degree by making snaps at her bombazeen skirts, and howling with anguish at the sound of her voice - for the good duenna was the dearest and most cherished aversion of his breast. But she saw Susan shake hands with the servants all round, and turn once to look at her old home; and she saw Diogenes bound out after the cab, and want to follow it, and testify an impossibility of conviction that he had no longer any property in the fare; and the door was shut, and the hurry over, and her tears flowed fast for the loss of an old friend, whom no one could replace. No one. No one.
Mr Toots, like the leal and trusty soul he was, stopped the cabriolet in a twinkling, and told Susan Nipper of his commission, at which she cried more than before.
'Upon my soul and body!' said Mr Toots, taking his seat beside her. 'I feel for you. Upon my word and honour I think you can hardly know your own feelings better than I imagine them. I can conceive nothing more dreadful than to have to leave Miss Dombey.'
Susan abandoned herself to her grief now, and it really was touching to see her.
'I say,' said Mr Toots, 'now, don't! at least I mean now do, you know!'

“蘇珊是我的一位老朋友，是與我相識最久的一位老朋友；她突然要離開這裏了，而且是孤零零一個人離開，可憐的女孩子。她回到鄉下的家裏去。我是不是可以勞駕您照顧她一下，把她送上驛車？”
“董貝小姐，”圖茨先生回答道，”您確實使我感到榮幸，這也是您對我的厚道。這證明您信任我，雖然在這之前我在布賴頓的行爲真是十足像個畜牲--”
“是的，”弗洛倫斯急忙打斷他，說道，”不--別去想那件事吧。這麼說，您肯費神去--走一走？並且當她走出門的時候，您去迎接她？謝您一千次！您使我寬心不少。她將不會覺得自己很孤獨淒涼了。您不知道我是多麼感謝您，我把您看作是一位多麼好的朋友！”弗洛倫斯懷着一片真心誠意，一次又一次地感謝他，圖茨先生也懷着他的一片真心誠意，急忙離開了--不過是向後退着走的，爲的是一眼也不離開她，直到看不見爲止。
弗洛倫斯看見可憐的蘇珊在前廳裏，皮普欽太太把她驅趕到那裏；戴奧吉尼斯在她身邊跳躍着，並竭盡全力威嚇着皮普欽太太；他向她的邦巴辛毛葛裙子猛撲過去，而且一聽到她的就痛苦地嗥叫着，因爲這位可敬的老媼引起他胸中極大的、深切的嫌惡；這時候弗洛倫斯沒有勇氣走出去。但是她看着蘇珊和周圍的僕人們一一握手，向她這個居住多年的老家環視了一次；她還看到戴奧吉尼斯跳出去追趕馬車，想跟着它跑；他怎麼也不能理解，他對馬車裏的那位女乘客不再擁有任何親近的權利了。接着，公館的門關上了，剛纔的忙亂過去了，弗洛倫斯的眼淚簌簌地流下，她爲失去老朋友而哭泣着，這位老朋友是誰也不能代替的。誰也不能。誰也不能。
圖茨先生是一位忠實可靠的人，他在轉瞬之間就攔住這輛單馬篷車，對蘇珊?尼珀說明了他所受託的任務。蘇珊聽到以後，比剛纔更大聲地哭了起來。
“以我的靈魂和身體發誓，”圖茨先生在她身旁坐下，說道，”我同情您！說實話，並以我的榮譽發誓，您對您自己的感情還不比我瞭解得更清楚。我不能想象，有什麼事能比離開董貝小姐更可怕的了。”
蘇珊這時縱情痛哭，看到她那悲傷的情景真是令人感動。
“我說，”圖茨先生說道，”別這樣！您知道，至少我知道現在該怎麼辦！”