狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第39章Part3

'My lad,' returned the Captain, moved to compassion, 'if you're in arnest -
'Captain Gills,' cried Mr Toots, 'I'm in such a state of mind, and am so dreadfully in earnest, that if I could swear to it upon a hot piece of iron, or a live coal, or melted lead, or burning sealing-wax, Or anything of that sort, I should be glad to hurt myself, as a relief to my feelings.' And Mr Toots looked hurriedly about the room, as if for some sufficiently painful means of accomplishing his dread purpose.
The Captain pushed his glazed hat back upon his head, stroked his face down with his heavy hand - making his nose more mottled in the process - and planting himself before Mr Toots, and hooking him by the lapel of his coat, addressed him in these words, while Mr Toots looked up into his face, with much attention and some wonder.
'If you're in arnest, you see, my lad,' said the Captain, 'you're a object of clemency, and clemency is the brightest jewel in the crown of a Briton's head, for which you'll overhaul the constitution as laid down in Rule Britannia, and, when found, that is the charter as them garden angels was a singing of, so many times over. Stand by! This here proposal o' you'rn takes me a little aback. And why? Because I holds my own only, you understand, in these here waters, and haven't got no consort, and may be don't wish for none. Steady! You hailed me first, along of a certain young lady, as you was chartered by. Now if you and me is to keep one another's company at all, that there young creetur's name must never be named nor referred to. I don't know what harm mayn't have been done by naming of it too free, afore now, and thereby I brings up short. D'ye make me out pretty clear, brother?'
'Well, you'll excuse me, Captain Gills,' replied Mr Toots, 'if I don't quite follow you sometimes. But upon my word I - it's a hard thing, Captain Gills, not to be able to mention Miss Dombey. I really have got such a dreadful load here!' - Mr Toots pathetically touched his shirt-front with both hands - 'that I feel night and day, exactly as if somebody was sitting upon me.
'Them,' said the Captain, 'is the terms I offer. If they're hard upon you, brother, as mayhap they are, give 'em a wide berth, sheer off, and part company cheerily!'
'Captain Gills,' returned Mr Toots, 'I hardly know how it is, but after what you told me when I came here, for the first time, I - I feel that I'd rather think about Miss Dombey in your society than talk about her in almost anybody else's. Therefore, Captain Gills, if you'll give me the pleasure of your acquaintance, I shall be very happy to accept it on your own conditions. I wish to be honourable, Captain Gills,' said Mr Toots, holding back his extended hand for a moment, 'and therefore I am obliged to say that I can not help thinking about Miss Dombey. It's impossible for me to make a promise not to think about her.'
'My lad,' said the Captain, whose opinion of Mr Toots was much improved by this candid avowal, 'a man's thoughts is like the winds, and nobody can't answer for 'em for certain, any length of time together. Is it a treaty as to words?'
'As to words, Captain Gills,' returned Mr Toots, 'I think I can bind myself.'

“我的孩子，”船長被他感動了，產生了憐憫心，因此回答道，”如果您是真心實意的話--”
“吉爾斯船長，”圖茨先生喊道，”我現在處於這樣一種心情，我死心塌地、真心實意到了這樣一種地步，如果我能在一塊熾熱的鐵塊上，或者在一塊火紅的煤塊上，或者在熔化的鉛上，或者在燃燒的封蠟上，或者在任何這一類東西上發誓的話，那麼我將高興燒傷我自己，這樣我的感情就可以得到寬慰了，”圖茨先生急忙往房間四處張望，彷彿想要找到一種足夠痛苦的手段，來達到他那可怕的目的似的。
船長把他那頂上了光的帽子推向腦後，用沉重的手敲打着臉孔，使它低垂下去--這使他的鼻子顯出更多的顏色來了--，然後在圖茨先生面前站住，用鉤子鉤住他的上衣翻領，對他說了以下的一些話；這時候圖茨先生十分注意地，並帶着幾分驚奇地仰望着他的臉孔。
“您知道，我的孩子，”船長說道，”如果您是真心實意的話，那麼我就應當仁慈地對待您，而仁慈是不列顛人頭上所戴花冠中最明亮的寶石；請您閱讀一下英國的愛國國歌中闡述的憲法，當您找到的時候，那就是守護天使許多次爲它歌唱的憲章。做好準備！您向我提出的建議使我大吃一驚。爲什麼這樣？因爲您明白，我像一條船一樣，獨自停留在這裏的海面上，沒有別的僚艇，也許我也不需要它們。彆着急！您第一次是由於一位小姐的緣故來跟我打招呼的，是她准許您來的。現在，如果您真想要跟我交朋友的話，那麼我們就決不應該在這裏稱呼或提到這位小姐的名字。在這之前，由於稱呼她的名字太隨便了，我不知道曾經招來多少不幸，因此我現在閉口不談她。老弟，您明白我的意思了嗎？”
“唔，吉爾斯先生，”圖茨先生回答道，”如果我有時聽不太懂您的話，請您原諒我。不過，說實話，吉爾斯船長，要我不能提到董貝小姐，這是很爲難的事。我這裏確實有着一份十分可怕的負擔！”圖茨先生用兩隻手摸着襯衫的胸口，”我日日夜夜都感覺到它，彷彿有什麼人坐在我身上似的。”
“這就是我所提的條件，”船長說道，”老弟，如果這對於您過於苛刻的話--可能是這樣的--，那麼就請離開得遠遠地，改換一條航道，我們高高興興地分手吧！”
“吉爾斯船長，”圖茨先生回答道，”我真不知道這是怎麼回事，不過自從我第一次上您這裏，您跟我談過那些話之後，我--我覺得我跟您在一起的時候想着董貝小姐，比跟其他任何人在一起的時候談到她還愉快。所以，吉爾斯船長，如果您肯答應我跟您交朋友的話，那麼我將十分樂意遵守您所提出的條件。我願意做一位正直的人，吉爾斯船長，”圖茨先生把伸出的手又縮回來一會兒，說道，”因此，我不得不說明，我不能不想到董貝小姐。要我答應不想到她，這是不可能的。”
“我的孩子，”船長說道，由於圖茨先生這樣坦率的發誓，船長對他的看法比先前好多了，”人的思想像風一樣，任何人都不能在任何時候給它們擔保。不過在講話方面，我們是不是就這樣約定了。”
“說到講話方面，吉爾斯船長，”圖茨先生回答道，”我想我是能約束自己的。”