狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第37章Part4

'Pardon me, Madam,' he continued, 'if in my perplexity, I presume to take counsel with you, and to consult your pleasure. I think I have observed that you are greatly interested in Miss Florence?'
What was there in her he had not observed, and did not know? Humbled and yet maddened by the thought, in every new presentment of it, however faint, she pressed her teeth upon her quivering lip to force composure on it, and distantly inclined her head in reply.
'This interest, Madam - so touching an evidence of everything associated with Mr Dombey being dear to you - induces me to pause before I make him acquainted with these circumstances, which, as yet, he does not know. It so shakes me, if I may make the confession, in my allegiance, that on the intimation of the least desire to that effect from you, I would suppress them.'
Edith raised her head quickly, and starting back, bent her dark glance upon him. He met it with his blandest and most deferential smile, and went on.
'You say that as I describe them, they are perverted. I fear not - I fear not: but let us assume that they are. The uneasiness I have for some time felt on the subject, arises in this: that the mere circumstance of such association often repeated, on the part of Miss Florence, however innocently and confidingly, would be conclusive with Mr Dombey, already predisposed against her, and would lead him to take some step (I know he has occasionally contemplated it) of separation and alienation of her from his home. Madam, bear with me, and remember my intercourse with Mr Dombey, and my knowledge of him, and my reverence for him, almost from childhood, when I say that if he has a fault, it is a lofty stubbornness, rooted in that noble pride and sense of power which belong to him, and which we must all defer to; which is not assailable like the obstinacy of other characters; and which grows upon itself from day to day, and year to year.
She bent her glance upon him still; but, look as steadfast as she would, her haughty nostrils dilated, and her breath came somewhat deeper, and her lip would slightly curl, as he described that in his patron to which they must all bow down. He saw it; and though his expression did not change, she knew he saw it.
'Even so slight an incident as last night's,' he said, 'if I might refer to it once more, would serve to illustrate my meaning, better than a greater one. Dombey and Son know neither time, nor place, nor season, but bear them all down. But I rejoice in its occurrence, for it has opened the way for me to approach Mrs Dombey with this subject to-day, even if it has entailed upon me the penalty of her temporary displeasure. Madam, in the midst of my uneasiness and apprehension on this subject, I was summoned by Mr Dombey to Leamington. There I saw you. There I could not help knowing what relation you would shortly occupy towards him - to his enduring happiness and yours. There I resolved to await the time of your establishment at home here, and to do as I have now done. I have, at heart, no fear that I shall be wanting in my duty to Mr Dombey, if I bury what I know in your breast; for where there is but one heart and mind between two persons - as in such a marriage - one almost represents the other. I can acquit my conscience therefore, almost equally, by confidence, on such a theme, in you or him. For the reasons I have mentioned I would select you. May I aspire to the distinction of believing that my confidence is accepted, and that I am relieved from my responsibility?'
He long remembered the look she gave him - who could see it, and forget it? - and the struggle that ensued within her. At last she said:
'I accept it, Sir You will please to consider this matter at an end, and that it goes no farther.'
He bowed low, and rose. She rose too, and he took leave with all humility. But Withers, meeting him on the stairs, stood amazed at the beauty of his teeth, and at his brilliant smile; and as he rode away upon his white-legged horse, the people took him for a dentist, such was the dazzling show he made. The people took her, when she rode out in her carriage presently, for a great lady, as happy as she was rich and fine. But they had not seen her, just before, in her own room with no one by; and they had not heard her utterance of the three words, 'Oh Florence, Florence!'
Mrs Skewton, reposing on her sofa, and sipping her chocolate, had heard nothing but the low word business, for which she had a mortal aversion, insomuch that she had long banished it from her vocabulary, and had gone nigh, in a charming manner and with an immense amount of heart, to say nothing of soul, to ruin divers milliners and others in consequence. Therefore Mrs Skewton asked no questions, and showed no curiosity. Indeed, the peach-velvet bonnet gave her sufficient occupation out of doors; for being perched on the back of her head, and the day being rather windy, it was frantic to escape from Mrs Skewton's company, and would be coaxed into no sort of compromise. When the carriage was closed, and the wind shut out, the palsy played among the artificial roses again like an almshouse-full of superannuated zephyrs; and altogether Mrs Skewton had enough to do, and got on but indifferently.
She got on no better towards night; for when Mrs Dombey, in her dressing-room, had been dressed and waiting for her half an hour, and Mr Dombey, in the drawing-room, had paraded himself into a state of solemn fretfulness (they were all three going out to dinner), Flowers the Maid appeared with a pale face to Mrs Dombey, saying:
'If you please, Ma'am, I beg your pardon, but I can't do nothing with Missis!'
'What do you mean?' asked Edith.

“夫人，”他繼續說道，”在我感到十分爲難的情況下，如果我大膽地前來跟您商量，看看您是否高興的話，那麼我請您原諒我這樣做，我想，我已注意到，您對弗洛倫斯小姐極感興趣吧？”
她有哪一點他沒有注意到和不知道的呢？這個想法每次出現的時候，不論它是多麼微弱，都使她感到屈辱，同時卻又感到極爲憤怒；她牙齒緊咬着顫抖的嘴脣，竭力保持鎮靜，同時冷淡地點了一下頭，作爲回答。
“夫人，您的這個興趣令人感動地證明了一點：凡是跟董貝先生有關的一切，對您來說，都是寶貴的；您的這個興趣使我遲疑不決，沒有把那些具體情況告訴他，因此他至今還不知道它們。如果允許我坦白承認的話，那麼我應當說，您的這個興趣使我對他的忠誠發生了動搖；您哪怕只要稍稍暗示一下您的願望，我就會把這些事實向他瞞住不說的。”
伊迪絲迅速地擡起頭，吃驚地向後退縮，並把陰沉的眼光投射到他的身上。他用他最溫順、最恭敬的微笑回答了她的眼光，繼續說下去：
“您說我在敘述這些具體情況時歪曲了真相。恐怕不是這樣！可是讓我們假定確實如此吧。這個問題有時曾使我感到不安，這是由於以下情況引起的：弗洛倫斯小姐經常不斷地保持着那些聯繫，不論她是多麼天真和輕信，可是單就這一件事情來說，它對於本來就早已嫌惡她的董貝先生來說就具有決定性的意義，就會促使他採取步驟（我知道他有時已在考慮這一點），讓她離開這個家，跟她疏遠。夫人，請記得我幾乎從小孩子的時候起就跟董貝先生交往，我瞭解他，我尊敬他。請恕我直言，如果他有什麼缺點的話，那就是高傲的固執，這根源於他對屬於他的權力的高貴的自豪與意識，我們全都必須服從他的權力。他的固執跟其他人的固執不同，它是剛毅不屈的，它是一天又一天，一年又一年地成長起來的。”
她的眼光依舊沒有離開他；可是當他敘述到他們全都必須服從他的權力時，她的眼光儘量地堅定不移，她的傲慢的鼻孔張開來了，她的呼吸變得更加深沉，她的嘴脣稍稍地歪着。他看到了這些情形；雖然他的表情沒有改變，但她知道他已看到了。
“甚至像昨天夜間這樣無足輕重的小事（如果我可以再一次提到它的話），”他說道，”也可以比更重大的事情更好地闡明我的意思。董貝父子公司不知道時間、地點和季節，它把它們全部壓倒。但是發生了這件小事情使我感到高興，因爲它使我今天有可能跟董貝夫人談到這個問題，哪怕它必須使我遭到她暫時的不滿也罷。夫人，我就是在對這個問題感到極爲不安與憂慮的時候被董貝先生召喚到萊明頓去的。我在那裏見到了您。我在那裏無法不瞭解到您不久就要跟他結成什麼樣的關係，這種關係將會給他和您帶來持久的幸福。我在那裏作出決定，等您在這裏安下家以後再來做我現在已經做了的事情。如果我把我知道的事情向您吐露了，那麼我在心裏就不用擔心我對董貝先生沒有盡到我的責任了，因爲在這樣的婚姻中，兩人之間只有一顆心，一個靈魂，他們當中的一位幾乎就代表着另一位。因此，我把這個問題的真情向您或向他吐露，我幾乎可以同樣安心。由於我已提到過的理由，我願意選擇您。我是不是可以榮幸地相信：我所吐露的真情已被接受，我已盡到了我的責任了？”
他長久地記得她向他投來的眼光--誰看到這個眼光能忘記呢？--以及她隨後在內心所進行的鬥爭。最後，她說道：
“我接受它，先生。這件事情您到這裏就告一結束，不用再講什麼了。”
他深深地鞠了個躬，並站起身來。她也站起來，然後他畢恭畢敬地告辭了。但是威瑟斯在樓梯上遇見他，看見他漂亮的牙齒和喜氣洋洋的微笑時，驚愕地站住了；當他騎着白腿的馬離開時，路上的人們都以爲他是一位牙科醫生，因爲他顯露出的牙齒是多麼晃眼睛啊！當她不久之後乘着馬車出去遊逛的時候，路上的人們都把她看成是一位不僅富有、美麗而且又是幸福的貴婦人。但是他們沒有看到她剛纔一個人在自己房間裏時的情景，他們也沒有聽到她是怎樣喊着：”啊，弗洛倫斯，弗洛倫斯！”這幾個字的！
斯丘頓夫人躺在沙發上休息，並一點一點地喝着巧克力飲料，除了聽到”業務”這個粗俗的詞兒外，什麼也沒有聽進去。她對這個詞有一種不共戴天的嫌惡，早就把它從她的詞彙中驅除了，並因此用一種可愛的方式，並以大量善良的心意（就別提善良的心靈了）讓各種婦女服飾商和其他商人都陷於破產。因此，斯丘頓夫人沒有提任何問題，也沒有表示任何好奇心。說實在的，桃紅色的絲絨帽子在相當大的程度上佔去了她在戶外的注意力，因爲它被放在她的後腦殼上，而這天風很大。它發瘋似地想從斯丘頓夫人頭上逃走，不跟她在一起，不管怎麼哄它，它也絲毫不肯妥協。當把馬車門關上，風被擋在外面的時候，由於神經麻痹症引起的顫抖又開始像濟貧院中年邁的西風老人那樣，跟假玫瑰花鬧着玩兒；總之，斯丘頓夫人有不少事情要做，她對其他事情都漠不關心。
到了晚間她不見好轉。因爲董貝夫人在化妝室裏穿好衣服，已等了她半個小時；董貝先生在客廳裏踱着方步，變得神色陰沉嚴肅、煩躁不安（他們三人要出去吃晚飯）；這時，侍女弗勞爾斯臉色蒼白地走到董貝夫人跟前，說道：
“對不起，夫人，請您原諒，可是我對老夫人一點辦法也沒有！”
“您這是什麼意思？”伊迪絲問道。