狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第37章Part2

'My dear love,' drawled Mrs Skewton, 'how very odd to send that message without seeing the name! Bring it here, Withers. Dear me, my love; Mr Carker, too! That very sensible person!'
'I am going out,' repeated Edith, in so imperious a tone that Withers, going to the door, imperiously informed the servant who was waiting, 'Mrs Dombey is going out. Get along with you,' and shut it on him.'
But the servant came back after a short absence, and whispered to Withers again, who once more, and not very willingly, presented himself before Mrs Dombey.
'If you please, Ma'am, Mr Carker sends his respectful compliments, and begs you would spare him one minute, if you could - for business, Ma'am, if you please.'
'Really, my love,' said Mrs Skewton in her mildest manner; for her daughter's face was threatening; 'if you would allow me to offer a word, I should recommend - '
'Show him this way,' said Edith. As Withers disappeared to execute the command, she added, frowning on her mother, 'As he comes at your recommendation, let him come to your room.'
'May I - shall I go away?' asked Florence, hurriedly.
Edith nodded yes, but on her way to the door Florence met the visitor coming in. With the same disagreeable mixture of familiarity and forbearance, with which he had first addressed her, he addressed her now in his softest manner - hoped she was quite well - needed not to ask, with such looks to anticipate the answer - had scarcely had the honour to know her, last night, she was so greatly changed - and held the door open for her to pass out; with a secret sense of power in her shrinking from him, that all the deference and politeness of his manner could not quite conceal.
He then bowed himself for a moment over Mrs Skewton's condescending hand, and lastly bowed to Edith. Coldly returning his salute without looking at him, and neither seating herself nor inviting him to be seated, she waited for him to speak.
Entrenched in her pride and power, and with all the obduracy of her spirit summoned about her, still her old conviction that she and her mother had been known by this man in their worst colours, from their first acquaintance; that every degradation she had suffered in her own eyes was as plain to him as to herself; that he read her life as though it were a vile book, and fluttered the leaves before her in slight looks and tones of voice which no one else could detect; weakened and undermined her. Proudly as she opposed herself to him, with her commanding face exacting his humility, her disdainful lip repulsing him, her bosom angry at his intrusion, and the dark lashes of her eyes sullenly veiling their light, that no ray of it might shine upon him - and submissively as he stood before her, with an entreating injured manner, but with complete submission to her will - she knew, in her own soul, that the cases were reversed, and that the triumph and superiority were his, and that he knew it full well.
'I have presumed,' said Mr Carker, 'to solicit an interview, and I have ventured to describe it as being one of business, because - '
'Perhaps you are charged by Mr Dombey with some message of reproof,' said Edit 'You possess Mr Dombey's confidence in such an unusual degree, Sir, that you would scarcely surprise me if that were your business.'
'I have no message to the lady who sheds a lustre upon his name,' said Mr Carker. 'But I entreat that lady, on my own behalf to be just to a very humble claimant for justice at her hands - a mere dependant of Mr Dombey's - which is a position of humility; and to reflect upon my perfect helplessness last night, and the impossibility of my avoiding the share that was forced upon me in a very painful occasion.'
'My dearest Edith,' hinted Cleopatra in a low voice, as she held her eye-glass aside, 'really very charming of Mr What's-his-name. And full of heart!'
'For I do,' said Mr Carker, appealing to Mrs Skewton with a look of grateful deference, - 'I do venture to call it a painful occasion, though merely because it was so to me, who had the misfortune to be present. So slight a difference, as between the principals - between those who love each other with disinterested devotion, and would make any sacrifice of self in such a cause - is nothing. As Mrs Skewton herself expressed, with so much truth and feeling last night, it is nothing.'
Edith could not look at him, but she said after a few moments,
'And your business, Sir - '
'Edith, my pet,' said Mrs Skewton, 'all this time Mr Carker is standing! My dear Mr Carker, take a seat, I beg.'

“我親愛的，”斯丘頓夫人慢聲慢氣地說道，”多奇怪，連名字不看一下就這樣回答出去！拿到這裏來，威瑟斯。天哪，我親愛的，你可知道，這是卡克先生！這位很明白事理的人！”
“我要出去，”伊迪絲重複說道。她的語氣是完全命令式的，所以威瑟斯走到門口，就命令式地對等待着的僕人說道，”董貝夫人要出去，走吧！”說完就當着他的面把門關上了。
可是那位僕人走後不一會兒又回來了，而且又湊着威瑟斯的耳朵低聲地說些話，威瑟斯不很願意地又一次走到董貝夫人面前。
“對不起，夫人，卡克先生向您致以敬意，並請求您，夫人，如果您願意的話，抽出一分鐘來跟他談點業務上的事情。”
“真的，我親愛的，”斯丘頓夫人看到她女兒的臉色陰沉難看，就用極爲溫和的聲調說道，”如果你允許我說一句話，那麼我想建議--”
“領他進來，”伊迪絲說道。當威瑟斯出去執行命令的時候，她皺着眉頭又對母親說道，”當他根據你的建議進來的時候，讓他到你的房間裏去。”
“我可以--我能走嗎？”弗洛倫斯急忙問道。
伊迪絲點頭同意，可是弗洛倫斯向門口走去的時候，卻遇見了這位進來的人。就跟第一次對她說話時那種既親暱又剋制的討厭態度一樣，他這時用他最曲意奉承的語氣對她說話，--說他希望她健康，--他不需要採用問的方式，而是仔細看看她的臉孔，等待着她的答覆--；又說她的變化多麼大，他昨天晚上幾乎不能榮幸地認出她來了，然後他用手按住門，使它開着，讓她出去；他暗暗地意識到有一種力量促使她急忙從他身邊避開；儘管他的態度恭恭敬敬，彬彬有禮，但卻不能完全掩蓋他的這一意識。
然後他鞠了個躬，吻了一下斯丘頓夫人客氣地向他伸出的手，最後向伊迪絲鞠了個躬。伊迪絲冷淡地回答了他的敬禮，沒有看他；她自己沒有坐下，也沒有請他坐下，而是等待着他說話。
雖然她有高傲與權力作爲依仗，並可以藉助於她那頑強不屈的精神，但她以往的一種確信卻破壞和削弱了她的力量。這個確信就是：從他們第一次相識以來，這個人瞭解她和她母親的最壞的本色；她所忍受的每一個屈辱，他都跟她本人一樣清楚；他觀察她的生活就像念一本內容卑劣的書一樣，用任何人也不能覺察到的輕視的眼光和聲調翻讀着書頁。雖然她高傲地站在他的對面，她的威嚴的臉孔逼迫着他順從，她的輕蔑的嘴脣排斥着他，她的胸脯上下起伏，對他的闖入感到憤怒，她的黑黑的眼睫毛很不高興地低垂下來，掩蔽了眼睛的亮光，沒有一道光落在他的身上，雖然他恭恭敬敬地站在她的面前，露出一副懇求的、委屈的姿態，然而卻完全服從她的意志--可是她在內心深處知道，實際的情況正好相反，勝利的優勢是屬於他的，他完全清楚地瞭解這一點。
“我冒味地請求跟您會晤，”卡克先生說道，”我還放肆地說，我是來跟您談一點業務上的事情，這是因爲--”
“也許董貝先生委託您轉達他的什麼責備吧，”伊迪絲說道，”您得到董貝先生的信任，已到了異乎尋常的程度，所以如果您認爲這是您的業務，並不會使我驚奇。”
“我沒有什麼口訊需要轉達給使他的姓增添光彩的夫人，”卡克先生說道，”可是我以我本人的名義請求這位夫人公正地對待她手下的一名卑賤的提出要求的人--董貝先生的一名普通的下屬，一個地位低微的人--，請求她考慮一下：昨天晚上我處於完全無能爲力的狀況，我當時被迫置身於一個很痛苦的場合，我想要避開是完全不可能的。”
“我最親愛的伊迪絲，”克利奧佩特拉把她的眼鏡放在一旁，低聲地暗示道，”這位叫什麼名字的先生確實很討人喜歡，他充滿了善良的心意！”
“我膽敢，”卡克先生用感激與尊敬的眼光向斯丘頓夫人看了一眼，繼續說道，”我膽敢稱這是個痛苦的場合，僅僅是因爲我當時不幸在場，所以對我來說是痛苦的。至於在兩位主人之間，在懷着無私的忠誠、相互熱愛、隨時準備爲此而犧牲自己的人們之間，發生一點這樣微小的爭執，那是根本算不了什麼的。就像斯丘頓夫人本人昨天夜間充滿感情、極爲真實地表達過的一樣，那根本算不了什麼。”
伊迪絲不能看他，但她在過了一會兒之後說道：
“您的業務呢，先生--”
“伊迪絲，我的寶貝，”斯丘頓夫人說道，”卡克先生一直在站着呢！我親愛的卡克先生，請坐吧。”