狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第36章Part2

Now Mrs Dombey appeared, beautiful and proud, and as disdainful and defiant of them all as if the bridal wreath upon her head had been a garland of steel spikes put on to force concession from her which she would die sooner than yield. With her was Florence. When they entered together, the shadow of the night of the return again darkened Mr Dombey's face. But unobserved; for Florence did not venture to raise her eyes to his, and Edith's indifference was too supreme to take the least heed of him.
The arrivals quickly became numerous. More directors, chairmen of public companies, elderly ladies carrying burdens on their heads for full dress, Cousin Feenix, Major Bagstock, friends of Mrs Skewton, with the same bright bloom on their complexion, and very precious necklaces on very withered necks. Among these, a young lady of sixty-five, remarkably coolly dressed as to her back and shoulders, who spoke with an engaging lisp, and whose eyelids wouldn't keep up well, without a great deal of trouble on her part, and whose manners had that indefinable charm which so frequently attaches to the giddiness of youth. As the greater part of Mr Dombey's list were disposed to be taciturn, and the greater part of Mrs Dombey's list were disposed to be talkative, and there was no sympathy between them, Mrs Dombey's list, by magnetic agreement, entered into a bond of union against Mr Dombey's list, who, wandering about the rooms in a desolate manner, or seeking refuge in corners, entangled themselves with company coming in, and became barricaded behind sofas, and had doors opened smartly from without against their heads, and underwent every sort of discomfiture.
When dinner was announced, Mr Dombey took down an old lady like a crimson velvet pincushion stuffed with bank notes, who might have been the identical old lady of Threadneedle Street, she was so rich, and looked so unaccommodating; Cousin Feenix took down Mrs Dombey; Major Bagstock took down Mrs Skewton; the young thing with the shoulders was bestowed, as an extinguisher, upon the East India Director; and the remaining ladies were left on view in the drawing-room by the remaining gentlemen, until a forlorn hope volunteered to conduct them downstairs, and those brave spirits with their captives blocked up the dining-room door, shutting out seven mild men in the stony-hearted hall. When all the rest were got in and were seated, one of these mild men still appeared, in smiling confusion, totally destitute and unprovided for, and, escorted by the butler, made the complete circuit of the table twice before his chair could be found, which it finally was, on Mrs Dombey's left hand; after which the mild man never held up his head again.
Now, the spacious dining-room, with the company seated round the glittering table, busy with their glittering spoons, and knives and forks, and plates, might have been taken for a grown-up exposition of Tom Tiddler's ground, where children pick up gold and silver.' Mr Dombey, as Tiddler, looked his character to admiration; and the long plateau of precious metal frosted, separating him from Mrs Dombey, whereon frosted Cupids offered scentless flowers to each of them, was allegorical to see.
Cousin Feenix was in great force, and looked astonishingly young. But he was sometimes thoughtless in his good humour - his memory occasionally wandering like his legs - and on this occasion caused the company to shudder. It happened thus. The young lady with the back, who regarded Cousin Feenix with sentiments of tenderness, had entrapped the East India Director into leading her to the chair next him; in return for which good office, she immediately abandoned the Director, who, being shaded on the other side by a gloomy black velvet hat surmounting a bony and speechless female with a fan, yielded to a depression of spirits and withdrew into himself. Cousin Feenix and the young lady were very lively and humorous, and the young lady laughed so much at something Cousin Feenix related to her, that Major Bagstock begged leave to inquire on behalf of Mrs Skewton (they were sitting opposite, a little lower down), whether that might not be considered public property.
'Why, upon my life,' said Cousin Feenix, 'there's nothing in it; it really is not worth repeating: in point of fact, it's merely an anecdote of Jack Adams. I dare say my friend Dombey;' for the general attention was concentrated on Cousin Feenix; 'may remember Jack Adams, Jack Adams, not Joe; that was his brother. Jack - little Jack - man with a cast in his eye, and slight impediment in his speech - man who sat for somebody's borough. We used to call him in my parliamentary time W. P. Adams, in consequence of his being Warming Pan for a young fellow who was in his minority. Perhaps my friend Dombey may have known the man?'
Mr Dombey, who was as likely to have known Guy Fawkes, replied in the negative. But one of the seven mild men unexpectedly leaped into distinction, by saying he had known him, and adding - 'always wore Hessian boots!'

這時董貝夫人來到了，姿容美麗，神態高傲；她目空一切，蔑視他們所有的人，彷彿她頭上新娘的花冠是鋼針穿成的圓環，戴在她頭上的目的是爲了要逼迫她讓步，而她卻寧肯死去也不肯屈服。和她在一起的是弗洛倫斯。當她們一道走進來的時候，董貝先生臉上又籠罩上一層跟他回家來那天晚上同樣的陰影，但是沒有被人察覺，因爲弗洛倫斯不敢擡起眼睛去看他，伊迪絲則冷淡到了無以復加的地步，根本就不會去注意他。
來到的客人很快地增加了好多。又有一些公司的董事、總經理，還有穿着盛裝、頭上戴着沉甸甸的節慶飾物的老夫人們，菲尼克斯表哥，白格斯托克少校，以及斯丘頓夫人的朋友們。斯丘頓夫人的朋友們跟她一樣，臉上塗得鮮紅、十分枯瘦的脖子上戴着貴重的項鍊。在這當中，有一位六十五歲，但打扮得十分年輕的夫人，衣服穿得驚人的單薄，背和肩膀大部分裸露在外面；她說話的時候，吐字不清，吸引了人們的注意；她的眼皮需要她費很大的勁才能支撐起來；她的舉止中具有一種難以形容的魅力，那是在輕浮的年輕人身上才時常可以看到的。由於董貝先生名單上的大部分客人沉默寡言，董貝夫人名單上的大部分客人則喜愛說話，他們相互之間不存在相同的地方，所以董貝夫人名單上的客人由於磁性一致的作用，就結成同盟，反對董貝先生名單上的客人。董貝先生名單上的客人們孤孤單單地在房間裏走來走去，或者爲了躲藏在角落裏，就跟新進來的人相互碰撞，或者隱蔽在沙發後面，成了行路的障礙，當門猛地一下從外面向裏推開的時候，他們的頭就被門碰上，並遭受種種不快。
當僕人前來通報宴席已經擺好了的時候，董貝先生攙扶着一位老夫人下餐廳去，這位老夫人很像是一個塞滿了鈔票的、深紅色的絲絨的針插，她可能真的就是針線街的老太太，因爲她是那麼有錢，看上去又那麼不肯通融；菲尼克斯表哥攙扶着董貝夫人；白格斯托克少校攙扶着斯丘頓夫人；袒露着肩膀、打扮得十分年輕的夫人，作爲使其他女士們相形見絀的佼佼者，賞給了東印度公司的董事，其餘的夫人們留在客廳裏被其餘的先生們觀賞，直到一些敢於冒險的勇士們自告奮勇，把她們護送下去爲止；這些勇士們和他們的俘虜們把餐廳的門口堵塞得水泄不通，有位懦怯的男子就被阻留在冷酷無情的門廳中。當所有的人都已進去就座的時候，這些懦怯的客人當中還有一位發窘地露着笑容，依舊束手無策，沒有得到安排，直到後來，在男管家的陪同下，繞着桌子整整轉了兩圈，才找到了他的座位；最後發現，他的座位是在董貝夫人的左手；這位懦怯的客人入座之後，就再也沒有擡起頭來過。
客人們圍坐在閃閃發光的餐桌四周，忙碌不停地使用着閃閃發光的匙子、刀叉、盤子。這時候，這寬闊的餐廳可以看作是孩子們撿拾金銀的湯姆?蒂德勒地段的放大的場景。董貝先生美滿地扮演了蒂德勒的角色。把他跟董貝夫人隔開的貴金屬雕花托盤，上面畫着有着霜狀表面的丘比德向他們兩人遞送去沒有香氣的花朵，使人看了覺得含有諷喻的意味。
菲尼克斯表哥精神飽滿，情緒活躍，看上去驚人的年輕。可是他在興高采烈的時候，有時說話缺乏考慮--他的腦子跟他的腿一樣，有時不聽指揮，偏離了正道--，這天晚上他竟使得參加宴會的人們打了個冷戰。情況是這樣發生的：那位後背袒露、打扮得很年輕的夫人對菲尼克斯表哥脈脈含情，於是耍了個圈套，讓東印度公司的董事陪送她到挨近菲尼克斯表哥的座位上；她一入座之後，立即把董事撇在一旁，作爲對他忠誠效勞的報答。董事的另一旁是一位皮包骨頭、默默無言、拿着一把扇子的女士，她戴的一頂陰沉的黑絲絨的帽子擋着他的蔭，他就只好垂頭喪氣，孤零零地坐在那裏。菲尼克斯表哥和打扮得很年輕的夫人興致勃勃，談笑風生；打扮得很年輕的夫人聽了菲尼克斯表哥跟她講的一個什麼故事，揚聲大笑，白格斯托克少校就代表斯丘頓夫人（他們在挨近桌子的另一端，對面坐着）請求允許他問一下，是不是可以把這故事講出來，讓大家都來欣賞欣賞。
“啊，以我的生命發誓，”菲尼克斯表哥說道，”這沒有什麼特別的東西，它確實不值得再說一遍，事實上這只不過是傑克?亞當斯的一段軼事。我想，我的朋友董貝（因爲這時在座的人注意力都集中在菲尼克斯表哥身上）可能記得傑克?亞當斯，是傑克?亞當斯，不是喬--喬是他的哥哥。傑克--小杰克--眼睛有點斜視，說話有點結巴--，他是代表一個有議員選舉權的城市的。我當下院議員的時候，我們都管他叫暖牀器亞當斯，因爲他曾經當過一個年輕人未成年前的就職代理人，也許我的朋友董貝知道這個人吧。”
董貝先生只可能知道蓋伊?福克斯，所以作了否定的答覆。可是出人意料之外，那七個懦怯的客人當中的一位引人注目地說道，他認識他，還補充說，”他經常穿黑森士兵的長靴！”