狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第35章Part7

Florence related it, and everything belonging to it, even down to the friendship of Mr Toots, of whom she could hardly speak in her distress without a tearful smile, although she was deeply grateful to him. When she had concluded her account, to the whole of which Edith, holding her hand, listened with close attention, and when a silence had succeeded, Edith said:
'What is it that you know I have seen, Florence?'
'That I am not,' said Florence, with the same mute appeal, and the same quick concealment of her face as before, 'that I am not a favourite child, Mama. I never have been. I have never known how to be. I have missed the way, and had no one to show it to me. Oh, let me learn from you how to become dearer to Papa Teach me! you, who can so well!' and clinging closer to her, with some broken fervent words of gratitude and endearment, Florence, relieved of her sad secret, wept long, but not as painfully as of yore, within the encircling arms of her new mother.
Pale even to her lips, and with a face that strove for composure until its proud beauty was as fixed as death, Edith looked down upon the weeping girl, and once kissed her. Then gradually disengaging herself, and putting Florence away, she said, stately, and quiet as a marble image, and in a voice that deepened as she spoke, but had no other token of emotion in it:
'Florence, you do not know me! Heaven forbid that you should learn from me!'
'Not learn from you?' repeated Florence, in surprise.
'That I should teach you how to love, or be loved, Heaven forbid!' said Edith. 'If you could teach me, that were better; but it is too late. You are dear to me, Florence. I did not think that anything could ever be so dear to me, as you are in this little time.'
She saw that Florence would have spoken here, so checked her with her hand, and went on.
'I will be your true friend always. I will cherish you, as much, if not as well as anyone in this world could. You may trust in me - I know it and I say it, dear, - with the whole confidence even of your pure heart. There are hosts of women whom he might have married, better and truer in all other respects than I am, Florence; but there is not one who could come here, his wife, whose heart could beat with greater truth to you than mine does.'
'I know it, dear Mama!' cried Florence. 'From that first most happy day I have known it.'
'Most happy day!' Edith seemed to repeat the words involuntarily, and went on. 'Though the merit is not mine, for I thought little of you until I saw you, let the undeserved reward be mine in your trust and love. And in this - in this, Florence; on the first night of my taking up my abode here; I am led on as it is best I should be, to say it for the first and last time.'
Florence, without knowing why, felt almost afraid to hear her proceed, but kept her eyes riveted on the beautiful face so fixed upon her own.

弗洛倫斯敘述了這歷史以及有關的一切細節，甚至一直說到圖茨先生的友誼；在提到圖茨先生的時候，她儘管悲痛，卻還是不能不含着淚水微笑着，雖然她對他是深深感激的。伊迪絲握着她的手，非常留心地聽着她所說的一切；當她說完，接着又沉默了一會兒之後，伊迪絲問道：
“你知道我已經看到了什麼，弗洛倫斯？”
“我不是，”弗洛倫斯用同樣默默無聲的哀求，並像先前一樣迅速地把臉掩藏到她胸前，說道，”我不是我爸爸所寵愛的女兒，媽媽。我從來也不是。我從來不知道怎樣才能是。我迷失了道路，可是沒有一個人向我指點道路。啊，讓我向你學習怎樣能跟爸爸親近一些。教教我吧！你是十分懂得的！”弗洛倫斯向她貼得更近了一些，斷斷續續地用充滿了感激和親愛的熱烈語言，吐露了她傷心的祕密之後，長時間地哭泣着，不過在她新媽媽的懷抱之中不像過去那麼悲痛了。
伊迪絲甚至連嘴脣也發白了，臉孔做着勁，力求鎮靜，直到她那高傲的美貌像死去一般完全不動爲止；她向下看着哭泣的女孩子，吻了她一次。然後她逐漸從弗洛倫斯的懷抱中抽出身來，把弗洛倫斯推開一些，這時候，她莊嚴地，像大理石雕像一樣平靜地，用愈加深沉、但卻沒有露出其他激動跡象的，說道：
“弗洛倫斯，你不瞭解我！你說什麼要向我學習，這是老天爺所不容許的！”
“不向你學習？”弗洛倫斯驚奇地重複着說道。
“你說什麼我要教你怎樣去愛，或者怎樣成爲受寵愛的人，這是老天爺所不容許的！”伊迪絲說道，”如果你能教我的話，那倒更好一些；可是已經太晚了。你是我所喜愛的人，弗洛倫斯。我想不起有誰能像你這樣，在這麼短短的時間裏叫我這麼喜愛的。”
她看到弗洛倫斯這時想沒什麼，就做了個手勢，阻止她，繼續說下去：
“我將一直是你忠實的朋友。我將盡量愛護你，即使不像別人那麼愛護得好。你可以相信我--我知道這，親愛的，我也這麼說--，你可以用你純潔心靈的全部真誠相信我。他可以跟許許多多女人結婚，她們在其他方面比我更好，更忠心，弗洛倫斯；但是能到這裏來當他妻子的人，誰的心也不能像我這樣真誠地對待你。”
“我知道，親愛的媽媽！”弗洛倫斯喊道，”從那最幸福的一天起，我就知道了。”
“最幸福的一天！”伊迪絲似乎無意識地重複了這幾個字之後，繼續說下去。”雖然這並不是我的功勞，因爲我在見到你以前，很少想到你，可是就讓你的信任和愛作爲我無功而得的獎賞吧。你的信任和愛，弗洛倫斯。在我住到這裏來的第一個晚上，我想跟你談談這一點（這樣是最好的），這是第一次，也是最後一次。”
弗洛倫斯不知道爲什麼，感到幾乎害怕聽她說下去，但卻把眼睛一動不動地盯着那張凝視着她的美麗的臉孔。