狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第35章Part1

The dark blot on the street is gone. Mr Dombey's mansion, if it be a gap among the other houses any longer, is only so because it is not to be vied with in its brightness, and haughtily casts them off. The saying is, that home is home, be it never so homely. If it hold good in the opposite contingency, and home is home be it never so stately, what an altar to the Household Gods is raised up here!
Lights are sparkling in the windows this evening, and the ruddy glow of fires is warm and bright upon the hangings and soft carpets, and the dinner waits to be served, and the dinner-table is handsomely set forth, though only for four persons, and the side board is cumbrous with plate. It is the first time that the house has been arranged for occupation since its late changes, and the happy pair are looked for every minute.
Only second to the wedding morning, in the interest and expectation it engenders among the household, is this evening of the coming home. Mrs Perch is in the kitchen taking tea; and has made the tour of the establishment, and priced the silks and damasks by the yard, and exhausted every interjection in the dictionary and out of it expressive of admiration and wonder. The upholsterer's foreman, who has left his hat, with a pocket-handkerchief in it, both smelling strongly of varnish, under a chair in the hall, lurks about the house, gazing upwards at the cornices, and downward at the carpets, and occasionally, in a silent transport of enjoyment, taking a rule out of his pocket, and skirmishingly measuring expensive objects, with unutterable feelings. Cook is in high spirits, and says give her a place where there's plenty of company (as she'll bet you sixpence there will be now), for she is of a lively disposition, and she always was from a child, and she don't mind who knows it; which sentiment elicits from the breast of Mrs Perch a responsive murmur of support and approbation. All the housemaid hopes is, happiness for 'em - but marriage is a lottery, and the more she thinks about it, the more she feels the independence and the safety of a single life. Mr Towlinson is saturnine and grim' and says that's his opinion too, and give him War besides, and down with the French - for this young man has a general impression that every foreigner is a Frenchman, and must be by the laws of nature.
At each new sound of wheels, they all stop> whatever they are saying, and listen; and more than once there is a general starting up and a cry of 'Here they are!' But here they are not yet; and Cook begins to mourn over the dinner, which has been put back twice, and the upholsterer's foreman still goes lurking about the rooms, undisturbed in his blissful reverie!
Florence is ready to receive her father and her new Mama Whether the emotions that are throbbing in her breast originate In pleasure or in pain, she hardly knows. But the fluttering heart sends added colour to her cheeks, and brightness to her eyes; and they say downstairs, drawing their heads together - for they always speak softly when they speak of her - how beautiful Miss Florence looks to-night, and what a sweet young lady she has grown, poor dear! A pause succeeds; and then Cook, feeling, as president, that her sentiments are waited for, wonders whether - and there stops. The housemaid wonders too, and so does Mrs Perch, who has the happy social faculty of always wondering when other people wonder, without being at all particular what she wonders at. Mr Towlinson, who now descries an opportunity of bringing down the spirits of the ladies to his own level, says wait and see; he wishes some people were well out of this. Cook leads a sigh then, and a murmur of 'Ah, it's a strange world, it is indeed!' and when it has gone round the table, adds persuasively, 'but Miss Florence can't well be the worse for any change, Tom.' Mr Towlinson's rejoinder, pregnant with frightful meaning, is 'Oh, can't she though!' and sensible that a mere man can scarcely be more prophetic, or improve upon that, he holds his peace.
Mrs Skewton, prepared to greet her darling daughter and dear son-in-law with open arms, is appropriately attired for that purpose in a very youthful costume, with short sleeves. At present, however, her ripe charms are blooming in the shade of her own apartments, whence she had not emerged since she took possession of them a few hours ago, and where she is fast growing fretful, on account of the postponement of dinner. The maid who ought to be a skeleton, but is in truth a buxom damsel, is, on the other hand, In a most amiable state: considering her quarterly stipend much safer than heretofore, and foreseeing a great improvement in her board and lodging.
Where are the happy pair, for whom this brave home is waiting? Do steam, tide, wind, and horses, all abate their speed, to linger on such happiness? Does the swarm of loves and graces hovering about them retard their progress by its numbers? Are there so many flowers in their happy path, that they can scarcely move along, without entanglement in thornless roses, and sweetest briar?

街道上的黑點已經消失了。董貝先生的公館如果仍然是其他房屋當中的一個豁口的話，那麼那只是因爲它的富麗堂皇不是它們所能匹敵，它已高傲地將它們撂在一旁的緣故。諺語說得好：不管多麼簡陋，家總是家。如果在相反的意義上也是正確的：不管多麼宏偉華貴，家總是家，那麼這裏給家庭之神建立的是一個什麼樣的聖壇啊！
這天晚上窗子中燈光燦爛，爐火紅通通的光輝溫暖地、明亮地照射在簾子等各種懸掛着的物品上和柔軟的地毯上；晚飯已經做好了，正等待着開出；雖然只有四人用餐，餐桌已經收拾得漂漂亮亮的，食器櫃裏塞滿了餐具。這座公館自從最近整修以後，這是第一次準備好迎接主人住進來，每一分鐘都在等待着那幸福的伉儷光臨。
主人回到家裏來的這個晚上在僕人們中間所引起的關切和期待，僅僅次於舉行婚禮的那天早上。珀奇太太在廚房裏喝着茶，她已到這座大廈上下各處轉了一圈，估量過每碼絲綢和錦緞的價格，用盡了詞典裏和詞典外所有表示讚美和驚奇的感嘆詞。室內裝飾商的工頭把他的帽子留在門廳中一張椅子的下面，帽子裏放了一塊手絹，帽子和手絹都散發出強烈的清漆氣味；他這時在屋子裏悄悄地走來走去，向上看看檐板，向下看看地毯，有時高興得不得了，就從衣兜裏取出一支尺子，用難以形容的心情偵察性地量量那些貴重的物品。廚娘興高采烈，說她喜歡待在有許多客人來往的東家（她準備用六便士跟你打賭，說今後這裏將會是這樣的），因爲她生性活潑快樂，從小孩子的時候起一直是這樣，她也不在乎大家知道這一點；珀奇太太低聲地對她表示支持與稱讚，這是她出自內心的反應。女僕唯一希望的只是他們將會幸福，可是結婚就跟彩票一樣，她愈是對它轉着念頭，她就愈覺得獨身生活的獨立與安全。託林森先生憂悶不樂，他說他的意見也是這樣；他還希望能讓他去打仗，把法國人打倒，因爲在這位年輕人看來，每一個外國人都是法國人，按照自然規律，這是必然無疑的。
每當新的車輪聲傳來的時候，他們不論當時在說什麼，全都停止說話，靜靜地聽着；他們不止一次驚跳起來，喊道，”他們到啦！”可是他們還是沒有來；廚娘開始爲晚飯悲嘆，因爲它已經從爐子上取下又送回兩次了；那位室內裝飾商的工頭卻依舊在房間裏悄悄地溜來溜去，他那極樂的幻想沒有受到任何打擾！
弗洛倫斯準備迎接她的父親和新媽媽。她不知道，她胸中這樣激動的感情是由於高興還是由於痛苦產生的。不過跳動的心房使她的臉頰增添了血色，使她的眼睛增添了光澤。廚房裏的僕人們交頭接耳地說--因爲他們談到她的時候，總是很低的--，弗洛倫斯小姐今夜看去多麼漂亮啊，還說可憐的孩子，她已長成一個多麼可愛的姑娘了啊！接着，談話暫時停止了；然後，廚娘覺得大家正等着她這位主席發表意見，就表示納罕地說，莫不是--可是話說到這裏就停住了。女僕也感到納罕；珀奇太太也一樣，她具有這種巧妙的社交能力：每當別人納罕的時候，她也總是納罕，雖然她並不清楚她究意納罕的是什麼。託林森先生看到這是把這些婦女的情緒降低到跟他一樣的好機會，就說，等着瞧吧，他希望有些人在這次旅行中能平安無恙；這時廚娘帶頭嘆了一口氣，低聲說道，”這是個奇怪的世界，確實是奇怪！”當全桌子的人把這句話都重複了一遍之後，她又很能說服人地補充了一句：”不過，湯姆，不管發生什麼變化，對弗洛倫斯小姐總不會有害的！”託林森先生的回答充滿了不祥的含意，他說：”哦，難道對她不會有害嗎？”他知道，一個普通的人幾乎不能比這作出更多的預言，也不能比這預言知道得更加清楚的了，所以他就保持沉默，不再說什麼。
斯丘頓夫人準備伸出胳膊，熱烈歡迎她心愛的女兒和親愛的女婿回來，爲了這個目的她十分適當地穿了一套很年輕的、短袖的服裝。可是現在她那妖嬈的風韻是在她自己的房間的陰影中放出美麗的光彩；她在幾小時以前住進這個房間以後就沒有出來過；由於晚餐推遲，她在房間裏很快就焦躁不安起來了。她的那位侍女本應當是個骷髏，但實際上卻是一位體態豐滿的姑娘，她因爲考慮到她每季的薪俸比過去穩靠得多，還預見到她的食宿條件將有很大改善，所以現在的態度倒是極爲和藹可親。
這個華麗的家正在等待着的幸福的伉儷現在在哪裏呢？是不是蒸汽、潮水、風和馬全都減低了速度，想多觀賞一下他們的幸福的情景呢？是不是成羣翱翔在他們周圍的愛神和美麗、溫雅、歡樂三位女神阻礙了他們的前進呢？是不是在他們幸福的路徑中到處都是花朵，因此他們每向前移動一步，很難不被無刺的玫瑰或芳香的野薔薇纏繞住呢？