狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第33章Part 5

'It is the mirror of truth,' said her visitor, 'and gentleness. Excuse my trusting to it, and returning.'
His manner of saying these words, divested them entirely of the character of compliments. It was so plain, grave, unaffected, and sincere, that she bent her head, as if at once to thank him, and acknowledge his sincerity.
'The disparity between our ages,' said the gentleman, 'and the plainness of my purpose, empower me, I am glad to think, to speak my mind. That is my mind; and so you see me for the second time.'
'There is a kind of pride, Sir,' she returned, after a moment's silence, 'or what may be supposed to be pride, which is mere duty. I hope I cherish no other.'
'For yourself,' he said.
'For myself.'
'But - pardon me - ' suggested the gentleman. 'For your brother John?'
'Proud of his love, I am,' said Harriet, looking full upon her visitor, and changing her manner on the instant - not that it was less composed and quiet, but that there was a deep impassioned earnestness in it that made the very tremble in her voice a part of her firmness, 'and proud of him. Sir, you who strangely know the story of his life, and repeated it to me when you were here last - '
'Merely to make my way into your confidence,' interposed the gentleman. 'For heaven's sake, don't suppose - '
'I am sure,' she said, 'you revived it, in my hearing, with a kind and good purpose. I am quite sure of it.'
'I thank you,' returned her visitor, pressing her hand hastily. 'I am much obliged to you. You do me justice, I assure you. You were going to say, that I, who know the story of John Carker's life - '
'May think it pride in me,' she continued, 'when I say that I am proud of him! I am. You know the time was, when I was not - when I could not be - but that is past. The humility of many years, the uncomplaining expiation, the true repentance, the terrible regret, the pain I know he has even in my affection, which he thinks has cost me dear, though Heaven knows I am happy, but for his sorrow I - oh, Sir, after what I have seen, let me conjure you, if you are in any place of power, and are ever wronged, never, for any wrong, inflict a punishment that cannot be recalled; while there is a GOD above us to work changes in the hearts He made.'
'Your brother is an altered man,' returned the gentleman, compassionately. 'I assure you I don't doubt it.'

“您的臉孔是真誠與溫柔的鏡子，”客人說道，”請原諒，我相信它，並回答了它。”
他講這些話時的神態完全不像是客氣地恭維。他十分坦率，認真，自然和真誠，因此她低下了頭，彷彿想要感謝他並承認他是懷着誠意的。
“我們年齡上的差異，”那位先生說道，”以及我的坦誠的目的使我有權利坦率地說出我的心裏話；想到這一點我很高興。我心裏的話都說出來了，所以您又第二次看到了我。”
“有一種驕傲，先生，”她沉默了一會兒之後，說道，”或者可以把它當作驕傲吧，可是實際上它僅僅是責任。我希望，除此之外，我並不懷有其他的驕傲。”
“爲您自己而感到驕傲嗎？”他問道。
“爲我自己。”
“可是--請原諒我--”那位先生遲疑地說道，”您爲您的弟弟約翰感到驕傲嗎？”
“我爲他的愛而感到驕傲，”哈里特凝視着她的客人說道，忽然她改變了態度--並不是她的態度不像先前那樣沉着和平靜，而是在她的態度中有一種深刻的、熱情的、認真的精神，這使得連她顫抖的也表明了她的堅定，”我也爲他感到驕傲。先生，您不知怎麼的知道他的歷史，上一次到這裏來的時候還把它重新講給我聽--”
“那僅僅是爲了取得您的信任，”這位先生打斷她說道，”請您千萬別以爲--”
“我相信，”她說道，”您是懷着善良的、值得稱許的目的對我重新提起它的。我完全相信這一點。”
“謝謝您，”她的客人急忙握着她的手，回答道，”我十分感謝您。我肯定地對您說，您對我是公正的。我，知道約翰的歷史，--”
“當我說我爲他感到驕傲的時候，您可能會責備我驕傲，”她繼續說道，”我確實是爲他感到驕傲的！您知道，過去有一段時候我沒有爲他感到驕傲，--那時候我不可能爲他感到驕傲，--可是那已經過去了。忍受多年屈辱，毫無怨言地贖罪，衷心地懺悔，深深地遺憾，甚至，我知道，我對他的愛也造成了他的痛苦，他認爲我爲了愛他付出了高昂的代價，其實，天知道，除了他的不幸使我難過外，我是完全幸福的！--啊，先生，在我眼見到一切之後，我懇求您，如果您一旦有了權力，有人對您犯了罪過，那麼，不管是什麼樣的罪過，您都別對他處以無法挽回的處罰；因爲這時候上帝正在天上促使他所創造的心靈改邪歸正呢！”
“您的弟弟已變成另外一個人了，”那位先生同情地回答道，”我向您肯定地說，我毫不懷疑這一點。”