狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第32章Part 7

'Yes,' said Mr Toots. 'I called this afternoon. Upon my word and honour, I don't think it's possible to form an idea of the angel Miss Dombey was this afternoon.'
The Captain answered with a jerk of his head, implying that it might not be easy to some people, but was quite so to him.
'As I was coming out,' said Mr Toots, 'the young woman, in the most unexpected manner, took me into the pantry.
The Captain seemed, for the moment, to object to this proceeding; and leaning back in his chair, looked at Mr Toots with a distrustful, if not threatening visage.
'Where she brought out,' said Mr Toots, 'this newspaper. She told me that she had kept it from Miss Dombey all day, on account of something that was in it, about somebody that she and Dombey used to know; and then she read the passage to me. Very well. Then she said - wait a minute; what was it she said, though!'
Mr Toots, endeavouring to concentrate his mental powers on this question, unintentionally fixed the Captain's eye, and was so much discomposed by its stern expression, that his difficulty in resuming the thread of his subject was enhanced to a painful extent.
'Oh!' said Mr Toots after long consideration. 'Oh, ah! Yes! She said that she hoped there was a bare possibility that it mightn't be true; and that as she couldn't very well come out herself, without surprising Miss Dombey, would I go down to Mr Solomon Gills the Instrument-maker's in this street, who was the party's Uncle, and ask whether he believed it was true, or had heard anything else in the City. She said, if he couldn't speak to me, no doubt Captain Cuttle could. By the bye!' said Mr Toots, as the discovery flashed upon him, 'you, you know!'
The Captain glanced at the newspaper in Mr Toots's hand, and breathed short and hurriedly.
'Well, pursued Mr Toots, 'the reason why I'm rather late is, because I went up as far as Finchley first, to get some uncommonly fine chickweed that grows there, for Miss Dombey's bird. But I came on here, directly afterwards. You've seen the paper, I suppose?'

“是的，”圖茨先生說道，”今天下午我去拜訪了。說實話，我以我的榮譽發誓，我認爲要想象董貝小姐今天下午是何等模樣的天使是不可能的。”
船長有力地點了一下頭，表示有些人可能是不容易想象的，但對他來說，這卻是相當容易的。
“當我要離開的時候，”圖茨先生說，”那位姑娘完全出乎我的意料之外，把我領到餐具室中。”
船長似乎對這行動一時感到不高興；他背靠着椅子，露出不信任的（如果不說是威脅的）神色，看着圖茨先生。
“她在那裏取出這張報紙，”圖茨先生說道，”她告訴我，她把它藏了一整天沒給董貝小姐看，因爲報紙上有一段什麼消息說到她和董貝過去都認識的一個什麼人；然後她就把那段消息念給我聽。念得很好。然後她說--請等一下子--
她是怎麼說的？”圖茨先生竭力設法把他的腦力集中到這個問題上的時候，無意間碰上了船長的眼光；船長嚴厲的神色使他心慌意亂，因此他要回到原來的話題更加困難了，簡直達到了痛苦的程度。
“哦！”圖茨先生經過長時間的思索之後，說道，”哦，啊！對了！她說，她希望還有一星半點的可能性：這消息也許不確實。因爲她自己出來不能不驚動董貝小姐，所以問我能不能到這條街上來找儀器製造商所羅門?吉爾斯（他是當事人的舅舅），問問他是不是相信這是確實的，或者他是不是在城裏聽到別的事情。她說，如果他不能跟我說，那麼卡特爾船長毫無疑問是能跟我說的。順便說說！”當這一意外的發現掠過他的心頭時，圖茨先生喊道，”您，您知道！”
船長往圖茨先生手中的報紙看了一眼，急促地喘着氣。
“唔，”圖茨先生繼續說道，”我來得這麼晚的原因是因爲我首先到芬奇利這麼遠的地方去給董貝小姐的鳥兒採一些繁縷，那裏生長的繁縷非常好。但是在這之後我就立即到這裏來了。我想，您已看到這份報紙了吧？”