狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第32章Part 6

'Why, I ask you, as a feeling heart,' said the Captain, dropping his voice, 'why should she know? why should she be made to know, until such time as there wam't any help for it? She took to old Sol Gills, did that sweet creetur, with a kindness, with a affability, with a - what's the good of saying so? you know her.'
'I should hope so,' chuckled Mr Toots, with a conscious blush that suffused his whole countenance.
'And you come here from her?' said the Captain.
'I should think so,' chuckled Mr Toots.
'Then all I need observe, is,' said the Captain, 'that you know a angel, and are chartered a angel.'
Mr Toots instantly seized the Captain's hand, and requested the favour of his friendship.
'Upon my word and honour,' said Mr Toots, earnestly, 'I should be very much obliged to you if you'd improve my acquaintance I should like to know you, Captain, very much. I really am In want of a friend, I am. Little Dombey was my friend at old Blimber's, and would have been now, if he'd have lived. The Chicken,' said Mr Toots, in a forlorn whisper, 'is very well - admirable in his way - the sharpest man perhaps in the world; there's not a move he isn't up to, everybody says so - but I don't know - he's not everything. So she is an angel, Captain. If there is an angel anywhere, it's Miss Dombey. That's what I've always said. Really though, you know,' said Mr Toots, 'I should be very much obliged to you if you'd cultivate my acquaintance.'
Captain Cuttle received this proposal in a polite manner, but still without committing himself to its acceptance; merely observing, 'Ay, ay, my lad. We shall see, we shall see;' and reminding Mr Toots of his immediate mission, by inquiring to what he was indebted for the honour of that visit.
'Why the fact is,' replied Mr Toots, 'that it's the young woman I come from. Not Miss Dombey - Susan, you know.
The Captain nodded his head once, with a grave expression of face indicative of his regarding that young woman with serious respect.
'And I'll tell you how it happens,' said Mr Toots. 'You know, I go and call sometimes, on Miss Dombey. I don't go there on purpose, you know, but I happen to be in the neighbourhood very often; and when I find myself there, why - why I call.'
'Nat'rally,' observed the Captain.

“可是，我問您，您這個好心的人，”船長放低了，說道，”爲什麼她要知道？爲什麼在對她毫無益處的時候要讓她知道？她，這個可愛的人兒，愛老所爾?吉爾斯，是那麼親切，那麼溫存，那麼--說這些有什麼好處呢？您知道她。”
“我希望這樣，”圖茨先生吃吃地笑道，他感到自己整個臉孔都漲得通紅了。
“您是從她那裏來的嗎？”船長問道。
“我想是的，”圖茨先生吃吃地笑道。
“那麼我需要說的是，”船長說道，”您認識了一位天使，天使給您發了特許執照。”
圖茨先生立即抓住了船長的手，請求能得到他的友誼。
“說實話，我以榮譽發誓，”圖茨先生懇切地說道，”如果您肯答應我跟您的交情比現在更親密一些的話，那麼我真會非常感謝您。我喜歡跟您相識，船長。我非常需要有一位朋友。在老布林伯的學校裏，小董貝是我的朋友。如果他活着的話，那麼現在也還是我的朋友。鬥雞，”圖茨先生用可憐的低聲說道，”很不錯--是個別具才幹的人--也許是世界上最機警聰明的人，他沒有什麼不會的，人人都這麼說--可是我不知道--光有他還不夠啊。--不錯，她是天使，船長。如果世界上有天使的話，這就是董貝小姐--這是我經常說的。說真的，如果您肯跟我交往的話，那麼我真會非常感謝您。”
卡特爾船長彬彬有禮地聽取了這個建議，但仍然沒有許下諾言來接受它，他僅僅說道，”是的，是的，我的孩子，我們以後看吧，我們以後看吧。”接着問他這次爲什麼前來訪問，因而向圖茨先生提醒了他當前的使命。
“唔，事情是這樣的，”圖茨先生回答道，”我是從那位姑娘那裏來的。我說的並不是董貝小姐，您知道，我說的是蘇珊。”
船長臉上露出莊重的神情點了一下頭，表示他對那位姑娘懷着極大的尊敬。
“我想告訴您這是怎麼發生的，”圖茨先生說道，”您知道，我有時前去訪問董貝小姐。您知道，我並不是特意到那裏去的，但我時常碰巧去到鄰近的地方，而當我發現到了那裏時，嗯--嗯，我就去拜訪她了。”
“自然而然地，”船長說道。