狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第30章Part 3

She gave Florence her ready promise, about her new room, and said she would give directions about it herself. She then asked some questions concerning poor Paul; and when they had sat in conversation for some time, told Florence she had come to take her to her own home.
'We have come to London now, my mother and I,' said Edith, 'and you shall stay with us until I am married. I wish that we should know and trust each other, Florence.'
'You are very kind to me,' said Florence, 'dear Mama. How much I thank you!'
'Let me say now, for it may be the best opportunity,' continued Edith, looking round to see that they were quite alone, and speaking in a lower voice, 'that when I am married, and have gone away for some weeks, I shall be easier at heart if you will come home here. No matter who invites you to stay elsewhere. Come home here. It is better to be alone than - what I would say is,' she added, checking herself, 'that I know well you are best at home, dear Florence.'
'I will come home on the very day, Mama'
'Do so. I rely on that promise. Now, prepare to come with me, dear girl. You will find me downstairs when you are ready.'
Slowly and thoughtfully did Edith wander alone through the mansion of which she was so soon to be the lady: and little heed took she of all the elegance and splendour it began to display. The same indomitable haughtiness of soul, the same proud scorn expressed in eye and lip, the same fierce beauty, only tamed by a sense of its own little worth, and of the little worth of everything around it, went through the grand saloons and halls, that had got loose among the shady trees, and raged and rent themselves. The mimic roses on the walls and floors were set round with sharp thorns, that tore her breast; in every scrap of gold so dazzling to the eye, she saw some hateful atom of her purchase-money; the broad high mirrors showed her, at full length, a woman with a noble quality yet dwelling in her nature, who was too false to her better self, and too debased and lost, to save herself. She believed that all this was so plain, more or less, to all eyes, that she had no resource or power of self-assertion but in pride: and with this pride, which tortured her own heart night and day, she fought her fate out, braved it, and defied it. Was this the woman whom Florence - an innocent girl, strong only in her earnestness and simple truth - could so impress and quell, that by her side she was another creature, with her tempest of passion hushed, and her very pride itself subdued? Was this the woman who now sat beside her in a carriage, with her arms entwined, and who, while she courted and entreated her to love and trust her, drew her fair head to nestle on her breast, and would have laid down life to shield it from wrong or harm?
Oh, Edith! it were well to die, indeed, at such a time! Better and happier far, perhaps, to die so, Edith, than to live on to the end!
The Honourable Mrs Skewton, who was thinking of anything rather than of such sentiments - for, like many genteel persons who have existed at various times, she set her face against death altogether, and objected to the mention of any such low and levelling upstart - had borrowed a house in Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, from a stately relative (one of the Feenix brood), who was out of town, and who did not object to lending it, in the handsomest manner, for nuptial purposes, as the loan implied his final release and acquittance from all further loans and gifts to Mrs Skewton and her daughter. It being necessary for the credit of the family to make a handsome appearance at such a time, Mrs Skewton, with the assistance of an accommodating tradesman resident In the parish of Mary-le-bone, who lent out all sorts of articles to the nobility and gentry, from a service of plate to an army of footmen, clapped into this house a silver-headed butler (who was charged extra on that account, as having the appearnce of anancient family retainer), two very tall young men in livery, and a select staff of kitchen-servants; so that a legend arose, downstairs, that Withers the page, released at once from his numerous household duties, and from the propulsion of the wheeled-chair (inconsistent with the metropolis), had been several times observed to rub his eyes and pinch his limbs, as if he misdoubted his having overslept himself at the Leamington milkman's, and being still in a celestial dream. A variety of requisites in plate and china being also conveyed to the same establishment from the same convenient source, with several miscellaneous articles, including a neat chariot and a pair of bays, Mrs Skewton cushioned herself on the principal sofa, in the Cleopatra attitude, and held her court in fair state.
'And how,' said Mrs Skewton, on the entrance of her daughter and her charge, 'is my charming Florence? You must come and kiss me, Florence, if you please, my love.'
Florence was timidly stooping to pick out a place In the white part of Mrs Skewton's face, when that lady presented her ear, and relieved her of her difficulty.
'Edith, my dear,' said Mrs Skewton, 'positively, I - stand a little more in the light, my sweetest Florence, for a moment.
Florence blushingly complied.
'You don't remember, dearest Edith,' said her mother, 'what you were when you were about the same age as our exceedingly precious Florence, or a few years younger?'
'I have long forgotten, mother.'

她答應弗洛倫斯給她掉換新房間，並說她將親自下命令。然後她問了幾個關於可憐的保羅的問題；當她們坐着交談了一些時候之後，她告訴弗洛倫斯，她是來領她到自己家裏去的。
"我們現在已經搬到倫敦來了，我母親和我，"伊迪絲說道，"你將和我們住在一起，直到我結婚。我希望我們將相互瞭解和信任，弗洛倫斯。"
"你對我太好了，"弗洛倫斯說，"親愛的媽媽，我多麼感謝你！"
"讓我就趁現在說吧，因爲這是最好的機會，"伊迪絲向四下裏看看，想知道她們是不是就是兩個人，並用較低的聲音繼續說道，"當我結婚之後外出幾個星期的時候，如果你能回到這邊的家裏來的話，那麼我就會覺得放心些。不論是誰邀請你住到別的地方去，你還是回到這邊的家裏來。你一個人在這裏比--"她抑制住自己，沒有把話說完，然後又接下去說，"我想說的是，我知道你在家裏最好，親愛的弗洛倫斯。"
"我當天就回到家裏來，媽媽。"
"好，就這麼辦吧。我相信你的話。現在，親愛的孩子，你就去收拾收拾，準備跟我走吧。你一切都弄妥了就到樓下來找我。"
伊迪絲一個人慢吞吞地和若有所思地走過這個不久她將成爲女主人的公館，很少去注意它即將顯示出的富麗堂皇的氣派。就像她過去在綠蔭的樹林下曾經猛烈地放縱、發泄過她的憤怒一樣，她現在懷着同樣難以馴服的傲慢的心靈，從眼睛和嘴脣中表露出同樣高傲的、目空一切的神氣，在姿容中閃耀着同樣光彩奪目的美麗（只是由於她覺得它毫無價值，四周的一切也都毫無價值，因此這光彩不那麼強烈罷了），走過這些豪華的客廳和大廳。繪畫在牆壁和地板上的玫瑰花，四周圍繞着尖利的刺，把她的胸膛都刺裂了；在每一片耀眼的金片中，她看到了她的可恨的買身錢的微粒；又寬又高的鏡子向她照出了一個女人的全身；她還沒有完全失去高貴的品質，但跟她更美好的自身比較，顯得太虛僞了，太卑賤了，太毀壞無遺了，已經到了不可救藥的地步。她相信，在所有人看來，在不同程度上，這一切都是清清楚楚的，因此，她找不到別的辦法或力量，只有憑藉着高傲才能使她逞強自負，並憑藉着這個日夜折磨着她的心靈的高傲，她跟自己的命運鬥爭到底，抵抗它，反抗它。難道這就是弗洛倫斯--一個天真爛漫的女孩子，只是由於真誠與純潔而有力量--能深深感動她和征服她的那個女人嗎？難道這就是在弗洛倫斯身邊成了完全不同的一個人，暴怒頓時熄滅，甚至連高傲也頓時消退的那個女人嗎？難道這就是現在在馬車中坐在弗洛倫斯身邊，合抱着雙臂，當弗洛倫斯懇求她愛她和信任她的時候，她就把美麗的頭貼近她的胸脯，並準備犧牲生命來保衛它免遭污辱和欺凌的那個女人嗎？
啊，伊迪絲！就在這樣的時候死去是多麼好啊！也許，伊迪絲，現在就這麼死去要比繼續活下去要好得多，要幸福得多啊！
尊敬的斯丘頓夫人完全沒有這樣一類想法，因爲，像許多在不同時代生活過的出身高貴的人們一樣，她總是扭轉臉孔，躲開死亡，而且反對別人提起這個十分卑劣的、不分貴賤地把所有人都拉平的、趾高氣揚的怪物。她在格羅斯文諾廣場布魯克街從一位高貴的親戚（菲尼克斯家族中的一位）那裏借了一棟房屋。這位親戚離開倫敦了；他極爲慷慨地把房屋借給他們用來結婚，並把這作爲一筆禮物，他就免得再向斯丘頓夫人和她的女兒貸款和送禮了。爲了維護家庭的榮譽，在這種時候有必要使各方面都顯得光彩體面，所以斯丘頓夫人找到了一位住在瑪麗勒博恩教區的商人幫忙；這位商人是個容易打交道的人，他向貴族和紳士出借各種家庭用品，從成套餐具到一羣僕人，無不應有盡有。他給這棟房屋提供了一位白髮蒼蒼的男管家（他由於具有古代家庭侍從的相貌，還多拿一筆錢）、兩位穿着制服、身材很高的年輕人，還有一些精選的廚房僕人。這一來，地下室就散播着一個傳說，說童僕威瑟斯突然一下襬脫了原先的無數的家庭雜務，也擺脫了推輪椅的累活（在都城中推輪椅是不合適的），大家好幾次看到他揉着眼睛，捏着手腳，彷彿他懷疑是不是在萊明頓牛奶店裏睡過了頭，現在還在做着天堂裏的美夢呢。餐具、瓷器以及其他各種各樣的家庭用具全都由同一個方向的來源供應到這個邸宅中來，其中還包括一輛整潔精緻的四輪輕便馬車和兩匹栗色馬。斯丘頓夫人按照克利奧特拉佩的姿勢，坐在一張主沙發的坐墊中間，莊嚴得體地擺出女王的架子，接受覲見。
"我可愛的弗洛倫斯好嗎？"斯丘頓夫人在女兒和她的被保護者進來時，說道，"你一定得過來親親我，弗洛倫斯，如果你願意的話，我親愛的。"
弗洛倫斯膽怯地彎下身去，正在斯丘頓夫人臉上白的部分找一塊地方，這時那位夫人湊上耳朵，使她擺脫了困境。
"伊迪絲，我親愛的，"斯丘頓夫人說道，"確實，我--請你站到靠亮光一點的地方，親愛的弗洛倫斯。"
弗洛倫斯臉羞得通紅地依從了。
"你可記得，我最親愛的伊迪絲，"她的母親說道，"當你跟我們可愛的寶貝弗洛倫斯差不多年紀或小几歲的時候，你是怎麼樣的嗎？"
"我早忘了，媽媽。"