狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第30章Part 1

Although the enchanted house was no more, and the working world had broken into it, and was hammering and crashing and tramping up and down stairs all day long keeping Diogenes in an incessant paroxysm of barking, from sunrise to sunset - evidently convinced that his enemy had got the better of him at last, and was then sacking the premises in triumphant defiance - there was, at first, no other great change in the method of Florence's life. At night, when the workpeople went away, the house was dreary and deserted again; and Florence, listening to their voices echoing through the hall and staircase as they departed, pictured to herself the cheerful homes to which the were returning, and the children who were waiting for them, and was glad to think that they were merry and well pleased to go.
She welcomed back the evening silence as an old friend, but it came now with an altered face, and looked more kindly on her. Fresh hope was in it. The beautiful lady who had soothed and carressed her, in the very room in which her heart had been so wrung, was a spirit of promise to her. Soft shadows of the bright life dawning, when her father's affection should be gradually won, and all, or much should be restored, of what she had lost on the dark day when a mother's love had faded with a mother's last breath on her cheek, moved about her in the twilight and were welcome company. Peeping at the rosy children her neighbours, it was a new and precious sensation to think that they might soon speak together and know each other; when she would not fear, as of old, to show herself before them, lest they should be grieved to see her in her black dress sitting there alone!
In her thoughts of her new mother, and in the love and trust overflowing her pure heart towards her, Florence loved her own dead mother more and more. She had no fear of setting up a rival in her breast. The new flower sprang from the deep-planted and long-cherished root, she knew. Every gentle word that had fallen from the lips of the beautiful lady, sounded to Florence like an echo of the voice long hushed and silent. How could she love that memory less for living tenderness, when it was her memory of all parental tenderness and love!
Florence was, one day, sitting reading in her room, and thinking of the lady and her promised visit soon - for her book turned on a kindred subject - when, raising her eyes, she saw her standing in the doorway.
'Mama!' cried Florence, joyfully meeting her. 'Come again!'
'Not Mama yet,' returned the lady, with a serious smile, as she encircled Florence's neck with her arm.
'But very soon to be,' cried Florence.

被施加了魔力的房屋已經不再存在，工作的人們已經進入屋內，整天用錘子叮叮噹噹敲打着，搬移物品時發出了碰撞的響聲，並踩着沉重的腳步，在樓梯上上上下下地走着；他們使戴奧吉尼斯從日出到日落，不斷髮出一陣陣吠叫--顯然，他相信敵人終於打敗了他，現在正在勝利的挑戰中掠奪着房屋。雖然這樣一些新的情況出現了，可是弗洛倫斯的生活方式最初並沒有發生其他重大的變化。夜間，當工人們離開以後，房屋又顯得淒涼和冷落；他們離開的時候，弗洛倫斯聽着他們通過門廳和樓梯發出的回聲，心中想象着他們即將回去的快樂的家庭和正在等待着他們的孩子們；她高興地想到他們是愉快的，是歡歡喜喜地離開這裏的。
她歡迎晚間的寂靜像一個老朋友一樣重新返回；但是它現在來到的時候換了一個新的臉孔，比過去更親切地看着她。這裏麪包含着新鮮的希望。在那個曾經使她傷心的房間中安慰和愛撫過她的那位美麗的夫人，對她來說，是一位帶來希望的仙人。當她將逐漸取得父親的愛的時候，當在那個悲慘的日子（就在這一天，母親對她的愛，隨着她貼在她臉頰上的最後的呼吸一起消失了）她所失去的一切或其中的大部分將重新得到的時候，光明的生活的黎明就將來臨了；現在它的溫柔的影子正在曙光中在她的四周移動，成了她所歡迎的伴侶。當她在窺視着鄰居臉色紅潤的孩子們的時候，她想到她跟他們不久就可以在一起談話，相互認識了；那時候她就將不再像過去那樣害怕在他們眼前露面，唯恐她們看到她穿着黑色的喪服孤獨地坐在那裏會感到悲傷了；她想着這些事情的時候，是有一種新鮮和寶貴的感覺的。
當弗洛倫斯想着她的新的母親時，當她純潔的心向她溢流出愛和信任時，她愈來愈深切地愛着她死去的親母親。她不害怕在心中樹立一個競爭者。她知道，在種植得很深、撫育得很久的老根上會長出新的花朵。那位美麗的夫人嘴中說出的每一句溫柔的話，都像久已沉寂的聲音的回聲一樣響着。她對親母親的回憶過去曾經是她對父母雙親的親切關懷與慈愛的唯一的回憶；現在，當新的親切關懷來臨的時候，她怎麼就能減少對那老回憶的喜愛呢？
有一天，弗洛倫斯坐在她的房間裏看書並想着這位夫人和她答應不久就將來看望她的諾言（因爲書裏寫的是與這類似的故事），當她擡起眼睛的時候，她看到她正站在門口。
"媽媽！"弗洛倫斯快活地迎上前去，喊道，"你又來啦！"
"現在還不是媽媽，"那位夫人用胳膊摟住弗洛倫斯的脖子的時候，莊重地微笑着回答道。
"但是很快就要是了，"弗洛倫斯喊道。