狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第25章Part 7

'Have a roast fowl,' said Mrs MacStinger, 'with a bit of weal stuffing and some egg sauce. Come, Cap'en Cuttle! Give yourself a little treat!'
'No thank'ee, Ma'am,' returned the Captain very humbly.
'I'm sure you're out of sorts, and want to be stimulated,' said Mrs MacStinger. 'Why not have, for once in a way, a bottle of sherry wine?'
'Well, Ma'am,' rejoined the Captain, 'if you'd be so good as take a glass or two, I think I would try that. Would you do me the favour, Ma'am,' said the Captain, torn to pieces by his conscience, 'to accept a quarter's rent ahead?'
'And why so, Cap'en Cuttle?' retorted Mrs MacStinger - sharply, as the Captain thought.
The Captain was frightened to dead 'If you would Ma'am,' he said with submission, 'it would oblige me. I can't keep my money very well. It pays itself out. I should take it kind if you'd comply.'
'Well, Cap'en Cuttle,' said the unconscious MacStinger, rubbing her hands, 'you can do as you please. It's not for me, with my family, to refuse, no more than it is to ask'
'And would you, Ma'am,' said the Captain, taking down the tin canister in which he kept his cash' from the top shelf of the cupboard, 'be so good as offer eighteen-pence a-piece to the little family all round? If you could make it convenient, Ma'am, to pass the word presently for them children to come for'ard, in a body, I should be glad to see 'em'
These innocent MacStingers were so many daggers to the Captain's breast, when they appeared in a swarm, and tore at him with the confiding trustfulness he so little deserved. The eye of Alexander MacStinger, who had been his favourite, was insupportable to the Captain; the voice of Juliana MacStinger, who was the picture of her mother, made a coward of him.
Captain Cuttle kept up appearances, nevertheless, tolerably well, and for an hour or two was very hardly used and roughly handled by the young MacStingers: who in their childish frolics, did a little damage also to the glazed hat, by sitting in it, two at a time, as in a nest, and drumming on the inside of the crown with their shoes. At length the Captain sorrowfully dismissed them: taking leave of these cherubs with the poignant remorse and grief of a man who was going to execution.
In the silence of night, the Captain packed up his heavier property in a chest, which he locked, intending to leave it there, in all probability for ever, but on the forlorn chance of one day finding a man sufficiently bold and desperate to come and ask for it. Of his lighter necessaries, the Captain made a bundle; and disposed his plate about his person, ready for flight. At the hour of midnight, when Brig Place was buried in slumber, and Mrs MacStinger was lulled in sweet oblivion, with her infants around her, the guilty Captain, stealing down on tiptoe, in the dark, opened the door, closed it softly after him, and took to his heels
Pursued by the image of Mrs MacStinger springing out of bed, and, regardless of costume, following and bringing him back; pursued also by a consciousness of his enormous crime; Captain Cuttle held on at a great pace, and allowed no grass to grow under his feet, between Brig Place and the Instrument-maker's door. It opened when he knocked - for Rob was on the watch - and when it was bolted and locked behind him, Captain Cuttle felt comparatively safe.
'Whew!' cried the Captain, looking round him. 'It's a breather!'
'Nothing the matter, is there, Captain?' cried the gaping Rob.

“一隻烤雞，”麥克斯廷傑太太說道，“雞肚子裏再填些小牛肉和來點雞蛋調味汁。好啦，卡特爾船長！您痛痛快快地吃一頓吧！”
“不，謝謝您，夫人，”船長很低聲下氣地回答道。
“我相信您的心情不好，需要提提神。”麥克斯廷傑太太說道，“爲什麼不偶爾喝一瓶雪利酒呢？”
“好吧，夫人，”船長回答道，“如果您肯賞光也喝一、兩杯，我想我可以試一試。您肯不肯給我幫個忙，夫人，”船長說道，這時他已被他的良心撕成碎片了，“接受我一個季度的預付房租？”
“爲什麼這樣，卡特爾船長？”麥克斯廷傑太太問道，船長覺得她詞鋒尖銳。
船長嚇得要死。“如果您肯接受的話，夫人，”他恭恭敬敬地說道，“那麼你就幫了我的忙。我手頭存不住錢。它們總是嘩嘩地流出去。如果您肯答應的話，那麼我真會感謝不盡。”
“好吧，卡特爾船長，”矇在鼓裏的麥克斯廷傑太太搓着手說道，“您愛怎麼辦就怎麼辦吧，我和我的一家人不應該拒絕您，就像不應該向您提出這個要求一樣。”
“您肯不肯再行個好，夫人，”船長從碗櫃最上一層的擱板上取下他存放現金的錫罐，說道，“讓我送給您的孩子們每人十八個便士？如果您肯行個方便，夫人，那就請立刻吩咐這些孩子們一齊都上這裏來；我將很高興看到他們。”
當這些天真爛熳的小麥克斯廷傑們蜂擁來到的時候，他們像許多短劍一樣刺進了船長的胸膛；他們對他那種他受之有愧的無限信任使他的心都要碎了；他所寵愛的亞歷山大·麥克斯廷傑的眼光使他難以忍受；模樣長得活像母親的朱莉安娜·麥克斯廷傑的聲音使他心虧膽怯。
儘管這樣，卡特爾船長把場面支撐得還不錯；他在一、兩個小時內受到了小麥克斯廷傑們殘酷的、粗暴的折磨。這些小傢伙們在兒戲中把他的上了光的帽子損壞了一點，因爲他們兩個一起坐在裏面，就像坐在鳥窠裏一樣，還用鞋子像打鼓似地踩踏着帽頂的裏面。最後船長傷心地打發他們回去，就像一個就要被處決死刑的人一樣，懷着深沉的悔恨與悲痛和這些小天使們告別。
船長在寂靜的夜間把比較重的財產裝在一隻箱子裏，上了鎖，打算把它留下，十之八九就永遠留在那裏了，因爲以後要找一個膽大包天的人，能不顧一切地跑來把它取走，這種機會幾乎是不會有的。船長把比較輕的東西打成一個包裹，並把餐具塞在衣袋裏，準備逃走。午夜，當布里格廣場正在酣睡，麥克斯廷傑太太身旁圍躺着嬰兒，正香甜甜地沉沒在迷迷濛濛的狀態之中的時候，犯罪的船長踮着腳尖，在黑暗中偷偷地下了樓，打開門，輕輕地把它關上，然後拔起腳來就跑。
卡特爾船長彷彿看到麥克斯廷傑太太從牀上跳起，不顧穿衣服，就從後面趕來，把他抓回去；她的這個形象一直在緊追着他，他已犯下了彌天大罪的感覺也在緊追着他，所以從布里格廣場到儀器製造商的家門之間，他一直邁開大步，飛快奔跑，腳步踐踏到的地方野草就休想長出來了。他一敲門，門就開了——因爲羅布正在值夜——；當把門閂上、上了鎖之後，卡特爾船長才覺得自己比較安全了。
“哎呀！”船長向四周看看，喊道，“這真是叫人直喘大氣的激烈運動啊！”
“出什麼事了沒有，船長？”目瞪口呆的羅布問道。