狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第21章Part 6

'I suppose it is. Everybody says so.'
'Your cousin Feenix raves about it, Edith,' interposed her mother from her couch.
The daughter slightly turned her graceful head, and raising her eyebrows by a hair's-breadth, as if her cousin Feenix were of all the mortal world the least to be regarded, turned her eyes again towards Mr Dombey.
'I hope, for the credit of my good taste, that I am tired of the neighbourhood,' she said.
'You have almost reason to be, Madam,' he replied, glancing at a variety of landscape drawings, of which he had already recognised several as representing neighbouring points of view, and which were strewn abundantly about the room, 'if these beautiful productions are from your hand.'
She gave him no reply, but sat in a disdainful beauty, quite amazing.
'Have they that interest?' said Mr Dombey. 'Are they yours?'
'Yes.'
'And you play, I already know.'
'Yes.'
'And sing?'
'Yes.'
She answered all these questions with a strange reluctance; and with that remarkable air of opposition to herself, already noticed as belonging to her beauty. Yet she was not embarrassed, but wholly self-possessed. Neither did she seem to wish to avoid the conversation, for she addressed her face, and - so far as she could - her manner also, to him; and continued to do so, when he was silent.
'You have many resources against weariness at least,' said Mr Dombey.
'Whatever their efficiency may be,' she returned, 'you know them all now. I have no more.
'May I hope to prove them all?' said Mr Dombey, with solemn gallantry, laying down a drawing he had held, and motioning towards the harp.
'Oh certainly) If you desire it!'
She rose as she spoke, and crossing by her mother's couch, and directing a stately look towards her, which was instantaneous in its duration, but inclusive (if anyone had seen it) of a multitude of expressions, among which that of the twilight smile, without the smile itself, overshadowed all the rest, went out of the room.
The Major, who was quite forgiven by this time, had wheeled a little table up to Cleopatra, and was sitting down to play picquet with her. Mr Dombey, not knowing the game, sat down to watch them for his edification until Edith should return.
'We are going to have some music, Mr Dombey, I hope?' said Cleopatra.
'Mrs Granger has been kind enough to promise so,' said Mr Dombey.
'Ah! That's very nice. Do you propose, Major?'
'No, Ma'am,' said the Major. 'Couldn't do it.'
'You're a barbarous being,' replied the lady, 'and my hand's destroyed. You are fond of music, Mr Dombey?''Eminently so,' was Mr Dombey's answer.
'Yes. It's very nice,' said Cleopatra, looking at her cards. 'So much heart in it - undeveloped recollections of a previous state of existence' - and all that - which is so truly charming. Do you know,' simpered Cleopatra, reversing the knave of clubs, who had come into her game with his heels uppermost, 'that if anything could tempt me to put a period to my life, it would be curiosity to find out what it's all about, and what it means; there are so many provoking mysteries, really, that are hidden from us. Major, you to play.'
The Major played; and Mr Dombey, looking on for his instruction, would soon have been in a state of dire confusion, but that he gave no attention to the game whatever, and sat wondering instead when Edith would come back.
She came at last, and sat down to her harp, and Mr Dombey rose and stood beside her, listening. He had little taste for music, and no knowledge of the strain she played, but he saw her bending over it, and perhaps he heard among the sounding strings some distant music of his own, that tamed the monster of the iron road, and made it less inexorable.
Cleopatra had a sharp eye, verily, at picquet. It glistened like a bird's, and did not fix itself upon the game, but pierced the room from end to end, and gleamed on harp, performer, listener, everything.
When the haughty beauty had concluded, she arose, and receiving Mr Dombey's thanks and compliments in exactly the same manner as before, went with scarcely any pause to the piano, and began there.
Edith Granger, any song but that! Edith Granger, you are very handsome, and your touch upon the keys is brilliant, and your voice is deep and rich; but not the air that his neglected daughter sang to his dead son)
Alas, he knows it not; and if he did, what air of hers would stir him, rigid man! Sleep, lonely Florence, sleep! Peace in thy dreams, although the night has turned dark, and the clouds are gathering, and threaten to discharge themselves in hail!

"我想是的，人人都這麼說。"
"你的表哥菲尼克斯對它喜歡得就像入了迷似的，伊迪絲，"她的母親從長沙發椅中插嘴道。
女兒輕微地轉過她那美麗的頭，稍稍揚起眉毛，彷彿她的表哥菲尼克斯是塵世間最不值得注意的人似的；她的眼睛又轉向董貝先生。
"考慮到我審美能力的聲譽，我希望我對附近的地方都已厭倦了，"她說道。
"您也許很有理由覺得這樣吧，夫人，"他朝大量散擺在房間四處的各種風景畫看了一眼，說道；他已看出其中有幾幅是描寫附近的景緻的，"如果這些美麗的作品是出於您的手筆的話。"
她沒有回答他，而是以目空一切的美人的姿態，十分驚異地坐在那裏。
"是不是這樣？"董貝先生問道，"它們是不是您畫的？"
"是的。"
"您還會彈琴，我早知道了。"
"是的。"
"還會唱歌吧？"
"是的。"
她用奇怪的、勉強的口吻回答這些問題，並露出跟自己對抗的神情；前面已經指出，這是她的美貌的一個特點。可是她並不侷促不安，而完全是泰然自若。她似乎也並不希望避開談話，因爲她的臉朝着他，她的態度也儘可能地注意着他；當他沉默的時候，她也依然如此。
"您至少有許多方法來排遣煩悶，"董貝先生說道。
"不管它們的效果怎麼樣，"她回答道，"這些方法現在您全都知道了。我沒有什麼別的方法。"
"我可以希望把它們的效果全部證明一下嗎？"董貝先生放下手中的一幅圖畫，指着豎琴，莊嚴而又殷勤地問道。
"啊，當然可以，如果您願意的話。"
她一邊說，一邊站起來；當她走過母親的長沙發椅時，她向那裏投去了莊嚴的眼光，時間是短促的一瞬，但它卻包含了許多表情，其中那若隱若現的微笑把其餘的表情都遮蔽了；——她就這樣走出了房間。
少校這時得到了完全的寬恕；他把一個有輪子的小桌子推到克利奧佩特拉身旁，坐下來跟她玩皮基特牌。董貝先生不懂得玩這種紙牌；當伊迪絲沒有回來的時候，他就坐下來看他們玩，從中學習。
"我希望，我們將聽到音樂吧，董貝先生？"克利奧佩特拉說道。
"承蒙格蘭傑夫人的厚意，她已經答應了，"董貝先生說道。
"啊，好極了。是你建議的嗎，少校？"
"不是，夫人，"少校說，"我提不出這樣的建議。"
"你是個野蠻人，"那位夫人回答道，"我的手氣都給你敗壞，打不出好牌來了。您喜歡音樂吧，董貝先生？"
"非常喜歡。"這是董貝先生的回答。"是的。好極了。"克利奧佩特拉看着紙牌，說道，"音樂包含着許多心，它使人模糊地回想起人類往昔的生存狀態——還有很多別的東西，那確實是多麼可愛。您可知道，"克利奧佩特拉竊笑着，一邊把抓進來的那張腳朝天的梅花傑克掉過頭去，"如果有什麼東西誘使我結束我的生命的話，那就是想要了解我們周圍的一切究竟是什麼、它的意義究竟是什麼的好奇心；確實，有那麼耐人尋味的祕密隱藏着，我們還不知道。少校，你出牌！"
少校出了牌；董貝先生繼續看着，從中學習，他本來很早就已完全看不明白了，可是他根本沒有注意玩牌，而是坐在那裏納悶：伊迪絲什麼時候纔會回來呢。
她終於回來了，並且在豎琴前面坐下來；董貝先生站起身來，站在她旁邊，聽着。他對音樂沒有什麼欣賞力，對她彈奏的曲調一無所知，但是他看見她向豎琴彎下身子，也許他還在琴絃的聲音中聽到在什麼遙遠的地方響起了他自己的音樂；它馴服了鐵路這個怪物，使它不像過去那麼難以抗拒了。
克利奧佩特拉玩皮基特牌的時候，眼睛確實敏銳。它們像鳥兒的眼睛一樣閃着光，而且沒有死死盯在紙牌上，而是注視着整個房間，從這一端到那一端，毫無疏漏。它們的光閃射到豎琴上，閃射到彈琴人的身上，閃射到聽琴人的身上，閃射到每一樣東西上。
傲慢的美人彈完之後，站起來，用跟先前一樣的態度接受了董貝先生的感謝與恭維；然後幾乎沒有停歇地走向鋼琴，開始彈奏起來。
伊迪絲·格蘭傑，您不論彈唱哪首歌曲都可以，但請別彈唱這首歌曲吧！伊迪絲·格蘭傑，您是很標緻的，您的指法是出色的，您的聲音是深沉和嘹亮的，但是請您別彈唱他的受冷落的女兒曾經唱給他的死去的兒子聽的這首歌曲吧！
啊，他沒有聽出來；如果他聽出來的話，還有什麼歌曲能像這首歌曲那樣，會把他這冷酷的人攪得心神不寧呢！安睡吧。孤獨的弗洛倫斯，安睡吧！雖然夜已經黑了，烏雲正在密佈，好像就要下冰雹了，但祝願您的夢是安寧的！