狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第21章Part 4

'She impresses me as being perfectly genteel,' said Mr Dombey.
'Genteel, Sir,' said the Major, stopping short, and staring in his companion's face. 'The Honourable Mrs Skewton, Sir, is sister to the late Lord Feenix, and aunt to the present Lord. The family are not wealthy - they're poor, indeed - and she lives upon a small jointure; but if you come to blood, Sir!' The Major gave a flourish with his stick and walked on again, in despair of being able to say what you came to, if you came to that.
'You addressed the daughter, I observed,' said Mr Dombey, after a short pause, 'as Mrs Granger.'
'Edith Skewton, Sir,' returned the Major, stopping short again, and punching a mark in the ground with his cane, to represent her, 'married (at eighteen) Granger of Ours;' whom the Major indicated by another punch. 'Granger, Sir,' said the Major, tapping the last ideal portrait, and rolling his head emphatically, 'was Colonel of Ours; a de-vilish handsome fellow, Sir, of forty-one. He died, Sir, in the second year of his marriage.' The Major ran the representative of the deceased Granger through and through the body with his walking-stick, and went on again, carrying his stick over his shoulder.
'How long is this ago?' asked Mr Dombey, making another halt.
'Edith Granger, Sir,' replied the Major, shutting one eye, putting his head on one side, passing his cane into his left hand, and smoothing his shirt-frill with his right, 'is, at this present time, not quite thirty. And damme, Sir,' said the Major, shouldering his stick once more, and walking on again, 'she's a peerless woman!'
'Was there any family?' asked Mr Dombey presently.
'Yes, Sir,' said the Major. 'There was a boy.'
Mr Dombey's eyes sought the ground, and a shade came over his face.
'Who was drowned, Sir,' pursued the Major. 'When a child of four or five years old.'
'Indeed?' said Mr Dombey, raising his head.
'By the upsetting of a boat in which his nurse had no business to have put him,' said the Major. 'That's his history. Edith Granger is Edith Granger still; but if tough old Joey B., Sir, were a little younger and a little richer, the name of that immortal paragon should be Bagstock.'
The Major heaved his shoulders, and his cheeks, and laughed more like an over-fed Mephistopheles than ever, as he said the words.
'Provided the lady made no objection, I suppose?' said Mr Dombey coldly.
'By Gad, Sir,' said the Major, 'the Bagstock breed are not accustomed to that sort of obstacle. Though it's true enough that Edith might have married twenty times, but for being proud, Sir, proud.'
Mr Dombey seemed, by his face, to think no worse of her for that.
'It's a great quality after all,' said the Major. 'By the Lord, it's a high quality! Dombey! You are proud yourself, and your friend, Old Joe, respects you for it, Sir.'
With this tribute to the character of his ally, which seemed to be wrung from him by the force of circumstances and the irresistible tendency of their conversation, the Major closed the subject, and glided into a general exposition of the extent to which he had been beloved and doted on by splendid women and brilliant creatures.
On the next day but one, Mr Dombey and the Major encountered the Honourable Mrs Skewton and her daughter in the Pump-room; on the day after, they met them again very near the place where they had met them first. After meeting them thus, three or four times in all, it became a point of mere civility to old acquaintances that the Major should go there one evening. Mr Dombey had not originally intended to pay visits, but on the Major announcing this intention, he said he would have the pleasure of accompanying him. So the Major told the Native to go round before dinner, and say, with his and Mr Dombey's compliments, that they would have the honour of visiting the ladies that same evening, if the ladies were alone. In answer to which message, the Native brought back a very small note with a very large quantity of scent about it, indited by the Honourable Mrs Skewton to Major Bagstock, and briefly saying, 'You are a shocking bear and I have a great mind not to forgive you, but if you are very good indeed,' which was underlined, 'you may come. Compliments (in which Edith unites) to Mr Dombey.'
The Honourable Mrs Skewton and her daughter, Mrs Granger, resided, while at Leamington, in lodgings that were fashionable enough and dear enough, but rather limited in point of space and conveniences; so that the Honourable Mrs Skewton, being in bed, had her feet in the window and her head in the fireplace, while the Honourable Mrs Skewton's maid was quartered in a closet within the drawing-room, so extremely small, that, to avoid developing the whole of its accommodations, she was obliged to writhe in and out of the door like a beautiful serpent. Withers, the wan page, slept out of the house immediately under the tiles at a neighbouring milk-shop; and the wheeled chair, which was the stone of that young Sisyphus, passed the night in a shed belonging to the same dairy, where new-laid eggs were produced by the poultry connected with the establishment, who roosted on a broken donkey-cart, persuaded, to all appearance, that it grew there, and was a species of tree.
Mr Dombey and the Major found Mrs Skewton arranged, as Cleopatra, among the cushions of a sofa: very airily dressed; and certainly not resembling Shakespeare's Cleopatra, whom age could not wither. On their way upstairs they had heard the sound of a harp, but it had ceased on their being announced, and Edith now stood beside it handsomer and haughtier than ever. It was a remarkable characteristic of this lady's beauty that it appeared to vaunt and assert itself without her aid, and against her will. She knew that she was beautiful: it was impossible that it could be otherwise: but she seemed with her own pride to defy her very self.

"我覺得她完全是上流社會中有很好教養的人。"董貝先生說。
"上流社會中有很好教養的人，先生！"少校突然停下來，凝視着他的旅伴的臉孔，說道，"尊貴的斯丘頓夫人，先生，是已故的那位菲尼克斯勳爵的妹妹，現在那位菲尼克斯勳爵的姑媽。這個家庭並不富有——事實上他們是窮的——，她依靠從丈夫那裏繼承下來的一點財產過活。但是如果您要提到門第的話，先生！"少校揮了揮手杖，繼續往前走，覺得毫無辦法解釋如果您要提到那一點的話，您將會怎麼樣。
"我注意到，"董貝先生在短暫的沉默後說道，"您稱那位女兒爲格蘭傑夫人。"
"伊迪絲·斯丘頓，先生，"少校回答道，又突然停下來，用手杖在地上戳了個小坑來代表她，"十八歲的時候嫁給我們部隊的格蘭傑；"少校又戳了一個小坑來代表他。"格蘭傑，先生，"少校用手杖敲敲第二個想象中的畫像，富於表情地搖晃着腦袋，說道，"是我們部隊的上校，一位非常非常英俊的傢伙，先生，四十一歲。在結婚的第二年，先生，他死了。"少校用手杖向代表已故的格蘭傑的身體戳下去，戳下去，然後把手杖掛在肩膀上，繼續向前走。
"這是多久的事了？"董貝先生又躊躇了一會兒以後問道。
"伊迪絲·格蘭傑，先生，"少校閉上一隻眼睛，頭歪到一側，把手杖遞到左手，右手撫平襯衫的褶邊，回答道，"現在還不到三十歲。他媽的，先生，"少校說道，一邊又把手杖掛到肩膀上，重新向前走，"她是舉世無雙的女人！"
"有孩子嗎？"董貝先生不久問道。
"有，先生，"少校說，"有一個男孩。"
董貝先生的眼睛凝視着地面，臉上罩上了一層陰影。
"他淹死了，先生，"少校繼續說道，"那時他四、五歲。"
"真的嗎？"董貝先生擡起頭來問道。
"由於小船翻了的緣故，他的保姆本來不應該把他放到小船上去的，"少校說道，"這就是他的歷史。伊迪絲·格蘭傑依然還是伊迪絲·格蘭傑；但是如果堅強不屈的老喬埃·白·年輕一些，有錢一些的話。先生，那麼這位不朽的尤物就該姓白格斯托克了。"
少校說這些話的時候，肩膀和臉頰一起一伏地顫動着，同時放聲大笑着，比先前更像是個吃喝過度的梅菲斯托菲爾斯。
"您是說如果那位女士不反對的話，我想，"董貝先生冷冰冰地說道。
"天哪，先生，"少校說道，"白格斯托克家族的人是不考慮這一類障礙的。不過，這倒也確實不錯，伊迪絲要不是因爲高傲，本該結過二十次婚了，先生，就因爲高傲啊。"
從董貝先生臉上的表情看來，他並不因爲這個原因對她產生壞的想法。
"這畢竟是個偉大的品質，"少校說道，"我敢向天主發誓，這是個高貴的品質！董貝！您本人也是高傲的，您的朋友老喬由於這個緣故而尊敬您，先生。"
少校似乎是由於形勢所迫，也是由於他們談話不可抗拒的趨勢，對他的旅伴的性格說出了這番頌辭，然後就結束了這個話題，改爲泛泛地談論那些出色的女人與漂亮的人兒怎樣對他鐘情和寵愛的事情。
隔一天以後，董貝先生和少校在礦泉飲水處遇見了斯丘頓夫人和她的女兒；第二天，他們又在他們第一次遇見她們的地方的附近遇見了她們。這樣遇見她們三、四次之後，老熟人之間的禮貌要求少校該在一個晚上去看看她們。董貝先生最初並不打算拜訪，但當少校表明他的意向後，他說他將高興陪他去。因此少校在晚飯前吩咐本地人前去她們那裏轉達他和董貝先生的問候，並告訴她們，如果沒有別人在那裏的話，他們當天晚上將榮幸地前去拜訪她們兩位女士。本地人帶回來一張很小的散發出大量香水氣味的便條，那是尊貴的斯丘頓夫人寫給白格斯托克少校的，作爲對帶去的口信的回答。便條上寫着："你是頭壞透了的熊。我真不想饒恕你。但是如果你現在已經走上正路，確實很好的話，"她在這下面劃上了橫線，"那麼你可以來。請代我（連同伊迪絲）向董貝先生致意。"
斯丘頓夫人和她的女兒格蘭傑夫人在萊明頓期間居住在很時髦、很昂貴，但面積和設備卻相當有限的寓所中；因此，當斯丘頓夫人躺在牀上的時候，她的腳得擱到窗子上，她的頭得擱到壁爐上；斯丘頓夫人的女僕擠住在會客室中的一個極小的壁櫥裏；爲了不露出它裏面的全部東西，她得像一條美麗的蛇一樣，扭進門裏去，並從門裏扭出來。童僕威瑟斯不是睡在這個屋子裏，而是睡在鄰近牛奶店的屋頂下；這位年輕的西西弗斯的石頭-輪椅在同一個牛奶店的棚屋裏過夜；這家店鋪的雞鴨在棚屋裏下蛋，它們棲息在一輛破舊的二輪驢車上；顯然，它們相信這車子是生長在那裏的一種樹木。
董貝先生和少校看到斯丘頓夫人穿着很輕薄的衣衫，採取克利奧佩特拉的姿態，坐在一張沙發的軟墊中間，當然並不像莎士比亞筆下那年齡不能使她衰老的克利奧佩特拉。他們走上樓的時候，曾聽到豎琴的聲音，但當通報他們來到的時候，琴聲停止了，伊迪絲比先前更美麗更傲慢地站在琴邊。這位女士的美貌有一個特點，就是不用她本人幫助，而且違反她本人的意願，就自我宣揚出來，自我肯定下來。她知道她是美麗的，不可能不是這樣，但她似乎高傲地公然反抗自己。