狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第21章Part 3

'Nature is inviting us away now, Mama, if you are ready,' said the younger lady, curling her handsome lip. At this hint, the wan page, who had been surveying the party over the top of the chair, vanished behind it, as if the ground had swallowed him up.
'Stop a moment, Withers!' said Mrs Skewton, as the chair began to move; calling to the page with all the languid dignity with which she had called in days of yore to a coachman with a wig, cauliflower nosegay, and silk stockings. 'Where are you staying, abomination?' The Major was staying at the Royal Hotel, with his friend Dombey.
'You may come and see us any evening when you are good,' lisped Mrs Skewton. 'If Mr Dombey will honour us, we shall be happy. Withers, go on!'
"The Major again pressed to his blue lips the tips of the fingers that were disposed on the ledge of the wheeled chair with careful carelessness, after the Cleopatra model: and Mr Dombey bowed. The elder lady honoured them both with a very gracious smile and a girlish wave of her hand; the younger lady with the very slightest inclination of her head that common courtesy allowed.
The last glimpse of the wrinkled face of the mother, with that patched colour on it which the sun made infinitely more haggard and dismal than any want of colour could have been, and of the proud Beauty of the daughter with her graceful figure and erect deportment, engendered such an involuntary disposition on the part of both the Major and Mr Dombey to look after them, that they both turned at the same moment. The Page, nearly as much aslant as his own shadow, was toiling after the chair, uphill, like a slow battering-ram; the top of Cleopatra's bonnet was fluttering in exactly the same corner to the inch as before; and the Beauty, loitering by herself a little in advance, expressed in all her elegant form, from head to foot, the same supreme disregard of everything and everybody.
'I tell you what, Sir,' said the Major, as they resumed their walk again. 'If Joe Bagstock were a younger man, there's not a woman in the world whom he'd prefer for Mrs Bagstock to that woman. By George, Sir!' said the Major, 'she's superb!'
'Do you mean the daughter?' inquired Mr Dombey.
'Is Joey B. a turnip, Dombey,' said the Major, 'that he should mean the mother?'
'You were complimentary to the mother,' returned Mr Dombey.
'An ancient flame, Sir,' chuckled Major Bagstock. 'Devilish ancient. I humour her.'

"大自然現在邀請我們上別處去了，媽媽，如果你同意的話，"年輕的女士歪着美麗的嘴脣，說道。臉無血色的童僕一直站在椅子背後觀察着這一夥人，這時聽到這個暗示以後，就在椅子後面消失不見了，彷彿土地已經把他吞下去似的。
"等一會兒，威瑟斯，"當椅子開始移動的時候，斯丘頓夫人無精打采而又端莊威嚴地向童僕呼喊道；她在往昔的日子裏就是用這樣的神態呼喊戴着假髮、拿着菜花的花束、穿着長統絲襪的車伕的。"你待在哪裏，可惡的人？" 少校和他的朋友董貝住在皇家旅館。
如果你已經改邪歸正的話，你可以在任何一個晚上來看我們，"斯丘頓夫人吐字不清地說道，"如果董貝先生肯大駕光臨的話，那麼我們將感到不勝榮幸。威瑟斯，走吧！"
少校又一次把她那模仿克利奧佩特拉的姿態，故意漫不經心地擱在輪椅橫邊上的指尖緊緊壓在他的發青的嘴脣上；董貝先生則向她們鞠躬。年老的夫人對他們兩人和藹可親地微笑了一下，少女似地揮了揮手，作爲回禮；年輕的女士則按照通常的禮貌，極爲輕輕地點了點頭。
母親那皺巴巴的臉孔，上面敷蓋着一層飾顏片的顏色，在陽光下比沒有任何顏色顯得更加枯槁和醜陋；女兒則身材優美，舉止高雅；少校和董貝向那位母親的臉孔與那位女兒高傲而美麗的容貌看了最後一眼之後，都情不自禁地希望目送着她們離開，所以兩人都在同一個瞬間轉回了身子，童僕身子幾乎和他自己的影子一樣傾斜，正像一個緩慢的破城槌②一樣，辛辛苦苦地推着椅子上坡；克利奧佩特拉的軟帽絲毫不差地在原先的部位上擺動；那位美人獨自一人稍稍走在前面，在她從頭到腳的整個優雅的身形中，跟原先一樣，表露出完全目空一切事物和一切人們的神情。
"這是我要跟您說的，先生，"當他們重新散步的時候，少校說道，"如果喬·白格斯托克比現在年輕一些，除了那個女人，世界上沒有別的女人他最願意娶來當白格斯托剋夫人的了。確實是這樣，先生！"少校說，"她是絕色佳人啊。"
"您是指女兒嗎？"董貝先生問道。
"難道喬·白是個蘿蔔嗎，董貝，他竟會指母親？"少校說。
"您剛纔恭維母親啊，"董貝先生說道。
"那是舊日的情焰啦，先生，"白格斯托克少校吃吃地笑道，"非常非常舊的了。我迎合她。"