狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第20章Part 04

'Major,' said Mr Dombey, reddening, 'I hope you do not hint at anything so absurd on the part of Miss Tox as — '
'Dombey,' returned the Major, 'I hint at nothing. But Joey B. has lived in the world, Sir: lived in the world with his eyes open, Sir, and his ears cocked: and Joe tells you, Dombey, that there's a devilish artful and ambitious woman over the way.'
Mr Dombey involuntarily glanced over the way; and an angry glance he sent in that direction, too.
'That's all on such a subject that shall pass the lips of Joseph Bagstock,' said the Major firmly. 'Joe is not a tale—bearer, but there are times when he must speak, when he will speak! — confound your arts, Ma'am,' cried the Major, again apostrophising his fair neighbour, with great ire, — 'when the provocation is too strong to admit of his remaining silent.'
The emotion of this outbreak threw the Major into a paroxysm of horse's coughs, which held him for a long time. On recovering he added:
'And now, Dombey, as you have invited Joe — old Joe, who has no other merit, Sir, but that he is tough and hearty — to be your guest and guide at Leamington, command him in any way you please, and he is wholly yours. I don't know, Sir,' said the Major, wagging his double chin with a jocose air, 'what it is you people see in Joe to make you hold him in such great request, all of you; but this I know, Sir, that if he wasn't pretty tough, and obstinate in his refusals, you'd kill him among you with your invitations and so forth, in double—quick time.'
Mr Dombey, in a few words, expressed his sense of the preference he received over those other distinguished members of society who were clamouring for the possession of Major Bagstock. But the Major cut him short by giving him to understand that he followed his own inclinations, and that they had risen up in a body and said with one accord, 'J. B., Dombey is the man for you to choose as a friend.'

“少校，”董貝先生紅着臉說道，“我希望您說到托克斯小姐的時候，別暗示任何荒謬絕倫的事情——”
“董貝，”少校回答道，“我什麼也沒有暗示。但是喬埃·白是生活在這個世界上的，先生，是張開眼睛生活在這個世界上的，先生，他的耳朵也是豎起來的；喬告訴您，董貝，就在路對過，有一個非常非常狡猾和野心勃勃的女人。”
董貝先生不由得向廣場對過望了一眼；他朝那個方向投射過去的是憤怒的眼光。
“約瑟夫·白格斯托克在這個問題上想要講的話，沒有半句留在嘴裏的了，”少校斬釘截鐵地說道，“喬不是個搬弄是非的人，但有時候，當挑釁強烈得叫他不能再沉默下去的時候，他必須說，他·想·要說——您那該死的奸計，夫人！”少校又火冒三丈地向着他的女鄰居大聲喊道。
這突然爆發的感情激動又引起少校發出一陣馬的咳嗽般的聲音，把他折磨了好久；當他恢復過來以後，他又繼續說道：
“現在，董貝，既然您邀請喬——老喬當您的客人和萊明頓的嚮導，那就請隨意指揮他吧，他是完全屬於您的。他沒有別的優點，先生，但他是堅強不屈和誠懇熱情的。我不知道，先生，”少校帶着詼諧的神氣，搖擺着他的雙下巴頦，說道，“你們這些人在喬身上看到了什麼，使你們全都向他提出了這樣重大的請求；不過我明白，如果他不是堅強不屈、頑抗到底地拒絕這些邀請的話，那麼你們就會用請貼及其他一類東西把他的這條命加快一倍地斷送了。”
董貝先生三言兩語地表示他認識到，社會上其他傑出的人物全都爭爭吵吵地想把白格斯托克少校據爲己有，而少校對他本人的偏愛則超過他們之上。但是少校立刻打斷他，讓他明白，他是根據自己的心意行事的；他的這些心意全都一致起立，用一個聲調對他說，“喬·白，董貝是您應當選來做朋友的人。”