狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第15章Part1
Amazing Artfulness of Captain Cuttle, and a new Pursuit for Walter Gay Walter could not, for several days, decide what to do in the Barbados business; and even cherished some faint hope that Mr Dombey might not have meant what he had said, or that he might change his mind, and tell him he was not to go. But as nothing occurred to give this idea (which was sufficiently improbable in itself) any touch of confirmation, and as time was slipping by, and he had none to lose, he felt that he must act, without hesitating any longer.
Walter's chief difficulty was, how to break the change in his affairs to Uncle Sol, to whom he was sensible it would he a terrible blow. He had the greater difficulty in dashing Uncle Sol's spirits with such an astounding piece of intelligence, because they had lately recovered very much, and the old man had become so cheerful, that the little back parlour was itself again. Uncle Sol had paid the first appointed portion of the debt to Mr Dombey, and was hopeful of working his way through the rest; and to cast him down afresh, when he had sprung up so manfully from his troubles, was a very distressing necessity.
沃爾特的主要困難在於怎樣把他工作的變動情況透露給所爾舅舅；他知道這對他是一個可怕的打擊。他感到尤其困難的是說出這個驚人的消息來摧毀所爾舅舅的情緒，因爲老人最近情緒有了很大好轉，有說有笑，小後客廳又恢復了往日歡樂的氣氛。所爾舅舅已經把第一批債款歸還給董貝先生，並滿懷希望，能設法把其餘的欠債還清。當他勇敢地從艱難中振作起來的時候，重新讓他垂頭喪氣，這真是一件令人痛苦、迫不得已的事情。Yet it would never do to run away from him. He must know of it beforehand; and how to tell him was the point. As to the question of going or not going, Walter did not consider that he had any power of choice in the matter. Mr Dombey had truly told him that he was young, and that his Uncle's circumstances were not good; and Mr Dombey had plainly expressed, in the glance with which he had accompanied that reminder, that if he declined to go he might stay at home if he chose, but not in his counting-house. His Uncle and he lay under a great obligation to Mr Dombey, which was of Walter's own soliciting. He might have begun in secret to despair of ever winning that gentleman's favour, and might have thought that he was now and then disposed to put a slight upon him, which was hardly just. But what would have been duty without that,was still duty with it—or Walter thought so—and duty must be done.
然而決不能揹着他悄悄地溜走。應當事先讓他知道這件事。問題是怎樣告訴他。至於去或不去，沃爾特認爲他絲毫沒有選擇的權力。董貝先生明白無誤地跟他說過，他年輕，舅舅的境況又不好；董貝先生還在伴隨的眼光中清楚地提醒他，如果他拒絕去的話，那麼他可以待在家中，但卻不能待在他的辦公室裏。他舅舅和他都欠董貝先生的恩情；這份恩情還是沃爾特親自去懇求來的。他也許已開始暗暗感到，他永遠沒有希望博得那位先生的好感，他也許還想到，董貝先生還不時藐視他，而那是很不公正的。可是不論情況是否這樣，職責畢竟是職責，而職責是必須履行的，沃爾特心裏這樣想。
When Mr Dombey had looked at him, and told him he was young, and that his Uncle's circumstances were not good, there had been an expression of disdain in his face; a contemptuous and disparaging assumption that he would be quite content to live idly on a reduced old man, which stung the boy's generous soul. Determined to assure Mr Dombey, in so far as it was possible to give him the assurance without expressing it in words, that indeed he mistook his nature, Walter had been anxious to show even more cheerfulness and activity after the West Indian interview than he had shown before: if that were possible, in one of his quick and zealous disposition. He was too young and inexperienced to think, that possibly this very quality in him was not agreeable to Mr Dombey, and that it was no stepping-stone to his good opinion to be elastic and hopeful of pleasing under the shadow of his powerful displeasure, whether it were right or wrong. But it may have been—it may have been—that the great man thought himself defied in this new exposition of an honest spirit, and purposed to bring it down.
當董貝先生看着他，跟他說，他年輕，他舅舅的境況又不好的時候，臉上曾經流露出一種輕蔑的神色，傲慢不恭地、對他貶損地認爲，他樂意遊手好閒地依靠一個窮困沒落的老頭子過活；這一點刺痛了這個孩子高尚的心靈。沃爾特決定不用言語表白，而儘可能使董貝先生相信，他確實把他的品格看錯了，所以在那次有關去西印度羣島的談話之後，他急切地表現出比先前更加愉快和活躍，就像一個像他那樣機靈、熱心的孩子所能表現的。他太年輕，太缺乏經驗，沒有想到，他這種性格本身就可能使董貝先生不喜歡；董貝先生強烈的不高興不論是正確的還是錯誤的，反正在它那陰影之下，這孩子表現出應變自如，有希望依然快快活活的樣子，是決不會使他產生好印象的。相反倒很可能，在那位大人物看來，這顆誠實的心靈的這種新的表露是對他的公然反抗，因此他決意把它壓下去。一e:vt.使吃驚, 使驚異 vi.驚訝 n.吃驚, 好奇vt.<古> 使困惑
【詞義辨析】
surprise, amaze, astonish, astound, startle, stun
這些動詞均含“使驚愕，使驚訝，使驚奇”之意。
surprise普通用詞，多指因未預料或意外的事而引起的驚奇之感。
amaze語氣較強，指因認爲不可能或極少可能發生情況的出現而感到驚訝或迷惑不解。
astonish語氣較強，指出乎預料，意外發生，但又無法解釋而感到驚奇。
astound語氣強，指由於事情令人難以置信或實在罕見而使人感到震驚。
startle指因突然的驚嚇或意料不到的刺激等而使人驚跳或震驚。
stun語氣最強，指極度驚訝而目瞪口呆，不知所措。
【例句用法】
I was amazed to find her there.
發現她在那，我感到很吃驚。
He amazed me by his audacity.
他的無理讓我驚駭。
二ose：n.目的, 決心, 意圖, 議題 v.打算, 決意
【語法用法】
purpose作名詞指“目的”時，注意在for charitable purposes等詞組中，使用複數形式purposes；
purpose作名詞在for (the) purposes of travel等詞組中也使用複數形式，且定冠詞the通常略去；
purpose前面有物主代詞時，注意後面跟介詞in。
My purpose in writng the book purpose.
名詞purpose的三種固定用法：be to the/little/no purpose，do something to some/much/no/little purpose，serve the/my purpose；
purpose作動詞時，後面可跟不定式，動名詞或that從句。
I purpose giving/to give the committee all the details.
我決定把細節都告訴委員會。
We purpose that such disasters shall not occur again.
我們決意不讓悲劇重演。
【錯句舉例與錯句分析】
錯句: What is your purpose of going abroad?
訂正: What is your purpose in going abroad?
翻譯: 什麼是你出國的目的？
分析: purpose作名字時，前面有物主代詞時，後面跟介詞in，而不是of。
【詞義辨析】
aim, goal, purpose, end, target, object, objective
這些名詞均有“目標、目的”之意。
aim從本義“靶子”引申而來，側重比較具體而明確的目標，但常指短期目標。
goal指經過考慮和選擇，需經堅持不懈的努力奮鬥才能達到的最終目標。
purpose普通用詞，既指以堅決、審慎的行動去達到的目的，又指心中渴望要實現的目標。
end指心目中懷着的某種目的，強調結果而非過程。較正式用詞。
target指射擊的靶，軍事攻擊目標。引申指被攻擊、批評或嘲笑的目標。
object強調個人或需求而決定的目標、目的。
objective與object基本同義，但語義更廣泛，指具體或很快能達到的目的，也可指軍事目標。書面用詞。
【例句用法】
She seems to do these things on purpose.
她似乎是有意地做這些事。
He purposed to visit South America.
他計劃去南美。
Did you come to London for the purpose of seeing your family, or for business purposes?
你到倫敦來的目的是爲了要看望家人還是爲了公事？
