狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第42章Part12

'Yes; if you please to adopt that form of words,' said Mr Dombey, in his tone of state; 'and at present I do not conceive that Mrs Dombey does that credit to it, to which it is entitled. There is a principle of opposition in Mrs Dombey that must be eradicated; that must be overcome: Mrs Dombey does not appear to understand,' said Mr Dombey, forcibly, 'that the idea of opposition to Me is monstrous and absurd.'
'We, in the City, know you better,' replied Carker, with a smile from ear to ear.
'You know me better,' said Mr Dombey. 'I hope so. Though, indeed, I am bound to do Mrs Dombey the justice of saying, however inconsistent it may seem with her subsequent conduct (which remains unchanged), that on my expressing my disapprobation and determination to her, with some severity, on the occasion to which I have referred, my admonition appeared to produce a very powerful effect.' Mr Dombey delivered himself of those words with most portentous stateliness. 'I wish you to have the goodness, then, to inform Mrs Dombey, Carker, from me, that I must recall our former conversation to her remembrance, in some surprise that it has not yet had its effect. That I must insist upon her regulating her conduct by the injunctions laid upon her in that conversation. That I am not satisfied with her conduct. That I am greatly dissatisfied with it. And that I shall be under the very disagreeable necessity of making you the bearer of yet more unwelcome and explicit communications, if she has not the good sense and theproper feeling to adapt herself to my wishes, as the first Mrs Dombey did, and, I believe I may add, as any other lady in her place would.'
'The first Mrs Dombey lived very happily,' said Carker.
'The first Mrs Dombey had great good sense,' said Mr Dombey, in a gentlemanly toleration of the dead, 'and very correct feeling.'
'Is Miss Dombey like her mother, do you think?' said Carker.
Swiftly and darkly, Mr Dombey's face changed. His confidential agent eyed it keenly.

“是的，如果您喜欢采用这样的词句来表达的话，”董贝先生用庄严的语气说道，”那么现在我并不认为董贝夫人的所作所为是对这种选择增添了光彩。董贝夫人具有一种对抗的脾气，这是必须根除，必须克服的。董贝夫人好像还不懂得，”董贝先生有力地说道，”对抗我这种想法本身就是骇人听闻和荒谬绝伦的。”
“我们在城里的人对您了解得更清楚，”卡克先生咧着嘴，满脸堆着笑容。
“您比较了解我，”董贝先生说道，”我希望这样。不过我确实还是应当替董贝夫人说句公道话，不管她后来的行为（跟以前没有变化）可能跟这如何不相一致，但在我提到的那一次，我有些严厉地向她表示了我的不赞成和决心之后，我的劝告还是产生了强有力的效果。”董贝先生极为高傲、庄严地说了这些话。”因此，卡克，我想劳驾您以我的名义通知董贝夫人，我必须提醒她记着我们以前的谈话，因为我有些惊奇，为什么它至今还没有产生应有的效果。我必须坚持她按照我在这次谈话中向她发出的命令来改正她的行为。我对她的行为不满意。我对它很不满意。如果她缺乏健全的思想和正当的感情，不能像第一位董贝夫人那样按照我的愿望行事的话（我想，我可以补充一句，任何女士处在她那种地位都会像第一位董贝夫人那样做的），那么我将会很不愉快地不得不通过您向她转达使她更不愉快、更明显无误的指示了。”
“第一位董贝夫人过得很幸福，”卡克说道。
“第一位董贝夫人有极健全的思想和很正确的感情，”董贝先生抱着对死者高尚地表示宽容的态度说道。
“您认为董贝小姐像她母亲吗？”卡克问道。
董贝先生的脸色迅速地、可怕地改变了。深得他信任的助手敏锐地注意到这一点。