狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第38章Part3

The rising Toodles set up a shrill murmur, expressive of their resolution to profit by the paternal advice.
'But what makes you say this along of Rob, father?' asked his wife, anxiously.
'Polly, old ooman,' said Mr Toodle, 'I don't know as I said it partickler along o' Rob, I'm sure. I starts light with Rob only; I comes to a branch; I takes on what I finds there; and a whole train of ideas gets coupled on to him, afore I knows where I am, or where they comes from. What a Junction a man's thoughts is,' said Mr Toodle, 'to-be-sure!'
This profound reflection Mr Toodle washed down with a pint mug of tea, and proceeded to solidify with a great weight of bread and butter; charging his young daughters meanwhile, to keep plenty of hot water in the pot, as he was uncommon dry, and should take the indefinite quantity of 'a sight of mugs,' before his thirst was appeased.
In satisfying himself, however, Mr Toodle was not regardless of the younger branches about him, who, although they had made their own evening repast, were on the look-out for irregular morsels, as possessing a relish. These he distributed now and then to the expectant circle, by holding out great wedges of bread and butter, to be bitten at by the family in lawful succession, and by serving out small doses of tea in like manner with a spoon; which snacks had such a relish in the mouths of these young Toodles, that, after partaking of the same, they performed private dances of ecstasy among themselves, and stood on one leg apiece, and hopped, and indulged in other saltatory tokens of gladness. These vents for their excitement found, they gradually closed about Mr Toodle again, and eyed him hard as he got through more bread and butter and tea; affecting, however, to have no further expectations of their own in reference to those viands, but to be conversing on foreign subjects, and whispering confidentially.
Mr Toodle, in the midst of this family group, and setting an awful example to his children in the way of appetite, was conveying the two young Toodles on his knees to Birmingham by special engine, and was contemplating the rest over a barrier of bread and butter, when Rob the Grinder, in his sou'wester hat and mourning slops, presented himself, and was received with a general rush of brothers and sisters.

正在成长的图德尔们发出了尖锐的低低的喊声，表示决心遵照父亲的教导去做。
“可是你为什么谈到罗布的时候说到这些话呢，爸爸？”他的妻子忧虑地问道。
“波利，我的老伴，”图德尔先生说道，”说实在的，我不知道我谈到这时是不是谈到了罗布。我只是从罗布这个站出发；我开到一个让车道里了；我在那里找到什么就拉走什么；像整个列车般的一连串思想都向他拥集过来，而那时候我还不知道我在哪里，也不知道这些思想是从哪里来的呢。说实在的，”图德尔先生说道，”一个人的思想是个多么复杂的枢纽站啊！”
图德尔先生喝了容量约一品脱的一杯茶，把这个意义深刻的见解冲了下去，然后用很大的一份奶油面包使它凝固起来；同时他又吩咐他年轻的女儿们在水壶里倒进大量的热水，因为他嘴巴非常干，必须喝上”很多很多个小杯”才能解渴。
不过，图德尔先生在满足自己享受的时候，并没有忘记聚集在他周围的年轻的下一代；他们虽然已经吃过了晚饭，可是却依然眼巴巴地期待着额外的小块食物，就像那是山珍海味似的。他不时把这些小块食物分配给周围盼望着的小家伙们，采取的方式是把切成楔形的一大块奶油面包举出去，让全家的孩子们依照合法的顺序一个个咬去，并按照同样的方式让他们从一个匙子里喝一小口茶水；这些小图德尔们觉得这些平均分配的饮食味道好极了，他们吃完喝完之后，都欣喜若狂地跳起舞来，每个人都用一只脚跳着，并用其他各种跳跃的姿态来表达心中的喜悦。他们找到了这些表达兴奋的方式之后，又逐渐簇拥在图德尔先生的身旁，紧紧地注视着他继续吃着奶油面包和喝着茶水，但却装出不再期望自己能再尝到这些美味佳肴，而在交谈一些不相干的问题，因而十分亲密地低声说着。
图德尔先生坐在全家人的中间，在胃口方面给孩子们树立了一个令人敬畏的榜样，一边正在用特别的机车把膝盖上的两个小图德尔运往伯明翰，并越过奶油面包围成的栅栏；细心观察着其他的小图德尔们，这时磨工罗布戴着称为”西南人”的防水帽，穿着丧服，走了进来，他的弟弟妹妹们立即争先恐后地向他冲去，迎接他。