狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第37章Part2

'My dear love,' drawled Mrs Skewton, 'how very odd to send that message without seeing the name! Bring it here, Withers. Dear me, my love; Mr Carker, too! That very sensible person!'
'I am going out,' repeated Edith, in so imperious a tone that Withers, going to the door, imperiously informed the servant who was waiting, 'Mrs Dombey is going out. Get along with you,' and shut it on him.'
But the servant came back after a short absence, and whispered to Withers again, who once more, and not very willingly, presented himself before Mrs Dombey.
'If you please, Ma'am, Mr Carker sends his respectful compliments, and begs you would spare him one minute, if you could - for business, Ma'am, if you please.'
'Really, my love,' said Mrs Skewton in her mildest manner; for her daughter's face was threatening; 'if you would allow me to offer a word, I should recommend - '
'Show him this way,' said Edith. As Withers disappeared to execute the command, she added, frowning on her mother, 'As he comes at your recommendation, let him come to your room.'
'May I - shall I go away?' asked Florence, hurriedly.
Edith nodded yes, but on her way to the door Florence met the visitor coming in. With the same disagreeable mixture of familiarity and forbearance, with which he had first addressed her, he addressed her now in his softest manner - hoped she was quite well - needed not to ask, with such looks to anticipate the answer - had scarcely had the honour to know her, last night, she was so greatly changed - and held the door open for her to pass out; with a secret sense of power in her shrinking from him, that all the deference and politeness of his manner could not quite conceal.
He then bowed himself for a moment over Mrs Skewton's condescending hand, and lastly bowed to Edith. Coldly returning his salute without looking at him, and neither seating herself nor inviting him to be seated, she waited for him to speak.
Entrenched in her pride and power, and with all the obduracy of her spirit summoned about her, still her old conviction that she and her mother had been known by this man in their worst colours, from their first acquaintance; that every degradation she had suffered in her own eyes was as plain to him as to herself; that he read her life as though it were a vile book, and fluttered the leaves before her in slight looks and tones of voice which no one else could detect; weakened and undermined her. Proudly as she opposed herself to him, with her commanding face exacting his humility, her disdainful lip repulsing him, her bosom angry at his intrusion, and the dark lashes of her eyes sullenly veiling their light, that no ray of it might shine upon him - and submissively as he stood before her, with an entreating injured manner, but with complete submission to her will - she knew, in her own soul, that the cases were reversed, and that the triumph and superiority were his, and that he knew it full well.
'I have presumed,' said Mr Carker, 'to solicit an interview, and I have ventured to describe it as being one of business, because - '
'Perhaps you are charged by Mr Dombey with some message of reproof,' said Edit 'You possess Mr Dombey's confidence in such an unusual degree, Sir, that you would scarcely surprise me if that were your business.'
'I have no message to the lady who sheds a lustre upon his name,' said Mr Carker. 'But I entreat that lady, on my own behalf to be just to a very humble claimant for justice at her hands - a mere dependant of Mr Dombey's - which is a position of humility; and to reflect upon my perfect helplessness last night, and the impossibility of my avoiding the share that was forced upon me in a very painful occasion.'
'My dearest Edith,' hinted Cleopatra in a low voice, as she held her eye-glass aside, 'really very charming of Mr What's-his-name. And full of heart!'
'For I do,' said Mr Carker, appealing to Mrs Skewton with a look of grateful deference, - 'I do venture to call it a painful occasion, though merely because it was so to me, who had the misfortune to be present. So slight a difference, as between the principals - between those who love each other with disinterested devotion, and would make any sacrifice of self in such a cause - is nothing. As Mrs Skewton herself expressed, with so much truth and feeling last night, it is nothing.'
Edith could not look at him, but she said after a few moments,
'And your business, Sir - '
'Edith, my pet,' said Mrs Skewton, 'all this time Mr Carker is standing! My dear Mr Carker, take a seat, I beg.'

“我亲爱的，”斯丘顿夫人慢声慢气地说道，”多奇怪，连名字不看一下就这样回答出去！拿到这里来，威瑟斯。天哪，我亲爱的，你可知道，这是卡克先生！这位很明白事理的人！”
“我要出去，”伊迪丝重复说道。她的语气是完全命令式的，所以威瑟斯走到门口，就命令式地对等待着的仆人说道，”董贝夫人要出去，走吧！”说完就当着他的面把门关上了。
可是那位仆人走后不一会儿又回来了，而且又凑着威瑟斯的耳朵低声地说些话，威瑟斯不很愿意地又一次走到董贝夫人面前。
“对不起，夫人，卡克先生向您致以敬意，并请求您，夫人，如果您愿意的话，抽出一分钟来跟他谈点业务上的事情。”
“真的，我亲爱的，”斯丘顿夫人看到她女儿的脸色阴沉难看，就用极为温和的声调说道，”如果你允许我说一句话，那么我想建议--”
“领他进来，”伊迪丝说道。当威瑟斯出去执行命令的时候，她皱着眉头又对母亲说道，”当他根据你的建议进来的时候，让他到你的房间里去。”
“我可以--我能走吗？”弗洛伦斯急忙问道。
伊迪丝点头同意，可是弗洛伦斯向门口走去的时候，却遇见了这位进来的人。就跟第一次对她说话时那种既亲昵又克制的讨厌态度一样，他这时用他最曲意奉承的语气对她说话，--说他希望她健康，--他不需要采用问的方式，而是仔细看看她的脸孔，等待着她的答复--；又说她的变化多么大，他昨天晚上几乎不能荣幸地认出她来了，然后他用手按住门，使它开着，让她出去；他暗暗地意识到有一种力量促使她急忙从他身边避开；尽管他的态度恭恭敬敬，彬彬有礼，但却不能完全掩盖他的这一意识。
然后他鞠了个躬，吻了一下斯丘顿夫人客气地向他伸出的手，最后向伊迪丝鞠了个躬。伊迪丝冷淡地回答了他的敬礼，没有看他；她自己没有坐下，也没有请他坐下，而是等待着他说话。
虽然她有高傲与权力作为依仗，并可以借助于她那顽强不屈的精神，但她以往的一种确信却破坏和削弱了她的力量。这个确信就是：从他们第一次相识以来，这个人了解她和她母亲的最坏的本色；她所忍受的每一个屈辱，他都跟她本人一样清楚；他观察她的生活就像念一本内容卑劣的书一样，用任何人也不能觉察到的轻视的眼光和声调翻读着书页。虽然她高傲地站在他的对面，她的威严的脸孔逼迫着他顺从，她的轻蔑的嘴唇排斥着他，她的胸脯上下起伏，对他的闯入感到愤怒，她的黑黑的眼睫毛很不高兴地低垂下来，掩蔽了眼睛的亮光，没有一道光落在他的身上，虽然他恭恭敬敬地站在她的面前，露出一副恳求的、委屈的姿态，然而却完全服从她的意志--可是她在内心深处知道，实际的情况正好相反，胜利的优势是属于他的，他完全清楚地了解这一点。
“我冒味地请求跟您会晤，”卡克先生说道，”我还放肆地说，我是来跟您谈一点业务上的事情，这是因为--”
“也许董贝先生委托您转达他的什么责备吧，”伊迪丝说道，”您得到董贝先生的信任，已到了异乎寻常的程度，所以如果您认为这是您的业务，并不会使我惊奇。”
“我没有什么口讯需要转达给使他的姓增添光彩的夫人，”卡克先生说道，”可是我以我本人的名义请求这位夫人公正地对待她手下的一名卑贱的提出要求的人--董贝先生的一名普通的下属，一个地位低微的人--，请求她考虑一下：昨天晚上我处于完全无能为力的状况，我当时被迫置身于一个很痛苦的场合，我想要避开是完全不可能的。”
“我最亲爱的伊迪丝，”克利奥佩特拉把她的眼镜放在一旁，低声地暗示道，”这位叫什么名字的先生确实很讨人喜欢，他充满了善良的心意！”
“我胆敢，”卡克先生用感激与尊敬的眼光向斯丘顿夫人看了一眼，继续说道，”我胆敢称这是个痛苦的场合，仅仅是因为我当时不幸在场，所以对我来说是痛苦的。至于在两位主人之间，在怀着无私的忠诚、相互热爱、随时准备为此而牺牲自己的人们之间，发生一点这样微小的争执，那是根本算不了什么的。就像斯丘顿夫人本人昨天夜间充满感情、极为真实地表达过的一样，那根本算不了什么。”
伊迪丝不能看他，但她在过了一会儿之后说道：
“您的业务呢，先生--”
“伊迪丝，我的宝贝，”斯丘顿夫人说道，”卡克先生一直在站着呢！我亲爱的卡克先生，请坐吧。”