狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第37章Part1

Florence, Edith, and Mrs Skewton were together next day, and the carriage was waiting at the door to take them out. For Cleopatra had her galley again now, and Withers, no longer the-wan, stood upright in a pigeon-breasted jacket and military trousers, behind her wheel-less chair at dinner-time and butted no more. The hair of Withers was radiant with pomatum, in these days of down, and he wore kid gloves and smelt of the water of Cologne.
They were assembled in Cleopatra's room The Serpent of old Nile (not to mention her disrespectfully) was reposing on her sofa, sipping her morning chocolate at three o'clock in the afternoon, and Flowers the Maid was fastening on her youthful cuffs and frills, and performing a kind of private coronation ceremony on her, with a peach-coloured velvet bonnet; the artificial roses in which nodded to uncommon advantage, as the palsy trifled with them, like a breeze.
'I think I am a little nervous this morning, Flowers,' said Mrs Skewton. 'My hand quite shakes.'
'You were the life of the party last night, Ma'am, you know,' returned Flowers, ' and you suffer for it, to-day, you see.'
Edith, who had beckoned Florence to the window, and was looking out, with her back turned on the toilet of her esteemed mother, suddenly withdrew from it, as if it had lightened.
'My darling child,' cried Cleopatra, languidly, 'you are not nervous? Don't tell me, my dear Edith, that you, so enviably self-possessed, are beginning to be a martyr too, like your unfortunately constituted mother! Withers, someone at the door.'
'Card, Ma'am,' said Withers, taking it towards Mrs Dombey.
'I am going out,' she said without looking at it.

第二天，弗洛伦斯、伊迪丝和斯丘顿夫人在一起坐着，马车在门口等待着把她们拉到外面去游逛。因为现在克利奥佩特拉又有了她的单层甲板大帆船了；威瑟斯不再脸无血色；他穿着鸽胸式的短上衣和军裤，在就餐的时间笔挺地站在她的没有轮子的椅子的后面，不再用头去顶它了；在这些轻松愉快的日子里，威瑟斯的头发涂了香脂，闪闪发亮；他戴着小山羊皮的手套，身上散发出花露水的香气。
他们聚集在克利奥佩特拉的房间里。古老的尼罗河的蛇（这么说并不是对她不尊敬）在她的沙发上安息，下午三点还在一点一点地喝着她早晨的巧克力饮料，侍女弗劳尔斯正在系紧她那少女般衣衫的袖口和绉边，并私下里给她举行了一个加冕典礼，在她头上戴上一顶桃红色的丝绒帽子；当麻痹症像微风一样跟帽子上的假玫瑰闹着玩儿的时候，这些花朵就非常可爱地摇晃着。古老的尼罗河的蛇：指克利奥佩特拉。莎士比亚所著戏剧《安东尼与克利奥佩特拉》第一幕第五场：克利奥佩特拉： 他（指马克?安东尼）现在说话了，也许他在低声微语， 我那古老的尼罗河的蛇呢？ 因为他是这样称呼我的。 ”
“今天早上我觉得有些神经过敏，弗劳尔斯，”斯丘顿夫人说道，”我的手颤抖得厉害。”
“您是昨天夜晚庆祝会上的重要人物，夫人，”弗劳尔斯回答道，”您看，今天您就受不了啦。”
伊迪丝原先把弗洛伦斯叫到窗口，正望着外面，背对着她尊敬的母亲的梳妆台，这时仿佛窗子闪过电光似的，她突然离开了窗子。
“我亲爱的孩子，”克利奥佩特拉没精打采地说道，”你不神经过敏吗？别告诉我，我亲爱的伊迪丝，你虽然这么镇静自若，令人羡慕，但像你身体不幸多病的母亲一样，也开始成为一个长期忍受痛苦的人了！威瑟斯，有人敲门。”
“名片，夫人，”威瑟斯把名片递给董贝夫人，说道。
“我要出去，”她对名片看也不看一眼，说道。