狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第32章Part 6

'Why, I ask you, as a feeling heart,' said the Captain, dropping his voice, 'why should she know? why should she be made to know, until such time as there wam't any help for it? She took to old Sol Gills, did that sweet creetur, with a kindness, with a affability, with a - what's the good of saying so? you know her.'
'I should hope so,' chuckled Mr Toots, with a conscious blush that suffused his whole countenance.
'And you come here from her?' said the Captain.
'I should think so,' chuckled Mr Toots.
'Then all I need observe, is,' said the Captain, 'that you know a angel, and are chartered a angel.'
Mr Toots instantly seized the Captain's hand, and requested the favour of his friendship.
'Upon my word and honour,' said Mr Toots, earnestly, 'I should be very much obliged to you if you'd improve my acquaintance I should like to know you, Captain, very much. I really am In want of a friend, I am. Little Dombey was my friend at old Blimber's, and would have been now, if he'd have lived. The Chicken,' said Mr Toots, in a forlorn whisper, 'is very well - admirable in his way - the sharpest man perhaps in the world; there's not a move he isn't up to, everybody says so - but I don't know - he's not everything. So she is an angel, Captain. If there is an angel anywhere, it's Miss Dombey. That's what I've always said. Really though, you know,' said Mr Toots, 'I should be very much obliged to you if you'd cultivate my acquaintance.'
Captain Cuttle received this proposal in a polite manner, but still without committing himself to its acceptance; merely observing, 'Ay, ay, my lad. We shall see, we shall see;' and reminding Mr Toots of his immediate mission, by inquiring to what he was indebted for the honour of that visit.
'Why the fact is,' replied Mr Toots, 'that it's the young woman I come from. Not Miss Dombey - Susan, you know.
The Captain nodded his head once, with a grave expression of face indicative of his regarding that young woman with serious respect.
'And I'll tell you how it happens,' said Mr Toots. 'You know, I go and call sometimes, on Miss Dombey. I don't go there on purpose, you know, but I happen to be in the neighbourhood very often; and when I find myself there, why - why I call.'
'Nat'rally,' observed the Captain.

“可是，我问您，您这个好心的人，”船长放低了，说道，”为什么她要知道？为什么在对她毫无益处的时候要让她知道？她，这个可爱的人儿，爱老所尔?吉尔斯，是那么亲切，那么温存，那么--说这些有什么好处呢？您知道她。”
“我希望这样，”图茨先生吃吃地笑道，他感到自己整个脸孔都涨得通红了。
“您是从她那里来的吗？”船长问道。
“我想是的，”图茨先生吃吃地笑道。
“那么我需要说的是，”船长说道，”您认识了一位天使，天使给您发了特许执照。”
图茨先生立即抓住了船长的手，请求能得到他的友谊。
“说实话，我以荣誉发誓，”图茨先生恳切地说道，”如果您肯答应我跟您的交情比现在更亲密一些的话，那么我真会非常感谢您。我喜欢跟您相识，船长。我非常需要有一位朋友。在老布林伯的学校里，小董贝是我的朋友。如果他活着的话，那么现在也还是我的朋友。斗鸡，”图茨先生用可怜的低声说道，”很不错--是个别具才干的人--也许是世界上最机警聪明的人，他没有什么不会的，人人都这么说--可是我不知道--光有他还不够啊。--不错，她是天使，船长。如果世界上有天使的话，这就是董贝小姐--这是我经常说的。说真的，如果您肯跟我交往的话，那么我真会非常感谢您。”
卡特尔船长彬彬有礼地听取了这个建议，但仍然没有许下诺言来接受它，他仅仅说道，”是的，是的，我的孩子，我们以后看吧，我们以后看吧。”接着问他这次为什么前来访问，因而向图茨先生提醒了他当前的使命。
“唔，事情是这样的，”图茨先生回答道，”我是从那位姑娘那里来的。我说的并不是董贝小姐，您知道，我说的是苏珊。”
船长脸上露出庄重的神情点了一下头，表示他对那位姑娘怀着极大的尊敬。
“我想告诉您这是怎么发生的，”图茨先生说道，”您知道，我有时前去访问董贝小姐。您知道，我并不是特意到那里去的，但我时常碰巧去到邻近的地方，而当我发现到了那里时，嗯--嗯，我就去拜访她了。”
“自然而然地，”船长说道。