狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第31章Part 9

Now, the carriages arrive at the Bride's residence, and the players on the bells begin to jingle, and the band strikes up, and Mr Punch, that model of connubial bliss, salutes his wife. Now, the people run, and push, and press round in a gaping throng, while Mr Dombey, leading Mrs Dombey by the hand, advances solemnly into the Feenix Halls. Now, the rest of the wedding party alight, and enter after them. And why does Mr Carker, passing through the people to the hall-door, think of the old woman who called to him in the Grove that morning? Or why does Florence, as she passes, think, with a tremble, of her childhood, when she was lost, and of the visage of Good Mrs Brown?
Now, there are more congratulations on this happiest of days, and more company, though not much; and now they leave the drawing-room, and range themselves at table in the dark-brown dining-room, which no confectioner can brighten up, let him garnish the exhausted negroes with as many flowers and love-knots as he will.
The pastry-cook has done his duty like a man, though, and a rich breakfast is set forth. Mr and Mrs Chick have joined the party, among others. Mrs Chick admires that Edith should be, by nature, such a perfect Dombey; and is affable and confidential to Mrs Skewton, whose mind is relieved of a great load, and who takes her share of the champagne. The very tall young man who suffered from excitement early, is better; but a vague sentiment of repentance has seized upon him, and he hates the other very tall young man, and wrests dishes from him by violence, and takes a grim delight in disobliging the company. The company are cool and calm, and do not outrage the black hatchments of pictures looking down upon them, by any excess of mirth. Cousin Feenix and the Major are the gayest there; but Mr Carker has a smile for the whole table. He has an especial smile for the Bride, who very, very seldom meets it.
Cousin Feenix rises, when the company have breakfasted, and the servants have left the room; and wonderfully young he looks, with his white wristbands almost covering his hands (otherwise rather bony), and the bloom of the champagne in his cheeks.
'Upon my honour,' says Cousin Feenix, 'although it's an unusual sort of thing in a private gentleman's house, I must beg leave to call upon you to drink what is usually called a - in fact a toast.
The Major very hoarsely indicates his approval. Mr Carker, bending his head forward over the table in the direction of Cousin Feenix, smiles and nods a great many times.
'A - in fact it's not a - ' Cousin Feenix beginning again, thus, comes to a dead stop.
'Hear, hear!' says the Major, in a tone of conviction.
Mr Carker softly claps his hands, and bending forward over the table again, smiles and nods a great many more times than before, as if he were particularly struck by this last observation, and desired personally to express his sense of the good it has done
'It is,' says Cousin Feenix, 'an occasion in fact, when the general usages of life may be a little departed from, without impropriety; and although I never was an orator in my life, and when I was in the House of Commons, and had the honour of seconding the address, was - in fact, was laid up for a fortnight with the consciousness of failure - '
The Major and Mr Carker are so much delighted by this fragment of personal history, that Cousin Feenix laughs, and addressing them individually, goes on to say:
'And in point of fact, when I was devilish ill - still, you know, I feel that a duty devolves upon me. And when a duty devolves upon an Englishman, he is bound to get out of it, in my opinion, in the best way he can. Well! our family has had the gratification, to-day, of connecting itself, in the person of my lovely and accomplished relative, whom I now see - in point of fact, present - '
Here there is general applause.

这时马车抵达新娘的住所，打铃的艺人们开始叮叮当当地敲打起来，乐队开始吹奏起来，潘趣先生这位美满姻缘的模范在吻他的妻子。当董贝先生搀着董贝夫人庄严地走进菲尼克斯的邸宅时，人们推推挤挤，纷纷涌集过来，张嘴呆看着热闹。其余参加婚礼的人也下了马车，随后走进邸宅。可是，卡克先生穿过人群走向前厅门口的时候，为什么会想起那天早上在小树林里向他叫喊的那位老太婆呢？为什么弗洛伦斯穿过人群时会哆嗦一下，想起她曾经迷路的童年时代和那位善良的布郎太太的脸孔呢？
于是，为这个最幸福的日子又进行了祝贺，又有一些新的客人来到，虽然为数不多。于是，他们离开了客厅，在深褐色的餐厅的餐桌旁坐下。任何糖果商人也不能使这间房子光亮起来，即使他在那两位精疲力竭的黑人身上装饰再多的花朵和鸳鸯结也是徒劳无益。
可是糕饼师傅已经很好地完成他的任务，开出了丰盛的早餐。奇克先生和奇克夫人跟其他人一起就座用餐。奇克夫人看见伊迪丝天生是一位这样完美无缺的董贝家里的人，十分称赞；她跟斯丘顿夫人和蔼友好、亲密无间地谈着话。斯丘顿夫人心头卸下了一个沉重的负担，在喝着香槟酒。那位身材很高、早上由于兴奋而感到痛苦的年轻人现在感觉好些了，但是他模糊地感到后悔，他恨另一位身材很高的年轻人，把盘子从他那里强夺过来，并由于没有满足客人们的愿望，因此幸灾乐祸地感到高兴。客人们沉着冷静，没有显得过分欢乐，因而没有使墙上那些像黑色丧徽一样望着他们的图画愤怒。菲尼克斯表哥和少校是餐桌上最快活的两位；但是卡克先生对全桌子的人都是笑嘻嘻的。他对新娘还有一种特别的微笑，但新娘却很少、很少去注意它。
客人们吃完早餐，仆人们已离开房间以后，菲尼克斯表哥站起来；他看去惊人地年轻，袖口几乎把手完全遮盖住（否则就会显得有些骨瘦如柴），脸颊由于喝了香槟酒而显得红润。
“我以我的荣誉发誓，”菲尼克斯表哥说道，“虽然在一位绅士私人住宅中这是一件不寻常的事情，可是我得请求你们允许我提议，通常这叫作——实际上就是——祝酒。”
少校嘶哑地表示赞成。卡克先生朝着菲尼克斯表哥的方向，向桌子前面低下头去，微笑了好多次，并点了好多次头。
“嗯，实际上这不是个——”菲尼克斯表哥这样重新开始之后，突然完全停住了。
“听他说，听他说！”少校用劝导人们信服的语气说道。
卡克先生轻轻地拍着手，又把头向桌子前面低下去，比先前微笑了更多次，也点了更多次的头，仿佛刚才说的话使他特别感动，他想要亲自表示一下，这话对他是有益的。
“实际上，”菲尼克斯表哥说道，“这是可能有些背离一般生活习惯，而并没有什么不合适的事情；虽然我从来不是个演说家，当我在下院①荣幸地支持这建议的时候，我，实际上，由于感到失败，躺倒了两个星期——”
少校和卡克先生对这个人的历史片断感到十分高兴；菲尼克斯表哥大笑，直接对着他们，继续说道：
“事实上，当我病得很厉害的时候，——你们知道，我仍觉得落在我身上的责任，而当责任落在一个英国人的身上的时候，我认为，他就必须尽可能出色地履行它。好！今天我们的家庭很高兴地，通过我的可爱的、多才多艺的亲戚，我事实上——看到她已在这里——”
这时大家都鼓起掌来。