狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第28章Part 8

Florence passed him as if she were in a dream, and hurried upstairs. The garish light was in the long-darkened drawing-room and there were steps and platforms, and men In paper caps, in the high places. Her mother's picture was gone with the rest of the moveables, and on the mark where it had been, was scrawled in chalk, 'this room in panel. Green and gold.' The staircase was a labyrinth of posts and planks like the outside of the house, and a whole Olympus of plumbers and glaziers was reclining in various attitudes, on the skylight. Her own room was not yet touched within, but there were beams and boards raised against it without, baulking the daylight. She went up swiftly to that other bedroom, where the little bed was; and a dark giant of a man with a pipe in his mouth, and his head tied up in a pocket-handkerchief, was staring in at the window.
It was here that Susan Nipper, who had been in quest of Florence, found her, and said, would she go downstairs to her Papa, who wished to speak to her.
'At home! and wishing to speak to me!' cried Florence, trembling.
Susan, who was infinitely more distraught than Florence herself, repeated her errand; and Florence, pale and agitated, hurried down again, without a moment's hesitation. She thought upon the way down, would she dare to kiss him? The longing of her heart resolved her, and she thought she would.
Her father might have heard that heart beat, when it came into his presence. One instant, and it would have beat against his breast.
But he was not alone. There were two ladies there; and Florence stopped. Striving so hard with her emotion, that if her brute friend Di had not burst in and overwhelmed her with his caresses as a welcome home - at which one of the ladies gave a little scream, and that diverted her attention from herself - she would have swooned upon the floor.
'Florence,' said her father, putting out his hand: so stiffly that it held her off: 'how do you do?'
Florence took the hand between her own, and putting it timidly to her lips, yielded to its withdrawal. It touched the door in shutting it, with quite as much endearment as it had touched her.
'What dog is that?' said Mr Dombey, displeased.
'It is a dog, Papa - from Brighton.'
'Well!' said Mr Dombey; and a cloud passed over his face, for he understood her.

弗洛伦斯仿佛在梦中似地走过他身旁，急急忙忙跑上楼去。耀眼的光线充满了过去长期黑暗的客厅，在高处可以看到梯子、踏板和戴着纸帽子的工人。她母亲的画像已经和其他家具一道搬走了，在原先挂像的地方潦草地涂写着几个粉笔字：“这间房间要镶上护墙板，绿色和金黄色的。”楼梯间像屋外一样，一片纵横交错的柱子和木板；一群白铁工和玻璃工像奥林匹斯山上的群神 一样，在天窗上弯下身子，以各种不同的姿势操作着。她自己的房间里面暂时还没有触动，但是房子外面支立着梁杆和木板，阻挡阳光从窗户射进去。她迅速走上另一间摆着小床的房间去，一位皮肤黝黑的大汉，嘴巴里衔着一支烟管，头上包扎着一块手绢，正在窗口张大眼睛往里看。
一直在寻找弗洛伦斯的苏珊·尼珀，就在这里找到了她，并建议她下楼到她爸爸那里去；他希望跟她说话。
“他在家！还希望跟我说话！”弗洛伦斯颤抖地喊道。
苏珊比弗洛伦斯更加心神错乱，又把她的使命重说了一遍；弗洛伦斯脸色苍白，心情激动，没有片刻迟疑，就急急忙忙跑下楼去。在下楼的路途中想：她敢不敢吻他呢？心中难以抑制的愿望使她下定了决心，她想她敢。
当她走到她父亲面前的时候，他也许会听到她的心在跳动。再过一瞬间，它就要贴在他的胸前跳动了。
可是他不是一个人。那里还有两位夫人；弗洛伦斯站住了。她心情斗争得十分激烈，如果这时她那粗野的朋友戴没有冲进房间，亲热地抚摸着她的全身，表示欢迎她回家的话，那么她真会晕倒在地板上的。其中有一位夫人看到这个情景，轻轻地尖叫了一声，这转移了弗洛伦斯对自己的注意力。
“弗洛伦斯，”她的父亲向她伸出手，说道；那冷冰冰的神态，使她不禁在原地站住，不敢再走向前去，“你好吗？”
弗洛伦斯把他的手握在自己的双手中，胆怯地把它拉近嘴唇，当它抽回去的时候，她不敢违抗地顺从了。他走去关门，这手刚才接触到她时就跟现在接触到门时一样冷淡。
“这条狗是怎么回事？”董贝先生不高兴地问道。
“这条狗，爸爸，是从布赖顿来的。”
“唔！”董贝先生说道，这时一朵阴云掠过他的脸孔，因为他明白她的意思。