狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第27章Part 03

'What do you know?' demanded Carker, throwing her a shilling. 'Do you know who the handsome lady is?'
Munching like that sailor's wife of yore, who had chestnuts In her lap, and scowling like the witch who asked for some in vain, the old woman picked the shilling up, and going backwards, like a crab, or like a heap of crabs: for her alternately expanding and contracting hands might have represented two of that species, and her creeping face, some half-a-dozen more: crouched on the veinous root of an old tree, pulled out a short black pipe from within the crown of her bonnet, lighted it with a match, and smoked in silence, looking fixedly at her questioner.
Mr Carker laughed, and turned upon his heel.
'Good!' said the old woman. 'One child dead, and one child living: one wife dead, and one wife coming. Go and meet her!'
In spite of himself, the Manager looked round again, and stopped. The old woman, who had not removed her pipe, and was munching and mumbling while she smoked, as if in conversation with an invisible familiar, pointed with her finger in the direction he was going, and laughed.
'What was that you said, Beldamite?' he demanded.
The woman mumbled, and chattered, and smoked, and still pointed before him; but remained silent Muttering a farewell that was not complimentary, Mr Carker pursued his way; but as he turned out of that place, and looked over his shoulder at the root of the old tree, he could yet see the finger pointing before him, and thought he heard the woman screaming, 'Go and meet her!'
Preparations for a choice repast were completed, he found, at the hotel; and Mr Dombey, and the Major, and the breakfast, were awaiting the ladies. Individual constitution has much to do with the development of such facts, no doubt; but in this case, appetite carried it hollow over the tender passion; Mr Dombey being very cool and collected, and the Major fretting and fuming in a state of violent heat and irritation. At length the door was thrown open by the Native, and, after a pause, occupied by her languishing along the gallery, a very blooming, but not very youthful lady, appeared.
'My dear Mr Dombey,' said the lady, 'I am afraid we are late, but Edith has been out already looking for a favourable point of view for a sketch, and kept me waiting for her. Falsest of Majors,' giving him her little finger, 'how do you do?'

“你知道什么？”卡克抛给她一个先令，问道，“你知道这位漂亮的夫人是谁？”
老太婆就像古时候在膝盖上放着栗子的水手的妻子一样有力地咀嚼着，又像那要讨吃几个栗子而没有讨到的女巫一样怒目而视 ；她捡起先令，又像一只螃蟹或一堆螃蟹（因为她那两只交替着一伸一缩的手可以代表两只螃蟹，她那蠕动着的脸孔又可以代表六只）一样退回来，蹲在一个满是木纹的老树根上，从帽顶里抽出一支短短的黑烟管，划了一支火柴，点着了它，默默地抽着烟，同时凝视着向她问话的人。

卡克先生大笑着，转过了身子。
“好吧！”老太婆说道，“一个孩子死了，一个孩子活着。一个老婆死了，一个老婆来了。去迎接她吧！”
经理不由自主地又回过头去，停住了脚步。老太婆没有从嘴里取出烟管，一边抽烟，一边有力地咀嚼着和嘟囔着，仿佛在跟一位看不见的亲友谈话似的，同时用指头指着他前进的方向，大笑着。
“你说些什么，疯子？”他问道。
老太婆闭着嘴用牙根咀嚼着，牙齿发出卡嗒卡嗒的响声，同时抽着烟，并依旧指着前方，但一句话也不说。卡克先生不怎么客气地说了声再见就继续向前走去；但是当他走到拐弯的地方，转过头去望到那个老树根时，他仍然看到那个指头指着前方，并觉得听到老太婆在尖声叫道：“去迎接她吧！”
他到旅馆时看到，一餐精美的宴席已经准备就绪；董贝先生、少校以及早餐都在等待着两位女士。无疑，个人的素质与这类事情的发展有很大关系；但是在目前的情况下，食欲完全超出于柔情之上。董贝先生很冷静、沉着，少校则非常激动和生气，他焦急不安，怒气冲冲。终于，门被本地人推开了；过了一段时间，一位花枝招展、但却不很年轻的夫人出现了；刚才那段时间就是她有气无力地慢慢走过走廊时占去的。
“我亲爱的董贝先生，”夫人说道，“我担心我们来迟了，但是伊迪丝一早就跑出去寻找一个景致优美的地方画画，让我一直在等着她。虚伪透顶的少校，”她向他伸出一个小指头，“你好吗？”