狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第26章Part 10

'A variety of little matters necessary to be gone through,' replied Carker. 'But do you know - this is quite unusual with me, educated in a distrustful school, and who am not generally disposed to be communicative,' he said, breaking off, and speaking in a charming tone of frankness - 'but I feel quite confidential with you, Major Bagstock.'
'You do me honour, Sir,' returned the Major. 'You may be.'
'Do you know, then,' pursued Carker, 'that I have not found my friend - our friend, I ought rather to call him - '
'Meaning Dombey, Sir?' cried the Major. 'You see me, Mr Carker, standing here! J. B.?'
He was puffy enough to see, and blue enough; and Mr Carker intimated the he had that pleasure.
'Then you see a man, Sir, who would go through fire and water to serve Dombey,' returned Major Bagstock.
Mr Carker smiled, and said he was sure of it. 'Do you know, Major,' he proceeded: 'to resume where I left off' that I have not found our friend so attentive to business today, as usual?'
'No?' observed the delighted Major.
'I have found him a little abstracted, and with his attention disposed to wander,' said Carker.
'By Jove, Sir,' cried the Major, 'there's a lady in the case.'
'Indeed, I begin to believe there really is,' returned Carker; 'I thought you might be jesting when you seemed to hint at it; for I know you military men -
The Major gave the horse's cough, and shook his head and shoulders, as much as to say, 'Well! we are gay dogs, there's no denying.' He then seized Mr Carker by the button-hole, and with starting eyes whispered in his ear, that she was a woman of extraordinary charms, Sir. That she was a young widow, Sir. That she was of a fine family, Sir. That Dombey was over head and ears in love with her, Sir, and that it would be a good match on both sides; for she had beauty, blood, and talent, and Dombey had fortune; and what more could any couple have? Hearing Mr Dombey's footsteps without, the Major cut himself short by saying, that Mr Carker would see her tomorrow morning, and would judge for himself; and between his mental excitement, and the exertion of saying all this in wheezy whispers, the Major sat gurgling in the throat and watering at the eyes, until dinner was ready.
The Major, like some other noble animals, exhibited himself to great advantage at feeding-time. On this occasion, he shone resplendent at one end of the table, supported by the milder lustre of Mr Dombey at the other; while Carker on one side lent his ray to either light, or suffered it to merge into both, as occasion arose.
During the first course or two, the Major was usually grave; for the Native, in obedience to general orders, secretly issued, collected every sauce and cruet round him, and gave him a great deal to do, in taking out the stoppers, and mixing up the contents in his plate. Besides which, the Native had private zests and flavours on a side-table, with which the Major daily scorched himself; to say nothing of strange machines out of which he spirited unknown liquids into the Major's drink. But on this occasion, Major Bagstock, even amidst these many occupations, found time to be social; and his sociality consisted in excessive slyness for the behoof of Mr Carker, and the betrayal of Mr Dombey's state of mind.
'Dombey,' said the Major, 'you don't eat; what's the matter?'

“好多琐碎的事情得处理完，”卡克回答道，“但是您知道——对于像我这样一个在怀疑学校中受过教育，平时又不好交际的人来说，这是很不寻常的，”他突然停止，用一种可爱的坦率的语气说道，“但是对于您，白格斯托克少校，我觉得完全可以推心置腹。”
“您使我感到光荣，先生，”少校回答道，“您可以把我当成您的知心朋友。”
“那么，您知不知道，”卡克继续说道，“我发现我的朋友——不，我应当把他称为我们的朋友——”
“您是指董贝吗，先生？”少校喊道，“您看到我站在这里了吗，卡克先生？您看到乔·白了吗？”
他很肥胖，肤色很发青，是不会看不到的，卡克先生就告诉他，他很高兴地看到了。
“那么，先生，您是看到了一位愿意赴汤蹈火去为董贝效劳的人了，”白格斯托克少校回答道。
卡克先生笑嘻嘻地说，他完全相信这一点。“少校，”他继续说道，“让我回到我没讲完的地方吧，我发现我们的朋友今天对业务不像往常那么专心致志了，您知不知道？”
“真的吗？”兴高采烈的少校问道。
“我发现他有些心不在焉，注意力不大集中，”卡克说道。
“天啊，先生，”少校喊道，“有一个女人在这里面作怪呢。”
“说真的，我开始相信真有了，”卡克回答道，“最初当您似乎暗示这一点的时候，我还以为您可能在开玩笑呢，因为我知道你们军人——”
少校发出马一般的咳嗽声，摇晃着脑袋和肩膀，似乎在说，“不错，我们都是些爱开心逗乐的人，这用不着否认。”然后他抓住卡克先生的钮扣孔，凸鼓着眼睛，对着他的耳朵低声说道：她是个非常妩媚的女人，先生；她是个年轻的寡妇，先生；她出身于名门望族，先生；董贝已经深深地爱上她了，先生；对双方来说，这都是美好的匹配，因为她有美丽的姿色，高贵的血统和出众的才能，董贝则有巨大的财富；哪对夫妻能比他们有更多的东西呢？少校这时听到门外董贝先生的脚步声，就匆匆把话收住，说，卡克先生明天早上就可以看见她，他自己就可以作出判断了；由于精神激动并呼哧呼哧喘着气地咬着耳朵说了这些话，少校坐在那里，喉咙咕嘟咕嘟发响。眼睛里涌着泪水，直到晚饭开上为止。
少校像其他某些高贵动物一样，在进食的时候充分地显示自己。这时候，他坐在餐桌的一端，光辉四射；董贝先生坐在餐桌的另一端，发出较弱的光芒；卡克则坐在餐桌的边旁，根据不同情况，把他的光线时而借给这一边，时而借给那一边，或让它消融在双方的光线之中。
在上第一、二道菜时，少校通常是神色庄重的，因为本地人遵照他通常的嘱咐，悄悄地在他周围摆放了各种配菜和调味瓶，少校把瓶塞拔出和在盘子里搅拌食品，有一阵子好忙。此外，本地人还在旁边的小桌子上摆放了各种香料、佐料，少校每天用它们来刺激胃口，更不要说本地人还从那些奇形怪状的容器中给少校倒上好些不知名的饮料了。但是这一天，白格斯托克少校甚至在这样忙碌着的时候，还挤出时间来交谈；他的交谈是极为狡猾地用了心计的，为的是让卡克先生心眼开窍和暴露董贝先生的精神状态。
“董贝，”少校说道，“您什么也不吃，是怎么回事？”