狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第25章Part 7

'Have a roast fowl,' said Mrs MacStinger, 'with a bit of weal stuffing and some egg sauce. Come, Cap'en Cuttle! Give yourself a little treat!'
'No thank'ee, Ma'am,' returned the Captain very humbly.
'I'm sure you're out of sorts, and want to be stimulated,' said Mrs MacStinger. 'Why not have, for once in a way, a bottle of sherry wine?'
'Well, Ma'am,' rejoined the Captain, 'if you'd be so good as take a glass or two, I think I would try that. Would you do me the favour, Ma'am,' said the Captain, torn to pieces by his conscience, 'to accept a quarter's rent ahead?'
'And why so, Cap'en Cuttle?' retorted Mrs MacStinger - sharply, as the Captain thought.
The Captain was frightened to dead 'If you would Ma'am,' he said with submission, 'it would oblige me. I can't keep my money very well. It pays itself out. I should take it kind if you'd comply.'
'Well, Cap'en Cuttle,' said the unconscious MacStinger, rubbing her hands, 'you can do as you please. It's not for me, with my family, to refuse, no more than it is to ask'
'And would you, Ma'am,' said the Captain, taking down the tin canister in which he kept his cash' from the top shelf of the cupboard, 'be so good as offer eighteen-pence a-piece to the little family all round? If you could make it convenient, Ma'am, to pass the word presently for them children to come for'ard, in a body, I should be glad to see 'em'
These innocent MacStingers were so many daggers to the Captain's breast, when they appeared in a swarm, and tore at him with the confiding trustfulness he so little deserved. The eye of Alexander MacStinger, who had been his favourite, was insupportable to the Captain; the voice of Juliana MacStinger, who was the picture of her mother, made a coward of him.
Captain Cuttle kept up appearances, nevertheless, tolerably well, and for an hour or two was very hardly used and roughly handled by the young MacStingers: who in their childish frolics, did a little damage also to the glazed hat, by sitting in it, two at a time, as in a nest, and drumming on the inside of the crown with their shoes. At length the Captain sorrowfully dismissed them: taking leave of these cherubs with the poignant remorse and grief of a man who was going to execution.
In the silence of night, the Captain packed up his heavier property in a chest, which he locked, intending to leave it there, in all probability for ever, but on the forlorn chance of one day finding a man sufficiently bold and desperate to come and ask for it. Of his lighter necessaries, the Captain made a bundle; and disposed his plate about his person, ready for flight. At the hour of midnight, when Brig Place was buried in slumber, and Mrs MacStinger was lulled in sweet oblivion, with her infants around her, the guilty Captain, stealing down on tiptoe, in the dark, opened the door, closed it softly after him, and took to his heels
Pursued by the image of Mrs MacStinger springing out of bed, and, regardless of costume, following and bringing him back; pursued also by a consciousness of his enormous crime; Captain Cuttle held on at a great pace, and allowed no grass to grow under his feet, between Brig Place and the Instrument-maker's door. It opened when he knocked - for Rob was on the watch - and when it was bolted and locked behind him, Captain Cuttle felt comparatively safe.
'Whew!' cried the Captain, looking round him. 'It's a breather!'
'Nothing the matter, is there, Captain?' cried the gaping Rob.

“一只烤鸡，”麦克斯廷杰太太说道，“鸡肚子里再填些小牛肉和来点鸡蛋调味汁。好啦，卡特尔船长！您痛痛快快地吃一顿吧！”
“不，谢谢您，夫人，”船长很低声下气地回答道。
“我相信您的心情不好，需要提提神。”麦克斯廷杰太太说道，“为什么不偶尔喝一瓶雪利酒呢？”
“好吧，夫人，”船长回答道，“如果您肯赏光也喝一、两杯，我想我可以试一试。您肯不肯给我帮个忙，夫人，”船长说道，这时他已被他的良心撕成碎片了，“接受我一个季度的预付房租？”
“为什么这样，卡特尔船长？”麦克斯廷杰太太问道，船长觉得她词锋尖锐。
船长吓得要死。“如果您肯接受的话，夫人，”他恭恭敬敬地说道，“那么你就帮了我的忙。我手头存不住钱。它们总是哗哗地流出去。如果您肯答应的话，那么我真会感谢不尽。”
“好吧，卡特尔船长，”蒙在鼓里的麦克斯廷杰太太搓着手说道，“您爱怎么办就怎么办吧，我和我的一家人不应该拒绝您，就像不应该向您提出这个要求一样。”
“您肯不肯再行个好，夫人，”船长从碗柜最上一层的搁板上取下他存放现金的锡罐，说道，“让我送给您的孩子们每人十八个便士？如果您肯行个方便，夫人，那就请立刻吩咐这些孩子们一齐都上这里来；我将很高兴看到他们。”
当这些天真烂熳的小麦克斯廷杰们蜂拥来到的时候，他们像许多短剑一样刺进了船长的胸膛；他们对他那种他受之有愧的无限信任使他的心都要碎了；他所宠爱的亚历山大·麦克斯廷杰的眼光使他难以忍受；模样长得活像母亲的朱莉安娜·麦克斯廷杰的声音使他心亏胆怯。
尽管这样，卡特尔船长把场面支撑得还不错；他在一、两个小时内受到了小麦克斯廷杰们残酷的、粗暴的折磨。这些小家伙们在儿戏中把他的上了光的帽子损坏了一点，因为他们两个一起坐在里面，就像坐在鸟窠里一样，还用鞋子像打鼓似地踩踏着帽顶的里面。最后船长伤心地打发他们回去，就像一个就要被处决死刑的人一样，怀着深沉的悔恨与悲痛和这些小天使们告别。
船长在寂静的夜间把比较重的财产装在一只箱子里，上了锁，打算把它留下，十之八九就永远留在那里了，因为以后要找一个胆大包天的人，能不顾一切地跑来把它取走，这种机会几乎是不会有的。船长把比较轻的东西打成一个包裹，并把餐具塞在衣袋里，准备逃走。午夜，当布里格广场正在酣睡，麦克斯廷杰太太身旁围躺着婴儿，正香甜甜地沉没在迷迷蒙蒙的状态之中的时候，犯罪的船长踮着脚尖，在黑暗中偷偷地下了楼，打开门，轻轻地把它关上，然后拔起脚来就跑。
卡特尔船长仿佛看到麦克斯廷杰太太从床上跳起，不顾穿衣服，就从后面赶来，把他抓回去；她的这个形象一直在紧追着他，他已犯下了弥天大罪的感觉也在紧追着他，所以从布里格广场到仪器制造商的家门之间，他一直迈开大步，飞快奔跑，脚步践踏到的地方野草就休想长出来了。他一敲门，门就开了——因为罗布正在值夜——；当把门闩上、上了锁之后，卡特尔船长才觉得自己比较安全了。
“哎呀！”船长向四周看看，喊道，“这真是叫人直喘大气的激烈运动啊！”
“出什么事了没有，船长？”目瞪口呆的罗布问道。