狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第24章Part 9
There was one man whom she several times observed at work very early, and often with a girl of about her own age seated near him' He was a very poor man, who seemed to have no regular employment, but now went roaming about the banks of the river when the tide was low, looking out for bits and scraps in the mud; and now worked at the unpromising little patch of garden-ground before his cottage; and now tinkered up a miserable old boat that belonged to him; or did some job of that kind for a neighbour, as chance occurred. Whatever the man's labour, the girl was never employed; but sat, when she was with him, in a listless, moping state, and idle.
Florence had often wished to speak to this man; yet she had never taken courage to do so, as he made no movement towards her. But one morning when she happened to come upon him suddenly, from a by-path among some pollard willows which terminated in the little shelving piece of stony ground that lay between his dwelling and the water, where he was bending over a fire he had made to caulk the old boat which was lying bottom upwards, close by, he raised his head at the sound of her footstep, and gave her Good morning.
'Good morning,' said Florence, approaching nearer, 'you are at work early.'
'I'd be glad to be often at work earlier, Miss, if I had work to do.'
'Is it so hard to get?' asked Florence.
'I find it so,' replied the man.
Florence glanced to where the girl was sitting, drawn together, with her elbows on her knees, and her chin on her hands, and said:
'Is that your daughter?'
她好几次注意到有一位男子很早就起来干活。有一位年龄和她差不多的女孩子时常坐在他的近旁。他是一个很穷苦的人，似乎没有固定的职业；有时在退潮以后在河岸上走来走去，在淤泥中寻找什么碎片和废物；有时在他茅舍前可怜的一小块园地上耕种；有时修补他的一条小而破烂的旧船；或者碰上机会，就给邻居干这样一类的活儿。不管这男子干什么活，女孩子从来不帮着干，而是耷拉着脸，没精打采地、无所事事地坐在他的身边。
弗洛伦斯时常想跟这人谈话，可是她从来没有鼓起勇气来这样做，因为他从来没有朝向她。但是有一天早上，当她从一些截去树稍的柳树中间的一条小路出来，走到他的住屋和河流中间的一小块渐次倾斜、石子很多的地中的时候，她突然间遇见了他；他在那里向着一个火堆弯下身子；那条老旧的小船底朝天地躺在近旁，那个火堆是生起来给这条小船堵缝眼用的；他听到她的脚步声，就抬起头来，向她问候早安。
“早上好，”弗洛伦斯向前走近一些，说道，“您这么早就起来干活了。”
“如果我有活干的话，小姐，我会高兴时常更早起来干活的。”
“很难找到活干吗？”弗洛伦斯问道。
“·我觉得难找，”那人回答道。
弗洛伦斯向女孩子坐的地方看了一眼，她缩成一团，胳膊肘支在膝盖上，两手托着下巴。弗洛伦斯问道：
“她是您的女儿吗？”
