評論
打印
'Ah!' he said, with a sigh, 'it's a fine thing to understand 'em. And yet it's a fine thing not to understand 'em. I hardly know which is best. It's so comfortable to sit here and feel that you might be weighed, measured, magnified, electrified, polarized, played the very devil with: and never know how.'
“啊！”他嘆了一口氣，說道，“懂得它們是一件好事，可是不懂得它們也是一件好事。我真不知道哪一件更好一些。坐在這里，覺得你可能被稱，被計量，被放大，被通電，被給以極性，被傷害，但卻不知道是怎樣做到這些的，這是一件愉快的事情。”
Nothing short of the wonderful Madeira, combined with the occasion (which rendered it desirable to improve and expand Walter's mind), could have ever loosened his tongue to the extent of giving utterance to this prodigious oration. He seemed quite amazed himself at the manner in which it opened up to view the sources of the taciturn delight he had had in eating Sunday dinners in that parlour for ten years. Becoming a sadder and a wiser man, he mused and held his peace.
除了這奇妙的馬德拉葡萄酒加上這令人高興的時刻（他需要利用這時刻來提高和發(fā)展沃爾特的智力）之外，沒有什么能打開他的話匣子，使他發(fā)表出這番精彩的言論。他自己似乎也感到很驚奇，這馬德拉酒用這樣一種方式使他看到了這十年來每逢星期天他在這客廳里吃晚飯時所享有的默默的喜悅的源泉。然后他變得憂傷，也更為慎重，就沉思著，默默無言。“聽著！”他所欽佩的對象回來了，喊道，“在你喝摻水的烈酒之前，內(nèi)德，我們必須把這一瓶喝光。”“做好準(zhǔn)備！①”內(nèi)德把他的酒杯倒?jié)M，說道，“給這孩子再倒一些。”
'Come!' cried the subject of this admiration, returning. 'Before you have your glass of grog, Ned, we must finish the bottle.'
'Stand by!' said Ned, filling his glass. 'Give the boy some more.'
'No more, thank'e, Uncle!'
'Yes, yes,' said Sol, 'a little more. We'll finish the bottle, to the House, Ned - Walter's House. Why it may be his House one of these days, in part. Who knows? Sir Richard Whittington married his master's daughter.'
“不要了，謝謝你，舅舅！”
“不，不，”所爾說道，“再喝一點兒。我們得把這一瓶喝光，為公司干杯，內(nèi)德——為沃爾特的公司干杯。是呀，有朝一日這個公司也可能將部分地屬于他的呢。誰知道呢？理查德•惠廷頓②爵士不是娶了他主人的女兒嗎？”
注釋：taciturn adj. 沉默寡言的；無言的，不太說話的
例句：
1. He kept apart from his fellow-travellers, knowing Mr Fogg's taciturn tastes;
他知道福克生性不好聊天，所以自己就躲得遠點兒。
2.He reverted to his old taciturn ways.
他又恢復(fù)了他的靜默寡言。
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①做好準(zhǔn)備（standby）：船長命令船員們準(zhǔn)備拋錨或準(zhǔn)備執(zhí)行其他任務(wù)時的用語。卡特爾船長時常講這句話。
②這本小說中多次提到英國民間故事中的主人翁理查德•惠廷頓（RichardWhittington）。根據(jù)這個民間傳說，500多年前，可憐的孤兒迪克（即理查德•惠廷頓）從農(nóng)村到倫敦去碰運氣，后來被善良的富商菲茨沃德收留，在他家中做工。迪克受不了廚娘的虐待，在一個萬圣節(jié)的早上從家中逃出去。當(dāng)他來到海蓋特，在路邊坐下來，不知該走哪條路的時候，突然在寧靜的早晨的空氣中傳來了鮑教堂的鐘聲，仿佛對他說：“回去吧，惠廷頓，您是一個好公民。回去吧，惠廷頓，倫敦的市長！”鐘聲一遍又一遍地說著同樣的話。于是他站起來轉(zhuǎn)身順原路回到主人家中，沒有被人發(fā)現(xiàn)。北非有一個國家巴巴里耗子橫行，國王由于從富商的商船中得到迪克送去出賣的小貓，制服了鼠害，就用貴重的寶石來換小貓，于是迪克發(fā)了大財。他和主人的女兒艾麗斯極為相愛，后來結(jié)了婚。此后不久，理查德•惠廷頓爵士三次出任倫敦市長。
