評論
打印
'Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, 'How do you do?'
“皮普欽太太，”董貝先生說道，“您好嗎？”
'Thank you, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, 'I am pretty well, considering.'
“謝謝您，先生，”皮普欽太太說道，“從多方面考慮來說，我還不錯。”
Mrs Pipchin always used that form of words. It meant, considering her virtues, sacrifices, and so forth.
皮普欽太太經(jīng)常使用這樣的措詞。它的意思是，考慮到她的品德、犧牲等等。
'I can't expect, Sir, to be very well,' said Mrs Pipchin, taking a chair and fetching her breath; 'but such health as I have, I am grateful for.'
“我不能指望我的身體非常好，先生，”皮普欽太太坐到一張椅子里，緩一口氣；“但我能像現(xiàn)在這樣的健康，我是感謝天主的。”
Mr Dombey inclined his head with the satisfied air of a patron, who felt that this was the sort of thing for which he paid so much a quarter. After a moment's silence he went on to say:
董貝先生露出顧主滿意的神情，低下了頭，他覺得這正是他每個季度付出這么多的錢所要得到的。在片刻的沉默之后，他往下說道：
'Mrs Pipchin, I have taken the liberty of calling, to consult you in reference to my son. I have had it in my mind to do so for some time past; but have deferred it from time to time, in order that his health might be thoroughly re-established. You have no misgivings on that subject, Mrs Pipchin?'
“皮普欽太太，我冒昧地前來拜訪，是想跟您商量一下我兒子的事。過去好些時候我就有意這樣做了，但卻一次又一次地推遲，為的是讓他的健康完全恢復(fù)過來。您在這個問題上沒有什么顧慮吧，皮普欽太太？”
'Brighton has proved very beneficial, Sir,' returned Mrs Pipchin. 'Very beneficial, indeed.'
“布賴頓看來是個有益于健康的地方，先生，”皮普欽太太回答道。“確實很有益。”
'I purpose,' said Mr Dombey, 'his remaining at Brighton.'
“我打算，”董貝先生說道，“讓他繼續(xù)留在布賴頓。”
Mrs Pipchin rubbed her hands, and bent her grey eyes on the fire.
皮普欽太太搓搓手，灰色的眼睛注視著爐火。
'But,' pursued Mr Dombey, stretching out his forefinger, 'but possibly that he should now make a change, and lead a different kind of life here. In short, Mrs Pipchin, that is the object of my visit. My son is getting on, Mrs Pipchin. Really, he is getting on.'
“但是，”董貝先生伸出食指，繼續(xù)說道，“但是可能他現(xiàn)在應(yīng)當(dāng)有一點變化，在這里過一種完全不同的生活。總而言之，皮普欽太太，這就是我這次拜訪的目的。我的兒子在成長，皮普欽太太。他確實在成長。”
There was something melancholy in the triumphant air with which Mr Dombey said this. It showed how long Paul's childish life had been to him, and how his hopes were set upon a later stage of his existence. Pity may appear a strange word to connect with anyone so haughty and so cold, and yet he seemed a worthy subject for it at that moment.
董貝先生說這些話時的得意神情中有一些令人傷感的東西。它表明，保羅的童年生活對他是顯得多么長久，同時他的希望是怎樣寄托在他生命的較后階段的。對于任何一位像這樣傲慢這樣冷酷的人來說，憐憫可能是一個無法與他聯(lián)系起來的字眼，然而在目前這個時刻，他似乎正好是憐憫的很好的對象。
'Six years old!' said Mr Dombey, settling his neckcloth - perhaps to hide an irrepressible smile that rather seemed to strike upon the surface of his face and glance away, as finding no resting-place, than to play there for an instant. 'Dear me, six will be changed to sixteen, before we have time to look about us.'
“六歲了！”董貝先生說道，一邊整整領(lǐng)飾——也許是為了掩藏一個控制不住的微笑，那微笑似乎片刻也不想在他的臉上展現(xiàn)開來，而只是想在臉的表面一掠而過就消失不見，但卻沒有找到一個停落的地方。“哎呀！當(dāng)我們還來不及向四周看看的時候，六歲就將轉(zhuǎn)變成十六歲了。”
