評(píng)論
打印
Going into this room one evening, when the holidays were very near, Paul found Mr Feeder filling up the blanks in some printed letters, while some others, already filled up and strewn before him, were being folded and sealed by Mr Toots. Mr Feeder said, 'Aha, Dombey, there you are, are you?' for they were always kind to him, and glad to see him - and then said, tossing one of the letters towards him, 'And there you are, too, Dombey. That's yours.'
假期很臨近的一天晚上，保羅走進(jìn)這個(gè)房間時(shí)，看到菲德先生正在填寫印好的信箋中的空白部分，而另一些已經(jīng)填寫好并撒在他面前的信箋，圖茨先生正在折迭它們，并在上面蓋章。菲德先生說，“阿哈，董貝，您來啦，是不是？”——因?yàn)樗麄兛偸怯H切地對(duì)待他，而且高興看到他的——然后把其中的一封信向他扔去，說道，“也有一封是給您的，董貝。 那是您的。”
'Mine, Sir?' said Paul.
“我的嗎，先生？”保羅說道。
'Your invitation,' returned Mr Feeder.
“您的請(qǐng)柬，”菲德先生回答道。
Paul, looking at it, found, in copper-plate print, with the exception of his own name and the date, which were in Mr Feeder's penmanship, that Doctor and Mrs Blimber requested the pleasure of Mr P. Dombey's company at an early party on Wednesday Evening the Seventeenth Instant; and that the hour was half-past seven o'clock; and that the object was Quadrilles. Mr Toots also showed him, by holding up a companion sheet of paper, that Doctor and Mrs Blimber requested the pleasure of Mr Toots's company at an early party on Wednesday Evening the Seventeenth Instant, when the hour was half-past seven o'clock, and when the object was Quadrilles. He also found, on glancing at the table where Mr Feeder sat, that the pleasure of Mr Briggs's company, and of Mr Tozer's company, and of every young gentleman's company, was requested by Doctor and Mrs Blimber on the same genteel Occasion.
保羅看了一眼，看到除了他自己的姓名及日期是菲德先生的筆跡外，請(qǐng)柬是用銅版印刷的，內(nèi)容是：布林伯博士及夫人恭請(qǐng)保·董貝先生于本月十七日星期三晚間光臨一個(gè)早晚會(huì)，開始時(shí)間是七時(shí)半，屆時(shí)將跳四對(duì)舞。圖茨先生舉起相同的一張紙，讓他看到：布林伯博士及夫人也恭請(qǐng)圖茨先生于本月十七日星期三晚間光臨一個(gè)早晚會(huì)，開始時(shí)間是七時(shí)半，屆時(shí)將跳四對(duì)舞。他向菲德先生挨近坐著的那張桌子看了一眼，看到布林伯博士及夫人也恭請(qǐng)布里格斯先生、托澤先生以及其他每一位年輕的先生光臨同一個(gè)愉快的晚會(huì)。
Mr Feeder then told him, to his great joy, that his sister was invited, and that it was a half-yearly event, and that, as the holidays began that day, he could go away with his sister after the party, if he liked, which Paul interrupted him to say he would like, very much. Mr Feeder then gave him to understand that he would be expected to inform Doctor and Mrs Blimber, in superfine small-hand, that Mr P. Dombey would be happy to have the honour of waiting on them, in accordance with their polite invitation. Lastly, Mr Feeder said, he had better not refer to the festive occasion, in the hearing of Doctor and Mrs Blimber; as these preliminaries, and the whole of the arrangements, were conducted on principles of classicality and high breeding; and that Doctor and Mrs Blimber on the one hand, and the young gentlemen on the other, were supposed, in their scholastic capacities, not to have the least idea of what was in the wind.
然后菲德先生告訴他，也邀請(qǐng)他的姐姐參加，這使他感到十分高興；還告訴他，這種晚會(huì)每半年舉行一次；由于假期從那一天開始，所以如果他愿意，他可以在晚會(huì)以后跟他姐姐離開學(xué)校；保羅打斷他的話說，他非常愿意。然后菲德先生讓他了解，他必須用工整漂亮的字體寫出回復(fù)，報(bào)告布林伯博士及夫人，保·董貝很高興地接受他們懇切的邀請(qǐng)，有幸前來侍候他們。最后，菲德先生說，當(dāng)布林伯博士和夫人在場的時(shí)候，最好別提這個(gè)喜慶的晚會(huì)，因?yàn)檫@些準(zhǔn)備工作和整個(gè)安排都是根據(jù)古典主義和高尚教養(yǎng)的格調(diào)進(jìn)行的；以布林伯博士和夫人為一方，以年輕的先生們?yōu)榱硪环剑捎谧硇挠趯W(xué)術(shù)研究，假定他們對(duì)即將發(fā)生的事情絲毫也不知道。
