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To and from the heart of this great change, all day and night, throbbing currents rushed and returned incessantly like its life's blood.Crowds of people and mountains of goods, departing and arriving scores upon scores of times in every four-and-twenty hours, produced a fermentation in the place that was always in action. The very houses seemed disposed to pack up and take trips. Wonderful Members of Parliament, who, little more than twenty years before, had made themselves merry with the wild railroad theories of engineers, and given them the liveliest rubs in cross-examination, went down into the north with their watches in their hands, and sent on messages before by the electric telegraph, to say that they were coming.
滾滾翻騰的洪流像它的生命的血液一樣，日日夜夜永不停息地流向這個變化巨大的心臟，又從這個心臟返流回去。成群結隊的人們，如山似海的貨物，每晝夜二十四小時幾十次運出運進，在這個活動不息的地方起著發酵般的作用。甚至連房屋也好像喜歡給打包起來，外出旅行似的。奇妙絕倫的議員們二十年前對工程師們異想天開的鐵路理論還曾冷嘲熱諷，盤問時百般阻撓，現在卻戴著手表乘車到北方去，事先還發出電報通知他們即將到達。
Night and day the conquering engines rumbled at their distant work, or, advancing smoothly to their journey's end, and gliding like tame dragons into the allotted corners grooved out to the inch for their reception, stood bubbling and trembling there, making the walls quake, as if they were dilating with the secret knowledge of great powers yet unsuspected in them, and strong purposes not yet achieved.
所向無敵的機車日日夜夜在遠方隆隆地前進，或者平穩地開向旅程終點，像馴服的龍一般滑向指定的、精確度按英寸計算的角落，站立在那里，吐著白沫，顫抖著，使墻壁都震動起來，仿佛它們充滿了至今還沒有被發現的巨大力量的知識以及至今還沒有被達到的偉大目標似的。
But Staggs's Gardens had been cut up root and branch. Oh woe the day when 'not a rood of English ground'—laid out in Staggs's Gardens—issecure!
可是，斯塔格斯花園已經連根帶枝被徹底鏟除了，斯塔格斯花園所立足的英國土地沒有一方是安然無恙的了。啊，請為這個日子哀嘆吧！
At last, after much fruitless inquiry, Walter, followed by the coach and Susan, found a man who had once resided in that vanished land, and who was no other than the master sweep before referred to, grown stout, and knocking a double knock at his own door. He knowed Toodle, he said, well. Belonged to the Railroad, didn't he?
沃爾特身后跟隨著馬車和蘇珊，他經過許多毫無結果的打聽之后，終于遇見了一位曾經一度在這塊消失了的土地上居住過的人；他不是別人，就是我們在前面提到過的煙囪清掃工工長；他身體壯實，正在自己的門上敲打了兩下。他說，他很熟悉圖德爾?！八阼F路上工作，是不是？”
'Yes' sir, yes!' cried Susan Nipper from the coach window.
“是的，是的，先生！”蘇珊·尼珀從馬車窗口中喊道。
Where did he live now? hastily inquired Walter.
“他現在住在哪里？”沃爾特急忙問道。
He lived in the Company's own Buildings, second turning to the right, down the yard, cross over, and take the second on the right again. It was number eleven; they couldn't mistake it; but if they did, they had only to ask for Toodle, Engine Fireman, and any one would show them which was his house. At this unexpected stroke of success Susan Nipper dismounted from the coach with all speed, took Walter's arm, and set off at a breathless pace on foot; leaving the coach there to await their return.
他住在公司自己的樓房里，經過右邊第二個拐彎，走到一個庭院里，穿過去，然后又往右邊第二個拐彎走進去，第十一號，他們決不會弄錯的。要是真的弄錯了的話，他們只消問一下在機車上燒鍋爐的火夫圖德爾，任何人都會向他們指點他的家在哪里的。蘇珊看到這意想不到的成功，急忙下了馬車，挽著沃爾特的胳膊立刻就走，讓馬車停在那里等待他們回來。
