'Florence, my dear child, your poor Papa is peculiar at times; and to question me about him, is to question me upon a subject which I really do not pretend to understand. I believe I have as much influence with your Papa as anybody has. Still, all I can say is, that he has said very little to me; and that I have only seen him once or twice for a minute at a time, and indeed have hardly seen him then, for his room has been dark. I have said to your Papa, "Paul!"—that is the exact expression I used—"Paul! why do you not take something stimulating?" Your Papa's reply has always been, "Louisa, have the goodness to leave me. I want nothing. I am better by myself." If I was to be put upon my oath to-morrow, Lucretia, before a magistrate,' said Mrs Chick, 'I have no doubt I could venture to swear to those identical words.'
“弗洛倫斯，我親愛的孩子，你可憐的爸有時有些古怪；你向我問到他，那就是向我問一個我確實不敢自稱是了解的問題。我相信，我對你爸爸的影響不比任何人小。可是我所能說的只是，他跟我談得很少，我總共只見過他一、兩次，每次不過一分鐘；老實說，就是在那時候，我也沒有看見他，因為他的房間是黑暗的。我曾對你爸爸說，‘保羅！’——當時我就是這樣一字不差地對他說的——‘保羅！’你為什么不服點兒振奮精神的東西？你爸爸總是這樣回答：‘路易莎，請你行行好離開我吧。我不需要任何東西。我一個人待著好。’盧克麗霞，如果明天要叫我到地方長官面前去起誓的話，”奇克夫人繼續說，“那么我毫無疑問敢于發誓，他說過這些話。”
Miss Tox expressed her admiration by saying, 'My Louisa is ever methodical!'
托克斯小姐表示欽佩地說，“我的路易莎總是這樣有條有理！”
'In short, Florence,' resumed her aunt, 'literally nothing has passed between your poor Papa and myself, until to-day; when I mentioned to your Papa that Sir Barnet and Lady Skettles had written exceedingly kind notes - our sweet boy! Lady Skettles loved him like a - where's my pocket handkerchief?'
“總之，弗洛倫斯，”姑媽繼續說道，“直到今天以前，我跟你可憐的爸爸幾乎沒有交談過；今天我跟你爸爸說，巴尼特爵士和斯克特爾斯夫人寫來了一封極其親切的短簡——我們親愛的小男孩！斯克特爾斯夫人喜歡他極了，就像喜歡……我的手絹在那里？”
Miss Tox produced one.
托克斯小姐遞上一塊。
'Exceedingly kind notes, proposing that you should visit them for change of scene. Mentioning to your Papa that I thought Miss Tox and myself might now go home (in which he quite agreed), I inquired if he had any objection to your accepting this invitation. He said, "No, Louisa, not the least!"'
“這是一封極其親切的短簡，他們建議你去訪問他們，換換環境。我跟你爸爸說，我覺得托克斯小姐和我現在可以回家了，這一點他完全同意；這時我就問他，他是不是反對你接受這個邀請，他說，‘不，路易莎，一點也不。’”。
Florence raised her tearful eye.
弗洛倫斯抬起她那淚汪汪的眼睛。
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