狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第51章Part4
'Very much so indeed, Miss,' rejoins Towlinson.
'I hope, Towlinson,' says Miss Tox, who, in her instruction of the Toodle family, has acquired an admonitorial tone, and a habit of improving passing occasions, 'that what has happened here, will be a warning to you, Towlinson.'
'Thank you, Miss, I'm sure,' says Towlinson.
He appears to be falling into a consideration of the manner in which this warning ought to operate in his particular case, when the vinegary Mrs Pipchin, suddenly stirring him up with a 'What are you doing? Why don't you show the lady to the door?' he ushers Miss Tox forth. As she passes Mr Dombey's room, she shrinks into the inmost depths of the black bonnet, and walks, on tip-toe; and there is not another atom in the world which haunts him so, that feels such sorrow and solicitude about him, as Miss Tox takes out under the black bonnet into the street, and tries to carry home shadowed it from the newly-lighted lamps
But Miss Tox is not a part of Mr Dombey's world. She comes back every evening at dusk; adding clogs and an umbrella to the bonnet on wet nights; and bears the grins of Towlinson, and the huffs and rebuffs of Mrs Pipchin, and all to ask how he does, and how he bears his misfortune: but she has nothing to do with Mr Dombey's world. Exacting and harassing as ever, it goes on without her; and she, a by no means bright or particular star, moves in her little orbit in the corner of another system, and knows it quite well, and comes, and cries, and goes away, and is satisfied. Verily Miss Tox is easier of satisfaction than the world that troubles Mr Dombey so much!
At the Counting House, the clerks discuss the great disaster in all its lights and shades, but chiefly wonder who will get Mr Carker's place. They are generally of opinion that it will be shorn of some of its emoluments, and made uncomfortable by newly-devised checks and restrictions; and those who are beyond all hope of it are quite sure they would rather not have it, and don't at all envy the person for whom it may prove to be reserved. Nothing like the prevailing sensation has existed in the Counting House since Mr Dombey's little son died; but all such excitements there take a social, not to say a jovial turn, and lead to the cultivation of good fellowship. A reconciliation is established on this propitious occasion between the acknowledged wit of the Counting House and an aspiring rival, with whom he has been at deadly feud for months; and a little dinner being proposed, in commemoration of their happily restored amity, takes place at a neighbouring tavern; the wit in the chair; the rival acting as Vice-President. The orations following the removal of the cloth are opened by the Chair, who says, Gentlemen, he can't disguise from himself that this is not a time for private dissensions. Recent occurrences to which he need not more particularly allude, but which have not been altogether without notice in some Sunday Papers,' and in a daily paper which he need not name (here every other member of the company names it in an audible murmur), have caused him to reflect; and he feels that for him and Robinson to have any personal differences at such a moment, would be for ever to deny that good feeling in the general cause, for which he has reason to think and hope that the gentlemen in Dombey's House have always been distinguished. Robinson replies to this like a man and a brother; and one gentleman who has been in the office three years, under continual notice to quit on account of lapses in his arithmetic, appears in a perfectly new light, suddenly bursting out with a thrilling speech, in which he says, May their
respected chief never again know the desolation which has fallen on his hearth! and says a great variety of things, beginning with 'May he never again,' which are received with thunders of applause. In short, a most delightful evening is passed, only interrupted by a difference between two juniors, who, quarrelling about the probable amount of Mr Carker's late receipts per annum, defy each other with decanters, and are taken out greatly excited. Soda water is in general request at the office next day, and most of the party deem the bill an imposition.
As to Perch, the messenger, he is in a fair way of being ruined for life. He finds himself again constantly in bars of public-houses, being treated and lying dreadfully. It appears that he met everybody concerned in the late transaction, everywhere, and said to them, 'Sir,' or 'Madam,' as the case was, 'why do you look so pale?' at which each shuddered from head to foot, and said, 'Oh, Perch!' and ran away. Either the consciousness of these enormities, or the reaction consequent on liquor, reduces Mr Perch to an extreme state of low spirits at that hour of the evening when he usually seeks consolation in the society of Mrs Perch at Balls Pond; and Mrs Perch frets a good deal, for she fears his confidence in woman is shaken now, and that he half expects on coming home at night to find her gone off with some Viscount - 'which,' as she observes to an intimate female friend, 'is what these wretches in the form of woman have to answer for, Mrs P. It ain't the harm they do themselves so much as what they reflect up on us, Ma'am; and I see it in Perch's eye.
Mr Dombey's servants are becoming, at the same time, quite dissipated, and unfit for other service. They have hot suppers every night, and 'talk it over' with smoking drinks upon the board. Mr Towlinson is always maudlin after half-past ten, and frequently begs to know whether he didn't say that no good would ever come of living in a corner house? They whisper about Miss Florence, and wonder where she is; but agree that if Mr Dombey don't know, Mrs Dombey does. This brings them to the latter, of whom Cook says, She had a stately way though, hadn't she? But she was too high! They all agree that she was too high, and Mr Towlinson's old flame, the housemaid (who is very virtuous), entreats that you will never talk to her any more about people who hold their heads up, as if the ground wasn't good enough for 'em.
Everything that is said and done about it, except by Mr Dombey, is done in chorus. Mr Dombey and the world are alone together.
“這裏發生驚人的大事了，託林森，”托克斯小姐說道。
“確實是這樣，小姐，”託林森回答道。
“我希望，託林森，”托克斯小姐說道；她在教圖德爾孩子們學習時已習慣於用勸告的語氣說話和從已發生的事情中吸取教訓，”這裏發生的事情對您是個警告，託林森。”
“謝謝您，小姐，”託林森說道。
當他好像正在沉思這種警告將以一種什麼方式對他起作用的時候，性情乖戾的皮普欽太太突然把他喚醒，喊道，”你在幹什麼？你爲什麼不把這位女士送出去？”於是他就把托克斯小姐領到門外。當她走過董貝先生的房間時，她縮着身子，竭力想躲藏在黑帽子的陰影之中，並踮着腳尖走路；當她戴着黑帽子走進街道的時候，街燈剛點亮不久，她就設法在自身影子的遮掩下走回家去。這時候，世界上沒有別的人這樣經常出沒在他的左右，這樣爲他牽腸掛肚，操心費神的。
可是托克斯小姐不是董貝先生的上流社會的一部分。每天晚上天黑的時候她回到這裏來；每逢下雨天，她除了戴那頂黑帽子外，還多穿一雙木底鞋，多拿一柄雨傘。她忍受着託林森的咧着嘴笑和皮普欽太太的發怒與申斥，這一切都僅僅是爲了想了解：他是怎樣生活的和他怎樣忍受他的不幸的；可是她跟董貝先生的上流社會沒有任何關係。董貝先生的上流社會像以往一樣難以取悅，像以往一樣煩擾着人們，它沒有她繼續存在下去；而她呢，一顆遠不是明亮、也不是出色的星星，在另一個星系的角落裏她的小小的軌道上運行着；她對這一點了解得很清楚，來了，哭了，走了，感到滿足了。說實在的，托克斯小姐要比使董貝先生感到十分苦惱不安的上流社會容易得到滿足。
在營業所裏，職員們從各個不同的角度和側面討論了這樁重大的不幸事件，但主要是捉摸不清究竟誰將來接替卡克先生的職位。普遍的看法是：這個職位的薪金將會削減；而且由於實行新的檢查與限制辦法，這個職位將不大好當；那些毫無希望得到這個職位的人們肯定地說，他們完全不想取得它，也根本不嫉妒那位將被任命擔任這個職務的人。從董貝先生的小兒子死去以後，在營業所裏還沒有發生過這樣轟動一時的事情。不過所有這些激動的情緒不說是使大家變得快活了，但也使大家變得愛好交際了，而且增進了同事之間的交情。營業所中一位公認爲最富有機智的人和他的抱負不凡的敵手在過去好幾個月中彼此一直懷有不共戴天的仇恨，但在目前這吉利的時刻，兩人實現了和解。同事們爲了慶祝他們可喜地恢復親睦友好，在附近的小酒店裏舉行了一個小小的宴會，那位富有機智的人擔任宴會的主席，他的敵手擔任副主席；當桌布撤走以後，主席開始演說；他說，先生們，他不能對自己掩飾真情，現在不是個私人意見不和的時代；最近發生的事件，他不需要詳細提到它，可是有些星期天出版的報紙和一份他不必指名的日報（這時候在座的其他人都用聽得見的低語說出這張日報的名稱）並不是根本沒有注意它；他覺得，在這樣的時刻，他與魯賓遜私人間的不和將無異於否認他們對他們共同事業所具有的良好的感情，而他有理由認爲並希望，董貝公司所有的先生們都是以這種良好的感情而著稱的。魯賓遜以丈夫氣概和兄弟情誼回答了這些話。
有一位在公司裏工作了三年、由於發生計算錯誤經常受到解職警告的先生，以一種完全新的姿態出現在大家面前，他突然發表了動人的演說，說但願他們可敬的老闆在他的家庭中永遠也不再發生可怕的不幸了！還說了其他許多話，每句話都是以”但願他永遠不再”開頭的，他的演說受到了大家雷鳴般的熱烈鼓掌。總之，他們度過了一個極爲愉快的晚上，只不過有兩位低級的職員因爲對卡克先生最近每年可能的收入意見不一致，發生了爭吵，兩人拿着圓酒瓶相互威脅，十分激烈，後來被大家拉出去了。第二天大家在辦公室裏都需要喝蘇打水，參加宴會的大多數人都認爲餐費帳單是敲竹槓。
說到信差珀奇，他可真有被徹底毀滅的危險。他又經常出現在酒吧，受到款待，並無邊無際地說着彌天大謊。好像他到處都遇見最近事件中有關的人，他問他們：”先生（或夫人），爲什麼您的臉色這樣蒼白？”被問到的每個人都從頭到腳顫抖着，說了聲，”啊，珀奇！”就跑開了。珀奇先生晚上通常在鮑爾斯池塘與珀奇太太在一起尋求安慰，這時候，也許是對他卑劣的謊言感到後悔，也許是喝酒後的反應，他的情緒低沉到了極點；珀奇太太則十分煩惱，因爲她害怕他現在對女人的信任動搖了；他夜間回家的時候，幾乎多半準備着發現她跟某個子爵私奔了。
這時候，董貝先生的僕人們變得十分吊兒郎當，幾乎幹什麼事情都不合適。他們每天晚上都吃熱乎乎的晚餐，一面喝着冒氣的酒，一面高談闊論。託林森先生過了10點半總是喝得醉醺醺的，感傷落淚，時常請別人回答他，他是不是說過，住在坐落在拐角的房屋裏是不會有什麼好處的？他們交頭接耳地談論着弗洛倫斯小姐，不知道她現在在哪裏，但是大家一致認爲，如果董貝先生不知道的話，董貝夫人是一定知道的。這樣又使他們談論到後一位，廚娘說，她的舉止畢竟還是莊嚴高貴的，是不是？但是她太趾高氣揚了！他們一致同意，她太趾高氣揚了。託林森以前的情人女僕（她是很有德行的）請求大家永遠也別對她談起那些高昂着腦袋的人們，彷彿土地對她們來說都還不夠好似的。
除了董貝先生以外，大家在這個問題上所說的和所做的，全都協調一致。董貝先生獨自面對着社會。
