狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第31章Part 9

Now, the carriages arrive at the Bride's residence, and the players on the bells begin to jingle, and the band strikes up, and Mr Punch, that model of connubial bliss, salutes his wife. Now, the people run, and push, and press round in a gaping throng, while Mr Dombey, leading Mrs Dombey by the hand, advances solemnly into the Feenix Halls. Now, the rest of the wedding party alight, and enter after them. And why does Mr Carker, passing through the people to the hall-door, think of the old woman who called to him in the Grove that morning? Or why does Florence, as she passes, think, with a tremble, of her childhood, when she was lost, and of the visage of Good Mrs Brown?
Now, there are more congratulations on this happiest of days, and more company, though not much; and now they leave the drawing-room, and range themselves at table in the dark-brown dining-room, which no confectioner can brighten up, let him garnish the exhausted negroes with as many flowers and love-knots as he will.
The pastry-cook has done his duty like a man, though, and a rich breakfast is set forth. Mr and Mrs Chick have joined the party, among others. Mrs Chick admires that Edith should be, by nature, such a perfect Dombey; and is affable and confidential to Mrs Skewton, whose mind is relieved of a great load, and who takes her share of the champagne. The very tall young man who suffered from excitement early, is better; but a vague sentiment of repentance has seized upon him, and he hates the other very tall young man, and wrests dishes from him by violence, and takes a grim delight in disobliging the company. The company are cool and calm, and do not outrage the black hatchments of pictures looking down upon them, by any excess of mirth. Cousin Feenix and the Major are the gayest there; but Mr Carker has a smile for the whole table. He has an especial smile for the Bride, who very, very seldom meets it.
Cousin Feenix rises, when the company have breakfasted, and the servants have left the room; and wonderfully young he looks, with his white wristbands almost covering his hands (otherwise rather bony), and the bloom of the champagne in his cheeks.
'Upon my honour,' says Cousin Feenix, 'although it's an unusual sort of thing in a private gentleman's house, I must beg leave to call upon you to drink what is usually called a - in fact a toast.
The Major very hoarsely indicates his approval. Mr Carker, bending his head forward over the table in the direction of Cousin Feenix, smiles and nods a great many times.
'A - in fact it's not a - ' Cousin Feenix beginning again, thus, comes to a dead stop.
'Hear, hear!' says the Major, in a tone of conviction.
Mr Carker softly claps his hands, and bending forward over the table again, smiles and nods a great many more times than before, as if he were particularly struck by this last observation, and desired personally to express his sense of the good it has done
'It is,' says Cousin Feenix, 'an occasion in fact, when the general usages of life may be a little departed from, without impropriety; and although I never was an orator in my life, and when I was in the House of Commons, and had the honour of seconding the address, was - in fact, was laid up for a fortnight with the consciousness of failure - '
The Major and Mr Carker are so much delighted by this fragment of personal history, that Cousin Feenix laughs, and addressing them individually, goes on to say:
'And in point of fact, when I was devilish ill - still, you know, I feel that a duty devolves upon me. And when a duty devolves upon an Englishman, he is bound to get out of it, in my opinion, in the best way he can. Well! our family has had the gratification, to-day, of connecting itself, in the person of my lovely and accomplished relative, whom I now see - in point of fact, present - '
Here there is general applause.

這時馬車抵達新娘的住所，打鈴的藝人們開始叮叮噹噹地敲打起來，樂隊開始吹奏起來，潘趣先生這位美滿姻緣的模範在吻他的妻子。當董貝先生攙着董貝夫人莊嚴地走進菲尼克斯的邸宅時，人們推推擠擠，紛紛涌集過來，張嘴呆看着熱鬧。其餘參加婚禮的人也下了馬車，隨後走進邸宅。可是，卡克先生穿過人羣走向前廳門口的時候，爲什麼會想起那天早上在小樹林裏向他叫喊的那位老太婆呢？爲什麼弗洛倫斯穿過人羣時會哆嗦一下，想起她曾經迷路的童年時代和那位善良的布郎太太的臉孔呢？
於是，爲這個最幸福的日子又進行了祝賀，又有一些新的客人來到，雖然爲數不多。於是，他們離開了客廳，在深褐色的餐廳的餐桌旁坐下。任何糖果商人也不能使這間房子光亮起來，即使他在那兩位精疲力竭的黑人身上裝飾再多的花朵和鴛鴦結也是徒勞無益。
可是糕餅師傅已經很好地完成他的任務，開出了豐盛的早餐。奇克先生和奇剋夫人跟其他人一起就座用餐。奇剋夫人看見伊迪絲天生是一位這樣完美無缺的董貝家裏的人，十分稱讚；她跟斯丘頓夫人和藹友好、親密無間地談着話。斯丘頓夫人心頭卸下了一個沉重的負擔，在喝着香檳酒。那位身材很高、早上由於興奮而感到痛苦的年輕人現在感覺好些了，但是他模糊地感到後悔，他恨另一位身材很高的年輕人，把盤子從他那裏強奪過來，並由於沒有滿足客人們的願望，因此幸災樂禍地感到高興。客人們沉着冷靜，沒有顯得過分歡樂，因而沒有使牆上那些像黑色喪徽一樣望着他們的圖畫憤怒。菲尼克斯表哥和少校是餐桌上最快活的兩位；但是卡克先生對全桌子的人都是笑嘻嘻的。他對新娘還有一種特別的微笑，但新娘卻很少、很少去注意它。
客人們吃完早餐，僕人們已離開房間以後，菲尼克斯表哥站起來；他看去驚人地年輕，袖口幾乎把手完全遮蓋住（否則就會顯得有些骨瘦如柴），臉頰由於喝了香檳酒而顯得紅潤。
“我以我的榮譽發誓，”菲尼克斯表哥說道，“雖然在一位紳士私人住宅中這是一件不尋常的事情，可是我得請求你們允許我提議，通常這叫作——實際上就是——祝酒。”
少校嘶啞地表示贊成。卡克先生朝着菲尼克斯表哥的方向，向桌子前面低下頭去，微笑了好多次，並點了好多次頭。
“嗯，實際上這不是個——”菲尼克斯表哥這樣重新開始之後，突然完全停住了。
“聽他說，聽他說！”少校用勸導人們信服的語氣說道。
卡克先生輕輕地拍着手，又把頭向桌子前面低下去，比先前微笑了更多次，也點了更多次的頭，彷彿剛纔說的話使他特別感動，他想要親自表示一下，這話對他是有益的。
“實際上，”菲尼克斯表哥說道，“這是可能有些背離一般生活習慣，而並沒有什麼不合適的事情；雖然我從來不是個演說家，當我在下院①榮幸地支持這建議的時候，我，實際上，由於感到失敗，躺倒了兩個星期——”
少校和卡克先生對這個人的歷史片斷感到十分高興；菲尼克斯表哥大笑，直接對着他們，繼續說道：
“事實上，當我病得很厲害的時候，——你們知道，我仍覺得落在我身上的責任，而當責任落在一個英國人的身上的時候，我認爲，他就必須儘可能出色地履行它。好！今天我們的家庭很高興地，通過我的可愛的、多才多藝的親戚，我事實上——看到她已在這裏——”
這時大家都鼓起掌來。