狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第29章Part 7

'The idea!' said Mrs Chick, 'of you. having basked at my brother's fireside, like a serpent, and wound yourself, through me, almost into his confidence, Lucretia, that you might, in secret, entertain designs upon him, and dare to aspire to contemplate the possibility of his uniting himself to you! Why, it is an idea,' said Mrs Chick, with sarcastic dignity, 'the absurdity of which almost relieves its treachery.'
'Pray, Louisa,' urged Miss Tox, 'do not say such dreadful things.'
'Dreadful things!' repeated Mrs Chick. 'Dreadful things! Is it not a fact, Lucretia, that you have just now been unable to command your feelings even before me, whose eyes you had so completely closed?'
'I have made no complaint,' sobbed Miss Tox. 'I have said nothing. If I have been a little overpowered by your news, Louisa, and have ever had any lingering thought that Mr Dombey was inclined to be particular towards me, surely you will not condemn me.'
'She is going to say,' said Mrs Chick, addressing herself to the whole of the furniture, in a comprehensive glance of resignation and appeal, 'She is going to say - I know it - that I have encouraged her!'
'I don't wish to exchange reproaches, dear Louisa,' sobbed Miss Tox 'Nor do I wish to complain. But, in my own defence - '
'Yes,' cried Mrs Chick, looking round the room with a prophetic smile, 'that's what she's going to say. I knew it. You had better say it. Say it openly! Be open, Lucretia Tox,' said Mrs Chick, with desperate sternness, 'whatever you are.'
'In my own defence,' faltered Miss Tox, 'and only In my own defence against your unkind words, my dear Louisa, I would merely ask you if you haven't often favoured such a fancy, and even said it might happen, for anything we could tell?'
'There is a point,' said Mrs Chick, rising, not as if she were going to stop at the floor, but as if she were about to soar up, high, into her native skies, 'beyond which endurance becomes ridiculous, if not culpable. I can bear much; but not too much. What spell was on me when I came into this house this day, I don't know; but I had a presentiment - a dark presentiment,'
Said Mrs Chick, with a shiver, 'that something was going to happen. Well may I have had that foreboding, Lucretia, when my confidence of many years is destroyed in an instant, when my eyes are opened all at once, and when I find you revealed in your true colours. Lucretia, I have been mistaken in you. It is better for us both that this subject should end here. I wish you well, and I shall ever wish you well. But, as an individual who desires to be true to herself in her own poor position, whatever that position may be, or may not be - and as the sister of my brother - and as the sister-in-law of my brother's wife - and as a connexion by marriage of my brother's wife's mother - may I be permitted to add, as a Dombey? - I can wish you nothing else but good morning.'
These words, delivered with cutting suavity, tempered and chastened by a lofty air of moral rectitude, carried the speaker to the door. There she inclined her head in a ghostly and statue-like manner, and so withdrew to her carriage, to seek comfort and consolation in the arms of Mr Chick, her lord.

“想一想吧！”奇剋夫人說道，”您曾經像蛇一樣在我哥哥的爐邊取暖，拐彎抹角地通過我，幾乎取得了他的信任，以便對他進行暗算，而且居然還膽敢想到他可能跟您結爲夫妻！啊！這個想法真是荒唐可笑極了，”奇剋夫人譏諷而尊嚴地說道，”幾乎使人注意不到它所包含的奸詐了。”
“求求您，路易莎，”托克斯小姐哀求道，”請您別說這樣可怕的事情！”
“可怕的事情！”奇剋夫人重複道，”可怕的事情！剛纔甚至在我面前，在一個被您完全矇住眼睛的人面前，您都控制不住自己的感情！難道這不是事實嗎，盧克麗霞？”
“我沒有抱怨什麼，”托克斯小姐哭泣着說道，”我沒有說什麼。如果我聽到您的消息有些震驚，路易莎，如果我過去心中閃過這樣的想法：董貝先生對我特別關心的話，那麼您自然是不該責備我的。”
“她是想說，”奇剋夫人用聽天由命和懇求的眼光向所有的傢俱全都看了一眼，對它們說道，”她是想說--我知道的--我曾經鼓勵過她！”
“我不希望互相責備，親愛的路易莎，”托克斯小姐哭泣着說道，”我也不希望抱怨。我只是爲我自己辯護--”
“對了！奇剋夫人含着預見性的微笑，看看房間四周，喊道，”這就是她想要說的。我早料到了。您最好說出來。毫無隱瞞地說出來！要毫無隱瞞，盧克麗霞?托克斯，”奇剋夫人嚴酷無情地說道，”不管您是什麼人。”
“我是爲我自己辯護，”托克斯小姐結結巴巴地說道，”我只是聽了您那些冷酷的話以後爲我自己辯護幾句。我親愛的路易莎，我只想問您一句，難道您不是也時常縱容這樣的幻想的嗎，您不是甚至還說，誰知道呢？一切都可能發生的嗎？”
“這裏有個界限，”奇剋夫人說道，一邊站起來，彷彿不打算在地板上站住，而是想騰空飛進天國似的，”超過這個界限，再忍耐下去，不說是有罪的，也成了荒謬可笑的了。我能極大地忍耐；但不能過分忍耐。今天我走進這屋子的時候，究竟我給什麼符咒鎮住了，我不知道，但是我有一種預感，一種不祥的預感，”
奇剋夫人哆嗦了一下，說道，”好像要發生什麼事情似的。我這預感可不奇巧得很嗎，盧克麗霞？我這許多年的信任一剎那間就毀掉了，我的眼睛突然之間睜開了，我看見您露出了您的真面目。盧克麗霞，我過去錯看了您了。我們最好就把話講到這裏爲止。我祝您好，我將永遠祝您好。可是作爲一個想忠於她自己的人（她是一個地位卑微的人，不論她的地位可能是卑微的還是可能並不卑微的），作爲我哥哥的妹妹、作爲我嫂子的小姑子，作爲我哥哥岳母的親戚--是不是可以允許我再加上一句，作爲董貝家裏的一員--，我除了祝您早上好之外，就不再對您祝願別的什麼了。”
這些話是用尖刻而又平靜的語氣說出的，而且又是用一種理直氣壯的高傲神態進行調節與控制的；話說完之後，說話的人已經走到門口。然後她用鬼怪般的，就像雕像一樣的姿態，低着頭，回到她的馬車裏，從她的丈夫奇克先生的懷中尋求安慰和愛撫。