狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第27章Part 03

'What do you know?' demanded Carker, throwing her a shilling. 'Do you know who the handsome lady is?'
Munching like that sailor's wife of yore, who had chestnuts In her lap, and scowling like the witch who asked for some in vain, the old woman picked the shilling up, and going backwards, like a crab, or like a heap of crabs: for her alternately expanding and contracting hands might have represented two of that species, and her creeping face, some half-a-dozen more: crouched on the veinous root of an old tree, pulled out a short black pipe from within the crown of her bonnet, lighted it with a match, and smoked in silence, looking fixedly at her questioner.
Mr Carker laughed, and turned upon his heel.
'Good!' said the old woman. 'One child dead, and one child living: one wife dead, and one wife coming. Go and meet her!'
In spite of himself, the Manager looked round again, and stopped. The old woman, who had not removed her pipe, and was munching and mumbling while she smoked, as if in conversation with an invisible familiar, pointed with her finger in the direction he was going, and laughed.
'What was that you said, Beldamite?' he demanded.
The woman mumbled, and chattered, and smoked, and still pointed before him; but remained silent Muttering a farewell that was not complimentary, Mr Carker pursued his way; but as he turned out of that place, and looked over his shoulder at the root of the old tree, he could yet see the finger pointing before him, and thought he heard the woman screaming, 'Go and meet her!'
Preparations for a choice repast were completed, he found, at the hotel; and Mr Dombey, and the Major, and the breakfast, were awaiting the ladies. Individual constitution has much to do with the development of such facts, no doubt; but in this case, appetite carried it hollow over the tender passion; Mr Dombey being very cool and collected, and the Major fretting and fuming in a state of violent heat and irritation. At length the door was thrown open by the Native, and, after a pause, occupied by her languishing along the gallery, a very blooming, but not very youthful lady, appeared.
'My dear Mr Dombey,' said the lady, 'I am afraid we are late, but Edith has been out already looking for a favourable point of view for a sketch, and kept me waiting for her. Falsest of Majors,' giving him her little finger, 'how do you do?'

“你知道什麼？”卡克拋給她一個先令，問道，“你知道這位漂亮的夫人是誰？”
老太婆就像古時候在膝蓋上放着栗子的水手的妻子一樣有力地咀嚼着，又像那要討吃幾個栗子而沒有討到的女巫一樣怒目而視 ；她撿起先令，又像一隻螃蟹或一堆螃蟹（因爲她那兩隻交替着一伸一縮的手可以代表兩隻螃蟹，她那蠕動着的臉孔又可以代表六隻）一樣退回來，蹲在一個滿是木紋的老樹根上，從帽頂裏抽出一支短短的黑煙管，劃了一支火柴，點着了它，默默地抽着煙，同時凝視着向她問話的人。

卡克先生大笑着，轉過了身子。
“好吧！”老太婆說道，“一個孩子死了，一個孩子活着。一個老婆死了，一個老婆來了。去迎接她吧！”
經理不由自主地又回過頭去，停住了腳步。老太婆沒有從嘴裏取出煙管，一邊抽菸，一邊有力地咀嚼着和嘟囔着，彷彿在跟一位看不見的親友談話似的，同時用指頭指着他前進的方向，大笑着。
“你說些什麼，瘋子？”他問道。
老太婆閉着嘴用牙根咀嚼着，牙齒髮出卡嗒卡嗒的響聲，同時抽着煙，並依舊指着前方，但一句話也不說。卡克先生不怎麼客氣地說了聲再見就繼續向前走去；但是當他走到拐彎的地方，轉過頭去望到那個老樹根時，他仍然看到那個指頭指着前方，並覺得聽到老太婆在尖聲叫道：“去迎接她吧！”
他到旅館時看到，一餐精美的宴席已經準備就緒；董貝先生、少校以及早餐都在等待着兩位女士。無疑，個人的素質與這類事情的發展有很大關係；但是在目前的情況下，食慾完全超出於柔情之上。董貝先生很冷靜、沉着，少校則非常激動和生氣，他焦急不安，怒氣衝衝。終於，門被本地人推開了；過了一段時間，一位花枝招展、但卻不很年輕的夫人出現了；剛纔那段時間就是她有氣無力地慢慢走過走廊時佔去的。
“我親愛的董貝先生，”夫人說道，“我擔心我們來遲了，但是伊迪絲一早就跑出去尋找一個景緻優美的地方畫畫，讓我一直在等着她。虛僞透頂的少校，”她向他伸出一個小指頭，“你好嗎？”