狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第19章Part 12

'No, no, I couldn't indeed!' cried Walter, 'a thousand thanks! Don't throw them away, Captain Cuttle!' for the Captain was about to jerk them overboard. 'They'll be of much more use to you than me. Give me your stick. I have often thought I should like to have it. There! Good-bye, Captain Cuttle! Take care of my Uncle! Uncle Sol, God bless you!'
They were over the side in the confusion, before Walter caught another glimpse of either; and when he ran up to the stern, and looked after them, he saw his Uncle hanging down his head in the boat, and Captain Cuttle rapping him on the back with the great silver watch (it must have been very painful), and gesticulating hopefully with the teaspoons and sugar-tongs. Catching sight of Walter, Captain Cuttle dropped the property into the bottom of the boat with perfect unconcern, being evidently oblivious of its existence, and pulling off the glazed hat hailed him lustily. The glazed hat made quite a show in the sun with its glistening, and the Captain continued to wave it until he could be seen no longer. Then the confusion on board, which had been rapidly increasing, reached its height; two or three other boats went away with a cheer; the sails shone bright and full above, as Walter watched them spread their surface to the favourable breeze; the water flew in sparkles from the prow; and off upon her voyage went the Son and Heir, as hopefully and trippingly as many another son and heir, gone down, had started on his way before her.
Day after day, old Sol and Captain Cuttle kept her reckoning in the little hack parlour and worked out her course, with the chart spread before them on the round table. At night, when old Sol climbed upstairs, so lonely, to the attic where it sometimes blew great guns, he looked up at the stars and listened to the wind, and kept a longer watch than would have fallen to his lot on board the ship. The last bottle of the old Madeira, which had had its cruising days, and known its dangers of the deep, lay silently beneath its dust and cobwebs, in the meanwhile, undisturbed.

“不，不，說真的，我不能拿走！”沃爾特喊道，“千謝萬謝！別扔掉，卡特爾船長！”因爲船長正想要把它們投擲到船外。“它們對您比對我有用得多。把您的手杖給我吧。我時常想，我要能有它該多好啊。唔，這就是！再見，卡特爾船長！請照顧照顧舅舅吧！所爾舅舅，上帝保佑你！”
沃爾特沒來得及再望他們一眼，他們已經在混亂之中離開大船了；當他跑到船尾，目送着他們的時候，他看見舅舅坐在小船裏低垂着頭，卡特爾船長用那隻大銀表拍打着他的背（那一定很痛），還精神抖擻地用茶匙和方糖箝子打着手勢。卡特爾船長瞧見沃爾特時，顯然忘記了他還有這些財產，漫不經心地把它們掉落到小船船底，同時脫下了上了光的帽子，拼命地向他歡呼。上了光的帽子在陽光下閃閃發光，大出風頭，船長不斷地揮舞着它，直到望不見沃爾特爲止。船上一直在迅速增加的雜亂這時達到了高潮；另外兩三隻小船在歡呼聲中離開；當沃爾特望着船帆在順風中舒展開帆面的時候，船帆在上空明亮和豐滿地閃耀着；浪花從船頭飛濺過來；“兒子和繼承人”號就這樣雄赳赳氣昂昂地、輕輕快快地啓程航行，就像在它之前已經走上旅程的其他許多兒子和繼承人一樣，一直向前行進。
老所爾和卡特爾船長在小後客廳裏一天天在圓桌上攤開地圖，推算着船舶的航行距離，研究着它的航線。夜裏，當老所爾十分孤獨地走上樓去，一直走到有時大風猛刮的頂樓上時，他仰望着星星，靜聽着風聲；如果讓他在那艘船上值夜，也不會像他現在值得這麼長久。那最後一瓶馬德拉白葡萄酒曾經度過漂洋過海的日子，體驗過海洋深處的危險，這時卻安安靜靜地躺在塵土和蜘蛛網下面，誰也不去打攪它。