狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第19章Part 03

'And I added,' pursued Walter, 'that if she — Susan, I mean — could ever let you know, either through herself, or Mrs Richards, or anybody else who might be coming this way, that Miss Dombey was well and happy, you would take it very kindly, and would write so much to me, and I should take it very kindly too. There! Upon my word, Uncle,' said Walter, 'I scarcely slept all last night through thinking of doing this; and could not make up my mind when I was out, whether to do it or not; and yet I am sure it is the true feeling of my heart, and I should have been quite miserable afterwards if I had not relieved it.'
His honest voice and manner corroborated what he said, and quite established its ingenuousness.
'So, if you ever see her, Uncle,' said Walter, 'I mean Miss Dombey now — and perhaps you may, who knows! — tell her how much I felt for her; how much I used to think of her when I was here; how I spoke of her, with the tears in my eyes, Uncle, on this last night before I went away. Tell her that I said I never could forget her gentle manner, or her beautiful face, or her sweet kind disposition that was better than all. And as I didn't take them from a woman's feet, or a young lady's: only a little innocent child's,' said Walter: 'tell her, if you don't mind, Uncle, that I kept those shoes — she'll remember how often they fell off, that night — and took them away with me as a remembrance!'
They were at that very moment going out at the door in one of Walter's trunks. A porter carrying off his baggage on a truck for shipment at the docks on board the Son and Heir, had got possession of them; and wheeled them away under the very eye of the insensible Midshipman before their owner had well finished speaking.
But that ancient mariner might have been excused his insensibility to the treasure as it rolled away. For, under his eye at the same moment, accurately within his range of observation, coming full into the sphere of his startled and intensely wide—awake look—out, were Florence and Susan Nipper: Florence looking up into his face half timidly, and receiving the whole shock of his wooden ogling!
More than this, they passed into the shop, and passed in at the parlour door before they were observed by anybody but the Midshipman. And Walter, having his back to the door, would have known nothing of their apparition even then, but for seeing his Uncle spring out of his own chair, and nearly tumble over another.
'Why, Uncle!' exclaimed Walter. 'What's the matter?'
Old Solomon replied, 'Miss Dombey!'

“我還要再說一句，”沃爾特繼續說，“如果她——我是說蘇珊——由她本人，或通過理查茲大嫂或其他順便路過這裏的什麼人，在什麼時候，讓你知道，董貝小姐健康和幸福的話，那麼你將會十分感謝她的好意，並會寫信告訴我，我也將會十分感謝她的好意的。好啦，全說完了。說實在的，舅舅，”沃爾特說，“昨天我因爲想這件事情幾乎一整夜沒睡着覺；而我一出門又下不定決心，究竟去不去做這件事；可是我相信我內心的真實感情，如果我不把它表達出來的話，那麼我以後一定會很痛苦的。”
他的誠實的聲音和神態表明他所說的話是完全真實的，而且是坦誠的。
“因此，舅舅，如果你什麼時候見到她，”沃爾特說，“我現在是說董貝小姐，——也許你會見到她的，誰知道呢！——就請你告訴她，我對她懷着多大的好感；當我在這裏的時候，我一直多麼想着她，在我離開前一天的夜裏，舅舅，我是多麼熱淚盈眶地談到她。請你告訴她，我說，我永遠不會忘記她那溫柔的舉止，她那美麗的容貌或她那勝過一切的可愛的、善良的性情。因爲這兩隻鞋我並不是從一個女人的腳上，也不是從一個姑娘的腳上，而只是從一個天真的小孩的腳上得到的，”沃爾特說，“舅舅，如果你不介意，就請你告訴她，我保存着這雙鞋子——她會記得，那天夜裏它們跌落了多少次——，並把它們當作紀念品隨身帶走了！”
就在這個時候，它們被裝在沃爾特的一隻箱子裏被搬到門口。一個搬運工人正在把他的行李搬到一輛貨車上，以便運到碼頭，裝上“兒子和繼承人”號；當它們的主人還沒有講完話的時候，它們已在冷淡無情的海軍軍官候補生的眼前被推走了。
但是那位以往的海員對運走的珍寶所表現出的冷淡無情的態度也許是情有可原的。因爲，使他大吃一驚的是，就在這同一個時刻，就在他的視野圈內，就在他的眼皮底下，弗洛倫斯和蘇珊·尼珀已完全進入了他高度警惕的監視範圍之中。弗洛倫斯不無膽怯地望着他的臉，碰見了他那緊張驚駭的木頭眼光！
不僅如此，她們還走進店鋪，到了客廳的門口，除了海軍軍官候補生外，沒有任何人注意到她們。沃爾特這時背對着門，如果不是看見舅舅從椅子中跳起來、幾乎跌到另一張椅子上的話，連他當時也根本不會知道她們像幽靈似地突然來臨。
“怎麼了，舅舅！”沃爾特大聲喊道，“出了什麼事？”
老所羅門回答道：“董貝小姐！”