狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第34章Part4

Again the old woman looked round the room, and at her visitor, and round the room once more. Hastily seizing the candle, and rising from her seat, she held it to the visitor's face, uttered a loud cry, set down the light, and fell upon her neck!
'It's my gal! It's my Alice! It's my handsome daughter, living and come back!' screamed the old woman, rocking herself to and fro upon the breast that coldly suffered her embrace. 'It's my gal! It's my Alice! It's my handsome daughter, living and come back!' she screamed again, dropping on the floor before her, clasping her knees, laying her head against them, and still rocking herself to and fro with every frantic demonstration of which her vitality was capable.
'Yes, mother,' returned Alice, stooping forward for a moment and kissing her, but endeavouring, even in the act, to disengage herself from her embrace. 'I am here, at last. Let go, mother; let go. Get up, and sit in your chair. What good does this do?'
'She's come back harder than she went!' cried the mother, looking up in her face, and still holding to her knees. 'She don't care for me! after all these years, and all the wretched life I've led!'
'Why> mother!' said Alice, shaking her ragged skirts to detach the old woman from them: 'there are two sides to that. There have been years for me as well as you, and there has been wretchedness for me as well as you. Get up, get up!'
Her mother rose, and cried, and wrung her hands, and stood at a little distance gazing on her. Then she took the candle again, and going round her, surveyed her from head to foot, making a low moaning all the time. Then she put the candle down, resumed her chair, and beating her hands together to a kind of weary tune, and rolling herself from side to side, continued moaning and wailing to herself.
Alice got up, took off her wet cloak, and laid it aside. That done, she sat down as before, and with her arms folded, and her eyes gazing at the fire, remained silently listening with a contemptuous face to her old mother's inarticulate complainings.
'Did you expect to see me return as youthful as I went away, mother?' she said at length, turning her eyes upon the old woman. 'Did you think a foreign life, like mine, was good for good looks? One would believe so, to hear you!'
'It ain't that!' cried the mother. 'She knows it!'

老太婆又向房間四下裏看看，向客人看看，又重新向房間四下裏看看。她急忙從坐位上站起來，拿起蠟燭，把客人的臉孔照了照，高聲地喊叫了一聲，放下蠟燭，摟抱着客人的脖子。
“這是我的女兒！這是我的艾麗斯！這是我漂亮的女兒，活着回來了！”老太婆尖聲喊叫着，一邊對着她女兒的胸脯，一前一後地搖晃着她自己；她女兒冷淡地聽隨她擁抱。”這是我的女兒！這是我的艾麗斯！這是我漂亮的女兒，活着回來了！”她又尖聲地喊叫着，一邊倒在她面前的地板上，抱着她的膝蓋，把頭緊靠着它們，並像先前一樣，用她的體力所能表現出的狂熱的勁頭，一前一後地搖晃着她自己。
“是的，媽媽，”艾麗斯彎下身子，吻了吻她，回答道，可是甚至在這片刻的動作之間，她還是竭力想擺脫她的擁抱。“我終於到這裏來了。放手吧，媽媽，放手吧。起來，坐到你的椅子上去。這樣有什麼好處？”
“她回來的時候比離開的時候更冷酷無情了！”母親仰望着她的臉孔，並依舊抱住她的膝蓋，高聲喊道，”她不關心我！經過這許多年頭，我度過了這麼悲慘可憐的生活之後！”
“得了吧，媽媽！”艾麗斯抖動着她破爛的裙子，擺脫開老太婆，說道，”別隻看到你那一方面，還有我這一方面呢！這些年頭不僅是你度過的，也是我度過的；悲慘可憐的生活，不僅你有，我也一樣有。起來吧，起來吧！”
母親站起來，哭着，使勁地絞扭着雙手，稍微離開一點，注視着她；接着，她又拿着蠟燭，繞着她走，從頭到腳打量着她，同時輕聲哭泣着。然後，她放下蠟燭，重新坐到椅子上，拍着巴掌，好像給一支拖得很長的歌曲打拍子似的，同時身子一左一右地搖晃着，並繼續在獨自低泣和痛哭着。
艾麗斯站起來，脫掉潮溼的斗篷，把它放在一邊。在這之後，她又跟先前一樣坐下來，交叉着兩隻胳膊，眼睛凝視着爐火，露出輕蔑的臉色，一聲不響地聽着她老母親口齒不清的怨言。
“你是不是指望我回來的時候跟我離開的時候一樣年輕，媽媽？”她把眼光投射到老太婆身上，終於開口說道，”你是不是以爲像我在外國所過的生活會使一個人漂亮起來？說實在的，誰要是聽了你的話，真會這麼想呢！”
“問題不在這裏！”母親喊道，”她自己明白！”