狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第31章Part 13

Mrs Skewton sleeps upstairs, two hours afterwards, and naps are not yet over in the kitchen. The hatchments in the dining-room look down on crumbs, dirty plates, spillings of wine, half-thawed ice, stale discoloured heel-taps, scraps of lobster, drumsticks of fowls, and pensive jellies, gradually resolving themselves into a lukewarm gummy soup. The marriage is, by this time, almost as denuded of its show and garnish as the breakfast. Mr Dombey's servants moralise so much about it, and are so repentant over their early tea, at home, that by eight o'clock or so, they settle down into confirmed seriousness; and Mr Perch, arriving at that time from the City, fresh and jocular, with a white waistcoat and a comic song, ready to spend the evening, and prepared for any amount of dissipation, is amazed to find himself coldly received, and Mrs Perch but poorly, and to have the pleasing duty of escorting that lady home by the next omnibus.
Night closes in. Florence, having rambled through the handsome house, from room to room, seeks her own chamber, where the care of Edith has surrounded her with luxuries and comforts; and divesting herself of her handsome dress, puts on her old simple mourning for dear Paul, and sits down to read, with Diogenes winking and blinking on the ground beside her. But Florence cannot read tonight. The house seems strange and new, and there are loud echoes in it. There is a shadow on her heart: she knows not why or what: but it is heavy. Florence shuts her book, and gruff Diogenes, who takes that for a signal, puts his paws upon her lap, and rubs his ears against her caressing hands. But Florence cannot see him plainly, in a little time, for there is a mist between her eyes and him, and her dead brother and dead mother shine in it like angels. Walter, too, poor wandering shipwrecked boy, oh, where is he?
The Major don't know; that's for certain; and don't care. The Major, having choked and slumbered, all the afternoon, has taken a late dinner at his club, and now sits over his pint of wine, driving a modest young man, with a fresh-coloured face, at the next table (who would give a handsome sum to be able to rise and go away, but cannot do it) to the verge of madness, by anecdotes of Bagstock, Sir, at Dombey's wedding, and Old Joe's devilish gentle manly friend, Lord Feenix. While Cousin Feenix, who ought to be at Long's, and in bed, finds himself, instead, at a gaming-table, where his wilful legs have taken him, perhaps, in his own despite.
Night, like a giant, fills the church, from pavement to roof, and holds dominion through the silent hours. Pale dawn again comes peeping through the windows: and, giving place to day, sees night withdraw into the vaults, and follows it, and drives it out, and hides among the dead. The timid mice again cower close together, when the great door clashes, and Mr Sownds and Mrs Miff treading the circle of their daily lives, unbroken as a marriage ring, come in. Again, the cocked hat and the mortified bonnet stand in the background at the marriage hour; and again this man taketh this woman, and this woman taketh this man, on the solemn terms:
'To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do them part.'
The very words that Mr Carker rides into town repeating, with his mouth stretched to the utmost, as he picks his dainty way.

兩小時之後斯丘頓夫人到樓上睡覺，可是廚房中的瞌睡卻還沒有醒過來。餐廳中的喪徽俯視着麪包屑、骯髒的盤子、溢出的酒、半融化的冰、走了味和變了色的杯中殘酒、龍蝦的碎片、雞的腳爪以及逐漸變成微溫的、膠狀的、湯一般的、淒涼的果子凍。這時候結婚已像早餐一樣，失去了它原先的奢華的場面與美麗的裝飾。董貝先生的僕人們談論這件事的時候，從中得出許多道義上的教訓，在家裏喝早茶的時候感到十分後悔，所以到了八點鐘左右，他們就完全變得一本正經了；這時候珀奇先生從城裏生氣勃勃、愛說愛笑地回到這裏；他穿着白色的背心，唱着滑稽的小調，準備在這裏消磨一個晚上，並打算盡情地消遣消遣，可是他吃驚地發現他受到了冷淡的接待，並看到珀奇太太處在可憐的狀態之中，所以他覺得，搭乘下一輛公共馬車護送他的太太回家，是他將愉快地承擔的責任。
夜來臨了。弗洛倫斯穿過這漂亮公館中的各個房間，找到了她自己的臥室；由於伊迪絲的關心，這裏各處都擺設着奢華和舒適的物品。她脫去漂亮的服裝，換上爲紀念可憐的保羅所穿的簡樸的舊喪服，並坐下唸書；戴奧吉尼斯在她身旁的地面上伸展開肢體，眯縫和眨巴着眼睛；但是弗洛倫斯今天夜裏念不下去。房屋似乎古怪和新奇，裏面有着響亮的回聲。在她的心頭籠罩着一層陰影，她不知道是什麼原因，也不知道是什麼，但它是沉重的。弗洛倫斯合上書本，粗魯的戴奧吉尼斯把這看作是一個信號，就把腳爪伸到她的膝蓋上，耳朵摩擦着她的愛撫他的手；但是弗洛倫斯一時不能清楚地看見他，因爲在她的眼睛和他之間隔着一層迷霧。她死去的弟弟和死去的母親像天使般在中間閃耀着。還有沃爾特，這漂泊在外、遇到船隻失事的孩子，啊，他在哪裏呀？
少校不知道；這是毫無疑問的。這跟他毫無關係。少校整個下午噎着氣和打着盹兒，並在俱樂部裏吃了一餐很晚的晚餐；這時他坐着喝一品脫酒，並給鄰桌一位謙遜的、臉孔鮮嫩的年輕人（要是他能站起來走開的話，那麼他真願意付出一大筆錢，可是他卻做不到這一點）講白格斯托克先生，參加董貝婚禮的軼事和老喬的一位身份非常高貴的朋友菲尼克斯閣下的故事，把這位年輕人樂得險些兒發瘋。菲尼克斯表哥這時本應當待在朗旅館、躺在牀上的，可是卻坐在賭桌旁邊；也許是他那雙不聽話的腿違反他的心願，把他帶到那裏去的。
夜像巨人一樣，佔據了整個教堂，從鋪石路直到屋頂，並在這寂靜的時刻中進行統治。臉色蒼白的黎明又來到窗口窺探，然後讓位給白天；它看到夜退到地下靈堂裏，就跟隨着它，把它攆跑，自己躲藏在死人中間。當大門砰然打開，桑茲先生和米福太太踏着他們日常生活的軌道走進來時，膽怯的耗子們又畏縮地聚集在一起；桑茲先生和米福太太的日常生活軌道周而復始，真像結婚戒指一樣牢不可破。在結婚的時刻，那頂三角帽和那頂乾癟的女帽又出現在一對新人的背後；然後又是這個男子娶了這個女子；這個女子嫁給這個男子，雙方莊嚴地山盟海誓：
“從今以後，不論是幸福還是患難，不論是富貴還是貧賤，不論是健康還是生病，他們都將相親相愛，直到死亡把他們分開爲止。”
卡克先生小心挑選着乾淨的道路，騎馬回到城裏，嘴巴張得極大地重複着這些話。