狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第26章Part 2

'He has friends here, no doubt,' pursued Carker. 'I perceive, from what he has said, that you go into society here. Do you know,' smiling horribly, 'I am so very glad that you go into society!'
Mr Dombey acknowledged this display of interest on the part of his second in command, by twirling his watch-chain, and slightly moving his head.
'You were formed for society,' said Carker. 'Of all the men I know, you are the best adapted, by nature and by position, for society. Do you know I have been frequently amazed that you should have held it at arm's length so long!'
'I have had my reasons, Carker. I have been alone, and indifferent to it. But you have great social qualifications yourself, and are the more likely to have been surprised.'
'Oh! I!' returned the other, with ready self-disparagement. 'It's quite another matter in the case of a man like me. I don't come into comparison with you.'
Mr Dombey put his hand to his neckcloth, settled his chin in it, coughed, and stood looking at his faithful friend and servant for a few moments in silence.
'I shall have the pleasure, Carker,' said Mr Dombey at length: making as if he swallowed something a little too large for his throat: 'to present you to my - to the Major's friends. Highly agreeable people.'
'Ladies among them, I presume?' insinuated the smooth Manager.
'They are all - that is to say, they are both - ladies,' replied Mr Dombey.
'Only two?' smiled Carker.
'They are only two. I have confined my visits to their residence, and have made no other acquaintance here.'
'Sisters, perhaps?' quoth Carker.
'Mother and daughter,' replied Mr Dombey.
As Mr Dombey dropped his eyes, and adjusted his neckcloth again, the smiling face of Mr Carker the Manager became in a moment, and without any stage of transition, transformed into a most intent and frowning face, scanning his closely, and with an ugly sneer. As Mr Dombey raised his eyes, it changed back, no less quickly, to its old expression, and showed him every gum of which it stood possessed.
'You are very kind,' said Carker, 'I shall be delighted to know them. Speaking of daughters, I have seen Miss Dombey.'
There was a sudden rush of blood to Mr Dombey's face.
'I took the liberty of waiting on her,' said Carker, 'to inquire if she could charge me with any little commission. I am not so fortunate as to be the bearer of any but her - but her dear love.'
Wolf's face that it was then, with even the hot tongue revealing itself through the stretched mouth, as the eyes encountered Mr Dombey's!
'What business intelligence is there?' inquired the latter gentleman, after a silence, during which Mr Carker had produced some memoranda and other papers.
'There is very little,' returned Carker. 'Upon the whole we have not had our usual good fortune of late, but that is of little moment to you. At Lloyd's, they give up the Son and Heir for lost. Well, she was insured, from her keel to her masthead.'
'Carker,' said Mr Dombey, taking a chair near him, 'I cannot say that young man, Gay, ever impressed me favourably
'Nor me,' interposed the Manager.

“他在這裏無疑是有朋友的，”卡克先生繼續說道，“我從他的話中知道，您在這裏經常參加社交活動；您可知道，”他令人討厭地微笑着，“您經常參加社交活動，我真是高興極了。”
董貝先生捻轉着錶鏈子，並輕輕地搖晃着腦袋，對這位地位僅次於他的助手所顯示的關心表示感謝。
“您生來就是屬於社會的人，”卡克說道，“在我所認識的人們當中，從性格和地位來說，您都是最適合於進入社會開展活動的。您可知道，您過去竟這麼長久地和社會保持着一定距離，我一直感到驚奇！”
“我有我的理由，卡克。我是個獨立門戶，不求助於他人的人，所以我對社會漠不關心，但是您本人是位有出色社交才能的人，因此就更容易感到驚奇了。”
“哦，我！”那一位敏捷地用自我貶低的口吻回答道，“像我這樣的人那是完全另外一碼事。我根本不能和您相比。”
董貝先生把手伸向領帶，下巴縮在裏面，咳嗽了一聲，然後站在那裏，向他忠實的朋友和奴僕默默地看了幾秒鐘。
“卡克，”董貝先生終於說道，他這時的表情就彷彿是嚥下對他的喉嚨有些過大的什麼東西似的，“我將高興把您介紹給我的——介紹給少校的朋友們。她們是很使人感到愉快的人們。”
“我想他們當中也有女士吧，”圓滑的經理旁敲側擊地問道。
“他們全是，——就是說，她們兩人全是女士，”董貝先生回答道。
“只有兩人嗎？”卡克笑嘻嘻地問道。
“只有兩人。我在這裏只是到她們的住所裏去拜訪過，沒有結識其他什麼人。”
“也許是姐妹倆吧？”卡克問道。
“母親和女兒，”董貝先生回答道。
董貝先生低下眼睛，又把領帶整整好，這時候經理卡克先生笑嘻嘻的臉容，沒有經過任何過渡階段，突然一下子轉變成目不轉睛、皺眉蹙額的臉容，眼光全神貫注地細細觀察着董貝先生的臉，並露出醜惡的譏笑。當董貝先生擡起眼睛的時候，卡克先生的臉孔又以同樣敏捷的速度恢復了原來的表情，向他露出全部牙牀。
“謝謝您的好意，”卡克說道，“我將高興認識她們。說到女兒，使我想起，我見到過董貝小姐呢。”
血流突然涌上了董貝先生的臉。
“我冒昧地去看望了她，”卡克說道，“問她有什麼事要交我辦的，可是很不幸，除了——除了她的親切的愛之外，我沒能給她帶來別的東西。”
這真像狼一般的臉孔啊！當他的眼光碰到了董貝先生的眼光時，從他張開的嘴巴中甚至可以看到那火熱的舌頭！
“公司裏的業務情況怎麼樣？”那一位先生沉默了一會兒之後問道；在沉默的時間中，卡克先生取出了一些便函和其他文件、票據。
“生意很清淡，”卡克回答道，“總的來說，我們最近運氣不像往常那樣好，不過這對於您來說沒什麼要緊。勞埃德商船協會①認爲‘兒子和繼承人’已經沉沒了。幸好它從龍骨到桅頂都是保了險的。”
“卡克，”董貝先生把一把椅子移近身邊，說道，“我不能說那位年輕人蓋伊曾給我留下好印象。”
“也沒有給我留下好印象，”經理插話道。