狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第19章Part 05
Yet Walter did not hold it as he might have held it once, nor did its touch awaken those old day—dreams of his boyhood that had floated past him sometimes even lately, and confused him with their indistinct and broken shapes. The purity and innocence of her endearing manner, and its perfect trustfulness, and the undisguised regard for him that lay so deeply seated in her constant eyes, and glowed upon her fair face through the smile that shaded — for alas! it was a smile too sad to brighten — it, were not of their romantic race. They brought back to his thoughts the early death—bed he had seen her tending, and the love the child had borne her; and on the wings of such remembrances she seemed to rise up, far above his idle fancies, into clearer and serener air.
'I — I am afraid I must call you Walter's Uncle, Sir,' said Florence to the old man, 'if you'll let me.'
'My dear young lady,' cried old Sol. 'Let you! Good gracious!'
'We always knew you by that name, and talked of you,' said Florence, glancing round, and sighing gently. 'The nice old parlour! Just the same! How well I recollect it!'
Old Sol looked first at her, then at his nephew, and then rubbed his hands, and rubbed his spectacles, and said below his breath, 'Ah! time, time, time!'
There was a short silence; during which Susan Nipper skilfully impounded two extra cups and saucers from the cupboard, and awaited the drawing of the tea with a thoughtful air.
'I want to tell Walter's Uncle,' said Florence, laying her hand timidly upon the old man's as it rested on the table, to bespeak his attention, 'something that I am anxious about. He is going to be left alone, and if he will allow me — not to take Walter's place, for that I couldn't do, but to be his true friend and help him if I ever can while Walter is away, I shall be very much obliged to him indeed. Will you? May I, Walter's Uncle?'
The Instrument—maker, without speaking, put her hand to his lips, and Susan Nipper, leaning back with her arms crossed, in the chair of presidency into which she had voted herself, bit one end of her bonnet strings, and heaved a gentle sigh as she looked up at the skylight.
'You will let me come to see you,' said Florence, 'when I can; and you will tell me everything about yourself and Walter; and you will have no secrets from Susan when she comes and I do not, but will confide in us, and trust us, and rely upon us. And you'll try to let us be a comfort to you? Will you, Walter's Uncle?'
The sweet face looking into his, the gentle pleading eyes, the soft voice, and the light touch on his arm made the more winning by a child's respect and honour for his age, that gave to all an air of graceful doubt and modest hesitation — these, and her natural earnestness, so overcame the poor old Instrument—maker, that he only answered:
'Wally! say a word for me, my dear. I'm very grateful.'
'No, Walter,' returned Florence with her quiet smile. 'Say nothing for him, if you please. I understand him very well, and we must learn to talk together without you, dear Walter.'
The regretful tone in which she said these latter words, touched Walter more than all the rest.
可是沃爾特並不像先前那樣握它，這樣的接觸也沒有喚醒過去童年時代的那些白日夢，甚至最近這些夢有時還會從他面前漂浮過去，並以它們那模糊不清、支離破碎的形狀使他心煩意亂。她那天真純潔、可親可愛的神態，她在專注的眼光中深切表露出的以及在俊俏的臉上通過微笑（這微笑太悲哀了，它在她臉上投下了陰影，不能使它容光煥發）洋溢着的對他的完全信任與真誠關懷，所有這些都不是浪漫性質的。它們使他回想起了他曾看到她殷勤看護的那張夭逝的小牀，回想起了那男孩對她所懷的熱愛，靠着這些回憶的翅膀，她似乎已遠遠地超越了他的那些胡思亂想，飛昇到那更爲明淨、更爲寧靜的高空之中了。
“我——我想，我得管您叫沃爾特的舅舅，先生，”弗洛倫斯對老人說，“如果您允許的話。”
“我親愛的小姐，”老所爾喊道，“如果我允許的話！我的上帝！”
“我們常常是以這個稱呼來了解您和談起您的，”弗洛倫斯向四周看了一眼，輕輕地嘆氣道，“可愛的老客廳！完全跟先前一模一樣！我把它記得多麼清楚啊！”
老所爾先看看她，又看看他的外甥，然後搓搓手，又擦擦眼鏡，低聲說道，“唉，時間啊，時間啊，時間啊！”
接着是短暫的沉默；在這段時間中蘇珊·尼珀靈巧地從碗櫃裏取出了兩隻帶碟子的茶杯，並以若有所思的神氣等待着泡茶。
“我想跟沃爾特的舅舅說點我很擔心的事，”弗洛倫斯膽怯地把手放在老人擱在桌子上的手上，以便引起他的注意，說道，“他很快就要單獨一個人了，如果他允許我——不是代替沃爾特，因爲那是我做不到的，而是在沃爾特不在的時候成爲他的真誠的朋友，並盡我的力量來幫助他，那我就會十分感謝他。您肯允許我嗎？我可以嗎，沃爾特舅舅？”
儀器製造商默默無言地把她的手拉到他的嘴脣上。蘇珊·尼珀兩手交叉，背靠在她自行充任的主席的椅子上，這時咬着帽帶的一端，仰望着天窗，輕輕地嘆了口氣。
“如果我可能的話，那麼請允許我來看您，”弗洛倫斯說，“那時請您告訴我您自己和沃爾特的一切事情；如果蘇珊代替我來的話，那麼就請您不要對她保守祕密，請您信任我們，信賴我們，依靠我們。請您設法讓我們成爲您的安慰，您願意嗎，沃爾特的舅舅？”
那張望着他的可愛的臉孔，那雙關切的懇求的眼睛，那個溫柔的聲音，以及她在他胳膊上輕輕的撫摸，本來就使她顯得十分親切可愛，再加上女孩子對他年齡所懷有的崇敬與尊重，這就使她更加得人歡心，當時她表露出一種優雅得體的疑惑不定的神情和由於謙虛羞怯而猶豫不決的神情——所有這一切，以及她那出乎天性的懇切的態度，完全征服了這位可憐的年老的儀器製造商，他只是回答道：
“沃利，爲我說一句話吧，我親愛的，我太感激了。”
“不，沃爾特，”弗洛倫斯平靜地微笑着回答道，“請您一句話也不要爲他說。我很瞭解他，我們必須學會在您不在場的時候相互交談，親愛的沃爾特。”
她說最後幾個字時惋惜的聲調比其他的一切更使他感動。
