雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第13章 Part 3

Mr Carker was a gentleman thirty-eight or forty years old, of a florid complexion, and with two unbroken rows of glistening teeth, whose regularity and whiteness were quite distressing. It was impossible to escape the observation of them, for he showed them whenever he spoke; and bore so wide a smile upon his countenance (a smile, however, very rarely, indeed, extending beyond his mouth), that there was something in it like the snarl of a cat. He affected a stiff white cravat, after the example of his principal, and was always closely buttoned up and tightly dressed. His manner towards Mr Dombey was deeply conceived and perfectly expressed. He was familiar with him, in the very extremity of his sense of the distance between them. 'Mr Dombey, to a man in your position from a man in mine, there is no show of subservience compatible with the transaction of business between us, that I should think sufficient. I frankly tell you, Sir, I give it up altogether. I feel that I could not satisfy my own mind; and Heaven knows, Mr Dombey, you can afford to dispense with the endeavour.' If he had carried these words about with him printed on a placard, and had constantly offered it to Mr Dombey's perusal on the breast of his coat, he could not have been more explicit than he was.

卡克先生是一位三十八歲或四十歲的有身份的先生，臉色紅潤，有兩排完整發亮的牙齒，那種整齊和白色使人看了十分難受。要想避開它們是不可能的，因爲他一講話總是露出它們；他微笑的時候嘴巴張得十分寬闊（可是他的微笑很少浮現在嘴巴以外的臉上），因此其中總有某些像貓叫一樣的東西。他仿效他的老闆，愛系一條硬挺的白領帶，衣服穿得緊緊貼貼，總是扣上全部鈕釦。他對待董貝先生的態度是經過深思熟慮的，而且出色地表達出來。他跟他無拘無束，但又深知他們之間存在的距離。“董貝先生，根據我們之間的業務關係，一位像我這種地位的人向一位像您這種地位的人不論表示什麼樣效忠的敬意，我都不認爲已經足夠了。坦率地對您說，先生，我完全否認這一點。我覺得我做得還不能使我自己稱心滿意；天知道，董貝先生，如果免除我進行這種努力，那麼您怎麼還能受得了。”如果他把這些話印在招貼上，放在他外衣的胸前，供董貝先生隨時閱讀，他也不會比他的行爲表露得更爲明顯的了。

This was Carker the Manager. Mr Carker the Junior, Walter's friend, was his brother; two or three years older than he, but widely removed in station. The younger brother's post was on the top of the official ladder; the elder brother's at the bottom. The elder brother never gained a stave, or raised his foot to mount one. Young men passed above his head, and rose and rose; but he was always at the bottom. He was quite resigned to occupy that low condition: never complained of it: and certainly never hoped to escape from it.

這就是經理卡克。沃爾特的朋友，低級職員卡克先生是他的哥哥，比他大兩三歲，但地位比他低一大截。弟弟的位子是在職務階梯的頂端，哥哥的位子則是在它的最底層。哥哥從來沒有上升到上面的一個梯級或者擡起腳來攀登一下。年輕人從他的頭頂跨越過去，步步高昇，但他總是在最底層。他對佔有那個低下的地位完全心安理得，從不抱怨，當然也從來不希望改變它。

'How do you do this morning?' said Mr Carker the Manager, entering Mr Dombey's room soon after his arrival one day: with a bundle of papers in his hand.

“您今天早上好嗎？”有一天董貝先生來到之後不久，經理卡克先生手裏拿着一卷公文，走進他的房間，問道。

'I don't know that I need trouble you,' returned Carker, turning over the papers in his hand. 'You have a committee today at three, you know.'

“我不知道我是否需要打擾您，”卡克翻着手中的公文，回答道；“您知道，今天三點鐘，委員會有一個會議您要參加。”

'And one at three, three-quarters,' added Mr Dombey.

“還有一個會議是在三點三刻，”董貝先生補充說道。

'Catch you forgetting anything!' exclaimed Carker, still turning over his papers. 'If Mr Paul inherits your memory, he'll be a troublesome customer in the House. One of you is enough'

“您從來不會忘記任何事情！”卡克高聲喊道，一邊仍在翻着公文。“如果保羅少爺把您的記性繼承了下來，那麼他將成爲使公司不得安寧的人物了。有您一位就已足夠了。”

'You have an accurate memory of your own,' said Mr Dombey.

“您自己的記性也很好，”董貝先生說道。

'Oh! I!' returned the manager. 'It's the only capital of a man like me.'

“啊，我嗎？”經理回答道。“像我這樣的人，這是唯一的資本哪。”

註釋：smilevi. 微笑
n. 微笑；笑容；喜色
vt. 微笑着表示
[ 過去式smiled 過去分詞smiled 現在分詞smiling ]
例句：
(1) Sleep, my son, and smile in sleep.
睡吧，我的兒子，在夢中笑吧。
(2) But it is the smile that they want.
而這種笑容恰恰也是他們想要的。
(3) They smile when they play with toys.
當他們玩玩具的時候他們會笑。
(4) Will you smile as much?
你還會笑得那麼多嗎？
(5) She always meets students with a smile.
她總是面帶微笑地迎接學生。
(6) Gradually a smile appeared on her face.
慢慢地她臉上露出一絲笑容。
(7) Jackson tried to smile as he said 'yes.
傑克遜努力微笑，他回答說：'有'。
(8) Some people smile at me and others ignore me.
有些人向我微笑，另有些人不理我。

accurateadj. 精確的
[ 比較級more accurate 最高級most accurate ]
例句：
詞組短語 
accurate measurement 精確測量
accurate positioning 精確定位
accurate model 準確模型
accurate simulation 準確模擬
accurate at 對…很正確
accurate calibration 精確校準
accurate record 精確記錄
accurate adjustment 精調；精密調整
例句：
(1) Be sure you get accurate information.
確保你的信息是準確的。
(2) Now a more accurate method has been found.
現在已經找到一種更精確的方法。
(3) Now a more accurate method has been found.
現在，發現了一個更爲精確的方法。
(4) Yes. The weather forecast is not always accurate.
是的。天氣預報有時候不是很精確。
(5) The designer produced an accurate copy of the plan.
設計人員製作了一份準確的計劃。
(6) Accurate diagnosis is the cornerstone of medical care.
正確診斷是醫療照護的基礎。
(7) A novel that evokes the Depression in accurate detail.
以精確的細節再現大蕭條的小說。
(8) We, ECO team, provide nothing less than accurate translation.
我們提供不折不扣的準確譯文。
(9) Foreign trade is perhaps the most accurate economic indicator.
外貿數據可能是最準確的經濟指標。
(10) He probably did not see it as an accurate portrayal of the future.
他或許沒有把小說當做是一個對未來的準確描寫。