雙語小說連載:《董貝父子》第11章 Part 12
Mr Dombey answered 'Not at all:' applying those words, it is to be presumed, to the partiality, and not to the forgiveness.
'And it may seem remarkable in one who is a mother also,' resumed Mrs Blimber.
“一位母親說這些話也許似乎也是令人驚異的，”布林伯夫人重新說道。'And such a mother,' observed Mr Dombey, bowing with some confused idea of being complimentary to Cornelia.
“這樣一位母親，”董貝先生說道，一邊有些概念不清地像是對科妮莉亞表示恭維地鞠了一個躬。
'But really,' pursued Mrs Blimber, 'I think if I could have known Cicero, and been his friend, and talked with him in his retirement at Tusculum (beau-ti-ful Tusculum!), I could have died contented.'
“不過說真的，”布林伯夫人繼續說道，“我想如果我能認識西塞羅，成爲他的朋友，在他幽居的圖斯庫盧姆①（風光美麗的圖斯庫盧姆！）跟他談談話，那麼我就可以甘心樂意地死去了。”A learned enthusiasm is so very contagious, that Mr Dombey half believed this was exactly his case; and even Mrs Pipchin, who was not, as we have seen, of an accommodating disposition generally, gave utterance to a little sound between a groan and a sigh, as if she would have said that nobody but Cicero could have proved a lasting consolation under that failure of the Peruvian MInes, but that he indeed would have been a very Davy-lamp of refuge.
學術上的熱誠是很富於感染力的，董貝先生也有些相信，他的情況也完全是這樣的；皮普欽夫人的性情正像我們所看到的，一般來說，並不是愛遷就別人的，可是甚至連她也發出了一個介乎呻吟與嘆息之間的小聲，彷彿她想說，在祕魯礦井破產之後，除了西塞羅之外，沒有其他人能成爲她持久的安慰了，但西塞羅確實會是一盞戴維的安全礦燈②。Cornelia looked at Mr Dombey through her spectacles, as if she would have liked to crack a few quotations with him from the authority in question. But this design, if she entertained it, was frustrated by a knock at the room-door.
科妮莉亞通過眼鏡看着董貝先生，彷彿她很想在他面前引出幾段大家提到的這位權威的語錄來似的。但是如果她懷有這個打算的話，那麼它也被這時的敲門聲所破壞了。'Who is that?' said the Doctor. 'Oh! Come in, Toots; come in. Mr Dombey, Sir.' Toots bowed. 'Quite a coincidence!' said Doctor Blimber. 'Here we have the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega Our head boy, Mr Dombey.'
“是誰？”博士問道。“啊！請進，圖茨；請進。這是董貝先生，先生。”圖茨鞠了個躬。“真是個巧合！”布林伯博士說道。“在我們面前有一個開頭的和一個末尾的。阿爾法和烏米加③。這是我們年紀最大的學生，董貝先生。”The Doctor might have called him their head and shoulders boy, for he was at least that much taller than any of the blushed very much at finding himself among strangers, and chuckled aloud.
博士很可以稱他爲年紀最大和個子最高的學生。因爲他至少比其他任何孩子高出一個肩膀。他發現自己處在陌生人當中，臉紅得厲害，同時吃吃地大聲笑着。'An addition to our little Portico, Toots,' said the Doctor; 'Mr Dombey's son.'
“我們小小的門廊又增加了一個人，圖茨，”博士說道，“董貝先生的兒子。”--------①圖斯庫盧姆（Tusculum）：古羅馬城市，在羅馬東南24公里處。公元前一世紀，西塞羅在此有一別墅，他的哲學著作《圖斯盧姆談話錄》（TusculanaeDisputationes）就是在這裏完成的。②戴維的安全礦燈：英國著名化學家漢弗萊·戴維（HumfreyDavy，1778—1829年）於1815年發明的防煤氣爆炸危險的礦燈。③阿爾法和烏米加（AlphaandOmega）分別是希臘字母表中頭一個字母α和最後一個字母C。
註釋： presume vt. 假定；推測；擅自；意味着
vi. 相信；擅自行爲
[ 過去式presumed 過去分詞presumed 現在分詞presuming ]
例句：
(1) I presume I am up to this job.
這個責任我還背得起。
(2) I presume you know who that is?
我猜你知道這傢伙是誰吧?。
(3) I presume you are Mr. Smith.
我猜您就是史密斯先生吧？
(4) Kevin, I presume you are busy now?
凱文，想必你現在很忙？
(5) I presume this decision to be final.
我想這已是最後的決定。
(6) How dare you presume to know his heart?
你怎麼膽敢猜測他的心意？
(7) I presume that this is your final answer.
我認爲這就是你最後的答覆。
(8) They are all produced in China, I presume.
我想這些花瓶都是中國出品的嗎。
prove vt. 證明；檢驗；顯示
vi. 證明是
[ 過去式proved 過去分詞proved 或proven 現在分詞proving ]
例句：
(1) That could prove a miscalculation.
這可能證明是錯估了情勢。
(2)Why? You cannot say so if you cannot prove it!
爲什麼？如果你不能提供證據，你不能就這麼隨便亂說！
(3) But history could prove them wrong.
但歷史可以證明他們是錯誤的。
(4) I now have to prove it.
我現在必須要證明這個結論。
(5) The Senate may also prove problematic.
參議院同樣也存在一些困難。
(6) I hope you will prove adequate to the job.
我希望你將勝任這項工作。
(7) The existing data, however, do not prove this.
但是就現有的數據，還不能證明這些。
