狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第42章Part13

'I have approached a painful subject,' he said, in a soft regretful tone of voice, irreconcilable with his eager eye. 'Pray forgive me. I forget these chains of association in the interest I have. Pray forgive me.'
But for all he said, his eager eye scanned Mr Dombey's downcast face none the less closely; and then it shot a strange triumphant look at the picture, as appealing to it to bear witness how he led him on again, and what was coming.
Carker,' said Mr Dombey, looking here and there upon the table, and saying in a somewhat altered and more hurried voice, and with a paler lip, 'there is no occasion for apology. You mistake. The association is with the matter in hand, and not with any recollection, as you suppose. I do not approve of Mrs Dombey's behaviour towards my daughter.'
'Pardon me,' said Mr Carker, 'I don't quite understand.'
'Understand then,' returned Mr Dombey, 'that you may make that - that you will make that, if you please - matter of direct objection from me to Mrs Dombey. You will please to tell her that her show of devotion for my daughter is disagreeable to me. It is likely to be noticed. It is likely to induce people to contrast Mrs Dombey in her relation towards my daughter, with Mrs Dombey in her relation towards myself. You will have the goodness to let Mrs Dombey know, plainly, that I object to it; and that I expect her to defer, immediately, to my objection. Mrs Dombey may be in earnest, or she may be pursuing a whim, or she may be opposing me; but I object to it in any case, and in every case. If Mrs Dombey is in earnest, so much the less reluctant should she be to desist; for she will not serve my daughter by any such display. If my wife has any superfluous gentleness, and duty over and above her proper submission to me, she may bestow them where she pleases, perhaps; but I will have submission first! - Carker,' said Mr Dombey, checking the unusual emotion with which he had spoken, and falling into a tone more like that in which he was accustomed to assert his greatness, 'you will have the goodness not to omit or slur this point, but to consider it a very important part of your instructions.'
Mr Carker bowed his head, and rising from the table, and standing thoughtfully before the fire, with his hand to his smooth chin, looked down at Mr Dombey with the evil slyness of some monkish carving, half human and half brute; or like a leering face on an old water-spout. Mr Dombey, recovering his composure by degrees, or cooling his emotion in his sense of having taken a high position, sat gradually stiffening again, and looking at the parrot as she swung to and fro, in her great wedding ring.
'I beg your pardon,' said Carker, after a silence, suddenly resuming his chair, and drawing it opposite to Mr Dombey's, 'but let me understand. Mrs Dombey is aware of the probability of your making me the organ of your displeasure?'
'Yes,' replied Mr Dombey. 'I have said so.'

“我提到一個令人痛苦的話題了，”他用溫順的、遺憾的聲調說道，這聲調跟他的懷着渴望的眼睛是不相協調的。”請原諒我。我所懷有的興趣使我忘記這可能引起的聯想了。請原諒我。”
可是不管他說些什麼，他的熱切的眼睛仍舊像先前一樣密切地細細觀察着董貝先生的憂悶不樂的臉孔；然後他向那張圖畫投了一道奇怪的、揚揚得意的眼光，好像請求她來當見證人，看他怎樣又重新引導他，並看又會發生些什麼事情。
“卡克，”董貝先生向桌子上這裏看看，那裏看看，張開更加蒼白的嘴脣，用有些改變了的和更加急促的說道：“沒有什麼您需要道歉的理由。您誤會了。聯想是由於眼前發生的事情而引起的，並不是像您所猜想，是由於任何回憶而引起的。我不贊成董貝夫人對待我女兒的態度。”
“請原諒，”卡克先生說道，”我不很理解。”
“那就請理解吧，”董貝先生回答道，”您可以--不，您必須向董貝夫人轉達我對這件事的反對意見。請您告訴她，她向我女兒顯示的熱愛，使我感到不愉快。這種熱愛很可能引起人們的注意。這很可能促使人們把董貝夫人跟我女兒的關係和董貝夫人跟我的關係加以對比。勞駕您讓董貝夫人清楚地知道，我反對這一點。我期望她立即尊重我的反對意見。董貝夫人可能是真心真意熱愛她，也可能這只是她的一種古怪脾氣，也可能她是要反對我；但不論是什麼情況，我都反對這一點。如果董貝夫人是真心真意熱愛她的話，那麼她就更應當高高興興、毫不勉強地停止這樣做，因爲她的任何這種顯示對我的女兒都沒有什麼益處。如果我的妻子除了對我正當地表示順從外，還有多餘的溫柔與關懷，那麼她也許就可以隨自己的心意，愛賞錫給誰就賞賜給誰；但我首先要求的是順從！卡克，”董貝先生抑制一下他說這些話時的不尋常的激動情緒，恢復了他爲維護他的崇高身份所習慣採用的聲調，說道，”煩請您務必不要忘記或忽略這一點，而應當把它作爲您所接受的指示中的很重要的部分。”
卡克先生點了點頭，從桌子旁邊站起來，沉思地站在壁爐前面，並用手支託着光滑的下巴，從上往下看着董貝先生；那副陰險狡猾的樣子就像是那半人半獸的猿猴雕刻，或者像是古老水落管上斜眼瞅着的臉孔。董貝先生逐漸恢復了鎮靜，或者由於意識到自己的高貴身份而使激動的情緒冷靜下來，坐在那裏，變得生硬呆板，並看着鸚鵡在大結婚戒指中來回搖盪。
“請原諒，”卡克沉默了一些時候，忽然又坐到椅子中，並把它拉到董貝先生椅子的對面，說道，”可是請讓我弄明白，董貝夫人知道您可能利用我，向她轉達您對她的不滿嗎？”
“是的，”董貝先生回答道，”我已經這樣說過了。”