狄更斯雙語小說:《董貝父子》第33章Part9

The wanderer looked at her, in doubt and surprise, but without any expression of thankfulness; and sitting down, and taking off one of her worn shoes to beat out the fragments of stone and dust that were inside, showed that her foot was cut and bleeding.
Harriet uttering an expression of pity, the traveller looked up with a contemptuous and incredulous smile.
'Why, what's a torn foot to such as me?' she said. 'And what's a torn foot in such as me, to such as you?'
'Come in and wash it,' answered Harriet, mildly, 'and let me give you something to bind it up.'
The woman caught her arm, and drawing it before her own eyes, hid them against it, and wept. Not like a woman, but like a stern man surprised into that weakness; with a violent heaving of her breast, and struggle for recovery, that showed how unusual the emotion was with her.
She submitted to be led into the house, and, evidently more in gratitude than in any care for herself, washed and bound the injured place. Harriet then put before her fragments of her own frugal dinner, and when she had eaten of them, though sparingly, besought her, before resuming her road (which she showed her anxiety to do), to dry her clothes before the fire. Again, more in gratitude than with any evidence of concern in her own behalf, she sat down in front of it, and unbinding the handkerchief about her head, and letting her thick wet hair fall down below her waist, sat drying it with the palms of her hands, and looking at the blaze.
'I daresay you are thinking,' she said, lifting her head suddenly, 'that I used to be handsome, once. I believe I was - I know I was - Look here!' She held up her hair roughly with both hands; seizing it as if she would have torn it out; then, threw it down again, and flung it back as though it were a heap of serpents.
'Are you a stranger in this place?' asked Harriet.
'A stranger!' she returned, stopping between each short reply, and looking at the fire. 'Yes. Ten or a dozen years a stranger. I have had no almanack where I have been. Ten or a dozen years. I don't know this part. It's much altered since I went away.'
'Have you been far?'

這位婦女懷疑與驚奇地望着她，但沒有任何感謝的表情；她坐下來，把一隻破爛的鞋子脫掉，倒出裏面的碎石和塵土，這時可以看到她的腳已破傷了，正在流血。
當哈里特發出憐憫的喊聲時，這位婦女擡起眼睛望着她，露出輕蔑與懷疑的微笑。
“對於像我這樣的人來說，一隻破傷的腳算得了什麼呢？”她說道，”對於像您這樣的人來說，我這種人有一隻破傷了的腳又算得了什麼呢？
“進來洗洗它吧，”哈里特溫厚地說道，”我給您一點什麼東西把它包紮起來。”
這位婦女抓住她的手，拉到她自己眼睛前面，緊貼着，並哭泣起來。這不像是一位婦女的哭泣，而像是一位性格堅強的男子突然屈從於這種弱點時的哭泣；她的胸脯猛烈地上下起伏，並竭力想恢復常態，這說明她內心的情感是多麼不尋常地激動。
她順從地被引進屋子裏，然後顯然是出於感激，而不是出於保護自己，沖洗和包紮了傷處。接着，哈里特從她自己微薄的晚飯中分出一些，端到她的面前；當她吃完之後（雖然數量是不多的），哈里特又請求她重新趕路（她急切地想這樣做）之前先把衣服在爐火上烤烤乾。她又一次出於感激，而不是出於對自己的任何關心，在爐子前面坐下來，把系在頭上的手絹解開，讓她濃密的、淋溼了的頭髮垂落到腰下，然後坐在那裏，一邊用手掌把它搓幹，一邊看着爐火。
“大概您在想，我過去是漂亮的吧，”她突然擡起頭來，說道，”我想我過去是的。我知道我過去是的。請看這裏！”她粗野地用兩隻手把頭髮撩起來，抓得緊緊地，彷彿要把它撕斷似的；然後又把它放下來，甩到肩後，彷彿這是一堆蛇似的。
“您是不是個外鄉人？”哈里特問道。
“外鄉人！”她回答道；每說完一個短句，她總要停頓一下，並看着爐火，”不錯，當了十年或十多年的外鄉人。我沒有我在那裏居住過的日曆。大概是十年或十多年吧。我不認識這個地方。我離開以後，這裏發生了很大的變化。”
“您這十來年所在的地方離這裏遠嗎？”