牛津書蟲系列 遠大前程 Chapter 8

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8 Visiting Mr Wemmick and Mr Jaggers

8 拜訪文米克先生和賈格斯先生

Herbert introduced me to his father， who lived the other side of London， in Hammersmith. In the next few months I studied hard with Mr Pocket， who was always a most kind and helpful teacher.I divided my time between Herbert’s and his father’s home. If I needed money，I collected it from Wemmick at Mr Jaggers’ office， and there seemed to be plenty of money available.

赫伯特把我介紹給他父親，他的父親住在倫敦的另一邊，在漢麥爾斯密斯。后來的幾個月，我要跟樸凱特先生努力地學習，樸凱特先生永遠是一位很慈祥、很樂于助人的老師。不過，我的時間是在赫伯特和他父親兩個家中度過。如果需要錢，我就從賈格斯先生事務所文米克那里取，那兒的錢好像取之不盡，用之不竭。

There were two other gentlemen studying at Mr Pocket’s.They were quite different from each other. Bentley Drummle came from a rich family living in the country. He was lazy，proud， mean and stupid.I much preferred Startop， who was a pleasant， sensitive young man.He and I used to row our boats up and down the river together. But Herbert was my greatest friend， and we used to spend most of our time with each other.

在樸凱特先生家里學習的，還有另外兩名紳士，他們之間有很大的區(qū)別。本特利·朱穆爾來自鄉(xiāng)下一個富有的家庭，他懶惰傲慢，卑鄙和愚蠢。我更喜歡史達多蒲，他是一個快活的、反應靈敏的年輕人。我和他經(jīng)常一起下河劃小船。但是，赫伯特是我最知心的朋友，我們大部分的時間經(jīng)常是我倆在一起度過。

One day when I was collecting my money from Wemmick，he invited me to his house at Walworth， a village outside Lon-don.

一天，當我從文米克那里收到錢時，他邀請我去他的家，是在倫敦郊區(qū)的一個村莊——沃爾鄂斯。

‘You don’t mind walking there， Mr Pip?’he asked.‘I like to get some exercise if I can.For dinner we’re having a roast chicken. I think it’ll be a good one because I got it from one of our clients. I always accept any little presents from clients， especially if it’s cash， or anything that can easily be changed into cash. You see these rings I’m wearing? Given by clients， just before they died.All hanged， they were.By the way，I hope you won’t mind meeting my aged parent?’

“走著去你不介意吧?匹普。”他問道，“如果我可能的話，想鍛煉鍛煉。晚餐我們有一只烤雞，我想它的味道很好。因為，是從我們其中一位訴訟委托人那里得到的。我總是從訴訟委托人那里收受點禮品，尤其是現(xiàn)金，或者是能夠容易兌換成現(xiàn)金的任何東西。你看到我?guī)У倪@些項鏈了嗎?正是顧客死以前給的，他們都被處以絞刑。順便說一句，希望你見到我年邁的父親不會介意?”

‘No，of course not，’I said quickly.

“不會，當然不會的，”我很快地回答。

‘You haven’t had dinner with Mr Jaggers yet?’ Wemmick continued.‘He’s inviting you， and the other three young gentlemen， tomorrow. There’ll be good food and drink at his house. But I’ll tell you something， Mr Pip.When you’re there， look at his housekeeper.’

“你還沒有和賈格斯先生吃過晚飯吧?”文米克接著說，“他正邀請你明天和另外三位年輕紳士，在他家，會有豐盛的酒席。不過，我將告訴你一些事情，匹普先生，當你在那里的時候，看看他的女管家。”

‘Why?’ I asked.‘Is there something strange about her?’

“為什么?”我問，“她有奇怪的地方嗎?”

‘She’s like a wild animal.But Mr Jaggers has trained her!Oh yes!He’s stronger，and cleverer， and more complicated than anyone else in London.And you know，another strange thing about him， he never locks his doors or windows at night.’

“她像一只野獸。但是，賈格斯先生已經(jīng)訓練了她!噢，是的!在倫敦他比其他任何人強壯、聰明、更精細。你知道，另一件奇怪的事情，晚上，他從不鎖門窗。”

‘Isn’t he ever robbed?’I asked in surprise.

“他從來沒被盜過?”我驚奇地問。

‘All the thieves in London know where he lives，but none of them would dare to rob him. They are all afraid of him， you see.They know he wouldn’t rest until he had seen them hanged. He’s a great man， Mr Pip.’

“倫敦的小偷都知道他住的地方，可是，他們沒有一個敢去偷他的東西，都害怕他，你明白。他們知道，直到他看著他們被絞死，才會休息。他是一個了不起的人物，匹普先生。”

Wemmick’s house at Walworth was a tiny wooden house in the middle of a garden. On top of the roof was a small gun.

在沃爾鄂斯，文米克的房子是一座小木房，周圍是花園，屋頂上有一把小獵槍。

‘We fire the gun at nine o’clock every evening，’said Wemmick proudly.‘And behind the house-I call it the Castle-I keep animals， and grow my own vegetables.So，in case of enemy attack， we can always eat our own food.What do you think of it?’

“我們每天晚上9點開槍，”文米克自豪地說，“在房子后面——我叫它城堡——我養(yǎng)家畜和自己種疏菜。因此，萬一敵人襲擊，我們總能吃上自己的食物，你認為如何?”

I congratulated him on his home. He was clearly delighted to show a visitor all his ideas and improvements.

在他家里，我向他祝賀。很顯然，他樂意向來訪者表白他的主意和進步。

‘I do everything myself，you know，’ he said.‘It helps me forget the office for a while. Would you mind being introduced to the Aged now? He would like it very much.’

“每件事情都是我自己做，你知道，”他說，“它能幫助我暫時忘掉那個事務所。現(xiàn)在向老人介紹你不反對吧?他會十分喜歡的。”

So we entered the Castle， where we found a cheerful old man sitting by the fire.

因此，我們進了這座城堡，發(fā)現(xiàn)一位快樂的老人正坐著烤火。

‘well，aged parent，’ said Wemmick，‘how are you?’

“喂，老父親，”文米克說，“你好嗎?”

‘Very well， John，’ replied the old man，nodding happily.

“很好，約翰，”老人高興地點點頭說。

‘Here’s Mr Pip，aged parent. Nod your head at him， Mr Pip，he’s completely deaf，but he likes to see people nod at him.’

“這是匹普先生，老父親。向他點點你的頭，匹普，他完全耳聾。但是，他喜歡看到人們向他點頭。”

‘This is a fine house of my son’s， sir，’ cried the old man，nodding back at me.‘It should be kept by the nation for the public to visit after my son’s death.’

“這是我兒子雅致的房子，先生。”老人喊著，向我回敬著點頭，“我兒子死后，這座房子會被國家保存起來，供人們參觀。”

‘You’re proud of it，aren’t you，Aged?’said Wemmick，his face losing all its usual hardness as he looked at the old man.

“你為這座房子感到自豪，對嗎?老父親。”文米克說，當他看著老人時，以往臉上冷冰冰的表情悄然失散。

‘I hope Mr Jaggers admires your home， Mr Wemmick?’ I asked.

“我希望賈格斯先生羨慕你的家，文米克先生?”我說。

‘He’s never been here. Never met the Aged.Never been invited. No， the office is one thing， and private life is another. At the office I never speak of the Castle， and at the Castle I don’t think about the office.’

“他從不來這兒，從不見這位老人，從不拜訪。不，事務所是一碼事，而個人的生活是另一碼事。在事務所，我從來不提這座城堡的事，而在這座城堡里，我不考慮事務所的事。”

The Aged was obviously looking forward to the evening ceremony of firing the gun. At nine o’clock exactly Wemmick fired it.As the tiny house shook， the Aged jumped up and down in his armchair， crying excitedly，‘I heard it!That’s the gun!’

顯而易見，這位老人正盼望著晚上的開槍儀式。在9點鐘，文米克確實開槍。當這座小房子振動時，這位老人在椅子上跳上跳下，興高采烈地叫喊著，“我聽到了!那是槍聲!”

Supper was excellent， and I spent the night in the smallest bedroom I had ever seen. Next morning， as Wemmick and I walked back to London， I noticed his face becoming dryer and harder， and his mouth becoming more like a post-box again.When we arrived at the office，nobody could have guessed that he had a home， or an aged parent， or any interests at all out-side his work.

晚餐極豐盛，我在從未見過的最小的就寢房間里消磨了這一夜。第二天早晨，當我和文米克走回倫敦時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)他的臉又干又硬，他的嘴又變得像一個郵箱。當我們到達事務所，沒有人能猜到他有一個家，或一位老父親，或他工作之外的許多樂趣。

Wemmick was right in saying that Mr Jaggers would invite me to dinner. Startop， Drummle， Herbert and I were asked to go to the office at six o’clock the next evening.There we found Jaggers washing his hands and face carefully with per-fumed soap. He did this every evening before going home. He seemed to be washing away his clients and his work， like dirt.We all walked to his house together.

文米克說賈格斯先生將邀我吃晚飯是對的。第二天晚上6點鐘，史達多蒲、朱穆爾、赫伯特和我被叫到事務所。在這兒，我們發(fā)現(xiàn)賈格斯先生用香皂仔細地洗手洗臉。他每天晚上回家之前都這么做。他像洗臟物一樣，似乎要洗掉他的顧客和工作。我們大家一起走向他家。

The housekeeper brought in the first dish. She was about forty，with a strange wild expression on her pale face. She seemed almost afraid of her master， and looked anxiously at him whenever she entered the room.

女管家首先上菜盤。她大概40多歲，在她蒼白的臉上有一種奇怪的野蠻表情。她好像害怕她的主人，不管什么時候進到這間屋子，她都很憂慮地看著他。

The food was indeed very good， and the conversation was cheerful. But somehow Mr Jaggers made us all show the worst side of our characters， and encouraged Drummle， who we all disliked，to annoy us. When Drummle stupidly said that he was stronger than any of us， we all protested， foolishly showing each other our muscles to prove how strong we were.Suddenly Mr Jaggers clapped his large hand on the housekeeper’s，as she was removing a dish. We stopped talking immediately.

吃的確實是美味佳肴，談話也是歡快的。但是，賈格斯先生莫名其妙地讓我們大家都表露一下自己性格最壞的一面，鼓動著我們都不喜歡惹我們生氣的朱穆爾說。當朱穆爾大言不慚地說他比我們都強壯時，我們都反對，愚蠢地相互顯示一下我們的肌肉來證明我們是多么強壯。突然，賈格斯先生向正在收拾盤子的女管家拍拍他那雙大手。我們立即停止談話。

‘Gentlemen，’ he said，‘look at my housekeeper here.She is stronger than any of you.Molly， show them your wrists.’

“紳士們，”他說，“看看我這兒的女管家，她比你們?nèi)魏我幻紡妷?。莫莉，給他們看看你的手腕。”

‘No， please， master，’ she begged， trying to pull away， but he held her hand firmly.

“別了，求求您啦，主人，”她乞求著說，企圖拽走。但是，他緊緊地握著她的手。

‘Show them，Molly，’ he said，and she held her wrists out to us.‘I’ve never seen stronger hands than these，’he said.There was silence for a few minutes.‘All right， Molly， you can go，’he said， and she hurried out.

“給他們看看，莫莉，”他說，她拿出自己的腕給我們看，“我從來沒有見過比這雙手更強壯的，”他說。片刻，鴉鵲無聲。“很好，莫莉，你可以走了，”他說。她急忙出去了。

During the rest of the dinner， Mr Jaggers continued to enjoy watching us quarrelling with Drummle.He gave the impression，surprisingly， of liking Drummle very much.But I was glad when the dinner was over， and Herbert and I could walk quietly back to our rooms together.

在晚飯休息期間，賈格斯先生饒有興趣地看著我們和朱穆爾爭吵。他給人們一個奇怪的印象，正合朱穆爾的意。不過，當晚餐結(jié)束時，我很高興，我和赫伯特能一起趕快回我們的房間了。