雙語小説連載:《董貝父子》第7章 Part 2大綱

'Joey B., Sir,'the Major would say, with a flourish of his walking-stick, 'is worth a dozen of you. If you had a few more of the Bagstock breed among you, Sir, you'd be none the worse for it. Old Joe, Sir, needn't look far for a wile even now, if he was on the look-out; but he's hard-hearted, Sir, is Joe - he's tough, Sir, tough, and de-vilish sly!' After such a declaration, wheezing sounds would be heard; and the Major's blue would deepen into purple, while his eyes strained and started convulsively.

“先生，”少校會揮舞一下他的手杖，説道，“喬埃•白抵得上你們十幾個人。如果你們當中再多幾個白格斯托克血統的人的話，先生，那麼你們就決不會比現在更壞。先生，老喬埃如果要找老婆的話，哪怕就是現在去我，那麼他並不需要走多遠就能找到一個。可是他是個鐵石心腸的人，先生，喬是這樣的人——他堅強不屈，先生，堅強不屈，而且像魔鬼一樣狡猾！”在這樣的聲明之後，可以聽到呼哧呼哧喘氣的聲音，少校的臉也會從青色轉變為更深的紫色，他的眼睛則會痙攣性地睜大、鼓出。

Notwithstanding his very liberal laudation of himself, however, the Major was selfish. It may be doubted whether there ever was a more entirely selfish person at heart; or at stomach is perhaps a better expression, seeing that he was more decidedly endowed with that latter organ than with the former. He had no idea of being overlooked or slighted by anybody; least of all, had he the remotest comprehension of being overlooked and slighted by Miss Tox.

不論少校自吹自擂，吹得如何天花亂墜，但他卻是自私的。世界上是否有過比他內心更完全自私的人，這是可以懷疑的；也許不説心而説胃，是個更好的説法，因為大自然賦予他的後一個器官顯然要比前一個器官強得多。他從沒有想到他會被什麼人忽視或輕視，更決不可能會被托克斯小姐忽視或輕視。

And yet, Miss Tox, as it appeared, forgot him - gradually forgot him. She began to forget him soon after her discovery of the Toodle family. She continued to forget him up to the time of the christening. She went on forgetting him with compound interest after that. Something or somebody had superseded him as a source of interest.

然而，托克斯小姐看來已把他忘記了——逐漸地把他忘記了。在她發現了圖德爾家庭之後不久，她就開始把他忘記了。她繼續把他忘記，直到施洗禮的時候。在那以後，她又進一步加倍迅速地把他忘記。什麼事情或什麼人已代替他成為她興趣的源泉。

'Good morning, Ma'am,' said the Major, meeting Miss Tox in Princess's Place, some weeks after the changes chronicled in the last chapter.

“早上好，夫人，”在上一章記載的變化發生了幾個星期之後，少校在公主廣場遇到托克斯小姐時説道。

'Good morning, Sir,' said Miss Tox; very coldly.

“早上好，先生，”托克斯小姐很冷淡地説道。

'Joe Bagstock, Ma'am,' observed the Major, with his usual gallantry, 'has not had the happiness of bowing to you at your window, for a considerable period. Joe has been hardly used, Ma'am. His sun has been behind a cloud.'

“夫人，”少校以他通常的殷勤態度説道，“喬•白格斯托克少校已有好長的一段時間未能有幸在您的窗口向您向候致意了。夫人，喬受到了苛刻的對待。他的太陽已經躲藏到一朵雲的後面 去了。”

Miss Tox inclined her head; but very coldly indeed.

托克斯小姐歪斜着頭，但確實很冷淡。

'Joe's luminary has been out of town, Ma'am, perhaps,' inquired the Major.

“照耀喬的星球也許到城外去了嗎，夫人？”少校問道。

'I ? out of town ? oh no, I have not been out of town,' said Miss Tox. 'I have been much engaged lately. My time is nearly all devoted to some very intimate friends. I am afraid I have none to spare, even now. Good morning, Sir!'

“您是説我嗎？到城外去了嗎？噢，不，我沒有到到城外去，”托克斯小姐説道。“我最近很忙。我的時間幾乎全都花在幾個最親密的朋友身上了。我只怕甚至連現在也一點時間都抽不出來了。早上好，先生！”

註釋：1. stomach n. 胃；腹部；胃口 vt. 忍受；吃下 vi. 忍受詞組:empty stomach 空腹stomach cancer 胃癌stomach trouble 胃病upset stomach 肚子痛on an empty stomach 空腹服用；空腹時stomach pain 胃痛stomach ache 胃疼butterflies in my stomach 七上八下；心裏緊張stomach upset n. 腸胃不適，消化不良on a full stomach 飽食後例句：(1). I can hear my stomach roaring.我能聽到自己的胃在叫。(2). The knife penetrated his stomach.刀子刺進他的胃部。(3). As you breathe in, push your stomach forwards.當你吸氣時，讓腹部向前擴展。(4). Well, this custom may be great for the stomach.嗯，這種習慣對胃來説可能很棒。

2. devote vt. 致力於；奉獻[ 過去式devoted 過去分詞devoted 現在分詞devoting ]詞組：devote to把……專用；將……奉獻給；投身於；奉獻devote to奉獻Should Devote應當投入devote… to貢獻給例句:(1) he wants to make a difference in the year he has in charge he should devote himself to two policies.如果他想在自己執政的一年時間中有所作為，喬納森應該專注於兩大方針。(2). If we stopped agonising over small choices we could devote more energy to the really big decisions in life.如果我們不為細小的選擇而煩惱，我們就能把更多的精力用於生活中的重大決定上。(3). For every person who seeks to hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and to healing.對每個人所感受到的痛心，在生命中有很多，很多對別人的幫助和康復。(4). These birds devote most of their energy to finding food and raising their young, instead of wasting it on courtship.這些鳥把他們大多數的精力花在尋找食物以及撫育下一代而不是求愛上。(5). Not me. After I graduate I want to find a part–time job so I can devote most of my time to writing and playing music.這可不是我啊。我想我會在畢業之後找一份兼職，讓我可以花大部分的時間去作曲、玩音樂。