狄更斯雙語小説:《董貝父子》第19章Part 01

Chapter 19 Walter goes away
The wooden Midshipman at the Instrument-maker's door, like the hard-hearted little Midshipman he was, remained supremely indifferent to Walter's going away, even when the very last day of his sojourn in the back parlour was on the decline. With his quadrant at his round black knob of an eye, and his figure in its old attitude of indomitable alacrity, the Midshipman displayed his elfin small-clothes to the best advantage, and, absorbed in scientific pursuits, had no sympathy with worldly concerns. He was so far the creature of circumstances, that a dry day covered him with dust, and a misty day peppered him with little bits of soot, and a wet day brightened up his tarnished uniform for the moment, and a very hot day blistered him; but otherwise he was a callous, obdurate, conceited Midshipman, intent on his own discoveries, and caring as little for what went on about him, terrestrially, as Archimedes at the taking of Syracuse.
Such a Midshipman he seemed to be, at least, in the then position of domestic affairs. Walter eyed him kindly many a time in passing in and out; and poor old Sol, when Walter was not there, would come and lean against the doorpost, resting his weary wig as near the shoe-buckles of the guardian genius of his trade and shop as he could. But no fierce idol with a mouth from ear to ear, and a murderous visage made of parrot's feathers, was ever more indifferent to the appeals of its savage votaries, than was the Midshipman to these marks of attachment.
Walter's heart felt heavy as he looked round his old bedroom, up among the parapets and chimney-pots, and thought that one more night already darkening would close his acquaintance with it, perhaps for ever. Dismantled of his little stock of books and pictures, it looked coldly and reproachfully on him for his desertion, and had already a foreshadowing upon it of its coming strangeness. 'A few hours more,' thought Walter, 'and no dream I ever had here when I was a schoolboy will be so little mine as this old room. The dream may come back in my sleep, and I may return waking to this place, it may be: but the dream at least will serve no other master, and the room may have a score, and every one of them may change, neglect, misuse it.'
But his Uncle was not to be left alone in the little back parlour, where he was then sitting by himself; for Captain Cuttle, considerate in his roughness, stayed away against his will, purposely that they should have some talk together unobserved: so Walter, newly returned home from his last day's bustle, descended briskly, to bear him company.

第十九章　沃爾特離別
儀器製造商門口的木製海軍軍官候補生就像鐵石心腸的小海軍軍官候補生一樣，對沃爾特的離別一直極為漠不關心，甚至當沃爾特有後客廳逗留的最後一天即將消逝時也依然一樣。象限儀緊挨着他像肉瘤般的一隻圓鼓鼓的黑眼睛，身形像往日一樣呈現出一副朝氣蓬勃、不屈不撓的姿態，海軍軍官候補生儘量炫耀着他的像小精靈般的短褲，並埋頭於科學研究，對於世俗的憂慮沒有絲毫同情。他是個受環境支配的人兒；氣候乾燥的日子，他滿身塵土；薄霧瀰漫的日子，他身上覆蓋着點點煤煙的碎屑；下雨的日子，他失去了光澤的制服頓時煥然一新，閃閃發亮；炎熱的日子，他的皮膚被曬出泡來；但是他在其他方面卻是個麻木不仁、冷酷無情、自高自大的海軍軍官候補生，專心致志於自己的發現，對周圍塵世間發生的事情不聞不問，就像阿基米得在敍拉古被圍時一樣。
至少，在目前家中發生大事的情況下，他就是這樣的一位海軍軍官候補生。沃爾特進進出出時向他親切地定神看了許多次；當沃爾特不在家時，可憐的老所爾就出來靠在門柱上，把他那疲倦的戴着假髮的腦袋儘量挨近這位他的店鋪與營業的天才守衞者的鞋釦；可是海軍軍官候補生對這些向他作出的親熱殷勤的表示完全無動於衷，就像那殘忍兇猛的偶像一樣，嘴巴咧得大大的，由鸚鵡羽毛做成的臉孔露出一副殺氣騰騰的兇相，對於他那些尚未開化的崇拜者們的懇求根本漠不關心。
沃爾特環視着他居住多年的卧室，向上望到女兒牆和煙囱；天已經黑了，這時他想到這個夜晚過去，他就要跟它也許永久分離，心情感到沉重不堪。他的一些書籍和圖畫已經搬走，卧室由於他的遺棄，冷淡地、責備地望着他，並早已對他未來的疏遠投下了陰影。“再過幾個小時之後，”沃爾特想，“這個房間就不再屬於我了，就像我當小學生時在這裏做過的夢一樣不再屬於我了一樣。在我睡覺的時候，夢也許還會回來，我也許還會醒着回到這個地方，但這夢至少不會回到新的主人的腦子裏去了；這房間今後也許會有二十個新主人，他們每個人也許都會改變它、冷落它或不正當地使用它。”
可是，不能讓舅舅獨自待在後面的小客廳裏。這時，他正一個人坐在那裏呢，因為卡特爾船長雖然性格粗獷，但卻很能體貼人，他這時故意違背自己的心願，沒有來到，為的是使他們舅甥兩人在沒有旁人在場的情況下一塊兒聊聊。所以，沃爾特經過最後一天的奔忙以後一回到家裏，就急忙下樓去陪伴他。