A Bird's-eye Glimpse of Miss Tox's Dwelling-place: also of the State of Miss Tox's Affections
Miss Tox inhabited a dark little house that had been squeezed, at some remote period of English History, into a fashionable neighbourhood at the west end of the town, where it stood in the shade like a poor relation of the great street round the corner, coldly looked down upon by mighty mansions. It was not exactly in a court, and it was not exactly in a yard; but it was in the dullest of No-Thoroughfares, rendered anxious and haggard by distant double knocks. The name of this retirement, where grass grew between the chinks in the stone pavement, was Princess's Place; and in Princess's Place was Princess's Chapel, with a tinkling bell, where sometimes as many as five-and-twenty people attended service on a Sunday. The Princess's Arms was also there, and much resorted to by splendid footmen. A sedan chair was kept inside the railing before the Princess's Arms, but it had never come out within the memory of man; and on fine mornings, the top of every rail (there were eight-and-forty, as Miss Tox had often counted) was decorated with a pewter-pot.
There was another private house besides Miss Tox's in Princess's Place: not to mention an immense Pair of gates, with an immense pair of lion-headed knockers on them, which were never opened by any chance, and were supposed to constitute a disused entrance to somebody's stables. Indeed, there was a smack of stabling in the air of Princess's Place; and Miss Tox's bedroom (which was at the back) commanded a vista of Mews, where hostlers, at whatever sort of work engaged, were continually accompanying themselves with effervescent noises; and where the most domestic and confidential garments of coachmen and their wives and families, usually hung, like Macbeth's banners, on the outward walls.'
At this other private house in Princess's Place, tenanted by a retired butler who had married a housekeeper, apartments were let Furnished, to a single gentleman: to wit, a wooden-featured, blue-faced Major, with his eyes starting out of his head, in whom Miss Tox recognised, as she herself expressed it, 'something so truly military;' and between whom and herself, an occasional interchange of newspapers and pamphlets, and such Platonic dalliance, was effected through the medium of a dark servant of the Major's who Miss Tox was quite content to classify as a 'native,' without connecting him with any geographical idea whatever.
Perhaps there never was a smaller entry and staircase, than the entry and staircase of Miss Tox's house. Perhaps, taken altogether, from top to bottom, it was the most inconvenient little house in England, and the crookedest; but then, Miss Tox said, what a situation! There was very little daylight to be got there in the winter: no sun at the best of times: air was out of the question, and traffic was walled out. Still Miss Tox said, think of the situation! So said the blue-faced Major, whose eyes were starting out of his head: who gloried in Princess's Place: and who delighted to turn the conversation at his club, whenever he could, to something connected with some of the great people in the great street round the corner, that he might have the satisfaction of saying they were his neighbours.
In short, with Miss Tox and the blue-faced Major, it was enough for Princess's Place - as with a very small fragment of society, it is enough for many a little hanger-on of another sort - to be well connected, and to have genteel blood in its veins. It might be poor, mean, shabby, stupid, dull. No matter. The great street round the corner trailed off into Princess's Place; and that which of High Holborn would have become a choleric word, spoken of Princess's Place became flat blasphemy.
The dingy tenement inhabited by Miss Tox was her own; having been devised and bequeathed to her by the deceased owner of the fishy eye in the locket, of whom a miniature portrait, with a powdered head and a pigtail, balanced the kettle-holder on opposite sides of the parlour fireplace. The greater part of the furniture was of the powdered-head and pig-tail period: comprising a plate-warmer, always languishing and sprawling its four attenuated bow legs in somebody's way; and an obsolete harpsichord, illuminated round the maker's name with a painted garland of sweet peas. In any part of the house, visitors were usually cognizant of a prevailing mustiness; and in warm weather Miss Tox had been seen apparently writing in sundry chinks and crevices of the wainscoat with the the wrong end of a pen dipped in spirits of turpentine.
Although Major Bagstock had arrived at what is called in polite literature, the grand meridian of life, and was proceeding on his journey downhill with hardly any throat, and a very rigid pair of jaw-bones, and long-flapped elephantine ears, and his eyes and complexion in the state of artificial excitement already mentioned, he was mightily proud of awakening an interest in Miss Tox, and tickled his vanity with the fiction that she was a splendid woman who had her eye on him. This he had several times hinted at the club: in connexion with little jocularities, of which old Joe Bagstock, old Joey Bagstock, old J. Bagstock, old Josh Bagstock, or so forth, was the perpetual theme: it being, as it were, the Major's stronghold and donjon-keep of light humour, to be on the most familiar terms with his own name.
'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.
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.
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.
'Good morning, Ma'am,' said the Major, meeting Miss Tox in Princess's Place, some weeks after the changes chronicled in the last chapter.
'Good morning, Sir,' said Miss Tox; very coldly.
'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.'
Miss Tox inclined her head; but very coldly indeed.
'Joe's luminary has been out of town, Ma'am, perhaps,' inquired the Major.
'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!'
As Miss Tox, with her most fascinating step and carriage, disappeared from Princess's Place, the Major stood looking after her with a bluer face than ever: muttering and growling some not at all complimentary remarks.
'Why, damme, Sir,' said the Major, rolling his lobster eyes round and round Princess's Place, and apostrophizing its fragrant air, 'six months ago, the woman loved the ground Josh Bagstock walked on. What's the meaning of it?'
The Major decided, after some consideration, that it meant mantraps; that it meant plotting and snaring; that Miss Tox was digging pitfalls. 'But you won't catch Joe, Ma'am,' said the Major. 'He's tough, Ma'am, tough, is J.B. Tough, and de-vilish sly!' over which reflection he chuckled for the rest of the day.
But still, when that day and many other days were gone and past, it seemed that Miss Tox took no heed whatever of the Major, and thought nothing at all about him. She had been wont, once upon a time, to look out at one of her little dark windows by accident, and blushingly return the Major's greeting; but now, she never gave the Major a chance, and cared nothing at all whether he looked over the way or not. Other changes had come to pass too. The Major, standing in the shade of his own apartment, could make out that an air of greater smartness had recently come over Miss Tox's house; that a new cage with gilded wires had been provided for the ancient little canary bird; that divers ornaments, cut out of coloured card-boards and paper, seemed to decorate the chimney-piece and tables; that a plant or two had suddenly sprung up in the windows; that Miss Tox occasionally practised on the harpsichord, whose garland of sweet peas was always displayed ostentatiously, crowned with the Copenhagen and Bird Waltzes in a Music Book of Miss Tox's own copying.
Over and above all this, Miss Tox had long been dressed with uncommon care and elegance in slight mourning. But this helped the Major out of his difficulty; and be determined within himself that she had come into a small legacy, and grown proud.
It was on the very next day after he had eased his mind by arriving at this decision, that the Major, sitting at his breakfast, saw an apparition so tremendous and wonderful in Miss Tox's little drawing-room, that he remained for some time rooted to his chair; then, rushing into the next room, returned with a double-barrelled opera-glass, through which he surveyed it intently for some minutes.
'It's a Baby, Sir,' said the Major, shutting up the glass again, 'for fifty thousand pounds!'
The Major couldn't forget it. He could do nothing but whistle, and stare to that extent, that his eyes, compared with what they now became, had been in former times quite cavernous and sunken. Day after day, two, three, four times a week, this Baby reappeared. The Major continued to stare and whistle. To all other intents and purposes he was alone in Princess's Place. Miss Tox had ceased to mind what he did. He might have been black as well as blue, and it would have been of no consequence to her.
The perseverance with which she walked out of Princess's Place to fetch this baby and its nurse, and walked back with them, and walked home with them again, and continually mounted guard over them; and the perseverance with which she nursed it herself, and fed it, and played with it, and froze its young blood with airs upon the harpsichord, was extraordinary. At about this same period too, she was seized with a passion for looking at a certain bracelet; also with a passion for looking at the moon, of which she would take long observations from her chamber window. But whatever she looked at; sun, moon, stars, or bracelet; she looked no more at the Major. And the Major whistled, and stared, and wondered, and dodged about his room, and could make nothing of it.
'You'll quite win my brother Paul's heart, and that's the truth, my dear,' said Mrs Chick, one day.
Miss Tox turned pale.
'He grows more like Paul every day,' said Mrs Chick.
Miss Tox returned no other reply than by taking the little Paul in her arms, and making his cockade perfectly flat and limp with her caresses.
'His mother, my dear,' said Miss Tox, 'whose acquaintance I was to have made through you, does he at all resemble her?'
'Not at all,' returned Louisa
'She was - she was pretty, I believe?' faltered Miss Tox.
'Why, poor dear Fanny was interesting,' said Mrs Chick, after some judicial consideration. 'Certainly interesting. She had not that air of commanding superiority which one would somehow expect, almost as a matter of course, to find in my brother's wife; nor had she that strength and vigour of mind which such a man requires.'
Miss Tox heaved a deep sigh.
'But she was pleasing:' said Mrs Chick: 'extremely so. And she meant! - oh, dear, how well poor Fanny meant!'
'You Angel!' cried Miss Tox to little Paul. 'You Picture of your own Papa!'
If the Major could have known how many hopes and ventures, what a multitude of plans and speculations, rested on that baby head; and could have seen them hovering, in all their heterogeneous confusion and disorder, round the puckered cap of the unconscious little Paul; he might have stared indeed. Then would he have recognised, among the crowd, some few ambitious motes and beams belonging to Miss Tox; then would he perhaps have understood the nature of that lady's faltering investment in the Dombey Firm.
If the child himself could have awakened in the night, and seen, gathered about his cradle-curtains, faint reflections of the dreams that other people had of him, they might have scared him, with good reason. But he slumbered on, alike unconscious of the kind intentions of Miss Tox, the wonder of the Major, the early sorrows of his sister, and the stern visions of his father; and innocent that any spot of earth contained a Dombey or a Son.
托克斯小姐居住在一座黑暗的小房屋里，這座房屋在英國(guó)歷史中某一個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)的時(shí)期被擠進(jìn)這個(gè)城市西端的一個(gè)豪華的地區(qū)。它在那里像一個(gè)窮親戚一樣，座落在從拐角通出去的那條大街的陰影之中，被一座座宏偉的邸宅冷漠地藐視著。它實(shí)際上不是在一個(gè)院子里，也不是在一個(gè)圍場(chǎng)中，而是在通衢大道之外的一個(gè)最蕭條的地方，遠(yuǎn)處傳來(lái)接二連三的敲門聲都會(huì)使這里膽戰(zhàn)心驚，惶惶不安。這個(gè)偏僻的地方稱為公主廣場(chǎng)，它的鋪石路縫中長(zhǎng)出了青草；在公主廣場(chǎng)中有一個(gè)小的公主教堂，鐘聲從那里當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)貍鞒?；星期天到那里去參加祈禱儀式的有時(shí)達(dá)二十五人之多。那里還有公主紋章，優(yōu)秀的步兵常去參觀。在公主紋章前面的圍欄內(nèi)放著一頂轎子，可是據(jù)人們記憶，從來(lái)沒(méi)有被抬出到外面來(lái)過(guò)；在天氣晴朗的上午，在圍欄上面每一條橫木的頂上擺著一個(gè)白镴壺，作為裝飾；橫木總共四十八條，因?yàn)橥锌怂剐〗愠３?shù)它們。
除了托克斯小姐的房屋外，公主廣場(chǎng)上還有另一座私人房屋；不用說(shuō)，它也有兩扇很大的門，門上也有一對(duì)很大的獅子頭形狀的門環(huán)；這門從來(lái)不曾在什么情況下開(kāi)過(guò)，人們猜想，它是一個(gè)通向什么人的馬廄的廢棄不用的入口。確實(shí)，在公主廣場(chǎng)的空氣中是可以聞到馬廄的氣味的。從托克斯小姐的臥室（它在房屋的后面）望出去，可以望到馬店的外景；馬夫們?cè)谀抢锊徽搹氖履囊环N工作，總是連續(xù)不斷地發(fā)出興奮的吆喝來(lái)伴隨自己。馬車夫和他們老婆、孩子的最適合家里穿著和最隱蔽的衣褲通常都像麥克佩斯的旗幟一樣，懸掛在外面的墻上①。公主廣場(chǎng)的這另一座房屋由一位過(guò)去當(dāng)過(guò)男管家、現(xiàn)已退休、并已與一位女管家結(jié)婚的男子承租；他把一些帶家具的房間轉(zhuǎn)租給一位單身的紳士，也就是說(shuō)，一位面孔像木頭一樣沒(méi)有表情，臉色發(fā)青的陸軍少校；他的眼睛從臉上鼓出，托克斯小姐對(duì)這一點(diǎn)表示賞識(shí)，她本人曾說(shuō)它“有些真正的軍人氣概”。他和她之間偶爾交換交換報(bào)紙和小冊(cè)子，這種柏拉圖式的互通款曲②是通過(guò)少校的一位黑膚色的仆人作為中間媒介來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)的，托克斯小姐甘心樂(lè)意地把這位仆人劃為“本地人”，而并沒(méi)有把他與任何地理概念相聯(lián)系。
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①見(jiàn)莎士比亞悲劇《麥克佩斯》第五幕第五場(chǎng)：
麥克佩斯：“把我們的旗幟掛在城墻外面；……我們這座城堡防御得這樣堅(jiān)強(qiáng)，還怕他們圍攻嗎？……”
②指精神戀愛(ài)。
也許，從來(lái)沒(méi)有比托克斯小姐家的穿堂與樓梯更小的穿堂與樓梯了。也許，從上到下，總的來(lái)說(shuō)，它是英國(guó)最不舒適的小房屋，也是形狀最歪歪扭扭的。但是這時(shí)托克斯小姐就會(huì)說(shuō)，它坐落在一個(gè)什么地方呵！冬天屋子里很少有亮光；在一年的時(shí)光中也見(jiàn)不到太陽(yáng)；空氣是根本談不上的；街道交通也是不用提了。但是托克斯小姐仍然會(huì)說(shuō)，想一想它是坐落在什么地方呵！臉色發(fā)青、眼睛從臉上鼓出的少校也是這么說(shuō)的；他對(duì)公主廣場(chǎng)感到自豪；他在俱樂(lè)部里，不論什么時(shí)候，只要可能，就高興把談話轉(zhuǎn)到與住在通過(guò)拐角的大街上的大人物有關(guān)的一些事情上；他會(huì)得意洋洋地說(shuō)，他們是他的鄰居。
托克斯小姐所住的這座黑暗的房屋是她自己的房屋；這是她的小金盒中的那顆沒(méi)有光澤的眼睛的已故的主人立了遺囑，贈(zèng)送給她的；他有一幅頭上撒了粉、留著辮子的小小的肖像畫(huà)，如今已成為與壁爐架另一端上面的水壺支架保持平衡的物品。大部分家具都是男人們頭上撒粉和留辮子時(shí)期的家具，包括一個(gè)飯菜加溫器，它經(jīng)常疲勞無(wú)力，伸開(kāi)四條細(xì)弱的羅圈腿，擋住人們的道路；還有一個(gè)已陳舊過(guò)時(shí)的大鍵琴，琴上制造者的姓名周圍畫(huà)著一環(huán)香豌豆，作為裝飾。
雖然白格斯托克少校已經(jīng)到達(dá)純文學(xué)中所稱的盛壯之年，現(xiàn)正走著下坡路；他幾乎沒(méi)有脖子，顎骨十分堅(jiān)硬，象一般的長(zhǎng)耳朵下垂著，眼睛與臉色呈現(xiàn)出一種前面已經(jīng)敘述過(guò)的不自然的興奮狀態(tài)，然而他卻以在托克斯小姐心中喚醒了對(duì)他的興趣而十分自豪，而且假想她是一位有意于他的出色的女人，這樣來(lái)滿足自己的虛榮心。他在俱樂(lè)部里講一些小小的笑話時(shí)好幾次暗示了這一點(diǎn)。在他的笑話中，老喬·白格斯托克，老喬?！ぐ赘袼雇锌?，老約·白格斯托克，老喬?！ぐ赘袼雇锌耍鹊?，是個(gè)永恒不變的主題，仿佛少校的幽默的要塞與主塔與他自己的姓名有著最親昵的關(guān)系。
“先生，”少校會(huì)揮舞一下他的手杖，說(shuō)道，“喬?！ぐ椎值蒙夏銈兪畮讉€(gè)人。如果你們當(dāng)中再多幾個(gè)白格斯托克血統(tǒng)的人的話，先生，那么你們就決不會(huì)比現(xiàn)在更壞。先生，老喬埃如果要找老婆的話，哪怕就是現(xiàn)在去我，那么他并不需要走多遠(yuǎn)就能找到一個(gè)?？墒撬莻€(gè)鐵石心腸的人，先生，喬是這樣的人——他堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，先生，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼一樣狡猾！”在這樣的聲明之后，可以聽(tīng)到呼哧呼哧喘氣的聲音，少校的臉也會(huì)從青色轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楦畹淖仙?，他的眼睛則會(huì)痙攣性地睜大、鼓出。
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(guò)比他內(nèi)心更完全自私的人，這是可以懷疑的；也許不說(shuō)心而說(shuō)胃，是個(gè)更好的說(shuō)法，因?yàn)榇笞匀毁x予他的后一個(gè)器官顯然要比前一個(gè)器官?gòu)?qiáng)得多。他從沒(méi)有想到他會(huì)被什么人忽視或輕視，更決不可能會(huì)被托克斯小姐忽視或輕視。
然而，托克斯小姐看來(lái)已把他忘記了——逐漸地把他忘記了。在她發(fā)現(xiàn)了圖德?tīng)柤彝ブ蟛痪茫烷_(kāi)始把他忘記了。她繼續(xù)把他忘記，直到施洗禮的時(shí)候。在那以后，她又進(jìn)一步加倍迅速地把他忘記。什么事情或什么人已代替他成為她興趣的源泉。
“早上好，夫人，”在上一章記載的變化發(fā)生了幾個(gè)星期之后，少校在公主廣場(chǎng)遇到托克斯小姐時(shí)說(shuō)道。
“早上好，先生，”托克斯小姐很冷淡地說(shuō)道。
“夫人，”少校以他通常的殷勤態(tài)度說(shuō)道，“喬·白格斯托克少校已有好長(zhǎng)的一段時(shí)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(duì)待。他的太陽(yáng)已經(jīng)躲藏到一朵云的后面去了?！?BR> 托克斯小姐歪斜著頭，但確實(shí)很冷淡。
“照耀喬的星球也許到城外去了嗎，夫人？”少校問(wèn)道。
“您是說(shuō)我嗎？到城外去了嗎？噢，不，我沒(méi)有到到城外去，”托克斯小姐說(shuō)道?！拔易罱苊?。我的時(shí)間幾乎全都花在幾個(gè)最親密的朋友身上了。我只怕甚至連現(xiàn)在也一點(diǎn)時(shí)間都抽不出來(lái)了。早上好，先生！”
當(dāng)托克斯小姐隨著她那極為迷人的步子和體態(tài)從公主廣場(chǎng)消失不見(jiàn)的時(shí)候，少校站在那里目送著她，臉色比過(guò)去任何時(shí)候更為發(fā)青，同時(shí)咕噥著，怒氣沖沖地說(shuō)著一些決不是恭維的話。
“哼，她媽的，先生，”少校向公主廣場(chǎng)轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)著他的龍蝦眼，轉(zhuǎn)了一圈又一圈，并向著它的芳香的空氣說(shuō)道，“六個(gè)月以前，這女人喜愛(ài)喬·白格斯托克走過(guò)的土地。這是什么意思？”少校經(jīng)過(guò)稍稍思考之后，斷定它的意思是要誘捕男人；它的意思是策劃陰謀，安設(shè)圈套；托克斯小姐正在挖掘陷阱。
“可是您捕捉不到喬，夫人，”少校說(shuō)道，“他是堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的，夫人，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的正就是約·白。堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼一樣的狡猾！”他發(fā)表了這些感想之后，就吃吃地笑了一整天。
可是那一天和其他許多天都過(guò)去了，托克斯小姐似乎仍舊對(duì)少校絲毫也不注意，也絲毫沒(méi)有想到他。從前，她習(xí)慣偶爾從她黑暗的小窗口往外看看，然后滿臉羞得通紅地回答一下少校的問(wèn)候；可是現(xiàn)在她決不給少校一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，絲毫也不理會(huì)他是否在看下面的道路。另外的一些變化也發(fā)生了。少校站在他自己房間的陰影中，能夠隱約地看出，托克斯小姐的房間中最近呈現(xiàn)出一派遠(yuǎn)比過(guò)去漂亮的景象；那只老的金絲雀被裝進(jìn)一只新的金絲鳥(niǎo)籠里；從彩色的硬紙板和紙張中剪出的一些玩藝兒似乎已把壁爐架和桌子裝飾一新；一兩株植物突然出現(xiàn)在窗口；托克斯小姐偶爾在練習(xí)彈奏大鍵琴，它的那一環(huán)甜豌豆總是被得意洋洋地炫示著；琴上擺著托克斯小姐親自抄寫(xiě)在樂(lè)譜中的哥本哈根圓舞曲和鳥(niǎo)兒圓舞曲。
除了這一切之外，托克斯小姐好久以來(lái)就非常細(xì)心和雅致地穿了一身輕喪服。不過(guò)這一點(diǎn)幫助少校走出了困境；他心中斷定，她已繼承了一小筆遺產(chǎn)，因而趾高氣揚(yáng)起來(lái)了。
少校作出這個(gè)判斷，安下心來(lái)以后的第二天，正坐著吃早餐時(shí)，看到托克斯小姐的小客廳里出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)鬼怪，他是那么驚人，那么奇異，因此他坐在椅子里一直坐了好一會(huì)兒，然后才急忙跑到旁邊的房間，拿了一個(gè)雙筒的看戲用的小望遠(yuǎn)鏡回來(lái)；他通過(guò)望遠(yuǎn)鏡專心致志地察看了好幾分鐘。
“這是個(gè)嬰孩，先生，”少校把望遠(yuǎn)鏡重新關(guān)上，說(shuō)道，“我敢拿五萬(wàn)五千鎊打賭！”
少校不能忘記這件事情。他除了吹口哨和把眼睛瞪得鼓鼓的之外，什么也干不了；如果跟他現(xiàn)在的眼睛相比，他以前的眼睛就顯得相當(dāng)凹陷和低洼了。一天又一天，這個(gè)嬰孩在一個(gè)星期之內(nèi)重新出現(xiàn)了兩次、三次、四次。少校繼續(xù)瞪眼睛和吹口哨。不論從哪一點(diǎn)來(lái)看，他在公主廣場(chǎng)上已是孤身一人了。托克斯小姐已不再關(guān)心他做什么了。如果他的臉色從青色轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楹谏?，那?duì)她也是一件無(wú)關(guān)緊要的事情。
她堅(jiān)持不斷地走出公主廣場(chǎng)，去領(lǐng)這個(gè)嬰孩和他的保姆，和他們一起走回來(lái)，又和他們走回家去；而且經(jīng)?？词刂麄儯凰龍?jiān)持不斷地親自照料孩子，喂他吃東西，和他玩耍，在大鍵琴上彈出曲調(diào)使他年輕的血液凝結(jié)；這種堅(jiān)持不斷、始終如一的精神是異乎尋常的。大約就在這同一時(shí)期中，她滿懷深情地看某一個(gè)手鐲；她也滿懷深情地看月亮，會(huì)從她房間的窗口長(zhǎng)久地觀望著它。但是不論她看什么，看太陽(yáng)也好，看月亮也好，看星星或看手鐲也好，她卻不再看少校了。少校吹著口哨，瞪著眼睛，心中納悶，在房間里轉(zhuǎn)來(lái)轉(zhuǎn)去，但卻什么也弄不明白。
“您將會(huì)贏得我哥哥保羅的心，這是真的，我親愛(ài)的，”奇克夫人有一天說(shuō)道。
托克斯小姐臉色變得蒼白。
“他一天天長(zhǎng)得愈來(lái)愈像保羅了，”奇克夫人說(shuō)道。
托克斯小姐沒(méi)有回答，只是把小保羅抱在懷中，撫摸著他帽上的花結(jié)，使它完全平展、柔軟。
“他像他的母親嗎？”托克斯小姐問(wèn)道，“我親愛(ài)的，我得通過(guò)您才能了解她呀?！?BR> “一點(diǎn)也不像，”路易莎回答道。
“她——她長(zhǎng)得漂亮吧。我想？”托克斯小姐遲疑地說(shuō)道。
“是的，可憐的親愛(ài)的范妮是有趣的，”奇克夫人經(jīng)過(guò)一些慎重的考慮以后說(shuō)道?！按_實(shí)是有趣的。人們不知怎么樣，幾乎理所當(dāng)然地本指望會(huì)在我的哥哥的妻子身上看到那種威風(fēng)凜凜、高人一等的氣派，可是她并沒(méi)有這種氣派。她也沒(méi)有這樣一位男人所需要的那種精力與氣魄。”
托克斯小姐深深地嘆了一口氣。
“不過(guò)她是討人喜歡的，”奇克夫人說(shuō)道，“非常討人喜歡。還有她的心眼兒！——啊，親愛(ài)的，可憐的范妮心眼兒多么好?。 ?BR> “您這小天使！”托克斯小姐對(duì)小保羅喊道，“您跟您爸爸真是長(zhǎng)得一模一樣?。 ?BR> 如果少校能知道，在那嬰孩的頭上寄托了多少希望與夢(mèng)想，多少計(jì)劃與打算的話，如果他能看到它們參差錯(cuò)亂、混雜無(wú)序地在一無(wú)所知的小保羅的帶褶的帽子四周盤旋的話，那么他確實(shí)可能會(huì)把眼睛瞪得大大地來(lái)看的。那時(shí)候他就會(huì)從那成群的事物中辨認(rèn)出屬于托克斯小姐的一些野心勃勃的塵埃與光束了；那時(shí)候他也許就會(huì)明白那位女士畏畏縮縮地對(duì)董貝公司進(jìn)行投資的性質(zhì)了。
如果這孩子本人能在夜間醒過(guò)來(lái)，看到聚集在他的搖籃帳子周圍、其他人們對(duì)他所抱的夢(mèng)想的微弱的映像的話，那么它們很有理由會(huì)把他嚇壞了。可是他卻繼續(xù)呼呼地酣睡，對(duì)托克斯小姐的善良的意圖，少校的納悶不解，他姐姐過(guò)早的悲哀和他父親嚴(yán)峻的夢(mèng)幻，都一概不知；他也不了解在地面上的什么地方還存在著一位董貝或一個(gè)他的兒子。
Miss Tox inhabited a dark little house that had been squeezed, at some remote period of English History, into a fashionable neighbourhood at the west end of the town, where it stood in the shade like a poor relation of the great street round the corner, coldly looked down upon by mighty mansions. It was not exactly in a court, and it was not exactly in a yard; but it was in the dullest of No-Thoroughfares, rendered anxious and haggard by distant double knocks. The name of this retirement, where grass grew between the chinks in the stone pavement, was Princess's Place; and in Princess's Place was Princess's Chapel, with a tinkling bell, where sometimes as many as five-and-twenty people attended service on a Sunday. The Princess's Arms was also there, and much resorted to by splendid footmen. A sedan chair was kept inside the railing before the Princess's Arms, but it had never come out within the memory of man; and on fine mornings, the top of every rail (there were eight-and-forty, as Miss Tox had often counted) was decorated with a pewter-pot.
There was another private house besides Miss Tox's in Princess's Place: not to mention an immense Pair of gates, with an immense pair of lion-headed knockers on them, which were never opened by any chance, and were supposed to constitute a disused entrance to somebody's stables. Indeed, there was a smack of stabling in the air of Princess's Place; and Miss Tox's bedroom (which was at the back) commanded a vista of Mews, where hostlers, at whatever sort of work engaged, were continually accompanying themselves with effervescent noises; and where the most domestic and confidential garments of coachmen and their wives and families, usually hung, like Macbeth's banners, on the outward walls.'
At this other private house in Princess's Place, tenanted by a retired butler who had married a housekeeper, apartments were let Furnished, to a single gentleman: to wit, a wooden-featured, blue-faced Major, with his eyes starting out of his head, in whom Miss Tox recognised, as she herself expressed it, 'something so truly military;' and between whom and herself, an occasional interchange of newspapers and pamphlets, and such Platonic dalliance, was effected through the medium of a dark servant of the Major's who Miss Tox was quite content to classify as a 'native,' without connecting him with any geographical idea whatever.
Perhaps there never was a smaller entry and staircase, than the entry and staircase of Miss Tox's house. Perhaps, taken altogether, from top to bottom, it was the most inconvenient little house in England, and the crookedest; but then, Miss Tox said, what a situation! There was very little daylight to be got there in the winter: no sun at the best of times: air was out of the question, and traffic was walled out. Still Miss Tox said, think of the situation! So said the blue-faced Major, whose eyes were starting out of his head: who gloried in Princess's Place: and who delighted to turn the conversation at his club, whenever he could, to something connected with some of the great people in the great street round the corner, that he might have the satisfaction of saying they were his neighbours.
In short, with Miss Tox and the blue-faced Major, it was enough for Princess's Place - as with a very small fragment of society, it is enough for many a little hanger-on of another sort - to be well connected, and to have genteel blood in its veins. It might be poor, mean, shabby, stupid, dull. No matter. The great street round the corner trailed off into Princess's Place; and that which of High Holborn would have become a choleric word, spoken of Princess's Place became flat blasphemy.
The dingy tenement inhabited by Miss Tox was her own; having been devised and bequeathed to her by the deceased owner of the fishy eye in the locket, of whom a miniature portrait, with a powdered head and a pigtail, balanced the kettle-holder on opposite sides of the parlour fireplace. The greater part of the furniture was of the powdered-head and pig-tail period: comprising a plate-warmer, always languishing and sprawling its four attenuated bow legs in somebody's way; and an obsolete harpsichord, illuminated round the maker's name with a painted garland of sweet peas. In any part of the house, visitors were usually cognizant of a prevailing mustiness; and in warm weather Miss Tox had been seen apparently writing in sundry chinks and crevices of the wainscoat with the the wrong end of a pen dipped in spirits of turpentine.
Although Major Bagstock had arrived at what is called in polite literature, the grand meridian of life, and was proceeding on his journey downhill with hardly any throat, and a very rigid pair of jaw-bones, and long-flapped elephantine ears, and his eyes and complexion in the state of artificial excitement already mentioned, he was mightily proud of awakening an interest in Miss Tox, and tickled his vanity with the fiction that she was a splendid woman who had her eye on him. This he had several times hinted at the club: in connexion with little jocularities, of which old Joe Bagstock, old Joey Bagstock, old J. Bagstock, old Josh Bagstock, or so forth, was the perpetual theme: it being, as it were, the Major's stronghold and donjon-keep of light humour, to be on the most familiar terms with his own name.
'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.
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.
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.
'Good morning, Ma'am,' said the Major, meeting Miss Tox in Princess's Place, some weeks after the changes chronicled in the last chapter.
'Good morning, Sir,' said Miss Tox; very coldly.
'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.'
Miss Tox inclined her head; but very coldly indeed.
'Joe's luminary has been out of town, Ma'am, perhaps,' inquired the Major.
'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!'
As Miss Tox, with her most fascinating step and carriage, disappeared from Princess's Place, the Major stood looking after her with a bluer face than ever: muttering and growling some not at all complimentary remarks.
'Why, damme, Sir,' said the Major, rolling his lobster eyes round and round Princess's Place, and apostrophizing its fragrant air, 'six months ago, the woman loved the ground Josh Bagstock walked on. What's the meaning of it?'
The Major decided, after some consideration, that it meant mantraps; that it meant plotting and snaring; that Miss Tox was digging pitfalls. 'But you won't catch Joe, Ma'am,' said the Major. 'He's tough, Ma'am, tough, is J.B. Tough, and de-vilish sly!' over which reflection he chuckled for the rest of the day.
But still, when that day and many other days were gone and past, it seemed that Miss Tox took no heed whatever of the Major, and thought nothing at all about him. She had been wont, once upon a time, to look out at one of her little dark windows by accident, and blushingly return the Major's greeting; but now, she never gave the Major a chance, and cared nothing at all whether he looked over the way or not. Other changes had come to pass too. The Major, standing in the shade of his own apartment, could make out that an air of greater smartness had recently come over Miss Tox's house; that a new cage with gilded wires had been provided for the ancient little canary bird; that divers ornaments, cut out of coloured card-boards and paper, seemed to decorate the chimney-piece and tables; that a plant or two had suddenly sprung up in the windows; that Miss Tox occasionally practised on the harpsichord, whose garland of sweet peas was always displayed ostentatiously, crowned with the Copenhagen and Bird Waltzes in a Music Book of Miss Tox's own copying.
Over and above all this, Miss Tox had long been dressed with uncommon care and elegance in slight mourning. But this helped the Major out of his difficulty; and be determined within himself that she had come into a small legacy, and grown proud.
It was on the very next day after he had eased his mind by arriving at this decision, that the Major, sitting at his breakfast, saw an apparition so tremendous and wonderful in Miss Tox's little drawing-room, that he remained for some time rooted to his chair; then, rushing into the next room, returned with a double-barrelled opera-glass, through which he surveyed it intently for some minutes.
'It's a Baby, Sir,' said the Major, shutting up the glass again, 'for fifty thousand pounds!'
The Major couldn't forget it. He could do nothing but whistle, and stare to that extent, that his eyes, compared with what they now became, had been in former times quite cavernous and sunken. Day after day, two, three, four times a week, this Baby reappeared. The Major continued to stare and whistle. To all other intents and purposes he was alone in Princess's Place. Miss Tox had ceased to mind what he did. He might have been black as well as blue, and it would have been of no consequence to her.
The perseverance with which she walked out of Princess's Place to fetch this baby and its nurse, and walked back with them, and walked home with them again, and continually mounted guard over them; and the perseverance with which she nursed it herself, and fed it, and played with it, and froze its young blood with airs upon the harpsichord, was extraordinary. At about this same period too, she was seized with a passion for looking at a certain bracelet; also with a passion for looking at the moon, of which she would take long observations from her chamber window. But whatever she looked at; sun, moon, stars, or bracelet; she looked no more at the Major. And the Major whistled, and stared, and wondered, and dodged about his room, and could make nothing of it.
'You'll quite win my brother Paul's heart, and that's the truth, my dear,' said Mrs Chick, one day.
Miss Tox turned pale.
'He grows more like Paul every day,' said Mrs Chick.
Miss Tox returned no other reply than by taking the little Paul in her arms, and making his cockade perfectly flat and limp with her caresses.
'His mother, my dear,' said Miss Tox, 'whose acquaintance I was to have made through you, does he at all resemble her?'
'Not at all,' returned Louisa
'She was - she was pretty, I believe?' faltered Miss Tox.
'Why, poor dear Fanny was interesting,' said Mrs Chick, after some judicial consideration. 'Certainly interesting. She had not that air of commanding superiority which one would somehow expect, almost as a matter of course, to find in my brother's wife; nor had she that strength and vigour of mind which such a man requires.'
Miss Tox heaved a deep sigh.
'But she was pleasing:' said Mrs Chick: 'extremely so. And she meant! - oh, dear, how well poor Fanny meant!'
'You Angel!' cried Miss Tox to little Paul. 'You Picture of your own Papa!'
If the Major could have known how many hopes and ventures, what a multitude of plans and speculations, rested on that baby head; and could have seen them hovering, in all their heterogeneous confusion and disorder, round the puckered cap of the unconscious little Paul; he might have stared indeed. Then would he have recognised, among the crowd, some few ambitious motes and beams belonging to Miss Tox; then would he perhaps have understood the nature of that lady's faltering investment in the Dombey Firm.
If the child himself could have awakened in the night, and seen, gathered about his cradle-curtains, faint reflections of the dreams that other people had of him, they might have scared him, with good reason. But he slumbered on, alike unconscious of the kind intentions of Miss Tox, the wonder of the Major, the early sorrows of his sister, and the stern visions of his father; and innocent that any spot of earth contained a Dombey or a Son.
托克斯小姐居住在一座黑暗的小房屋里，這座房屋在英國(guó)歷史中某一個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)的時(shí)期被擠進(jìn)這個(gè)城市西端的一個(gè)豪華的地區(qū)。它在那里像一個(gè)窮親戚一樣，座落在從拐角通出去的那條大街的陰影之中，被一座座宏偉的邸宅冷漠地藐視著。它實(shí)際上不是在一個(gè)院子里，也不是在一個(gè)圍場(chǎng)中，而是在通衢大道之外的一個(gè)最蕭條的地方，遠(yuǎn)處傳來(lái)接二連三的敲門聲都會(huì)使這里膽戰(zhàn)心驚，惶惶不安。這個(gè)偏僻的地方稱為公主廣場(chǎng)，它的鋪石路縫中長(zhǎng)出了青草；在公主廣場(chǎng)中有一個(gè)小的公主教堂，鐘聲從那里當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)貍鞒?；星期天到那里去參加祈禱儀式的有時(shí)達(dá)二十五人之多。那里還有公主紋章，優(yōu)秀的步兵常去參觀。在公主紋章前面的圍欄內(nèi)放著一頂轎子，可是據(jù)人們記憶，從來(lái)沒(méi)有被抬出到外面來(lái)過(guò)；在天氣晴朗的上午，在圍欄上面每一條橫木的頂上擺著一個(gè)白镴壺，作為裝飾；橫木總共四十八條，因?yàn)橥锌怂剐〗愠３?shù)它們。
除了托克斯小姐的房屋外，公主廣場(chǎng)上還有另一座私人房屋；不用說(shuō)，它也有兩扇很大的門，門上也有一對(duì)很大的獅子頭形狀的門環(huán)；這門從來(lái)不曾在什么情況下開(kāi)過(guò)，人們猜想，它是一個(gè)通向什么人的馬廄的廢棄不用的入口。確實(shí)，在公主廣場(chǎng)的空氣中是可以聞到馬廄的氣味的。從托克斯小姐的臥室（它在房屋的后面）望出去，可以望到馬店的外景；馬夫們?cè)谀抢锊徽搹氖履囊环N工作，總是連續(xù)不斷地發(fā)出興奮的吆喝來(lái)伴隨自己。馬車夫和他們老婆、孩子的最適合家里穿著和最隱蔽的衣褲通常都像麥克佩斯的旗幟一樣，懸掛在外面的墻上①。公主廣場(chǎng)的這另一座房屋由一位過(guò)去當(dāng)過(guò)男管家、現(xiàn)已退休、并已與一位女管家結(jié)婚的男子承租；他把一些帶家具的房間轉(zhuǎn)租給一位單身的紳士，也就是說(shuō)，一位面孔像木頭一樣沒(méi)有表情，臉色發(fā)青的陸軍少校；他的眼睛從臉上鼓出，托克斯小姐對(duì)這一點(diǎn)表示賞識(shí)，她本人曾說(shuō)它“有些真正的軍人氣概”。他和她之間偶爾交換交換報(bào)紙和小冊(cè)子，這種柏拉圖式的互通款曲②是通過(guò)少校的一位黑膚色的仆人作為中間媒介來(lái)實(shí)現(xiàn)的，托克斯小姐甘心樂(lè)意地把這位仆人劃為“本地人”，而并沒(méi)有把他與任何地理概念相聯(lián)系。
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①見(jiàn)莎士比亞悲劇《麥克佩斯》第五幕第五場(chǎng)：
麥克佩斯：“把我們的旗幟掛在城墻外面；……我們這座城堡防御得這樣堅(jiān)強(qiáng)，還怕他們圍攻嗎？……”
②指精神戀愛(ài)。
也許，從來(lái)沒(méi)有比托克斯小姐家的穿堂與樓梯更小的穿堂與樓梯了。也許，從上到下，總的來(lái)說(shuō)，它是英國(guó)最不舒適的小房屋，也是形狀最歪歪扭扭的。但是這時(shí)托克斯小姐就會(huì)說(shuō)，它坐落在一個(gè)什么地方呵！冬天屋子里很少有亮光；在一年的時(shí)光中也見(jiàn)不到太陽(yáng)；空氣是根本談不上的；街道交通也是不用提了。但是托克斯小姐仍然會(huì)說(shuō)，想一想它是坐落在什么地方呵！臉色發(fā)青、眼睛從臉上鼓出的少校也是這么說(shuō)的；他對(duì)公主廣場(chǎng)感到自豪；他在俱樂(lè)部里，不論什么時(shí)候，只要可能，就高興把談話轉(zhuǎn)到與住在通過(guò)拐角的大街上的大人物有關(guān)的一些事情上；他會(huì)得意洋洋地說(shuō)，他們是他的鄰居。
托克斯小姐所住的這座黑暗的房屋是她自己的房屋；這是她的小金盒中的那顆沒(méi)有光澤的眼睛的已故的主人立了遺囑，贈(zèng)送給她的；他有一幅頭上撒了粉、留著辮子的小小的肖像畫(huà)，如今已成為與壁爐架另一端上面的水壺支架保持平衡的物品。大部分家具都是男人們頭上撒粉和留辮子時(shí)期的家具，包括一個(gè)飯菜加溫器，它經(jīng)常疲勞無(wú)力，伸開(kāi)四條細(xì)弱的羅圈腿，擋住人們的道路；還有一個(gè)已陳舊過(guò)時(shí)的大鍵琴，琴上制造者的姓名周圍畫(huà)著一環(huán)香豌豆，作為裝飾。
雖然白格斯托克少校已經(jīng)到達(dá)純文學(xué)中所稱的盛壯之年，現(xiàn)正走著下坡路；他幾乎沒(méi)有脖子，顎骨十分堅(jiān)硬，象一般的長(zhǎng)耳朵下垂著，眼睛與臉色呈現(xiàn)出一種前面已經(jīng)敘述過(guò)的不自然的興奮狀態(tài)，然而他卻以在托克斯小姐心中喚醒了對(duì)他的興趣而十分自豪，而且假想她是一位有意于他的出色的女人，這樣來(lái)滿足自己的虛榮心。他在俱樂(lè)部里講一些小小的笑話時(shí)好幾次暗示了這一點(diǎn)。在他的笑話中，老喬·白格斯托克，老喬?！ぐ赘袼雇锌?，老約·白格斯托克，老喬?！ぐ赘袼雇锌耍鹊?，是個(gè)永恒不變的主題，仿佛少校的幽默的要塞與主塔與他自己的姓名有著最親昵的關(guān)系。
“先生，”少校會(huì)揮舞一下他的手杖，說(shuō)道，“喬?！ぐ椎值蒙夏銈兪畮讉€(gè)人。如果你們當(dāng)中再多幾個(gè)白格斯托克血統(tǒng)的人的話，先生，那么你們就決不會(huì)比現(xiàn)在更壞。先生，老喬埃如果要找老婆的話，哪怕就是現(xiàn)在去我，那么他并不需要走多遠(yuǎn)就能找到一個(gè)?？墒撬莻€(gè)鐵石心腸的人，先生，喬是這樣的人——他堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，先生，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼一樣狡猾！”在這樣的聲明之后，可以聽(tīng)到呼哧呼哧喘氣的聲音，少校的臉也會(huì)從青色轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楦畹淖仙?，他的眼睛則會(huì)痙攣性地睜大、鼓出。
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(guò)比他內(nèi)心更完全自私的人，這是可以懷疑的；也許不說(shuō)心而說(shuō)胃，是個(gè)更好的說(shuō)法，因?yàn)榇笞匀毁x予他的后一個(gè)器官顯然要比前一個(gè)器官?gòu)?qiáng)得多。他從沒(méi)有想到他會(huì)被什么人忽視或輕視，更決不可能會(huì)被托克斯小姐忽視或輕視。
然而，托克斯小姐看來(lái)已把他忘記了——逐漸地把他忘記了。在她發(fā)現(xiàn)了圖德?tīng)柤彝ブ蟛痪茫烷_(kāi)始把他忘記了。她繼續(xù)把他忘記，直到施洗禮的時(shí)候。在那以后，她又進(jìn)一步加倍迅速地把他忘記。什么事情或什么人已代替他成為她興趣的源泉。
“早上好，夫人，”在上一章記載的變化發(fā)生了幾個(gè)星期之后，少校在公主廣場(chǎng)遇到托克斯小姐時(shí)說(shuō)道。
“早上好，先生，”托克斯小姐很冷淡地說(shuō)道。
“夫人，”少校以他通常的殷勤態(tài)度說(shuō)道，“喬·白格斯托克少校已有好長(zhǎng)的一段時(shí)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(duì)待。他的太陽(yáng)已經(jīng)躲藏到一朵云的后面去了?！?BR> 托克斯小姐歪斜著頭，但確實(shí)很冷淡。
“照耀喬的星球也許到城外去了嗎，夫人？”少校問(wèn)道。
“您是說(shuō)我嗎？到城外去了嗎？噢，不，我沒(méi)有到到城外去，”托克斯小姐說(shuō)道?！拔易罱苊?。我的時(shí)間幾乎全都花在幾個(gè)最親密的朋友身上了。我只怕甚至連現(xiàn)在也一點(diǎn)時(shí)間都抽不出來(lái)了。早上好，先生！”
當(dāng)托克斯小姐隨著她那極為迷人的步子和體態(tài)從公主廣場(chǎng)消失不見(jiàn)的時(shí)候，少校站在那里目送著她，臉色比過(guò)去任何時(shí)候更為發(fā)青，同時(shí)咕噥著，怒氣沖沖地說(shuō)著一些決不是恭維的話。
“哼，她媽的，先生，”少校向公主廣場(chǎng)轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)著他的龍蝦眼，轉(zhuǎn)了一圈又一圈，并向著它的芳香的空氣說(shuō)道，“六個(gè)月以前，這女人喜愛(ài)喬·白格斯托克走過(guò)的土地。這是什么意思？”少校經(jīng)過(guò)稍稍思考之后，斷定它的意思是要誘捕男人；它的意思是策劃陰謀，安設(shè)圈套；托克斯小姐正在挖掘陷阱。
“可是您捕捉不到喬，夫人，”少校說(shuō)道，“他是堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的，夫人，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的正就是約·白。堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼一樣的狡猾！”他發(fā)表了這些感想之后，就吃吃地笑了一整天。
可是那一天和其他許多天都過(guò)去了，托克斯小姐似乎仍舊對(duì)少校絲毫也不注意，也絲毫沒(méi)有想到他。從前，她習(xí)慣偶爾從她黑暗的小窗口往外看看，然后滿臉羞得通紅地回答一下少校的問(wèn)候；可是現(xiàn)在她決不給少校一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，絲毫也不理會(huì)他是否在看下面的道路。另外的一些變化也發(fā)生了。少校站在他自己房間的陰影中，能夠隱約地看出，托克斯小姐的房間中最近呈現(xiàn)出一派遠(yuǎn)比過(guò)去漂亮的景象；那只老的金絲雀被裝進(jìn)一只新的金絲鳥(niǎo)籠里；從彩色的硬紙板和紙張中剪出的一些玩藝兒似乎已把壁爐架和桌子裝飾一新；一兩株植物突然出現(xiàn)在窗口；托克斯小姐偶爾在練習(xí)彈奏大鍵琴，它的那一環(huán)甜豌豆總是被得意洋洋地炫示著；琴上擺著托克斯小姐親自抄寫(xiě)在樂(lè)譜中的哥本哈根圓舞曲和鳥(niǎo)兒圓舞曲。
除了這一切之外，托克斯小姐好久以來(lái)就非常細(xì)心和雅致地穿了一身輕喪服。不過(guò)這一點(diǎn)幫助少校走出了困境；他心中斷定，她已繼承了一小筆遺產(chǎn)，因而趾高氣揚(yáng)起來(lái)了。
少校作出這個(gè)判斷，安下心來(lái)以后的第二天，正坐著吃早餐時(shí)，看到托克斯小姐的小客廳里出現(xiàn)了一個(gè)鬼怪，他是那么驚人，那么奇異，因此他坐在椅子里一直坐了好一會(huì)兒，然后才急忙跑到旁邊的房間，拿了一個(gè)雙筒的看戲用的小望遠(yuǎn)鏡回來(lái)；他通過(guò)望遠(yuǎn)鏡專心致志地察看了好幾分鐘。
“這是個(gè)嬰孩，先生，”少校把望遠(yuǎn)鏡重新關(guān)上，說(shuō)道，“我敢拿五萬(wàn)五千鎊打賭！”
少校不能忘記這件事情。他除了吹口哨和把眼睛瞪得鼓鼓的之外，什么也干不了；如果跟他現(xiàn)在的眼睛相比，他以前的眼睛就顯得相當(dāng)凹陷和低洼了。一天又一天，這個(gè)嬰孩在一個(gè)星期之內(nèi)重新出現(xiàn)了兩次、三次、四次。少校繼續(xù)瞪眼睛和吹口哨。不論從哪一點(diǎn)來(lái)看，他在公主廣場(chǎng)上已是孤身一人了。托克斯小姐已不再關(guān)心他做什么了。如果他的臉色從青色轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楹谏?，那?duì)她也是一件無(wú)關(guān)緊要的事情。
她堅(jiān)持不斷地走出公主廣場(chǎng)，去領(lǐng)這個(gè)嬰孩和他的保姆，和他們一起走回來(lái)，又和他們走回家去；而且經(jīng)?？词刂麄儯凰龍?jiān)持不斷地親自照料孩子，喂他吃東西，和他玩耍，在大鍵琴上彈出曲調(diào)使他年輕的血液凝結(jié)；這種堅(jiān)持不斷、始終如一的精神是異乎尋常的。大約就在這同一時(shí)期中，她滿懷深情地看某一個(gè)手鐲；她也滿懷深情地看月亮，會(huì)從她房間的窗口長(zhǎng)久地觀望著它。但是不論她看什么，看太陽(yáng)也好，看月亮也好，看星星或看手鐲也好，她卻不再看少校了。少校吹著口哨，瞪著眼睛，心中納悶，在房間里轉(zhuǎn)來(lái)轉(zhuǎn)去，但卻什么也弄不明白。
“您將會(huì)贏得我哥哥保羅的心，這是真的，我親愛(ài)的，”奇克夫人有一天說(shuō)道。
托克斯小姐臉色變得蒼白。
“他一天天長(zhǎng)得愈來(lái)愈像保羅了，”奇克夫人說(shuō)道。
托克斯小姐沒(méi)有回答，只是把小保羅抱在懷中，撫摸著他帽上的花結(jié)，使它完全平展、柔軟。
“他像他的母親嗎？”托克斯小姐問(wèn)道，“我親愛(ài)的，我得通過(guò)您才能了解她呀?！?BR> “一點(diǎn)也不像，”路易莎回答道。
“她——她長(zhǎng)得漂亮吧。我想？”托克斯小姐遲疑地說(shuō)道。
“是的，可憐的親愛(ài)的范妮是有趣的，”奇克夫人經(jīng)過(guò)一些慎重的考慮以后說(shuō)道?！按_實(shí)是有趣的。人們不知怎么樣，幾乎理所當(dāng)然地本指望會(huì)在我的哥哥的妻子身上看到那種威風(fēng)凜凜、高人一等的氣派，可是她并沒(méi)有這種氣派。她也沒(méi)有這樣一位男人所需要的那種精力與氣魄。”
托克斯小姐深深地嘆了一口氣。
“不過(guò)她是討人喜歡的，”奇克夫人說(shuō)道，“非常討人喜歡。還有她的心眼兒！——啊，親愛(ài)的，可憐的范妮心眼兒多么好?。 ?BR> “您這小天使！”托克斯小姐對(duì)小保羅喊道，“您跟您爸爸真是長(zhǎng)得一模一樣?。 ?BR> 如果少校能知道，在那嬰孩的頭上寄托了多少希望與夢(mèng)想，多少計(jì)劃與打算的話，如果他能看到它們參差錯(cuò)亂、混雜無(wú)序地在一無(wú)所知的小保羅的帶褶的帽子四周盤旋的話，那么他確實(shí)可能會(huì)把眼睛瞪得大大地來(lái)看的。那時(shí)候他就會(huì)從那成群的事物中辨認(rèn)出屬于托克斯小姐的一些野心勃勃的塵埃與光束了；那時(shí)候他也許就會(huì)明白那位女士畏畏縮縮地對(duì)董貝公司進(jìn)行投資的性質(zhì)了。
如果這孩子本人能在夜間醒過(guò)來(lái)，看到聚集在他的搖籃帳子周圍、其他人們對(duì)他所抱的夢(mèng)想的微弱的映像的話，那么它們很有理由會(huì)把他嚇壞了。可是他卻繼續(xù)呼呼地酣睡，對(duì)托克斯小姐的善良的意圖，少校的納悶不解，他姐姐過(guò)早的悲哀和他父親嚴(yán)峻的夢(mèng)幻，都一概不知；他也不了解在地面上的什么地方還存在著一位董貝或一個(gè)他的兒子。