Paul's Introduction to a New Scene
Mrs Pipchin's constitution was made of such hard metal, in spite of its liability to the fleshly weaknesses of standing in need of repose after chops, and of requiring to be coaxed to sleep by the soporific agency of sweet-breads, that it utterly set at naught the predictions of Mrs Wickam, and showed no symptoms of decline. Yet, as Paul's rapt interest in the old lady continued unbated, Mrs Wickam would not budge an inch from the position she had taken up. Fortifying and entrenching herself on the strong ground of her Uncle's Betsey Jane, she advised Miss Berry, as a friend, to prepare herself for the worst; and forewarned her that her aunt might, at any time, be expected to go off suddenly, like a powder-mill.
'I hope, Miss Berry,' Mrs Wickam would observe, 'that you'll come into whatever little property there may be to leave. You deserve it, I am sure, for yours is a trying life. Though there don't seem much worth coming into - you'll excuse my being so open - in this dismal den.'
Poor Berry took it all in good part, and drudged and slaved away as usual; perfectly convinced that Mrs Pipchin was one of the most meritorious persons in the world, and making every day innumerable sacrifices of herself upon the altar of that noble old woman. But all these immolations of Berry were somehow carried to the credit of Mrs Pipchin by Mrs Pipchin's friends and admirers; and were made to harmonise with, and carry out, that melancholy fact of the deceased Mr Pipchin having broken his heart in the Peruvian mines.
For example, there was an honest grocer and general dealer in the retail line of business, between whom and Mrs Pipchin there was a small memorandum book, with a greasy red cover, perpetually in question, and concerning which divers secret councils and conferences were continually being held between the parties to that register, on the mat in the passage, and with closed doors in the parlour. Nor were there wanting dark hints from Master Bitherstone (whose temper had been made revengeful by the solar heats of India acting on his blood), of balances unsettled, and of a failure, on one occasion within his memory, in the supply of moist sugar at tea-time. This grocer being a bachelor and not a man who looked upon the surface for beauty, had once made honourable offers for the hand of Berry, which Mrs Pipchin had, with contumely and scorn, rejected. Everybody said how laudable this was in Mrs Pipchin, relict of a man who had died of the Peruvian mines; and what a staunch, high, independent spirit the old lady had. But nobody said anything about poor Berry, who cried for six weeks (being soundly rated by her good aunt all the time), and lapsed into a state of hopeless spinsterhood.
'Berry's very fond of you, ain't she?' Paul once asked Mrs Pipchin when they were sitting by the fire with the cat.
'Yes,' said Mrs Pipchin.
'Why?' asked Paul.
'Why!' returned the disconcerted old lady. 'How can you ask such things, Sir! why are you fond of your sister Florence?'
'Because she's very good,' said Paul. 'There's nobody like Florence.'
'Well!' retorted Mrs Pipchin, shortly, 'and there's nobody like me, I suppose.'
'Ain't there really though?' asked Paul, leaning forward in his chair, and looking at her very hard.
'No,' said the old lady.
'I am glad of that,' observed Paul, rubbing his hands thoughtfully. 'That's a very good thing.'
Mrs Pipchin didn't dare to ask him why, lest she should receive some perfectly annihilating answer. But as a compensation to her wounded feelings, she harassed Master Bitherstone to that extent until bed-time, that he began that very night to make arrangements for an overland return to India, by secreting from his supper a quarter of a round of bread and a fragment of moist Dutch cheese, as the beginning of a stock of provision to support him on the voyage.
Mrs Pipchin had kept watch and ward over little Paul and his sister for nearly twelve months. They had been home twice, but only for a few days; and had been constant in their weekly visits to Mr Dombey at the hotel. By little and little Paul had grown stronger, and had become able to dispense with his carriage; though he still looked thin and delicate; and still remained the same old, quiet, dreamy child that he had been when first consigned to Mrs Pipchin's care. One Saturday afternoon, at dusk, great consternation was occasioned in the Castle by the unlooked-for announcement of Mr Dombey as a visitor to Mrs Pipchin. The population of the parlour was immediately swept upstairs as on the wings of a whirlwind, and after much slamming of bedroom doors, and trampling overhead, and some knocking about of Master Bitherstone by Mrs Pipchin, as a relief to the perturbation of her spirits, the black bombazeen garments of the worthy old lady darkened the audience-chamber where Mr Dombey was contemplating the vacant arm-chair of his son and heir.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, 'How do you do?'
'Thank you, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, 'I am pretty well, considering.'
Mrs Pipchin always used that form of words. It meant, considering her virtues, sacrifices, and so forth.
'I can't expect, Sir, to be very well,' said Mrs Pipchin, taking a chair and fetching her breath; 'but such health as I have, I am grateful for.'
Mr Dombey inclined his head with the satisfied air of a patron, who felt that this was the sort of thing for which he paid so much a quarter. After a moment's silence he went on to say:
'Mrs Pipchin, I have taken the liberty of calling, to consult you in reference to my son. I have had it in my mind to do so for some time past; but have deferred it from time to time, in order that his health might be thoroughly re-established. You have no misgivings on that subject, Mrs Pipchin?'
'Brighton has proved very beneficial, Sir,' returned Mrs Pipchin. 'Very beneficial, indeed.'
'I purpose,' said Mr Dombey, 'his remaining at Brighton.'
Mrs Pipchin rubbed her hands, and bent her grey eyes on the fire.
'But,' pursued Mr Dombey, stretching out his forefinger, 'but possibly that he should now make a change, and lead a different kind of life here. In short, Mrs Pipchin, that is the object of my visit. My son is getting on, Mrs Pipchin. Really, he is getting on.'
There was something melancholy in the triumphant air with which Mr Dombey said this. It showed how long Paul's childish life had been to him, and how his hopes were set upon a later stage of his existence. Pity may appear a strange word to connect with anyone so haughty and so cold, and yet he seemed a worthy subject for it at that moment.
'Six years old!' said Mr Dombey, settling his neckcloth - perhaps to hide an irrepressible smile that rather seemed to strike upon the surface of his face and glance away, as finding no resting-place, than to play there for an instant. 'Dear me, six will be changed to sixteen, before we have time to look about us.'
'Ten years,' croaked the unsympathetic Pipchin, with a frosty glistening of her hard grey eye, and a dreary shaking of her bent head, 'is a long time.'
'It depends on circumstances, returned Mr Dombey; 'at all events, Mrs Pipchin, my son is six years old, and there is no doubt, I fear, that in his studies he is behind many children of his age - or his youth,' said Mr Dombey, quickly answering what he mistrusted was a shrewd twinkle of the frosty eye, 'his youth is a more appropriate expression. Now, Mrs Pipchin, instead of being behind his peers, my son ought to be before them; far before them. There is an eminence ready for him to mount upon. There is nothing of chance or doubt in the course before my son. His way in life was clear and prepared, and marked out before he existed. The education of such a young gentleman must not be delayed. It must not be left imperfect. It must be very steadily and seriously undertaken, Mrs Pipchin.'
'Well, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, 'I can say nothing to the contrary.'
'I was quite sure, Mrs Pipchin,' returned Mr Dombey, approvingly, 'that a person of your good sense could not, and would not.'
'There is a great deal of nonsense - and worse - talked about young people not being pressed too hard at first, and being tempted on, and all the rest of it, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, impatiently rubbing her hooked nose. 'It never was thought of in my time, and it has no business to be thought of now. My opinion is "keep 'em at it".'
'My good madam,' returned Mr Dombey, 'you have not acquired your reputation undeservedly; and I beg you to believe, Mrs Pipchin, that I am more than satisfied with your excellent system of management, and shall have the greatest pleasure in commending it whenever my poor commendation - ' Mr Dombey's loftiness when he affected to disparage his own importance, passed all bounds - 'can be of any service. I have been thinking of Doctor Blimber's, Mrs Pipchin.'
'My neighbour, Sir?' said Mrs Pipchin. 'I believe the Doctor's is an excellent establishment. I've heard that it's very strictly conducted, and there is nothing but learning going on from morning to night.'
'And it's very expensive,' added Mr Dombey.
'And it's very expensive, Sir,' returned Mrs Pipchin, catching at the fact, as if in omitting that, she had omitted one of its leading merits.
'I have had some communication with the Doctor, Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, hitching his chair anxiously a little nearer to the fire, 'and he does not consider Paul at all too young for his purpose. He mentioned several instances of boys in Greek at about the same age. If I have any little uneasiness in my own mind, Mrs Pipchin, on the subject of this change, it is not on that head. My son not having known a mother has gradually concentrated much - too much - of his childish affection on his sister. Whether their separation - ' Mr Dombey said no more, but sat silent.
'Hoity-toity!' exclaimed Mrs Pipchin, shaking out her black bombazeen skirts, and plucking up all the ogress within her. 'If she don't like it, Mr Dombey, she must be taught to lump it.' The good lady apologised immediately afterwards for using so common a figure of speech, but said (and truly) that that was the way she reasoned with 'em.
Mr Dombey waited until Mrs Pipchin had done bridling and shaking her head, and frowning down a legion of Bitherstones and Pankeys; and then said quietly, but correctively, 'He, my good madam, he.'
Mrs Pipchin's system would have applied very much the same mode of cure to any uneasiness on the part of Paul, too; but as the hard grey eye was sharp enough to see that the recipe, however Mr Dombey might admit its efficacy in the case of the daughter, was not a sovereign remedy for the son, she argued the point; and contended that change, and new society, and the different form of life he would lead at Doctor Blimber's, and the studies he would have to master, would very soon prove sufficient alienations. As this chimed in with Mr Dombey's own hope and belief, it gave that gentleman a still higher opinion of Mrs Pipchin's understanding; and as Mrs Pipchin, at the same time, bewailed the loss of her dear little friend (which was not an overwhelming shock to her, as she had long expected it, and had not looked, in the beginning, for his remaining with her longer than three months), he formed an equally good opinion of Mrs Pipchin's disinterestedness. It was plain that he had given the subject anxious consideration, for he had formed a plan, which he announced to the ogress, of sending Paul to the Doctor's as a weekly boarder for the first half year, during which time Florence would remain at the Castle, that she might receive her brother there, on Saturdays. This would wean him by degrees, Mr Dombey said; possibly with a recollection of his not having been weaned by degrees on a former occasion.
Mr Dombey finished the interview by expressing his hope that Mrs Pipchin would still remain in office as general superintendent and overseer of his son, pending his studies at Brighton; and having kissed Paul, and shaken hands with Florence, and beheld Master Bitherstone in his collar of state, and made Miss Pankey cry by patting her on the head (in which region she was uncommonly tender, on account of a habit Mrs Pipchin had of sounding it with her knuckles, like a cask), he withdrew to his hotel and dinner: resolved that Paul, now that he was getting so old and well, should begin a vigorous course of education forthwith, to qualify him for the position in which he was to shine; and that Doctor Blimber should take him in hand immediately.
Whenever a young gentleman was taken in hand by Doctor Blimber, he might consider himself sure of a pretty tight squeeze. The Doctor only undertook the charge of ten young gentlemen, but he had, always ready, a supply of learning for a hundred, on the lowest estimate; and it was at once the business and delight of his life to gorge the unhappy ten with it.
In fact, Doctor Blimber's establishment was a great hot-house, in which there was a forcing apparatus incessantly at work. All the boys blew before their time. Mental green-peas were produced at Christmas, and intellectual asparagus all the year round. Mathematical gooseberries (very sour ones too) were common at untimely seasons, and from mere sprouts of bushes, under Doctor Blimber's cultivation. Every description of Greek and Latin vegetable was got off the driest twigs of boys, under the frostiest circumstances. Nature was of no consequence at all. No matter what a young gentleman was intended to bear, Doctor Blimber made him bear to pattern, somehow or other.
This was all very pleasant and ingenious, but the system of forcing was attended with its usual disadvantages. There was not the right taste about the premature productions, and they didn't keep well. Moreover, one young gentleman, with a swollen nose and an excessively large head (the oldest of the ten who had 'gone through' everything), suddenly left off blowing one day, and remained in the establishment a mere stalk. And people did say that the Doctor had rather overdone it with young Toots, and that when he began to have whiskers he left off having brains.
There young Toots was, at any rate; possessed of the gruffest of voices and the shrillest of minds; sticking ornamental pins into his shirt, and keeping a ring in his waistcoat pocket to put on his little finger by stealth, when the pupils went out walking; constantly falling in love by sight with nurserymaids, who had no idea of his existence; and looking at the gas-lighted world over the little iron bars in the left-hand corner window of the front three pairs of stairs, after bed-time, like a greatly overgrown cherub who had sat up aloft much too long.
The Doctor was a portly gentleman in a suit of black, with strings at his knees, and stockings below them. He had a bald head, highly polished; a deep voice; and a chin so very double, that it was a wonder how he ever managed to shave into the creases. He had likewise a pair of little eyes that were always half shut up, and a mouth that was always half expanded into a grin, as if he had, that moment, posed a boy, and were waiting to convict him from his own lips. Insomuch, that when the Doctor put his right hand into the breast of his coat, and with his other hand behind him, and a scarcely perceptible wag of his head, made the commonest observation to a nervous stranger, it was like a sentiment from the sphynx, and settled his business.
The Doctor's was a mighty fine house, fronting the sea. Not a joyful style of house within, but quite the contrary. Sad-coloured curtains, whose proportions were spare and lean, hid themselves despondently behind the windows. The tables and chairs were put away in rows, like figures in a sum; fires were so rarely lighted in the rooms of ceremony, that they felt like wells, and a visitor represented the bucket; the dining-room seemed the last place in the world where any eating or drinking was likely to occur; there was no sound through all the house but the ticking of a great clock in the hall, which made itself audible in the very garrets; and sometimes a dull cooing of young gentlemen at their lessons, like the murmurings of an assemblage of melancholy pigeons.
Miss Blimber, too, although a slim and graceful maid, did no soft violence to the gravity of the house. There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber. She kept her hair short and crisp, and wore spectacles. She was dry and sandy with working in the graves of deceased languages. None of your live languages for Miss Blimber. They must be dead - stone dead - and then Miss Blimber dug them up like a Ghoul.
Mrs Blimber, her Mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well. She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died contented. It was the steady joy of her life to see the Doctor's young gentlemen go out walking, unlike all other young gentlemen, in the largest possible shirt-collars, and the stiffest possible cravats. It was so classical, she said.
As to Mr Feeder, B.A., Doctor Blimber's assistant, he was a kind of human barrel-organ, with a little list of tunes at which he was continually working, over and over again, without any variation. He might have been fitted up with a change of barrels, perhaps, in early life, if his destiny had been favourable; but it had not been; and he had only one, with which, in a monotonous round, it was his occupation to bewilder the young ideas of Doctor Blimber's young gentlemen. The young gentlemen were prematurely full of carking anxieties. They knew no rest from the pursuit of stony-hearted verbs, savage noun-substantives, inflexible syntactic passages, and ghosts of exercises that appeared to them in their dreams. Under the forcing system, a young gentleman usually took leave of his spirits in three weeks. He had all the cares of the world on his head in three months. He conceived bitter sentiments against his parents or guardians in four; he was an old misanthrope, in five; envied Curtius that blessed refuge in the earth, in six; and at the end of the first twelvemonth had arrived at the conclusion, from which he never afterwards departed, that all the fancies of the poets, and lessons of the sages, were a mere collection of words and grammar, and had no other meaning in the world.
But he went on blow, blow, blowing, in the Doctor's hothouse, all the time; and the Doctor's glory and reputation were great, when he took his wintry growth home to his relations and friends.
Upon the Doctor's door-steps one day, Paul stood with a fluttering heart, and with his small right hand in his father's. His other hand was locked in that of Florence. How tight the tiny pressure of that one; and how loose and cold the other!
Mrs Pipchin hovered behind the victim, with her sable plumage and her hooked beak, like a bird of ill-omen. She was out of breath - for Mr Dombey, full of great thoughts, had walked fast - and she croaked hoarsely as she waited for the opening of the door.
'Now, Paul,' said Mr Dombey, exultingly. 'This is the way indeed to be Dombey and Son, and have money. You are almost a man already.'
'Almost,' returned the child.
Even his childish agitation could not master the sly and quaint yet touching look, with which he accompanied the reply.
It brought a vague expression of dissatisfaction into Mr Dombey's face; but the door being opened, it was quickly gone
'Doctor Blimber is at home, I believe?' said Mr Dombey.
The man said yes; and as they passed in, looked at Paul as if he were a little mouse, and the house were a trap. He was a weak-eyed young man, with the first faint streaks or early dawn of a grin on his countenance. It was mere imbecility; but Mrs Pipchin took it into her head that it was impudence, and made a snap at him directly.
'How dare you laugh behind the gentleman's back?' said Mrs Pipchin. 'And what do you take me for?'
'I ain't a laughing at nobody, and I'm sure I don't take you for nothing, Ma'am,' returned the young man, in consternation.
'A pack of idle dogs!' said Mrs Pipchin, 'only fit to be turnspits. Go and tell your master that Mr Dombey's here, or it'll be worse for you!'
The weak-eyed young man went, very meekly, to discharge himself of this commission; and soon came back to invite them to the Doctor's study.
'You're laughing again, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, when it came to her turn, bringing up the rear, to pass him in the hall.
'I ain't,' returned the young man, grievously oppressed. 'I never see such a thing as this!'
'What is the matter, Mrs Pipchin?' said Mr Dombey, looking round. 'Softly! Pray!'
Mrs Pipchin, in her deference, merely muttered at the young man as she passed on, and said, 'Oh! he was a precious fellow' - leaving the young man, who was all meekness and incapacity, affected even to tears by the incident. But Mrs Pipchin had a way of falling foul of all meek people; and her friends said who could wonder at it, after the Peruvian mines!
The Doctor was sitting in his portentous study, with a globe at each knee, books all round him, Homer over the door, and Minerva on the mantel-shelf. 'And how do you do, Sir?' he said to Mr Dombey, 'and how is my little friend?' Grave as an organ was the Doctor's speech; and when he ceased, the great clock in the hall seemed (to Paul at least) to take him up, and to go on saying, 'how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?' over and over and over again.
The little friend being something too small to be seen at all from where the Doctor sat, over the books on his table, the Doctor made several futile attempts to get a view of him round the legs; which Mr Dombey perceiving, relieved the Doctor from his embarrassment by taking Paul up in his arms, and sitting him on another little table, over against the Doctor, in the middle of the room.
'Ha!' said the Doctor, leaning back in his chair with his hand in his breast. 'Now I see my little friend. How do you do, my little friend?'
The clock in the hall wouldn't subscribe to this alteration in the form of words, but continued to repeat how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?'
'Very well, I thank you, Sir,' returned Paul, answering the clock quite as much as the Doctor.
'Ha!' said Doctor Blimber. 'Shall we make a man of him?'
'Do you hear, Paul?' added Mr Dombey; Paul being silent.
'Shall we make a man of him?' repeated the Doctor.
'I had rather be a child,' replied Paul.
'Indeed!' said the Doctor. 'Why?'
The child sat on the table looking at him, with a curious expression of suppressed emotion in his face, and beating one hand proudly on his knee as if he had the rising tears beneath it, and crushed them. But his other hand strayed a little way the while, a little farther - farther from him yet - until it lighted on the neck of Florence. 'This is why,' it seemed to say, and then the steady look was broken up and gone; the working lip was loosened; and the tears came streaming forth.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said his father, in a querulous manner, 'I am really very sorry to see this.'
'Come away from him, do, Miss Dombey,' quoth the matron.
'Never mind,' said the Doctor, blandly nodding his head, to keep Mrs Pipchin back. 'Never mind; we shall substitute new cares and new impressions, Mr Dombey, very shortly. You would still wish my little friend to acquire - '
'Everything, if you please, Doctor,' returned Mr Dombey, firmly.
'Yes,' said the Doctor, who, with his half-shut eyes, and his usual smile, seemed to survey Paul with the sort of interest that might attach to some choice little animal he was going to stuff. 'Yes, exactly. Ha! We shall impart a great variety of information to our little friend, and bring him quickly forward, I daresay. I daresay. Quite a virgin soil, I believe you said, Mr Dombey?'
'Except some ordinary preparation at home, and from this lady,' replied Mr Dombey, introducing Mrs Pipchin, who instantly communicated a rigidity to her whole muscular system, and snorted defiance beforehand, in case the Doctor should disparage her; 'except so far, Paul has, as yet, applied himself to no studies at all.'
Doctor Blimber inclined his head, in gentle tolerance of such insignificant poaching as Mrs Pipchin's, and said he was glad to hear it. It was much more satisfactory, he observed, rubbing his hands, to begin at the foundation. And again he leered at Paul, as if he would have liked to tackle him with the Greek alphabet, on the spot.
'That circumstance, indeed, Doctor Blimber,' pursued Mr Dombey, glancing at his little son, 'and the interview I have already had the pleasure of holding with you, renders any further explanation, and consequently, any further intrusion on your valuable time, so unnecessary, that - '
'Now, Miss Dombey!' said the acid Pipchin.
'Permit me,' said the Doctor, 'one moment. Allow me to present Mrs Blimber and my daughter; who will be associated with the domestic life of our young Pilgrim to Parnassus Mrs Blimber,' for the lady, who had perhaps been in waiting, opportunely entered, followed by her daughter, that fair Sexton in spectacles, 'Mr Dombey. My daughter Cornelia, Mr Dombey. Mr Dombey, my love,' pursued the Doctor, turning to his wife, 'is so confiding as to - do you see our little friend?'
Mrs Blimber, in an excess of politeness, of which Mr Dombey was the object, apparently did not, for she was backing against the little friend, and very much endangering his position on the table. But, on this hint, she turned to admire his classical and intellectual lineaments, and turning again to Mr Dombey, said, with a sigh, that she envied his dear son.
'Like a bee, Sir,' said Mrs Blimber, with uplifted eyes, 'about to plunge into a garden of the choicest flowers, and sip the sweets for the first time Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Terence, Plautus, Cicero. What a world of honey have we here. It may appear remarkable, Mr Dombey, in one who is a wife - the wife of such a husband - '
'Hush, hush,' said Doctor Blimber. 'Fie for shame.'
'Mr Dombey will forgive the partiality of a wife,' said Mrs Blimber, with an engaging smile.
Mr Dombey answered 'Not at all:' applying those words, it is to be presumed, to the partiality, and not to the forgiveness.
'And it may seem remarkable in one who is a mother also,' resumed Mrs Blimber.
'And such a mother,' observed Mr Dombey, bowing with some confused idea of being complimentary to Cornelia.
'But really,' pursued Mrs Blimber, 'I think if I could have known Cicero, and been his friend, and talked with him in his retirement at Tusculum (beau-ti-ful Tusculum!), I could have died contented.'
A learned enthusiasm is so very contagious, that Mr Dombey half believed this was exactly his case; and even Mrs Pipchin, who was not, as we have seen, of an accommodating disposition generally, gave utterance to a little sound between a groan and a sigh, as if she would have said that nobody but Cicero could have proved a lasting consolation under that failure of the Peruvian MInes, but that he indeed would have been a very Davy-lamp of refuge.
Cornelia looked at Mr Dombey through her spectacles, as if she would have liked to crack a few quotations with him from the authority in question. But this design, if she entertained it, was frustrated by a knock at the room-door.
'Who is that?' said the Doctor. 'Oh! Come in, Toots; come in. Mr Dombey, Sir.' Toots bowed. 'Quite a coincidence!' said Doctor Blimber. 'Here we have the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega Our head boy, Mr Dombey.'
The Doctor might have called him their head and shoulders boy, for he was at least that much taller than any of the rest. He blushed very much at finding himself among strangers, and chuckled aloud.
'An addition to our little Portico, Toots,' said the Doctor; 'Mr Dombey's son.'
Young Toots blushed again; and finding, from a solemn silence which prevailed, that he was expected to say something, said to Paul, 'How are you?' in a voice so deep, and a manner so sheepish, that if a lamb had roared it couldn't have been more surprising.
'Ask Mr Feeder, if you please, Toots,' said the Doctor, 'to prepare a few introductory volumes for Mr Dombey's son, and to allot him a convenient seat for study. My dear, I believe Mr Dombey has not seen the dormitories.'
'If Mr Dombey will walk upstairs,' said Mrs Blimber, 'I shall be more than proud to show him the dominions of the drowsy god.'
With that, Mrs Blimber, who was a lady of great suavity, and a wiry figure, and who wore a cap composed of sky-blue materials, pied upstairs with Mr Dombey and Cornelia; Mrs Pipchin following, and looking out sharp for her enemy the footman.
While they were gone, Paul sat upon the table, holding Florence by the hand, and glancing timidly from the Doctor round and round the room, while the Doctor, leaning back in his chair, with his hand in his breast as usual, held a book from him at arm's length, and read. There was something very awful in this manner of reading. It was such a determined, unimpassioned, inflexible, cold-blooded way of going to work. It left the Doctor's countenance exposed to view; and when the Doctor smiled suspiciously at his author, or knit his brows, or shook his head and made wry faces at him, as much as to say, 'Don't tell me, Sir; I know better,' it was terrific.
Toots, too, had no business to be outside the door, ostentatiously examining the wheels in his watch, and counting his half-crowns. But that didn't last long; for Doctor Blimber, happening to change the position of his tight plump legs, as if he were going to get up, Toots swiftly vanished, and appeared no more.
Mr Dombey and his conductress were soon heard coming downstairs again, talking all the way; and presently they re-entered the Doctor's study.
'I hope, Mr Dombey,' said the Doctor, laying down his book, 'that the arrangements meet your approval.'
'They are excellent, Sir,' said Mr Dombey.
'Very fair, indeed,' said Mrs Pipchin, in a low voice; never disposed to give too much encouragement.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, wheeling round, 'will, with your permission, Doctor and Mrs Blimber, visit Paul now and then.'
'Whenever Mrs Pipchin pleases,' observed the Doctor.
'Always happy to see her,' said Mrs Blimber.
'I think,' said Mr Dombey, 'I have given all the trouble I need, and may take my leave. Paul, my child,' he went close to him, as he sat upon the table. 'Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Papa.'
The limp and careless little hand that Mr Dombey took in his, was singularly out of keeping with the wistful face. But he had no part in its sorrowful expression. It was not addressed to him. No, no. To Florence - all to Florence.
If Mr Dombey in his insolence of wealth, had ever made an enemy, hard to appease and cruelly vindictive in his hate, even such an enemy might have received the pang that wrung his proud heart then, as compensation for his injury.
He bent down, over his boy, and kissed him. If his sight were dimmed as he did so, by something that for a moment blurred the little face, and made it indistinct to him, his mental vision may have been, for that short time, the clearer perhaps.
'I shall see you soon, Paul. You are free on Saturdays and Sundays, you know.'
'Yes, Papa,' returned Paul: looking at his sister. 'On Saturdays and Sundays.'
'And you'll try and learn a great deal here, and be a clever man,' said Mr Dombey; 'won't you?'
'I'll try,' returned the child, wearily.
'And you'll soon be grown up now!' said Mr Dombey.
'Oh! very soon!' replied the child. Once more the old, old look passed rapidly across his features like a strange light. It fell on Mrs Pipchin, and extinguished itself in her black dress. That excellent ogress stepped forward to take leave and to bear off Florence, which she had long been thirsting to do. The move on her part roused Mr Dombey, whose eyes were fixed on Paul. After patting him on the head, and pressing his small hand again, he took leave of Doctor Blimber, Mrs Blimber, and Miss Blimber, with his usual polite frigidity, and walked out of the study.
Despite his entreaty that they would not think of stirring, Doctor Blimber, Mrs Blimber, and Miss Blimber all pressed forward to attend him to the hall; and thus Mrs Pipchin got into a state of entanglement with Miss Blimber and the Doctor, and was crowded out of the study before she could clutch Florence. To which happy accident Paul stood afterwards indebted for the dear remembrance, that Florence ran back to throw her arms round his neck, and that hers was the last face in the doorway: turned towards him with a smile of encouragement, the brighter for the tears through which it beamed.
It made his childish bosom heave and swell when it was gone; and sent the globes, the books, blind Homer and Minerva, swimming round the room. But they stopped, all of a sudden; and then he heard the loud clock in the hall still gravely inquiring 'how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?' as it had done before.
He sat, with folded hands, upon his pedestal, silently listening. But he might have answered 'weary, weary! very lonely, very sad!' And there, with an aching void in his young heart, and all outside so cold, and bare, and strange, Paul sat as if he had taken life unfurnished, and the upholsterer were never coming.
皮普欽太太的體質(zhì)是由這樣堅硬的金屬做成的，它雖然難免身軀虛弱，需要在吃過排骨之后休息休息，也需要依賴小羊胰臟的催眠作用才能進入夢鄉(xiāng)，但它使威肯姆大嫂的預言完全落了空，沒有顯露出衰老的任何癥狀。然而，由于保羅對這位老太太全神貫注的興趣并沒有減弱，所以威肯姆大嫂也不愿意從她原先的立場上后退一英寸。她以她舅舅的女兒貝特西·簡為堅強后盾，挖掘壕溝，構(gòu)筑要塞，防衛(wèi)著自己的地段，因此她以一位朋友的身份勸告貝里小姐要為發(fā)生壞的情況作好準備，并預先警告她，她的姑媽在任何時候都可能像火藥廠一樣突然爆炸。
可憐的貝里毫無惡感地接受了所有這些勸告，并跟往常一樣，像奴隸一樣拼命做著苦工；她完全相信，皮普欽太太是世界上值得稱頌的人之一，自愿作出無數(shù)犧牲，奉獻給那位尊貴的老女人的祭壇?？墒秦惱锼鞒龅乃羞@些犧牲卻被皮普欽太太的朋友們與崇拜者們記為皮普欽太太的功勞，而且還跟那件令人傷感的事實——已故的皮普欽先生是在秘魯?shù)牡V井傷心而死的——聯(lián)系起來，認為兩者是一脈相承的。
例如，有一位經(jīng)營食品、雜貨和一般零售業(yè)的誠實的商人，與皮普欽太太之間有一本油膩的紅封面的小備忘錄，它總是不斷地引起爭議；為了這一點，登記冊涉及的各方經(jīng)常在鋪了席子的走廊里或在關(guān)著門的客廳里舉行各種秘密的磋商與會議。比瑟斯通少爺（由于印度的太陽熱對他的血液發(fā)生作用的緣故，因此他產(chǎn)生了一副愛報復的脾氣）也屢次隱約地暗示，錢款收支不符，差額沒有結(jié)清；他還記得，有喝茶的時候，沒有供應潮濕的糖。這位商人是個單身漢，并不看重外表的漂亮，有規(guī)規(guī)矩矩地向貝里求婚，但皮普欽太太卻傲慢無禮地刻薄挖苦他，把他的求婚給拒絕了。人人都說，皮普欽太太，一位死在秘魯?shù)V井的男子的遺孀，這樣做是多么值得稱贊，還說這位老太太有著多么堅強、高尚與獨立的精神?？墒菍蓱z的貝里卻沒有一個人說過一句話；她哭了六個星期（她善良的姑媽一直在嚴厲地斥責她），并落到一個絕望的老處女的處境。
“貝里很喜歡您，是不是？”有當他們和那只貓一起坐在爐旁的時候，保羅問皮普欽太太。
“是的，”皮普欽太太說道。
“為什么？”保羅問道。
“為什么！”心煩意亂的老太太回答道。“您怎么能問這樣的事情，先生！您為什么喜歡您的姐姐弗洛倫斯？”
“因為她很好，”保羅說道，“沒有什么人能像弗洛倫斯那樣?！?BR> “唔！”皮普欽太太簡單地回答道?！澳敲匆矝]有什么人能像我這樣，我想?！?BR> “難道真的沒有嗎？”保羅在椅子里向前欠身，很專注地看著她，問道。
“沒有，”老太太說道。
“這使我很高興，”保羅認真思考地搓搓手，說道。“這是件很好的事情。”
皮普欽太太不敢問他為什么，唯恐會得到一個完全使她陷入絕境的答復?？墒?，為了補償她在感情上所受到的創(chuàng)傷，她把比瑟斯通少爺大大地折磨了一通，直到睡覺為止，因此他在當天夜里開始作出了由陸路回到印度去的安排，辦法是吃晚飯的時候偷偷地藏起四分之一塊面包和一小片潮濕的荷蘭乳酪，就這樣開始儲存起旅途中所需的食品。
皮普欽太太對小保羅和他的姐姐看管、監(jiān)護了將近十二個月。他們曾經(jīng)回家去過兩次，但只住了幾天，每個星期照常總要到旅館里去看望董貝先生。保羅雖然看去仍舊消瘦、虛弱，而且跟他當初被托付給皮普欽太太看管時一樣，仍然同樣是那個老氣的、安靜的、喜愛幻想的孩子，但他逐漸逐漸地強壯起來，不坐車也能出去走走了；在一個星期六的下午，已經(jīng)是薄暮的時候，這里接到了一個事先沒有預料到的通知：董貝先生要來拜訪皮普欽太太，這在城堡中引起了極大的驚慌?？蛷d里的人們就像被旋風刮起來一般，飛快地被趕到了樓上；寢室的門被砰砰地關(guān)上，腳從孩子們的頭踩踏過去，皮普欽太太又把比瑟斯通少爺接二連三地打了一陣，來減輕一下她精神上的焦慮不安；在這之后，這位可尊敬的老太太走進了接見室，她的黑色的邦巴辛毛葛衣服使室內(nèi)的光線昏暗下來；董貝先生正在室內(nèi)細心觀察著他的兒子和繼承人的空著的扶手椅子。
“皮普欽太太，”董貝先生說道，“您好嗎？”
“謝謝您，先生，”皮普欽太太說道，“從多方面考慮來說，我還不錯?！?BR> 皮普欽太太經(jīng)常使用這樣的措詞。它的意思是，考慮到她的品德、犧牲等等。
“我不能指望我的身體非常好，先生，”皮普欽太太坐到一張椅子里，緩一口氣；“但我能像現(xiàn)在這樣的健康，我是感謝天主的?！?BR> 董貝先生露出顧主滿意的神情，低下了頭，他覺得這正是他每個季度付出這么多的錢所要得到的。在片刻的沉默之后，他往下說道：
“皮普欽太太，我冒昧地前來拜訪，是想跟您商量一下我兒子的事。過去好些時候我就有意這樣做了，但卻又地推遲，為的是讓他的健康完全恢復過來。您在這個問題上沒有什么顧慮吧，皮普欽太太？”
“布賴頓看來是個有益于健康的地方，先生，”皮普欽太太回答道?！按_實很有益?！?BR> “我打算，”董貝先生說道，“讓他繼續(xù)留在布賴頓?！?BR> 皮普欽太太搓搓手，灰色的眼睛注視著爐火。
“但是，”董貝先生伸出食指，繼續(xù)說道，“但是可能他現(xiàn)在應當有一點變化，在這里過一種完全不同的生活?？偠灾?，皮普欽太太，這就是我這次拜訪的目的。我的兒子在成長，皮普欽太太。他確實在成長?！?BR> 董貝先生說這些話時的得意神情中有一些令人傷感的東西。它表明，保羅的童年生活對他是顯得多么長久，同時他的希望是怎樣寄托在他生命的較后階段的。對于任何一位像這樣傲慢這樣冷酷的人來說，憐憫可能是一個無法與他聯(lián)系起來的字眼，然而在目前這個時刻，他似乎正好是憐憫的很好的對象。
“六歲了！”董貝先生說道，一邊整整領(lǐng)飾——也許是為了掩藏一個控制不住的微笑，那微笑似乎片刻也不想在他的臉上展現(xiàn)開來，而只是想在臉的表面一掠而過就消失不見，但卻沒有找到一個停落的地方?！鞍パ剑‘斘覀冞€來不及向四周看看的時候，六歲就將轉(zhuǎn)變成十六歲了。”
“十年，”毫無同情心的皮普欽用哭喪的聲音說道，她那冷酷的灰色眼睛冷若冰霜地閃了一下光，低垂的頭陰郁地搖晃了一下，“是很長的時間?！?BR> “這取決于境況如何，”董貝先生回答道；“不管怎么樣，皮普欽太太，我的兒子已經(jīng)六歲了；我擔心，跟他同樣年齡或者說跟他同樣處于少年時期的許多孩子相比，他在學習上毫無疑問已經(jīng)落后了?！彼杆俚鼗卮鹆四侵焕淙舯难劬χ邪l(fā)出的一道他覺得是狡獪的眼光，“跟他同樣處于少年時期——這個說法更恰當。可是，皮普欽太太，我的兒子不能落在他的同輩人的后面，而應當超過他們，遠遠地超過他們。有一個高地正等待著他去攀登。在我的兒子的未來的生活路程中沒有什么聽憑機會擺布或存在疑問的東西。他的生活道路是沒有障礙的，預先準備好的，在他出生之前就已經(jīng)籌劃定了的。這樣一位年輕紳士的教育是不應該耽誤的。不應該讓它處于不完善的狀態(tài)。它必須很堅定很認真地進行，皮普欽太太?！?BR> “唔，先生，”皮普欽太太說道，“我不會有什么異議?！?BR> “我完全相信，皮普欽太太，”董貝先生贊同地說道，“像您這樣有卓越見識的人是不會，也不愿意有異議的。”
“現(xiàn)在人們談論著各種烏七八糟的廢話，——比廢話還不如——，說什么對年輕人開始不要強迫得太厲害，而應當循循善誘，其他等等，先生，”皮普欽太太不耐煩地擦了擦她的鉤鼻，說道，“在我做孩子的時候，從來沒有這樣一些想法?，F(xiàn)在也用不著這樣去想。我的意見是，‘強迫他們?nèi)プ觥！?BR> “我的好夫人，”董貝先生回答道，“您真是名不虛傳；請您相信，皮普欽太太，我對您優(yōu)良的管理制度非常滿意；只要我不足掛齒的推薦意見能有什么用的話，我將會十分高興來推薦它?！薄敹愊壬傺b貶低自己的重要性時，他的高傲是超越一切限度的——，“我一直在考慮布林伯博士的學校，皮普欽太太。”
“我的近鄰嗎，先生？”皮普欽太太說道?！拔蚁嘈胚@位博士的學校是一所優(yōu)秀的學校。我聽說管理很嚴格，從早到晚除了學習不干別的?！?BR> “而且費用很貴，”董貝先生補充道。
“而且費用很貴，”皮普欽太太回答道；她緊緊抓住這個事實，仿佛遺漏了這一點，她就遺漏了它的主要的優(yōu)點之一似的。
“我跟博士通過一些信，皮普欽太太，”董貝先生急忙把他的椅子向爐火拉近一點，說道，“他根本不認為保羅上他那里去年齡太小。他舉例說明好幾個跟他同年齡的孩子都在那里學習希臘語。如果我本人心中對這個變動的問題有什么小小的不安的話，皮普欽太太，那不是在那一方面。我的兒子生下來就失去了母愛，所以就把他好多（太多了）幼稚的感情逐漸傾注到他姐姐的身上，因此他們兩人分離開來是否會——”董貝先生沒有再說下去，而是沉默地坐著。
“哎呀，這算什么！”皮普欽太太抖動著她的黑色的拜巴辛毛葛的裙子，大聲喊道，一邊把她內(nèi)心中惡魔般的性情全都顯露出來?！叭绻幌矚g這樣，董貝先生，那么就得教她好歹忍著點?！边@位善良的太太接著立刻對她采用這樣粗俗的語言表示抱歉，但她說，這就是她跟他們論斷事理的方法，這一點倒是真的。
皮普欽太太昂起頭來，搖晃了兩下，同時對著無數(shù)個比瑟斯通與潘基皺了皺眉頭；董貝先生等待她把這些動作做完之后，平靜地但是正確地說道，“我說的是他，我的好夫人，他。”
皮普欽太太的管理制度本可以很容易地把同樣的治療方法也應用到保羅身上任何不舒適的地方；但是那只冷酷的灰色眼睛十分敏銳地看出，盡管董貝先生可以允許這個處方在他的女兒身上發(fā)揮效力，但它卻并不是醫(yī)治他兒子的特效藥；她認清了這一點，于是就解釋說，環(huán)境的變化，新的社交場所，他在布林伯博士學校中所過的不同的生活方式以及他必須學會的課程，將很快就會把他的注意力充分轉(zhuǎn)移了。由于這個意見與董貝先生自己的希望與看法是一致的，這就使得這位紳士對皮普欽太太的智慧有了更高的評價；由于皮普欽太太在這同時為失去她親愛的小朋友而嘆息（對她來說，這并不是一個使她不知所措的打擊，因為她早就預料到這一點，一開始就沒有指望他跟她待在一起的時間會超過三個月），所以他對皮普欽太太沒有私心這一點也產(chǎn)生了同樣良好的印象。顯然，他對這個問題已經(jīng)思前顧后地進行了考慮，因為他已經(jīng)構(gòu)想出一個計劃，并把它通告給這位惡魔：頭半年他把保羅送到博士的學校中去，作為一個每周在那里寄膳寄宿六天的學生，在這期間弗洛倫斯將留在城堡中，這樣她可以在星期六把弟弟接到她那里去。董貝先生說，這樣就將使他逐步地“斷奶”；可能他曾回想起上他是沒有經(jīng)過逐步斷奶的過程的。
董貝先生在結(jié)束會晤的時候，希望在他兒子在布賴頓學習期間，皮普欽太太仍保留她作為保羅的總管理人與監(jiān)督員的職務。然后他吻吻保羅，跟弗洛倫斯握握手，看到比瑟斯通少爺露著氣派莊嚴的衣領(lǐng)，拍拍潘基小姐的頭，使她哭了起來（她身上的這個部位特別敏感，因為皮普欽太太習慣于用她的指關(guān)節(jié)來敲它，敲出聲音來，就像敲桶一樣）；在這之后，他回到旅館吃晚飯，并作出了決定：由于保羅已經(jīng)長大，也長健康了，從今以后他就應該開始接受一個充實的教育過程，以便使他有能力擔當起他將大顯身手的職務；布林伯博士應當立即把他接到手里，負責對他進行指導。
每當一位年輕人被布林伯博士接到手里的時候，他可以毫無疑問地受到很緊的一握。博士只管理十位年輕人，但是按照低的估計，他肚子里準備好的學問足夠供應給一百個人享用。把這些學問供給這十位不幸的人狼吞虎咽，吃得飽飽的，既是他的職業(yè)，又是他的生活樂趣。
實際上，布林伯博士的學校是一個很大的溫室，里面有一個催熟的器械在連續(xù)不停地運轉(zhuǎn)。所有的孩子們都過早地成熟了。精神的青豌豆在圣誕節(jié)的時候就生產(chǎn)出來了；智力的龍須菜則全年都有。數(shù)學的醋栗（也是很酸的）在不合時令的季節(jié)中尋常無奇，它們藏身在布林伯博士栽培的灌木嫩枝之中。各色品種的希臘語與拉丁語蔬菜是在結(jié)霜凍冰的情況下，從孩子們干枯的細枝中采摘下來的。天性是完全無關(guān)緊要的。不管原來打算讓一位年輕人結(jié)什么果實，布林伯博士不知怎么的都是讓他按照規(guī)定的樣式結(jié)出果實來。
這些全都是很有趣、很巧妙的，但催熟的制度也附帶產(chǎn)生出它通常的一些缺點。早熟產(chǎn)品的滋味不是正味，它們也不好保存。而且，有一位鼻子發(fā)腫、頭長得特別大的年輕人（他是這十個人當中年齡大的一個，他“經(jīng)受過了”一切），有一天突然停止生長，只是以一株莖桿的形式留在學校里。人們都說，博士對年輕的圖茨搞得太過頭了，當他開始留起連鬢胡子的時候，他卻停止培育腦子了。
不管怎么樣，年輕的圖茨還是住在布林伯博士的學校里；他有極為粗啞的嗓音和極為可憐的智力；襯衫上插著飾針；背心口袋里裝著一枚戒指，當學生們出去散步的時候，他就偷偷地把它帶在小指頭上；他經(jīng)常一見鐘情地愛上了培養(yǎng)苗木的年輕女工們，而她們連有沒有他這個人都不知道；在就寢時間以后，他通過前面第三層樓左角上的窗子的小鐵格子望著外面煤氣燈照亮的世界，就像一個長得太大、在高空中坐得太久的天使。
博士是一位儀表堂堂的紳士，穿一套黑衣服，膝蓋上有一根帶子把下面的襪子系緊。他的禿頭十分光亮；聲音低沉；下巴是雙層的，他刮胡子的時候怎么能刮進那些折縫中是件奇事。他還有一雙小眼睛經(jīng)常是半閉著的；一張嘴巴半開著，顯出似笑非笑的樣子，仿佛他在那時剛盤問過一個孩子，現(xiàn)在正等待著他親自認罪。當博士把右手伸進上衣的胸口，另一只手擱在背后，腦袋幾乎覺察不到地搖晃一下，向一位緊張不安的陌生人發(fā)表一些極為平淡無奇的意見的時候，他的那些意見就像是出自斯芬克斯①的金玉良言，并把他的事情給解決了。
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①斯芬克斯（sphynx）：希臘神話中有翼的獅身女面怪物。
博士的學校是一座宏大的精美的房屋，面對著海。房屋里面的格調(diào)并不令人喜悅，而是恰恰相反。黯淡的窗簾粗陋、狹窄，垂頭喪氣地躲藏在窗子后面。桌子和椅子像算術(shù)題中的數(shù)字一樣，一行一行地排列著；舉行典禮的房間十分難得生火，因此它們覺得自己就像水井，來訪的客人就像投進井中的水桶一樣；餐廳似乎是世界上后一個可以吃喝的地方；除了前廳里一只大鐘滴嗒滴嗒的響聲外，整個房屋里沒有其他聲音，而那只大鐘走動的聲音就連頂樓里也能聽到；有時也傳來年輕人上課時發(fā)出的低沉的喊聲，就像一群憂郁的鴿子的咕咕聲一樣。
布林伯小姐雖然是一位苗條、優(yōu)雅的姑娘，但也沒有做任何事情破壞這房屋里的嚴肅氣氛。輕浮的胡鬧與布林伯小姐格格不入。她留著短而卷曲的頭發(fā)，并戴著眼鏡。她在已死去的語言的墳墓中挖掘著，所以皮膚干枯，表面是沙子的顏色。布林伯小姐不需要你們那些活的語言。她所需要的語言必須是死的——完全斷了氣的——，那時布林伯小姐才像食尸鬼一樣，把它們挖掘出來。
她的媽媽布林伯夫人本人并沒有學問，但是她卻裝出有學問的樣子，而且裝得還不壞。她在一些晚會上說，如果她能認識西塞羅①的話，那么她想她就能甘心滿意地死去了。她的永不改變的生活樂趣就是看著博士手下的年輕的先生們，與其他年輕人不一樣，敞開大得不能再大的襯衫領(lǐng)子，佩戴著硬得不能再硬的領(lǐng)帶，出去散步。她說，那是古典式的。
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①西塞羅（MarcusTulliusCicero）（公元前106—43年）：古羅馬政治家、雄辯家和著作家。
至于布林格博士的助手、文學士菲德先生，他是一個人為的手搖風琴；他根據(jù)一份小小的曲調(diào)目錄，一遍又一遍、毫無變化地演奏著。如果他的命運好的話，那么他可能在早年就裝備好一個備用的手搖風琴；但是他的命運不好，他只有他本人這個手搖風琴，他的職業(yè)就是用這個單調(diào)的圓筒來迷糊博士手下的這些年輕的先生們的年輕的思想。這些年輕的先生們過早地操心、憂慮。鐵石心腸的動詞、殘暴粗野的名詞、毫不通融的句法，以及出現(xiàn)在他們夢中的練習的魔鬼在追趕著他們，使他們得不到休息；在催熟的制度下，一位年輕的先生通常在三個星期以后就失去了朝氣；他在三個月以后就為世界上各種事情操心；他在四個月以后對他的父母和監(jiān)護人懷著怨恨的情緒；他在五個月以后成了個老厭世者；他在六個月以后羨慕庫爾提烏斯①幸運地遁身在地中；他在頭十二個月末尾的時候得出結(jié)論：詩篇中的幻想和圣人的教訓只不過是詞與語法的匯集，在世界上沒有其他意義；從此以后他就再也沒有拋棄過這個結(jié)論。
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①庫爾提烏斯（MarcusCurtius）：據(jù)古羅馬神話傳說，公元前362年，羅馬廣場裂開一條無底深溝；預言師說，只有把羅馬寶貴的東西扔下去，裂縫才能重新合攏。這時年輕人庫爾提烏斯宣稱，沒有什么能比一個勇敢的公民更可寶貴的了，于是他全副武裝跳下了深溝。他剛一跳下，裂縫就立即重新合攏。后來這處地方變成了一片池塘，稱為庫爾提烏斯湖（LacusCurtius）。
可是他在博士的溫室中一直繼續(xù)生長著，生長著，生長著。當他把他冬天生長出的產(chǎn)品帶回家中，呈現(xiàn)在他的親友面前時，博士就得到了極大的光榮與聲譽。
有一天，保羅懷著一顆忐忑不安的心，由他父親握著小小的右手，站立在博士的門階上。他的另一只手由弗洛論斯緊緊地握在她的手中。那只小手是握得多么緊，而另一只手是多么松馳與冷淡呵！
皮普欽太太像只兇鳥，長著烏黑的羽毛和鉤狀的喙，在他的犧牲品后面盤旋。因為董貝先生腦子里在思考重大的事情，走得很快，所以她走得上氣不接下氣；當?shù)戎_門的時候，她嘶啞地發(fā)出了哭喪的聲音。
“保羅，”董貝先生喜不自勝地說道?！斑@就是真正通向董貝父子和有錢的道路。你幾乎已成為一個大人了?！?BR> “幾乎，”孩子回答道。
即使是他那孩子的激動也不能控制他回答時伴隨著的頑皮的、奇妙的但卻令人感動的眼光。
它使董貝先生臉上露出了隱約的、不滿的表情；但這時門開了，它很快就消失了。
“我想布林伯博士在家吧？”董貝先生說道。
那仆人說是的；當他們走進去的時候，他看著保羅，仿佛他是只小耗子，而那座房屋則仿佛是只捕鼠籠似的。他是一位弱視的青年，臉上露出一絲難以覺察的齜牙咧嘴的笑容或它初閃出的一道微光。這僅僅是低能的表現(xiàn)而已；但皮普欽太太卻憑空地認為這是無禮，所以就立刻惡狠狠地抓住了他。
“你怎么敢在有身份的先生背后發(fā)笑？”皮普欽太太說道。
“你又把我當作什么人？”
“我沒有笑任何人；我還可以肯定，我沒有把您小看了，夫人，”那位年輕人驚慌地回答道。
“一群吊兒郎當?shù)膽泄?！”皮普欽太太說，“只配去轉(zhuǎn)動烤肉叉①！去告訴你的主人，董貝先生來了，要不你的結(jié)果就更糟！”
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①英國舊時社會中訓練狗用踏車來轉(zhuǎn)動烤肉叉。
那位弱視的年輕人十分溫順地離開去執(zhí)行任務；不久就回來請他們到博士的書房里去。
“你又笑了，先生，”皮普欽太太笑道；她走在后面，這時從他身邊穿過前廳。
“我沒有笑，”被欺壓得很痛苦的年輕人回答道?！拔覐膩頉]有見到這樣的事情！”
“怎么回事，皮普欽太太？”董貝先生回過頭來看了一下，說道?！罢堓p一些！”
皮普欽太太出于對董貝先生的尊敬，走過的時候?qū)δ俏荒贻p人只是咕噥了幾聲，同時說道，“啊，他是個寶貝家伙”，一邊離開那位年輕人；那位年輕人是極為溫順和愚鈍的，這件事情甚至使他傷心地掉了淚?？墒瞧て諝J太太慣于欺壓所有溫順的人們；她的朋友們說，在秘魯?shù)V井的事情發(fā)生之后，這有什么好奇怪的呢？
博士坐在他的奇特的書房中，每只膝蓋上擺著一個地球儀，四周都是書籍，荷馬①在門的上面，米涅瓦②在壁爐架上?！澳脝幔壬?？”他對董貝先生說道；“我的小朋友好嗎？”
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①荷馬（Homer）：公元前10世紀前后的希臘盲詩人；《伊利亞特》及《奧德賽》兩大史詩的作者。
②米涅瓦（Minerva）：羅馬神話中司智慧、學問、戰(zhàn)爭的女神。
博士的聲音像風琴一樣莊重沉著；當他停止講話的時候，前廳中的大鐘似乎（至少保羅覺得是這樣）接著他的話，繼續(xù)往下說道，“我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？”一遍，一遍，又一遍地重復說著。
小朋友太小了，從博士坐著的地方，越過桌子上的書去看是看不見的；博士就試圖通過桌腿去看他，但也是徒勞無益；董貝先生看到這一點，就把保羅抱起來，讓他坐在房間中間面對著博士的另一張小桌子上，使博士擺脫了困難。
“哈！”博士把手伸進上衣的胸間，仰靠在椅子中說道。
“現(xiàn)在我看見我的小朋友了。您好嗎，我的小朋友？”
前廳中的鐘不贊同把詞的組合形式進行這樣的改變，繼續(xù)重復說道，“我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？”
“很好，謝謝您，先生，”保羅回答了博士，也回答了鐘。
“哈！”布林伯博士說道?！拔覀儗阉囵B(yǎng)成一個大人嗎？”
“你聽到了嗎，保羅？”董貝先生補充了一句。保羅默不作聲。
“我們將把他培養(yǎng)成一個大人嗎？”博士重復問道。
“我寧肯當個孩子，”保羅回答道。
“真的嗎？”博士說道?！盀槭裁?？”
孩子坐在桌子上看著他，臉上露出了被壓抑的情緒的奇怪表情，一邊用一只手自豪地敲打著膝蓋，仿佛眼淚已經(jīng)在膝蓋下面涌上來，他已把它們壓下去了。但是在這同時，他的另一只手卻向一邊伸出去，伸出去——伸得更遠一些——，一直伸到弗洛倫斯的脖子上?！斑@就是為什么，”它似乎這么說道；然后他那鎮(zhèn)定沉著的神色改變了，消失了，顫動著的嘴唇松馳了，眼淚汪汪地滾流出來。
“皮普欽太太，”他的父親抱怨地說道，“我實在很不高興看到這一點?！?BR> “離開他，董貝小姐，照我的話做，”那位女監(jiān)管人說道。
“不要緊，”博士不動感情地點點頭，讓皮普欽太太回去。
“不要緊；我們將很快用新的關(guān)心與新的印象來代替，董貝先生，您還跟以前一樣希望我的小朋友獲得——”
“一切！勞駕您，博士，”董貝先生堅決地回答道。
“好的，”博士說道；他半閉著眼睛，露出了慣常的笑容，似乎以一種對他將要喂養(yǎng)的某個精選的小動物可能懷有的興趣打量著保羅，“好，好極了。哈！我們將向我們的小朋友傳授很多種知識，而且我敢說，使他迅速進步。完全是一塊處女地，我想您曾經(jīng)這樣說過吧，董貝先生？”
“除了在家里以及從這位女士那里做過一些普通的準備之外，”董貝先生一邊介紹皮普欽太太，一邊回答道；皮普欽太太立刻讓她的整個肌肉系統(tǒng)緊張起來，同時挑戰(zhàn)地噴著鼻息，以防博士貶損她?！俺诉@些之外，保羅到現(xiàn)在為止，什么都還沒有學習過?！?BR> 布林伯博士對皮普欽太太這種毫不足取的侵犯溫和地表示容忍，低下頭說道，他很高興聽到這一點。他搓搓手說，在這個基礎(chǔ)上開始是非常令人滿意的。然后他又斜眼瞅著保羅，仿佛他很想當場就跟他聊聊希臘字母似的。
“這樣一種情況，布林伯博士，”董貝向他的小兒子看了一眼，繼續(xù)說道，“加上我又有幸跟您進行過會晤，因此我確實就不必要再作進一步的說明來侵占您寶貴的時間了，所以——”
“好了，董貝小姐”！皮普欽尖刻地說道。
“請允許我再耽擱你們一會兒，”博士說道，“請允許我介紹一下布林伯夫人和我的女兒，她們將與我們前往帕納薩斯①參拜的年輕人的家庭生活有關(guān)。這是布林伯夫人，”那位可能一直在等待著的夫人及時地走了進來，后面跟著她的女兒，那位戴著眼鏡的美麗的掘墓的教堂司事②；“這是董貝先生。這是我的女兒科妮莉亞，董貝先生。我親愛的，”博士轉(zhuǎn)向他的妻子，繼續(xù)說道，“董貝先生對我們十分信任，因此——你看到我們的小朋友了嗎？”
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①帕納薩斯（Parnassus）：希臘中部的山峰，傳說為太陽神阿波羅及詩神繆斯的靈地。
②教堂司事（Sexton）：教堂司事，擔任教堂內(nèi)外管理、敲鐘、墓地等工作，這里是把布林伯小姐比做一位“掘墓人”。
布林伯夫人原先只把董貝先生作為她那過分的禮貌的目標，顯然沒有看到這位小朋友，因為她背對著他，對他在桌子上的地位造成很大的危險。但是，她聽到這句暗示的話以后，就轉(zhuǎn)過身去欣賞他的面貌中古典的與智慧的特色，然后又轉(zhuǎn)回來，嘆了一口氣，對董貝先生說，她羨慕他的親愛的兒子。
“像一只蜜蜂一樣，先生，”布林伯夫人抬起眼睛，說道，“就將飛進一個盛開著美好的花朵的花園里，頭去領(lǐng)略那芳甜的滋味。維吉爾①，賀拉斯②，奧維德③，泰倫斯④，普勞圖斯⑤，西塞羅。我們這里擁有一個什么樣的蜜的世界呀。董貝先生，一個妻子說這些話也許看來是令人驚異的，這樣一位丈夫的妻子——”
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①維吉爾（拉丁語全名為PubliusVirgiliusMaro，英譯名為Virgil，公元前70—19年）：古羅馬詩人。
②賀拉斯（拉丁語全名為QuintusHoratiusFlacus，英譯名為Horace，公元前65—8年）：古羅馬詩人。
③奧維德（拉丁語全名為PubliusOvidiusNaso，英譯名為Ovid，公元前48—17？年）：古羅馬詩人。
④泰倫斯（拉丁語全名為PubliusTerentiniusAfer，英譯名為Terence，公元前186A185—159？年）：古羅馬喜劇作家。
⑤普勞圖斯（拉丁語全名為TitusMaccusPlautus，英譯名為Plautus，公元前254？—184年）：古羅馬喜劇作家。
“別說了，別說了，”布林伯博士說道?！罢娌缓π??！?BR> “董貝先生會原諒一位妻子的偏心的，”布林伯夫人露著迷人的微笑，說道。<
Mrs Pipchin's constitution was made of such hard metal, in spite of its liability to the fleshly weaknesses of standing in need of repose after chops, and of requiring to be coaxed to sleep by the soporific agency of sweet-breads, that it utterly set at naught the predictions of Mrs Wickam, and showed no symptoms of decline. Yet, as Paul's rapt interest in the old lady continued unbated, Mrs Wickam would not budge an inch from the position she had taken up. Fortifying and entrenching herself on the strong ground of her Uncle's Betsey Jane, she advised Miss Berry, as a friend, to prepare herself for the worst; and forewarned her that her aunt might, at any time, be expected to go off suddenly, like a powder-mill.
'I hope, Miss Berry,' Mrs Wickam would observe, 'that you'll come into whatever little property there may be to leave. You deserve it, I am sure, for yours is a trying life. Though there don't seem much worth coming into - you'll excuse my being so open - in this dismal den.'
Poor Berry took it all in good part, and drudged and slaved away as usual; perfectly convinced that Mrs Pipchin was one of the most meritorious persons in the world, and making every day innumerable sacrifices of herself upon the altar of that noble old woman. But all these immolations of Berry were somehow carried to the credit of Mrs Pipchin by Mrs Pipchin's friends and admirers; and were made to harmonise with, and carry out, that melancholy fact of the deceased Mr Pipchin having broken his heart in the Peruvian mines.
For example, there was an honest grocer and general dealer in the retail line of business, between whom and Mrs Pipchin there was a small memorandum book, with a greasy red cover, perpetually in question, and concerning which divers secret councils and conferences were continually being held between the parties to that register, on the mat in the passage, and with closed doors in the parlour. Nor were there wanting dark hints from Master Bitherstone (whose temper had been made revengeful by the solar heats of India acting on his blood), of balances unsettled, and of a failure, on one occasion within his memory, in the supply of moist sugar at tea-time. This grocer being a bachelor and not a man who looked upon the surface for beauty, had once made honourable offers for the hand of Berry, which Mrs Pipchin had, with contumely and scorn, rejected. Everybody said how laudable this was in Mrs Pipchin, relict of a man who had died of the Peruvian mines; and what a staunch, high, independent spirit the old lady had. But nobody said anything about poor Berry, who cried for six weeks (being soundly rated by her good aunt all the time), and lapsed into a state of hopeless spinsterhood.
'Berry's very fond of you, ain't she?' Paul once asked Mrs Pipchin when they were sitting by the fire with the cat.
'Yes,' said Mrs Pipchin.
'Why?' asked Paul.
'Why!' returned the disconcerted old lady. 'How can you ask such things, Sir! why are you fond of your sister Florence?'
'Because she's very good,' said Paul. 'There's nobody like Florence.'
'Well!' retorted Mrs Pipchin, shortly, 'and there's nobody like me, I suppose.'
'Ain't there really though?' asked Paul, leaning forward in his chair, and looking at her very hard.
'No,' said the old lady.
'I am glad of that,' observed Paul, rubbing his hands thoughtfully. 'That's a very good thing.'
Mrs Pipchin didn't dare to ask him why, lest she should receive some perfectly annihilating answer. But as a compensation to her wounded feelings, she harassed Master Bitherstone to that extent until bed-time, that he began that very night to make arrangements for an overland return to India, by secreting from his supper a quarter of a round of bread and a fragment of moist Dutch cheese, as the beginning of a stock of provision to support him on the voyage.
Mrs Pipchin had kept watch and ward over little Paul and his sister for nearly twelve months. They had been home twice, but only for a few days; and had been constant in their weekly visits to Mr Dombey at the hotel. By little and little Paul had grown stronger, and had become able to dispense with his carriage; though he still looked thin and delicate; and still remained the same old, quiet, dreamy child that he had been when first consigned to Mrs Pipchin's care. One Saturday afternoon, at dusk, great consternation was occasioned in the Castle by the unlooked-for announcement of Mr Dombey as a visitor to Mrs Pipchin. The population of the parlour was immediately swept upstairs as on the wings of a whirlwind, and after much slamming of bedroom doors, and trampling overhead, and some knocking about of Master Bitherstone by Mrs Pipchin, as a relief to the perturbation of her spirits, the black bombazeen garments of the worthy old lady darkened the audience-chamber where Mr Dombey was contemplating the vacant arm-chair of his son and heir.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, 'How do you do?'
'Thank you, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, 'I am pretty well, considering.'
Mrs Pipchin always used that form of words. It meant, considering her virtues, sacrifices, and so forth.
'I can't expect, Sir, to be very well,' said Mrs Pipchin, taking a chair and fetching her breath; 'but such health as I have, I am grateful for.'
Mr Dombey inclined his head with the satisfied air of a patron, who felt that this was the sort of thing for which he paid so much a quarter. After a moment's silence he went on to say:
'Mrs Pipchin, I have taken the liberty of calling, to consult you in reference to my son. I have had it in my mind to do so for some time past; but have deferred it from time to time, in order that his health might be thoroughly re-established. You have no misgivings on that subject, Mrs Pipchin?'
'Brighton has proved very beneficial, Sir,' returned Mrs Pipchin. 'Very beneficial, indeed.'
'I purpose,' said Mr Dombey, 'his remaining at Brighton.'
Mrs Pipchin rubbed her hands, and bent her grey eyes on the fire.
'But,' pursued Mr Dombey, stretching out his forefinger, 'but possibly that he should now make a change, and lead a different kind of life here. In short, Mrs Pipchin, that is the object of my visit. My son is getting on, Mrs Pipchin. Really, he is getting on.'
There was something melancholy in the triumphant air with which Mr Dombey said this. It showed how long Paul's childish life had been to him, and how his hopes were set upon a later stage of his existence. Pity may appear a strange word to connect with anyone so haughty and so cold, and yet he seemed a worthy subject for it at that moment.
'Six years old!' said Mr Dombey, settling his neckcloth - perhaps to hide an irrepressible smile that rather seemed to strike upon the surface of his face and glance away, as finding no resting-place, than to play there for an instant. 'Dear me, six will be changed to sixteen, before we have time to look about us.'
'Ten years,' croaked the unsympathetic Pipchin, with a frosty glistening of her hard grey eye, and a dreary shaking of her bent head, 'is a long time.'
'It depends on circumstances, returned Mr Dombey; 'at all events, Mrs Pipchin, my son is six years old, and there is no doubt, I fear, that in his studies he is behind many children of his age - or his youth,' said Mr Dombey, quickly answering what he mistrusted was a shrewd twinkle of the frosty eye, 'his youth is a more appropriate expression. Now, Mrs Pipchin, instead of being behind his peers, my son ought to be before them; far before them. There is an eminence ready for him to mount upon. There is nothing of chance or doubt in the course before my son. His way in life was clear and prepared, and marked out before he existed. The education of such a young gentleman must not be delayed. It must not be left imperfect. It must be very steadily and seriously undertaken, Mrs Pipchin.'
'Well, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, 'I can say nothing to the contrary.'
'I was quite sure, Mrs Pipchin,' returned Mr Dombey, approvingly, 'that a person of your good sense could not, and would not.'
'There is a great deal of nonsense - and worse - talked about young people not being pressed too hard at first, and being tempted on, and all the rest of it, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, impatiently rubbing her hooked nose. 'It never was thought of in my time, and it has no business to be thought of now. My opinion is "keep 'em at it".'
'My good madam,' returned Mr Dombey, 'you have not acquired your reputation undeservedly; and I beg you to believe, Mrs Pipchin, that I am more than satisfied with your excellent system of management, and shall have the greatest pleasure in commending it whenever my poor commendation - ' Mr Dombey's loftiness when he affected to disparage his own importance, passed all bounds - 'can be of any service. I have been thinking of Doctor Blimber's, Mrs Pipchin.'
'My neighbour, Sir?' said Mrs Pipchin. 'I believe the Doctor's is an excellent establishment. I've heard that it's very strictly conducted, and there is nothing but learning going on from morning to night.'
'And it's very expensive,' added Mr Dombey.
'And it's very expensive, Sir,' returned Mrs Pipchin, catching at the fact, as if in omitting that, she had omitted one of its leading merits.
'I have had some communication with the Doctor, Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, hitching his chair anxiously a little nearer to the fire, 'and he does not consider Paul at all too young for his purpose. He mentioned several instances of boys in Greek at about the same age. If I have any little uneasiness in my own mind, Mrs Pipchin, on the subject of this change, it is not on that head. My son not having known a mother has gradually concentrated much - too much - of his childish affection on his sister. Whether their separation - ' Mr Dombey said no more, but sat silent.
'Hoity-toity!' exclaimed Mrs Pipchin, shaking out her black bombazeen skirts, and plucking up all the ogress within her. 'If she don't like it, Mr Dombey, she must be taught to lump it.' The good lady apologised immediately afterwards for using so common a figure of speech, but said (and truly) that that was the way she reasoned with 'em.
Mr Dombey waited until Mrs Pipchin had done bridling and shaking her head, and frowning down a legion of Bitherstones and Pankeys; and then said quietly, but correctively, 'He, my good madam, he.'
Mrs Pipchin's system would have applied very much the same mode of cure to any uneasiness on the part of Paul, too; but as the hard grey eye was sharp enough to see that the recipe, however Mr Dombey might admit its efficacy in the case of the daughter, was not a sovereign remedy for the son, she argued the point; and contended that change, and new society, and the different form of life he would lead at Doctor Blimber's, and the studies he would have to master, would very soon prove sufficient alienations. As this chimed in with Mr Dombey's own hope and belief, it gave that gentleman a still higher opinion of Mrs Pipchin's understanding; and as Mrs Pipchin, at the same time, bewailed the loss of her dear little friend (which was not an overwhelming shock to her, as she had long expected it, and had not looked, in the beginning, for his remaining with her longer than three months), he formed an equally good opinion of Mrs Pipchin's disinterestedness. It was plain that he had given the subject anxious consideration, for he had formed a plan, which he announced to the ogress, of sending Paul to the Doctor's as a weekly boarder for the first half year, during which time Florence would remain at the Castle, that she might receive her brother there, on Saturdays. This would wean him by degrees, Mr Dombey said; possibly with a recollection of his not having been weaned by degrees on a former occasion.
Mr Dombey finished the interview by expressing his hope that Mrs Pipchin would still remain in office as general superintendent and overseer of his son, pending his studies at Brighton; and having kissed Paul, and shaken hands with Florence, and beheld Master Bitherstone in his collar of state, and made Miss Pankey cry by patting her on the head (in which region she was uncommonly tender, on account of a habit Mrs Pipchin had of sounding it with her knuckles, like a cask), he withdrew to his hotel and dinner: resolved that Paul, now that he was getting so old and well, should begin a vigorous course of education forthwith, to qualify him for the position in which he was to shine; and that Doctor Blimber should take him in hand immediately.
Whenever a young gentleman was taken in hand by Doctor Blimber, he might consider himself sure of a pretty tight squeeze. The Doctor only undertook the charge of ten young gentlemen, but he had, always ready, a supply of learning for a hundred, on the lowest estimate; and it was at once the business and delight of his life to gorge the unhappy ten with it.
In fact, Doctor Blimber's establishment was a great hot-house, in which there was a forcing apparatus incessantly at work. All the boys blew before their time. Mental green-peas were produced at Christmas, and intellectual asparagus all the year round. Mathematical gooseberries (very sour ones too) were common at untimely seasons, and from mere sprouts of bushes, under Doctor Blimber's cultivation. Every description of Greek and Latin vegetable was got off the driest twigs of boys, under the frostiest circumstances. Nature was of no consequence at all. No matter what a young gentleman was intended to bear, Doctor Blimber made him bear to pattern, somehow or other.
This was all very pleasant and ingenious, but the system of forcing was attended with its usual disadvantages. There was not the right taste about the premature productions, and they didn't keep well. Moreover, one young gentleman, with a swollen nose and an excessively large head (the oldest of the ten who had 'gone through' everything), suddenly left off blowing one day, and remained in the establishment a mere stalk. And people did say that the Doctor had rather overdone it with young Toots, and that when he began to have whiskers he left off having brains.
There young Toots was, at any rate; possessed of the gruffest of voices and the shrillest of minds; sticking ornamental pins into his shirt, and keeping a ring in his waistcoat pocket to put on his little finger by stealth, when the pupils went out walking; constantly falling in love by sight with nurserymaids, who had no idea of his existence; and looking at the gas-lighted world over the little iron bars in the left-hand corner window of the front three pairs of stairs, after bed-time, like a greatly overgrown cherub who had sat up aloft much too long.
The Doctor was a portly gentleman in a suit of black, with strings at his knees, and stockings below them. He had a bald head, highly polished; a deep voice; and a chin so very double, that it was a wonder how he ever managed to shave into the creases. He had likewise a pair of little eyes that were always half shut up, and a mouth that was always half expanded into a grin, as if he had, that moment, posed a boy, and were waiting to convict him from his own lips. Insomuch, that when the Doctor put his right hand into the breast of his coat, and with his other hand behind him, and a scarcely perceptible wag of his head, made the commonest observation to a nervous stranger, it was like a sentiment from the sphynx, and settled his business.
The Doctor's was a mighty fine house, fronting the sea. Not a joyful style of house within, but quite the contrary. Sad-coloured curtains, whose proportions were spare and lean, hid themselves despondently behind the windows. The tables and chairs were put away in rows, like figures in a sum; fires were so rarely lighted in the rooms of ceremony, that they felt like wells, and a visitor represented the bucket; the dining-room seemed the last place in the world where any eating or drinking was likely to occur; there was no sound through all the house but the ticking of a great clock in the hall, which made itself audible in the very garrets; and sometimes a dull cooing of young gentlemen at their lessons, like the murmurings of an assemblage of melancholy pigeons.
Miss Blimber, too, although a slim and graceful maid, did no soft violence to the gravity of the house. There was no light nonsense about Miss Blimber. She kept her hair short and crisp, and wore spectacles. She was dry and sandy with working in the graves of deceased languages. None of your live languages for Miss Blimber. They must be dead - stone dead - and then Miss Blimber dug them up like a Ghoul.
Mrs Blimber, her Mama, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and that did quite as well. She said at evening parties, that if she could have known Cicero, she thought she could have died contented. It was the steady joy of her life to see the Doctor's young gentlemen go out walking, unlike all other young gentlemen, in the largest possible shirt-collars, and the stiffest possible cravats. It was so classical, she said.
As to Mr Feeder, B.A., Doctor Blimber's assistant, he was a kind of human barrel-organ, with a little list of tunes at which he was continually working, over and over again, without any variation. He might have been fitted up with a change of barrels, perhaps, in early life, if his destiny had been favourable; but it had not been; and he had only one, with which, in a monotonous round, it was his occupation to bewilder the young ideas of Doctor Blimber's young gentlemen. The young gentlemen were prematurely full of carking anxieties. They knew no rest from the pursuit of stony-hearted verbs, savage noun-substantives, inflexible syntactic passages, and ghosts of exercises that appeared to them in their dreams. Under the forcing system, a young gentleman usually took leave of his spirits in three weeks. He had all the cares of the world on his head in three months. He conceived bitter sentiments against his parents or guardians in four; he was an old misanthrope, in five; envied Curtius that blessed refuge in the earth, in six; and at the end of the first twelvemonth had arrived at the conclusion, from which he never afterwards departed, that all the fancies of the poets, and lessons of the sages, were a mere collection of words and grammar, and had no other meaning in the world.
But he went on blow, blow, blowing, in the Doctor's hothouse, all the time; and the Doctor's glory and reputation were great, when he took his wintry growth home to his relations and friends.
Upon the Doctor's door-steps one day, Paul stood with a fluttering heart, and with his small right hand in his father's. His other hand was locked in that of Florence. How tight the tiny pressure of that one; and how loose and cold the other!
Mrs Pipchin hovered behind the victim, with her sable plumage and her hooked beak, like a bird of ill-omen. She was out of breath - for Mr Dombey, full of great thoughts, had walked fast - and she croaked hoarsely as she waited for the opening of the door.
'Now, Paul,' said Mr Dombey, exultingly. 'This is the way indeed to be Dombey and Son, and have money. You are almost a man already.'
'Almost,' returned the child.
Even his childish agitation could not master the sly and quaint yet touching look, with which he accompanied the reply.
It brought a vague expression of dissatisfaction into Mr Dombey's face; but the door being opened, it was quickly gone
'Doctor Blimber is at home, I believe?' said Mr Dombey.
The man said yes; and as they passed in, looked at Paul as if he were a little mouse, and the house were a trap. He was a weak-eyed young man, with the first faint streaks or early dawn of a grin on his countenance. It was mere imbecility; but Mrs Pipchin took it into her head that it was impudence, and made a snap at him directly.
'How dare you laugh behind the gentleman's back?' said Mrs Pipchin. 'And what do you take me for?'
'I ain't a laughing at nobody, and I'm sure I don't take you for nothing, Ma'am,' returned the young man, in consternation.
'A pack of idle dogs!' said Mrs Pipchin, 'only fit to be turnspits. Go and tell your master that Mr Dombey's here, or it'll be worse for you!'
The weak-eyed young man went, very meekly, to discharge himself of this commission; and soon came back to invite them to the Doctor's study.
'You're laughing again, Sir,' said Mrs Pipchin, when it came to her turn, bringing up the rear, to pass him in the hall.
'I ain't,' returned the young man, grievously oppressed. 'I never see such a thing as this!'
'What is the matter, Mrs Pipchin?' said Mr Dombey, looking round. 'Softly! Pray!'
Mrs Pipchin, in her deference, merely muttered at the young man as she passed on, and said, 'Oh! he was a precious fellow' - leaving the young man, who was all meekness and incapacity, affected even to tears by the incident. But Mrs Pipchin had a way of falling foul of all meek people; and her friends said who could wonder at it, after the Peruvian mines!
The Doctor was sitting in his portentous study, with a globe at each knee, books all round him, Homer over the door, and Minerva on the mantel-shelf. 'And how do you do, Sir?' he said to Mr Dombey, 'and how is my little friend?' Grave as an organ was the Doctor's speech; and when he ceased, the great clock in the hall seemed (to Paul at least) to take him up, and to go on saying, 'how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?' over and over and over again.
The little friend being something too small to be seen at all from where the Doctor sat, over the books on his table, the Doctor made several futile attempts to get a view of him round the legs; which Mr Dombey perceiving, relieved the Doctor from his embarrassment by taking Paul up in his arms, and sitting him on another little table, over against the Doctor, in the middle of the room.
'Ha!' said the Doctor, leaning back in his chair with his hand in his breast. 'Now I see my little friend. How do you do, my little friend?'
The clock in the hall wouldn't subscribe to this alteration in the form of words, but continued to repeat how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?'
'Very well, I thank you, Sir,' returned Paul, answering the clock quite as much as the Doctor.
'Ha!' said Doctor Blimber. 'Shall we make a man of him?'
'Do you hear, Paul?' added Mr Dombey; Paul being silent.
'Shall we make a man of him?' repeated the Doctor.
'I had rather be a child,' replied Paul.
'Indeed!' said the Doctor. 'Why?'
The child sat on the table looking at him, with a curious expression of suppressed emotion in his face, and beating one hand proudly on his knee as if he had the rising tears beneath it, and crushed them. But his other hand strayed a little way the while, a little farther - farther from him yet - until it lighted on the neck of Florence. 'This is why,' it seemed to say, and then the steady look was broken up and gone; the working lip was loosened; and the tears came streaming forth.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said his father, in a querulous manner, 'I am really very sorry to see this.'
'Come away from him, do, Miss Dombey,' quoth the matron.
'Never mind,' said the Doctor, blandly nodding his head, to keep Mrs Pipchin back. 'Never mind; we shall substitute new cares and new impressions, Mr Dombey, very shortly. You would still wish my little friend to acquire - '
'Everything, if you please, Doctor,' returned Mr Dombey, firmly.
'Yes,' said the Doctor, who, with his half-shut eyes, and his usual smile, seemed to survey Paul with the sort of interest that might attach to some choice little animal he was going to stuff. 'Yes, exactly. Ha! We shall impart a great variety of information to our little friend, and bring him quickly forward, I daresay. I daresay. Quite a virgin soil, I believe you said, Mr Dombey?'
'Except some ordinary preparation at home, and from this lady,' replied Mr Dombey, introducing Mrs Pipchin, who instantly communicated a rigidity to her whole muscular system, and snorted defiance beforehand, in case the Doctor should disparage her; 'except so far, Paul has, as yet, applied himself to no studies at all.'
Doctor Blimber inclined his head, in gentle tolerance of such insignificant poaching as Mrs Pipchin's, and said he was glad to hear it. It was much more satisfactory, he observed, rubbing his hands, to begin at the foundation. And again he leered at Paul, as if he would have liked to tackle him with the Greek alphabet, on the spot.
'That circumstance, indeed, Doctor Blimber,' pursued Mr Dombey, glancing at his little son, 'and the interview I have already had the pleasure of holding with you, renders any further explanation, and consequently, any further intrusion on your valuable time, so unnecessary, that - '
'Now, Miss Dombey!' said the acid Pipchin.
'Permit me,' said the Doctor, 'one moment. Allow me to present Mrs Blimber and my daughter; who will be associated with the domestic life of our young Pilgrim to Parnassus Mrs Blimber,' for the lady, who had perhaps been in waiting, opportunely entered, followed by her daughter, that fair Sexton in spectacles, 'Mr Dombey. My daughter Cornelia, Mr Dombey. Mr Dombey, my love,' pursued the Doctor, turning to his wife, 'is so confiding as to - do you see our little friend?'
Mrs Blimber, in an excess of politeness, of which Mr Dombey was the object, apparently did not, for she was backing against the little friend, and very much endangering his position on the table. But, on this hint, she turned to admire his classical and intellectual lineaments, and turning again to Mr Dombey, said, with a sigh, that she envied his dear son.
'Like a bee, Sir,' said Mrs Blimber, with uplifted eyes, 'about to plunge into a garden of the choicest flowers, and sip the sweets for the first time Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Terence, Plautus, Cicero. What a world of honey have we here. It may appear remarkable, Mr Dombey, in one who is a wife - the wife of such a husband - '
'Hush, hush,' said Doctor Blimber. 'Fie for shame.'
'Mr Dombey will forgive the partiality of a wife,' said Mrs Blimber, with an engaging smile.
Mr Dombey answered 'Not at all:' applying those words, it is to be presumed, to the partiality, and not to the forgiveness.
'And it may seem remarkable in one who is a mother also,' resumed Mrs Blimber.
'And such a mother,' observed Mr Dombey, bowing with some confused idea of being complimentary to Cornelia.
'But really,' pursued Mrs Blimber, 'I think if I could have known Cicero, and been his friend, and talked with him in his retirement at Tusculum (beau-ti-ful Tusculum!), I could have died contented.'
A learned enthusiasm is so very contagious, that Mr Dombey half believed this was exactly his case; and even Mrs Pipchin, who was not, as we have seen, of an accommodating disposition generally, gave utterance to a little sound between a groan and a sigh, as if she would have said that nobody but Cicero could have proved a lasting consolation under that failure of the Peruvian MInes, but that he indeed would have been a very Davy-lamp of refuge.
Cornelia looked at Mr Dombey through her spectacles, as if she would have liked to crack a few quotations with him from the authority in question. But this design, if she entertained it, was frustrated by a knock at the room-door.
'Who is that?' said the Doctor. 'Oh! Come in, Toots; come in. Mr Dombey, Sir.' Toots bowed. 'Quite a coincidence!' said Doctor Blimber. 'Here we have the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega Our head boy, Mr Dombey.'
The Doctor might have called him their head and shoulders boy, for he was at least that much taller than any of the rest. He blushed very much at finding himself among strangers, and chuckled aloud.
'An addition to our little Portico, Toots,' said the Doctor; 'Mr Dombey's son.'
Young Toots blushed again; and finding, from a solemn silence which prevailed, that he was expected to say something, said to Paul, 'How are you?' in a voice so deep, and a manner so sheepish, that if a lamb had roared it couldn't have been more surprising.
'Ask Mr Feeder, if you please, Toots,' said the Doctor, 'to prepare a few introductory volumes for Mr Dombey's son, and to allot him a convenient seat for study. My dear, I believe Mr Dombey has not seen the dormitories.'
'If Mr Dombey will walk upstairs,' said Mrs Blimber, 'I shall be more than proud to show him the dominions of the drowsy god.'
With that, Mrs Blimber, who was a lady of great suavity, and a wiry figure, and who wore a cap composed of sky-blue materials, pied upstairs with Mr Dombey and Cornelia; Mrs Pipchin following, and looking out sharp for her enemy the footman.
While they were gone, Paul sat upon the table, holding Florence by the hand, and glancing timidly from the Doctor round and round the room, while the Doctor, leaning back in his chair, with his hand in his breast as usual, held a book from him at arm's length, and read. There was something very awful in this manner of reading. It was such a determined, unimpassioned, inflexible, cold-blooded way of going to work. It left the Doctor's countenance exposed to view; and when the Doctor smiled suspiciously at his author, or knit his brows, or shook his head and made wry faces at him, as much as to say, 'Don't tell me, Sir; I know better,' it was terrific.
Toots, too, had no business to be outside the door, ostentatiously examining the wheels in his watch, and counting his half-crowns. But that didn't last long; for Doctor Blimber, happening to change the position of his tight plump legs, as if he were going to get up, Toots swiftly vanished, and appeared no more.
Mr Dombey and his conductress were soon heard coming downstairs again, talking all the way; and presently they re-entered the Doctor's study.
'I hope, Mr Dombey,' said the Doctor, laying down his book, 'that the arrangements meet your approval.'
'They are excellent, Sir,' said Mr Dombey.
'Very fair, indeed,' said Mrs Pipchin, in a low voice; never disposed to give too much encouragement.
'Mrs Pipchin,' said Mr Dombey, wheeling round, 'will, with your permission, Doctor and Mrs Blimber, visit Paul now and then.'
'Whenever Mrs Pipchin pleases,' observed the Doctor.
'Always happy to see her,' said Mrs Blimber.
'I think,' said Mr Dombey, 'I have given all the trouble I need, and may take my leave. Paul, my child,' he went close to him, as he sat upon the table. 'Good-bye.'
'Good-bye, Papa.'
The limp and careless little hand that Mr Dombey took in his, was singularly out of keeping with the wistful face. But he had no part in its sorrowful expression. It was not addressed to him. No, no. To Florence - all to Florence.
If Mr Dombey in his insolence of wealth, had ever made an enemy, hard to appease and cruelly vindictive in his hate, even such an enemy might have received the pang that wrung his proud heart then, as compensation for his injury.
He bent down, over his boy, and kissed him. If his sight were dimmed as he did so, by something that for a moment blurred the little face, and made it indistinct to him, his mental vision may have been, for that short time, the clearer perhaps.
'I shall see you soon, Paul. You are free on Saturdays and Sundays, you know.'
'Yes, Papa,' returned Paul: looking at his sister. 'On Saturdays and Sundays.'
'And you'll try and learn a great deal here, and be a clever man,' said Mr Dombey; 'won't you?'
'I'll try,' returned the child, wearily.
'And you'll soon be grown up now!' said Mr Dombey.
'Oh! very soon!' replied the child. Once more the old, old look passed rapidly across his features like a strange light. It fell on Mrs Pipchin, and extinguished itself in her black dress. That excellent ogress stepped forward to take leave and to bear off Florence, which she had long been thirsting to do. The move on her part roused Mr Dombey, whose eyes were fixed on Paul. After patting him on the head, and pressing his small hand again, he took leave of Doctor Blimber, Mrs Blimber, and Miss Blimber, with his usual polite frigidity, and walked out of the study.
Despite his entreaty that they would not think of stirring, Doctor Blimber, Mrs Blimber, and Miss Blimber all pressed forward to attend him to the hall; and thus Mrs Pipchin got into a state of entanglement with Miss Blimber and the Doctor, and was crowded out of the study before she could clutch Florence. To which happy accident Paul stood afterwards indebted for the dear remembrance, that Florence ran back to throw her arms round his neck, and that hers was the last face in the doorway: turned towards him with a smile of encouragement, the brighter for the tears through which it beamed.
It made his childish bosom heave and swell when it was gone; and sent the globes, the books, blind Homer and Minerva, swimming round the room. But they stopped, all of a sudden; and then he heard the loud clock in the hall still gravely inquiring 'how, is, my, lit, tle, friend? how, is, my, lit, tle, friend?' as it had done before.
He sat, with folded hands, upon his pedestal, silently listening. But he might have answered 'weary, weary! very lonely, very sad!' And there, with an aching void in his young heart, and all outside so cold, and bare, and strange, Paul sat as if he had taken life unfurnished, and the upholsterer were never coming.
皮普欽太太的體質(zhì)是由這樣堅硬的金屬做成的，它雖然難免身軀虛弱，需要在吃過排骨之后休息休息，也需要依賴小羊胰臟的催眠作用才能進入夢鄉(xiāng)，但它使威肯姆大嫂的預言完全落了空，沒有顯露出衰老的任何癥狀。然而，由于保羅對這位老太太全神貫注的興趣并沒有減弱，所以威肯姆大嫂也不愿意從她原先的立場上后退一英寸。她以她舅舅的女兒貝特西·簡為堅強后盾，挖掘壕溝，構(gòu)筑要塞，防衛(wèi)著自己的地段，因此她以一位朋友的身份勸告貝里小姐要為發(fā)生壞的情況作好準備，并預先警告她，她的姑媽在任何時候都可能像火藥廠一樣突然爆炸。
可憐的貝里毫無惡感地接受了所有這些勸告，并跟往常一樣，像奴隸一樣拼命做著苦工；她完全相信，皮普欽太太是世界上值得稱頌的人之一，自愿作出無數(shù)犧牲，奉獻給那位尊貴的老女人的祭壇?？墒秦惱锼鞒龅乃羞@些犧牲卻被皮普欽太太的朋友們與崇拜者們記為皮普欽太太的功勞，而且還跟那件令人傷感的事實——已故的皮普欽先生是在秘魯?shù)牡V井傷心而死的——聯(lián)系起來，認為兩者是一脈相承的。
例如，有一位經(jīng)營食品、雜貨和一般零售業(yè)的誠實的商人，與皮普欽太太之間有一本油膩的紅封面的小備忘錄，它總是不斷地引起爭議；為了這一點，登記冊涉及的各方經(jīng)常在鋪了席子的走廊里或在關(guān)著門的客廳里舉行各種秘密的磋商與會議。比瑟斯通少爺（由于印度的太陽熱對他的血液發(fā)生作用的緣故，因此他產(chǎn)生了一副愛報復的脾氣）也屢次隱約地暗示，錢款收支不符，差額沒有結(jié)清；他還記得，有喝茶的時候，沒有供應潮濕的糖。這位商人是個單身漢，并不看重外表的漂亮，有規(guī)規(guī)矩矩地向貝里求婚，但皮普欽太太卻傲慢無禮地刻薄挖苦他，把他的求婚給拒絕了。人人都說，皮普欽太太，一位死在秘魯?shù)V井的男子的遺孀，這樣做是多么值得稱贊，還說這位老太太有著多么堅強、高尚與獨立的精神?？墒菍蓱z的貝里卻沒有一個人說過一句話；她哭了六個星期（她善良的姑媽一直在嚴厲地斥責她），并落到一個絕望的老處女的處境。
“貝里很喜歡您，是不是？”有當他們和那只貓一起坐在爐旁的時候，保羅問皮普欽太太。
“是的，”皮普欽太太說道。
“為什么？”保羅問道。
“為什么！”心煩意亂的老太太回答道。“您怎么能問這樣的事情，先生！您為什么喜歡您的姐姐弗洛倫斯？”
“因為她很好，”保羅說道，“沒有什么人能像弗洛倫斯那樣?！?BR> “唔！”皮普欽太太簡單地回答道?！澳敲匆矝]有什么人能像我這樣，我想?！?BR> “難道真的沒有嗎？”保羅在椅子里向前欠身，很專注地看著她，問道。
“沒有，”老太太說道。
“這使我很高興，”保羅認真思考地搓搓手，說道。“這是件很好的事情。”
皮普欽太太不敢問他為什么，唯恐會得到一個完全使她陷入絕境的答復?？墒?，為了補償她在感情上所受到的創(chuàng)傷，她把比瑟斯通少爺大大地折磨了一通，直到睡覺為止，因此他在當天夜里開始作出了由陸路回到印度去的安排，辦法是吃晚飯的時候偷偷地藏起四分之一塊面包和一小片潮濕的荷蘭乳酪，就這樣開始儲存起旅途中所需的食品。
皮普欽太太對小保羅和他的姐姐看管、監(jiān)護了將近十二個月。他們曾經(jīng)回家去過兩次，但只住了幾天，每個星期照常總要到旅館里去看望董貝先生。保羅雖然看去仍舊消瘦、虛弱，而且跟他當初被托付給皮普欽太太看管時一樣，仍然同樣是那個老氣的、安靜的、喜愛幻想的孩子，但他逐漸逐漸地強壯起來，不坐車也能出去走走了；在一個星期六的下午，已經(jīng)是薄暮的時候，這里接到了一個事先沒有預料到的通知：董貝先生要來拜訪皮普欽太太，這在城堡中引起了極大的驚慌?？蛷d里的人們就像被旋風刮起來一般，飛快地被趕到了樓上；寢室的門被砰砰地關(guān)上，腳從孩子們的頭踩踏過去，皮普欽太太又把比瑟斯通少爺接二連三地打了一陣，來減輕一下她精神上的焦慮不安；在這之后，這位可尊敬的老太太走進了接見室，她的黑色的邦巴辛毛葛衣服使室內(nèi)的光線昏暗下來；董貝先生正在室內(nèi)細心觀察著他的兒子和繼承人的空著的扶手椅子。
“皮普欽太太，”董貝先生說道，“您好嗎？”
“謝謝您，先生，”皮普欽太太說道，“從多方面考慮來說，我還不錯?！?BR> 皮普欽太太經(jīng)常使用這樣的措詞。它的意思是，考慮到她的品德、犧牲等等。
“我不能指望我的身體非常好，先生，”皮普欽太太坐到一張椅子里，緩一口氣；“但我能像現(xiàn)在這樣的健康，我是感謝天主的?！?BR> 董貝先生露出顧主滿意的神情，低下了頭，他覺得這正是他每個季度付出這么多的錢所要得到的。在片刻的沉默之后，他往下說道：
“皮普欽太太，我冒昧地前來拜訪，是想跟您商量一下我兒子的事。過去好些時候我就有意這樣做了，但卻又地推遲，為的是讓他的健康完全恢復過來。您在這個問題上沒有什么顧慮吧，皮普欽太太？”
“布賴頓看來是個有益于健康的地方，先生，”皮普欽太太回答道?！按_實很有益?！?BR> “我打算，”董貝先生說道，“讓他繼續(xù)留在布賴頓?！?BR> 皮普欽太太搓搓手，灰色的眼睛注視著爐火。
“但是，”董貝先生伸出食指，繼續(xù)說道，“但是可能他現(xiàn)在應當有一點變化，在這里過一種完全不同的生活?？偠灾?，皮普欽太太，這就是我這次拜訪的目的。我的兒子在成長，皮普欽太太。他確實在成長?！?BR> 董貝先生說這些話時的得意神情中有一些令人傷感的東西。它表明，保羅的童年生活對他是顯得多么長久，同時他的希望是怎樣寄托在他生命的較后階段的。對于任何一位像這樣傲慢這樣冷酷的人來說，憐憫可能是一個無法與他聯(lián)系起來的字眼，然而在目前這個時刻，他似乎正好是憐憫的很好的對象。
“六歲了！”董貝先生說道，一邊整整領(lǐng)飾——也許是為了掩藏一個控制不住的微笑，那微笑似乎片刻也不想在他的臉上展現(xiàn)開來，而只是想在臉的表面一掠而過就消失不見，但卻沒有找到一個停落的地方?！鞍パ剑‘斘覀冞€來不及向四周看看的時候，六歲就將轉(zhuǎn)變成十六歲了。”
“十年，”毫無同情心的皮普欽用哭喪的聲音說道，她那冷酷的灰色眼睛冷若冰霜地閃了一下光，低垂的頭陰郁地搖晃了一下，“是很長的時間?！?BR> “這取決于境況如何，”董貝先生回答道；“不管怎么樣，皮普欽太太，我的兒子已經(jīng)六歲了；我擔心，跟他同樣年齡或者說跟他同樣處于少年時期的許多孩子相比，他在學習上毫無疑問已經(jīng)落后了?！彼杆俚鼗卮鹆四侵焕淙舯难劬χ邪l(fā)出的一道他覺得是狡獪的眼光，“跟他同樣處于少年時期——這個說法更恰當。可是，皮普欽太太，我的兒子不能落在他的同輩人的后面，而應當超過他們，遠遠地超過他們。有一個高地正等待著他去攀登。在我的兒子的未來的生活路程中沒有什么聽憑機會擺布或存在疑問的東西。他的生活道路是沒有障礙的，預先準備好的，在他出生之前就已經(jīng)籌劃定了的。這樣一位年輕紳士的教育是不應該耽誤的。不應該讓它處于不完善的狀態(tài)。它必須很堅定很認真地進行，皮普欽太太?！?BR> “唔，先生，”皮普欽太太說道，“我不會有什么異議?！?BR> “我完全相信，皮普欽太太，”董貝先生贊同地說道，“像您這樣有卓越見識的人是不會，也不愿意有異議的。”
“現(xiàn)在人們談論著各種烏七八糟的廢話，——比廢話還不如——，說什么對年輕人開始不要強迫得太厲害，而應當循循善誘，其他等等，先生，”皮普欽太太不耐煩地擦了擦她的鉤鼻，說道，“在我做孩子的時候，從來沒有這樣一些想法?，F(xiàn)在也用不著這樣去想。我的意見是，‘強迫他們?nèi)プ觥！?BR> “我的好夫人，”董貝先生回答道，“您真是名不虛傳；請您相信，皮普欽太太，我對您優(yōu)良的管理制度非常滿意；只要我不足掛齒的推薦意見能有什么用的話，我將會十分高興來推薦它?！薄敹愊壬傺b貶低自己的重要性時，他的高傲是超越一切限度的——，“我一直在考慮布林伯博士的學校，皮普欽太太。”
“我的近鄰嗎，先生？”皮普欽太太說道?！拔蚁嘈胚@位博士的學校是一所優(yōu)秀的學校。我聽說管理很嚴格，從早到晚除了學習不干別的?！?BR> “而且費用很貴，”董貝先生補充道。
“而且費用很貴，”皮普欽太太回答道；她緊緊抓住這個事實，仿佛遺漏了這一點，她就遺漏了它的主要的優(yōu)點之一似的。
“我跟博士通過一些信，皮普欽太太，”董貝先生急忙把他的椅子向爐火拉近一點，說道，“他根本不認為保羅上他那里去年齡太小。他舉例說明好幾個跟他同年齡的孩子都在那里學習希臘語。如果我本人心中對這個變動的問題有什么小小的不安的話，皮普欽太太，那不是在那一方面。我的兒子生下來就失去了母愛，所以就把他好多（太多了）幼稚的感情逐漸傾注到他姐姐的身上，因此他們兩人分離開來是否會——”董貝先生沒有再說下去，而是沉默地坐著。
“哎呀，這算什么！”皮普欽太太抖動著她的黑色的拜巴辛毛葛的裙子，大聲喊道，一邊把她內(nèi)心中惡魔般的性情全都顯露出來?！叭绻幌矚g這樣，董貝先生，那么就得教她好歹忍著點?！边@位善良的太太接著立刻對她采用這樣粗俗的語言表示抱歉，但她說，這就是她跟他們論斷事理的方法，這一點倒是真的。
皮普欽太太昂起頭來，搖晃了兩下，同時對著無數(shù)個比瑟斯通與潘基皺了皺眉頭；董貝先生等待她把這些動作做完之后，平靜地但是正確地說道，“我說的是他，我的好夫人，他。”
皮普欽太太的管理制度本可以很容易地把同樣的治療方法也應用到保羅身上任何不舒適的地方；但是那只冷酷的灰色眼睛十分敏銳地看出，盡管董貝先生可以允許這個處方在他的女兒身上發(fā)揮效力，但它卻并不是醫(yī)治他兒子的特效藥；她認清了這一點，于是就解釋說，環(huán)境的變化，新的社交場所，他在布林伯博士學校中所過的不同的生活方式以及他必須學會的課程，將很快就會把他的注意力充分轉(zhuǎn)移了。由于這個意見與董貝先生自己的希望與看法是一致的，這就使得這位紳士對皮普欽太太的智慧有了更高的評價；由于皮普欽太太在這同時為失去她親愛的小朋友而嘆息（對她來說，這并不是一個使她不知所措的打擊，因為她早就預料到這一點，一開始就沒有指望他跟她待在一起的時間會超過三個月），所以他對皮普欽太太沒有私心這一點也產(chǎn)生了同樣良好的印象。顯然，他對這個問題已經(jīng)思前顧后地進行了考慮，因為他已經(jīng)構(gòu)想出一個計劃，并把它通告給這位惡魔：頭半年他把保羅送到博士的學校中去，作為一個每周在那里寄膳寄宿六天的學生，在這期間弗洛倫斯將留在城堡中，這樣她可以在星期六把弟弟接到她那里去。董貝先生說，這樣就將使他逐步地“斷奶”；可能他曾回想起上他是沒有經(jīng)過逐步斷奶的過程的。
董貝先生在結(jié)束會晤的時候，希望在他兒子在布賴頓學習期間，皮普欽太太仍保留她作為保羅的總管理人與監(jiān)督員的職務。然后他吻吻保羅，跟弗洛倫斯握握手，看到比瑟斯通少爺露著氣派莊嚴的衣領(lǐng)，拍拍潘基小姐的頭，使她哭了起來（她身上的這個部位特別敏感，因為皮普欽太太習慣于用她的指關(guān)節(jié)來敲它，敲出聲音來，就像敲桶一樣）；在這之后，他回到旅館吃晚飯，并作出了決定：由于保羅已經(jīng)長大，也長健康了，從今以后他就應該開始接受一個充實的教育過程，以便使他有能力擔當起他將大顯身手的職務；布林伯博士應當立即把他接到手里，負責對他進行指導。
每當一位年輕人被布林伯博士接到手里的時候，他可以毫無疑問地受到很緊的一握。博士只管理十位年輕人，但是按照低的估計，他肚子里準備好的學問足夠供應給一百個人享用。把這些學問供給這十位不幸的人狼吞虎咽，吃得飽飽的，既是他的職業(yè)，又是他的生活樂趣。
實際上，布林伯博士的學校是一個很大的溫室，里面有一個催熟的器械在連續(xù)不停地運轉(zhuǎn)。所有的孩子們都過早地成熟了。精神的青豌豆在圣誕節(jié)的時候就生產(chǎn)出來了；智力的龍須菜則全年都有。數(shù)學的醋栗（也是很酸的）在不合時令的季節(jié)中尋常無奇，它們藏身在布林伯博士栽培的灌木嫩枝之中。各色品種的希臘語與拉丁語蔬菜是在結(jié)霜凍冰的情況下，從孩子們干枯的細枝中采摘下來的。天性是完全無關(guān)緊要的。不管原來打算讓一位年輕人結(jié)什么果實，布林伯博士不知怎么的都是讓他按照規(guī)定的樣式結(jié)出果實來。
這些全都是很有趣、很巧妙的，但催熟的制度也附帶產(chǎn)生出它通常的一些缺點。早熟產(chǎn)品的滋味不是正味，它們也不好保存。而且，有一位鼻子發(fā)腫、頭長得特別大的年輕人（他是這十個人當中年齡大的一個，他“經(jīng)受過了”一切），有一天突然停止生長，只是以一株莖桿的形式留在學校里。人們都說，博士對年輕的圖茨搞得太過頭了，當他開始留起連鬢胡子的時候，他卻停止培育腦子了。
不管怎么樣，年輕的圖茨還是住在布林伯博士的學校里；他有極為粗啞的嗓音和極為可憐的智力；襯衫上插著飾針；背心口袋里裝著一枚戒指，當學生們出去散步的時候，他就偷偷地把它帶在小指頭上；他經(jīng)常一見鐘情地愛上了培養(yǎng)苗木的年輕女工們，而她們連有沒有他這個人都不知道；在就寢時間以后，他通過前面第三層樓左角上的窗子的小鐵格子望著外面煤氣燈照亮的世界，就像一個長得太大、在高空中坐得太久的天使。
博士是一位儀表堂堂的紳士，穿一套黑衣服，膝蓋上有一根帶子把下面的襪子系緊。他的禿頭十分光亮；聲音低沉；下巴是雙層的，他刮胡子的時候怎么能刮進那些折縫中是件奇事。他還有一雙小眼睛經(jīng)常是半閉著的；一張嘴巴半開著，顯出似笑非笑的樣子，仿佛他在那時剛盤問過一個孩子，現(xiàn)在正等待著他親自認罪。當博士把右手伸進上衣的胸口，另一只手擱在背后，腦袋幾乎覺察不到地搖晃一下，向一位緊張不安的陌生人發(fā)表一些極為平淡無奇的意見的時候，他的那些意見就像是出自斯芬克斯①的金玉良言，并把他的事情給解決了。
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①斯芬克斯（sphynx）：希臘神話中有翼的獅身女面怪物。
博士的學校是一座宏大的精美的房屋，面對著海。房屋里面的格調(diào)并不令人喜悅，而是恰恰相反。黯淡的窗簾粗陋、狹窄，垂頭喪氣地躲藏在窗子后面。桌子和椅子像算術(shù)題中的數(shù)字一樣，一行一行地排列著；舉行典禮的房間十分難得生火，因此它們覺得自己就像水井，來訪的客人就像投進井中的水桶一樣；餐廳似乎是世界上后一個可以吃喝的地方；除了前廳里一只大鐘滴嗒滴嗒的響聲外，整個房屋里沒有其他聲音，而那只大鐘走動的聲音就連頂樓里也能聽到；有時也傳來年輕人上課時發(fā)出的低沉的喊聲，就像一群憂郁的鴿子的咕咕聲一樣。
布林伯小姐雖然是一位苗條、優(yōu)雅的姑娘，但也沒有做任何事情破壞這房屋里的嚴肅氣氛。輕浮的胡鬧與布林伯小姐格格不入。她留著短而卷曲的頭發(fā)，并戴著眼鏡。她在已死去的語言的墳墓中挖掘著，所以皮膚干枯，表面是沙子的顏色。布林伯小姐不需要你們那些活的語言。她所需要的語言必須是死的——完全斷了氣的——，那時布林伯小姐才像食尸鬼一樣，把它們挖掘出來。
她的媽媽布林伯夫人本人并沒有學問，但是她卻裝出有學問的樣子，而且裝得還不壞。她在一些晚會上說，如果她能認識西塞羅①的話，那么她想她就能甘心滿意地死去了。她的永不改變的生活樂趣就是看著博士手下的年輕的先生們，與其他年輕人不一樣，敞開大得不能再大的襯衫領(lǐng)子，佩戴著硬得不能再硬的領(lǐng)帶，出去散步。她說，那是古典式的。
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①西塞羅（MarcusTulliusCicero）（公元前106—43年）：古羅馬政治家、雄辯家和著作家。
至于布林格博士的助手、文學士菲德先生，他是一個人為的手搖風琴；他根據(jù)一份小小的曲調(diào)目錄，一遍又一遍、毫無變化地演奏著。如果他的命運好的話，那么他可能在早年就裝備好一個備用的手搖風琴；但是他的命運不好，他只有他本人這個手搖風琴，他的職業(yè)就是用這個單調(diào)的圓筒來迷糊博士手下的這些年輕的先生們的年輕的思想。這些年輕的先生們過早地操心、憂慮。鐵石心腸的動詞、殘暴粗野的名詞、毫不通融的句法，以及出現(xiàn)在他們夢中的練習的魔鬼在追趕著他們，使他們得不到休息；在催熟的制度下，一位年輕的先生通常在三個星期以后就失去了朝氣；他在三個月以后就為世界上各種事情操心；他在四個月以后對他的父母和監(jiān)護人懷著怨恨的情緒；他在五個月以后成了個老厭世者；他在六個月以后羨慕庫爾提烏斯①幸運地遁身在地中；他在頭十二個月末尾的時候得出結(jié)論：詩篇中的幻想和圣人的教訓只不過是詞與語法的匯集，在世界上沒有其他意義；從此以后他就再也沒有拋棄過這個結(jié)論。
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①庫爾提烏斯（MarcusCurtius）：據(jù)古羅馬神話傳說，公元前362年，羅馬廣場裂開一條無底深溝；預言師說，只有把羅馬寶貴的東西扔下去，裂縫才能重新合攏。這時年輕人庫爾提烏斯宣稱，沒有什么能比一個勇敢的公民更可寶貴的了，于是他全副武裝跳下了深溝。他剛一跳下，裂縫就立即重新合攏。后來這處地方變成了一片池塘，稱為庫爾提烏斯湖（LacusCurtius）。
可是他在博士的溫室中一直繼續(xù)生長著，生長著，生長著。當他把他冬天生長出的產(chǎn)品帶回家中，呈現(xiàn)在他的親友面前時，博士就得到了極大的光榮與聲譽。
有一天，保羅懷著一顆忐忑不安的心，由他父親握著小小的右手，站立在博士的門階上。他的另一只手由弗洛論斯緊緊地握在她的手中。那只小手是握得多么緊，而另一只手是多么松馳與冷淡呵！
皮普欽太太像只兇鳥，長著烏黑的羽毛和鉤狀的喙，在他的犧牲品后面盤旋。因為董貝先生腦子里在思考重大的事情，走得很快，所以她走得上氣不接下氣；當?shù)戎_門的時候，她嘶啞地發(fā)出了哭喪的聲音。
“保羅，”董貝先生喜不自勝地說道?！斑@就是真正通向董貝父子和有錢的道路。你幾乎已成為一個大人了?！?BR> “幾乎，”孩子回答道。
即使是他那孩子的激動也不能控制他回答時伴隨著的頑皮的、奇妙的但卻令人感動的眼光。
它使董貝先生臉上露出了隱約的、不滿的表情；但這時門開了，它很快就消失了。
“我想布林伯博士在家吧？”董貝先生說道。
那仆人說是的；當他們走進去的時候，他看著保羅，仿佛他是只小耗子，而那座房屋則仿佛是只捕鼠籠似的。他是一位弱視的青年，臉上露出一絲難以覺察的齜牙咧嘴的笑容或它初閃出的一道微光。這僅僅是低能的表現(xiàn)而已；但皮普欽太太卻憑空地認為這是無禮，所以就立刻惡狠狠地抓住了他。
“你怎么敢在有身份的先生背后發(fā)笑？”皮普欽太太說道。
“你又把我當作什么人？”
“我沒有笑任何人；我還可以肯定，我沒有把您小看了，夫人，”那位年輕人驚慌地回答道。
“一群吊兒郎當?shù)膽泄?！”皮普欽太太說，“只配去轉(zhuǎn)動烤肉叉①！去告訴你的主人，董貝先生來了，要不你的結(jié)果就更糟！”
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①英國舊時社會中訓練狗用踏車來轉(zhuǎn)動烤肉叉。
那位弱視的年輕人十分溫順地離開去執(zhí)行任務；不久就回來請他們到博士的書房里去。
“你又笑了，先生，”皮普欽太太笑道；她走在后面，這時從他身邊穿過前廳。
“我沒有笑，”被欺壓得很痛苦的年輕人回答道?！拔覐膩頉]有見到這樣的事情！”
“怎么回事，皮普欽太太？”董貝先生回過頭來看了一下，說道?！罢堓p一些！”
皮普欽太太出于對董貝先生的尊敬，走過的時候?qū)δ俏荒贻p人只是咕噥了幾聲，同時說道，“啊，他是個寶貝家伙”，一邊離開那位年輕人；那位年輕人是極為溫順和愚鈍的，這件事情甚至使他傷心地掉了淚?？墒瞧て諝J太太慣于欺壓所有溫順的人們；她的朋友們說，在秘魯?shù)V井的事情發(fā)生之后，這有什么好奇怪的呢？
博士坐在他的奇特的書房中，每只膝蓋上擺著一個地球儀，四周都是書籍，荷馬①在門的上面，米涅瓦②在壁爐架上?！澳脝幔壬?？”他對董貝先生說道；“我的小朋友好嗎？”
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①荷馬（Homer）：公元前10世紀前后的希臘盲詩人；《伊利亞特》及《奧德賽》兩大史詩的作者。
②米涅瓦（Minerva）：羅馬神話中司智慧、學問、戰(zhàn)爭的女神。
博士的聲音像風琴一樣莊重沉著；當他停止講話的時候，前廳中的大鐘似乎（至少保羅覺得是這樣）接著他的話，繼續(xù)往下說道，“我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？”一遍，一遍，又一遍地重復說著。
小朋友太小了，從博士坐著的地方，越過桌子上的書去看是看不見的；博士就試圖通過桌腿去看他，但也是徒勞無益；董貝先生看到這一點，就把保羅抱起來，讓他坐在房間中間面對著博士的另一張小桌子上，使博士擺脫了困難。
“哈！”博士把手伸進上衣的胸間，仰靠在椅子中說道。
“現(xiàn)在我看見我的小朋友了。您好嗎，我的小朋友？”
前廳中的鐘不贊同把詞的組合形式進行這樣的改變，繼續(xù)重復說道，“我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？我，的，小，朋，友，好，嗎？”
“很好，謝謝您，先生，”保羅回答了博士，也回答了鐘。
“哈！”布林伯博士說道?！拔覀儗阉囵B(yǎng)成一個大人嗎？”
“你聽到了嗎，保羅？”董貝先生補充了一句。保羅默不作聲。
“我們將把他培養(yǎng)成一個大人嗎？”博士重復問道。
“我寧肯當個孩子，”保羅回答道。
“真的嗎？”博士說道?！盀槭裁?？”
孩子坐在桌子上看著他，臉上露出了被壓抑的情緒的奇怪表情，一邊用一只手自豪地敲打著膝蓋，仿佛眼淚已經(jīng)在膝蓋下面涌上來，他已把它們壓下去了。但是在這同時，他的另一只手卻向一邊伸出去，伸出去——伸得更遠一些——，一直伸到弗洛倫斯的脖子上?！斑@就是為什么，”它似乎這么說道；然后他那鎮(zhèn)定沉著的神色改變了，消失了，顫動著的嘴唇松馳了，眼淚汪汪地滾流出來。
“皮普欽太太，”他的父親抱怨地說道，“我實在很不高興看到這一點?！?BR> “離開他，董貝小姐，照我的話做，”那位女監(jiān)管人說道。
“不要緊，”博士不動感情地點點頭，讓皮普欽太太回去。
“不要緊；我們將很快用新的關(guān)心與新的印象來代替，董貝先生，您還跟以前一樣希望我的小朋友獲得——”
“一切！勞駕您，博士，”董貝先生堅決地回答道。
“好的，”博士說道；他半閉著眼睛，露出了慣常的笑容，似乎以一種對他將要喂養(yǎng)的某個精選的小動物可能懷有的興趣打量著保羅，“好，好極了。哈！我們將向我們的小朋友傳授很多種知識，而且我敢說，使他迅速進步。完全是一塊處女地，我想您曾經(jīng)這樣說過吧，董貝先生？”
“除了在家里以及從這位女士那里做過一些普通的準備之外，”董貝先生一邊介紹皮普欽太太，一邊回答道；皮普欽太太立刻讓她的整個肌肉系統(tǒng)緊張起來，同時挑戰(zhàn)地噴著鼻息，以防博士貶損她?！俺诉@些之外，保羅到現(xiàn)在為止，什么都還沒有學習過?！?BR> 布林伯博士對皮普欽太太這種毫不足取的侵犯溫和地表示容忍，低下頭說道，他很高興聽到這一點。他搓搓手說，在這個基礎(chǔ)上開始是非常令人滿意的。然后他又斜眼瞅著保羅，仿佛他很想當場就跟他聊聊希臘字母似的。
“這樣一種情況，布林伯博士，”董貝向他的小兒子看了一眼，繼續(xù)說道，“加上我又有幸跟您進行過會晤，因此我確實就不必要再作進一步的說明來侵占您寶貴的時間了，所以——”
“好了，董貝小姐”！皮普欽尖刻地說道。
“請允許我再耽擱你們一會兒，”博士說道，“請允許我介紹一下布林伯夫人和我的女兒，她們將與我們前往帕納薩斯①參拜的年輕人的家庭生活有關(guān)。這是布林伯夫人，”那位可能一直在等待著的夫人及時地走了進來，后面跟著她的女兒，那位戴著眼鏡的美麗的掘墓的教堂司事②；“這是董貝先生。這是我的女兒科妮莉亞，董貝先生。我親愛的，”博士轉(zhuǎn)向他的妻子，繼續(xù)說道，“董貝先生對我們十分信任，因此——你看到我們的小朋友了嗎？”
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①帕納薩斯（Parnassus）：希臘中部的山峰，傳說為太陽神阿波羅及詩神繆斯的靈地。
②教堂司事（Sexton）：教堂司事，擔任教堂內(nèi)外管理、敲鐘、墓地等工作，這里是把布林伯小姐比做一位“掘墓人”。
布林伯夫人原先只把董貝先生作為她那過分的禮貌的目標，顯然沒有看到這位小朋友，因為她背對著他，對他在桌子上的地位造成很大的危險。但是，她聽到這句暗示的話以后，就轉(zhuǎn)過身去欣賞他的面貌中古典的與智慧的特色，然后又轉(zhuǎn)回來，嘆了一口氣，對董貝先生說，她羨慕他的親愛的兒子。
“像一只蜜蜂一樣，先生，”布林伯夫人抬起眼睛，說道，“就將飛進一個盛開著美好的花朵的花園里，頭去領(lǐng)略那芳甜的滋味。維吉爾①，賀拉斯②，奧維德③，泰倫斯④，普勞圖斯⑤，西塞羅。我們這里擁有一個什么樣的蜜的世界呀。董貝先生，一個妻子說這些話也許看來是令人驚異的，這樣一位丈夫的妻子——”
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①維吉爾（拉丁語全名為PubliusVirgiliusMaro，英譯名為Virgil，公元前70—19年）：古羅馬詩人。
②賀拉斯（拉丁語全名為QuintusHoratiusFlacus，英譯名為Horace，公元前65—8年）：古羅馬詩人。
③奧維德（拉丁語全名為PubliusOvidiusNaso，英譯名為Ovid，公元前48—17？年）：古羅馬詩人。
④泰倫斯（拉丁語全名為PubliusTerentiniusAfer，英譯名為Terence，公元前186A185—159？年）：古羅馬喜劇作家。
⑤普勞圖斯（拉丁語全名為TitusMaccusPlautus，英譯名為Plautus，公元前254？—184年）：古羅馬喜劇作家。
“別說了，別說了，”布林伯博士說道?！罢娌缓π??！?BR> “董貝先生會原諒一位妻子的偏心的，”布林伯夫人露著迷人的微笑，說道。<