Containing the Sequel of the Midshipman's Disaster
Major Bagstock, after long and frequent observation of Paul, across Princess's Place, through his double-barrelled opera-glass; and after receiving many minute reports, daily, weekly, and monthly, on that subject, from the native who kept himself in constant communication with Miss Tox's maid for that purpose; came to the conclusion that Dombey, Sir, was a man to be known, and that J. B. was the boy to make his acquaintance.
Miss Tox, however, maintaining her reserved behaviour, and frigidly declining to understand the Major whenever he called (which he often did) on any little fishing excursion connected with this project, the Major, in spite of his constitutional toughness and slyness, was fain to leave the accomplishment of his desire in some measure to chance, 'which,' as he was used to observe with chuckles at his club, 'has been fifty to one in favour of Joey B., Sir, ever since his elder brother died of Yellow Jack in the West Indies.'
It was some time coming to his aid in the present instance, but it befriended him at last. When the dark servant, with full particulars, reported Miss Tox absent on Brighton service, the Major was suddenly touched with affectionate reminiscences of his friend Bill Bitherstone of Bengal, who had written to ask him, if he ever went that way, to bestow a call upon his only son. But when the same dark servant reported Paul at Mrs Pipchin's, and the Major, referring to the letter favoured by Master Bitherstone on his arrival in England - to which he had never had the least idea of paying any attention - saw the opening that presented itself, he was made so rabid by the gout, with which he happened to be then laid up, that he threw a footstool at the dark servant in return for his intelligence, and swore he would be the death of the rascal before he had done with him: which the dark servant was more than half disposed to believe.
At length the Major being released from his fit, went one Saturday growling down to Brighton, with the native behind him; apostrophizing Miss Tox all the way, and gloating over the prospect of carrying by storm the distinguished friend to whom she attached so much mystery, and for whom she had deserted him,
'Would you, Ma'am, would you!' said the Major, straining with vindictiveness, and swelling every already swollen vein in his head. 'Would you give Joey B. the go-by, Ma'am? Not yet, Ma'am, not yet! Damme, not yet, Sir. Joe is awake, Ma'am. Bagstock is alive, Sir. J. B. knows a move or two, Ma'am. Josh has his weather-eye open, Sir. You'll find him tough, Ma'am. Tough, Sir, tough is Joseph. Tough, and de-vilish sly!'
And very tough indeed Master Bitherstone found him, when he took that young gentleman out for a walk. But the Major, with his complexion like a Stilton cheese, and his eyes like a prawn's, went roving about, perfectly indifferent to Master Bitherstone's amusement, and dragging Master Bitherstone along, while he looked about him high and low, for Mr Dombey and his children.
In good time the Major, previously instructed by Mrs Pipchin, spied out Paul and Florence, and bore down upon them; there being a stately gentleman (Mr Dombey, doubtless) in their company. Charging with Master Bitherstone into the very heart of the little squadron, it fell out, of course, that Master Bitherstone spoke to his fellow-sufferers. Upon that the Major stopped to notice and admire them; remembered with amazement that he had seen and spoken to them at his friend Miss Tox's in Princess's Place; opined that Paul was a devilish fine fellow, and his own little friend; inquired if he remembered Joey B. the Major; and finally, with a sudden recollection of the conventionalities of life, turned and apologised to Mr Dombey.
'But my little friend here, Sir,' said the Major, 'makes a boy of me again: An old soldier, Sir - Major Bagstock, at your service - is not ashamed to confess it.' Here the Major lifted his hat. 'Damme, Sir,' cried the Major with sudden warmth, 'I envy you.' Then he recollected himself, and added, 'Excuse my freedom.'
Mr Dombey begged he wouldn't mention it.
'An old campaigner, Sir,' said the Major, 'a smoke-dried, sun-burnt, used-up, invalided old dog of a Major, Sir, was not afraid of being condemned for his whim by a man like Mr Dombey. I have the honour of addressing Mr Dombey, I believe?'
'I am the present unworthy representative of that name, Major,' returned Mr Dombey.
'By G-, Sir!' said the Major, 'it's a great name. It's a name, Sir,' said the Major firmly, as if he defied Mr Dombey to contradict him, and would feel it his painful duty to bully him if he did, 'that is known and honoured in the British possessions abroad. It is a name, Sir, that a man is proud to recognise. There is nothing adulatory in Joseph Bagstock, Sir. His Royal Highness the Duke of York observed on more than one occasion, "there is no adulation in Joey. He is a plain old soldier is Joe. He is tough to a fault is Joseph:" but it's a great name, Sir. By the Lord, it's a great name!' said the Major, solemnly.
'You are good enough to rate it higher than it deserves, perhaps, Major,' returned Mr Dombey.
'No, Sir,' said the Major, in a severe tone. No, Mr Dombey, let us understand each other. That is not the Bagstock vein, Sir. You don't know Joseph B. He is a blunt old blade is Josh. No flattery in him, Sir. Nothing like it.'
Mr Dombey inclined his head, and said he believed him to be in earnest, and that his high opinion was gratifying.
'My little friend here, Sir,' croaked the Major, looking as amiably as he could, on Paul, 'will certify for Joseph Bagstock that he is a thorough-going, down-right, plain-spoken, old Trump, Sir, and nothing more. That boy, Sir,' said the Major in a lower tone, 'will live in history. That boy, Sir, is not a common production. Take care of him, Mr Dombey.'
Mr Dombey seemed to intimate that he would endeavour to do so.
'Here is a boy here, Sir,' pursued the Major, confidentially, and giving him a thrust with his cane. 'Son of Bitherstone of Bengal. Bill Bitherstone formerly of ours. That boy's father and myself, Sir, were sworn friends. Wherever you went, Sir, you heard of nothing but Bill Bitherstone and Joe Bagstock. Am I blind to that boy's defects? By no means. He's a fool, Sir.'
Mr Dombey glanced at the libelled Master Bitherstone, of whom he knew at least as much as the Major did, and said, in quite a complacent manner, 'Really?'
'That is what he is, sir,' said the Major. 'He's a fool. Joe Bagstock never minces matters. The son of my old friend Bill Bitherstone, of Bengal, is a born fool, Sir.' Here the Major laughed till he was almost black. 'My little friend is destined for a public school,' I' presume, Mr Dombey?' said the Major when he had recovered.
'I am not quite decided,' returned Mr Dombey. 'I think not. He is delicate.'
'If he's delicate, Sir,' said the Major, 'you are right. None but the tough fellows could live through it, Sir, at Sandhurst. We put each other to the torture there, Sir. We roasted the new fellows at a slow fire, and hung 'em out of a three pair of stairs window, with their heads downwards. Joseph Bagstock, Sir, was held out of the window by the heels of his boots, for thirteen minutes by the college clock'
The Major might have appealed to his countenance in corroboration of this story. It certainly looked as if he had hung out a little too long.
'But it made us what we were, Sir,' said the Major, settling his shirt frill. 'We were iron, Sir, and it forged us. Are you remaining here, Mr Dombey?'
'I generally come down once a week, Major,' returned that gentleman. 'I stay at the Bedford.'
'I shall have the honour of calling at the Bedford, Sir, if you'll permit me,' said the Major. 'Joey B., Sir, is not in general a calling man, but Mr Dombey's is not a common name. I am much indebted to my little friend, Sir, for the honour of this introduction.'
Mr Dombey made a very gracious reply; and Major Bagstock, having patted Paul on the head, and said of Florence that her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long - 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major, chuckling very much - stirred up Master Bitherstone with his walking-stick, and departed with that young gentleman, at a kind of half-trot; rolling his head and coughing with great dignity, as he staggered away, with his legs very wide asunder.
In fulfilment of his promise, the Major afterwards called on Mr Dombey; and Mr Dombey, having referred to the army list, afterwards called on the Major. Then the Major called at Mr Dombey's house in town; and came down again, in the same coach as Mr Dombey. In short, Mr Dombey and the Major got on uncommonly well together, and uncommonly fast: and Mr Dombey observed of the Major, to his sister, that besides being quite a military man he was really something more, as he had a very admirable idea of the importance of things unconnected with his own profession.
At length Mr Dombey, bringing down Miss Tox and Mrs Chick to see the children, and finding the Major again at Brighton, invited him to dinner at the Bedford, and complimented Miss Tox highly, beforehand, on her neighbour and acquaintance.
'My dearest Louisa,' said Miss Tox to Mrs Chick, when they were alone together, on the morning of the appointed day, 'if I should seem at all reserved to Major Bagstock, or under any constraint with him, promise me not to notice it.'
'My dear Lucretia,' returned Mrs Chick, 'what mystery is involved in this remarkable request? I must insist upon knowing.'
'Since you are resolved to extort a confession from me, Louisa,' said Miss Tox instantly, 'I have no alternative but to confide to you that the Major has been particular.'
'Particular!' repeated Mrs Chick.
'The Major has long been very particular indeed, my love, in his attentions,' said Miss Tox, 'occasionally they have been so very marked, that my position has been one of no common difficulty.'
'Is he in good circumstances?' inquired Mrs Chick.
'I have every reason to believe, my dear - indeed I may say I know,' returned Miss Tox, 'that he is wealthy. He is truly military, and full of anecdote. I have been informed that his valour, when he was in active service, knew no bounds. I am told that he did all sorts of things in the Peninsula, with every description of fire-arm; and in the East and West Indies, my love, I really couldn't undertake to say what he did not do.'
'Very creditable to him indeed,' said Mrs Chick, 'extremely so; and you have given him no encouragement, my dear?'
'If I were to say, Louisa,' replied Miss Tox, with every demonstration of making an effort that rent her soul, 'that I never encouraged Major Bagstock slightly, I should not do justice to the friendship which exists between you and me. It is, perhaps, hardly in the nature of woman to receive such attentions as the Major once lavished upon myself without betraying some sense of obligation. But that is past - long past. Between the Major and me there is now a yawning chasm, and I will not feign to give encouragement, Louisa, where I cannot give my heart. My affections,' said Miss Tox - 'but, Louisa, this is madness!' and departed from the room.
All this Mrs Chick communicated to her brother before dinner: and it by no means indisposed Mr Dombey to receive the Major with unwonted cordiality. The Major, for his part, was in a state of plethoric satisfaction that knew no bounds: and he coughed, and choked, and chuckled, and gasped, and swelled, until the waiters seemed positively afraid of him.
'Your family monopolises Joe's light, Sir,' said the Major, when he had saluted Miss Tox. 'Joe lives in darkness. Princess's Place is changed into Kamschatka in the winter time. There is no ray of sun, Sir, for Joey B., now.'
'Miss Tox is good enough to take a great deal of interest in Paul, Major,' returned Mr Dombey on behalf of that blushing virgin.
'Damme Sir,' said the Major, 'I'm jealous of my little friend. I'm pining away Sir. The Bagstock breed is degenerating in the forsaken person of old Joe.' And the Major, becoming bluer and bluer and puffing his cheeks further and further over the stiff ridge of his tight cravat, stared at Miss Tox, until his eyes seemed as if he were at that moment being overdone before the slow fire at the military college.
Notwithstanding the palpitation of the heart which these allusions occasioned her, they were anything but disagreeable to Miss Tox, as they enabled her to be extremely interesting, and to manifest an occasional incoherence and distraction which she was not at all unwilling to display. The Major gave her abundant opportunities of exhibiting this emotion: being profuse in his complaints, at dinner, of her desertion of him and Princess's Place: and as he appeared to derive great enjoyment from making them, they all got on very well.
None the worse on account of the Major taking charge of the whole conversation, and showing as great an appetite in that respect as in regard of the various dainties on the table, among which he may be almost said to have wallowed: greatly to the aggravation of his inflammatory tendencies. Mr Dombey's habitual silence and reserve yielding readily to this usurpation, the Major felt that he was coming out and shining: and in the flow of spirits thus engendered, rang such an infinite number of new changes on his own name that he quite astonished himself. In a word, they were all very well pleased. The Major was considered to possess an inexhaustible fund of conversation; and when he took a late farewell, after a long rubber, Mr Dombey again complimented the blushing Miss Tox on her neighbour and acquaintance.
But all the way home to his own hotel, the Major incessantly said to himself, and of himself, 'Sly, Sir - sly, Sir - de-vil-ish sly!' And when he got there, sat down in a chair, and fell into a silent fit of laughter, with which he was sometimes seized, and which was always particularly awful. It held him so long on this occasion that the dark servant, who stood watching him at a distance, but dared not for his life approach, twice or thrice gave him over for lost. His whole form, but especially his face and head, dilated beyond all former experience; and presented to the dark man's view, nothing but a heaving mass of indigo. At length he burst into a violent paroxysm of coughing, and when that was a little better burst into such ejaculations as the following:
'Would you, Ma'am, would you? Mrs Dombey, eh, Ma'am? I think not, Ma'am. Not while Joe B. can put a spoke in your wheel, Ma'am. J. B.'s even with you now, Ma'am. He isn't altogether bowled out, yet, Sir, isn't Bagstock. She's deep, Sir, deep, but Josh is deeper. Wide awake is old Joe - broad awake, and staring, Sir!' There was no doubt of this last assertion being true, and to a very fearful extent; as it continued to be during the greater part of that night, which the Major chiefly passed in similar exclamations, diversified with fits of coughing and choking that startled the whole house.
It was on the day after this occasion (being Sunday) when, as Mr Dombey, Mrs Chick, and Miss Tox were sitting at breakfast, still eulogising the Major, Florence came running in: her face suffused with a bright colour, and her eyes sparkling joyfully: and cried,
'Papa! Papa! Here's Walter! and he won't come in.'
'Who?' cried Mr Dombey. 'What does she mean? What is this?'
'Walter, Papa!' said Florence timidly; sensible of having approached the presence with too much familiarity. 'Who found me when I was lost.'
'Does she mean young Gay, Louisa?' inquired Mr Dombey, knitting his brows. 'Really, this child's manners have become very boisterous. She cannot mean young Gay, I think. See what it is, will you?'
Mrs Chick hurried into the passage, and returned with the information that it was young Gay, accompanied by a very strange-looking person; and that young Gay said he would not take the liberty of coming in, hearing Mr Dombey was at breakfast, but would wait until Mr Dombey should signify that he might approach.
'Tell the boy to come in now,' said Mr Dombey. 'Now, Gay, what is the matter? Who sent you down here? Was there nobody else to come?'
'I beg your pardon, Sir,' returned Walter. 'I have not been sent. I have been so bold as to come on my own account, which I hope you'll pardon when I mention the cause.
But Mr Dombey, without attending to what he said, was looking impatiently on either side of him (as if he were a pillar in his way) at some object behind.
'What's that?' said Mr Dombey. 'Who is that? I think you have made some mistake in the door, Sir.'
'Oh, I'm very sorry to intrude with anyone, Sir,' cried Walter, hastily: 'but this is - this is Captain Cuttle, Sir.'
'Wal'r, my lad,' observed the Captain in a deep voice: 'stand by!'
At the same time the Captain, coming a little further in, brought out his wide suit of blue, his conspicuous shirt-collar, and his knobby nose in full relief, and stood bowing to Mr Dombey, and waving his hook politely to the ladies, with the hard glazed hat in his one hand, and a red equator round his head which it had newly imprinted there.
Mr Dombey regarded this phenomenon with amazement and indignation, and seemed by his looks to appeal to Mrs Chick and Miss Tox against it. Little Paul, who had come in after Florence, backed towards Miss Tox as the Captain waved his book, and stood on the defensive.
'Now, Gay,' said Mr Dombey. 'What have you got to say to me?'
Again the Captain observed, as a general opening of the conversation that could not fail to propitiate all parties, 'Wal'r, standby!'
'I am afraid, Sir,' began Walter, trembling, and looking down at the ground, 'that I take a very great liberty in coming - indeed, I am sure I do. I should hardly have had the courage to ask to see you, Sir, even after coming down, I am afraid, if I had not overtaken Miss Dombey, and - '
'Well!' said Mr Dombey, following his eyes as he glanced at the attentive Florence, and frowning unconsciously as she encouraged him with a smile. 'Go on, if you please.'
'Ay, ay,' observed the Captain, considering it incumbent on him, as a point of good breeding, to support Mr Dombey. 'Well said! Go on, Wal'r.'
Captain Cuttle ought to have been withered by the look which Mr Dombey bestowed upon him in acknowledgment of his patronage. But quite innocent of this, he closed one eye in reply, and gave Mr Dombey to understand, by certain significant motions of his hook, that Walter was a little bashful at first, and might be expected to come out shortly.
'It is entirely a private and personal matter, that has brought me here, Sir,' continued Walter, faltering, 'and Captain Cuttle
'Here!' interposed the Captain, as an assurance that he was at hand, and might be relied upon.
'Who is a very old friend of my poor Uncle's, and a most excellent man, Sir,' pursued Walter, raising his eyes with a look of entreaty in the Captain's behalf, 'was so good as to offer to come with me, which I could hardly refuse.'
'No, no, no;' observed the Captain complacently. 'Of course not. No call for refusing. Go on, Wal'r.'
'And therefore, Sir,' said Walter, venturing to meet Mr Dombey's eye, and proceeding with better courage in the very desperation of the case, now that there was no avoiding it, 'therefore I have come, with him, Sir, to say that my poor old Uncle is in very great affliction and distress. That, through the gradual loss of his business, and not being able to make a payment, the apprehension of which has weighed very heavily upon his mind, months and months, as indeed I know, Sir, he has an execution in his house, and is in danger of losing all he has, and breaking his heart. And that if you would, in your kindness, and in your old knowledge of him as a respectable man, do anything to help him out of his difficulty, Sir, we never could thank you enough for it.'
Walter's eyes filled with tears as he spoke; and so did those of Florence. Her father saw them glistening, though he appeared to look at Walter only.
'It is a very large sum, Sir,' said Walter. 'More than three hundred pounds. My Uncle is quite beaten down by his misfortune, it lies so heavy on him; and is quite unable to do anything for his own relief. He doesn't even know yet, that I have come to speak to you. You would wish me to say, Sir,' added Walter, after a moment's hesitation, 'exactly what it is I want. I really don't know, Sir. There is my Uncle's stock, on which I believe I may say, confidently, there are no other demands, and there is Captain Cuttle, who would wish to be security too. I - I hardly like to mention,' said Walter, 'such earnings as mine; but if you would allow them - accumulate - payment - advance - Uncle - frugal, honourable, old man.' Walter trailed off, through these broken sentences, into silence: and stood with downcast head, before his employer.
Considering this a favourable moment for the display of the valuables, Captain Cuttle advanced to the table; and clearing a space among the breakfast-cups at Mr Dombey's elbow, produced the silver watch, the ready money, the teaspoons, and the sugar-tongs; and piling them up into a heap that they might look as precious as possible, delivered himself of these words:
'Half a loaf's better than no bread, and the same remark holds good with crumbs. There's a few. Annuity of one hundred pound premium also ready to be made over. If there is a man chock full of science in the world, it's old Sol Gills. If there is a lad of promise - one flowing,' added the Captain, in one of his happy quotations, 'with milk and honey - it's his nevy!'
The Captain then withdrew to his former place, where he stood arranging his scattered locks with the air of a man who had given the finishing touch to a difficult performance.
When Walter ceased to speak, Mr Dombey's eyes were attracted to little Paul, who, seeing his sister hanging down her head and silently weeping in her commiseration for the distress she had heard described, went over to her, and tried to comfort her: looking at Walter and his father as he did so, with a very expressive face. After the momentary distraction of Captain Cuttle's address, which he regarded with lofty indifference, Mr Dombey again turned his eyes upon his son, and sat steadily regarding the child, for some moments, in silence.
'What was this debt contracted for?' asked Mr Dombey, at length. 'Who is the creditor?'
'He don't know,' replied the Captain, putting his hand on Walter's shoulder. 'I do. It came of helping a man that's dead now, and that's cost my friend Gills many a hundred pound already. More particulars in private, if agreeable.'
'People who have enough to do to hold their own way,' said Mr Dombey, unobservant of the Captain's mysterious signs behind Walter, and still looking at his son, 'had better be content with their own obligations and difficulties, and not increase them by engaging for other men. It is an act of dishonesty and presumption, too,' said Mr Dombey, sternly; 'great presumption; for the wealthy could do no more. Paul, come here!'
The child obeyed: and Mr Dombey took him on his knee.
'If you had money now - ' said Mr Dombey. 'Look at me!'
Paul, whose eyes had wandered to his sister, and to Walter, looked his father in the face.
'If you had money now,' said Mr Dombey; 'as much money as young Gay has talked about; what would you do?'
'Give it to his old Uncle,' returned Paul.
'Lend it to his old Uncle, eh?' retorted Mr Dombey. 'Well! When you are old enough, you know, you will share my money, and we shall use it together.'
'Dombey and Son,' interrupted Paul, who had been tutored early in the phrase.
'Dombey and Son,' repeated his father. 'Would you like to begin to be Dombey and Son, now, and lend this money to young Gay's Uncle?'
'Oh! if you please, Papa!' said Paul: 'and so would Florence.'
'Girls,' said Mr Dombey, 'have nothing to do with Dombey and Son. Would you like it?'
'Yes, Papa, yes!'
'Then you shall do it,' returned his father. 'And you see, Paul,' he added, dropping his voice, 'how powerful money is, and how anxious people are to get it. Young Gay comes all this way to beg for money, and you, who are so grand and great, having got it, are going to let him have it, as a great favour and obligation.'
Paul turned up the old face for a moment, in which there was a sharp understanding of the reference conveyed in these words: but it was a young and childish face immediately afterwards, when he slipped down from his father's knee, and ran to tell Florence not to cry any more, for he was going to let young Gay have the money.
Mr Dombey then turned to a side-table, and wrote a note and sealed it. During the interval, Paul and Florence whispered to Walter, and Captain Cuttle beamed on the three, with such aspiring and ineffably presumptuous thoughts as Mr Dombey never could have believed in. The note being finished, Mr Dombey turned round to his former place, and held it out to Walter.
'Give that,' he said, 'the first thing to-morrow morning, to Mr Carker. He will immediately take care that one of my people releases your Uncle from his present position, by paying the amount at issue; and that such arrangements are made for its repayment as may be consistent with your Uncle's circumstances. You will consider that this is done for you by Master Paul.'
Walter, in the emotion of holding in his hand the means of releasing his good Uncle from his trouble, would have endeavoured to express something of his gratitude and joy. But Mr Dombey stopped him short.
'You will consider that it is done,' he repeated, 'by Master Paul. I have explained that to him, and he understands it. I wish no more to be said.'
As he motioned towards the door, Walter could only bow his head and retire. Miss Tox, seeing that the Captain appeared about to do the same, interposed.
'My dear Sir,' she said, addressing Mr Dombey, at whose munificence both she and Mrs Chick were shedding tears copiously; 'I think you have overlooked something. Pardon me, Mr Dombey, I think, in the nobility of your character, and its exalted scope, you have omitted a matter of detail.'
'Indeed, Miss Tox!' said Mr Dombey.
'The gentleman with the - Instrument,' pursued Miss Tox, glancing at Captain Cuttle, 'has left upon the table, at your elbow - '
'Good Heaven!' said Mr Dombey, sweeping the Captain's property from him, as if it were so much crumb indeed. 'Take these things away. I am obliged to you, Miss Tox; it is like your usual discretion. Have the goodness to take these things away, Sir!'
Captain Cuttle felt he had no alternative but to comply. But he was so much struck by the magnanimity of Mr Dombey, in refusing treasures lying heaped up to his hand, that when he had deposited the teaspoons and sugar-tongs in one pocket, and the ready money in another, and had lowered the great watch down slowly into its proper vault, he could not refrain from seizing that gentleman's right hand in his own solitary left, and while he held it open with his powerful fingers, bringing the hook down upon its palm in a transport of admiration. At this touch of warm feeling and cold iron, Mr Dombey shivered all over.
Captain Cuttle then kissed his hook to the ladies several times, with great elegance and gallantry; and having taken a particular leave of Paul and Florence, accompanied Walter out of the room. Florence was running after them in the earnestness of her heart, to send some message to old Sol, when Mr Dombey called her back, and bade her stay where she was.
'Will you never be a Dombey, my dear child!' said Mrs Chick, with pathetic reproachfulness.
'Dear aunt,' said Florence. 'Don't be angry with me. I am so thankful to Papa!'
She would have run and thrown her arms about his neck if she had dared; but as she did not dare, she glanced with thankful eyes towards him, as he sat musing; sometimes bestowing an uneasy glance on her, but, for the most part, watching Paul, who walked about the room with the new-blown dignity of having let young Gay have the money.
And young Gay - Walter- what of him?
He was overjoyed to purge the old man's hearth from bailiffs and brokers, and to hurry back to his Uncle with the good tidings. He was overjoyed to have it all arranged and settled next day before noon; and to sit down at evening in the little back parlour with old Sol and Captain Cuttle; and to see the Instrument-maker already reviving, and hopeful for the future, and feeling that the wooden Midshipman was his own again. But without the least impeachment of his gratitude to Mr Dombey, it must be confessed that Walter was humbled and cast down. It is when our budding hopes are nipped beyond recovery by some rough wind, that we are the most disposed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might have borne, if they had flourished; and now, when Walter found himself cut off from that great Dombey height, by the depth of a new and terrible tumble, and felt that all his old wild fancies had been scattered to the winds in the fall, he began to suspect that they might have led him on to harmless visions of aspiring to Florence in the remote distance of time.
The Captain viewed the subject in quite a different light. He appeared to entertain a belief that the interview at which he had assisted was so very satisfactory and encouraging, as to be only a step or two removed from a regular betrothal of Florence to Walter; and that the late transaction had immensely forwarded, if not thoroughly established, the Whittingtonian hopes. Stimulated by this conviction, and by the improvement in the spirits of his old friend, and by his own consequent gaiety, he even attempted, in favouring them with the ballad of 'Lovely Peg' for the third time in one evening, to make an extemporaneous substitution of the name 'Florence;' but finding this difficult, on account of the word Peg invariably rhyming to leg (in which personal beauty the original was described as having excelled all competitors), he hit upon the happy thought of changing it to Fle-e-eg; which he accordingly did, with an archness almost supernatural, and a voice quite vociferous, notwithstanding that the time was close at band when he must seek the abode of the dreadful Mrs MacStinger.
That same evening the Major was diffuse at his club, on the subject of his friend Dombey in the City. 'Damme, Sir,' said the Major, 'he's a prince, is my friend Dombey in the City. I tell you what, Sir. If you had a few more men among you like old Joe Bagstock and my friend Dombey in the City, Sir, you'd do!'
白格斯托克少校通過(guò)他的看戲用的雙筒小望遠(yuǎn)鏡，越過(guò)公主廣場(chǎng)對(duì)保羅進(jìn)行了長(zhǎng)久與頻繁的觀察之后，在每天、每周、每月從本地人（他為了這個(gè)目的與托克斯小姐的女仆經(jīng)常交往）那里得到有關(guān)這個(gè)問題的許多詳細(xì)的報(bào)告之后，得出結(jié)論說(shuō)，董貝先生是一位值得結(jié)識(shí)的人，喬·白是一位設(shè)法要與他結(jié)識(shí)的后生。
可是托克斯小姐一直保持著疏遠(yuǎn)的態(tài)度，少校每次為了這個(gè)目的對(duì)她進(jìn)行摸底，想從她那里哄騙出一些有關(guān)的情況（他時(shí)常這樣做）時(shí)，她都冷淡地表示她不想弄明白他的意思，所以少校雖然生性堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，非常狡猾，也不得不把實(shí)現(xiàn)他的愿望這件事多少聽隨機(jī)會(huì)去擺布了?！跋壬彼３Ｔ诰銟凡坷镎劦剿臋C(jī)會(huì)時(shí)，吃吃地笑著說(shuō)，“自從他的哥哥在西印度群島因?yàn)辄S熱病死了之后，五十比一的機(jī)會(huì)是對(duì)喬?！ぐ子欣??！?BR> 這一次是過(guò)了好些時(shí)候，機(jī)會(huì)才來(lái)幫助他的，但它終于對(duì)他親近了，當(dāng)黑皮膚的仆人詳詳細(xì)細(xì)地報(bào)告說(shuō)，托克斯小姐有事到布賴頓去了，少校突然感情深厚地回憶起他的孟加拉①朋友比爾·比瑟斯通；比瑟斯通曾經(jīng)寫信給他，如果他有便去布賴頓那一帶的話，那就請(qǐng)麻煩他去看一下他的獨(dú)生子。當(dāng)這同一位黑皮膚的仆人報(bào)告說(shuō)，保羅住在皮普欽太太那里的時(shí)候，少校查看了一下比瑟斯通少爺?shù)竭_(dá)英國(guó)以后寄給他的信——過(guò)去他從來(lái)沒想過(guò)要把它當(dāng)一回什么事——，看到好機(jī)會(huì)已經(jīng)自己送上門來(lái)了；可是那時(shí)候他因?yàn)榛纪达L(fēng)病，正躺在床上療養(yǎng)，痛風(fēng)病發(fā)作時(shí)他狂怒得把一只腳凳向黑仆人扔了過(guò)去，來(lái)報(bào)答他所提供的消息，并發(fā)誓說(shuō)，在他自己死去之前，他要把這無(wú)賴弄死。黑仆人非常相信這一點(diǎn)。
終于，少校擺脫了痛風(fēng)病發(fā)作的痛苦，在一個(gè)星期六，在本地人尾隨之下，罵罵咧咧地到布賴頓去了；一路上他與托克斯小姐談著話，幸災(zāi)樂禍地想像著他以突然襲擊的方式把她那位高貴的朋友奪到手中的情景（她曾經(jīng)把她的那位朋友弄得那么神秘兮兮，而且也是為了他她才把少校拋棄的）。
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①孟加拉（Bengal）：當(dāng)時(shí)全屬于印度。
“您是不是，夫人，您是不是，”少校說(shuō)道；他由于懷著報(bào)復(fù)的情緒緊繃著臉，頭上每一根早已發(fā)漲的血管漲得更粗了，“您是不是要向喬埃·白告別了，夫人？還沒到時(shí)候呢，夫人，還沒到時(shí)候！他媽的，還沒到時(shí)候呢，先生。喬埃沒有睡去，夫人。白格斯托克還活著，先生。喬·白是精明的，夫人。喬埃時(shí)時(shí)警惕著，先生。您會(huì)看到，他是堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的，夫人，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，先生，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的就是約瑟夫，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼般地狡猾！”
當(dāng)他領(lǐng)著比瑟斯通少爺出去散步的時(shí)候，這位年輕人看到他的確是很堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的。少校四處游逛著，臉色像斯蒂爾頓干酪①一樣，眼睛像對(duì)蝦的一樣，完全不考慮比瑟斯通少爺?shù)臉啡ぁ．?dāng)他上下張望，尋找董貝先生和他的孩子們的時(shí)候，他把比瑟斯通少爺硬拽著走。
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①斯蒂爾頓干酪（Stiltoncheese）：英國(guó)產(chǎn)干酪，以亨丁頓郡一村莊命名，乳黃色，帶有青霉菌芽胞藍(lán)綠色花紋。正因?yàn)閹в兴{(lán)綠色的花紋，所以說(shuō)少校的臉色像它。
由于皮普欽太太事先進(jìn)行過(guò)指點(diǎn)，所以少校及時(shí)地偵察到了保羅和弗洛倫斯，并且迅速地向他們走近。有一位莊嚴(yán)的紳士跟他們?cè)谝黄?，他無(wú)疑就是董貝先生。當(dāng)他和比瑟斯通少爺闖進(jìn)這一小群人中間時(shí)，結(jié)果自然是比瑟斯通少爺跟他那些同樣遭難受罪的伴侶們談起話來(lái)。少校在后面停下腳步，注意地看著他們并稱贊著他們；他表示驚奇地記起來(lái)，他曾經(jīng)在公主廣場(chǎng)他的朋友托克斯小姐的家里看見過(guò)他們，跟他們說(shuō)過(guò)話；他說(shuō)，保羅是一個(gè)非常可愛的孩子，是他自己的小朋友；又問他是否記得喬埃·白少校，最后，他突然記起了習(xí)俗慣例應(yīng)有的禮節(jié)，就轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身去，向董貝先生道歉。
“可是我在這里的小朋友又使我變成一個(gè)孩子了，先生，”少校說(shuō)道。“一位老兵承認(rèn)這一點(diǎn)并不感到難為情，先生，他是白格斯托克少校，隨時(shí)愿意為您效勞；”少校這時(shí)脫下帽子敬禮?！八麐尩模壬?，”少校突然熱情地喊道，“我妒嫉您?！?BR> 然后他鎮(zhèn)靜下來(lái)，補(bǔ)充了一句，“請(qǐng)?jiān)徫业姆潘痢！?BR> 董貝先生請(qǐng)他別這么客氣。
“一位老兵，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“一條被煙熏過(guò)，被太陽(yáng)曬黑的、精疲力盡、因傷病而退伍的少校老狗是不怕像董貝先生這樣的人指責(zé)他忽起的念頭的。我想我能榮幸跟董貝先生交談幾句嗎？”
“現(xiàn)在我就是姓我們這個(gè)姓的家族的卑賤的代表，少校，”
董貝先生回答道。
“可以對(duì)著上帝發(fā)誓，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“這是個(gè)偉大的姓，”少校堅(jiān)決地說(shuō)道，仿佛他挑起董貝先生來(lái)反駁他，而如果董貝先生真的那么做了，那么他就會(huì)感到他負(fù)有痛苦的責(zé)任來(lái)爭(zhēng)個(gè)高低，讓他過(guò)不去似的，“這是個(gè)在不列顛海外領(lǐng)地中享有聲望與尊敬的姓。人們以姓這個(gè)姓而感到自豪，先生。約瑟夫·白格斯托克不懂得拍馬*，先生。約克郡公爵殿下不止一次說(shuō)過(guò)，‘喬埃不會(huì)拍馬*。他是個(gè)普通的老兵，這就是喬，他堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈得有點(diǎn)過(guò)了頭，這就是約瑟夫?！贿^(guò)這是個(gè)偉大的姓，先生?？梢詫?duì)著天主發(fā)誓，這是個(gè)偉大的姓！”
少校一本正經(jīng)地說(shuō)道。
“承蒙您好意贊揚(yáng)，不過(guò)也許評(píng)價(jià)太高，有些過(guò)分了，少校，”董貝先生回答道。
“不，先生，”少校說(shuō)道。“我在這里的小朋友會(huì)給約瑟夫·白格斯托克證明，他是一位耿直的、坦率的、有話直說(shuō)的老實(shí)人，先生，這就是一切。那個(gè)孩子，先生，”少校壓低了聲音，說(shuō)道，“將會(huì)留芳百世，永垂史冊(cè)。那個(gè)孩子，先生，不是個(gè)平凡之輩。請(qǐng)好好照看他，董貝先生?！?BR> 董貝先生似乎向他暗示說(shuō)，他將努力這樣去做。
“這里有一個(gè)孩子，先生，”少校用說(shuō)知心話的口吻繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，一邊用手杖戳戳他。“孟加拉比瑟斯通的兒子。比爾·比瑟斯通從前是我們當(dāng)中的一個(gè)。那個(gè)孩子的父親和我本人過(guò)去是莫逆之交，先生。不論您走到哪里，先生，您聽到人們談?wù)摰娜际怯嘘P(guān)比爾·比瑟斯通和喬·白格斯托克的事情。難道我看不見那個(gè)孩子的缺點(diǎn)嗎？決不是。他是個(gè)傻瓜，先生?！?BR> 董貝先生向那位遭到誹謗的比瑟斯通少爺看了一眼；他跟少校一樣，對(duì)這孩子絲毫也不了解，他很得意地說(shuō)道，“真的嗎？”
“真的，他就是這樣，先生，”少校說(shuō)道?！八莻€(gè)傻瓜。喬·白格斯托克從來(lái)不粉飾事實(shí)。我的孟加拉老朋友比爾·比瑟斯通的兒子生來(lái)就是個(gè)傻瓜，先生?！鄙傩Ｕf(shuō)到這里，哈哈大笑著，笑到臉色幾乎完全發(fā)青?！拔蚁?，我的小朋友注定要進(jìn)公學(xué)①的吧，董貝先生？”少?；謴?fù)過(guò)來(lái)之后，問道。
“我還沒有作出決定，”董貝先生回答道。“我想不送去。
他的體質(zhì)虛弱?！?BR> “如果他的體質(zhì)虛弱，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“您不送去是對(duì)的。只有堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的小伙子才能在經(jīng)受了桑赫斯特②的苦難之后活下來(lái)。我們?cè)谀抢锘ハ嗾勰ィ壬?。我們把新?lái)的人放在慢火上烤，把他們從四層樓往窗子外面頭朝下地倒掛著。先生，約瑟夫·白格斯托克曾經(jīng)被握住靴子后跟，在校鐘旁邊的窗子外面掛了十三分鐘?！?BR> --------
①公學(xué)（publicschool）：英國(guó)專為富有子弟而設(shè)的私立中等中校，如伊頓（Eton）公學(xué)、哈羅（Harrow）公學(xué)等。
②桑赫斯特（Sandhurst）是英格蘭南部的一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)，英國(guó)陸軍軍官學(xué)校設(shè)在那里。
少校很可以舉出他的臉色來(lái)證實(shí)這段經(jīng)歷，他看上去仿佛確實(shí)曾經(jīng)被倒掛得太久了一些。
“但是它使我們變成了我們那時(shí)那樣的人，先生，”少校整整襯衫褶邊，說(shuō)道?！拔覀兪氰F，先生，它鍛造了我們。您住在這里嗎，董貝先生？”
“我通常每星期到這里來(lái)一次，少校，”那位先生說(shuō)道。
“我住在貝德福德旅館。”
“如果您允許，先生，我將榮幸地到貝德福德旅館去拜訪您，”少校說(shuō)道。“喬?！ぐ撞皇莻€(gè)喜愛拜訪的人，但是董貝先生不是個(gè)平凡的人物。我非常感謝我的小朋友，先生，感謝他使我有幸被介紹跟您認(rèn)識(shí)。”
董貝先生很親切友好地回答了他的話；白格斯托克少校拍了拍保羅的頭之后，說(shuō)到弗洛倫斯的時(shí)候說(shuō)，她那雙眼睛不久就會(huì)使年輕人神魂顛倒的?！罢f(shuō)實(shí)話，也會(huì)使老頭子神魂顛倒的，先生，”少校補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，一邊大聲地吃吃地笑著。他用手杖捅捅比瑟斯通少爺，邁著急匆匆的快步，跟那位年輕人離開了。當(dāng)他兩只腿分得很開，蹣跚地繼續(xù)往前走去的時(shí)候，他搖晃著腦袋，極為威嚴(yán)地咳嗽著。
少校履行諾言，后來(lái)去拜訪了董貝先生；董貝先生查閱了軍人名冊(cè)之后，后來(lái)也去拜訪了少校。然后少校在董貝先生城里的公館中拜訪了他；然后他和董貝先生乘坐著同一輛馬車又到布賴頓來(lái)?？傊?，董貝先生與少校相處得異乎尋常地融洽，關(guān)系進(jìn)展得異乎尋常地迅速。董貝先生向他的妹妹談起少校的時(shí)候，說(shuō)，他不僅是一位真正的軍人，而且在他身上還有其他一些東西，因?yàn)樗麑?duì)跟他的職業(yè)毫無(wú)關(guān)系的事物，也令人驚嘆地了解它們的重要性。
終于，當(dāng)董貝先生領(lǐng)著托克斯小姐與奇克夫人到布賴頓來(lái)看孩子們，并看到少校也在這里的時(shí)候，他就邀請(qǐng)他到貝德福德旅館來(lái)吃晚飯，事前還向托克斯小姐極力恭維她有這樣一位鄰居與熟人。盡管這些暗示使托克斯小姐心房怦怦跳動(dòng)，但她聽起來(lái)決不是不愉快的，因?yàn)樗鼈兪顾兊酶裢庥腥?，有時(shí)使她顯得心意煩亂，神志不定，這是她完全不愿意表露出來(lái)的。少校給了她很多機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)展現(xiàn)這種情緒，他在晚飯中間不斷埋怨她把他和公主廣場(chǎng)拋棄了。由于他講這些話看來(lái)是為了取得極大的樂趣，所以他們?nèi)枷嗵幍煤苋谇ⅰ?BR> 少校掌握著整個(gè)談話；他在這方面的胃口跟他對(duì)桌子上的各種美味食品的胃口一樣大；幾乎可以說(shuō)他在大吞大咽著這些食品，而這又大大地促使他鼓動(dòng)他的如簧之舌；這對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)的情況并沒有什么不好。由于董貝先生習(xí)慣于沉著冷靜，不多說(shuō)話，所以他絲毫沒有干預(yù)這種喧賓奪主的現(xiàn)象；少校覺得他正在大出風(fēng)頭，因而興高采烈，把他自己的姓名顛來(lái)倒去地說(shuō)出了無(wú)數(shù)個(gè)新的變化，連他自己也感到十分驚奇。總之，他們?nèi)几械绞指吲d。大家覺得少校擁有耗用不盡的談話資源；當(dāng)打完一局時(shí)間拖得很長(zhǎng)的紙牌，少校終于很晚地告別之后，董貝先生又向臉孔羞得通紅的托克斯小姐恭維她有這樣一位鄰居與熟人。
可是在回到自己旅館的整個(gè)路途中，少校不斷自言自語(yǔ)地談著他自己?！敖苹?，先生——狡猾呵，先生——像魔鬼般地狡猾呵！”到達(dá)旅館以后，他在一張椅子中坐下，默默無(wú)聲地大笑個(gè)不停；他有時(shí)是會(huì)這樣大笑的，而那樣子常常是特別可怕的。這一次笑的時(shí)間那么長(zhǎng)久，所以黑仆人就站在遠(yuǎn)處看著他，無(wú)論如何也不敢走近他，有兩三次還以為他已經(jīng)沒有醫(yī)治的希望了。他的整個(gè)身軀，特別是他的臉與頭膨脹得比過(guò)去任何時(shí)候都大，在黑人眼中看到的只是一大堆靛藍(lán)的東西。終于他發(fā)出一陣猛烈的咳嗽，在感到好一些以后，他短促地叫喊出以下一些話來(lái)：
“您是不是，夫人，您是不是想當(dāng)董貝夫人，嗯，夫人？我看不成，夫人。只要喬·白能在您的車輪子里插進(jìn)一根棍子，那就不成，夫人。喬·白現(xiàn)在和您是平等的，夫人。他根本還沒有被*，退出場(chǎng)外，先生，白格斯托克沒有退。她的心計(jì)深，先生，心計(jì)深，但是喬希的心計(jì)更深。老喬清醒著——沒有絲毫睡意，而且睜大了眼睛看著，先生！”他最后的一句話無(wú)疑是真實(shí)的，而且真實(shí)到了很可怕的程度；因?yàn)樵谀且灰沟拇蟀霑r(shí)間里，繼續(xù)是這種情形；少校主要是在類似叫喊聲中度過(guò)那一夜的，有時(shí)穿插著一陣陣使整個(gè)房屋都感到驚恐的咳嗽與窒息。
就在發(fā)生這件事情以后的第二天（這是個(gè)星期天），當(dāng)董貝先生，奇克夫人和托克斯小姐坐著吃早飯，依舊在稱贊少校的時(shí)候，弗洛倫斯臉上顯露出一片明亮的光彩，眼中閃著喜悅的光輝，跑了進(jìn)來(lái)，喊道：
“爸爸！爸爸！沃爾特在這里！他不肯進(jìn)來(lái)?！?BR> “誰(shuí)？”董貝先生喊道?！八v的是什么？這是什么意思？”
“沃爾特，爸爸！”弗洛倫斯膽怯地說(shuō)道；她感到她剛才提到這個(gè)人太隨隨便便了?！拔颐月返臅r(shí)候是他把我找到的。”“她是說(shuō)年輕人蓋伊嗎，路易莎？”董貝先生皺著眉頭，問道?！罢娴?，這孩子的舉止變得很吵吵嚷嚷的了。她不會(huì)指年輕人蓋伊吧，我想。請(qǐng)你去了解一下是什么事情好嗎？”
奇克夫人匆忙走進(jìn)走廊，回來(lái)說(shuō)，是年輕人蓋伊，陪他一道來(lái)的是一位外貌很古怪的人；年輕人蓋伊說(shuō)，他聽說(shuō)董貝先生正在吃早飯，就不肯冒失地進(jìn)來(lái)；他愿意在外面等候，直到董貝先生允許他進(jìn)來(lái)的時(shí)候?yàn)橹埂?BR> “告訴這孩子現(xiàn)在進(jìn)來(lái)吧，”董貝先生說(shuō)道?！斑恚w伊，發(fā)生了什么事情？誰(shuí)派您到這里來(lái)的？沒有別的人到這里來(lái)了嗎？”
“我請(qǐng)您原諒，先生，”沃爾特回答道。“我不是被公司派來(lái)的。我是不揣冒昧地為了我的私事到您這里來(lái)的；我希望我說(shuō)明原因以后您會(huì)原諒我?！?BR> 可是董貝先生沒有注意聽他講的話，而是不耐煩地一會(huì)兒從他的左邊，一會(huì)兒從他的右邊去看他背后的一個(gè)什么目標(biāo)，仿佛他本人是一根擋住他視線的柱子似的。
“那是什么？”董貝先生說(shuō)道?！澳鞘钦l(shuí)？我想您走錯(cuò)了門了吧，先生？”
“啊，我很抱歉，我不是一個(gè)人來(lái)的，先生，”沃爾特急忙喊道；“不過(guò)這是——這是卡特爾船長(zhǎng)，先生。”
“沃爾，我的孩子，”船長(zhǎng)用深沉的聲音說(shuō)道；“做好準(zhǔn)備！”
在這同時(shí)，船長(zhǎng)向前走近一些，十分清楚地顯露出了他的寬大的藍(lán)上衣，顯眼的襯衫領(lǐng)子和有好多疙瘩的鼻子；他站著向董貝先生鞠躬，并彬彬有禮地向女士們揮著鉤子，另一只手中拿著那頂上了光的硬帽子，頭的周圍顯露出一個(gè)紅色的圓圈，那是帽子新近留下的痕跡。
董貝先生驚奇而憤怒地注視著這個(gè)現(xiàn)象，并且以他的臉色要求奇克夫人與托克斯小姐跟他一道表示不滿。當(dāng)船長(zhǎng)揮著鉤子的時(shí)候，跟隨弗洛倫斯進(jìn)來(lái)的小保羅背朝著托克斯小姐后退，并站在那里作出了防御的姿態(tài)。
“唔，蓋伊，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“您有什么要對(duì)我說(shuō)的？”
船長(zhǎng)又說(shuō)道，“沃爾，做好準(zhǔn)備！”這就算作是談話的一個(gè)開端，它不會(huì)不取得所有在場(chǎng)人的好感的。
“我擔(dān)心，先生，”沃爾特哆嗦著，眼睛向下看著地面，說(shuō)道，“我到這里來(lái)是十分放肆的，——確實(shí)，我相信是這樣。甚至我到了這里以后，我恐怕也沒有勇氣請(qǐng)求見您，先生，如果我沒有遇見董貝小姐，而且——”
“唔！”董貝先生說(shuō)道；當(dāng)沃爾特向注意聽他講話的弗洛倫斯看了一眼的時(shí)候，董貝先生跟隨著他的眼光；當(dāng)她微笑著對(duì)沃爾特表示鼓勵(lì)的時(shí)候，他不自覺地皺起了眉頭?！罢?qǐng)繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去。”
“是的，是的，”船長(zhǎng)說(shuō)道；他認(rèn)為，他是一位有教養(yǎng)的人，他有責(zé)任來(lái)支持董貝先生?！罢f(shuō)得很好！繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，沃爾?！?BR> 董貝先生表示聽到了支持他的話，向他看了一眼；卡特爾船長(zhǎng)當(dāng)時(shí)如果看到這個(gè)眼光的話，那么他一定是會(huì)全身畏縮的。可是他完全不知道這一點(diǎn)，所以他閉了一只眼睛作為回答，并寓有深意地?fù)]了揮鉤子，讓董貝先生明白，沃爾特開始有些膽怯，但可以期望他很快就會(huì)平靜下來(lái)的。
“我到這里來(lái)完全是為了一件私人的事情，先生，”沃爾特結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“這位卡特爾船長(zhǎng)——”
“就在這里！”船長(zhǎng)打斷了他的話，證明他就在近旁，而且是可以信賴的。
“是我可憐的舅舅的一位很老的朋友，是一個(gè)極好的人，先生，”沃爾特抬起眼睛，露出為船長(zhǎng)求情的神色，繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，“他一片好心，提出要陪我到這里來(lái)，我不能拒絕他的要求?！?BR> “是的，是的，是的，”船長(zhǎng)喜洋洋地說(shuō)道。“當(dāng)然不能。
哪能拒絕呢。往下說(shuō)吧，沃爾?！?BR> “因此，先生，”沃爾特說(shuō)道；他大膽地接觸到董貝先生的眼光，在極為絕望的情況下鼓起勇氣繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在已經(jīng)沒法退避了，“因此我就跟他一起到這里來(lái)，想告訴您，先生，我的可憐的年老的舅舅正處在極大的痛苦與不幸之中。由于他的營(yíng)業(yè)逐漸虧損，無(wú)法償還欠款——我知道得很清楚，先生，這個(gè)恐懼過(guò)去好幾個(gè)月一直沉甸甸地壓在他的心頭——，他家里的財(cái)產(chǎn)就要查封，他將失去他所有的東西，傷心而死；他現(xiàn)在正處在這樣的危險(xiǎn)之中。如果您由于長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)一直知道他是一位品德端正的人，慈悲為懷，并因此能做點(diǎn)什么事來(lái)幫助他走出困境的話，先生，那么我們對(duì)您真將感激不盡?！?BR> 沃爾特說(shuō)話的時(shí)候，眼睛里充滿了淚水，弗洛倫斯的眼睛里也是一樣。她的父親看上去好像只是看著沃爾特，但他看到她的這些淚水在閃著亮光。
“這是一筆很大的款子，先生，”沃爾特說(shuō)道?！叭俣噫^。我的舅舅已經(jīng)完全被他的不幸壓垮了；它是那么沉重地壓在他身上，因此他已經(jīng)完全不能做什么事情來(lái)解救自己。他甚至不知道我已經(jīng)到這里來(lái)跟您談話。您可能希望，先生，”沃爾特遲疑了片刻之后，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“我確切地說(shuō)出我究竟需要什么。我確實(shí)不知道，先生。我舅舅有一些貨物。我想我可以有把握地說(shuō)，他已經(jīng)沒有別的債務(wù)了。還有卡特爾船長(zhǎng)，他也愿意出面擔(dān)保。我——我實(shí)在不想提到我掙的那點(diǎn)錢；”沃爾特說(shuō)道，“但是如果您允許把它們積攢起來(lái)——抵償——借貸給——舅舅——這位節(jié)儉的、正直的老人?！蔽譅柼爻粤Φ卣f(shuō)著這些斷斷續(xù)續(xù)、支離破碎的句子，聲音愈來(lái)愈小，終于默不作聲，低垂著頭，站在他的雇主前面。
卡特爾船長(zhǎng)覺得這是顯示那些貴重物品的好時(shí)機(jī)，就向前走到餐桌跟前，在董貝先生身旁的餐杯中間清出一小片地方，取出了銀表、現(xiàn)錢、茶匙和方糖箝子；又把它們堆成一堆，使它們看起來(lái)顯得格外貴重，然后說(shuō)出了以下的一番話：
“半塊面包比沒有面包好，就面包屑來(lái)說(shuō)，也同樣可以這樣說(shuō)。這里是一些面包屑。以后還準(zhǔn)備貢獻(xiàn)上一百鎊的年金。如果世界上有一位腦子里充滿科學(xué)的人，那么這個(gè)人就是老所爾·吉爾斯。如果世界上有一個(gè)前程遠(yuǎn)大的小伙子——一個(gè)‘流著牛奶與蜂蜜’①的小伙子的話”船長(zhǎng)引用了他得意的語(yǔ)錄，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“——那么這就是他的外甥！”
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①“流著牛奶與蜂蜜”原是圣經(jīng)中形容肥沃的土地（巴勒斯坦）的話，船長(zhǎng)用它來(lái)形容沃爾特年輕有為、前程遠(yuǎn)大。
然后船長(zhǎng)退回到他原先的地方，站在那里梳理梳理那散亂的頭發(fā)，露出一副剛剛完成一件最艱難的任務(wù)的人的神態(tài)。
當(dāng)沃爾特停止講話的時(shí)候，董貝先生的眼光被吸引到小保羅的身上；小保羅看到他姐姐低垂著頭，由于憐憫她所聽到的不幸正在默默地哭泣著，就向她走過(guò)去，設(shè)法安慰她；當(dāng)他這樣做的時(shí)候，他臉上富于表情地望著沃爾特和他的父親。董貝先生由于卡特爾船長(zhǎng)的談話暫時(shí)轉(zhuǎn)移了注意力（他對(duì)這個(gè)談話高傲地漠不關(guān)心）之后，又把眼睛轉(zhuǎn)到他的兒子身上，默默地坐了一些時(shí)候，專心一意地望著這孩子。
“這筆債是為什么欠下的？”董貝先生終于問道?！罢l(shuí)是債權(quán)人？”
“他不知道，”船長(zhǎng)把手?jǐn)R在沃爾特的肩膀上，回答道。
“我知道。那是因?yàn)閹椭晃滑F(xiàn)已不在人世的人而欠下的?？墒悄且呀?jīng)使我的朋友吉爾斯耗費(fèi)了幾百鎊了。如果您同意，詳細(xì)情況我可以在私下里說(shuō)給您聽?！?BR> “那些好不容易自己才能生活下去的人們，”董貝先生沒有注意船長(zhǎng)在沃爾特背后所做的神秘的手勢(shì)，仍然看著他的兒子，說(shuō)道，“安安分分地照料他們自己的負(fù)擔(dān)和困難就行了，不要再去替別人擔(dān)保，增加這種負(fù)擔(dān)和困難了。這是一種不誠(chéng)實(shí)的，而且也是狂妄無(wú)禮的行為，”董貝先生嚴(yán)厲地說(shuō)道；“極大的狂妄無(wú)禮；因?yàn)槟切└挥械娜怂茏龅淖疃嘁膊贿^(guò)如此罷了。保羅，到這里來(lái)！”
孩子依從了。董貝先生把他抱到膝蓋上。
“如果你現(xiàn)在有錢——”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“看著我！”
保羅的眼睛原先看著他的姐姐和沃爾特，這時(shí)看著他父親的臉。
“如果你現(xiàn)在有錢，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“有年輕人蓋伊談到的那么多的錢的話，那么你將怎么辦？”
“把它給他年老的舅舅，”保羅回答道。
“把它借給他年老的舅舅，是不是？”董貝先生對(duì)他進(jìn)行糾正，說(shuō)道?！斑?！你知道，等你長(zhǎng)大以后，你將跟我一起享有我的錢。我們將一起使用它?！?BR> “董貝父子，”保羅打斷他的話，說(shuō)道；他很小就被教會(huì)說(shuō)這幾個(gè)字。
“董貝父子，”他的父親重復(fù)說(shuō)道?！澳阍敢猬F(xiàn)在就來(lái)管董貝父子公司的事，把這錢借給蓋伊的舅舅嗎？”
“啊！如果你愿意的話，爸爸！”保羅說(shuō)道?！案ヂ鍌愃挂矔?huì)愿意的?！?BR> “女孩子，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“跟董貝父子沒有關(guān)系。你愿意嗎？”
“愿意，爸爸，愿意！”
“那么就由你來(lái)辦這件事，”他的父親回答道?！澳憧吹搅?，保羅，”他壓低了聲音，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“錢有多么大的力量；人們多么急切地想要得到它。年輕人蓋伊跑這一趟路來(lái)是為了懇求借錢，而你是這么高貴、偉大、有錢，你將作為一筆很大的恩惠與人情，讓他得到它。”
保羅把那張老氣的臉向上抬起一會(huì)兒，明白地表示他十分理解這些話的含義，可是當(dāng)他從他父親的膝蓋上滑溜下來(lái)，跑去告訴弗洛倫斯不要再哭，因?yàn)樗麑⒆屇贻p的蓋伊得到這筆錢的時(shí)候，那張臉又立刻變得年輕與孩子氣了。
于是董貝先生轉(zhuǎn)身走到一張邊桌旁邊，寫了一張條子，蓋了章。在這段時(shí)間里，保羅與弗洛倫斯低聲地跟沃爾特說(shuō)話，卡特爾船長(zhǎng)則眉開眼笑地看著這三個(gè)人，心中懷著那樣抱負(fù)不凡的、難以形容的狂妄的思想，那是董貝先生決不會(huì)相信的。條子處理完畢之后，董貝先生回到他原先的地方，把它交給沃爾特。
“明天早上第一件事，”他說(shuō)道，“就是把這交給卡克先生。他會(huì)立刻作出安排，讓我的一位職員支付那筆錢，把您的舅舅從他目前的困境中解脫出來(lái)；償還的條件也是規(guī)定得符合您舅舅的境況的。您就把這看作是保羅少爺為您辦的吧！”
沃爾特手里拿著把他的善良的舅舅從災(zāi)難中解救出來(lái)的手段，心中無(wú)比激動(dòng)，本想盡力說(shuō)些表示感激與喜悅的話。可是董貝先生突然制止了他。
“您就把這看作是保羅少爺為您辦的吧，”他重復(fù)說(shuō)道，“我已經(jīng)向他解釋過(guò)，他也聽明白了，我沒有別的話要說(shuō)的了?！?BR> 因?yàn)樗檬种钢T，沃爾特只好向他鞠躬，告別了。托克斯小姐看到船長(zhǎng)好像也正要這樣做的時(shí)候，插嘴道：
“我親愛的先生，”她對(duì)董貝先生說(shuō)道；她和奇克夫人對(duì)他的慷慨都流出了大量的眼淚；“我想您疏忽了一點(diǎn)什么事情了。請(qǐng)?jiān)徫遥愊壬?，我覺得，由于您品格高尚，豁達(dá)大度，您沒有注意到一件小事?！?BR> “真的嗎，托克斯小姐！”董貝先生說(shuō)道。
“那位帶著——工具的先生，”托克斯小姐向卡特爾船長(zhǎng)看了一眼，說(shuō)下去，“在餐桌上挨近您的地方留下了——”
“老天爺！”董貝先生說(shuō)道，一邊把船長(zhǎng)的財(cái)產(chǎn)從他的身邊一下推開，仿佛它真是好多面包屑似的。“把這些東西拿走。我感謝您，托克斯小姐；您一向都是考慮得這樣周到。勞駕您把這些東西拿走吧，先生?！?BR> 卡特爾船長(zhǎng)覺得他除了遵命照辦外，沒有別的選擇?？墒嵌愊壬芙^接受這些堆積在他手邊的財(cái)寶，表現(xiàn)得那么寬宏大量，這使他十分感動(dòng)，因此當(dāng)他把茶匙和方糖箝子裝進(jìn)一只衣袋，把現(xiàn)錢裝進(jìn)另一只衣袋，把那只大表慢慢地往下放到它的合適的洞穴里去的時(shí)候，他情不自禁地把這位先生的右手握到他那只單獨(dú)的左手里，而且當(dāng)他用有勁的手指把它撐開的時(shí)候，他在滿懷敬佩的心情中，把鉤子接觸到它的掌心。董貝先生在熱烈的感情與冰冷的鐵件的接觸下，全身打了個(gè)冷顫。
然后，卡特爾船長(zhǎng)極為文雅、極為殷勤地把鉤子吻了好幾次，向女士們致意；在向保羅與弗洛倫斯特別進(jìn)行了告別之后，他陪著沃爾特走出了房間。弗洛倫斯出自一片熱心，追在他們后面，要他們代向老所爾問候，這時(shí)候董貝先生喊她回來(lái)，吩咐她待在原先的地方。
“難道你永遠(yuǎn)也不想成為真正的董貝家里的人了嗎？我親愛的孩子！”奇克夫人用感傷與責(zé)備的語(yǔ)氣說(shuō)道。
“親愛的姑媽，”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道?！皠e生我的氣，我是多么感謝爸爸??！”
如果她敢的話，那么她真想跑過(guò)去，伸出胳膊摟住他的脖子；可是因?yàn)樗桓疫@樣做，所以她就用感激的眼光向他看看；這時(shí)他坐在那里沉思著，有時(shí)不安地向她看一眼，但大部分時(shí)間是注視著保羅；這孩子正在房間里走來(lái)走去，擺出一副威風(fēng)凜凜的氣派，那是由于讓年輕的蓋伊得到了錢而剛剛產(chǎn)生出來(lái)的。
那么年輕的蓋伊——沃爾特，他的情況怎么樣了呢？
他歡天喜地地把法警與經(jīng)紀(jì)人從老人家里清除掉，急忙回到舅舅身邊去向他報(bào)告好消息；他歡天喜地地在第二天中午以前把一切事情安排妥當(dāng)，處理完畢，晚上在小后客廳里與老所爾和卡特爾船長(zhǎng)坐在一起，并且看到儀器制造商已經(jīng)重新振作起精神，對(duì)未來(lái)充滿希望，同時(shí)感到木制海軍軍官候補(bǔ)生又屬于他自己的了?？墒潜仨毘姓J(rèn)，沃爾特感到自己?jiǎn)时M體面，意氣消沉。這絲毫也不是責(zé)備他對(duì)董貝先生不知感激。當(dāng)我們希望的萌芽已被一陣暴風(fēng)凍死，無(wú)法恢復(fù)生機(jī)的時(shí)候，我們最不愿意向我們自己描繪，如果它們蓬勃生長(zhǎng)的話，那么它們可能會(huì)開放出什么樣的花朵了?，F(xiàn)在當(dāng)沃爾特發(fā)現(xiàn)自己又一次從偉大的董貝高峰上可怕地深深地滾落下來(lái)，從而和它完全切斷，并且感到他舊日的狂妄的幻想已經(jīng)在滾落時(shí)在風(fēng)中化為烏有的時(shí)候，他開始懷疑，這些希望是否還能在遙遠(yuǎn)的將來(lái)，繼續(xù)引導(dǎo)他走向渴望得到弗洛倫斯的無(wú)害的夢(mèng)幻。
船長(zhǎng)卻從完全不同的角度來(lái)看這個(gè)問題。他似乎相信，他曾給予幫助的這次會(huì)晤令人十分稱心滿意和歡欣鼓舞，它離弗洛倫斯與沃爾特正式訂婚只差一兩步了。在這種信心的激勵(lì)下，在他老朋友情緒好轉(zhuǎn)以及他自己隨之而來(lái)的歡樂心情的鼓舞下，有一天晚上，當(dāng)他第三次為他們唱《可愛的佩格姑娘》這支民歌的時(shí)候，他甚至試圖即席用“弗洛倫斯”的名字來(lái)代替；但他發(fā)現(xiàn)“佩格”這個(gè)詞總是要跟“萊格”①（腿）這個(gè)詞押韻（民歌中描寫女主人公的腿長(zhǎng)得十分美麗，她的生理上的這個(gè)優(yōu)點(diǎn)使她壓倒了所有的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者），于是靈機(jī)一動(dòng)，就把它改成“弗洛—萊格”；雖然他必須回到可怕的麥克斯廷杰太太的住所的時(shí)候就要到了，可是他仍舊那樣唱起來(lái)，唱時(shí)那副詭詐的神氣幾乎是超自然的，而且聲音十分喧鬧。
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①英文中腿（leg）這個(gè)詞的發(fā)音為萊格。
Major Bagstock, after long and frequent observation of Paul, across Princess's Place, through his double-barrelled opera-glass; and after receiving many minute reports, daily, weekly, and monthly, on that subject, from the native who kept himself in constant communication with Miss Tox's maid for that purpose; came to the conclusion that Dombey, Sir, was a man to be known, and that J. B. was the boy to make his acquaintance.
Miss Tox, however, maintaining her reserved behaviour, and frigidly declining to understand the Major whenever he called (which he often did) on any little fishing excursion connected with this project, the Major, in spite of his constitutional toughness and slyness, was fain to leave the accomplishment of his desire in some measure to chance, 'which,' as he was used to observe with chuckles at his club, 'has been fifty to one in favour of Joey B., Sir, ever since his elder brother died of Yellow Jack in the West Indies.'
It was some time coming to his aid in the present instance, but it befriended him at last. When the dark servant, with full particulars, reported Miss Tox absent on Brighton service, the Major was suddenly touched with affectionate reminiscences of his friend Bill Bitherstone of Bengal, who had written to ask him, if he ever went that way, to bestow a call upon his only son. But when the same dark servant reported Paul at Mrs Pipchin's, and the Major, referring to the letter favoured by Master Bitherstone on his arrival in England - to which he had never had the least idea of paying any attention - saw the opening that presented itself, he was made so rabid by the gout, with which he happened to be then laid up, that he threw a footstool at the dark servant in return for his intelligence, and swore he would be the death of the rascal before he had done with him: which the dark servant was more than half disposed to believe.
At length the Major being released from his fit, went one Saturday growling down to Brighton, with the native behind him; apostrophizing Miss Tox all the way, and gloating over the prospect of carrying by storm the distinguished friend to whom she attached so much mystery, and for whom she had deserted him,
'Would you, Ma'am, would you!' said the Major, straining with vindictiveness, and swelling every already swollen vein in his head. 'Would you give Joey B. the go-by, Ma'am? Not yet, Ma'am, not yet! Damme, not yet, Sir. Joe is awake, Ma'am. Bagstock is alive, Sir. J. B. knows a move or two, Ma'am. Josh has his weather-eye open, Sir. You'll find him tough, Ma'am. Tough, Sir, tough is Joseph. Tough, and de-vilish sly!'
And very tough indeed Master Bitherstone found him, when he took that young gentleman out for a walk. But the Major, with his complexion like a Stilton cheese, and his eyes like a prawn's, went roving about, perfectly indifferent to Master Bitherstone's amusement, and dragging Master Bitherstone along, while he looked about him high and low, for Mr Dombey and his children.
In good time the Major, previously instructed by Mrs Pipchin, spied out Paul and Florence, and bore down upon them; there being a stately gentleman (Mr Dombey, doubtless) in their company. Charging with Master Bitherstone into the very heart of the little squadron, it fell out, of course, that Master Bitherstone spoke to his fellow-sufferers. Upon that the Major stopped to notice and admire them; remembered with amazement that he had seen and spoken to them at his friend Miss Tox's in Princess's Place; opined that Paul was a devilish fine fellow, and his own little friend; inquired if he remembered Joey B. the Major; and finally, with a sudden recollection of the conventionalities of life, turned and apologised to Mr Dombey.
'But my little friend here, Sir,' said the Major, 'makes a boy of me again: An old soldier, Sir - Major Bagstock, at your service - is not ashamed to confess it.' Here the Major lifted his hat. 'Damme, Sir,' cried the Major with sudden warmth, 'I envy you.' Then he recollected himself, and added, 'Excuse my freedom.'
Mr Dombey begged he wouldn't mention it.
'An old campaigner, Sir,' said the Major, 'a smoke-dried, sun-burnt, used-up, invalided old dog of a Major, Sir, was not afraid of being condemned for his whim by a man like Mr Dombey. I have the honour of addressing Mr Dombey, I believe?'
'I am the present unworthy representative of that name, Major,' returned Mr Dombey.
'By G-, Sir!' said the Major, 'it's a great name. It's a name, Sir,' said the Major firmly, as if he defied Mr Dombey to contradict him, and would feel it his painful duty to bully him if he did, 'that is known and honoured in the British possessions abroad. It is a name, Sir, that a man is proud to recognise. There is nothing adulatory in Joseph Bagstock, Sir. His Royal Highness the Duke of York observed on more than one occasion, "there is no adulation in Joey. He is a plain old soldier is Joe. He is tough to a fault is Joseph:" but it's a great name, Sir. By the Lord, it's a great name!' said the Major, solemnly.
'You are good enough to rate it higher than it deserves, perhaps, Major,' returned Mr Dombey.
'No, Sir,' said the Major, in a severe tone. No, Mr Dombey, let us understand each other. That is not the Bagstock vein, Sir. You don't know Joseph B. He is a blunt old blade is Josh. No flattery in him, Sir. Nothing like it.'
Mr Dombey inclined his head, and said he believed him to be in earnest, and that his high opinion was gratifying.
'My little friend here, Sir,' croaked the Major, looking as amiably as he could, on Paul, 'will certify for Joseph Bagstock that he is a thorough-going, down-right, plain-spoken, old Trump, Sir, and nothing more. That boy, Sir,' said the Major in a lower tone, 'will live in history. That boy, Sir, is not a common production. Take care of him, Mr Dombey.'
Mr Dombey seemed to intimate that he would endeavour to do so.
'Here is a boy here, Sir,' pursued the Major, confidentially, and giving him a thrust with his cane. 'Son of Bitherstone of Bengal. Bill Bitherstone formerly of ours. That boy's father and myself, Sir, were sworn friends. Wherever you went, Sir, you heard of nothing but Bill Bitherstone and Joe Bagstock. Am I blind to that boy's defects? By no means. He's a fool, Sir.'
Mr Dombey glanced at the libelled Master Bitherstone, of whom he knew at least as much as the Major did, and said, in quite a complacent manner, 'Really?'
'That is what he is, sir,' said the Major. 'He's a fool. Joe Bagstock never minces matters. The son of my old friend Bill Bitherstone, of Bengal, is a born fool, Sir.' Here the Major laughed till he was almost black. 'My little friend is destined for a public school,' I' presume, Mr Dombey?' said the Major when he had recovered.
'I am not quite decided,' returned Mr Dombey. 'I think not. He is delicate.'
'If he's delicate, Sir,' said the Major, 'you are right. None but the tough fellows could live through it, Sir, at Sandhurst. We put each other to the torture there, Sir. We roasted the new fellows at a slow fire, and hung 'em out of a three pair of stairs window, with their heads downwards. Joseph Bagstock, Sir, was held out of the window by the heels of his boots, for thirteen minutes by the college clock'
The Major might have appealed to his countenance in corroboration of this story. It certainly looked as if he had hung out a little too long.
'But it made us what we were, Sir,' said the Major, settling his shirt frill. 'We were iron, Sir, and it forged us. Are you remaining here, Mr Dombey?'
'I generally come down once a week, Major,' returned that gentleman. 'I stay at the Bedford.'
'I shall have the honour of calling at the Bedford, Sir, if you'll permit me,' said the Major. 'Joey B., Sir, is not in general a calling man, but Mr Dombey's is not a common name. I am much indebted to my little friend, Sir, for the honour of this introduction.'
Mr Dombey made a very gracious reply; and Major Bagstock, having patted Paul on the head, and said of Florence that her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long - 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major, chuckling very much - stirred up Master Bitherstone with his walking-stick, and departed with that young gentleman, at a kind of half-trot; rolling his head and coughing with great dignity, as he staggered away, with his legs very wide asunder.
In fulfilment of his promise, the Major afterwards called on Mr Dombey; and Mr Dombey, having referred to the army list, afterwards called on the Major. Then the Major called at Mr Dombey's house in town; and came down again, in the same coach as Mr Dombey. In short, Mr Dombey and the Major got on uncommonly well together, and uncommonly fast: and Mr Dombey observed of the Major, to his sister, that besides being quite a military man he was really something more, as he had a very admirable idea of the importance of things unconnected with his own profession.
At length Mr Dombey, bringing down Miss Tox and Mrs Chick to see the children, and finding the Major again at Brighton, invited him to dinner at the Bedford, and complimented Miss Tox highly, beforehand, on her neighbour and acquaintance.
'My dearest Louisa,' said Miss Tox to Mrs Chick, when they were alone together, on the morning of the appointed day, 'if I should seem at all reserved to Major Bagstock, or under any constraint with him, promise me not to notice it.'
'My dear Lucretia,' returned Mrs Chick, 'what mystery is involved in this remarkable request? I must insist upon knowing.'
'Since you are resolved to extort a confession from me, Louisa,' said Miss Tox instantly, 'I have no alternative but to confide to you that the Major has been particular.'
'Particular!' repeated Mrs Chick.
'The Major has long been very particular indeed, my love, in his attentions,' said Miss Tox, 'occasionally they have been so very marked, that my position has been one of no common difficulty.'
'Is he in good circumstances?' inquired Mrs Chick.
'I have every reason to believe, my dear - indeed I may say I know,' returned Miss Tox, 'that he is wealthy. He is truly military, and full of anecdote. I have been informed that his valour, when he was in active service, knew no bounds. I am told that he did all sorts of things in the Peninsula, with every description of fire-arm; and in the East and West Indies, my love, I really couldn't undertake to say what he did not do.'
'Very creditable to him indeed,' said Mrs Chick, 'extremely so; and you have given him no encouragement, my dear?'
'If I were to say, Louisa,' replied Miss Tox, with every demonstration of making an effort that rent her soul, 'that I never encouraged Major Bagstock slightly, I should not do justice to the friendship which exists between you and me. It is, perhaps, hardly in the nature of woman to receive such attentions as the Major once lavished upon myself without betraying some sense of obligation. But that is past - long past. Between the Major and me there is now a yawning chasm, and I will not feign to give encouragement, Louisa, where I cannot give my heart. My affections,' said Miss Tox - 'but, Louisa, this is madness!' and departed from the room.
All this Mrs Chick communicated to her brother before dinner: and it by no means indisposed Mr Dombey to receive the Major with unwonted cordiality. The Major, for his part, was in a state of plethoric satisfaction that knew no bounds: and he coughed, and choked, and chuckled, and gasped, and swelled, until the waiters seemed positively afraid of him.
'Your family monopolises Joe's light, Sir,' said the Major, when he had saluted Miss Tox. 'Joe lives in darkness. Princess's Place is changed into Kamschatka in the winter time. There is no ray of sun, Sir, for Joey B., now.'
'Miss Tox is good enough to take a great deal of interest in Paul, Major,' returned Mr Dombey on behalf of that blushing virgin.
'Damme Sir,' said the Major, 'I'm jealous of my little friend. I'm pining away Sir. The Bagstock breed is degenerating in the forsaken person of old Joe.' And the Major, becoming bluer and bluer and puffing his cheeks further and further over the stiff ridge of his tight cravat, stared at Miss Tox, until his eyes seemed as if he were at that moment being overdone before the slow fire at the military college.
Notwithstanding the palpitation of the heart which these allusions occasioned her, they were anything but disagreeable to Miss Tox, as they enabled her to be extremely interesting, and to manifest an occasional incoherence and distraction which she was not at all unwilling to display. The Major gave her abundant opportunities of exhibiting this emotion: being profuse in his complaints, at dinner, of her desertion of him and Princess's Place: and as he appeared to derive great enjoyment from making them, they all got on very well.
None the worse on account of the Major taking charge of the whole conversation, and showing as great an appetite in that respect as in regard of the various dainties on the table, among which he may be almost said to have wallowed: greatly to the aggravation of his inflammatory tendencies. Mr Dombey's habitual silence and reserve yielding readily to this usurpation, the Major felt that he was coming out and shining: and in the flow of spirits thus engendered, rang such an infinite number of new changes on his own name that he quite astonished himself. In a word, they were all very well pleased. The Major was considered to possess an inexhaustible fund of conversation; and when he took a late farewell, after a long rubber, Mr Dombey again complimented the blushing Miss Tox on her neighbour and acquaintance.
But all the way home to his own hotel, the Major incessantly said to himself, and of himself, 'Sly, Sir - sly, Sir - de-vil-ish sly!' And when he got there, sat down in a chair, and fell into a silent fit of laughter, with which he was sometimes seized, and which was always particularly awful. It held him so long on this occasion that the dark servant, who stood watching him at a distance, but dared not for his life approach, twice or thrice gave him over for lost. His whole form, but especially his face and head, dilated beyond all former experience; and presented to the dark man's view, nothing but a heaving mass of indigo. At length he burst into a violent paroxysm of coughing, and when that was a little better burst into such ejaculations as the following:
'Would you, Ma'am, would you? Mrs Dombey, eh, Ma'am? I think not, Ma'am. Not while Joe B. can put a spoke in your wheel, Ma'am. J. B.'s even with you now, Ma'am. He isn't altogether bowled out, yet, Sir, isn't Bagstock. She's deep, Sir, deep, but Josh is deeper. Wide awake is old Joe - broad awake, and staring, Sir!' There was no doubt of this last assertion being true, and to a very fearful extent; as it continued to be during the greater part of that night, which the Major chiefly passed in similar exclamations, diversified with fits of coughing and choking that startled the whole house.
It was on the day after this occasion (being Sunday) when, as Mr Dombey, Mrs Chick, and Miss Tox were sitting at breakfast, still eulogising the Major, Florence came running in: her face suffused with a bright colour, and her eyes sparkling joyfully: and cried,
'Papa! Papa! Here's Walter! and he won't come in.'
'Who?' cried Mr Dombey. 'What does she mean? What is this?'
'Walter, Papa!' said Florence timidly; sensible of having approached the presence with too much familiarity. 'Who found me when I was lost.'
'Does she mean young Gay, Louisa?' inquired Mr Dombey, knitting his brows. 'Really, this child's manners have become very boisterous. She cannot mean young Gay, I think. See what it is, will you?'
Mrs Chick hurried into the passage, and returned with the information that it was young Gay, accompanied by a very strange-looking person; and that young Gay said he would not take the liberty of coming in, hearing Mr Dombey was at breakfast, but would wait until Mr Dombey should signify that he might approach.
'Tell the boy to come in now,' said Mr Dombey. 'Now, Gay, what is the matter? Who sent you down here? Was there nobody else to come?'
'I beg your pardon, Sir,' returned Walter. 'I have not been sent. I have been so bold as to come on my own account, which I hope you'll pardon when I mention the cause.
But Mr Dombey, without attending to what he said, was looking impatiently on either side of him (as if he were a pillar in his way) at some object behind.
'What's that?' said Mr Dombey. 'Who is that? I think you have made some mistake in the door, Sir.'
'Oh, I'm very sorry to intrude with anyone, Sir,' cried Walter, hastily: 'but this is - this is Captain Cuttle, Sir.'
'Wal'r, my lad,' observed the Captain in a deep voice: 'stand by!'
At the same time the Captain, coming a little further in, brought out his wide suit of blue, his conspicuous shirt-collar, and his knobby nose in full relief, and stood bowing to Mr Dombey, and waving his hook politely to the ladies, with the hard glazed hat in his one hand, and a red equator round his head which it had newly imprinted there.
Mr Dombey regarded this phenomenon with amazement and indignation, and seemed by his looks to appeal to Mrs Chick and Miss Tox against it. Little Paul, who had come in after Florence, backed towards Miss Tox as the Captain waved his book, and stood on the defensive.
'Now, Gay,' said Mr Dombey. 'What have you got to say to me?'
Again the Captain observed, as a general opening of the conversation that could not fail to propitiate all parties, 'Wal'r, standby!'
'I am afraid, Sir,' began Walter, trembling, and looking down at the ground, 'that I take a very great liberty in coming - indeed, I am sure I do. I should hardly have had the courage to ask to see you, Sir, even after coming down, I am afraid, if I had not overtaken Miss Dombey, and - '
'Well!' said Mr Dombey, following his eyes as he glanced at the attentive Florence, and frowning unconsciously as she encouraged him with a smile. 'Go on, if you please.'
'Ay, ay,' observed the Captain, considering it incumbent on him, as a point of good breeding, to support Mr Dombey. 'Well said! Go on, Wal'r.'
Captain Cuttle ought to have been withered by the look which Mr Dombey bestowed upon him in acknowledgment of his patronage. But quite innocent of this, he closed one eye in reply, and gave Mr Dombey to understand, by certain significant motions of his hook, that Walter was a little bashful at first, and might be expected to come out shortly.
'It is entirely a private and personal matter, that has brought me here, Sir,' continued Walter, faltering, 'and Captain Cuttle
'Here!' interposed the Captain, as an assurance that he was at hand, and might be relied upon.
'Who is a very old friend of my poor Uncle's, and a most excellent man, Sir,' pursued Walter, raising his eyes with a look of entreaty in the Captain's behalf, 'was so good as to offer to come with me, which I could hardly refuse.'
'No, no, no;' observed the Captain complacently. 'Of course not. No call for refusing. Go on, Wal'r.'
'And therefore, Sir,' said Walter, venturing to meet Mr Dombey's eye, and proceeding with better courage in the very desperation of the case, now that there was no avoiding it, 'therefore I have come, with him, Sir, to say that my poor old Uncle is in very great affliction and distress. That, through the gradual loss of his business, and not being able to make a payment, the apprehension of which has weighed very heavily upon his mind, months and months, as indeed I know, Sir, he has an execution in his house, and is in danger of losing all he has, and breaking his heart. And that if you would, in your kindness, and in your old knowledge of him as a respectable man, do anything to help him out of his difficulty, Sir, we never could thank you enough for it.'
Walter's eyes filled with tears as he spoke; and so did those of Florence. Her father saw them glistening, though he appeared to look at Walter only.
'It is a very large sum, Sir,' said Walter. 'More than three hundred pounds. My Uncle is quite beaten down by his misfortune, it lies so heavy on him; and is quite unable to do anything for his own relief. He doesn't even know yet, that I have come to speak to you. You would wish me to say, Sir,' added Walter, after a moment's hesitation, 'exactly what it is I want. I really don't know, Sir. There is my Uncle's stock, on which I believe I may say, confidently, there are no other demands, and there is Captain Cuttle, who would wish to be security too. I - I hardly like to mention,' said Walter, 'such earnings as mine; but if you would allow them - accumulate - payment - advance - Uncle - frugal, honourable, old man.' Walter trailed off, through these broken sentences, into silence: and stood with downcast head, before his employer.
Considering this a favourable moment for the display of the valuables, Captain Cuttle advanced to the table; and clearing a space among the breakfast-cups at Mr Dombey's elbow, produced the silver watch, the ready money, the teaspoons, and the sugar-tongs; and piling them up into a heap that they might look as precious as possible, delivered himself of these words:
'Half a loaf's better than no bread, and the same remark holds good with crumbs. There's a few. Annuity of one hundred pound premium also ready to be made over. If there is a man chock full of science in the world, it's old Sol Gills. If there is a lad of promise - one flowing,' added the Captain, in one of his happy quotations, 'with milk and honey - it's his nevy!'
The Captain then withdrew to his former place, where he stood arranging his scattered locks with the air of a man who had given the finishing touch to a difficult performance.
When Walter ceased to speak, Mr Dombey's eyes were attracted to little Paul, who, seeing his sister hanging down her head and silently weeping in her commiseration for the distress she had heard described, went over to her, and tried to comfort her: looking at Walter and his father as he did so, with a very expressive face. After the momentary distraction of Captain Cuttle's address, which he regarded with lofty indifference, Mr Dombey again turned his eyes upon his son, and sat steadily regarding the child, for some moments, in silence.
'What was this debt contracted for?' asked Mr Dombey, at length. 'Who is the creditor?'
'He don't know,' replied the Captain, putting his hand on Walter's shoulder. 'I do. It came of helping a man that's dead now, and that's cost my friend Gills many a hundred pound already. More particulars in private, if agreeable.'
'People who have enough to do to hold their own way,' said Mr Dombey, unobservant of the Captain's mysterious signs behind Walter, and still looking at his son, 'had better be content with their own obligations and difficulties, and not increase them by engaging for other men. It is an act of dishonesty and presumption, too,' said Mr Dombey, sternly; 'great presumption; for the wealthy could do no more. Paul, come here!'
The child obeyed: and Mr Dombey took him on his knee.
'If you had money now - ' said Mr Dombey. 'Look at me!'
Paul, whose eyes had wandered to his sister, and to Walter, looked his father in the face.
'If you had money now,' said Mr Dombey; 'as much money as young Gay has talked about; what would you do?'
'Give it to his old Uncle,' returned Paul.
'Lend it to his old Uncle, eh?' retorted Mr Dombey. 'Well! When you are old enough, you know, you will share my money, and we shall use it together.'
'Dombey and Son,' interrupted Paul, who had been tutored early in the phrase.
'Dombey and Son,' repeated his father. 'Would you like to begin to be Dombey and Son, now, and lend this money to young Gay's Uncle?'
'Oh! if you please, Papa!' said Paul: 'and so would Florence.'
'Girls,' said Mr Dombey, 'have nothing to do with Dombey and Son. Would you like it?'
'Yes, Papa, yes!'
'Then you shall do it,' returned his father. 'And you see, Paul,' he added, dropping his voice, 'how powerful money is, and how anxious people are to get it. Young Gay comes all this way to beg for money, and you, who are so grand and great, having got it, are going to let him have it, as a great favour and obligation.'
Paul turned up the old face for a moment, in which there was a sharp understanding of the reference conveyed in these words: but it was a young and childish face immediately afterwards, when he slipped down from his father's knee, and ran to tell Florence not to cry any more, for he was going to let young Gay have the money.
Mr Dombey then turned to a side-table, and wrote a note and sealed it. During the interval, Paul and Florence whispered to Walter, and Captain Cuttle beamed on the three, with such aspiring and ineffably presumptuous thoughts as Mr Dombey never could have believed in. The note being finished, Mr Dombey turned round to his former place, and held it out to Walter.
'Give that,' he said, 'the first thing to-morrow morning, to Mr Carker. He will immediately take care that one of my people releases your Uncle from his present position, by paying the amount at issue; and that such arrangements are made for its repayment as may be consistent with your Uncle's circumstances. You will consider that this is done for you by Master Paul.'
Walter, in the emotion of holding in his hand the means of releasing his good Uncle from his trouble, would have endeavoured to express something of his gratitude and joy. But Mr Dombey stopped him short.
'You will consider that it is done,' he repeated, 'by Master Paul. I have explained that to him, and he understands it. I wish no more to be said.'
As he motioned towards the door, Walter could only bow his head and retire. Miss Tox, seeing that the Captain appeared about to do the same, interposed.
'My dear Sir,' she said, addressing Mr Dombey, at whose munificence both she and Mrs Chick were shedding tears copiously; 'I think you have overlooked something. Pardon me, Mr Dombey, I think, in the nobility of your character, and its exalted scope, you have omitted a matter of detail.'
'Indeed, Miss Tox!' said Mr Dombey.
'The gentleman with the - Instrument,' pursued Miss Tox, glancing at Captain Cuttle, 'has left upon the table, at your elbow - '
'Good Heaven!' said Mr Dombey, sweeping the Captain's property from him, as if it were so much crumb indeed. 'Take these things away. I am obliged to you, Miss Tox; it is like your usual discretion. Have the goodness to take these things away, Sir!'
Captain Cuttle felt he had no alternative but to comply. But he was so much struck by the magnanimity of Mr Dombey, in refusing treasures lying heaped up to his hand, that when he had deposited the teaspoons and sugar-tongs in one pocket, and the ready money in another, and had lowered the great watch down slowly into its proper vault, he could not refrain from seizing that gentleman's right hand in his own solitary left, and while he held it open with his powerful fingers, bringing the hook down upon its palm in a transport of admiration. At this touch of warm feeling and cold iron, Mr Dombey shivered all over.
Captain Cuttle then kissed his hook to the ladies several times, with great elegance and gallantry; and having taken a particular leave of Paul and Florence, accompanied Walter out of the room. Florence was running after them in the earnestness of her heart, to send some message to old Sol, when Mr Dombey called her back, and bade her stay where she was.
'Will you never be a Dombey, my dear child!' said Mrs Chick, with pathetic reproachfulness.
'Dear aunt,' said Florence. 'Don't be angry with me. I am so thankful to Papa!'
She would have run and thrown her arms about his neck if she had dared; but as she did not dare, she glanced with thankful eyes towards him, as he sat musing; sometimes bestowing an uneasy glance on her, but, for the most part, watching Paul, who walked about the room with the new-blown dignity of having let young Gay have the money.
And young Gay - Walter- what of him?
He was overjoyed to purge the old man's hearth from bailiffs and brokers, and to hurry back to his Uncle with the good tidings. He was overjoyed to have it all arranged and settled next day before noon; and to sit down at evening in the little back parlour with old Sol and Captain Cuttle; and to see the Instrument-maker already reviving, and hopeful for the future, and feeling that the wooden Midshipman was his own again. But without the least impeachment of his gratitude to Mr Dombey, it must be confessed that Walter was humbled and cast down. It is when our budding hopes are nipped beyond recovery by some rough wind, that we are the most disposed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might have borne, if they had flourished; and now, when Walter found himself cut off from that great Dombey height, by the depth of a new and terrible tumble, and felt that all his old wild fancies had been scattered to the winds in the fall, he began to suspect that they might have led him on to harmless visions of aspiring to Florence in the remote distance of time.
The Captain viewed the subject in quite a different light. He appeared to entertain a belief that the interview at which he had assisted was so very satisfactory and encouraging, as to be only a step or two removed from a regular betrothal of Florence to Walter; and that the late transaction had immensely forwarded, if not thoroughly established, the Whittingtonian hopes. Stimulated by this conviction, and by the improvement in the spirits of his old friend, and by his own consequent gaiety, he even attempted, in favouring them with the ballad of 'Lovely Peg' for the third time in one evening, to make an extemporaneous substitution of the name 'Florence;' but finding this difficult, on account of the word Peg invariably rhyming to leg (in which personal beauty the original was described as having excelled all competitors), he hit upon the happy thought of changing it to Fle-e-eg; which he accordingly did, with an archness almost supernatural, and a voice quite vociferous, notwithstanding that the time was close at band when he must seek the abode of the dreadful Mrs MacStinger.
That same evening the Major was diffuse at his club, on the subject of his friend Dombey in the City. 'Damme, Sir,' said the Major, 'he's a prince, is my friend Dombey in the City. I tell you what, Sir. If you had a few more men among you like old Joe Bagstock and my friend Dombey in the City, Sir, you'd do!'
白格斯托克少校通過(guò)他的看戲用的雙筒小望遠(yuǎn)鏡，越過(guò)公主廣場(chǎng)對(duì)保羅進(jìn)行了長(zhǎng)久與頻繁的觀察之后，在每天、每周、每月從本地人（他為了這個(gè)目的與托克斯小姐的女仆經(jīng)常交往）那里得到有關(guān)這個(gè)問題的許多詳細(xì)的報(bào)告之后，得出結(jié)論說(shuō)，董貝先生是一位值得結(jié)識(shí)的人，喬·白是一位設(shè)法要與他結(jié)識(shí)的后生。
可是托克斯小姐一直保持著疏遠(yuǎn)的態(tài)度，少校每次為了這個(gè)目的對(duì)她進(jìn)行摸底，想從她那里哄騙出一些有關(guān)的情況（他時(shí)常這樣做）時(shí)，她都冷淡地表示她不想弄明白他的意思，所以少校雖然生性堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，非常狡猾，也不得不把實(shí)現(xiàn)他的愿望這件事多少聽隨機(jī)會(huì)去擺布了?！跋壬彼３Ｔ诰銟凡坷镎劦剿臋C(jī)會(huì)時(shí)，吃吃地笑著說(shuō)，“自從他的哥哥在西印度群島因?yàn)辄S熱病死了之后，五十比一的機(jī)會(huì)是對(duì)喬?！ぐ子欣??！?BR> 這一次是過(guò)了好些時(shí)候，機(jī)會(huì)才來(lái)幫助他的，但它終于對(duì)他親近了，當(dāng)黑皮膚的仆人詳詳細(xì)細(xì)地報(bào)告說(shuō)，托克斯小姐有事到布賴頓去了，少校突然感情深厚地回憶起他的孟加拉①朋友比爾·比瑟斯通；比瑟斯通曾經(jīng)寫信給他，如果他有便去布賴頓那一帶的話，那就請(qǐng)麻煩他去看一下他的獨(dú)生子。當(dāng)這同一位黑皮膚的仆人報(bào)告說(shuō)，保羅住在皮普欽太太那里的時(shí)候，少校查看了一下比瑟斯通少爺?shù)竭_(dá)英國(guó)以后寄給他的信——過(guò)去他從來(lái)沒想過(guò)要把它當(dāng)一回什么事——，看到好機(jī)會(huì)已經(jīng)自己送上門來(lái)了；可是那時(shí)候他因?yàn)榛纪达L(fēng)病，正躺在床上療養(yǎng)，痛風(fēng)病發(fā)作時(shí)他狂怒得把一只腳凳向黑仆人扔了過(guò)去，來(lái)報(bào)答他所提供的消息，并發(fā)誓說(shuō)，在他自己死去之前，他要把這無(wú)賴弄死。黑仆人非常相信這一點(diǎn)。
終于，少校擺脫了痛風(fēng)病發(fā)作的痛苦，在一個(gè)星期六，在本地人尾隨之下，罵罵咧咧地到布賴頓去了；一路上他與托克斯小姐談著話，幸災(zāi)樂禍地想像著他以突然襲擊的方式把她那位高貴的朋友奪到手中的情景（她曾經(jīng)把她的那位朋友弄得那么神秘兮兮，而且也是為了他她才把少校拋棄的）。
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①孟加拉（Bengal）：當(dāng)時(shí)全屬于印度。
“您是不是，夫人，您是不是，”少校說(shuō)道；他由于懷著報(bào)復(fù)的情緒緊繃著臉，頭上每一根早已發(fā)漲的血管漲得更粗了，“您是不是要向喬埃·白告別了，夫人？還沒到時(shí)候呢，夫人，還沒到時(shí)候！他媽的，還沒到時(shí)候呢，先生。喬埃沒有睡去，夫人。白格斯托克還活著，先生。喬·白是精明的，夫人。喬埃時(shí)時(shí)警惕著，先生。您會(huì)看到，他是堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的，夫人，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，先生，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的就是約瑟夫，堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈，而且像魔鬼般地狡猾！”
當(dāng)他領(lǐng)著比瑟斯通少爺出去散步的時(shí)候，這位年輕人看到他的確是很堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的。少校四處游逛著，臉色像斯蒂爾頓干酪①一樣，眼睛像對(duì)蝦的一樣，完全不考慮比瑟斯通少爺?shù)臉啡ぁ．?dāng)他上下張望，尋找董貝先生和他的孩子們的時(shí)候，他把比瑟斯通少爺硬拽著走。
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①斯蒂爾頓干酪（Stiltoncheese）：英國(guó)產(chǎn)干酪，以亨丁頓郡一村莊命名，乳黃色，帶有青霉菌芽胞藍(lán)綠色花紋。正因?yàn)閹в兴{(lán)綠色的花紋，所以說(shuō)少校的臉色像它。
由于皮普欽太太事先進(jìn)行過(guò)指點(diǎn)，所以少校及時(shí)地偵察到了保羅和弗洛倫斯，并且迅速地向他們走近。有一位莊嚴(yán)的紳士跟他們?cè)谝黄?，他無(wú)疑就是董貝先生。當(dāng)他和比瑟斯通少爺闖進(jìn)這一小群人中間時(shí)，結(jié)果自然是比瑟斯通少爺跟他那些同樣遭難受罪的伴侶們談起話來(lái)。少校在后面停下腳步，注意地看著他們并稱贊著他們；他表示驚奇地記起來(lái)，他曾經(jīng)在公主廣場(chǎng)他的朋友托克斯小姐的家里看見過(guò)他們，跟他們說(shuō)過(guò)話；他說(shuō)，保羅是一個(gè)非常可愛的孩子，是他自己的小朋友；又問他是否記得喬埃·白少校，最后，他突然記起了習(xí)俗慣例應(yīng)有的禮節(jié)，就轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身去，向董貝先生道歉。
“可是我在這里的小朋友又使我變成一個(gè)孩子了，先生，”少校說(shuō)道。“一位老兵承認(rèn)這一點(diǎn)并不感到難為情，先生，他是白格斯托克少校，隨時(shí)愿意為您效勞；”少校這時(shí)脫下帽子敬禮?！八麐尩模壬?，”少校突然熱情地喊道，“我妒嫉您?！?BR> 然后他鎮(zhèn)靜下來(lái)，補(bǔ)充了一句，“請(qǐng)?jiān)徫业姆潘痢！?BR> 董貝先生請(qǐng)他別這么客氣。
“一位老兵，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“一條被煙熏過(guò)，被太陽(yáng)曬黑的、精疲力盡、因傷病而退伍的少校老狗是不怕像董貝先生這樣的人指責(zé)他忽起的念頭的。我想我能榮幸跟董貝先生交談幾句嗎？”
“現(xiàn)在我就是姓我們這個(gè)姓的家族的卑賤的代表，少校，”
董貝先生回答道。
“可以對(duì)著上帝發(fā)誓，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“這是個(gè)偉大的姓，”少校堅(jiān)決地說(shuō)道，仿佛他挑起董貝先生來(lái)反駁他，而如果董貝先生真的那么做了，那么他就會(huì)感到他負(fù)有痛苦的責(zé)任來(lái)爭(zhēng)個(gè)高低，讓他過(guò)不去似的，“這是個(gè)在不列顛海外領(lǐng)地中享有聲望與尊敬的姓。人們以姓這個(gè)姓而感到自豪，先生。約瑟夫·白格斯托克不懂得拍馬*，先生。約克郡公爵殿下不止一次說(shuō)過(guò)，‘喬埃不會(huì)拍馬*。他是個(gè)普通的老兵，這就是喬，他堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈得有點(diǎn)過(guò)了頭，這就是約瑟夫?！贿^(guò)這是個(gè)偉大的姓，先生?？梢詫?duì)著天主發(fā)誓，這是個(gè)偉大的姓！”
少校一本正經(jīng)地說(shuō)道。
“承蒙您好意贊揚(yáng)，不過(guò)也許評(píng)價(jià)太高，有些過(guò)分了，少校，”董貝先生回答道。
“不，先生，”少校說(shuō)道。“我在這里的小朋友會(huì)給約瑟夫·白格斯托克證明，他是一位耿直的、坦率的、有話直說(shuō)的老實(shí)人，先生，這就是一切。那個(gè)孩子，先生，”少校壓低了聲音，說(shuō)道，“將會(huì)留芳百世，永垂史冊(cè)。那個(gè)孩子，先生，不是個(gè)平凡之輩。請(qǐng)好好照看他，董貝先生?！?BR> 董貝先生似乎向他暗示說(shuō)，他將努力這樣去做。
“這里有一個(gè)孩子，先生，”少校用說(shuō)知心話的口吻繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，一邊用手杖戳戳他。“孟加拉比瑟斯通的兒子。比爾·比瑟斯通從前是我們當(dāng)中的一個(gè)。那個(gè)孩子的父親和我本人過(guò)去是莫逆之交，先生。不論您走到哪里，先生，您聽到人們談?wù)摰娜际怯嘘P(guān)比爾·比瑟斯通和喬·白格斯托克的事情。難道我看不見那個(gè)孩子的缺點(diǎn)嗎？決不是。他是個(gè)傻瓜，先生?！?BR> 董貝先生向那位遭到誹謗的比瑟斯通少爺看了一眼；他跟少校一樣，對(duì)這孩子絲毫也不了解，他很得意地說(shuō)道，“真的嗎？”
“真的，他就是這樣，先生，”少校說(shuō)道?！八莻€(gè)傻瓜。喬·白格斯托克從來(lái)不粉飾事實(shí)。我的孟加拉老朋友比爾·比瑟斯通的兒子生來(lái)就是個(gè)傻瓜，先生?！鄙傩Ｕf(shuō)到這里，哈哈大笑著，笑到臉色幾乎完全發(fā)青?！拔蚁?，我的小朋友注定要進(jìn)公學(xué)①的吧，董貝先生？”少?；謴?fù)過(guò)來(lái)之后，問道。
“我還沒有作出決定，”董貝先生回答道。“我想不送去。
他的體質(zhì)虛弱?！?BR> “如果他的體質(zhì)虛弱，先生，”少校說(shuō)道，“您不送去是對(duì)的。只有堅(jiān)強(qiáng)不屈的小伙子才能在經(jīng)受了桑赫斯特②的苦難之后活下來(lái)。我們?cè)谀抢锘ハ嗾勰ィ壬?。我們把新?lái)的人放在慢火上烤，把他們從四層樓往窗子外面頭朝下地倒掛著。先生，約瑟夫·白格斯托克曾經(jīng)被握住靴子后跟，在校鐘旁邊的窗子外面掛了十三分鐘?！?BR> --------
①公學(xué)（publicschool）：英國(guó)專為富有子弟而設(shè)的私立中等中校，如伊頓（Eton）公學(xué)、哈羅（Harrow）公學(xué)等。
②桑赫斯特（Sandhurst）是英格蘭南部的一個(gè)小鎮(zhèn)，英國(guó)陸軍軍官學(xué)校設(shè)在那里。
少校很可以舉出他的臉色來(lái)證實(shí)這段經(jīng)歷，他看上去仿佛確實(shí)曾經(jīng)被倒掛得太久了一些。
“但是它使我們變成了我們那時(shí)那樣的人，先生，”少校整整襯衫褶邊，說(shuō)道?！拔覀兪氰F，先生，它鍛造了我們。您住在這里嗎，董貝先生？”
“我通常每星期到這里來(lái)一次，少校，”那位先生說(shuō)道。
“我住在貝德福德旅館。”
“如果您允許，先生，我將榮幸地到貝德福德旅館去拜訪您，”少校說(shuō)道。“喬?！ぐ撞皇莻€(gè)喜愛拜訪的人，但是董貝先生不是個(gè)平凡的人物。我非常感謝我的小朋友，先生，感謝他使我有幸被介紹跟您認(rèn)識(shí)。”
董貝先生很親切友好地回答了他的話；白格斯托克少校拍了拍保羅的頭之后，說(shuō)到弗洛倫斯的時(shí)候說(shuō)，她那雙眼睛不久就會(huì)使年輕人神魂顛倒的?！罢f(shuō)實(shí)話，也會(huì)使老頭子神魂顛倒的，先生，”少校補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，一邊大聲地吃吃地笑著。他用手杖捅捅比瑟斯通少爺，邁著急匆匆的快步，跟那位年輕人離開了。當(dāng)他兩只腿分得很開，蹣跚地繼續(xù)往前走去的時(shí)候，他搖晃著腦袋，極為威嚴(yán)地咳嗽著。
少校履行諾言，后來(lái)去拜訪了董貝先生；董貝先生查閱了軍人名冊(cè)之后，后來(lái)也去拜訪了少校。然后少校在董貝先生城里的公館中拜訪了他；然后他和董貝先生乘坐著同一輛馬車又到布賴頓來(lái)?？傊?，董貝先生與少校相處得異乎尋常地融洽，關(guān)系進(jìn)展得異乎尋常地迅速。董貝先生向他的妹妹談起少校的時(shí)候，說(shuō)，他不僅是一位真正的軍人，而且在他身上還有其他一些東西，因?yàn)樗麑?duì)跟他的職業(yè)毫無(wú)關(guān)系的事物，也令人驚嘆地了解它們的重要性。
終于，當(dāng)董貝先生領(lǐng)著托克斯小姐與奇克夫人到布賴頓來(lái)看孩子們，并看到少校也在這里的時(shí)候，他就邀請(qǐng)他到貝德福德旅館來(lái)吃晚飯，事前還向托克斯小姐極力恭維她有這樣一位鄰居與熟人。盡管這些暗示使托克斯小姐心房怦怦跳動(dòng)，但她聽起來(lái)決不是不愉快的，因?yàn)樗鼈兪顾兊酶裢庥腥?，有時(shí)使她顯得心意煩亂，神志不定，這是她完全不愿意表露出來(lái)的。少校給了她很多機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)展現(xiàn)這種情緒，他在晚飯中間不斷埋怨她把他和公主廣場(chǎng)拋棄了。由于他講這些話看來(lái)是為了取得極大的樂趣，所以他們?nèi)枷嗵幍煤苋谇ⅰ?BR> 少校掌握著整個(gè)談話；他在這方面的胃口跟他對(duì)桌子上的各種美味食品的胃口一樣大；幾乎可以說(shuō)他在大吞大咽著這些食品，而這又大大地促使他鼓動(dòng)他的如簧之舌；這對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)的情況并沒有什么不好。由于董貝先生習(xí)慣于沉著冷靜，不多說(shuō)話，所以他絲毫沒有干預(yù)這種喧賓奪主的現(xiàn)象；少校覺得他正在大出風(fēng)頭，因而興高采烈，把他自己的姓名顛來(lái)倒去地說(shuō)出了無(wú)數(shù)個(gè)新的變化，連他自己也感到十分驚奇。總之，他們?nèi)几械绞指吲d。大家覺得少校擁有耗用不盡的談話資源；當(dāng)打完一局時(shí)間拖得很長(zhǎng)的紙牌，少校終于很晚地告別之后，董貝先生又向臉孔羞得通紅的托克斯小姐恭維她有這樣一位鄰居與熟人。
可是在回到自己旅館的整個(gè)路途中，少校不斷自言自語(yǔ)地談著他自己?！敖苹?，先生——狡猾呵，先生——像魔鬼般地狡猾呵！”到達(dá)旅館以后，他在一張椅子中坐下，默默無(wú)聲地大笑個(gè)不停；他有時(shí)是會(huì)這樣大笑的，而那樣子常常是特別可怕的。這一次笑的時(shí)間那么長(zhǎng)久，所以黑仆人就站在遠(yuǎn)處看著他，無(wú)論如何也不敢走近他，有兩三次還以為他已經(jīng)沒有醫(yī)治的希望了。他的整個(gè)身軀，特別是他的臉與頭膨脹得比過(guò)去任何時(shí)候都大，在黑人眼中看到的只是一大堆靛藍(lán)的東西。終于他發(fā)出一陣猛烈的咳嗽，在感到好一些以后，他短促地叫喊出以下一些話來(lái)：
“您是不是，夫人，您是不是想當(dāng)董貝夫人，嗯，夫人？我看不成，夫人。只要喬·白能在您的車輪子里插進(jìn)一根棍子，那就不成，夫人。喬·白現(xiàn)在和您是平等的，夫人。他根本還沒有被*，退出場(chǎng)外，先生，白格斯托克沒有退。她的心計(jì)深，先生，心計(jì)深，但是喬希的心計(jì)更深。老喬清醒著——沒有絲毫睡意，而且睜大了眼睛看著，先生！”他最后的一句話無(wú)疑是真實(shí)的，而且真實(shí)到了很可怕的程度；因?yàn)樵谀且灰沟拇蟀霑r(shí)間里，繼續(xù)是這種情形；少校主要是在類似叫喊聲中度過(guò)那一夜的，有時(shí)穿插著一陣陣使整個(gè)房屋都感到驚恐的咳嗽與窒息。
就在發(fā)生這件事情以后的第二天（這是個(gè)星期天），當(dāng)董貝先生，奇克夫人和托克斯小姐坐著吃早飯，依舊在稱贊少校的時(shí)候，弗洛倫斯臉上顯露出一片明亮的光彩，眼中閃著喜悅的光輝，跑了進(jìn)來(lái)，喊道：
“爸爸！爸爸！沃爾特在這里！他不肯進(jìn)來(lái)?！?BR> “誰(shuí)？”董貝先生喊道?！八v的是什么？這是什么意思？”
“沃爾特，爸爸！”弗洛倫斯膽怯地說(shuō)道；她感到她剛才提到這個(gè)人太隨隨便便了?！拔颐月返臅r(shí)候是他把我找到的。”“她是說(shuō)年輕人蓋伊嗎，路易莎？”董貝先生皺著眉頭，問道?！罢娴?，這孩子的舉止變得很吵吵嚷嚷的了。她不會(huì)指年輕人蓋伊吧，我想。請(qǐng)你去了解一下是什么事情好嗎？”
奇克夫人匆忙走進(jìn)走廊，回來(lái)說(shuō)，是年輕人蓋伊，陪他一道來(lái)的是一位外貌很古怪的人；年輕人蓋伊說(shuō)，他聽說(shuō)董貝先生正在吃早飯，就不肯冒失地進(jìn)來(lái)；他愿意在外面等候，直到董貝先生允許他進(jìn)來(lái)的時(shí)候?yàn)橹埂?BR> “告訴這孩子現(xiàn)在進(jìn)來(lái)吧，”董貝先生說(shuō)道?！斑恚w伊，發(fā)生了什么事情？誰(shuí)派您到這里來(lái)的？沒有別的人到這里來(lái)了嗎？”
“我請(qǐng)您原諒，先生，”沃爾特回答道。“我不是被公司派來(lái)的。我是不揣冒昧地為了我的私事到您這里來(lái)的；我希望我說(shuō)明原因以后您會(huì)原諒我?！?BR> 可是董貝先生沒有注意聽他講的話，而是不耐煩地一會(huì)兒從他的左邊，一會(huì)兒從他的右邊去看他背后的一個(gè)什么目標(biāo)，仿佛他本人是一根擋住他視線的柱子似的。
“那是什么？”董貝先生說(shuō)道?！澳鞘钦l(shuí)？我想您走錯(cuò)了門了吧，先生？”
“啊，我很抱歉，我不是一個(gè)人來(lái)的，先生，”沃爾特急忙喊道；“不過(guò)這是——這是卡特爾船長(zhǎng)，先生。”
“沃爾，我的孩子，”船長(zhǎng)用深沉的聲音說(shuō)道；“做好準(zhǔn)備！”
在這同時(shí)，船長(zhǎng)向前走近一些，十分清楚地顯露出了他的寬大的藍(lán)上衣，顯眼的襯衫領(lǐng)子和有好多疙瘩的鼻子；他站著向董貝先生鞠躬，并彬彬有禮地向女士們揮著鉤子，另一只手中拿著那頂上了光的硬帽子，頭的周圍顯露出一個(gè)紅色的圓圈，那是帽子新近留下的痕跡。
董貝先生驚奇而憤怒地注視著這個(gè)現(xiàn)象，并且以他的臉色要求奇克夫人與托克斯小姐跟他一道表示不滿。當(dāng)船長(zhǎng)揮著鉤子的時(shí)候，跟隨弗洛倫斯進(jìn)來(lái)的小保羅背朝著托克斯小姐后退，并站在那里作出了防御的姿態(tài)。
“唔，蓋伊，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“您有什么要對(duì)我說(shuō)的？”
船長(zhǎng)又說(shuō)道，“沃爾，做好準(zhǔn)備！”這就算作是談話的一個(gè)開端，它不會(huì)不取得所有在場(chǎng)人的好感的。
“我擔(dān)心，先生，”沃爾特哆嗦著，眼睛向下看著地面，說(shuō)道，“我到這里來(lái)是十分放肆的，——確實(shí)，我相信是這樣。甚至我到了這里以后，我恐怕也沒有勇氣請(qǐng)求見您，先生，如果我沒有遇見董貝小姐，而且——”
“唔！”董貝先生說(shuō)道；當(dāng)沃爾特向注意聽他講話的弗洛倫斯看了一眼的時(shí)候，董貝先生跟隨著他的眼光；當(dāng)她微笑著對(duì)沃爾特表示鼓勵(lì)的時(shí)候，他不自覺地皺起了眉頭?！罢?qǐng)繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去。”
“是的，是的，”船長(zhǎng)說(shuō)道；他認(rèn)為，他是一位有教養(yǎng)的人，他有責(zé)任來(lái)支持董貝先生?！罢f(shuō)得很好！繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，沃爾?！?BR> 董貝先生表示聽到了支持他的話，向他看了一眼；卡特爾船長(zhǎng)當(dāng)時(shí)如果看到這個(gè)眼光的話，那么他一定是會(huì)全身畏縮的。可是他完全不知道這一點(diǎn)，所以他閉了一只眼睛作為回答，并寓有深意地?fù)]了揮鉤子，讓董貝先生明白，沃爾特開始有些膽怯，但可以期望他很快就會(huì)平靜下來(lái)的。
“我到這里來(lái)完全是為了一件私人的事情，先生，”沃爾特結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“這位卡特爾船長(zhǎng)——”
“就在這里！”船長(zhǎng)打斷了他的話，證明他就在近旁，而且是可以信賴的。
“是我可憐的舅舅的一位很老的朋友，是一個(gè)極好的人，先生，”沃爾特抬起眼睛，露出為船長(zhǎng)求情的神色，繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，“他一片好心，提出要陪我到這里來(lái)，我不能拒絕他的要求?！?BR> “是的，是的，是的，”船長(zhǎng)喜洋洋地說(shuō)道。“當(dāng)然不能。
哪能拒絕呢。往下說(shuō)吧，沃爾?！?BR> “因此，先生，”沃爾特說(shuō)道；他大膽地接觸到董貝先生的眼光，在極為絕望的情況下鼓起勇氣繼續(xù)說(shuō)下去，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在已經(jīng)沒法退避了，“因此我就跟他一起到這里來(lái)，想告訴您，先生，我的可憐的年老的舅舅正處在極大的痛苦與不幸之中。由于他的營(yíng)業(yè)逐漸虧損，無(wú)法償還欠款——我知道得很清楚，先生，這個(gè)恐懼過(guò)去好幾個(gè)月一直沉甸甸地壓在他的心頭——，他家里的財(cái)產(chǎn)就要查封，他將失去他所有的東西，傷心而死；他現(xiàn)在正處在這樣的危險(xiǎn)之中。如果您由于長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)一直知道他是一位品德端正的人，慈悲為懷，并因此能做點(diǎn)什么事來(lái)幫助他走出困境的話，先生，那么我們對(duì)您真將感激不盡?！?BR> 沃爾特說(shuō)話的時(shí)候，眼睛里充滿了淚水，弗洛倫斯的眼睛里也是一樣。她的父親看上去好像只是看著沃爾特，但他看到她的這些淚水在閃著亮光。
“這是一筆很大的款子，先生，”沃爾特說(shuō)道?！叭俣噫^。我的舅舅已經(jīng)完全被他的不幸壓垮了；它是那么沉重地壓在他身上，因此他已經(jīng)完全不能做什么事情來(lái)解救自己。他甚至不知道我已經(jīng)到這里來(lái)跟您談話。您可能希望，先生，”沃爾特遲疑了片刻之后，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“我確切地說(shuō)出我究竟需要什么。我確實(shí)不知道，先生。我舅舅有一些貨物。我想我可以有把握地說(shuō)，他已經(jīng)沒有別的債務(wù)了。還有卡特爾船長(zhǎng)，他也愿意出面擔(dān)保。我——我實(shí)在不想提到我掙的那點(diǎn)錢；”沃爾特說(shuō)道，“但是如果您允許把它們積攢起來(lái)——抵償——借貸給——舅舅——這位節(jié)儉的、正直的老人?！蔽譅柼爻粤Φ卣f(shuō)著這些斷斷續(xù)續(xù)、支離破碎的句子，聲音愈來(lái)愈小，終于默不作聲，低垂著頭，站在他的雇主前面。
卡特爾船長(zhǎng)覺得這是顯示那些貴重物品的好時(shí)機(jī)，就向前走到餐桌跟前，在董貝先生身旁的餐杯中間清出一小片地方，取出了銀表、現(xiàn)錢、茶匙和方糖箝子；又把它們堆成一堆，使它們看起來(lái)顯得格外貴重，然后說(shuō)出了以下的一番話：
“半塊面包比沒有面包好，就面包屑來(lái)說(shuō)，也同樣可以這樣說(shuō)。這里是一些面包屑。以后還準(zhǔn)備貢獻(xiàn)上一百鎊的年金。如果世界上有一位腦子里充滿科學(xué)的人，那么這個(gè)人就是老所爾·吉爾斯。如果世界上有一個(gè)前程遠(yuǎn)大的小伙子——一個(gè)‘流著牛奶與蜂蜜’①的小伙子的話”船長(zhǎng)引用了他得意的語(yǔ)錄，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“——那么這就是他的外甥！”
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①“流著牛奶與蜂蜜”原是圣經(jīng)中形容肥沃的土地（巴勒斯坦）的話，船長(zhǎng)用它來(lái)形容沃爾特年輕有為、前程遠(yuǎn)大。
然后船長(zhǎng)退回到他原先的地方，站在那里梳理梳理那散亂的頭發(fā)，露出一副剛剛完成一件最艱難的任務(wù)的人的神態(tài)。
當(dāng)沃爾特停止講話的時(shí)候，董貝先生的眼光被吸引到小保羅的身上；小保羅看到他姐姐低垂著頭，由于憐憫她所聽到的不幸正在默默地哭泣著，就向她走過(guò)去，設(shè)法安慰她；當(dāng)他這樣做的時(shí)候，他臉上富于表情地望著沃爾特和他的父親。董貝先生由于卡特爾船長(zhǎng)的談話暫時(shí)轉(zhuǎn)移了注意力（他對(duì)這個(gè)談話高傲地漠不關(guān)心）之后，又把眼睛轉(zhuǎn)到他的兒子身上，默默地坐了一些時(shí)候，專心一意地望著這孩子。
“這筆債是為什么欠下的？”董貝先生終于問道?！罢l(shuí)是債權(quán)人？”
“他不知道，”船長(zhǎng)把手?jǐn)R在沃爾特的肩膀上，回答道。
“我知道。那是因?yàn)閹椭晃滑F(xiàn)已不在人世的人而欠下的?？墒悄且呀?jīng)使我的朋友吉爾斯耗費(fèi)了幾百鎊了。如果您同意，詳細(xì)情況我可以在私下里說(shuō)給您聽?！?BR> “那些好不容易自己才能生活下去的人們，”董貝先生沒有注意船長(zhǎng)在沃爾特背后所做的神秘的手勢(shì)，仍然看著他的兒子，說(shuō)道，“安安分分地照料他們自己的負(fù)擔(dān)和困難就行了，不要再去替別人擔(dān)保，增加這種負(fù)擔(dān)和困難了。這是一種不誠(chéng)實(shí)的，而且也是狂妄無(wú)禮的行為，”董貝先生嚴(yán)厲地說(shuō)道；“極大的狂妄無(wú)禮；因?yàn)槟切└挥械娜怂茏龅淖疃嘁膊贿^(guò)如此罷了。保羅，到這里來(lái)！”
孩子依從了。董貝先生把他抱到膝蓋上。
“如果你現(xiàn)在有錢——”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“看著我！”
保羅的眼睛原先看著他的姐姐和沃爾特，這時(shí)看著他父親的臉。
“如果你現(xiàn)在有錢，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“有年輕人蓋伊談到的那么多的錢的話，那么你將怎么辦？”
“把它給他年老的舅舅，”保羅回答道。
“把它借給他年老的舅舅，是不是？”董貝先生對(duì)他進(jìn)行糾正，說(shuō)道?！斑?！你知道，等你長(zhǎng)大以后，你將跟我一起享有我的錢。我們將一起使用它?！?BR> “董貝父子，”保羅打斷他的話，說(shuō)道；他很小就被教會(huì)說(shuō)這幾個(gè)字。
“董貝父子，”他的父親重復(fù)說(shuō)道?！澳阍敢猬F(xiàn)在就來(lái)管董貝父子公司的事，把這錢借給蓋伊的舅舅嗎？”
“啊！如果你愿意的話，爸爸！”保羅說(shuō)道?！案ヂ鍌愃挂矔?huì)愿意的?！?BR> “女孩子，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“跟董貝父子沒有關(guān)系。你愿意嗎？”
“愿意，爸爸，愿意！”
“那么就由你來(lái)辦這件事，”他的父親回答道?！澳憧吹搅?，保羅，”他壓低了聲音，補(bǔ)充說(shuō)道，“錢有多么大的力量；人們多么急切地想要得到它。年輕人蓋伊跑這一趟路來(lái)是為了懇求借錢，而你是這么高貴、偉大、有錢，你將作為一筆很大的恩惠與人情，讓他得到它。”
保羅把那張老氣的臉向上抬起一會(huì)兒，明白地表示他十分理解這些話的含義，可是當(dāng)他從他父親的膝蓋上滑溜下來(lái)，跑去告訴弗洛倫斯不要再哭，因?yàn)樗麑⒆屇贻p的蓋伊得到這筆錢的時(shí)候，那張臉又立刻變得年輕與孩子氣了。
于是董貝先生轉(zhuǎn)身走到一張邊桌旁邊，寫了一張條子，蓋了章。在這段時(shí)間里，保羅與弗洛倫斯低聲地跟沃爾特說(shuō)話，卡特爾船長(zhǎng)則眉開眼笑地看著這三個(gè)人，心中懷著那樣抱負(fù)不凡的、難以形容的狂妄的思想，那是董貝先生決不會(huì)相信的。條子處理完畢之后，董貝先生回到他原先的地方，把它交給沃爾特。
“明天早上第一件事，”他說(shuō)道，“就是把這交給卡克先生。他會(huì)立刻作出安排，讓我的一位職員支付那筆錢，把您的舅舅從他目前的困境中解脫出來(lái)；償還的條件也是規(guī)定得符合您舅舅的境況的。您就把這看作是保羅少爺為您辦的吧！”
沃爾特手里拿著把他的善良的舅舅從災(zāi)難中解救出來(lái)的手段，心中無(wú)比激動(dòng)，本想盡力說(shuō)些表示感激與喜悅的話。可是董貝先生突然制止了他。
“您就把這看作是保羅少爺為您辦的吧，”他重復(fù)說(shuō)道，“我已經(jīng)向他解釋過(guò)，他也聽明白了，我沒有別的話要說(shuō)的了?！?BR> 因?yàn)樗檬种钢T，沃爾特只好向他鞠躬，告別了。托克斯小姐看到船長(zhǎng)好像也正要這樣做的時(shí)候，插嘴道：
“我親愛的先生，”她對(duì)董貝先生說(shuō)道；她和奇克夫人對(duì)他的慷慨都流出了大量的眼淚；“我想您疏忽了一點(diǎn)什么事情了。請(qǐng)?jiān)徫遥愊壬?，我覺得，由于您品格高尚，豁達(dá)大度，您沒有注意到一件小事?！?BR> “真的嗎，托克斯小姐！”董貝先生說(shuō)道。
“那位帶著——工具的先生，”托克斯小姐向卡特爾船長(zhǎng)看了一眼，說(shuō)下去，“在餐桌上挨近您的地方留下了——”
“老天爺！”董貝先生說(shuō)道，一邊把船長(zhǎng)的財(cái)產(chǎn)從他的身邊一下推開，仿佛它真是好多面包屑似的。“把這些東西拿走。我感謝您，托克斯小姐；您一向都是考慮得這樣周到。勞駕您把這些東西拿走吧，先生?！?BR> 卡特爾船長(zhǎng)覺得他除了遵命照辦外，沒有別的選擇?？墒嵌愊壬芙^接受這些堆積在他手邊的財(cái)寶，表現(xiàn)得那么寬宏大量，這使他十分感動(dòng)，因此當(dāng)他把茶匙和方糖箝子裝進(jìn)一只衣袋，把現(xiàn)錢裝進(jìn)另一只衣袋，把那只大表慢慢地往下放到它的合適的洞穴里去的時(shí)候，他情不自禁地把這位先生的右手握到他那只單獨(dú)的左手里，而且當(dāng)他用有勁的手指把它撐開的時(shí)候，他在滿懷敬佩的心情中，把鉤子接觸到它的掌心。董貝先生在熱烈的感情與冰冷的鐵件的接觸下，全身打了個(gè)冷顫。
然后，卡特爾船長(zhǎng)極為文雅、極為殷勤地把鉤子吻了好幾次，向女士們致意；在向保羅與弗洛倫斯特別進(jìn)行了告別之后，他陪著沃爾特走出了房間。弗洛倫斯出自一片熱心，追在他們后面，要他們代向老所爾問候，這時(shí)候董貝先生喊她回來(lái)，吩咐她待在原先的地方。
“難道你永遠(yuǎn)也不想成為真正的董貝家里的人了嗎？我親愛的孩子！”奇克夫人用感傷與責(zé)備的語(yǔ)氣說(shuō)道。
“親愛的姑媽，”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道?！皠e生我的氣，我是多么感謝爸爸??！”
如果她敢的話，那么她真想跑過(guò)去，伸出胳膊摟住他的脖子；可是因?yàn)樗桓疫@樣做，所以她就用感激的眼光向他看看；這時(shí)他坐在那里沉思著，有時(shí)不安地向她看一眼，但大部分時(shí)間是注視著保羅；這孩子正在房間里走來(lái)走去，擺出一副威風(fēng)凜凜的氣派，那是由于讓年輕的蓋伊得到了錢而剛剛產(chǎn)生出來(lái)的。
那么年輕的蓋伊——沃爾特，他的情況怎么樣了呢？
他歡天喜地地把法警與經(jīng)紀(jì)人從老人家里清除掉，急忙回到舅舅身邊去向他報(bào)告好消息；他歡天喜地地在第二天中午以前把一切事情安排妥當(dāng)，處理完畢，晚上在小后客廳里與老所爾和卡特爾船長(zhǎng)坐在一起，并且看到儀器制造商已經(jīng)重新振作起精神，對(duì)未來(lái)充滿希望，同時(shí)感到木制海軍軍官候補(bǔ)生又屬于他自己的了?？墒潜仨毘姓J(rèn)，沃爾特感到自己?jiǎn)时M體面，意氣消沉。這絲毫也不是責(zé)備他對(duì)董貝先生不知感激。當(dāng)我們希望的萌芽已被一陣暴風(fēng)凍死，無(wú)法恢復(fù)生機(jī)的時(shí)候，我們最不愿意向我們自己描繪，如果它們蓬勃生長(zhǎng)的話，那么它們可能會(huì)開放出什么樣的花朵了?，F(xiàn)在當(dāng)沃爾特發(fā)現(xiàn)自己又一次從偉大的董貝高峰上可怕地深深地滾落下來(lái)，從而和它完全切斷，并且感到他舊日的狂妄的幻想已經(jīng)在滾落時(shí)在風(fēng)中化為烏有的時(shí)候，他開始懷疑，這些希望是否還能在遙遠(yuǎn)的將來(lái)，繼續(xù)引導(dǎo)他走向渴望得到弗洛倫斯的無(wú)害的夢(mèng)幻。
船長(zhǎng)卻從完全不同的角度來(lái)看這個(gè)問題。他似乎相信，他曾給予幫助的這次會(huì)晤令人十分稱心滿意和歡欣鼓舞，它離弗洛倫斯與沃爾特正式訂婚只差一兩步了。在這種信心的激勵(lì)下，在他老朋友情緒好轉(zhuǎn)以及他自己隨之而來(lái)的歡樂心情的鼓舞下，有一天晚上，當(dāng)他第三次為他們唱《可愛的佩格姑娘》這支民歌的時(shí)候，他甚至試圖即席用“弗洛倫斯”的名字來(lái)代替；但他發(fā)現(xiàn)“佩格”這個(gè)詞總是要跟“萊格”①（腿）這個(gè)詞押韻（民歌中描寫女主人公的腿長(zhǎng)得十分美麗，她的生理上的這個(gè)優(yōu)點(diǎn)使她壓倒了所有的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者），于是靈機(jī)一動(dòng)，就把它改成“弗洛—萊格”；雖然他必須回到可怕的麥克斯廷杰太太的住所的時(shí)候就要到了，可是他仍舊那樣唱起來(lái)，唱時(shí)那副詭詐的神氣幾乎是超自然的，而且聲音十分喧鬧。
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①英文中腿（leg）這個(gè)詞的發(fā)音為萊格。