Alterations
'So the day has come at length, Susan,' said Florence to the excellent Nipper, 'when we are going back to our quiet home!'
Susan drew in her breath with an amount of expression not easily described, further relieving her feelings with a smart cough, answered, 'Very quiet indeed, Miss Floy, no doubt. Excessive so.'
'When I was a child,' said Florence, thoughtfully, and after musing for some moments, 'did you ever see that gentleman who has taken the trouble to ride down here to speak to me, now three times - three times, I think, Susan?'
'Three times, Miss,' returned the Nipper. 'Once when you was out a walking with them Sket- '
Florence gently looked at her, and Miss Nipper checked herself.
'With Sir Barnet and his lady, I mean to say, Miss, and the young gentleman. And two evenings since then.'
'When I was a child, and when company used to come to visit Papa, did you ever see that gentleman at home, Susan?' asked Florence.
'Well, Miss,' returned her maid, after considering, 'I really couldn't say I ever did. When your poor dear Ma died, Miss Floy, I was very new in the family, you see, and my element:' the Nipper bridled, as opining that her merits had been always designedly extinguished by Mr Dombey: 'was the floor below the attics.'
'To be sure,' said Florence, still thoughtfully; 'you are not likely to have known who came to the house. I quite forgot.'
'Not, Miss, but what we talked about the family and visitors,' said Susan, 'and but what I heard much said, although the nurse before Mrs Richards make unpleasant remarks when I was in company, and hint at little Pitchers, but that could only be attributed, poor thing,' observed Susan, with composed forbearance, 'to habits of intoxication, for which she was required to leave, and did.'
Florence, who was seated at her chamber window, with her face resting on her hand, sat looking out, and hardly seemed to hear what Susan said, she was so lost in thought.
'At all events, Miss,' said Susan, 'I remember very well that this same gentleman, Mr Carker, was almost, if not quite, as great a gentleman with your Papa then, as he is now. It used to be said in the house then, Miss, that he was at the head of all your Pa's affairs in the City, and managed the whole, and that your Pa minded him more than anybody, which, begging your pardon, Miss Floy, he might easy do, for he never minded anybody else. I knew that, Pitcher as I might have been.'
Susan Nipper, with an injured remembrance of the nurse before Mrs Richards, emphasised 'Pitcher' strongly.
'And that Mr Carker has not fallen off, Miss,' she pursued, 'but has stood his ground, and kept his credit with your Pa, I know from what is always said among our people by that Perch, whenever he comes to the house; and though he's the weakest weed in the world, Miss Floy, and no one can have a moment's patience with the man, he knows what goes on in the City tolerable well, and says that your Pa does nothing without Mr Carker, and leaves all to Mr Carker, and acts according to Mr Carker, and has Mr Carker always at his elbow, and I do believe that he believes (that washiest of Perches!) that after your Pa, the Emperor of India is the child unborn to Mr Carker.'
Not a word of this was lost on Florence, who, with an awakened interest in Susan's speech, no longer gazed abstractedly on the prospect without, but looked at her, and listened with attention.
'Yes, Susan,' she said, when that young lady had concluded. 'He is in Papa's confidence, and is his friend, I am sure.'
Florence's mind ran high on this theme, and had done for some days. Mr Carker, in the two visits with which he had followed up his first one, had assumed a confidence between himself and her - a right on his part to be mysterious and stealthy, in telling her that the ship was still unheard of - a kind of mildly restrained power and authority over her - that made her wonder, and caused her great uneasiness. She had no means of repelling it, or of freeing herself from the web he was gradually winding about her; for that would have required some art and knowledge of the world, opposed to such address as his; and Florence had none. True, he had said no more to her than that there was no news of the ship, and that he feared the worst; but how he came to know that she was interested in the ship, and why he had the right to signify his knowledge to her, so insidiously and darkly, troubled Florence very much.
This conduct on the part of Mr Carker, and her habit of often considering it with wonder and uneasiness, began to invest him with an uncomfortable fascination in Florence's thoughts. A more distinct remembrance of his features, voice, and manner: which she sometimes courted, as a means of reducing him to the level of a real personage, capable of exerting no greater charm over her than another: did not remove the vague impression. And yet he never frowned, or looked upon her with an air of dislike or animosity, but was always smiling and serene.
Again, Florence, in pursuit of her strong purpose with reference to her father, and her steady resolution to believe that she was herself unwittingly to blame for their so cold and distant relations, would recall to mind that this gentleman was his confidential friend, and would think, with an anxious heart, could her struggling tendency to dislike and fear him be a part of that misfortune in her, which had turned her father's love adrift, and left her so alone? She dreaded that it might be; sometimes believed it was: then she resolved that she would try to conquer this wrong feeling; persuaded herself that she was honoured and encouraged by the notice of her father's friend; and hoped that patient observation of him and trust in him would lead her bleeding feet along that stony road which ended in her father's heart.
Thus, with no one to advise her - for she could advise with no one without seeming to complain against him - gentle Florence tossed on an uneasy sea of doubt and hope; and Mr Carker, like a scaly monster of the deep, swam down below, and kept his shining eye upon her. Florence had a new reason in all this for wishing to be at home again. Her lonely life was better suited to her course of timid hope and doubt; and she feared sometimes, that in her absence she might miss some hopeful chance of testifying her affection for her father. Heaven knows, she might have set her mind at rest, poor child! on this last point; but her slighted love was fluttering within her, and, even in her sleep, it flew away in dreams, and nestled, like a wandering bird come home, upon her father's neck.
Of Walter she thought often. Ah! how often, when the night was gloomy, and the wind was blowing round the house! But hope was strong in her breast. It is so difficult for the young and ardent, even with such experience as hers, to imagine youth and ardour quenched like a weak flame, and the bright day of life merging into night, at noon, that hope was strong yet. Her tears fell frequently for Walter's sufferings; but rarely for his supposed death, and never long.
She had written to the old Instrument-maker, but had received no answer to her note: which indeed required none. Thus matters stood with Florence on the morning when she was going home, gladly, to her old secluded life.
Doctor and Mrs Blimber, accompanied (much against his will) by their valued charge, Master Barnet, were already gone back to Brighton, where that young gentleman and his fellow-pilgrims to Parnassus were then, no doubt, in the continual resumption of their studies. The holiday time was past and over; most of the juvenile guests at the villa had taken their departure; and Florence's long visit was come to an end.
There was one guest, however, albeit not resident within the house, who had been very constant in his attentions to the family, and who still remained devoted to them. This was Mr Toots, who after renewing, some weeks ago, the acquaintance he had had the happiness of forming with Skettles Junior, on the night when he burst the Blimberian bonds and soared into freedom with his ring on, called regularly every other day, and left a perfect pack of cards at the hall-door; so many indeed, that the ceremony was quite a deal on the part of Mr Toots, and a hand at whist on the part of the servant.
Mr Toots, likewise, with the bold and happy idea of preventing the family from forgetting him (but there is reason to suppose that this expedient originated in the teeming brain of the Chicken), had established a six-oared cutter, manned by aquatic friends of the Chicken's and steered by that illustrious character in person, who wore a bright red fireman's coat for the purpose, and concealed the perpetual black eye with which he was afflicted, beneath a green shade. Previous to the institution of this equipage, Mr Toots sounded the Chicken on a hypothetical case, as, supposing the Chicken to be enamoured of a young lady named Mary, and to have conceived the intention of starting a boat of his own, what would he call that boat? The Chicken replied, with divers strong asseverations, that he would either christen it Poll or The Chicken's Delight. Improving on this idea, Mr Toots, after deep study and the exercise of much invention, resolved to call his boat The Toots's Joy, as a delicate compliment to Florence, of which no man knowing the parties, could possibly miss the appreciation.
Stretched on a crimson cushion in his gallant bark, with his shoes in the air, Mr Toots, in the exercise of his project, had come up the river, day after day, and week after week, and had flitted to and fro, near Sir Barnet's garden, and had caused his crew to cut across and across the river at sharp angles, for his better exhibition to any lookers-out from Sir Barnet's windows, and had had such evolutions performed by the Toots's Joy as had filled all the neighbouring part of the water-side with astonishment. But whenever he saw anyone in Sir Barnet's garden on the brink of the river, Mr Toots always feigned to be passing there, by a combination of coincidences of the most singular and unlikely description.
'How are you, Toots?' Sir Barnet would say, waving his hand from the lawn, while the artful Chicken steered close in shore.
'How de do, Sir Barnet?' Mr Toots would answer, What a surprising thing that I should see you here!'
Mr Toots, in his sagacity, always said this, as if, instead of that being Sir Barnet's house, it were some deserted edifice on the banks of the Nile, or Ganges.
'I never was so surprised!' Mr Toots would exclaim. - 'Is Miss Dombey there?'
Whereupon Florence would appear, perhaps.
'Oh, Diogenes is quite well, Miss Dombey,' Toots would cry. 'I called to ask this morning.'
'Thank you very much!' the pleasant voice of Florence would reply.
'Won't you come ashore, Toots?' Sir Barnet would say then. 'Come! you're in no hurry. Come and see us.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence, thank you!' Mr Toots would blushingly rejoin. 'I thought Miss Dombey might like to know, that's all. Good-bye!' And poor Mr Toots, who was dying to accept the invitation, but hadn't the courage to do it, signed to the Chicken, with an aching heart, and away went the Joy, cleaving the water like an arrow.
The Joy was lying in a state of extraordinary splendour, at the garden steps, on the morning of Florence's departure. When she went downstairs to take leave, after her talk with Susan, she found Mr Toots awaiting her in the drawing-room.
'Oh, how de do, Miss Dombey?' said the stricken Toots, always dreadfully disconcerted when the desire of his heart was gained, and he was speaking to her; 'thank you, I'm very well indeed, I hope you're the same, so was Diogenes yesterday.'
'You are very kind,' said Florence.
'Thank you, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind, in this fine weather, coming home by water, Miss Dombey. There's plenty of room in the boat for your maid.'
'I am very much obliged to you,' said Florence, hesitating. 'I really am - but I would rather not.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'Good morning.'
'Won't you wait and see Lady Skettles?' asked Florence, kindly.
'Oh no, thank you,' returned Mr Toots, 'it's of no consequence at all.'
So shy was Mr Toots on such occasions, and so flurried! But Lady Skettles entering at the moment, Mr Toots was suddenly seized with a passion for asking her how she did, and hoping she was very well; nor could Mr Toots by any possibility leave off shaking hands with her, until Sir Barnet appeared: to whom he immediately clung with the tenacity of desperation.
'We are losing, today, Toots,' said Sir Barnet, turning towards Florence, 'the light of our house, I assure you'
'Oh, it's of no conseq - I mean yes, to be sure,' faltered the embarrassed Mr Toots. 'Good morning!'
Notwithstanding the emphatic nature of this farewell, Mr Toots, instead of going away, stood leering about him, vacantly. Florence, to relieve him, bade adieu, with many thanks, to Lady Skettles, and gave her arm to Sir Barnet.
'May I beg of you, my dear Miss Dombey,' said her host, as he conducted her to the carriage, 'to present my best compliments to your dear Papa?'
It was distressing to Florence to receive the commission, for she felt as if she were imposing on Sir Barnet by allowing him to believe that a kindness rendered to her, was rendered to her father. As she could not explain, however, she bowed her head and thanked him; and again she thought that the dull home, free from such embarrassments, and such reminders of her sorrow, was her natural and best retreat.
Such of her late friends and companions as were yet remaining at the villa, came running from within, and from the garden, to say good-bye. They were all attached to her, and very earnest in taking leave of her. Even the household were sorry for her going, and the servants came nodding and curtseying round the carriage door. As Florence looked round on the kind faces, and saw among them those of Sir Barnet and his lady, and of Mr Toots, who was chuckling and staring at her from a distance, she was reminded of the night when Paul and she had come from Doctor Blimber's: and when the carriage drove away, her face was wet with tears.
Sorrowful tears, but tears of consolation, too; for all the softer memories connected with the dull old house to which she was returning made it dear to her, as they rose up. How long it seemed since she had wandered through the silent rooms: since she had last crept, softly and afraid, into those her father occupied: since she had felt the solemn but yet soothing influence of the beloved dead in every action of her daily life! This new farewell reminded her, besides, of her parting with poor Walter: of his looks and words that night: and of the gracious blending she had noticed in him, of tenderness for those he left behind, with courage and high spirit. His little history was associated with the old house too, and gave it a new claim and hold upon her heart. Even Susan Nipper softened towards the home of so many years, as they were on their way towards it. Gloomy as it was, and rigid justice as she rendered to its gloom, she forgave it a great deal. 'I shall be glad to see it again, I don't deny, Miss,' said the Nipper. 'There ain't much in it to boast of, but I wouldn't have it burnt or pulled down, neither!'
'You'll be glad to go through the old rooms, won't you, Susan?' said Florence, smiling.
'Well, Miss,' returned the Nipper, softening more and more towards the house, as they approached it nearer, 'I won't deny but what I shall, though I shall hate 'em again, to-morrow, very likely.'
Florence felt that, for her, there was greater peace within it than elsewhere. It was better and easier to keep her secret shut up there, among the tall dark walls, than to carry it abroad into the light, and try to hide it from a crowd of happy eyes. It was better to pursue the study of her loving heart, alone, and find no new discouragements in loving hearts about her. It was easier to hope, and pray, and love on, all uncared for, yet with constancy and patience, in the tranquil sanctuary of such remembrances: although it mouldered, rusted, and decayed about her: than in a new scene, let its gaiety be what it would. She welcomed back her old enchanted dream of life, and longed for the old dark door to close upon her, once again.
Full of such thoughts, they turned into the long and sombre street. Florence was not on that side of the carriage which was nearest to her home, and as the distance lessened between them and it, she looked out of her window for the children over the way.
She was thus engaged, when an exclamation from Susan caused her to turn quickly round.
'Why, Gracious me!' cried Susan, breathless, 'where's our house!'
'Our house!' said Florence.
Susan, drawing in her head from the window, thrust it out again, drew it in again as the carriage stopped, and stared at her mistress in amazement.
There was a labyrinth of scaffolding raised all round the house, from the basement to the roof. Loads of bricks and stones, and heaps of mortar, and piles of wood, blocked up half the width and length of the broad street at the side. Ladders were raised against the walls; labourers were climbing up and down; men were at work upon the steps of the scaffolding; painters and decorators were busy inside; great rolls of ornamental paper were being delivered from a cart at the door; an upholsterer's waggon also stopped the way; no furniture was to be seen through the gaping and broken windows in any of the rooms; nothing but workmen, and the implements of their several trades, swarming from the kitchens to the garrets. Inside and outside alike: bricklayers, painters, carpenters, masons: hammer, hod, brush, pickaxe, saw, and trowel: all at work together, in full chorus!
Florence descended from the coach, half doubting if it were, or could be the right house, until she recognised Towlinson, with a sun-burnt face, standing at the door to receive her.
'There is nothing the matter?' inquired Florence.
'Oh no, Miss.'
'There are great alterations going on.'
'Yes, Miss, great alterations,' said Towlinson.
Florence passed him as if she were in a dream, and hurried upstairs. The garish light was in the long-darkened drawing-room and there were steps and platforms, and men In paper caps, in the high places. Her mother's picture was gone with the rest of the moveables, and on the mark where it had been, was scrawled in chalk, 'this room in panel. Green and gold.' The staircase was a labyrinth of posts and planks like the outside of the house, and a whole Olympus of plumbers and glaziers was reclining in various attitudes, on the skylight. Her own room was not yet touched within, but there were beams and boards raised against it without, baulking the daylight. She went up swiftly to that other bedroom, where the little bed was; and a dark giant of a man with a pipe in his mouth, and his head tied up in a pocket-handkerchief, was staring in at the window.
It was here that Susan Nipper, who had been in quest of Florence, found her, and said, would she go downstairs to her Papa, who wished to speak to her.
'At home! and wishing to speak to me!' cried Florence, trembling.
Susan, who was infinitely more distraught than Florence herself, repeated her errand; and Florence, pale and agitated, hurried down again, without a moment's hesitation. She thought upon the way down, would she dare to kiss him? The longing of her heart resolved her, and she thought she would.
Her father might have heard that heart beat, when it came into his presence. One instant, and it would have beat against his breast.
But he was not alone. There were two ladies there; and Florence stopped. Striving so hard with her emotion, that if her brute friend Di had not burst in and overwhelmed her with his caresses as a welcome home - at which one of the ladies gave a little scream, and that diverted her attention from herself - she would have swooned upon the floor.
'Florence,' said her father, putting out his hand: so stiffly that it held her off: 'how do you do?'
Florence took the hand between her own, and putting it timidly to her lips, yielded to its withdrawal. It touched the door in shutting it, with quite as much endearment as it had touched her.
'What dog is that?' said Mr Dombey, displeased.
'It is a dog, Papa - from Brighton.'
'Well!' said Mr Dombey; and a cloud passed over his face, for he understood her.
'He is very good-tempered,' said Florence, addressing herself with her natural grace and sweetness to the two lady strangers. 'He is only glad to see me. Pray forgive him.'
She saw in the glance they interchanged, that the lady who had screamed, and who was seated, was old; and that the other lady, who stood near her Papa, was very beautiful, and of an elegant figure.
'Mrs Skewton,' said her father, turning to the first, and holding out his hand, 'this is my daughter Florence.'
'Charming, I am sure,' observed the lady, putting up her glass. 'So natural! My darling Florence, you must kiss me, if you please.'
Florence having done so, turned towards the other lady, by whom her father stood waiting.
'Edith,' said Mr Dombey, 'this is my daughter Florence. Florence, this lady will soon be your Mama.'
Florence started, and looked up at the beautiful face in a conflict of emotions, among which the tears that name awakened, struggled for a moment with surprise, interest, admiration, and an indefinable sort of fear. Then she cried out, 'Oh, Papa, may you be happy! may you be very, very happy all your life!' and then fell weeping on the lady's bosom.
There was a short silence. The beautiful lady, who at first had seemed to hesitate whether or no she should advance to Florence, held her to her breast, and pressed the hand with which she clasped her, close about her waist, as if to reassure her and comfort her. Not one word passed the lady's lips. She bent her head down over Florence, and she kissed her on the cheek, but she said no word.
'Shall we go on through the rooms,' said Mr Dombey, 'and see how our workmen are doing? Pray allow me, my dear madam.'
He said this in offering his arm to Mrs Skewton, who had been looking at Florence through her glass, as though picturing to herself what she might be made, by the infusion - from her own copious storehouse, no doubt - of a little more Heart and Nature. Florence was still sobbing on the lady's breast, and holding to her, when Mr Dombey was heard to say from the Conservatory:
'Let us ask Edith. Dear me, where is she?'
'Edith, my dear!' cried Mrs Skewton, 'where are you? Looking for Mr Dombey somewhere, I know. We are here, my love.'
The beautiful lady released her hold of Florence, and pressing her lips once more upon her face, withdrew hurriedly, and joined them. Florence remained standing In the same place: happy, sorry, joyful, and in tears, she knew not how, or how long, but all at once: when her new Mama came back, and took her in her arms again.
'Florence,' said the lady, hurriedly, and looking into her face with great earnestness. 'You will not begin by hating me?'
'By hating you, Mama?' cried Florence, winding her arm round her neck, and returning the look.
'Hush! Begin by thinking well of me,' said the beautiful lady. 'Begin by believing that I will try to make you happy, and that I am prepared to love you, Florence. Good-bye. We shall meet again soon. Good-bye! Don't stay here, now.'
Again she pressed her to her breast she had spoken in a rapid manner, but firmly - and Florence saw her rejoin them in the other room. And now Florence began to hope that she would learn from her new and beautiful Mama, how to gaIn her father's love; and in her sleep that night, in her lost old home, her own Mama smiled radiantly upon the hope, and blessed it. Dreaming Florence!
“蘇珊，這一天終于來(lái)到了，”弗洛倫斯對(duì)極好的尼珀說(shuō)道，“我們又要回到我們安靜的家里去了！”
蘇珊露出難以描述的豐富表情，吸進(jìn)一口氣，然后又有力地咳嗽了一聲，來(lái)緩和她的感情，回答道，“確實(shí)很安靜，弗洛伊小姐，這是沒(méi)有疑問(wèn)的。非常安靜?！?BR> “當(dāng)我是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，”弗洛倫斯沉思了一會(huì)兒以后，若有所思地問(wèn)道，“您有沒(méi)有看見(jiàn)過(guò)那位不怕麻煩，到現(xiàn)在已有三次騎馬到這里來(lái)跟我談話的先生？我想有三次了吧，蘇珊？”
“三次了，小姐，”尼珀回答道，“有一次他們邀您出去散步，這些斯克特——”
弗洛倫斯溫和地看了她一下，尼珀小姐就克制住自己。
“小姐，我是想說(shuō)，巴尼特爵士和他夫人以及那位年輕的先生。從那次以后，他又在晚上來(lái)了兩次?！?BR> “當(dāng)我是個(gè)小孩子，客人們前來(lái)拜訪爸爸的時(shí)候，您在家里看到過(guò)那位先生嗎，蘇珊？”弗洛倫斯問(wèn)道。
“唔，小姐，”她的侍女考慮之后回答道，“我確實(shí)不好說(shuō)我是不是看到過(guò)他。您知道，您可憐的媽媽死的時(shí)候，弗洛伊小姐，我剛剛上您家來(lái)，我的活動(dòng)范圍，”尼珀仰起頭來(lái)，好像是抱怨董貝先生經(jīng)常故意看不起她的勞績(jī)似的，“就在頂樓下面。”
“是的，”弗洛倫斯依舊深思地說(shuō)道，“您大概不會(huì)知道誰(shuí)到我們家里來(lái)過(guò)。我是完全忘記了?！?BR> “當(dāng)然，小姐，我們也談?wù)撝魅撕涂腿?，”蘇珊說(shuō)道，“我當(dāng)然還聽(tīng)到不少談話，雖然當(dāng)我跟她們?cè)谝黄鸬臅r(shí)候，理查茲大嫂以前的保姆曾經(jīng)講過(guò)一些令人不愉快的話，暗示說(shuō)，有長(zhǎng)耳朵的小水罐①什么的，可是這只能怪她本人愛(ài)把自己灌醉，這可憐的人，”蘇珊帶著鎮(zhèn)靜的、寬容的神情，說(shuō)道，“她就因?yàn)檫@個(gè)緣故被解雇了，她也就走了?！?BR> --------
①長(zhǎng)耳朵的小水罐：英國(guó)諺語(yǔ)，意指小孩子耳朵尖。
弗洛倫斯坐在臥室的窗口，手支托著臉，向外看著，似乎沒(méi)有聽(tīng)見(jiàn)蘇珊說(shuō)了些什么；她深深地陷在沉思中了。
“不管怎么樣，小姐，”蘇珊說(shuō)，“我記得很清楚，那時(shí)候，這位卡克先生在您爸爸的心目中是一位重要的人物；即使不說(shuō)跟現(xiàn)在一樣，也跟現(xiàn)在差不多。那時(shí)候，小姐，我在屋子里經(jīng)常聽(tīng)說(shuō)，他在您爸爸城里的公司里是個(gè)頭，一切事情都?xì)w他管，您爸爸器重他超過(guò)任何人，這一點(diǎn)，弗洛伊小姐，請(qǐng)您原諒，他很容易這樣做，因?yàn)樗麖膩?lái)不重視其他人。我知道這，因?yàn)槲乙苍S是個(gè)長(zhǎng)耳朵的水罐，聽(tīng)到別人這么說(shuō)?！?BR> 蘇珊·尼珀委屈地回想起理查茲大嫂以前的保姆，說(shuō)到“長(zhǎng)耳朵的水罐”時(shí)有力地加重了語(yǔ)氣。
“他們還談到卡克先生沒(méi)有失寵，小姐，”她繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“而是牢牢地保持住自己的地位，繼續(xù)受到您爸爸的信任。這些我是從那位珀奇那里聽(tīng)到的。他每到這里來(lái)的時(shí)候，總要到我們這些人中間聊天，雖然他是世界上最沒(méi)骨氣的人，弗洛伊小姐，誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有耐性跟他相處一分鐘，可是他對(duì)城里發(fā)生的事情倒知道得很多。他說(shuō)，您爸爸不論做什么事，都離不開(kāi)卡克先生，一切事情都交給卡克先生去辦理，一切都按照卡克先生的意見(jiàn)去做，并讓卡克先生老跟隨在他的身邊。照我看，在珀奇心目中，除了您爸爸之外，印度皇帝跟卡克先生相比還是個(gè)沒(méi)出生的孩子呢?！?BR> 這些話弗洛倫斯沒(méi)有聽(tīng)漏一個(gè)字；她對(duì)蘇珊的談話產(chǎn)生了興趣，不再心不在焉地望著窗外的景物，而是看著她，并注意地聽(tīng)著她。
“是的，蘇珊，”當(dāng)那位姑娘講完時(shí)，她說(shuō)道，“我相信，他得到爸爸的信任，而且是他的朋友。”
弗洛倫斯的思想集中在這個(gè)問(wèn)題上，好幾天也離不開(kāi)它?？讼壬诮又谝淮伟菰L之后而來(lái)的兩次拜訪中，裝出他和她相互信任似的，并裝出他有權(quán)神秘地和悄悄地告訴她，那條船還是下落不明，而且他對(duì)她有一種稍稍加以克制的權(quán)力和影響，這使她感到奇怪，并使她心中產(chǎn)生極大的不安。她無(wú)法拒絕它，使她自己從他逐漸纏繞在她身上的蜘蛛網(wǎng)中解脫出來(lái)；因?yàn)槟切枰莆者@世界的某種策略和知識(shí)，才能對(duì)抗他的這種詭計(jì)，而弗洛倫斯卻沒(méi)有掌握。不錯(cuò)，他除了對(duì)她說(shuō)那條船杳無(wú)音訊，并說(shuō)，他擔(dān)心會(huì)發(fā)生最壞的結(jié)果之外，并沒(méi)有再說(shuō)別的，但是他怎么知道她關(guān)心這條船，為什么他有權(quán)利那么陰險(xiǎn)地、惡毒地把他知道的事情告訴給她呢，弗洛倫斯對(duì)這感到苦惱不安。
卡克先生的這種行為以及她經(jīng)常懷疑和不安地思考它的習(xí)慣，開(kāi)始使他在弗洛倫斯的思想中具有一種很令人不愉快的魔力。有時(shí)，為了使他成為一個(gè)真實(shí)的人，不能比其他人對(duì)她施加更大的魔力，她就想方設(shè)法，更清楚地回憶起他的面貌、聲音和神態(tài)，可是這樣做，并不能消除她心中那模糊的印象。然而他卻從不皺眉蹙額，也從不露出厭惡或敵意的神態(tài)來(lái)看她，而總是笑容滿臉，安詳自若。
另一方面，弗洛倫斯由于強(qiáng)烈地懷抱著要達(dá)到重新贏得她父親喜愛(ài)的目的，并堅(jiān)決相信她自己非出本意地應(yīng)對(duì)他們父女之間如此冷淡與疏遠(yuǎn)的關(guān)系負(fù)責(zé)，因此她會(huì)想到，這位先生是她父親知心的朋友；她還會(huì)憂慮地想到，她對(duì)他產(chǎn)生厭惡和恐懼的思想會(huì)不會(huì)是她促使她父親不愛(ài)她并造成她如此孤獨(dú)的不幸原因之一呢？她擔(dān)心可能是這樣；有時(shí)她相信就正是這樣。于是她就決心克服這種錯(cuò)誤的感情，使她自己相信，她父親的朋友的關(guān)注對(duì)她來(lái)說(shuō)是光榮和鼓勵(lì)；并希望對(duì)他進(jìn)行耐心的觀察和信任將會(huì)引導(dǎo)她的流血的雙腳走過(guò)那坎坷不平的道路，通向她父親的心。
就這樣，沒(méi)有人給她出主意——因?yàn)樗松塘浚坪蹙拖袷潜г垢赣H似的——，溫柔的弗洛倫斯在懷疑與希望的不平靜的海洋上顛簸著；卡克先生則像是深海中有鱗的妖怪一樣在下面游著，閃閃發(fā)光的眼睛一直在注視著她。
弗洛倫斯在這一切之中，又有了一個(gè)希望重新回家的新理由。孤獨(dú)的生活更適合于她懷有膽怯的希望與懷疑的過(guò)程；她有時(shí)擔(dān)心，當(dāng)她不在家的時(shí)候，她也許會(huì)錯(cuò)過(guò)向她父親表明她的愛(ài)心的好機(jī)會(huì)。天知道，她可以在這最后的一點(diǎn)上讓她的心安靜下來(lái)，可憐的孩子！可是她那受到冷落的愛(ài)正在她的心中跳動(dòng)，它甚至在她睡眠時(shí)飛了出去，像一只在外游蕩的鳥(niǎo)兒飛回家一樣，安息在她父親的脖子上。
她時(shí)常思念沃爾特。?。‘?dāng)夜色朦朧，風(fēng)在屋外吹刮的時(shí)候，她曾經(jīng)多少次想到了他??！但是她心中懷著強(qiáng)烈的希望。對(duì)于年輕和感情熱烈的人——甚至像她那樣經(jīng)驗(yàn)不多的人——來(lái)說(shuō)，很難想象青春與熱忱會(huì)像微弱的火焰一樣熄滅，生命的白天會(huì)在中午就被黑夜吞沒(méi)，因此，希望在她心中仍然是強(qiáng)烈的。她時(shí)常為沃爾特所遭受的苦難而流淚，但卻很少為他假定的死亡而流淚，時(shí)間也從來(lái)不長(zhǎng)久。
她曾經(jīng)寫(xiě)信給年老的儀器制造商，但卻沒(méi)有得到回音，但她在信中并沒(méi)有要求回復(fù)。那天早上弗洛倫斯高高興興地準(zhǔn)備回家去過(guò)她以往的隱居生活的時(shí)候，她的情況就是這樣。
布林伯博士和夫人，在他們尊貴的弟子巴尼特少爺?shù)呐阃ㄟ@是十分違反他心愿的）下，早已回到布賴(lài)頓；這位小先生和跟他同去帕納薩斯朝圣的伴侶們無(wú)疑早已在那里繼續(xù)他們的攻讀。假期早已過(guò)去了；別墅中大部分年輕的客人們都已離開(kāi)；弗洛倫斯這長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的拜訪也將要結(jié)束了。
不過(guò)，有一位客人雖然沒(méi)有居住在巴尼特爵士的家里，但卻始終如一地對(duì)這家人表示關(guān)切，并仍和過(guò)去一樣對(duì)他們忠心耿耿。這就是圖茨先生。他在掙脫布林伯枷鎖，并戴著戒指高飛進(jìn)自由王國(guó)的那一天晚上，有幸認(rèn)識(shí)了小斯克特爾斯；他在幾個(gè)星期以前重?cái)⒘诉@一交情之后，每隔一天就準(zhǔn)時(shí)前來(lái)看望一次，并在門(mén)廳的門(mén)口留下一大堆名片；名片的數(shù)量實(shí)在多極了，因此這個(gè)表示禮儀的方式使人想起了惠斯特牌①，圖茨先生像是在配牌，仆人則像是個(gè)玩牌的對(duì)手。
圖茨先生為了使這家人不會(huì)忘記他，還采用了一個(gè)大膽的、巧妙的主意（不過(guò)，有理由設(shè)想，這個(gè)辦法是從斗雞足智多謀的腦袋中產(chǎn)生的）：他購(gòu)置了一條六個(gè)槳的單桅帆船；斗雞的水上運(yùn)動(dòng)的朋友們充任船員，那位杰出的英雄親自把舵；他為了這個(gè)目的穿了一件鮮紅的消防隊(duì)員的短外衣，并用綠色的遮陽(yáng)掩蓋眼睛周?chē)谰眯缘那嘧习?；在給這條船裝備用品之前，圖茨先生曾試探斗雞對(duì)這樣一個(gè)假想的情況的意見(jiàn)：假定斗雞迷戀上一位名叫瑪麗的姑娘，心里正打算自己弄一條船，那么他將把那條船取個(gè)什么名字呢？斗雞斬釘截鐵、發(fā)誓賭咒地回答說(shuō)，他將把它命名為“波爾”②或“斗雞的喜悅”。圖茨先生把這個(gè)想法加以改進(jìn)，在深深思索并充分發(fā)揮創(chuàng)造才能之后，決定把他的單桅帆船稱(chēng)為“圖茨的歡樂(lè)”——這是對(duì)弗洛倫斯的巧妙頌辭，凡是知道他們的人沒(méi)有一個(gè)不對(duì)它表示贊許的。
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①惠斯持（whist）牌：由4人成局的一種紙牌戲，共有52張牌，以2人為1組，兩組相對(duì)。橋脾就是由惠斯特牌發(fā)展出來(lái)的。
②波爾（Poll）是瑪麗（Mary）的小稱(chēng)。
圖茨先生躺在他的華麗的帆船中的一個(gè)深紅色的靠墊上，腳蹺在空中，在執(zhí)行他的計(jì)劃的過(guò)程中，一天又一天，一星期又一星期，向上游劃來(lái)，在巴尼特爵士花園附近來(lái)來(lái)去去；他命令他的船員們一次又一次沿著銳角方向穿過(guò)河流，以便從巴尼特爵士窗口往外看的人們可以更好地看到他；他還讓“圖茨的歡樂(lè)”進(jìn)行各種演習(xí)，使河岸附近的居民看得目瞪口呆?？墒敲慨?dāng)他看到巴尼特爵士花園里的什么人待在河邊的時(shí)候，圖茨先生總是假裝成由于一些情況的巧合而劃過(guò)那里，這種巧合是非常離奇古怪和不大可能發(fā)生的。
“您好嗎，圖茨？”巴尼特爵士會(huì)從草坪上向他揮著手，說(shuō)道。這時(shí)機(jī)靈的斗雞就直向岸邊劃去。
“您好，巴尼特爵士！”圖茨先生回答道，“多么令人驚奇的事呀，我會(huì)在這里遇見(jiàn)您！”
圖茨先生以他特有的聰明，經(jīng)常這樣說(shuō)，仿佛這里不是巴尼特爵士的住宅，而是尼羅河或恒河上的一座什么荒廢的大廈似的。
“我從沒(méi)感到這么驚奇的！”圖茨先生會(huì)驚叫道，“董貝小姐在這里嗎？”
也許弗洛倫斯隨后就會(huì)到這里來(lái)。
“啊，戴奧吉尼斯很健康，董貝小姐，”圖茨先生會(huì)喊道，“今天早上我去打聽(tīng)過(guò)。”
“非常感謝您！”弗洛倫斯會(huì)用愉快的聲音回答道。
“您不上岸來(lái)嗎，圖茨！”巴尼特爵士這時(shí)會(huì)這樣說(shuō)，“上來(lái)吧！您又不急著上什么地方去。來(lái)看看我們吧?！?BR> “哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，謝謝您！”圖茨先生會(huì)紅著臉回答道，“我想董貝小姐也許會(huì)高興知道這個(gè)情況；我要說(shuō)的都說(shuō)完了。再見(jiàn)吧！”可憐的圖茨先生真盼望能接受這個(gè)邀請(qǐng)，但卻又沒(méi)有這樣的勇氣，所以就懷著痛苦的心情，向斗雞打了個(gè)手勢(shì)，于是“歡樂(lè)”就離開(kāi)了，像箭一般地破浪前進(jìn)。
弗洛倫斯要離開(kāi)這里的這天早晨，“歡樂(lè)”裝飾得十分豪華，停泊在花園的臺(tái)階旁邊。當(dāng)弗洛倫斯跟蘇珊談話以后下樓去告別時(shí)，她發(fā)現(xiàn)圖茨先生正在客廳里等待她。
“您好，董貝小姐！”感動(dòng)的圖茨說(shuō)道；當(dāng)他心中的愿望得到滿足的時(shí)候，他經(jīng)?？膳碌貍}(cāng)皇失措；這時(shí)他對(duì)她說(shuō)道，“謝謝您，我確實(shí)很健康，我希望您也一樣，戴奧吉尼斯昨天也是這樣。”
“謝謝您的好意，”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)。
“謝謝您，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“今天天氣很好，我想您也許不會(huì)反對(duì)從水路回家吧，董貝小姐。船里寬敞得很，您的侍女也可以跟您同船走。”
“我十分感謝您，”弗洛倫斯遲疑地說(shuō)道，“我確實(shí)感謝，不過(guò)——我不想那樣走。”
“哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“早上好?！?BR> “您不等一下，看看斯克特爾斯夫人嗎？”弗洛倫斯親切地問(wèn)道。
“哦不，謝謝您，”圖茨先生說(shuō)道，“這根本無(wú)關(guān)緊要?！?BR> 圖茨先生在這種場(chǎng)合下是這么害羞，這么慌張??！可是斯克特爾斯夫人就在這時(shí)候進(jìn)來(lái)了，圖茨先生突然想要問(wèn)問(wèn)她好嗎，并祝她健康；圖茨先生跟她握手的時(shí)候怎么也下不了決心把手放下，直到巴尼特爵士來(lái)到為止；一看到巴尼特爵士，圖茨先生就立刻緊緊地把他抓住。
“圖茨，”巴尼特爵士朝著弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道，“我肯定地對(duì)您說(shuō)，我們今天將失去屋子里的明燈了。”
“哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要——我是想說(shuō)，您說(shuō)得完全不錯(cuò)，”局促不安的圖茨結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說(shuō)道，“再見(jiàn)吧！”
圖茨先生盡管這樣有聲有色地作了告別，但卻沒(méi)有走開(kāi)，而是原地站著不動(dòng)，并斜著眼睛，茫然地看著四周。弗洛倫斯為了使他擺脫困境，就開(kāi)始向斯克特爾斯夫人告別，說(shuō)了很多感謝的話，同時(shí)把胳膊向巴尼特爵士伸去。
“我親愛(ài)的董貝小姐，”她的主人把她送上四輪馬車(chē)的時(shí)候，說(shuō)道，“我請(qǐng)您向您親愛(ài)的爸爸轉(zhuǎn)達(dá)我最親切的問(wèn)候，可以嗎？”
弗洛倫斯接受這項(xiàng)任務(wù)是痛苦的，因?yàn)樗X(jué)得她如果要使他相信，他對(duì)她所表示的好意就是對(duì)她爸爸所表示的好意，那么這就欺騙了巴尼特爵士。不過(guò)因?yàn)樗荒芙忉專(zhuān)运偷拖骂^去向他表示感謝，這時(shí)她又重新想起那沉悶無(wú)趣的家可以使她從這些使她感到尷尬、引起她悲傷的事情中解脫出來(lái)，因此它是她自然的和的藏身場(chǎng)所。
她新近交上的朋友們和伴侶們，有些依舊住在別墅里，他們都從房屋里和花園中跑來(lái)向她告別。他們?nèi)己退酪啦簧幔终\(chéng)摯地跟她分手。甚至連仆人們也對(duì)她的離去感到惋惜；他們聚集在馬車(chē)門(mén)口向她點(diǎn)頭和行屈膝禮。當(dāng)弗洛倫斯看著四周親切的臉孔，在這些臉孔中間看到了巴尼特爵士和夫人的臉孔，看到了站在遠(yuǎn)處正在吃吃笑著和注視著她的圖茨先生的臉孔時(shí)，她想起了那天夜里保羅和她離開(kāi)布林伯博士的學(xué)?；丶視r(shí)的情景；當(dāng)馬車(chē)離開(kāi)他們向前奔跑的時(shí)候，她的臉孔都被淚水沾濕了。
這是悲傷的眼淚，但這也是帶來(lái)安慰的眼淚，因?yàn)楫?dāng)與她現(xiàn)在正要回去的那座沉悶無(wú)趣的老房屋有關(guān)的所有美好的回憶涌上心頭的時(shí)候，它們使她感到這座老房屋十分親切。自從她在那些寂靜無(wú)聲的房間中漫步穿行以來(lái)，自從她最后一次輕輕地、害怕地偷偷走進(jìn)她父親的那些房間以來(lái)，自從她在日常生活的一舉一動(dòng)之間都感覺(jué)到死去的親愛(ài)的弟弟的莊嚴(yán)而又撫慰的影響以來(lái)，似乎已經(jīng)過(guò)去了多么長(zhǎng)久的時(shí)間了??！這次新的告別還使她想起了她跟可憐的沃爾特的離別，想起了他那天夜間的神情和話語(yǔ)，想起了她曾注意到他既對(duì)留在后面的人們懷著親切的感情，但同時(shí)卻又表露出勇氣和高興；他的短短的歷史也是和這座古老的房屋聯(lián)系著的，這使這座房屋具有一種新的權(quán)利來(lái)要求獲得和支配她的心。
當(dāng)她們行進(jìn)在回家的路途中時(shí)，甚至連蘇珊·尼珀對(duì)這居住了許多年的家的態(tài)度也溫和起來(lái)了。雖然它是陰郁的，她對(duì)它的陰郁曾進(jìn)行過(guò)嚴(yán)厲而中肯的指責(zé)，可是她大大地原諒它了?！拔也环裾J(rèn)，小姐，我將高興再看到它，”尼珀說(shuō)，“雖然它沒(méi)有什么可夸耀的，可是我卻不愿意它被火燒了，也不愿意它被拆毀了！”
“你將高興穿過(guò)那些老房間，是不是，蘇珊？”弗洛倫斯笑嘻嘻地問(wèn)道。
“唔，小姐，”蘇珊回答道；當(dāng)她們愈來(lái)愈接近這座房屋的時(shí)候，她對(duì)它的態(tài)度也愈來(lái)愈溫和了，“我不想否認(rèn)，我將高興穿過(guò)它們，不過(guò)很可能，明天我又會(huì)恨它們了?！?BR> 弗洛倫斯覺(jué)得，她住在家里比住在其他任何地方都更感到安寧。在家里，在這些高高的、黑暗的墻壁中間，把她心中的秘密深深地隱藏起來(lái)，比把它帶到外面明亮的光線中，試圖避開(kāi)許多幸福的眼睛的注意，要好得多和容易得多。懷著愛(ài)的心在這里孤獨(dú)地進(jìn)行探索，不會(huì)因?yàn)榭吹街車(chē)鷳阎鴲?ài)的心而感到新的氣餒，這要好得多；在充滿這些回憶的平靜的圣堂內(nèi)去希望，去祈禱，去熱愛(ài)，比在一個(gè)不論有多少歡樂(lè)的新環(huán)境中要容易得多，雖然在她的四周，圣堂的墻壁已經(jīng)朽壞了，腐蝕了，枯爛了；雖然她還會(huì)像過(guò)去一樣得不到關(guān)懷，但她可以懷著恒心和耐性。她歡迎回到她那具有魅力的往昔生活的夢(mèng)幻中，盼望過(guò)去那黑黑的大門(mén)再一次把她關(guān)進(jìn)里面去。
滿懷著這些思想，她們轉(zhuǎn)進(jìn)了那條長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的和幽暗的街道。弗洛倫斯不是坐在馬車(chē)中最靠近她的家的那一邊，當(dāng)她們離家的距離愈來(lái)愈近的時(shí)候，她從窗口向外望出去，想看看住在對(duì)面的那些孩子們。
她正在這樣注意看著的時(shí)候，蘇珊高聲喊叫了一聲，促使她迅速地回過(guò)頭來(lái)。
“噯呀，天哪！”蘇珊氣喘吁吁地喊道，“我們的家在哪里呀！”
“我們的家！”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道。
當(dāng)馬車(chē)停住的時(shí)候，蘇珊剛把頭從窗外縮進(jìn)來(lái)，這時(shí)又重新探出去，然后又把頭縮回來(lái)，吃驚地呆呆地看著她的女主人。
房屋四周，從底層到屋頂，豎立著縱橫交錯(cuò)的腳手架。屋旁寬闊的街道有一半寬和一半長(zhǎng)的地方都被一堆堆磚石、一堆堆灰漿和一堆堆木材堵塞住了；一些梯子豎靠在墻上，工人們爬上、爬下；另一些工人正在腳手架的踏板上工作；油漆工和室內(nèi)裝飾工則在屋子里忙碌著。一大卷一大卷的裝飾用紙正從門(mén)口的一輛大車(chē)中卸下；家具商的一輛貨車(chē)也擋住了道路；從裂著口的破窗子往里看，房間中沒(méi)有任何家具；所能看到的只是工人們和他們的工具擠滿了從廚房到頂樓的各個(gè)地方。屋里屋外都一樣：砌磚工、油漆工、木匠、石匠；錘子、灰沙斗、刷子、鎬、鋸、鐵瓦刀——全都一齊工作著。
弗洛倫斯下了馬車(chē)，心中半信半疑，這究竟是不是她的家，直到后來(lái)她認(rèn)出了臉被曬得黑黑的托林森正在門(mén)口迎接她。
“沒(méi)出什么事吧？”弗洛倫斯問(wèn)道。
“哦，沒(méi)有，小姐?！?BR> “這里正發(fā)生著很大的變化啊?！?BR> “是的，小姐，很大的變化，”托林森說(shuō)道。
弗洛倫斯仿佛在夢(mèng)中似地走過(guò)他身旁，急急忙忙跑上樓去。耀眼的光線充滿了過(guò)去長(zhǎng)期黑暗的客廳，在高處可以看到梯子、踏板和戴著紙帽子的工人。她母親的畫(huà)像已經(jīng)和其他家具一道搬走了，在原先掛像的地方潦草地涂寫(xiě)著幾個(gè)粉筆字：“這間房間要鑲上護(hù)墻板，綠色和金黃色的?！睒翘蓍g像屋外一樣，一片縱橫交錯(cuò)的柱子和木板；一群白鐵工和玻璃工像奧林匹斯山上的群神①一樣，在天窗上彎下身子，以各種不同的姿勢(shì)操作著。她自己的房間里面暫時(shí)還沒(méi)有觸動(dòng)，但是房子外面支立著梁桿和木板，阻擋陽(yáng)光從窗戶射進(jìn)去。她迅速走上另一間擺著小床的房間去，一位皮膚黝黑的大漢，嘴巴里銜著一支煙管，頭上包扎著一塊手絹，正在窗口張大眼睛往里看。
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①奧斯匹斯山（Olympus）：希臘北部泰撒來(lái)和馬其頓交界處山脈東頭的高山，據(jù)傳說(shuō)，太古時(shí)代希臘的十二個(gè)大神就住在這個(gè)山上。
一直在尋找弗洛倫斯的蘇珊·尼珀，就在這里找到了她，并建議她下樓到她爸爸那里去；他希望跟她說(shuō)話。
“他在家！還希望跟我說(shuō)話！”弗洛倫斯顫抖地喊道。
蘇珊比弗洛倫斯更加心神錯(cuò)亂，又把她的使命重說(shuō)了一遍；弗洛倫斯臉色蒼白，心情激動(dòng)，沒(méi)有片刻遲疑，就急急忙忙跑下樓去。在下樓的路途中想：她敢不敢吻他呢？心中難以抑制的愿望使她下定了決心，她想她敢。
當(dāng)她走到她父親面前的時(shí)候，他也許會(huì)聽(tīng)到她的心在跳動(dòng)。再過(guò)一瞬間，它就要貼在他的胸前跳動(dòng)了。
可是他不是一個(gè)人。那里還有兩位夫人；弗洛倫斯站住了。她心情斗爭(zhēng)得十分激烈，如果這時(shí)她那粗野的朋友戴沒(méi)有沖進(jìn)房間，親熱地?fù)崦娜?，表示歡迎她回家的話，那么她真會(huì)暈倒在地板上的。其中有一位夫人看到這個(gè)情景，輕輕地尖叫了一聲，這轉(zhuǎn)移了弗洛倫斯對(duì)自己的注意力。
“弗洛倫斯，”她的父親向她伸出手，說(shuō)道；那冷冰冰的神態(tài)，使她不禁在原地站住，不敢再走向前去，“你好嗎？”
弗洛倫斯把他的手握在自己的雙手中，膽怯地把它拉近嘴唇，當(dāng)它抽回去的時(shí)候，她不敢違抗地順從了。他走去關(guān)門(mén)，這手剛才接觸到她時(shí)就跟現(xiàn)在接觸到門(mén)時(shí)一樣冷淡。
“這條狗是怎么回事？”董貝先生不高興地問(wèn)道。
“這條狗，爸爸，是從布賴(lài)頓來(lái)的?！?BR> “唔！”董貝先生說(shuō)道，這時(shí)一朵陰云掠過(guò)他的臉孔，因?yàn)樗靼姿囊馑肌?BR> “他的脾氣很好，”弗洛倫斯以她生性具有的優(yōu)雅和親切的態(tài)度，向這兩位夫人致意道，“他只是看到我覺(jué)得高興。請(qǐng)?jiān)徦?。?BR> 她在跟她們交換眼光的時(shí)候，看到那位剛才發(fā)出尖叫聲并坐著的夫人已經(jīng)老了，另一位站在她爸爸身旁的夫人長(zhǎng)得很美麗，而且身材優(yōu)雅。
“斯丘頓夫人，”她爸爸轉(zhuǎn)向第一位夫人，指著弗洛倫斯，說(shuō)道，“這是我的女兒弗洛倫斯?！?BR> “真的，她非?？蓯?ài)，”那位夫人舉起長(zhǎng)柄眼鏡看著她，說(shuō)道，“多么自然！我親愛(ài)的弗洛倫斯，你一定得親我一下，好嗎？”
弗洛倫斯這樣做了，然后轉(zhuǎn)向另一位夫人，她爸爸站在她身邊等待著。
“伊迪絲，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“這是我的女兒弗洛倫斯。弗洛倫斯，這位夫人不久就是你的媽媽了?！?BR> 弗洛倫斯吃了一驚，抬起眼睛，望著那張美麗的臉孔，心中充滿了各種矛盾的情緒；在這當(dāng)中，媽媽這個(gè)名詞所喚出的眼淚在一剎那間跟驚異、好奇、羨慕和說(shuō)不出的恐懼斗爭(zhēng)著。然后，她喊道，“啊，爸爸，祝你幸福！祝你一輩子非常、非常幸福！”接著，她哭著撲向這位夫人的懷里。
隨后是短時(shí)間的沉默。那位美麗的夫人最初似乎有些猶豫，是不是要向前朝弗洛倫斯走去，這時(shí)她把她抱在懷里，緊緊地握著她緊抱住她腰身的手，仿佛讓她放心和在安慰她。這位夫人一句話也沒(méi)有說(shuō)。她向弗洛倫斯低下頭，吻著她的臉頰，但卻沒(méi)有說(shuō)話。
“我們是不是到這些房間去走走，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“看看我們這些工人活干得怎么樣了？請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我，我親愛(ài)的夫人?！?BR> 他一邊說(shuō)，一邊向斯丘頓夫人伸出胳膊；斯丘頓夫人這時(shí)正用長(zhǎng)柄眼鏡看著弗洛倫斯，好像正在心中琢磨著，如果在弗洛倫斯身上注入稍多一些心靈與自然——當(dāng)然是從她自己的倉(cāng)庫(kù)中取來(lái)的——的話，那么她會(huì)成為一個(gè)什么樣的人呢。弗洛倫斯依舊伏在那位夫人的胸前哭泣，并緊抱著她，這時(shí)聽(tīng)到董貝先生從暖房中說(shuō)道：
“讓我問(wèn)問(wèn)伊迪絲。哎呀，她在哪里呀？”
“伊迪絲，我親愛(ài)的！”斯丘頓夫人喊道，“你在哪里？她一定正在找董貝先生，我知道。我們?cè)谶@里哪，我親愛(ài)的?！?BR> 美麗的夫人放松了她對(duì)弗洛倫斯的擁抱，又一次把嘴唇緊貼在她的臉上，然后急忙走出房間，參加到他們當(dāng)中。弗洛倫斯一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地站在原來(lái)的地方：幸福、悲傷、高興、流淚。當(dāng)她的新媽媽回來(lái)又把她抱在懷中的時(shí)候，她不知道這是怎么發(fā)生的，也不知道時(shí)間過(guò)去了多久，只知道這一切都是同時(shí)發(fā)生的。
“弗洛倫斯，”這位夫人極為懇切地注視著她的臉孔，急忙說(shuō)道，“你不會(huì)一開(kāi)始就恨我吧？”
“恨你，媽媽?zhuān)俊备ヂ鍌愃褂酶觳矒е牟弊?，注視著她，喊道?BR> “輕一些！一開(kāi)始往好里想我吧，”美麗的夫人說(shuō)道，“開(kāi)始相信我將設(shè)法使你幸福，相信我是準(zhǔn)備愛(ài)你的，弗洛倫斯。再見(jiàn)，我們很快就會(huì)再見(jiàn)面的。再見(jiàn)吧！現(xiàn)在別待在這里?！?BR> 她又把她抱在胸前，剛才的這些話她是急促地說(shuō)出的，但語(yǔ)氣卻是堅(jiān)決的。弗洛倫斯看到她在另一間房間里參加到他們當(dāng)中。
現(xiàn)在弗洛倫斯開(kāi)始希望，她將向她美麗的新媽媽學(xué)習(xí)怎樣博得她父親的喜愛(ài)；當(dāng)她在這個(gè)跟原來(lái)很不一樣的家中睡覺(jué)的時(shí)候，她的新媽媽滿面春風(fēng)地向著她的這個(gè)希望微笑著，并為它祝福。充滿了夢(mèng)想的弗洛倫斯?。?BR>
'So the day has come at length, Susan,' said Florence to the excellent Nipper, 'when we are going back to our quiet home!'
Susan drew in her breath with an amount of expression not easily described, further relieving her feelings with a smart cough, answered, 'Very quiet indeed, Miss Floy, no doubt. Excessive so.'
'When I was a child,' said Florence, thoughtfully, and after musing for some moments, 'did you ever see that gentleman who has taken the trouble to ride down here to speak to me, now three times - three times, I think, Susan?'
'Three times, Miss,' returned the Nipper. 'Once when you was out a walking with them Sket- '
Florence gently looked at her, and Miss Nipper checked herself.
'With Sir Barnet and his lady, I mean to say, Miss, and the young gentleman. And two evenings since then.'
'When I was a child, and when company used to come to visit Papa, did you ever see that gentleman at home, Susan?' asked Florence.
'Well, Miss,' returned her maid, after considering, 'I really couldn't say I ever did. When your poor dear Ma died, Miss Floy, I was very new in the family, you see, and my element:' the Nipper bridled, as opining that her merits had been always designedly extinguished by Mr Dombey: 'was the floor below the attics.'
'To be sure,' said Florence, still thoughtfully; 'you are not likely to have known who came to the house. I quite forgot.'
'Not, Miss, but what we talked about the family and visitors,' said Susan, 'and but what I heard much said, although the nurse before Mrs Richards make unpleasant remarks when I was in company, and hint at little Pitchers, but that could only be attributed, poor thing,' observed Susan, with composed forbearance, 'to habits of intoxication, for which she was required to leave, and did.'
Florence, who was seated at her chamber window, with her face resting on her hand, sat looking out, and hardly seemed to hear what Susan said, she was so lost in thought.
'At all events, Miss,' said Susan, 'I remember very well that this same gentleman, Mr Carker, was almost, if not quite, as great a gentleman with your Papa then, as he is now. It used to be said in the house then, Miss, that he was at the head of all your Pa's affairs in the City, and managed the whole, and that your Pa minded him more than anybody, which, begging your pardon, Miss Floy, he might easy do, for he never minded anybody else. I knew that, Pitcher as I might have been.'
Susan Nipper, with an injured remembrance of the nurse before Mrs Richards, emphasised 'Pitcher' strongly.
'And that Mr Carker has not fallen off, Miss,' she pursued, 'but has stood his ground, and kept his credit with your Pa, I know from what is always said among our people by that Perch, whenever he comes to the house; and though he's the weakest weed in the world, Miss Floy, and no one can have a moment's patience with the man, he knows what goes on in the City tolerable well, and says that your Pa does nothing without Mr Carker, and leaves all to Mr Carker, and acts according to Mr Carker, and has Mr Carker always at his elbow, and I do believe that he believes (that washiest of Perches!) that after your Pa, the Emperor of India is the child unborn to Mr Carker.'
Not a word of this was lost on Florence, who, with an awakened interest in Susan's speech, no longer gazed abstractedly on the prospect without, but looked at her, and listened with attention.
'Yes, Susan,' she said, when that young lady had concluded. 'He is in Papa's confidence, and is his friend, I am sure.'
Florence's mind ran high on this theme, and had done for some days. Mr Carker, in the two visits with which he had followed up his first one, had assumed a confidence between himself and her - a right on his part to be mysterious and stealthy, in telling her that the ship was still unheard of - a kind of mildly restrained power and authority over her - that made her wonder, and caused her great uneasiness. She had no means of repelling it, or of freeing herself from the web he was gradually winding about her; for that would have required some art and knowledge of the world, opposed to such address as his; and Florence had none. True, he had said no more to her than that there was no news of the ship, and that he feared the worst; but how he came to know that she was interested in the ship, and why he had the right to signify his knowledge to her, so insidiously and darkly, troubled Florence very much.
This conduct on the part of Mr Carker, and her habit of often considering it with wonder and uneasiness, began to invest him with an uncomfortable fascination in Florence's thoughts. A more distinct remembrance of his features, voice, and manner: which she sometimes courted, as a means of reducing him to the level of a real personage, capable of exerting no greater charm over her than another: did not remove the vague impression. And yet he never frowned, or looked upon her with an air of dislike or animosity, but was always smiling and serene.
Again, Florence, in pursuit of her strong purpose with reference to her father, and her steady resolution to believe that she was herself unwittingly to blame for their so cold and distant relations, would recall to mind that this gentleman was his confidential friend, and would think, with an anxious heart, could her struggling tendency to dislike and fear him be a part of that misfortune in her, which had turned her father's love adrift, and left her so alone? She dreaded that it might be; sometimes believed it was: then she resolved that she would try to conquer this wrong feeling; persuaded herself that she was honoured and encouraged by the notice of her father's friend; and hoped that patient observation of him and trust in him would lead her bleeding feet along that stony road which ended in her father's heart.
Thus, with no one to advise her - for she could advise with no one without seeming to complain against him - gentle Florence tossed on an uneasy sea of doubt and hope; and Mr Carker, like a scaly monster of the deep, swam down below, and kept his shining eye upon her. Florence had a new reason in all this for wishing to be at home again. Her lonely life was better suited to her course of timid hope and doubt; and she feared sometimes, that in her absence she might miss some hopeful chance of testifying her affection for her father. Heaven knows, she might have set her mind at rest, poor child! on this last point; but her slighted love was fluttering within her, and, even in her sleep, it flew away in dreams, and nestled, like a wandering bird come home, upon her father's neck.
Of Walter she thought often. Ah! how often, when the night was gloomy, and the wind was blowing round the house! But hope was strong in her breast. It is so difficult for the young and ardent, even with such experience as hers, to imagine youth and ardour quenched like a weak flame, and the bright day of life merging into night, at noon, that hope was strong yet. Her tears fell frequently for Walter's sufferings; but rarely for his supposed death, and never long.
She had written to the old Instrument-maker, but had received no answer to her note: which indeed required none. Thus matters stood with Florence on the morning when she was going home, gladly, to her old secluded life.
Doctor and Mrs Blimber, accompanied (much against his will) by their valued charge, Master Barnet, were already gone back to Brighton, where that young gentleman and his fellow-pilgrims to Parnassus were then, no doubt, in the continual resumption of their studies. The holiday time was past and over; most of the juvenile guests at the villa had taken their departure; and Florence's long visit was come to an end.
There was one guest, however, albeit not resident within the house, who had been very constant in his attentions to the family, and who still remained devoted to them. This was Mr Toots, who after renewing, some weeks ago, the acquaintance he had had the happiness of forming with Skettles Junior, on the night when he burst the Blimberian bonds and soared into freedom with his ring on, called regularly every other day, and left a perfect pack of cards at the hall-door; so many indeed, that the ceremony was quite a deal on the part of Mr Toots, and a hand at whist on the part of the servant.
Mr Toots, likewise, with the bold and happy idea of preventing the family from forgetting him (but there is reason to suppose that this expedient originated in the teeming brain of the Chicken), had established a six-oared cutter, manned by aquatic friends of the Chicken's and steered by that illustrious character in person, who wore a bright red fireman's coat for the purpose, and concealed the perpetual black eye with which he was afflicted, beneath a green shade. Previous to the institution of this equipage, Mr Toots sounded the Chicken on a hypothetical case, as, supposing the Chicken to be enamoured of a young lady named Mary, and to have conceived the intention of starting a boat of his own, what would he call that boat? The Chicken replied, with divers strong asseverations, that he would either christen it Poll or The Chicken's Delight. Improving on this idea, Mr Toots, after deep study and the exercise of much invention, resolved to call his boat The Toots's Joy, as a delicate compliment to Florence, of which no man knowing the parties, could possibly miss the appreciation.
Stretched on a crimson cushion in his gallant bark, with his shoes in the air, Mr Toots, in the exercise of his project, had come up the river, day after day, and week after week, and had flitted to and fro, near Sir Barnet's garden, and had caused his crew to cut across and across the river at sharp angles, for his better exhibition to any lookers-out from Sir Barnet's windows, and had had such evolutions performed by the Toots's Joy as had filled all the neighbouring part of the water-side with astonishment. But whenever he saw anyone in Sir Barnet's garden on the brink of the river, Mr Toots always feigned to be passing there, by a combination of coincidences of the most singular and unlikely description.
'How are you, Toots?' Sir Barnet would say, waving his hand from the lawn, while the artful Chicken steered close in shore.
'How de do, Sir Barnet?' Mr Toots would answer, What a surprising thing that I should see you here!'
Mr Toots, in his sagacity, always said this, as if, instead of that being Sir Barnet's house, it were some deserted edifice on the banks of the Nile, or Ganges.
'I never was so surprised!' Mr Toots would exclaim. - 'Is Miss Dombey there?'
Whereupon Florence would appear, perhaps.
'Oh, Diogenes is quite well, Miss Dombey,' Toots would cry. 'I called to ask this morning.'
'Thank you very much!' the pleasant voice of Florence would reply.
'Won't you come ashore, Toots?' Sir Barnet would say then. 'Come! you're in no hurry. Come and see us.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence, thank you!' Mr Toots would blushingly rejoin. 'I thought Miss Dombey might like to know, that's all. Good-bye!' And poor Mr Toots, who was dying to accept the invitation, but hadn't the courage to do it, signed to the Chicken, with an aching heart, and away went the Joy, cleaving the water like an arrow.
The Joy was lying in a state of extraordinary splendour, at the garden steps, on the morning of Florence's departure. When she went downstairs to take leave, after her talk with Susan, she found Mr Toots awaiting her in the drawing-room.
'Oh, how de do, Miss Dombey?' said the stricken Toots, always dreadfully disconcerted when the desire of his heart was gained, and he was speaking to her; 'thank you, I'm very well indeed, I hope you're the same, so was Diogenes yesterday.'
'You are very kind,' said Florence.
'Thank you, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'I thought perhaps you wouldn't mind, in this fine weather, coming home by water, Miss Dombey. There's plenty of room in the boat for your maid.'
'I am very much obliged to you,' said Florence, hesitating. 'I really am - but I would rather not.'
'Oh, it's of no consequence,' retorted Mr Toots. 'Good morning.'
'Won't you wait and see Lady Skettles?' asked Florence, kindly.
'Oh no, thank you,' returned Mr Toots, 'it's of no consequence at all.'
So shy was Mr Toots on such occasions, and so flurried! But Lady Skettles entering at the moment, Mr Toots was suddenly seized with a passion for asking her how she did, and hoping she was very well; nor could Mr Toots by any possibility leave off shaking hands with her, until Sir Barnet appeared: to whom he immediately clung with the tenacity of desperation.
'We are losing, today, Toots,' said Sir Barnet, turning towards Florence, 'the light of our house, I assure you'
'Oh, it's of no conseq - I mean yes, to be sure,' faltered the embarrassed Mr Toots. 'Good morning!'
Notwithstanding the emphatic nature of this farewell, Mr Toots, instead of going away, stood leering about him, vacantly. Florence, to relieve him, bade adieu, with many thanks, to Lady Skettles, and gave her arm to Sir Barnet.
'May I beg of you, my dear Miss Dombey,' said her host, as he conducted her to the carriage, 'to present my best compliments to your dear Papa?'
It was distressing to Florence to receive the commission, for she felt as if she were imposing on Sir Barnet by allowing him to believe that a kindness rendered to her, was rendered to her father. As she could not explain, however, she bowed her head and thanked him; and again she thought that the dull home, free from such embarrassments, and such reminders of her sorrow, was her natural and best retreat.
Such of her late friends and companions as were yet remaining at the villa, came running from within, and from the garden, to say good-bye. They were all attached to her, and very earnest in taking leave of her. Even the household were sorry for her going, and the servants came nodding and curtseying round the carriage door. As Florence looked round on the kind faces, and saw among them those of Sir Barnet and his lady, and of Mr Toots, who was chuckling and staring at her from a distance, she was reminded of the night when Paul and she had come from Doctor Blimber's: and when the carriage drove away, her face was wet with tears.
Sorrowful tears, but tears of consolation, too; for all the softer memories connected with the dull old house to which she was returning made it dear to her, as they rose up. How long it seemed since she had wandered through the silent rooms: since she had last crept, softly and afraid, into those her father occupied: since she had felt the solemn but yet soothing influence of the beloved dead in every action of her daily life! This new farewell reminded her, besides, of her parting with poor Walter: of his looks and words that night: and of the gracious blending she had noticed in him, of tenderness for those he left behind, with courage and high spirit. His little history was associated with the old house too, and gave it a new claim and hold upon her heart. Even Susan Nipper softened towards the home of so many years, as they were on their way towards it. Gloomy as it was, and rigid justice as she rendered to its gloom, she forgave it a great deal. 'I shall be glad to see it again, I don't deny, Miss,' said the Nipper. 'There ain't much in it to boast of, but I wouldn't have it burnt or pulled down, neither!'
'You'll be glad to go through the old rooms, won't you, Susan?' said Florence, smiling.
'Well, Miss,' returned the Nipper, softening more and more towards the house, as they approached it nearer, 'I won't deny but what I shall, though I shall hate 'em again, to-morrow, very likely.'
Florence felt that, for her, there was greater peace within it than elsewhere. It was better and easier to keep her secret shut up there, among the tall dark walls, than to carry it abroad into the light, and try to hide it from a crowd of happy eyes. It was better to pursue the study of her loving heart, alone, and find no new discouragements in loving hearts about her. It was easier to hope, and pray, and love on, all uncared for, yet with constancy and patience, in the tranquil sanctuary of such remembrances: although it mouldered, rusted, and decayed about her: than in a new scene, let its gaiety be what it would. She welcomed back her old enchanted dream of life, and longed for the old dark door to close upon her, once again.
Full of such thoughts, they turned into the long and sombre street. Florence was not on that side of the carriage which was nearest to her home, and as the distance lessened between them and it, she looked out of her window for the children over the way.
She was thus engaged, when an exclamation from Susan caused her to turn quickly round.
'Why, Gracious me!' cried Susan, breathless, 'where's our house!'
'Our house!' said Florence.
Susan, drawing in her head from the window, thrust it out again, drew it in again as the carriage stopped, and stared at her mistress in amazement.
There was a labyrinth of scaffolding raised all round the house, from the basement to the roof. Loads of bricks and stones, and heaps of mortar, and piles of wood, blocked up half the width and length of the broad street at the side. Ladders were raised against the walls; labourers were climbing up and down; men were at work upon the steps of the scaffolding; painters and decorators were busy inside; great rolls of ornamental paper were being delivered from a cart at the door; an upholsterer's waggon also stopped the way; no furniture was to be seen through the gaping and broken windows in any of the rooms; nothing but workmen, and the implements of their several trades, swarming from the kitchens to the garrets. Inside and outside alike: bricklayers, painters, carpenters, masons: hammer, hod, brush, pickaxe, saw, and trowel: all at work together, in full chorus!
Florence descended from the coach, half doubting if it were, or could be the right house, until she recognised Towlinson, with a sun-burnt face, standing at the door to receive her.
'There is nothing the matter?' inquired Florence.
'Oh no, Miss.'
'There are great alterations going on.'
'Yes, Miss, great alterations,' said Towlinson.
Florence passed him as if she were in a dream, and hurried upstairs. The garish light was in the long-darkened drawing-room and there were steps and platforms, and men In paper caps, in the high places. Her mother's picture was gone with the rest of the moveables, and on the mark where it had been, was scrawled in chalk, 'this room in panel. Green and gold.' The staircase was a labyrinth of posts and planks like the outside of the house, and a whole Olympus of plumbers and glaziers was reclining in various attitudes, on the skylight. Her own room was not yet touched within, but there were beams and boards raised against it without, baulking the daylight. She went up swiftly to that other bedroom, where the little bed was; and a dark giant of a man with a pipe in his mouth, and his head tied up in a pocket-handkerchief, was staring in at the window.
It was here that Susan Nipper, who had been in quest of Florence, found her, and said, would she go downstairs to her Papa, who wished to speak to her.
'At home! and wishing to speak to me!' cried Florence, trembling.
Susan, who was infinitely more distraught than Florence herself, repeated her errand; and Florence, pale and agitated, hurried down again, without a moment's hesitation. She thought upon the way down, would she dare to kiss him? The longing of her heart resolved her, and she thought she would.
Her father might have heard that heart beat, when it came into his presence. One instant, and it would have beat against his breast.
But he was not alone. There were two ladies there; and Florence stopped. Striving so hard with her emotion, that if her brute friend Di had not burst in and overwhelmed her with his caresses as a welcome home - at which one of the ladies gave a little scream, and that diverted her attention from herself - she would have swooned upon the floor.
'Florence,' said her father, putting out his hand: so stiffly that it held her off: 'how do you do?'
Florence took the hand between her own, and putting it timidly to her lips, yielded to its withdrawal. It touched the door in shutting it, with quite as much endearment as it had touched her.
'What dog is that?' said Mr Dombey, displeased.
'It is a dog, Papa - from Brighton.'
'Well!' said Mr Dombey; and a cloud passed over his face, for he understood her.
'He is very good-tempered,' said Florence, addressing herself with her natural grace and sweetness to the two lady strangers. 'He is only glad to see me. Pray forgive him.'
She saw in the glance they interchanged, that the lady who had screamed, and who was seated, was old; and that the other lady, who stood near her Papa, was very beautiful, and of an elegant figure.
'Mrs Skewton,' said her father, turning to the first, and holding out his hand, 'this is my daughter Florence.'
'Charming, I am sure,' observed the lady, putting up her glass. 'So natural! My darling Florence, you must kiss me, if you please.'
Florence having done so, turned towards the other lady, by whom her father stood waiting.
'Edith,' said Mr Dombey, 'this is my daughter Florence. Florence, this lady will soon be your Mama.'
Florence started, and looked up at the beautiful face in a conflict of emotions, among which the tears that name awakened, struggled for a moment with surprise, interest, admiration, and an indefinable sort of fear. Then she cried out, 'Oh, Papa, may you be happy! may you be very, very happy all your life!' and then fell weeping on the lady's bosom.
There was a short silence. The beautiful lady, who at first had seemed to hesitate whether or no she should advance to Florence, held her to her breast, and pressed the hand with which she clasped her, close about her waist, as if to reassure her and comfort her. Not one word passed the lady's lips. She bent her head down over Florence, and she kissed her on the cheek, but she said no word.
'Shall we go on through the rooms,' said Mr Dombey, 'and see how our workmen are doing? Pray allow me, my dear madam.'
He said this in offering his arm to Mrs Skewton, who had been looking at Florence through her glass, as though picturing to herself what she might be made, by the infusion - from her own copious storehouse, no doubt - of a little more Heart and Nature. Florence was still sobbing on the lady's breast, and holding to her, when Mr Dombey was heard to say from the Conservatory:
'Let us ask Edith. Dear me, where is she?'
'Edith, my dear!' cried Mrs Skewton, 'where are you? Looking for Mr Dombey somewhere, I know. We are here, my love.'
The beautiful lady released her hold of Florence, and pressing her lips once more upon her face, withdrew hurriedly, and joined them. Florence remained standing In the same place: happy, sorry, joyful, and in tears, she knew not how, or how long, but all at once: when her new Mama came back, and took her in her arms again.
'Florence,' said the lady, hurriedly, and looking into her face with great earnestness. 'You will not begin by hating me?'
'By hating you, Mama?' cried Florence, winding her arm round her neck, and returning the look.
'Hush! Begin by thinking well of me,' said the beautiful lady. 'Begin by believing that I will try to make you happy, and that I am prepared to love you, Florence. Good-bye. We shall meet again soon. Good-bye! Don't stay here, now.'
Again she pressed her to her breast she had spoken in a rapid manner, but firmly - and Florence saw her rejoin them in the other room. And now Florence began to hope that she would learn from her new and beautiful Mama, how to gaIn her father's love; and in her sleep that night, in her lost old home, her own Mama smiled radiantly upon the hope, and blessed it. Dreaming Florence!
“蘇珊，這一天終于來(lái)到了，”弗洛倫斯對(duì)極好的尼珀說(shuō)道，“我們又要回到我們安靜的家里去了！”
蘇珊露出難以描述的豐富表情，吸進(jìn)一口氣，然后又有力地咳嗽了一聲，來(lái)緩和她的感情，回答道，“確實(shí)很安靜，弗洛伊小姐，這是沒(méi)有疑問(wèn)的。非常安靜?！?BR> “當(dāng)我是個(gè)孩子的時(shí)候，”弗洛倫斯沉思了一會(huì)兒以后，若有所思地問(wèn)道，“您有沒(méi)有看見(jiàn)過(guò)那位不怕麻煩，到現(xiàn)在已有三次騎馬到這里來(lái)跟我談話的先生？我想有三次了吧，蘇珊？”
“三次了，小姐，”尼珀回答道，“有一次他們邀您出去散步，這些斯克特——”
弗洛倫斯溫和地看了她一下，尼珀小姐就克制住自己。
“小姐，我是想說(shuō)，巴尼特爵士和他夫人以及那位年輕的先生。從那次以后，他又在晚上來(lái)了兩次?！?BR> “當(dāng)我是個(gè)小孩子，客人們前來(lái)拜訪爸爸的時(shí)候，您在家里看到過(guò)那位先生嗎，蘇珊？”弗洛倫斯問(wèn)道。
“唔，小姐，”她的侍女考慮之后回答道，“我確實(shí)不好說(shuō)我是不是看到過(guò)他。您知道，您可憐的媽媽死的時(shí)候，弗洛伊小姐，我剛剛上您家來(lái)，我的活動(dòng)范圍，”尼珀仰起頭來(lái)，好像是抱怨董貝先生經(jīng)常故意看不起她的勞績(jī)似的，“就在頂樓下面。”
“是的，”弗洛倫斯依舊深思地說(shuō)道，“您大概不會(huì)知道誰(shuí)到我們家里來(lái)過(guò)。我是完全忘記了?！?BR> “當(dāng)然，小姐，我們也談?wù)撝魅撕涂腿?，”蘇珊說(shuō)道，“我當(dāng)然還聽(tīng)到不少談話，雖然當(dāng)我跟她們?cè)谝黄鸬臅r(shí)候，理查茲大嫂以前的保姆曾經(jīng)講過(guò)一些令人不愉快的話，暗示說(shuō)，有長(zhǎng)耳朵的小水罐①什么的，可是這只能怪她本人愛(ài)把自己灌醉，這可憐的人，”蘇珊帶著鎮(zhèn)靜的、寬容的神情，說(shuō)道，“她就因?yàn)檫@個(gè)緣故被解雇了，她也就走了?！?BR> --------
①長(zhǎng)耳朵的小水罐：英國(guó)諺語(yǔ)，意指小孩子耳朵尖。
弗洛倫斯坐在臥室的窗口，手支托著臉，向外看著，似乎沒(méi)有聽(tīng)見(jiàn)蘇珊說(shuō)了些什么；她深深地陷在沉思中了。
“不管怎么樣，小姐，”蘇珊說(shuō)，“我記得很清楚，那時(shí)候，這位卡克先生在您爸爸的心目中是一位重要的人物；即使不說(shuō)跟現(xiàn)在一樣，也跟現(xiàn)在差不多。那時(shí)候，小姐，我在屋子里經(jīng)常聽(tīng)說(shuō)，他在您爸爸城里的公司里是個(gè)頭，一切事情都?xì)w他管，您爸爸器重他超過(guò)任何人，這一點(diǎn)，弗洛伊小姐，請(qǐng)您原諒，他很容易這樣做，因?yàn)樗麖膩?lái)不重視其他人。我知道這，因?yàn)槲乙苍S是個(gè)長(zhǎng)耳朵的水罐，聽(tīng)到別人這么說(shuō)?！?BR> 蘇珊·尼珀委屈地回想起理查茲大嫂以前的保姆，說(shuō)到“長(zhǎng)耳朵的水罐”時(shí)有力地加重了語(yǔ)氣。
“他們還談到卡克先生沒(méi)有失寵，小姐，”她繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，“而是牢牢地保持住自己的地位，繼續(xù)受到您爸爸的信任。這些我是從那位珀奇那里聽(tīng)到的。他每到這里來(lái)的時(shí)候，總要到我們這些人中間聊天，雖然他是世界上最沒(méi)骨氣的人，弗洛伊小姐，誰(shuí)也沒(méi)有耐性跟他相處一分鐘，可是他對(duì)城里發(fā)生的事情倒知道得很多。他說(shuō)，您爸爸不論做什么事，都離不開(kāi)卡克先生，一切事情都交給卡克先生去辦理，一切都按照卡克先生的意見(jiàn)去做，并讓卡克先生老跟隨在他的身邊。照我看，在珀奇心目中，除了您爸爸之外，印度皇帝跟卡克先生相比還是個(gè)沒(méi)出生的孩子呢?！?BR> 這些話弗洛倫斯沒(méi)有聽(tīng)漏一個(gè)字；她對(duì)蘇珊的談話產(chǎn)生了興趣，不再心不在焉地望著窗外的景物，而是看著她，并注意地聽(tīng)著她。
“是的，蘇珊，”當(dāng)那位姑娘講完時(shí)，她說(shuō)道，“我相信，他得到爸爸的信任，而且是他的朋友。”
弗洛倫斯的思想集中在這個(gè)問(wèn)題上，好幾天也離不開(kāi)它?？讼壬诮又谝淮伟菰L之后而來(lái)的兩次拜訪中，裝出他和她相互信任似的，并裝出他有權(quán)神秘地和悄悄地告訴她，那條船還是下落不明，而且他對(duì)她有一種稍稍加以克制的權(quán)力和影響，這使她感到奇怪，并使她心中產(chǎn)生極大的不安。她無(wú)法拒絕它，使她自己從他逐漸纏繞在她身上的蜘蛛網(wǎng)中解脫出來(lái)；因?yàn)槟切枰莆者@世界的某種策略和知識(shí)，才能對(duì)抗他的這種詭計(jì)，而弗洛倫斯卻沒(méi)有掌握。不錯(cuò)，他除了對(duì)她說(shuō)那條船杳無(wú)音訊，并說(shuō)，他擔(dān)心會(huì)發(fā)生最壞的結(jié)果之外，并沒(méi)有再說(shuō)別的，但是他怎么知道她關(guān)心這條船，為什么他有權(quán)利那么陰險(xiǎn)地、惡毒地把他知道的事情告訴給她呢，弗洛倫斯對(duì)這感到苦惱不安。
卡克先生的這種行為以及她經(jīng)常懷疑和不安地思考它的習(xí)慣，開(kāi)始使他在弗洛倫斯的思想中具有一種很令人不愉快的魔力。有時(shí)，為了使他成為一個(gè)真實(shí)的人，不能比其他人對(duì)她施加更大的魔力，她就想方設(shè)法，更清楚地回憶起他的面貌、聲音和神態(tài)，可是這樣做，并不能消除她心中那模糊的印象。然而他卻從不皺眉蹙額，也從不露出厭惡或敵意的神態(tài)來(lái)看她，而總是笑容滿臉，安詳自若。
另一方面，弗洛倫斯由于強(qiáng)烈地懷抱著要達(dá)到重新贏得她父親喜愛(ài)的目的，并堅(jiān)決相信她自己非出本意地應(yīng)對(duì)他們父女之間如此冷淡與疏遠(yuǎn)的關(guān)系負(fù)責(zé)，因此她會(huì)想到，這位先生是她父親知心的朋友；她還會(huì)憂慮地想到，她對(duì)他產(chǎn)生厭惡和恐懼的思想會(huì)不會(huì)是她促使她父親不愛(ài)她并造成她如此孤獨(dú)的不幸原因之一呢？她擔(dān)心可能是這樣；有時(shí)她相信就正是這樣。于是她就決心克服這種錯(cuò)誤的感情，使她自己相信，她父親的朋友的關(guān)注對(duì)她來(lái)說(shuō)是光榮和鼓勵(lì)；并希望對(duì)他進(jìn)行耐心的觀察和信任將會(huì)引導(dǎo)她的流血的雙腳走過(guò)那坎坷不平的道路，通向她父親的心。
就這樣，沒(méi)有人給她出主意——因?yàn)樗松塘浚坪蹙拖袷潜г垢赣H似的——，溫柔的弗洛倫斯在懷疑與希望的不平靜的海洋上顛簸著；卡克先生則像是深海中有鱗的妖怪一樣在下面游著，閃閃發(fā)光的眼睛一直在注視著她。
弗洛倫斯在這一切之中，又有了一個(gè)希望重新回家的新理由。孤獨(dú)的生活更適合于她懷有膽怯的希望與懷疑的過(guò)程；她有時(shí)擔(dān)心，當(dāng)她不在家的時(shí)候，她也許會(huì)錯(cuò)過(guò)向她父親表明她的愛(ài)心的好機(jī)會(huì)。天知道，她可以在這最后的一點(diǎn)上讓她的心安靜下來(lái)，可憐的孩子！可是她那受到冷落的愛(ài)正在她的心中跳動(dòng)，它甚至在她睡眠時(shí)飛了出去，像一只在外游蕩的鳥(niǎo)兒飛回家一樣，安息在她父親的脖子上。
她時(shí)常思念沃爾特。?。‘?dāng)夜色朦朧，風(fēng)在屋外吹刮的時(shí)候，她曾經(jīng)多少次想到了他??！但是她心中懷著強(qiáng)烈的希望。對(duì)于年輕和感情熱烈的人——甚至像她那樣經(jīng)驗(yàn)不多的人——來(lái)說(shuō)，很難想象青春與熱忱會(huì)像微弱的火焰一樣熄滅，生命的白天會(huì)在中午就被黑夜吞沒(méi)，因此，希望在她心中仍然是強(qiáng)烈的。她時(shí)常為沃爾特所遭受的苦難而流淚，但卻很少為他假定的死亡而流淚，時(shí)間也從來(lái)不長(zhǎng)久。
她曾經(jīng)寫(xiě)信給年老的儀器制造商，但卻沒(méi)有得到回音，但她在信中并沒(méi)有要求回復(fù)。那天早上弗洛倫斯高高興興地準(zhǔn)備回家去過(guò)她以往的隱居生活的時(shí)候，她的情況就是這樣。
布林伯博士和夫人，在他們尊貴的弟子巴尼特少爺?shù)呐阃ㄟ@是十分違反他心愿的）下，早已回到布賴(lài)頓；這位小先生和跟他同去帕納薩斯朝圣的伴侶們無(wú)疑早已在那里繼續(xù)他們的攻讀。假期早已過(guò)去了；別墅中大部分年輕的客人們都已離開(kāi)；弗洛倫斯這長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的拜訪也將要結(jié)束了。
不過(guò)，有一位客人雖然沒(méi)有居住在巴尼特爵士的家里，但卻始終如一地對(duì)這家人表示關(guān)切，并仍和過(guò)去一樣對(duì)他們忠心耿耿。這就是圖茨先生。他在掙脫布林伯枷鎖，并戴著戒指高飛進(jìn)自由王國(guó)的那一天晚上，有幸認(rèn)識(shí)了小斯克特爾斯；他在幾個(gè)星期以前重?cái)⒘诉@一交情之后，每隔一天就準(zhǔn)時(shí)前來(lái)看望一次，并在門(mén)廳的門(mén)口留下一大堆名片；名片的數(shù)量實(shí)在多極了，因此這個(gè)表示禮儀的方式使人想起了惠斯特牌①，圖茨先生像是在配牌，仆人則像是個(gè)玩牌的對(duì)手。
圖茨先生為了使這家人不會(huì)忘記他，還采用了一個(gè)大膽的、巧妙的主意（不過(guò)，有理由設(shè)想，這個(gè)辦法是從斗雞足智多謀的腦袋中產(chǎn)生的）：他購(gòu)置了一條六個(gè)槳的單桅帆船；斗雞的水上運(yùn)動(dòng)的朋友們充任船員，那位杰出的英雄親自把舵；他為了這個(gè)目的穿了一件鮮紅的消防隊(duì)員的短外衣，并用綠色的遮陽(yáng)掩蓋眼睛周?chē)谰眯缘那嘧习?；在給這條船裝備用品之前，圖茨先生曾試探斗雞對(duì)這樣一個(gè)假想的情況的意見(jiàn)：假定斗雞迷戀上一位名叫瑪麗的姑娘，心里正打算自己弄一條船，那么他將把那條船取個(gè)什么名字呢？斗雞斬釘截鐵、發(fā)誓賭咒地回答說(shuō)，他將把它命名為“波爾”②或“斗雞的喜悅”。圖茨先生把這個(gè)想法加以改進(jìn)，在深深思索并充分發(fā)揮創(chuàng)造才能之后，決定把他的單桅帆船稱(chēng)為“圖茨的歡樂(lè)”——這是對(duì)弗洛倫斯的巧妙頌辭，凡是知道他們的人沒(méi)有一個(gè)不對(duì)它表示贊許的。
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①惠斯持（whist）牌：由4人成局的一種紙牌戲，共有52張牌，以2人為1組，兩組相對(duì)。橋脾就是由惠斯特牌發(fā)展出來(lái)的。
②波爾（Poll）是瑪麗（Mary）的小稱(chēng)。
圖茨先生躺在他的華麗的帆船中的一個(gè)深紅色的靠墊上，腳蹺在空中，在執(zhí)行他的計(jì)劃的過(guò)程中，一天又一天，一星期又一星期，向上游劃來(lái)，在巴尼特爵士花園附近來(lái)來(lái)去去；他命令他的船員們一次又一次沿著銳角方向穿過(guò)河流，以便從巴尼特爵士窗口往外看的人們可以更好地看到他；他還讓“圖茨的歡樂(lè)”進(jìn)行各種演習(xí)，使河岸附近的居民看得目瞪口呆?？墒敲慨?dāng)他看到巴尼特爵士花園里的什么人待在河邊的時(shí)候，圖茨先生總是假裝成由于一些情況的巧合而劃過(guò)那里，這種巧合是非常離奇古怪和不大可能發(fā)生的。
“您好嗎，圖茨？”巴尼特爵士會(huì)從草坪上向他揮著手，說(shuō)道。這時(shí)機(jī)靈的斗雞就直向岸邊劃去。
“您好，巴尼特爵士！”圖茨先生回答道，“多么令人驚奇的事呀，我會(huì)在這里遇見(jiàn)您！”
圖茨先生以他特有的聰明，經(jīng)常這樣說(shuō)，仿佛這里不是巴尼特爵士的住宅，而是尼羅河或恒河上的一座什么荒廢的大廈似的。
“我從沒(méi)感到這么驚奇的！”圖茨先生會(huì)驚叫道，“董貝小姐在這里嗎？”
也許弗洛倫斯隨后就會(huì)到這里來(lái)。
“啊，戴奧吉尼斯很健康，董貝小姐，”圖茨先生會(huì)喊道，“今天早上我去打聽(tīng)過(guò)。”
“非常感謝您！”弗洛倫斯會(huì)用愉快的聲音回答道。
“您不上岸來(lái)嗎，圖茨！”巴尼特爵士這時(shí)會(huì)這樣說(shuō)，“上來(lái)吧！您又不急著上什么地方去。來(lái)看看我們吧?！?BR> “哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，謝謝您！”圖茨先生會(huì)紅著臉回答道，“我想董貝小姐也許會(huì)高興知道這個(gè)情況；我要說(shuō)的都說(shuō)完了。再見(jiàn)吧！”可憐的圖茨先生真盼望能接受這個(gè)邀請(qǐng)，但卻又沒(méi)有這樣的勇氣，所以就懷著痛苦的心情，向斗雞打了個(gè)手勢(shì)，于是“歡樂(lè)”就離開(kāi)了，像箭一般地破浪前進(jìn)。
弗洛倫斯要離開(kāi)這里的這天早晨，“歡樂(lè)”裝飾得十分豪華，停泊在花園的臺(tái)階旁邊。當(dāng)弗洛倫斯跟蘇珊談話以后下樓去告別時(shí)，她發(fā)現(xiàn)圖茨先生正在客廳里等待她。
“您好，董貝小姐！”感動(dòng)的圖茨說(shuō)道；當(dāng)他心中的愿望得到滿足的時(shí)候，他經(jīng)?？膳碌貍}(cāng)皇失措；這時(shí)他對(duì)她說(shuō)道，“謝謝您，我確實(shí)很健康，我希望您也一樣，戴奧吉尼斯昨天也是這樣。”
“謝謝您的好意，”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)。
“謝謝您，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“今天天氣很好，我想您也許不會(huì)反對(duì)從水路回家吧，董貝小姐。船里寬敞得很，您的侍女也可以跟您同船走。”
“我十分感謝您，”弗洛倫斯遲疑地說(shuō)道，“我確實(shí)感謝，不過(guò)——我不想那樣走。”
“哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要，”圖茨先生回答道，“早上好?！?BR> “您不等一下，看看斯克特爾斯夫人嗎？”弗洛倫斯親切地問(wèn)道。
“哦不，謝謝您，”圖茨先生說(shuō)道，“這根本無(wú)關(guān)緊要?！?BR> 圖茨先生在這種場(chǎng)合下是這么害羞，這么慌張??！可是斯克特爾斯夫人就在這時(shí)候進(jìn)來(lái)了，圖茨先生突然想要問(wèn)問(wèn)她好嗎，并祝她健康；圖茨先生跟她握手的時(shí)候怎么也下不了決心把手放下，直到巴尼特爵士來(lái)到為止；一看到巴尼特爵士，圖茨先生就立刻緊緊地把他抓住。
“圖茨，”巴尼特爵士朝著弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道，“我肯定地對(duì)您說(shuō)，我們今天將失去屋子里的明燈了。”
“哦，這無(wú)關(guān)緊要——我是想說(shuō)，您說(shuō)得完全不錯(cuò)，”局促不安的圖茨結(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說(shuō)道，“再見(jiàn)吧！”
圖茨先生盡管這樣有聲有色地作了告別，但卻沒(méi)有走開(kāi)，而是原地站著不動(dòng)，并斜著眼睛，茫然地看著四周。弗洛倫斯為了使他擺脫困境，就開(kāi)始向斯克特爾斯夫人告別，說(shuō)了很多感謝的話，同時(shí)把胳膊向巴尼特爵士伸去。
“我親愛(ài)的董貝小姐，”她的主人把她送上四輪馬車(chē)的時(shí)候，說(shuō)道，“我請(qǐng)您向您親愛(ài)的爸爸轉(zhuǎn)達(dá)我最親切的問(wèn)候，可以嗎？”
弗洛倫斯接受這項(xiàng)任務(wù)是痛苦的，因?yàn)樗X(jué)得她如果要使他相信，他對(duì)她所表示的好意就是對(duì)她爸爸所表示的好意，那么這就欺騙了巴尼特爵士。不過(guò)因?yàn)樗荒芙忉專(zhuān)运偷拖骂^去向他表示感謝，這時(shí)她又重新想起那沉悶無(wú)趣的家可以使她從這些使她感到尷尬、引起她悲傷的事情中解脫出來(lái)，因此它是她自然的和的藏身場(chǎng)所。
她新近交上的朋友們和伴侶們，有些依舊住在別墅里，他們都從房屋里和花園中跑來(lái)向她告別。他們?nèi)己退酪啦簧幔终\(chéng)摯地跟她分手。甚至連仆人們也對(duì)她的離去感到惋惜；他們聚集在馬車(chē)門(mén)口向她點(diǎn)頭和行屈膝禮。當(dāng)弗洛倫斯看著四周親切的臉孔，在這些臉孔中間看到了巴尼特爵士和夫人的臉孔，看到了站在遠(yuǎn)處正在吃吃笑著和注視著她的圖茨先生的臉孔時(shí)，她想起了那天夜里保羅和她離開(kāi)布林伯博士的學(xué)?；丶視r(shí)的情景；當(dāng)馬車(chē)離開(kāi)他們向前奔跑的時(shí)候，她的臉孔都被淚水沾濕了。
這是悲傷的眼淚，但這也是帶來(lái)安慰的眼淚，因?yàn)楫?dāng)與她現(xiàn)在正要回去的那座沉悶無(wú)趣的老房屋有關(guān)的所有美好的回憶涌上心頭的時(shí)候，它們使她感到這座老房屋十分親切。自從她在那些寂靜無(wú)聲的房間中漫步穿行以來(lái)，自從她最后一次輕輕地、害怕地偷偷走進(jìn)她父親的那些房間以來(lái)，自從她在日常生活的一舉一動(dòng)之間都感覺(jué)到死去的親愛(ài)的弟弟的莊嚴(yán)而又撫慰的影響以來(lái)，似乎已經(jīng)過(guò)去了多么長(zhǎng)久的時(shí)間了??！這次新的告別還使她想起了她跟可憐的沃爾特的離別，想起了他那天夜間的神情和話語(yǔ)，想起了她曾注意到他既對(duì)留在后面的人們懷著親切的感情，但同時(shí)卻又表露出勇氣和高興；他的短短的歷史也是和這座古老的房屋聯(lián)系著的，這使這座房屋具有一種新的權(quán)利來(lái)要求獲得和支配她的心。
當(dāng)她們行進(jìn)在回家的路途中時(shí)，甚至連蘇珊·尼珀對(duì)這居住了許多年的家的態(tài)度也溫和起來(lái)了。雖然它是陰郁的，她對(duì)它的陰郁曾進(jìn)行過(guò)嚴(yán)厲而中肯的指責(zé)，可是她大大地原諒它了?！拔也环裾J(rèn)，小姐，我將高興再看到它，”尼珀說(shuō)，“雖然它沒(méi)有什么可夸耀的，可是我卻不愿意它被火燒了，也不愿意它被拆毀了！”
“你將高興穿過(guò)那些老房間，是不是，蘇珊？”弗洛倫斯笑嘻嘻地問(wèn)道。
“唔，小姐，”蘇珊回答道；當(dāng)她們愈來(lái)愈接近這座房屋的時(shí)候，她對(duì)它的態(tài)度也愈來(lái)愈溫和了，“我不想否認(rèn)，我將高興穿過(guò)它們，不過(guò)很可能，明天我又會(huì)恨它們了?！?BR> 弗洛倫斯覺(jué)得，她住在家里比住在其他任何地方都更感到安寧。在家里，在這些高高的、黑暗的墻壁中間，把她心中的秘密深深地隱藏起來(lái)，比把它帶到外面明亮的光線中，試圖避開(kāi)許多幸福的眼睛的注意，要好得多和容易得多。懷著愛(ài)的心在這里孤獨(dú)地進(jìn)行探索，不會(huì)因?yàn)榭吹街車(chē)鷳阎鴲?ài)的心而感到新的氣餒，這要好得多；在充滿這些回憶的平靜的圣堂內(nèi)去希望，去祈禱，去熱愛(ài)，比在一個(gè)不論有多少歡樂(lè)的新環(huán)境中要容易得多，雖然在她的四周，圣堂的墻壁已經(jīng)朽壞了，腐蝕了，枯爛了；雖然她還會(huì)像過(guò)去一樣得不到關(guān)懷，但她可以懷著恒心和耐性。她歡迎回到她那具有魅力的往昔生活的夢(mèng)幻中，盼望過(guò)去那黑黑的大門(mén)再一次把她關(guān)進(jìn)里面去。
滿懷著這些思想，她們轉(zhuǎn)進(jìn)了那條長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的和幽暗的街道。弗洛倫斯不是坐在馬車(chē)中最靠近她的家的那一邊，當(dāng)她們離家的距離愈來(lái)愈近的時(shí)候，她從窗口向外望出去，想看看住在對(duì)面的那些孩子們。
她正在這樣注意看著的時(shí)候，蘇珊高聲喊叫了一聲，促使她迅速地回過(guò)頭來(lái)。
“噯呀，天哪！”蘇珊氣喘吁吁地喊道，“我們的家在哪里呀！”
“我們的家！”弗洛倫斯說(shuō)道。
當(dāng)馬車(chē)停住的時(shí)候，蘇珊剛把頭從窗外縮進(jìn)來(lái)，這時(shí)又重新探出去，然后又把頭縮回來(lái)，吃驚地呆呆地看著她的女主人。
房屋四周，從底層到屋頂，豎立著縱橫交錯(cuò)的腳手架。屋旁寬闊的街道有一半寬和一半長(zhǎng)的地方都被一堆堆磚石、一堆堆灰漿和一堆堆木材堵塞住了；一些梯子豎靠在墻上，工人們爬上、爬下；另一些工人正在腳手架的踏板上工作；油漆工和室內(nèi)裝飾工則在屋子里忙碌著。一大卷一大卷的裝飾用紙正從門(mén)口的一輛大車(chē)中卸下；家具商的一輛貨車(chē)也擋住了道路；從裂著口的破窗子往里看，房間中沒(méi)有任何家具；所能看到的只是工人們和他們的工具擠滿了從廚房到頂樓的各個(gè)地方。屋里屋外都一樣：砌磚工、油漆工、木匠、石匠；錘子、灰沙斗、刷子、鎬、鋸、鐵瓦刀——全都一齊工作著。
弗洛倫斯下了馬車(chē)，心中半信半疑，這究竟是不是她的家，直到后來(lái)她認(rèn)出了臉被曬得黑黑的托林森正在門(mén)口迎接她。
“沒(méi)出什么事吧？”弗洛倫斯問(wèn)道。
“哦，沒(méi)有，小姐?！?BR> “這里正發(fā)生著很大的變化啊?！?BR> “是的，小姐，很大的變化，”托林森說(shuō)道。
弗洛倫斯仿佛在夢(mèng)中似地走過(guò)他身旁，急急忙忙跑上樓去。耀眼的光線充滿了過(guò)去長(zhǎng)期黑暗的客廳，在高處可以看到梯子、踏板和戴著紙帽子的工人。她母親的畫(huà)像已經(jīng)和其他家具一道搬走了，在原先掛像的地方潦草地涂寫(xiě)著幾個(gè)粉筆字：“這間房間要鑲上護(hù)墻板，綠色和金黃色的?！睒翘蓍g像屋外一樣，一片縱橫交錯(cuò)的柱子和木板；一群白鐵工和玻璃工像奧林匹斯山上的群神①一樣，在天窗上彎下身子，以各種不同的姿勢(shì)操作著。她自己的房間里面暫時(shí)還沒(méi)有觸動(dòng)，但是房子外面支立著梁桿和木板，阻擋陽(yáng)光從窗戶射進(jìn)去。她迅速走上另一間擺著小床的房間去，一位皮膚黝黑的大漢，嘴巴里銜著一支煙管，頭上包扎著一塊手絹，正在窗口張大眼睛往里看。
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①奧斯匹斯山（Olympus）：希臘北部泰撒來(lái)和馬其頓交界處山脈東頭的高山，據(jù)傳說(shuō)，太古時(shí)代希臘的十二個(gè)大神就住在這個(gè)山上。
一直在尋找弗洛倫斯的蘇珊·尼珀，就在這里找到了她，并建議她下樓到她爸爸那里去；他希望跟她說(shuō)話。
“他在家！還希望跟我說(shuō)話！”弗洛倫斯顫抖地喊道。
蘇珊比弗洛倫斯更加心神錯(cuò)亂，又把她的使命重說(shuō)了一遍；弗洛倫斯臉色蒼白，心情激動(dòng)，沒(méi)有片刻遲疑，就急急忙忙跑下樓去。在下樓的路途中想：她敢不敢吻他呢？心中難以抑制的愿望使她下定了決心，她想她敢。
當(dāng)她走到她父親面前的時(shí)候，他也許會(huì)聽(tīng)到她的心在跳動(dòng)。再過(guò)一瞬間，它就要貼在他的胸前跳動(dòng)了。
可是他不是一個(gè)人。那里還有兩位夫人；弗洛倫斯站住了。她心情斗爭(zhēng)得十分激烈，如果這時(shí)她那粗野的朋友戴沒(méi)有沖進(jìn)房間，親熱地?fù)崦娜?，表示歡迎她回家的話，那么她真會(huì)暈倒在地板上的。其中有一位夫人看到這個(gè)情景，輕輕地尖叫了一聲，這轉(zhuǎn)移了弗洛倫斯對(duì)自己的注意力。
“弗洛倫斯，”她的父親向她伸出手，說(shuō)道；那冷冰冰的神態(tài)，使她不禁在原地站住，不敢再走向前去，“你好嗎？”
弗洛倫斯把他的手握在自己的雙手中，膽怯地把它拉近嘴唇，當(dāng)它抽回去的時(shí)候，她不敢違抗地順從了。他走去關(guān)門(mén)，這手剛才接觸到她時(shí)就跟現(xiàn)在接觸到門(mén)時(shí)一樣冷淡。
“這條狗是怎么回事？”董貝先生不高興地問(wèn)道。
“這條狗，爸爸，是從布賴(lài)頓來(lái)的?！?BR> “唔！”董貝先生說(shuō)道，這時(shí)一朵陰云掠過(guò)他的臉孔，因?yàn)樗靼姿囊馑肌?BR> “他的脾氣很好，”弗洛倫斯以她生性具有的優(yōu)雅和親切的態(tài)度，向這兩位夫人致意道，“他只是看到我覺(jué)得高興。請(qǐng)?jiān)徦?。?BR> 她在跟她們交換眼光的時(shí)候，看到那位剛才發(fā)出尖叫聲并坐著的夫人已經(jīng)老了，另一位站在她爸爸身旁的夫人長(zhǎng)得很美麗，而且身材優(yōu)雅。
“斯丘頓夫人，”她爸爸轉(zhuǎn)向第一位夫人，指著弗洛倫斯，說(shuō)道，“這是我的女兒弗洛倫斯?！?BR> “真的，她非?？蓯?ài)，”那位夫人舉起長(zhǎng)柄眼鏡看著她，說(shuō)道，“多么自然！我親愛(ài)的弗洛倫斯，你一定得親我一下，好嗎？”
弗洛倫斯這樣做了，然后轉(zhuǎn)向另一位夫人，她爸爸站在她身邊等待著。
“伊迪絲，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“這是我的女兒弗洛倫斯。弗洛倫斯，這位夫人不久就是你的媽媽了?！?BR> 弗洛倫斯吃了一驚，抬起眼睛，望著那張美麗的臉孔，心中充滿了各種矛盾的情緒；在這當(dāng)中，媽媽這個(gè)名詞所喚出的眼淚在一剎那間跟驚異、好奇、羨慕和說(shuō)不出的恐懼斗爭(zhēng)著。然后，她喊道，“啊，爸爸，祝你幸福！祝你一輩子非常、非常幸福！”接著，她哭著撲向這位夫人的懷里。
隨后是短時(shí)間的沉默。那位美麗的夫人最初似乎有些猶豫，是不是要向前朝弗洛倫斯走去，這時(shí)她把她抱在懷里，緊緊地握著她緊抱住她腰身的手，仿佛讓她放心和在安慰她。這位夫人一句話也沒(méi)有說(shuō)。她向弗洛倫斯低下頭，吻著她的臉頰，但卻沒(méi)有說(shuō)話。
“我們是不是到這些房間去走走，”董貝先生說(shuō)道，“看看我們這些工人活干得怎么樣了？請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我，我親愛(ài)的夫人?！?BR> 他一邊說(shuō)，一邊向斯丘頓夫人伸出胳膊；斯丘頓夫人這時(shí)正用長(zhǎng)柄眼鏡看著弗洛倫斯，好像正在心中琢磨著，如果在弗洛倫斯身上注入稍多一些心靈與自然——當(dāng)然是從她自己的倉(cāng)庫(kù)中取來(lái)的——的話，那么她會(huì)成為一個(gè)什么樣的人呢。弗洛倫斯依舊伏在那位夫人的胸前哭泣，并緊抱著她，這時(shí)聽(tīng)到董貝先生從暖房中說(shuō)道：
“讓我問(wèn)問(wèn)伊迪絲。哎呀，她在哪里呀？”
“伊迪絲，我親愛(ài)的！”斯丘頓夫人喊道，“你在哪里？她一定正在找董貝先生，我知道。我們?cè)谶@里哪，我親愛(ài)的?！?BR> 美麗的夫人放松了她對(duì)弗洛倫斯的擁抱，又一次把嘴唇緊貼在她的臉上，然后急忙走出房間，參加到他們當(dāng)中。弗洛倫斯一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地站在原來(lái)的地方：幸福、悲傷、高興、流淚。當(dāng)她的新媽媽回來(lái)又把她抱在懷中的時(shí)候，她不知道這是怎么發(fā)生的，也不知道時(shí)間過(guò)去了多久，只知道這一切都是同時(shí)發(fā)生的。
“弗洛倫斯，”這位夫人極為懇切地注視著她的臉孔，急忙說(shuō)道，“你不會(huì)一開(kāi)始就恨我吧？”
“恨你，媽媽?zhuān)俊备ヂ鍌愃褂酶觳矒е牟弊?，注視著她，喊道?BR> “輕一些！一開(kāi)始往好里想我吧，”美麗的夫人說(shuō)道，“開(kāi)始相信我將設(shè)法使你幸福，相信我是準(zhǔn)備愛(ài)你的，弗洛倫斯。再見(jiàn)，我們很快就會(huì)再見(jiàn)面的。再見(jiàn)吧！現(xiàn)在別待在這里?！?BR> 她又把她抱在胸前，剛才的這些話她是急促地說(shuō)出的，但語(yǔ)氣卻是堅(jiān)決的。弗洛倫斯看到她在另一間房間里參加到他們當(dāng)中。
現(xiàn)在弗洛倫斯開(kāi)始希望，她將向她美麗的新媽媽學(xué)習(xí)怎樣博得她父親的喜愛(ài)；當(dāng)她在這個(gè)跟原來(lái)很不一樣的家中睡覺(jué)的時(shí)候，她的新媽媽滿面春風(fēng)地向著她的這個(gè)希望微笑著，并為它祝福。充滿了夢(mèng)想的弗洛倫斯?。?BR>