'This is a painful task,' said he, 'but these declarations, which have been signed in London before many gentlemen, must be substance repeated here. I would have spared you the degradation, but we must hear them from your own lips before we part, and you know why.'

“這是一份不愉快的差事，”他說，“但必須把這些在倫敦當(dāng)著好幾位紳士簽了字的聲明的要點(diǎn)重申一下。我極不愿意讓你再次出丑，但我們必須聽你親口復(fù)述一遍，然后才能分手，理由你也知道?！?/span>

 'Go on,' said the person addressed, turning away his face. 'Quick. I have almost done enough, I think. Don’t keep me here.'

“講下去，”布朗勞先生與之說話的那個(gè)人應(yīng)道，一邊把臉扭開去，“快一點(diǎn)。我認(rèn)為我差不多一切都照辦了。不要再把我拖住在這里。”

'This child,' said Mr. Brownlow, drawing Oliver to him, and laying his hand upon his head, 'is your half-brother; the illegitimate son of your father, my dear friend Edwin Leeford, by poor young Agnes Fleming, who died in giving him birth.'

“這個(gè)孩子，”布朗勞先生說時(shí)把奧立弗拉到自己身邊，一只手放在他頭上，“是你的異母兄弟；是你的父親、我的好朋友埃德溫·黎福德的非婚生兒子，可憐他的母親、年輕的阿格尼絲·弗雷明一生下他就死去了?！?/span>

'Yes,' said Monks, scowling at the trembling boy: the beating of whose heart he might have heard. 'That is the bastard child.'

“是的，”蒙克斯說，同時(shí)向那個(gè)戰(zhàn)栗不已的孩子怒目而視，大概他聽得見那孩子的心在突突地跳，“是的，那是他們的私生子?！?/span>

'The term you use,' said Mr. Brownlow, sternly, 'is a reproach to those long since passed beyong the feeble censure of the world. It reflects disgrace on no one living, except you who use it. Let that pass. He was born in this town.'

“你用這樣的字眼所指責(zé)的對象，”布朗勞先生厲聲說，“早已到了人間的區(qū)區(qū)非難不起作用的另一個(gè)世界。這樣的字眼不會(huì)使任何活著的人蒙受恥辱，除了你自己。這些不提也罷。他是在這個(gè)鎮(zhèn)上出生的，是不是?”

'In the workhouse of this town,' was the sullen reply. 'You have the story there.' He pointed impatiently to the papers as he spoke.

“在本鎮(zhèn)的貧民習(xí)藝所里?！被卮鸬恼Z調(diào)相當(dāng)陰沉?！澳抢锒家褜懬宄?。”他不耐煩地指指那些文件。

'I must have it here, too,' said Mr. Brownlow, looking round upon the listeners.

“我要你在這里再說一遍。”布朗勞先生說時(shí)環(huán)顧室內(nèi)的聽眾。

'Listen then! You!' returned Monks. 'His father being taken ill at Rome, was joined by his wife, my mother, from whom he had been long separated, who went from Paris and took me with her—to look after his property, for what I know, for she had no great affection for him, nor he for her. He knew nothing of us, for his senses were gone, and he slumbered on till next day, when he died. Among the papers in his desk, were two, dated on the night his illness first came on, directed to yourself'; he addressed himself to Mr. Brownlow; 'and enclosed in a few short lines to you, with an intimation on the cover of the package that it was not to be forwarded till after he was dead. One of these papers was a letter to this girl Agnes; the other a will.'

“那你們就聽著！”蒙克斯說，“他的父親在羅馬病倒后，他的早已跟他分居的妻子，也就是我的母親，帶著我從巴黎趕去，那是看在他的財(cái)產(chǎn)份上；因?yàn)閾?jù)我所知，我母親對他并沒有感情，他對我母親也是一樣。他根本沒有認(rèn)出我們，因?yàn)樗纳裰疽呀?jīng)不清，一直昏昏沉沉，到第二天就死了。他的寫字臺(tái)抽屜里有一些文件；從簽署的日期看，其中有兩份是他發(fā)病的當(dāng)天晚上寫的；文件的封套上寫著你的名字?！边@時(shí)蒙克斯面向布朗勞先生，“寫給你的只有短短的幾行，封套上附有一條說明，要求等他死后轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)。文件之一是給那個(gè)叫阿格尼絲的姑娘的信；其二是一份遺囑?！?/span>

'What of the letter?' asked Mr. Brownlow.

“信上寫些什么？”布朗勞先生問。

'The letter?—A sheet of paper crossed and crossed again, with a penitent confession, and prayers to God to help her. He had palmed a tale on the girl that some secret mystery—to be explained one day—prevented his marrying her just then; and so she had gone on, trusting patiently to him, until she trusted too far, and lost what none could ever give her back. She was, at that time, within a few months of her confinement. He told her all he had meant to do, to hide her shame, if he had lived, and prayed her, if he died, not to curse his memory, or think the consequences of their sin would be visited on her or their young child; for all the guilt was his. He reminded her of the day he had given her the little locket and the ring with her Christian name engraved upon it, and a blank left for that which he hoped one day to have bestowed upon her—prayed her yet to keep it, and wear it next her heart, as she had done before—and then ran on, wildly, in the same words, over and over again, as if he had gone distracted. I believe he had.'

“你問那封信？只有一張紙，上面的字句涂了又涂；里邊有懺悔，有祈求上帝保佑她的禱告。他曾編造了一番假話哄騙那姑娘，說他有難言之隱，這個(gè)秘密有朝一日會(huì)揭開的，但眼下妨礙著他倆正式結(jié)婚；姑娘一直耐心等待著，對他深信不疑；直到她信任過了頭，終于失去任何人也無法還給她的東西。當(dāng)時(shí)她離分娩只剩不多幾個(gè)月了。信中，他把自己為保全她的名節(jié)打算采取的一切辦法全都告訴那姑娘，只要他能夠活下來；萬一他死去的話，他懇求姑娘不要詛咒他的亡魂，不要以為他們的罪孽必定給她或他們的孩子招來懲罰，因?yàn)檫@都是他一人之過。他提到某一天他曾送給她一個(gè)小金盒和一枚戒指，戒指上鐫有她的名字，旁邊留著的空隙準(zhǔn)備刻上他希望有朝一日能奉獻(xiàn)給她的姓氏；他懇求她把小金盒保存起來，像以前一樣掛在她的心坎上；下面顛三倒四地老是重復(fù)這些話，好像神經(jīng)發(fā)生了錯(cuò)亂。我相信他的腦子確實(shí)出了毛病。”

(Credit: image.baidu.com）

大連外國語大學(xué)翻譯學(xué)院研究生

徐榮臻  整理