書(shū)蟲(chóng)四級(jí)《克蘭福德》：4.可憐的彼得

4．Poor Peter

4．可憐的彼得

I have often noticed that everyone has some little meanness. Miss Matty Jenkyns was mean about candles. In the winter afternoons, she used to knit for hours just by firelight; and though candles were brought in with our tea, we never burnt more than one of them.

我經(jīng)常注意到每個(gè)人都有小氣的地方。馬蒂·詹金斯小姐用蠟燭就很小氣。冬天的下午，她經(jīng)常只借著火光織好幾個(gè)小時(shí)的毛線；雖然蠟燭是和茶點(diǎn)一起拿進(jìn)來(lái)的，我們點(diǎn)的蠟燭卻從不超過(guò)一枝。

One evening, I remember, this meanness quite annoyed me. Miss Matty had fallen asleep and it was too dark for me to sew even in front of the fire. When Martha brought in the lighted candle and tea, Miss Matty woke up with a sad little jump. She had been dreaming about her early life, I think, because all through tea she talked about her childhood. Then, afterwards, she went to her room to fetch some old family letters. I wanted more light by which to read them, but Miss Matty still refused to light a second candle.

我記得有一天晚上，這種小氣令我很不高興。馬蒂小姐睡著了，房間里實(shí)在太黑，就是在爐火前我也沒(méi)法縫東西。馬莎把點(diǎn)好的蠟燭和茶點(diǎn)端進(jìn)來(lái)的時(shí)候，馬蒂小姐一下子驚醒了，有一點(diǎn)兒難過(guò)的樣子。我想，她大概夢(mèng)到了她早年的生活，因?yàn)檎麄€(gè)喝茶的時(shí)間她都在講自己的童年。后來(lái)，她到自己的房間去取一些從前的家信。我想讓房間更亮一點(diǎn)兒好借著光讀這些信，可是馬蒂小姐卻不同意再點(diǎn)一根蠟燭。

The earliest letters were two yellow packets, tied together. 'Letters between my dear parents before their marriage in July 1774,' said Miss Jenkyns's writing. The rector of Cranford was about twenty-seven at that time, and Miss Matty's mother was not yet eighteen. The only writing of the rector's I had seen before was a grand sermon in the style of Dr Johnson. So it was strange to read these fresh young letters from him, full of love for his Molly. The girl's letters were rather different—all about wedding clothes, and a white silk dress she desperately wanted.

最早的信裝在系在一起的兩個(gè)黃色小包里。“敬愛(ài)的雙親在1774年7月結(jié)婚前的通信。”詹金斯小姐寫(xiě)道。克蘭福德的教區(qū)長(zhǎng)時(shí)年27歲左右，馬蒂小姐的母親當(dāng)時(shí)還不滿18歲。以前我只見(jiàn)過(guò)教區(qū)長(zhǎng)模仿約翰遜博士的風(fēng)格所寫(xiě)的一篇頗有氣勢(shì)的布道文，所以讀到他年輕時(shí)代寫(xiě)的這些書(shū)信有一種奇怪的感覺(jué)，這些信字里行間飽含著他對(duì)莫利的深情。女孩兒的信卻很不相同——都是關(guān)于結(jié)婚禮服，還有她特別想要的一條白絲裙的事情。

We must burn them, 1 think,' said Miss Matty doubtfully. 'No one will care for them when I've gone.' One by one, she dropped the letters into the fire. The room was light enough now.

“我想，我們?cè)摪阉鼈儫耍?rdquo;馬蒂小姐有些遲疑地說(shuō)，“我去世后就沒(méi)人來(lái)保管這些信了。”一封接一封地，她把這些信丟到了火里?，F(xiàn)在房間里夠亮了。

The other letters were written between about 1775 and 1805. There were sweet letters between the mother and grandmother when Deborah was born. There were later letters from the rector, full of Latin words. There were badly-spelt replies from his wife about 'bewtiful little Matty'. And there was one letter from the grandfather about a son. How strange, I thought, that I had never heard of this son before.

其他的信大約寫(xiě)于1775年至1805年之間。有一些是德博拉出生的時(shí)候母親與外祖母之間的通信，很溫馨。還有一些教區(qū)長(zhǎng)后來(lái)寫(xiě)的信，里面盡是拉丁文。還有他妻子錯(cuò)字連篇的回信，都是關(guān)于“飄亮的小馬蒂”的。還有一封信是外祖父寫(xiě)的，關(guān)于一個(gè)兒子的事。真奇怪，我想，我以前還從沒(méi)聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)這個(gè)兒子呢。

Then we came to Miss Jenkyns's letters. It took us two nights to read them all. The longest ones were written during a visit to Newcastle-upon-Tyne early in 1805. Some people were expecting Napoleon Buonaparte to land there, and Miss Jenkyns was clearly alarmed.

后來(lái)我們讀到了詹金斯小姐的信，我們用了兩個(gè)晚上才把這些信全部讀完。最長(zhǎng)的幾封信寫(xiě)于1805年初的泰恩河畔紐卡斯?fàn)栔衅陂g。當(dāng)時(shí)一些人正盼著拿破侖·波拿巴在那里登陸，顯然詹金斯小姐受了驚嚇。

It was a frightening time, my dear,' explained Miss Matty. 'I used to wake up at night and think I heard the French entering Cranford! My father, I remember, wrote a lot of sermons against Napoleon.'

“那是令人膽寒的時(shí)代，親愛(ài)的，”馬蒂小姐解釋道，“我經(jīng)常在夜里醒來(lái)，覺(jué)得聽(tīng)到了法國(guó)人進(jìn)入克蘭福德的聲音！我記得，我父親寫(xiě)了很多反對(duì)拿破侖的布道文。”

The son, Peter Arley Jenkyns ('poor Peter!' Miss Matty began to call him), was at school at Shrewsbury by this time. The rector wrote in Latin to his boy, and the boy wrote back careful 'show' letters, with notes to his mother at the end: 'Mother dear, do send me a cake!'

那個(gè)兒子叫彼得·阿萊·詹金斯（“可憐的彼得！”馬蒂小姐開(kāi)始這么稱呼他），當(dāng)時(shí)正在什魯斯伯里上學(xué)。教區(qū)長(zhǎng)用拉丁文給兒子寫(xiě)信，而他兒子的回信則寫(xiě)得認(rèn)認(rèn)真真，做足了“表面功夫”，信末還要給他母親寫(xiě)上一兩句諸如“親愛(ài)的媽媽，一定要給我送塊蛋糕來(lái)！”之類的話。

Soon, 'poor Peter' was in trouble at school. There were letters to his father apologizing for some wrong-doing, and a note to his mother. 'My dearest Mother, I will be a better boy. I will, indeed. But please don't be ill because of me. I'm not worth it.'

不久，“可憐的彼得”就在學(xué)校惹了麻煩。有幾封信是他為自己所做的錯(cuò)事向父親道歉的，還有一張寫(xiě)給母親的便條：“我最親愛(ài)的媽媽，我會(huì)做個(gè)好孩子。我一定會(huì)的。但請(qǐng)你不要為了我而生病，我不配。”

After this note, Miss Matty was crying too much to speak. She got up and took it to her room in case it was burnt by mistake. 'Poor Peter!' she said. 'He was always in trouble. He was too fond of fun and jokes. Poor Peter! '

看了這張便條之后，馬蒂小姐哭得說(shuō)不出話來(lái)。她站起來(lái)把便條拿到自己屋里，以免把它誤燒了。“可憐的彼得！”她說(shuō)，“他總是麻煩不斷，他太喜歡逗樂(lè)開(kāi)玩笑了?？蓱z的彼得！”

Peter won no honours at school, it seemed, and he was brought back to Cranford, to study at home.

似乎彼得在學(xué)校從沒(méi)取得過(guò)好成績(jī)，所以他被帶回克蘭福德在家學(xué)習(xí)。

He was a kind boy in many ways,' said Miss Matty. 'Like dear Captain Brown, he was always ready to help any old person or child. But he did like playing jokes and making fun. Once, I remember, he dressed himself as a lady visitor to the town and asked to see "the rector who gave such wonderful sermons". My father believed him, I mean her, and offered her all his sermons about Napoleon. Then he made Peter copy them all out for her instead of going fishing! How I wanted to laugh!'

“在很多方面他都是個(gè)好孩子，”馬蒂小姐說(shuō)，“像親愛(ài)的布朗上尉一樣，他總是樂(lè)于幫助老人和孩子。但他的確喜歡開(kāi)玩笑逗樂(lè)。我記得有一次，他裝成一個(gè)到鎮(zhèn)上來(lái)訪的女士，請(qǐng)求見(jiàn)見(jiàn)‘作精彩布道的教區(qū)長(zhǎng)’。我父親對(duì)他信以為真，我是說(shuō)她，并給她提供了他寫(xiě)的所有有關(guān)拿破侖的布道文。然后他不讓彼得去釣魚(yú)，而是讓他把這些布道文全部抄寫(xiě)出來(lái)給她！真好笑！”

Did Miss Jenkyns know about these jokes?' I asked.

“詹金斯小姐知道這些玩笑嗎？”我問(wèn)道。

Oh, no! I was the only one who knew. Peter used to say that the old ladies in the town needed something to talk about. But sometimes he didn't tell me, and at last a terrible, sad thing happened...'

“哦，不！只有我一個(gè)人知道。彼得以前常說(shuō)鎮(zhèn)上的老太太們需要一些談資。不過(guò)有時(shí)候他也不跟我講，最后一件可怕而又糟糕的事情發(fā)生了……”

Miss Matty went to the door and opened it. There was no one there. She rang the bell, and told Martha to go across the town for some eggs. 'I'll lock the door when you've gone, Martha. You're not afraid to go, are you?'

馬蒂小姐走到門(mén)口把門(mén)打開(kāi)。那里沒(méi)人。她按了按鈴，吩咐馬莎到鎮(zhèn)子那頭去買些雞蛋：“你走之后我要把門(mén)鎖上，馬莎。你不害怕去那里，對(duì)嗎？”

Oh no, madam! Jem Hearn will be proud to come with me.'

“哦不，小姐！杰姆·赫恩會(huì)很自豪地和我一起去的。”

Miss Matty's eyes widened. She was still a little worried by the idea of Martha having a follower.

馬蒂小姐的眼睛都瞪大了。想到馬莎有個(gè)追求者，她仍有點(diǎn)兒擔(dān)心。

I'll put out the candle, my dear,' she said to me as soon as we were alone. 'We can talk just as well by firelight.'

“親愛(ài)的，我要熄滅蠟燭，”一剩下我們她就對(duì)我說(shuō)，“我們?cè)跔t火邊說(shuō)話也一樣。”

Well, it was a quiet spring day, I remember. Deborah had gone away for a fortnight, and my father was visiting some sick people in the town. Peter, it seems, went up to Deborah's room and dressed himself in her old dress and shawl and bonnet. And he made the pillow from her bed into—are you sure we locked the door, my dear?—into a little baby with long, white clothes. And he walked up and down outside, and nursed the pillow just like a baby, and talked to it in the way people do to babies. Then, oh my dear, my father came back and saw a crowd of people looking into our garden. At first, he thought they were looking at his flowers. Then he saw Peter. His face went white, he was so angry. He tore the clothes off Peter's back and threw the pillow into the crowd and, in front of everyone, he beat Peter with his walkingstick. My dear, that boy's joke, on that spring day, broke my mother's heart and changed my father for ever.'

“嗯，我記得那是一個(gè)寧?kù)o的春日。德博拉已經(jīng)離開(kāi)兩星期了，我父親正在鎮(zhèn)上看望一些病人。好像彼得來(lái)到德博拉的房間里，穿上她的舊衣服和披肩，戴上她的圓帽。然后他把她床上的枕頭弄成——你確信我們把門(mén)鎖上了嗎，親愛(ài)的？——弄成一個(gè)穿著長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的白衣服的嬰兒的樣子。然后他在外面走來(lái)走去，就像照顧嬰兒一樣照顧著枕頭，而且用人們哄嬰兒的方式跟它說(shuō)話。后來(lái)，哦天哪，我父親回來(lái)看見(jiàn)一群人朝我家的花園里張望。起先，他以為他們是在看他的花。后來(lái)他看見(jiàn)了彼得。他的臉都?xì)獍琢恕Ｋ岩路谋说帽成纤合聛?lái)，把枕頭扔到人群里，然后當(dāng)著大家的面，用拐杖打彼得。親愛(ài)的，那個(gè)春日，這孩子的一個(gè)玩笑傷透了我母親的心，也讓我父親整個(gè)變了個(gè)人。

Peter stood still until my father had finished. Then he walked slowly into the house, put his arms round my mother and kissed her. Before she could speak, he had gone. We couldn't understand it.'

“彼得站著不動(dòng)，直到我父親打完。然后他慢慢地走回房里，摟著我母親吻了吻。她還沒(méi)來(lái)得及說(shuō)話，他就走了。我們都不知道是怎么回事。

She sent me to ask my father what had happened. "Tell your mother I have beaten Peter," he said.'

“她派我去問(wèn)我父親發(fā)生了什么事。‘告訴你媽我打了彼得。’他說(shuō)。

When I told her, my pretty little mother sat down, very white. Then we began to search the house. It was a big old house, and we searched and searched. "Peter, dear!" my mother called softly. "It's only me." Then her cry grew louder. "Peter! Peter! Where are you?"

“當(dāng)我告訴她這一切時(shí)，我那瘦小美麗的母親坐了下來(lái)，面色蒼白。然后我們就開(kāi)始在房子里到處找，那是一幢很大的老屋。我們找啊找。‘彼得，親愛(ài)的！’我母親輕聲呼喚著，‘這里只有我。’然后她的呼喊聲越來(lái)越大。‘彼得！彼得！你在哪兒？’

The afternoon went on. The servants joined the search. My father sat with his head in his hands. When it was nearly dark, he got up. "Molly," he began, "I did not mean all this to happen—" As he looked at my mother's poor white face, tears came into his eyes. And then she took my father's great hand in her little one and led him along, from room to room, through the house and garden, everywhere. I sent someone to Mr Holbrook to ask if Peter was at his house. Mr Holbrook was Miss Pole's cousin, you know, and he had been very kind to Peter and had taught him how to fish. But Peter wasn't there or anywhere in Cranford.'

“一個(gè)下午過(guò)去了。連仆人們都加入了尋找。我父親用手抱著頭坐著。天快黑的時(shí)候他站了起來(lái)。‘莫利，’他開(kāi)始說(shuō)，‘我沒(méi)想到事情會(huì)這樣——’當(dāng)他看見(jiàn)我母親那可憐蒼白的臉時(shí)，他的眼中噙滿了淚水。然后，她用她的小手牽著我父親的大手，領(lǐng)著他，從一個(gè)房間走到另一個(gè)房間，穿過(guò)整幢房子和花園，到處都走了一遍。我派人到霍爾布魯克先生那里去打聽(tīng)彼得有沒(méi)有去他那里。霍爾布魯克先生是波爾小姐的表兄，這你知道，他對(duì)彼得很好，還教過(guò)他怎么釣魚(yú)。但彼得不在他那里，也不在克蘭福德的任何地方。”

Where was he?' I asked.

“他在哪兒？”我問(wèn)道。

He had gone to Liverpool. There was war then, and some of the king's ships were at the mouth of the River Mersey. They were glad to have a fine, tall boy like Peter. The captain wrote to my father, and Peter wrote to my mother. Those letters are here somewhere too.'

“他去了利物浦。當(dāng)時(shí)那里正在打仗，國(guó)王的一些船只泊在默西河口。他們很高興能有彼得這樣出色的高個(gè)子男孩兒。船長(zhǎng)寫(xiě)信給我父親，彼得也給我母親來(lái)了信。這些信件也在這里的什么地方。”

We lit the candle and found them. The captain's letter told the parents to come to Liverpool immediately if they wished to see their boy. And Peter's letter begged his mother to come. 'Mother! We may go into battle. I hope we shall, and that we'll defeat those French. I must see you first, though.'

我們點(diǎn)著蠟燭找到了這些信。船長(zhǎng)寫(xiě)信告訴他父母，如果他們想見(jiàn)兒子的話就立刻去利物浦。彼得的信則懇求他母親到他那兒去：“媽媽！我們可能要去打仗了。我希望我們能參戰(zhàn)，我們會(huì)打敗那些法國(guó)人?？墒俏冶仨毾纫?jiàn)您一面。”

But my father and mother arrived too late,' said Miss Matty. 'The ship had gone.'

“可惜我的父母去得太遲了，”馬蒂小姐說(shuō)，“船已經(jīng)走了。”

We sat silently for a while. Peter's ship went to the Mediterranean, Miss Matty told me at last, and later he was sent to India. Her mother had never been strong and she died less than a year after he went away.

我們默默地坐了一會(huì)兒。彼得的船開(kāi)到了地中海地區(qū)，馬蒂小姐最后告訴我，后來(lái)他又被派往印度。她母親的身體一直不好，在他走后不到一年就過(guò)世了。

And the day after her death—yes, the day after—a packet arrived for her from India from her poor boy. It was a large, soft, white shawl. Deborah took it in to my father and he held it in his hands and said, "She always wanted a shawl like this. We'll bury her in it. Peter would like that."

“她去世后的第二天——是的，第二天——她那可憐的兒子從印度給她寄來(lái)了一個(gè)包裹。那是一條又大又軟的白色披肩。德博拉把它拿到我父親那里，他手捧著它說(shuō)道：‘她一直想要一條這樣的披肩。我們給她披著這條披肩下葬。彼得會(huì)喜歡的。’

On the day of my mother's funeral, Deborah told me that she would never marry and leave my father, even if she had a hundred offers of marriage. This wasn't very likely, of course—I don't think she had one; but it was good of her to say it. She was a wonderful daughter. She did everything for my father.'

“我母親葬禮那天，德博拉告訴我她永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)結(jié)婚離開(kāi)父親，哪怕有100個(gè)人向她求婚。這當(dāng)然不大可能——我想沒(méi)人向她求過(guò)婚；不過(guò)她這么說(shuō)倒是出于好意。她是個(gè)很孝順的女兒，為了我父親她什么都做。”

Did Mr Peter ever come home?'

“彼得先生回過(guò)家嗎？”

Yes, once. My father took him into every house in Cranford, he was so proud of him in his uniform. Deborah used to smile (I don't think we ever laughed again after my mother's death) and say she was not needed any more.'

“是的，回來(lái)過(guò)一次。我父親帶著他拜訪了克蘭福德的每一家，他很為他穿軍裝的兒子感到自豪。德博拉老是微笑著（我不記得母親過(guò)世后我們大笑過(guò)）說(shuō)她不再有用了。”

And then?' I asked.

“后來(lái)呢？”我問(wèn)道。

Then Peter went to sea again. And after a while my father died, and we had to come to this small house with just one servant instead of four. Poor Deborah!'

“后來(lái)彼得又出海了。過(guò)了沒(méi)多久我父親就去世了，我們不得不搬到這幢小房子里，只用一個(gè)仆人，而不是四個(gè)。可憐的德博拉！”

And Mr Peter?'

“彼得先生呢？”

Oh, there was some great war in India and we've never heard of him since then, I believe he's dead, though sometimes when all the house is quiet, I think I hear him coming up the street. But the sound always goes past and Peter never comes... Is that Martha? I'll go, my dear. No, I don't need a candle...'

“哦，在印度有一些大戰(zhàn)，從那以后我們?cè)僖矝](méi)聽(tīng)到過(guò)他的消息，我想他已經(jīng)死了，雖然有時(shí)當(dāng)屋里都安靜下來(lái)的時(shí)候，我覺(jué)得我聽(tīng)到了他從街上走來(lái)的聲音。但這聲音總是一晃而過(guò)，而彼得卻一直沒(méi)有回來(lái)……是馬莎嗎？我去開(kāi)門(mén)，親愛(ài)的。不，我不需要蠟燭……”

Was it Martha?' I asked when she returned.

“是馬莎嗎？”她回來(lái)的時(shí)候我問(wèn)道。

Yes. And I heard such a strange noise when I opened the door.'

“是的。我開(kāi)門(mén)的時(shí)候聽(tīng)到一個(gè)奇怪的聲音。”

Where?'

“在哪兒？”

In the street, just outside. It sounded like—'

“在街上，就在外面。聽(tīng)起來(lái)像——”

Talking?'

“說(shuō)話？”

No! Kissing!'

“不！是接吻！”