牛津書蟲系列 霧都孤兒 Chapter2

2 Oliver’s first job
2 奧利弗的第一個工作
Oliver stayed a prisoner alone in the dark room for a week. He cried bitterly all day，and when the long night came，he spread his little hands over his eyes to shut out the darkness， and tried to sleep.He was given freezing water to wash with，and was beaten daily by Mr Bumble in front of all the other boys in the hall，as a warning to the m.
奧利弗被單獨在小黑屋里關(guān)了一星期。他整天都傷心地流淚，每當漫長的黑夜來臨，他就用兩只小手捂住眼睛，來驅(qū)走黑暗，力求入睡。每天他只能用帶著冰碴的水洗臉。為了殺一儆百，奧利弗每天要當著其他孩子的面挨班布爾先生一頓毒打。
One day Mr Bumble met the local undertaker， Mr Sowerberry， outside the workhouse.
一天，班布爾先生在濟貧院外面遇見了當?shù)氐墓撞牡昀习逅鳡栘惱锵壬?br /> ‘Do you know anybody who wants to train a boy for work，Mr Sowerberry?’Mr Bumble pointed at the notice on the wall above him， which offered five pounds to anybody who would take Oliver Twist for work.
“索爾貝里先生，您知道誰想要帶個學徒嗎?”班布爾指著墻上方的一個通告說。上面寫著，愿意領(lǐng)走奧利弗·特威斯特去干活的人可以得到五英鎊的獎金。
Mr Sowerberry rubbed his chin and thought for a while. ‘I pay enough for the poor with my taxes，’ he said， ‘so why shouldn’t I be able to make use of the m in my work? Yes， I’ll take the boy myself.’
索爾貝里先生摸著下巴想了一會兒。“我納不少的稅金養(yǎng)活窮人，干嗎不讓他們?nèi)槲腋苫钅?對，我領(lǐng)走這孩子。”
And so the board agreed to send Oliver to work for the undertaker.The necessary papers were signed.Oliver’s small possessions were put into a brown paper parcel，and he was led to Mr Sowerberry’s house by Mr Bumble.As They walked along，tears began to run down Oliver’s face.
這樣，董事會同意讓棺材店老板領(lǐng)走奧利弗去干活。必要的手續(xù)都辦理了，奧利弗僅有的一點東西放在一個小牛皮紙包里。他由班布爾先生帶著去了索爾貝里先生家。他們一面走著，奧利弗一面又淚流滿面。
‘What is it this time?’asked Mr Bumble impatiently. ‘Don’t be so ungrateful.This gentleman is going to look after you.’
“這回又怎么了?”班布爾先生不耐煩地問，“別那么不識好人心，這位先生會照顧你的。”
‘It’s just that I’m so lonely， sir!’ said the child. ‘Everybody hates me.Please don’t be angry with me，sir!’
“我感到太孤單了，先生!”這孩子說，“人人都討厭我。請別生我的氣，先生!”
Even Mr Bumble felt a little pity. He coughed，told Oliver to dry his eyes and be a good boy， and walked on with him in silence.
連班布爾先生也有點可憐他了。他咳了一聲，囑咐奧利弗擦干眼淚，要當個乖孩子。然后兩人便徑直朝前走著，誰也不吭聲了。
The undertaker had just finished work for the day when Mr Bumble entered his shop.
班布爾先生走進鋪子時，棺材店老板剛忙完一天的活計。
‘Here，I’ve brought the boy，’ said the beadle.
“瞧!孩子我給您送來了。”執(zhí)事說。
Oliver bowed to the undertaker， who raised his candle to get a better view of the boy. ‘Mrs Sowerberry，’he called， ‘come and have a look.’
奧利弗朝著店老板鞠了一躬。索爾貝里先生舉起蠟燭臺打量著奧利弗，嘴里喊著：“太太，快來看看。”
His wife， a short，thin woman with a disagreeable face，came out to see. ‘He’s very small，’she said immediately.
他的妻子是個瘦小枯干、面目可憎的女人。她走出來看了一眼，馬上說：“他太小了。”
‘He is，’agreed Mr Bumble， ‘but he’ll grow，Mrs Sowerberry.’
“是的，”班布爾先生說，“可他還會長的，索爾貝里太太。”
‘Yes，’she said crossly， ‘when he eats our food. Go on，get downstairs.’ She pushed Oliver downstairs into a damp，dark kitchen，and called to the girl working down the re. ‘Here，Charlotte，give this boy some meat that the dog left-if he thinks it’s good enough for him.’
“那倒是，”她不痛快地說，“他吃了我們家的飯是會長大的。走，下樓去。”她連推帶搡地把奧利弗推進了一間潮濕黑暗的廚房里，并朝著在那兒干活的女孩子說：“喂，夏洛特，把狗吃剩的肉給這孩子吃點——如果他不嫌棄的話。”
Oliver tore the meat to pieces with his teeth as if he were a wild animal. Mrs Sowerberry watched him in silent horror，already thinking about her future food bills，then took him upstairs to the shop.
奧利弗像野獸一樣用牙撕啃著肉。索爾貝里太太目瞪口呆地看著他，心里已經(jīng)在想著她往后的伙食負擔了。過后，她又把他帶到樓上的鋪面里。
‘You’ll sleep here， among the coffins，’she said.
“你就睡在這些棺材中間。”她說。
Oliver stared around the dark，airless shop at the coffins，some finished，some only half-made.He trembled at the thought of ghosts.His bed was a small hole in the floor，and looked very like a grave.
奧利弗呆呆地環(huán)顧四周。原來這是一間黑暗、悶氣的作坊，里面放著一些做好了和正在做著的棺材?？粗@些，他滿腦子都是鬼怪，不由得毛骨悚然。他睡在地板上一個狹小的洞里，看上去真像個墓穴。
But it was not only the room that depressed Oliver.He felt very lonely，with no friends and no one to care for him. As he lay on the bed，he found himself wishing that it really was his grave.
使奧利弗沮喪的不僅僅是這個住處。他感到非常孤獨，沒有朋友，沒人關(guān)心他。他躺在床上時，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己真希望就是躺在墓穴里了。
The next morning he was woken up by someone kicking at the shop door.
第二天一大早，他被店門口一陣踢門聲驚醒。
‘Open the door，will you?’shouted a voice through the keyhole.
“開開門，好嗎?”有人透過鑰匙孔喊道。
‘Yes，sir.’
“就來，先生。”
‘I suppose you’re the new boy，’said the voice through the keyhole. ‘How old are you?’
“你大概就是新來的學徒吧?”從鑰匙孔里傳進來的聲音問道，“你多大了?”
‘Ten， sir.’
“十歲了，先生。”
‘The n I’ll hit you when I get in，’said the voice.
“那么我進去就揍你一頓。”那聲音接著說。
Oliver was experienced enough to know that the promise was probably true. He opened the door with a shaking hand，the n looked up and down the street.All he could see was a large boy wearing the uniform of one of the charity schools，where the children of the very poor used to go.
奧利弗很有經(jīng)驗，認為他很可能真的說到做到。他用顫抖的手打開了門，然后，來回掃視了一下街面，只看見一個穿著一家慈善學校制服的大個子男孩。慈善學校是窮人家孩子上的學校。
‘Did you want a coffin?’asked Oliver，innocently.
“您要棺材嗎?”奧利弗無知地問。
The charity-boy looked at him fiercely. ‘You’ll be needing a coffin soon，Workhouse，if you make jokes like that! I’m Mister Noah Claypole，and you’re working under me.Now，hurry up and open the curtains!’As he said this， he kicked Oliver and entered the shop.He was a big，clumsy boy of about fourteen， with a large head and very small eyes.Added to the se attractions were a red nose and dirty yellow trousers.
這個慈善學校的男孩兇狠地看著他。“你才馬上要用棺材了。如果你是那么開玩笑的話，我就管你叫濟貧院!我是諾厄·克萊普爾先生，你是在我手下干活的。現(xiàn)在，馬上打開簾子!”他說著，抬腿朝奧利弗踢了一腳，然后走進了鋪子。他大約十四歲，大塊頭，笨手笨腳的，一個大腦袋上長了一雙很小的眼睛。除了這些非凡品貌以外，他還有一個紅鼻子和一條臟兮兮的黃褲子。
The boys went down to breakfast， which the girl Charlotte had made for the m. She gave an extra piece of meat to Noah，the n told Oliver to hurry up as it was his job to look after the shop.
兩個男孩到樓下去吃那個叫做夏洛特的姑娘為他們準備好的早飯。她多給了諾厄一塊肉，然后又讓奧利弗快點吃，因為照看鋪子是他的事。
‘Did you hear that，Workhouse?’ shouted Noah.
“你聽見了嗎，濟貧院?”諾厄嚷嚷道。
‘He heard， Noah，’said Charlotte. ‘Leave him alone.’
“他聽見了，諾厄。”夏洛特說，“別管他。”
‘Why?’asked Noah. ‘All his relations have already left him alone. His mother and father aren’t going to interfere with him!’Charlotte and Noah both started laughing loudly.Oliver sat alone in the corner，eating old bits of bread.
“為什么?”諾厄問道，“他的親戚早就不管他了。他父母親再也不會來煩他了!”夏洛特和諾厄兩人都大聲笑了起來，奧利弗獨自坐在角落里吃著一點剩面包。
Noah was a charity-boy， but not a workhouse orphan; he at least knew who his parents were. But for a long time all the local shop-boys had insulted him because he wore the uniform of a charity-boy. Now fortune had brought him a creature in an even lower position in society than himself.Noah intended to repay to Oliver every insult he had ever received，and to make the new boy’s life a misery.
諾厄是個慈善學校的男孩，但并不是濟貧院里的孤兒;他起碼還知道自己的父母是誰。但就因為他穿著慈善學校的制服，有好長時間當?shù)氐赇伬锏哪泻⒆觽兌嘉耆杷?。這一次運氣給他帶來了一個比他社會地位更低下的家伙。諾厄決定要把以往所受的凌辱都轉(zhuǎn)送給奧利弗，讓這新來的男孩沒有好日子過。
After a few weeks，Mr Sowerberry decided that he liked Oliver’s appearance enough to train him in the undertaking business.Oliver’s permanent expression of sadness was very suitable，the undertaker thought，for collecting dead bodies from houses and accompanying the coffins to funerals.
幾星期之后，索爾貝里先生看夠了奧利弗，決定要訓練他去做殯儀生意。因為奧利弗老是一副苦相，棺材店老板認為他很合適做這件事，他想讓他到死者家里搬運尸體和陪伴棺柩到墓地去。
One day Mr Bumble came to tell the m about a woman who had died in an extremely poor part of the town， and Sowerberry and Oliver went to collect the body.They went down dirty narrow streets where the houses on either side were tall and large，but very old.Some of the houses were almost falling down， and had to be supported by huge blocks of wood. The area was so poor that even the dead rats in the street looked as though They had died of hunger.
一天，班布爾先生來告訴他們，有一位住在本鎮(zhèn)貧民區(qū)的女人死了。索爾貝里先生和奧利弗去收尸，他們沿著骯臟狹窄的街道朝前走著，路兩邊的房屋都是又高又大，但過于陳舊了。有些房屋幾乎要倒塌了，不得不用粗大的圓木支撐著。這個地方太窮了，連路上的死老鼠好像都是餓死的。
They found the right house，and climbed the dark stairs to a miserable little room.Some children watched the m from the shadows as They entered.Something lay beneath a blanket on the floor in one corner.A man and an old woman stood near the body.Oliver was afraid to look at the m. With their thin faces and sharp teeth， They looked like the rats he had seen outside.
他們找到了死者的家，爬上黑暗的樓梯，走進了一個破破爛爛的小屋。幾個孩子從黑影里看著他們走進來。在屋子一角的地上，一條毯子蒙著什么東西，旁邊站著一個男人和一個老婦。奧利弗害怕看他們，他們面孔削瘦，牙齒尖銳，看起來就像他在外面街上看到的老鼠。
As Sowerberry began to measure the body for a coffin， the man knelt on the floor and cried out， ‘She starved to death，I tell you!That’s why she died!’He fell to the floor，and all the children behind him started to cry.Sowerberry and Oliver，their work done，left as fast as They could.
索爾貝里先生開始量尸體，看需要多大的棺材。站在旁邊的男人跪在地上，大聲地喊了起來：“她是活活給餓死的呀!我告訴你，她就是為這個死的!”他倒在地上，身后的孩子們都哭了起來。索爾貝里和奧利弗忙完了活計，就趕快離開了。
They returned the next day with the coffin and four men from the workhouse who were to carry it.The man and the old woman followed the coffin to the church，and waited silently by the grave for the priest to arrive.When at last he came， he hurried through the burial prayers， and as quickly as possible(it was only a job，after all) the coffin was put into the ground. At this point the husband， who had not moved once during his wife’s burial- not even during the long wait for the priest-suddenly fainted to the ground and had to have cold water thrown over him.
第二天，他們送來了棺材，一起來的還有四個從濟貧院來抬棺材的人。那個男人和老婦跟在棺材的后面來到了教堂，默默地站在墓穴旁等著牧師的到來。牧師終于來了，他匆忙地主持了葬禮的祈禱儀式(畢竟這只是一種活計)。棺材盡可能快地放進了墓穴，就在這時，這位在妻子葬禮中一直一動不動的丈夫——即使在長時間等待牧師時也不曾動一下——暈倒在地上了。人們不得不在他的臉上灑了一些涼水。
‘So how did you like it，Oliver?’asked Sowerberry later，as they walked home.
“奧利弗，你感覺怎么樣?”事后，索爾貝里在往家走的路上問。
‘Not very much， sir，’Oliver answered truthfully.
“感覺不太好，先生。”奧利弗如實說道。
‘You’ll get used to it，my boy.’
“你會習慣的，孩子。”
Oliver wondered how long that would take，and remained silent all the way back to the shop，thinking about everything that he had seen and heard.
奧利弗不知道這需要多長時間，在回鋪子去的路上他一直一聲不吭，回想著自己所見所聞的一切。