書蟲四級《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小時的毛線；雖然蠟燭是和茶點一起拿進來的，我們點的蠟燭卻從不超過一枝。

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，房間里實在太黑，就是在爐火前我也沒法縫東西。馬莎把點好的蠟燭和茶點端進來的時候，馬蒂小姐一下子驚醒了，有一點兒難過的樣子。我想，她大概夢到了她早年的生活，因為整個喝茶的時間她都在講自己的童年。后來，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兒好借著光讀這些信，可是馬蒂小姐卻不同意再點一根蠟燭。

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黃色小包里。“敬愛的雙親在1774年7月結婚前的通信。”詹金斯小姐寫道。克蘭福德的教區(qū)長時年27歲左右，馬蒂小姐的母親當時還不滿18歲。以前我只見過教區(qū)長模仿約翰遜博士的風格所寫的一篇頗有氣勢的布道文，所以讀到他年輕時代寫的這些書信有一種奇怪的感覺，這些信字里行間飽含著他對莫利的深情。女孩兒的信卻很不相同——都是關于結婚禮服，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，我們該把它們燒了，”馬蒂小姐有些遲疑地說，“我去世后就沒人來保管這些信了。”一封接一封地，她把這些信丟到了火里。現(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.

其他的信大約寫于1775年至1805年之間。有一些是德博拉出生的時候母親與外祖母之間的通信，很溫馨。還有一些教區(qū)長后來寫的信，里面盡是拉丁文。還有他妻子錯字連篇的回信，都是關于“飄亮的小馬蒂”的。還有一封信是外祖父寫的，關于一個兒子的事。真奇怪，我想，我以前還從沒聽說過這個兒子呢。

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.

后來我們讀到了詹金斯小姐的信，我們用了兩個晚上才把這些信全部讀完。最長的幾封信寫于1805年初的泰恩河畔紐卡斯爾之行期間。當時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.'

“那是令人膽寒的時代，親愛的，”馬蒂小姐解釋道，“我經(jīng)常在夜里醒來，覺得聽到了法國人進入克蘭福德的聲音！我記得，我父親寫了很多反對拿破侖的布道文。”

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!'

那個兒子叫彼得·阿萊·詹金斯（“可憐的彼得！”馬蒂小姐開始這么稱呼他），當時正在什魯斯伯里上學。教區(qū)長用拉丁文給兒子寫信，而他兒子的回信則寫得認認真真，做足了“表面功夫”，信末還要給他母親寫上一兩句諸如“親愛的媽媽，一定要給我送塊蛋糕來！”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”就在學校惹了麻煩。有幾封信是他為自己所做的錯事向父親道歉的，還有一張寫給母親的便條：“我最親愛的媽媽，我會做個好孩子。我一定會的。但請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，馬蒂小姐哭得說不出話來。她站起來把便條拿到自己屋里，以免把它誤燒了。“可憐的彼得！”她說，“他總是麻煩不斷，他太喜歡逗樂開玩笑了?？蓱z的彼得！”

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

似乎彼得在學校從沒取得過好成績，所以他被帶回克蘭福德在家學習。

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好孩子，”馬蒂小姐說，“像親愛的布朗上尉一樣，他總是樂于幫助老人和孩子。但他的確喜歡開玩笑逗樂。我記得有一次，他裝成一個到鎮(zhèn)上來訪的女士，請求見見‘作精彩布道的教區(qū)長’。我父親對他信以為真，我是說她，并給她提供了他寫的所有有關拿破侖的布道文。然后他不讓彼得去釣魚，而是讓他把這些布道文全部抄寫出來給她！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！只有我一個人知道。彼得以前常說鎮(zhèn)上的老太太們需要一些談資。不過有時候他也不跟我講，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?'

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

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

“哦不，小姐！杰姆·赫恩會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。想到馬莎有個追求者，她仍有點兒擔心。

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.'

“親愛的，我要熄滅蠟燭，”一剩下我們她就對我說，“我們在爐火邊說話也一樣。”

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，我記得那是一個寧靜的春日。德博拉已經(jīng)離開兩星期了，我父親正在鎮(zhèn)上看望一些病人。好像彼得來到德博拉的房間里，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——你確信我們把門鎖上了嗎，親愛的？——弄成一個穿著長長的白衣服的嬰兒的樣子。然后他在外面走來走去，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話。后來，哦天哪，我父親回來看見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。后來他看見了彼得。他的臉都氣白了。他把衣服從彼得背上撕下來，把枕頭扔到人群里，然后當著大家的面，用拐杖打彼得。親愛的，那個春日，這孩子的一個玩笑傷透了我母親的心，也讓我父親整個變了個人。

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，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。她還沒來得及說話，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.'

“她派我去問我父親發(fā)生了什么事。‘告訴你媽我打了彼得。’他說。

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?"

“當我告訴她這一切時，我那瘦小美麗的母親坐了下來，面色蒼白。然后我們就開始在房子里到處找，那是一幢很大的老屋。我們找啊找。‘彼得，親愛的！’我母親輕聲呼喚著，‘這里只有我。’然后她的呼喊聲越來越大。‘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.'

“一個下午過去了。連仆人們都加入了尋找。我父親用手抱著頭坐著。天快黑的時候他站了起來。‘莫利，’他開始說，‘我沒想到事情會這樣——’當他看見我母親那可憐蒼白的臉時，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，領著他，從一個房間走到另一個房間，穿過整幢房子和花園，到處都走了一遍。我派人到霍爾布魯克先生那里去打聽彼得有沒有去他那里?；魻柌剪斂讼壬遣栃〗愕谋硇郑@你知道，他對彼得很好，還教過他怎么釣魚。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。當時那里正在打仗，國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子男孩兒。船長寫信給我父親，彼得也給我母親來了信。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.'

我們點著蠟燭找到了這些信。船長寫信告訴他父母，如果他們想見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)，我們會打敗那些法國人?？墒俏冶仨毾纫娔幻?。”

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，“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兒。彼得的船開到了地中海地區(qū)，馬蒂小姐最后告訴我，后來他又被派往印度。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了一個包裹。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也不會結婚離開父親，哪怕有100個人向她求婚。這當然不大可能——我想沒人向她求過婚；不過她這么說倒是出于好意。她是個很孝順的女兒，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，回來過一次。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（我不記得母親過世后我們大笑過）說她不再有用了。”

And then?' I asked.

“后來呢？”我問道。

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!'

“后來彼得又出海了。過了沒多久我父親就去世了，我們不得不搬到這幢小房子里，只用一個仆人，而不是四個?？蓱z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)，從那以后我們再也沒聽到過他的消息，我想他已經(jīng)死了，雖然有時當屋里都安靜下來的時候，我覺得我聽到了他從街上走來的聲音。但這聲音總是一晃而過，而彼得卻一直沒有回來……是馬莎嗎？我去開門，親愛的。不，我不需要蠟燭……”

Was it Martha?' I asked when she returned.

“是馬莎嗎？”她回來的時候我問道。

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

“是的。我開門的時候聽到一個奇怪的聲音。”

Where?'

“在哪兒？”

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

“在街上，就在外面。聽起來像——”

Talking?'

“說話？”

No! Kissing!'

“不！是接吻！”