(雙語)月亮和六便士 第47章(2)

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"Come and have breakfast, mate," he said.

“來跟我吃早飯去，朋友?！彼f。

"Go to hell," answered Strickland.

“去你媽的?！彼继乩锟颂m德說。

I recognised my friend's limited vocabulary, and I prepared to regard Captain Nichols as a trustworthy witness.

我一聽就是我那位老朋友的語氣，這時我決定把尼柯爾斯船長看作是一位可以信任的證人了。

"Busted?" asked the Captain.

“一個子兒也沒有了吧？”船長又問。

"Blast you," answered Strickland.

“滾你的蛋?！彼继乩锟颂m德說。

"Come along with me. I'll get you some breakfast."

“跟我來。我給你弄頓早飯吃?！?/p>

After a moment's hesitation, Strickland scrambled to his feet, and together they went to the Bouchee de Pain, where the hungry are given a wedge of bread, which they must eat there and then, for it is forbidden to take it away; and then to the Cuillere de Soupe, where for a week, at eleven and four, you may get a bowl of thin, salt soup. The two buildings are placed far apart, so that only the starving should be tempted to make use of them. So they had breakfast, and so began the queer companionship of Charles Strickland and Captain Nichols.

猶豫了一會兒，思特里克蘭德從地上爬起來，兩個人向一處施舍面包的救濟所走去。餓飯的人可以在那里得到一塊面包，但是必須當時吃掉，不準拿走。吃完面包，他們又到一個施舍湯的救濟所，每天十一點到四點可以在那里得到一碗鹽水稀湯，但不能連續(xù)領取一個星期。這兩個機構中間隔著一大段路，除非實在餓得要命，誰也懶得跑兩個地方。他們就這樣吃了早飯，查理斯·思特里克蘭德同尼柯爾斯船長也就這樣交上了朋友。

They must have spent something like four months at Marseilles in one another's society. Their career was devoid of adventure, if by adventure you mean unexpected or thrilling incident, for their days were occupied in the pursuit of enough money to get a night's lodging and such food as would stay the pangs of hunger. But I wish I could give here the pictures, coloured and racy, which Captain Nichols' vivid narrative offered to the imagination. His account of their discoveries in the low life of a seaport town would have made a charming book, and in the various characters that came their way the student might easily have found matter for a very complete dictionary of rogues. But I must content myself with a few paragraphs. I received the impression of a life intense and brutal, savage, multicoloured, and vivacious. It made the Marseilles that I knew, gesticulating and sunny, with its comfortable hotels and its restaurants crowded with the well-to-do, tame and commonplace. I envied men who had seen with their own eyes the sights that Captain Nichols described.

這兩個人大概在馬賽一起度過四個月。他倆的生活沒有什么奇遇——如果奇遇意味著一件意料之外或者令人激動的事；因為他們的時間完全用在為了生活四處奔波上，他們要想弄到些錢晚間找個尋宿的地方，更要買些吃的東西對付轆轆饑腸。我真希望我能畫出幾幅絢麗多彩的圖畫，把尼柯爾斯船長的生動敘述在我想象中喚起的一幅幅畫面也讓讀者看到。他敘述他們兩人在這個海港的下層生活中的種種冒險完全可以寫成一本極有趣味的書，從他們遇到的形形色色的人物身上，一個研究民俗學的人也可以找到足夠的材料編纂一本有關流浪漢的大辭典。但是在這本書里我卻只能用不多幾段文字描寫他們這一段生活。我從他的談話得到的印象是：馬賽的生活既緊張又粗野，豐富多采，鮮明生動。相形之下，我所了解的馬賽——人群雜沓、陽光燦爛，到處是舒適的旅館和擠滿了有錢人的餐館——簡直變得平淡無奇、索然寡味了。那些親眼見過尼柯爾斯船長描繪給我聽的景象的人真是值得羨慕啊。