牛津書(shū)蟲(chóng)系列 大衛(wèi)科波菲爾 Chapter 5 David meets old friends again

　　I decided to go to London first，to stay at a hotel for a few nights，and see all the sights of that great city.I knew it would be very different from the last time I was in London，when I was working at the warehouse.Now I was adult，and educated，and had money.

　　我決定先到倫敦，在旅館里住上幾天，把那大城市的風(fēng)光景致游覽個(gè)遍。我知道這一次與我上次到倫敦倉(cāng)庫(kù)工作時(shí)的情景會(huì)大不一樣。如今我已長(zhǎng)大成人，受過(guò)教育，身上有了錢(qián)。

　　The hotel I chose was called the Golden Cross，and because I looked so young，I was given a very small，dark room in the roof.But I did not feel confident enough to complain.

　　我選擇了一家取名“金十字”的旅館，由于我看上去很年輕，他們就給我開(kāi)了一間閣樓上又小又黑的房間。而我當(dāng)時(shí)還沒(méi)有足夠的勇氣抱怨。

　　That evening I was returning from the theatre when I recognized someone going into the hotel.I could not prevent my self from saying at once，‘Steerforth!Do you remember me?’

　　那天晚上，我從戲院回來(lái)，見(jiàn)一個(gè)熟悉的身影走進(jìn)旅館。我禁不住脫口叫道：“斯提福茲!你還認(rèn)識(shí)我嗎?”

　　He stared at me for a moment.Then he cried，‘Good heavens!It's little Copperfield!’

　　他看了我一會(huì)兒，然后叫起來(lái)，“我的天!是小科波菲爾!”

　　I was so delighted to see him that I held both his hands，saying，‘My dear Steerforth，you have no idea how pleased I am to see you again!’I remembered how much I had admired him，and all my love for him came back.I had to brush away the tears from my eyes.

　　見(jiàn)到他，我欣喜異常，我緊握住他的雙手說(shuō)：“親愛(ài)的斯提福茲，你不會(huì)知道再次見(jiàn)到你我有多高興!”我記得我是多么地敬重他，我對(duì)他的敬慕又一次升華。我的雙眼涌滿淚花，我只好趕緊擦掉。

　　‘Don't cry，Copperfield，old boy!’he said kindly.‘I'm glad to see you too.What are you doing here?’

　　“別哭，科波菲爾，老伙計(jì)!”他和善地說(shuō)道，“我也很高興見(jiàn)到你，你在這里干什么?”

　　‘I've just finished school，and my aunt has sent me to Lon don to look around before deciding on a profession.What about you，Steerforth?’

　　“我剛畢業(yè)，我姨婆讓我在選擇職業(yè)之前先到倫敦轉(zhuǎn)轉(zhuǎn)。你呢，斯提福茲?”

　　‘Well，I'm studying at Oxford University，but nothing ex citing ever happens there!That's why I'm in London for a few days.But it's boring here too，isn't it?’

　　“嗯，我在牛津大學(xué)上學(xué)，可那兒沒(méi)什么好玩的事!所以我來(lái)倫敦呆幾天，但這兒也很無(wú)聊，是吧?”

　　‘In London?’I asked，surprised.‘I think it's wonderful!There's so much to do and see!I've just been to the theatre—the actors were excellent and—’

　　“倫敦嗎?”我很納悶，問(wèn)道。“我覺(jué)得很好呀!有那么多事可做可看!我剛?cè)チ藨蛟?mdash;—那些演員棒極了，還有——”

　　‘David，David!’laughed Steerforth.‘It does me good to see your fresh，innocent face，so full of excitement!Now，let me see，which room are staying in?’

　　“大衛(wèi)，大衛(wèi)，”斯提福茲笑道，“看到你這張好奇、天真的臉，這么激動(dòng)，真讓我高興!現(xiàn)在，告訴我，你住哪個(gè)房間?”

　　‘Number 44.It's rather high up，’I confessed，blushing.

　　“44號(hào)，在樓頂上，”我紅著臉直說(shuō)了。

　　‘They've put you in number 44?I'll soon change that.’And when Steerforth complained to the manager，I was imme diately given a large，airy，comfortable room on the first floor，next to his.That night as I fell asleep I thought happily of the next few days，which Steerforth and I were planning to spend together.

　　“他們把你安置在44號(hào)?我馬上給你換房。”斯提福茲找老板談了以后，他們很快把我安排在樓下一層的一間寬敞、通風(fēng)、舒適的房間，而且在斯提福茲的隔壁。晚上躺下睡覺(jué)時(shí)，我很高興，想著接下來(lái)的幾天我可以和斯提福茲在一起玩。

　　A week passed very quickly，with visits to the theatre，the museums and the zoo.We went sightseeing，riding，swimming and boating.Steerforth was the perfect companion to have，and I admired him even more than before.In fact，I loved him with all my heart.

　　一周很快過(guò)去了，我們一起看戲，參觀博物館、動(dòng)物園，我們一起觀光、騎馬、游泳、劃船，斯提福茲是一位難得的好伙伴，我比以前更敬重他了。實(shí)際上，我已經(jīng)真心真意喜愛(ài)他了。

　　One day I said to him，‘You know，Steerforth，I really must go and visit my mother's old servant， Peggotty.She was very good to me when I was a child.’

　　一天，我跟他說(shuō)，“你知道，斯提福茲，我必須去看看我母親的老女仆，辟果提，我小時(shí)候她對(duì)我很好。”

　　‘Yes，David，I remember you told me.She lives in Yarmouth now， doesn't she?Why don't we go there together?’

　　“是，大衛(wèi)，我記得你跟我說(shuō)過(guò)。她住在雅茅斯，是吧?干嗎不一起去呢?”

　　‘Oh yes，Steerforth!You'd enjoy meeting her brothef，and all the family!They're very kind，good people.’

　　“哦!對(duì)呀，斯提福茲!你一定很樂(lè)意見(jiàn)見(jiàn)她的哥哥及他的全家!他們都是非常友好、善良的人。”

　　‘Even if they are only working people，’said Steerforth.I looked quickly at him to see what he meant，but he was smiling at me，so I knew he was joking，and I smiled too.

　　“即便他們只是普通的勞苦大眾，”斯提福茲說(shuō)。我瞥了他一眼，想弄清他話中的含義，但他沖我笑笑，我想他是在開(kāi)玩笑，所以我也笑了笑。

　　We travelled to Yarmouth by coach，and when we arrived，Steerforth stayed at the hotel while I went to Barkis's house to find Peggotty.When I knocked at the door，Peggotty opened it，and did not recognize me for a moment.I had continued to write to her regularly，but we had not seen each other for seven years，and I was no longer the small boy she remembered.But when she realized I was her Master David，she sobbed and sobbed with delight，holding me in her arms as she had always done.Soon she was calmer，and we talked about the events of the last few years.I heard that she was very happy with Mr Barkis，who;however，was ill in bed at the time.She was so pleased to see me that she insisted I should sleep at her house during my stay in Yarmouth，in the little bedroom she had al ways kept for me.

　　我們乘坐長(zhǎng)途馬車到雅茅斯，到了之后，斯提福茲先在一家旅館落腳，我到巴克斯家去找辟果提。我敲了敲門(mén)，辟果提出來(lái)了，她當(dāng)時(shí)沒(méi)認(rèn)出我。我雖然一直給她寫(xiě)信，從未間斷，但我們彼此已有7年沒(méi)見(jiàn)面，我已不再是她記憶中的小男孩了。然而，當(dāng)她意識(shí)到我就是她的大衛(wèi)少爺時(shí)，她激動(dòng)得哭了又哭，還象從前那樣把我擁在她懷里，她很快就平靜了下來(lái)，我們互相說(shuō)起近幾年發(fā)生的事情。她說(shuō)她跟巴克斯先生過(guò)得很幸福，可他現(xiàn)在卻生病在床。她見(jiàn)到我是那么高興，堅(jiān)持要我在雅茅斯逗留期間住到他們家，睡那間她一直為我保留著的小臥房。

　　The next day I took Steerforth with me to visit Daniel Peg gotty.It was a dark and windy winter evening.As we came closer to the old boat，we heard happy voices and laughter in side.I opened the door，and suddenly I was surrounded by Daniel，Ham and Emily，all looking very surprised.

　　第二天，我?guī)固岣Ｆ澣グ菰L丹尼爾·辟果提。那是個(gè)黑暗、多風(fēng)的夜晚，我們走近老船屋，聽(tīng)得里面?zhèn)鞒隹鞓?lè)的說(shuō)笑聲。我推開(kāi)門(mén)，丹尼爾、哈姆和埃米莉突然圍過(guò)來(lái)，驚奇地看著我。

　　‘Look!It's Master David!Look how he's grown!’

　　“看!是大衛(wèi)少爺!他長(zhǎng)成大人了!”

　　And for a moment we were all shaking hands and talking and laughing at the same time.I did not forget to introduce Steerforth.They welcomed him warmly as my best friend.

　　一時(shí)間我們都握著手又說(shuō)又笑。我沒(méi)忘了介紹斯提福茲。他們把他當(dāng)作我的好朋友熱情接待。

　　‘Well!’cried Daniel Peggotty，his large face red and shin ing with delight.‘It's wonderful，Master David，that you two gentlemen have come here tonight of all nights!The best night of my life!Because tonight，gentlemen，my little Emily—’and he took Emily's small white hand in his rough red one and placed it on his heart—‘has agreed to become Ham's wife!’

　　“好啊!”丹尼爾·辟果提叫道，激動(dòng)得大臉龐又紅又亮。“太好啦，大衛(wèi)少爺，你們兩位先生選擇今晚到這里!這是我一生中最美好的夜晚!因?yàn)榻裉焱砩希壬鷤?，我的小埃米?mdash;—”他把小埃米莉白皙的小手握在自己粗糙發(fā)紅的手中并放到胸口——“已經(jīng)答應(yīng)嫁給哈姆當(dāng)妻子!”

　　‘I congratulate you with all my heart，’said Steerforth politely to Ham，without taking his eyes off Emily，who was blushing prettily.

　　“我衷心地祝賀你，”斯提福茲出于禮貌對(duì)哈姆說(shuō)道，可他的眼睛始終沒(méi)有離開(kāi)臉頰菲紅的美麗的埃米莉。

　　‘Master David knows how I love this girl，’continued old Daniel，‘and my dearest wish was for her to have a good husband to take care of her. And there's no one I trust more than Ham!He's only a rough sailor like me，but he's honest，and sincere，and I know she'll come to no harm while he lives!’

　　“大衛(wèi)少爺知道我有多愛(ài)這孩子，”老丹尼爾繼續(xù)道，“我最大的心愿就是她能找到一位好丈夫照顧她。而我最信任的人莫過(guò)于哈姆!他雖然只是一個(gè)像我一樣粗魯?shù)乃?，但他樸?shí)、真誠(chéng)，我知道只要有他在她決不會(huì)受到任何傷害!

　　Meanwhile，Ham was blushing too.I did not know what to say，unsure whether I still loved Emily and was therefore jealous of Ham，or whether I was glad they were going to be happy together.But steerforth always knew the right thing to say，and with a few well-chosen words he made us all feel much more comfortable.

　　這時(shí)，哈姆也臉紅了。我不知道說(shuō)什么好，不知道是因還愛(ài)著埃米莉而妒嫉哈姆，還是為他們的幸福而高興。然而，斯提福茲總能說(shuō)出合適的話語(yǔ)，他的幾句很得體的話讓大家都覺(jué)得自在多了。

　　We spent the rest of the evening very pleasantly，telling stories and singing songs，and it was midnight when Steerforth and I left the old boat.

　　接下來(lái)的時(shí)間我們過(guò)得很愉快，大家講故事、唱歌，一直到午夜時(shí)分，我和斯提福茲才離開(kāi)船屋。

　　‘Well!’said Steerforth to me as we walked across the sand in the cold night air.‘What a lovely girl!And what a coarse young man she's engaged to!’

　　“咳!”我們?cè)诤涞囊股写┻^(guò)沙灘，斯提福茲說(shuō)，“多可愛(ài)的女孩!卻要嫁給這么粗俗的男人!”

　　I was shocked by these unexpectedly cold words.But when I turned to him and saw him smiling，I replied warmly，‘Ah，Steerforth!You pretend to laugh at people who are poorer or less educated than yourself，but I've just seen you spend the whole evening with the Peggotty family，making them happy!I know you understand and love them，and I admire you all the more for it!’

　　他突然說(shuō)出這么尖刻的話使我感到震驚，可當(dāng)我回過(guò)頭看他臉上掛著笑容時(shí)，我熱情地附和道：“啊，斯提福茲!你假裝嘲笑那些比你寒酸、沒(méi)文化的人，可我剛看到你和辟果提一家整個(gè)晚上在一起，逗他們開(kāi)心!我知道你了解他們，喜歡他們，我更加仰慕你了!”

　　He stopped and looked at me，saying rather sadly，‘David，you're serious，aren't you?I wish I were as good as you!’

　　他停下腳步看著我，心情沉重地說(shuō)：“大衛(wèi)，你是認(rèn)真的，對(duì)吧?我真希望我能像你這么好!”

　　For the next two weeks I was often with Peggotty and Barkis，while Steerforth went sailing or fishing with Daniel and Ham，or found other things to do，so I did not see very much of him.Finally we decided to return to London.

　　接下來(lái)的兩個(gè)星期我常和辟果提和巴克斯在一起，而斯提福茲常隨丹尼爾和哈姆去航海、釣魚(yú)，或者找些其他事干，所以我不常見(jiàn)著他。最后我們決定回倫敦。

　　While we were travelling back on the coach，I turned to say something，and was surprised to see how miserable he looked.

　　當(dāng)我們坐上返程的長(zhǎng)途馬車時(shí)，我轉(zhuǎn)身想跟他說(shuō)些什么，卻驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)他居然是滿面愁容。

　　‘Oh，David!’he said unhappily.‘I wish I could control myself better!I hate myself sometimes!’

　　“噢，大衛(wèi)!”他痛苦地說(shuō)，“我真希望能更好地把握住自己!我有時(shí)恨死我自己了!”

　　‘Steerforth!What can you mean!’I cried.‘You're the best，the most intelligent，the kindest of men!’

　　“斯提福茲!你在說(shuō)什么呀!”我叫道，“你是最優(yōu)秀、最聰明、最好心腸的人!”

　　‘Thank you，David，’he said，shaking his head，‘but you don't know how bad I am.’

　　“謝謝你，大衛(wèi)!”他搖了搖頭，說(shuō)道，“但你不知道我有多壞。”

　　‘Bad!’I repeated.‘My dear Steerforth!Don't say that!I know your character well，and I'm proud to call you my friend!’

　　“壞!”我重復(fù)道，“我親愛(ài)的斯提福茲!別胡說(shuō)了!我很了解你的性格，和你成朋友是我的榮幸。”

　　In a little while his mood changed，and he became cheerful again.I soon forgot his words，but I remembered them later.

　　片刻之后，他的情緒有了改觀，重新高興起來(lái)。我很快忘了他的這些話，可后來(lái)我又回想起來(lái)了。

　　In London I discovered that my aunt had arrived at the Colden Cross Hotel，and had booked a room there for several days.We were delighted to see each other，and had a long conversation that evening.She had come to ask me a particular question.

　　回倫敦后，我發(fā)現(xiàn)姨婆早就等在“金十字”旅館了，而且已經(jīng)在那兒住了好幾天了。彼此相見(jiàn)我們都很高興，當(dāng)晚聊了很久。她為一個(gè)問(wèn)題專程來(lái)問(wèn)我。

　　‘David，’she said very seriously，‘I've been thinking about your future profession.How would you feel about becoming a lawyer?’

　　“大衛(wèi)，”她十分嚴(yán)肅地說(shuō)，’我一直都在考慮你今后的工作間題，你覺(jué)得做律師怎么樣?”

　　I thought for a moment.‘Well，aunt，it sounds a very good idea.I confess I hadn't considered it before，but I think I'd like it.’

　　我想了一會(huì)兒，“好啊，姨婆，聽(tīng)起來(lái)這主意不錯(cuò)。我承認(rèn)我以前沒(méi)想到過(guò)，但我想我會(huì)喜歡的。”

　　‘Very good，’said my aunt，jumping up.‘In that case，let's go immediately to see Mr Spenlow.He's a partner in an important law firm，and I think he'll agree to train you.We'll have to pay him，of course，but after several years you'll be a properly trained lawyer，and be able to earn your own money.’

　　“很好，”姨婆說(shuō)著跳起來(lái)，“既然這樣，我們馬上去見(jiàn)斯本羅先生，他是一家頗為重要的律師事務(wù)所的合伙人，我想他會(huì)同意收你為徒，當(dāng)然我們得付學(xué)費(fèi)。可幾年下來(lái)你就能成為一名訓(xùn)練有素的律師，而且可以自己掙錢(qián)。”

　　And so we carried out this plan.My aunt paid Mr Spenlow's firm a thousand pounds，and I promised to work hard and do my best to become a successful lawyer.Before she returned to Dover，my aunt rented a small flat for me，at the top of a house near the lawcourts，and I moved in at once.

　　緊接著，我們實(shí)施了這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃。姨婆付給斯本羅事務(wù)所1000英鎊，我答應(yīng)努力學(xué)習(xí)，盡可能成為一名成功的律師。姨婆回多佛之前，給我租了一套小房子，位于法院附近一幢樓的頂層，我很快搬了進(jìn)去。

　　At first it seemed very exciting to walk through the busy streets after a long day in the courts or at Mr Spenlow's dusty office，and know that I had my own home to return to.But when I had climbed up all the stairs，and entered my sitting room，it no longer seemed so exciting.In fact，my flat looked empty and depressing.So，after two days of loneliness，I was very glad to receive my first visitor，Steerforth，and because I was so happy to see him，I invited him and two friends of his to dinner the next evening.

　　一開(kāi)始，我每天從法院或斯本羅事務(wù)所那滿是塵土的辦公室工作一天之后，穿過(guò)熱鬧繁華的街區(qū)，想到我也有自己的家可回，就異常興奮?？僧?dāng)我爬完所有的樓梯，走進(jìn)客廳，似乎就不再那么興奮了。事實(shí)上，我的房間看上去空蕩蕩的，令人抑郁。所以，孤單單地呆了兩天后，我很高興我的第一位客人斯提福茲來(lái)訪。見(jiàn)到他后我非常開(kāi)心。于是又邀請(qǐng)他和他的兩位朋友第二天晚上到我的寓所聚餐。

　　As it was my first dinner party，I did not know what to buy，but I ordered cooked dishes of chicken and fish from the restaurant，bought cheese and fruit from the market，and had a large number of bottles of wine delivered.I was quite fright ened by how much money I had spent，but when Steerforth and his friends arrived，I soon became more cheerful.The party was a great success，and we all enjoyed ourselves very much.We ate，and drank，and smoked，and drank again.I was constantly opening bottles of wine，and became unusually talkative.I began to feel rather strange，and when I caught sight of myself in a mirror，I seemed very pale.I had to confess to myself that I looked drunk.

　　由于我是頭一次搞聚餐，不知道該買(mǎi)什么，就從餐館里預(yù)定了現(xiàn)成的一只雞和一條魚(yú)，又從商店里買(mǎi)了些奶酪和水果，還讓人送到家好幾瓶酒。自己一下子花掉那么多錢(qián)，真有點(diǎn)可怕?？僧?dāng)斯提福茲和他的朋友到來(lái)之后，我的心情立刻好轉(zhuǎn)了。聚會(huì)辦得十分成功，我們玩得很開(kāi)心，我們邊吃邊喝邊抽煙，然后又喝。我不停地打開(kāi)一瓶又一瓶的酒，而且變得異常健談，我開(kāi)始感覺(jué)不對(duì)勁，照著鏡子一看，自己已臉色蒼白。我不得不承認(rèn)自己的醉態(tài)。

　　Someone suggested going to the theatre，and in a kind of mist we left my flat and walked through the streets.Steerforth was holding my arm and laughing.Then a man in a little box looked out of the fog，and took money from somebody.Soon we were sitting high up in a very hot，very crowded theatre.There were bright lights，and there was music，but I could not understand what anyone was saying，and the whole building seemed to swim in front of my eyes.

　　有人提議去看戲，我們就迷迷糊糊地走出我的寓所來(lái)到街上。斯提福茲嘻笑著攙著我的胳膊。小包箱里有一個(gè)人從霧里探出頭來(lái)，偷走了另一個(gè)人的錢(qián)。很快，我們坐進(jìn)了燥熱、擁擠的戲院，而且高高在上。戲院里有明亮的燈光，有音樂(lè)，但我聽(tīng)不懂演員在說(shuō)什么，整個(gè)建筑物仿佛在我眼前晃動(dòng)。

　　Then someone suggested going to visit some friends in an other part of the theatre，so we went downstairs.Suddenly I saw，quite clearly，Agnes Wickfield，sitting with a lady and gentleman.She was looking at me with a surprised expression on her face.

　　之后，有人提議去戲院的另一頭看看幾位朋友，所以我們又下了樓。突然，我十分清楚地看見(jiàn)阿格尼斯·威克菲爾，她與一位女士和一位先生坐在一起。她看著我，一臉驚訝的神色。

　　‘Good heavens!’I cried.‘Agnes!You're in London!’

　　“我的天!”我叫起來(lái)，“阿格尼斯!你在倫敦!”

　　‘Quiet!’she whispered.‘People are trying to listen to the actors.You'll disturb them!’Then she added kindly，‘David，please do what I say.Ask your friends to take you home.’

　　“安靜!”她小聲說(shuō)道，“別人都在聽(tīng)?wèi)?，你?huì)吵著他們的!”然后她又善意地加了一句：“大衛(wèi)，請(qǐng)照我說(shuō)的做，讓你的朋友送你回家。”

　　I had always taken Agnes's advice，and I did so this time.I do not remember how I got home，but I do remember Steer forth helping me to undress and get into bed.What a terrible，sleepless night I spent!How ill I felt!How dry my mouth was!But the next morning I felt even worse.I was so miser able and ashamed that I had been so stupid，and that Agnes had seen me drunk.I could not even apologize to her，because I did not know where she was staying in London.I spent the whole day with my head in my hands，in my dirty，smoky room，surrounded by empty wine bottles.

　　阿格尼斯的意見(jiàn)我向來(lái)都聽(tīng)，這次也一樣。我不記得當(dāng)時(shí)是怎么回的家，但我依然記得是斯提福茲幫我脫了衣服，把我弄上床。多么可怕、難眠的一宿!我感覺(jué)好難受!口干舌燥!而第二天上午情況更糟，我為自己所干的蠢事感到既痛苦又羞愧，還讓阿格尼斯看見(jiàn)了我的醉態(tài)。我甚至沒(méi)法向她致歉，因?yàn)槲也恢浪≡趥惗氐哪膫€(gè)地方。我雙手捧著自己的腦袋，在臟亂不堪、烏煙障氣、滿是空酒瓶的屋子里呆了一整天。

　　But the next day a note was delivered to my flat.It was from Agnes，asking me to visit her at the house where she was staying.I went straight there after my day's work at the office.

　　第二天，有人給我的寓所送來(lái)一張便條，是阿格尼斯寫(xiě)的，她要求我到她現(xiàn)在住的地方去找她。我下了班就直奔她那兒。

　　She looked so quiet and good，and reminded me so much of my happy schooldays in Canterbury，that I could not help crying.

　　她看上去是那么文靜，氣色那么好，讓我回想起在坎特伯雷城那段美好的學(xué)生生活，我情不自禁地哭起來(lái)。

　　‘I'm so sorry，Agnes，’I said，‘that you saw me like that.I wish I were dead!’

　　“真抱歉，阿格尼斯，”我說(shuō)，“讓你瞧見(jiàn)我的蠢樣。我真沒(méi)臉見(jiàn)你!”

　　‘David，don't be unhappy，’she said cheerfully.‘You know you can trust me，and I'll always be your friend.’

　　“大衛(wèi)，別難過(guò)了，”她愉悅地說(shuō)道，“你知道你可以相信我，我永遠(yuǎn)是你的朋友。”

　　I took her hand and kissed it.‘Agnes，you're my good angel!’

　　我抓起她的手吻了一下，“阿格尼斯，你是我的天使!”

　　She shook her head.‘No，David，but if I were，I'd warn you—to stay away from your bad angel.’

　　她搖了搖頭，“不，大衛(wèi)，如果我真是，我要提醒你——離開(kāi)你的壞天使。”

　　‘My dear Agnes!’I cried.‘Do you mean Steerforth?’

　　“親愛(ài)的阿格尼斯!”我叫道，“你是指斯提福茲?”

　　‘I do，David，’she replied，looking firmly at me.

　　“是的，大衛(wèi)，”她回答，堅(jiān)定地注視著我。

　　‘Agnes，you're wrong!He is my trusted friend!He helps and guides me!It wasn't his fault that I got drunk，you know!’

　　“阿格尼斯，你錯(cuò)了!他是我信任的朋友!他幫助我，引導(dǎo)我!我喝醉不是他的錯(cuò)，你知道!”

　　‘I wasn't thinking of that.I judge him from what you've told me about him，and your character，and his influence over you.’Agnes spoke very seriously，and her words went straight to my heart.‘I'm certain I'm right.You've made a dangerous friend，David，because you're so trusting.Please remember what I say—and forgive me for saying it.’

　　“我不是指醉酒的事。我是從你談起他的話語(yǔ)中，從你的性格和他對(duì)你所產(chǎn)生的影響來(lái)判斷的。”阿格尼斯認(rèn)真地說(shuō)道，她的話觸動(dòng)了我的心。“我認(rèn)定我是對(duì)的。你結(jié)識(shí)了一位危險(xiǎn)的朋友，大衛(wèi)，因?yàn)槟闾菀纵p信他人了。請(qǐng)記住我的話——并請(qǐng)?jiān)徫业闹甭省?rdquo;

　　‘I will，if you forgive me for getting drunk.’

　　“我會(huì)的，只要你能原諒我的酒后失態(tài)。”

　　Agnes agreed，smiling，and then said suddenly，‘Have you seen Uriah Heep?’

　　阿格尼斯笑著答應(yīng)著，然后她突然問(wèn)道，“你見(jiàn)過(guò)尤賴亞·希普嗎?”

　　‘No，’I replied.‘Is he in London?What's he doing here?’

　　“沒(méi)有啊，”我回答，“他在倫敦嗎?他來(lái)這里來(lái)干什么?”

　　‘I'm worried，David，’answered Agnes with sadness in her beautiful eyes.‘I think he's going to be Father's partner.’

　　“我很擔(dān)心，大衛(wèi)，”阿格尼斯回答，美麗的雙眼蒙上一層郁憂。“我想他將要成為父親的合伙人了。”

　　I remembered Uriah Heep's oily smile，and how uncomfort able he always used to make me feel.

　　我想起尤賴亞·希普那僵硬的笑，他總是讓人那么的不舒服。

　　‘What?That creature?He's so unpleasant!You must pre vent your father from agreeing to it，Agnes!’

　　“什么?那個(gè)怪物?他實(shí)在不討人喜歡!你必須阻止你父親與他合伙經(jīng)營(yíng)，阿格尼斯!”

　　Agnes smiled miserably.‘My poor father has no choice.You know how unhappy he has often been?And of course you've seen him drinking.You see，he loved my mother very much，and when she died，he didn't care so much about his work.That's when he started drinking.Uriah's very clever—he knows all this，and he's been very useful to Father，doing all the work that Father had forgotten or didn't want to do.Father really needs Uriah now，to keep his business going.And Uriah himself pretends to be humble and grateful，but in fact he's in a strong position，and is insisting on becoming a partner.Father is ashamed of himself，but he has to agree.Poor Father!I'd do anything to help him，any thing!’And Agnes sobbed bitterly.

　　阿格尼斯苦笑了一下，“可憐的父親沒(méi)有別的選擇，你知道他常常是多么的憂郁?當(dāng)然你也見(jiàn)過(guò)他酗酒。你知道，他非常愛(ài)我的母親，她死后，他便不在那么專心他的工作。也就是那時(shí)他開(kāi)始酗酒。尤賴亞很聰明——他知道這一切，他對(duì)父親幫助很大，幫父親做所有他忘記做或者不想做的事情。如今，為了能繼續(xù)維持他的公司，父親的確已經(jīng)離不了尤賴亞了。尤賴亞自己則裝出一幅卑謙、感恩戴德的樣子，而實(shí)際上，他占據(jù)上風(fēng)，堅(jiān)持要做父親的合伙人。父親為自己感到羞愧，可也不得不同意?？蓱z的父親!我愿意做任何事情來(lái)幫助他!任何事!”阿格尼斯傷心痛哭。以前我從未見(jiàn)阿格尼斯哭過(guò)。

　　I had never seen Agnes cry before.It made me so sad that I could only say helplessly，‘My dear Agnes!Please don't cry!’However，in a few minutes she was calm again，and I was able to leave her，promising to visit her and her father in Canter bury very soon.

　　我難過(guò)得只能說(shuō)些無(wú)濟(jì)于事的話，“親愛(ài)的阿格尼斯!求你別哭了!”不過(guò)，幾分鐘后，她又恢復(fù)了平靜，我也能告辭出來(lái)了，我答應(yīng)她我會(huì)很快去坎特伯雷看望她和她的父親。