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“现在谈正事，”干事说着，掏出一个皮夹子。“那个连洗礼都没有做完的孩子，奥立弗·退斯特，今天满九岁了。” 'Bless him!' interposed Mrs. Mann, inflaming her left eye with the corner of her apron. “老天保佑他。”麦恩太太插了一句嘴，一边用围裙角抹了抹左眼。 'And notwithstanding a offered reward of ten pound, which was afterwards increased to twenty pound. Notwithstanding the most superlative, and, I may say, supernat'ral exertions on the part of this parish,' said Bumble, 'we have never been able to discover who is his father, or what was his mother's settlement, name, or con--dition.' “尽管明摆着悬赏十英镑，后来又增加到二十镑，尽管本教区方面已经尽了最大努力，应该说，最最超乎寻常的努力，”邦布尔说道，“我们还是没法弄清楚他父亲是谁，也不知道他母亲的住址、姓名、或者说有关的情--形。” Mrs Mann raised her hands in astonishment; but added, after a moment's reflection, 'How comes he to have any name at all, then?' 麦恩太太惊奇地扬起双手，沉思了半晌，说道，“那，他到底是怎么取上名字的？” The beadle drew himself up with great pride, and said, 'I inwented it.' 干事正了正脸色，洋洋得意地说，“我给取的。” 
“你，邦布尔先生。” 'I, Mrs. Mann. We name our fondlings in alphabetical order. The last was a S,--Swubble, I named him. This was a T,--Twist, I named HIM. The next one comes will be Unwin, and the next Vilkins. I have got names ready made to the end of the alphabet, and all the way through it again, when we come to Z.' “是我，麦恩太太。我们照着ABC的顺序给这些宝贝取名字，上一个是S--斯瓦布尔，我给取的。这一个是T--我就叫他退斯特，下边来的一个就该叫恩文了，再下一个是维尔金斯。我已经把名字取到末尾几个字母了，等我们到了Z的时候，就又重头开始。” 'Why, you're quite a literary character, sir!' said Mrs. Mann. “乖乖，你可真算得上是位大文豪呢，先生。”麦思太太说。 'Well, well,' said the beadle, evidently gratified with the compliment; 'perhaps I may be. Perhaps I may be, Mrs. Mann.' He finished the gin-and-water, and added, 'Oliver being now too old to remain here, the board have determined to have him back into the house. I have come out myself to take him there. So let me see him at once.' “得了，得了，”干事显然让这一番恭维吹捧得心花怒放，“兴许算得上，兴许算得上吧，麦恩太太。”他把掺水杜松子酒一饮而尽，补充说，“奥立弗呆在这里嫌大了一些，理事会决定让他迁回济贫院，我亲自过来一趟就是要带他走，你叫他这就来见我。” 'I'll fetch him directly,' said Mrs. Mann, leaving the room for that purpose. Oliver, having had by this time as much of the outer coat of dirt which encrusted his face and hands, removed, as could be scrubbed off in one washing, was led into the room by his benevolent protectress. “我马上把他叫来。”麦恩太太说着，特意离开了客厅。这时候，奥立弗脸上手上包着的一层污泥已经擦掉，洗一次也就只能擦掉这么多，由这位好心的女保护人领着走进房间。 
“给这位先生鞠个躬，奥立弗。”麦恩太太说。 Oliver made a bow, which was divided between the beadle on the chair, and the cocked hat on the table. 奥立弗鞠了一躬，这一番礼仪半是对着坐在椅子上的教区干事，半是对着桌上的三角帽。 'Will you go along with me, Oliver?' said Mr. Bumble, in a majestic voice. “奥立弗，你愿意跟我一块儿走吗？”邦布尔先生的声音很威严。 Oliver was about to say that he would go along with anybody with great readiness, when, glancing upward, he caught sight of Mrs. Mann, who had got behind the beadle's chair, and was shaking her fist at him with a furious countenance. He took the hint at once, for the fist had been too often impressed upon his body not to be deeply impressed upon his recollection. 奥立弗刚要说他巴不得跟谁一走了事，眼睛一抬，正好看见麦恩太太拐到邦布尔先生椅子后边，正气势汹汹地冲着自己挥动拳头，他立刻领会了这一暗示，这副拳头在他身上加盖印记的次数太多了，不可能不在他的记忆中留下深刻的印象。 'Will she go with me?' inquired poor Oliver. “她也跟我一起去吗？”可怜的奥立弗问。 
“不，她走不开，”邦布尔先生回答，“不过她有时会来看看你。” This was no very great consolation to the child. Young as he was, however, he had sense enough to make a feint of feeling great regret at going away. It was no very difficult matter for the boy to call tears into his eyes. Hunger and recent ill-usage are great assistants if you want to cry; and Oliver cried very naturally indeed. Mrs. Mann gave him a thousand embraces, and what Oliver wanted a great deal more, a piece of bread and butter, less he should seem too hungry when he got to the workhouse. With the slice of bread in his hand, and the little brown-cloth parish cap on his head, Oliver was then led away by Mr. Bumble from the wretched home where one kind word or look had never lighted the gloom of his infant years. And yet he burst into an agony of childish grief, as the cottage-gate closed after him. Wretched as were the little companions in misery he was leaving behind, they were the only friends he had ever known; and a sense of his loneliness in the great wide world, sank into the child's heart for the first time. 对这个孩子说来，这完全算不上一大安慰，尽管他还很小，却已经能够特意装出非常舍不得离开的表情。要这个孩子挤出几滴泪水也根本不是什么太难的事情。只要想哭，挨饿以及新近遭受的虐待也很有帮助。奥立弗哭得的确相当自然。麦恩太太拥抱了奥立弗一千次，还给了他一块奶油面包，这对他要实惠得多，省得他一到济贫院就露出一副饿痨相。奥立弗手里拿着面包，戴上一顶教区配备的茶色小帽，当下便由邦布尔先生领出了这一所可悲的房屋，他在这里度过的幼年时代真是一团漆黑，从来没有被一句温和的话语或是一道亲切的目光照亮过。尽管如此，当那所房子的大门在身后关上时，他还是顿时感到一阵稚气的哀伤，他把自己那班不幸的小伙伴丢在身后了，他们淘气是淘气，但却是他结识的不多的几个好朋友，一种只身掉进茫茫人海的孤独感第一次沉入孩子的心田。 Mr. Bumble walked on with long strides; little Oliver, firmly grasping his gold-laced cuff, trotted beside him, inquiring at the end of every quarter of a mile whether they were 'nearly there.' To these interrogations Mr. Bumble returned very brief and snappish replies; for the temporary blandness which gin-and-water awakens in some bosoms had by this time evaporated; and he was once again a beadle. 邦布尔先生大步流星地走着，小奥立弗紧紧抓住他的金边袖口，一溜小跑地走在旁边。每走两三百码，他就要问一声是不是“快到了”。对于这些问题，邦布尔先生报以极其简短而暴躁的答复，掺水杜松子酒在某些人胸中只能唤起短时间的温和大度，这种心情到这会儿已经蒸发完了，他重又成为一名教区干事。 Oliver had not been within the walls of the workhouse a quarter of an hour, and had scarcely completed the demolition of a second slice of bread, when Mr. Bumble, who had handed him over to the care of an old woman, returned; and, telling him it was a board night, informed him that the board had said he was to appear before it forthwith. 奥立弗在济贫院里还没呆上一刻钟，刚解决了另外一片面包，把他交给一位老太太照看，自己去办事的邦布尔先生就回来了，他告诉奥立弗，今天晚上赶上理事会开会，理事们要他马上去见一面。 Not having a very clearly defined notion of what a live board was, Oliver was rather astounded by this intelligence, and was not quite certain whether he ought to laugh or cry. He had no time to think about the matter, however; for Mr. Bumble gave him a tap on the head, with his cane, to wake him up: and another on the back to make him lively: and bidding him to follow, conducted him into a large white-washed room, where eight or ten fat gentlemen were sitting round a table. At the top of the table, seated in an arm-chair rather higher than the rest, was a particularly fat gentleman with a very round, red face. 奥立弗多少给这个消息吓了一跳，一块木板怎么是活的①，他显然一无所知，完全搞不清楚自己究竟应该笑还是应该哭，不过，他也没功夫去琢磨这事了。邦布尔先生用手杖在他头上敲了一记，以便使他清醒过来，落在背上的另一记是要他振作些，然后吩咐他跟上，领着他走进一间粉刷过的大房间，十来位胖胖的绅士围坐在一张桌子前边。上首一把圈椅比别的椅子高出许多，椅子上坐着一位特别胖的绅士，一张脸滚圆通红。 
“给各位理事鞠一躬。”邦布尔说道。奥立弗抹掉在眼睛里打转的两三滴泪水，他看见前面只有一张桌子，没有木板，只好将就着朝桌子鞠了一躬。 'What's your name, boy?' said the gentleman in the high chair. “孩子，你叫什么名字？”高椅子上的绅士开口了。 Oliver was frightened at the sight of so many gentlemen, which made him tremble: and the beadle gave him another tap behind, which made him cry. These two causes made him answer in a very low and hesitating voice; whereupon a gentleman in a white waistcoat said he was a fool. Which was a capital way of raising his spirits, and putting him quite at his ease. 奥立弗一见有这么多绅士不禁大吃一惊，浑身直哆嗦，干事又在背后捅了他一下，打得他号陶大哭。由于这两个原因，他回答的时候声音很低，而且很犹豫，一位穿白色背心的先生当即断言，他是一个傻瓜。应该说明，预言吉凶是这位绅士提神开心的一种重要方法。 'Boy,' said the gentleman in the high chair, 'listen to me. You know you're an orphan, I suppose?' “孩子，”坐在高椅子上的绅士说道，“你听着，我想，你知道自己是孤儿吧？” 'What's that, sir?' inquired poor Oliver. “先生，你说什么？”可怜的奥立弗问道。 
“这孩子是个傻瓜--以前可能就是。”穿白背心的绅士说。 'Hush!' said the gentleman who had spoken first. 'You know you've got no father or mother, and that you were brought up by the parish, don't you?' “别打岔。”最先发话的那位绅士说道，“你无父无母，是教区把你抚养大的，你知道不知道？” 'Yes, sir,' replied Oliver, weeping bitterly. “知道，先生。”奥立弗回答时哭得很伤心。 'What are you crying for?' inquired the gentleman in the white waistcoat. And to be sure it was very extraordinary. What COULD the boy be crying for? “你哭什么？”穿白背心的绅士问道。是啊，这确实太不可理解了，这孩子能有什么值得哭的？
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