名著·雾都孤儿 - 第39节


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  “不,小娘们没疯。”这场混战弄得南希脸如死灰,上气不接下气。“她才没发疯呢,费金,别当回事。”

   'Then keep quiet, will you?' said the Jew, with a threatening look.

  “那就安静点吧,好不好?”老犹太杀气腾腾地说。

   'No, I won't do that, neither,' replied Nancy, speaking very loud. 'Come! What do you think of that?'

  “不,我偏不!”南希高声回答,“喂。你们打算如何?”

   Mr. Fagin was sufficiently well acquainted with the manners and customs of that particular species of humanity to which Nancy belonged, to feel tolerably certain that it would be rather unsafe to prolong any conversation with her, at present. With the view of diverting the attention of the company, he turned to Oliver.

  像南希这类身份特殊的女子有些什么派头、习惯,费金先生是心中有数的。有一点他很清楚,目前再与她理论下去是要冒险的。为了岔开大家伙的注意力,他朝奥立弗转过身去。

   'So you wanted to get away, my dear, did you?' said the Jew, taking up a jagged and knotted club which law in a corner of the fireplace;'eh?'

  “这么说,你还想跑哦,我亲爱的,是不是?”老犹太说着,把壁炉角上放着的一根满是节瘤、凹凸不平的棍子拿在手里。“呃?”

  奥立弗没有答话,他呼吸急促,注视着老犹太的一举一动。

   'Wanted to get assistance; called for the police; did you?' sneered the Jew, catching the boy by the arm. 'We'll cure you of that, my young master.'

  “你想找人帮忙,把警察招来,对不对?”费金冷笑一声,抓住奥立弗的肩膀。“我的小少爷,我们会把你这毛病治好的。”

   The Jew inflicted a smart blow on Oliver's shoulders with the club; and was raising it for a second, when the girl, rushing forward, wrested it from his hand. She flung it into the fire, with a force that brought some of the glowing coals whirling out into the room.

  费金抡起棍子,狠狠地照着奥立弗肩上就是一棍。他扬起棍子正要来第二下,南希姑娘扑了上去,从他手中夺过木棍,用力扔进火里,溅出好些通红的煤块,在屋里直打转。

   'I won't stand by and see it done, Fagin,' cried the girl. 'You've got the boy, and what more would you have?--Let him be--let him be--or I shall put that mark on some of you, that will bring me to the gallows before my time.'

  “我不会袖手旁观的,费金,”南希喝道,“你已经把孩子搞到手了,还要怎么着?--放开他--你放开他,不然,我就把那个戳也给你们盖几下,提前送我上绞架算了。”

   The girl stamped her foot violently on the floor as she vented this threat; and with her lips compressed, and her hands clenched, looked alternately at the Jew and the other robber: her face quite colourless from the passion of rage into which she had gradually worked herself.

  姑娘使劲地跺着地板,发出这一番恫吓。她捐着嘴唇,双手紧握,依次打量着老犹太和那个强盗,脸上没有一丝血色,这是由于激怒造成的。

  “嗳,南希啊,”过了一会儿,费金跟赛克斯先生不知所措地相互看了一眼,口气和缓地说道,“你--你可从来没像今儿晚上这么懂事呢,哈哈。我亲爱的,戏演得真漂亮。”

   'Am I!' said the girl. 'Take care I don't overdo it. You will be the worse for it, Fagin, if I do; and so I tell you in good time to keep clear of me.'

  “是又怎么样。”南希说道,“当心,别让我演过火了。真要是演过火了,费金,你倒霉可就大了,所以我告诉你,趁早别来惹我。”

   There is something about a roused woman: especially if she add to all her other strong passions, the fierce impulses of recklessness and despair; which few men like to provoke. The Jew saw that it would be hopeless to affect any further mistake regarding the reality of Miss Nancy's rage; and, shrinking involuntarily back a few paces, cast a glance, half imploring and half cowardly, at Sikes: as if to hint that he was the fittest person to pursue the dialogue.

  一个女人发起火来--特别是她又在所有其他的激情之中加上了不顾一切的冲动的话--身上的确便产生了某种东西,男人很少有愿意去招惹的。老犹太发现,再要假装误解南希小姐发怒这一现实的话,事情将变得无可挽回。他不由得后退几步,半带恳求半带怯懦地看了赛克斯一眼,似乎想表示他才是继续这场谈话最合适的人。

   Mr. Sikes, thus mutely appealed to; and possibly feeling his personal pride and influence interested in the immediate reduction of Miss Nancy to reason; gave utterance to about a couple of score of curses and threats, the rapid production of which reflected great credit on the fertility of his invention. As they produced no visible effect on the object against whom they were discharged, however, he resorted to more tangible arguments.

  面对这一番无声的召唤,也可能是因为感觉到能不能马上让南希小姐恢复理智关系到他本人的荣誉和影响吧,赛克斯发出了大约四十来种咒骂、恐吓,这些东西来得之快表明他很有发明创造方面的才能。然而,这一套并没有在攻击目标身上产生明显的效果,他只得依靠更为实际一些的证据了。

   'What do you mean by this?' said Sikes; backing the inquiry with a very common imprecation concerning the most beautiful of human features: which, if it were heard above, only once out of every fifty thousand times that it is uttered below, would render blindness as common a disorder as measles: 'what do you mean by it? Burn my body! Do you know who you are, and what you are?'

  “你这是什么意思?”赛克斯问这句话的时候使用了一句极为常用的诅咒,涉及了人类五官中最美妙的一处①,凡间发出的每五万次这种诅咒中只要有一次被上苍听到,便会使双目失明变得跟麻疹一样平常。“你什么意思?活见鬼。你知道你是谁,是个什么东西?”

  “喔,知道,我全知道。”姑娘歇斯底里地放声大笑,头摇来摇去,那副冷漠的样子装得很勉强。

   'Well, then, keep quiet,' rejoined Sikes, with a growl like that he was accustomed to use when addressing his dog, 'or I'll quiet you for a good long time to come.'

  “那好,你就安静点儿吧,”赛克斯用平常唤狗的腔调大吼大叫,“要不我会让你安静一时半会儿的。”

   The girl laughed again: even less composedly than before; and, darting a hasty look at Sikes, turned her face aside, and bit her lip till the blood came.

  姑娘又笑了起来,甚至比先前更不冷静了,她匆匆看了赛克斯一眼,头又转到一边,鲜血从紧咬着的嘴唇淌下来。

   'You're a nice one,' added Sikes, as he surveyed her with a contemptuous air, 'to take up the humane and gen--teel side! A pretty subject for the child, as you call him, to make a friend of!'

  “你有种,”赛克斯看着她说,一副轻蔑的样子。“你也想学菩萨心肠,做上等人了。你管他叫小孩,他倒是个漂亮角色,你就跟他交个朋友吧。”

   'God Almighty help me, I am!' cried the girl passionately; 'and I wish I had been struck dead in the street, or had changed places with them we passed so near to-night, before I had lent a hand in bringing him here. He's a thief, a liar, a devil, all that's bad, from this night forth. Isn't that enough for the old wretch, without blows?'

  “全能的上帝,保佑我吧,我会的。”姑娘冲动地喊叫着,“早知道要我出手把他弄到这儿来,我宁可在街上给人打死,或者跟咱们今晚路过的那个地方的人换换位子。从今天晚上起他就是一个贼,一个骗子,一个魔鬼了,就有那么坏。那个老浑蛋,还非得接他一顿才满足吗?”

  “嗨,嗨,赛克斯,”费金用规劝的嗓门提醒道,指了指站在一旁的几个少年,他们瞪大眼睛看着发生的一切。“大伙说话客气点儿,客气点儿,比尔。”

   'Civil words!' cried the girl, whose passion was frightful to see. 'Civil words, you villain! Yes, you deserve 'em from me. I thieved for you when I was a child not half as old as this!' pointing to Oliver. 'I have been in the same trade, and in the same service, for twelve years since. Don't you know it? Speak out! Don't you know it?'

  “客气点儿!”南希高声叫道。她满面怒容,看着让人害怕。“客气点儿,你这个坏蛋!不错,这些话就该我对你说。我还是个小孩的时候,年龄还没他一半大,我就替你偷东西了。”她指了指奥立弗。“我干这种买卖,这种行当已经十二年了。你不知道吗?说啊。你知不知道?”

   'Well, well,' replied the Jew, with an attempt at pacification; 'and, if you have, it's your living!'

  “得,得,”费金一心要息事宁人,“就算那样,你也是为了混口饭吃。”

   'Aye, it is!' returned the girl; not speaking, but pouring out the words in one continuous and vehement scream. 'It is my living; and the cold, wet, dirty streets are my home; and you're the wretch that drove me to them long ago, and that'll keep me there, day and night, day and night, till I die!'

  “哼,混口饭吃。”姑娘答道,她不是在说话,而是用一连串厉声喊叫把这些话语倾泻出来。“我混口饭吃,又冷又湿的肮脏街道成了我的家,很久以前,就是你这个恶棍把我赶到街上,要我呆在那儿,不管白天晚上,晚上白天,一直到我死。”

   'I shall do you a mischief!' interposed the Jew, goaded by these reproaches; 'a mischief worse than that, if you say much more!'

  “你要是再多嘴的话,我可要跟你翻脸了。”老犹太被这一番辱骂激怒了,打断了她的话。“我翻起脸来更不认人。”

  姑娘没再多说,她怒不可遏地撕扯着自己的头发和衣裳,朝老犹太撞了过去,要不是赛克斯眼明手快,一把抓住她的手腕,说不定已经在他身上留下复仇的印记了。她软弱无力地挣扎了几下便昏了过去。

   'She's all right now,' said Sikes, laying her down in a corner. 'She's uncommon strong in the arms, when she's up in this way.'

  “她眼下没事了,”赛克斯说着把她放倒在角落里。“她这么发作起来,胳膊劲大着呢。”

   The Jew wiped his forehead: and smiled, as if it were a relief to have the disturbance over; but neither he, nor Sikes, nor the dog, nor the boys, seemed to consider it in any other light than a common occurance incidental to business.

  费金抹了抹额头,微微一笑,仿佛对这场风波告一段落感到欣慰。然而无论是他、赛克斯、那只狗,还是那几个孩子,似乎都认办这不过是一桩司空见惯的小事而已。

   'It's the worst of having to do with women,' said the Jew, replacing his club; 'but they're clever, and we can't get on, in our line, without 'em. Charley, show Oliver to bed.'

  “跟娘们儿打交道真是倒霉透了,”费金把棍子放回原处,说道,“可她们都挺机灵,干我们这一行又离不开她们。查理,带奥立弗睡觉去。”

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名著·雾都孤儿 - 第39节