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“有人敲门,”凯尔司先生装出若无其事的样子说道,“哪位去把门打开。” Nobody moved. 谁也不动弹。 'It seems a strange sort of a thing, a knock coming at such a time in the morning,' said Mr. Giles, surveying the pale faces which surrounded him, and looking very blank himself; 'but the door must be opened. Do you hear, somebody?' “这倒真是件怪事,老大清早跑来敲门,”凯尔司先生将周围一张张煞白的面孔依次看过来,他自己也面如死灰。“可门总得开啊,听见没有,那谁?” Mr. Giles, as he spoke, looked at Brittles; but that young man, being naturally modest, probably considered himself nobody, and so held that the inquiry could not have any application to him; at all events, he tendered no reply. Mr. Giles directed an appealing glance at the tinker; but he had suddenly fallen asleep. The women were out of the question. 凯尔司先生一边说,一边拿眼睛盯住布里特尔斯,小伙子生性十分谦虚,也许考虑到自己是一个无名小卒,所以认为这个问题和自己毫无关系,总之,他避而不答。凯尔司先生将请求的眼光转向补锅匠,偏偏他又突如其来地睡着了。女士们更不在话下。 'If Brittles would rather open the door, in the presence of witnesses,' said Mr. Giles, after a short silence, 'I am ready to make one.' “如果布里特尔斯非得当着证人的面把门打开的话,”凯尔司先生沉默了一会说道,“我愿意作证。” 
“我也算一个。”补锅匠突然醒了,他刚才也是这样突然睡着了。 Brittles capitualated on these terms; and the party being somewhat re-assured by the discovery (made on throwing open the shutters) that it was now broad day, took their way upstairs; with the dogs in front. The two women, who were afraid to stay below, brought up the rear. By the advice of Mr. Giles, they all talked very loud, to warn any evil-disposed person outside, that they were strong in numbers; and by a master-stoke of policy, originating in the brain of the same ingenious gentleman, the dogs' tails were well pinched, in the hall, to make them bark savagely. 基于上述条件,布里特尔斯屈服了。大家发现(掀开窗板得到的发现),天已经大亮,多少放心了一些,他们让狗跑在前边,自己拾级而上。两位害怕呆在下边的女士也跟在后边上去了。依照凯尔司先生的提议,大家高声交谈,以此警告门外无论哪一个居心不良的家伙,他们在人数上占有优势,又根据同一位很有发明天才的绅士想出的一条独出心裁的妙计,在门厅里使劲扯那两只狗的尾巴,让它们没命地叫。 These precautions having been taken, Mr. Giles held on fast by the tinker's arm (to prevent his running away, as he pleasantly said), and gave the word of command to open the door. Brittles obeyed; the group, peeping timourously over each other's shoulders, beheld no more formidable object than poor little Oliver Twist, speechless and exhausted, who raised his heavy eyes, and mutely solicited their compassion. 采取了这几项防范措施之后,凯尔司先生紧紧抓住补锅匠的手腕(他得意洋洋地说,免得他溜掉),下达了开门的命令。布里特尔斯照办了。这一群人提心吊胆,隔着别人的肩膀往外瞅,没有发现什么可怕的东西,只见可怜的小奥立弗·退斯特虚弱得说不出话,吃力地抬起眼睛,无声地乞求他们怜悯。 'A boy!' exclaimed Mr. Giles, valiantly, pushing the tinker into the background. 'What's the matter with the--eh?--Why--Brittles--look here--don't you know?' “一个孩子!”凯尔司先生大叫一声,勇不可当地把补锅匠掀到身后。“怎么回事--呢?--怪了--布里特尔斯--瞧这儿--你还没明白吗?” Brittles, who had got behind the door to open it, no sooner saw Oliver, than he uttered a loud cry. Mr. Giles, seizing the boy by one leg and one arm (fortunately not the broken limb) lugged him straight into the hall, and deposited him at full length on the floor thereof. 一开门就钻到门后边去了的布里特尔斯猛然看见奥立弗,不禁发出一声大叫,凯尔司先生抓住这孩子的一条腿和一只胳臂(幸好不是受伤的一只),把他拖进门厅,直挺挺地撂在地板上。 
“就是他。”凯尔司先生神气活现地向楼上大喊大叫。“太太,逮住一个小偷,太太。这里有个贼,小姐。受了伤了,小姐。我打中他了,小姐,是布里特尔斯替我掌的灯。” '--In a lantern, miss,' cried Brittles, applying one hand to the side of his mouth, so that his voice might travel the better. “用的是一盏提灯,小姐。”布里特尔斯嚷着说,他把手按在嘴边,以便让他的声音传得更清楚一些。 The two women-servants ran upstairs to carry the intelligence that Mr. Giles had captured a robber; and the tinker busied himself in endeavouring to restore Oliver, lest he should die before he could be hanged. In the midst of all this noise and commotion, there was heard a sweet female voice, which quelled it in an instant. 两个女仆带着凯尔司先生捕获了一个窃贼的消息向楼上奔去,补锅匠为抢救奥立弗忙得不亦乐乎,免得还没来得及把他挂上绞刑架,倒先完事了。在这一片嘈杂纷乱之中,响起了一个女子甜美的嗓音,刹那间,一切都平静下来。 'Giles!' whispered the voice from the stair-head. “凯尔司!”那嗓音在楼梯口轻声叫道。 'I'm here, miss,' replied Mr. Giles. 'Don't be frightened, miss; I ain't much injured. He didn't make a very desperate resistance, miss! I was soon too many for him.' “在,小姐,”凯尔司先生口答,“别怕,小姐,我没怎么受伤。他也没有拼命挣扎,小姐。我三下五除二就把他制住了。” 
“嘘!”少女回答,“那伙小偷把姑妈吓坏了,现在你也要吓着她了。这可怜的家伙伤很重吧?” 'Wounded desperate, miss,' replied Giles, with indescribable complacency. “伤得厉害,小姐。”凯尔司带着难以形容的得意答道。 'He looks as if he was a-going, miss,' bawled Brittles, in the same manner as before. 'Wouldn't you like to come and look at him, miss, in case he should?' “他看上去快不行了,小姐,”布里特尔斯高声喊道,那副神气跟刚才一模一样。“小姐,您不想来看他一眼?万一他果真不行了可就来不及了。” 'Hush, pray; there's a good man!' rejoined the lady. 'Wait quietly only one instant, while I speak to aunt.' “别嚷嚷好不好,这才像个男子汉。”少女回答,“安安静静地等一下,我跟姑妈说说去。” With a footstep as soft and gentle as the voice, the speaker tripped away. She soon returned, with the direction that the wounded person was to be carried, carefully, upstairs to Mr. Giles's room; and that Brittles was to saddle the pony and betake himself instantly to Chertsey: from which place, he was to despatch, with all speed, a constable and doctor. 随着一阵和声音一样轻柔的脚步声,说话人走开了。她很快又回来了,吩咐把那个受了伤的人抬到楼上凯尔司先生的房间去,要细心一点。布里特尔斯去替那匹小马备鞍,立即动身赶往杰茨,以最快速度从那儿请一位警官和一位大夫来。 
“不过您要不要先看看他,小姐。”凯尔司先生非常自豪地问,仿佛奥立弗是某种羽毛珍奇的鸟儿,由他身手不凡地打下来的一样。“要不要看一眼,小姐?” 'Not now, for the world,' replied the young lady. 'Poor fellow! Oh! treat him kindly, Giles for my sake!' “要看也不是现在,”少女答道,“可怜的家伙。噢。对他好一点,凯尔司,看在我的分上。” The old servant looked up at the speaker, as she turned away, with a glance as proud and admiring as if she had been his own child. Then, bending over Oliver, he helped to carry him upstairs, with the care and solicitude of a woman. 说话人转身走了,老管家抬眼凝视着她,那眼色又是骄傲又是赞赏,就好像她是自己的孩子一样。接着他朝奥立弗躬下身子,带着女性般的细致与热心帮着把他抬上楼去。 In a handsome room: though its furniture had rather the air of old-fashioned comfort, than of modern elegance: there sat two ladies at a well-spread breakfast-table. Mr. Giles, dressed with scrupulous care in a full suit of black, was in attendance upon them. He had taken his station some half-way between the side-board and the breakfast-table; and, with his body drawn up to its full height, his head thrown back, and inclined the merest trifle on one side, his left leg advanced, and his right hand thrust into his waist-coat, while his left hung down by his side, grasping a waiter, looked like one who laboured under a very agreeable sense of his own merits and importance. 这是一个雅致的房间(尽管室内陈设带有老派的舒适格调,而不是风雅的现代气派),一桌丰盛的早餐已经摆好,餐桌旁坐着两位女士。凯尔司先生一丝不苟,身着全套黑色礼服,侍候着她们。他把自己的位置定在餐具架与餐桌之间的某个地方--身子挺得笔直,头向后仰着,略微侧向一边,左腿跨前,右手插在背心里,左手紧握着一只托盘,贴在身边--一看就知道这是一个对自己的价值与重要地位感觉极佳的人。 Of the two ladies, one was well advanced in years; but the high-backed oaken chair in which she sat, was not more upright than she. Dressed with the utmost nicety and precision, in a quaint mixture of by-gone costume, with some slight concessions to the prevailing taste, which rather served to point the old style pleasantly than to impair its effect, she sat, in a stately manner, with her hands folded on the table before her. Her eyes (and age had dimmed but little of their brightness) were attentively upon her young companion. 两位女士当中有一位年事已高。然而她腰板挺直,与她坐的那把高背橡木椅子可有一比。她穿着极为考究严谨,旧式服装上奇妙地揉进了对时尚品味的一些细小让步,非但无损于格调,反而突出了老派风格的效果。她神色庄重,双手交叉着搭在面前的桌子上,一双丝毫也没有因为岁月流逝而变得暗淡的眼睛全神贯注地凝视着同桌的年轻小姐。 
这位小姐光彩照人,正当妙龄,如果真有天使秉承上帝的美好意愿下凡投胎,我们可以无须担心亵渎神灵地猜想,她们也会像她那样青春美妙。 She was not past seventeen. Cast in so slight and exquisite a mould; so mild and gentle; so pure and beautiful; that earth seemed not her element, nor its rough creatures her fit companions. The very intelligence that shone in her deep blue eye, and was stamped upon her noble head, seemed scarcely of her age, or of the world; and yet the changing expression of sweetness and good humour, the thousand lights that played about the face, and left no shadow there; above all, the smile, the cheerful, happy smile, were made for Home, and fireside peace and happiness. 她不到十七岁,可以说天生丽质,模样娴静文雅,纯洁妩媚,尘世似乎本不是她的栖身之地,几间的俗物也不是她的同类。聪慧在她那双深邃的蓝眼睛里闪耀,展现在她高贵的额头上,这种聪慧就她这个年龄或者说在这个世界上似乎颇为罕见。然而,那仪态万方的温柔贤淑,那照亮整个面庞,没有留下丝毫阴影的千道光辉,特别是她的微笑,那种欢乐幸福的微笑--这一切都是为了营造家庭、炉边的安谧和幸福。
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