AFFORDING AN EXPLANATION OF MORE MYSTERIES THAN ONE, AND COMPREHENDING A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE WITH NO WORD OF SETTLEMENT OR PIN-MONEY
提供了比一个更多的谜团解释，并且包含一个没有谈到结婚的提议

The events narrated in the last chapter were yet but two days old, when Oliver found himself, at three o’clock in the afternoon, in a travelling-carriage rolling fast towards his native town. —
最后一章讲述的事件仅过去两天，当Oliver发现自己在下午三点，坐在一辆快速驶向他的故乡的马车里 —

Mrs. Maylie, and Rose, and Mrs. Bedwin, and the good doctor were with him: —
Maylie夫人、Rose、Bedwin夫人和仁慈的医生和他同在 —

and Mr. Brownlow followed in a post-chaise, accompanied by one other person whose name had not been mentioned.
布朗洛先生跟在一辆驿马车后面，还有另外一个人，名字没有提到

They had not talked much upon the way; for Oliver was in a flutter of agitation and uncertainty which deprived him of the power of collecting his thoughts, and almost of speech, and appeared to have scarcely less effect on his companions, who shared it, in at least an equal degree. —
在路上他们并没有说太多话；因为Oliver充满了不安和不确定，导致他无法集中思绪，几乎无法开口，对同行的影响几乎一样严重 —

He and the two ladies had been very carefully made acquainted by Mr. Brownlow with the nature of the admissions which had been forced from Monks; —
他和两位女士已经由布朗洛先生非常仔细地了解到Monks被迫承认的事情的性质 —

and although they knew that the object of their present journey was to complete the work which had been so well begun, still the whole matter was enveloped in enough of doubt and mystery to leave them in endurance of the most intense suspense.
虽然他们知道他们目前旅行的目的是完成已经开始得很好的工作，但整个事情被足够的怀疑和神秘所笼罩，让他们处于极度悬疑的忍耐之中

The same kind friend had, with Mr. Losberne’s assistance, cautiously stopped all channels of communication through which they could receive intelligence of the dreadful occurrences that so recently taken place. —
同样友好的人在洛斯伯恩先生的帮助下，谨慎地阻止了他们接收最近发生的可怕事件信息的所有渠道 —

‘It was quite true,’ he said, ‘that they must know them before long, but it might be at a better time than the present, and it could not be at a worse.’ —
他说：“这是完全真实的，”他说，“他们必须很快知道这些，但也许在比现在更好的时机，而且不能在更糟的时机。” —

So, they travelled on in silence: each busied with reflections on the object which had brought them together: —
所以，他们沉默地继续旅行，每个人都沉浸在关于他们聚在一起的目标的反思中 —

and no one disposed to give utterance to the thoughts which crowded upon all.
没有人愿意表达这些思想的想法

But if Oliver, under these influences, had remained silent while they journeyed towards his birth-place by a road he had never seen, how the whole current of his recollections ran back to old times, and what a crowd of emotions were wakened up in his breast, when they turned into that which he had traversed on foot: —
但是如果在这些影响下，奥利弗保持沉默，他们朝着他从未见过的路程走向他的出生地，他所有的回忆的整个过去就涌向他的胸膛 —

a poor houseless, wandering boy, without a friend to help him, or a roof to shelter his head.
一个没有朋友帮助他或屋顶遮蔽他头的穷困无家可归的流浪男孩

‘See there, there!’ cried Oliver, eagerly clasping the hand of Rose, and pointing out at the carriage window; —
“看那儿，那儿！”奥利弗兴奋地握住罗丝的手，指着马车窗户外 —

‘that’s the stile I came over; there are the hedges I crept behind, for fear any one should overtake me and force me back! —
“那是我走过的山梯；那是我爬过的树篱，为了不让任何人追上我迫使我回家！” —

Yonder is the path across the fields, leading to the old house where I was a little child! Oh Dick, Dick, my dear old friend, if I could only see you now!’
那条小路穿过田野，通往我小时候生活过的老房子！哦，迪克，迪克，我亲爱的老朋友，如果我能见到你就好了！

‘You will see him soon,’ replied Rose, gently taking his folded hands between her own. —
“你很快就会见到他的，” 罗丝 gently 说着，温柔地握住他的双手。 —

‘You shall tell him how happy you are, and how rich you have grown, and that in all your happiness you have none so great as the coming back to make him happy too.’
“你会告诉他你有多幸福有多富有，以及你在所有幸福中最大的快乐就是回来让他也快乐。”

‘Yes, yes,’ said Oliver, ‘and we’ll–we’ll take him away from here, and have him clothed and taught, and send him to some quiet country place where he may grow strong and well,–shall we?’
“是的，是的，” 奥利弗说道，“我们会把他带走，让他穿得暖和，接受教育，送到某个宁静的乡村地方，让他变得强壮健康，对吗？”

Rose nodded ‘yes,’ for the boy was smiling through such happy tears that she could not speak.
罗丝点了点头，“是的”，因为男孩透过快乐的泪水微笑着，她无法开口。

‘You will be kind and good to him, for you are to every one,’ said Oliver. —
“你对他会很友善和善良，因为你对每个人都是如此,” 奥利弗说道。 —

‘It will make you cry, I know, to hear what he can tell; —
“我知道这会让你哭泣，听他说的会让你哭泣； —

but never mind, never mind, it will be all over, and you will smile again–I know that too–to think how changed he is; —
但不要紧，不要紧，一切都会结束，你会再次微笑–我也知道–想想他变了多少； —

you did the same with me. He said “God bless you” to me when I ran away,’ cried the boy with a burst of affectionate emotion; —
你对我也是这样。他对我说“上帝保佑你”当我逃跑时，’男孩哭着说，充满深情的情感爆发； —

‘and I will say “God bless you” now, and show him how I love him for it!’
‘我现在也要说“上帝保佑你”，并向他展示我是多么爱他！’

As they approached the town, and at length drove through its narrow streets, it became matter of no small difficulty to restrain the boy within reasonable bounds. —
当他们接近镇子时，最终驶入狭窄的街道，要让男孩保持理性的边界变得相当困难。 —

There was Sowerberry’s the undertaker’s just as it used to be, only smaller and less imposing in appearance than he remembered it–there were all the well-known shops and houses, with almost every one of which he had some slight incident connected–there was Gamfield’s cart, the very cart he used to have, standing at the old public-house door–there was the workhouse, the dreary prison of his youthful days, with its dismal windows frowning on the street–there was the same lean porter standing at the gate, at sight of whom Oliver involuntarily shrunk back, and then laughed at himself for being so foolish, then cried, then laughed again–there were scores of faces at the doors and windows that he knew quite well–there was nearly everything as if he had left it but yesterday, and all his recent life had been but a happy dream.
有Sowerberry的殡仪馆，就如他记得的那样，只是规模较小，外观不那么令人敬畏–有所有熟悉的商店和房屋，几乎每一个他都和某种微不足道的事件相关–有Gamfield的马车，他过去拥有的那辆马车，停在旧公共房屋门口–有工house，他年轻时的凄凉监狱，那些凄凉的窗户凝视着街道–有同样那位瘦削的门卫站在门口，Oliver看到他不由自主地缩了缩，然后嘲笑自己如此愚蠢，然后哭了，然后又笑了–门口和窗户处有许许多多张他很熟悉的脸–几乎所有的一切仿佛他昨天才离开，而他最近的生活只是一个快乐的梦。

But it was pure, earnest, joyful reality. —
但这是纯粹、真诚、快乐的现实。 —

They drove straight to the door of the chief hotel (which Oliver used to stare up at, with awe, and think a mighty palace, but which had somehow fallen off in grandeur and size); —
他们径直开到首家酒店的门口（Oliver曾仰视这家酒店，感到敬畏，认为是一座宏伟的宫殿，但现在却在雄伟和规模上有所减少）； —

and here was Mr. Grimwig all ready to receive them, kissing the young lady, and the old one too, when they got out of the coach, as if he were the grandfather of the whole party, all smiles and kindness, and not offering to eat his head–no, not once; —
现在地方所有准备就绪，卧房布置完毕，一切仿佛是魔法般安排的； —

not even when he contradicted a very old postboy about the nearest road to London, and maintained he knew it best, though he had only come that way once, and that time fast asleep. —
尽管所有这些，当第一个半小时的匆忙结束时，仍然保持着旅途中的沉默和约束。 —

There was dinner prepared, and there were bedrooms ready, and everything was arranged as if by magic.
布朗爷没有和他们一起吃饭，而是留在另一间房间。

Notwithstanding all this, when the hurry of the first half-hour was over, the same silence and constraint prevailed that had marked their journey down. —
其他两位绅士面带忧虑地匆匆忙忙进进出出，当他们在场的短暂间隙，就分开交谈。 —

Mr. Brownlow did not join them at dinner, but remained in a separate room. —
有一次，梅莱太太被叫走了，之后几乎一个小时后带着红肿的眼睛回来。 —

The two other gentlemen hurried in and out with anxious faces, and, during the short intervals when they were present, conversed apart. —
所有这一切使得罗斯和奥利弗，不知情的他们变得紧张和不舒服。 —

Once, Mrs. Maylie was called away, and after being absent for nearly an hour, returned with eyes swollen with weeping. —
这一切东西都使得罗斯和奥利弗两人有些紧张和不自在，他们并不知道任何新的秘密。 —

All these things made Rose and Oliver, who were not in any new secrets, nervous and uncomfortable. —
一切按计划进行，令人神奇。 —

They sat wondering, in silence; or, if they exchanged a few words, spoke in whispers, as if they were afraid to hear the sound of their own voices.
他们坐在那里静静地想着，或者，如果他们交换了几句话，也是小声细语，仿佛他们害怕听到自己声音的声音。

At length, when nine o’clock had come, and they began to think they were to hear no more that night, Mr. Losberne and Mr. Grimwig entered the room, followed by Mr. Brownlow and a man whom Oliver almost shrieked with surprise to see; —
终于，在九点钟到来时，他们开始觉得今晚不会再听到更多的消息了，洛斯伯恩先生和格林威格先生走进房间，布朗洛先生和一个人跟在后面，让奥利弗几乎惊叫出声。 —

for they told him it was his brother, and it was the same man he had met at the market-town, and seen looking in with Fagin at the window of his little room. —
他们告诉他那是他的兄弟，并且那正是他在市镇上见到过，并且看见他和费金站在他小房间窗口外的同一个人。 —

Monks cast a look of hate, which, even then, he could not dissemble, at the astonished boy, and sat down near the door. —
蒙克斯对着吃惊的男孩投去一个无法掩饰的仇恨的眼神，并坐在门附近。 —

Mr. Brownlow, who had papers in his hand, walked to a table near which Rose and Oliver were seated.
拿着文件的布朗洛先生走到离罗斯和奥利弗坐着的桌子旁边。

‘This is a painful task,’ said he, ‘but these declarations, which have been signed in London before many gentlemen, must be in substance repeated here. —
“这是一个痛苦的任务，”他说，“但这些在伦敦许多绅士面前签署的声明，必须在这里实质性地重复一遍。 —

I would have spared you the degradation, but we must hear them from your own lips before we part, and you know why.’
我本想不让你受辱，但在我们分别之前，我们必须从你自己的嘴里听到，你知道为什么。”

‘Go on,’ said the person addressed, turning away his face. —
“继续，”被称呼的人说着，扭过脸去。 —

‘Quick. I have almost done enough, I think. —
“快一点。我觉得我已经做够了。 —

Don’t keep me here.’
不要把我留在这里。”

‘This child,’ said Mr. Brownlow, drawing Oliver to him, and laying his hand upon his head, ‘is your half-brother; —
“这个孩子，”布朗洛先生说着，把奥利弗拉到自己身边，把手放在他的头上，“是你的同父异母的弟弟； —

the illegitimate son of your father, my dear friend Edwin Leeford, by poor young Agnes Fleming, who died in giving him birth.’
你亲爱的父亲，我亲爱的朋友爱德温·利福德的私生子，他和可怜的年轻阿格尼丝·弗莱明，在生他时去世。”

‘Yes,’ said Monks, scowling at the trembling boy: —
“是的，”蒙克斯对着颤抖的男孩怒视着： —

the beating of whose heart he might have heard. —
他或许能听到男孩心跳的声音。 —

‘That is the bastard child.’
“那就是那个私生子。”

‘The term you use,’ said Mr. Brownlow, sternly, ‘is a reproach to those long since passed beyond the feeble censure of the world. —
“你所用的字眼是对那些早已超越世俗批评的人的一种指责，”布朗洛先生严厉地说道。 —

It reflects disgrace on no one living, except you who use it. —
除了你使用这个词的人之外，没有任何活着的人会因此感到羞耻。 —

Let that pass. He was born in this town.’
“就让它这样吧。他是在这个镇上出生的。”

‘In the workhouse of this town,’ was the sullen reply. —
“在这个镇的救济院里出生，”板着脸回答道。 —

‘You have the story there.’ He pointed impatiently to the papers as he spoke.
“你把故事都在这儿了。”他说着，一边指向桌上的文件。

‘I must have it here, too,’ said Mr. Brownlow, looking round upon the listeners.
“我这里也必须有这个故事，”布朗洛先生看着周围的听众说道。

‘Listen then! You!’ returned Monks. ‘His father being taken ill at Rome, was joined by his wife, my mother, from whom he had been long separated, who went from Paris and took me with her–to look after his property, for what I know, for she had no great affection for him, nor he for her. —
“那就听着吧！你！”蒙克斯回答道。“他的父亲在罗马病倒后，被他长久分开的妻子，也就是我的母亲，从巴黎赶来，带着我一起去照看他的财产，至于我所知，因为她对他并没有什么深情，他对她也同样如此。” —

He knew nothing of us, for his senses were gone, and he slumbered on till next day, when he died. —
他对我们一无所知，因为他的感官已经消失，直到第二天他去世前一直沉睡着。 —

Among the papers in his desk, were two, dated on the night his illness first came on, directed to yourself’; —
在他桌子上的文件中，有两封信，日期是他病情发作的那个夜晚，写给你的。 —

he addressed himself to Mr. Brownlow; ‘and enclosed in a few short lines to you, with an intimation on the cover of the package that it was not to be forwarded till after he was dead. —
他向布朗洛先生提了一封信；’在信封上有个通知，说在他去世后才能转交。 —

One of these papers was a letter to this girl Agnes; —
其中一封信是写给那个名叫Agnes的女孩的； —

the other a will.’
另一封是遗嘱。

‘What of the letter?’ asked Mr. Brownlow.
‘信里写了什么？’布朗洛先生问。

‘The letter?–A sheet of paper crossed and crossed again, with a penitent confession, and prayers to God to help her. —
‘信？–用笔反复写着的纸，是悔罪的忏悔，请求上帝帮助她。 —

He had palmed a tale on the girl that some secret mystery–to be explained one day–prevented his marrying her just then; —
他对那女孩编造了一个故事，说有个秘密谜团–有一天会揭开–阻止了他当时与她结婚； —

and so she had gone on, trusting patiently to him, until she trusted too far, and lost what none could ever give her back. —
所以她继续信任他，耐心地等着他，直到信任放得太远，失去了永远无法挽回的东西。 —

She was, at that time, within a few months of her confinement. —
那时，她距离分娩只有几个月了。 —

He told her all he had meant to do, to hide her shame, if he had lived, and prayed her, if he died, not to curse his memory, or think the consequences of their sin would be visited on her or their young child; —
他告诉她他原本打算怎么隐藏她的耻辱，如果他活着，请求她，如果他去世，不要诅咒他的记忆，或认为他们的罪过会加诸在她或他们的孩子身上； —

for all the guilt was his. He reminded her of the day he had given her the little locket and the ring with her christian name engraved upon it, and a blank left for that which he hoped one day to have bestowed upon her–prayed her yet to keep it, and wear it next her heart, as she had done before–and then ran on, wildly, in the same words, over and over again, as if he had gone distracted. —
因为所有的罪过都是他的。他提醒她他给她那个小护身符和戒指的那天，戒指上刻着她的基督教名字，还有一个留给希望有一天能给她的空白–请求她继续保管，并像之前一样佩戴在心脏旁边–然后继续疯狂地重复相同的话语，仿佛他已经疯狂了。 —

I believe he had.’
我相信他已经疯了。

‘The will,’ said Mr. Brownlow, as Oliver’s tears fell fast.
‘遗嘱，’奥利弗的眼泪如雨下。

Monks was silent.
蒙克斯沉默了。

‘The will,’ said Mr. Brownlow, speaking for him, ‘was in the same spirit as the letter. —
“遗嘱。”布朗洛先生代表他说道，“跟信的精神是一样的。” —

He talked of miseries which his wife had brought upon him; —
他谈到了妻子带给他的苦难； —

of the rebellious disposition, vice, malice, and premature bad passions of you his only son, who had been trained to hate him; —
谈到了你这个唯一的儿子，被培养成厌恶他的叛逆性格、恶习、恶意和过早的坏习性； —

and left you, and your mother, each an annuity of eight hundred pounds. —
并留给你和你的母亲，每人八百英镑的年金。 —

The bulk of his property he divided into two equal portions–one for Agnes Fleming, and the other for their child, if it should be born alive, and ever come of age. —
他的大部分财产分为两等份–一半给艾格尼丝·弗莱明，另一半给他们的孩子，如果孩子能够活着出生，而且长到成年。 —

If it were a girl, it was to inherit the money unconditionally; —
如果是女孩，她将无条件继承这笔钱； —

but if a boy, only on the stipulation that in his minority he should never have stained his name with any public act of dishonour, meanness, cowardice, or wrong. —
但如果是男孩，条件是在他未成年时，绝不能让自己的名字被任何公开的耻辱、卑鄙、怯懦或错误所玷污。 —

He did this, he said, to mark his confidence in the other, and his conviction–only strengthened by approaching death–that the child would share her gentle heart, and noble nature. —
他这样做，他说，是为了表明他对另一个人的信任，以及他的信念–只有在临终之际更加坚定–孩子将继承她温和的心灵和高贵的天性。 —

If he were disappointed in this expectation, then the money was to come to you: —
如果他对这个期望感到失望，那么这笔钱就归你所有； —

for then, and not till then, when both children were equal, would he recognise your prior claim upon his purse, who had none upon his heart, but had, from an infant, repulsed him with coldness and aversion.’
因为那时，当两个孩子平等时，他才会认可你对他钱包的优先要求，而对他的心没有。

‘My mother,’ said Monks, in a louder tone, ‘did what a woman should have done. She burnt this will. —
“我母亲。”蒙克斯大声说道，“做了一个女人应该做的事。她烧毁了这份遗嘱。 —

The letter never reached its destination; —
这封信从未抵达它的目的地； —

but that, and other proofs, she kept, in case they ever tried to lie away the blot. —
但那封信和其他证据，她保留了下来，以防他们试图掩盖事实。 —

The girl’s father had the truth from her with every aggravation that her violent hate–I love her for it now–could add. —
这个女孩的父亲从她那里得知了实情，而她的激烈仇恨–如今我为此爱她–却让真相更加恶化。 —

Goaded by shame and dishonour he fled with his children into a remote corner of Wales, changing his very name that his friends might never know of his retreat; —
被耻辱和不名誉痛苦驱使，他带着孩子逃到了威尔士的一个偏远角落，甚至改名字以免朋友们得知他的藏身之处； —

and here, no great while afterwards, he was found dead in his bed. —
然后，不久之后，他被发现死在床上。 —

The girl had left her home, in secret, some weeks before; —
这个女孩在几周前秘密离开了家。 —

he had searched for her, on foot, in every town and village near; —
他步行在每一个附近的城镇和村庄里寻找她。 —

it was on the night when he returned home, assured that she had destroyed herself, to hide her shame and his, that his old heart broke.’
就在他回家的那个晚上，确信她已经毁了自己，为了掩盖她的羞耻和他自己的，他那颗老心碎了。

There was a short silence here, until Mr. Brownlow took up the thread of the narrative.
在这里有一个短暂的沉默，直到布朗罗先生接续叙述。

‘Years after this,’ he said, ‘this man’s–Edward Leeford’s–mother came to me. —
“多年之后，”他说，“这个人，爱德华·利福德的母亲来找我。 —

He had left her, when only eighteen; robbed her of jewels and money; —
他只有十八岁就离开了她；偷走了珠宝和钱财； —

gambled, squandered, forged, and fled to London: —
赌博，挥霍，伪造，逃到伦敦； —

where for two years he had associated with the lowest outcasts. —
在那里，他与最底层的败类们交往了两年。 —

She was sinking under a painful and incurable disease, and wished to recover him before she died. —
她正在患着一种痛苦且不可治愈的疾病，希望在她死之前把他找回来。 —

Inquiries were set on foot, and strict searches made. —
调查开始了，进行了严密的搜索。 —

They were unavailing for a long time, but ultimately successful; and he went back with her to France.’
长时间的无功而终，但最终获得了成功；他带着她回到了法国。

‘There she died,’ said Monks, ‘after a lingering illness; —
“她在那里去世了，”莫克斯说，“在病中缠绵不舍； —

and, on her death-bed, she bequeathed these secrets to me, together with her unquenchable and deadly hatred of all whom they involved–though she need not have left me that, for I had inherited it long before. —
在她临终前，她把这些秘密和对所有相关者的无法消除的、致命的仇恨都传给了我–虽然她不必留给我那个，因为我早就继承了它。 —

She would not believe that the girl had destroyed herself, and the child too, but was filled with the impression that a male child had been born, and was alive. —
她不相信这个女孩毁了自己，还有孩子；相信一个男孩已经出生并且还活着。 —

I swore to her, if ever it crossed my path, to hunt it down; never to let it rest; —
我向她誓言，如果它碰巧出现在我面前，我将追捕它；决不让它安宁； —

to pursue it with the bitterest and most unrelenting animosity; —
追捕它，带着最痛苦且毫不留情的敌意； —

to vent upon it the hatred that I deeply felt, and to spit upon the empty vaunt of that insulting will by draggin it, if I could, to the very gallows-foot. —
向它发泄我深深的憎恶，并对那句嘲虐的遗嘱嗤之以鼻，如果可能的话，将它拖到荒吊的绳头下。 —

She was right. He came in my way at last. I began well; —
她是对的。它最终出现在我的面前。我开始得不错； —

and, but for babbling drabs, I would have finished as I began!’
如果不是那些多嘴的婊子，我会像一开始那样结束！’

As the villain folded his arms tight together, and muttered curses on himself in the impotence of baffled malice, Mr. Brownlow turned to the terrified group beside him, and explained that the Jew, who had been his old accomplice and confidant, had a large reward for keeping Oliver ensnared: —
小偷怒气填膺地抱臂，喃喃自语着自己的无能和愤怒，在无力的恶意里自怜自哀。布朗罗先生转向他身边吓坏了的一群人，并解释说，那个犹太人曾是他的古老同谋和知己，为了保持奥利弗被困住而得到了一大笔奖金： —

of which some part was to be given up, in the event of his being rescued: —
其中一部分将在他被救出时被放弃： —

and that a dispute on this head had led to their visit to the country house for the purpose of identifying him.
而争议导致他们来到乡间别墅，目的是为了确认他的身份。

‘The locket and ring?’ said Mr. Brownlow, turning to Monks.
“那个项链和戒指？”布朗罗先生转向蒙克斯。

‘I bought them from the man and woman I told you of, who stole them from the nurse, who stole them from the corpse,’ answered Monks without raising his eyes. —
“我是从那个我告诉过你的男人和女人那里买的，他们是从那位保姆那里偷的，而她是从尸体那里偷的。”蒙克斯没有抬起眼睛回答道。 —

‘You know what became of them.’
“你知道它们后来怎么了。”

Mr. Brownlow merely nodded to Mr. Grimwig, who disappearing with great alacrity, shortly returned, pushing in Mrs. Bumble, and dragging her unwilling consort after him.
布朗罗先生仅仅向格林威格先生点了点头，后者大吃一惊地消失了，不久便推着邦尔太太进来，然后拽着她不情愿的丈夫跟了进来。

‘Do my hi’s deceive me!’ cried Mr. Bumble, with ill-feigned enthusiasm, ‘or is that little Oliver? —
“我所看到的是否让我眼花？”邦尔太太伪装热情地大喊，“那是小奥利弗吗？ —

Oh O-li-ver, if you know’d how I’ve been a-grieving for you–’
“喂，奥-利-弗，你要知道我为你感到多么伤心—”

‘Hold your tongue, fool,’ murmured Mrs. Bumble.
“闭嘴，傻瓜。”邦尔太太低声说道。

‘Isn’t natur, natur, Mrs. Bumble?’ remonstrated the workhouse master. —
‘邦布尔太太，自然就是自然，不是吗？’工house负责人抗议道。 —

‘Can’t I be supposed to feel–I as brought him up porochially–when I see him a-setting here among ladies and gentlemen of the very affablest description! —
‘我难道不应该感到–我可是把他在教区里抚养大的–看见他坐在这里，身边是一群非常亲切的女士和先生们，我难道不应该感到这样！ —

I always loved that boy as if he’d been my–my–my own grandfather,’ said Mr. Bumble, halting for an appropriate comparison. —
邦布尔先生停下脚步，寻找一个相应的比喻，说：’我总是爱护那个孩子，就好像他是我的–我的–我的亲祖父一样。 —

‘Master Oliver, my dear, you remember the blessed gentleman in the white waistcoat? Ah! —
‘奥利弗先生，亲爱的，你还记得那位身穿白色马甲的仁慈先生吗？啊！ —

he went to heaven last week, in a oak coffin with plated handles, Oliver.’
他上周去了天堂，躺在一具镶着银把手的橡木棺材里，奥利弗。

‘Come, sir,’ said Mr. Grimwig, tartly; ‘suppress your feelings.’
‘来吧，先生，’格林威格委婉地说道：’克制一下你的感情吧。

‘I will do my endeavours, sir,’ replied Mr. Bumble. ‘How do you do, sir? I hope you are very well.’
‘我会尽力的，先生，’邦布尔先生答道，’你好，先生？希望你一切都好。

This salutation was addressed to Mr. Brownlow, who had stepped up to within a short distance of the respectable couple. —
这个问候是对准在离他们不远的地方停下来的布朗洛先生说的。 —

He inquired, as he pointed to Monks,
他指向蒙克斯，询问道：

‘Do you know that person?’
‘你认识那个人吗？

‘No,’ replied Mrs. Bumble flatly.
‘不，’邦布尔太太干脆地回答。

‘Perhaps you don’t?’ said Mr. Brownlow, addressing her spouse.
‘也许你不认识？’布朗洛先生问到她的丈夫。

‘I never saw him in all my life,’ said Mr. Bumble.
‘我这辈子从未见过他，’邦布尔先生说。

‘Nor sold him anything, perhaps?’
‘也从未向他卖过东西，可能吗？

‘No,’ replied Mrs. Bumble.
‘不，’邦布尔太太回答。

‘You never had, perhaps, a certain gold locket and ring?’ said Mr. Brownlow.
“你也许从来没有一个金锁链和戒指？”布朗诺先生说。

‘Certainly not,’ replied the matron. ‘Why are we brought here to answer to such nonsense as this?’
“当然没有，”女管家回答。“为什么我们要在这里回答这种胡言乱语呢？”

Again Mr. Brownlow nodded to Mr. Grimwig; —
布朗诺先生再次对格林威格先生点点头； —

and again that gentleman limped away with extraordinary readiness. —
那位绅士又一次以非凡的敏捷走开了。 —

But not again did he return with a stout man and wife; —
但这一次，他没有再带来一对夫妻； —

for this time, he led in two palsied women, who shook and tottered as they walked.
而是带来两个摇摇晃晃的中风女人。

‘You shut the door the night old Sally died,’ said the foremost one, raising her shrivelled hand, ‘but you couldn’t shut out the sound, nor stop the chinks.’
“在老萨莉死去的那天晚上，你关上了门，”领头的那位说道，举起她干瘪的手，“但你关不住声音，也挡不住缝隙。”

‘No, no,’ said the other, looking round her and wagging her toothless jaws. ‘No, no, no.’
“不，不，”另一位转过头，摇着没有牙齿的下颚说。“不，不，不。”

‘We heard her try to tell you what she’d done, and saw you take a paper from her hand, and watched you too, next day, to the pawnbroker’s shop,’ said the first.
“我们听到她试图告诉你她做了什么，看到你从她手中拿走了一张纸，第二天去了当铺，”第一位说。

‘Yes,’ added the second, ‘and it was a “locket and gold ring.” —
“是的，”第二位补充道，“那是一个『锁链和金戒指』。” —

We found out that, and saw it given you. —
我们知道了这一点，看到了你拿到了它。 —

We were by. Oh! we were by.’
我们在旁边。哦！我们一直在旁边。

‘And we know more than that,’ resumed the first, ‘for she told us often, long ago, that the young mother had told her that, feeling she should never get over it, she was on her way, at the time that she was taken ill, to die near the grave of the father of the child.’
“我们知道的不止这些，”第一位继续说，“因为她很久以前就经常告诉我们，那位年轻母亲告诉她，因为感觉自己再也无法恢复，她当时正要去死在孩子的父亲的坟墓附近。”

‘Would you like to see the pawnbroker himself?’ asked Mr. Grimwig with a motion towards the door.
“你想见那家当铺老板吗？”格林威格朝着门口示意。

‘No,’ replied the woman; ‘if he–she pointed to Monks–‘has been coward enough to confess, as I see he has, and you have sounded all these hags till you have found the right ones, I have nothing more to say. —
“不，”那位女人回答，“如果他——她指向蒙克斯——已经胆怯到招供，正如我所看到的，而你已经询问过所有这些老妇人，直到找到对的人，我就没有什么可说的了。 —

I did sell them, and they’re where you’ll never get them. What then?’
我确实卖掉了它们，它们现在是在你永远拿不到的地方。那又如何呢？

‘Nothing,’ replied Mr. Brownlow, ‘except that it remains for us to take care that neither of you is employed in a situation of trust again. —
“没有什么，”布朗罗先生回答道，”除了我们需要确保你们两个中没有人再从事受信任的工作。 —

You may leave the room.’
你们可以离开房间了。”

‘I hope,’ said Mr. Bumble, looking about him with great ruefulness, as Mr. Grimwig disappeared with the two old women: —
“我希望，”邦布尔先生说着，看看四周，当格里姆威先生和那两位老妇人消失后: —

‘I hope that this unfortunate little circumstance will not deprive me of my porochial office?’
“我希望这次不幸的小事件不会让我失去我的教区职位？”

‘Indeed it will,’ replied Mr. Brownlow. ‘You may make up your mind to that, and think yourself well off besides.’
“当然会，”布朗罗先生回答道，”你可以做好心理准备，并且觉得自己很幸运。”

‘It was all Mrs. Bumble. She would do it,’ urged Mr. Bumble; —
“都是邦布尔夫人干的。她就是要这么做，”邦布尔先生辩解道; —

first looking round to ascertain that his partner had left the room.
他首先环顾四周，确保他的合伙人已经离开了房间。

‘That is no excuse,’ replied Mr. Brownlow. —
“这不是借口，”布朗罗先生回答道。 —

‘You were present on the occasion of the destruction of these trinkets, and indeed are the more guilty of the two, in the eye of the law; —
“你在这些饰物被破坏时在场，事实上在法律的眼里你比另一个更有罪; —

for the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction.’
因为法律认为你的妻子是在你的指示下行动的。”

‘If the law supposes that,’ said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, ‘the law is a ass–a idiot. —
“如果法律认为那样，”邦布尔先生说着，用两只手有力地捏紧他的帽子，”那么法律就是个傻瓜–个白痴。 —

If that’s the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; —
如果那是法律的眼光，那法律就是个单身汉; —

and the worst I wish the law is, that his eye may be opened by experience–by experience.’
我希望法律经历后能睁开双眼–经历。

Laying great stress on the repetition of these two words, Mr. Bumble fixed his hat on very tight, and putting his hands in his pockets, followed his helpmate downstairs.
强调这两个词的重复，邦布尔先生戴紧了帽子，双手揣在口袋里，跟着他的爱人下楼。

‘Young lady,’ said Mr. Brownlow, turning to Rose, ‘give me your hand. Do not tremble. —
“年轻女士，”布朗洛先生转向罗斯说，“给我你的手。不要颤抖。 —

You need not fear to hear the few remaining words we have to say.’
你不必害怕听到我们还要说的最后几句话。”

‘If they have–I do not know how they can, but if they have–any reference to me,’ said Rose, ‘pray let me hear them at some other time. —
“如果它们有——我不知道它们怎么可能有，但如果它们有——任何关于我的内容，”罗斯说，“请让我在其他时候听到它们。 —

I have not strength or spirits now.’
我现在没有力气或精神。”

‘Nay,’ returned the old gentlman, drawing her arm through his; —
“不，”老绅士扶着她的胳膊说， —

‘you have more fortitude than this, I am sure. —
“你绝对比这个坚强。 —

Do you know this young lady, sir?’
先生，你认识这位年轻女士吗？”

‘Yes,’ replied Monks.
“是的，”蒙克斯回答。

‘I never saw you before,’ said Rose faintly.
“我以前从未见过你，”罗斯虚弱地说。

‘I have seen you often,’ returned Monks.
“我经常见到你，”蒙克斯回答。

‘The father of the unhappy Agnes had two daughters,’ said Mr. Brownlow. —
“不幸的艾格尼丝的父亲有两个女儿，”布朗洛先生说。 —

‘What was the fate of the other–the child?’
“另一个——那个孩子的命运是什么？”

‘The child,’ replied Monks, ‘when her father died in a strange place, in a strange name, without a letter, book, or scrap of paper that yielded the faintest clue by which his friends or relatives could be traced–the child was taken by some wretched cottagers, who reared it as their own.’
“那个孩子，”蒙克斯回答，“当她的父亲在一个陌生的地方以一个陌生的名字去世，没有一封信件、一本书或一小片纸可以提供最微弱线索让他的朋友或亲人被找到——那个孩子被一些可怜的农户收养，并将她抚养成了他们自己的孩子。”

‘Go on,’ said Mr. Brownlow, signing to Mrs. Maylie to approach. ‘Go on!’
“继续说，”布朗洛先生示意梅莱夫人走近。“继续说！”

‘You couldn’t find the spot to which these people had repaired,’ said Monks, ‘but where friendship fails, hatred will often force a way. —
“你找不到这些人去了哪个地方，”蒙克斯说，“但友谊无法做到的事情，仇恨往往会找到方式强行闯入。 —

My mother found it, after a year of cunning search–ay, and found the child.’
我母亲找到了她，经过一年的狡猾寻找—啊，找到了这个孩子。

‘She took it, did she?’
‘她带走了她吗?’

‘No. The people were poor and began to sicken–at least the man did–of their fine humanity; —
‘没有。那些人很贫穷，开始生病—至少那个男人生病了—对他们的高尚人性感到厌倦； —

so she left it with them, giving them a small present of money which would not last long, and promised more, which she never meant to send. —
所以她把孩子留给了他们，给了他们一点点钱，这不会维持多久，并承诺会送更多，但她从未打算送。 —

She didn’t quite rely, however, on their discontent and poverty for the child’s unhappiness, but told the history of the sister’s shame, with such alterations as suited her; —
然而，她并不完全依赖他们的不满和贫困造成孩子的不幸，反而给他们讲了关于姐姐耻辱的故事，适当做了修改； —

bade them take good heed of the child, for she came of bad blood; —
告诫他们好好照顾这个孩子，因为她出自坏血统； —

and told them she was illegitimate, and sure to go wrong at one time or other. —
告诉他们她是私生子，注定要走上邪路。 —

The circumstances countenanced all this; the people believed it; —
这些情况都证实了这一切；那些人相信了这些； —

and there the child dragged on an existence, miserable enough even to satisfy us, until a widow lady, residing, then, at Chester, saw the girl by chance, pitied her, and took her home. —
孩子过着悲惨的生活，甚至连我们都满意，直到一个当时住在切斯特的寡妇看见这个女孩，怜悯她，并把她带回家。 —

There was some cursed spell, I think, against us; —
我想，我们可能受了某种可恶的诅咒； —

for in spite of all our efforts she remained there and was happy. —
因为尽管我们的努力，她仍然留在那里，而且很快乐。 —

I lost sight of her, two or three years ago, and saw her no more until a few months back.’
两三年前，我失去了她的踪影，直到几个月前才再次见到她。

‘Do you see her now?’
‘你现在看见她了吗?’

‘Yes. Leaning on your arm.’
‘是的。靠在你的胳膊上。’

‘But not the less my niece,’ cried Mrs. Maylie, folding the fainting girl in her arms; —
‘但她仍然是我的侄女，’梅利夫人喊道，把晕倒的女孩抱在怀里。 —

‘not the less my dearest child. I would not lose her now, for all the treasures of the world. —
我最亲爱的孩子，我现在不能失去她，即使是世界上所有的宝藏也不行。 —

My sweet companion, my own dear girl!’
我亲爱的伴侣，我自己的宝贝女孩！

‘The only friend I ever had,’ cried Rose, clinging to her. —
“我唯一的朋友！”罗丝抱着她说。 —

‘The kindest, best of friends. My heart will burst. I cannot bear all this.’
“最善良、最好的朋友。我的心都要碎了。我不能忍受这一切。”

‘You have borne more, and have been, through all, the best and gentlest creature that ever shed happiness on every one she knew,’ said Mrs. Maylie, embracing her tenderly. —
“你承受了更多，却始终是所有认识她的人中幸福洒满的最善良、最温柔的人。”梅莱夫人亲切地拥抱她。 —

‘Come, come, my love, remember who this is who waits to clasp you in his arms, poor child! —
“来吧，亲爱的，记住等待着拥抱你的是谁，可怜的孩子！ —

See here–look, look, my dear!’
看这里——看，亲爱的！”

‘Not aunt,’ cried Oliver, throwing his arms about her neck; —
“不是姑妈，”奥利弗喊着抱住她的脖子； —

‘I’ll never call her aunt–sister, my own dear sister, that something taught my heart to love so dearly from the first! —
“我永远不会叫她姑妈——姐姐，我亲爱的姐姐，从一开始就教会了我的心如此深爱着你！ —

Rose, dear, darling Rose!’
罗丝，亲爱的，可爱的罗丝！”

Let the tears which fell, and the broken words which were exchanged in the long close embrace between the orphans, be sacred. —
让孤儿们在长时间的紧密拥抱中流下的眼泪和交换的断断续续的话语是神圣的。 —

A father, sister, and mother, were gained, and lost, in that one moment. —
一个父亲、一个姐妹和一个母亲在那一刻得到了，又失去了。 —

Joy and grief were mingled in the cup; but there were no bitter tears: —
欢乐与悲伤交织在一起；但没有苦涩的眼泪： —

for even grief itself arose so softened, and clothed in such sweet and tender recollections, that it became a solemn pleasure, and lost all character of pain.
因为即使是悲伤本身，也因这么柔和，包裹在如此甜蜜而温柔的回忆中，变成了一种庄严的快乐，失去了所有的痛苦性质。

They were a long, long time alone. A soft tap at the door, at length announced that some one was without. —
他们独处了很长时间。最终，门外传来轻轻的敲门声，宣布有人在外面。 —

Oliver opened it, glided away, and gave place to Harry Maylie.
奥利弗打开房门，悄然离去，让位给了哈里·梅利。

‘I know it all,’ he said, taking a seat beside the lovely girl. ‘Dear Rose, I know it all.’
“我明白一切，”他坐在那位可爱女孩身旁说道。”亲爱的罗丝，我明白一切。”

‘I am not here by accident,’ he added after a lengthened silence; —
“我不是偶然在这里的，”他在一段沉默之后又补充道； —

‘nor have I heard all this to-night, for I knew it yesterday–only yesterday. —
“而且我昨晚已经知道了这一切–就在昨天。 —

Do you guess that I have come to remind you of a promise?’
你猜我来这里是为了提醒你一个承诺吗？”

‘Stay,’ said Rose. ‘You do know all.’
“等等，”罗丝说道。”你 的确 全部知道了。”

‘All. You gave me leave, at any time within a year, to renew the subject of our last discourse.’
“全都知道。你允许我在一年内任何时候重新提起我们上次谈话的话题。”

‘I did.’
“是的。”

‘Not to press you to alter your determination,’ pursued the young man, ‘but to hear you repeat it, if you would. —
“并不是要让你改变自己的决定，”年轻人继续说道，”而是想听你重复一遍，如果你愿意的话。 —

I was to lay whatever of station or fortune I might possess at your feet, and if you still adhered to your former determination, I pledged myself, by no word or act, to seek to change it.’
我将我所拥有的地位或财富放在你脚下，如果你仍然坚持之前的决定，我保证自己，绝不通过任何言语或行动来试图改变它。”

‘The same reasons which influenced me then, will influence me now,’ said Rose firmly. —
“当初影响我做出决定的原因，现在依然会影响我，”罗丝坚定地说道。 —

‘If I ever owed a strict and rigid duty to her, whose goodness saved me from a life of indigence and suffering, when should I ever feel it, as I should to-night? —
“如果我曾经对那位对我恩义深重，拯救我不至于过着贫困和痛苦生活的人有着严格和坚定的责任，那么在哪一天，我会感受到它，像我今晚这样感受到？ —

It is a struggle,’ said Rose, ‘but one I am proud to make; —
“这是一场挣扎，”罗丝说道，”但我为之自豪； —

it is a pang, but one my heart shall bear.’
它是一种痛苦，但我愿意忍受。

‘The disclosure of to-night,’–Harry began.
“今晚的揭示，”–哈里开始说道。

‘The disclosure of to-night,’ replied Rose softly, ‘leaves me in the same position, with reference to you, as that in which I stood before.’
‘今晚的启示，’罗斯轻声回答道，’让我和你之间的处境与以前一样。’

‘You harden your heart against me, Rose,’ urged her lover.
‘你对我冷淡起来了，罗斯，’她的情人劝说道。

‘Oh Harry, Harry,’ said the young lady, bursting into tears; —
‘哦，哈利，哈利，’年轻女士说着，泪如泉涌； —

‘I wish I could, and spare myself this pain.’
‘我希望我能够，免除自己这份痛苦。’

‘Then why inflict it on yourself?’ said Harry, taking her hand. —
‘那为什么要折磨自己呢？’哈利说着，拉着她的手。 —

‘Think, dear Rose, think what you have heard to-night.’
‘想想，亲爱的罗斯，想想你今晚听到了什么。’

‘And what have I heard! What have I heard!’ —
‘我听到了什么！我听到了什么！’ —

cried Rose. ‘That a sense of his deep disgrace so worked upon my own father that he shunned all–there, we have said enough, Harry, we have said enough.’
罗斯哭道：“我的父亲因他的深深耻辱感而自卑，以至于回避了所有——好了，哈里，我们说得够多了，我们说得够多了。”

‘Not yet, not yet,’ said the young man, detaining her as she rose. —
“还没有，还没有，”年轻人说着，留住她起身的动作。 —

‘My hopes, my wishes, prospects, feeling: every thought in life except my love for you: —
“我的希望、愿望、前景、感情：除了我对你的爱之外的一切思绪在我的生活中都经历了一种变化。 —

have undergone a change. I offer you, now, no distinction among a bustling crowd; —
“我现在向你奉献的不是在熙熙攘攘人群中的某种区别； —

no mingling with a world of malice and detraction, where the blood is called into honest cheeks by aught but real disgrace and shame; —
“也不是在一个充满恶意和诽谤的世界中与人交往，在这里，血液会被除了真正的耻辱和羞愧以外的任何事激起，脸颊泛红； —

but a home–a heart and home–yes, dearest Rose, and those, and those alone, are all I have to offer.’
“而是一个家园——一个心灵和家园——是的，最亲爱的罗斯，这就是我所能奉献的一切。”

‘What do you mean!’ she faltered.
“你是什么意思!” 她结结巴巴地说。

‘I mean but this–that when I left you last, I left you with a firm determination to level all fancied barriers between yourself and me; —
“我只是意思是——当我上次离开你时，我决心消除你和我之间所有虚构的障碍； —

resolved that if my world could not be yours, I would make yours mine; —
“我决心如果我的世界不能成为你的，我就让你的世界成为我的； —

that no pride of birth should curl the lip at you, for I would turn from it. This I have done. —
“不管出于什么出身引起的骄傲，都不会对你颔首示意，因为我会摒弃它。这我已经做到了。 —

Those who have shrunk from me because of this, have shrunk from you, and proved you so far right. —
“那些因为这个原因而避开我的人，自然也避开了你，并在某种程度上证明了你的正确。 —

Such power and patronage: such relatives of influence and rank: —
“那时对我微笑的权力和赞助：那些有影响力和地位的亲戚： —

as smiled upon me then, look coldly now; —
“现在看起来对我冷淡； —

but there are smiling fields and waving trees in England’s richest county; —
“但在英格兰最富饶的县中，有着一片笑颜的田野和摇曳的树木； —

and by one village church–mine, Rose, my own! —
“并且在一个教堂旁的村庄——是我的，罗斯，属于我自己的！” —

–there stands a rustic dwelling which you can make me prouder of, than all the hopes I have renounced, measured a thousandfold. —
——那里有一间乡村住宅，你可以让我为之自豪，胜过我所放弃的所有希望，千倍之多。 —

This is my rank and station now, and here I lay it down!’
这就是我的身份和地位，我在这里放下它！

* * * * * * *

‘It’s a trying thing waiting supper for lovers,’ said Mr. Grimwig, waking up, and pulling his pocket-handkerchief from over his head.
“等情侣吃晚饭真是让人心烦,” 格林威先生说道，睡眼朦胧地从头上拿下手帕来。

Truth to tell, the supper had been waiting a most unreasonable time. —
说实话，晚饭等了很不合理的时间。 —

Neither Mrs. Maylie, nor Harry, nor Rose (who all came in together), could offer a word in extenuation.
既不是梅莱夫人，也不是哈里，更不是罗斯（他们全都同时进来），都无法为此给出任何辩解的话语。

‘I had serious thoughts of eating my head to-night,’ said Mr. Grimwig, ‘for I began to think I should get nothing else. —
格林威先生说道，“我今晚本来认真考虑咬下自己的头，因为我开始觉得我将得不到别的。 —

I’ll take the liberty, if you’ll allow me, of saluting the bride that is to be.’
如果你们允许的话，我想请允许我向即将成为新娘的女孩问候。”

Mr. Grimwig lost no time in carrying this notice into effect upon the blushing girl; —
格林威先生毫不拖延地向羞涩的女孩行这个礼; —

and the example, being contagious, was followed both by the doctor and Mr. Brownlow: —
医生和布朗洛先生都跟随着这个示例，效仿着; —

some people affirm that Harry Maylie had been observed to set it, orginally, in a dark room adjoining; —
一些人声称，一开始观察到哈里·梅莱是在一间毗邻的黑暗房间里摆放的; —

but the best authorities consider this downright scandal: he being young and a clergyman.
但最好的权威认为这完全是丑闻：他是个年轻的教士。

‘Oliver, my child,’ said Mrs. Maylie, ‘where have you been, and why do you look so sad? —
“奥利弗，我的孩子，” 梅莱夫人说道，“你去哪了，为什么看起来这么悲伤？ —

There are tears stealing down your face at this moment. —
此刻你脸上有泪水流下来。 —

What is the matter?’
有什么事吗？”

It is a world of disappointment: often to the hopes we most cherish, and hopes that do our nature the greatest honour.
这是一个充满失望的世界：常常对我们最珍视的希望，对那些最能体现我们本性的希望。

Poor Dick was dead!
可怜的迪克已经去世了！