书虫6级《名利场》第十二章: 出生、婚姻和去世

Becky's plan for helping Major Dobbin to achieve his desire remained a secret, as she was more interested in her own concerns for the moment. Suddenly and unexpectedly, she found herself living in comfort, surrounded by kind, good-natured people, and the change from her usual restless, uncertain life was very pleasant to her.

贝姬帮助多宾少校达成心愿的计划无人知晓，因为目前她更关心自己的切身利益。她突然来到舒适的环境里，身旁围绕着善良老实的人。较之以往居无定所、颠沛流离的生活，这种意想不到的变化让她感到十分愉悦。

So, as she was pleased herself, she tried hard to please others. She had always been good at that, and before long Joseph Sedley was her devoted slave and admirer. He stopped falling asleep after dinner. He drove out with Becky in his carriage. He invited people to dinner and gave little parties to entertain her. Soon she had a circle of admirers, and Jos's house had never been so lively as Becky caused it to be. She sang, she played, she laughed, she talked in two or three languages; she brought everybody to the house -- and made Jos believe that they came to see him.

因此，在享受这一切的同时，她也努力讨好其他人。她对此一向拿手。没过多久，约瑟夫·塞德利就成了她忠心的奴隶和崇拜者。他饭后不再睡觉，而是陪着贝姬乘马车出游。他请人来家里吃饭，还举办小型聚会给她娱乐。不久，她身边就聚集了一群崇拜者。乔斯的家从没这么热闹过，这全是贝姬的功劳。她唱歌，弹琴，说笑，讲两三种语言。她把大家都引到屋子里来，还让乔斯相信，这些人是来见他 的。

Becky soon discovered how to please Amelia. She talked to her constantly about Dobbin, how she admired him, and how cruelly Amelia had treated him. Amelia defended herself, saying she owed a lifelong devotion to George, she could never forget him, he had been the best, the most wonderful husband anyone could have… But at the same time she seemed to like hearing Becky praise the Major, and indeed, she brought the conversation round to him herself, at least twenty times a day.

贝姬很快发现怎样能取悦阿梅莉亚。她常常谈起多宾，讲她如何敬佩他，而阿梅莉亚对他有多么残忍。阿梅莉亚为自己辩解说，她一生都忠于乔治，她永远忘不了他，他是最好、最优秀的丈夫……但同时，她似乎又喜欢听到贝姬称赞少校，而且她自己也会把话题转到他身上，一天至少得提二十次。

Dobbin wrote regularly to Georgy, and once or twice he wrote to Amelia too, but his letters were cold. She had lost her power over him, and he no longer loved her, she realized. He had left her, and she saw now the beauty and the purity of the affection that she had thrown away, and she was miserable.

多宾定期给乔基写信，他也给阿梅莉亚写过一两回，不过信里语气冷冰冰的。她意识到自己已经失去了控制他的力量，他不再爱她了。他已离她而去，如今她才看清她所抛弃的真情是多么美好，多么纯真。她为此痛苦极了。

She was not happy, though. She was nervous, silent, and hard to please. In the evenings, when she tried to sing the Major's favourite songs, she would break off and hurry to her room, where, no doubt, the picture of her husband would comfort her. Georgy, looking for something in his mother's desk one day, found a pair of the Major's gloves there, neatly folded and placed in one of the secret drawers.

不过，她并不开心。她情绪紧张，沉默寡言，很难哄她高兴。晚上，她试图唱少校最喜欢的歌时，会忽然停住，匆忙回到房间。毫无疑问，她是去看丈夫的画像，寻求心理安慰。一天，乔基在他母亲的桌里找东西，发现少校的一双手套给整整齐齐地叠放在其中一个秘密抽屉里。

In June, they moved to Ostend on the Belgian coast, for the sea air. Becky met some gentlemen friends there, from her travelling days, and although she wasn't pleased to see them, they were very pleased to see her, and to learn that she had a rich friend in Mr Sedley. They invaded Jos's house, ate his dinners, drank his wine, paid drunken compliments to Amelia, and argued which of them should marry the rich little widow.

六月，他们搬到比利时的奥斯坦德，呼吸海边的新鲜空气。贝姬遇到了旅居期间结识的一些男性朋友。尽管见到他们她并不高兴，但他们却是大喜过望，并听说了她有塞德利先生这样的有钱朋友。他们闯进乔斯的房子，吃饭喝酒，说醉话奉承阿梅莉亚，吵吵嚷嚷他们谁应该娶那个有钱的小寡妇。

Becky made sure that Amelia was never left alone with these men, but Amelia was still terrified of them. She begged Jos to take her home to England, but since Becky preferred to stay in Europe, so did Jos. At last, in despair one day, Amelia wrote secretly to a friend. When she returned from posting the letter, she went to her room and stayed there. Becky realized that Amelia was frightened of the visitors in the drawing-room.

虽然贝姬确保阿梅莉亚不会单独跟那些人在一起，但阿梅莉亚还是怕得要命。她求乔斯带她回英格兰，可是因为贝姬更愿意待在欧洲，乔斯也亦步亦趋。最后，有一天在绝望之下，阿梅莉亚偷偷地给一个朋友写了封信。她寄完信回来，就留在自己房间里，一直没有出来。贝姬知道阿梅莉亚害怕客厅里的那些访客。

"Thank you," said Amelia.

“谢谢你。”阿梅莉亚说。

"Listen to me, Amelia," Becky said, looking at Amelia with a sort of angry kindness. "You must go away from here and from men like these. They are not good men. Never mind how I know them -- I know everybody. Jos can't protect you; he's too weak. He can't even protect himself. And as for you, you are no more able to look after yourself than a baby. You must marry, or you and your precious boy will be ruined. You must have a husband, you fool; and one of the best gentlemen I ever saw has asked you a hundred times, and you have refused him, you silly, heartless, ungrateful little creature!"

“听我说，阿梅莉亚。”贝姬看着她，半是气恼、半是好心地说，“你必须离开这里，远离这些人。他们不是好人。别管我怎么认识他们，我什么人都认识。乔斯保护不了你，他太软弱了，连自己都保护不了。至于你，保护自己的能力比个婴儿强不了多少。你必须结婚，不然你和你的宝贝儿子都会遭殃的。你必须有个丈夫，你这个傻瓜。我见过的最好的绅士里，有一位向你表白过一百次了，而你却拒绝了他，你这个狠心、无情、不知感恩的小东西！”

"She must go away, the silly little fool," Becky thought. "She needs a husband, and she must marry the Major. I'll arrange it tonight." So she took a cup of tea to Amelia in her room, and found her sitting there with her picture, very sad and nervous.

“她必须离开，这个小糊涂虫。”贝姬想，“她缺个丈夫，她必须嫁给少校。我今晚就安排一下。”于是，她端了一杯茶去阿梅莉亚的房间，发现她坐在那里，看着画像，一副黯然神伤、坐立不安的样子。

"I tried -- I tried my best, Rebecca," said Amelia, sorrowfully, "but I couldn't forget…" and she looked up at the picture of George which was over her bed.

“我尽——我已经尽力了，丽贝卡。”阿梅莉亚伤心地说，“但是我忘不了……”她抬头看床头上挂着的乔治画像。

"Look at this, then, you fool," said Rebecca, calmly. She took out a little note from her pocket, and dropped it into Amelia's hands. "You know his writing. He wrote that to me -- wanted me to run away with him -- gave it to me under your nose, the day before he was shot -- which he well deserved!"

“那就看看这个，你这傻瓜。”丽贝卡平静地说。她从口袋里掏出一张小字条，塞进阿梅莉亚的手里。“你认得出他的笔迹。这是他写给我的——想让我和他私奔——他被打死的前一天在你眼皮子底下给我的。他被打死可真活该！”

"That's not true, Rebecca!" Amelia cried, jumping up.

“那不是真的，丽贝卡！”阿梅莉亚大喊，跳了起来。

Amelia did not hear her; she was looking at the letter. It was the letter that George had hidden in the flowers and given to Becky on the night of the ball before the Battle of Waterloo. It was true. George had asked Becky to go away with him.

阿梅莉亚看着信，没听到她的话。那封信正是滑铁卢战役头一晚舞会上乔治藏在花里交给贝姬的。这是真的。乔治请求贝姬和他私奔。

"Couldn't forget him!" cried Becky. "That selfish fool! That vain, boastful, heartless creature! He was tired of you, Amelia, and would never have married you if Dobbin hadn't forced him to keep his promise. George told me. He never cared for you. He used to make fun of you, time after time. And the week after he married you, he was whispering words of love to me."

“忘不了他！”贝姬大叫，“那个自私的蠢货！那个爱慕虚荣、大言不惭、没心没肺的东西！他对你早厌倦了，阿梅莉亚。要不是多宾逼他遵守诺言，他根本就不会娶你。这是乔治告诉我的。他从来没关心过你，还三番五次拿你取笑。他刚娶你一个星期，就对我悄悄说情话了。”

Indeed, Amelia did not cry as much as Becky expected and, after a moment or two, Becky kissed her and said, "And now let us write to him this very minute."

的确，阿梅莉亚并没像贝姬预料的那样大哭一场。过了片刻，贝姬亲吻她，接着说：“现在我们就开始给他写信吧。”

Amelia put her face in her hands, and wept. Were those tears sweet or bitter? Did she cry because George was no longer the perfect husband she had adored -- or because there was now no reason to stop her loving Dobbin? "There's nothing to forbid me now," she thought. "I may love him with all my heart now. Oh, I will, I will, if he will let me, if he will forgive me."

阿梅莉亚捂着脸哭了起来。那些眼泪是甜蜜的还是苦涩的？她哭是因为乔治不再是她钟爱的完美丈夫，还是因为现在没什么理由妨碍她爱多宾了？“现在没什么禁忌了。”她想，“我可以全心全意地爱他了。啊，我会的，我会的，只要他允许，只要他原谅我的话。”

Becky laughed so loudly that the whole house could hear her.

贝姬哈哈大笑，整栋房子都能听到她的笑声。

"I -- I wrote to him this morning," Amelia said, blushing.

“我——我今早就给他写了。”阿梅莉亚红着脸说。

"I hope he won't cross in such bad weather," Amelia said.

“我希望他不会挑在这么糟糕的天气下过海。”阿梅莉亚说。

"Of course he will," the boy said. He pointed out to sea. "Look, mother, there's the ship now!"

“他当然会。”男孩说。他指向海面。“瞧，妈妈，船来了！”

Two mornings after this, in spite of heavy rain and a strong wind, Amelia rose early and insisted on taking a walk along the harbour with Georgy. They stared anxiously out across the rough sea, with the rain beating in their faces.

两天之后的早晨，尽管外面狂风暴雨，阿梅莉亚早早起床，坚持和乔基去港口码头散步。他们焦急地盯着波涛汹涌的海面，雨水打在他们的脸上。

Yes, there was the ship, but he might not be on it -- he might not have got the letter -- he might not choose to come. A hundred fears poured into Amelia's heart. The white-topped waves were beating like thunder against the harbour wall, and no doubt that little heart was beating just as wildly.

是的，船来了，但他可能不在船上，他可能没有收到信，他可能决定不来。千百种恐惧在阿梅莉亚的心里翻腾。白色的浪头打在港口的堤坝上，像隆隆的雷声。毫无疑问，那颗小心脏也正怦怦地狂跳着。

The ship came nearer, and a tall, thin figure could be seen on it, staring towards the harbour. "Look -- there he is!" Georgy shouted. "The man in the greatcoat -- it's Dob!" He threw his arms round his mother.

船离得更近了，可以看见船上站着一个瘦高的人影，朝港口这里望着。“瞧——他在那儿！”乔基大叫，“穿厚大衣的那个人，是多布！”他一把搂住他母亲。

Then she stepped forward, with her two little hands held out before her, and the next minute she had disappeared in his arms.

然后，她伸出两只小手向前走去，转眼就躲在他的怀抱里。

Now the ship was in the harbour, now the tall thin figure was hurrying off the ship. Suddenly, Georgy ran away, to look at something terribly interesting at the other end of the harbour, leaving his mother standing trembling in the rain.

船进港了，那瘦高个儿匆忙下了船。乔基突然跑向港口的另一头，去看什么特别有趣的东西，留下他母亲独自颤抖着站在雨中。

A little murmur could be heard. "Forgive -- dear William -- dear, dear friend -- forgive, forgive…" She was kissing one of his hands again and again, and with his other hand, Dobbin held her close to his heart, safe within the folds of his greatcoat.

她呢喃地说：“原谅——亲爱的威廉——亲爱的朋友——原谅，原谅……”她一次又一次亲吻他的手，多宾另一只手紧紧把她搂在胸前，裹在他厚大衣的褶子里。

Eventually Amelia lifted her head, and looked up at his face. It was full of sadness and love and pity.

阿梅莉亚终于抬起头看着他的脸。那脸上交织着伤感、爱意和怜悯。

At last Dobbin had what he had wanted every day and every hour for eighteen years. There she was, close to his heart, whispering loving words. At last he had the prize he had been hoping for all his life.

多宾终于得到了十八年来他每时每刻都在向往的东西。她紧贴在他胸前，低声说着情话。他终于得到了一生希求的酬报。

"No, never," he answered, and held her tightly.

“是的，不会。”他回答，紧紧搂着她。

"You will never leave me again, will you, William?"

“你再也不会离开我了，是吗，威廉？”

They walked to the house, and Georgy danced round them, laughing and singing joyously. And there we will leave them.

他们朝家走去，乔基在他们身边手舞足蹈，高兴地又唱又笑。关于他们我们就先说到这里。

"It was time you sent for me, dear Amelia," he said.

“亲爱的阿梅莉亚，该是你叫我来的时候了。”他说。

When it was over, and Georgy and his parents had left for England, Becky returned (just for a few days, of course) to comfort poor Jos, who was now left alone. Jos preferred the European life, he said, and refused his sister's invitation to live with her and her husband in England.

婚礼结束后，乔基和父母返回英格兰，留下乔斯独自一人。贝姬回来安慰可怜的乔斯（当然，她只待几天）。乔斯说他更喜欢欧洲的生活，因此拒绝了他妹妹请他去英格兰同住的邀请。

Becky never showed herself to Amelia and Dobbin again. Perhaps it was a feeling of guilt towards the kind and simple creature who had been the first in life to defend her. Perhaps it was a dislike of emotional occasions, but she disappeared at once to Bruges on "particular business", she said; and only Georgy and his uncle were present at the wedding of Major William Dobbin to Mrs Amelia Osborne.

贝姬再也没在阿梅莉亚和多宾面前出现。或许是对这个善良纯朴的人心存愧疚，因为她是第一个为她说话的人。或许是讨厌这种动感情的场面，她立刻动身前往布吕赫，说是有“特别事务”要处理。威廉·多宾少校和阿梅莉亚·奥斯本夫人举行婚礼时，只有乔基和他舅舅在场。

Mrs Rawdon Crawley's name was never mentioned by either family. There were reasons for this silence, because wherever Joseph Sedley went, she went too, and that foolish man seemed to be completely her slave. Dobbin's lawyers informed him that his brother-in-law had taken out a heavy insurance on his life, and had probably been raising money to pay debts.

两家都不提罗顿·克劳利夫人这个名字。大家缄口不言是有原因的，因为无论约瑟夫·塞德利去哪里，她也如影随形，这愚蠢的男人似乎已经完全沦为她的奴隶。多宾的律师们告诉他，他大舅子保了一大笔人寿险，而且很可能正在筹钱还债。

Dobbin left the army after he was married, and he and his family rented a house near Queen's Crawley, where Sir Pitt, Lady Jane, their daughter, and young Rawdon Crawley were living. Sir Pitt's little son, always sickly, had died some years ago, which meant that young Rawdon would be the next baronet.

多宾婚后离开了军队。他一家人在昆士克劳利附近租了一栋房子，皮特爵士、简女士、他们的女儿及小罗顿·克劳利就住在昆士克劳利。皮特爵士的小儿子一直体弱多病，几年前去世了，这就意味着小罗顿会是下一个准男爵。

When Amelia gave birth to a daughter, Dobbin's happiness was complete. Lady Jane and Mrs Dobbin became great friends, and Georgy and young Rawdon played together in the holidays, went to Cambridge University together -- and quarrelled about Lady Jane's daughter, with whom they were both in love.

阿梅莉亚生了女儿后，多宾的幸福彻底圆满了。简女士和多宾夫人成了很好的朋友。乔基和小罗顿假期里一起玩，还一起上剑桥大学。他们都爱上了简女士的女儿，为了她争风吃醋。

Hearing about this, Amelia, in great alarm, begged Dobbin to go and see her brother, who was now in Brussels.

阿梅莉亚听到这个消息十分担心，央求多宾去布鲁塞尔见见她哥哥。

"But -- but -- oh, for God's sake, please come and live near me, and -- and -- see me sometimes," Jos begged.

“但是——但是——啊，看在老天爷的份上，搬来住在我近旁吧。而且——而且偶尔来看看我。”乔斯央求。

Jos was living in a hotel, in which Mrs Crawley also had an apartment, and Jos begged Dobbin to visit him at a time when he believed Becky was out. Dobbin found his brother-in-law in very poor health, and dreadfully afraid of Becky, though eager in his praises of her. She had looked after him devotedly through a number of strange illnesses. She had been a daughter to him.

乔斯住在一家旅馆里，克劳利夫人住在同一家旅馆的另外一套房间。乔斯拜托多宾在贝姬外出的时候来见他。多宾发现他大舅子的身体状况很差。乔斯虽然极力称赞贝姬，可对她却怕得要命。他先后得了一堆奇奇怪怪的病，贝姬一直全心全意地照顾他，简直就像他女儿一样。

"But Becky is innocent," Joseph said desperately. "Innocent as a child, as innocent as your own wife."

“但是贝姬是清白的。”乔斯绝望地说，“她和孩子一样纯洁，和你的妻子一样清白。”

"In debt!" cried Jos. "Nonsense! Mrs Crawley has -- I mean, all my money is quite -- is well taken care of."

“欠债！”乔斯大叫，“胡说！克劳利夫人——我是说，我所有的钱都——都处置得非常好。”

"That may be so," Dobbin said, gloomily; "but Emmy can't visit you while she's here. Be a man, Jos. Break off this connection, and come home to your family. We hear you are in debt too."

“也许是这样。”多宾郁郁地说，“但她在的时候，埃米不能来看你。做个男子汉，乔斯。把这个关系断了，回到你家人身边吧。我们听说你还欠了债。”

Dobbin frowned. "We can't, Jos," he said. "You know Amelia can't visit you while Rebecca is here."

多宾皱起眉头。“不行啊，乔斯。”他说，“你知道，丽贝卡在的时候，阿梅莉亚不能来看你。”

"You are not in debt then? Why did you insure your life?"

“那你没有欠债咯？为什么保人寿险呢？”

Dobbin begged Jos to run away, to go back to India where Mrs Crawley could not follow him, to escape while he still could.

多宾求他趁还能逃的时候赶紧逃走，如果他回印度，克劳利夫人就无法跟到那里去。

"Then why not come away with me now?" Dobbin said.

“那为什么不现在就跟我一起走呢？”多宾问。

He never saw Jos again. Three months later Joseph Sedley died in France. Most of his money had gone, except for the insurance money, which was divided equally between his "sister Amelia" and his "friend Rebecca". Lawyers for the insurance company said that it was a most suspicious case, and they wanted an investigation into the death. But "friend Rebecca" -- or Lady Crawley, as she now called herself -- came to London at once, and hired her own lawyers. She won the case and the money was paid.

他再也没见过乔斯。三个月后，约瑟夫·塞德利在法国去世了。他大多数钱都不知去向，只剩保险金，平分给他的“妹妹阿梅莉亚”和他的“朋友丽贝卡”。保险公司的律师们说这单保险极其可疑，他们想调查死因。但是“朋友丽贝卡”——她现在自称克劳利女士——立刻来到伦敦，雇了自己的律师。她打赢官司，拿到了钱。

"I thought -- in case anything happened -- a little present to her, so grateful… but all my money will come to you, of course."

“我想——万一我有什么三长两短——送她一个小礼物，非常感激她……但是我的钱当然都会给你的。”

But Jos did not have the courage to do that. He would see Dobbin again, but Dobbin must say nothing about his visit, and must go now. Becky might come in at any moment. And Dobbin left, full of fear and anxiety.

然而乔斯没有勇气这么做。他会再见多宾，但是多宾一定不能说他来过，而且现在必须离开，因为贝姬说不准什么时候就回来了。多宾满心忧惧地离开了。

Jos seized Dobbin's hand. "Yes, I'll go to India, but don't tell her. I must have time. She'd kill me if she knew. You don't know what a terrible woman she is," the poor man said.

乔斯抓住多宾的手。“好，我会去印度，但是别告诉她。我需要时间。她要是知道了会杀了我的。你不知道她是个多么可怕的女人。”这个可怜人说。

At one of these events in London, Amelia and her family suddenly came face to face with Becky. She gave an amused little smile as they hurried away from her -- Amelia on the arm of her son Georgy, now a handsome young gentleman, and Dobbin, carrying his little daughter Janey, of whom he is fonder than of anything in the world.

在伦敦这样的一次活动上，阿梅莉亚一家和贝姬不期而遇。看到他们匆匆走开，贝姬觉得好笑，嘴角露出了一丝微笑。阿梅莉亚挽着她儿子乔基，乔基现在已经长成一个英俊的小伙子；多宾抱着小女儿珍妮。他现在喜爱珍妮胜过一切。

She never was Lady Crawley, though she continued to use the name. Her husband Rawdon died of yellow fever on Coventry Island, six weeks before the death of his brother, Sir Pitt Crawley. On Sir Pitt's death, Becky's son, as the only living male in the Crawley family, became Sir Rawdon Crawley and inherited all the Crawley houses and land.

她没有资格自称克劳利女士，但是她继续使用这个名号。她丈夫罗顿在考文垂岛上死于黄热病，他哥哥皮特·克劳利爵士也于六周后离开了人世。皮特爵士一死，贝姬的儿子作为克劳利家族活着的唯一男性，成为罗顿·克劳利爵士，并继承了克劳利家所有房产和土地。

Sir Rawdon continues to live at Queen's Crawley with Lady Jane and her daughter. He has refused to see his mother, to whom he pays a generous yearly allowance, and who appears in any case to be very wealthy. She lives in Bath and London, and many people believe her to be a most cruelly treated woman. She has her enemies. Who has not? But she goes to church, and is deeply involved in church events that raise money to help the sick, the poor, the homeless, and other unhappy people.

罗顿爵士继续同简女士和她的女儿住在昆士克劳利。他拒绝见他的母亲，只每年给她丰厚的生活费。即便没有这笔钱，他母亲也显得极其富有。她在巴斯和伦敦两地居住，许多人都认为她是遭遇了极大不幸的女人。她有敌人，但谁又没有呢？她上教堂，全身心地参与教会筹集善款的活动，帮助那些生了病、穷困潦倒、无家可归的不幸之人。

Oh, the vanity and folly of human wishes! Which of us is happy in this world? Which of us has our heart's desire? Or, having it, is satisfied?

啊，人类欲望如此虚荣与荒唐！尘世之中，我们谁是真正快乐的？我们谁能称心如意？又或，在遂了心愿后，真正感到心满意足？

"Fonder than he is of me," Amelia thinks, with a sigh. But he never said a word to Amelia that was not kind and gentle, or thought of a wish of hers that he did not try to satisfy.

“胜过喜欢我。”阿梅莉亚想着，叹了口气。但是他从未对阿梅莉亚说过一句不体贴、不温柔的话，阿梅莉亚的愿望他也千方百计去实现。