in which mr dombey, as a man and a father, is seen at the head of the home-department

the funeral of the deceased lady having been 'performed to the entire satisfaction of the undertaker, as well as of the neighbourhood at large, which is generally disposed to be captious on such a point, and is prone to take offence at any omissions or short-comings in the ceremonies, the various members of mr dombey's household subsided into their several places in the domestic system. that small world, like the great one out of doors, had the capacity of easily forgetting its dead; and when the cook had said she was a quiet-tempered lady, and the house-keeper had said it was the common lot, and the butler had said who'd have thought it, and the housemaid had said she couldn't hardly believe it, and the footman had said it seemed exactly like a dream, they had quite worn the subject out, and began to think their mourning was wearing rusty too.

on richards, who was established upstairs in a state of honourable captivity, the dawn of her new life seemed to break cold and grey. mr dombey's house was a large one, on the shady side of a tall, dark, dreadfully genteel street in the region between portland place and bryanstone square.' it was a corner house, with great wide areas containing cellars frowned upon by barred windows, and leered at by crooked-eyed doors leading to dustbins. it was a house of dismal state, with a circular back to it, containing a whole suite of drawing-rooms looking upon a gravelled yard, where two gaunt trees, with blackened trunks and branches, rattled rather than rustled, their leaves were so smoked-dried. the summer sun was never on the street, but in the morning about breakfast-time, when it came with the water-carts and the old clothes men, and the people with geraniums, and the umbrella-mender, and the man who trilled the little bell of the dutch clock as he went along. it was soon gone again to return no more that day; and the bands of music and the straggling punch's shows going after it, left it a prey to the most dismal of organs, and white mice; with now and then a porcupine, to vary the entertainments; until the butlers whose families were dining out, began to stand at the house-doors in the twilight, and the lamp-lighter made his nightly failure in attempting to brighten up the street with gas.

it was as blank a house inside as outside. when the funeral was over, mr dombey ordered the furniture to be covered up - perhaps to preserve it for the son with whom his plans were all associated - and the rooms to be ungarnished, saving such as he retained for himself on the ground floor. accordingly, mysterious shapes were made of tables and chairs, heaped together in the middle of rooms, and covered over with great winding-sheets. bell-handles, window-blinds, and looking-glasses, being papered up in journals, daily and weekly, obtruded fragmentary accounts of deaths and dreadful murders. every chandelier or lustre, muffled in holland, looked like a monstrous tear depending from the ceiling's eye. odours, as from vaults and damp places, came out of the chimneys. the dead and buried lady was awful in a picture-frame of ghastly bandages. every gust of wind that rose, brought eddying round the corner from the neighbouring mews, some fragments of the straw that had been strewn before the house when she was ill, mildewed remains of which were still cleaving to the neighbourhood: and these, being always drawn by some invisible attraction to the threshold of the dirty house to let immediately opposite, addressed a dismal eloquence to mr dombey's windows.

the apartments which mr dombey reserved for his own inhabiting, were attainable from the hall, and consisted of a sitting-room; a library, which was in fact a dressing-room, so that the smell of hot-pressed paper, vellum, morocco, and russia leather, contended in it with the smell of divers pairs of boots; and a kind of conservatory or little glass breakfast-room beyond, commanding a prospect of the trees before mentioned, and, generally speaking, of a few prowling cats. these three rooms opened upon one another. in the morning, when mr dombey was at his breakfast in one or other of the two first-mentioned of them, as well as in the afternoon when he came home to dinner, a bell was rung for richards to repair to this glass chamber, and there walk to and fro with her young charge. from the glimpses she caught of mr dombey at these times, sitting in the dark distance, looking out towards the infant from among the dark heavy furniture - the house had been inhabited for years by his father, and in many of its appointments was old-fashioned and grim - she began to entertain ideas of him in his solitary state, as if he were a lone prisoner in a cell, or a strange apparition that was not to be accosted or understood. mr dombey came to be, in the course of a few days, invested in his own person, to her simple thinking, with all the mystery and gloom of his house. as she walked up and down the glass room, or sat hushing the baby there - which she very often did for hours together, when the dusk was closing in, too - she would sometimes try to pierce the gloom beyond, and make out how he was looking and what he was doing. sensible that she was plainly to be seen by him' however, she never dared to pry in that direction but very furtively and for a moment at a time. consequently she made out nothing, and mr dombey in his den remained a very shade.

little paul dombey's foster-mother had led this life herself, and had carried little paul through it for some weeks; and had returned upstairs one day from a melancholy saunter through the dreary rooms of state (she never went out without mrs chick, who called on fine mornings, usually accompanied by miss tox, to take her and baby for an airing - or in other words, to march them gravely up and down the pavement, like a walking funeral); when, as she was sitting in her own room, the door was slowly and quietly opened, and a dark-eyed little girl looked in.

'it's miss florence come home from her aunt's, no doubt,' thought richards, who had never seen the child before. 'hope i see you well, miss.'

'is that my brother?' asked the child, pointing to the baby.

'yes, my pretty,' answered richards. 'come and kiss him.'

but the child, instead of advancing, looked her earnestly in the face, and said:

'what have you done with my mama?'

'lord bless the little creeter!' cried richards, 'what a sad question! i done? nothing, miss.'

'what have they done with my mama?' inquired the child, with exactly the same look and manner.

'i never saw such a melting thing in all my life!' said richards, who naturally substituted 'for this child one of her own, inquiring for herself in like circumstances. 'come nearer here, my dear miss! don't be afraid of me.'

'i am not afraid of you,' said the child, drawing nearer. 'but i want to know what they have done with my mama.'

her heart swelled so as she stood before the woman, looking into her eyes, that she was fain to press her little hand upon her breast and hold it there. yet there was a purpose in the child that prevented both her slender figure and her searching gaze from faltering.

'my darling,' said richards, 'you wear that pretty black frock in remembrance of your mama.'

'i can remember my mama,' returned the child, with tears springing to her eyes, 'in any frock.'

'but people put on black, to remember people when they're gone.'

'where gone?' asked the child.

'come and sit down by me,' said richards, 'and i'll tell you a story.'

with a quick perception that it was intended to relate to what she had asked, little florence laid aside the bonnet she had held in her hand until now, and sat down on a stool at the nurse's feet, looking up into her face.

'once upon a time,' said richards, 'there was a lady - a very good lady, and her little daughter dearly loved her.'

'a very good lady and her little daughter dearly loved her,' repeated the child.

'who, when god thought it right that it should be so, was taken ill and died.'

the child shuddered.

'died, never to be seen again by anyone on earth, and was buried in the ground where the trees grow.

'the cold ground?' said the child, shuddering again. 'no! the warm ground,' returned polly, seizing her advantage, 'where the ugly little seeds turn into beautiful flowers, and into grass, and corn, and i don't know what all besides. where good people turn into bright angels, and fly away to heaven!'

the child, who had dropped her head, raised it again, and sat looking at her intently.

'so; let me see,' said polly, not a little flurried between this earnest scrutiny, her desire to comfort the child, her sudden success, and her very slight confidence in her own powers.' so, when this lady died, wherever they took her, or wherever they put her, she went to god! and she prayed to him, this lady did,' said polly, affecting herself beyond measure; being heartily in earnest, 'to teach her little daughter to be sure of that in her heart: and to know that she was happy there and loved her still: and to hope and try - oh, all her life - to meet her there one day, never, never, never to part any more.'

'it was my mama!' exclaimed the child, springing up, and clasping her round the neck.

'and the child's heart,' said polly, drawing her to her breast: 'the little daughter's heart was so full of the truth of this, that even when she heard it from a strange nurse that couldn't tell it right, but was a poor mother herself and that was all, she found a comfort in it - didn't feel so lonely - sobbed and cried upon her bosom - took kindly to the baby lying in her lap - and - there, there, there!' said polly, smoothing the child's curls and dropping tears upon them. 'there, poor dear!'

'oh well, miss floy! and won't your pa be angry neither!' cried a quick voice at the door, proceeding from a short, brown, womanly girl of fourteen, with a little snub nose, and black eyes like jet beads. 'when it was 'tickerlerly given out that you wasn't to go and worrit the wet nurse.

'she don't worry me,' was the surprised rejoinder of polly. 'i am very fond of children.'

'oh! but begging your pardon, mrs richards, that don't matter, you know,' returned the black-eyed girl, who was so desperately sharp and biting that she seemed to make one's eyes water. 'i may be very fond of pennywinkles, mrs richards, but it don't follow that i'm to have 'em for tea. 'well, it don't matter,' said polly. 'oh, thank'ee, mrs richards, don't it!' returned the sharp girl. 'remembering, however, if you'll be so good, that miss floy's under my charge, and master paul's under your'n.'

'but still we needn't quarrel,' said polly.

'oh no, mrs richards,' rejoined spitfire. 'not at all, i don't wish it, we needn't stand upon that footing, miss floy being a permanency, master paul a temporary.' spitfire made use of none but comma pauses; shooting out whatever she had to say in one sentence, and in one breath, if possible.

'miss florence has just come home, hasn't she?' asked polly.

'yes, mrs richards, just come, and here, miss floy, before you've been in the house a quarter of an hour, you go a smearing your wet face against the expensive mourning that mrs richards is a wearing for your ma!' with this remonstrance, young spitfire, whose real name was susan nipper, detached the child from her new friend by a wrench - as if she were a tooth. but she seemed to do it, more in the excessively sharp exercise of her official functions, than with any deliberate unkindness.

'she'll be quite happy, now she has come home again,' said polly, nodding to her with an encouraging smile upon her wholesome face, 'and will be so pleased to see her dear papa to-night.'

'lork, mrs richards!' cried miss nipper, taking up her words with a jerk. 'don't. see her dear papa indeed! i should like to see her do it!'

'won't she then?' asked polly.

'lork, mrs richards, no, her pa's a deal too wrapped up in somebody else, and before there was a somebody else to be wrapped up in she never was a favourite, girls are thrown away in this house, mrs richards, i assure you.

the child looked quickly from one nurse to the other, as if she understood and felt what was said.

'you surprise me!' cried folly. 'hasn't mr dombey seen her since - '

'no,' interrupted susan nipper. 'not once since, and he hadn't hardly set his eyes upon her before that for months and months, and i don't think he'd have known her for his own child if he had met her in the streets, or would know her for his own child if he was to meet her in the streets to-morrow, mrs richards, as to me,' said spitfire, with a giggle, 'i doubt if he's aweer of my existence.'

'pretty dear!' said richards; meaning, not miss nipper, but the little florence.

'oh! there's a tartar within a hundred miles of where we're now in conversation, i can tell you, mrs richards, present company always excepted too,' said susan nipper; 'wish you good morning, mrs richards, now miss floy, you come along with me, and don't go hanging back like a naughty wicked child that judgments is no example to, don't!'

in spite of being thus adjured, and in spite also of some hauling on the part of susan nipper, tending towards the dislocation of her right shoulder, little florence broke away, and kissed her new friend, affectionately.

'oh dear! after it was given out so 'tickerlerly, that mrs richards wasn't to be made free with!' exclaimed susan. 'very well, miss floy!'

'god bless the sweet thing!' said richards, 'good-bye, dear!'

'good-bye!' returned the child. 'god bless you! i shall come to see you again soon, and you'll come to see me? susan will let us. won't you, susan?'

spitfire seemed to be in the main a good-natured little body, although a disciple of that school of trainers of the young idea which holds that childhood, like money, must be shaken and rattled and jostled about a good deal to keep it bright. for, being thus appealed to with some endearing gestures and caresses, she folded her small arms and shook her head, and conveyed a relenting expression into her very-wide-open black eyes.

'it ain't right of you to ask it, miss floy, for you know i can't refuse you, but mrs richards and me will see what can be done, if mrs richards likes, i may wish, you see, to take a voyage to chaney, mrs richards, but i mayn't know how to leave the london docks.'

richards assented to the proposition.

'this house ain't so exactly ringing with merry-making,' said miss nipper, 'that one need be lonelier than one must be. your toxes and your chickses may draw out my two front double teeth, mrs richards, but that's no reason why i need offer 'em the whole set.'

this proposition was also assented to by richards, as an obvious one.

'so i'm able, i'm sure,'said susan nipper, 'to live friendly, mrs richards, while master paul continues a permanency, if the means can be planned out without going openly against orders, but goodness gracious miss floy, you haven't got your things off yet, you naughty child, you haven't, come along!'

with these words, susan nipper, in a transport of coercion, made a charge at her young ward, and swept her out of the room.

the child, in her grief and neglect, was so gentle, so quiet, and uncomplaining; was possessed of so much affection that no one seemed to care to have, and so much sorrowful intelligence that no one seemed to mind or think about the wounding of, that polly's heart was sore when she was left alone again. in the simple passage that had taken place between herself and the motherless little girl, her own motherly heart had been touched no less than the child's; and she felt, as the child did, that there was something of confidence and interest between them from that moment.

notwithstanding mr toodle's great reliance on polly, she was perhaps in point of artificial accomplishments very little his superior. she had been good-humouredly working and drudging for her life all her life, and was a sober steady-going person, with matter-of-fact ideas about the butcher and baker, and the division of pence into farthings. but she was a good plain sample of a nature that is ever, in the mass, better, truer, higher, nobler, quicker to feel, and much more constant to retain, all tenderness and pity, self-denial and devotion, than the nature of men. and, perhaps, unlearned as she was, she could have brought a dawning knowledge home to mr dombey at that early day, which would not then have struck him in the end like lightning.

but this is from the purpose. polly only thought, at that time, of improving on her successful propitiation of miss nipper, and devising some means of having little florence aide her, lawfully, and without rebellion. an opening happened to present itself that very night.

she had been rung down into the glass room as usual, and had walked about and about it a long time, with the baby in her arms, when, to her great surprise and dismay, mr dombey - whom she had seen at first leaning on his elbow at the table, and afterwards walking up and down the middle room, drawing, each time, a little nearer, she thought, to the open folding doors - came out, suddenly, and stopped before her.

'good evening, richards.'

just the same austere, stiff gentleman, as he had appeared to her on that first day. such a hard-looking gentleman, that she involuntarily dropped her eyes and her curtsey at the same time.

'how is master paul, richards?'

'quite thriving, sir, and well.'

'he looks so,' said mr dombey, glancing with great interest at the tiny face she uncovered for his observation, and yet affecting to be half careless of it. 'they give you everything you want, i hope?'

'oh yes, thank you, sir.'

she suddenly appended such an obvious hesitation to this reply, however, that mr dombey, who had turned away; stopped, and turned round again, inquiringly.

'if you please, sir, the child is very much disposed to take notice of things,' said richards, with another curtsey, 'and - upstairs is a little dull for him, perhaps, sir.'

'i begged them to take you out for airings, constantly,' said mr dombey. 'very well! you shall go out oftener. you're quite right to mention it.'

'i beg your pardon, sir,' faltered polly, 'but we go out quite plenty sir, thank you.'

'what would you have then?' asked mr dombey.

'indeed sir, i don't exactly know,' said polly, 'unless - '

'yes?'

'i believe nothing is so good for making children lively and cheerful, sir, as seeing other children playing about 'em,' observed polly, taking courage.

'i think i mentioned to you, richards, when you came here,' said mr dombey, with a frown, 'that i wished you to see as little of your family as possible.'

'oh dear yes, sir, i wasn't so much as thinking of that.'

'i am glad of it,' said mr dombey hastily. 'you can continue your walk if you please.'

with that, he disappeared into his inner room; and polly had the satisfaction of feeling that he had thoroughly misunderstood her object, and that she had fallen into disgrace without the least advancement of her purpose.

next night, she found him walking about the conservatory when she came down. as she stopped at the door, checked by this unusual sight, and uncertain whether to advance or retreat, he called her in. his mind was too much set on dombey and son, it soon appeared, to admit of his having forgotten her suggestion.

'if you really think that sort of society is good for the child,' he said sharply, as if there had been no interval since she proposed it, 'where's miss florence?'

'nothing could be better than miss florence, sir,' said polly eagerly, 'but i understood from her maid that they were not to - '

mr dombey rang the bell, and walked till it was answered.

'tell them always to let miss florence be with richards when she chooses, and go out with her, and so forth. tell them to let the children be together, when richards wishes it.'

the iron was now hot, and richards striking on it boldly - it was a good cause and she bold in it, though instinctively afraid of mr dombey - requested that miss florence might be sent down then and there, to make friends with her little brother.

she feigned to be dandling the child as the servant retired on this errand, but she thought that she saw mr dombey's colour changed; that the expression of his face quite altered; that he turned, hurriedly, as if to gainsay what he had said, or she had said, or both, and was only deterred by very shame.

and she was right. the last time he had seen his slighted child, there had been that in the sad embrace between her and her dying mother, which was at once a revelation and a reproach to him. let him be absorbed as he would in the son on whom he built such high hopes, he could not forget that closing scene. he could not forget that he had had no part in it. that, at the bottom of its clear depths of tenderness and truth' lay those two figures clasped in each other's arms, while he stood on the bank above them, looking down a mere spectator - not a sharer with them - quite shut out.

unable to exclude these things from his remembrance, or to keep his mind free from such imperfect shapes of the meaning with which they were fraught, as were able to make themselves visible to him through the mist of his pride, his previous feeling of indifference towards little florence changed into an uneasiness of an extraordinary kind. young as she was, and possessing in any eyes but his (and perhaps in his too) even more than the usual amount of childish simplicity and confidence, he almost felt as if she watched and distrusted him. as if she held the clue to something secret in his breast, of the nature of which he was hardly informed himself. as if she had an innate knowledge of one jarring and discordant string within him, and her very breath could sound it.

his feeling about the child had been negative from her birth. he had never conceived an aversion to her: it had not been worth his while or in his humour. she had never been a positively disagreeable object to him. but now he was ill at ease about her. she troubled his peace. he would have preferred to put her idea aside altogether, if he had known how. perhaps - who shall decide on such mysteries! - he was afraid that he might come to hate her.

when little florence timidly presented herself, mr dombey stopped in his pacing up and down and looked towards her. had he looked with greater interest and with a father's eye, he might have read in her keen glance the impulses and fears that made her waver; the passionate desire to run clinging to him, crying, as she hid her face in his embrace, 'oh father, try to love me! there's no one else!' the dread of a repulse; the fear of being too bold, and of offending him; the pitiable need in which she stood of some assurance and encouragement; and how her overcharged young heart was wandering to find some natural resting-place, for its sorrow and affection.

but he saw nothing of this. he saw her pause irresolutely at the door and look towards him; and he saw no more.

'come in,' he said, 'come in: what is the child afraid of?'

she came in; and after glancing round her for a moment with an uncertain air, stood pressing her small hands hard together, close within the door.

'come here, florence,' said her father, coldly. 'do you know who i am?'

'yes, papa.'

'have you nothing to say to me?'

the tears that stood in her eyes as she raised them quickly to his face, were frozen by the expression it wore. she looked down again, and put out her trembling hand.

mr dombey took it loosely in his own, and stood looking down upon her for a moment, as if he knew as little as the child, what to say or do.

'there! be a good girl,' he said, patting her on the head, and regarding her as it were by stealth with a disturbed and doubtful look. 'go to richards! go!'

his little daughter hesitated for another instant as though she would have clung about him still, or had some lingering hope that he might raise her in his arms and kiss her. she looked up in his face once more. he thought how like her expression was then, to what it had been when she looked round at the doctor - that night - and instinctively dropped her hand and turned away.

it was not difficult to perceive that florence was at a great disadvantage in her father's presence. it was not only a constraint upon the child's mind, but even upon the natural grace and freedom of her actions. as she sported and played about her baby brother that night, her manner was seldom so winning and so pretty as it naturally was, and sometimes when in his pacing to and fro, he came near her (she had, perhaps, for the moment, forgotten him) it changed upon the instant and became forced and embarrassed.

still, polly persevered with all the better heart for seeing this; and, judging of mr dombey by herself, had great confidence in the mute appeal of poor little florence's mourning dress.' it's hard indeed,' thought polly, 'if he takes only to one little motherless child, when he has another, and that a girl, before his eyes.'

so, polly kept her before his eyes, as long as she could, and managed so well with little paul, as to make it very plain that he was all the livelier for his sister's company. when it was time to withdraw upstairs again, she would have sent florence into the inner room to say good-night to her father, but the child was timid and drew back; and when she urged her again, said, spreading her hands before her eyes, as if to shut out her own unworthiness, 'oh no, no! he don't want me. he don't want me!'

the little altercation between them had attracted the notice of mr dombey, who inquired from the table where he was sitting at his wine, what the matter was.

'miss florence was afraid of interrupting, sir, if she came in to say good-night,' said richards.

'it doesn't matter,' returned mr dombey. 'you can let her come and go without regarding me.'

the child shrunk as she listened - and was gone, before her humble friend looked round again.

however, polly triumphed not a little in the success of her well-intentioned scheme, and in the address with which she had brought it to bear: whereof she made a full disclosure to spitfire when she was once more safely entrenched upstairs. miss nipper received that proof of her confidence, as well as the prospect of their free association for the future, rather coldly, and was anything but enthusiastic in her demonstrations of joy.

'i thought you would have been pleased,' said polly.

'oh yes, mrs richards, i'm very well pleased, thank you,' returned susan, who had suddenly become so very upright that she seemed to have put an additional bone in her stays.

'you don't show it,' said polly.

'oh! being only a permanency i couldn't be expected to show it like a temporary,' said susan nipper. 'temporaries carries it all before 'em here, i find, but though there's a excellent party-wall between this house and the next, i mayn't exactly like to go to it, mrs richards, notwithstanding!'

已故夫人的葬礼完成得使殡仪承办人和邻近的全体居民都完全称心满意（邻近的居民们通常在这种场合是喜欢吹毛求疵的，对礼仪中的任何疏忽或缺点都会生气见怪）；在这之后，董贝先生家里的各个成员各自回到了他们在这个家庭体系中原先的地位中。这个小小的世界，就像户外的大世界一样，很容易把死去的人忘掉；当厨娘说了“她是一位性情安静的夫人”，女管家说了“这是人人都难以逃脱的命运”，男管家说了“谁曾料想到会发生这件事呢？”女仆说了“她简直不能相信这件事”，男仆说了“这似乎完全跟做梦一样”之后，他们在这个话题上就没有什么可以再说的了，而且开始觉得他们的丧服也已经穿得褪色了。

理查兹以一种体面的被囚禁的状态被安顿在楼上；对她来说，她的新生活的黎明是寒冷与灰暗的。董贝先生的公馆是一栋宏伟的房屋，座落在一条阴暗的、非常优雅的街道的背阴的一面，这条街道位于波特兰十字路口和布赖恩广场之间的地区内，两旁矗立着高大的房屋。这是一栋在街道拐角上的房子，里面十分宽敞，其中还包括一些地窖，装了铁条的窗子向它们皱着眉头，眼睛歪斜的、通向垃圾箱的门向它们斜眼瞅着。这是一栋阴暗沉闷的房屋，后背是圆形的，房屋里有一整套客厅；客厅前面是一个铺了石子的庭院，庭院里有两株干枯的树，树干和树枝都已发黑，发出了格格的、而不是飒飒的响声，因为树叶都已被烟熏枯了。夏天的太阳只有在上午吃早饭的时候才照射到这条街上，那时候运水车、卖旧衣的商人、卖天竺葵的小贩、修雨伞的人、还有一边走一边使荷兰钟的小铃儿发出叮当叮当响声的人也随着太阳来到这里。太阳很快就消失，这一天不再回来；随后而来的是乐队和潘趣木偶戏1；在这之后，人们只能听听风琴的极为沉闷的声音和看看白耗子的表演——有时还有一只豪猪来演杂技，以便变换一下娱乐的兴趣；到了薄暮的时候，男管家们（他们家里的人到外面吃晚饭去了）开始站在门口；点街灯的人试图用煤气来照亮这条街道，但每夜都没有成功。

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1潘趣（punch）：英国木偶戏中的主角，他的背是驼的，鼻子很长，而且是钩形的，他的妻子名叫朱迪（judy），时常和他吵架。

公馆里面和外面一样单调无趣。葬礼结束以后，董贝先生命令把家具都蒙罩起来——也许是要保留起来给他儿子用的，因为他所有的计划都和他的儿子联系着——；除了第一层留给他自己用的房间外，其他所有的房间都不进行布置。因此，桌子和椅子堆在房间的中间，外面用大块的包尸布遮盖着，形成了各种神秘离奇的形状。铃柄、窗帘、镜子，由于用杂志、日报和周刊的纸包着，因此被迫对上面登载着的死亡与可怖的谋杀案情进行片断的报道。每一个用荷兰麻布包裹起来的枝形吊灯或分枝烛台，看上去就像是天花板眼睛中掉下的一滴巨大的泪珠。从烟囱中跑出来的气味就像从地下灵堂或潮湿的地方跑出的一样。已经逝世和安葬的夫人的肖像被镶嵌在用可怕的绷带包扎起来的画框中，看起来阴森可怖。每刮起一阵风，就从邻近的马厩中吹来了几根稻草，在拐角四周旋转；当她生病的时候，这些稻草曾经撒在房屋前面，那些发了霉的残余的稻草至今仍粘附在邻近的房屋上；它们常常被某种看不见的力量吸引到正对过的、等待出租的、肮脏的房屋的门槛上，现在正以凄凉的声调，向董贝先生的窗子滔滔不绝地诉说着。

董贝先生留给自己居住的房间和前厅连接，它们包括一间起居室，一间图书室，还有一间暖房或吃早餐的小玻璃房。图书室实际上是个化妆室，因此热压纸、上等皮纸、摩洛哥皮、俄国皮革的气味与好几双靴子的气味在室内相互竞赛。从暖房里可以望见前面提到的那两株树和几只四处觅食的猫。这三间房屋彼此相通。早上，当董贝先生在前面首先提到的那两间房子中的一间里吃早饭的时候，或者下午，当他回家来吃晚饭的时候，就有人摇铃，召唤理查兹到这个玻璃房里来，抱着她所抚养的小孩在那里走来走去。她在这些时候可以瞥见董贝先生坐在黑暗的远处，越过黑暗的笨重的家具（他的父亲曾经在这座邸宅中居住多年，它的许多陈设都是老式的，阴沉呆板的），向外望着这个婴儿。她从这些瞥见中开始产生了对他在孤独状态时的一些想法，仿佛他是一个在单人牢房中寂寞无伴的囚徒，或者是一个奇怪的幽灵，不能跟他说话，也不能对他进行了解。

小保罗·董贝的奶妈本人过着这样的生活，并带着小保罗一起过着这样的生活，已有好几个星期了。没有奇克夫人在一起，她是从来不出去的。奇克夫人通常在托克斯小姐的陪同下，在天气晴朗的上午前来看望，并带领她和婴孩到户外去散步，或者换句话说，就是在人行道上庄严地来回行走，像是个步行的送葬队伍似的。有一天，当她忧郁地穿过那些冷冷清清的房间闲逛之后，回到楼上，正要在自己的房间里坐下来的时候，房门缓慢地、平静地开了，一个黑眼睛的小女孩向房间里探望。

“这一定是弗洛伦斯小姐从她姑妈家里回来了，”理查兹想道，她以前从没有看见过这个孩子。“我希望，您身体很好，小姐。”

“这是我的弟弟吗？”女孩子指着婴孩，问道。

“是的，我的宝贝，”理查兹回答道。“来亲亲他吧。”

但是女孩子没有走上前来，而是望着她的脸，问道：

“您把我的妈妈怎么搞的？”

“天主保佑这个小人儿！”理查兹喊道，“多么使人伤心的问题！我怎么搞的？我什么也没有搞，小姐。”

“·他·们把我妈妈怎么搞的？”女孩子问道。

“我这一辈子还从没有见到过这样使人感伤的事情！”理查兹说道，她在心里自然把她自己的一个孩子代替了这个女孩子，在类似的情况下，正在打听她的下落。“往这里走近一些，我亲爱的小姐！别怕我。”

“我不怕您，”女孩子走近一些，说道，“但是我想知道，他们把我妈妈怎么搞的。”

“我亲爱的，”理查兹说道，“您穿那件漂亮的黑长衣来纪念您的妈妈。”

“不论穿什么长衣，”女孩子眼睛里涌出眼泪，回答道，“我都能记得我的妈妈。”

“可是人们穿上黑衣服来纪念那些已经离开我们的人们。”

“离开我们到哪里去了？”女孩子问道。

“到这里来坐在我的身旁，”理查兹说道，“我跟您讲一个故事。”

小弗洛伦斯迅速理解到这个故事是和她所问的问题有关的，就把直到现在还拿在手中的软帽搁在一边，坐在奶妈脚边的凳子上，仰望着她的脸。

“从前，”理查兹说道，“有一位夫人——一位很善良的夫人，她的小女儿非常爱她。”

“一位很善良的夫人，她的小女儿非常爱她，”女孩子重复道。

“当上帝认为是对的并应该这样的时候，她得了病，死去了。”

女孩子发抖了。

“她死了，世界上的人再也看不见她了，她被埋葬在地底下，那里长着树木。”

“那寒冷的地吗？”女孩子问道，她又发抖了。

“不，那温暖的地，”波利抓住这个有利的时机，回答道，“丑陋的小种子在地里转变成美丽的花朵，转变成毒草和谷物，还有我不知道的其他所有的东西。善良的人们在那里转变成光辉的天使，飞向天国！”

头一直低垂着的女孩子又抬起头来，坐在那里聚精会神地望着她。

“就这样，让我想想，”波利说道；面对着这认真探究的眼光，怀着安慰这女孩子的愿望，她突然间取得了成功，而她对她自己的能力又缺乏信心，在这些错综复杂的情况下，她的心情相当慌乱。“这样，当这位夫人死去以后，不论他们把她带到哪里，或者不论他们把她放到哪里，她都走到上帝那里去了！她向他祈祷，是的，这位夫人向他祈祷，”波利说道，由于她十分真诚，因此连她自己也无限地感动，“教她的小女儿真心相信这一切；让她知道，她妈妈在那里是幸福的，仍旧爱着她，并且让她希望和设法——哦，她整个一生都要设法——有一天到那里去会见她，永远永远也不再分离。”

“这是我的妈妈！”女孩子跳起来，紧紧地搂着她的脖子，高声喊道。

“这女孩子的心，”波利把她拉到怀里，“这小女儿的心真心诚意地相信这一切，虽然她是从一位陌生的奶妈那里听到的，这位奶妈不能讲得很好，但她本人是一位可怜的母亲，这就是一切；女孩子得到了安慰——，不再感到那么孤单——，她伏在她胸前抽抽嗒嗒地哭着，哇哇地大哭着——，自然而然地爱上了躺在她膝上的婴孩——好啦，好啦，好啦！”波利抚摸着女孩子的卷发，眼泪簌簌地落在上面，说道，“好啦，我可怜的好孩子！”

“啊，弗洛伊小姐！您爸爸还会不生气吗！”门口一个很快的声音喊道，这是从一位身材矮小、皮肤褐色、十四岁但神态却像成年妇女一样的姑娘发出的，她有一个小小的狮子鼻，一双像黑色大理石珠子一样乌黑的眼睛。“他曾经特别嘱咐过，不许您到奶妈这里来打扰她。”

“她没有打扰我，”波利感到惊异地回答道。“我很喜欢孩子。”

“啊，请您原谅，理查兹大嫂，这不要紧，您知道，”黑眼睛的姑娘回答道，她是这么尖嘴利舌，咄咄逼人，似乎要叫人直掉眼泪。“我可能很喜欢吃蜗牛，理查兹大嫂，但不能因此就断定说，我以后就光吃蜗牛不用喝茶了。”

“唔，这不要紧，”波利说道。

“啊，谢谢您，理查兹大嫂，这不算什么！”尖嘴利舌的姑娘回答道，“如果您肯费心记一记的话，那么请您记住，弗洛伊小姐归我管，保罗少爷归您管。”

“不过我们仍旧用不着争吵，”波利说道。

“啊，是的，理查兹大嫂，”脾气暴躁得像喷火器一样的姑娘回答道，“根本用不着，我并不希望争吵，我们用不着闹出那样的关系，看管弗洛伊小姐是个长期性的活，看管保罗少爷则是个临时性的活。”喷火器只使用逗点式的停顿；她想要说什么，都是像开枪似地在一个句子中说出，如果可能的话，则用一口气说出。

“弗洛伦斯小姐刚刚回家吧，是不是？”波利问道。

“是的，理查兹大嫂，刚刚回来，您看，弗洛伊小姐，您回到家来才一刻钟，您那湿漉漉的脸就把理查兹大嫂为您妈穿着的很贵的丧服弄脏了！”这个喷火器的真实姓名是苏珊·尼珀，她进行了这番申斥之后，就像拔牙似地用力一拧，把女孩子从她的新朋友那里拉开了。不过她这样做，似乎倒并不是由于她故意冷酷无情，而是由于她过分严厉地履行她的职责。

“现在她又回家来了，她将会十分幸福，”波利朝着她和善的脸露出鼓励的笑容，向她点点头，说道，“她今天晚上就要看到她亲爱的爸爸了，她该会多么高兴啊！”

“哎呀，理查兹大嫂！”尼珀姑娘立刻打断她的话，说道，“得了吧！说什么看到她亲爱的爸爸！我真愿意她能那样就好了！”

“这么说，她不能看到吗？”波利问道。

“哎呀，理查兹大嫂，不能，她爸爸的心思过分用在另外一个人身上了，在还没有这另外一个人让他操心的时候，她也从来不是个得宠的孩子，在这家里女孩子是被一脚踢开的，理查兹大嫂，我肯定地对您说。”

女孩子的眼光很快地从一位保姆的身上转到另一位保姆的身上，仿佛她理解和感觉到谈话的内容似的。

“您使我吃惊！”波利喊道，“难道从那时以来董贝先生就一直没有见到过她吗？——”

“没有，”苏珊·尼珀打断了她的话，说道，“从那时以来一次也没有见到，就在这以前他也几个月几个月不把眼睛往她身上看一眼，我想，如果他过去曾在街上遇到她的话，那么他是不会认出她是他的亲生女儿的，如果他明天在街上遇到她的话，那么他也是不会认出她是他的亲生女儿的，理查兹大嫂，至于我，”喷火器格格地笑了一声，说道，“我怀疑他是不是知道天地间还存在着我这样一个人呢。”

“我亲爱的宝贝！”理查兹说道，她不是指尼珀姑娘，而是指弗洛伦斯。

“啊，在我们现在谈话的一百英里之内有一位鞑靼，我可以告诉您，理查兹大嫂，现在在场的人总是不包括在里面的，”苏珊·尼珀说道；“祝您早上好，理查兹大嫂，现在弗洛伊小姐，您跟我来，别像一个淘气的坏孩子那样磨磨蹭蹭地不肯往前走，别学那种孩子，别去学。”

尽管受到了这样的规劝，也尽管苏珊·尼珀生拉硬拽了几下，几乎把她的右肩都要拽脱臼了，小弗洛伦斯还是挣脱了身子，满怀深情地吻着她的新朋友。

“再见！”女孩子说道，“上帝保佑您！我不久将再来看您，您是不是也会来看我？苏珊会让我们见面的，是不是，苏珊？”

总的说来，喷火器似乎是一位性格善良的小人儿，虽然在培训孩子的智力方面，她是这样一种学派的信徒，这种学派主张，孩子就像硬币一样，必须震动它们，叮叮当当地打响它们，并让它们磕磕碰碰，才能使它们发亮。因为，当弗洛伦斯向她这样恳求和向她作出了亲热的姿态与爱抚之后，她抱拢了两只胳膊，摇摇头，并在张得很大的黑眼睛中流露出了怜悯的神情。

“您向我提出这样的请求是不好的，弗洛伊小姐，因为您知道我不能拒绝您，但是理查兹大嫂和我将考虑考虑怎么办，如果理查兹大嫂愿意，您知道，我可能希望航行到中国去一趟，理查兹大嫂，可是我可能还不知道怎样离开伦敦码头呢。”

理查兹同意这个意见。

“这个公馆并不是真正充满欢乐的，”尼珀姑娘说道，“一个人需要过很孤独的生活，比他应该过的孤独生活更孤独。你们这些托克斯们，你们这些奇克们可以把我的两只门牙拔掉，理查兹大嫂，但是我没有理由要把我的全副牙齿都奉献给她们。”

这个意见理查兹也同意了，因为这是显然无疑的。

“所以毫无疑问，”苏珊·尼珀说道，“只要保罗少爷还归您管，理查兹大嫂，只要我们能想出个办法不会违抗上面的命令，我完全同意我们友好相处，可是我的老天爷呀，弗洛伊小姐，您怎么还不打算走哪，您这淘气的孩子，您还不打算走哪，跟我来吧！”

苏珊·尼珀说了这些话之后，立即采取了强迫的手段，向她这位年幼的被抚养人发动了袭击，把她飞快地拖出了房间。

女孩子处于悲伤与被冷落的境地中，是那么温柔，那么安静和没有怨言；她心里充满了那么深厚的感情，似乎没有一个人需要它；她的心又那么多愁善感，似乎没有一个人关心它或怕伤害它；因此当波利又独自留下来的时候，她的心感到痛苦。在她与那失去母亲的小女孩所进行的简单的交谈中，她本人做母亲的心被感动的程度并不比女孩子小。她像那女孩子一样，觉得从那时刻起，在她们之间已经产生了信任与关怀。

虽然图德尔先生对波利极为信任，但在知识技能方面她却不见得能胜过她。有些妇女的性格总的来说，比男子的性格更为善良、真诚、卓越、高尚，感觉更为敏捷，而且在保持温柔、怜悯、自我牺牲和忠诚的品质方面也比男子更为恒久，她就是这种妇女性格的一个优秀的、明显的样本。虽然她没有什么文化知识，可是她却能够在事情一开始的时候，就让董贝先生了解一些情况，这样就不会在最后像闪电似地使他万分惊愕。

但是我们已经离题了。那时候，波利所想到的只是把她从尼珀姑娘那里成功地取得的好感再推进一步，并想出办法使小弗洛伦斯合法地待在她的身边，而且不违抗主人的意旨。

就在那天晚上，出现了一个好机会。

她跟往常一样，听到铃声，就下楼到玻璃房里，手中抱着婴孩走来走去，走了好久；忽然，使她大感意外和惊愕的是，董贝先生从里面走了出来，停在她的前面。

“晚上好，理查兹。”

仍然是她在第一天看到的那位严厉的、生硬呆板的先生。他那不苟言笑的神色使她不由自主地低下了眼睛，行了个屈膝礼。

“保罗少爷好吗，理查兹？”

“很壮实，先生，很健康。”

“他看来是这样，”董贝先生说道，一边怀着极大的兴趣，朝着她掀开让他观察的很小的脸孔看了一眼，但却装作对它不大关心的样子，说道，“我希望，您需要的东西他们都给您了吧？”

“啊，是的，谢谢您，先生。”

可是她回答的时候，忽然流露出了明显的迟疑的口气，因此已经走开了的董贝先生又停下脚步，露出询问的神色，重新转过身来。

“我觉得，先生，要使孩子活泼愉快，最好的办法莫过于让他们看到别的孩子在他们周围玩耍，”波利鼓起勇气，说出了她的意见。

“我记得当您到这里来的时候，我曾经跟您说过，”董贝先生皱了皱眉头，说道，“我希望您尽可能不去探望您的家庭。

如果您愿意，您就继续散步吧。”

说完这些话，他就走进里面的房间去了；波利看出，他完全误解了她的意思；她碰了一鼻子灰，而却一点也没有达到她的目的。

第二天晚上，当她走下楼来的时候，她发现他正在暖房里踱着步子。她看到这不同往常的情形，心中迟疑，就在门口停住，不知道该往前走还是该往后退，正在这时候，他喊她进去。

“如果您真的认为那样的伴侣对孩子是有益的话，”他突然地说道，仿佛在她提出建议之后并没有间隔过一段时间似的，“弗洛伦斯小姐在哪里？”

“没有什么能比弗洛伦斯小姐更好的了，先生，”波利热情洋溢地说道，“但是我从她的小保姆那里了解到，他们不——”

董贝先生摇了摇铃，然后踱着步子，等着仆人跑来。

“告诉他们，只要理查兹喜欢，就让弗洛伦斯小姐跟理查兹在一起，跟她一起出去，等等。告诉他们，只要理查兹愿意，就让两个孩子在一起。”

铁现在热了，理查兹就大胆地敲打着它——这是个好事情，所以虽然她本能地害怕董贝先生，但是她还是勇敢地去做它——，她请求把弗洛伦斯小姐立刻送下楼来，送到她那里，跟她的小弟弟做朋友。

当仆人离开去执行这项任务的时候，她装出抚弄孩子的样子，可是她觉得，她看到董贝先生的脸色变了；他脸上的神情完全不同了；他急忙转过身来，仿佛想把他说过的话，或她说过的话，或两人都说过的话，收回去，只是由于不好意思才迟疑着没有说出来。

她是对的。上次他看到被他冷落的女儿的时候，她和她垂死的母亲正悲痛地拥抱着；这对他既是揭露，又是责备。让他把全部精力都贯注在他寄托着远大希望的儿子身上吧，可是他还是不能忘记那临终一幕的情景。他不能忘记，他没有参加进去。他不能忘记，在亲热与真诚的清澈的河底，躺着那两个相互拥抱在各自怀中的人儿，而他却仅仅是个完全被排除在外的旁观者，站在她们上面的岸上向下看着，而不是她们当中的一员。

他不能从记忆中消除这些事情，也不能从心中摆脱那些零碎不全的形象所包含的意义；他通过高傲的迷雾仍然能辨认出它们，因此他先前对小弗洛伦斯漠不关心的感情已转变成一种异乎寻常的不安。他几乎觉得，她在注意观察着他，对他不信任。仿佛她掌握着能打通他心中某种秘密的东西的线索，这种秘密的东西的性质他自己也不知道。仿佛她对他心中那条刺耳的、不和谐的琴弦有着天赋的知识，她呼一口气就能使它发出声音。

从她出生起，他对这女孩子的感情就是消极的。他对她从来不曾嫌恶，这不值得他去做，而且也不是他的心意。他从来没有觉得她是个绝对讨厌的东西。可是现在他对她却感到局促不安。她搅乱了他的安宁。如果他知道怎么办的话，他真愿意把关于她的思想完全撂在一旁。也许——谁能解答这种神秘的问题呢！——他害怕他会变得恨起她来。

当小弗洛伦斯提心吊胆地走进来的时候，董贝先生停止来回踱步，向她看着。如果他怀着更大的兴趣，并且用父亲的眼睛来看的话，他可能会从她那敏锐的眼光中看出使她心神慌乱的激动与恐惧，看出她热烈地盼望能跑去抱住他，把脸藏在他的怀抱中，喊道，“啊，爸爸，设法爱我吧，我没有别的亲人了！”，看出她站在那里可怜巴巴地需要得到某种保证与鼓励；看出她那负担过重的年幼的心正在彷徨，想为它的悲痛与深情寻找一个天然的安息的场所。

可是这些他什么也没有看到。他只看到她犹豫不决地停在门口，向他望着；他没有看到别的了。

“进来吧，”他说道，“进来吧。这孩子怕什么？”

她走进去了；在露出半信半疑的神态向四周环视了一会儿之后，她把小手紧紧地握在一起，紧挨在门口。

“到这里来，弗洛伦斯，”她的父亲冷冰冰地说道，“你知道我是谁吗？”

“知道，爸爸。”

“你没有什么话要对我说吗？”

当她迅速抬起眼睛望着他的脸的时候，那张脸上表露出的神情使她眼中噙着的泪水凝结了。她又低下眼睛，伸出了哆嗦的手。

董贝先生把它松松地握在自己手里，站在那里，眼睛向下对她看了一会儿，仿佛他和这女孩子一样，不知道该说什么和做什么似的。

“好吧！做一个好孩子！”他抚摸她的头，好像偷偷地用烦乱不安与疑惑不定的眼光望着她，说道，“到理查兹那里去吧！去吧！”

他的小女儿又迟疑了片刻，仿佛她还想偎依在他的身边或者还怀着一线希望：他会把她举起来，抱到他的怀中，并亲亲她。她又一次抬起眼睛望着他的脸孔。他想，她现在的表情跟她那天夜里环视四周，最后望着医生时的表情是多么相像啊，于是他就本能地放下她的手，走开了。

不难察觉，弗洛伦斯在她父亲面前处于极为不利的地位。它不仅使孩子在心理上感到拘束，而且也使她不能举止自然、优美和行动自由。波利看到这种情景，但仍然保持勇气，没有气馁；根据她自己对董贝先生的判断，她对可怜的小弗洛伦斯的丧服所发出的默默的呼吁寄托着很大的希望。“如果他只爱一个失去母亲的孩子，而另一个失去母亲的孩子就在他的眼前，那真是太残酷了，”波利想道。

所以，波利就在他的眼前把她尽量留得长久一些，又把小保罗照管得很好，这样显然可以看出，他在他姐姐的陪伴下，更加活泼了。到了需要重新回到楼上去的时候，她本想送弗洛伦斯到里面的房间去向她的父亲说声晚安，但这女孩子胆怯，退回来了；当波利又催促她去的时候，她伸开手掌捂住眼睛，仿佛要把自己微贱的形象给遮盖掉似的，“啊，不，不！他不需要我！他不需要我！”

她们之间发生的小争吵引起了董贝先生的注意；他正坐在桌旁喝酒，就问道，发生了什么事。

“弗洛伦斯小姐怕她进来跟您说晚安会打扰您，先生。”

“这没有关系，”董贝先生回答道。“您可以让她来来去去，不用管我。”

女孩子听了这话畏缩了，并且在她身份低下的朋友回过头来之前就离开了。

不管怎么说，波利由于成功地想出了这善意的计策，而且又十分灵巧地实现了它，所以感到十分得意，因此当她又平安地在楼上安下身来的时候，她就立即把这些情况详详细细地透露给喷火器听了。这样做，表明波利对尼珀姑娘表示信任，可是尼珀姑娘对于这一点，以及对她们今后可以自由交往的前景却反应相当冷淡。她丝毫也不热情地表示高兴。

“我还以为您会高兴的呢，”波利说道。

“啊，不错，理查兹大嫂，我非常高兴，谢谢您，”苏珊回答道；她身子忽然挺得笔直，好像有另一根骨头插进她的胸衣中似的。

“您没有把您的高兴表现出来，”波利说。

“啊！我只不过是一位在这里干长期活的人，不可能指望我像一位在这里干临时活的人表现得那么高兴，”苏珊·尼珀说道。“我发现，干临时活的人在这里总是占上风。不过虽然这座房屋跟隔壁的房屋之间有一道非常漂亮的界墙，可是我可能还是不愿意到那座房屋里去，理查兹大嫂。”