a bird's-eye glimpse of miss tox's dwelling-place: also of the state of miss tox's affections
miss tox inhabited a dark little house that had been squeezed, at some remote period of english history, into a fashionable neighbourhood at the west end of the town, where it stood in the shade like a poor relation of the great street round the corner, coldly looked down upon by mighty mansions. it was not exactly in a court, and it was not exactly in a yard; but it was in the dullest of no-thoroughfares, rendered anxious and haggard by distant double knocks. the name of this retirement, where grass grew between the chinks in the stone pavement, was princess's place; and in princess's place was princess's chapel, with a tinkling bell, where sometimes as many as five-and-twenty people attended service on a sunday. the princess's arms was also there, and much resorted to by splendid footmen. a sedan chair was kept inside the railing before the princess's arms, but it had never come out within the memory of man; and on fine mornings, the top of every rail (there were eight-and-forty, as miss tox had often counted) was decorated with a pewter-pot.
there was another private house besides miss tox's in princess's place: not to mention an immense pair of gates, with an immense pair of lion-headed knockers on them, which were never opened by any chance, and were supposed to constitute a disused entrance to somebody's stables. indeed, there was a smack of stabling in the air of princess's place; and miss tox's bedroom (which was at the back) commanded a vista of mews, where hostlers, at whatever sort of work engaged, were continually accompanying themselves with effervescent noises; and where the most domestic and confidential garments of coachmen and their wives and families, usually hung, like macbeth's banners, on the outward walls.'
at this other private house in princess's place, tenanted by a retired butler who had married a housekeeper, apartments were let furnished, to a single gentleman: to wit, a wooden-featured, blue-faced major, with his eyes starting out of his head, in whom miss tox recognised, as she herself expressed it, 'something so truly military;' and between whom and herself, an occasional interchange of newspapers and pamphlets, and such platonic dalliance, was effected through the medium of a dark servant of the major's who miss tox was quite content to classify as a 'native,' without connecting him with any geographical idea whatever.
perhaps there never was a smaller entry and staircase, than the entry and staircase of miss tox's house. perhaps, taken altogether, from top to bottom, it was the most inconvenient little house in england, and the crookedest; but then, miss tox said, what a situation! there was very little daylight to be got there in the winter: no sun at the best of times: air was out of the question, and traffic was walled out. still miss tox said, think of the situation! so said the blue-faced major, whose eyes were starting out of his head: who gloried in princess's place: and who delighted to turn the conversation at his club, whenever he could, to something connected with some of the great people in the great street round the corner, that he might have the satisfaction of saying they were his neighbours.
in short, with miss tox and the blue-faced major, it was enough for princess's place - as with a very small fragment of society, it is enough for many a little hanger-on of another sort - to be well connected, and to have genteel blood in its veins. it might be poor, mean, shabby, stupid, dull. no matter. the great street round the corner trailed off into princess's place; and that which of high holborn would have become a choleric word, spoken of princess's place became flat blasphemy.
the dingy tenement inhabited by miss tox was her own; having been devised and bequeathed to her by the deceased owner of the fishy eye in the locket, of whom a miniature portrait, with a powdered head and a pigtail, balanced the kettle-holder on opposite sides of the parlour fireplace. the greater part of the furniture was of the powdered-head and pig-tail period: comprising a plate-warmer, always languishing and sprawling its four attenuated bow legs in somebody's way; and an obsolete harpsichord, illuminated round the maker's name with a painted garland of sweet peas. in any part of the house, visitors were usually cognizant of a prevailing mustiness; and in warm weather miss tox had been seen apparently writing in sundry chinks and crevices of the wainscoat with the the wrong end of a pen dipped in spirits of turpentine.
although major bagstock had arrived at what is called in polite literature, the grand meridian of life, and was proceeding on his journey downhill with hardly any throat, and a very rigid pair of jaw-bones, and long-flapped elephantine ears, and his eyes and complexion in the state of artificial excitement already mentioned, he was mightily proud of awakening an interest in miss tox, and tickled his vanity with the fiction that she was a splendid woman who had her eye on him. this he had several times hinted at the club: in connexion with little jocularities, of which old joe bagstock, old joey bagstock, old j. bagstock, old josh bagstock, or so forth, was the perpetual theme: it being, as it were, the major's stronghold and donjon-keep of light humour, to be on the most familiar terms with his own name.
'joey b., sir,'the major would say, with a flourish of his walking-stick, 'is worth a dozen of you. if you had a few more of the bagstock breed among you, sir, you'd be none the worse for it. old joe, sir, needn't look far for a wile even now, if he was on the look-out; but he's hard-hearted, sir, is joe - he's tough, sir, tough, and de-vilish sly!' after such a declaration, wheezing sounds would be heard; and the major's blue would deepen into purple, while his eyes strained and started convulsively.
notwithstanding his very liberal laudation of himself, however, the major was selfish. it may be doubted whether there ever was a more entirely selfish person at heart; or at stomach is perhaps a better expression, seeing that he was more decidedly endowed with that latter organ than with the former. he had no idea of being overlooked or slighted by anybody; least of all, had he the remotest comprehension of being overlooked and slighted by miss tox.
and yet, miss tox, as it appeared, forgot him - gradually forgot him. she began to forget him soon after her discovery of the toodle family. she continued to forget him up to the time of the christening. she went on forgetting him with compound interest after that. something or somebody had superseded him as a source of interest.
'good morning, ma'am,' said the major, meeting miss tox in princess's place, some weeks after the changes chronicled in the last chapter.
'good morning, sir,' said miss tox; very coldly.
'joe bagstock, ma'am,' observed the major, with his usual gallantry, 'has not had the happiness of bowing to you at your window, for a considerable period. joe has been hardly used, ma'am. his sun has been behind a cloud.'
miss tox inclined her head; but very coldly indeed.
'joe's luminary has been out of town, ma'am, perhaps,' inquired the major.
'i? out of town? oh no, i have not been out of town,' said miss tox. 'i have been much engaged lately. my time is nearly all devoted to some very intimate friends. i am afraid i have none to spare, even now. good morning, sir!'
as miss tox, with her most fascinating step and carriage, disappeared from princess's place, the major stood looking after her with a bluer face than ever: muttering and growling some not at all complimentary remarks.
'why, damme, sir,' said the major, rolling his lobster eyes round and round princess's place, and apostrophizing its fragrant air, 'six months ago, the woman loved the ground josh bagstock walked on. what's the meaning of it?'
the major decided, after some consideration, that it meant mantraps; that it meant plotting and snaring; that miss tox was digging pitfalls. 'but you won't catch joe, ma'am,' said the major. 'he's tough, ma'am, tough, is j.b. tough, and de-vilish sly!' over which reflection he chuckled for the rest of the day.
but still, when that day and many other days were gone and past, it seemed that miss tox took no heed whatever of the major, and thought nothing at all about him. she had been wont, once upon a time, to look out at one of her little dark windows by accident, and blushingly return the major's greeting; but now, she never gave the major a chance, and cared nothing at all whether he looked over the way or not. other changes had come to pass too. the major, standing in the shade of his own apartment, could make out that an air of greater smartness had recently come over miss tox's house; that a new cage with gilded wires had been provided for the ancient little canary bird; that divers ornaments, cut out of coloured card-boards and paper, seemed to decorate the chimney-piece and tables; that a plant or two had suddenly sprung up in the windows; that miss tox occasionally practised on the harpsichord, whose garland of sweet peas was always displayed ostentatiously, crowned with the copenhagen and bird waltzes in a music book of miss tox's own copying.
over and above all this, miss tox had long been dressed with uncommon care and elegance in slight mourning. but this helped the major out of his difficulty; and be determined within himself that she had come into a small legacy, and grown proud.
it was on the very next day after he had eased his mind by arriving at this decision, that the major, sitting at his breakfast, saw an apparition so tremendous and wonderful in miss tox's little drawing-room, that he remained for some time rooted to his chair; then, rushing into the next room, returned with a double-barrelled opera-glass, through which he surveyed it intently for some minutes.
'it's a baby, sir,' said the major, shutting up the glass again, 'for fifty thousand pounds!'
the major couldn't forget it. he could do nothing but whistle, and stare to that extent, that his eyes, compared with what they now became, had been in former times quite cavernous and sunken. day after day, two, three, four times a week, this baby reappeared. the major continued to stare and whistle. to all other intents and purposes he was alone in princess's place. miss tox had ceased to mind what he did. he might have been black as well as blue, and it would have been of no consequence to her.
the perseverance with which she walked out of princess's place to fetch this baby and its nurse, and walked back with them, and walked home with them again, and continually mounted guard over them; and the perseverance with which she nursed it herself, and fed it, and played with it, and froze its young blood with airs upon the harpsichord, was extraordinary. at about this same period too, she was seized with a passion for looking at a certain bracelet; also with a passion for looking at the moon, of which she would take long observations from her chamber window. but whatever she looked at; sun, moon, stars, or bracelet; she looked no more at the major. and the major whistled, and stared, and wondered, and dodged about his room, and could make nothing of it.
'you'll quite win my brother paul's heart, and that's the truth, my dear,' said mrs chick, one day.
miss tox turned pale.
'he grows more like paul every day,' said mrs chick.
miss tox returned no other reply than by taking the little paul in her arms, and making his cockade perfectly flat and limp with her caresses.
'his mother, my dear,' said miss tox, 'whose acquaintance i was to have made through you, does he at all resemble her?'
'not at all,' returned louisa
'she was - she was pretty, i believe?' faltered miss tox.
'why, poor dear fanny was interesting,' said mrs chick, after some judicial consideration. 'certainly interesting. she had not that air of commanding superiority which one would somehow expect, almost as a matter of course, to find in my brother's wife; nor had she that strength and vigour of mind which such a man requires.'
miss tox heaved a deep sigh.
'but she was pleasing:' said mrs chick: 'extremely so. and she meant! - oh, dear, how well poor fanny meant!'
'you angel!' cried miss tox to little paul. 'you picture of your own papa!'
if the major could have known how many hopes and ventures, what a multitude of plans and speculations, rested on that baby head; and could have seen them hovering, in all their heterogeneous confusion and disorder, round the puckered cap of the unconscious little paul; he might have stared indeed. then would he have recognised, among the crowd, some few ambitious motes and beams belonging to miss tox; then would he perhaps have understood the nature of that lady's faltering investment in the dombey firm.
if the child himself could have awakened in the night, and seen, gathered about his cradle-curtains, faint reflections of the dreams that other people had of him, they might have scared him, with good reason. but he slumbered on, alike unconscious of the kind intentions of miss tox, the wonder of the major, the early sorrows of his sister, and the stern visions of his father; and innocent that any spot of earth contained a dombey or a son.
托克斯小姐居住在一座黑暗的小房屋里，这座房屋在英国历史中某一个遥远的时期被挤进这个城市西端的一个豪华的地区。它在那里像一个穷亲戚一样，座落在从拐角通出去的那条大街的阴影之中，被一座座宏伟的邸宅冷漠地藐视着。它实际上不是在一个院子里，也不是在一个围场中，而是在通衢大道之外的一个最萧条的地方，远处传来接二连三的敲门声都会使这里胆战心惊，惶惶不安。这个偏僻的地方称为公主广场，它的铺石路缝中长出了青草；在公主广场中有一个小的公主教堂，钟声从那里当当地传出；星期天到那里去参加祈祷仪式的有时达二十五人之多。那里还有公主纹章，优秀的步兵常去参观。在公主纹章前面的围栏内放着一顶轿子，可是据人们记忆，从来没有被抬出到外面来过；在天气晴朗的上午，在围栏上面每一条横木的顶上摆着一个白镴壶，作为装饰；横木总共四十八条，因为托克斯小姐常常数它们。
除了托克斯小姐的房屋外，公主广场上还有另一座私人房屋；不用说，它也有两扇很大的门，门上也有一对很大的狮子头形状的门环；这门从来不曾在什么情况下开过，人们猜想，它是一个通向什么人的马厩的废弃不用的入口。确实，在公主广场的空气中是可以闻到马厩的气味的。从托克斯小姐的卧室（它在房屋的后面）望出去，可以望到马店的外景；马夫们在那里不论从事哪一种工作，总是连续不断地发出兴奋的吆喝来伴随自己。马车夫和他们老婆、孩子的最适合家里穿着和最隐蔽的衣裤通常都像麦克佩斯的旗帜一样，悬挂在外面的墙上1。公主广场的这另一座房屋由一位过去当过男管家、现已退休、并已与一位女管家结婚的男子承租；他把一些带家具的房间转租给一位单身的绅士，也就是说，一位面孔像木头一样没有表情，脸色发青的陆军少校；他的眼睛从脸上鼓出，托克斯小姐对这一点表示赏识，她本人曾说它“有些真正的军人气概”。他和她之间偶尔交换交换报纸和小册子，这种柏拉图式的互通款曲2是通过少校的一位黑肤色的仆人作为中间媒介来实现的，托克斯小姐甘心乐意地把这位仆人划为“本地人”，而并没有把他与任何地理概念相联系。
--------
1见莎士比亚著名悲剧《麦克佩斯》第五幕第五场：
麦克佩斯：“把我们的旗帜挂在城墙外面；……我们这座城堡防御得这样坚强，还怕他们围攻吗？……”
2指精神恋爱。
也许，从来没有比托克斯小姐家的穿堂与楼梯更小的穿堂与楼梯了。也许，从上到下，总的来说，它是英国最不舒适的小房屋，也是形状最歪歪扭扭的。但是这时托克斯小姐就会说，它坐落在一个什么地方呵！冬天屋子里很少有亮光；在一年最好的时光中也见不到太阳；空气是根本谈不上的；街道交通也是不用提了。但是托克斯小姐仍然会说，想一想它是坐落在什么地方呵！脸色发青、眼睛从脸上鼓出的少校也是这么说的；他对公主广场感到自豪；他在俱乐部里，不论什么时候，只要可能，就高兴把谈话转到与住在通过拐角的大街上的大人物有关的一些事情上；他会得意洋洋地说，他们是他的邻居。
托克斯小姐所住的这座黑暗的房屋是她自己的房屋；这是她的小金盒中的那颗没有光泽的眼睛的已故的主人立了遗嘱，赠送给她的；他有一幅头上撒了粉、留着辫子的小小的肖像画，如今已成为与壁炉架另一端上面的水壶支架保持平衡的物品。大部分家具都是男人们头上撒粉和留辫子时期的家具，包括一个饭菜加温器，它经常疲劳无力，伸开四条细弱的罗圈腿，挡住人们的道路；还有一个已陈旧过时的大键琴，琴上制造者的姓名周围画着一环香豌豆，作为装饰。
虽然白格斯托克少校已经到达纯文学中所称的盛壮之年，现正走着下坡路；他几乎没有脖子，颚骨十分坚硬，象一般的长耳朵下垂着，眼睛与脸色呈现出一种前面已经叙述过的不自然的兴奋状态，然而他却以在托克斯小姐心中唤醒了对他的兴趣而十分自豪，而且假想她是一位有意于他的出色的女人，这样来满足自己的虚荣心。他在俱乐部里讲一些小小的笑话时好几次暗示了这一点。在他的笑话中，老乔·白格斯托克，老乔埃·白格斯托克，老约·白格斯托克，老乔希·白格斯托克，等等，是个永恒不变的主题，仿佛少校的幽默的要塞与主塔与他自己的姓名有着最亲昵的关系。
“先生，”少校会挥舞一下他的手杖，说道，“乔埃·白抵得上你们十几个人。如果你们当中再多几个白格斯托克血统的人的话，先生，那么你们就决不会比现在更坏。先生，老乔埃如果要找老婆的话，哪怕就是现在去我，那么他并不需要走多远就能找到一个。可是他是个铁石心肠的人，先生，乔是这样的人——他坚强不屈，先生，坚强不屈，而且像魔鬼一样狡猾！”在这样的声明之后，可以听到呼哧呼哧喘气的声音，少校的脸也会从青色转变为更深的紫色，他的眼睛则会痉挛性地睁大、鼓出。
不论少校自吹自擂，吹得如何天花乱坠，但他却是自私的。世界上是否有过比他内心更完全自私的人，这是可以怀疑的；也许不说心而说胃，是个更好的说法，因为大自然赋予他的后一个器官显然要比前一个器官强得多。他从没有想到他会被什么人忽视或轻视，更决不可能会被托克斯小姐忽视或轻视。
然而，托克斯小姐看来已把他忘记了——逐渐地把他忘记了。在她发现了图德尔家庭之后不久，她就开始把他忘记了。她继续把他忘记，直到施洗礼的时候。在那以后，她又进一步加倍迅速地把他忘记。什么事情或什么人已代替他成为她兴趣的源泉。
“早上好，夫人，”在上一章记载的变化发生了几个星期之后，少校在公主广场遇到托克斯小姐时说道。
“早上好，先生，”托克斯小姐很冷淡地说道。
“夫人，”少校以他通常的殷勤态度说道，“乔·白格斯托克少校已有好长的一段时间未能有幸在您的窗口向您向候致意了。夫人，乔受到了苛刻的对待。他的太阳已经躲藏到一朵云的后面去了。”
托克斯小姐歪斜着头，但确实很冷淡。
“照耀乔的星球也许到城外去了吗，夫人？”少校问道。
“您是说我吗？到城外去了吗？噢，不，我没有到到城外去，”托克斯小姐说道。“我最近很忙。我的时间几乎全都花在几个最亲密的朋友身上了。我只怕甚至连现在也一点时间都抽不出来了。早上好，先生！”
当托克斯小姐随着她那极为迷人的步子和体态从公主广场消失不见的时候，少校站在那里目送着她，脸色比过去任何时候更为发青，同时咕哝着，怒气冲冲地说着一些决不是恭维的话。
“哼，她妈的，先生，”少校向公主广场转动着他的龙虾眼，转了一圈又一圈，并向着它的芳香的空气说道，“六个月以前，这女人喜爱乔·白格斯托克走过的土地。这是什么意思？”少校经过稍稍思考之后，断定它的意思是要诱捕男人；它的意思是策划阴谋，安设圈套；托克斯小姐正在挖掘陷阱。
“可是您捕捉不到乔，夫人，”少校说道，“他是坚强不屈的，夫人，坚强不屈的正就是约·白。坚强不屈，而且像魔鬼一样的狡猾！”他发表了这些感想之后，就吃吃地笑了一整天。
可是那一天和其他许多天都过去了，托克斯小姐似乎仍旧对少校丝毫也不注意，也丝毫没有想到他。从前，她习惯偶尔从她黑暗的小窗口往外看看，然后满脸羞得通红地回答一下少校的问候；可是现在她决不给少校一个机会，丝毫也不理会他是否在看下面的道路。另外的一些变化也发生了。少校站在他自己房间的阴影中，能够隐约地看出，托克斯小姐的房间中最近呈现出一派远比过去漂亮的景象；那只老的金丝雀被装进一只新的金丝鸟笼里；从彩色的硬纸板和纸张中剪出的一些玩艺儿似乎已把壁炉架和桌子装饰一新；一两株植物突然出现在窗口；托克斯小姐偶尔在练习弹奏大键琴，它的那一环甜豌豆总是被得意洋洋地炫示着；琴上摆着托克斯小姐亲自抄写在乐谱中的哥本哈根圆舞曲和鸟儿圆舞曲。
除了这一切之外，托克斯小姐好久以来就非常细心和雅致地穿了一身轻丧服。不过这一点帮助少校走出了困境；他心中断定，她已继承了一小笔遗产，因而趾高气扬起来了。
少校作出这个判断，安下心来以后的第二天，正坐着吃早餐时，看到托克斯小姐的小客厅里出现了一个鬼怪，他是那么惊人，那么奇异，因此他坐在椅子里一直坐了好一会儿，然后才急忙跑到旁边的房间，拿了一个双筒的看戏用的小望远镜回来；他通过望远镜专心致志地察看了好几分钟。
“这是个婴孩，先生，”少校把望远镜重新关上，说道，“我敢拿五万五千镑打赌！”
少校不能忘记这件事情。他除了吹口哨和把眼睛瞪得鼓鼓的之外，什么也干不了；如果跟他现在的眼睛相比，他以前的眼睛就显得相当凹陷和低洼了。一天又一天，这个婴孩在一个星期之内重新出现了两次、三次、四次。少校继续瞪眼睛和吹口哨。不论从哪一点来看，他在公主广场上已是孤身一人了。托克斯小姐已不再关心他做什么了。如果他的脸色从青色转变为黑色，那对她也是一件无关紧要的事情。
她坚持不断地走出公主广场，去领这个婴孩和他的保姆，和他们一起走回来，又和他们走回家去；而且经常看守着他们；她坚持不断地亲自照料孩子，喂他吃东西，和他玩耍，在大键琴上弹出曲调使他年轻的血液凝结；这种坚持不断、始终如一的精神是异乎寻常的。大约就在这同一时期中，她满怀深情地看某一个手镯；她也满怀深情地看月亮，会从她房间的窗口长久地观望着它。但是不论她看什么，看太阳也好，看月亮也好，看星星或看手镯也好，她却不再看少校了。少校吹着口哨，瞪着眼睛，心中纳闷，在房间里转来转去，但却什么也弄不明白。
“您将会赢得我哥哥保罗的心，这是真的，我亲爱的，”奇克夫人有一天说道。
托克斯小姐脸色变得苍白。
“他一天天长得愈来愈像保罗了，”奇克夫人说道。
托克斯小姐没有回答，只是把小保罗抱在怀中，抚摸着他帽上的花结，使它完全平展、柔软。
“他像他的母亲吗？”托克斯小姐问道，“我亲爱的，我得通过您才能了解她呀。”
“一点也不像，”路易莎回答道。
“她——她长得漂亮吧。我想？”托克斯小姐迟疑地说道。
“是的，可怜的亲爱的范妮是有趣的，”奇克夫人经过一些慎重的考虑以后说道。“确实是有趣的。人们不知怎么样，几乎理所当然地本指望会在我的哥哥的妻子身上看到那种威风凛凛、高人一等的气派，可是她并没有这种气派。她也没有这样一位男人所需要的那种精力与气魄。”
托克斯小姐深深地叹了一口气。
“不过她是讨人喜欢的，”奇克夫人说道，“非常讨人喜欢。还有她的心眼儿！——啊，亲爱的，可怜的范妮心眼儿多么好啊！”
“您这小天使！”托克斯小姐对小保罗喊道，“您跟您爸爸真是长得一模一样啊！”
如果少校能知道，在那婴孩的头上寄托了多少希望与梦想，多少计划与打算的话，如果他能看到它们参差错乱、混杂无序地在一无所知的小保罗的带褶的帽子四周盘旋的话，那么他确实可能会把眼睛瞪得大大地来看的。那时候他就会从那成群的事物中辨认出属于托克斯小姐的一些野心勃勃的尘埃与光束了；那时候他也许就会明白那位女士畏畏缩缩地对董贝公司进行投资的性质了。
如果这孩子本人能在夜间醒过来，看到聚集在他的摇篮帐子周围、其他人们对他所抱的梦想的微弱的映像的话，那么它们很有理由会把他吓坏了。可是他却继续呼呼地酣睡，对托克斯小姐的善良的意图，少校的纳闷不解，他姐姐过早的悲哀和他父亲严峻的梦幻，都一概不知；他也不了解在地面上的什么地方还存在着一位董贝或一个他的儿子。