more warnings than one

florence, edith, and mrs skewton were together next day, and the carriage was waiting at the door to take them out. for cleopatra had her galley again now, and withers, no longer the-wan, stood upright in a pigeon-breasted jacket and military trousers, behind her wheel-less chair at dinner-time and butted no more. the hair of withers was radiant with pomatum, in these days of down, and he wore kid gloves and smelt of the water of cologne.

they were assembled in cleopatra's room the serpent of old nile (not to mention her disrespectfully) was reposing on her sofa, sipping her morning chocolate at three o'clock in the afternoon, and flowers the maid was fastening on her youthful cuffs and frills, and performing a kind of private coronation ceremony on her, with a peach-coloured velvet bonnet; the artificial roses in which nodded to uncommon advantage, as the palsy trifled with them, like a breeze.

'i think i am a little nervous this morning, flowers,' said mrs skewton. 'my hand quite shakes.'

'you were the life of the party last night, ma'am, you know,' returned flowers, ' and you suffer for it, to-day, you see.'

edith, who had beckoned florence to the window, and was looking out, with her back turned on the toilet of her esteemed mother, suddenly withdrew from it, as if it had lightened.

'my darling child,' cried cleopatra, languidly, 'you are not nervous? don't tell me, my dear edith, that you, so enviably self-possessed, are beginning to be a martyr too, like your unfortunately constituted mother! withers, someone at the door.'

'card, ma'am,' said withers, taking it towards mrs dombey.

'i am going out,' she said without looking at it.

'my dear love,' drawled mrs skewton, 'how very odd to send that message without seeing the name! bring it here, withers. dear me, my love; mr carker, too! that very sensible person!'

'i am going out,' repeated edith, in so imperious a tone that withers, going to the door, imperiously informed the servant who was waiting, 'mrs dombey is going out. get along with you,' and shut it on him.'

but the servant came back after a short absence, and whispered to withers again, who once more, and not very willingly, presented himself before mrs dombey.

'if you please, ma'am, mr carker sends his respectful compliments, and begs you would spare him one minute, if you could - for business, ma'am, if you please.'

'really, my love,' said mrs skewton in her mildest manner; for her daughter's face was threatening; 'if you would allow me to offer a word, i should recommend - '

'show him this way,' said edith. as withers disappeared to execute the command, she added, frowning on her mother, 'as he comes at your recommendation, let him come to your room.'

'may i - shall i go away?' asked florence, hurriedly.

edith nodded yes, but on her way to the door florence met the visitor coming in. with the same disagreeable mixture of familiarity and forbearance, with which he had first addressed her, he addressed her now in his softest manner - hoped she was quite well - needed not to ask, with such looks to anticipate the answer - had scarcely had the honour to know her, last night, she was so greatly changed - and held the door open for her to pass out; with a secret sense of power in her shrinking from him, that all the deference and politeness of his manner could not quite conceal.

he then bowed himself for a moment over mrs skewton's condescending hand, and lastly bowed to edith. coldly returning his salute without looking at him, and neither seating herself nor inviting him to be seated, she waited for him to speak.

entrenched in her pride and power, and with all the obduracy of her spirit summoned about her, still her old conviction that she and her mother had been known by this man in their worst colours, from their first acquaintance; that every degradation she had suffered in her own eyes was as plain to him as to herself; that he read her life as though it were a vile book, and fluttered the leaves before her in slight looks and tones of voice which no one else could detect; weakened and undermined her. proudly as she opposed herself to him, with her commanding face exacting his humility, her disdainful lip repulsing him, her bosom angry at his intrusion, and the dark lashes of her eyes sullenly veiling their light, that no ray of it might shine upon him - and submissively as he stood before her, with an entreating injured manner, but with complete submission to her will - she knew, in her own soul, that the cases were reversed, and that the triumph and superiority were his, and that he knew it full well.

'i have presumed,' said mr carker, 'to solicit an interview, and i have ventured to describe it as being one of business, because - '

'perhaps you are charged by mr dombey with some message of reproof,' said edit 'you possess mr dombey's confidence in such an unusual degree, sir, that you would scarcely surprise me if that were your business.'

'i have no message to the lady who sheds a lustre upon his name,' said mr carker. 'but i entreat that lady, on my own behalf to be just to a very humble claimant for justice at her hands - a mere dependant of mr dombey's - which is a position of humility; and to reflect upon my perfect helplessness last night, and the impossibility of my avoiding the share that was forced upon me in a very painful occasion.'

'my dearest edith,' hinted cleopatra in a low voice, as she held her eye-glass aside, 'really very charming of mr what's-his-name. and full of heart!'

'for i do,' said mr carker, appealing to mrs skewton with a look of grateful deference, - 'i do venture to call it a painful occasion, though merely because it was so to me, who had the misfortune to be present. so slight a difference, as between the principals - between those who love each other with disinterested devotion, and would make any sacrifice of self in such a cause - is nothing. as mrs skewton herself expressed, with so much truth and feeling last night, it is nothing.'

edith could not look at him, but she said after a few moments,

'and your business, sir - '

'edith, my pet,' said mrs skewton, 'all this time mr carker is standing! my dear mr carker, take a seat, i beg.'

he offered no reply to the mother, but fixed his eyes on the proud daughter, as though he would only be bidden by her, and was resolved to he bidden by her. edith, in spite of herself sat down, and slightly motioned with her hand to him to be seated too. no action could be colder, haughtier, more insolent in its air of supremacy and disrespect, but she had struggled against even that concession ineffectually, and it was wrested from her. that was enough! mr carker sat down.

'may i be allowed, madam,' said carker, turning his white teeth on mrs skewton like a light - 'a lady of your excellent sense and quick feeling will give me credit, for good reason, i am sure - to address what i have to say, to mrs dombey, and to leave her to impart it to you who are her best and dearest friend - next to mr dombey?'

mrs skewton would have retired, but edith stopped her. edith would have stopped him too, and indignantly ordered him to speak openly or not at all, but that he said, in a low voice - 'miss florence - the young lady who has just left the room - '

edith suffered him to proceed. she looked at him now. as he bent forward, to be nearer, with the utmost show of delicacy and respect, and with his teeth persuasively arrayed, in a self-depreciating smile, she felt as if she could have struck him dead.

'miss florence's position,' he began, 'has been an unfortunate one. i have a difficulty in alluding to it to you, whose attachment to her father is naturally watchful and jealous of every word that applies to him.' always distinct and soft in speech, no language could describe the extent of his distinctness and softness, when he said these words, or came to any others of a similar import. 'but, as one who is devoted to mr dombey in his different way, and whose life is passed in admiration of mr dombey's character, may i say, without offence to your tenderness as a wife, that miss florence has unhappily been neglected - by her father. may i say by her father?'

edith replied, 'i know it.'

'you know it!' said mr carker, with a great appearance of relief. 'it removes a mountain from my breast. may i hope you know how the neglect originated; in what an amiable phase of mr dombey's pride - character i mean?'

'you may pass that by, sir,' she returned, 'and come the sooner to the end of what you have to say.'

'indeed, i am sensible, madam,' replied carker, - 'trust me, i am deeply sensible, that mr dombey can require no justification in anything to you. but, kindly judge of my breast by your own, and you will forgive my interest in him, if in its excess, it goes at all astray.

what a stab to her proud heart, to sit there, face to face with him, and have him tendering her false oath at the altar again and again for her acceptance, and pressing it upon her like the dregs of a sickening cup she could not own her loathing of or turn away from'. how shame, remorse, and passion raged within her, when, upright and majestic in her beauty before him, she knew that in her spirit she was down at his feet!

'miss florence,' said carker, 'left to the care - if one may call it care - of servants and mercenary people, in every way her inferiors, necessarily wanted some guide and compass in her younger days, and, naturally, for want of them, has been indiscreet, and has in some degree forgotten her station. there was some folly about one walter, a common lad, who is fortunately dead now: and some very undesirable association, i regret to say, with certain coasting sailors, of anything but good repute, and a runaway old bankrupt.'

'i have heard the circumstances, sir,' said edith, flashing her disdainful glance upon him, 'and i know that you pervert them. you may not know it. i hope so.'

'pardon me,' said mr carker, 'i believe that nobody knows them so well as i. your generous and ardent nature, madam - the same nature which is so nobly imperative in vindication of your beloved and honoured husband, and which has blessed him as even his merits deserve - i must respect, defer to, bow before. but, as regards the circumstances, which is indeed the business i presumed to solicit your attention to, i can have no doubt, since, in the execution of my trust as mr dombey's confidential - i presume to say - friend, i have fully ascertained them. in my execution of that trust; in my deep concern, which you can so well understand, for everything relating to him, intensified, if you will (for i fear i labour under your displeasure), by the lower motive of desire to prove my diligence, and make myself the more acceptable; i have long pursued these circumstances by myself and trustworthy instruments, and have innumerable and most minute proofs.'

she raised her eyes no higher than his mouth, but she saw the means of mischief vaunted in every tooth it contained.

'pardon me, madam,' he continued, 'if in my perplexity, i presume to take counsel with you, and to consult your pleasure. i think i have observed that you are greatly interested in miss florence?'

what was there in her he had not observed, and did not know? humbled and yet maddened by the thought, in every new presentment of it, however faint, she pressed her teeth upon her quivering lip to force composure on it, and distantly inclined her head in reply.

'this interest, madam - so touching an evidence of everything associated with mr dombey being dear to you - induces me to pause before i make him acquainted with these circumstances, which, as yet, he does not know. it so shakes me, if i may make the confession, in my allegiance, that on the intimation of the least desire to that effect from you, i would suppress them.'

edith raised her head quickly, and starting back, bent her dark glance upon him. he met it with his blandest and most deferential smile, and went on.

'you say that as i describe them, they are perverted. i fear not - i fear not: but let us assume that they are. the uneasiness i have for some time felt on the subject, arises in this: that the mere circumstance of such association often repeated, on the part of miss florence, however innocently and confidingly, would be conclusive with mr dombey, already predisposed against her, and would lead him to take some step (i know he has occasionally contemplated it) of separation and alienation of her from his home. madam, bear with me, and remember my intercourse with mr dombey, and my knowledge of him, and my reverence for him, almost from childhood, when i say that if he has a fault, it is a lofty stubbornness, rooted in that noble pride and sense of power which belong to him, and which we must all defer to; which is not assailable like the obstinacy of other characters; and which grows upon itself from day to day, and year to year.

she bent her glance upon him still; but, look as steadfast as she would, her haughty nostrils dilated, and her breath came somewhat deeper, and her lip would slightly curl, as he described that in his patron to which they must all bow down. he saw it; and though his expression did not change, she knew he saw it.

'even so slight an incident as last night's,' he said, 'if i might refer to it once more, would serve to illustrate my meaning, better than a greater one. dombey and son know neither time, nor place, nor season, but bear them all down. but i rejoice in its occurrence, for it has opened the way for me to approach mrs dombey with this subject to-day, even if it has entailed upon me the penalty of her temporary displeasure. madam, in the midst of my uneasiness and apprehension on this subject, i was summoned by mr dombey to leamington. there i saw you. there i could not help knowing what relation you would shortly occupy towards him - to his enduring happiness and yours. there i resolved to await the time of your establishment at home here, and to do as i have now done. i have, at heart, no fear that i shall be wanting in my duty to mr dombey, if i bury what i know in your breast; for where there is but one heart and mind between two persons - as in such a marriage - one almost represents the other. i can acquit my conscience therefore, almost equally, by confidence, on such a theme, in you or him. for the reasons i have mentioned i would select you. may i aspire to the distinction of believing that my confidence is accepted, and that i am relieved from my responsibility?'

he long remembered the look she gave him - who could see it, and forget it? - and the struggle that ensued within her. at last she said:

'i accept it, sir you will please to consider this matter at an end, and that it goes no farther.'

he bowed low, and rose. she rose too, and he took leave with all humility. but withers, meeting him on the stairs, stood amazed at the beauty of his teeth, and at his brilliant smile; and as he rode away upon his white-legged horse, the people took him for a dentist, such was the dazzling show he made. the people took her, when she rode out in her carriage presently, for a great lady, as happy as she was rich and fine. but they had not seen her, just before, in her own room with no one by; and they had not heard her utterance of the three words, 'oh florence, florence!'

mrs skewton, reposing on her sofa, and sipping her chocolate, had heard nothing but the low word business, for which she had a mortal aversion, insomuch that she had long banished it from her vocabulary, and had gone nigh, in a charming manner and with an immense amount of heart, to say nothing of soul, to ruin divers milliners and others in consequence. therefore mrs skewton asked no questions, and showed no curiosity. indeed, the peach-velvet bonnet gave her sufficient occupation out of doors; for being perched on the back of her head, and the day being rather windy, it was frantic to escape from mrs skewton's company, and would be coaxed into no sort of compromise. when the carriage was closed, and the wind shut out, the palsy played among the artificial roses again like an almshouse-full of superannuated zephyrs; and altogether mrs skewton had enough to do, and got on but indifferently.

she got on no better towards night; for when mrs dombey, in her dressing-room, had been dressed and waiting for her half an hour, and mr dombey, in the drawing-room, had paraded himself into a state of solemn fretfulness (they were all three going out to dinner), flowers the maid appeared with a pale face to mrs dombey, saying:

'if you please, ma'am, i beg your pardon, but i can't do nothing with missis!'

'what do you mean?' asked edith.

'well, ma'am,' replied the frightened maid, 'i hardly know. she's making faces!'

edith hurried with her to her mother's room. cleopatra was arrayed in full dress, with the diamonds, short sleeves, rouge, curls, teeth, and other juvenility all complete; but paralysis was not to be deceived, had known her for the object of its errand, and had struck her at her glass, where she lay like a horrible doll that had tumbled down.

they took her to pieces in very shame, and put the little of her that was real on a bed. doctors were sent for, and soon came. powerful remedies were resorted to; opinions given that she would rally from this shock, but would not survive another; and there she lay speechless, and staring at the ceiling, for days; sometimes making inarticulate sounds in answer to such questions as did she know who were present, and the like: sometimes giving no reply either by sign or gesture, or in her unwinking eyes.

at length she began to recover consciousness, and in some degree the power of motion, though not yet of speech. one day the use of her right hand returned; and showing it to her maid who was in attendance on her, and appearing very uneasy in her mind, she made signs for a pencil and some paper. this the maid immediately provided, thinking she was going to make a will, or write some last request; and mrs dombey being from home, the maid awaited the result with solemn feelings.

after much painful scrawling and erasing, and putting in of wrong characters, which seemed to tumble out of the pencil of their own accord, the old woman produced this document:

'rose-coloured curtains.'

the maid being perfectly transfixed, and with tolerable reason, cleopatra amended the manuscript by adding two words more, when it stood thus:

'rose-coloured curtains for doctors.'

the maid now perceived remotely that she wished these articles to be provided for the better presentation of her complexion to the faculty; and as those in the house who knew her best, had no doubt of the correctness of this opinion, which she was soon able to establish for herself the rose-coloured curtains were added to her bed, and she mended with increased rapidity from that hour. she was soon able to sit up, in curls and a laced cap and nightgown, and to have a little artificial bloom dropped into the hollow caverns of her cheeks.

it was a tremendous sight to see this old woman in her finery leering and mincing at death, and playing off her youthful tricks upon him as if he had been the major; but an alteration in her mind that ensued on the paralytic stroke was fraught with as much matter for reflection, and was quite as ghastly.

whether the weakening of her intellect made her more cunning and false than before, or whether it confused her between what she had assumed to be and what she really had been, or whether it had awakened any glimmering of remorse, which could neither struggle into light nor get back into total darkness, or whether, in the jumble of her faculties, a combination of these effects had been shaken up, which is perhaps the more likely supposition, the result was this: - that she became hugely exacting in respect of edith's affection and gratitude and attention to her; highly laudatory of herself as a most inestimable parent; and very jealous of having any rival in edith's regard. further, in place of remembering that compact made between them for an avoidance of the subject, she constantly alluded to her daughter's marriage as a proof of her being an incomparable mother; and all this, with the weakness and peevishness of such a state, always serving for a sarcastic commentary on her levity and youthfulness.

'where is mrs dombey? she would say to her maid.

'gone out, ma'am.'

'gone out! does she go out to shun her mama, flowers?'

'la bless you, no, ma'am. mrs dombey has only gone out for a ride with miss florence.'

'miss florence. who's miss florence? don't tell me about miss florence. what's miss florence to her, compared to me?'

the apposite display of the diamonds, or the peach-velvet bonnet (she sat in the bonnet to receive visitors, weeks before she could stir out of doors), or the dressing of her up in some gaud or other, usually stopped the tears that began to flow hereabouts; and she would remain in a complacent state until edith came to see her; when, at a glance of the proud face, she would relapse again.

'well, i am sure, edith!' she would cry, shaking her head.

'what is the matter, mother?'

'matter! i really don't know what is the matter. the world is coming to such an artificial and ungrateful state, that i begin to think there's no heart - or anything of that sort - left in it, positively. withers is more a child to me than you are. he attends to me much more than my own daughter. i almost wish i didn't look so young - and all that kind of thing - and then perhaps i should be more considered.'

'what would you have, mother?'

'oh, a great deal, edith,' impatiently.

'is there anything you want that you have not? it is your own fault if there be.'

'my own fault!' beginning to whimper. 'the parent i have been to you, edith: making you a companion from your cradle! and when you neglect me, and have no more natural affection for me than if i was a stranger - not a twentieth part of the affection that you have for florence - but i am only your mother, and should corrupt her in a day! - you reproach me with its being my own fault.'

'mother, mother, i reproach you with nothing. why will you always dwell on this?'

'isn't it natural that i should dwell on this, when i am all affection and sensitiveness, and am wounded in the cruellest way, whenever you look at me?'

'i do not mean to wound you, mother. have you no remembrance of what has been said between us? let the past rest.'

'yes, rest! and let gratitude to me rest; and let affection for me rest; and let me rest in my out-of-the-way room, with no society and no attention, while you find new relations to make much of, who have no earthly claim upon you! good gracious, edith, do you know what an elegant establishment you are at the head of?'

'yes. hush!'

'and that gentlemanly creature, dombey? do you know that you are married to him, edith, and that you have a settlement and a position, and a carriage, and i don't know what?'

'indeed, i know it, mother; well.'

'as you would have had with that delightful good soul - what did they call him? - granger - if he hadn't died. and who have you to thank for all this, edith?'

'you, mother; you.'

'then put your arms round my neck, and kiss me; and show me, edith, that you know there never was a better mama than i have been to you. and don't let me become a perfect fright with teasing and wearing myself at your ingratitude, or when i'm out again in society no soul will know me, not even that hateful animal, the major.'

but, sometimes, when edith went nearer to her, and bending down her stately head, put her cold cheek to hers, the mother would draw back as if she were afraid of her, and would fall into a fit of trembling, and cry out that there was a wandering in her wits. and sometimes she would entreat her, with humility, to sit down on the chair beside her bed, and would look at her (as she sat there brooding) with a face that even the rose-coloured curtains could not make otherwise than scared and wild.

the rose-coloured curtains blushed, in course of time, on cleopatra's bodily recovery, and on her dress - more juvenile than ever, to repair the ravages of illness - and on the rouge, and on the teeth, and on the curls, and on the diamonds, and the short sleeves, and the whole wardrobe of the doll that had tumbled down before the mirror. they blushed, too, now and then, upon an indistinctness in her speech which she turned off with a girlish giggle, and on an occasional failing in her memory, that had no rule in it, but came and went fantastically, as if in mockery of her fantastic self.

but they never blushed upon a change in the new manner of her thought and speech towards her daughter. and though that daughter often came within their influence, they never blushed upon her loveliness irradiated by a smile, or softened by the light of filial love, in its stem beauty.

第二天，弗洛伦斯、伊迪丝和斯丘顿夫人在一起坐着，马车在门口等待着把她们拉到外面去游逛。因为现在克利奥佩特拉又有了她的单层甲板大帆船了1；威瑟斯不再脸无血色；他穿着鸽胸式的短上衣和军裤，在就餐的时间笔挺地站在她的没有轮子的椅子的后面，不再用头去顶它了；在这些轻松愉快的日子里，威瑟斯的头发涂了香脂，闪闪发亮；他戴着小山羊皮的手套，身上散发出花露水的香气。

他们聚集在克利奥佩特拉的房间里。古老的尼罗河的蛇2（这么说并不是对她不尊敬）在她的沙发上安息，下午三点还在一点一点地喝着她早晨的巧克力饮料，侍女弗劳尔斯正在系紧她那少女般衣衫的袖口和绉边，并私下里给她举行了一个加冕典礼，在她头上戴上一顶桃红色的丝绒帽子；当麻痹症像微风一样跟帽子上的假玫瑰闹着玩儿的时候，这些花朵就非常可爱地摇晃着。

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1古埃及女王克利奥佩特拉经常乘单层甲板大帆船出游；这里是说斯丘顿夫人有了豪华的马车了。

2古老的尼罗河的蛇：指克利奥佩特拉。莎士比亚所著戏剧《安东尼与克利奥佩特拉》第一幕第五场：

克利奥佩特拉：“……他（指马克·安东尼）现在说话了，也许他在低声微语，‘我那古老的尼罗河的蛇呢？’因为他是这样称呼我的。……”

“今天早上我觉得有些神经过敏，弗劳尔斯，”斯丘顿夫人说道，“我的手颤抖得厉害。”

“您是昨天夜晚庆祝会上的重要人物，夫人，”弗劳尔斯回答道，“您看，今天您就受不了啦。”

伊迪丝原先把弗洛伦斯叫到窗口，正望着外面，背对着她尊敬的母亲的梳妆台，这时仿佛窗子闪过电光似的，她突然离开了窗子。

“我亲爱的孩子，”克利奥佩特拉没精打采地说道，“你不神经过敏吗？别告诉我，我亲爱的伊迪丝，你虽然这么镇静自若，令人羡慕，但像你身体不幸多病的母亲一样，也开始成为一个长期忍受痛苦的人了！威瑟斯，有人敲门。”

“名片，夫人，”威瑟斯把名片递给董贝夫人，说道。

“我要出去，”她对名片看也不看一眼，说道。

“我亲爱的，”斯丘顿夫人慢声慢气地说道，“多奇怪，连名字不看一下就这样回答出去！拿到这里来，威瑟斯。天哪，我亲爱的，你可知道，这是卡克先生！这位很明白事理的人！”

“我要出去，”伊迪丝重复说道。她的语气是完全命令式的，所以威瑟斯走到门口，就命令式地对等待着的仆人说道，“董贝夫人要出去，走吧！”说完就当着他的面把门关上了。

可是那位仆人走后不一会儿又回来了，而且又凑着威瑟斯的耳朵低声地说些话，威瑟斯不很愿意地又一次走到董贝夫人面前。

“对不起，夫人，卡克先生向您致以敬意，并请求您，夫人，如果您愿意的话，抽出一分钟来跟他谈点业务上的事情。”

“真的，我亲爱的，”斯丘顿夫人看到她女儿的脸色阴沉难看，就用极为温和的声调说道，“如果你允许我说一句话，那么我想建议——”

“领他进来，”伊迪丝说道。当威瑟斯出去执行命令的时候，她皱着眉头又对母亲说道，“当他根据你的建议进来的时候，让他到你的房间里去。”

“我可以——我能走吗？”弗洛伦斯急忙问道。

伊迪丝点头同意，可是弗洛伦斯向门口走去的时候，却遇见了这位进来的人。就跟第一次对她说话时那种既亲昵又克制的讨厌态度一样，他这时用他最曲意奉承的语气对她说话，——说他希望她健康，——他不需要采用问的方式，而是仔细看看她的脸孔，等待着她的答复——；又说她的变化多么大，他昨天晚上几乎不能荣幸地认出她来了，然后他用手按住门，使它开着，让她出去；他暗暗地意识到有一种力量促使她急忙从他身边避开；尽管他的态度恭恭敬敬，彬彬有礼，但却不能完全掩盖他的这一意识。

然后他鞠了个躬，吻了一下斯丘顿夫人客气地向他伸出的手，最后向伊迪丝鞠了个躬。伊迪丝冷淡地回答了他的敬礼，没有看他；她自己没有坐下，也没有请他坐下，而是等待着他说话。

虽然她有高傲与权力作为依仗，并可以借助于她那顽强不屈的精神，但她以往的一种确信却破坏和削弱了她的力量。这个确信就是：从他们第一次相识以来，这个人了解她和她母亲的最坏的本色；她所忍受的每一个屈辱，他都跟她本人一样清楚；他观察她的生活就像念一本内容卑劣的书一样，用任何人也不能觉察到的轻视的眼光和声调翻读着书页。虽然她高傲地站在他的对面，她的威严的脸孔逼迫着他顺从，她的轻蔑的嘴唇排斥着他，她的胸脯上下起伏，对他的闯入感到愤怒，她的黑黑的眼睫毛很不高兴地低垂下来，掩蔽了眼睛的亮光，没有一道光落在他的身上，虽然他恭恭敬敬地站在她的面前，露出一副恳求的、委屈的姿态，然而却完全服从她的意志——可是她在内心深处知道，实际的情况正好相反，胜利的优势是属于他的，他完全清楚地了解这一点。

“我冒味地请求跟您会晤，”卡克先生说道，“我还放肆地说，我是来跟您谈一点业务上的事情，这是因为——”

“也许董贝先生委托您转达他的什么责备吧，”伊迪丝说道，“您得到董贝先生的信任，已到了异乎寻常的程度，所以如果您认为这是您的业务，并不会使我惊奇。”

“我没有什么口讯需要转达给使他的姓增添光彩的夫人，”卡克先生说道，“可是我以我本人的名义请求这位夫人公正地对待她手下的一名卑贱的提出要求的人——董贝先生的一名普通的下属，一个地位低微的人——，请求她考虑一下：昨天晚上我处于完全无能为力的状况，我当时被迫置身于一个很痛苦的场合，我想要避开是完全不可能的。”

“我最亲爱的伊迪丝，”克利奥佩特拉把她的眼镜放在一旁，低声地暗示道，“这位叫什么名字的先生确实很讨人喜欢，他充满了善良的心意！”

“我胆敢，”卡克先生用感激与尊敬的眼光向斯丘顿夫人看了一眼，继续说道，“我胆敢称这是个痛苦的场合，仅仅是因为我当时不幸在场，所以对我来说是痛苦的。至于在两位主人之间，在怀着无私的忠诚、相互热爱、随时准备为此而牺牲自己的人们之间，发生一点这样微小的争执，那是根本算不了什么的。就像斯丘顿夫人本人昨天夜间充满感情、极为真实地表达过的一样，那根本算不了什么。”

伊迪丝不能看他，但她在过了一会儿之后说道：

“您的业务呢，先生——”

“伊迪丝，我的宝贝，”斯丘顿夫人说道，“卡克先生一直在站着呢！我亲爱的卡克先生，请坐吧。”

他没有回答母亲，眼睛却一动不动地注视着高傲的女儿，仿佛他只等着她来请他坐，并下定决心让她来请似的。伊迪丝不由本意地坐下，并向他微微地挥了挥手，让他也坐下来；她的神态中流露出了优越感与不尊敬，没有什么动作能比这更冷淡、更傲慢、更无礼的了，可是她甚至连这点让步在自己心中也是竭力反对的，只是没有成功罢了；这是从她那里硬逼出来的。但是这也已足够了！卡克先生坐了下来。

“夫人，”卡克先生把雪白的牙齿像一道光一样照射到斯丘顿夫人身上，说道，“您是一位通晓事理和感觉敏捷的夫人，我是否可以请求您赏光，让我对董贝夫人说一些我必须说的话，然后再让她把这些话转告给您（我相信，这样做是有充分理由的）；除了董贝先生之外，您就是她最好的、最亲爱的朋友了。”

斯丘顿夫人本来想要离开，但是伊迪丝却阻止了她。伊迪丝本来也想阻止他那样做，并愤怒地命令他，要说就公开说出来，要不就干脆别说，可是他却低声地说道，“弗洛伦斯小姐——刚刚离开房间的那位姑娘——”

于是伊迪丝就听任他说下去。现在她看着他。当他极为殷勤、极为尊敬地向前弯下身子，向她更接近一些，并在卑躬屈节的微笑中显示出他排得整整齐齐的全副牙齿的时候，她觉得她真想把他当场打死。

“弗洛伦斯小姐的处境一直来是不幸的。”他开始说道，“我要向您说明这一点是困难的，因为您对她的父亲怀着亲密的爱情，所以您对于涉及他的每一句话都是警戒和妒嫉的。”他的话经常是矫揉造作、谄媚取悦的，可是他在讲这些话以及其他类似的话的时候那种矫揉造作、谄媚取悦的程度，是没有语言能够形容的，“可是，作为一个从不同的方面对董贝先生忠心耿耿，并在他的一生中始终敬慕董贝先生的性格的人，我是不是可以不触犯您当妻子的温柔亲切的感情说，弗洛伦斯小姐不幸被——她的父亲冷落了？我可以说被她的父亲冷落了吗？”

伊迪丝回答道：“我知道这。”

“您知道这！”卡克先生显出极为轻松的样子，说道，“这从我的心头搬走了一座山。我是不是可以希望您知道，这冷落是由于董贝先生的可爱的骄傲所产生的——我的意思是说，是由于他的性格所产生的呢？”

“您不必停住，先生，”她回答道，“请尽快把您想说的话说出来。”

“自然，我了解，夫人，”卡克回答道，“请相信我，我深深地了解，董贝先生并不需要向您证明他自己是正确的，可是请用您的心来判断一下我的心，那么您就会原谅我对他的关心，即使这种过分的关心有时把我引入岐途。”

跟他面对面地坐在这里，听他一次又一次地搬出她结婚时在圣坛前所作的虚假的誓言，硬要她接受，就好像端上一杯令人作呕的饮料的残滓，逼迫她喝下去，而她又不能承认她厌恶它并拒绝它，这真像一把刀，对她高傲的心是刺得多么深多么痛啊！她姿容美丽，笔直地、威严地坐在他面前，心中却知道，实际在精神上，她是躺在他的脚下的，这时候，羞耻、悔恨、愤怒是怎样在她心中翻腾不已啊！

“弗洛伦斯小姐，”卡克说道，“过去被交给仆人和雇佣来的人们照料（如果可以把它称为照料的话），她们在各方面都比她差、因此，她在童年时代必然需要引导和指点；由于缺乏这些，她过去的行为自然难免不够慎重，曾经在一定程度上忘记了她的身份。有一位叫做沃尔特的，是个庸庸碌碌的小伙子，她却傻里傻气地爱上了他，幸好他现在已经死了。我遗憾地对您说，她还跟几位名声不好的沿岸航行的船员和一位破了产逃跑的老头子保持过令人讨厌的联系。”

“这一切情形我已听说了，先生，”伊迪丝向他轻蔑地看了一眼，说道，“我知道您歪曲了事实。您也许还不知道这一点，我希望是这样。”

“请原谅我，”卡克先生说道，“我相信没有什么人能比我对这些情形知道得更清楚了。夫人，对于您的宽大与热情的天性，我应当尊敬、服从与崇拜；在为您心爱与尊敬的丈夫辩护时，您的这种天性多么高贵地表露出坚强不屈的精神；您的这种天性也使他得到了幸福，虽然他的美德是应当得到这种幸福的。然而说到具体情况——这正是我冒昧地请求您加以注意的——，我却不能有任何怀疑，因为我在履行我作为董贝先生的极为信任的朋友（我可以冒昧地这样说）的职责时，我已经完全查清了事实。在履行我的职责时，我对这些具体情况长时间亲自调查并利用可靠的人进行调查，取得了许多确凿的证据；我这样做，是由于我深深地关心与他有关的一切，这一点您是能很好理解的；如果您想说（因为我担心您不喜欢我），我这样做是被一种更低劣的动机所驱使：我是想要证明我在勤勤恳恳地为他工作，使他更加器重我，那么也可以。”

她抬起眼睛，没有抬到比他的嘴巴更高的地方，但是她却在他嘴里每颗牙齿中看到了它所自夸的作恶的工具。

“夫人，”他继续说道，“在我感到十分为难的情况下，如果我大胆地前来跟您商量，看看您是否高兴的话，那么我请您原谅我这样做，我想，我已注意到，您对弗洛伦斯小姐极感兴趣吧？”

她有哪一点他没有注意到和不知道的呢？这个想法每次出现的时候，不论它是多么微弱，都使她感到屈辱，同时却又感到极为愤怒；她牙齿紧咬着颤抖的嘴唇，竭力保持镇静，同时冷淡地点了一下头，作为回答。

“夫人，您的这个兴趣令人感动地证明了一点：凡是跟董贝先生有关的一切，对您来说，都是宝贵的；您的这个兴趣使我迟疑不决，没有把那些具体情况告诉他，因此他至今还不知道它们。如果允许我坦白承认的话，那么我应当说，您的这个兴趣使我对他的忠诚发生了动摇；您哪怕只要稍稍暗示一下您的愿望，我就会把这些事实向他瞒住不说的。”

伊迪丝迅速地抬起头，吃惊地向后退缩，并把阴沉的眼光投射到他的身上。他用他最温顺、最恭敬的微笑回答了她的眼光，继续说下去：

“您说我在叙述这些具体情况时歪曲了真相。恐怕不是这样！可是让我们假定确实如此吧。这个问题有时曾使我感到不安，这是由于以下情况引起的：弗洛伦斯小姐经常不断地保持着那些联系，不论她是多么天真和轻信，可是单就这一件事情来说，它对于本来就早已嫌恶她的董贝先生来说就具有决定性的意义，就会促使他采取步骤（我知道他有时已在考虑这一点），让她离开这个家，跟她疏远。夫人，请记得我几乎从小孩子的时候起就跟董贝先生交往，我了解他，我尊敬他。请恕我直言，如果他有什么缺点的话，那就是高傲的固执，这根源于他对属于他的权力的高贵的自豪与意识，我们全都必须服从他的权力。他的固执跟其他人的固执不同，它是刚毅不屈的，它是一天又一天，一年又一年地成长起来的。”

她的眼光依旧没有离开他；可是当他叙述到他们全都必须服从他的权力时，她的眼光尽量地坚定不移，她的傲慢的鼻孔张开来了，她的呼吸变得更加深沉，她的嘴唇稍稍地歪着。他看到了这些情形；虽然他的表情没有改变，但她知道他已看到了。

“甚至像昨天夜间这样无足轻重的小事（如果我可以再一次提到它的话），”他说道，“也可以比更重大的事情更好地阐明我的意思。董贝父子公司不知道时间、地点和季节，它把它们全部压倒。但是发生了这件小事情使我感到高兴，因为它使我今天有可能跟董贝夫人谈到这个问题，哪怕它必须使我遭到她暂时的不满也罢。夫人，我就是在对这个问题感到极为不安与忧虑的时候被董贝先生召唤到莱明顿去的。我在那里见到了您。我在那里无法不了解到您不久就要跟他结成什么样的关系，这种关系将会给他和您带来持久的幸福。我在那里作出决定，等您在这里安下家以后再来做我现在已经做了的事情。如果我把我知道的事情向您吐露了，那么我在心里就不用担心我对董贝先生没有尽到我的责任了，因为在这样的婚姻中，两人之间只有一颗心，一个灵魂，他们当中的一位几乎就代表着另一位。因此，我把这个问题的真情向您或向他吐露，我几乎可以同样安心。由于我已提到过的理由，我愿意选择您。我是不是可以荣幸地相信：我所吐露的真情已被接受，我已尽到了我的责任了？”

他长久地记得她向他投来的眼光——谁看到这个眼光能忘记呢？——以及她随后在内心所进行的斗争。最后，她说道：

“我接受它，先生。这件事情您到这里就告一结束，不用再讲什么了。”

他深深地鞠了个躬，并站起身来。她也站起来，然后他毕恭毕敬地告辞了。但是威瑟斯在楼梯上遇见他，看见他漂亮的牙齿和喜气洋洋的微笑时，惊愕地站住了；当他骑着白腿的马离开时，路上的人们都以为他是一位牙科医生，因为他显露出的牙齿是多么晃眼睛啊！当她不久之后乘着马车出去游逛的时候，路上的人们都把她看成是一位不仅富有、美丽而且又是幸福的贵妇人。但是他们没有看到她刚才一个人在自己房间里时的情景，他们也没有听到她是怎样喊着：“啊，弗洛伦斯，弗洛伦斯！”这几个字的！

斯丘顿夫人躺在沙发上休息，并一点一点地喝着巧克力饮料，除了听到“业务”这个粗俗的词儿外，什么也没有听进去。她对这个词有一种不共戴天的嫌恶，早就把它从她的词汇中驱除了，并因此用一种可爱的方式，并以大量善良的心意（就别提善良的心灵了）让各种妇女服饰商和其他商人都陷于破产。因此，斯丘顿夫人没有提任何问题，也没有表示任何好奇心。说实在的，桃红色的丝绒帽子在相当大的程度上占去了她在户外的注意力，因为它被放在她的后脑壳上，而这天风很大。它发疯似地想从斯丘顿夫人头上逃走，不跟她在一起，不管怎么哄它，它也丝毫不肯妥协。当把马车门关上，风被挡在外面的时候，由于神经麻痹症引起的颤抖又开始像济贫院中年迈的西风老人那样，跟假玫瑰花闹着玩儿1；总之，斯丘顿夫人有不少事情要做，她对其他事情都漠不关心。

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1指斯丘顿夫人麻痹症发作时，她头上的假玫瑰花随着颤抖，就像西风吹过这些花朵一样；在济贫院中西风是很多的。

到了晚间她不见好转。因为董贝夫人在化妆室里穿好衣服，已等了她半个小时；董贝先生在客厅里踱着方步，变得神色阴沉严肃、烦躁不安（他们三人要出去吃晚饭）；这时，侍女弗劳尔斯脸色苍白地走到董贝夫人跟前，说道：

“对不起，夫人，请您原谅，可是我对老夫人一点办法也没有！”

“您这是什么意思？”伊迪丝问道。

“唔，夫人，”受惊的侍女回答道，“我不明白是怎么一回事。她的脸在一歪一歪地做着各种怪样。”

伊迪丝急忙跟她一道到她母亲的房间里去。克利奥佩特拉盛装打扮：钻石啦，短袖子啦，胭脂啦，卷发啦，牙齿啦，少女般的其他装饰啦，一一齐全。可是麻痹症是欺骗不了的；它认出她就是它所负使命的目标，已在镜子前面打中了她；她就活像一个摔倒在地板上的讨厌的玩偶一样，躺在那里。

她们没有什么不好意思地把她身上穿戴的物品一件一件地剥掉，把整个人撕得支离破碎，然后把真正是她本人的那一小部分抬到床上；派人去请医生，不久医生就来了，采用了极为有效的医药；诊断的意见是：她能从这一次打击中恢复过来，但经不起再一次打击。她好几天躺在那里，呆呆地望着天花板，说不出话来；有时当问她知不知道谁在那里这样一类问题时，她发出口齿不清的来回答；有时她既不能用手势或表情来回答，也不能眨巴一下眼睛来回答。

后来她终于开始恢复了知觉，在一定程度上也恢复了动作的能力，但是说话的能力仍然没有恢复。有一天，她的右手又能活动了，她显示给照料她的侍女看，看去心情十分焦急不安；她做了个手势，要铅笔和纸；侍女立刻把它们送上，心想她要写遗嘱或写下一些最后的要求；这时董贝夫人不在家，侍女就怀着沉重的心情等候结果。

老太婆费劲地涂涂改改，还写错了几个仿佛从铅笔里自动跑出的字母之后，递交了这样一张字条：

“玫瑰色的帐子。”

由于侍女惊奇得发呆——这不是没有理由的——，克利奥佩特拉就在原稿上加上几个字，这时在纸条上看到的是：

“为医生准备的玫瑰色帐子。”

这时侍女模糊地猜测到：她要帐子的目的是为了使她的气色在医生面前显得好一些；由于家里最了解她的人们对这一意见的正确性毫不怀疑，她自己不久也能证实这一点，所以在她的床上就挂起了玫瑰色的帐子。从这时起她以加快的速度恢复。不久她就能卷着头发，戴着带花边的便帽，穿着睡衣，坐起来了；在凹陷的靥窝里还人为地涂上一点红润的颜色。

看到这位浓妆艳抹的老太婆向死神使着媚眼，装腔作势，跟他开着种种年轻人的玩笑，仿佛他就是少校似的，这真是个可怕的情景；可是她在遭受麻痹症打击之后心情的变化也同样充满了许多可供思考的资料，也同样是可怕的。

究竟是智力的衰退使她变得比先前更狡猾和虚伪呢，还是她把她自以为是什么样的人和她实际上是什么样的人混淆起来了呢，还是她模模糊糊地感到有些后悔呢（这种后悔既不能使她挣扎到光明之中，也不能使她后退到彻底的黑暗之中），还是在她头脑的混乱中，所有这些作用全都被激发出来了呢——这个猜测也许最可能是真的——，总之，结果是这样：她更加非常苛刻地要求伊迪丝对她表示亲爱、感激和关怀；她把自己高度赞扬成为一个难以估量的好母亲；她对伊迪丝关怀的其他一切对象都变得十分妒嫉；不仅如此，她还忘记了她们母女之间达成的闭口不谈女儿婚事这个问题的协议，经常不断地提到它，用这来证明她是一位难以比拟的好母亲；这一切，再加上她的病弱和好发脾气，就常常成为她变化无常与年轻浮躁的讽刺性注释。

“董贝夫人在哪里？”她会这样问侍女。

“出去了，夫人。”

“出去了！她出去是不是为了躲开她的妈妈，弗劳尔斯？”

“上帝保佑您，夫人，不是这样。董贝夫人只是跟弗洛伦斯小姐乘车出去转转。”

“弗洛伦斯小姐。弗洛伦斯小姐是谁？别跟我谈弗洛伦斯小姐。跟我比起来，弗洛伦斯小姐对她算得了什么？”

每当她开始要流出眼泪的时候，把她的钻石，或者桃红色的丝绒帽子（在她能到屋外走动之前好几个星期中，她总是戴着这顶帽子接见客人的），适当地展示在她面前，或者用什么花哨的服饰把她打扮起来，通常能把她的眼泪止住；她可以一直保持着自满自得的心情，直到伊迪丝前来看她为止。

当她一看到那张高傲的脸孔时，她又会故态复萌。

“唔，真的，伊迪丝！”她会摇着头，喊道。

“怎么了，妈妈？”

“怎么了！我真不知道是怎么了。这世界已变到这样虚伪的忘恩负义的地步，我真开始觉得，世界上根本就再也没有什么良心或这一类的东西了。威瑟斯比你更像是我的孩子了。他比我亲生的女儿更殷勤地照料我。我真但愿我别显得这么年轻，也许那样我反倒可以得到更多的关心。”

“你想要什么，妈妈？”

“哦，许许多多东西，伊迪丝！”她不耐烦地回答道。

“你想要的东西还有什么你还没有的？如果还有的话，那得怪你自己了。”

“怪我自己了！”她开始啜泣。“伊迪丝！打从你躺在摇篮里的时候起，我就一直跟你形影不离，我是你这样的母亲啊！可是你却不理睬我，对我的感情还不如对一位陌生人那样，连你对弗洛伦斯的感情的二十分之一也不到——我不过是你的亲母亲罢了，但你却居然认为我有一天会使她道德败坏！——你竟还责备我说，这得怪我自己了。”

“妈妈呀，妈妈！我什么也没有责备你。为什么你老唠唠叨叨地说这个呢？”

“我是一个非常重感情和敏感的人，而每当你看到我的时候，我却总是受到了最残酷的伤害；我为什么唠唠叨叨地说这个，这不是很自然的吗？”

“我不是有意要伤害你，妈妈。难道你不记得我们两人之间说过的话了吗？让过去安息吧。”

“不错，安息吧！让对我的感激安息吧；让对我亲切的感情安息吧；让我躺在偏辟的房间里，没有人陪伴，没有人照顾，就这样安息吧，而这时候你却结交上新的亲属，虽然她们对你是没有任何世俗权利的，你却对她们尽心地照顾！哎呀，我的天，伊迪丝，你知不知道你现在是在一个多么优雅高尚的家庭里当主妇哪？”

“知道，小点声！”

“还有那位身份高贵的人物，董贝？你知不知道你跟他结了婚，伊迪丝，你有了财产、地位、马车，我不知道还有什么？”

“自然，我知道，妈妈，我知道得很清楚。”

“就像你跟那位可爱的好人儿——他们管他叫什

么？——格兰杰在一起的时候也会有这一切一样，如果他没有死的话。这一切你应该感谢谁呢，伊迪丝？”

“你，妈妈，你。”

“那么，你就用胳膊搂着我的脖子，亲亲我；向我表示一下，你明白世界上没有一个比我更好的妈妈了，伊迪丝。别让我因为你的忘恩负义而奚落自己，折磨自己，变成一个十足的怪物；要不然当我重新到社会上跟人们交际的时候，谁也不会认出我来了，甚至连少校那可恨的畜牲也会认不出我来了。”

可是有时当伊迪丝走近她，低垂下神色庄严的头，把冷冰冰的脸颊贴到她的脸颊上的时候，母亲会往后退缩，仿佛她害怕她，并发出一阵震颤，喊道，她觉得神志恍惚。有时候她会低声下气地求伊迪丝坐在床边的椅子上；当伊迪丝坐在那里出神地想着心事的时候，她则会看着她；这时她脸上那副干瘪、苍老的样子，甚至连玫瑰色的帐子也无法改变。

随着时间的流逝，玫瑰色的帐子发出红光，照射到克利奥佩特拉日益痊愈的身体，照射到她的衣服（为了补偿疾病的损害，她的衣服比过去任何时候都显得更加年轻了），照射到她的胭脂、牙齿、卷发、钻石、短袖和在镜子前面摔倒的玩偶的全部服装。玫瑰色帐子发出红光，也不时观察到她的口齿变得含混不清，她发出少女般格格的傻笑来掩饰这一点。玫瑰色帐子发出红光，还可不时观察到她的记忆力时而衰退，这种衰退毫无规则，而是希奇古怪地忽来忽去，仿佛在戏弄她这希奇古怪的本人一样。

可是玫瑰色的帐子发出的红光从来没有观察到她想到她女儿和跟她说话的新的方式中有什么变化。虽然这位女儿时常来到帐子的红光所能照射到的地方，可是红光却从来没有观察到她可爱的脸上露出过高兴的微笑，或者孝顺之爱的亮光使她严峻的美貌变得温柔起来。