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, beig 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.

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。

'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.

“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。

'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.

“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。

注释：convey vt. 传达；运输；让与
例句：
1. Please convey my sympathy to your wife.
请向你夫人转达我的慰问。
2. My letter will convey some idea of my mode of life.
我的信将使你了解到一些我的生活方式。


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.

“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。

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.

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。

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.

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。

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.'

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。”

注释：rebellion n. 叛乱；反抗；谋反；不服从
例句：
1. The police crushed out the rebellion in the prison.
警察把发生在监狱中的暴乱镇压了下去。
2. The people would rise in open rebellion if oppressed by a monarchy.
如果遭到君主制的压迫，人民就会起来反抗。

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.'

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。”

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.'

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。”

注释：continue vi. 继续，延续；仍旧，连续 vt. 继续说…；使…继续；使…延长
例句：
1. It will continue to develop.
它将继续发展下去。
2. He is to continue as manager.
他要继续当经理。


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?

'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？”

'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.'

“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。”

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.

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。

注释：errand n. 使命；差事；差使
例句：
1. I'll go there to do an errand.
我将去那里办件事。
2. For a moment he forgot his errand.
有一小会儿，他忘掉了自己的使命。