His face, remarkable for a brown solidity, brightened as he shook hands with Uncle and nephew; but he seemed to be of a laconic disposition, and merely said:
'How goes it?'
'All well,' said Mr Gills, pushing the bottle towards him.

他的脸是褐色的，结实的，十分引人注目；当他和舅甥两人握手的时候，他脸上露出了喜色；但他似乎生性是一位言辞简洁的人，只是说道：
“事情怎么样？”
“一切都好，”吉尔斯把酒瓶推到他那边，说道。

He took it up, and having surveyed and smelt it, said with extraordinary expression:
'The?'
'The,' returned the Instrument-maker.

他拿起酒瓶，细细地看了一下，闻了一下，然后露出异乎寻常的表情，说道：
“是它吗？”
“是它，”仪器制造商回答道。

Upon that he whistled as he filled his glass, and seemed to think they were making holiday indeed.
'Wal'r!' he said, arranging his hair (which was thin) with his hook, and then pointing it at the Instrument-maker, 'Look at him! Love! Honour! And Obey! Overhaul your catechism till you find that passage, and when found turn the leaf down. Success, my boy!'

在这之后，他一边往杯子里倒酒，一边吹口哨，似乎在想，他们真正在欢庆节日呢。
“沃尔！”他用钩子梳理了一下稀疏的头发，然后指着仪器制造商，说道，“看着他！爱他！尊敬他！并服从他！翻一下你的《教义问答》，把这一段话找到①，找到的时候把书页折一下。祝你成功，我的孩子！”

He was so perfectly satisfied both with his quotation and his reference to it, that he could not help repeating the words again in a low voice, and saying he had forgotten 'em these forty year.

他对这段语录和他的引用都十分满意，因此情不自禁地低声重复说着这段话，并说他在这四十年中已把它们忘记了。

注释：disposition n. 处置；[心理] 性情；[军] 部署；倾向
例句：
1. I had shown an obliging disposition to render her some little services.
我表示愿意为她办些零星小事。
2. John resembles his father very much in disposition and appearance.
约翰在性格和外表方面都很像其父。
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①“爱他！尊敬他！并服从他！”，这实际上是在婚礼仪式上说的话，并不是《教义问答》中的话。船长记错了。

'But I never wanted two or three words in my life that I didn't know where to lay my hand upon 'em, Gills,' he observed.
'It comes of not wasting language as some do.'
The reflection perhaps reminded him that he had better, like young Norval's father, '"ncrease his store." At any rate he became silent, and remained so, until old Sol went out into the shop to light it up, when he turned to Walter, and said, without any introductory remark:

“不过，吉尔斯，在我一生中还不曾发生过我不知道到哪里去找到我所需要的两、三个字的，”他说道， “因此，我不像有些人那样爱讲废话。”
这个意见也许提醒他，他最好像年轻的诺瓦尔①的父亲一样，“增加他的储存”，使他的知识更丰富一些。不管怎么样，他沉默下来，而且保持着沉默，直到老所尔离开餐桌到店铺里去点灯的时候，他才转向沃尔特，没有开场白，就说道：

'I suppose he could make a clock if he tried?'
'I shouldn't wonder, Captain Cuttle,' returned the boy.

“我想如果他试一试的话，他能做出一只钟。”
“我对这不会奇怪，卡特尔船长，”孩子回答道。

'And it would go!' said Captain Cuttle, making a species of serpent in the air with his hook. 'Lord, how that clock would go!'

“这只钟还能走！”船长用钩子在空中划了一道像一种蛇一样的线条，“我的天主，那种怎么会走哪！”

For a moment or two he seemed quite lost in contemplating the pace of this ideal timepiece, and sat looking at the boy as if his face were the dial.

在一两秒钟的时间内，他似乎完全出神地在思考着这只理想的钟走动的快慢，并坐在那里看着孩子，仿佛他的脸是针盘似的。

'But he's chockful of science,' he observed, waving his hook towards the stock-in-trade. 'Look'ye here! Here's a collection of 'em. Earth, air, or water. It's all one. Only say where you'll have it. Up in a balloon? There you are. Down in a bell? There you are. D'ye want to put the North Star in a pair of scales and weigh it? He'll do it for you.'

“可是他脑子里装满了科学，”他用钩子指着那些存货，说道，“往这里看一看吧！这里是这些东西的集合：泥土、空气或水。这里全都有了。只要说一下你准备到哪里去就行了。你想乘汽球到天上去吗？那你就到那里了！你想乘潜水艇到水底下去吗？那你就到那里了！你是不是想把北极星放到天平上去称一称？他会给你办到。”

It may be gathered from these remarks that Captain Cuttle's reverence for the stock of instruments was profound, and that his philosophy knew little or no distinction between trading in it and inventing it.

从这些话中可以看出，卡特尔船长对这些仪器的存货怀着深深的敬意；也可以看出，他对买卖这些仪器与发明这些仪器之间的区别没有什么理解或完全不理解。

注释：introductory adj. 引导的，介绍的；开端的
例句：
1. The first two chapters provide introductory and background material.
头两篇提供入门性的和背景性的材料。
2. This book includes a good introductory chapter on forests.
这本书有一章关于森林的很好的序篇。
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①诺瓦尔（Norval）：苏格兰戏剧家琼•霍姆（JoneHom，1722—1808年）所写悲剧《道格拉斯》（Douglas）中的主人翁；该悲剧的主题取自苏格兰的叙事诗。

'Ah!' he said, with a sigh, 'it's a fine thing to understand 'em. And yet it's a fine thing not to understand 'em. I hardly know which is best. It's so comfortable to sit here and feel that you might be weighed, measured, magnified, electrified, polarized, played the very devil with: and never know how.'

“啊！”他叹了一口气，说道，“懂得它们是一件好事，可是不懂得它们也是一件好事。我真不知道哪一件更好一些。坐在这里，觉得你可能被称，被计量，被放大，被通电，被给以极性，被伤害，但却不知道是怎样做到这些的，这是一件愉快的事情。”

Nothing short of the wonderful Madeira, combined with the occasion (which rendered it desirable to improve and expand Walter's mind), could have ever loosened his tongue to the extent of giving utterance to this prodigious oration. He seemed quite amazed himself at the manner in which it opened up to view the sources of the taciturn delight he had had in eating Sunday dinners in that parlour for ten years. Becoming a sadder and a wiser man, he mused and held his peace.

除了这奇妙的马德拉葡萄酒加上这令人高兴的时刻（他需要利用这时刻来提高和发展沃尔特的智力）之外，没有什么能打开他的话匣子，使他发表出这番精彩的言论。他自己似乎也感到很惊奇，这马德拉酒用这样一种方式使他看到了这十年来每逢星期天他在这客厅里吃晚饭时所享有的默默的喜悦的源泉。然后他变得忧伤，也更为慎重，就沉思着，默默无言。“听着！”他所钦佩的对象回来了，喊道，“在你喝掺水的烈酒之前，内德，我们必须把这一瓶喝光。”“做好准备！①”内德把他的酒杯倒满，说道，“给这孩子再倒一些。”

'Come!' cried the subject of this admiration, returning. 'Before you have your glass of grog, Ned, we must finish the bottle.'
'Stand by!' said Ned, filling his glass. 'Give the boy some more.'
'No more, thank'e, Uncle!'
'Yes, yes,' said Sol, 'a little more. We'll finish the bottle, to the House, Ned - Walter's House. Why it may be his House one of these days, in part. Who knows? Sir Richard Whittington married his master's daughter.'

“不要了，谢谢你，舅舅！”
“不，不，”所尔说道，“再喝一点儿。我们得把这一瓶喝光，为公司干杯，内德——为沃尔特的公司干杯。是呀，有朝一日这个公司也可能将部分地属于他的呢。谁知道呢？理查德•惠廷顿②爵士不是娶了他主人的女儿吗？”

注释：taciturn adj. 沉默寡言的；无言的，不太说话的
例句：
1. He kept apart from his fellow-travellers, knowing Mr Fogg's taciturn tastes;
他知道福克生性不好聊天，所以自己就躲得远点儿。
2.He reverted to his old taciturn ways.
他又恢复了他的静默寡言。
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①做好准备（standby）：船长命令船员们准备抛锚或准备执行其他任务时的用语。卡特尔船长时常讲这句话。
②这本小说中多次提到英国民间故事中的主人翁理查德•惠廷顿（RichardWhittington）。根据这个民间传说，500多年前，可怜的孤儿迪克（即理查德•惠廷顿）从农村到伦敦去碰运气，后来被善良的富商菲茨沃德收留，在他家中做工。迪克受不了厨娘的虐待，在一个万圣节的早上从家中逃出去。当他来到海盖特，在路边坐下来，不知该走哪条路的时候，突然在宁静的早晨的空气中传来了鲍教堂的钟声，仿佛对他说：“回去吧，惠廷顿，您是一个好公民。回去吧，惠廷顿，伦敦的市长！”钟声一遍又一遍地说着同样的话。于是他站起来转身顺原路回到主人家中，没有被人发现。北非有一个国家巴巴里耗子横行，国王由于从富商的商船中得到迪克送去出卖的小猫，制服了鼠害，就用贵重的宝石来换小猫，于是迪克发了大财。他和主人的女儿艾丽斯极为相爱，后来结了婚。此后不久，理查德•惠廷顿爵士三次出任伦敦市长。


'"Turn again Whittington, Lord Mayor of London, and when you are old you will never depart from it,"' interposed the Captain. 'Wal'r! Overhaul the book, my lad.'
'And although Mr Dombey hasn't a daughter,' Sol began.
'Yes, yes, he has, Uncle,' said the boy, reddening and laughing.
'Has he?' cried the old man. 'Indeed I think he has too.

“回去吧，惠廷顿，伦敦的市长，！当你老了的时候，你将永远也不会再离开它了，”船长打断他的话，说道，“沃尔，翻一翻书本，我的孩子。”
“只不过董贝先生没有女儿，”所尔开始说道。
“不，不，他有，舅舅，”孩子红着脸，大笑着说道。
“他有吗？”老人喊道。“不错，我想他也有女儿。”

'Oh! I know he has,' said the boy. 'Some of 'em were talking about it in the office today. And they do say, Uncle and Captain Cuttle,' lowering his voice, 'that he's taken a dislike to her, and that she's left, unnoticed, among the servants, and that his mind's so set all the while upon having his son in the House, that although he's only a baby now, he is going to have balances struck oftener than formerly, and the books kept closer than they used to be, and has even been seen (when he thought he wasn't) walking in the Docks, looking at his ships and property and all that, as if he was exulting like, over what he and his son will possess together. That's what they say. Of course, I don't know.

“啊，我知道他有，”孩子说道。“公司里有些人今天还在办公室里谈起这些事。舅舅，卡特尔船长，”他压低了声音，“他们说他不喜欢她，不关心她，让她跟仆人住在一起；他的心思完全往一个地方想，就是要让他的儿子担任公司的合伙人；所以虽然他的儿子现在还只不过是个婴孩，可是他现在却要求公司的帐目比过去结得更勤一些，帐本比过去记得更细一些，甚至还有人看见他（他自以为没有被人看见）在码头上散步，一边望着他的商船和货物以及其他这一类东西，仿佛他看到他和他儿子将要共同占有这一切，于是就感到兴高采烈了。这是他们所说的。我当然什么也不知道。”

'He knows all about her already, you see,' said the instrument-maker.
'Nonsense, Uncle,' cried the boy, still reddening and laughing, boy-like. 'How can I help hearing what they tell me?'
'The Son's a little in our way at present, I'm afraid, Ned,' said the old man, humouring the joke.
'Very much,' said the Captain.
'Nevertheless, we'll drink him,' pursued Sol. 'So, here's to Dombey and Son.'
'Oh, very well, Uncle,' said the boy, merrily. 'Since you have introduced the mention of her, and have connected me with her and have said that I know all about her, I shall make bold to amend the toast. So here's to Dombey and Son and Daughter!'

“你看，他已经了解了她的一切，”仪器制造商说道。
“胡说，舅舅，”孩子仍旧红着脸，大笑着，孩子气地喊道。“我怎么能不听到他们告诉我的话呢？”
“我担心，内德，这个儿子现在有些妨碍我们，”老人开玩笑地说道。
“非常妨碍，”船长说道。
“尽管这样，我们还是要为他祝酒，”所尔继续说道，“所以让我们来为董贝父子干杯！”
“啊，好极了，舅舅，”孩子开心地说道，“既然你们已经谈到了她，又把我跟她扯在一起，而且还说我已经了解了她的一切，那么我将不揣冒昧地把这祝酒词修改一下。让我们来为董贝父——子——女干杯！”

注释：property n. 性质，性能；财产；所有权
例句：
1. The bankrupt had made over all his property to his wife.
这个破产者已把他所有的财产转让给了他的妻子。
2. By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.
欣赏能使别人的卓越成为我们自己的财富。