Mrs Chick interposed with some motherly words about going to sleep like a dear, but Florence repeated her supplication, with a frightened look, and in a voice broken by sobs and tears.

'I'll not wake him,' she said, covering her face and hanging down her head. 'I'll only touch him with my hand, and go to sleep. Oh, pray, pray, let me lie by my brother tonight, for I believe he's fond of me!'

奇克夫人插进来，说了些像母亲般的话，要她像乖孩子那样去睡觉；可是弗洛伦斯还是露出受惊的神色，一遍又一遍地恳求着；她的声音不时被抽泣与眼泪所打断。

“我不会闹醒他，”她捂着脸，低着头，说道。“我只用我的手摸着他，然后睡去。啊，我求求你们，求求你们，让我今天躺在弟弟身旁吧，因为我相信他爱我！”

Richards took her without a word, and carrying her to the little bed in which the infant was sleeping, laid her down by his side. She crept as near him as she could without disturbing his rest; and stretching out one arm so that it timidly embraced his neck, and hiding her face on the other, over which her damp and scattered hair fell loose, lay motionless.
'Poor little thing,' said Miss Tox; 'she has been dreaming, I daresay.'

理查兹没有说一句话，把她抱起来，抱到那个婴孩睡觉的小床上，让她在他的身旁躺下。她尽量爬过去挨近他，不去打搅他的安息；然后她伸出一只胳膊，畏畏缩缩地搂着他的脖子，用另一只胳膊捂住她的脸；她那潮湿的、散乱的头发松散地落在她的脸上，她就这样一动不动地躺在那里。
“可怜的小东西，”托克斯小姐说道，“我想，她一定梦见什么了。”

Dreaming, perhaps, of loving tones for ever silent, of loving eyes for ever closed, of loving arms again wound round her, and relaxing in that dream within the dam which no tongue can relate. Seeking, perhaps - in dreams - some natural comfort for a heart, deeply and sorely wounded, though so young a child's: and finding it, perhaps, in dreams, if not in waking, cold, substantial truth. This trivial incident had so interrupted the current of conversation, that it was difficult of resumption; and Mrs Chick moreover had been so affected by the contemplation of her own tolerant nature, that she was not in spirits. The two friends accordingly soon made an end of their tea, and a servant was despatched to fetch a hackney cabriolet for Miss Tox. Miss Tox had great experience in hackney cabs, and her starting in one was generally a work of time, as she was systematic in the preparatory arrangements.

这件小事破坏了谈话的头绪，很难使它恢复了；加上奇克夫人又沉思她自己那宽容的性格，心神分散，这时情绪不高。因此两位朋友很快就结束了喝茶，派遣一位仆人为托克斯小姐雇用一辆出租的单马篷车。托克斯小姐在雇用出租马车方面是有丰富经验的，她在动身的时候通常总要占用好多时间，因为她事先要有条不紊地做好准备性的安排。

注释：damp vt. 使潮湿；使阻尼；使沮丧，抑制
vi. 减幅，阻尼；变潮湿 n. 潮湿，湿气 adj. 潮湿的
例句：
1. Wounds festered in the damp, they never healed.
伤口在潮湿中溃烂，永远也不能愈合。
2. The underneath part felt damp.
底层很潮湿。

'Have the goodness, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'first of all, to carry out a pen and ink and take his number legibly.'

“劳驾您，托林森，”托克斯小姐说道，“首先请带上一支笔和墨水，把他的号码清楚地记下来。”

'Yes, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'Then, if you please, Towlinson,'said Miss Tox, 'have the goodnessto turn the cushion. Which,' said Miss Tox apart to Mrs Chick, 'is generally damp, my dear.'
'Yes, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'I'll trouble you also, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'with this card and this shilling. He's to drive to the card, and is to understand that he will not on any account have more than the shilling.'
'No, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'And I'm sorry to give you so much trouble, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, looking at him pensively.

“一定照办，小姐，”托林森说道。
“然后，劳驾您，托林森，”托克斯小姐说道，“把椅垫翻过来。”托克斯小姐转过身去单独对奇克夫人说道，“它通常是潮湿的，我亲爱的。”
“一定照办，小姐，”托林森说道。
“我还得麻烦您带上这张名片和一个先令，”托克斯小姐说道，“他必须把我送到名片上列出的地址，而且还必须明白，除了这个先令之外，他无论如何也不能要求我给更多的钱了。”
“一定照办，小姐，”托林森说道。
“还有，我很抱歉，给您添了这么多麻烦，托林森，”托克斯小姐若有所思地看着他。

'Not at all, Miss,' said Towlinson.
'Mention to the man, then, if you please, Towlinson,' said Miss Tox, 'that the lady's uncle is a magistrate, and that if he gives her any of his impertinence he will be punished terribly. You can pretend to say that, if you please, Towlinson, in a friendly way, and because you know it was done to another man, who died.'
'Certainly, Miss,' said Towlinson.

“一点也不，小姐，”托林森说道。
“那么，劳驾您，托林森，请跟车夫说，”托克斯小姐说道，“这位夫人的舅舅是一位治安法庭的法官，如果他要对她稍有一点无礼的话，那么他就会受到严厉的惩罚。如果您愿意的话，托林森，您可以假装用一种友好的口吻对他说这件事，因为您知道，过去曾经这样处治过另一位车夫，他已经死了。”
“毫无问题，一定照办，”托林森说道。

'And now good-night to my sweet, sweet, sweet, godson,' said Miss Tox, with a soft shower of kisses at each repetition of the adjective; 'and Louisa, my dear friend, promise me to take a little something warm before you go to bed, and not to distress yourself!'

It was with extreme difficulty that Nipper, the black-eyed, who looked on steadfastly, contained herself at this crisis, and until the subsequent departure of Mrs Chick. But the nursery being at length free of visitors, she made herself some recompense for her late restraint.

“好啦，现在我祝我亲爱的，亲爱的，亲爱的教子晚安，再见了，”托克斯小姐说道，她每当重复说一次那个形容词的时候，都要伴送出一阵阵温柔的吻。“还有，路易莎，我亲爱的朋友，请答应我，在睡觉前喝点儿温暖的东西，同时自己别太伤心了！”

在奇克夫人随后离开之前，一直在密切注视着黑眼睛的尼珀，在这关键性的时刻，她很困难地克制着自己。但是当育儿室终于摆脱了这两位来客之后，她对自己刚才所受的压抑多少进行了一些补偿。

注释：impertinence n. 鲁莽，无理；不恰当
例句：
1. He had the impertinence to demand a raise.
他竟冒失地要求增加工资。
2. I've had enough of your impertinence.
你太没礼貌，我已经受够了。


'You might keep me in a strait-waistcoat for six weeks,' said Nipper, 'and when I got it off I'd only be more aggravated, who ever heard the like of them two Griffins, Mrs Richards?'
'And then to talk of having been dreaming, poor dear!' said Polly.

“你可以让我穿紧身衣①穿上六个星期，”尼珀说道，“而当我把它脱掉的时候，我只会更加发怒。理查兹大嫂，有谁听说过有像她们这两个格里芬②一样的吗？”
“还说一定梦见什么了，可怜的乖乖！”波利说道。

'Oh you beauties!' cried Susan Nipper, affecting to salute the door by which the ladies had departed. 'Never be a Dombey won't she? It's to be hoped she won't, we don't want any more such, one's enough.'
'Don't wake the children, Susan dear,' said Polly.
'I'm very much beholden to you, Mrs Richards,' said Susan, who was not by any means discriminating in her wrath, 'and really feel it as a honour to receive your commands, being a black slave and a mulotter. Mrs Richards, if there's any other orders, you can give me, pray mention 'em.'

“哼，您们这两位美人！”苏珊•尼珀向两位女士离开的那扇门故意敬了一个礼，喊道，“她永远也不会像 董贝家里的人，是不是？希望她不会。一位已足够了，我们不想再要这样的人了。”
“别把孩子吵醒了，亲爱的苏珊，”波利说道。
“我对您十分感谢，理查兹大嫂，”苏珊说道，她在愤怒之中是不分青红皂白的，“我是一个黑奴，是一个白人与黑人所生的混血儿，接受您的命令我真感到荣幸。理查兹大嫂，如果还有什么其他命令您可以向我下达的，那就请说吧！”

'Nonsense; orders,' said Polly.
'Oh! bless your heart, Mrs Richards,' cried Susan, 'temporaries always orders permanencies here, didn't you know that, why wherever was you born, Mrs Richards? But wherever you was born, Mrs Richards,' pursued Spitfire, shaking her head resolutely, 'and whenever, and however (which is best known to yourself), you may bear in mind, please, that it's one thing to give orders, and quite another thing to take 'em. A person may tell a person to dive off a bridge head foremost into five-and-forty feet of water, Mrs Richards, but a person may be very far from diving.'

“胡说！哪里是什么命令！”波利说道。
“啊！上帝保佑您的心，理查兹大嫂，”苏珊喊道，“干临时性活的人在这里总是命令干长期性活的人，难道您这一点也不知道吗？那么说您是在什么地方出生的呢，理查兹大嫂？可是，不论您是在什么地方出生的，理查兹大嫂，”喷火器坚决地摇着头，继续说道，“也不论您是在什么时候出生的和怎样出生的（这一点您自己最清楚了），请您记住，下达命令是一回事，接受命令又是另外一回事。一个人可以告诉另一个人头朝下，从桥上往下跳，跳到四十五英尺深的水里去，理查兹大嫂，但是这另一个人可能根本就不想跳水。”

'There now,' said Polly, 'you're angry because you're a good little thing, and fond of Miss Florence; and yet you turn round on me, because there's nobody else.'
'It's very easy for some to keep their tempers, and be soft-spoken, Mrs Richards,' returned Susan, slightly mollified, 'when their child's made as much of as a prince, and is petted and patted till it wishes its friends further, but when a sweet young pretty innocent, that never ought to have a cross word spoken to or of it, is rundown, the case is very different indeed. My goodness gracious me, Miss Floy, you naughty, sinful child, if you don't shut your eyes this minute, I'll call in them hobgoblins that lives in the cock-loft to come and eat you up alive!'

“您看，”波利说道，“您生气了，因为您是一位善良的小人儿，而且喜爱弗洛伦斯小姐；但是由于这里没有别的人，您就冲着我出气了。”
“对有些人来说，捺住性子，说话温柔，是一件很容易的事，理查兹大嫂，”苏珊气有些消了，回答道，“因为这时候她们的孩子受到了像王子一样的对待，被宠爱，被爱抚，直到孩子希望有别的朋友为止。可是一位可爱的、漂亮的、天真的小女孩子，本来不应当当面对她说一句坏话，也不应当在背后议论她一句坏话的，却受到了不正当的指责，这情况确实是大不相同的了。哎呀，我的天哪！弗洛伊小姐，您这淘气的、造孽的孩子，要是您不在这1分钟内闭上您的眼睛的话，那么我就要把住在顶楼里的妖魔叫进来，把您活活地吃掉啦！”

注释：gracious adj. 亲切的；高尚的；和蔼的；雅致的
int. 天哪；哎呀 adj. 亲切的；高尚的；和蔼的；雅致的
例句：
1. All this gracious living isn't for me; I prefer the simple life.
这种优裕的生活对我不合适;我还是喜欢简朴的生活。
2. The queen was gracious enough to invite us.
女王亲切地邀请了我们。
--------
①紧身衣（stait－waistcoat）：是管制疯人和囚犯的一种衣服。
②格里芬（Griffin）：希腊神话中的鹫头飞狮。这里指怪物。