名著阅读

The MAJOR, more blue-faced and staring - more over-ripe, as it were, than ever - and giving vent, every now and then, to one of the horse's coughs, not so much of necessity as in a spontaneous explosion of importance, walked arm-in-arm with Mr Dombey up the sunny side of the way, with his cheeks swelling over his tight stock, his legs majestically wide apart, and his great head wagging from side to side, as if he were remonstrating within himself for being such a captivating object. They had not walked many yards, before the Major encountered somebody he knew, nor many yards farther before the Major encountered somebody else he knew, but he merely shook his fingers at them as he passed, and led Mr Dombey on: pointing out the localities as they went, and enlivening the walk with any current scandal suggested by them.
In this manner the Major and Mr Dombey were walking arm-in-arm, much to their own satisfaction, when they beheld advancing towards them, a wheeled chair, in which a lady was seated, indolently steering her carriage by a kind of rudder in front, while it was propelled by some unseen power in the rear. Although the lady was not young, she was very blooming in the face - quite rosy- and her dress and attitude were perfectly juvenile. Walking by the side of the chair, and carrying her gossamer parasol with a proud and weary air, as if so great an effort must be soon abandoned and the parasol dropped, sauntered a much younger lady, very handsome, very haughty, very wilful, who tossed her head and drooped her eyelids, as though, if there were anything in all the world worth looking into, save a mirror, it certainly was not the earth or sky.
'Why, what the devil have we here, Sir!' cried the Major, stopping as this little cavalcade drew near.
'My dearest Edith!' drawled the lady in the chair, 'Major Bagstock!'
The Major no sooner heard the voice, than he relinquished Mr Dombey's arm, darted forward, took the hand of the lady in the chair and pressed it to his lips. With no less gallantry, the Major folded both his gloves upon his heart, and bowed low to the other lady. And now, the chair having stopped, the motive power became visible in the shape of a flushed page pushing behind, who seemed to have in part outgrown and in part out-pushed his strength, for when he stood upright he was tall, and wan, and thin, and his plight appeared the more forlorn from his having injured the shape of his hat, by butting at the carriage with his head to urge it forward, as is sometimes done by elephants in Oriental countries.
'Joe Bagstock,' said the Major to both ladies, 'is a proud and happy man for the rest of his life.'
'You false creature! said the old lady in the chair, insipidly. 'Where do you come from? I can't bear you.'
'Then suffer old Joe to present a friend, Ma'am,' said the Major, promptly, 'as a reason for being tolerated. Mr Dombey, Mrs Skewton.' The lady in the chair was gracious. 'Mr Dombey, Mrs Granger.' The lady with the parasol was faintly conscious of Mr Dombey's taking off his hat, and bowing low. 'I am delighted, Sir,' said the Major, 'to have this opportunity.'
The Major seemed in earnest, for he looked at all the three, and leered in his ugliest manner.
'Mrs Skewton, Dombey,' said the Major, 'makes havoc in the heart of old Josh.'
Mr Dombey signified that he didn't wonder at it.
'You perfidious goblin,' said the lady in the chair, 'have done! How long have you been here, bad man?'
'One day,' replied the Major.
'And can you be a day, or even a minute,' returned the lady, slightly settling her false curls and false eyebrows with her fan, and showing her false teeth, set off by her false complexion, 'in the garden of what's-its-name
'Eden, I suppose, Mama,' interrupted the younger lady, scornfully.
'My dear Edith,' said the other, 'I cannot help it. I never can remember those frightful names - without having your whole Soul and Being inspired by the sight of Nature; by the perfume,' said Mrs Skewton, rustling a handkerchief that was faint and sickly with essences, 'of her artless breath, you creature!'
The discrepancy between Mrs Skewton's fresh enthusiasm of words, and forlornly faded manner, was hardly less observable than that between her age, which was about seventy, and her dress, which would have been youthful for twenty-seven. Her attitude in the wheeled chair (which she never varied) was one in which she had been taken in a barouche, some fifty years before, by a then fashionable artist who had appended to his published sketch the name of Cleopatra: in consequence of a discovery made by the critics of the time, that it bore an exact resemblance to that Princess as she reclined on board her galley. Mrs Skewton was a beauty then, and bucks threw wine-glasses over their heads by dozens in her honour. The beauty and the barouche had both passed away, but she still preserved the attitude, and for this reason expressly, maintained the wheeled chair and the butting page: there being nothing whatever, except the attitude, to prevent her from walking.
'Mr Dombey is devoted to Nature, I trust?' said Mrs Skewton, settling her diamond brooch. And by the way, she chiefly lived upon the reputation of some diamonds, and her family connexions.

少校和董贝先生手挽着手，沿着街道上晒到阳光的一边走去；少校的脸色更加发青，眼睛鼓得更加凸出--好像比过去成熟得更过度了--，并不时发出一声马的咳嗽般的声音，这与其说是出于必要，倒还不如说是本能地要装出自尊自大的神气；他的脸颊涨鼓鼓地悬垂在紧绷绷的衣领上，两只腿威风凛凛地跨得很开，大大的头从一边摇晃到另一边，仿佛在心里责备自己为什么要成为这样有魅力的人物。他们没有走好多码远，少校遇到了一位熟人；没有再走几码远，他又遇到了另一位熟人；但是他走过的时候，只是向他们挥动一下手指头，就继续领着董贝先生向前走；一路上向他指点名胜地点，并讲一些使他联想起来的奇闻怪事，使散步增添生趣。
当少校和董贝先生这样手挽着手、洋洋自得地向前走着的时候，他们看到前面一个轮椅正向他们移动过来；椅子里坐着一位夫人正懒洋洋地操纵着前面的舵轮，驾驶着她的车子，后面则由一种看不见的力量推着。这位夫人虽然并不年轻，但面容却很娇艳--十分红润--，她的服装和姿态也完全跟妙龄女郎一样。一位年轻得多的女士在轮椅旁边悠闲地走着；她露出一种高傲而疲倦的神色，举着一把薄纱洋伞，仿佛必须立即放弃这个十分伟大的努力，让洋伞掉下去似的；她很美丽，很傲慢，很任性；她高昂着头，低垂着眼皮，仿佛世界上除了镜子之外，如果有什么值得观看的东西，那么它肯定不是地面或天空。
“哎呀，我们遇见什么魔鬼啦，先生！”当这一小队人马走近的时候，少校停下脚步，喊道。
“我最亲爱的伊迪丝！”轮椅中的夫人慢声慢气地说道，”白格斯托克少校！”
少校一听到这个声音，就放下董贝先生的胳膊，向前奔去，然后拉起椅子中的夫人的手，紧贴着他的嘴唇。少校以同样殷勤的态度，把两只戴着手套的手在胸前合拢，向另一位女士深深地鞠躬。现在，轮椅停下来了，原动力也显露出来了；那是一位满脸涨得通红的童仆，就是他在后面推着轮椅的；他似乎因为个子长得过大，又过分用力，所以当他挺直站立起来的时候，他看去高大、消瘦、脸无血色。由于他像东方国家的大象那样用头顶着车子推动它前进，因此他的帽子的形状也被损坏了，这就使他的境况显得更加悲惨可怜。
“乔•白格斯托克，”少校向两位女士说道，”在他这一生的其余日子里是个自豪和幸福的人。”
“你这个虚伪的东西！”椅子里的夫人有气无力地说道，”你从那里来？我不能容忍你。”
“那么，请允许老乔向您介绍一位朋友吧，夫人，”少校立即说道，”希望这能成为得到您宽恕的理由。董贝先生，斯丘顿夫人。”椅子中的夫人和蔼亲切，彬彬有礼。“董贝先生，格兰杰夫人。”拿阳伞的女士略略注意了一下董贝先生脱下帽子和深深地鞠躬。”我真高兴能有这样的机会，先生。”少校说道。
少校似乎是认真的，因为他看着所有三个人，并以他最丑恶的神态把眼睛溜来溜去。
“董贝，”少校说道，”斯丘顿夫人蹂躏了老乔希的心。”
董贝先生表示他对这并不惊奇。
“你这背信弃义的恶鬼，”椅子中的夫人说道，”什么也别说了！你到这里有多久了，坏人？”
“一天，”少校回答道。
“难道你能在这里待上一天或哪怕是一分钟，”那位夫人接着说道，一边用扇子轻轻地整了整她的假卷发和假眉毛，露出了被她的假容颜衬托得格外清楚的假牙齿。”在这--叫什么的园中--”
“我想是伊甸园吧，妈妈，”年轻的女士轻蔑地打断道。
“我最亲爱的伊迪丝，”另一位说道，”我没有办法。我永远也记不住这些可怕的名字--难道你能在这伊甸园中待上一天，哪怕是一分钟而没有让你整个灵魂和整个人受到大自然的壮观的鼓舞吗？又难道能使它不被大自然那纯洁的呼吸的芳香所鼓舞吗？你这个东西！”斯丘顿夫人说道，一边沙沙作声地挥着一块手绢，散发出闷人的、令人欲呕的香气。
斯丘顿夫人活泼热情的语言与她那衰弱无力的声调那么不相配，就跟她的年龄--大约七十岁--与她的服装--二十七岁的人穿起来也显得年轻--不相配一样令人注目。她坐在轮椅中的姿态（她从不改变这个姿态），正是大约五十年前她坐在双马四轮大马车中、由当时一位风靡一时的画家画下的姿态；这幅肖像画发表的时候他还给加上一个名字：克利奥佩特拉，这是由于当时的评论家们发现她和这位女王斜倚在单层甲板大帆船时的风貌维妙维肖的缘故。斯丘顿夫人当时是一位美人，花花公子们几十次举杯向她致敬。现在美貌和双马四轮大马车全都不再存在了，但她依旧保持着这个姿态，而且特别由于这个原因，还依旧保留了那个轮椅并雇佣了那个用头推车的童仆；除了这个姿态外，没有任何其他原因妨碍她走路。
“我相信，董贝先生是热爱大自然的吧？”斯丘顿夫人整整她的钻石胸针，说道。这里顺便说一句，她主要是依靠她有一些钻石的名声和她的家族关系过日子的。
背景阅读

本书简介：
《董贝父子》是狄更斯最重要的作品之一，发表于1848年。小说描写了董贝父子公司的盛衰史。董贝是个贪得无厌的大资本家，妻子儿女都成了他追逐利润的工具和摆设。公司经理卡克尔是个奸诈小人，骗取了董贝的信任后又一手造成了他的破产。在现实的教训中，董贝的思想发生了转变。最后，虽然他已无法重整家业，却成全了真正的家庭幸福。

作者简介：

英国小说家查尔斯·约翰·赫芬姆·狄更斯（Charles John Huffam Dickens，1812年2月7日~1870年6月9日） 英国维多利亚时期的著名小说家，他的作品至今依然盛行，并对英国文学发展起到重要影响。 狄更斯1812年出生于英国朴次茅斯（Portsmouth），是海军职员约翰·狄更斯和伊丽莎白·巴洛所生的第二个孩子。狄更斯5岁时全家就迁居占松（Chatham），10岁时又搬到康登镇（Camden Town）。 小时候狄更斯曾经在一所私立学校接受过一段时间的教育，但是12岁时，狄更斯的父亲就因债务问题而入狱，狄更斯也因此被送到伦敦一家鞋油场当学徒，每天工作10个小时。或许是由于这段经历，使得狄更斯的作品更关注底层社会劳动人民的生活状态。 不过后来由于父亲继承了一笔遗产而令家庭经济状况有所好转，狄更斯也才有机会重新回到学校。15岁时他从威灵顿学院毕业，随后进入一家律师行工作，后来又转入报馆，成为一名报导国会辩论的记者。狄更斯并没有接受很多的正规教育，基本上是靠自学成才。