名著阅读

The Game Chicken, who was quite the Apollo of Mr Toots's Pantheon, had introduced to him a marker who taught billiards, a Life Guard who taught fencing, a jobmaster who taught riding, a Cornish gentleman who was up to anything in the athletic line, and two or three other friends connected no less intimately with the fine arts. Under whose auspices Mr Toots could hardly fail to improve apace, and under whose tuition he went to work.
But however it came about, it came to pass, even while these gentlemen had the gloss of novelty upon them, that Mr Toots felt, he didn't know how, unsettled and uneasy. There were husks in his corn, that even Game Chickens couldn't peck up; gloomy giants in his leisure, that even Game Chickens couldn't knock down. Nothing seemed to do Mr Toots so much good as incessantly leaving cards at Mr Dombey's door. No taxgatherer in the British Dominions - that wide-spread territory on which the sun never sets, and where the tax-gatherer never goes to bed - was more regular and persevering in his calls than Mr Toots.
Mr Toots never went upstairs; and always performed the same ceremonies, richly dressed for the purpose, at the hall door.
'Oh! Good morning!' would be Mr Toots's first remark to the servant. 'For Mr Dombey,' would be Mr Toots's next remark, as he handed in a card. 'For Miss Dombey,' would be his next, as he handed in another.
Mr Toots would then turn round as if to go away; but the man knew him by this time, and knew he wouldn't.
'Oh, I beg your pardon,' Mr Toots would say, as if a thought had suddenly descended on him. 'Is the young woman at home?'
The man would rather think she was;, but wouldn't quite know. Then he would ring a bell that rang upstairs, and would look up the staircase, and would say, yes, she was at home, and was coming down. Then Miss Nipper would appear, and the man would retire.
'Oh! How de do?' Mr Toots would say, with a chuckle and a blush.
Susan would thank him, and say she was very well.
'How's Diogenes going on?' would be Mr Toots's second interrogation.
Very well indeed. Miss Florence was fonder and fonder of him every day. Mr Toots was sure to hail this with a burst of chuckles, like the opening of a bottle of some effervescent beverage.
'Miss Florence is quite well, Sir,' Susan would add.
斗鸡简直可以说是图茨先生的万神殿中的阿波罗。他给图茨先生介绍了一位记分员教他打台球，一位近卫骑兵旅的成员教他击剑，一位出租马匹的人教他骑马，还给他介绍了一位通晓各种运动知识的康威尔绅士和其他两、三位对文化艺术很内行的朋友。在他们的主持下，图茨先生无法不取得飞快的进步；在他们的教导下，他着手工作。
但是不管情况是怎么发生的，它还是发生了。尽管这些先生们对他还保持着新鲜事物的光泽，但图茨先生不知是什么原因，总觉得心神不定，烦闷不安。他的谷粒上有一层外壳，甚至连斗鸡也不能把它啄掉；郁郁不乐的巨人支配了他的闲暇的时间，甚至连斗鸡也不能把他打倒。似乎没有什么事情能比得上不断到董贝先生家去留下名片对图茨先生更有裨益的了。大不列颠有着太阳永远不落、收税人永远不睡的辽阔的领土，可是在它的统治区域中，从来没有一个收税人的登门访问能比图茨先生的访问更定期、更坚持不断的了。
图茨先生从来不上楼去；他总是特地打扮得漂漂亮亮的，在前厅门口完成那老一套的仪式。
“啊，早上好！”这通常是图茨先生对仆人说的第一句话。“这是给董贝先生的，”这是图茨先生的第二句话；这时他递过去一张名片。“这是给董贝小姐的，”这是他接下去的一句话；这时他又递过去另一张名片。
图茨先生这时会转过身子，仿佛要离开的样子；但是仆人早就了解他，知道他不会走。
“哦，我请您原谅，”图茨先生会说，仿佛他脑子中突然闪现出一个念头似的，“那位年轻的女人在家吗？”
仆人猜想她在家，但不很肯定。于是他会按一下通到楼上的铃，往楼上望一望，然后说，“是的，她在家，就要下来了。”于是尼珀小姐来到他面前，仆人则离开他们。
“啊，您好！”图茨先生会这样说，同时吃吃地笑一下，脸孔红一下。
苏珊会谢谢他，说她很好。
“戴奥吉尼斯怎么样？”这会是图茨先生的第二句问话。
确实很好。弗洛伦斯小姐一天天愈来愈喜欢他。这时图茨先生必定会发出一阵吃吃的笑声，好像打开一瓶泡沫翻滚、发出响声的饮料一样。
“弗洛伦斯小姐很好，先生，”苏珊会补充说道。
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。