董贝先生回答道，“一点也不”；可以认为，他这话是指她的偏心来说的，而不是指他的原谅来说的。

　　’And it may seem remarkable in one who is a mother also,’ resumed Mrs Blimber.

　　“一位母亲说这些话也许似乎也是令人惊异的，”布林伯夫人重新说道。

　　’And such a mother,’ observed Mr Dombey, bowing with some confused idea of beingcomplimentary to Cornelia.

　　“这样一位母亲，”董贝先生说道，一边有些概念不清地像是对科妮莉亚表示恭维地鞠了一个躬。

　　’But really,’ pursued Mrs Blimber, ’I think if I could have known Cicero, and been his friend, and talked with him in his retirement at Tusculum (beau-ti-ful Tusculum!), I could have diedcontented.’

　　“不过说真的，”布林伯夫人继续说道，“我想如果我能认识西塞罗，成为他的朋友，在他幽居的图斯库卢姆①（风光美丽的图斯库卢姆！）跟他谈谈话，那么我就可以甘心乐意地死去了。”

　　A learned enthusiasm is so very contagious, that Mr Dombey half believed this was exactly his case; and even Mrs Pipchin, who was not, as we have seen, of an accommodating dispositiongenerally, gave utterance to a little sound between a groan and a sigh, as if she would have said that nobody but Cicero could have proved a lasting consolation under that failure of the Peruvian MInes, but that he indeed would have been a very Davy-lamp of refuge.

　　学术上的热诚是很富于感染力的，董贝先生也有些相信，他的情况也完全是这样的；皮普钦夫人的性情正像我们所看到的，一般来说，并不是爱迁就别人的，可是甚至连她也发出了一个介乎呻吟与叹息之间的小声，仿佛她想说，在秘鲁矿井破产之后，除了西塞罗之外，没有其他人能成为她持久的安慰了，但西塞罗确实会是一盏戴维的安全矿灯②。

　　Cornelia looked at Mr Dombey through her spectacles, as if she would have liked to crack a few quotations with him from the authority in question. But this design, if she entertained it, was frustrated by a knock at the room-door.

　　科妮莉亚通过眼镜看着董贝先生，仿佛她很想在他面前引出几段大家提到的这位权威的语录来似的。但是如果她怀有这个打算的话，那么它也被这时的敲门声所破坏了。

　　’Who is that?’ said the Doctor. ’Oh! Come in, Toots; come in. Mr Dombey, Sir.’ Toots bowed. ’Quite a coincidence!’ said Doctor Blimber. ’Here we have the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega Our head boy, Mr Dombey.’

　　“是谁？”博士问道。“啊！请进，图茨；请进。这是董贝先生，先生。”图茨鞠了个躬。“真是个巧合！”布林伯博士说道。“在我们面前有一个开头的和一个末尾的。阿尔法和乌米加③。这是我们年纪最大的学生，董贝先生。”

　　The Doctor might have called him their head and shoulders boy, for he was at least that much taller than any of the rest.He blushed very much at finding himself among strangers, and chuckled aloud.

　　博士很可以称他为年纪最大和个子最高的学生。因为他至少比其他任何孩子高出一个肩膀。他发现自己处在陌生人当中，脸红得厉害，同时吃吃地大声笑着。

　　’An addition to our little Portico, Toots,’ said the Doctor; ’Mr Dombey’s son.’

　　“我们小小的门廊又增加了一个人，图茨，”博士说道，“董贝先生的儿子。”

　　-------- ①图斯库卢姆（Tusculum）：古罗马城市，在罗马东南24公里处。公元前一世纪，西塞罗在此有一别墅，他的哲学著作《图斯卢姆谈话录》（TusculanaeDisputationes）就是在这里完成的。 ②戴维的安全矿灯：英国著名化学家汉弗莱·戴维（HumfreyDavy，1778—1829年）于1815年发明的防煤气爆炸危险的矿灯。 ③阿尔法和乌米加（AlphaandOmega）分别是希腊字母表中头一个字母α和最后一个字母C。