书虫四级《克兰福德》：4.可怜的彼得

4．Poor Peter

4．可怜的彼得

I have often noticed that everyone has some little meanness. Miss Matty Jenkyns was mean about candles. In the winter afternoons, she used to knit for hours just by firelight; and though candles were brought in with our tea, we never burnt more than one of them.

我经常注意到每个人都有小气的地方。马蒂·詹金斯小姐用蜡烛就很小气。冬天的下午，她经常只借着火光织好几个小时的毛线；虽然蜡烛是和茶点一起拿进来的，我们点的蜡烛却从不超过一枝。

One evening, I remember, this meanness quite annoyed me. Miss Matty had fallen asleep and it was too dark for me to sew even in front of the fire. When Martha brought in the lighted candle and tea, Miss Matty woke up with a sad little jump. She had been dreaming about her early life, I think, because all through tea she talked about her childhood. Then, afterwards, she went to her room to fetch some old family letters. I wanted more light by which to read them, but Miss Matty still refused to light a second candle.

我记得有一天晚上，这种小气令我很不高兴。马蒂小姐睡着了，房间里实在太黑，就是在炉火前我也没法缝东西。马莎把点好的蜡烛和茶点端进来的时候，马蒂小姐一下子惊醒了，有一点儿难过的样子。我想，她大概梦到了她早年的生活，因为整个喝茶的时间她都在讲自己的童年。后来，她到自己的房间去取一些从前的家信。我想让房间更亮一点儿好借着光读这些信，可是马蒂小姐却不同意再点一根蜡烛。

The earliest letters were two yellow packets, tied together. 'Letters between my dear parents before their marriage in July 1774,' said Miss Jenkyns's writing. The rector of Cranford was about twenty-seven at that time, and Miss Matty's mother was not yet eighteen. The only writing of the rector's I had seen before was a grand sermon in the style of Dr Johnson. So it was strange to read these fresh young letters from him, full of love for his Molly. The girl's letters were rather different—all about wedding clothes, and a white silk dress she desperately wanted.

最早的信装在系在一起的两个黄色小包里。“敬爱的双亲在1774年7月结婚前的通信。”詹金斯小姐写道。克兰福德的教区长时年27岁左右，马蒂小姐的母亲当时还不满18岁。以前我只见过教区长模仿约翰逊博士的风格所写的一篇颇有气势的布道文，所以读到他年轻时代写的这些书信有一种奇怪的感觉，这些信字里行间饱含着他对莫利的深情。女孩儿的信却很不相同——都是关于结婚礼服，还有她特别想要的一条白丝裙的事情。

We must burn them, 1 think,' said Miss Matty doubtfully. 'No one will care for them when I've gone.' One by one, she dropped the letters into the fire. The room was light enough now.

“我想，我们该把它们烧了，”马蒂小姐有些迟疑地说，“我去世后就没人来保管这些信了。”一封接一封地，她把这些信丢到了火里。现在房间里够亮了。

The other letters were written between about 1775 and 1805. There were sweet letters between the mother and grandmother when Deborah was born. There were later letters from the rector, full of Latin words. There were badly-spelt replies from his wife about 'bewtiful little Matty'. And there was one letter from the grandfather about a son. How strange, I thought, that I had never heard of this son before.

其他的信大约写于1775年至1805年之间。有一些是德博拉出生的时候母亲与外祖母之间的通信，很温馨。还有一些教区长后来写的信，里面尽是拉丁文。还有他妻子错字连篇的回信，都是关于“飘亮的小马蒂”的。还有一封信是外祖父写的，关于一个儿子的事。真奇怪，我想，我以前还从没听说过这个儿子呢。

Then we came to Miss Jenkyns's letters. It took us two nights to read them all. The longest ones were written during a visit to Newcastle-upon-Tyne early in 1805. Some people were expecting Napoleon Buonaparte to land there, and Miss Jenkyns was clearly alarmed.

后来我们读到了詹金斯小姐的信，我们用了两个晚上才把这些信全部读完。最长的几封信写于1805年初的泰恩河畔纽卡斯尔之行期间。当时一些人正盼着拿破仑·波拿巴在那里登陆，显然詹金斯小姐受了惊吓。

It was a frightening time, my dear,' explained Miss Matty. 'I used to wake up at night and think I heard the French entering Cranford! My father, I remember, wrote a lot of sermons against Napoleon.'

“那是令人胆寒的时代，亲爱的，”马蒂小姐解释道，“我经常在夜里醒来，觉得听到了法国人进入克兰福德的声音！我记得，我父亲写了很多反对拿破仑的布道文。”

The son, Peter Arley Jenkyns ('poor Peter!' Miss Matty began to call him), was at school at Shrewsbury by this time. The rector wrote in Latin to his boy, and the boy wrote back careful 'show' letters, with notes to his mother at the end: 'Mother dear, do send me a cake!'

那个儿子叫彼得·阿莱·詹金斯（“可怜的彼得！”马蒂小姐开始这么称呼他），当时正在什鲁斯伯里上学。教区长用拉丁文给儿子写信，而他儿子的回信则写得认认真真，做足了“表面功夫”，信末还要给他母亲写上一两句诸如“亲爱的妈妈，一定要给我送块蛋糕来！”之类的话。

Soon, 'poor Peter' was in trouble at school. There were letters to his father apologizing for some wrong-doing, and a note to his mother. 'My dearest Mother, I will be a better boy. I will, indeed. But please don't be ill because of me. I'm not worth it.'

不久，“可怜的彼得”就在学校惹了麻烦。有几封信是他为自己所做的错事向父亲道歉的，还有一张写给母亲的便条：“我最亲爱的妈妈，我会做个好孩子。我一定会的。但请你不要为了我而生病，我不配。”

After this note, Miss Matty was crying too much to speak. She got up and took it to her room in case it was burnt by mistake. 'Poor Peter!' she said. 'He was always in trouble. He was too fond of fun and jokes. Poor Peter! '

看了这张便条之后，马蒂小姐哭得说不出话来。她站起来把便条拿到自己屋里，以免把它误烧了。“可怜的彼得！”她说，“他总是麻烦不断，他太喜欢逗乐开玩笑了。可怜的彼得！”

Peter won no honours at school, it seemed, and he was brought back to Cranford, to study at home.

似乎彼得在学校从没取得过好成绩，所以他被带回克兰福德在家学习。

He was a kind boy in many ways,' said Miss Matty. 'Like dear Captain Brown, he was always ready to help any old person or child. But he did like playing jokes and making fun. Once, I remember, he dressed himself as a lady visitor to the town and asked to see "the rector who gave such wonderful sermons". My father believed him, I mean her, and offered her all his sermons about Napoleon. Then he made Peter copy them all out for her instead of going fishing! How I wanted to laugh!'

“在很多方面他都是个好孩子，”马蒂小姐说，“像亲爱的布朗上尉一样，他总是乐于帮助老人和孩子。但他的确喜欢开玩笑逗乐。我记得有一次，他装成一个到镇上来访的女士，请求见见‘作精彩布道的教区长’。我父亲对他信以为真，我是说她，并给她提供了他写的所有有关拿破仑的布道文。然后他不让彼得去钓鱼，而是让他把这些布道文全部抄写出来给她！真好笑！”

Did Miss Jenkyns know about these jokes?' I asked.

“詹金斯小姐知道这些玩笑吗？”我问道。

Oh, no! I was the only one who knew. Peter used to say that the old ladies in the town needed something to talk about. But sometimes he didn't tell me, and at last a terrible, sad thing happened...'

“哦，不！只有我一个人知道。彼得以前常说镇上的老太太们需要一些谈资。不过有时候他也不跟我讲，最后一件可怕而又糟糕的事情发生了……”

Miss Matty went to the door and opened it. There was no one there. She rang the bell, and told Martha to go across the town for some eggs. 'I'll lock the door when you've gone, Martha. You're not afraid to go, are you?'

马蒂小姐走到门口把门打开。那里没人。她按了按铃，吩咐马莎到镇子那头去买些鸡蛋：“你走之后我要把门锁上，马莎。你不害怕去那里，对吗？”

Oh no, madam! Jem Hearn will be proud to come with me.'

“哦不，小姐！杰姆·赫恩会很自豪地和我一起去的。”

Miss Matty's eyes widened. She was still a little worried by the idea of Martha having a follower.

马蒂小姐的眼睛都瞪大了。想到马莎有个追求者，她仍有点儿担心。

I'll put out the candle, my dear,' she said to me as soon as we were alone. 'We can talk just as well by firelight.'

“亲爱的，我要熄灭蜡烛，”一剩下我们她就对我说，“我们在炉火边说话也一样。”

Well, it was a quiet spring day, I remember. Deborah had gone away for a fortnight, and my father was visiting some sick people in the town. Peter, it seems, went up to Deborah's room and dressed himself in her old dress and shawl and bonnet. And he made the pillow from her bed into—are you sure we locked the door, my dear?—into a little baby with long, white clothes. And he walked up and down outside, and nursed the pillow just like a baby, and talked to it in the way people do to babies. Then, oh my dear, my father came back and saw a crowd of people looking into our garden. At first, he thought they were looking at his flowers. Then he saw Peter. His face went white, he was so angry. He tore the clothes off Peter's back and threw the pillow into the crowd and, in front of everyone, he beat Peter with his walkingstick. My dear, that boy's joke, on that spring day, broke my mother's heart and changed my father for ever.'

“嗯，我记得那是一个宁静的春日。德博拉已经离开两星期了，我父亲正在镇上看望一些病人。好像彼得来到德博拉的房间里，穿上她的旧衣服和披肩，戴上她的圆帽。然后他把她床上的枕头弄成——你确信我们把门锁上了吗，亲爱的？——弄成一个穿着长长的白衣服的婴儿的样子。然后他在外面走来走去，就像照顾婴儿一样照顾着枕头，而且用人们哄婴儿的方式跟它说话。后来，哦天哪，我父亲回来看见一群人朝我家的花园里张望。起先，他以为他们是在看他的花。后来他看见了彼得。他的脸都气白了。他把衣服从彼得背上撕下来，把枕头扔到人群里，然后当着大家的面，用拐杖打彼得。亲爱的，那个春日，这孩子的一个玩笑伤透了我母亲的心，也让我父亲整个变了个人。

Peter stood still until my father had finished. Then he walked slowly into the house, put his arms round my mother and kissed her. Before she could speak, he had gone. We couldn't understand it.'

“彼得站着不动，直到我父亲打完。然后他慢慢地走回房里，搂着我母亲吻了吻。她还没来得及说话，他就走了。我们都不知道是怎么回事。

She sent me to ask my father what had happened. "Tell your mother I have beaten Peter," he said.'

“她派我去问我父亲发生了什么事。‘告诉你妈我打了彼得。’他说。

When I told her, my pretty little mother sat down, very white. Then we began to search the house. It was a big old house, and we searched and searched. "Peter, dear!" my mother called softly. "It's only me." Then her cry grew louder. "Peter! Peter! Where are you?"

“当我告诉她这一切时，我那瘦小美丽的母亲坐了下来，面色苍白。然后我们就开始在房子里到处找，那是一幢很大的老屋。我们找啊找。‘彼得，亲爱的！’我母亲轻声呼唤着，‘这里只有我。’然后她的呼喊声越来越大。‘彼得！彼得！你在哪儿？’

The afternoon went on. The servants joined the search. My father sat with his head in his hands. When it was nearly dark, he got up. "Molly," he began, "I did not mean all this to happen—" As he looked at my mother's poor white face, tears came into his eyes. And then she took my father's great hand in her little one and led him along, from room to room, through the house and garden, everywhere. I sent someone to Mr Holbrook to ask if Peter was at his house. Mr Holbrook was Miss Pole's cousin, you know, and he had been very kind to Peter and had taught him how to fish. But Peter wasn't there or anywhere in Cranford.'

“一个下午过去了。连仆人们都加入了寻找。我父亲用手抱着头坐着。天快黑的时候他站了起来。‘莫利，’他开始说，‘我没想到事情会这样——’当他看见我母亲那可怜苍白的脸时，他的眼中噙满了泪水。然后，她用她的小手牵着我父亲的大手，领着他，从一个房间走到另一个房间，穿过整幢房子和花园，到处都走了一遍。我派人到霍尔布鲁克先生那里去打听彼得有没有去他那里。霍尔布鲁克先生是波尔小姐的表兄，这你知道，他对彼得很好，还教过他怎么钓鱼。但彼得不在他那里，也不在克兰福德的任何地方。”

Where was he?' I asked.

“他在哪儿？”我问道。

He had gone to Liverpool. There was war then, and some of the king's ships were at the mouth of the River Mersey. They were glad to have a fine, tall boy like Peter. The captain wrote to my father, and Peter wrote to my mother. Those letters are here somewhere too.'

“他去了利物浦。当时那里正在打仗，国王的一些船只泊在默西河口。他们很高兴能有彼得这样出色的高个子男孩儿。船长写信给我父亲，彼得也给我母亲来了信。这些信件也在这里的什么地方。”

We lit the candle and found them. The captain's letter told the parents to come to Liverpool immediately if they wished to see their boy. And Peter's letter begged his mother to come. 'Mother! We may go into battle. I hope we shall, and that we'll defeat those French. I must see you first, though.'

我们点着蜡烛找到了这些信。船长写信告诉他父母，如果他们想见儿子的话就立刻去利物浦。彼得的信则恳求他母亲到他那儿去：“妈妈！我们可能要去打仗了。我希望我们能参战，我们会打败那些法国人。可是我必须先见您一面。”

But my father and mother arrived too late,' said Miss Matty. 'The ship had gone.'

“可惜我的父母去得太迟了，”马蒂小姐说，“船已经走了。”

We sat silently for a while. Peter's ship went to the Mediterranean, Miss Matty told me at last, and later he was sent to India. Her mother had never been strong and she died less than a year after he went away.

我们默默地坐了一会儿。彼得的船开到了地中海地区，马蒂小姐最后告诉我，后来他又被派往印度。她母亲的身体一直不好，在他走后不到一年就过世了。

And the day after her death—yes, the day after—a packet arrived for her from India from her poor boy. It was a large, soft, white shawl. Deborah took it in to my father and he held it in his hands and said, "She always wanted a shawl like this. We'll bury her in it. Peter would like that."

“她去世后的第二天——是的，第二天——她那可怜的儿子从印度给她寄来了一个包裹。那是一条又大又软的白色披肩。德博拉把它拿到我父亲那里，他手捧着它说道：‘她一直想要一条这样的披肩。我们给她披着这条披肩下葬。彼得会喜欢的。’

On the day of my mother's funeral, Deborah told me that she would never marry and leave my father, even if she had a hundred offers of marriage. This wasn't very likely, of course—I don't think she had one; but it was good of her to say it. She was a wonderful daughter. She did everything for my father.'

“我母亲葬礼那天，德博拉告诉我她永远也不会结婚离开父亲，哪怕有100个人向她求婚。这当然不大可能——我想没人向她求过婚；不过她这么说倒是出于好意。她是个很孝顺的女儿，为了我父亲她什么都做。”

Did Mr Peter ever come home?'

“彼得先生回过家吗？”

Yes, once. My father took him into every house in Cranford, he was so proud of him in his uniform. Deborah used to smile (I don't think we ever laughed again after my mother's death) and say she was not needed any more.'

“是的，回来过一次。我父亲带着他拜访了克兰福德的每一家，他很为他穿军装的儿子感到自豪。德博拉老是微笑着（我不记得母亲过世后我们大笑过）说她不再有用了。”

And then?' I asked.

“后来呢？”我问道。

Then Peter went to sea again. And after a while my father died, and we had to come to this small house with just one servant instead of four. Poor Deborah!'

“后来彼得又出海了。过了没多久我父亲就去世了，我们不得不搬到这幢小房子里，只用一个仆人，而不是四个。可怜的德博拉！”

And Mr Peter?'

“彼得先生呢？”

Oh, there was some great war in India and we've never heard of him since then, I believe he's dead, though sometimes when all the house is quiet, I think I hear him coming up the street. But the sound always goes past and Peter never comes... Is that Martha? I'll go, my dear. No, I don't need a candle...'

“哦，在印度有一些大战，从那以后我们再也没听到过他的消息，我想他已经死了，虽然有时当屋里都安静下来的时候，我觉得我听到了他从街上走来的声音。但这声音总是一晃而过，而彼得却一直没有回来……是马莎吗？我去开门，亲爱的。不，我不需要蜡烛……”

Was it Martha?' I asked when she returned.

“是马莎吗？”她回来的时候我问道。

Yes. And I heard such a strange noise when I opened the door.'

“是的。我开门的时候听到一个奇怪的声音。”

Where?'

“在哪儿？”

In the street, just outside. It sounded like—'

“在街上，就在外面。听起来像——”

Talking?'

“说话？”

No! Kissing!'

“不！是接吻！”