狄更斯的小说特点 狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第24章Part 3

狄更斯双语小说:《董贝父子》第24章Part 3  

There were some Children staying in the house. Children who were as frank and happy with fathers and with mothers as those rosy faces opposite home. Children who had no restraint upon their love. and freely showed it. Florence sought to learn their secret; sought to find out what it was she had missed; what simple art they knew
and she knew not; how she could be taught by them to show her father that she loved him
and to win his love again.
Many a day did Florence thoughtfully observe these children. On many a bright morning did she leave her bed when the glorious sun rose
and walking up and down upon the river's bank' before anyone in the house was stirring
look up at the windows of their rooms
and think of them
asleep
so gently tended and affectionately thought of. Florence would feel more lonely then
than in the great house all alone; and would think sometimes that she was better there than here
and that there was greater peace in hiding herself than in mingling with others of her age
and finding how unlike them all she was. But attentive to her study
though it touched her to the quick at every little leaf she turned in the hard book
Florence remained among them
and tried with patient hope
to gain the knowledge that she wearied for.
Ah! how to gain it! how to know the charm in its beginning! There were daughters here
who rose up in the morning
and lay down to rest at night
possessed of fathers' hearts already. They had no repulse to overe
no coldness to dread
no frown to smooth away. As the morning advanced
and the windows opened one by one
and the dew began to dry upon the flowers and and youthful feet began to move upon the lawn
Florence
glancing round at the bright faces
thought what was there she could learn from these children? It was too late to learn from them; each could approach her father fearlessly
and put up her lips to meet the ready kiss
and wind her arm about the neck that bent down to caress her. She could not begin by being so bold. Oh! could it be that there was less and less hope as she studied more and more!
She remembered well
that even the old woman who had robbed her when a little child - whose image and whose house
and all she had said and done
were stamped upon her recollection
with the enduring sharpness of a fearful impression made at that early period of life - had spoken fondly of her daughter
and how terribly even she had cried out in the pain of hopeless separation from her child But her own mother
she would think again
when she recalled this
had loved her well. Then
sometimes
when her thoughts reverted swiftly to the void beeen herself and her father
Florence would tremble
and the tears would start upon her face
as she pictured to herself her mother living on
and ing also to dislike her
because of her wanting the unknown grace that should conciliate that father naturally
and had never done so from her cradle She knew that this imagination did wrong to her mother's memory
and had no truth in it
or base to rest upon; and yet she tried so hard to justify him
and to find the wholeblame in herself
that she could not resist its passing
like a wild cloud
through the distance of her mind.
There came among the other visitors
soon after Florence
one beautiful girl
three or four years younger than she
who was an orphan child
and who was acpanied by her aunt
a grey-haired lady
who spoke much to Florence
and who greatly liked (but that they all did) to hear her sing of an evening
and would always sit near her at that time
with motherly interest. They had only been o days in the house
when Florence
being in an arbour in the garden one warm morning
musingly observant of a youthful group upon the turf
through some intervening boughs
- and wreathing flowers for the head of one little creature among them who was the pet and plaything of the rest
heard this same lady and her niece
in pacing up and down a sheltered nook close by
speak of herself.
'Is Florence an orphan like me
aunt?' said the child.