双语小说连载:《董贝父子》第一章 Part 2

    The lady thus specially presented, was a long lean figure, wearing such a faded air that she seemed not to have been made in what linen-drapers call 'fast colours' originally, and to have, by little and little, washed out. But for this she might have been described as the very pink of general propitiation and politeness. From a long habit of listening admiringly to everything that was said in her presence, and looking at the speakers as if she were mentally engaged in taking off impressions of their images upon her soul, never to part with the same but with life, her head had quite settled on one side. Her hands had contracted a spasmodic habit of raising themselves of their own accord as in involuntary admiration. Her eyes were liable to a similar affection. She had the softest voice that ever was heard; and her nose, stupendously aquiline, had a little knob in the very centre or key-stone of the bridge, whence it tended downwards towards her face, as in an invincible determination never to turn up at anything.

    被这样作了特别介绍的女士是一位身材细长、消瘦的人，姿容衰败，仿佛她当初不是用亚麻布商人所说的“经久不褪色”的染料染成，而是被逐渐洗去了颜色似的。要不是这一点，她真可以称得上是殷勤与礼貌的鲜丽化身了。她长期以来养成一个习惯，就是对当面对她所说的一切，她都令人钦佩地热心听着，而且看着说话的人，仿佛她心里正在把他的形象刻印在她的心灵上，直到生命停止之前永远也不与它分离似的；由于这样一种习惯，她的头这时已经歪向一边。她的手得了一种痉挛性的习惯，仿佛出于情不自禁的钦佩而会自动地举起来。她的眼睛也容易受到类似的影响。她的声音是最温柔悦耳的；她的鼻子是个很大的鹰钩鼻，在鼻梁的正中间长着一个小小的肉瘤，鼻子从这里往脸上伸下去，仿佛它已下定了不可动摇的决心，不论在什么情况下也决不再翘起来似的。

    Miss Tox's dress, though perfectly genteel and good, had a certain character of angularity and scantiness. She was accustomed to wear odd weedy little flowers in her bonnets and caps. Strange grasses were sometimes perceived in her hair; and it was observed by the curious, of all her collars, frills, tuckers, wristbands, and other gossamer articles - indeed of everything she wore which had two ends to it intended to unite - that the two ends were never on good terms, and wouldn't quite meet without a struggle. She had furry articles for winter wear, as tippets, boas, and muffs, which stood up on end in rampant manner, and were not at all sleek. She was much given to the carrying about of small bags with snaps to them, that went off like little pistols when they were shut up; and when full-dressed, she wore round her neck the barrenest of lockets, representing a fishy old eye, with no approach to speculation in it. These and other appearances of a similar nature, had served to propagate the opinion, that Miss Tox was a lady of what is called a limited independence, which she turned to the best account. Possibly her mincing gait encouraged the belief, and suggested that her clipping a step of ordinary compass into two or three, originated in her habit of making the most of everything. I am sure,' said Miss Tox, with a prodigious curtsey, 'that to have the honour of being presented to Mr Dombey is a distinction which I have long sought, but very little expected at the present moment. My dear Mrs Chick - may I say Louisa!'

    托克斯小姐的衣服虽然完全合乎上流社会的风格，质料也是好的，但却有些难看和单薄。她习惯在有带的软帽上和便帽上装饰一些奇怪的、枯萎了的小花。在她的头发中间有时还可以看到一些奇怪的草。那些富于好奇心的人注意到，她的衣领、褶边、围巾、袖口以及其他轻而薄的物品——实际上她所穿的凡是两端可以连接起来的一切东西——，这两端的关系从来都不和好，它们一相遇决不会没有一番搏斗的。她在冬天穿着毛皮的物品——如斗篷、围巾、手筒——，那些毛全都暴怒似地根根竖立，一点也不光滑柔软。她十分喜欢携带有按扣的小袋子，当把袋子合上的时候，按扣就像小手枪一样劈啪直响。当她穿礼服的时候，她在脖子上挂了一个极为质朴的小金盒，它的形状是一只没有光泽、看不出有任何神情的老眼睛。这些以及其他类似的一些现象使得一种看法流传开来：托克斯小姐是一位所谓资产有限的女士，她把这点资产充分利用了。她用小步走路的步态可能更促使人们相信这一点，并且使人觉得，她把普通跨度的一步分成两步或三步，就起因于她有充分利用一切事物的习惯。
“这是真的，”托克斯小姐行了一个不同寻常的屈膝礼，说道，“有幸被介绍给董贝先生认识，这是我久已盼望得到的光荣，可是我千万没有料想到就在现在。我亲爱的奇克夫人——
我是否可以称您为路易莎？”

注释: turn up: 发现;出现;开大;发生;卷起
1.Things will turn up right.
情况会好起来的。
2.Don't worry. It's bound to turn up soon.
别担心。不久机会一定会出现。
3.Turn up a thermostat and there would be heat.
打开自动调温器就会暖和起来。