首页 >出版文学> THE PICKWICK PAPERS>第26章
  Mr。Allen,saidMr。Pickwick,whatisthematter,sir?
  Nevermind,sir!repliedMr。Allen,withhaughtydefiance。
  Whatisit?inquiredMr。Pickwick,lookingatBobSawyer。Isheunwell?
  BeforeBobcouldreply,Mr。BenAllenseizedMr。Pickwickbythehand,andmurmured,insorrowfulaccents,Mysister,mydearsir。mysister。
  Oh,isthatall!saidMr。Pickwick。Weshalleasilyarrangethatmatter,Ihope。Yoursisterissafeandwell,andIamhere,mydearsir,to——
  Sorrytodoanythin’asmaycauseaninterruptiontosuchwerypleasantproceedin’s,asthekingsaidwenhedissolvedtheparliament,interposedMr。Weller,whohadbeenpeepingthroughtheglassdoor。butthere’sanotherexperimenthere,sir。Here’sawenerableoldladyalyin’onthecarpetwaitin’fordissection,orgalwinism,orsomeotherrewivin’andscientificinwention。
  Iforgot,exclaimedMr。BenAllen。Itismyaunt。
  Dearme!saidMr。Pickwick。Poorlady!Gently,Sam,gently。
  Strangesitivationforoneo’thefamily,observedSamWeller,hoistingtheauntintoachair。Now,depittySawbones,bringoutthewollatilly!
  Thelatterobservationwasaddressedtotheboyingrey,who,havinghandedovertheflytothecareofthestreet-keeper,hadcomebacktoseewhatallthenoisewasabout。Betweentheboyingrey,andMr。BobSawyer,andMr。BenjaminAllenwhohavingfrightenedhisauntintoafaintingfit,wasaffectionatelysolicitousforherrecoverytheoldladywas,atlength,restoredtoconsciousness。thenMr。BenAllen,turningwithapuzzledcountenancetoMr。Pickwick,askedhimwhathewasabouttosay,whenhehadbeensoalarminglyinterrupted。
  Weareallfriendshere,Ipresume?saidMr。Pickwick,clearinghisvoice,andlookingtowardsthemanoffewwordswiththesurlycountenance,whodrovetheflywiththechubbyhorse。
  ThisremindedMr。BobSawyerthattheboyingreywaslookingon,witheyeswideopen,andgreedyears。Theincipientchemisthavingbeenliftedupbyhiscoatcollar,anddroppedoutsidethedoor,BobSawyerassuredMr。Pickwickthathemightspeakwithoutreserve。
  Yoursister,mydearsir,saidMr。Pickwick,turningtoBenjaminAllen,isinLondon。wellandhappy。
  Herhappinessisnoobjecttome,sir,saidMr。BenjaminAllen,withaflourishofthehand。
  Herhusbandisanobjecttome,sir,saidBobSawyer。
  Heshallbeanobjecttome,sir,attwelvepaces,andaveryprettyobjectI’llmakeofhim,sir——amean-spiritedscoundrel!This,asitstood,wasaveryprettydenunciation,andmagnanimouswithal。butMr。BobSawyerratherweakeneditseffect,bywindingupwithsomegeneralobservationsconcerningthepunchingofheadsandknockingoutofeyes,whichwerecommonplacebycomparison。
  Stay,sir,saidMr。Pickwick。beforeyouapplythoseepithetstothegentlemaninquestion,consider,dispassionately,theextentofhisfault,andaboveallrememberthatheisafriendofmine。
  What!saidMr。BobSawyer。
  Hisname!criedBenAllen。Hisname!
  Mr。NathanielWinkle,saidMr。Pickwick。
  Mr。BenjaminAllendeliberatelycrushedhisspectaclesbeneaththeheelofhisboot,andhavingpickedupthepieces,andputthemintothreeseparatepockets,foldedhisarms,bithislips,andlookedinathreateningmannerattheblandfeaturesofMr。Pickwick。
  Thenit’syou,isit,sir,whohaveencouragedandbroughtaboutthismatch?inquiredMr。BenjaminAllenatlength。
  Andit’sthisgentleman’sservant,Isuppose,interruptedtheoldlady,whohasbeenskulkingaboutmyhouse,andendeavouringtoentrapmyservantstoconspireagainsttheirmistress。Martin!
  Well?saidthesurlyman,comingforward。
  Isthattheyoungmanyousawinthelane,whomyoutoldmeabout,thismorning?
  Mr。Martin,who,asithasalreadyappeared,wasamanoffewwords,lookedatSamWeller,noddedhishead,andgrowledforth,That’stheman!
  Mr。Weller,whowasneverproud,gaveasmileoffriendlyrecognitionashiseyesencounteredthoseofthesurlygroom,andadmitted,incourteousterms,thathehadknowedhimafore。
  Andthisisthefaithfulcreature,exclaimedMr。BenAllen,whomIhadnearlysuffocated!Mr。Pickwick,howdareyouallowyourfellowtobeemployedintheabductionofmysister?Idemandthatyouexplainthismatter,sir。
  Explainit,sir!criedBobSawyer,fiercely。
  It’saconspiracy,saidBenAllen。
  Aregularplant,addedMr。BobSawyer。
  Adisgracefulimposition,observedtheoldlady。
  Nothingbutado,remarkedMartin。
  Prayhearme,urgedMr。Pickwick,asMr。BenAllenfellintoachairthatpatientswerebledin,andgavewaytohispocket-handkerchief。I
  haverenderednoassistanceinthismatter,beyondthatofbeingpresentatoneinterviewbetweentheyoungpeople,whichIcouldnotprevent,andfromwhichIconceivedmypresencewouldremoveanyslightcolouringofimproprietythatitmightotherwisehavehad。thisisthewholeshareI
  havetakeninthetransaction,andIhadnosuspicionthatanimmediatemarriagewasevencontemplated。Though,mind,addedMr。Pickwick,hastilycheckinghimself,mind,IdonotsayIshouldhavepreventedit,ifIhadknownthatitwasintended。
  Youhearthat,allofyou。youhearthat?saidMr。BenjaminAllen。
  Ihopetheydo,mildlyobservedMr。Pickwick,lookinground,and,
  addedthatgentleman:hiscolourmountingashespoke:Ihopetheyhearthis,sir,also。Thatfromwhathasbeenstatedtome,sir,Iassertthatyouwerebynomeansjustifiedinattemptingtoforceyoursister’sinclinationsasyoudid,andthatyoushouldratherhaveendeavouredbyyourkindnessandforbearancetohavesuppliedtheplaceofothernearerrelationswhomshehasneverknown,fromachild。Asregardsmyyoungfriend,Imustbegtoadd,thatineverypointofworldlyadvantage,heis,atleast,onanequalfootingwithyourself,ifnotonamuchbetterone,andthatunlessIhearthisquestiondiscussedwithbecomingtemperandmoderation,Ideclinehearinganymoresaiduponthesubject。
  Iwishtomakeaweryfewremarksinadditiontowothasbeenputforardbythehonorablegen’l’m’nashasjistgiveover,saidMr。Weller,steppingforth,wichisthishere:aindiwidualincompanyhascalledmeafeller。
  Thathasnothingwhatevertodowiththematter,Sam,interposedMr。
  Pickwick。Prayholdyourtongue。
  Iain’tagoin’tosaynothin’onthat’erepint,sir,repliedSam,butmerelythishere。P’rapsthatgen’l’m’nmaythinkastherewosapriory’tachment。butthereworn’tnothin’o’thesort,fortheyoungladysaid,inthewerybeginnin’o’thekeepin’company,thatshecouldn’tabidehim。
  Nobody’scuthimout,andit’udha’beenjistthewerysameforhimiftheyoungladyhadneverseenMr。Vinkle。That’swotIwishedtosay,sir,andIhopeI’venowmadethat’eregen’l’m’n’smindeasy。
  AshortpausefollowedtheseconsolatoryremarksofMr。Weller。ThenMr。BenAllenrisingfromhischair,protestedthathewouldneverseeArabella’sfaceagain:whileMr。BobSawyer,despiteSam’sflatteringassurance,voweddreadfulvengeanceonthehappybridegroom。
  But,justwhenmatterswereattheirheight,andthreateningtoremainso,Mr。Pickwickfoundapowerfulassistantintheoldlady,who,evidentlymuchstruckbythemodeinwhichhehadadvocatedherniece’scause,venturedtoapproachMr。BenjaminAllenwithafewcomfortingreflections,ofwhichthechiefwere,thatafterall,perhaps,itwaswellitwasnoworse。theleastsaidthesoonestmended,anduponherwordshedidnotknowthatitwassoverybadafterall。whatwasovercouldn’tbebegun,andwhatcouldn’tbecuredmustbeendured:withvariousotherassurancesofthelikenovelandstrengtheningdescription。Toallofthese,Mr。BenjaminAllenrepliedthathemeantnodisrespecttohisaunt,oranybodythere,butifitwereallthesametothem,andtheywouldallowhimtohavehisownway,hewouldratherhavethepleasureofhatinghissistertilldeath,andafterit。
  Atlength,whenthisdeterminationhadbeenannouncedhalfahundredtimes,theoldladysuddenlybridlingupandlookingverymajestic,wishedtoknowwhatshehaddonethatnorespectwastobepaidtoheryearsorstation,andthatsheshouldbeobligedtobegandpray,inthatway,ofherownnephew,whomsherememberedaboutfive-and-twentyyearsbeforehewasborn,andwhomshehadknown,personally,whenhehadn’tatoothinhishead?Tosaynothingofherpresenceonthefirstoccasionofhishavinghishaircut,andassistanceatnumerousothertimesandceremoniesduringhisbabyhood,ofsufficientimportancetofoundaclaimuponhisaffection,obedience,andsympathies,forever。
  WhilethegoodladywasbestowingthisobjurgationonMr。BenAllen,BobSawyerandMr。Pickwickhadretiredincloseconversationtotheinnerroom,whereMr。Sawyerwasobservedtoapplyhimselfseveraltimestothemouthofablackbottle,undertheinfluenceofwhich,hisfeaturesgraduallyassumedacheerfulandevenjovialexpression。Andatlastheemergedfromtheroom,bottleinhand,and,remarkingthathewasverysorrytosayhehadbeenmakingafoolofhimself,beggedtoproposethehealthandhappinessofMr。andMrs。Winkle,whosefelicity,sofarfromenvying,hewouldbethefirsttocongratulatethemupon。Hearingthis,Mr。BenAllensuddenlyarosefromhischair,and,seizingtheblackbottle,drankthetoastsoheartily,that,theliquorbeingstrong,hebecamenearlyasblackinthefaceasthebottle。Finally,theblackbottlewentroundtillitwasempty,andtherewassomuchshakingofhandsandinterchangingofcompliments,thateventhemetal-visagedMr。Martincondescendedtosmile。
  Andnow,saidBobSawyer,rubbinghishands,we’llhaveajollynight。
  Iamsorry,saidMr。Pickwick,thatImustreturntomyinn。Ihavenotbeenaccustomedtofatiguelately,andmyjourneyhastiredmeexceedingly。
  You’lltakesometea,Mr。Pickwick?saidtheoldlady,withirresistiblesweetness。
  Thankyou,Iwouldrathernot,repliedthatgentleman。Thetruthis,thattheoldlady’sevidentlyincreasingadmiration,wasMr。Pickwick’sprincipalinducementforgoingaway。HethoughtofMrs。Bardell。andeveryglanceoftheoldlady’seyesthrewhimintoacoldperspiration。
  AsMr。Pickwickcouldbynomeansbeprevailedupontostay,itwasarrangedatonce,onhisownproposition,thatMr。BenjaminAllenshouldaccompanyhimonhisjourneytotheelderMr。Winkle’s,andthatthecoachshouldbeatthedoor,atnineo’clocknextmorning。Hethentookhisleave,and,followedbySamuelWeller,repairedtotheBush。Itisworthyofremark,thatMr。Martin’sfacewashorriblyconvulsedasheshookhandswithSamatparting,andthathegaveventtoasmileandanoathsimultaneously:
  fromwhichtokensithasbeeninferredbythosewhowerebestacquaintedwiththatgentleman’speculiarities,thatheexpressedhimselfmuchpleasedwithMr。Weller’ssociety,andrequestedthehonourofhisfurtheracquaintance。
  ShallIorderaprivateroom,sir?inquiredSam,whentheyreachedtheBush。
  Why,no,Sam,repliedMr。Pickwick。asIdinedinthecoffeeroom,andshallgotobedsoon,itishardlyworthwhile。Seewhothereisinthetravellers’room,Sam。
  Mr。Wellerdepartedonhiserrand,andpresentlyreturnedtosay,thattherewasonlyagentlemanwithoneeye。andthatheandthelandlordweredrinkingabowlofbishoptogether。
  Iwilljointhem,saidMr。Pickwick。
  He’saqueercustomer,thevun-eyedvun,sir,observedMr。Weller,asheledtheway。He’sagammonin’that’erelandlord,heis,sir,tillhedon’trightlyknowwetherhe’sastandingonthesolesofhisbootsorthecrownofhishat。
  Theindividualtowhomthisobservationreferred,wassittingattheupperendoftheroomwhenMr。Pickwickentered,andwassmokingalargeDutchpipe,withhiseyeintentlyfixedontheroundfaceofthelandlord:
  ajolly-lookingoldpersonage,towhomhehadrecentlybeenrelatingsometaleofwonder,aswastestifiedbysundrydisjointedexclamationsof,Well,Iwouldn’thavebelievedit!ThestrangestthingIeverheard!Couldn’thavesupposeditpossible!andotherexpressionsofastonishmentwhichburstspontaneouslyfromhislips,ashereturnedthefixedgazeoftheone-eyedman。
  Servant,sir,saidtheone-eyedmantoMr。Pickwick。Finenight,sir。
  Verymuchsoindeed,repliedMr。Pickwick,asthewaiterplacedasmalldecanterofbrandy,andsomehotwaterbeforehim。
  WhileMr。Pickwickwasmixinghisbrandyandwater,theone-eyedmanlookedroundathimearnestly,fromtimetotime,andatlengthsaid:
  IthinkI’veseenyoubefore。
  Idon’trecollectyou,rejoinedMr。Pickwick。
  Idaresaynot,saidtheone-eyedman。Youdidn’tknowme,butIknewtwofriendsofyoursthatwerestoppingatthePeacockatEatanswill,atthetimeoftheElection。
  Oh,indeed!exclaimedMr。Pickwick。
  Yes,rejoinedtheone-eyedman。ImentionedalittlecircumstancetothemaboutafriendofmineofthenameofTomSmart。Perhapsyou’veheardthemspeakofit。
  Often,rejoinedMr。Pickwick,smiling。Hewasyouruncle,Ithink?
  No,no。onlyafriendofmyuncle’s,repliedtheone-eyedman。
  Hewasawonderfulman,thatuncleofyours,though,remarkedthelandlord,shakinghishead。
  Well,Ithinkhewas,IthinkImaysayhewas,answeredtheone-eyedman。Icouldtellyouastoryaboutthatsameuncle,gentlemen,thatwouldrathersurpriseyou。
  Couldyou?saidMr。Pickwick。Letushearit,byallmeans。
  Theone-eyedBagmanladledoutaglassofnegusfromthebowl,anddrankit。smokedalongwhiffoutoftheDutchpipe。andthen,callingtoSamWeller,whowaslingeringnearthedoor,thatheneedn’tgoawayunlesshewantedto,becausethestorywasnosecret,fixedhiseyeuponthelandlord’sandproceeded,inthewordsofthenextchapter。
  [NextChapter][TableofContents]ThePickwickPapers:Chapter49[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]CHAPTERXLIXCONTAININGTHESTORYOFTHEBEGMAN’SUNCLE
  MYuncle,gentlemen,saidthebagman,wasoneofthemerriest,pleasantest,cleverestfellowsthateverlived。Iwishyouhadknownhim,gentlemen。Onsecondthoughts,gentlemen,Idon’twishyouhadknownhim,forifyouhad,youwouldhavebeenall,bythistime,intheordinarycourseofnature,ifnotdead,atalleventssonearit,astohavetakentostoppingathomeandgivingupcompany:whichwouldhavedeprivedmeoftheinestimablepleasureofaddressingyouatthismoment。Gentlemen,Iwishyourfathersandmothershadknownmyuncle。
  Theywouldhavebeenamazinglyfondofhim,especiallyyourrespectablemothers。Iknowtheywould。Ifanytwoofhisnumerousvirtuespredominatedoverthemanythatadornedhischaracter,Ishouldsaytheywerehismixedpunchandhisaftersuppersong。Excusemydwellingonthesemelancholyrecollectionsofdepartedworth。youwon’tseeamanlikemyuncleeverydayintheweek。
  Ihavealwaysconsidereditagreatpointinmyuncle’scharacter,gentlemen,thathewastheintimatefriendandcompanionofTomSmart,ofthegreathouseofBilsonandSlum,CateatonStreet,City。MyunclecollectedforTigginandWelps,butforalongtimehewentprettynearthesamejourneyasTom。andtheveryfirstnighttheymet,myuncletookafancyforTom,andTomtookafancyformyuncle。Theymadeabetofanewhatbeforetheyhadknowneachotherhalfanhour,whoshouldbrewthebestquartofpunchanddrinkitthequickest。Myunclewasjudgedtohavewonthemaking,butTomSmartbeathiminthedrinkingbyabouthalfasalt-spoon-full。Theytookanotherquarta-piecetodrinkeachother’shealthin,andwerestaunchfriendseverafterwards。There’sadestinyinthesethings,gentlemen。wecan’thelpit。
  Inpersonalappearance,myunclewasatrifleshorterthanthemiddlesize。hewasathoughtstoutertoo,thantheordinaryrunofpeople,andperhapshisfacemightbeashaderedder。Hehadthejolliestfaceyoueversaw,gentlemen:somethinglikePunch,withahandsomernoseandchin。
  hiseyeswerealwaystwinklingandsparklingwithgoodhumour。andasmile——notoneofyourunmeaningwoodengrins,butareal,merry,hearty,good-temperedsmile——wasperpetuallyonhiscountenance。Hewaspitchedoutofhisgigonce,andknocked,headfirst,againstamile-stone。Therehelay,stunned,andsocutaboutthefacewithsomegravelwhichhadbeenheapedupalongsideit,that,tousemyuncle’sownstrongexpression,ifhismothercouldhaverevisitedtheearth,shewouldn’thaveknownhim。Indeed,whenIcometothinkofthematter,gentlemen,Ifeelprettysureshewouldn’t,forshediedwhenmyunclewastwoyearsandsevenmonthsold,andIthinkit’sverylikelythat,evenwithoutthegravel,histop-bootswouldhavepuzzledthegoodladynotalittle:tosaynothingofhisjollyredface。
  However,therehelay,andIhaveheardmyunclesay,manyatime,thatthemansaidwhopickedhimupthathewassmilingasmerrilyasifhehadtumbledoutforatreat,andthataftertheyhadbledhim,thefirstfaintglimmeringsofreturninganimation,were,hisjumpingupinbed,burstingoutintoaloudlaugh,kissingtheyoungwomanwhoheldthebasin,anddemandingamuttonchopandapickledwalnut。Hewasveryfondofpickledwalnuts,gentlemen。Hesaidhealwaysfoundthat,takenwithoutvinegar,theyrelishedthebeer。
  Myuncle’sgreatjourneywasinthefalloftheleaf,atwhichtimehecollecteddebts,andtookorders,inthenorth:goingfromLondontoEdinburgh,fromEdinburghtoGlasgow,fromGlasgowbacktoEdinburgh,andthencetoLondonbythesmack。YouaretounderstandthathissecondvisittoEdinburghwasforhisownpleasure。Heusedtogobackforaweek,justtolookuphisoldfriends。andwhatwithbreakfastingwiththisone,lunchingwiththat,diningwithathird,andsuppingwithanother,aprettytightweekheusedtomakeofit。Idon’tknowwhetheranyofyou,gentlemen,everpartookofarealsubstantialhospitableScotchbreakfast,andthenwentouttoaslightlunchofabushelofoysters,adozenorsoofbottledale,andanogginortwoofwhiskeytocloseupwith。Ifyoueverdid,youwillagreewithmethatitrequiresaprettystrongheadtogoouttodinnerandsupperafterwards。
  But,blessyourheartsandeye-brows,allthissortofthingwasnothingtomyuncle!Hewassowellseasoned,thatitwasmerechild’splay。I
  haveheardhimsaythathecouldseetheDundeepeopleout,anyday,andwalkhomeafterwardswithoutstaggering。andyettheDundeepeoplehaveasstrongheadsandasstrongpunch,gentlemen,asyouarelikelytomeetwith,betweenthepoles。IhaveheardofaGlasgowmanandaDundeemandrinkingagainsteachotherforfifteenhoursatasitting。Theywerebothsuffocated,asnearlyascouldbeascertained,atthesamemoment,butwiththistriflingexception,gentlemen,theywerenotabittheworseforit。
  Onenight,withinfour-and-twentyhoursofthetimewhenhehadsettledtotakeshippingforLondon,myunclesuppedatthehouseofaveryoldfriendofhis,aBaillieMacsomethingandfoursyllablesafterit,wholivedintheoldtownofEdinburgh。Therewerethebaillie’swife,andthebaillie’sthreedaughters,andthebaillie’sgrown-upson,andthreeorfourstout,bushyeye-browed,cannyoldScotchfellows,thatthebailliehadgottogethertodohonourtomyuncle,andhelptomakemerry。Itwasaglorioussupper。TherewerekipperedSalmon,andFinnanhaddocks,andalamb’shead,andahaggis——acelebratedScotchdish,gentlemen,whichmyuncleusedtosayalwayslookedtohim,whenitcametotable,verymuchlikeacupid’sstomach——andagreatmanyotherthingsbesides,thatIforgotthenamesof,butverygoodthingsnotwithstanding。Thelassieswereprettyandagreeable。thebaillie’swifewasoneofthebestcreaturesthateverlived。andmyunclewasinthoroughlygoodcue。Theconsequenceofwhichwas,thattheyoungladiestitteredandgiggled,andtheoldladylaughedoutloud,andthebaillieandtheotheroldfellowsroaredtilltheywereredintheface,thewholemortaltime。Idon’tquiterecollecthowmanytumblersofwhiskeytoddyeachmandrankaftersupper。butthisIknow,thataboutoneo’clockinthemorning,thebaillie’sgrown-upsonbecameinsensiblewhileattemptingthefirstverseof`Williebrewedapecko’maut’。andhehavingbeen,forhalfanhourbefore,theonlyothermanvisibleabovethemahogany,itoccurredtomyunclethatitwasalmosttimetothinkaboutgoing:especiallyasdrinkinghadsetinatseveno’clock,inorderthathemightgethomeatadecenthour。But,thinkingitmightnotbequitepolitetogojustthen,myunclevotedhimselfintothechair,mixedanotherglass,rosetoproposehisownhealth,addressedhimselfinaneatandcomplimentaryspeech,anddrankthetoastwithgreatenthusiasm。
  Stillnobodywoke。somyuncletookalittledropmore——neatthistime,topreventthetoddyfromdisagreeingwithhim——and,layingviolenthandsonhishat,salliedforthintothestreet。
  Itwasawildgustynightwhenmyuncleclosedthebaillie’sdoor,andsettlinghishatfirmlyonhishead,topreventthewindfromtakingit,thrusthishandsintohispockets,andlookingupward,tookashortsurveyofthestateoftheweather。Thecloudsweredriftingoverthemoonattheirgiddiestspeed:atonetimewhollyobscuringher:atanother,sufferinghertoburstforthinfullsplendourandshedherlightonalltheobjectsaround:anon,drivingoverheragain,withincre...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看

前往下载:https://www.kanbaapp.com/share/