Doctor Parker Peps, one of the Court Physicians, and a man of immense reputation for assisting at the increase of great families, was walking up and down the drawing-room with his hands behind him, to the unspeakable admiration of the family Surgeon, who had regularly puffed the case for the last six weeks, among all his patients, friends, and acquaintances, as one to which he was in hourly expectation day and night of being summoned, in conjunction with Doctor Parker Pep.
帕克•佩普斯大夫是宫廷医生当中的一位,在帮助重要家族增添人口方面享有很大的声誉,现在正把双手抄在背后,在客厅里走来走去;家庭医生对他的钦佩是无法用言语形容的;在过去的六个星期中,他一直在他的病人、朋友和熟人中吹嘘现在的这个病例,说他日日夜夜、时时刻刻都等待着和帕克•佩普斯大夫一起被请去进行会诊。
“Well, Sir,”said Doctor Parker Peps in a round, deep, sonorous voice, muffled for the occasion, like the knocker; “do you find that your dear lady is at all roused by your visit?”
“Stimulated as it were?”said the family practitioner faintly: bowing at the same time to the Doctor, as much as to say, “Excuse my putting in a word, but this is a valuable connexion.”
Mr Dombey was quite discomfited by the question. He had thought so little of the patient, that he was not in a condition to answer it. He said that it would be a satisfaction to him, if Doctor Parker Peps would walk upstairs again.
“唔,先生,”帕克•佩普斯大夫说道,他那清晰、深沉、洪亮的声音这时候像被布蒙住的门铃一样,减弱了;“您去看您亲爱的夫人时,您是否发现她被惊醒了?”
“她是否好像受到了刺激?”家庭医生轻声说道,同时向帕克•佩普斯大夫鞠丁个躬,好像是说,“请原谅我插了一句话,不过这是个有价值的补充。”
董贝先生被这个问题问得很为难。他在这之前很少想到过病人,所以不知道该怎么回答才好。他说,如果帕克•佩普斯大夫肯再上楼去看看的话,那么他将十分感激。
“Good! We must not disguise from you, Sir,” said Doctor Parker Peps, “that there is a want of power in Her Grace the Duchess - I beg your pardon; I confound names; I should say, in your amiable lady. That there is a certain degree of languor, and a general absence of elasticity, which we would rather not “See,”interposed the family practitioner with another inclination of the head.
“Quite so,”said Doctor Parker Peps, which we would rather not see. It would appear that the system of Lady Cankaby excuse me: I should say of Mrs Dombey: I confuse the names of cases.
“So very numerous,” murmured the family practitioner can't be expected I'm sure quite wonderful if otherwise. Doctor Parker Peps's West-End practice.
“Thank you,”said the Doctor, “quite so. It would appear, I was observing, that the system of our patient has sustained a shock, from which it can only hope to rally by a great and strong”.
“好!我们不应当向您掩饰真情,先生,”帕克•佩普斯大夫说道,“公爵夫人——请原谅,我把姓名给混淆了;我是想说,您的和蔼可亲的夫人缺乏精力;有一定程度的虚弱,总的说来,没有灵活应变的能力,这是我们所不愿意——”
“看到的,”家庭医生插嘴道,同时又低了一下头。
“完全不错,”帕克•佩普斯大夫说道,“这是我们所不愿意看到的。看来,坎卡贝夫人的体质,对不起,我是想说董贝夫人的体质,我把病人的姓名给混淆了。”
“病人很多很多,”家庭医生低声说道,“确实,不可能指望他把他们的姓名全都记得清清楚楚——否则倒是不可思议的了——,帕克•佩普斯大夫在伦敦西区的业务——”
“谢谢您,”大夫说道,“完全不错。我是说,看来,我们病人的体质经受了一次冲击,要希望恢复元气就只有作出很大的、有力的——”
注释: be a satisfaction to: 让......十分高兴
1. The happy news was a satisfaction to us all.
喜讯传来, 人人高兴。
2. It must be a great satisfaction to have achieved such a goal.
能达到这样的目标,一定是很大的满足。