通译双语文库:小镇传奇6. 邓瑞和母亲之间的斗争|6. THE BATTLE WITH DENRY'S MOTHER

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小镇传奇|The Card

6. 邓瑞和母亲之间的斗争|6. THE BATTLE WITH DENRY'S MOTHER

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要想在生活中取得成功，需要哪些条件?聪明、好看、善良、勤奋、诚实?或者仅仅只是运气好? 邓瑞·梅钦是个乐天派。当他遇到麻烦时，决不会认输言败，哭天抹泪。他会主动去寻找机会，一旦发现机会，便会牢牢把握。当然，幸运之神也很眷顾着他。幸运的是伯爵夫人打算办场舞会，可邓瑞是如何弄到请柬的呢?幸运的是科多林夫人跟邓瑞的老板起了争执，可邓瑞是如何成为科多林太太的收租人的呢?更幸运的是“亚尔马号”在兰迪德诺附近海域沉没——可邓瑞是如何从这件事上赚得1000英镑的?
邓瑞生活的小镇叫伯斯利。镇上的人们喜欢能让他们欢笑的年轻人。“他真是个传奇。”他们说。他们迫不及待地想知道他下一次的奇遇……
If you want to be successful in life, what do you need? Do you need to be clever, good-looking, kind, hard-working, honest? Or just lucky?
Denry Machin is a cheerful kind of fellow. When he meets a problem, he doesn't lie down and cry about it. He looks for a chance, and when he sees one, he takes it with both hands. He has a lot of luck too, of course. It's lucky that the Countess decides to give a ball, but how does Denry manage to get an invitation? It's lucky that Mrs Codleyn has an argument with Denry's employer, but how does Denry become Mrs Codleyn's rent collector? And it's very lucky indeed for Denry when the Hjalmar goes down in the sea off Llandudno – but how does Denry make a thousand pounds out of it?
The people of Bursley, the town where Denry lives, love a young man who makes them laugh. 'He's a real card,' they say. They can't wait to hear about his next adventure...

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道德经

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周易

简典

	Brougham ['bruːəm]	n.有篷马车;四轮轿式马车
	rend [rend]	v.撕破;分裂;劈开;强夺
	greatness [ɡreɪtnəs]	n.伟大;崇高;巨大
	comfortably ['kʌmftəbli]	adv.舒服地;容易地;充裕地
	doorstep ['dɔːstep]	n.门阶
	fireplace ['faɪəpleɪs]	n.壁炉
	doorbell ['dɔːbel]	n.门铃
	downstairs [ˌdaʊn'steəz]	adj.楼下的
	Downstairs [ˌdaʊn'steəz]	adj.楼下的
	supper ['sʌpə(r)]	n.晚饭
	madman ['mædmən]	n.疯子;精神病患者
	POISON ['pɔɪzn]	n.毒药;毒害;败坏道德之事

6. 邓瑞和母亲之间的斗争|6. THE BATTLE WITH DENRY'S MOTHER

几年后，一个冬天的深夜，邓瑞打开位于布鲁厄姆街的母亲家的房门。

“是你吗，邓瑞？”一个疲倦的声音问。

“是的。”他边说边走进客厅。

母亲坐在离炉火很近的地方，火烧得很旺。她看上去很冷，身体欠佳。

“你得去看病，妈妈。”

“看病！有什么可看的？我只是有点儿感冒，仅此而已。”

“这个冬天你总是生病，”邓瑞说，“都是因为住在这所又老又破的房子里。”

“这所房子很好。对你父亲来说够好，对我来说也够好。”

“妈妈，我每年挣2000英镑，可是看看我们，住在每周租金23便士的老房子里！”

事实上，邓瑞现在每年差不多挣4000英镑，但他不敢跟母亲说实话。这些日子他在五镇可是个大人物，但在布鲁厄姆街却啥也不是。

“邓瑞，你选择住到一栋豪华精美的大房子里去。”母亲说，“但我就呆在这儿。”

于是斗争持续着。邓瑞想搬家，但母亲拒绝离开布鲁厄姆街。邓瑞不可能一个人搬到新房子里去。

几周后的一个早晨，梅钦太太收到房东寄来的一封信。他在信里说他已把梅钦夫人住的房子卖给了一个叫威尔布里厄姆的伦敦人。从下个月起，梅钦太太得把房租交给威尔布里厄姆先生。

第二天邓瑞回家时，带回了一些消息。

“我见到威尔布里厄姆先生了，就是那个买下我们房子的人。他从伦敦过来了。他想让我帮他收房租。”

“那你怎么说？”

“我答应了。为什么不呢？这对你来说更容易。他是个有趣的人。他打算在布里克里奇街盖一座新房子。那将是一座真正现代化的房子；在那样的房子里，没有仆人也能住得很舒服。”

“他肯定是个明白人。”梅钦太太答道。她讨厌仆人，并且每周都要重复一次。

“他说我们得搬家，”她喊道，“他要我们马上搬出去。哦，邓瑞，我们该怎么办啊？”

“我们去见他。”邓瑞说，“今晚他会去新房子那里！”

于是他们穿上最好的衣服前往布里克里奇。半小时后他们站在威尔布里厄姆先生的新房外面。邓瑞按响了门铃，他们等待着。

“台阶真脏。”梅钦太太看了看地下说道。在布鲁厄姆街，保持台阶干净是非常重要的，即使是房租每周只需23便士的房子。

“很好清洗。”邓瑞说，“看着！”他拧开台阶旁的一个水龙头，水流下来，冲洗着台阶。

“是热水吗？”梅钦太太问道。

“当然。”邓瑞说。他看得出母亲很喜欢那个水龙头。“威尔布里厄姆先生在房子里装了很多这样的玩意儿。”

他又按了按门铃，但没人应声。“也许他坐的火车晚点了。我有钥匙。我们进去等他。”他开了门，打开了电灯。梅钦太太之前从没见过电灯，她觉得电灯太奇妙了。

“这里非常暖和。”她说。

“是中央供暖系统。”邓瑞说，“无需生火，无需搬木柴，也无需清理炉子——”

门铃响了。

“他来了！”邓瑞说着，朝门口走去。

洗过的台阶上站着三个人——是科特里尔夫妇和内莉。科特里尔先生说是威尔布里厄姆先生邀请他们来的。

“啊，快请进，请进！”邓瑞说，“他不在。也许他错过了火车。但房子已经为他准备好了。来，我带你们四处看看。”

他和内莉跑上楼，其他人跟在后面。楼上和楼下一样妙不可言。房屋如此易于清理，根本没什么要干的。“哎呀！”科特里尔夫人说，“要是我住在这里，不需要仆人，就能在上午十点前把房子收拾干净。”

梅钦太太表示同意。

他们在楼下发现一顿精美的冷盘晚餐已经准备好了。

“来吧，”邓瑞说，“我们开吃吧。我肯定他会乐意我们这样做的。”

梅钦太太不想吃。“他不在这儿，这样有点儿奇怪。”她说。

“他是有点儿怪。”邓瑞说，“我觉得他有点儿不正常。”

“我可不觉得他不正常。”梅钦太太说，“这么好的房子不可能是个疯子的。”

最终，他们全都坐下来吃晚餐，在吃了一些东西，喝了三瓶酒后，他们舒服自在起来。很快，邓瑞开始在房子里找第四瓶酒。他找到一瓶，打开喝了几口，然后叫了一声，杯子掉在地上摔碎了。

那不是酒。是一瓶清洁剂。瓶身写着“有毒”两个大字。内莉似乎没意识到事情的严重性，还笑了起来。

梅钦太太拉着邓瑞的胳膊。“到厨房去。”她说，“你得喝点儿盐水，让自己呕吐。”

“哦不！”邓瑞说，“我没事。”

但邓瑞的母亲不肯听他的，把他拽出了房间。内莉用手掩嘴，强忍住笑，但没能忍住。

十分钟后，他们回来了。邓瑞看起来面色苍白，十分气恼。“现在没事了。”梅钦太太说。

聚会就这样结束了。科特里尔一家起身告别，并询问邓瑞感觉怎么样了。

“我太难受了，不能走回家。”他说，“我就睡在这里。卧室什么都有。我母亲也可以住在这里。”

科特里尔一家走后，邓瑞上床睡觉去了。一小时后他母亲也去睡了，但她睡得很不好。

第二天早上，她比邓瑞早起，然后便走出房门。半小时后，她回来把邓瑞叫醒了。

“噢，邓瑞！我刚才回家去了。他们把房子拆了。房顶不见了，还有那些家具……”

邓瑞坐了起来。

“现在我要跟你说件事。”他说，“威尔布里厄姆先生死了。”

“死了！”

“死了。呃，当然，他从来就没真的活过。”

梅钦太太明白了。这一切都是邓瑞设的计，就为了让她从布鲁厄姆街搬到布里克里奇。很快，全伯斯利镇的人都知道邓瑞在和母亲之间的斗争中取得了胜利。他们都喜欢这个故事。

但至少梅钦太太在让邓瑞喝盐水这场斗争中赢了。

Late one winter’s evening a few years later, Denry opened the door of his mother’s house in Brougham Street.

Is that you, Denry?’ came a tired voice.

Yes,’ he said, walking into the living room.

His mother was sitting very near the fire, which was burning brightly. She looked cold and ill.

You must see a doctor, mother.’

A doctor! What for? I’ve just got a bit of a cold, that’s all.’

You’ve been ill a lot this winter,’ said Denry. ’It’s this awful old house we live in.’

It’s a very good house. It was good enough for your father and it’s good enough for me.’

Mother, I’m earning two thousand pounds a year! And here we are, living in an old house at a rent of twenty-three pence a week!’

Actually, Denry was making nearly four thousand a year, but he was afraid to tell his mother that. These days he was a great man in the Five Towns, but his greatness was nothing in Brougham Street.

You can go and live in a fine, grand house if you like, Denry,’ said his mother. ’But I’m staying here.’

And so the battle went on. Denry wanted to move, but his mother refused to leave Brougham Street. And Denry wouldn’t move to a new house without her.

One morning a few weeks later, there was a letter for Mrs Machin from the man who owned her house. He had sold the house, he wrote, to a man in London, a Mr Wilbraham. From next month Mrs Machin must pay her rent to him.

The next day Denry came home with some news.

I’ve met Mr Wilbraham, the man who bought our house. He came down from London. He wants me to collect the rents for him.’

What did you tell him?’

I said yes. Why not? It’s easier for you. And he’s an interesting man. He’s building a new house up at Bleakridge. It’s going to be a really modern house; a house where you can live comfortably without servants.’

He’s certainly a sensible man,’ answered Mrs Machin. She hated servants and said so about once a week.

The house at Bleakridge started to grow. Mr Wilbraham stayed in London. The builder was Mr Cotterill (Denry had been friendly with the family since Llandudno), but Denry also kept an eye on things. The house was nearly finished when Mrs Machin got a second letter from Mr Wilbraham.

He says we have to leave,’ she cried. ’He wants us out immediately. Oh Denry, what shall we do!’

We’ll go and see him,’ said Denry. ’He’s coming to his new house tonight!’

So they put on their best clothes and went up to Bleakridge. Half an hour later they were standing outside Mr Wilbraham’s house. Denry rang the bell, and they waited.

Dirty doorstep,’ said Mrs Machin, looking down at it. In Brougham Street it was important to have a clean doorstep, even if your rent was only twenty-three pence a week.