When dinner was done, and the cloth was cleared away (the entertainment had been brought from a neighbouring eating-house), he lighted a candle, and went down below into a little cellar, while his nephew, standing on the mouldy staircase, dutifully held the light.
晚饭是从附近的馆子店里拿来的，饭吃完了，桌布就拿开了，所罗门点亮了一支蜡烛，走到一间小地下室里，他的外甥站在潮湿发霉的楼梯上，恭恭敬敬地拿着蜡烛。
After a moment's groping here and there, he presently returned with a very ancient-looking bottle, covered with dust and dirt.
四处寻找了一会儿之后，所罗门很快回到楼梯上，手里拿着一只古色古香、布满着灰尘的瓶子。
'Why, Uncle Sol!' said the boy, 'what are you about? that's the wonderful Madeira! - there's only one more bottle!'
“怎么，所尔舅舅！”男孩说，“你干什么呀？这是好宝贵的马德拉岛 白葡萄酒！——那里只剩一瓶了！”
Uncle Sol nodded his head, implying that he knew very well what he was about;
所尔舅舅点了点头，意思是说他当然知道他想干什么。
and having drawn the cork in solemn silence, filled two glasses and set the bottle and a third clean glass on the table.
在庄严的沉默中他揭开了瓶塞，倒满了两只玻璃杯，然后把酒瓶和一只空玻璃杯放在桌上。
'You shall drink the other bottle, Wally,' he said, 'when you come to good fortune; when you are a thriving, respected, happy man; when the start in life you have made to-day shall have brought you, as I pray Heaven it may! - to a smooth part of the course you have to run, my child. My love to you!'
“另外一个瓶子的酒，沃利，”他说，“当你以后有了钱，成为一个事业有成、受人尊敬、幸福的人，当你今天开始的生活把你带到你未来的成功的道路——这是我向上天祈祷的愿望！——那时候，我的孩子，就让你喝那瓶酒了。祝你成功！”
Some of the fog that hung about old Sol seemed to have got into his throat; for he spoke huskily.
老所尔四周的雾气似乎渗入了他的喉咙，因为他讲话的声音是沙哑的。
His hand shook too, as he clinked his glass against his nephew's. But having once got the wine to his lips, he tossed it off like a man, and smacked them afterwards.
当他拿着他的酒杯和外甥的酒杯相碰的时候，他的手在发抖，可是当酒一沾上唇，他就干净利落地一饮而尽，过后还咂咂嘴。❤
'Dear Uncle,' said the boy, affecting to make light of it, while the tears stood in his eyes, 'for the honour you have done me, et cetera, et cetera. I shall now beg to propose Mr Solomon Gills with three times three and one cheer more. Hurrah! and you'll return thanks, Uncle, when we drink the last bottle together; won't you?'
“亲爱的舅舅，”男孩说，他装着若无其事，其实已经泪水盈眶了，“为你给我的爱护，还有一切一切，现在我恳请为所罗门·吉尔士先生的健康十次祝酒、干杯。万岁！舅舅，以后待我们喝那最后一瓶酒的时候，你再来回敬我这次祝酒，好吗？”
They clinked their glasses again;
他们又一次碰杯。
and Walter, who was hoarding his wine, took a sip of it, and held the glass up to his eye with as critical an air as he could possibly assume.
沃尔特没有把酒喝光，他啜了一口，然后拿起酒杯放在眼睛前面，一丝不苟地加以品鉴。
His Uncle sat looking at him for some time in silence.
他舅舅坐在那里默默地看着他。
When their eyes at last met, he began at once to pursue the theme that had occupied his thoughts, aloud, as if he had been speaking all the time.
过了一会儿，四目相遇时舅舅急忙开始大声地谈着早就想说的话题，仿佛他一直都在讲着似的。
'You see, Walter,' he said, 'in truth this business is merely a habit with me. I am so accustomed to the habit that I could hardly live if I relinquished it: but there's nothing doing, nothing doing. When that uniform was worn,' pointing out towards the little Midshipman, 'then indeed, fortunes were to be made, and were made. But competition, competition - new invention, new invention - alteration, alteration - the world's gone past me. I hardly know where I am myself, much less where my customers are.”
“你看，沃特尔，”他说，“老实说，这个行业对我来说只是做惯了的事情，是一种生活习惯。要是把生活习惯丢掉的话，我就很难活下去了，可是没有办法呵，没有办法呵。穿上那件制服的时候，”他指着小小的海军候补生，“真是那么想，财源就会滚滚而来了，财源确是滚滚而来了。可是处处都是竞争、竞争，新的发明一个接一个，一个接一个，天天都在改变、改变，这个世界从我身边走过去了，我简直不知道我在哪里，更不知道我的买主在哪里！”
'Never mind 'em, Uncle!'
“别去管他们吧，舅舅！”
'Since you came home from weekly boarding-school at Peckham, for instance - and that's ten days,' said Solomon, 'I don't remember more than one person that has come into the shop.'
“举个例子吧，你从佩克姆寄宿学校回来以后，已经有十天了，”所罗门说，“我只记得到我店里来买东西的人只有一个。”
'Two, Uncle, don't you recollect? There was the man who came to ask for change for a sovereign - '
“有两个，舅舅，你不记得了吗？有一个男的，他拿了一个英镑想换零钱。”
'That's the one,' said Solomon.
“就是这一个。”所罗门说。
'Why Uncle! don't you call the woman anybody, who came to ask the way to Mile-End Turnpike?'
“舅舅！有一个女人走进来问，到迈尔·恩德路怎么走。你难道不把她算作一个？”
'Oh! it's true,' said Solomon, 'I forgot her. Two persons.'
“哦！一点也不错，”所罗门说，“我把她忘了。一共两个。”
'To be sure, they didn't buy anything,' cried the boy.
“肯定他们没有买东西的。”男孩大声说。
'No. They didn't buy anything,' said Solomon, quietly.
“没有，他们一样东西也没有买。”所罗门平静地说。
'Nor want anything,' cried the boy.
“也不想要买什么东西。”男孩大声说。
'No. If they had, they'd gone to another shop,' said Solomon, in the same tone.
“不想买。要是他们想买什么东西的话，他们早就到别的店里去了。”所罗门依旧平静地说。
'But there were two of 'em, Uncle,' cried the boy, as if that were a great triumph. 'You said only one.'
“可是有两个呵，舅舅，”男孩高声说，仿佛这是很大的胜利，“你刚才说只有一个的。”
'Well, Wally,' resumed the old man, after a short pause: 'not being like the Savages who came on Robinson Crusoe's Island, we can't live on a man who asks for change for a sovereign, and a woman who inquires the way to Mile-End Turnpike. As I said just now, the world has gone past me. I don't blame it; but I no longer understand it. Tradesmen are not the same as they used to be, apprentices are not the same, business is not the same, business commodities are not the same. Seven-eighths of my stock is old-fashioned. I am an old-fashioned man in an old-fashioned shop, in a street that is not the same as I remember it. I have fallen behind the time, and am too old to catch it again. Even the noise it makes a long way ahead, confuses me.'
“你看，沃利，”老人停了一会儿又说，“我们不是鲁滨孙 荒岛上的野人，我们不能靠一个拿着金镑来换零钱的男人和一个问到迈尔·恩德收税栅怎么走的女人过活嘛。我刚才讲的，这个世界从我身边走过去了。对于这个世界我不埋怨，不过我再也搞不清楚它是怎么回事了。做生意的人同以前做生意的人不一样，学徒同以前的学徒不一样，生意同以前的生意不一样，货物同以前的货物不一样。我店里的货物有八之七是过时的，我的店铺是过时的，我也是过时的，我住的这条街道已经不是我脑子里还记得的那个样子了。我已经掉在时代的后面了，我年纪太大，再也跟不上了。连前面好远的地方那个嘈杂的声音也叫我莫名其妙。”
Walter was going to speak, but his Uncle held up his hand.
沃尔特正待讲话，他的舅舅把手举了起来。
'Therefore, Wally - therefore it is that I am anxious you should be early in the busy world, and on the world's track. I am only the ghost of this business - its substance vanished long ago; and when I die, its ghost will be laid. As it is clearly no inheritance for you then, I have thought it best to use for your advantage, almost the only fragment of the old connexion that stands by me, through long habit. Some people suppose me to be wealthy. I wish for your sake they were right. But whatever I leave behind me, or whatever I can give you, you in such a House as Dombey's are in the road to use well and make the most of. Be diligent, try to like it, my dear boy, work for a steady independence, and be happy!'
“所以，沃利——所以我心里很焦虑，希望你小小年纪就来到这个熙熙攘攘的世界，走上世界的征途。我只是这个事业的鬼魂，事业的实体早就没有了，我一死，我这个鬼魂也就没有了。很清楚，既然没有什么家当留给你，我一直在想，为了你的利益起见，最好的办法就是不妨利用我长年积累起来的还剩下的一点点老交道。有些人以为我很有钱。为了你的缘故，我真希望他们讲得对。不管吃我留给你什么，不管我能给你什么，你在董贝公司的差使是一个很好的机遇，你可以充分享受，充分利用它。亲爱的孩子，你要喜欢这个工作，好好地干，不要靠别人，要靠自己，快快活活地干吧！”
'I'll do everything I can, Uncle, to deserve your affection. Indeed I will,' said the boy, earnestly
“舅舅，我要好好地干，不辜负你对我的深情，我一定好好地干。”男孩热切地说。
'I know it,' said Solomon. 'I am sure of it,' and he applied himself to a second glass of the old Madeira, with increased relish. 'As to the Sea,' he pursued, 'that's well enough in fiction, Wally, but it won't do in fact: it won't do at all. It's natural enough that you should think about it, associating it with all these familiar things; but it won't do, it won't do.'
“我知道的，我知道你一定会的，”所罗门说过后就又拿起一杯马德拉岛白葡萄陈酒更开心地喝起来，然后继续说下去，“海这个东西，在想象里是蛮好的，沃利，不过在生活里就不对了，根本不对了。你把大海和其他这些很熟悉的东西凑在一起，你就想入非非了，这当然是很自然的，可事实不是这样，绝对不是的。”
Solomon Gills rubbed his hands with an air of stealthy enjoyment, as he talked of the sea, though; and looked on the seafaring objects about him with inexpressible complacency.
所罗门一边谈论着大海一边搓着双手，暗自高兴，并且用一种难以言传的自得其乐环顾四周的航海器具。
