Mr. Clark stood rapt in amazement: observing under his breath, I never saw such a start on this wharf before. Walter picked up the shoe, and put it on the little foot as the Prince in the story might have fitted Cinderella's slipper on. He hung the rabbit-skin over his left arm; gave the right to Florence; and felt, not to say like Richard Whittington - that is a tame comparison - but like Saint George of England, with the dragon lying dead before him.
克拉克先生惊异得目瞪口呆，低声说道，“?我在这码头上还从没见过这样的怪事。”沃尔特捡起鞋子，把它穿在那只小小的脚上，就像故事中的王子给灰姑娘试穿舞鞋一样①。他把兔皮挂在左胳膊上，又把右胳膊伸给弗洛伦斯，觉得自己不是像理查德?惠廷顿（那样的比方太陈腐无奇了），而是像脚下躺着一条死龙的英格兰的圣徒乔治②。
'Don't cry, Miss Dombey,' said Walter, in a transport of enthusiasm.
'What a wonderful thing for me that I am here! You are as safe now as if you were guarded by a whole boat's crew of picked men from a man-of-war. Oh, don't cry.'
“别哭了，董贝小姐，”沃尔特热情奔放地说道，“对我来说，我在这里真是一件多么好的事啊！您现在非常安全，就像由军舰上最优秀的一队海军保护着一样！啊，别哭了！”
'I won't cry anymore,' said Florence. 'I am only crying for joy.'
“我不再哭了，”弗洛伦斯 说道，“我现在是因为快乐才哭的。”
'Crying for joy!' thought Walter, 'and I'm the cause of it! Come along, Miss Dombey. There's the other shoe off now! Take mine, Miss Dombey.'
“因为快乐才哭的！”沃尔特想道，“而我是她快乐的原因！”“我们 走吧，董贝小姐。现在您的另一只鞋子掉了！您就穿我的鞋子吧，董贝小姐。”
'No, no, no,' said Florence, checking him in the act of impetuously pulling off his own. 'These do better. These do very well.'
“不，不，不，”他性急地要把自己的鞋子脱下来；弗洛伦斯拦住他，不让他脱；“我穿这双鞋子更好。这双鞋子对我很合适。”
'Why, to be sure,' said Walter, glancing at her foot, 'mine are a mile too large. What am I thinking about! You never could walk in mine! Come along, Miss Dombey. Let me see the villain who will dare molest you now.'
“唔，那倒是真的，”沃尔特向她的脚望了一眼，说道，“我的鞋子太长了，长 出一英里。我刚才怎么没想到这一点呢！您穿了?我?的鞋子就根本没法走路了！我们走吧，董贝小姐，让我看有哪个坏蛋敢来欺负您！”
So Walter, looking immensely fierce, led off Florence, looking very happy; and they went arm-in-arm along the streets,perfectly indifferent to any astonishment that their appearance might or did excite by the way.
就这样，看上去无限勇猛的沃尔特领着看上去十分快乐的弗洛伦斯走了；他们手挽手地沿着街道走去；至于他们的样子在路上是否可能引起人们的惊奇或者实际上已经引起了，他们都毫不在意。
It was growing dark and foggy, and beginning to rain too; but they cared nothing for this: being both wholly absorbed in the late adventures of Florence, which she related with the innocent good faith and confidence of her years, while Walter listened as if, far from the mud and grease of Thames Street, they were rambling alone among the broad leaves and tall trees of some desert island in the tropics - as he very likely fancied, for the time, they were.
天色愈来愈黑，雾愈来愈浓，而且也开始下雨了；但是他们对这些丝毫也不理会，因为两人都全神贯注在弗洛伦斯新近的奇遇中了；弗洛伦斯以她那种年龄所特有的天真无邪的真诚与信任叙述着这次奇遇，沃尔特则听着，仿佛他们根本不是在泰晤士大街上的泥浆与污油中行走，而是单独在热带某个荒岛中长着阔叶的高大树林中散步——当时他很可能想象，他们就是在那样的情况下散步的。
'Have we far to go?' asked Florence at last, lilting up her eyes to her companion's face.
“我们要走很远吗？”弗洛伦斯终于抬起眼睛，望着她的同伴的脸孔，问道。
'Ah! By-the-bye,' said Walter, stopping, 'let me see; where are we? Oh! I know. But the offices are shut up now, Miss Dombey. There's nobody there. Mr. Dombey has gone home long ago. I suppose we must go home too? or, stay. Suppose I take you to my Uncle's, where I live - it's very near here - and go to your house in a coach to tell them you are safe, and bring you back some clothes. Won't that be best?'
“啊！顺便说说，”沃尔特停下脚步，说道，“让我看看，我们在哪里了？哦，我知道了。不过办公室都关闭了，董贝小姐。那里没有任何人了。董贝先生好久以前就回家去了。我 想我们是不是也应该回家了？要不就留在这里过夜。要是我把您领到我舅舅的家里去——他家离这里不远，我就住在那里——，然后我乘马车到您家里，告诉他们您安然无恙，再给您带回一些衣服；那样是不是最好？”
'I think so,' answered Florence. 'Don't you? What do you think?'
“我想那样最好，”弗洛伦斯回答道。“您呢？您以为怎么样？”
--------
①这是欧洲著名的童话。有一位美丽的姑娘为后母及异母姐姐 虐待，终日与煤渣为伴，所以被称为灰姑娘。有一天她在仙灵的帮助下，化装前去参加舞会，被王子爱上了；她在匆忙回家途中掉了一只鞋子；王子为了寻找她，就拿着这只鞋子去让许多姑娘试穿；她试穿正合适，最后与王子结了婚。
②圣徒乔治（Saint George）：英格兰的保护圣徒，活动时期约在三世纪；据传说，他曾与一条恶龙搏斗，杀死了它，并从它的脚爪下救出一位女郎。
注释：1. pull off 赢得；脱下；努力实现
例句：
(1). She pull off a great coup in get the president to agree to an interview.
她竟然办到了让总统同意接受采访。
(2). make [pull off] a great coup
获得大成功
(3). He boasts of his ability to pull off a speculation.
他得意地说他善于搞投机。
(4). There were plenty of places to pull off the highway and be unobserved.
有许多地方是远离公路而不受人注意的。
(5). Whatever you do, do not pull off this cap .
千万别把这帽子拉掉。
(6). Tell the children not to pull off the bark of the tree.
告诉孩子们不要剥树皮。
2. shut up 住口；关闭；妥藏起来
(1). Shut up! I've had enough of that!
住嘴!我受够了。
(2). I want this to catch the morning mail, so I must shut up now.
我要这信赶上早晨的邮班，所以只得搁笔了。
(3). He managed a circus, but when the war came he had to shut up shop.
他经营一家马戏团，战争开始后，他只好停止营业了。
(4). I think it's about time we shut up shop. We've been at work for six hours.
我想我们该停一下，我们已经干了6个小时了。
(5). He's been speaking now for nearly an hour. When is be going to shut up?
他现在已讲了近一个小时了。他准备什么时候闭嘴呢？
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