'You have only yourself to thank for it,' returned the brother.
“那只能怪你自己,”弟弟回答道。
'Only myself,' he assented with a sigh. 'I don't seek to divide the blame or shame.'
“只怪我自己,”他叹了一口气,表示同意。“·我不想寻找别人来分担我的罪过或耻辱。”
'You have divided the shame,' James Carker muttered through his teeth. And, through so many and such close teeth, he could mutter well.
“你已经让别人来分担你的耻辱了,”詹姆斯·卡克通过他的牙齿咕哝着。虽然他的牙齿那么多那么密,但是他却能咕哝得清清楚楚。
'Ah, James,' returned his brother, speaking for the first time in an accent of reproach, and seeming, by the sound of his voice, to have covered his face with his hands, 'I have been, since then, a useful foil to you. You have trodden on me freely in your climbing up. Don't spurn me with your heel!'
“啊,詹姆斯,”他的哥哥回答道;他第一次用责备的声调说话,而且从他说话的声音听起来,他似乎用手捂着脸,“从那时起,我就成了你的一个有用的衬托物。在你向上爬的时候,你任意地践踏我。请别用你的脚后跟踢我吧!”
A silence ensued. After a time, Mr Carker the Manager was heard rustling among his papers, as if he had resolved to bring the interview to a conclusion. At the same time his brother withdrew nearer to the door.
接着是静默无声。过了一些时候,只听到经理卡克沙沙地翻阅公文的声音,仿佛他已决定结束这次会晤了。在这同时,他的哥哥退到门口。
'That's all,' he said. 'I watched him with such trembling and such fear, as was some little punishment to me, until he passed the place where I first fell; and then, though I had been his father, I believe I never could have thanked God more devoutly. I didn't dare to warn him, and advise him; but if I had seen direct cause, I would have shown him my example. I was afraid to be seen speaking with him, lest it should be thought I did him harm, and tempted him to evil, and corrupted him: or lest I really should. There may be such contagion in me; I don't know. Piece out my history, in connexion with young Walter Gay, and what he has made me feel; and think of me more leniently, James, if you can.
“这就是一切,”他说道。“我是那么担心、那么害怕地注意观察着他,就像这是对我的一种小小的惩罚一样,直到他走过了我第一次失足掉下的地方,那时候我相信,即使我是他的父亲,我也不会比那更为虔诚地感谢上帝的了。我不敢预先警戒他,向他提出忠告;但是如果我看到了直接的原因的话,那么我就会向他显示我本人经历过的先例。我怕被别人看到我跟他讲话,唯恐人们会认为我加害于他,引诱他走向邪恶,使他堕落,或者唯恐我真正这样做。也许在我身上有这种传染性的病毒;有谁知道呢?请把我的历史跟沃尔特·盖伊联系起来想一下,也请把它跟他使我产生的感觉联系起来想一下,詹姆斯,如果你能够的话,那么请想到我的时候更宽厚一些吧!”