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Although Miss Nipper was nervous in regard of dogs, and felt it necessary to come into the room with her skirts carefully collected about her, as if she were crossing a brook on stepping-stones; also to utter little screams and stand up on chairs when Diogenes stretched himself, she was in her own manner affected by the kindness of Mr Toots, and could not see Florence so alive to the attachment and society of this rude friend of little Paul's, without some mental comments thereupon that brought the water to her eyes. Mr Dombey, as a part of her reflections, may have been, in the association of ideas, connected with the dog; but, at any rate, after observing Diogenes and his mistress all the evening, and after exerting herself with much good-will to provide Diogenes a bed in an ante-chamber outside his mistress's door, she said hurriedly to Florence, before leaving her for the night:
虽然尼珀姑娘看到狗总是紧张不安，走进房间时觉得有必要小心翼翼地提起围裙边缘，仿佛踩着石头走过溪流似的；当戴奥吉尼斯伸展四肢时，她会发出尖叫，站到椅子上去；但是图茨先生的好意却使她内心很受感动；当她看到弗洛伦斯由于小保罗的这位粗野的朋友跟她亲热、做伴而这么精神抖擞，喜气洋洋时，心中不免产生出一些感慨，这些想法使她的眼泪夺眶而出。董贝先生是她感慨的一部分，她在联想中可能把他跟这条狗联系起来进行比较了，可是，不管怎么样，当她对戴奥吉尼斯和她的女主人观察了整整一晚上，她又好意地亲自在她的女主人门外的一个接待室里为戴奥吉尼斯准备了一张床之后，她在夜间告别之前，还是急忙对弗洛伦斯说：
'Your Pa's a going off, Miss Floy, tomorrow morning.'
“弗洛伊小姐，您爸爸明天早上就要动身走了。”
'To-morrow morning, Susan?'
“明天早上，苏珊？”
'Yes, Miss; that's the orders. Early.'
“是的，小姐，是这么吩咐的。一清早。”
'Do you know,' asked Florence, without looking at her, 'where Papa is going, Susan?'
“您知不知道，”弗洛伦斯没有看着他，问道，“爸爸上哪里去，苏珊？”
'Not exactly, Miss. He's going to meet that precious Major first, and I must say if I was acquainted with any Major myself (which Heavens forbid), it shouldn't be a blue one!'
“不十分清楚，小姐。他首先去跟那位宝贝少校碰头。我必须说，如果我本人要结识什么少校的话（老天爷不允许！），那么我也决不会结识一位皮肤发青的！”
'Hush, Susan!' urged Florence gently.
“轻一点，苏珊！”弗洛伦斯温和地劝告她。
'Well, Miss Floy,' returned Miss Nipper, who was full of burning indignation, and minded her stops even less than usual. 'I can't help it, blue he is, and while I was a Christian, although humble, I would have natural-coloured friends, or none.'
“唔，弗洛伊小姐，”尼珀姑娘回答道，她怒火中烧，比平时更不注意标点符号。“我管不住自己，不能不说，他皮肤发青是事实，只要我是一个基督教徒，尽管身份低微，我也宁愿跟自然肤色的人交朋友，要不就一个朋友也不交。”
It appeared from what she added and had gleaned downstairs, that Mrs Chick had proposed the Major for Mr Dombey's companion, and that Mr Dombey, after some hesitation, had invited him.
从她随后补充的话和她在楼下零零星星听到的话看来，奇克夫人曾建议少校给董贝先生当旅伴；董贝先生犹豫了一番之后，已经邀请了他。
'Talk of him being a change, indeed!' observed Miss Nipper to herself with boundless contempt. 'If he's a change, give me a constancy.
“他们提起他就好像他是个什么可以更换的东西一样，真是的！”尼珀姑娘怀着无限的轻蔑，说道，“如果他是个可以更换的东西的话，那么就请给我一个固定不变的东西吧！”
'Good-night, Susan,' said Florence.
“晚安，苏珊，”弗洛伦斯说。
'Good-night, my darling dear Miss Floy.'
“晚安，我的宝贝亲爱的弗洛伊小姐。”
