弗洛伦斯害怕他，他在房间里对她来说是个梦魇。她不能忘记有他在场，由于她不能抗拒对他的厌恶与不信任，因此她的眼睛不时朝他那边望一下。可是她的思想却在翻腾着别的事情，因为当她坐在一旁的时候——并不是由于没有人爱慕她或寻找她，而是由于她安静、文雅的性格才坐在一旁的——，她觉得她的父亲在流行着的活动中是多么不起作用；她痛苦地看到，他似乎是多么不自在；当他停留在门旁，迎接着那些他希望特别厚待的客人，并把他们领去介绍给他的妻子的时候，他又是多么不受尊重；他的妻子高傲地、冷漠地接见了这些客人，但丝毫也没有兴趣或愿望去讨他们的喜欢；在煞风景的接见仪式之后，她也没有考虑他的愿望或对他的朋友表示欢迎，一直不开口说一句话。使弗洛伦斯同样困惑不解或痛苦的是，这样行事的伊迪丝却这么亲切，这么慈爱、体贴地对待她；就她来说，甚至连注意到在她眼前所发生的这一切情形，几乎都好像是忘恩负义似的。
弗洛伦斯如果敢哪怕用眼光陪伴一下父亲的话，那么她该会多么幸福啊！但弗洛伦斯没有去猜疑他不自在的主要原因，就这一点来说她倒是幸福的。不过，她害怕表露出她似乎知道他处于不利的境地，唯恐他会对她愤怒不满；加上她一方面情不自禁地想亲近他，一方面又对伊迪丝怀着感激的感情，处在这样矛盾冲突的心情中，她就不敢抬起眼睛去看他们两人当中的任何一个人。她为他们两人感到焦急不安，郁郁不乐，所以在拥挤的人群中，她心中暗暗地产生了这样一些想法：如果这里从来就听不到这些嘈杂热闹的谈话声和走来走去的脚步声，如果往日沉闷无趣、凄凉冷落的景象从来就没有被现在新颖别致和富丽堂皇的景象所代替，如果这个受到冷落的孩子从来没有从伊迪丝那里找到友谊，而是一直过着她那被人遗忘、没人可怜的孤独的生活的话，那么对他们来说，这也许反倒比现在更好。
奇克夫人也有一些这样的想法，但是这些想法并不是平平静静地在她的心中展开。这位善良的家庭主妇一开头就因为没有被邀请参加晚宴而受到了侮辱。她从这个打击中部分恢复过来之后，不惜破费大笔金钱，决心把自己打扮成一位穿着豪华的人物，在招待会上出现在董贝夫人的面前，使她见了眼花缭乱，并在斯丘顿夫人头上堆上高山般重重的屈辱。
“可是我却被看得连弗洛伦斯也不如了！”奇克夫人对奇克先生说道，“有谁丝毫注意过我？谁也没有！”
“谁也没有，我亲爱的，”奇克先生同意地说道。他背靠着墙，坐在奇克夫人的身旁，甚至在这里，他也只能轻轻地吹吹口哨，聊以自慰。
“这有一点点像需要我在这里的样子吗？”奇克夫人眼睛闪发出亮光，高声喊叫道。
“不错，我亲爱的，我看不像，”奇克先生说道。
“保罗疯了！”奇克夫人说道。
奇克先生吹吹口哨。
“除非你是个怪物（有时我觉得你真的就是个怪物），”奇克夫人坦率地说道，“那就别坐在这里吹你的小调了。一个人哪怕稍稍有点男子汉的感情，怎么能看得住保罗的岳母打扮成那副模样，在跟白格斯托克少校卖弄风情？别的使人愉快的事情就别提了，就是这个白格斯托克少校今天能在这里，我们也还得感谢你的卢克丽霞•托克斯——”
“我的卢克丽霞•托克斯！”奇克先生吃惊地说道。
“是的，”奇克夫人很严厉地回答道，“你的卢克丽霞•托克斯！我要问，不论是什么人，看到保罗这位岳母，保罗这位傲慢的老婆，这些光裸着后背和肩膀的不成体统的老丑八怪们，总之一句话，看到今天这样的招待会，怎么还能有心情哼小调呢？”奇克夫人在最后几个字上冷嘲热讽地加重了语气，使奇克先生吓了一跳。“这对我来说，谢谢上天，真是一件不可思议的事情。”
奇克先生把嘴巴扭歪成根本无法哼小调或吹口哨的形状，并似乎很用心地在沉思着。
“虽然保罗已经忘记我该享受的权利了，“奇克夫人火冒三丈，说道，“但我希望，我知道我本人应该享受什么权利。我是这个家庭的一名成员；我不打算在这里坐着，让人不理不睬。我不是董贝夫人脚下的烂泥，现在还不是，”奇克夫人说道，仿佛她预料后天就会变成这烂泥似的，“我要走！我不说（不管我怎么想）这一切安排的唯一目的就是要贬低我，侮辱我。我将直截了当，一走了之。我不在，他们也不会发觉！”
奇克夫人一边这么说着，一边笔直地站了起来，挽着奇克先生的胳膊，离开了这个他们在偏僻的角落里逗留了半个小时的房间。她真能洞察一切：她不在，确实完全没有被人发觉。
不过她并不是唯一的愤怒的客人；因为董贝先生名单上客人们（他们依旧不断地处于困难的境地中）一致对董贝夫人名单上的客人们感到愤怒，因为她们通过单眼镜看他们，并大声说不知道这些人是谁。在这同时，董贝夫人名单上的客人们抱怨疲乏；那位袒露着肩膀、打扮得很年轻的夫人，失掉那位快活的年轻人菲尼克斯表哥（他在宴会结束之后就走了）的照顾之后，对三、四十个朋友秘密地宣称，她厌烦得要死。头上戴满了沉甸甸的饰物的老夫人们都有或大或小的理由抱怨董贝夫人。那些公司的董事和总经理们心里都一致认为，如果董贝一定要结婚，他最好娶一位跟他年纪比较接近的人，别这么漂亮，但家境要宽裕一些才好；这一类身份的先生们普遍的看法是，这是董贝的失着，他以后会后悔的。除了那些懦怯的人之外，留在那里或走开的人，几乎没有一位不认为自己从董贝先生或董贝夫人那里受到冷落或委屈的。后来才知道，那位戴黑丝绒帽子、默默无言的夫人就是因为那位穿深红丝绒衣服的夫人比她先被搀扶到餐厅里去才气得一言不发的。甚至连那些懦怯的男子的脾气也变坏了，这或者是由于他们喝了过多的柠檬汁，性格发生了变化，或者是由于他们受到整个房间的气氛的感染的缘故；他们在楼梯上和偏僻的角落里相互讽刺嘲笑，并低声说些诽谤的话。普遍的不满与不快广泛地扩散开来，聚集在门厅里的仆人们也跟楼上的客人们一样感觉到这一点。甚至连等候在屋外、拿着火炬给大家照路的仆人也了解到这一点，他们把这个庆祝宴会跟那种在死者遗嘱里没有提到任何人、因而听不到哀哭的葬礼相比。
最后，所有的客人都走了，拿着火炬给大家照路的仆人也走了。长时间被马车堵塞的街道已畅通了。房间里将要燃尽的烛光只照着在一旁交谈的董贝先生和卡克先生，以及董贝夫人和他的母亲，没有别的人了。董贝夫人坐在绒垫睡椅上，她的母亲仿照克利奥佩特拉的姿态躺着等待侍女前来。董贝先生和卡克谈话结束之后，卡克谄媚讨好地走上前来告别。
“我希望，”他说道，“董贝夫人经过这愉快的晚上所感到的劳累不会使她明天觉得不舒服。”
“董贝夫人已经充分地节省了她的劳累，”董贝先生走上前来，说道，“因此您丝毫不用在这方面替她担心。董贝夫人，我很遗憾地想说，我实在希望在今天这样的场合，您能比往常稍许劳累一些才好。”
她傲慢地向他看了一眼，似乎不值得再看他，就一言不发地转开了视线。
“我感到遗憾，夫人，”董贝先生说道，“您竟没有想到这是您的责任——”
她又看了看他。
“夫人，”董贝先生继续说道，“您应当对我的朋友表示更敬重一些，这是您的责任。这些人当中有几位，您今天晚上很明显地怠慢了他们，而我要告诉您，他们前来拜访，是给了您极大的体面。”
“您知道这里还有别人吗？”她这时一动不动地看着他，回答道。
“别走！卡克！我请您别走。我坚决要求您别走。”董贝先生拦住那位默不作声往外走的先生，喊道，“夫人，您知道，卡克先生是深得我信任的人。我所说的问题，他跟我一样清楚。请允许我告诉您，让您了解，董贝夫人，我认为这些富有的、重要的人物给了我极大的体面。”董贝先生挺了挺身子，仿佛现在已向他们表示了极大的敬意似的。
“我问您，”她重复地说道，一边用轻蔑的眼光注视着他，“您知道这里还有别人吗，先生？”
“我必须请求，”卡克先生向前走了一步，说道，“我必须恳求，我必须要求让我离开，不管这争执是多么微不足道、无关紧要——”
斯丘顿夫人一直在注视着女儿的脸孔，这时把他的话接了过去。
“我最亲爱的伊迪丝，”她说道，“还有我最亲爱的董贝；我们的卓越的朋友卡克先生，因为我确实应当这样称呼他才是——”
卡克先生轻轻地说道，“您过份夸奖了。真是不胜荣幸之至”。
“他使用了我心里想要说的语言，在这一段时间里我一直渴望着有一个机会把它表示出来。微不足道、无关紧要！我最宝贝的伊迪丝，还有我亲爱的董贝，难道我们不知道，你们两人之间的任何争执——不，弗劳尔斯，现在不。”
弗劳尔斯就是那位侍女，她看到有先生们在场，就急忙退出去了。
“你们两人心心相印，”斯丘顿夫人继续说下去，“一条美妙的感情纽带把你们联结在一起；难道我们不知道，你们俩之间的任何争执，必然是微不足道，无关紧要的吗？还有什么语言能更好地表述这一事实？没有！因此，我高兴地利用这个小小的机会，这个微不足道的机会——人类的天性，你们个人的性格以及引起母亲流泪的一切都在这时候充分显露出来了——说一下，我丝毫也不认为这有什么重要的意义，我认为这只不过是人类心灵中那些毫不足取的因素在发生作用罢了；我不像大多数的丈母娘（多么讨厌的词儿哟，亲爱的董贝！在这个我担心太虚伪的世界上，我听说她们确实是存在的），我今后决不打算在这种时候介入到你们当中来干预你们的事情，也决不会因为——他叫什么——不是丘比德，而是另外一个可爱的人儿①的火炬中有一点小小爆燃的闪光而感到十分难过。”
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①斯丘顿夫人是想说许墨奈俄斯（Hymenaeus，英译为Hymen），希腊与罗马神话中的司婚姻之神；在造型艺术中，他是个戴着鲜花项圈，手执火炬的少年。
这位好母亲说话的时候，向她的两个孩子投去了锐利的眼光，它可能已把隐匿在这些层次杂乱的话语中的一个直截了当、经过深思熟虑的意图表达出来了。这个意图就是，她打一开头就精明地退缩到一旁，不去听他们的链条将来叮当撞击的，并且躲藏在她天真地相信他们情投意合和相互体贴这一虚构的幻影之中。
“我已向董贝夫人指出了，”董贝先生以他最庄严的态度说道，“我们婚后生活初期中她的行为中我所不满意、我要求改正的地方。卡克，”他向他点点头，让他出去，“祝您晚安！”
卡克先生向傲慢的新婚夫人鞠了个躬，她的眼睛一动不动地注视着她的丈夫；他向门口走去的时候，在克利奥佩特拉的长沙发旁边停住，以十分卑躬屈节、喜不自胜的敬意吻了吻她和蔼亲切地向他伸过来的手。
当房间里只剩下他们两人的时候（因为克利奥佩特拉已急急忙忙地离开了），如果他的漂亮的妻子责备了他，或者改变了脸色，或者说一句话来打破现在的沉默的话，那么董贝先生是能够挺身维护他的权利的。可是她看过他之后，以强烈的、难以形容的、令人畏缩的轻蔑的神色，低下了眼睛，仿佛对她来说，他是太没有价值，太无关紧要，根本不值得她开口去反驳他似的；她目空一切，无比傲慢地坐在他的前面；她仿佛要用她那冷酷的、毫不改变的决心把他压倒和踢开似的；——对于她的这种轻蔑和傲慢，他却束手无策。他离开了她，留下她那傲气十足的美貌，心中极度地蔑视他。
是不是他很胆怯，所以在一个钟头以后，他要在他过去有一次看到弗洛伦斯在月光下抱着小保罗费劲地走上去的那个楼梯间里，有意在暗中监视她呢？还是他在黑暗中偶尔出现在那里呢？当他抬起眼睛的时候，他看到她手中拿着一支蜡烛从弗洛伦斯睡觉的房间中走出来，并且再一次注意到那张他不能征服的脸孔改变成另一种神态。
可是它决不会像他的脸孔那样改变。它在极度的傲慢与愤怒中，从来也不知道他们回到家来的那天夜间，在那个黑暗的角落里笼罩在他脸上的阴影；从那以后，他脸上时常出现这个阴影，现在当他往上看的时候，他脸上的这个阴影变得更为深沉了。
Chapter 37
More Warnings than One
Florence, Edith, and Mrs Skewton were together next day, and the carriage was waiting at the door to take them out. For Cleopatra had her galley again now, and Withers, no longer the-wan, stood upright in a pigeon-breasted jacket and military trousers, behind her wheel-less chair at dinner-time and butted no more. The hair of Withers was radiant with pomatum, in these days of down, and he wore kid gloves and smelt of the water of Cologne.
They were assembled in Cleopatra's room The Serpent of old Nile (not to mention her disrespectfully) was reposing on her sofa, sipping her morning chocolate at three o'clock in the afternoon, and Flowers the Maid was fastening on her youthful cuffs and frills, and performing a kind of private coronation ceremony on her, with a peach-coloured velvet bonnet; the artificial roses in which nodded to uncommon advantage, as the palsy trifled with them, like a breeze.
'I think I am a little nervous this morning, Flowers,' said Mrs Skewton. 'My hand quite shakes.'
'You were the life of the party last night, Ma'am, you know,' returned Flowers, ' and you suffer for it, to-day, you see.'
Edith, who had beckoned Florence to the window, and was looking out, with her back turned on the toilet of her esteemed mother, suddenly withdrew from it, as if it had lightened.
'My darling child,' cried Cleopatra, languidly, 'you are not nervous? Don't tell me, my dear Edith, that you, so enviably self-possessed, are beginning to be a martyr too, like your unfortunately constituted mother! Withers, someone at the door.'
'Card, Ma'am,' said Withers, taking it towards Mrs Dombey.
'I am going out,' she said without looking at it.
'My dear love,' drawled Mrs Skewton, 'how very odd to send that message without seeing the name! Bring it here, Withers. Dear me, my love; Mr Carker, too! That very sensible person!'
'I am going out,' repeated Edith, in so imperious a tone that Withers, going to the door, imperiously informed the servant who was waiting, 'Mrs Dombey is going out. Get along with you,' and shut it on him.'
But the servant came back after a short absence, and whispered to Withers again, who once more, and not very willingly, presented himself before Mrs Dombey.
'If you please, Ma'am, Mr Carker sends his respectful compliments, and begs you would spare him one minute, if you could - for business, Ma'am, if you please.'
'Really, my love,' said Mrs Skewton in her mildest manner; for her daughter's face was threatening; 'if you would allow me to offer a word, I should recommend - '
'Show him this way,' said Edith. As Withers disappeared to execute the command, she added, frowning on her mother, 'As he comes at your recommendation, let him come to your room.'
'May I - shall I go away?' asked Florence, hurriedly.
Edith nodded yes, but on her way to the door Florence met the visitor coming in. With the same disagreeable mixture of familiarity and forbearance, with which he had first addressed her, he addressed her now in his softest manner - hoped she was quite well - needed not to ask, with such looks to anticipate the answer - had scarcely had the honour to know her, last night, she was so greatly changed - and held the door open for her to pass out; with a secret sense of power in her shrinking from him, that all the deference and politeness of his manner could not quite conceal.
He then bowed himself for a moment over Mrs Skewton's condescending hand, and lastly bowed to Edith. Coldly returning his salute without looking at him, and neither seating herself nor inviting him to be seated, she waited for him to speak.
Entrenched in her pride and power, and with all the obduracy of her spirit summoned about her, still her old conviction that she and her mother had been known by this man in their worst colours, from their first acquaintance; that every degradation she had suffered in her own eyes was as plain to him as to herself; that he read her life as though it were a vile book, and fluttered the leaves before her in slight looks and tones of voice which no one else could detect; weakened and undermined her. Proudly as she opposed herself to him, with her commanding face exacting his humility, her disdainful lip repulsing him, her bosom angry at his intrusion, and the dark lashes of her eyes sullenly veiling their light, that no ray of it might shine upon him - and submissively as he stood before her, with an entreating injured manner, but with complete submission to her will - she knew, in her own soul, that the cases were reversed, and that the triumph and superiority were his, and that he knew it full well.
'I have presumed,' said Mr Carker, 'to solicit an interview, and I have ventured to describe it as being one of business, because - '
'Perhaps you are charged by Mr Dombey with some message of reproof,' said Edit 'You possess Mr Dombey's confidence in such an unusual degree, Sir, that you would scarcely surprise me if that were your business.'
'I have no message to the lady who sheds a lustre upon his name,' said Mr Carker. 'But I entreat that lady, on my own behalf to be just to a very humble claimant for justice at her hands - a mere dependant of Mr Dombey's - which is a position of humility; and to reflect upon my perfect helplessness last night, and the impossibility of my avoiding the share that was forced upon me in a very painful occasion.'
'My dearest Edith,' hinted Cleopatra in a low voice, as she held her eye-glass aside, 'really very charming of Mr What's-his-name. And full of heart!'
'For I do,' said Mr Carker, appealing to Mrs Skewton with a look of grateful deference, - 'I do venture to call it a painful occasion, though merely because it was so to me, who had the misfortune to be present. So slight a difference, as between the principals - between those who love each other with disinterested devotion, and would make any sacrifice of self in such a cause - is nothing. As Mrs Skewton herself expressed, with so much truth and feeling last night, it is nothing.'
Edith could not look at him, but she said after a few moments,
'And your business, Sir - '
'Edith, my pet,' said Mrs Skewton, 'all this time Mr Carker is standing! My dear Mr Carker, take a seat, I beg.'
He offered no reply to the mother, but fixed his eyes on the proud daughter, as though he would only be bidden by her, and was resolved to he bidden by her. Edith, in spite of herself sat down, and slightly motioned with her hand to him to be seated too. No action could be colder, haughtier, more insolent in its air of supremacy and disrespect, but she had struggled against even that concession ineffectually, and it was wrested from her. That was enough! Mr Carker sat down.
'May I be allowed, Madam,' said Carker, turning his white teeth on Mrs Skewton like a light - 'a lady of your excellent sense and quick feeling will give me credit, for good reason, I am sure - to address what I have to say, to Mrs Dombey, and to leave her to impart it to you who are her best and dearest friend - next to Mr Dombey?'
Mrs Skewton would have retired, but Edith stopped her. Edith would have stopped him too, and indignantly ordered him to speak openly or not at all, but that he said, in a low Voice - 'Miss Florence - the young lady who has just left the room - '
Edith suffered him to proceed. She looked at him now. As he bent forward, to be nearer, with the utmost show of delicacy and respect, and with his teeth persuasively arrayed, in a self-depreciating smile, she felt as if she could have struck him dead.
'Miss Florence's position,' he began, 'has been an unfortunate one. I have a difficulty in alluding to it to you, whose attachment to her father is naturally watchful and jealous of every word that applies to him.' Always distinct and soft in speech, no language could describe the extent of his distinctness and softness, when he said these words, or came to any others of a similar import. 'But, as one who is devoted to Mr Dombey in his different way, and whose life is passed in admiration of Mr Dombey's character, may I say, without offence to your tenderness as a wife, that Miss Florence has unhappily been neglected - by her father. May I say by her father?'
Edith replied, 'I know it.'
'You know it!' said Mr Carker, with a great appearance of relief. 'It removes a mountain from my breast. May I hope you know how the neglect originated; in what an amiable phase of Mr Dombey's pride - character I mean?'
'You may pass that by, Sir,' she returned, 'and come the sooner to the end of what you have to say.'
'Indeed, I am sensible, Madam,' replied Carker, - 'trust me, I am deeply sensible, that Mr Dombey can require no justification in anything to you. But, kindly judge of my breast by your own, and you will forgive my interest in him, if in its excess, it goes at all astray.
What a stab to her proud heart, to sit there, face to face with him, and have him tendering her false oath at the altar again and again for her acceptance, and pressing it upon her like the dregs of a sickening cup she could not own her loathing of or turn away from'. How shame, remorse, and passion raged within her, when, upright and majestic in her beauty before him, she knew that in her spirit she was down at his feet!
'Miss Florence,' said Carker, 'left to the care - if one may call it care - of servants and mercenary people, in every way her inferiors, necessarily wanted some guide and compass in her younger days, and, naturally, for want of them, has been indiscreet, and has in some degree forgotten her station. There was some folly about one Walter, a common lad, who is fortunately dead now: and some very undesirable association, I regret to say, with certain coasting sailors, of anything but good repute, and a runaway old bankrupt.'
