At length, the Major having disposed of all the missiles that were convenient to his hand, and having called the Native so many new names as must have given him great occasion to marvel at the resources of the English language, submitted to have his cravat put on; and being dressed, and finding himself in a brisk flow of spirits after this exercise, went downstairs to enliven 'Dombey' and his right-hand man.
Dombey was not yet in the room, but the right-hand man was there, and his dental treasures were, as usual, ready for the Major.
'Well, Sir!' said the Major. 'How have you passed the time since I had the happiness of meeting you? Have you walked at all?'
'A saunter of barely half an hour's duration,' returned Carker. 'We have been so much occupied.'
'Business, eh?' said the Major.
'A variety of little matters necessary to be gone through,' replied Carker. 'But do you know - this is quite unusual with me, educated in a distrustful school, and who am not generally disposed to be communicative,' he said, breaking off, and speaking in a charming tone of frankness - 'but I feel quite confidential with you, Major Bagstock.'
'You do me honour, Sir,' returned the Major. 'You may be.'
'Do you know, then,' pursued Carker, 'that I have not found my friend - our friend, I ought rather to call him - '
'Meaning Dombey, Sir?' cried the Major. 'You see me, Mr Carker, standing here! J. B.?'
He was puffy enough to see, and blue enough; and Mr Carker intimated the he had that pleasure.
'Then you see a man, Sir, who would go through fire and water to serve Dombey,' returned Major Bagstock.
Mr Carker smiled, and said he was sure of it. 'Do you know, Major,' he proceeded: 'to resume where I left off' that I have not found our friend so attentive to business today, as usual?'
'No?' observed the delighted Major.
'I have found him a little abstracted, and with his attention disposed to wander,' said Carker.
'By Jove, Sir,' cried the Major, 'there's a lady in the case.'
'Indeed, I begin to believe there really is,' returned Carker; 'I thought you might be jesting when you seemed to hint at it; for I know you military men -
The Major gave the horse's cough, and shook his head and shoulders, as much as to say, 'Well! we are gay dogs, there's no denying.' He then seized Mr Carker by the button-hole, and with starting eyes whispered in his ear, that she was a woman of extraordinary charms, Sir. That she was a young widow, Sir. That she was of a fine family, Sir. That Dombey was over head and ears in love with her, Sir, and that it would be a good match on both sides; for she had beauty, blood, and talent, and Dombey had fortune; and what more could any couple have? Hearing Mr Dombey's footsteps without, the Major cut himself short by saying, that Mr Carker would see her tomorrow morning, and would judge for himself; and between his mental excitement, and the exertion of saying all this in wheezy whispers, the Major sat gurgling in the throat and watering at the eyes, until dinner was ready.
The Major, like some other noble animals, exhibited himself to great advantage at feeding-time. On this occasion, he shone resplendent at one end of the table, supported by the milder lustre of Mr Dombey at the other; while Carker on one side lent his ray to either light, or suffered it to merge into both, as occasion arose.
During the first course or two, the Major was usually grave; for the Native, in obedience to general orders, secretly issued, collected every sauce and cruet round him, and gave him a great deal to do, in taking out the stoppers, and mixing up the contents in his plate. Besides which, the Native had private zests and flavours on a side-table, with which the Major daily scorched himself; to say nothing of strange machines out of which he spirited unknown liquids into the Major's drink. But on this occasion, Major Bagstock, even amidst these many occupations, found time to be social; and his sociality consisted in excessive slyness for the behoof of Mr Carker, and the betrayal of Mr Dombey's state of mind.
'Dombey,' said the Major, 'you don't eat; what's the matter?'
'Thank you,' returned the gentleman, 'I am doing very well; I have no great appetite today.'
'Why, Dombey, what's become of it?' asked the Major. 'Where's it gone? You haven't left it with our friends, I'll swear, for I can answer for their having none to-day at luncheon. I can answer for one of 'em, at least: I won't say which.'
Then the Major winked at Carker, and became so frightfully sly, that his dark attendant was obliged to pat him on the back, without orders, or he would probably have disappeared under the table.
In a later stage of the dinner: that is to say, when the Native stood at the Major's elbow ready to serve the first bottle of champagne: the Major became still slyer.
'Fill this to the brim, you scoundrel,' said the Major, holding up his glass. 'Fill Mr Carker's to the brim too. And Mr Dombey's too. By Gad, gentlemen,' said the Major, winking at his new friend, while Mr Dombey looked into his plate with a conscious air, 'we'll consecrate this glass of wine to a Divinity whom Joe is proud to know, and at a distance humbly and reverently to admire. Edith,' said the Major, 'is her name; angelic Edith!'
'To angelic Edith!' cried the smiling Carker.
'Edith, by all means,' said Mr Dombey.
The entrance of the waiters with new dishes caused the Major to be slyer yet, but in a more serious vein. 'For though among ourselves, Joe Bagstock mingles jest and earnest on this subject, Sir,' said the Major, laying his finger on his lips, and speaking half apart to Carker, 'he holds that name too sacred to be made the property of these fellows, or of any fellows. Not a word!, Sir' while they are here!'
This was respectful and becoming on the Major's part, and Mr Dombey plainly felt it so. Although embarrassed in his own frigid way, by the Major's allusions, Mr Dombey had no objection to such rallying, it was clear, but rather courted it. Perhaps the Major had been pretty near the truth, when he had divined that morning that the great man who was too haughty formally to consult with, or confide in his prime minister, on such a matter, yet wished him to be fully possessed of it. Let this be how it may, he often glanced at Mr Carker while the Major plied his light artillery, and seemed watchful of its effect upon him.
But the Major, having secured an attentive listener, and a smiler who had not his match in all the world - 'in short, a devilish intelligent and able fellow,' as he often afterwards declared - was not going to let him off with a little slyness personal to Mr Dombey. Therefore, on the removal of the cloth, the Major developed himself as a choice spirit in the broader and more comprehensive range of narrating regimental stories, and cracking regimental jokes, which he did with such prodigal exuberance, that Carker was (or feigned to be) quite exhausted with laughter and admiration: while Mr Dombey looked on over his starched cravat, like the Major's proprietor, or like a stately showman who was glad to see his bear dancing well.
When the Major was too hoarse with meat and drink, and the display of his social powers, to render himself intelligible any longer, they adjourned to coffee. After which, the Major inquired of Mr Carker the Manager, with little apparent hope of an answer in the affirmative, if he played picquet.
'Yes, I play picquet a little,' said Mr Carker.
'Backgammon, perhaps?' observed the Major, hesitating.
'Yes, I play backgammon a little too,' replied the man of teeth.
'Carker plays at all games, I believe,' said Mr Dombey, laying himself on a sofa like a man of wood, without a hinge or a joint in him; 'and plays them well.'
In sooth, he played the two in question, to such perfection, that the Major was astonished, and asked him, at random, if he played chess.
'Yes, I play chess a little,' answered Carker. 'I have sometimes played, and won a game - it's a mere trick - without seeing the board.'
'By Gad, Sir!' said the Major, staring, 'you are a contrast to Dombey, who plays nothing.'
'Oh! He!' returned the Manager. 'He has never had occasion to acquire such little arts. To men like me, they are sometimes useful. As at present, Major Bagstock, when they enable me to take a hand with you.'
It might be only the false mouth, so smooth and wide; and yet there seemed to lurk beneath the humility and subserviency of this short speech, a something like a snarl; and, for a moment, one might have thought that the white teeth were prone to bite the hand they fawned upon. But the Major thought nothing about it; and Mr Dombey lay meditating with his eyes half shut, during the whole of the play, which lasted until bed-time.
By that time, Mr Carker, though the winner, had mounted high into the Major's good opinion, insomuch that when he left the Major at his own room before going to bed, the Major as a special attention, sent the Native - who always rested on a mattress spread upon the ground at his master's door - along the gallery, to light him to his room in state.
There was a faint blur on the surface of the mirror in Mr Carker's chamber, and its reflection was, perhaps, a false one. But it showed, that night, the image of a man, who saw, in his fancy, a crowd of people slumbering on the ground at his feet, like the poor Native at his master's door: who picked his way among them: looking down, maliciously enough: but trod upon no upturned face - as yet.
“我是您最顺从的仆人，先生，”少校说道，“他妈的，先生，我的朋友董贝先生的朋友就是我的朋友。我很高兴见到您。”
“卡克，”董贝先生解释道，“白格斯托克少校陪同我游览，跟我交谈，我对他无限感激。白格斯托克少校给我帮了很大的忙，卡克。”
经理卡克先生手中握着帽子，刚刚到达莱明顿，并刚刚被介绍给少校；他向少校显露出上下两排的全部牙齿，说他相信，他能不揣冒昧地衷心感谢他在改善董贝先生的神色和精神上取得了十分显著的效果。
“说实在的，先生，”少校回答道，“用不着感谢我，因为这是件双方相互受益的事情。像我们的朋友董贝这样一位伟大的人物，先生，”少校放低了嗓门说道，但是没有低到使那位先生听不到，“他总是在无意之间就能促使他的朋友进步，变得高尚起来的，先生；他——董贝先生增强和激励着一个人的道德本性。”
卡克先生对这些话连声赞同。他增强和激励着一个人的道德本性，正是这样！这正是他就要脱口说出的话。
“但是，先生，”少校接着说道，“当我的朋友董贝跟您谈到白格斯托克少校时，我却必须恳求允许我把他和您纠正纠正。他指的是直率的乔，先生——乔埃•白——乔希•白格斯托克——约瑟夫——粗鲁和坚强的老乔，先生。我愿为您效劳。”
卡克先生对少校极为友好的态度，以及卡克先生对他粗鲁、坚强和直率的赞赏，都从卡克先生的每颗牙齿中闪现出来。
“现在，先生，”少校说道，“您和董贝有好多好多的事情要商量啦。”
“不，不，少校，”董贝先生说道。
“董贝，”少校坚决不同意地说道，“我很明白，像您这样杰出的人物——商业界的巨子，是不应该受到打扰的。您的每一秒钟都是宝贵的。我们吃晚饭的时候再见吧。在这段时间里，老约瑟夫就避开了。卡克先生，吃晚饭的时间是七点正。”
少校说完这些话之后，脸上露出极为扬扬得意的表情，离开了。但他立即又在门口探进头来说：
“请原谅，董贝，您有什么话需要我转告她们的？”
董贝先生有点不好意思，向那位殷勤有礼、掌握了他的商业秘密的人稍稍看了一眼，然后拜托少校向她们转致他的问候。
“哎呀，先生”少校说，“您得说点更热情的话才好呢，要不老乔就不会受到热烈的欢迎了。”
“那么，少校，就请向她们转致我的敬意吧！”董贝先生回答道。
“他妈的，先生，”少校滑稽地摇晃着他的肩膀和肥厚的双颊，说道，“您得表示更热情一些才好呵。”
“那么，少校，您爱说什么就说什么吧，”董贝先生说道。
“我们的朋友是狡猾的，先生，狡猾的，魔鬼一般的狡猾，”少校在门口转过头来直盯着卡克，说道，“白格斯托克也是这样，”但是少校在吃吃笑着的中间停了下来，伸直了身子，拍拍胸膛，庄重地说道，“董贝，我真羡慕您的感情，上帝保佑您！”然后他离开了。
“您一定觉得这位先生是一位很能开心解闷的人，”卡克先生在他的身后露出牙齿，说道。
“确实是这样，”董贝先生说道。
“他在这里无疑是有朋友的，”卡克先生继续说道，“我从他的话中知道，您在这里经常参加社交活动；您可知道，”他令人讨厌地微笑着，“您经常参加社交活动，我真是高兴极了。”
董贝先生捻转着表链子，并轻轻地摇晃着脑袋，对这位地位仅次于他的助手所显示的关心表示感谢。
“您生来就是属于社会的人，”卡克说道，“在我所认识的人们当中，从性格和地位来说，您都是最适合于进入社会开展活动的。您可知道，您过去竟这么长久地和社会保持着一定距离，我一直感到惊奇！”
“我有我的理由，卡克。我是个独立门户，不求助于他人的人，所以我对社会漠不关心，但是您本人是位有出色社交才能的人，因此就更容易感到惊奇了。”
“哦，我！”那一位敏捷地用自我贬低的口吻回答道，“像我这样的人那是完全另外一码事。我根本不能和您相比。”
董贝先生把手伸向领带，下巴缩在里面，咳嗽了一声，然后站在那里，向他忠实的朋友和奴仆默默地看了几秒钟。
“卡克，”董贝先生终于说道，他这时的表情就仿佛是咽下对他的喉咙有些过大的什么东西似的，“我将高兴把您介绍给我的——介绍给少校的朋友们。她们是很使人感到愉快的人们。”
“我想他们当中也有女士吧，”圆滑的经理旁敲侧击地问道。
“他们全是，——就是说，她们两人全是女士，”董贝先生回答道。
“只有两人吗？”卡克笑嘻嘻地问道。
“只有两人。我在这里只是到她们的住所里去拜访过，没有结识其他什么人。”
“也许是姐妹俩吧？”卡克问道。
“母亲和女儿，”董贝先生回答道。
董贝先生低下眼睛，又把领带整整好，这时候经理卡克先生笑嘻嘻的脸容，没有经过任何过渡阶段，突然一下子转变成目不转睛、皱眉蹙额的脸容，眼光全神贯注地细细观察着董贝先生的脸，并露出丑恶的讥笑。当董贝先生抬起眼睛的时候，卡克先生的脸孔又以同样敏捷的速度恢复了原来的表情，向他露出全部牙床。
“谢谢您的好意，”卡克说道，“我将高兴认识她们。说到女儿，使我想起，我见到过董贝小姐呢。”
血流突然涌上了董贝先生的脸。
“我冒昧地去看望了她，”卡克说道，“问她有什么事要交我办的，可是很不幸，除了——除了她的亲切的爱之外，我没能给她带来别的东西。”
这真像狼一般的脸孔啊！当他的眼光碰到了董贝先生的眼光时，从他张开的嘴巴中甚至可以看到那火热的舌头！
“公司里的业务情况怎么样？”那一位先生沉默了一会儿之后问道；在沉默的时间中，卡克先生取出了一些便函和其他文件、票据。
“生意很清淡，”卡克回答道，“总的来说，我们最近运气不像往常那样好，不过这对于您来说没什么要紧。劳埃德商船协会①认为‘儿子和继承人’已经沉没了。幸好它从龙骨到桅顶都是保了险的。”
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①劳埃德商船协会：伦敦当时经营海上保险业和船舶检查注册的一个团体。
“卡克，”董贝先生把一把椅子移近身边，说道，“我不能说那位年轻人盖伊曾给我留下好印象。”
“也没有给我留下好印象，”经理插话道。
“可是，”董贝先生没有注意到他的插话，继续说道，“我真愿他当初没有乘这条船，当初没有派他去就好了。”
“真可惜，您当初没早讲，是吧？”卡克冷冷地回答道，“不过，我想，到头来这倒会是件好事。我确实认为，到头来这倒会是件好事。我跟您说过没有，董贝小姐与我本人相互间还有着一点类似信任的关系呢？”
“没有，”董贝先生严厉地说道。
“我毫不怀疑，”卡克在一段令人难忘的沉默之后继续说道，“不论盖伊现在在什么地方，他待在那个地方总比在这里待在家中要好得多。如果我处在，或者能处在您的地位的话，我将对这种情况感到满意。我本人是很满意的。董贝小姐年轻，轻信，如果她有什么缺点的话，那就是，作为您的女儿，也许还不够高傲。当然，这算不了什么。您跟我核对一下这些帐目好吗？”
董贝先生没有弯下身子去看那些摊在面前的帐单，而是往后仰靠在椅子中，目不转睛地看着这位经理的脸。经理眼皮稍稍抬起一点，假装看着数字，而不去催促他的老板。他毫不掩饰他是出于对董贝先生体帖入微和有意不伤害他的感情才假装成这样子的；董贝先生坐在那里看着他的时候，明白他是有意关照他；他觉得，如果不是为了这一点，这位深受他信任的卡克本会说出更多更多的话的，但是董贝先生太高傲了，他不会请求他说。他在业务上也经常这样。董贝先生的眼光逐渐松弛下来，他的注意力开始转移到面前的票据上面；但是他在埋头研究的过程中经常停下来，重新看着卡克先生；每当他这样做的时候；卡克先生就像先前一样，表露出他的殷勤，给他的老板留下了愈来愈深刻的印象。
他们就这样忙着业务；在经理的巧妙的引导下，董贝先生心中对可怜的弗洛伦斯产生和滋长着愤怒的思想，它正取代着往常对她冷酷的厌恶；就正在这些时候，被莱明顿老太太们所称颂的白格斯托克少校，正沿着街道有荫影的一边迈着步子，去向斯丘顿夫人进行一次上午的拜访；本地人手里拿着那些通常的随身用品，跟随在他后面；当少校到达克利奥佩特拉的闺房时，正是中午，所以他幸运地看到他的女王像平时一样坐在沙发上，有气无力地面对着一杯咖啡；为了使她能得到舒适的休息，房间被窗帘遮蔽得十分阴暗，在她身旁侍候的威瑟斯就像一个侍童的幽灵一样，朦胧不明地浮现出身形。
“什么讨厌的东西进来了？”斯丘顿夫人说道，“我不能容忍它。不管你是谁，快滚开！”
“夫人，您不会忍心把乔•白撵走的！”少校在中途停下，抗议道，手杖挂在他的肩膀上。
“啊，是你呀，是吗？好吧，我改变主意，可以让你进来。”
克利奥佩特拉说道。
于是，少校就走进来，到了沙发旁边，把她可爱的手压到他的嘴唇上。
“坐吧，”克利奥佩特拉没精打采地摇着扇子，说道，“坐得远些，不要太挨近我，因为今天下午我虚弱得要命，感觉非常灵敏。你身上有一股太阳气。你简直就跟从热带跑来的人一样。”
“确实，夫人，”少校说道，“过去有一段时候，约瑟夫•白格斯托克曾经被太阳炙烤过，烫出过水泡；那时候，夫人，在西印度群岛温室般炎热的气温下，他不由得不茁壮成长；当时大家都以花这个外号来称呼他。在那些日子里，夫人，谁也不知道白格斯托克，但大家都知道花——我们的花。花现在多少有些枯萎了，夫人，”少校说道，一边坐到一张椅子里，他比他残酷的神所指定的那张椅子要近好多，“可是它仍然是一株顽强的植物，就像常绿树一样四季长青。”
这时少校在房间黑暗光线的掩护下，闭上一只眼睛，像哑剧中的丑角一样摇晃着脑袋，他在扬扬得意之中也许比过去任何时候都更接近于中风的边缘。
“格兰杰夫人在哪里？”克利奥佩特拉问她的童仆。
威瑟斯说，他猜想她在她自己的房间里。
“很好，”斯丘顿夫人说道，“你出去吧，把门关上，我有事。”
威瑟斯走开以后，斯丘顿夫人身体没有移动，只是有气无力地把头转向少校，问他，他的朋友怎么样？
“夫人，”少校喉咙里滑稽地发出咕嘟咕嘟的声音，回答道，“就一个处在他这种境况中的人来说，董贝总算还不错。夫人，他目前的情况已到了危急万分的地步。他神魂颠倒了！董贝，他已经神魂颠倒了！”少校喊道，“他已经被刺伤得体无完肤了。”
克利奥佩特拉向少校敏锐地看了一眼，这和她接着讲话时假装的慢声慢气形成了鲜明的对照。
“白格斯托克少校，虽然我对世界了解得很少，（我对我缺乏经验并不真正感到遗憾，因为我担心这世界是个虚伪的地方，充满了使人难受的陈规旧习；这里，大自然受到轻视，也很少听到心的音乐，心灵的表露，以及所有那些富于真正诗意的东西），可是我不会误会你话中的含意。你的话是暗指伊迪丝——我无比亲爱的孩子。”斯丘顿夫人用食指沿着眉毛移动着，说道，“你的这些话使最温柔的心弦在有力地颤动！”
“夫人，”少校回答道，“坦率一直是白格斯托克家族的特点。您的话说对了。乔承认这一点。”
“你所暗指的这一点，”克利奥佩特拉继续说道，“将会涉及我们可悲地堕落的本性很容易产生的那最令人感动的、最惊心动魄的和最神圣的情感，至少也是这些最优美的情感中的一种。”
少校把手放到嘴唇上，向克利奥佩特拉送去一个飞吻，仿佛要指明这正是她所谈到的情感。
“我觉得我虚弱无力。我觉得我缺乏在这种时刻应该能支持住一位母亲——不说是一个家长的精力，”斯丘顿夫人用她手绢饰有花边的边缘抹了抹嘴唇，说道，“但是在谈到这个对我最亲爱的伊迪丝非常重要的问题时，我不能不感觉到要昏过去似的。不过话说回来，坏家伙，既然你已经大胆地提到了它，既然它已经造成我极度的痛苦，”斯丘顿夫人用扇子触了触她的左胁，“我将不会逃避我的责任。”
