6 David falls in love 
　  
　　A gnes had asked me to be polite to Uriah if I met him，and so，when I saw him the next day near the law courts，I was careful not to offend him．He looked even stranger than before，with his small evil head and long thin body，and his wide oily smile．When we shook hands，I no ticed how cold and wet his hand felt，just like a fish． 
　　‘Would you—would you like to come to my rooms for coffee，Uriah？’I offered，trying to hide my horror of him． 
　　‘Oh，Master Copperfield，I mean，Mister Copperfield，I should say now！How kind of you！I'm too humble to expect such kindness！But I would like that！’ 
　　And when we reached my flat，he looked at me with an unpleasantly confident smile，and said，‘Perhaps you've heard that I'm going to become Mr Wickfield's partner，Mr Cop perfield？’ 
　　‘Yes，’I replied．‘Agnes has told me about it．’ 
　　‘Ah！I'm glad to hear that Miss Agnes knows about it，’he answered．‘Thank you for that，Mr Copperfield！’ 
　　I was annoyed with myself for mentioning Agnes's name，and hated hearing him say it，but I said nothing and drank my coffee． 
　　‘You said once，Mr Copperfield，’continued Uriah，rubbing his hands together happily，‘that perhaps I'd be Mr Wickfield's partner one day．It was kind of you to say so．A humble person like me remembers things like that！And now it's true！I'm glad to think I've been able to help poor Mr Wickfield．Oh，how very careless he has been！If I hadn't been his assistant，he would certainly have lost his business，his house，and all his money by now．Of course，I'm helping him because I admire him—and not only him…’ 
　　Suddenly，although the room was warm，an icy coldness spread through my body，as I stared into his cruel little face． 
　　‘Miss Agnes is looking beautiful at the moment，isn't she？’he went on，smiling horribly．‘Mr Copperfield，I trust you，because as you know，I've always liked you，although I'm so humble，and you're a gentleman．So I'd like to tell you my little secret．In spite of my low position，I love Miss Agnes！I've given my heart to her，and I hope to marry her one day！’ 
　　There was a purple mist in front of my eyes．I wanted to hit his ugly face，or stab a knife right into his wicked heart．I was almost mad with anger．But I thought of Agnes's request，and I managed to control myself． 
　　‘Have—have you spoken to Agnes about your—your love？’I asked as calmly as I could． 
　　‘Oh no，Mr Copperfield．I'm waiting for the right moment．Perhaps I'll ask her when I become her father's partner．She'll think kindly of me，you see，when she realizes how much her father needs me．She loves him so much！Ah，what a good daughter my Agnes is！And what an excellent wife she'll be to me！’ 
　　Dear，sweet Agnes，my adopted sister！I did not know any man good enough to be her husband．Could she ever marry this worthless insect？When Uriah left my flat，I spent a sleepless night worrying about what I should do．In the end I decided to say nothing to Agnes about Uriah's plan，as she already had enough to worry about． 
　　A year had passed since I first started work in Mr Spenlow's firm．I often went to court with him，and began to understand the details of some of the most difficult cases．Mr Spenlow was kind to me，and occasionally talked to me，not only about law but also about other matters．I discovered that his wife had died，and that he lived in a large country house just outside London，with his only daughter and her paid companion．One day he invited me to his house for the weekend，and I accepted gratefully．So on Friday evening Mr Spenlow's coach and horses drove us to the house． 
　　When I saw the Spenlows’home，I realized how rich Mr Spenlow must be．It was a lovely old building，with large gar dens．As soon as we entered，Mr Spenlow asked one of the servants，‘Where's Miss Dora？’ 
　　‘Dora！’I thought．‘What a beautiful name！’We went in to the sitting－room，and I suppose Mr Spenlow introduced me．I did not notice，because nothing mattered at that moment．I just stared stupidly at his daughter Dora，lost in wonder at her beauty，and unable to say anything．I had fallen in love in a second． 
　　As I stared，I heard a voice speaking to me， but it was not Dora's．It was her companion，whom I had not noticed at all while Mr Spenlow was making the introductions．When I saw that the companion was Miss Murdstone，I was surprised，certainly，but nothing could take my attention away from Dora for more than a second or two． 
　　Mr Spenlow explained that Miss Murdstone had been kind enough to come and look after his poor motherless daughter，and to be her confidential friend and companion．But it seemed to me that Dora was neither friendly nor confidential towards her stern companion． 
　　As for me，the rest of the weekend passed in a kind of fog．We ate meals，and went for walks．People spoke to me，and I answered．But I have no idea what I actually said．All I re－member was Dora's golden hair，and Dora's blushing face，and Dora's beautiful blue eyes！Occasionally I was lucky enough to speak to her alone，and then I was so shy that I blushed as much as Dora herself．I was very jealous of the little dog that she carried everywhere with her．Sometimes I thought she liked me a little，and at other times I was sure she would never love me．I was wildly，desperately in love！ 
　　I had wondered if Miss Murdstone would try and blacken my name with the Spenlows，but on that first evening she had taken me to one side． 
　　‘David Copperfield，’ she said coldly．‘I see no need for either of us to speak about the past to anyone here．I imagine we are agreed on that．’ 
　　‘Certainly，ma’am．We are agreed on that，although I shall never change my opinion of you．’ 
　　I put Miss Murdstone out of my mind，and for several weeks after meeting Dora，I lived in a dream．I did my work automatically，and I never stopped thinking of her．The greatest happiness I could imagine was being engaged to Dora．I dared not hope that one day we would be married． 
　　While walking round London one day，hoping to meet Dora out shopping，I met my old schoolfriend Tommy Traddles． He was living in the city，like me，and was also studying to become a lawyer．I arranged to visit him，and went to his house after work the next day．He lived in one room in a rented house，in a very poor part of the city．His room was small，and almost empty． 
　　‘Copperfield！I'm glad to see you！he said warmly．‘you can see I haven't got much furniture，but I'm hoping to earn more money later，when I've finished my studies．’ 
　　‘Didn't you have a rich uncle，Traddles？’I asked． 
　　‘Yes，but I've always been unlucky，you know．He decided he didn't like me，so he didn't leave me anything when he died． I'm really very poor，and I have to do several jobs to pay for my studies．’Traddles looked surprisingly cheerful．‘But I must tell you，Copperfield，as you're an old friend，that I'm engaged！To a lovely girl，who comes from a large family，and lives in Devon！’ 
　　I was thinking of Dora as I shook hands with him and congratulated him enthusiastically．‘Will you get married soon？’I asked． 
　　‘No，she's very poor too，so we'll have to wait a long time，until we've saved enough money．She's such a dear girl，Copperfield．She says she'll wait for me until she's sixty，if necessary！And I'm quite happy here with the people who rent the house—the Micawbers are very kind．’ 
　　‘Who did you say？’I cried．‘The Micawbers！I know them！’ 
　　Just then Mr Micawber himself knocked at the door and entered．His stomach was a little fatter and his face a little older than before，but he looked as confident as ever．I went up to him and shook his hand． 
　　‘How are you，Mr Micawber？’I asked．‘Do you remember me？’ 
　　‘Is it possible？ Can it be？ Have I the pleasure of seeing my old friend Copperfield again？’ he replied， a smile spreading over his large face．He turned to call downstairs，‘My dear！Come and meet this gentleman， my love！’ 
　　When Mrs Micawber came in，she was also delighted to see me，and we talked for some time about the twins， and the other children，and her husband's business interests．But this conversation soon made Mr Micawber rather depressed． 
　　‘You see，Copperfield，’he said miserably，‘nothing has turned up yet．Sometimes I wonder whether anything ever will turn up．I can't pay for our food，or even our water．It's hard enough for me to accept the situation，but how can I expect my dear wife to live like this？Perhaps it would have been better if I had never asked her to marry me！’He put his head in his hands． 
　　‘Micawber！’cried his wife．‘How can you say that！You know I have always loved and admired you，and always will love and admire you！My dear husband！’And they fell into each other's arms，sobbing on each other's shoulders．In a few moments they had both dried their eyes and looked quite cheerful again．I realized that the Micawbers had not changed at all，but this quick change of mood was rather a surprise for Traddles． 
　　Before I left， I made sure I had a word in private with my old schoolfriend．‘Traddles，’I whispered，‘take my advice—don't lend Mr Micawber any money．He's got a lot of debts．’ 
　　Traddles looked uncomfortable．‘Thank you，Copperfield，’he whispered in reply，‘but I've already lent him some．I don't know whether he'll give it back—you know how unlucky I am！’ 
　　When I got back to my rooms，I found Steer forth waiting for me there．I thought of Agnes's warning about him，but when I saw his open， good－looking face，I could not believe he could be a bad influence on anyone．However，there was something rather strange in his manner that night．Sometimes he seemed quite depressed，almost desperate， but a minute later he was laughing wildly，and I had no idea why he was like that． 
　　‘I've just been to Yarmouth，David！’he told me． 
　　‘Oh！’I replied．‘You've seen the Peggotty family，I expect？’ 
　　‘I haven't seen much of them，but I have got some news for you．It's about old Barkis．I'm afraid his illness has got much worse，and the doctor thinks he'll die very soon．’ 
　　‘Oh dear！’I said．‘Poor Peggotty will be so sad！’ 
　　‘Yes，it's bad luck，’replied Steerforth carelessly．‘But people die in this world every minute．I'm not afraid of death！I want to live life in my own way，and nobody can stop me！’He threw his head back proudly．I looked into his handsome face，wondering why he was so excited，which was unusual for him． 
　　‘Steerforth，I think I'll have to go to Yarmouth myself，’I said．‘Perhaps I can help Peggotty at this difficult time．’ 
　　Smiling，he put his hands on my shoulders．‘I wish I could be as good as you！David，promise me that if anything ever happens to separate us，you'll think of me at my best！Promise me that！’ 
　　‘Steerforth，you have no best or worst for me，’I answered．‘You will always have your place in my heart！’ 
　　And as he turned to go，he gave me his hand， and smiled in his old friendly way．That is how I like to remember him，now that I shall never touch his hand again，or see him smile． 
　　When I arrived in Yarmouth，I went straight to Barkis's house．In the sitting－room I found Daniel，Ham and Emily．Ham was standing by the door，while Emily was sobbing in Daniel's arms．None of them seemed surprised to see me． 
　　‘Emily's very young，Master David，’explained Daniel．‘It's hard for her to accept death．That's why she's crying．Now cheer up，Emily my dear，Ham has come to take you home．what's that？’He bent his grey head down to hear her whispered reply．‘You want to stay here with your old uncle？But you should go with Ham—he'll be your husband soon！’ 
　　‘That's all right，’said Ham．‘If it makes Emily happy，it'll make me happy． I'll go home alone．’He went over to Emily and gave her a gentle kiss．She seemed to turn away from him a little．As Ham went out，I went upstairs to see poor Barkis． 
　　He was lying unconscious in bed，looking very pale and ill．Peggotty was sitting beside him．She jumped up and took me delightedly in her arms，just as she used to do．Then she turned to her husband．‘Barkis，my dear，’she said almost cheerfully，‘ here's Master David，who brought us together，you remember？He carried your messages for you． Can you speak to him？’ 
　　Barkis lay silently there，not moving．We sat beside him all through that long night．In the early morning， he suddenly opened his eyes，reached out his hand to me，and said clearly，With a pleasant smile，‘Barkis is willing！’And then he closed his eyes，and died． 
　　‘He was a good man！’said Peggotty，with tears in her eyes．‘I shall miss him！’ 
　　I was able to help Peggotty with the arrangements for the funeral．Barkis was buried in Blunderstone churchyard，close to my mother and little brother．We discovered that Barkis had saved quite a lot of money，which he left to Peggotty and Daniel．So I knew that Peggotty would not need to work in future． 
　　On the day before the funeral，we all arranged to meet at the old boat．It was my last evening in Yarmouth，as I was re－turning to London the following day．When I arrived，I was surprised to see that Ham and Emily were not there．Peggotty was feeling more cheerful now，and Daniel was talking to her．Just then Ham came to the door． 
　　‘Master David，come outside a minute，would you？’ he asked．I stepped outside，and Ham shut the door carefully．It was raining heavily，and as we stood on the lonely beach，I noticed how very pale Ham's face was． 
　　‘Ham！’I cried．‘What's the matter？’ 
　　‘Master David！’he sobbed wildly．I had never seen such a strong man cry like that before．‘It's Emily！I'd have died for her！I love her with all my heart！But she's run away and—worse than that！Oh，how I wish God had saved her from this ruin！’ 
　　I shall never fonget his desperate face turned towards me，and the pain in his honest eyes． 
　　‘You're educated，Master David！’he continued．‘You know how to express yourself！Help me！How can I ever ex－plain to him in there？He loves her even more than I do！’ 
　　I saw the door open，and tried to stop Ham speaking，but it was too late．Daniel Peggotty came out，and when he saw us，he seemed to realize immediately what we were talking about．The expression on his face changed in a moment，and he pulled us both back inside．I found myself with a letter in my hand which Ham had given me． 
　　‘Read it，sir，’said Daniek，his face pale and trembling and his eyes wild．‘Read it slowly，please．’ 
　　The room was completely silent as I read aloud： 
　　Dear Ham， 
　　Please， please， forgive me for running away and leaving you．When you see this，I'll be far away．I shall never return to my dear home unless he marries me and brings me back as a lady．Oh，I'm so sorry，and so ashamed！I know this will break your heart，but believe me，I'm not good enough for you！I'm too wicked．Tell Uncle I'll always love him，even if he can never love me again．And I'll always think of you，dear Ham，even if you hate me for what I've done．Forgive me，and goodbye！ 
　　Emily 
　　Daniel did not move for a long time after I had finished reading．I took his hand，but he did not notice．Suddenly he appeared to wake up，and said in a low voice， 
　　‘Who's the man？I want to know his name．’ 
　　Ham looked quickly at me，and I felt a shock run through my whole body．I fell on to a chair and could not speak． 
　　‘Don't listen，Master David，’Ham said，hesitating，‘we don't blame you for it．’Peggotty put her arm round my neck，but I could not move．‘A—gentleman's been here very often recently，’continued Ham in a broken voice，‘and—to－day people saw Emily driving off with him in his coach！’ 
　　‘Tell me！’cried Daniel wildly．‘Is his name Steerforth？’ 
　　‘It is！’replied Ham just as wildly，‘and I'm sorry，Master David，but he's the wickedest man I've ever known！’ 
　　After a moment Daniel spoke．He looked suddenly much older．‘I wish I'd drowned him when I had the chance！But it's too late now．There's no peace for me here while my dear girl is away．I'm going to look for her，and bring her back home．Don't any of you try to stop me！Ham，you must stay here in Yarmouth．Keep a light always burning in the window of this house，so that if the poor girl ever comes back，she can find her way home across the sand．I'm going to London，and France，and all over the world if necessary．I'm prepared to spend my whole life travelling until I find her．If anything happens to me，if I don't come back，tell her I forgive her—tell her my love for her is unchanged！’ 
　　And although we all tried hard to persuade him to stay，he refused to listen．He took his coat，hat，bag and stick，and stepped out into the darkness．We watched him walking along the London road，until he disappeared from sight．I often thought of that lonely figure in the next few weeks and months，walking through strange streets in foreign cities，looking for his adopted child．When I thought of him，I remembered his last words to us：If anything happens to me，if I don't come back，tell her forgive her—tell her my love for her is unchanged！  
　 
6 大卫坠入爱河 
　  
　　阿格尼斯曾要求过我，要是我碰到尤赖亚，一定要对他客气点。所以，当我第二天在法院附近看见他时，我很谨慎不去冒犯他。他看上去比以前更古怪了，阴险的小脑袋，细长的躯体，僵硬、狰狞的笑脸。我们握了握手，他的手是如此的冰冷潮湿，活像捏着那冷血鱼。 
　　“你愿意——愿意到我的寓所去喝杯咖啡吗，尤赖亚？”我主动提议，竭力想隐藏对他的恐惧感。 
　　“噢，科波菲尔少爷，我是说科波菲尔先生，我愿意现在就去！你真是好心！我太卑微，不敢奢望如此善意的邀请！但我愿意接受！” 
　　我们到达寓所时，他以一种令人讨厌的自信笑着看着我，说：“或许你已经听说了，我将成为威克菲尔先生的合伙人，科波菲尔先生？” 
　　“听说了，”我回答，“阿格尼斯跟我说过。” 
　　“噢，我很高兴阿格尼斯小姐知道此事，”他答道，“谢谢你告诉我，科波菲尔先生！” 
　　我很自恼提到了阿格尼斯的名字，而且讨厌听到他称呼这个名字。可我并没说什么，只顾喝我的咖啡。 
　　“你曾经说过，科波菲尔先生，”尤赖亚高兴地搓着双手，继续道，“或许有一天我会成为威克菲尔先生的合作伙伴。谢谢你的吉言。一个像我这么卑微的人会时刻铭记这样的话！而现在，这成真的了！想到能帮助可怜的威克菲尔先生我很高兴。哦，他是那么的粗心！要是没我做他的助手，他现在肯定已经丢掉了公司、房子和所有的钱财。当然，我帮助他是因为我敬重他——而且不光是他……” 
　　突然，我浑身感到一阵透凉，尽管房间里很暖和。我紧盯着他那张残酷的脸。 
　　“如今的阿格尼斯出落得很漂亮，是不是？”他露出可怕的微笑，继续说道，“科波菲尔先生，我信赖你，因为你知道，我一直喜欢你，尽管我如此卑微，而你是位绅士。所以，我想告诉你一个小秘密：不管我地位有多低下，我爱阿格尼斯小姐！我已经把心交给了她，我希望有朝一日娶她为妻！” 
　　我眼前蒙上一层浓雾，我想揍他那张丑陋的脸，或是用刀刺穿他恶毒的心。我气得都快发疯，但想到阿格尼斯的请求，我还是设法控制住了自己。 
　　“你——对阿格尼斯表达过你的——你的爱吗？”我尽可能平静地问道。 
　　“哦，没有，科波菲尔先生。我正在等待时机。或许在我成为她父亲的合伙人时，我会向她求婚。当她意识到她父亲有多么需要我时，你知道，她会平心静气考虑我。她是那么地爱她父亲！啊，我的阿格尼斯是个多好的女儿！她将会是我多么出色的妻子！” 
　　至爱至亲的阿格尼斯，我的义姐！我不知道有谁能配得上做她的丈夫。难道她要嫁给这个一钱不值的怪物吗？尤赖亚离开我的寓所后，我一宿未眠，思考着我能为此做些什么。最终我决定不把尤赖亚的阴谋告诉给阿格尼斯，因为她已经够烦心的了。 
　　到斯本罗先生事务所工作已经有一年了。他常带我去法院，我开始对一些比较复杂的案例的细节有所了解，斯本罗先生对我不错，时常跟我聊天，内容不光是有关法律的知识，还有一些其他事情。我了解到他妻子已经去世，他与唯一的女儿和她的侍伴住在伦敦城外不远的一所乡间别墅。一天，他邀请我去他家度周末，我很感激地接受了邀请。于是，斯本罗先生的马车把我们带到了他的家中。 
　　当我看到斯本罗先生的住宅时，我才意识到斯本罗先生有多富裕。这是一座可爱的旧式建筑，花园很大。我们一进门，斯本罗先生就问其中的一位用人：“朵拉小姐在哪儿？” 
　　“朵拉！”我心想，“多美的名字呀！”我们走进了客厅，斯本罗先生可能把我介绍了一番。我没注意这一点因为当时什么都不重要了，我只是呆呆地盯着他的女儿朵拉，为她的美貌出神，嘴里说不出半句话来。在这一瞬间我坠入了爱河。 
　　就在我目瞪口呆之间，我听见有人跟我说话，但不是朵拉的声音，而是她的侍伴，斯本罗先生作介绍时我压根儿没留意她。当我看清这位侍伴是摩德斯通小姐时，我自然很吃惊，但当时没有任何东西可以把我的注意力从朵拉身上移开，哪怕只一两秒钟。 
　　斯本罗先生解释说，摩德斯通小姐能来照顾他失去母爱的可怜的女儿，并成为她的密友和侍伴，真是难能可贵。可在我看来，朵拉对她这位严肃的伙伴既不友好也不亲密。 
　　至于我，接下来的这段周末时光就像在云雾中度过。我们在一起吃饭，散步，别人问我什么我就回答什么，但我不知道自己到底说了些什么。我全部的记忆就是朵拉的金发、朵拉红扑扑的脸蛋、朵拉美丽的蓝眼睛！有时，我有幸能单独跟她说话，可我却那么腼腆，脸红得跟朵拉一样。我很嫉妒那条跟朵拉形影不离的小狗。时而，我想她有点喜欢我，时而又肯定她不可能爱上我。我疯狂地、绝望地爱上了她！ 
　　我不知道摩德斯通小姐是否会在斯本罗一家面前尽力说我的坏话。可当天晚上她把我叫到一边。 
　　“大卫·科波菲尔，”她冷冷地说道，“我看我们俩谁也没有必要对这儿的任何人提起我们的过去。我想你我都会赞成吧。” 
　　“当然，小姐，你我都赞成。但我永远不会改变对你的看法。” 
　　摩德斯通小姐很快被我忘在脑后。遇见朵拉后的几个星期，我都生活在梦境之中。我机械地工作着，却无时不刻地想她。我最大的快乐就是想象跟朵拉订婚的情景。我不敢奢望有一天我俩会结成夫妻。 
　　一天，我在伦敦街头溜达，指望能看见朵拉从哪家商场出来。这时，我遇见了老同学汤米·特拉德尔。他住在伦敦城，也跟我一样在学做律师。我安排了时间去看他。第二天下了班，我来到了他的住处。他住的是一个租来的房间，位于城市的贫民窟。房间很小，差不多是空的。 
　　“科波菲尔！真高兴见到你！”他热情地说，“你看我这儿没什么家什，可我希望我不久就能赚钱，就在我学完之后。” 
　　“你不是有一个很富有的叔叔吗，特拉德尔？”我问道。 
　　“是的，可是你要知道，我总是不走运。他认为他不喜欢我，所以在他死后，没留下任何东西给我。我的确很穷，而且不得不做好几份工作来支付我的学费。”特拉德尔的情绪出奇地好。“可我必须告诉你，科波菲尔，因为你是我的好朋友，我一定得告诉你，我已经订婚了！跟一个很可爱的女孩，她出生于一个大家庭，就住在德文！” 
　　我热切地握住他的手向他道喜，心里却想着朵拉。“你们很快要结婚？”我问道。 
　　“不，她也很穷，所以我们必须得等一段时间，等到我们攒够钱。
她是个那么可亲的女孩，科波菲尔，她说她会等我到60岁，如果有必要的话！而且我在这里跟我的房东处得很愉快——米考伯一家非常友善。” 
　　“你说什么？”我叫起来，“米考伯一家！我认识他们！” 
　　正在这时，米考伯先生本人敲了敲门进来了。他的肚子比以前圆了点儿，脸也比以前苍老了点儿，但他还像以前那样自信。我走上前去跟他握手。 
　　“你好吗，米考伯先生？”我问道，“还记得我吗？” 
　　“这可能吗？是真的吗？我能有幸再次见到我的老朋友科波菲尔？”他回答，大脸庞绽开笑容。他转身朝楼下喊道：“亲爱的！快来见见这位先生，我的宝贝！” 
　　米考伯太太进来了，她也很高兴见到我。我们聊起了她的双胞胎和其他几个孩子，还谈到她丈夫的业务经营。但这个话题弄得米考伯先生的心情马上沉重起来。 
　　“你知道，科波菲尔，”他痛苦地说道，“没有任何转机。我有时怀疑是否真有转机出现。我已买不起食物，甚至买不起水。这种状况对我来说已够艰难的了，我怎能让我亲爱的妻子也如此生活呢？或许当初我没要求她嫁给我就好了！”他把脑袋埋在双手中。 
　　“米考伯！”他妻子哭道，“你怎么能这么说呢！你知道我爱你、敬重你，而且永远爱你、敬重你！我亲爱的丈夫！”然后，他们拥抱在一起，抱头痛哭。几分钟后，他们俩都擦干眼泪，情绪再次好转，我意识到米考伯夫妇根本没什么改变。但这种情绪忽高忽低的突然转变使特拉德尔很是吃惊。 
　　在告辞之前，我下决心要跟老同学单独说几句。“特拉德尔，”我小声说道，“记住我的劝告——不要借钱给米考伯先生，他已债台高筑。” 
　　特拉德尔神色很不自在。“谢谢你，科波菲尔，”他小声回答，“可我已经借给他一些钱了，不知道他是否能还给我——你看我多背运！” 
　　我回到自己的住处，发现斯提福兹在那儿等我。我想到阿格尼斯对我的忠告，可当我看着他开朗、英俊的脸，就不相信他能对别人产生什么坏影响。然而，那天晚上他的情绪很不对劲。时而他似乎很消沉，几乎绝望，可没过片刻，他又发疯地笑起来。我不知道他怎么会这样。 
　　“我刚去了雅茅斯，大卫！”他告诉我。 
　　“噢！”我回答，“那你见着辟果提一家了，我猜？” 
　　“我没常见他们，可我的确有消息告诉你。是有关老巴克斯的。恐怕他的病已经恶化，医生说他活不多久了。” 
　　“噢，老天！”我说，“可怜的辟果提该会有多伤心！” 
　　“是的，运气不佳，”斯提福兹满不在乎地说道，“可这个世上每分钟都有人死去。我一点都不怕死！我想以我自己的方式生活，没有人能阻止我！”他桀骜不驯地仰了仰头。我看着他英俊的脸，奇怪他怎么这么激动，激动得有点儿失常。 
　　“斯提福兹，我想我该自己去一趟雅茅斯，”我说，“或许我能在辟果提困难的时候帮她一把。” 
　　他把手搭在我肩上，笑了笑。“真希望我能像你这么好！大卫，答应我，如果有什么事发生使我俩分开，你要多想想我的好处！答应我吧！” 
　　“斯提福兹，对我来说，你身上没有好坏之分，”我回答，“在我心目中永远有你的位置！” 
　　当他转身要走时，他伸出手，以他惯常那种友好的方式笑了笑。这是我记得他的模样，可如今我再不能握他的手，再见不着他笑了。 
　　到达雅茅斯后，我径直来到了巴克斯家。走进客厅，我看见丹尼尔、哈姆和埃米莉都在。哈姆站在门边，埃米莉倒在丹尼尔的臂弯里哭泣。见着我他们谁也不吃惊。 
　　“埃米莉还年轻，大卫少爷，”丹尼尔解释说，“她很难接受死亡。所以她哭了。现在，高兴点，我亲爱的埃米莉，哈姆来接你回家。你说什么？”他低下满是灰发的头，凑近她听她轻声地回答，“你想和你的老叔叔呆在这儿？可你得和哈姆回去——他就要成为你的丈夫了！” 
　　“没关系，”哈姆说，“如果埃米莉高兴，我也就高兴。我可以一个人回家。”他走到埃米莉跟前，轻轻地吻了她一下。她似乎略微回避了一下。哈姆走后，我上楼去看可怜的巴克斯。 
　　他昏睡在床上，脸色苍白，病得不轻。辟果提坐在他身边。她跟以前一样跳起来高兴地拥抱了我。然后她转向她丈夫。“巴克斯，亲爱的，”她几乎是兴奋地说道，“大卫少爷来了，是他使我俩走在一起，记得吗？他把你的口信捎给我。你能跟他说话吗？” 
　　巴克斯静静地躺着，一动不动。我们彻夜守在他身边。第二天一早，他突然睁开眼睛，伸出手握住我，带着高兴的微笑，清楚地说了一句：“巴克斯很愿意！”然后就闭上眼睛，死了。 
　　“他是个好人！”辟果提两眼噙着泪，说，“我不会忘了他！” 
　　我帮助辟果提安排了后事。巴克斯葬在布兰德斯通的教堂墓地，离我母亲和小弟弟不远。我们得知巴克斯存有一大笔钱，留给辟果提和丹尼尔。所以，我知道辟果提今后不需要工作了。 
　　葬礼前一天，我们决定在船屋碰头。这是我在雅茅斯的最后一晚，因为我第二天就要回伦敦了。到那儿以后，我很奇怪没有见着哈姆和埃米莉，辟果提情绪好多了，丹尼尔在跟她聊天。这时，哈姆来到门口。 
　　“大卫少爷，请出来一下好吗？”他说。我走了出来，哈姆轻轻地关好门。雨下得很大，当我们俩孤零零地站在海滩上时，我发现哈姆脸色十分苍白。 
　　“哈姆！”我叫道，“出什么事了？” 
　　“大卫少爷！”他失声痛哭。我从未见过这样一个强壮的男子如此伤心地哭过。 
　　“是埃米莉！我情愿为她而死！我全身心地爱她！可她离家出走了——甚至更糟糕！噢，真希望上帝能把她从这场灾难中解救出来！” 
　　我永远忘不了他转向我时脸上那绝望的表情，忘不了他诚实的眼睛里流露出的痛苦。 
　　“你是受过教育的人，大卫少爷！”他继续道，“你知道如何表达自己！帮帮我！我怎么能跟那边的他解释？他甚至比我更爱她！” 
　　我看见门开了，想制止哈姆继续往下说，可已经晚了。丹尼尔·辟果提已经走出来了。他看见我们时似乎立刻意识到我们在说什么。一时间他脸上的表情改变了，他把我俩拉回屋里。我这才发现我手上拿着哈姆刚给我的一封信。 
　　“念念，先生，”丹尼尔说道，他脸色苍白，浑身发颤，目光咄咄逼人，“请念慢一点。” 
　　屋子里一片寂静，我开始念道： 
　　亲爱的哈姆： 
　　请，请你原谅，我离开家，离开你。你读到此信时，我已经在很远的地方了，我将不再回我亲爱的家，除非他娶了我并以夫人的身份把我带回家。噢，真是很对不起，我非常惭愧！我知道这会伤透你的心，但相信我，我配不上你！我太卑贱了。告诉叔叔我会永远爱他，即便他永不再爱我。我会永远记得你，亲爱的哈姆，即便你恨我的所作所为。原谅我，再见！ 
　　　  
埃米莉 
　  
　　我读完信后，丹尼尔很长时间一动不动。我握住他的手，他没有反应。突然他像是刚苏醒似地低声问道： 
　　“那个男人是谁？我想知道他的名字。” 
　　哈姆很快看了我一眼，我感觉浑身一阵颤栗，我跌坐在椅子上，说不出话来。 
　　“你可以不听，大卫少爷。”哈姆迟疑地说道，“我们不会怪你的。”辟果提把手臂搭在我脖子上，可我动弹不了。“一位——先生最近总在这儿出现。”哈姆断断续续地继续道，“然后——今天，有人看见埃米莉坐在他的马车上走了！” 
　　“告诉我！”丹尼尔疯狂地叫起来，“他的名字是斯提福兹？” 
　　“是的！”哈姆同样疯狂地回答，“很抱歉，大卫少爷，可他是我所知道的最为卑劣的人！” 
　　过了一会儿，丹尼尔说话了，他突然像是苍老了许多。“要是有机会我会溺死他！但现在一切都晚了！我亲爱的孩子不在这儿了，我是不会安宁的。我要去找她，把她带回家。你们谁也别拦我！哈姆，你必须守在雅茅斯。让屋子窗户上永远亮一盏灯，这样，可怜的孩子一旦回来，也好让她穿过沙滩找到回家的路。我要去伦敦、法国，以至全世界，如果必要的话。要准备一辈子流浪下去，直到我找到她。要是我出了什么事，要是我回不来了，告诉她我原谅她——告诉她我对她的爱永远不变！” 
　　虽然我们大家都竭力劝他不要去，但他听不进去。他拿起外套、帽子、背包和手杖，走出屋子，踏进夜色之中。我们目送他走上去往伦敦的路，直到看不见为止。在此后的几周直至几个月中，我时常想起这个孤独的身影，想象他走上异乡陌生的街头，寻找他的养女。想到他我就记起他跟我们说的最后几句话：要是我出了什么事，要是我回不来了，告诉她我原谅她——告诉她我对她的爱永远不变！ 
　　　    


 