Chapter 14 Chapter 11 Paul Is Introduced To A New Situation

Mrs. Pipchin's constitution is made of such hard metal. Although she is inevitably weak and needs to rest after eating chops, and also needs to rely on the hypnotic effect of lamb's pancreas to fall asleep, it makes the Viking Mrs. Mu's prophecy was completely in vain, and there were no signs of aging.However, as Paul's preoccupied interest in the old lady did not abate, Mrs. Wickham was reluctant to step back an inch from her old position.With Betsy Jane, her uncle's daughter, as her strong back, she dug and fortified her lot, and as a friend she advised Miss Berry to prepare for the worst, And forewarned her that at any moment her aunt might explode like a gunpowder factory.

Poor Berry took all these counsels without ill-will, and toiled, as usual, like a slave; she was fully convinced that Mrs Pipchin was one of the most admirable persons in the world, and voluntarily made countless sacrifices , the altar dedicated to the venerable old woman.But all these sacrifices made by Berry are credited to Mrs Pipchin by her friends and admirers, and with the sad fact that the late Mr Pipchin Died of grief in a Peruvian mine—connected, thought the two were in the same line. For example, there is a little greasy red-covered memorandum between an honest tradesman in food, groceries, and general retail trade, and Mrs. Pipchin, which is always constantly controversial; Secret consultations and meetings of all kinds were often held in matted corridors or in drawing rooms with closed doors.Master Bitherstone (who, as the heat of the Indian sun had worked on his blood, had developed a vengeful temper) had also repeatedly hinted vaguely that the money had not been paid and that the balance had not been settled; Remember, one time when drinking tea, no dank sugar was served.The merchant, a bachelor who did not value good looks, once politely proposed to Berry, but Mrs. Pipchin, with insolent sarcasm, refused his proposal.Everyone said how admirable it was for Mrs. Pipchin, the widow of a man who died in a Peruvian mine, to do so, and what a strong, noble, independent spirit the old lady had.But no one said a word to poor Bailey; she wept for six weeks (her good aunt berated her severely), and fell into the condition of a hopeless spinster.

"Berry likes you very much, doesn't he?" Paul asked Mrs Pipchin once, when they sat by the fire with the cat. "Yes," said Mrs Pipchin. "Why?" Paul asked. "Why!" replied the distraught old lady. "How can you ask such a thing, sir! Why do you like your sister Florence?" "Because she's good," Paul said. "There's nobody like Florence." "Hmm!" Mrs Pipchin answered simply. "Then there's nobody like me, I think." "Isn't there really?" Paul asked, leaning forward in his chair, watching her intently.

"No," said the old lady. "That makes me happy," Paul said, rubbing his hands thoughtfully. "It's a very good thing." Mrs. Pipchin dared not ask him why, lest she should receive a reply which would utterly desperate her.However, to make amends to her emotional wounds, she tortured Master Bitherstone so much that she went to bed, so that very night he began to make arrangements for his return to India by land, by eating Sneak away a quarter loaf of bread and a small slice of moist Hollandaise at supper time and start stocking up for the trip. Mrs Pipchin had for nearly twelve months little Paul and his sister in charge and guardianship.They had been home twice, but only for a few days, and had their usual weekly visit to see Mr. Dombey at the hotel.Paul, though still looking thin and frail, and the same old, quiet, fanciful boy he had been when he had been entrusted to Mrs Pipchin, gradually grew stronger and could do without a car. was able to go for a walk; and one Saturday afternoon, in the early twilight, here came an unexpected announcement that Mr Dombey was coming to visit Mrs Pipchin, which caused great consternation in the castle .The people in the drawing-room were driven upstairs as quickly as in a whirlwind; bedroom doors were slammed shut, feet were trampled over the children's heads, and Mrs Pipchin beat Master Bitherstone one after another. after which the venerable old lady entered, dimmed by her black banbassing mauger; Dong Mr. Bay was indoors contemplating the vacant armchair of his son and heir.

"Mrs Pipchin," said Mr Dombey, "how are you?" "Thank you, sir," said Mrs. Pipchin. "I am, all things considered, well." Mrs. Pipchin often used such phrases.It means, taking into account her virtues, sacrifices, and so on. "I cannot expect my health to be very good, sir," said Mrs. Pipchin, with a sigh of relief, sitting in a chair; "but I thank God that I am as healthy as I am." Mr. Dombey bowed his head with the satisfaction of his clientele, thinking that this was exactly what he was getting for paying so much money every quarter.After a moment's silence, he continued:

"I take the liberty of calling here, Mrs Pipchin, to consult with you about my son. I have intended to do this for some time in the past, but have postponed it again and again, in order to let his health be completely Recover. You have no scruples on the subject, Mrs Pipchin?" "Brighton seems to be a wholesome place, sir," replied Mrs Pipchin. "It's really beneficial." "I intend," said Mr Dombey, "to keep him at Brighton." Mrs Pipchin rubbed her hands, her gray eyes fixed on the fire. "But," continued Mr. Dombey, holding out his forefinger, "but it may be that he ought now to change a little, and lead a quite different life here. Anyhow, Mrs. Pipchin, that is the object of my visit. My son is growing, Mrs Pipchin. He is indeed growing."

There was something pathetic in Mr. Dombey's triumphant expression as he said these words.It shows how long Paul's childhood seemed to him, and at the same time how his hopes rested on the latter stages of his life.Pity might be a word that could not be associated with any man so haughty and so hard, and yet at this moment he seemed just the right object of pity. "Six!" said Mr Dombey, adjusting his cravat--perhaps to conceal an uncontrollable smile which seemed not for a moment to show itself on his face, but only on its surface It disappeared as soon as it passed by, but it didn't find a place to stop. "Oh! Six will turn into sixteen before we have time to look around."

"Ten years," said the unsympathetic Pipchin in a mournful voice, with a icy twinkle in her hard gray eyes, and a morose shake of her drooping head, "is a long time." "It depends on the circumstances," replied Mr Dombey; "at any rate, Mrs Pipchin, my son is six years old; In comparison, he is undoubtedly lagging behind in studies." He quickly replied with what he thought was a sly look from his icy eyes, "It is more appropriate to say that he is in the same youth as him. But, Mrs. Pipchin, my son must not lag behind his contemporaries, but surpass them, far ahead of them. There is a high ground for him to climb. In the course of my son's future life There was nothing in it that was at the mercy of chance or questionable. His course in life was unobstructed, prepared, and planned before his birth. The education of such a young gentleman should not be delayed. It should not be left in an imperfect state. It must be done very firmly and conscientiously, Mrs Pipchin."

"Well, sir," said Mrs Pipchin, "I shall have no objection." "I have no doubt, Mrs Pipchin," said Mr Dombey approvingly, "that a man of your superior sense would not, and would not, disagree." "People talk about all sorts of nonsense now,--worse than nonsense--about young people not to be forced too hard at first, but to be coaxed, and so on, sir," said Mrs. Pipchin impatiently. Wiping her hooked nose, she said, "Never had such thoughts when I was a child. Don't have to think about them now. My opinion is, 'force them to do it.'"

"My dear lady," replied Mr Dombey, "you have lived up to your reputation; and you may be assured, Mrs Pipchin, that I am very pleased with your good management; and if my humble recommendation is of any use, I shall be more than happy to recommend it."—when Mr. Dombey pretended to belittle his own importance, his arrogance was beyond all limits—"I have been thinking of Dr. Blimber's school, Pipchin Mrs." "My next neighbour, sir?" said Mrs Pipchin. "I believe the doctor's school is an excellent school. I heard that the management is very strict, and there is nothing but study from morning till night."

"And it's expensive," Mr Dombey added. "And it's expensive," replied Mrs. Pipchin, clinging to the fact, as if by missing it she was missing one of its chief advantages. "I've had some letters with the Doctor, Mrs. Pipchin," said Mr. Dombey, drawing his chair hastily a little closer to the fire. "He didn't think Paul was too young for him at all. He gave several examples. Children of his age are all learning Greek there. If there is any small uneasiness in my own mind about the subject of change, Mrs. Pipchin, it is not on that side. My son was born without Motherly love, so pouring out so many (too many) of his childish affections gradually on his sister, so that if the two of them parted would--" Mr. Dombey said no more, but sat silent. "Oh, what a thing!" cried Mrs. Pipchin, shaking her black Bybassingmaug skirt, revealing all the diabolism within her. "If she doesn't like it, Mr. Dombey, then she'll have to be taught to put up with it." The good lady went on to apologize at once for her use of such coarse language, but said it was her way of judging with them. method, it is true. Mrs. Pipchin raised her head, shook it twice, and frowned at the countless Bitherstones and Panky at the same time; Mr. Dombey waited for her to finish these actions, and said calmly but correctly, " I mean him, my good lady, he." Mrs Pipchin's regime could have easily applied the same treatment to any discomfort in Paul's body; but that hard gray eye saw very keenly that although Mr Dombey might allow the prescription to It was working in his daughter, but it was not the cure for his son; she recognized this, and explained that the change of circumstances, the new social scene, which he had experienced at Dr. Blimber's school His different ways of life, and the lessons he must learn, will soon fully divert his attention.The fact that this opinion was consistent with Mr. Dombey's own hopes and opinions gave the gentleman a higher opinion of Mrs. Pipchin's wisdom; And sigh (to her, it was not a shock that overwhelmed her, because she had expected it, and hadn't expected him to stay with her for more than three months in the first place), so He had an equally favorable impression of Mrs Pipchin's disinterestedness.Evidently he had given the matter some thought and thought, for he had conceived a plan and communicated it to the devil: for the first six months he sent Paul to the doctor's school as a weekly Students who board there for six days, during which time Florence will remain at the castle so that she can take her brother to her on Saturday.This, Mr. Dombey said, would "wean him gradually"; perhaps he recalled that he had not been gradually weaned the last time. Mr Dombey concluded his interview with the wish that Mrs Pipchin would retain her position as Paul's general administrator and supervisor while his son was studying at Brighton.Then he kissed Paul, shook hands with Florence, saw Master Bitherstone with his stately collar showing, and patted Miss Panky on the head, making her weep (this part of her body was particularly sensitive. , for Mrs Pipchin was in the habit of knocking it with her knuckles, and it made a sound, like a barrel); , and in good health, he should henceforth begin a full course of education to equip him for the office in which he will excel; and Dr. Blimber should at once take him into charge of his instruction. . Whenever a young man was received by Dr. Blimber, he could undoubtedly receive a firm grip.The doctor only manages ten young people, but according to the lowest estimate, the knowledge he has prepared in his stomach is enough for a hundred people to enjoy.It was both his vocation and his joy in life to feed this knowledge to these ten unfortunates, who devoured it well. Dr. Blimber's school was, in fact, a large greenhouse in which a ripening machine was in continuous operation.All children mature prematurely.Spiritual green peas are produced at Christmas; intellectual asparagus is available year-round.Mathematical gooseberries (also very sour) are common in out of season, hiding among the twigs of Dr. Blimber's shrubs.Various varieties of Greek and Latin vegetables were picked from the dry twigs of the children in the frost and ice.Nature is completely irrelevant.Whatever fruit was originally intended for a young man, Dr. Blimber somehow made him bear fruit in the prescribed pattern. It's all very interesting and ingenious, but the ripening system comes with its usual drawbacks.The taste of early ripening products is not good, and they are not easy to store.Moreover, a young man with a swollen nose and an unusually large head (he was the oldest of the ten who had "passed through" everything) suddenly ceased to grow one day, and only with the Forms remain in school.People said the Doctor had gone too far with young Toots, and when he started growing sideburns he stopped growing brains. In any case, young Toots lived at Dr. Blimber's school; he had a very rough voice and a very poor intellect; He carried it surreptitiously on his little finger during walks; he often fell in love at first sight with the young nursemaids who didn't even know he was there; The small iron grille of the window in the left corner of the third story looked out at the gaslit world outside, like an angel who had grown too big and sat too long in the air. The Doctor was a handsome gentleman in a black suit, with a belt at the knee to fasten the socks underneath.His bald head was very shiny; his voice was deep; his chin was double, and it was a wonder how he could get into those creases when he shaved.He also had small eyes which were often half-closed; his mouth was half-open in a half-smile, as if he had just cross-examined a child at that time and was now expecting his own confession.When the Doctor thrust his right hand into the breast of his coat, rested his other hand behind his back, shook his head almost imperceptibly, and made some extremely banal comments to a nervous stranger, his opinions Like golden words from the Sphinx, and settled his case. -------- ① Sphynx (sphynx): The winged sphinx monster in Greek mythology. The doctor's school is a large and fine house facing the sea.The style inside the house is not pleasing, but quite the opposite.Shabby and narrow curtains, sombre, hide despondently behind the windows.Tables and chairs were lined up in rows like numbers in an arithmetic problem; fires were so rarely lit in the ceremonial rooms that they felt like wells, and visitors were like buckets thrown into the well; The last place to eat and drink; there was no sound in the whole house except the tick-tock of a great clock in the vestibule, whose ticking could be heard even in the garret; The muffled cries of the young men who came to their lessons were like the cooing of a flock of melancholy pigeons. Miss Blimber, though a slender, elegant girl, did nothing to spoil the seriousness of the room.Frivolous nonsense was out of place with Miss Blimber.She has short, curly hair and wears glasses.She dug in the graves of dead languages, so her skin was dry and the surface the color of sand.Miss Blimber has no need of your living languages.The languages ​​she wanted had to be dead--dead at all--before Miss Blimber dug them up like a ghoul. Her mother, Mrs. Blimber, was not learned herself, but she pretended to be, and not badly.She said at some parties that if she had known Cicero, she thought she would have died contentedly.Her invariable joy in life was to watch the young gentlemen of the Doctor, unlike other young men, go out for a walk with their shirt-collars as wide open and ties as stiff as they could be.She said it was classical. -------- ① Cicero (MarcusTulliusCicero) (106-43 BC): Ancient Roman statesman, orator and writer. As for Dr. Bollinger's assistant, Mr. Feeder, B.A., he was an artificial hurdy-gurdy; he played it over and over without variation, from a small catalog of tunes.If his fortune had been good, he might have equipped a spare hurdy-gurdy early in his life; but his fortune was bad, he had only his own hurdy-gurdy, and it was his profession to confuse with this drab cylinder. The young minds of these young gentlemen under the Doctor.These young gentlemen worry and worry prematurely.Hard-hearted verbs, brutal nouns, uncompromising syntax, and practicing demons that appear in their dreams pursue them without rest; under the regime of ripening, a young gentleman Usually after three weeks he loses his vigor; after three months he worries about the things of the world; after four months he harbors resentment towards his parents and guardians; Became an old misanthrope; after six months he envied Curtius's lucky escape in the earth; he concluded at the end of the first twelve months: Psalter phantasy and sage's lesson It was nothing but a collection of words and grammar, with no other meaning in the world; and he has never abandoned this conclusion since. -------- ① Marcus Curtius: According to ancient Roman myths and legends, in 362 BC, a bottomless ditch opened in the Roman Forum; the prophet said that only by throwing down the most precious things in Rome, the crack could be closed again.Then young Curtius declared that there is nothing more precious than a brave citizen, and he threw himself into the ditch, fully armed.No sooner had he jumped than the crack closed again.Later this place became a pond called Lacus Curtius. But he continued to grow, grow, and grow in the doctor's greenhouse.When he brought home what he had grown in winter and presented it to his relatives and friends, the doctor received great honor and fame. One day, with a restless heart, Paul stood on the doctor's doorstep with his father holding his small right hand.His other hand was held firmly in hers by Florence.How tight is that little hand, and how loose and indifferent the other! Mrs Pipchin hovered behind his victim like a murderous bird, with jet-black plumage and hooked beak.She walked out of breath, for Mr. Dombey was walking quickly with great things in his mind; and while waiting for the door to open she uttered a hoarse cry of mourning. "Paul," said Mr Dombey, beaming. "That's the real way to the Dombeys and the money. You're almost a grown-up." "Almost," replied the child. Even his child's excitement could not contain the playful, wonderfully moving glance that accompanied his answer. It brought a vague, dissatisfied expression into Mr. Dombey's face; but then the door opened, and it disappeared quickly. "Dr. Blimber is at home, I suppose?" said Mr. Dombey. The servant said yes; and when they went in he looked at Paul as if he were a little mouse, and the house as if it were a rat-trap.He was a weak-sighted youth with an imperceptible grin or its first gleam.It was mere imbecility; but Mrs Pipchin took it out of nowhere to be rude, and seized him at once viciously. "How dare you laugh behind a gentleman's back?" said Mrs. Pipchin. "And who do you take me for?" "I'm not laughing at anyone; and I'm sure I don't underestimate you, ma'am," replied the young man, alarmed. "A bunch of idle dogs!" said Mrs. Pipchin. "Just good enough to turn a spit! Go and tell your master Mr. Dombey is coming, or you will do worse!" -------- ① In the old British society, dogs were trained to use a treadmill to turn a barbecue spit. The weak-sighted young man left meekly to perform his duties; returning shortly afterwards to invite them to the doctor's study. "You're laughing again, sir," laughed Mrs Pipchin; she was walking behind, and now passed him across the hall. "I'm not laughing," replied the distressed young man. "I've never seen anything like it!" "What's the matter, Mrs. Pipchin?" said Mr. Dombey, looking back. "Please take it easy!" Mrs Pipchin, out of respect for Mr Dombey, only grunted a few times to the young man as she passed, saying, "Oh, he's a sweet fellow," and leaving the young man; Man is so docile and dull that the incident even made him weep.But Mrs. Pipchin was wont to bully all docile people; and her friends said, what was there to wonder about after what happened in the Peruvian mines? The Doctor sat in his strange study, with a globe on each knee, surrounded by books, Homer above the door, and Minerva on the mantelpiece. "How are you, sir?" he said to Mr Dombey; "how is my little friend?" -------- ① Homer: a blind Greek poet around the 10th century BC; and the author of the two famous epic poems "Odyssey". ② Minerva (Minerva): The goddess of wisdom, learning, and war in Roman mythology. The doctor's voice was as solemn as an organ; and when he stopped talking, the great clock in the hall seemed (at least it seemed to Paul) to pick up his words, and went on, "My, my, little, friend, Okay? My, little, friend, okay, okay?" Repeatedly, over and over again. The child was too small to be seen from where the Doctor sat, looking over the books on the table; the Doctor tried in vain to look at him through the legs of the table; Pick up and get the Doctor out of trouble by sitting him on another small table in the middle of the room facing the Doctor. "Ha!" said the doctor, leaning back in the chair, putting his hand into the chest of his coat. "Now I see my little friend. How are you, my little friend?" The bell in the front hall disagreed with such a change in the combination of words, and continued to repeat, "I, the, small, friend, friend, okay? I, the, small, friend, friend, okay?" " "Very well, thank you, sir," Paul replied to the Doctor, and also to Chung. "Ha!" said Dr. Blimber. "Are we going to raise him to be a man?" "Did you hear that, Paul?" added Mr. Dombey.Paul was silent. "Are we going to make him a man?" repeated the Doctor. "I'd rather be a kid," Paul replied. "Really?" said the Doctor. "why?" The child sat on the table watching him with a strange expression of pent-up emotion on his face, beating his knee proudly with one hand as if tears had welled up beneath his knee and he had held them down.But at the same time his other hand was stretched out sideways, outstretched--farther--and right up to Florence's neck. "That's why," it seemed to say; and then his calm look changed and disappeared, and the quivering lips loosened and the tears rolled down. "Mrs Pipchin," said his father complaining, "I'm really not happy to see that." "Leave him, Miss Dombey, and do as I say," said the overseer. "Never mind," nodded the Doctor unemotionally, and sent Mrs Pipchin back. "Never mind; we shall soon have new cares and new impressions in their stead, Mr Dombey, and you still want my little friend to--" "Everything! Please, Doctor," replied Mr. Dombey firmly. "Okay," said the Doctor; eyes half-closed, with his customary smile, and seemed to be eyeing Paul with some interest he might have in some select critter he was about to feed, "well, great Yes. Ha! We shall impart many kinds of knowledge to our little friend, and, I dare say, make him improve rapidly. Very virgin ground, I suppose you have said so, Mr Dombey?" "Beyond some ordinary preparation at home and from this lady," replied Mr Dombey, introducing Mrs Pipchin; who at once tensed up her whole musculature, and challenged She snorted heavily to keep the Doctor from disparaging her. "Apart from these, Paul has not learned anything until now." Dr. Blimber tolerated Mrs. Pipchin's insignificant intrusion mildly, and said with a bow that he was glad to hear it.Rubbing his hands together, he said it was very satisfying to start on that basis.Then he squinted at Paul again, as if he wanted to chat with him about Greek letters on the spot. "In such a case, Dr. Blimber," continued Dombey, glancing at his youngest son, "and the fact that I have had the honor of having an interview with you, I do not really need to make further explanations. Invading your precious time, so—" "There, Miss Dombey!"said Pipchin sharply. "Permit me to detain you a moment longer," said the Doctor, "permit me to introduce Mrs. Blimber and my daughter, who will be involved in the family life of our young men going to Parnassus. This is the Mrs. Limber," entered the lady who might have been waiting in time, followed by her daughter, the beautiful sexton with spectacles; "this is Mr. Dombey. This is Mr. Dombey. It's my daughter Cornelia, Mr Dombey. My dear," continued the Doctor, turning to his wife, "Mr Dombey has great confidence in us, so—have you seen our little friend?" -------- ① Parnassus (Parnassus): The mountain in central Greece, which is said to be the spiritual land of Apollo, the sun god, and the muse, the god of poetry. ②Church sexton (Sexton): The sexton of the church is in charge of internal and external management of the church, bell ringing, cemetery, etc. Here, Miss Blimber is compared to a "gravedigger". Mrs. Blimber, who had only made Mr. Dombey the object of her excessive politeness, evidently failed to see the little friend, for her back was turned to him, and posed a great danger to his position at the table.But, on hearing the hint, she turned to admire the classical and intellectual features of his countenance, and then turned back, and with a sigh, said to Mr. Dombey that she envied his dear son. "Like a bee, sir," said Mrs. Blimber, raising her eyes, "to fly into a garden of the fairest blossoms, and to taste for the first time its sweetness. Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Terrence, Plautus, Cicero. What a world of honey we have here. Mr. Dombey, a wife may seem Amazing that the wife of such a husband—” -------- ① Virgil (full name in Latin is Publius Virgilius Maro, English translation is Virgil, 70-19 BC): a famous poet in ancient Rome. ② Horace (the full name in Latin is Quintus Horatius Flacus, and the English translation is Horace, 65-8 BC): a famous poet in ancient Rome. ③Ovid (full name in Latin is PubliusOvidiusNaso, English translation is called Ovid, 48-17 BC?): A famous poet in ancient Rome. ④Terrence (Latin full name is PubliusTerentiniusAfer, English translation is Terence, 186A185-159? BC): A famous comedy writer in ancient Rome. ⑤ Plautus (Latin full name is Titus Maccus Plautus, English translation is Plautus, 254 BC?-184): A famous comedy writer in ancient Rome. "Stop it, stop it," said Dr. Blimber. "I'm not ashamed." "Mr Dombey will forgive a wife's partiality," said Mrs Blimber, with a charming smile. Mr. Dombey replied, "Not at all"; and it may be supposed that he meant her partiality, not his pardon. "It may seem surprising that a mother should say such things," Mrs. Blimber resumed. "Such a mother," said Mr. Dombey, with a somewhat vague bow of compliments to Cornelia. "But really," went on Mrs. Blimber, "I think that if I could know Cicero, and be his friend, in his secluded Tusculum (beautiful Tusculum) !) talk to him, and I can die willingly." -------- ①Tusculum (Tusculum): An ancient Roman city, 24 kilometers southeast of Rome.In the first century BC, Cicero had a villa here, and his philosophical work "Tusculanae Disputationes" (Tusculanae Disputationes) was completed here. Academic zeal is very contagious, and Mr Dombey is somewhat convinced that it is quite so in his case; Mrs Pipchin's disposition, as we have seen, is generally not accommodating. Others', but even she uttered a small sound between a moan and a sigh, as if she wanted to say that after the bankruptcy of the mines in Peru, no one but Cicero could be her lasting consolation, But Cicero would indeed be a safe miner's lamp for David. Cornelia looked at Mr. Dombey through her spectacles, as if she wished to draw before him a few quotations from the authority they all mentioned.But if she had had that intention, it was also spoiled by the knock at the door. "Who is it?" asked the Doctor. "Ah! Come in, Toots; come in. This is Mr Dombey, sir." Toots bowed. “真是个巧合！”布林伯博士说道。 “在我们面前有一个开头的和一个末尾的。阿尔法和乌米加②。这是我们年纪最大的学生，董贝先生。” -------- ①戴维的安全矿灯：英国著名化学家汉弗莱·戴维（HumfreyDavy，1778—1829年）于1815年发明的防煤气爆炸危险的矿灯。 ②阿尔法和乌米加（AlphaandOmega）分别是希腊字母表中头一个字母α和最后一个字母C。 博士很可以称他为年纪最大和个子最高的学生。因为他至少比其他任何孩子高出一个肩膀。他发现自己处在陌生人当中，脸红得厉害，同时吃吃地大声笑着。 “我们小小的门廊又增加了一个人，图茨，”博士说道，“董贝先生的儿子。” 小图茨又脸红了。他发现周围一片肃静，大家正等着他说点什么，于是就对保罗说，“您好吗？”声音十分低沉，态度十分羞怯，因此如果一个小羊能吼叫的话，那么也不会比他更使人吃惊的了。 “劳驾您对菲德先生说，图茨，”博士说道，“请他为董贝先生的儿子准备几册初级读本，并给他分配一个便于学习的坐位。我亲爱的，我想董贝先生还没有参观过宿舍吧。”“如果董贝先生愿意到楼上去，”布林伯夫人说道，“我将十分自豪地把催眠之神的领土带给他看。” 布林伯夫人是一位十分和蔼有礼的女士，身材瘦削而结实，头上戴了一顶用蓝色材料做成的便帽；她说完之后，就跟董贝先生和科妮莉亚动身到搂上去，皮普钦夫人则跟在后面，眼光敏锐地往四处张望，在寻找她的敌人——那位男仆。 他们走了以后，保罗坐在桌子上，用手抓住弗洛伦斯，胆怯地看着博士，然后一遍又一遍地看着房间里的各处；博士则背靠着椅子，像平时一样地把一只手插进上衣的胸间，另一只手拿着一本书在读着，那书离他有一只胳膊的距离。这种读书态度中有一些很可怕的东西。这是坚决地、不动感情地、永不改变地、冷冷淡淡地从事工作的方式。它使博士的脸色显露出来。当博士怀着好意向作者微笑着，或者皱着眉头或摇摇头，向作者做着怪脸的时候，他好像是在说，“别跟我说了，老兄；我知道得比您更清楚，”这时他脸上的神色是可怕的。 图茨站在门外，也没有什么事情好做，就炫耀地观察着他的表的齿轮，又数数半克朗一枚的硬币。但是时间没有过多久；因为当布林伯博士正好要换换他绷紧的肥腿的位置，仿佛要站起来的时候，图茨就迅速地溜掉，再也没有回来了。 不久就听到董贝先生和他的向导一边谈着话，一边走下楼来：不一会儿他们就走进博士的书房。 “我希望，董贝先生，”博士放下书本，说道，“您会赞同我们所作的安排。” “安排得好极了，先生，”董贝先生说道。 “确实很不坏，”皮普钦太太说道，她决不肯给予过多的赞扬。 “布林伯博士和夫人。”董贝先生转过身来说道，“在您们的许可下，皮普钦太太将不时来看看保罗。” “皮普钦太太什么时候愿意来都行，”博士说道。 “永远高兴见到她，”布林伯夫人说道。 “我想，”董贝先生说道，“我已给你们增添了不少麻烦，现在我可以走了。保罗，我的孩子，”因为保罗坐在桌子上，他就走到他的跟前，说道，“再见。” “再见，爸爸。” 董贝先生握到他手里的那只无精打采、漫不经心的小手跟那张愁闷的脸奇怪地很不协调。可是董贝先生跟这脸上悲伤的表情没有关系。它不是对他表示的。不是的，不是的。它是对弗洛伦斯表示的——完全是对弗洛伦斯表示的。 如果董贝先生由于财富而表现傲慢自大的时候曾经结下什么难以安抚的冤家，这位冤家在仇恨之中立意要对他进行无情报复的话，那么即使是这样的冤家也可能把这时董贝先生那高傲的心受到折磨的极度痛苦看作是对他过去所受创伤的一种补偿了。 他向他的男孩子弯下身去，亲亲他。 他这样做的时候，有什么东西沾污了那张小脸；如果说这时他的视觉被这什么东西弄得模模糊糊，看不清那张脸的话，那么，在这短短的时间内，他在精神上的视觉也许是比过去更为明亮了。 “我不久就会来看你的，保罗。你知道，你在星期六和星期天是放假的。” “是的，爸爸，”保罗望着他的姐姐，回答道。“星期六和星期天。” “你将在这里学习到好多东西，成为一个聪明的人，”董贝先生说道，“是不是？” “我将努力去做，”孩子疲倦地回答道。 “现在你将很快长大起来了！”董贝先生说道。 “啊！很快！”孩子回答道。那老气而又老气的神情像一道奇怪的光线迅速地掠过了他的脸孔。它落在皮普钦太太的身上，消失在她的黑衣服中。这位出色的恶魔走上前去告别，把弗洛伦斯领走，这是她早就渴望要做的。她的动作使眼睛一直注视着保罗的董贝先生觉醒过来。他拍拍保罗的头，又握了握他的小手之后，就以他平常那毫无热情的礼貌向布林伯博士、布林伯夫人和布林伯小姐告别，走出了书房。 尽管他请求他们不要动，可是布林伯博士、布林伯夫人、布林伯小姐全都向前挤着，陪送他到前厅；这样一来，皮普钦太太就跟布林伯小姐与博士夹杂在一起，在她没能抓住弗洛伦斯之前就被拥挤出了书房。因此，弗洛伦斯就跑回来，伸出胳膊，搂住他的脖子；她的脸是门口最后的一张脸，它露出鼓励的微笑对着他，并通过眼泪发出光彩，显得更加明亮，保罗站在那里亲切地回忆着这件事情的时候，觉得真亏门口发生的那件巧事。 当她的脸孔消失的时候，它使他幼稚的胸膛鼓起、发胀，并使地球仪、书籍、盲眼的荷马及米涅瓦在房间里游来晃去。但是它们突然停了下来；然后他听到前厅里那只响亮的钟仍然像先前一样，庄重地问道，“我，的，小，朋，友，好，吗？ 我，的，小，朋，友，好，吗？ " 他合抱着两手，坐在他的台座上，静静地听着。但是他很可以回答，“厌倦，厌倦！非常孤独，非常悲伤！”保罗在那里坐着，年轻的心房悲痛、空虚；外界的一切都是那么寒冷、荒凉、奇怪，仿佛他已投身到一个没有什么装备的生活中，装饰的工人永远也不来把它装备完好了。