8.3 恁去, 是為著欲趕伯爵走

8.3 Lín khì, sī ūi-tio̍h boeh kóaⁿ pek-chiok cháu

"Ah, khó-liân ê Marguerite!" Gaston kóng, ná chē tī kǹg-khîm chêng, tôaⁿ chi̍t tōaⁿ walz. "Che góa m̄-chai, m̄-koh góa hoat-hiān i kīn-lâi bô í-chêng hiah khoài-lo̍k ah."

"Hsi, tiām-tiām" Prudence àⁿ hiⁿ thiaⁿ. Gaston thêng lo̍h-lâi.

"Eng-kai sī i teh kiò góa."

Goán lóng àⁿ hīⁿ thiaⁿ. Ū siaⁿ teh kiò, "Prudence!"

"Taⁿ lín ài tńg-khì ah," Duvernoy Hj kóng.

"Ah, lí án-ne khoán-thāi lâng-kheh," Gaston kóng, "bô sńg hoaⁿ-hí, goán m̄-cháu."

"Sī án-chóaⁿ goán ài lī-khui?"

"In-ūi góa boeh khì Marguerite in tau."

"Goán tiàm chia tán."

"Lín bē-tàng."

"Nā bô, goán kap lí khì."

"Iáu khah bē-tàng."

"Góa bat Marguerite," Gaston kóng; góa tong-jiân mā ē-tàng pài-hóng i."

"M̄-koh Armand m̄-bat i."

"Góa ē thè i kài-siāu."

"Bô khó-lêng."

Goán koh thiaⁿ tio̍h Marguerite ê siaⁿ teh kiò Prudence, i kín-kín kòe khì se-chng pâng ê thang-á. Góa hām Gaston tòe i khì, i phah-khui thang-á. Goán bih leh, bô hō͘ gōa-kháu ê lâng khòaⁿ tio̍h.

"Góa kiò lí boeh cha̍p hun-cheng ah," Marguerite ùi i ê thang-á kóng, kháu-khì bô siáⁿ hó.

"Ū siáⁿ tāi-chì sioh?"

"Lí sûi kòe lâi."

"Sī án-chóaⁿ?"

"In-ui N pek-chiok iáu tī chia, kiông boeh kă hoân--sí."

"Góa taⁿ bē-tàng khì."

"Sī siáⁿ kā lí tòng--tio̍h?"

"Ū nn̄g ê siàu-liân--ê tī chia, in m̄-cháu."

"Kā in kóng, lí ài chhut-khì."

"Góa kā kóng-kòe ah."

"Hm, nā án-ne, hō͘ in lâu tī lín tau. Lí cháu in tō ē cháu."

"In ē kā góa chia pìⁿ péng-kòe."

"In sī boeh án-chóaⁿ?"

"In siūⁿ boeh kòe-lâi khòaⁿ lí."

"In kiò siáⁿ miâ?"

"Ū chi̍t ê lí bat--ê, kiò Gaston R."

"Ah, tio̍h, góa bat i. Iáu chi̍t ê neh?"

"Armand Duval Ss; lí m̄-bat i."

"M̄-bat, chhōa in lâi lah. Án-ne chóng-sī pí pek-chiok khah hó. Góa tán lín. Kín lâi."

Marguerite koaiⁿ thang-á, Prudence mā koaiⁿ i ê. Marguerite chi̍t sî ē-kì-tit góa ê bīn, m̄-koh i bē-kì-tit góa ê miâ. Góa lêng-khó i ē-kì-tit góa, ìn-siōng bô hó mā bô iau-kín, chóng pí i bē-kì-tit góa khah hó.

"Góa chá tō chai," Gaston kóng, "i chin hoaⁿ-hí kìⁿ goán."

"Hoaⁿ-hí? Pháiⁿ-kóng." Prudence ná kóng, ná tì bō-á kap phōa moa-kin. "I hō͘ lín khì, sī ūi tio̍h boeh kóaⁿ pek-chiok cháu. Lín ài piáu-hiān pí pek-chiok khah hó, nā-bô (góa chai Marguerite) ē koài tī góa chia lâi."

Goán tòe Prudence lo̍h lâu. Góa kui-sin phi̍h-phi̍h-chhoah; tùi góa lâi kóng, ná-chhiūⁿ chit kái ê pài-hóng ē tōa-tōa éng-hióng góa ê it-seng. Góa ê kek-tōng chhiau-kòe hit àm tī Comique Kio̍k-tiûⁿ pau-siuⁿ góa hông kài-siāu hō͘ i. Tng lâi-kàu lí chai ê hit sìⁿ mn̂g, góa sim-koaⁿ thiàu-kah thâu-khak kiông boeh gông-khì.

Goán thiaⁿ tio̍h kǹg-khîm siaⁿ. Prudence khiú mn̂g-lêng. Kǹg-khîm siaⁿ thêng lo̍h. Chi̍t ê ná-chhiūⁿ sī tông-phōaⁿ, bô sêng sī lú-po̍k ê cha-bó͘ lâi khui mn̂g. Goán kiâⁿ kàu tōa-thiaⁿ, ùi hia koh lâi kàu sió kheh-thiaⁿ, che lí í-keng khòaⁿ kòe ah. Chi̍t ê siàu-liân--ê khò tī piah-lô͘ khiā tio̍h. Marguerite chē tī kǹg-khîm chêng, chéng-thâu-á tī khîm-khí téng se̍h, lûn-hoan tôaⁿ phiàn-tōaⁿ ê im-ga̍k. Tiûⁿ-bīn khòaⁿ khí-lâi chin bô-liâu, cha-po͘--ê bô lâng chha̍p kám-kak bô-ì bô-ì, cha-bó͘--ê in-ūi thó-ià hit lâng, kám-kak sim-hoân. Thiaⁿ tio̍h Prudence ê siaⁿ, Marguerite khiā khí-lâi, kiâⁿ hiòng goán, tùi Duvernoy Hj sái chi̍t ê kám-kek ê ba̍k-sek, kóng:

"Lâi, lâi, hoan-gêng lín lâi."

--

8.3  恁去, 是為著欲趕伯爵走

"Ah, 可憐 ê Marguerite!" Gaston 講, ná 坐 tī 鋼琴前, 彈一段 walz. "這我毋知, 毋過我發現伊近來無以前 hiah 快樂 ah."

"Hsi, 恬恬" Prudence àⁿ 耳聽. Gaston 停落來.

"應該是伊 teh 叫我."

阮攏 àⁿ 耳聽. 有聲 teh 叫, "Prudence!"

"今恁愛轉去 ah," Duvernoy Hj 講.

"Ah, 你 án-ne 款待人客," Gaston 講, "無耍歡喜, 阮毋走."

"是按怎阮愛離開?"

"因為我欲去 Marguerite in 兜."

"阮 tiàm 遮等."

"恁袂當."

"Nā 無, 阮 kap 你去."

"猶較袂當."

"我捌 Marguerite," Gaston 講; 我當然 mā 會當拜訪伊."

"毋過 Armand 毋捌伊."

"我會替伊介紹."

"無可能."

阮 koh 聽著 Marguerite ê 聲 teh 叫 Prudence, 伊緊緊過去梳妝房 ê 窗仔. 我和 Gaston 綴伊去, 伊拍開窗仔. 阮 bih leh, 無予外口 ê 人看著.

"我叫你欲十分鐘 ah," Marguerite ùi 伊 ê 窗仔講, 口氣無啥好.

"有啥代誌 sioh?"

"你隨過來."

"是按怎?"

"因為 N 伯爵猶 tī 遮, 強欲 kă 煩死."

"我今袂當去."

"是啥 kā 你擋著?"

"有兩个少年 ê tī 遮, in 毋走."

"Kā in 講, 你愛出去."

"我 kā 講過 ah."

"Hm, nā án-ne, 予 in 留 tī 恁兜. 你走 in tō 會走."

"In 會 kā 我遮 pìⁿ péng 過."

"In 是欲按怎?"

"In 想欲過來看你."

"In 叫啥名?"

"有一个你捌 ê, 叫 Gaston R."

"Ah, 著, 我捌伊. 猶一个 neh?"

"Armand Duval Ss; 你毋捌伊."

"毋捌, chhōa in 來 lah. Án-ne 總是比伯爵較好. 我等恁. 緊來."

Marguerite 關窗仔, Prudence mā 關伊 ê. Marguerite 一時會記得我 ê 面, 毋過伊袂記得我 ê 名. 我寧可伊會記得我, 印象無好 mā 無要緊, 總比伊袂記得我較好.

"我早 tō 知," Gaston 講, "伊真歡喜見阮."

"歡喜? 歹講." Prudence ná 講, ná 戴帽仔 kap phoa̍h 幔巾. "伊予恁去, 是為著欲趕伯爵走. 恁愛表現比伯爵較好, nā 無 (我知 Marguerite) 會怪 tī 我遮來."

阮綴 Prudence 落樓. 我規身 phi̍h-phi̍h 掣; 對我來講, 若像這改 ê 拜訪會大大影響我 ê 一生. 我 ê 激動超過彼暗 tī Comique 劇場包廂我 hông 介紹予伊. 當來到你知 ê 彼扇門, 我心肝跳甲頭殼強欲 gông 去.

阮聽著鋼琴聲. Prudence 搝門鈴. 鋼琴聲停落. 一个若像是同伴, 無成是女僕 ê 查某來開門. 阮行到大廳, ùi 遐 koh 來到小客廳, 這你已經看過 ah. 一个少年 ê 靠 tī 壁爐徛著. Marguerite 坐 tī 鋼琴前, 指頭仔 tī 琴齒頂 se̍h, 輪番彈片段 ê 音樂. 場面看起來真無聊, 查埔 ê 無人 chhap 感覺無意無意, 查某 ê 因為討厭彼人, 感覺心煩. 聽著 Prudence ê 聲, Marguerite 徛起來, 行向阮, 對 Duvernoy Hj 使一个感激 ê 目色, 講:

"來, 來, 歡迎恁來."

--

8.3

"Ah, poor Marguerite!" said Gaston, sitting down to the piano and playing a waltz. "I hadn't a notion of it, but I did notice she hasn't been looking so gay lately." 

"Hush," said Prudence, listening. Gaston stopped.

"She is calling me, I think."

We listened. A voice was calling, "Prudence!"

"Come, now, you must go," said Mme. Duvernoy.

"Ah, that is your idea of hospitality," said Gaston, laughing; "we won't go till we please." 

"Why should we go?" 

"I am going over to Marguerite's." 

"We will wait here."

"You can't."

"Then we will go with you." 

"That still less." 

"I know Marguerite," said Gaston; I can very well pay her a call." 

"But Armand doesn't know her."

"I will introduce him."

"Impossible." 

We again heard Marguerite's voice calling to Prudence, who rushed to her dressing-room window. I followed with Gaston as she opened the window. We hid ourselves so as not to be seen from outside. 

"I have been calling you for ten minutes," said Marguerite from her window, in almost an imperious tone of voice. 

"What do you want?"

"I want you to come over at once."

"Why?"

"Because the Comte de N. is still here, and he is boring me to death." 

"I can't now." 

"What is hindering you?"

"There are two young fellows here who won't go."

"Tell them that you must go out."

"I have told them."

"Well, then, leave them in the house. They will soon go when they see you have gone." 

"They will turn everything upside down."

"But what do they want?"

"They want to see you."

"What are they called?"

"You know one, M. Gaston R."

"Ah, yes, I know him. And the other?"

"M. Armand Duval; and you don't know him."

"No, but bring them along. Anything is better than the count. I expect you. Come at once." 

Marguerite closed her window and Prudence hers. Marguerite, who had remembered my face for a moment, did not remember my name. I would rather have been remembered to my disadvantage than thus forgotten. 

"I knew," said Gaston, "that she would be delighted to see us." 

"Delighted isn't the word," replied Prudence, as she put on her hat and shawl. "She will see you in order to get rid of the count. Try to be more agreeable than he is, or (I know Marguerite) she will put it all down to me." 

We followed Prudence downstairs. I trembled; it seemed to me that this visit was to have a great influence on my life. I was still more agitated than on the evening when I was introduced in the box at the Opera Comique. As we reached the door that you know, my heart beat so violently that I was hardly able to think. 

We heard the sound of a piano. Prudence rang. The piano was silent. A woman who looked more like a companion than a servant opened the door. We went into the drawing-room, and from that to the boudoir, which was then just as you have seen it since. A young man was leaning against the mantel-piece. Marguerite, seated at the piano, let her fingers wander over the notes, beginning scraps of music without finishing them. The whole scene breathed boredom, the man embarrassed by the consciousness of his nullity, the woman tired of her dismal visitor. At the voice of Prudence, Marguerite rose, and coming toward us with a look of gratitude to Mme. Duvernoy, said: 

"Come in, and welcome." 

--