目 录 上一节 下一节 
奥菲利亚小姐走进门时,伊娃从枕头上翻起身来,把一头金色带棕的长发披散下来,兴奋地说:"姑妈,来呀,剪头毛啊!" "What's that?" said St. Clare, who just then entered with some fruit he had been out to get for her." 这是干什么呀?"圣克莱尔说,他刚出去为伊娃买了些水果回来。 "Papa, I just want aunty to cut off some of my hair;--there's too much of it, and it makes my head hot. Besides, I want to give some of it away."" 爸爸,我只是叫姑妈给我剪些头发下来,头发太多了,夏天捂得热极了。还有,我想把剪下来的头发送给大家。" Miss Ophelia came, with her scissors. 奥菲利亚小姐拿着剪刀走进来。 "Take care,--don't spoil the looks of it!" said her father; "cut underneath, where it won't show. Eva's curls are my pride."" 小心别剪坏了,"圣克莱尔说,"剪里层的,从外面就看不出来,宝贝,你的这头卷毛可是爸爸的骄傲咧!" 
噢,爸爸!"伊娃伤心地叹道。 "Yes, and I want them kept handsome against the time I take you up to your uncle's plantation, to see Cousin Henrique," said St. Clare, in a gay tone." 可不是吗?你得把它们保养得好好的,到时候,我带你到伯父的庄园去,看恩瑞克哥哥。"圣克莱尔故作轻松地说道。 "I shall never go there, papa;--I am going to a better country. O, do believe me! Don't you see, papa, that I get weaker, every day?"" 爸爸,我哪儿也去不了啦,我要到美丽的天堂去了,真的,难道您看不出来我已经一天不如一天了吗?" "Why do you insist that I shall believe such a cruel thing, Eva?" said her father." 为什么你一定要我相信这残酷的事呢,伊娃?"圣克莱尔痛苦地说。 "Only because it is _true_, papa: and, if you will believe it now, perhaps you will get to feel about it as I do."" 因为这是事实啊,爸爸。如果您现在就愿意相信这是事实,就会和我想法一样。" 
圣克莱尔默不做声了,他只是心痛地看着自己女儿的一缕缕长卷发飘落下来,再被平放在她的衣兜里。伊娃拿着头发,仔细地看着,然后将它们缠在手指上,又时不时担心地看着她父亲。 "It's just what I've been foreboding!" said Marie; "it's just what has been preying on my health, from day to day, bringing me downward to the grave, though nobody regards it. I have seen this, long. St. Clare, you will see, after a while, that I was right."" 我早就料到会是这样!"玛丽说,"我被这件事折磨得憔悴不堪,一天天向坟墓挨近!可是,谁也不关心我。我早就料到了,圣克莱尔,不久你就会发现我说的没错。" "Which will afford you great consolation, no doubt!" said St. Clare, in a dry, bitter tone." 这一定会让你感到心满意足的。"圣克莱尔冷冷地说,语气中充满了厌恶。 Marie lay back on a lounge, and covered her face with her cambric handkerchief. Eva's clear blue eye looked earnestly from one to the other. It was the calm, comprehending gaze of a soul half loosed from its earthly bonds; it was evident she saw, felt, and appreciated, the difference between the two. 伊娃那清澈无邪的眼睛一会儿转向父亲,一会儿又看向母亲。她的目光恳切,只有一个即将摆脱尘世羁绊的灵魂才会拥有这样平静而领悟的眼神。显然,她已经目睹并感受到父母之间的差别了。 
她招手示意她父亲过去,他走过来在她身边坐下。 "Papa, my strength fades away every day, and I know I must go. There are some things I want to say and do,--that I ought to do; and you are so unwilling to have me speak a word on this subject. But it must come; there's no putting it off. Do be willing I should speak now!"" 爸爸,我的身体眼看着不行了,我想是时候了。可是,我还有很多话要说,很多事要做,心里像悬着块石头,轻松不下来,可一提起这些事您又不高兴,只好一天天拖着。但事情迟早得解决,不是吗?爸爸,请答应我,现在就让我一吐为快吧!" "My child, I _am_ willing!" said St. Clare, covering his eyes with one hand, and holding up Eva's hand with the other." 孩子,爸爸答应你。"圣克莱尔一手蒙住眼睛,一手握住了伊娃的手。 "Then, I want to see all our people together. I have some things I _must_ say to them," said Eva." 谢谢您,爸爸。请您把所有的仆人们都召集过来,我想见他们,和他们说几句话。"伊娃说。 "_Well_," said St. Clare, in a tone of dry endurance." 好的。"圣克莱尔强忍悲痛地说。 
奥菲利亚小姐派人去传了话,很快,所有的仆人都聚集到伊娃的屋子里来了。 Eva lay back on her pillows; her hair hanging loosely about her face, her crimson cheeks contrasting painfully with the intense whiteness of her complexion and the thin contour of her limbs and features, and her large, soul-like eyes fixed earnestly on every one. 伊娃靠在枕头上,长长的头发披散在消瘦的脸颊旁。她肤色惨白,双颊却带着病态的潮红,五官分明,四肢却瘦若无骨,这些都形成了鲜明而凄惨的对照。她那双深陷的眼睛却灼灼发光,似乎要把周围的人都深深地看在心里,随她带走。 The servants were struck with a sudden emotion. The spiritual face, the long locks of hair cut off and lying by her, her father's averted face, and Marie's sobs, struck at once upon the feelings of a sensitive and impressible race; and, as they came in, they looked one on another, sighed, and shook their heads. There was a deep silence, like that of a funeral. 仆人们忍不住触景伤怀。这些黑人,只要稍具悲天悯人的情怀,目睹这一幅场景--伊娃圣洁的面庞和刚剪下来的缕缕发丝,圣克莱尔伤心的背转过去的脸,玛丽断断续续的抽噎--谁不会悲从中来呢?他们止不住地唉声叹气,眼泪暗抛,不胜凄凉之感。屋子里一片死寂,仿佛在进行一个庄严的葬礼。 Eva raised herself, and looked long and earnestly round at every one. All looked sad and apprehensive. Many of the women hid their faces in their aprons. 伊娃坐起来,又一次长久恳切地凝视着大家。没有人不是不胜哀凄的样子,许多女仆掀起围裙掩住了脸。 "I sent for you all, my dear friends," said Eva, "because I love you. I love you all; and I have something to say to you, which I want you always to remember. . . . I am going to leave you. In a few more weeks you will see me no more--"" 我请大家到这里,亲爱的朋友们,"伊娃说道,"是因为我爱你们,爱你们每个人,我有些话要告诉你们,希望你们能记住,因为……因为我将不久于人世,也许只有几个星期,到那时,我就再也见不到你们了……" 
屋子里顿时一片痛哭,完全淹没了伊娃那柔美的嗓音。过了片刻,她又开口了,语气郑重,令所有的哭声都戛然而止。 "If you love me, you must not interrupt me so. Listen to what I say. I want to speak to you about your souls. . . . Many of you, I am afraid, are very careless. You are thinking only about this world. I want you to remember that there is a beautiful world, where Jesus is. I am going there, and you can go there. It is for you, as much as me. But, if you want to go there, you must not live idle, careless, thoughtless lives. You must be Christians. You must remember that each one of you can become angels, and be angels forever. . . . If you want to be Christians, Jesus will help you. You must pray to him; you must read--"" 如果你们爱我,请别打断我的话。我想告诉你们有关灵魂的事……恐怕你们都对这个不以为然吧!你们只想着人间的事。你们应该记住,基督那边有另外一个世界,非常美丽,我就是要去那里。你们也可以去那儿,因为这个世界应该是人人平等的。但是,如果你们要去那儿,就不能像现在这样浑浑噩噩,漫不经心地打发日子,你们得做一个基督徒。你们要相信,你们每个人都可以成为天使,永恒的天使……如果你们愿意做个基督徒,耶和华会帮助你们,你们一定要向他祷告,要阅读--" The child checked herself, looked piteously at them, and said, sorrowfully, 伊娃突然顿住了,无限怜悯地扫了大家一眼,悲哀地说道: "O dear! you _can't_ read--poor souls!" and she hid her face in the pillow and sobbed, while many a smothered sob from those she was addressing, who were kneeling on the floor, aroused her." 噢,上帝啊!可怜的人,你们看不懂呀!"她把脸埋进枕头里,抽抽搭搭地哭了起来。跪在地板上的仆人们不敢哭出声来,但他们的哽咽声惊动了伊娃。 "Never mind," she said, raising her face and smiling brightly through her tears, "I have prayed for you; and I know Jesus will help you, even if you can't read. Try all to do the best you can; pray every day; ask Him to help you, and get the Bible read to you whenever you can; and I think I shall see you all in heaven."" 没关系的,"伊娃抬起头来,含着泪粲然一笑,"我已经为你们祈祷过了,虽然你们看不懂《圣经》,可仁慈的主会帮助你们的,你们凡事就尽力而为吧!每天你们都要做祷告,祈求主的帮助,一有机会就请人念《圣经》。我想,只要你们能做到这些,我就一定会在天堂里看到你们所有的人!" 
阿门!"汤姆,妈咪和一些年长的教徒不禁小声念起来。那些少不更事,万事都无所谓的年轻人也完全被伊娃所打动,他们把头抵在膝盖上哀衷地哭起来。 "I know," said Eva, "you all love me."" 我知道,"伊娃说,"你们都很爱我!"
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