目 录 上一节 下一节 
伊娃的身体继续崩溃下去，死亡是在所难免的了。人们不再痴心幻想出现奇迹。伊娃美丽的房间成了众所周知的病房。奥菲利亚小姐日夜履行看护之职，她的堂弟一家无不感到任何时候都比不得她现在的可贵。她手眼灵活，对如何保持整洁舒适、消除疾病中的不快都了如指掌；她时间观念强，头脑清晰镇定，能准确无误地记忆医生的药方和叮嘱。对圣克莱尔来说，她简直就像是上帝。只是，她的脾气有些怪僻执拗，与南方人放任不羁的自由禀性格格不入。尽管如此，大家都承认目前她是最急需的人。 Uncle Tom was much in Eva's room. The child suffered much from nervous restlessness, and it was a relief to her to be carried; and it was Tom's greatest delight to carry her little frail form in his arms, resting on a pillow, now up and down her room, now out into the verandah; and when the fresh sea-breezes blew from the lake,--and the child felt freshest in the morning,--he would sometimes walk with her under the orange-trees in the garden, or, sitting down in some of their old seats, sing to her their favorite old hymns. 汤姆叔叔在伊娃的房间里呆的时间也多起来。那孩子总是被神经衰弱折磨得睡不着觉，只有抱着才勉强好些。汤姆最大的快乐莫过于抱着伊娃羸弱纤细的身子，让她枕着枕头，在屋子里走来走去，或到走廊里去转转。如果伊娃在早晨感到神清气朗，汤姆就抱她到花园里的那棵桔树下散步，或是在他们午间坐的凳子上坐下，为她唱他最拿手的赞美诗。 Her father often did the same thing; but his frame was slighter, and when he was weary, Eva would say to him, 圣克莱尔也时常抱着女儿到处溜达，不过他比汤姆瘦弱，所以每次他感到很累时，伊娃就说 "O, papa, let Tom take me. Poor fellow! it pleases him; and you know it's all he can do now, and he wants to do something!" ："噢，爸爸，还是让汤姆来抱我吧！他最喜欢抱我了，而且，他想为我做点什么，这是他惟一能做的啦。" "So do I, Eva!" said her father." 爸爸也是呀！"圣克莱尔说。 
不，爸爸，您什么都能做呀！您是我最亲的人，可以念书给我听，陪我熬夜。可是，汤姆除了唱歌之外就只能抱我了。而且，他抱我比您省力些，他抱得真稳咧！" The desire to do something was not confined to Tom. Every servant in the establishment showed the same feeling, and in their way did what they could. 不只汤姆一人竭力盼望为伊娃效劳，家中的每个仆人都想着能为她做点什么，都各尽其能地工作着。 Poor Mammy's heart yearned towards her darling; but she found no opportunity, night or day, as Marie declared that the state of her mind was such, it was impossible for her to rest; and, of course, it was against her principles to let any one else rest. Twenty times in a night, Mammy would be roused to rub her feet, to bathe her head, to find her pocket-handkerchief, to see what the noise was in Eva's room, to let down a curtain because it was too light, or to put it up because it was too dark; and, in the daytime, when she longed to have some share in the nursing of her pet, Marie seemed unusually ingenious in keeping her busy anywhere and everywhere all over the house, or about her own person; so that stolen interviews and momentary glimpses were all she could obtain. 可怜的妈咪心里无时无刻不牵挂着她的小宝贝，可是却找不到半点机会去看她。玛丽心情烦闷，夜不成眠，于是也不让别人睡个安稳觉。每天夜里，她会把妈咪叫醒二十次，替她按摩脚啦，敷脑门啦，找手帕啦，或者去伊娃房间里看看有什么动静，光线太强替她放下窗帘，光线太弱替她拉开窗帘。白天呢，每当妈咪想找个机会帮忙去看护小宝贝时，玛丽总是异常灵敏，把她支使得不可开交，忙完了家里忙玛丽，总是没完没了。妈咪只得瞅准一切时机溜出去看她的宝贝，哪怕是瞟上一眼也好。 "I feel it my duty to be particularly careful of myself, now," she would say, "feeble as I am, and with the whole care and nursing of that dear child upon me."" 我看我真该好好留神我自己的身体了，"玛丽总是说，"我的身体本来就不好，现在又得照顾我的宝贝女儿。" "Indeed, my dear," said St. Clare, "I thought our cousin relieved you of that."" 不得不这样啊，亲爱的，"圣克莱尔说，"姐姐一个人也照顾不过来呀！" 
你们男人说话总是这样，好像一个母亲就真能把自己的孩子推给别人不管。哼，人人都以为我是那样子的，可是有谁能理解我的心情？我可没法像你一样把什么事情都推得一干二净！" St. Clare smiled. You must excuse him, he couldn't help it,--for St. Clare could smile yet. For so bright and placid was the farewell voyage of the little spirit,--by such sweet and fragrant breezes was the small bark borne towards the heavenly shores,--that it was impossible to realize that it was death that was approaching. The child felt no pain,--only a tranquil, soft weakness, daily and almost insensibly increasing; and she was so beautiful, so loving, so trustful, so happy, that one could not resist the soothing influence of that air of innocence and peace which seemed to breathe around her. St. Clare found a strange calm coming over him. It was not hope,--that was impossible; it was not resignation; it was only a calm resting in the present, which seemed so beautiful that he wished to think of no future. It was like that hush of spirit which we feel amid the bright, mild woods of autumn, when the bright hectic flush is on the trees, and the last lingering flowers by the brook; and we joy in it all the more, because we know that soon it will all pass away. 圣克莱尔禁不住轻轻一笑。读者得原谅他，他实在是不能自己。连他自己也没有想到，自己的女儿升天的路是那么平坦和愉悦，宛如一叶轻舟在芬芳、柔美的微风吹拂下静静地漂流，一直漂到天堂那幸福的彼岸。人们丝毫察觉不到死神将到的危险，那小姑娘也毫不感到痛苦，而只是一日比一日愈加感到宁和的虚弱。她是如此天真、快乐、充满爱心和信任，她身上的宁静安详感染了周遭的人，圣克莱尔也感到一种奇特的平静。这种平静不是幻想奇迹--这是不可能的；也不是豁达超脱；就只是眼前单纯的平静感。这种感觉是如此美好，他根本不愿去想未来。这就好像我们在明净和爽的秋林里所感受到的屏息凝神：枝头上挂着几片红灿灿的叶子，小溪边留连着几朵花儿。我们对这美景叹赏不已，但不去想以后，因为很清楚，转瞬之间这景致将不复存在。 The friend who knew most of Eva's own imaginings and foreshadowings was her faithful bearer, Tom. To him she said what she would not disturb her father by saying. To him she imparted those mysterious intimations which the soul feels, as the cords begin to unbind, ere it leaves its clay forever. 只有汤姆，这个忠心耿耿的仆人，对伊娃的种种猜测和预感了解最多。有许多话，伊娃怕引起父亲的不安而不敢说，却对汤姆毫不隐瞒。在灵魂要永远地离开肉体之前，伊娃把她所感受到的神秘的预兆，都告诉了汤姆。 Tom, at last, would not sleep in his room, but lay all night in the outer verandah, ready to rouse at every call. 结果到后来，汤姆不愿睡在自己屋子里了，而是整夜地躺在伊娃房间外的走廊里，以便随时听见喊声就醒过来。 "Uncle Tom, what alive have you taken to sleeping anywhere and everywhere, like a dog, for?" said Miss Ophelia. "I thought you was one of the orderly sort, that liked to lie in bed in a Christian way."" 汤姆叔叔，你什么时候变得像个小狗一样，随地睡觉啦？"奥菲利亚小姐说，"我还以为你讲究整洁，喜欢像基督徒一样规规矩矩地躺在床上呢！" 
我是那样睡的，奥菲利亚小姐，"汤姆神神秘秘地说，"我平常就那样睡，可是现在--" "Well, what now?"" 现在怎么啦？" "We mustn't speak loud; Mas'r St. Clare won't hear on 't; but Miss Feely, you know there must be somebody watchin' for the bridegroom."" 嘘，我们说话得小点声，我可不想让圣克莱尔老爷听到。现在，你知道吗，奥菲利亚小姐，得有个人迎接新郎呢！" "What do you mean, Tom?"" 迎接新郎？这是怎么一回事，汤姆？" "You know it says in Scripture, `At midnight there was a great cry made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh.' That's what I'm spectin now, every night, Miss Feely,--and I couldn't sleep out o' hearin, no ways."" 《圣经》上不是说了吗，'半夜有人大叫一声，新郎来了。'我现在每天晚上就等这个。奥菲利亚小姐，我可不能睡得太死听不见喊声呀！那是绝对不行的。" 
汤姆，你怎么会有这种奇怪的想法呢？" "Miss Eva, she talks to me. The Lord, he sends his messenger in the soul. I must be thar, Miss Feely; for when that ar blessed child goes into the kingdom, they'll open the door so wide, we'll all get a look in at the glory, Miss Feely."" 是伊娃小姐告诉我的。她说上帝通过灵魂来报信，所以我必须守在这里，奥菲利亚小姐。这个有福的孩子一旦升天，他们会打开天堂的门来迎接她，这样，我们也可以看一眼天国的荣光了。" "Uncle Tom, did Miss Eva say she felt more unwell than usual tonight?"" 汤姆，伊娃告诉你今天感觉特别糟糕吗？" "No; but she telled me, this morning, she was coming nearer,--thar's them that tells it to the child, Miss Feely. It's the angels,--`it's the trumpet sound afore the break o' day,'" said Tom, quoting from a favorite hymn." 没有。不过，早上她说，她感觉离天国越来越近了。是有人报信给这孩子呢，奥菲利亚小姐，就是那些天使，是'天将破晓前的号声'。"汤姆引用了一句他最喜欢的赞美诗的语言。" This dialogue passed between Miss Ophelia and Tom, between ten and eleven, one evening, after her arrangements had all been made for the night, when, on going to bolt her outer door, she found Tom stretched along by it, in the outer verandah. 奥菲利亚小姐和汤姆说这些话时，是夜里十点至十一点之问。当时，她准备就寝，当她去关外面的门时，发现汤姆正躺在她房门外的走廊上。 
奥菲利亚小姐不是那种神经质和过于敏感的女人，但汤姆的严肃、深情和真诚却深深打动了她。那天下午，伊娃似乎异常的活泼：她坐在床上，把自己心爱的东西翻检出来，并一一指明把它们送给家里的哪些人。伊娃已经有好几个星期没有这样精神了，说话也和常人一样，自从她得病以来，这还是第一次。晚上临睡前，圣克莱尔吻着伊娃的额头，对奥菲利亚小姐说："姐姐，我看我们并不是全无希望呢！她好像有点起色呢！"圣克莱尔去休息时，心情说不出的轻松，这是几个星期来从未有过的事。
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