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顺便问你一句，亚瑟，你今天请来吃饭的那个没教养的家伙是谁？" "Haley is his name," said Shelby, turning himself rather uneasily in his chair, and continuing with his eyes fixed on a letter." 他叫赫利。"希尔比先生眼睛盯著书说，身子在椅子里不安地转动着。 "Haley! Who is he, and what may be his business here, pray?"" 赫利是谁？他来我们家干什么？" "Well, he's a man that I transacted some business with, last time I was at Natchez," said Mr. Shelby." 以前我和他在纳特切斯打过交道。"希尔比先生说。 "And he presumed on it to make himself quite at home, and call and dine here, ay?"" 难道他可以凭此来我家吃喝吗？" 
我邀请他来的，我们之间要算清一些帐。"希尔比先生答道。 "Is he a negro-trader?" said Mrs. Shelby, noticing a certain embarrassment in her husband's manner. 看着丈夫那尴尬的神色，希尔比太太问道："他是做奴隶生意的吗？" "Why, my dear, what put that into your head?" said Shelby, looking up." 亲爱的，你怎么会这样想呢？"希尔比先生抬头问道。 "Nothing,--only Eliza came in here, after dinner, in a great worry, crying and taking on, and said you were talking with a trader, and that she heard him make an offer for her boy--the ridiculous little goose!"" 没什么，--艾莉查晚饭后来过，她因为担惊受怕而哭了，她说她听见奴隶贩子在和你谈论买她的孩子，那个小机灵鬼。" "She did, hey?" said Mr. Shelby, returning to his paper, which he seemed for a few moments quite intent upon, not perceiving that he was holding it bottom upwards." 真的吗？"说完，希尔比先生又低下头去看信了。有好几分钟--他看上去很专心。但没注意到把信纸都拿颠倒了。 
真相迟早要公开的，"希尔比先生暗自思忖道，"还是现在就公开真相吧。" "I told Eliza," said Mrs. Shelby, as she continued brushing her hair, "that she was a little fool for her pains, and that you never had anything to do with that sort of persons. Of course, I knew you never meant to sell any of our people,--least of all, to such a fellow."" 我告诉艾莉查说，她那样担心是太傻了，"希尔比太太梳理着头发说，"你从不会和他们那种人打交道。而且我知道你从没考虑过卖掉他们中的任何一个，--至少你不会把他们卖给那样一个人。" "Well, Emily," said her husband, "so I have always felt and said; but the fact is that my business lies so that I cannot get on without. I shall have to sell some of my hands."" 嗯，艾米丽，我一直都是这样认为，这样说的。"她丈夫说，"但我做的生意亏了，我没有别的办法，只有卖掉一些下人，否则我难以维持这个家庭。" "To that creature? Impossible! Mr. Shelby, you cannot be serious."" 卖给那个家伙？真是难以想像。希尔比，你不会那样做，是吗？" "I'm sorry to say that I am," said Mr. Shelby. "I've agreed to sell Tom."" 很抱歉，这都是事实，我已经同意卖掉汤姆。"希尔比先生说。 
什么？汤姆？他从小就跟着你，他是那么的善良、忠实。希尔比，你还向他保证过要还他自由之身呢。关于这一点，我们已经讲了不下百遍了。唉，我现在相信没有什么事是不会发生的了，--我现在甚至也相信，你把哈里，可怜的艾莉查的孩子也卖掉了！"希尔比太太悲伤愤怒地说。 "Well, since you must know all, it is so. I have agreed to sell Tom and Harry both; and I don't know why I am to be rated, as if I were a monster, for doing what every one does every day."" 既然你已经猜到了，那我告诉你，我已经答应卖掉汤姆和哈里了。但我不明白，我只是做了别人每天都在做的事．凭什么我就要被当成魔鬼来看待呢？" "But why, of all others, choose these?" said Mrs. Shelby. "Why sell them, of all on the place, if you must sell at all?"" 但你为什么从那么多仆人中选中他们两个？"希尔比太太说，"为什么是他们两个，家中那么多仆人，即使我们必须要卖掉一些仆人。" "Because they will bring the highest sum of any,--that's why. I could choose another, if you say so. The fellow made me a high bid on Eliza, if that would suit you any better," said Mr. Shelby." 因为他们两个人的身价是最高的，我可以选择别人，那家伙还想高价买艾莉查，如果你认为那样会令情况更好的话。"希尔比先生说。 "The wretch!" said Mrs. Shelby, vehemently." 这个卑鄙小人！"希尔比太太愤怒地骂着。 
是啊，因为我考虑到你的感情，所以我没有答应他。你也该称赞我几句吧。" "My dear," said Mrs. Shelby, recollecting herself, "forgive me. I have been hasty. I was surprised, and entirely unprepared for this;--but surely you will allow me to intercede for these poor creatures. Tom is a noble-hearted, faithful fellow, if he is black. I do believe, Mr. Shelby, that if he were put to it, he would lay down his life for you."" 亲爱的，"冷静下来后，希尔比太太说，"请原谅我，我很吃惊，对这事我毫无思想准备--但你肯定会允许我替这些可怜人辩护一下吧。虽然是个黑人，但汤姆是那样的高尚、忠实。希尔比，我确信，如果有必要，他会为你牺牲一切的。" "I know it,--I dare say;--but what's the use of all this?--I can't help myself."" 这点我也明白，--我敢这样说，--但这有什么用呢？我是迫不得已才走这条路的啊。" "Why not make a pecuniary sacrifice? I'm willing to bear my part of the inconvenience. O, Mr. Shelby, I have tried--tried most faithfully, as a Christian woman should--to do my duty to these poor, simple, dependent creatures. I have cared for them, instructed them, watched over them, and know all their little cares and joys, for years; and how can I ever hold up my head again among them, if, for the sake of a little paltry gain, we sell such a faithful, excellent, confiding creature as poor Tom, and tear from him in a moment all we have taught him to love and value? I have taught them the duties of the family, of parent and child, and husband and wife; and how can I bear to have this open acknowledgment that we care for no tie, no duty, no relation, however sacred, compared with money? I have talked with Eliza about her boy--her duty to him as a Christian mother, to watch over him, pray for him, and bring him up in a Christian way; and now what can I say, if you tear him away, and sell him, soul and body, to a profane, unprincipled man, just to save a little money? I have told her that one soul is worth more than all the money in the world; and how will she believe me when she sees us turn round and sell her child?--sell him, perhaps, to certain ruin of body and soul!"" 为什么不破费一些钱呢？我宁肯过得节约一些。希尔比，作为一名女基督徒，我曾经忠诚地努力，想为这些纯朴、孤苦的可怜人尽自己的一份责任。多年来，我关心保护他们，试着了解他们的忧愁与欢乐；如果我们为了一点蝇头小利而把像汤姆这样忠诚可靠的人卖掉的话，我还怎么能抬得起头来呢？我教会他们家庭成员应尽的责任和义务、父母与儿女、丈夫和妻子应尽的责任和义务。现在我怎么能公开承认什么骨肉亲情，人伦道德都可以弃之不顾，而只关注钱呢？我和艾莉查谈论过她的孩子，谈到作为基督徒，母亲要照看好孩子，为他祈祷，使他长大成人，尽到母亲的责任。但现在如果仅为了省几个钱就把孩子从她身边夺走，卖给那样一个卑鄙小人，我又能对她说什么呢？我曾告诉她，一个人的灵魂比世界上所有的金钱都贵重。如果她看到我们出卖了她的小哈里，她怎能再相信我呢？把孩子卖掉，也许就意味着毁掉了孩子的灵魂和肉体。" "I'm sorry you feel so about it,--indeed I am," said Mr. Shelby; "and I respect your feelings, too, though I don't pretend to share them to their full extent; but I tell you now, solemnly, it's of no use--I can't help myself. I didn't mean to tell you this Emily; but, in plain words, there is no choice between selling these two and selling everything. Either they must go, or _all_ must. Haley has come into possession of a mortgage, which, if I don't clear off with him directly, will take everything before it. I've raked, and scraped, and borrowed, and all but begged,--and the price of these two was needed to make up the balance, and I had to give them up. Haley fancied the child; he agreed to settle the matter that way, and no other. I was in his power, and _had_ to do it. If you feel so to have them sold, would it be any better to have _all_ sold?"" 我很难过，艾米丽，这事让你感受如此之深，"希尔比先生说，"我也尊重你的感情，虽然我不是完全理解你的心情，但是现在，我要严肃地告诉你，这于事无补，艾米丽，我是别无选择了。我本来不想告诉你这些，坦白地讲，不卖掉他们，我们会倾家荡产，我已别无选择。赫利现在手握我的借据，如果我不立即还债，他就会从我们身边拿走一切。我已尽全力四处筹款，但还是需要加上他们两个才能还清借款，所以我只有忍痛割爱了。赫利看上了他们，除非答应他的要求，否则他不同意了结此事。我被他握在手中，只好照办了。你不希望卖掉哈里和汤姆，但这总比卖掉我们所有的奴隶好吧。" 
希尔比太太呆呆地站在那儿，最终她面向梳妆台，双手掩着脸庞，发出了一声长长的叹息。 "This is God's curse on slavery!--a bitter, bitter, most accursed thing!--a curse to the master and a curse to the slave! I was a fool to think I could make anything good out of such a deadly evil. It is a sin to hold a slave under laws like ours,--I always felt it was,--I always thought so when I was a girl,--I thought so still more after I joined the church; but I thought I could gild it over,--I thought, by kindness, and care, and instruction, I could make the condition of mine better than freedom--fool that I was!"" 这是上帝对奴隶制的诅咒，它是万恶的、最该被诅咒的怪物。这也是对主人、对奴隶的诅咒！我还傻乎乎地认为我可以从这邪恶的制度中发现一些美好的东西呢。法律维护蓄奴制真是一种罪过，--我一直有这种感觉--我孩童时代就这样认为--入教后，我对此更加坚信不疑，但我却天真地认为，我可以凭借仁爱、关怀和教导，使我的奴隶的境况好于获得自由之身，真是太傻了。" "Why, wife, you are getting to be an abolitionist, quite."" 太太，你怎么越来越像一名废奴主义者了。"
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