目 录 上一节 下一节 
。 "我没有!"托普西大声申辩道,气得哽咽起来。 "Give me that, whatever it is!" said Miss Ophelia, firmly." 不管是什么,给我看看。"奥菲利亚坚决地说 Topsy hesitated; but, on a second order, pulled out of her bosom a little parcel done up in the foot of one of her own old stockings. 托普西迟疑了片刻,不过,奥菲利亚小姐说第二遍的时候,她就从怀里掏出一个小袋子。这个袋子是用她的一只旧长简袜的袜筒缝制的。 Miss Ophelia turned it out. There was a small book, which had been given to Topsy by Eva, containing a single verse of Scripture, arranged for every day in the year, and in a paper the curl of hair that she had given her on that memorable day when she had taken her last farewell. 奥菲利亚小姐倒出袋子里的东西,那是伊娃送给托普西的一个本子,上面摘录了一段段《圣经》里的短文,全按日期顺序排列着;另外有一个纸包,里面是伊娃在那个难忘的临终诀别的日子送给她的一绺长发。 St. Clare was a good deal affected at the sight of it; the little book had been rolled in a long strip of black crape, torn from the funeral weeds. 一条从丧服上扯下的长长的黑色缎带映入了圣克莱尔的眼帘。这是托普西用来捆扎小本子的。看见这些,圣克莱尔不由感慨万分。 
你为什么用这个来包本子呢?"圣克莱尔弯腰拾起缎带问道。 "Cause,--cause,--cause 't was Miss Eva. O, don't take 'em away, please!" she said; and, sitting flat down on the floor, and putting her apron over her head, she began to sob vehemently." 因为……因为……因为这是伊娃小姐送给我的。噢,求求您别把它拿走!"说着,她瘫软在地上,用围裙掩住脸,开始啜泣起来。 It was a curious mixture of the pathetic and the ludicrous,--the little old stockings,--black crape,--text-book,--fair, soft curl,--and Topsy's utter distress. 这真是一幕又可怜又可笑的奇特的场景:旧的小长简袜,黑色缎带,小本子,美丽柔软的金发,还有托普西那伤心欲绝的模样。 St. Clare smiled; but there were tears in his eyes, as he said, 圣克莱尔笑了,但笑中有泪。 "Come, come,--don't cry; you shall have them!" and, putting them together, he threw them into her lap, and drew Miss Ophelia with him into the parlor." 好了,好了,别哭了,都还给你。"说着,圣克莱尔将东西裹在一起放进托普西怀里,拉着奥菲利亚朝客厅走去。 
依我看,你还真有希望把这小鬼教育成材呢!"圣克莱尔伸出大拇指朝肩后指了一指,"凡有怜悯之心的人都可能变为好人,你得再努把力,好好教育她啊!" "The child has improved greatly," said Miss Ophelia. "I have great hopes of her; but, Augustine," she said, laying her hand on his arm, "one thing I want to ask; whose is this child to be?--yours or mine?"" 这孩子很有进步,"奥菲利亚小姐说,"我对她期望很大。不过,奥古斯丁,"说着,她把一只手搭在他的胳膊上,"我想问清楚,这孩子到底是你的,还是我的?" "Why, I gave her to you, " said Augustine." 怎么啦,我不是早就说过把她给你吗?"奥古斯丁说。 "But not legally;--I want her to be mine legally," said Miss Ophelia." 可是那没有法律保障。我希望她合法地成为我的人。"奥菲利亚小姐说道。 "Whew! cousin," said Augustine. "What will the Abolition Society think? They'll have a day of fasting appointed for this backsliding, if you become a slaveholder!"" 哎呀!姐姐,"奥古斯丁说道,"废奴派的人会怎么想呢?如果你是奴隶主的话,他们恐怕会为你这种倒退的行为而绝食一天。" 
咳,你说什么瞎话呢!我要她成为我的人是因为只有这样,我才有权将她带到自由州去,还她以自由。这样,我对她所做的努力都不会是徒劳无功了。" "O, cousin, what an awful `doing evil that good may come'! I can't encourage it."" 哦,姐姐,你这种'作恶以成善'的做法似乎并不怎么高明,我可不同意。" "I don't want you to joke, but to reason," said Miss Ophelia. "There is no use in my trying to make this child a Christian child, unless I save her from all the chances and reverses of slavery; and, if you really are willing I should have her, I want you to give me a deed of gift, or some legal paper."" 我可没和你开玩笑,我是认真的,"奥菲利亚小姐说,"如果我没把她从奴隶制的魔掌中拯救出来,那即使把她教育成个基督徒也是枉然。因此,如果你是真心把这个孩子交给我,就请你给我一张赠送证书或是合法的证明。" "Well, well," said St. Clare, "I will;" and he sat down, and unfolded a newspaper to read." 好的,好的,我会照办的。"圣克莱尔一面说,一面坐下来,打开一张报纸开始阅读。 "But I want it done now," said Miss Ophelia." 可是我现在就要。"奥菲利亚小姐说。 
何必这么急呢?" "Because now is the only time there ever is to do a thing in," said Miss Ophelia. "Come, now, here's paper, pen, and ink; just write a paper."" 争分夺秒嘛!来,这儿有纸、笔和墨水,你写张证明就行了。" St. Clare, like most men of his class of mind, cordially hated the present tense of action, generally; and, therefore, he was considerably annoyed by Miss Ophelia's downrightness. 像圣克莱尔这种脾气的人,大都对这种风风火火的作风深恶痛绝。因此,奥菲利亚小姐这种说做就做的果断着实让他生气。 "Why, what's the matter?" said he. "Can't you take my word? One would think you had taken lessons of the Jews, coming at a fellow so!"" 喂,你是怎么啦?"他说,"难道你信不过我吗?你这样咄咄逼人,人家还以为你做过犹太人的学生呢!" "I want to make sure of it," said Miss Ophelia. "You may die, or fail, and then Topsy be hustled off to auction, spite of all I can do."" 我只想把事情办得稳妥一些,"奥菲利亚小姐说,"如果你死了,或是破产了,托普西就会被赶到交易所去,那样我就毫无办法了。" 
你真是目光长远。好吧,既然我已经落到了北佬手里,就只有让步的份了。"说完,圣克莱尔挥笔写下一张赠送证书,这对精通法律的他来说简直是易如反掌。证书后头,他龙飞凤舞地签上了自己的名字。 "There, isn't that black and white, now, Miss Vermont?" he said, as he handed it to her." 喏,现在是白纸黑字,一清二楚了吧,弗蒙特小姐?"说着,他将证书递过去。 "Good boy," said Miss Ophelia, smiling. "But must it not be witnessed?"" 这才好了,"奥菲利亚小姐说,"不过,没有证人成吗?" "O, bother!--yes. Here," he said, opening the door into Marie's apartment, "Marie, Cousin wants your autograph; just put your name down here."" 哎,真是的。--对了,我有了!"他打开通向玛丽房间的房门,喊道,"玛丽,姐姐让你签个字,你过来,就签在这儿。" "What's this?" said Marie, as she ran over the paper. "Ridiculous! I thought Cousin was too pious for such horrid things," she added, as she carelessly wrote her name; "but, if she has a fancy for that article, I am sure she's welcome."" 这是做什么呀?"玛丽看了证书一眼,说道,"真可笑!我还以为姐姐心肠软,不会干这种可怕的事呢。"她一面漫不经心地签上自己的名字,一面又说道,"不过,姐姐真要喜欢那东西,倒是很好咧!" 
好了,现在托普西从精神到肉体都归属于你了。"圣克莱尔将证书递过去。 "No more mine now than she was before," Miss Ophelia. "Nobody but God has a right to give her to me; but I can protect her now." " 她并不比从前更属于我,"奥菲利亚小姐说,"只有上帝才有权把她交给我。我只不过比以前更有能力保护她。" "Well, she's yours by a fiction of law, then," said St. Clare, as he turned back into the parlor, and sat down to his paper." 好啦!通过法律这玩意儿,你现在真正拥有她了。"圣克莱尔说着,转身进入客厅,继续看他的报纸。 Miss Ophelia, who seldom sat much in Marie's company, followed him into the parlor, having first carefully laid away the paper. 奥菲利亚小姐和玛丽向来话不投机,因而也就小心翼翼地收拾好证书,随奥古斯丁到客厅去了。 "Augustine," she said, suddenly, as she sat knitting, "have you ever made any provision for your servants, in case of your death?"" 奥古斯丁,"她坐在那儿织毛线,突然想起什么,问道,"你替仆人们做过什么安排没有?万一你死了,他们怎么办?" 
没有。"圣克莱尔心不在焉地回答,仍去看他的报纸。 "Then all your indulgence to them may prove a great cruelty, by and by." 那么,你这么放纵他们,以后或许会变成一件很可怕的事。" St. Clare had often thought the same thing himself; but he answered, negligently. " 圣克莱尔未尝没想到过这一层。不过,他依旧漫不经心地答道:
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