目 录 上一节 下一节 
几乎每个人都清楚，这世上能仁慈、宽厚地运用无需负责的无限权力的人实在少得可怜，黑奴更明白这一点。因而，黑奴们搭上一个专横暴烈的坏主人与遇上一个善良人道的好主人的比率是十比一。这就不难理解他们之所以在失去一位好主人之后会悲痛得那么深，那么久了。 When St. Clare breathed his last, terror and consternation took hold of all his household. He had been stricken down so in a moment, in the flower and strength of his youth! Every room and gallery of the house resounded with sobs and shrieks of despair. 圣克莱尔断气之时，整个屋子都处在极端恐惧和震惊之中。谁也无法接受这个事实：正当年轻力盛的圣克莱尔先生会在转瞬间就离开人世。屋子里和走廊上到处是绝望的哭泣和哀号。 Marie, whose nervous system had been enervated by a constant course of self-indulgence, had nothing to support the terror of the shock, and, at the time her husband breathed his last, was passing from one fainting fit to another; and he to whom she had been joined in the mysterious tie of marriage passed from her forever, without the possibility of even a parting word. 玛丽由于长期的纵情使性，神经早就衰弱不堪了，根本无法再经受这样的打击。圣克莱尔咽气时，她几次昏厥。与她有神圣的婚姻联系的丈夫竟会如此匆促地与她永诀，连句道别的话都没来得及说！ Miss Ophelia, with characteristic strength and self-control, had remained with her kinsman to the last,--all eye, all ear, all attention; doing everything of the little that could be done, and joining with her whole soul in the tender and impassioned prayers which the poor slave had poured forth for the soul of his dying master. 奥菲利亚小姐有着一股子天生的刚强劲和自制力，她始终和亲人在一起。她聚精会神地处理事情，周到全面，没有丝毫疏漏之处。当可怜的汤姆为临终的主人做温柔感人的祈祷时，她也在一旁认真祷告着。 When they were arranging him for his last rest, they found upon his bosom a small, plain miniature case, opening with a spring. It was the miniature of a noble and beautiful female face; and on the reverse, under a crystal, a lock of dark hair. They laid them back on the lifeless breast,--dust to dust,--poor mournful relics of early dreams, which once made that cold heart beat so warmly! 当家人们把圣克莱尔抬进棺材时，发现他胸前有一只朴素的小像盒。打开弹簧开关，里面是一张高贵的美妇的肖像，背面的水晶片下压着一绺黑发。人们把像盒放回到那停止跳动的胸口上。逝去的就让它逝去吧，这颗现在已冰冷的心，曾经为这些带来伤感回忆的纪念物而热烈跳动过啊！ 
汤姆的脑海里尽是天国的幻想。他丝毫也没有意识到，他装殓主人的遗体，为他料理后事正意味着以后他将永远沦入做奴隶的绝境。他感到非常平静，因为在为主人做祷告时，他向主的倾诉使他有一种踏实和轻松之感。他善良的天性使他对基督之爱的丰富内涵能略略领会一二，因为古代的先知曾写过这样的话："住在爱里即住在上帝里，上帝亦将长驻其心问。"汤姆充满希望，满怀信仰，因而心平如水。 But the funeral passed, with all its pageant of black crape, and prayers, and solemn faces; and back rolled the cool, muddy waves of every-day life; and up came the everlasting hard inquiry of "What is to be done next?" 葬礼过去了，满眼的黑色丧服，哀凄的面庞与满耳的祷告声也终于消散了。残酷无情、污浊混乱的现实生活的巨浪又压过来，人们心中又不禁升起这个永恒的难题："下一步该怎么办？" It rose to the mind of Marie, as, dressed in loose morning-robes, and surrounded by anxious servants, she sat up in a great easy-chair, and inspected samples of crape and bombazine. It rose to Miss Ophelia, who began to turn her thoughts towards her northern home. It rose, in silent terrors, to the minds of the servants, who well knew the unfeeling, tyrannical character of the mistress in whose hands they were left. All knew, very well, that the indulgences which had been accorded to them were not from their mistress, but from their master; and that, now he was gone, there would be no screen between them and every tyrannous infliction which a temper soured by affliction might devise. 玛丽身穿宽松的睡袍坐在宽大的安乐椅上，周围是一群焦虑的等待侍候她的仆人。玛丽翻检着绉纱和羽纱的样品，心头涌起了这个问题；准备回北方老家的奥菲利亚小姐也在思索这个问题；现在已归玛丽掌管的仆人们同样想着这个问题。他们深知女主人暴虐无情的脾性，对此已先有三分畏惧。先前优裕的日子是一去不复返了，因为那都是宽厚的男主人所赐，而现在男主人已逝，就不再有谁出来保护他们了。女主人经过丧夫之痛，性情更加乖戾，仆人们从此难逃责罚了。 It was about a fortnight after the funeral, that Miss Ophelia, busied one day in her apartment, heard a gentle tap at the door. She opened it, and there stood Rosa, the pretty young quadroon, whom we have before often noticed, her hair in disorder, and her eyes swelled with crying. 葬礼过了大约两个星期之后，一天奥菲利亚小姐正在屋里忙着，突然听见轻轻的敲门声。她打开门，看见是罗莎--就是前面我们经常提起的年轻漂亮的混血姑娘，她披头散发地站在门外，眼睛红肿。 "O, Miss Feeley," she said, falling on her knees, and catching the skirt of her dress, "_do, do go_ to Miss Marie for me! do plead for me! She's goin' to send me out to be whipped--look there!" And she handed to Miss Ophelia a paper." 噢，菲莉小姐，"她一下子扑倒在奥菲利亚面前，双手抓住她的裙子，"求求您，求您替我在玛丽小姐跟前说句话，帮我求个情。玛丽小姐要把我送到外面去吃鞭子，您看这个！"她递过去一张条子。 
这是一张写给鞭笞站的条子，上面是娟秀流利的意大利笔迹，是玛丽吩咐该站把持条人抽上十五皮鞭。 "What have you been doing?" said Miss Ophelia." 你做错什么啦？"奥菲利亚小姐问道。 "You know, Miss Feely, I've got such a bad temper; it's very bad of me. I was trying on Miss Marie's dress, and she slapped my face; and I spoke out before I thought, and was saucy; and she said that she'd bring me down, and have me know, once for all, that I wasn't going to be so topping as I had been; and she wrote this, and says I shall carry it. I'd rather she'd kill me, right out."" 噢，您知道我脾气一向很坏，喜欢自找麻烦。我试了一下玛丽小姐的衣服，她甩了我一个耳刮子，我想都没想就顶撞了一句，她说非得好好收拾我一顿不可，免得我以后再这样嚣张。接着，她就写了这张条子，让我自个儿送过去。唉，她还不如亲自动手把我打死得了。" Miss Ophelia stood considering, with the paper in her hand. 奥菲利亚小姐捏着那张条子沉思了半晌。 "You see, Miss Feely," said Rosa, "I don't mind the whipping so much, if Miss Marie or you was to do it; but, to be sent to a _man!_ and such a horrid man,--the shame of it, Miss Feely!"" 菲莉小姐，"罗莎说道，"要是给玛丽小姐或您抽上几鞭，那是无所谓的；可是，让我去挨一个男人的打，而且是那种粗鲁的男人，那我可太没脸了，奥菲利亚小姐！" 
奥菲利亚小姐知道这种陋俗由来已久。主人把女仆和年轻的姑娘送到鞭笞站，让她们接受那些专以打人为生的邪恶无耻的男人的野蛮毒打，实质上是让她们接受这种受惩的羞辱。奥菲利亚小姐以前就听说过这种事，可直到今天，看到罗莎吓得浑身乱颤的样子，才真正体会到这是怎么一回事。她是一个具有强烈的正义感和自由精神的新英格兰女人，此时不由气得满面通红，几乎不能自持。但是，她仍然凭借一贯的谨慎和自制力控制了自己的情绪。她把字条紧紧地攥在手里，对罗莎说： "Sit down, child, while I go to your mistress."" 坐下吧，孩子，我现在就去见你的女主人。" "Shameful! monstrous! outrageous!" she said to herself, as she was crossing the parlor." 这真是太可耻，太可怕，太令人震惊了！"穿过客厅时，她自言自语道。 She found Marie sitting up in her easy-chair, with Mammy standing by her, combing her hair; Jane sat on the ground before her, busy in chafing her feet. 玛丽坐在安乐椅上，妈咪正为她梳理头发，简坐在她前面的地板上，为她按摩脚。 "How do you find yourself, today?" said Miss Ophelia." 今天你感觉怎样？"奥菲利亚小姐问道。 
玛丽长叹了一口气，闭目养神，半天不说话。过了好一会儿，她才答道："哦，姐姐，我也不太清楚，还是老样子，看来是好不了啦！"说着，她用一块镶有一寸宽黑边的亚麻布手绢擦擦眼角。 "I came," said Miss Ophelia, with a short, dry cough, such as commonly introduces a difficult subject,--"I came to speak with you about poor Rosa."" 我来是想……"她短促地干咳了一声--人们在提出一件难事时往往如此。"我来是想和你谈谈可怜的罗莎的事情。" Marie's eyes were open wide enough now, and a flush rose to her sallow cheeks, as she answered, sharply, 玛丽的眼睛顿时瞪大了，蜡黄的面孔涨得通红，她失声说道： "Well, what about her?" " 罗莎的什么事情？" She is very sorry for her fault."" 她对自己的错误感到非常后悔。" 
她后悔了，是吗？她后悔的日子还在后头呢！这个丫头飞扬跋扈，我已经忍耐很久了，这回非得好好修理她不可，让她抬不起头来。" "But could not you punish her some other way,--some way that would be less shameful?"" 可是你不能换种惩罚方式吗？换一种不让她这么丢脸的方式。"
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