目 录 上一节 下一节 
那只名叫布鲁诺的纽芬兰狗正卧在门廊尽头。当她走近时，它站起来轻轻叫了一声。这是她的宠物，她柔声唤着这只小伙伴。那只狗摇着尾巴，显然想和她一块出去，想必它那简单的大脑是搞不懂主人为什么半夜出门的。在它那简单的头脑中，它也隐约感到，主人的这次出行显得有点不太得体。因此它一面跟着艾莉查走，一面不时停下，若有所思地看看主人，又看看房子，几次反复之后，它才跟着艾莉查走了出去。几分钟后，他们到了汤姆叔叔的窗下，艾莉查停下来，轻轻地敲打了几下窗玻璃。 The prayer-meeting at Uncle Tom's had, in the order of hymn-singing, been protracted to a very late hour; and, as Uncle Tom had indulged himself in a few lengthy solos afterwards, the consequence was, that, although it was now between twelve and one o'clock, he and his worthy helpmeet were not yet asleep. 这天的祷告会由于唱赞美诗而很晚才散。后来，汤姆叔叔也尽兴地唱了几首长赞美诗，这样做的直接影响是，虽然现在时间已过十二点，快到一点了，但汤姆叔叔和大婶还没有入睡。 "Good Lord! what's that?" said Aunt Chloe, starting up and hastily drawing the curtain. "My sakes alive, if it an't Lizy! Get on your clothes, old man, quick!--there's old Bruno, too, a pawin round; what on airth! I'm gwine to open the door."" 我的天啊！是谁在敲窗子？"克鲁伊大婶说着站起来，猛地拉开了窗帘。"天啊！这不是莉兹吗？老东西，快穿好衣服！--布鲁诺也跟来了，到底是怎么一回事。我就来开门。" And suiting the action to the word, the door flew open, and the light of the tallow candle, which Tom had hastily lighted, fell on the haggard face and dark, wild eyes of the fugitive. 紧接着，门便被打开了，汤姆叔叔急忙点起一支蜡烛，烛光下，艾莉查那憔悴的脸和急切的眼神一览无余。 "Lord bless you!--I'm skeered to look at ye, Lizy! Are ye tuck sick, or what's come over ye?"" 上帝保佑！怎么回事，莉兹？看起来你好像病了，你怎么这么晚匆匆跑到这来了？" 
我要逃跑--汤姆叔叔，克鲁伊大婶，--我要带孩子逃跑，--主人卖掉他了。" "Sold him?" echoed both, lifting up their hands in dismay." 卖了？"听完，两个人都惊慌地举起他们的双手。 "Yes, sold him!" said Eliza, firmly; "I crept into the closet by Mistress' door tonight, and I heard Master tell Missis that he had sold my Harry, and you, Uncle Tom, both, to a trader; and that he was going off this morning on his horse, and that the man was to take possession today."" 是的，把他卖了！"艾莉查肯定地说，"昨晚，我爬进太太房间旁的储藏室。我亲耳听到老爷说，他把汤姆叔叔和哈里都卖给奴隶贩子了，今天早晨，等老爷骑马出去后，奴隶贩子就来领人了。" Tom had stood, during this speech, with his hands raised, and his eyes dilated, like a man in a dream. Slowly and gradually, as its meaning came over him, he collapsed, rather than seated himself, on his old chair, and sunk his head down upon his knees. 艾莉查说话时，汤姆叔叔一直呆呆地瞪着眼睛站在那儿，举着双手，就像在做梦似的。最后，他终于明白了这些话的意思，与其说他一下坐在旧椅子上，不如说倒在上面，他垂下头，抵在膝盖上。 "The good Lord have pity on us!" said Aunt Chloe. "O! it don't seem as if it was true! What has he done, that Mas'r should sell _him_?"" 仁慈的上帝，可怜一下我们吧！"克鲁伊大婶说，"难道这是真的吗？汤姆没有做错事，为什么要卖他？" 
他没犯什么错，--不是因为这个。老爷也不想卖掉他们，我们的太太也是一贯仁慈。我听到她向老爷求情，但老爷说，他欠了那个混蛋的钱，就要听从那个奴隶贩子，所以求情是没用的。如果不还钱，就得卖掉整个庄园和所有的仆人。是的，老爷说，要不卖掉他俩，要不就卖掉全部的基业，他已别无选择。主人说他很抱歉，太太真是位了不起的基督徒，她的心肠真是太好了，你们真该听听她说的话。离她而去，对于我来说真是太不道德了，但我必须走。正如太太曾说的，人的灵魂重于整个世界。我的孩子拥有灵魂，如果不带他逃走，天知道以后会发生什么事？我想我所做的是正确的，但如果我做错了，请上帝宽恕我，因为我必须如此做。" "Well, old man!" said Aunt Chloe, "why don't you go, too? Will you wait to be toted down river, where they kill niggers with hard work and starving? I'd a heap rather die than go there, any day! There's time for ye,--be off with Lizy,--you've got a pass to come and go any time. Come, bustle up, and I'll get your things together."" 哎，老家伙！"克鲁伊大婶说，"你为什么不逃跑？难道你愿意被带到河的下游，一辈子做牛做马吗？在那儿你只有死路一条，或者累死，或者饿死。我这辈子宁死也不会去那种地方。现在还有时间，--跟莉兹一齐逃跑吧，你有通行证，可以随时出入。快点，我帮你收拾一下。" Tom slowly raised his head, and looked sorrowfully but quietly around, and said,"No, no--I an't going. Let Eliza go--it's her right! I wouldn't be the one to say no--'tan't in _natur_ for her to stay; but you heard what she said! If I must be sold, or all the people on the place, and everything go to rack, why, let me be sold. I s'pose I can b'ar it as well as any on 'em," he added, while something like a sob and a sigh shook his broad, rough chest convulsively. "Mas'r always found me on the spot--he always will. I never have broke trust, nor used my pass no ways contrary to my word, and I never will. It's better for me alone to go, than to break up the place and sell all. Mas'r an't to blame, Chloe, and he'll take care of you and the poor--" 汤姆慢慢抬起头，悲伤而平静地环顾四周说："不，我不会逃跑。让莉兹走吧，她有权那样做！我不会反对她逃跑，让她留下是不合人情的。你刚刚也听到她所说的了，要么卖掉我，要么卖掉整个基业。如果这样的话，我宁肯是卖我，别人可以承受的，我也可以。"他补充说，他宽阔强健的胸脯抽动起伏着，像哭泣，又像叹息，"我一向听天由命，以后也是如此。我从来没有辜负老爷的期望，也没使用通行证骗过人，我从不违背诺言，今后也决不会。还是卖掉我吧，免得庄园垮掉，这不怪老爷，他会照顾你和可怜的人的。" Here he turned to the rough trundle bed full of little woolly heads, and broke fairly down. He leaned over the back of the chair, and covered his face with his large hands. Sobs, heavy, hoarse and loud, shook the chair, and great tears fell through his fingers on the floor; just such tears, sir, as you dropped into the coffin where lay your first-born son; such tears, woman, as you shed when you heard the cries of your dying babe. For, sir, he was a man,--and you are but another man. And, woman, though dressed in silk and jewels, you are but a woman, and, in life's great straits and mighty griefs, ye feel but one sorrow! 说到这，他转向那张简陋的小矮床，上面挤满了卷发孩子，看着看着，他再也控制不住大哭起来。他靠在椅背上，以手掩面，大声哭泣着，大滴的泪珠从指缝滚落到地板上。当埋葬你的第一个孩子时，先生，你就是这样哭泣的；太太，我现在的泪水和你听到奄奄一息的婴儿哭时的泪水是多么相似啊。先生，你是人，他也是人。太太，虽然你浑身珠光宝气，可是也是个人啊。面对生活的困苦和人生的灾难，人们的感受是那样的相同。 "And now," said Eliza, as she stood in the door, "I saw my husband only this afternoon, and I little knew then what was to come. They have pushed him to the very last standing place, and he told me, today, that he was going to run away. Do try, if you can, to get word to him. Tell him how I went, and why I went; and tell him I'm going to try and find Canada. You must give my love to him, and tell him, if I never see him again," she turned away, and stood with her back to them for a moment, and then added, in a husky voice, "tell him to be as good as he can, and try and meet me in the kingdom of heaven."" 还有，下午我见到了我丈夫，"艾莉查站在门边说，"那时我还不知道会发生这种事。他那凶残的主人把他逼得无路可投，他告诉我他想逃跑。如果可能，你们一定给他捎个口信。告诉他我走了以及为什么走，告诉他我要逃往加拿大。你们一定替我转达我对他的爱，告诉他，如果我今生不能与他再见面，"她转身背对着汤姆夫妇，声音嘶哑着说，"让他多做好事，争取与我们在天堂再见。" 
把布鲁诺叫进去吧，"她补充说，"把它关在屋里，别让它跟着我。" A few last words and tears, a few simple adieus and blessings, and clasping her wondering and affrighted child in her arms, she glided noiselessly away. 说完最后几句话，她哭了。又说了些祝福的话以后，她抱紧受惊的孩子，悄悄地出发了。 Mr. and Mrs. Shelby, after their protracted discussion of the night before, did not readily sink to repose, and, in consequence, slept somewhat later than usual, the ensuing morning. 那天晚上谈了很长一段时间，希尔比夫妇未能立即入睡，所以醒得要比以往晚些。 "I wonder what keeps Eliza," said Mrs. Shelby, after giving her bell repeated pulls, to no purpose." 艾莉查今天是怎么了？"希尔比太太说。她拉了多次铃，但没有任何反应。 Mr. Shelby was standing before his dressing-glass, sharpening his razor; and just then the door opened, and a colored boy entered, with his shaving-water. 希尔比先生站在镜子前磨刮胡子刀，这时门开了，一个黑人男孩端着热水走了进来。 
艾迪，"女主人喊道，"去艾莉查房间告诉她，我已经拉了三次铃叫她了。可怜的孩子！"她叹了口气，自言自语道。 Andy soon returned, with eyes very wide in astonishment. 艾迪很快就回来了，眼睛吃惊地大睁着。 "Lor, Missis! Lizy's drawers is all open, and her things all lying every which way; and I believe she's just done clared out!"" 太太，不好了！莉兹的抽屉全打开了，东西遍地都是。看来她是逃走了。" The truth flashed upon Mr. Shelby and his wife at the same moment. He exclaimed,"Then she suspected it, and she's off!" 希尔比先生和太太同时醒悟过来，希尔比先生喊道："那么她早已起疑心，于是逃走了。"
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