目 录 上一节 下一节 
汤姆那深厚的情感,柔和的声音和明亮的泪光,就像甘露那样洒落到这可怜的女人急躁不安的心灵上。她目光中那邪恶的火焰渐渐地熄灭了,接着是非常柔和的光芒。她低着头注视着汤姆。就在她讲话时,汤姆能看出她的心情在慢慢平静下来。 "Didn't I tell you that evil spirits followed me? O! Father Tom, I can't pray,--I wish I could. I never have prayed since my children were sold! What you say must be right, I know it must; but when I try to pray, I can only hate and curse. I can't pray!"" 难道我没有向你说过,魔鬼一直在缠绕着我吗?噢,汤姆大老爷,我根本没法请求--可我是多么的希望自己能摆脱妖魔的缠身啊!自从我的孩子被卖掉之后,我再也没请求过了。你的做法是对的,我肯定它是正确的。但就在我有请求的念头时,我心中早已被满腔仇恨占据了!我想诅咒其他人!我无法请求啊!" "Poor soul!" said Tom, compassionately. "Satan desires to have ye, and sift ye as wheat. I pray the Lord for ye. O! Misse Cassy, turn to the dear Lord Jesus. He came to bind up the broken-hearted, and comfort all that mourn."" 苦难的人啊!"汤姆怜悯地说,"撒旦想起你了,他会像选王妃那样地选中你。让我代你向上帝感恩吧。噢!卡西太太向我们尊敬的上帝耶稣祈求帮助吧!他也是为了治愈所有受伤的灵魂,抚慰所有悲痛的世人才到人间来的。" Cassy stood silent, while large, heavy tears dropped from her downcast eyes. 卡西静静地在那儿站着,一颗颗泪珠从她那双低垂的黑眼珠里不停地往下滑落。 "Misse Cassy," said Tom, in a hesitating tone, after surveying her in silence, "if ye only could get away from here,--if the thing was possible,--I'd 'vise ye and Emmeline to do it; that is, if ye could go without blood-guiltiness,--not otherwise."" 卡西太太,"汤姆默默盯了她许久,接着左思有想地开了口,"假如你能从这里逃走--假如真的实现了的话,我倒想提醒你和埃米琳这么做。说明白点,不要流血、也不能受一点点的伤,要么不是这样就不可以。" 
汤姆大爷,你想不想和我们一起逃呢?" "No," said Tom; "time was when I would; but the Lord's given me a work among these yer poor souls, and I'll stay with 'em and bear my cross with 'em till the end. It's different with you; it's a snare to you,--it's more'n you can stand,--and you'd better go, if you can."" 不可以这么想的,"汤姆说道,"在以前我倒有这种打算,但上帝给了我这项使命,吩咐我留在你们这帮苦难人之中。我之所以留下来是想和他们呆在一块,将这十字架一直伴我到生命的最后一刻。但你们就一点儿也不同了。这里对你们来说,无非是个火坑,你们可呆不住。假如你们能从这里逃走,还是离这远一些好。" "I know no way but through the grave," said Cassy. "There's no beast or bird but can find a home some where; even the snakes and the alligators have their places to lie down and be quiet; but there's no place for us. Down in the darkest swamps, their dogs will hunt us out, and find us. Everybody and everything is against us; even the very beasts side against us,--and where shall we go?"" 除了死着出去,我实在是难以想象还有什么办法能让我们活着出去。"卡西说,"那些飞禽走兽都可以找到自己的一席之地,甚至就连蛇和鳄鱼都可以找到一个去处,安安稳稳地躺着休息。但我们却无处可去,即使是我们躲到了沼泽地里最隐蔽的地方,他们那可恶的狗也会追随脚印把我们找到。世上那些千奇百态的事和物都与我们过不去,就连跟随身边的畜牲也是如此。我们可以想象能逃到哪里去呢?" Tom stood silent; at length he said,"Him that saved Daniel in the den of lions,--that saves the children in the fiery furnace,--Him that walked on the sea, and bade the winds be still,--He's alive yet; and I've faith to believe he can deliver you. Try it, and I'll pray, with all my might, for you." 汤姆沉默不语。后来他终于开口说道:"上帝从狮子的口中救出了旦以理;在熊熊燃烧的烈火中拯救出他的女儿;他在海滩上漫步,喝退了海风。他直到今天还照样活着,他一定会来帮助你们的,这些我可以发誓。试一试吧!我会尽我所能为你们祈祷的。" By what strange law of mind is it that an idea long overlooked, and trodden under foot as a useless stone, suddenly sparkles out in new light, as a discovered diamond? 这样的想法是多么奇怪多么让人怀疑啊!一直以来被人遗忘,就像毫无用处的石头那样被人踩在脚下的想法,一瞬间像一块宝贝被人鉴定似的,放射出耀眼夺目的光辉。 
卡西时常想着各种奇奇怪怪逃走的办法把时间抛在脑后,最后又觉得它们是可想而不可做的,又将它们全盘否定了。但就在这时她的脑海中突然闪过一个念头,其真正做法也是那样简单,却还那么行得通,这念头突然在她心里点燃希望之火。 "Father Tom, I'll try it!" she said, suddenly." 汤姆大爷,我肯定会试一试的!"她大声叫道。 "Amen!" said Tom; "the Lord help ye!"" 主啊!"汤姆说,"上帝会助你们一臂之力的!他与你们同在!" "The way of the wicked is as darkness; he knoweth not at what he stumbleth." 恶人的道路好阴暗,自己不知因为什么而跌倒。 The garret of the house that Legree occupied, like most other garrets, was a great, desolate space, dusty, hung with cobwebs, and littered with cast-off lumber. The opulent family that had inhabited the house in the days of its splendor had imported a great deal of splendid furniture, some of which they had taken away with them, while some remained standing desolate in mouldering, unoccupied rooms, or stored away in this place. One or two immense packing-boxes, in which this furniture was brought, stood against the sides of the garret. There was a small window there, which let in, through its dingy, dusty panes, a scanty, uncertain light on the tall, high-backed chairs and dusty tables, that had once seen better days. Altogether, it was a weird and ghostly place; but, ghostly as it was, it wanted not in legends among the superstitious negroes, to increase it terrors. Some few years before, a negro woman, who had incurred Legree's displeasure, was confined there for several weeks. What passed there, we do not say; the negroes used to whisper darkly to each other; but it was known that the body of the unfortunate creature was one day taken down from there, and buried; and, after that, it was said that oaths and cursings, and the sound of violent blows, used to ring through that old garret, and mingled with wailings and groans of despair. Once, when Legree chanced to overhear something of this kind, he flew into a violent passion, and swore that the next one that told stories about that garret should have an opportunity of knowing what was there, for he would chain them up there for a week. This hint was enough to repress talking, though, of course, it did not disturb the credit of the story in the least. 和别人的那些楼房的阁楼一样,烈格雷庄园上正宅的阁楼照样空旷宽敞。那上面一层全是灰尘,蜘蛛网随处可以见到,一些东倒西歪的东西到处堆在那里。这庄园曾经的主人--那户有钱人家从国外买回了大量漂亮的高档家具,当时这正宅还非常豪华。到后来他们要搬走了,带去了一部分家具,没带走的那部分都被扔在一些无人居住的小房间里,或是被搁在阁楼上面。阁楼的墙壁旁靠着曾经用过的装运家具的大包装箱,阁楼上面还有个小窗户,微弱的光线从那黑洞洞的、积满了灰尘的窗棂中照射进来,照在那些曾是豪华的高背椅子和沾满厚厚灰尘的桌子上。总而言之,这是个非常阴沉、暗淡的地方。但尽管它看起来很恐怖,很可怕,它还仅仅只是给那些迷信的黑人传奇故事染上几分恐怖的气氛而已。事实上,在那上面曾真真实实发生过恐怖的事。大概是几年前,有一位黑人妇女因招致了烈格雷的不满,在阁楼上被囚禁了好些时问。我们也不清楚那上面到底发生过怎样的事情,黑人们则时常在背后偷偷私语。有一天,那个不幸的女人的尸体从阁楼中被拖下来,埋掉了。传说自那以后,阁楼上就时常有咒骂声和混乱的拳脚声,混杂着绝望的哭喊声和呻吟声。一次,烈格雷碰巧听到有人正在谈论此事,他便大发脾气,还宣誓道,如果再有人敢提起阁楼的事情,他就要被放在上面关上几天,让他彻底弄清楚上面究竟是怎么回事。烈格雷这样说,无疑是给人们一种不提此事的一个暗示,但却无法阻止人们在心里对这件事情抱有的怀疑态度。 
紧接着,再也没人敢踏上阁楼的梯子,就连通往楼梯的必经通道,人们都望而生畏,一个个敬而远之。正因为大家都避谈这件事情,故事便开始不为人知,渐渐地便变得神秘起来。卡西突发奇想,或许可以利用烈格雷不堪一击的迷信心理,解放自己和那些不幸的难友们。 The sleeping-room of Cassy was directly under the garret. One day, without consulting Legree, she suddenly took it upon her, with some considerable ostentation, to change all the furniture and appurtenances of the room to one at some considerable distance. The under-servants, who were called on to effect this movement, were running and bustling about with great zeal and confusion, when Legree returned from a ride. 那层神秘阁楼的下方碰巧住着卡西,有一天,她没经烈格雷同意,突然叫了几个佣人帮她搬家,她把所有的家具及日常用品一件不剩地运往一间离阁楼较远的房子里。恰恰这时候烈格雷骑着马从外面回来,看见佣人正卖力地忙这忙那,搬运家具,他吃了一惊。 "Hallo! you Cass!" said Legree, "what's in the wind now?"" 卡西,捣什么乱!你发疯啦!"烈格雷大声叫道。 "Nothing; only I choose to have another room," said Cassy, doggedly." 噢!我只是想换个地方。"卡西委屈地说道。 "And what for, pray?" said Legree." 换个地方,究竟为什么呢?"烈格雷问。 
我乐意这么做。"卡西答道。 "The devil you do! and what for?"" 你给我说明白点,为什么要这么干?" "I'd like to get some sleep, now and then."" 我是人,我需要睡觉!" "Sleep! well, what hinders your sleeping?"" 睡觉,屁话?难道你晚上没睡觉吗?" "I could tell, I suppose, if you want to hear," said Cassy, dryly." 如果你愿意听,我很乐意告诉你。" 
你讲吧!蠢婆娘!"烈格雷忍不住怒吼起来。 "O! nothing. I suppose it wouldn't disturb _you!_ Only groans, and people scuffing, and rolling round on the garre, floor, half the night, from twelve to morning!"" 哦!主人,其实也没有什么大不了的,它吓不倒你。这幢楼只是在晚上有些奇怪,从十二点钟开始,不断会传来痛苦的呻吟声,滚动地板的声音和尖叫声,这样一直会延续到第二天早上。" "People up garret!" said Legree, uneasily, but forcing a laugh; "who are they, Cassy?"" 你的意思是,有人在上面。"烈格雷开始紧张起来,但还是强装笑脸地问道,"卡西,你觉得会是谁呢?"
|