目 录 上一节 下一节 
酒店的女主人正拿着刀叉准备晚餐,听到艾莉查悦耳而略带哀伤的声音,她便停下来,手里拿着叉子,问道:"你想干什么呢?" "Isn't there any ferry or boat, that takes people over to B----, now?" she said." 现在有渡船到B地吗?"艾莉查问。 "No, indeed!" said the woman; "the boats has stopped running."" 没有,"那女人说,"渡船已经停开了。" Eliza's look of dismay and disappointment struck the woman, and she said, inquiringly,"May be you're wanting to get over?--anybody sick? Ye seem mighty anxious?" 艾莉查惊慌失措的样子打动了她,她问道:"你是想过河吗?有人生病吗?看样子你很着急。" "I've got a child that's very dangerous," said Eliza. "I never heard of it till last night, and I've walked quite a piece today, in hopes to get to the ferry."" 我的孩子病得很重,"艾莉查说,"我昨天晚上才听到信儿,今天我走了很远的路,就是想赶上渡船。" 
哦,这真是不巧,"那女人母性的同情心油然而生,"我真为你担心,所罗门!"她从窗户向一间小黑屋喊道。一个围着围裙,两手很脏的男人出现在门口。 "I say, Sol," said the woman, "is that ar man going to tote them bar'ls over tonight?"" 我说呀,绪尔,"那女人说,"今晚是不是有人想把那几个木桶运过河去?" "He said he should try, if 't was any way prudent," said the man." 如果有可能的话,他想试试。"男人说。 "There's a man a piece down here, that's going over with some truck this evening, if he durs' to; he'll be in here to supper tonight, so you'd better set down and wait. That's a sweet little fellow," added the woman, offering him a cake.But the child, wholly exhausted, cried with weariness." 附近有个人今晚想运些东西过河,傍晚他要来吃晚饭,你最好坐下来等他,这孩子长得好可爱啊!"那女人接着说,又递给孩子一块蛋糕。但是精疲力竭的哈里哭了起来。 "Poor fellow! he isn't used to walking, and I've hurried him on so," said Eliza." 可怜的小宝贝,他不习惯走路,但我还是老催他。"艾莉查说。 
噢,带他到这屋来吧。"女人说着打开了一间卧室的门,里面有一张很舒服的床。艾莉查把孩子抱上床,握住孩子的双手,直到孩子睡熟为止。但她自己却是不能休息,一想到后面有追兵,她的心里就像有团火在燃烧,催着她向前赶路。她的目光是那样地充满渴望,一直注视着那条把她和自由之地隔开的急流。 Here we must take our leave of her for the present, to follow the course of her pursuers. 现在让我们暂时离开他们,去看看后面追兵的情况吧。 Though Mrs. Shelby had promised that the dinner should be hurried on table, yet it was soon seen, as the thing has often been seen before, that it required more than one to make a bargain. So, although the order was fairly given out in Haley's hearing, and carried to Aunt Chloe by at least half a dozen juvenile messengers, that dignitary only gave certain very gruff snorts, and tosses of her head, and went on with every operation in an unusually leisurely and circumstantial manner. 虽然希尔比太太保证很快就开饭,但人们很快就发现,就好像人们以前常看到的,要做成一笔生意,需要不止一方的努力。赫利虽然听到了希尔比太太的命令,而且至少有五六位少年仆人向克鲁伊传达了这个命令,但克鲁伊大婶却只是生硬地应着,摇晃着头,还是如她往日干活时那般的悠闲,这真是异乎寻常的事。 For some singular reason, an impression seemed to reign among the servants generally that Missis would not be particularly disobliged by delay; and it was wonderful what a number of counter accidents occurred constantly, to retard the course of things. One luckless wight contrived to upset the gravy; and then gravy had to be got up _de novo_, with due care and formality, Aunt Chloe watching and stirring with dogged precision, answering shortly, to all suggestions of haste, that she "warn't a going to have raw gravy on the table, to help nobody's catchings." One tumbled down with the water, and had to go to the spring for more; and another precipitated the butter into the path of events; and there was from time to time giggling news brought into the kitchen that "Mas'r Haley was mighty oneasy, and that he couldn't sit in his cheer no ways, but was a walkin' and stalkin' to the winders and through the porch." 因为某种奇特的原因,仆人们好像都觉得耽误一点时间,太太是不会责怪的。那天也真怪,不顺利的事情接连发生,这使得出发的事不得不一再推迟。一位不幸运的老兄打翻了肉汁,于是人们不得不再做一次肉汁。克鲁伊大婶边看着边不紧不慢地拌着肉汁。只要一催她,她就会回答说,她不想把生肉汁端上饭桌,不想帮忙去把人抓回来。一位老兄挑水时摔了一跤,所以只好再次回到泉边打一桶水。还有一位老兄把奶油洒在了路上。令人发笑的事情不时传回到厨房,所以"赫利老爷坐立不安,他烦躁地在屋里踱来踱去,显得非常着急。" "Sarves him right!" said Aunt Chloe, indignantly. He'll get wus nor oneasy, one of these days, if he don't mend his ways. _His_ master'll be sending for him, and then see how he'll look!"" 这是他自找的,"克鲁伊大婶愤然说道,"不久,他还会更加烦躁呢,如果他再不注意他行事的方法的话,他的主人就会派人叫他回去了,那时就有好看的了。" 
他会受到惩罚的,肯定的。"小杰克说。 "He desarves it!" said Aunt Chloe, grimly; "he's broke a many, many, many hearts,--I tell ye all!" she said, stopping, with a fork uplifted in her hands; "it's like what Mas'r George reads in Ravelations,--souls a callin' under the altar! and a callin' on the Lord for vengeance on sich!--and by and by the Lord he'll hear 'em--so he will!"" 活该!"克鲁伊大婶冷酷地说,"我告诉你们,他已经伤害了太多太多人的心,"她停了下来,高举起一把叉子,"就好像乔治少爷为我们读的《启示录》中的句子,在圣坛下,灵魂们在喊叫着,他们在恳求上帝替他们报仇。总有一天,上帝会听到他们的呼喊,他一定会听到的。" Aunt Chloe, who was much revered in the kitchen, was listened to with open mouth; and, the dinner being now fairly sent in, the whole kitchen was at leisure to gossip with her, and to listen to her remarks. 克鲁伊大婶在厨房中倍受大家的尊敬,她说话时,人们总是张着嘴仔细听着。中饭已经差不多都送进来了,厨房里的仆人们仍在悠然自得地听着她的长篇大论。 "Sich'll be burnt up forever, and no mistake; won't ther?" said Andy." 这种人将被火烧死,肯定没错,是吗?"艾迪说。 "I'd be glad to see it, I'll be boun'," said little Jake." 如果能亲眼看到他被烧死才过瘾呢,我一定要看。"杰克说。 
孩子们!"一个声音说,这让他们都大吃一惊,那是汤姆叔叔,他早就进来了,只不过一直站在门口听着他们的谈话。 "Chil'en!" he said, "I'm afeard you don't know what ye're sayin'. Forever is a _dre'ful_ word, chil'en; it's awful to think on 't. You oughtenter wish that ar to any human crittur."" 孩子们!"他说,"我看就连你们也不知道自己在说什么。'永远'是个可怕的词,孩子们,即使想一想它也是罪恶的,你们不要那样说一个人。" "We wouldn't to anybody but the soul-drivers," said Andy; "nobody can help wishing it to them, they 's so awful wicked."" 我们没指别人,只是针对那些奴隶贩子,"艾迪说,"每个人都禁不住要诅咒他们,因为他们是如此的可恶狠毒。" "Don't natur herself kinder cry out on 'em?" said Aunt Chloe. "Don't dey tear der suckin' baby right off his mother's breast, and sell him, and der little children as is crying and holding on by her clothes,--don't dey pull 'em off and sells 'em? Don't dey tear wife and husband apart?" said Aunt Chloe, beginning to cry, "when it's jest takin' the very life on 'em?--and all the while does they feel one bit, don't dey drink and smoke, and take it oncommon easy? Lor, if the devil don't get them, what's he good for?" And Aunt Chloe covered her face with her checked apron, and began to sob in good earnest." 难道老天会宽恕他们吗?"克鲁伊大婶说,"难道不是他们从母亲的怀中夺走吃奶的孩子并卖掉的吗?尽管孩子们在哭个不停并死抓住母亲的衣角;难道不是他们把孩子们强行夺走并卖掉的吗?难道不是他们棒打鸳鸯,把好好的一对夫妻活活拆散分开的吗?"克鲁伊大婶说着说着,禁不住哭泣起来,"做这些事情时,难道他们就不感到内疚吗?你看他们还不是吃喝玩乐,过着神仙般快乐的生活吗?如果恶魔不去把他们抓来并惩罚他们,那还要魔鬼干什么?"说罢,克鲁伊大婶以围裙盖住脸,禁不住大声哭泣起来。 "Pray for them that 'spitefully use you, the good book says," says Tom." 圣书说,要为粗暴地对待你的人祈祷。"汤姆说。 
为他们祈祷!"克鲁伊大婶说,"上帝,这真是太残酷了,我不会为他们祈祷的。" "It's natur, Chloe, and natur 's strong," said Tom, "but the Lord's grace is stronger; besides, you oughter think what an awful state a poor crittur's soul 's in that'll do them ar things,--you oughter thank God that you an't _like_ him, Chloe. I'm sure I'd rather be sold, ten thousand times over, than to have all that ar poor crittur's got to answer for."" 这是人之本性,克鲁伊,人的本性很强烈,"汤姆说,"但上帝的恩典更加强大。你应该这样来看这件事,那些干这种事的人的灵魂是处在多么可怕的境地啊,他们太可怜了。你应感谢上帝,你不像他们,克鲁伊。我确信我宁愿被卖掉一万次,也不愿那个可怜的人对所有这些负责。" "So 'd I, a heap," said Jake. "Lor, _shouldn't_ we cotch it, Andy?"" 我也是这样认为,"杰克说,"上帝,我们会看到他的下场,对吗?艾迪。" Andy shrugged his shoulders, and gave an acquiescent whistle. 艾迪耸耸肩,吹了一声口哨表示赞同。
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