目 录 上一节 下一节 
你能保护这个可怜的女人和孩子,并不让他们被追捕逃跑奴隶的人抓走吗?"议员简单爽快地问道。 "I rather think I am," said honest John, with some considerable emphasis." 我想我能做到。"诚实的约翰特别加重了语气回答说。 "I thought so,"' said the senator." 我也是这样想的。"议员说。 "If there's anybody comes," said the good man, stretching his tall, muscular form upward, "why here I'm ready for him: and I've got seven sons, each six foot high, and they'll be ready for 'em. Give our respects to 'em," said John; "tell 'em it's no matter how soon they call,--make no kinder difference to us," said John, running his fingers through the shock of hair that thatched his head, and bursting out into a great laugh." 如果哪个人胆敢来这儿,"说这话时,这位好心人挺起了胸膛,显得身材高大魁梧,肌肉也很发达,"那我就在这儿恭候他,我有七个身高六英尺的儿子,他们可以对付那些人,先代我们向他们'致敬'吧。"约翰接着说,"并告诉他们不管他们行动多么迅速,对我们都没多大关系。"边说着话,约翰边笑着用手理顺着头上那蓬乱的头发。 Weary, jaded, and spiritless, Eliza dragged herself up to the door, with her child lying in a heavy sleep on her arm. The rough man held the candle to her face, and uttering a kind of compassionate grunt, opened the door of a small bed-room adjoining to the large kitchen where they were standing, and motioned her to go in. He took down a candle, and lighting it, set it upon the table, and then addressed himself to Eliza."Now, I say, gal, you needn't be a bit afeard, let who will come here. I'm up to all that sort o' thing," said he, pointing to two or three goodly rifles over the mantel-piece; "and most people that know me know that 't wouldn't be healthy to try to get anybody out o' my house when I'm agin it. So _now_ you jist go to sleep now, as quiet as if yer mother was a rockin' ye," said he, as he shut the door. 艾莉查走到门口,步伐显得很疲惫。她面色憔悴,没有神采,孩子躺在她的怀中熟睡着。这位约翰老兄把蜡烛举到她的脸旁边,同情地哼了一声,他打开厨房隔壁一间卧室的门,领着她走了进去。他把蜡烛放在了桌子上,向艾莉查说:"哎,姑娘,你不用害怕。就让他们来吧,我会来对付一切的。"壁炉上方挂着两三枝漂亮的枪,他指着它们说:"认识我的人们都知道,没有经过我的同意,谁若想从我的屋子里把人带走,那他肯定是活得不耐烦了。所以,现在你只管放心地休息吧,就如同你的母亲摇你入睡似的。"说完,他带上门走了出来。 
嗨,这个姑娘真是太漂亮了,"他对议员说:"哎,有时,只有漂亮的姑娘才是最有资格逃跑的,只要她们还有感情,只要她们还有正派女人应有的各种感情。对此,我最清楚不过了。" The senator, in a few words, briefly explained Eliza's history. 议员向他简要介绍了艾莉查的来历。 "O! ou! aw! now, I want to know?" said the good man, pitifully; "sho! now sho! That's natur now, poor crittur! hunted down now like a deer,--hunted down, jest for havin' natural feelin's, and doin' what no kind o' mother could help a doin'! I tell ye what, these yer things make me come the nighest to swearin', now, o' most anything," said honest John, as he wiped his eyes with the back of a great, freckled, yellow hand. "I tell yer what, stranger, it was years and years before I'd jine the church, 'cause the ministers round in our parts used to preach that the Bible went in for these ere cuttings up,--and I couldn't be up to 'em with their Greek and Hebrew, and so I took up agin 'em, Bible and all. I never jined the church till I found a minister that was up to 'em all in Greek and all that, and he said right the contrary; and then I took right hold, and jined the church,--I did now, fact," said John, who had been all this time uncorking some very frisky bottled cider, which at this juncture he presented." 哦,哦……哦!我知道是怎么回事,"这位好心人怜悯地说:"这是自然的了,嗯,自然的了!自然是那样,可怜的人儿!就像小鹿一样被人紧紧追赶着,只因为她心中有这种自然而然的感情,只是因为她做了每个母亲都不忍去做的事情!告诉你吧,听你说了这一件一件的事,无一不使我想骂人。"诚实的约翰说,同时用他那发黄的满是斑点的手背抹了一下眼睛。"陌生人,告诉你,我花费了好多年的时间才进教堂,因为我们这里的传教士在布道的时候说,《圣经》是赞成这种拆散亲人的行为的。他们会说希腊文和希伯来文,我争辩不过他们,我反对他们和《圣经》。后来我遇到了一个传教士,他可以用希腊语也可以用其它一些语言和他们辩论,他说的观点和那些传教士正好相反。从那时起我开始信教了,直到现在。"说着,约翰用手打开一瓶泡沫丰富的苹果酒。此时,他把酒递给了议员。 "Ye'd better jest put up here, now, till daylight," said he, heartily, "and I'll call up the old woman, and have a bed got ready for you in no time."" 你们最好等天亮后再从这儿走,"他诚挚地说,"我去叫醒我老婆,很快就能为你准备好一张床的。" "Thank you, my good friend," said the senator, "I must be along, to take the night stage for Columbus."" 多谢你,朋友,"议员说,"我必须得走,我要去赶那趟开往哥伦布的夜班车。" 
噢,看来你非得走不可,我送你一程吧,我告诉你一条小路,比你们来时走的路好走一些。你走的那条路情况太差了。" John equipped himself, and, with a lantern in hand, was soon seen guiding the senator's carriage towards a road that ran down in a hollow, back of his dwelling. When they parted, the senator put into his hand a ten-dollar bill. 约翰收拾停当后提着盏灯笼,领着议员的马车来到沿他家屋后山谷向下的一条小路。临分手前,议员塞给他一张十美元的钱票。 "It's for her," he said, briefly." 这个给她。"他简单地说。 "Ay, ay," said John, with equal conciseness." 好的。"同样简单地,约翰回答道。 They shook hands, and parted. 他们握了手后,便各自离开分手了。 
二月的一个早晨,牛毛细雨在空中飘飞。从汤姆叔叔的小屋的窗户向外看去,天是灰蒙蒙的一片。老天爷也在低着头观察着地上的人们:他们脸色阴沉,内心非常痛苦。小屋的火炉前面摆着一张小桌子,上面盖着一块平整的桌布,几件质地低劣但很干净的衬衣刚刚熨烫好,现在就挂在炉边的椅子背上。桌子上还有件已经铺好的衬衣等着克鲁伊大婶来熨烫。她仔细熨了一遍衬衣,甚至没有放过任何一个褶痕和折边。那汹涌而出顺着面颊流下的泪水,使得她不得不时时抬手去擦拭。 Tom sat by, with his Testament open on his knee, and his head leaning upon his hand;--but neither spoke. It was yet early, and the children lay all asleep together in their little rude trundle-bed. 汤姆就坐在旁边,他的膝头放着一本打开了的《新约》,他把头靠在自己的一只手上。屋里的两个人都没有说话。天气还很早,孩子们依然挤在那张做工粗劣的木轮床上熟睡。 Tom, who had, to the full, the gentle, domestic heart, which woe for them! has been a peculiar characteristic of his unhappy race, got up and walked silently to look at his children. 汤姆具有不幸的黑种人的通病,那就是生来善良、和善、恋家,而这也正是他们的可悲之处。这种不幸与可悲在汤姆身上表现更为突出。他站起身来走到孩子们的面前,默默地注视着他们。 "It's the last time," he said." 这将是最后的机会了。"汤姆说道。 Aunt Chloe did not answer, only rubbed away over and over on the coarse shirt, already as smooth as hands could make it; and finally setting her iron suddenly down with a despairing plunge, she sat down to the table, and "lifted up her voice and wept." 克鲁伊大婶没有说什么,她只是将那件粗布衬衣翻来覆去地熨烫着,从手工熨烫的角度来看,这件衣服已经熨烫得足够平整了。最后,她猛然把熨斗放在地下,坐在桌子旁边绝望地大哭起来。 
看起来我们得听天由命了。但是,上帝,我怎么可以做到这一点呢?如果我知道你在哪儿,如果我知道别人待你怎么样,那情况还算不错,太太告诉我说,一两年后,她要设法把你赎回来。但是,上帝,没有一个送到南方去的人活着回来,他们全都被折磨死了。我听别人讲过他们在那里的庄园受苦受累的情况。" "There'll be the same God there, Chloe, that there is here."" 克鲁伊,那儿和这儿的上帝是一样的,情况也差不了多少。" "Well," said Aunt Chloe, "s'pose dere will; but de Lord lets drefful things happen, sometimes. I don't seem to get no comfort dat way."" 嗯,"克鲁伊大婶说,"姑且认为是这样吧,但是有些时候上帝也会任那些可怕的事情发生的,你让我怎么放心呢!" "I'm in the Lord's hands," said Tom; "nothin' can go no furder than he lets it;--and thar's _one_ thing I can thank him for. It's _me_ that's sold and going down, and not you nur the chil'en. Here you're safe;--what comes will come only on me; and the Lord, he'll help me,--I know he will."" 我是在上帝的手心中,"汤姆说,"上帝不会允许人们做过分的事情的。我要感谢他一件事情,那就是:是我而不是你和孩子们被卖掉并被送到了南方。在这里你们不会有事儿的,再大的灾难也只能降临到我的身上,但我知道上帝一定会帮助我渡过灾难的。" Ah, brave, manly heart,--smothering thine own sorrow, to comfort thy beloved ones! Tom spoke with a thick utterance, and with a bitter choking in his throat,--but he spoke brave and strong. 这是一颗多么勇敢和富于男子汉气质的心灵啊!汤姆说话的时候声音有些嘶哑,他努力安慰着自己的亲人,克制着自己内心的悲伤,虽然痛苦使他难以出声,但他的语气中却充满了勇敢与坚毅。 
让我们回想一下自己所受过的恩惠吧!"汤姆补充说,声音有些颤抖,那神情就好似他理应好好想一下这些恩惠似的。
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