名著·汤姆叔叔的小屋 - 第52节


目 录 上一节 下一节

  汤姆坐在下层甲板上,将双臂交叉在胸前,不时用焦急的目光回头观望轮船另一头的人群。

   There stood the fair Evangeline, a little paler than the day before, but otherwise exhibiting no traces of the accident which had befallen her. A graceful, elegantly-formed young man stood by her, carelessly leaning one elbow on a bale of cotton. while a large pocket-book lay open before him. It was quite evident, at a glance, that the gentleman was Eva's father. There was the same noble cast of head, the same large blue eyes, the same golden-brown hair; yet the expression was wholly different. In the large, clear blue eyes, though in form and color exactly similar, there was wanting that misty, dreamy depth of expression; all was clear, bold, and bright, but with a light wholly of this world: the beautifully cut mouth had a proud and somewhat sarcastic expression, while an air of free-and-easy superiority sat not ungracefully in every turn and movement of his fine form. He was listening, with a good-humored, negligent air, half comic, half contemptuous, to Haley, who was very volubly expatiating on the quality of the article for which they were bargaining.

  伊万杰琳正站在那里。如果不是脸色比前一天显得更加苍白一些,根本看不出她曾经历过那么一场意外事故。在她的身边站着一个体态优雅、举止大方的年轻人,一只胳膊肘倚在棉花包上,旁边摊开着一本袖珍书籍。他就是伊娃的父亲。他们长着一样端庄的脸型,有着同样的蓝色大眼睛和金棕色头发,可他们脸上的神情却截然不同。虽然他那双眼睛的形状和颜色和伊娃酷似,并且也非常纯净、明亮,但却闪烁出世俗的光芒,不像伊娃的眼睛那么深邃,那么朦胧而富有梦幻色彩。他的嘴唇曲线十分完美,流露出傲慢、讥讽的神色。他站在那里,俨然一副潇洒的高贵派头,举手投足间透着优雅大方。他态度和蔼,带着一股洒脱的神情,半是调侃,半是轻蔑地听着赫利在那儿讨价还价。

   "All the moral and Christian virtues bound in black Morocco, complete!" he said, when Haley had finished. "Well, now, my good fellow, what's the damage, as they say in Kentucky; in short, what's to be paid out for this business? How much are you going to cheat me, now? Out with it!""

  那么各种道德标准和基督徒的美德在他身上是样样俱全啰?!"等赫利把话打住后,圣克莱尔跟着说道:"那好吧,朋友,照肯塔基那儿的价钱,你准备开价多少?明白说,你打算从我这儿蒙多少钱去?痛快点儿吧。"

   "Wal," said Haley, "if I should say thirteen hundred dollars for that ar fellow, I shouldn't but just save myself; I shouldn't, now, re'ly."

  赫利说:"唔,干脆点儿,一千三百块钱,这也才刚刚够本,老实说,刚刚够本。"

   "Poor fellow!" said the young man, fixing his keen, mocking blue eye on him; "but I suppose you'd let me have him for that, out of a particular regard for me.""

  真可怜!"年轻人说,两只嘲讽的眼睛死死地盯着赫利,"不过我猜你一定会给我点优惠,就按这个价卖给我,是吧?"

  这个嘛,你看这位年轻的小姐似乎特别喜欢他,这当然不足为奇。"

   "O! certainly, there's a call on your benevolence, my friend. Now, as a matter of Christian charity, how cheap could you afford to let him go, to oblige a young lady that's particular sot on him?""

  哦,那你就更应该发发善心了。朋友,出于基督徒的慈悲胸怀,为了成全这位特别喜欢他的年轻小姐,你最少要多少钱才肯卖他呢?"

   "Wal, now, just think on 't," said the trader; "just look at them limbs,--broad-chested, strong as a horse. Look at his head; them high forrads allays shows calculatin niggers, that'll do any kind o' thing. I've, marked that ar. Now, a nigger of that ar heft and build is worth considerable, just as you may say, for his body, supposin he's stupid; but come to put in his calculatin faculties, and them which I can show he has oncommon, why, of course, it makes him come higher. Why, that ar fellow managed his master's whole farm. He has a strornary talent for business."

  黑奴贩子说道:"你自己看嘛。你看他的手脚,还有胸脯,壮得像头牛似的。你再看他的脑袋,这么高的额头一定很精明强干,我早就注意这点了。单就他的体魄而言,他长得这么结实,就算是个傻瓜,也能卖好多钱呢,更何况他这么聪明能干。我敢保证,价钱肯定会更高。你能想到吗?他主人的庄园都是他在操持着,你不知道他办事有多能干。"

   "Bad, bad, very bad; knows altogether too much!" said the young man, with the same mocking smile playing about his mouth. "Never will do, in the world. Your smart fellows are always running off, stealing horses, and raising the devil generally. I think you'll have to take off a couple of hundred for his smartness.""

  糟糕,太糟糕啦。他知道得也太多了!"年轻人说着,嘴角挂着一丝嘲弄,"这怎么行,聪明的家伙容易跑掉或者偷马,总之爱捣乱,就冲着他那股聪明劲儿,你也得减去一二百块钱。"

   "Wal, there might be something in that ar, if it warnt for his character; but I can show recommends from his master and others, to prove he is one of your real pious,--the most humble, prayin, pious crittur ye ever did see. Why, he's been called a preacher in them parts he came from.""

  如果不是他的人品好,你说的也许有点道理。可我能拿出他的主人和别人的推荐信来证明他是个十足虔诚的黑奴。他可能是你找到的最忠实、最恭敬、最爱祷告的奴隶了。他们那儿都叫他牧师呢。"

  年轻人冷冷地说:"我也许会请他当家庭牧师。我家最缺的就是宗教。"

   "You're joking, now.""

  你开什么玩笑。"

   "How do you know I am? Didn't you just warrant him for a preacher? Has he been examined by any synod or council? Come, hand over your papers.""

  你为什么觉得我在开玩笑?你刚才不是担保他是个牧师吗?他是经过教会哪次代表会议、哪个委员会审查通过的?你拿出证明来吧。"

   If the trader had not been sure, by a certain good-humored twinkle in the large eye, that all this banter was sure, in the long run, to turn out a cash concern, he might have been somewhat out of patience; as it was, he laid down a greasy pocket-book on the cotton-bales, and began anxiously studying over certain papers in it, the young man standing by, the while, looking down on him with an air of careless, easy drollery.

  圣克莱尔的眼睛里充满了戏弄的意思,赫利也早就看出来了,若不是他知道这场玩笑能做成一笔交易的话,他肯定早就不耐烦了。他把一只沾满油渍的钱包放在棉花堆上,焦急地在那里面寻找着证明。年轻人站在一边,低头看着他,脸上带着轻松、调侃的神色。

   "Papa, do buy him! it's no matter what you pay," whispered Eva, softly, getting up on a package, and putting her arm around her father's neck. "You have money enough, I know. I want him.""

  爸爸,把汤姆大叔买下来吧!别管付多少钱。"伊娃爬上货包,用手搂住父亲的脖子,悄悄地说,"我知道你有很多钱。我就是要他。"

  宝贝,你要他干什么呢?你是要把他当作铃铛,木马,还是别的什么东西?"

   "I want to make him happy.""

  我想让他快乐。"

   "An original reason, certainly.""

  这个理由倒是非常特别。"

   Here the trader handed up a certificate, signed by Mr. Shelby, which the young man took with the tips of his long fingers, and glanced over carelessly.

  这会儿,赫利把希尔比先生亲笔签名的推荐信递给圣克莱尔。年轻人用他那修长的手指尖接了过去,满不在乎地瞟了一眼。

   "A gentlemanly hand," he said, "and well spelt, too. Well, now, but I'm not sure, after all, about this religion," said he, the old wicked expression returning to his eye; "the country is almost ruined with pious white people; such pious politicians as we have just before elections,--such pious goings on in all departments of church and state, that a fellow does not know who'll cheat him next. I don't know, either, about religion's being up in the market, just now. I have not looked in the papers lately, to see how it sells. How many hundred dollars, now, do you put on for this religion?""

  写得蛮神气的吗,拼写也不错。不过,关于宗教问题,我还是不大明白,"年轻人的眼睛里又一次出现了刚才那种捉弄人的神气,"那些虔诚的白种人已经把我们的国家糟践得一塌糊涂,竞选以前政治家们个个都虔诚得要命,还有政府机关和教会也是如此,搞得人们简直不知道以后还会上什么人的当。我不知道原来宗教也可以买卖。我这几天没看报纸,也不知道宗教的行情怎么样。请问一下,你在宗教这个项目上要了几百块钱?"

  赫利说:"你真有趣儿。不过,你说的也有道理。我知道信教的人并不全是一样,有的人可实在不怎么样,只是做礼拜的时候表现得挺虔诚,这种人不能算真正的基督徒,不论他是白人还是黑人,可汤姆不是这样。我见过不少老实、可靠、虔诚的黑人,你就别想让他们干任何他们觉得不对的事。从这封信中你就能看出汤姆的主人是怎么评价他的。"

   "Now," said the young man, stooping gravely over his book of bills, "if you can assure me that I really can buy _this_ kind of pious, and that it will be set down to my account in the book up above, as something belonging to me, I wouldn't care if I did go a little extra for it. How d'ye say?""

  够啦,"年轻人说着,表情严肃地弯下腰去拿他的钱包,"如果你能保证花钱能买到虔诚的品德,并且让上帝把它记在我的帐上,那我花多少钱都乐意,这总可以了吧。"

   "Wal, raily, I can't do that," said the trader. "I'm a thinkin that every man'll have to hang on his own hook, in them ar quarters.""

  说实话,我可不敢担保这个。在我看来,到了天上,每个人都得承担自己的命运。"

   "Rather hard on a fellow that pays extra on religion, and can't trade with it in the state where he wants it most, an't it, now?" said the young man, who had been making out a roll of bills while he was speaking. "There, count your money, old boy!" he added, as he handed the roll to the trader."

  我在宗教上花了这么多钱,可在最急需它的时候,却不能拿它抵帐,我可真不划算!"年轻人说着,数了一叠钞票递给赫利,"你点点数吧!"

   "All right," said Haley, his face beaming with delight; and pulling out an old inkhorn, he proceeded to fill out a bill of sale, which, in a few moments, he handed to the young man."

  好的。"赫利笑着说道。他掏出一只旧墨水盒,开始写收据,不一会儿,他把收据交给了年轻人。

  年轻人看了看收据,说:"如果把我各个部分分开来列张清单,不知道能卖多少钱?他的头值多少,高额头、手脚值多少,还有教育、学问、才干、诚实,各自值多少。我怕最后这项值不了什么钱。伊娃,过来!"年轻人召唤着女儿。他拉起伊娃的手,穿过甲板从这头走到那头,风趣地托起汤姆的下巴,说道:"汤姆,抬起头,看看喜不喜欢你的新主人。"

目 录 上一节 下一节

八哥英语:课本 电影 阅读

扫扫二维码

手机学英语


名著·汤姆叔叔的小屋 - 第52节