目 录 上一节 下一节 
我一直是三思而后行的，我一直忍耐着，但现在看来情况越来越糟。我的身体已经快难以承受了。他不会放过任何一个侮辱、折磨我的机会。我只想在干好活的同时读书，静下来学点东西，但他加在我身上的重担会随我的能力的增加而加重。他说我被鬼魂附体了，他要把它抓出来。除非我讲错了，否则他不喜欢的事情迟早会发生。" "O dear! what shall we do?" said Eliza, mournfully." 那我们该怎么办呢？亲爱的。"艾莉查悲伤地问。 "It was only yesterday," said George, "as I was busy loading stones into a cart, that young Mas'r Tom stood there, slashing his whip so near the horse that the creature was frightened. I asked him to stop, as pleasant as I could,--he just kept right on. I begged him again, and then he turned on me, and began striking me. I held his hand, and then he screamed and kicked and ran to his father, and told him that I was fighting him. He came in a rage, and said he'd teach me who was my master; and he tied me to a tree, and cut switches for young master, and told him that he might whip me till he was tired;--and he did do it! If I don't make him remember it, some time!" and the brow of the young man grew dark, and his eyes burned with an expression that made his young wife tremble. "Who made this man my master? That's what I want to know!" he said." 昨天，当我往车上装石头时，站在车旁边的小主人用鞭子使劲地抽打着，这使得那匹马受到了惊吓。我温和地劝他不要抽了，但他却不听我的话。我再次求他，他却转回身用鞭子抽打我。我抓住了他的手，他就大声喊叫起来，先是用脚踢我，然后就跑去告诉他父亲我打了他。主人听了非常生气，声称要教训我一顿，让我明白他是主人。他把我绑在树上，用柳条狠劲抽了我几下，而他的儿子也按照父亲的吩咐使劲抽打我，直到他感到累了时为止。我一定要出这口气的，否则我誓不为人。"他脸色非常阴沉，两眼中那愤怒的火焰着实吓了他的妻子一跳。"我只想搞明白是谁赋予他做主人的权利的。" "Well," said Eliza, mournfully, "I always thought that I must obey my master and mistress, or I couldn't be a Christian."" 我想我要服从我的主人的安排，"艾莉查惨然说道，"否则，我就不能算是真正的基督徒。" "There is some sense in it, in your case; they have brought you up like a child, fed you, clothed you, indulged you, and taught you, so that you have a good education; that is some reason why they should claim you. But I have been kicked and cuffed and sworn at, and at the best only let alone; and what do I owe? I've paid for all my keeping a hundred times over. I _won't_ bear it. No, I _won't_!" he said, clenching his hand with a fierce frown." 这话对你来说当然有一定的道理。他们给你吃的穿的，就像对待自己的孩子一样，他们疼爱你，给了你良好的教育，他们认为你是他们家庭的一部分。但我的主人呢？他常对我拳脚相加；让我呆在一边不理睬我，这已是我能得到的最好的待遇了。他们收留了我，但我也为此付出了超过百倍的代价。难道我还欠他们什么吗？我现在已经是不能再忍耐下去了。是的，不能再忍受了。"乔治握紧双拳，瞪着眼睛说道。 
艾莉查没有说话，全身颤抖，她从未见丈夫这样愤怒。面对丈夫的愤怒，她的伦理观念顿时显得那样的苍白无力。 "You know poor little Carlo, that you gave me," added George; "the creature has been about all the comfort that I've had. He has slept with me nights, and followed me around days, and kind o' looked at me as if he understood how I felt. Well, the other day I was just feeding him with a few old scraps I picked up by the kitchen door, and Mas'r came along, and said I was feeding him up at his expense, and that he couldn't afford to have every nigger keeping his dog, and ordered me to tie a stone to his neck and throw him in the pond."" 你还记得卡洛吗？就是你送给我的那只小狗。"乔治接着说，"晚上，它和我一起睡，白天跟在我的后面跑，它是我唯一的安慰，它看着我时的眼神，就像它懂得我内心的痛苦与欢乐似的。有一天，主人碰见我拿门旁的剩饭喂卡洛，他就责怪我用他的东西喂狗，并说如果每个黑奴都养狗，他就会破产的，于是他逼我在卡洛的脖子上挂上石头扔到水塘中去。" "O, George, you didn't do it!"" 乔治，你扔了吗？" "Do it? not I!--but he did. Mas'r and Tom pelted the poor drowning creature with stones. Poor thing! he looked at me so mournful, as if he wondered why I didn't save him. I had to take a flogging because I wouldn't do it myself. I don't care. Mas'r will find out that I'm one that whipping won't tame. My day will come yet, if he don't look out."" 我没有那样做，但主人把它扔进去了。而且他还伙同汤姆向濒死的小狗扔石头。卡洛，它是那样的可怜，它的眼中满是悲伤的神色，好像奇怪于我为什么不帮助它。为此，我还被主人抽了一顿鞭子，但我不在乎。我迟早会让主人明白鞭子是驯服不了我的。迟早有一天，我会让他为此付出代价的，他就等着瞧吧。" "What are you going to do? O, George, don't do anything wicked; if you only trust in God, and try to do right, he'll deliver you."" 啊，乔治，那你打算做什么呢？千万别做坏事啊。只要我们对上帝虔诚，多做善事，上帝会帮助我们的。" 
艾莉查，我和你是两种人，我不信仰上帝，因为我心中充满了痛苦，上帝为什么要把事情搞成这样呢？" "O, George, we must have faith. Mistress says that when all things go wrong to us, we must believe that God is doing the very best."" 乔治，我们一定要相信上帝。太太常说，当我们无路可走时，上帝也正在想办法解救我们。" "That's easy to say for people that are sitting on their sofas and riding in their carriages; but let 'em be where I am, I guess it would come some harder. I wish I could be good; but my heart burns, and can't be reconciled, anyhow. You couldn't in my place,--you can't now, if I tell you all I've got to say. You don't know the whole yet."" 这些话让那些乘车、坐沙发的人说当然很容易，但如果他们处于我的地位，我想他们也不会想得那么简单了。我也向往做些善事，但我胸中的怒火现在难以平息。如果你是我，你也会受不了的，你不了解事情的真相，如果我告诉你我所受的罪，你会受不了的。" "What can be coming now?"" 还有其它事情吗？" "Well, lately Mas'r has been saying that he was a fool to let me marry off the place; that he hates Mr. Shelby and all his tribe, because they are proud, and hold their heads up above him, and that I've got proud notions from you; and he says he won't let me come here any more, and that I shall take a wife and settle down on his place. At first he only scolded and grumbled these things; but yesterday he told me that I should take Mina for a wife, and settle down in a cabin with her, or he would sell me down river."" 噢，最近主人一直说自己很傻，因为他让我在那么远的地方娶妻生子。他还说希尔比先生和他的家族非常傲慢，在他面前趾高气扬，他恨死他们了，而我现在也变得傲慢了。他还说要禁止我再来找你，让我在他的庄园娶妻生子。以前他还只是说说，但昨天他却明白地告诉我，我必须娶密娜，跟她一起生活，否则就要卖我到河那边去。" 
我们不是结婚了吗？我们不是也像白人一样由牧师证婚了吗？"艾莉查天真地问道。 "Don't you know a slave can't be married? There is no law in this country for that; I can't hold you for my wife, if he chooses to part us. That's why I wish I'd never seen you,--why I wish I'd never been born; it would have been better for us both,--it would have been better for this poor child if he had never been born. All this may happen to him yet!"" 难道你不知道奴隶是不允许结婚的吗？这个国家的法律不允许奴隶结婚，如果他们决心分开我们，我是没办法留下你的。所以我才会说如果我没有出生，没有遇到你就好了，如果可怜的哈里没有出世，那该多好啊，那样的话这一切不幸就不会降临到他头上了。" "O, but master is so kind!"" 我的主人可是心肠很好的。" "Yes, but who knows?--he may die--and then he may be sold to nobody knows who. What pleasure is it that he is handsome, and smart, and bright? I tell you, Eliza, that a sword will pierce through your soul for every good and pleasant thing your child is or has; it will make him worth too much for you to keep."" 但谁能料到以后会发生什么事呢？主人会死的，那时我们的哈里可能会被卖给别人，谁知道买他的是什么人呢！他是那样聪明漂亮，但这有什么值得自豪的呢？艾莉查，孩子越是机灵得讨人喜欢，那你的痛苦就会越深，你会因为他太值钱而失去他的。" The words smote heavily on Eliza's heart; the vision of the trader came before her eyes, and, as if some one had struck her a deadly blow, she turned pale and gasped for breath. She looked nervously out on the verandah, where the boy, tired of the grave conversation, had retired, and where he was riding triumphantly up and down on Mr. Shelby's walking-stick. She would have spoken to tell her husband her fears, but checked herself. 丈夫的话沉重地打在她的心头，那个奴隶贩子的身影好像又来到了她的面前。她面色苍白，呼吸变得急促起来，好像受到了一记猛击似的，神色非常紧张，并不时朝门廊外看去。孩子正骑着希尔比先生的手杖愉快地玩着，后来因为不想听父母谈论没有吸引力的话题而到别处去玩了。艾莉查本想告诉丈夫自己心中所担心的事，但最后还是忍住了。 
不能再让他担心了，可怜的他已经承担了太多的重担，"她想，"再说那不一定会真的发生，我相信女主人是不会欺骗我的。" "So, Eliza, my girl," said the husband, mournfully, "bear up, now; and good-by, for I'm going."" 亲爱的艾莉查，就这样吧，你一定要坚持，我走了，再见。"丈夫的声音是那样的凄惨。 "Going, George! Going where?"" 乔治，你要走到哪儿去？" "To Canada," said he, straightening himself up; and when I'm there, I'll buy you; that's all the hope that's left us. You have a kind master, that won't refuse to sell you. I'll buy you and the boy;--God helping me, I will!"" 加拿大，"他回答道，接着他又挺直身子说，"在那边，我会想法赎回你们的。这是我们所拥有的唯一希望。你的主人心肠好，我想他会允许我把你和孩子都买走的。我会做到的，愿上帝保佑。" "O, dreadful! if you should be taken?"" 你如果被抓住怎么办？那太可怕了。" 
不会发生这种事的，艾莉查。如果得不到自由，我宁可死，也不会让他们把我抓回去的。" "You won't kill yourself!"" 你可不要做傻事啊！"
| 