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所以，你肯定很清楚自己将要接管一个怎样的家庭，它真是个烂摊子。下人们各行其是，为所欲为，虽然我身体不好，可只能不顾自己的健康来维持家里的秩序。我那条皮鞭有时还真能派上用场，只是用起来很费劲，有些吃不消。假如圣克莱尔愿意像别人那样做的话--" "And how's that?"" 怎样做呢？" "Why, send them to the calaboose, or some of the other places to be flogged. That's the only way. If I wasn't such a poor, feeble piece, I believe I should manage with twice the energy that St. Clare does."" 就是把这些不听话的奴隶送到监狱这样的地方去受鞭刑呀！这是治他们唯一有效的办法。我的身体如果不是这么差，我肯定比圣克莱尔管得好多了。" "And how does St. Clare contrive to manage?" said Miss Ophelia. "You say he never strikes a blow."" 那圣克莱尔是怎么管理的呢？你不是说圣克莱尔从不动手打人吗？" "Well, men have a more commanding way, you know; it is easier for them; besides, if you ever looked full in his eye, it's peculiar,--that eye,--and if he speaks decidedly, there's a kind of flash. I'm afraid of it, myself; and the servants know they must mind. I couldn't do as much by a regular storm and scolding as St. Clare can by one turn of his eye, if once he is in earnest. O, there's no trouble about St. Clare; that's the reason he's no more feeling for me. But you'll find, when you come to manage, that there's no getting along without severity,--they are so bad, so deceitful, so lazy"." 男人总是比女人威严得多，你知道，对他们来说做到这点并不困难。而且，当你直盯盯地看着圣克莱尔的眼睛时，真是令人奇怪，那眼睛会闪烁着一种光芒，尤其当他拿定主意的时候。连我都害怕他这点，那些下人们就更得留神当心了。而我呢，就算是大发雷霆也不如圣克莱尔转转眼珠子灵验。正因为圣克莱尔管起事来不如我那么费神，他就更不可能体谅我的苦衷了。不过等你管理这个家的时候，你就会知道非得对那些下人们严加管教不可--他们实在是太坏、太狡猾、太懒惰了。" 
又是老生常谈，"圣克莱尔踱着方步走了进来。"这些坏蛋将来可真有一笔好账要算呢，尤其是懒惰这条罪行！你见过了吗，堂姐？"他说着便四肢伸开，直挺挺地在玛丽对面的一张沙发上躺了下来，"他们仿效我和玛丽，变得简直不可饶恕，--我是说懒惰这个毛病。" "Come, now, St. Clare, you are too bad!" said Marie." 圣克莱尔，得了，你也太过分了！"玛丽气呼呼地说。 "Am I, now? Why, I thought I was talking good, quite remarkably for me. I try to enforce your remarks, Marie, always."" 我过分了吗？可我认为自己是非常严肃认真的呀，这对我来说真是非常难得。玛丽，我对你的观点从来都是支持的。" "You know you meant no such thing, St. Clare," said Marie." 算了吧，你根本就不是这个意思，圣克莱尔。" "O, I must have been mistaken, then. Thank you, my dear, for setting me right."" 那好，是我错了。亲爱的，谢谢你帮我改正错误。" 
你就是想故意气我。" "O, come, Marie, the day is growing warm, and I have just had a long quarrel with Dolph, which has fatigued me excessively; so, pray be agreeable, now, and let a fellow repose in the light of your smile."" 行了，玛丽，天越来越热了，我刚才又和阿道夫说了半天，累得我要命，拜托你开心一点，好不好？让我在你微笑的面容里休息一下，可以吗？" "What's the matter about Dolph?" said Marie. " 阿道夫又怎么啦？ "That fellow's impudence has been growing to a point that is perfectly intolerable to me. I only wish I had the undisputed management of him a while. I'd bring him down!"" 我简直不能再容忍那个放肆的东西。我希望自己能单独去管教管教他，我一定能治住他。" "What you say, my dear, is marked with your usual acuteness and good sense," said St. Clare. "As to Dolph, the case is this: that he has so long been engaged in imitating my graces and perfections, that he has, at last, really mistaken himself for his master; and I have been obliged to give him a little insight into his mistake."" 亲爱的，你的话显示出你一贯的洞察力。是这样的，阿道夫一向致力于模仿我的优雅风度，以致于他真把自己当成了我，所以我不得不对他犯的错误给出一点小小的提示。" 
你是怎么提示他的？" "Why, I was obliged to let him understand explicitly that I preferred to keep _some_ of my clothes for my own personal wearing; also, I put his magnificence upon an allowance of cologne-water, and actually was so cruel as to restrict him to one dozen of my cambric handkerchiefs. Dolph was particularly huffy about it, and I had to talk to him like a father, to bring him round."" 我不得不让他明白我非常乐意保留几件衣服给我自己，并且，我对他挥霍科隆香水的数量进行了限制，不仅这样，我还只给了他一打亚麻手绢，怎么样，我够狠吧？所以，阿道夫有点不高兴了，我必须得像个慈父一般去开导他。" "O! St. Clare, when will you learn how to treat your servants? It's abominable, the way you indulge them!" said Marie." 哦，圣克莱尔，你什么时候才能明白该怎么样去对待下人呢？你这么纵容他们实在是太可恶了！"玛丽愤愤地说道。 "Why, after all, what's the harm of the poor dog's wanting to be like his master; and if I haven't brought him up any better than to find his chief good in cologne and cambric handkerchiefs, why shouldn't I give them to him?"" 唉，这个可怜的家伙只是想模仿他的主人罢了，这难道有什么坏处吗？既然我没能好好教育他，让他对科隆香水和亚麻手绢产生浓厚兴趣，那我为什么不给他呢？" "And why haven't you brought him up better?" said Miss Ophelia, with blunt determination." 那你为什么不能好好地教育他呢？"奥菲利亚小姐突然不客气地说道。 
那样做太费事了，--这全是惰性在作怪，堂姐--毁在这个毛病上的人你数都数不过来。如果我没有惰性，恐怕早就成为完美的天使了。我非常同意弗蒙特那位博特默老博士的话，懒惰是万恶之源。这可真是值得忧虑呀。" "I think you slaveholders have an awful responsibility upon you," said Miss Ophelia. "I wouldn't have it, for a thousand worlds. You ought to educate your slaves, and treat them like reasonable creatures,--like immortal creatures, that you've got to stand before the bar of God with. That's my mind," said the good lady, breaking suddenly out with a tide of zeal that had been gaining strength in her mind all the morning." 你们这些奴隶主要担负的责任真够可怕的，我认为是这样。我是怎么也不愿去负这种责任的。你们应该教育自己的奴隶，把他们看作有理性的人去对待，把他们当作有永生不灭的灵魂的人去对待。你们最终将和他们同样地站在上帝面前。"这位正直的奥菲利亚小姐激动地说道，上午她心中不断涌起的激情终于爆发了。 "O! come, come," said St. Clare, getting up quickly; "what do you know about us?" And he sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music. St. Clare had a decided genius for music. His touch was brilliant and firm, and his fingers flew over the keys with a rapid and bird-like motion, airy, and yet decided. He played piece after piece, like a man who is trying to play himself into a good humor. After pushing the music aside, he rose up, and said, gayly, "Well, now, cousin, you've given us a good talk and done your duty; on the whole, I think the better of you for it. I make no manner of doubt that you threw a very diamond of truth at me, though you see it hit me so directly in the face that it wasn't exactly appreciated, at first."" 哦，算了吧！"圣克莱尔说着，迅速地站起身来，"关于我们你知道些什么？"他坐到一架钢琴旁，弹起了一首旋律轻快的曲子。在音乐方面，圣克莱尔有着非凡的天才。他的指法坚定有力，无可挑剔，他的手指迅速地掠过琴键，轻松而有力，他弹了一曲又一曲，好像想借此弹出一个好心情。最后，他推开乐谱站了起来，愉快地说道，"好了，堂姐，你给我们上了一课，尽了你的义务，总的来说，你说的是对的。我一点也不怀疑你扔给我的是一颗真理钻石，只不过你恰好把它砸到了我的脸上，所以我一时还接受不了。" "For my part, I don't see any use in such sort of talk," said Marie. "I'm sure, if anybody does more for servants than we do, I'd like to know who; and it don't do 'em a bit good,--not a particle,--they get worse and worse. As to talking to them, or anything like that, I'm sure I have talked till I was tired and hoarse, telling them their duty, and all that; and I'm sure they can go to church when they like, though they don't understand a word of the sermon, more than so many pigs,--so it isn't of any great use for them to go, as I see; but they do go, and so they have every chance; but, as I said before, they are a degraded race, and always will be, and there isn't any help for them; you can't make anything of them, if you try. You see, Cousin Ophelia, I've tried, and you haven't; I was born and bred among them, and I know."" 我可没从这课里得到什么收获，"玛丽说，"我想知道还有哪一家对待下人比我们还要好，可这又有什么用，对他们连半点好处都没有，只能让他们变得越来越坏。要跟他们讲道理，我已经早就讲得精疲力尽了，嗓子也讲哑了，例如教他们尽职尽责，诸如此类的事情。他们可以随时到教堂去，可有什么用？他们笨得像头猪，对牧师的布道几乎全都不能理解，所以即使他们做礼拜也没多大的用处。不过他们还真的去做礼拜，可见他们并不是没有机会。不过我已经说过，黑种人是下等种族，这是不可改变的事实，教育他们等于对牛弹琴。你知道吗？奥菲利亚堂姐，我已经这样试过了，你还没有。我是和他们一起长大的，因而我了解他们。" Miss Ophelia thought she had said enough, and therefore sat silent. St. Clare whistled a tune. 奥菲利亚小姐觉得自己已经说得够多的了，于是坐在那里一句话也没说。圣克莱尔却吹起口哨来。 
别吹口哨了，圣克莱尔，你把我的头都弄疼了。"玛丽说。 "I won't," said St. Clare. "Is there anything else you wouldn't wish me to do?"" 我不吹了，行了吧。你还有什么不希望我做的呢？" "I wish you _would_ have some kind of sympathy for my trials; you never have any feeling for me."" 我希望你能关心一下我的病痛，你真是一点都不体谅我。"
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