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如果按世俗的观点来看，你是够怪的，宝贝。吃饭的时候，你到哪儿去了？" "O, I've been up in Tom's room, hearing him sing, and Aunt Dinah gave me my dinner."" 我在听汤姆唱歌呀。黛娜婶婶已经给我吃过饭了。" "Hearing Tom sing, hey?"" 听汤姆唱歌？" "O, yes! he sings such beautiful things about the New Jerusalem, and bright angels, and the land of Canaan."" 哦，是的。他唱的歌可好听了，都是关于新耶路撒冷闪光的天使和圣地迦南的。" "I dare say; it's better than the opera, isn't it?"" 我想肯定比歌剧还要好听，是吗？" 
当然，他说还要教我唱呢！" "Singing lessons, hey?--you _are_ coming on."" 教你唱歌？--你肯定会学得很棒的。" "Yes, he sings for me, and I read to him in my Bible; and he explains what it means, you know."" 他唱歌给我听，我念《圣经》给他听，他还把经文解释给我听呢。" "On my word," said Marie, laughing, "that is the latest joke of the season."" 我看这真是个最新鲜的笑话。"玛丽说着，哈哈大笑起来。 "Tom isn't a bad hand, now, at explaining Scripture, I'll dare swear," said St. Clare. "Tom has a natural genius for religion. I wanted the horses out early, this morning, and I stole up to Tom's cubiculum there, over the stables, and there I heard him holding a meeting by himself; and, in fact, I haven't heard anything quite so savory as Tom's prayer, this some time. He put in for me, with a zeal that was quite apostolic."" 汤姆解释《圣经》绝对不会比别人差，我敢保证。他在宗教方面有种天赋。今天早上我想坐车外出，于是我轻轻地往汤姆的小屋走去，结果我听见他正在那儿做祷告。老实说，像汤姆这样虔诚的祷告我已经好久没有听见了。他简直虔诚得可以做个圣徒了，他还替我祷告呢！"圣克莱尔说。 
也许他知道你在偷听，这种手段我见多了。" "If he did, he wasn't very polite; for he gave the Lord his opinion of me, pretty freely. Tom seemed to think there was decidedly room for improvement in me, and seemed very earnest that I should be converted."" 如果真如你所说的那样，那他可没有把握好分寸，因为他非常坦率地告诉上帝他对我的看法。他似乎认为我有什么地方需要改进一下，而且急切地希望我能皈依上帝。" "I hope you'll lay it to heart," said Miss Ophelia." 我希望你能记住他的话。"奥菲利亚小姐说。 "I suppose you are much of the same opinion," said St. Clare. "Well, we shall see,--shan't we, Eva?"" 我想你肯定和他有着相似的看法。那好吧，我们走着瞧吧。好吗，伊娃。"圣克莱尔说。 CHAPTER XVII 第十七章 
自由人保卫战 There was a gentle bustle at the Quaker house, as the afternoon drew to a close. Rachel Halliday moved quietly to and fro, collecting from her household stores such needments as could be arranged in the smallest compass, for the wanderers who were to go forth that night. The afternoon shadows stretched eastward, and the round red sun stood thoughtfully on the horizon, and his beams shone yellow and calm into the little bed-room where George and his wife were sitting. He was sitting with his child on his knee, and his wife's hand in his. Both looked thoughtful and serious and traces of tears were on their cheeks. 傍晚即将来临的时候，雷切尔·哈里边这个教友会信徒的家里正在紧张地忙碌着。雷切尔正忙着从家里的储藏品中挑出一些体积不大的日用必需品，准备给那几个今夜即将逃亡者路上使用。夕阳悬挂在地平线上，金黄色的余辉洒进一间小卧室里，在那里正坐着乔治和艾莉查夫妻俩。乔治把孩子抱在膝头上，一只手紧紧握住妻子的手。在这夫妻两人的脸上，我们看到的是深沉而严肃的表情，还有两颊上未擦掉的泪痕。 "Yes, Eliza," said George, "I know all you say is true. You are a good child,--a great deal better than I am; and I will try to do as you say. I'll try to act worthy of a free man. I'll try to feel like a Christian. God Almighty knows that I've meant to do well,--tried hard to do well,--when everything has been against me; and now I'll forget all the past, and put away every hard and bitter feeling, and read my Bible, and learn to be a good man."" 哦，艾莉查，我知道你的话是正确的。你是个比我强，比我好的姑娘，我会听你的话，让我自己无愧于一个自由人。我要学习基督的仁爱之心，做个真正的基督徒。上帝知道我是多么地想做个好人，不论在怎样的逆境中。我要忘掉过去的痛苦和辛酸，忘掉仇恨，学习《圣经》，努力做个好人。"乔治说。 "And when we get to Canada," said Eliza, "I can help you. I can do dress-making very well; and I understand fine washing and ironing; and between us we can find something to live on."" 等我们到了加拿大，我可以帮你赚钱。我会做衣服，还会洗熨衣服。只要我们齐心协力，我们一定会找到谋生的办法。"艾莉查颇有信心地说。 "Yes, Eliza, so long as we have each other and our boy. O! Eliza, if these people only knew what a blessing it is for a man to feel that his wife and child belong to _him_! I've often wondered to see men that could call their wives and children _their own_ fretting and worrying about anything else. Why, I feel rich and strong, though we have nothing but our bare hands. I feel as if I could scarcely ask God for any more. Yes, though I've worked hard every day, till I am twenty-five years old, and have not a cent of money, nor a roof to cover me, nor a spot of land to call my own, yet, if they will only let me alone now, I will be satisfied,--thankful; I will work, and send back the money for you and my boy. As to my old master, he has been paid five times over for all he ever spent for me. I don't owe him anything."" 对，只要我们一家人能在一起，这比什么都好。艾莉查，能够拥有自己的妻子和孩子，是件多么幸福的事情啊！要是每个人都能明白这点该有多好啊。有些人虽然拥有一个幸福的家庭，拥有妻子和儿女，却还在为别的事情而烦恼，我真不明白这些人究竟是怎么想的。虽然我们现在穷得一无所有，但我从心底里感到充实和幸福，我觉得很满足，没有什么别的奢求了。是的，虽然我一年到头辛辛苦苦却什么也没得到，但只要我是个自由人，我就心满意足了。我准备去做工赚钱，把你和孩子的赎身钱寄给人家。至于我的主人，他已经从我身上榨去了至少五倍的买价，我是连一分钱也不欠他的。" 
可我们还没有脱离危险，我们还没有到加拿大呢。" "True," said George, "but it seems as if I smelt the free air, and it makes me strong."" 是的，可我好像已经闻到那里充满自由气息的空气了，这令我浑身兴奋不已。" At this moment, voices were heard in the outer apartment, in earnest conversation, and very soon a rap was heard on the door. Eliza started and opened it. 这时，他们听见屋外急促的谈话声。不一会儿，有人敲了敲门，艾莉查心里不由得吃了一惊，赶紧把门打开。 Simeon Halliday was there, and with him a Quaker brother, whom he introduced as Phineas Fletcher. Phineas was tall and lathy, red-haired, with an expression of great acuteness and shrewdness in his face. He had not the placid, quiet, unworldly air of Simeon Halliday; on the contrary, a particularly wide-awake and _au fait_ appearance, like a man who rather prides himself on knowing what he is about, and keeping a bright lookout ahead; peculiarities which sorted rather oddly with his broad brim and formal phraseology. 原来屋外站着的是西米恩·哈里迪，身边还有一位教友会的兄弟。西米恩对乔治夫妻介绍那位陌生人菲尼亚斯·弗莱切。菲尼亚斯长着瘦高个儿，满头红发，看上去一副精明强干的样子。他不像西米恩那样少言，恬静，气质脱俗，相反，他的外表透出一股机警，老练的劲儿，而且对自己充满了自信。他的这些特征和他头上那顶宽边帽子以及刻板的言辞实在很不相称。 "Our friend Phineas hath discovered something of importance to the interests of thee and thy party, George," said Simeon; "it were well for thee to hear it."" 菲尼亚斯发现了一件跟你和你的同伴们有很大联系的事情，乔治，"西米恩说，"你得好好听听。" 
的确如此。"菲尼亚斯说，"一个人在某些场合睡觉时也必须把耳朵竖起来。昨晚，我到大路边的一家独门独户的小客栈里投宿。西米恩，你还记得那个地方吗？就是我们去年把几个苹果卖给一个戴着大耳环的胖女人的那个地方。我赶了一天的车，实在累得不行了，所以我吃完饭就在屋角的一堆货包上躺了下来，顺手拉过一张牛皮搭在身上，等着店主给我安排个临时床位，可我竟然在不知不觉中睡着了。" "With one ear open, Phineas?" said Simeon, quietly." 竖着一只耳朵吗，菲尼亚斯？"西米恩不动声色地问了一声。 "No; I slept, ears and all, for an hour or two, for I was pretty well tired; but when I came to myself a little, I found that there were some men in the room, sitting round a table, drinking and talking; and I thought, before I made much muster, I'd just see what they were up to, especially as I heard them say something about the Quakers. `So,' says one, `they are up in the Quaker settlement, no doubt,' says he. Then I listened with both ears, and I found that they were talking about this very party. So I lay and heard them lay off all their plans. This young man, they said, was to be sent back to Kentucky, to his master, who was going to make an example of him, to keep all niggers from running away; and his wife two of them were going to run down to New Orleans to sell, on their own account, and they calculated to get sixteen or eighteen hundred dollars for her; and the child, they said, was going to a trader, who had bought him; and then there was the boy, Jim, and his mother, they were to go back to their masters in Kentucky. They said that there were two constables, in a town a little piece ahead, who would go in with 'em to get 'em taken up, and the young woman was to be taken before a judge; and one of the fellows, who is small and smooth-spoken, was to swear to her for his property, and get her delivered over to him to take south. They've got a right notion of the track we are going tonight; and they'll be down after us, six or eight strong. So now, what's to be done?"" 不，我身体的各个部分都睡着了。我非常疲倦，一睡就是两个小时。但当我迷迷糊糊醒来的时候，我看见几个人围坐在一张桌子旁，一边喝酒一边谈话。我想弄清楚他们究竟在谈些什么，是什么来历，特别是在听到他们谈到教友会的时候。一个人说道，'依我看，他们肯定在教友会居住地，'于是我开始竖起耳朵用心听他们的谈话，发现他们正在谈论你们的事情。就这样，我躺在那儿听到了他们的全部计划。他们说要把这位年轻人送回肯塔基州他的老主人那里，要拿他作榜样，好让所有的黑奴再也不敢逃跑。他的妻子将由其中两个人带到新奥尔良去拍卖掉，卖的钱当然归他们所有，估计能卖到一千六百元到一千八百元。至于这个孩子，据说要被送到一个黑奴贩子那里，那个贩子已经付过钱了。他们还谈到吉姆和他的母亲，说是要送他们回肯塔基州。他们说在前面不远的一个小镇上将有两名警察帮他们来抓这帮人。这个年轻女人将被带到法官面前，那帮家伙中有个矮个儿，一副油嘴滑舌的样子，将出庭让法官把这个女人判给自己，因为她是他的财产，然后把她带到南方去卖了。他们已经摸清我们今晚要走的路线，他们一定会追来的，有六个或八个壮汉呢。我们该怎么办呢？"
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