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太太说过，等把钱凑齐了，他们就会来把我赎回去。我相信他们会来的。乔治少爷会亲自来接我，他还送了一块银元给我留作纪念。"说着，汤姆从内衣口袋里掏出那块珍贵的银元。 "O, he'll certainly come, then!" said Eva. "I'm so glad!"" 那他肯定会来的！我真高兴听到这个消息。"伊娃笑着说。 "And I wanted to send a letter, you know, to let 'em know whar I was, and tell poor Chloe that I was well off,--cause she felt so drefful, poor soul!"" 所以，我想写封信给他们，让可怜的克鲁伊--我的老婆放心，告诉他们我在这里很好--她实在是太伤心了，苦命的女人！" "I say Tom!" said St. Clare's voice, coming in the door at this moment." 喂，汤姆。"圣克莱尔这时候走进小屋里来。 Tom and Eva both started. 汤姆和伊娃两个人不由得吃了一惊。 
你们在干什么呢？"圣克莱尔走过来，望着石板好奇地问。 "O, it's Tom's letter. I'm helping him to write it," said Eva; "isn't it nice?"" 我在帮汤姆写信呢。瞧，我们写得不错吧。"伊娃骄傲地对父亲说。 "I wouldn't discourage either of you," said St. Clare, "but I rather think, Tom, you'd better get me to write your letter for you. I'll do it, when I come home from my ride."" 我可不想给你们泼冷水。不过，汤姆，我看还是我来替你写吧。不过现在我得先出去一趟，等我回来了，就帮你写。" "It's very important he should write," said Eva, "because his mistress is going to send down money to redeem him, you know, papa; he told me they told him so."" 这可是封十分重要的信，"伊娃立刻说，"因为他的主人准备寄钱来把他赎回去，知道吗，爸爸？我刚才听他这么说的，他们曾经答应过他。" St. Clare thought, in his heart, that this was probably only one of those things which good-natured owners say to their servants, to alleviate their horror of being sold, without any intention of fulfilling the expectation thus excited. But he did not make any audible comment upon it,--only ordered Tom to get the horses out for a ride. 圣克莱尔心中可不这么认为。他想这恐怕仅仅是主人用来安慰仆人而许下的承诺，以便缓减仆人们被卖出去时的恐惧心理，他们其实根本没有意思去满足黑奴心中的期望。当然，圣克莱尔没有说出自己心里的想法--只是吩咐汤姆去把马套好，他准备出去一趟。 
当天晚上，圣克莱尔替汤姆把信写好了，并把它安全地投进了邮筒。 Miss Ophelia still persevered in her labors in the housekeeping line. It was universally agreed, among all the household, from Dinah down to the youngest urchin, that Miss Ophelia was decidedly "curis,"--a term by which a southern servant implies that his or her betters don't exactly suit them. 奥菲利亚小姐依旧如故地执行着管理家务的职责。全家上上下下的仆人--从黛娜到年纪最小的小黑鬼--都认为奥菲利亚小姐实在有些"古怪"。 The higher circle in the family--to wit, Adolph, Jane and Rosa--agreed that she was no lady; ladies never keep working about as she did,--that she had no _air_ at all; and they were surprised that she should be any relation of the St. Clares. Even Marie declared that it was absolutely fatiguing to see Cousin Ophelia always so busy. And, in fact, Miss Ophelia's industry was so incessant as to lay some foundation for the complaint. She sewed and stitched away, from daylight till dark, with the energy of one who is pressed on by some immediate urgency; and then, when the light faded, and the work was folded away, with one turn out came the ever-ready knitting-work, and there she was again, going on as briskly as ever. It really was a labor to see her. 圣克莱尔家的上流人物（阿道夫，简，罗莎）都认为奥菲利亚小姐根本不像个大家闺秀，因为没有哪个大家闺秀会像她那样一天从早忙到晚，她简直连一点小姐的气质都没有。圣克莱尔家居然会有一个这样的亲戚，真是叫人难以相信。连玛丽也认为看着奥菲利亚表姐总是忙个不停，真是叫人累得慌。事实上，奥菲利亚小姐干的活也实在是太多了，难怪别人要抱怨她。她整日做着毛线活，仿佛那活儿刻不容缓，一分钟也不能耽搁。一直到了傍晚，天色暗下来了，她才会停下手里的活，到外面去散散步。可回来之后，她又拿起毛线活，十分卖力地织了起来。看她这样忙碌个不停，的确令人累得慌。 One morning, while Miss Ophelia was busy in some of her domestic cares, St. Clare's voice was heard, calling her at the foot of the stairs. 一天早上，奥菲利亚小姐正忙着干家务活，突然听到圣克莱尔先生在楼梯口叫她。 "Come down here, Cousin, I've something to show you."" 下来，姐姐，我有样东西给你看。" 
什么？"奥菲利亚小姐说着，走下楼来，手里还拿着针线。 "I've made a purchase for your department,--see here," said St. Clare; and, with the word, he pulled along a little negro girl, about eight or nine years of age." 我为你置办了件东西，你看，"圣克莱尔说着，一把拉过一个约摸八九岁的黑人女孩。 She was one of the blackest of her race; and her round shining eyes, glittering as glass beads, moved with quick and restless glances over everything in the room. Her mouth, half open with astonishment at the wonders of the new Mas'r's parlor, displayed a white and brilliant set of teeth. Her woolly hair was braided in sundry little tails, which stuck out in every direction. The expression of her face was an odd mixture of shrewdness and cunning, over which was oddly drawn, like a kind of veil, an expression of the most doleful gravity and solemnity. She was dressed in a single filthy, ragged garment, made of bagging; and stood with her hands demurely folded before her. Altogether, there was something odd and goblin-like about her appearance,--something, as Miss Ophelia afterwards said, "so heathenish," as to inspire that good lady with utter dismay; and turning to St. Clare, she said, 这女孩是她的种族中最黑的那一类，她又圆又大的、发着玻璃光彩的眼睛迅速地打量着屋里的一切。看到新主人大客厅里的陈设，她惊讶得半张着嘴，露出一排光洁的牙齿。她的厚厚的卷发扎成许多根小辫子，向外散开着，就像阳光四射。她的脸上是两种奇怪的表情的混合--一面有几分精明狡黠，一面却像罩着面纱一样显得庄重严肃。她穿着一件由麻布片缝成的单衣，褴褛不堪，两只手在胸前交叉，一本正经地站着。总之，她的外表确有些精灵似的怪异--正如奥菲利亚小姐后来说的，就像个"十足的异端"，以致好心的小姐被弄得乱了方寸。她转向圣克莱尔，说道： "Augustine, what in the world have you brought that thing here for?"" 奥古斯丁，你带这么个东西过来做什么？" "For you to educate, to be sure, and train in the way she should go. I thought she was rather a funny specimen in the Jim Crow line. Here, Topsy," he added, giving a whistle, as a man would to call the attention of a dog, "give us a song, now, and show us some of your dancing."" 当然是让你来教育的啰！就用你认为可行的办法。我觉得她是黑人中的小精灵。托普西，过来，"圣克莱尔说着，吹了声口哨，就像一个人唤自己的狗一样，"现在，给我们唱个歌，跳个舞吧！" 
托普西那玻璃球般的黑眸掠过动人的、调皮的灵光。这小东西一边用清亮的尖嗓子唱起一支古怪的黑人歌曲，一边用手和脚打着拍子，啪啪地拍手，碰着膝盖，高速地旋转着，喉咙里还发出奇怪的声音--这正是黑人音乐的特色。最后，她翻了一两个跟斗，拖长了尾音，就像汽笛般的怪诞，猛地落到地毯上；然后，又马上叉起双手，和先前一样平静地站在那儿，脸上呈现极端驯服神圣的表情，只是这种神情不时地会被她眼角流露出的几丝狡黠之气所打断。 Miss Ophelia stood silent, perfectly paralyzed with amazement. St. Clare, like a mischievous fellow as he was, appeared to enjoy her astonishment; and, addressing the child again, said, 奥菲利亚惊奇无比，瞠目结舌地站着。圣克莱尔依然像顽皮的孩子一样盯着奥菲利亚，表情颇为得意。接着，他向小女孩吩咐道： "Topsy, this is your new mistress. I'm going to give you up to her; see now that you behave yourself."" 托普西，这就是你的新主人了。我把你交给她，你可得安分点。" "Yes, Mas'r," said Topsy, with sanctimonious gravity, her wicked eyes twinkling as she spoke." 是，老爷。"托普西答道，那双狡黠的大眼睛不停地闪动着，脸上却依然一本正经。 "You're going to be good, Topsy, you understand," said St. Clare." 托普西，记住，你要学好。"圣克莱尔说。 
是，老爷。"托普西眨了眨眼睛，依旧谦卑地叉手站着。 "Now, Augustine, what upon earth is this for?" said Miss Ophelia. "Your house is so full of these little plagues, now, that a body can't set down their foot without treading on 'em. I get up in the morning, and find one asleep behind the door, and see one black head poking out from under the table, one lying on the door-mat,--and they are mopping and mowing and grinning between all the railings, and tumbling over the kitchen floor! What on earth did you want to bring this one for?"" 喂，奥古斯丁，你到底要干什么？"奥菲利亚说，"你们家到处是这种讨厌的小东西，随脚都可以踩上一个。今天一早起来就看见门后睡着一个，门口脚垫上躺着一个，桌子底下还冒出一个黑脑袋瓜--这些小家伙站在栏杆上挤眉弄眼，抓耳挠腮，嘻嘻哈哈，还在厨房地板上翻筋斗。这会儿你又带一个干嘛？" "For you to educate--didn't I tell you? You're always preaching about educating. I thought I would make you a present of a fresh-caught specimen, and let you try your hand on her, and bring her up in the way she should go."" 让你来训练，我刚才不是说了吗。你口口声声说教育教育，我想着一定抓个新的试验品送给你，让你试着按你的要求来教导她。"
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