“Nothin’,” I muttered.
“没什么。”我嘟囔着。
“Nothin’!” Big Ma turned and looked directly at me. “You been mopin’ ’round here for the past week like you got the whoopin’ cough, flu, and measles all put together.”
“没什么？”奶奶转身直直地看着我，“这一个星期以来，你都一直闷闷不乐的，是不是生病了？”
“Cassie, what’s the matter with you, girl!” Big Ma asked as she thrust three sticks of dried pine into the stove to rekindle the dying morning fire. “You sure are takin’ a sorrowful long time to churn that butter.”
“凯西，你怎么啦？”奶奶一边把三根树枝放到火炉里，点燃火焰，一边担心着我，“你搅拌奶油的时候看起来好痛苦。”
Big Ma reached out and felt my forehead, then my cheeks. Frowning, she pulled her hand away as Mama entered the kitchen. “Mary, feel this child’s face,” she said. “She seem warm to you!”
奶奶走过来，探了探我额头的温度，又摸了摸我的脸颊。她皱了皱眉，放开了手。这时妈妈正好走进了厨房。“玛丽，你过来摸摸她的脸，”奶奶说，“她是不是发烧了？”
I was on the verge of blurting out the awful truth about the bus and the men in the night, but then I remembered the pact Stacey had made us all swear to when I had told him, Christopher-John, and Little Man about the caravan and I said instead, “No, ma’am,” and began to churn again. Abruptly, Mama took hold of the churning stick, her eyes searching mine. As she studied me, she seemed about to ask me something, then the question faded and she pulled away, lifting the lid of the churn.”It looks ready now,” she said with a sigh. “Dip out the butter like I showed you and wash it down. I’ll take care of the milk.”
我差点儿就跟妈妈说昨晚车队的事情了。但我想到昨晚我和男孩们说起这件事，斯泰西让我们守口如瓶时，我就忍住了。“没有啊。”我含糊过去，继续搅拌着奶油。妈妈突然抓住我搅拌奶油的棒子，望向我的眼睛，似乎想问我些什么。但最后，她还是一句话也没说。“看起来好了。”她掀开奶油盖子，“像我之前教你的，把奶油舀出来，放到模子里。”
I sighed deeply and continued to churn.
我深深叹了口气，继续搅拌着奶油。
“No’m.”
“没有。”
“All right,” I said, still churning.
“我很好。”我嘟囔着。
Mama studied me with the same disturbed look Big Ma wore and a tiny frown line appeared on her brow. “Cassie,” she said softly, fixing her dark eyes upon me, “is there something you want to tell me!”
妈妈的表情和奶奶一样担心。她的额头上有着细小的皱纹。“凯西，”她乌黑的眼睛望着我，声音轻柔，“你没有什么事情跟我说吗？”
“How do you feel?”
“你现在感觉怎么样？”
Mama cupped my face in her thin hands. “You feel sick, Cassie!”
妈妈用她瘦小的手捧着我的脸：“凯西，不舒服吗？”
“Oh, Lord, no, child,” Big Ma exclaimed hastily. “I checked in there right after they passed and she was sound asleep. She couldn’t’ve seen them old devils. The boys neither.”
“哦，天哪，不会的！”奶奶急忙否定了妈妈的这个想法，“那天他们一走，我就去看凯西，她睡得很沉，不是吗？她不可能看到那些恶魔的，男孩们也是。”
“Somethin’ the matter with that child, Mary.”
“玛丽，凯西一定是有什么事。”
I scooped the butter from the churning lid onto a plate and went through the curtain to the small pantry off the kitchen to get the molding dish. It had been placed on a high shelf under several other dishes and I had to stand on a stool to get it. As I eased it out, Mama and Big Ma spoke softly in worried tones on the other side of the curtain.
我把奶油舀到盘子里，然后穿过帘子到厨房里取模具。模具放在很高的架子上，压在其他盘子下面，我必须站在凳子上才能拿到它。我刚站上去，就听到妈妈和奶奶隔着帘子用担忧的语气轻声说话。
“She’s not sick, Mama.”
“妈妈，她没生病。”
“There’s all sorts of sickness. She ain’t ate right for goin’ on over a week. She ain’t sleepin’ right neither. Restless and murmurin’ in her sleep all night long. And she won’t hardly even go out and play, rather be in here helpin’ us, Now you know that ain’t like that child.”
“生病有很多症状。她已经一个星期没好好吃饭了，也没有睡好，整夜都在说着莫名其妙的梦话。而且最近她也不出去玩了，反而待在我们身边帮忙，你知道她平时不是这样的。”
There was a moment’s pause, then Mama whispered so I could hardly hear her. “You think… Mama, you think she could’ve seen –“
妈妈沉默了一会儿，用我几乎听不到的声音说：“妈妈，你说…会不会…他们看到了…”
Mama sighed. “The boys, they’re not themselves either. All of them, too quiet. Here it is Saturday morning and they’re quiet as church mice. I don’t like it, and I can’t shake the feeling it’s got something to do with — Cassie.”
妈妈叹了口气：“男孩们最近也不太对劲。他们实在是太安静了。明明是星期六的早晨，他们却个个安静得像教堂里的老鼠。我不喜欢这样，我不能不怀疑——凯西！”
“I’m sorry, Mama,” I said.
“妈妈，对不起。”我说。
“I’ll do the butter. Now go on, do like I say.”
“我会弄好的。快去吧，照我说的做。”
Without warning, I had lost my balance and with an absurd topple from the knee-high stool crashed upon the floor with the molding dish. “Cassie, you hurt!” Mama asked, stooping beside me.
我听得入神，一下子失去平衡，抓着盘子从凳子上摔下来。“凯西，你受伤了吗？”妈妈弯下腰，担心地问我。
“No’m,” I mumbled, feeling very clumsy and close to tears. I knew that if I let the tears fall. Mama’s suspicion that something was wrong would be confirmed for I never cried about such a silly thing as a fall; in fact, I seldom ever cried. So instead of crying, I jumped up quickly and began to pick up the broken pieces of the dish.
“没事。”我喃喃道，感觉到一阵难过，快要哭出来了。但是我知道，如果我哭了，妈妈一定会怀疑我的。我可不是个爱哭鬼，才不会为摔倒这种傻事哭呢。我很快爬了起来，去捡盘子的碎片。
“But, Mama…”
“可是，妈妈——”
I stared up at Mama, wondering if she would ever know what we had done, then joined the boys who were sitting listlessly around the fire absently listening to T. J.
我注视着妈妈，心想她是不是知道些什么。我走到男孩们那里，他们正在心不在焉地听着提杰讲话。
“See, fellows, there’s a system to getting out of work,” T. J. was expounding as I sat down. “Jus’ don’t be ’round when it’s got to be done. Only thing is, you can’t let your folks know that’s what you’re doin’. See, you should do like me. Like this mornin’ when Mama wanted to bring back them scissors she borrowed from Miz Logan, I ups and volunteers so she don’t have to make this long trip down here, she bein’ so busy and all. And naturally when I got here, y’all wanted me to stay awhile and talk to y’all, so what could I do! I couldn’t be impolite, could I! And by the time I finally convince y’all I gotta go, all the work’ll be done at home.” T. J. chuckled with satisfaction. “Yeah, you just have to use the old brain, that’s all.”
“嘿，哥们儿，告诉你们一个逃避工作的法子吧。”当我坐下时，提杰正在口若悬河，“即使有工作，也不要在那里转悠。还有，别让别人知道你在做什么。看看我吧，今天早上妈妈想把剪刀还给洛根太太，我就自告奋勇说要帮忙去送。然后我就来了这里，你们总会留下我来聊聊天，我怎么办？总不能没礼貌吧？等到我回去的时候，家里的活基本上都被做完了。”提杰露出得意的笑容，“多动动脑筋吧，你们。”
“That’s all right,” she said, helping me. When we had swept the chips away with the long field-straw broom, she told me, “Leave the butter, Cassie, and go on in with the boys.”
“没关系。”妈妈和我一起收拾盘子碎片。正在清扫时，妈妈对我说：“凯西，别弄了，去找男孩子们玩吧。”
“Y’all sure are a sorry lot this mornin’,” T. J. observed. “A fellow’s just wastin’ his know-how talkin’ to y’all.”
“你们今天都怎么了？”提杰很疑惑，“我在这儿讲这些讲那些的，你们连理也不理一下。”
T. J.’s eyes roamed the length of the room, then he admonished, “See, if you was smart like me, Stacey. you’d use the old brain to get the questions on that big test comin’ up. Just think, they probably jus’ sittin’ right here in this very room waitin’ to be discovered.”
提杰扫视了一下房间，一副老成的模样：“斯泰西，看看，要是你也像我一样聪明的话，你就不用担心这次的考试了。说不定考卷就在你们家的某个角落，等着你去发现呢。”
He was quiet a moment, expecting some comment on his discourse, but no one said a word.
他停顿了一会儿，期待我们热烈的回应，不过没有人说一句话。
“Well, you don’t have to get snippety about it,” replied T. J. haughtily. Again. silence prevailed; but that would not do for T. J. “Say, how ’bout we sneak down to that ole Wallace store and learn how to do them new dances!”
“嘿，别这么暴躁。”提杰的语气带着傲慢。话音刚落，又是一阵尴尬的沉默。不过提杰倒是不在意：“我们偷偷跑到华莱士商店学新的舞步吧？”
“You some mama’s boy or somethin’ you gotta do everything your mama tells –“
“噢，你们还真是乖宝宝，妈妈说什么，你们就做什么——”
Stacey cast T. J. an annoyed look. but did not speak.
斯泰西恼怒地瞪了一眼提杰，不作声。
“Ain’t nobody asked you to give it,” said Stacey.
“又没有人叫你说。”斯泰西有些烦躁。
“Mama told us not to go down there,” Stacey said.
“我妈跟我们说不能去那里。”斯泰西说。
“You go on if you wanna,” said Stacey quietly, not rising to T. J.’s bait, “but we staying here.”
“那你自己去吧。”斯泰西语气平静，没有中提杰的激将法，“我们会待在这儿。”
Then T. J. said: “Say, y’all hear the latest ’bout them night men!” Suddenly, all eyes turned from the fire and riveted themselves upon him. Our faces were eager question marks; we were totally in T. J.’s power.
提杰又发话了：“你们最近有没有听到关于夜行人的消息？”这下，房间里的每一双眼睛都望向了他，我们的脸上都带着急切的表情。我们又中提杰的计了。
Again, silence.
又是，沉默。
“What ’bout them?” Stacey asked, almost evenly.
“他们怎么了？”斯泰西问。
“Then don’t!” said Stacey with smooth finality, turning back toward the fire as if he cared not at all about the night men. Taking his cue, I nudged Christopher-John and Christopher- John nudged Little Man, and the three of us forced ourselves to stare into the fire in feigned disinterest.
“那算了！”斯泰西一副满不在乎的模样，把头转向了火炉。我知道斯泰西是故意的，便用手肘碰了碰克里斯托弗，克里斯托弗碰了碰小家伙，我们三个人都装作毫无兴趣地看着炉火。
Without a captive audience. T. J. had to reinterest us by getting to the point. “Well, ’bout a week ago, they rode down to Mr. Sam Tatum’s place — you know, down the Jackson Road toward Strawberry — and you know what they done!”
没人认真听，提杰只能先说一些重点来吸引我们：“好吧，一个星期前，他们去了山姆·泰纳姆那里——你们知道吧？从杰克逊路下去，到斯特罗贝里那儿，你知道他们做了什么吗？”
T. J., of course, intended to nurse the moment for as long as he could. “You see when a fellow’s as smart as me, he gets to know things that other folks don’t. Now, this kind of information ain’t for the ears of little kids so I really shouldn’t even tell y’all –“
提杰当然会先吊我们一会儿胃口：“你们知道吧？像我这样聪明的人，总能知道一些别人不知道的事情。而且呢，这种事也不太好让小孩子们知道，我真的不应该告诉你们——”
I poked Christopher-John and he turned guiltily around, but T. J., triumphant with an assured audience of one, settled back in his chair ready to prolong the suspense. “You know Mama’d kill me if she knowed I was tellin’ this. I heard her and Miz Claire Thompson talkin’ ’bout it. They was real scared. Don’t know why though. Them ole night men sure wouldn’t scare me none. Like I told Claude –“
我戳了克里斯托弗一下，他不好意思地转回身。不过看到有人有了兴趣，提杰得意地靠在椅子上，又打算吊我们胃口：“要是妈妈知道我告诉你们这些，她会杀了我的。我听到她和汤普森夫人在讨论这件事。她们一副吓呆了的样子，我不知道她们为什么那么害怕，我跟克劳德说——”
Stacey, Little Man, and I kept our eyes upon the fire, but Christopher-John piped eagerly. “What?”
斯泰西、小家伙和我都默默地盯着炉火，只有克里斯托弗急切地问：“做了什么？”
I nodded, and Christopher-John, Little Man, and I got up.
我点点头，小家伙和克里斯托弗也起身打算离开。
“Hey, y’all,” Stacey said, standing and motioning us up. “Mama said she wanted us to take some milk and butter down to Miz Jackson before noon. We’d better get started.”
“好了，别说了。”斯泰西起身，也示意我们站起来，“妈妈让我们中午前给杰克逊夫人送些牛奶和黄油，我们该走了。”
“Tarred and feathered him!” T. J, announced hastily. “Poured the blackest tar they could find all over him, then plastered him with chicken feathers.’ T. J. laughed. “Can you imagine that!”
“他们在他身上涂了油！还插了羽毛！”提杰急促地喊了出来，“他们把能找到的最黑的焦油浇到他身上，还在他身上插满了鸡羽毛。”提杰捧腹大笑，“你们能想象出来吗？”
This time T. J. did not slow down. “I dunno if y’all’s little ears should hear this, but it seems called Mr. Jim Lee Barnett a liar — he’s the man who runs the Mercantile down in Strawberry. Mr. Tatum’s s’pose to done told him that he ain’t ordered up all them things Mr. Barnett done charged him for. Mr. Barnett said he had all them things Mr. Tatum ordered writ down and when Mr. Tatum asked to see that list of his, Mr. Barnett says, ‘You callin’ me a liar, boy!’ And Mr. Tatum says, ‘Yessuh, I guess I is!’ That done it!”
这回提杰没有吊我们的胃口：“我不知道你们是不是可以听到这些。事情是这样的，泰纳姆先生说巴尼特先生是个骗子——巴尼特在斯特罗贝里经营着一家店。泰纳姆说自己明明没有在巴尼特的店里订那么多东西，但巴尼特坚决说自己把泰纳姆先生要订的东西都记下来了。可泰纳姆先生提出要看那张单子时，巴尼特却不乐意，还当着面说：‘你竟然当我是骗子？’而泰纳姆也反击道：‘是的，你就是个骗子！’结果就发生了这件事情。”
“But why!” asked Little Man, forgetting our ploy.
“为什么要这样做？”小家伙把我们的约定抛在了脑后，好奇地问。
“Nothin’,” said Stacey quickly. “Nothin’ at all.”
“没事。”斯泰西赶紧圆场，“什么关系也没有。”
“Then it wasn’t ’cause of the bus!” Christopher-John blurted out.
“那就不是校车的问题了？”克里斯托弗不小心说漏了嘴。
“Well, if anybody said them night men was down in here ’cause of some stupid bus, they crazy,” said T. J. authoritatively. ‘Cause my information come direct from Miz Claire Thompson who seen Mr. Tatum herself.”
“也是，要是那些人因为校车这样做，那他们一定是疯了。”提杰一副权威的模样，“我可是从看到泰纳姆先生的克莱尔太太那里得到的第一手消息。”
“You sure!” Stacey asked.
“你敢肯定吗？”斯泰西问。
“Sure! Sure, I’m sure. When do I ever say anythin’ when I ain’t sure?”
“那当然啦，有什么不能肯定的？我什么时候说过不确定的话了？”
All of us went into the kitchen, then to the bedrooms to get our coats. When we got outside. T. J. remembered that he had left his cap by the fire and ran back to retrieve it. As soon as we were alone. Little Man asked. “Stacey, you really think them night men put tar and feathers all over Mr. Tatum!”
我们一块儿走到厨房，然后再到房间里拿外套穿上。我们走到外面时，提杰突然说自己的帽子落在了火炉边，跑回去拿了。他一走开，小家伙就问：“斯泰西，你真的觉得他们在泰纳姆先生身上浇了焦油和插上羽毛吗？”
“Bus! What’s a bus got to do with it!”
“什么校车？跟这个有什么关系？”
Stacey smiled with relief. “Come on, let’s get the milk.”
斯泰西这下放心了：“走吧，我们去拿牛奶吧。”
“I s’pose so,” said Stacey.
“恐怕是的。”斯泰西说。
Little Man frowned, but it was Christopher-John who spoke, whispering shrilly as if a stray morning ghost might overhear.”If they ever find out ’bout the bus, you think they gonna put tar and feathers all over us!”
小家伙皱了皱眉头，克里斯托弗在一旁用瘆人的声音说道：“你说，要是他们发现校车那件事是我们干的，会不会也在我们身上浇满焦油、插上羽毛？”
Little Man shivered with excitement. “I wish I could’ve Seen ’em.”
小家伙激动得战栗：“我希望我也可以见到他们。”
“Well, I don’t,” declared Christopher-John. “In fact, I wish I’d never heard of no night men or buses or secrets or holes in the road!” And with that outburst, he stuffed his pudgy hands into his thin jacket, pressed his lips firmly together, and refused to say another word.
“我可不这么想。”克里斯托弗说，“我希望我从未听到关于夜行人、关于校车、关于秘密，还有路上的坑之类的事！”像连珠炮一般吐出这些话后，他把肥嘟嘟的手塞到了窄窄的夹克衫口袋里，紧紧抿着嘴，不再说一句话。
“Cassie,” said Christopher-John, his eyes wide, “w-was you real s-scared when you seen ’em!”
“凯西，”克里斯托弗瞪着大眼，“当时你见到那些人，你害怕吗？”
Little Man’s frown deepened and he observed gravely, “If they did, we’d never get clean again.”
小家伙的眉头皱得更深了，他一脸严肃：“要是他们这样，我们可怎么洗都洗不干净了。”
“Aw, man, I ain’t done nothin’. jus’ lookin’ at Miz Logan’s history book, that’s all. I’m mighty interested in that place called Egypt she been tellin’ us’bout and them black kings that was rulin’ back then.” Still talking, he casually put down the book and picked up his cap.
“呃，我什么也没做，只是翻翻洛根太太的历史书，仅此而已。我对她上课讲的一些东西挺感兴趣的，像是那个叫埃及的地方啊，还有那里的黑人国王。”说着说着，他顺手把书放下，拿起了帽子。
After a few moments, Stacey said, “What’s keeping T. J.!” The rest of us shrugged. then followed Stacey back up the porch into Mama’s room. As we entered, T. J. jumped. He was standing at the desk with Mama’s W. E. B, Du Bois’s The Negro in his hands.
过了一会儿，斯泰西说：“提杰怎么还不来？”我们耸耸肩，跟着斯泰西走到妈妈的房间。我们刚走近，提杰好像被我们吓了一跳。他站在妈妈的书桌旁，手里拿了本杜波依斯的《黑人》。
“That don’t look like your cap.” said Stacey,
“那好像不是你的帽子吧？”斯泰西说。
All four of us looked accusingly at T. J. and he halted. “Say, what is this! What’s the meanin’ of sneakin’ up on me like that anyway! Y’all think I was lookin’ for them test questions or somethin’! Shoot, a fellow’d think you didn’t trust him.” Then, thrusting his arm around Stacey’s shoulders, he chided, “Friends gotta trust each other, Stacey, ’cause ain’t nothin’ like a true friend.” And with those words of wisdom he left the room, leaving us to wonder how he had managed to slink out of this one.
我们都半信半疑地看着提杰。“嘿，你们这是在干吗？怎么都这么看着我？你们以为我是在找考试题目吗？哼，你们竟然怀疑我！”然后他把胳膊搭在斯泰西肩上，好像话里有话，“斯泰西，朋友就应该相互信任，否则，就算不上真正的朋友。”说完，他便扬长而去，留下我们呆呆地站在原地。
The Monday after his arrival Mr. Morrison had moved into the deserted tenant shack that stood in the south pasture. It was a sorry mess, that house, Its door hung sadly from a broken hinge; its porch floorboards were rotted; and its one- room interior was densely occupied by rats, spiders, and other field creatures.
周一那天，莫里森先生就搬到了南边牧场那间废弃的小木屋里。那间房子简直是一团糟，歪斜的门摇摇欲坠，门廊上的木板早已腐烂，房间里面住着老鼠、蜘蛛，还有各种虫子。
But Mr. Morrison was a quiet man, almost shy, and although Mama had offered him lodging in our house, he preferred the old shack. Mama sensed that Mr. Morrison was a private person and she did not object to the move, but she did send the boys and me to the house to help clean it.
莫里森先生很内向、很安静。妈妈曾经邀请他到我们的屋子里来住，他说他喜欢住小木屋。妈妈觉察到莫里森先生想一个人独处，也就没有再做什么挽留，而是叫我们去帮他清扫小木屋。
After the cleaning I asked Mama if Christopher-John, Little Man, and I could go visit Mr. Morrison, but she said no.
清扫完毕后，我问妈妈可不可以让我、克里斯托弗和小家伙去拜访莫里森先生，妈妈说不行。
Little Man, Christopher-John, and I took to Mr. Morrison immediately and had no objections to the cleaning. Any- body who was a friend of Papa’s was all right in our book; besides, when he was near, night men and burnings and midnight tarrings faded into a hazy distance. But Stacey remained aloof and had little to do with him.
只要是爸爸的朋友，我们都会觉得那是好相处的人。所以很快，我、克里斯托弗和小家伙就对莫里森先生抱有了好感，也很乐意帮他清扫木屋。而且，有莫里森先生在，我们就不怕夜行人、放火和泼焦油这些可怕的事情了。不过斯泰西倒是对莫里森先生一副冷冰冰的样子。
“Don’t know how come y’all wanna go down there no-way,” Stacey said moodily when Mama was out of hearing.
“真不知道你们为什么想去拜访这种人。”斯泰西趁妈妈没注意时蹦出这么一句。
“But, Mama, I wanna know more ’bout him,” I explained. “I just wanna know how come he’s so big.”
“妈妈，我们想多了解他一点。”我解释说，“我想知道怎样才能像他那样长得那么高大。”
“You know about as much as you need to know.” she decided. “And long as Mr. Morrison stays here, that’s his house. If he wants you down there, he’ll ask you.”
“你不需要知道那么多。”妈妈没有被说服，“只要莫里森先生住在那里一天，那里就是他的家。如果他希望你们去拜访的话，他自己会说的。”
Stacey shrugged. “I like him all right.”
斯泰西耸了耸肩：“不是啊。”
‘Cause we like him, that’s why.” I answered, tired of his distant attitude toward Mr. Morrison. Then, as discreetly as I could, I said. “What’s the matter with you, boy, not liking Mr. Morrison!”
“我们喜欢他，这就是原因。”我真受不了斯泰西对莫里森先生这么冷淡，我试探着问了一句，“斯泰西，你不喜欢莫里森先生吗？”
Ah, you couldn’t’ve done no such thing. Besides — I looked around to be certain that Big Ma and Mama were not near — “besides, Papa didn’t just bring him here to do no work. You know how come he really here.”
“啊，你一个人…做不到的，除非——”我环顾四周，发现奶奶和妈妈不在附近，才继续说，“除非，爸爸把他带回来不是为了帮助我们干活的。你知道他来的真正原因吧？”
Stacey looked away from me. “Don’t need him here. All that work he doing, I could’ve done it myself.”
斯泰西避开我的视线：“他的出现根本没有必要，他做的事情，我也能做到。”
“I sure wouldn’t want that big ole man stayin’ at my place.” said T. J. on the way to school. “I betcha he get mad one time, he’d take ole Little Man and swing him over that tree yonder like he wasn’t nothin’ but a twig.” He laughed then as Little Man set his lips and stared angrily up. “Course, I could probably ’bout do that myself.”
“我真不希望那个大个子留在我们这儿。”上学路上，提杰突然这么说，“我敢打赌，要是有一天把他惹怒了，他可能会把小家伙像抓根小树枝一样抓起来。”他哈哈大笑，小家伙把嘴噘得老高，很不高兴。提杰接着说道：“当然，要是我生气了，我也会这么做！”
I rolled my eyes at him, but held my peace. I didn’t feel like a fight, and as long as Mr. Morrison was within hollering distance of the back porch, it made little difference to me what Stacey thought he could do.
我不想跟斯泰西争执，也就不再说话。莫里森先生在这儿住下来已经成为现实，斯泰西觉得自己能做些什么，对我来说并没有什么影响。
“Don’t act that way.”
“那就别这样。”
“Hush, Man,” said Stacey. “T. J., leave Man alone.”
“嘘，伙计，”斯泰西说，“提杰，别烦他。”
Stacey turned toward me haughtily. “I could’ve taken care of that too.”
斯泰西满是傲气地转向我：“那些我也可以做到。”
“Couldn’t neither!” denied Little Man.
“不可能。”小家伙才不相信。
“Hope so,” said Stacey.”But I keep forgetting them dates.”
“差不多吧。”斯泰西说，“不过我老记不住那些年份。”
“Aw, I ain’t botherin’ him. Little Man’s my buddy, ain’t ya, Man?”
“啊，我不会的。因为你是我的朋友啊，不是吗？”
T. J. mumbled, “If failin’ ain’t trouble, I don’t know what
提杰嘀咕道：“考试不及格，怎么不算麻烦？”
“Hey, what’s the matter with you, man!” cried T. J. grabbing for the paper. But Stacey turned his back to him and tore the paper into bits, then deposited them in the gully. “Man, that she’ ain’t right! I wouldn’t do you that way!”
“喂！你在干什么！”斯泰西突然转过身，把那张纸撕成碎片。提杰大叫起来，想要抢回那张纸。不过那张纸已被斯泰西丢进了水沟，他说：“我不会让你这么做的。这样做是不对的！你怎么可以这么对待你的朋友！”
“Betcha I could help ya, if you be nice.”
“我可以帮你，要是你对我好一点的话。”
Little Man scowled, but didn’t reply.
小家伙瞪了他一眼，没说话。
T. J. grinned, then slyly pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Stacey. Stacey unfolded it, looked at it curiously, then frowned. “You planning on cheating!”
提杰狡黠一笑，从口袋里掏出一张折起来的纸。斯泰西接过纸打开，疑惑地看着上面的字，皱了皱眉：“你打算作弊？”
“How? You worse than I am’bout dates.”
“你？你记时间比我还差劲。”
“Well, you ain’t gonna,” said Stacey, tearing the paper in two.
“好吧，你不会的，”斯泰西说着，把报纸撕成两半。
“Maybe not.” replied Stacey, “But at least this way you won’t get into no trouble.”
“或许吧。”斯泰西说，“但至少，你不会因此陷入麻烦。”
T. J. turned back to Stacey. “You ready for that history test?”
提杰又对斯泰西开了话头：“历史考试你复习好了吗？”
“Well, naw, I ain’t plannin’ on it,” said T. J. seriously. “Jus’ if I gotta.”
“没，我没打算作弊。”提杰严肃地说，“只是以防万一。”
Little Man, Christopher-John, Claude, and I were sitting on the bottom step of the seventh-gradeclass building after school waiting for Stacey and T. J. when the front door banged open and T. J. shot out and tore across the yard. “What’s the matter with him!” asked Christopher-John, “Ain’t he gonna wait for Stacey!”
放学后，小家伙、克里斯托弗和我坐在七年级教室门口的台阶上，等着斯泰西和提杰出来。突然，教室前门“砰”的一下被打开了，提杰冲了出来，朝操场那边跑去。“他怎么了？”克里斯托弗有些疑惑，“不等斯泰西了吗？”
“And where’s Stacey!” demanded Little Man.
“对啊，斯泰西去哪了？”小家伙追问道。
“Why’d Mama do that!” asked Christopher-John.
“妈妈为什么这么做？”克里斯托弗问。
The rest of the seventh grade, led by Little Willie Wiggins and Moe Turner, spilled from the building. “There he go!” cried Little Willie as T. J. disappeared on the forest road. Moe Turner yelled, “Let’s see where he goin’!” Then he and three other boys dashed away in pursuit of T. J. But the others stood restlessly near the steps as if school had not yet ended.
其他七年级学生，由小威利和蒙特纳带头，纷纷走出了教室。“他在那里！”当提杰消失在林荫小道时，小威利大喊起来。蒙特纳跟着说：“我们去看看他去了哪里。”然后他们和其他三个男孩儿追了出去。其他人却不知所措地站在那儿，仿佛没下课一样。
“Whipped!” I cried. “Why, can’t nobody whip Stacey. Who done it!”
“被打了！”我不禁大叫，“为什么？没有人敢打斯泰西，谁干的？”
Little Willie smiled. “Stacey inside with Miz Logan. He got whipped today.”
小威利笑了笑：“他和洛根太太在里面。今天他被打了。”
“Hey, what’s going on?” I asked Little Willie, “What’s everybody waiting round for?”
“你们去哪儿？”我问小威利，“大家都在等什么？”
Your mama,” laughed Little Willie.
“你妈妈呀。”小威利大笑。
“Mama!” Christopher-John, Little Man, and I exclaimed.
“妈妈！”我、小家伙和克里斯托弗异口同声，我们难以置信。
I swallowed hard, feeling very sorry for my older brother. It was bad enough to be whipped in front of thirty others by a teacher, but to get it by one’s own mother — now that was downright embarrassing.
我艰难地咽了咽口水，很为哥哥感到难过。当着其他三十个同学的面被老师打已经够难堪了，更何况还是被自己的妈妈打，那就更丢人了。
Little Willie nodded. “Yep. In front of everybody.”
小威利点点头：“是的，当着所有人的面。”
“Well, what the devil was Stacey doing with ’em!”
“好吧，可斯泰西跟这些又有什么鬼关系？”
“She caught him with cheat notes during the history examination.”
“历史考试时，他被抓到带了小抄。”
“Come noontime though,” replied Little Willie, “T. J. was in them woods busy writing himself another set. Me and Moe seen him.”
“中午重新做的，”小威利回答道，“提杰中午又赶着做了一份小抄，我和蒙特纳都看到了。”
“Mama knows Stacey wouldn’t cheat!” I declared.
“妈妈知道的，斯泰西是不会作弊的！”我无比确信。
Little Willie shrugged. “Well, whether she knowed it or not, she sho’ nough whipped him… Course, now, she give him a chance to get out of it when he said he wasn’t cheatin’ and she asked him how he got them cheat notes. But Stacey wouldn’t tell on ole T. J., and you know good and well ole T. J. wasn’t ’bout to say them notes was his.”
小威利耸耸肩：“不管她知不知道，反正她是打了斯泰西…当然，现在她给了斯泰西机会解释，斯泰西说他没有作弊，然后老师问那小抄是怎么回事时，斯泰西不愿告发提杰，而提杰也不会说这事是他自己干的。”
“Cheat notes! But how’d T. J. get cheat notes! Stacey got rid of them things this morning!”
“小抄！提杰怎么会有小抄？早上斯泰西已经把他的小抄撕掉了呀！”
“Well, we was in the middle of the examination and ole T. J. slips out these cheat notes — me and Clarence here was sittin’ right behind him and T. J. and seen the whole thing. Stacey was sittin’ right side of T. J. and when he seen them notes, he motioned T. J. to put ’em away. At first T. J. wouldn’t do it, but then he seen Miz Logan startin’ toward em and he slipped Stacey the notes. Well, Stacey didn’t see Miz Logan comin’ when he took them notes, and by the time he saw her it was too late to get rid of ’em. Wasn’t nothin’ Miz Logan could do but whip him. Failed him too.”
“考试考到一半时，提杰就拿出了小抄——我和克拉伦斯就坐在他后头，看到了一切。斯泰西坐在他右边，也看到了他的小抄，他命令提杰赶紧把小抄收起来。提杰刚开始并没有理会他，当看到洛根太太走过来时，就把小抄塞给了斯泰西。斯泰西并没有注意到洛根太太走了过来。当他意识到时，已经来不及把小抄藏起来了。洛根太太就打了他，还说让他不及格。”
All the students answered at once, indicating that T. J. had headed west toward home, then surrounded Stacey as he started across the lawn. Christopher-John, Little Man, Claude, and I followed.
所有同学异口同声，都说提杰往西边跑回家了。大家跟着斯泰西穿过草坪，我、小家伙和克里斯托弗也跟了过去。
“But knowin’ Stacey, I betcha ole T. J, ain’t gonna get away with it,” chuckled Little Willie. “And T. J. know it too. That’s why he lit outa here like he done, and I betcha — Hey, Stacey!”
“不过斯泰西这个人，一定不会放过提杰的。”小威利“咯咯”地笑起来，“提杰也知道这一点，所以早就逃跑了。我敢打赌——嘿，斯泰西！”
“And ole T. J. just sat there and ain’t said a word,” interjected Clarence, laughing.
“提杰就坐在那儿，一句话也没说。”克拉伦斯插了进来。
When we reached the crossroads, Moe Turner was waiting. “T. J. went down to the Wallace store,” he announced.
我们走到岔路口，蒙特纳在那儿等着，他说：“提杰去华莱士商店了。”
Stacey stopped and so did everyone else. Stacey stared past Jefferson Davis, then back down the road toward Great Faith. Looking over his shoulder, he found me and ordered, “Cassie, you and Christopher-John and Man go on home.”
斯泰西停下脚步，大家也跟着停了下来。斯泰西凝望着杰斐逊大卫学校，又回头望了望通往大信仰中小学的路。他注意到我也在，命令道：“凯西，你带着克里斯托弗和小家伙回家。”
“You come too,” I said, afraid of where he was going.
“你也跟我们回家吧。”我担心他会去华莱士商店。
Everyone turned as Stacey bounded down the steps. His square face was unsmiling, but there was no anger in his voice when he asked quietly, “Anybody seen T. J.!”
所有人转身，看着斯泰西从楼上走下来。他面无表情，没有微笑，没有恼怒，只是平静地问：“谁看见提杰了？”
“Mama gonna take care of you, too!” I hollered after him. “You know she said we wasn’t to go down there, and she find out, she gonna wear you out again! Papa too!” But Stacey did not come back. For a moment, Little Man, Christopher-John, Claude, and I stood watching Stacey and the others heading swiftly northward. Then Little Man said, “I wanna see what he gonna do.”
“妈妈才会收拾你呢！”我在他后头大喊，“你知道我们不能去那儿的，要是妈妈知道了，你又会被揍一顿！爸爸也会打你的！”但斯泰西依然没有回头。过了一会儿，我、克里斯托弗、克劳德和小家伙看着斯泰西飞快地朝北边走去。小家伙开了口：“我想知道他想去干吗。”
“I don’t,” declared Christopher-John.
“我可不想。”克里斯托弗说。
“Got something to take care of first,” he said, walking away.
“快走，不然有你好看的。”他说完头也不回地走了。
“I don’t want no whipping!” objected Christopher-John. standing alone in the crossroads. But when he saw that we were not coming back, he puffed to join us, grumbling all the while.
“我不想被揍！”克里斯托弗独自一人站在岔路口。但是他看到我们头也不回，最后还是跟上我们，可一路上抱怨不停。
“Come on,” I said, starting after Stacey with Little Man and Claude beside me.
“走吧。”我、克劳德和小家伙朝着斯泰西的方向走去。
The Wallace store stood almost a half mile beyond Jefferson Davis, on a triangular lot that faced the Soldiers Bridge crossroads. Once the Granger plantation store, it had been run by the Wallaces for as long as I could remember, and most of the people within the forty-mile stretch between Smellings Creek and Strawberry shopped there.
华莱士商店离杰斐逊大卫学校半里路，坐落在军人桥岔路口的一块三角形土地上。自从格兰杰家族建了这个商店后，它就一直由华莱士经营。大多住在斯梅林河地区和斯特罗贝里之间的居民都会来这里买东西。
Stacey and the other students were standing in the door- way of the store when Little Man, Christopher-John, Claude, and I ran up. We squeezed through so we could see inside. A man we all knew was Kaleb Wallace stood behind the counter. A few other men sat around a stove playing checkers, and Jeremy’s older brothers, R. W. and Melvin, who had dropped out of school long ago, leaned sleepy- eyed against the counter staring at us.
当我、克里斯托弗、小家伙和克劳德赶到时，斯泰西和其他学生已经站在商店门口了。我们走了过去，以便能看清前面的状况。华莱士站在柜台后头，还有一些人在围着火炉下棋，杰里米的两个退学的哥哥罗文和马文倚着柜台睥睨我们。
The other three corners of the crossroads were forest land, black and dense. The store consisted of a small building with a gas pump in front and a storage house in back. Beyond the store, against the forest edge, were two gray clapboard houses and a small garden. But there were no fields; the Wallaces did not farm.
岔路口的另外三面都是茂密的森林。华莱士商店是一个小小的建筑。它的前面有一个充气泵，后面是一个仓库。在店铺靠近森林的那边，有两间小小的灰色木屋和一个小花园。但这儿没有农田，华莱士家不耕种土地。
“Y’all go on to the back.” said Kaleb Wallace, “lessn y’all wanna buy something. Mr. Dewberry got the music goin’ already.
华莱士说：“除非你们想买东西，否则都给我退到后面去。杜伯里先生要放音乐了。”
As we turned away from the entrance, Melvin Simms said, “Just look at all the little niggers come to dance,” and the laughter of the men filled the room.
我们退到门边，只听马文嘲讽道：“你们这群黑鬼还想来跳舞？”整个房间哄堂大笑。
Christopher-John tugged at my arm. “I don’t like this place. Cassie. Let’s go on home.”
克里斯托弗拉起我的胳膊：“凯西，我不喜欢这里，我们回去吧。”
“We can’t leave without Stacey,” I said.
“我们不能丢下斯泰西。”我说。
Music beckoned from the storage room where Dewberry Wallace was placing round brown bottles on a small table as we crowded in. Aside from the table, there was no furniture in the room. Boxes lined the walls and the center floor had been cleared for dancing — several older couples from Great Faith were already engaged in movements I had never seen before.
后面的仓库响起音乐，杜伯里先生把许多棕色的小圆瓶放在桌上。除了桌子，房间里没有其他的家具，箱子被推到墙角，中间留出的空地用来跳舞。有许多大信仰中小学的高年级学生已经随着音乐动了起来。我从来没有见过这种情景。
“There he go!” someone shouted as the back door of the storeroom slammed shut. Stacey turned quickly and sped to the back of the building. T. J. was fleeing straight toward Soldiers Road. Stacey tore across the Wallace yard and, leaping high like a forest fox, fell upon T. J., knocking him down. The two boys rolled toward the road, each trying to keep the other’s back pinned to the ground, but then Stacey, who was stronger, gained the advantage and T. J., finding that he could not budge him, cried, “Hey, wait a minute, man, let me explain –“
“他来了！”仓库后门关上时传来一声大喊，斯泰西立刻回头，飞速跑到商店后头。我看到提杰的身影出现在岔路口，斯泰西冲过去，像一只森林里的狐狸一般跃起，压在提杰身上。两人滚向马路，都想把对方压在下面。斯泰西比较强壮，占了上风。提杰发现自己处于劣势，大喊道：“喂，等一下，你听我解释…”
“What they doing?” asked Little Man.
“他们在做什么？”小家伙说。
I shrugged. “I guess that’s what they call dancing.”
我耸了耸肩：“大概就是他们所说的跳舞吧。”
Little Man, Christopher-John, and I, with the others, circled the fighters, chanting loudly as they rolled back and forth punching at each other. All of us were so engrossed in the battle that no one saw a mule wagon halt on the road and a giant man step out. It wasn’t until I realized that the shouting had stopped behind us and that the girls and boys beside me were falling back that I looked up.
小家伙、克里斯托弗和我以及其他人都围着他们，专注地看着他们扭打，大声呼喊。没有人注意到有一辆马车停在了路边，从车上下来一个高大的人，走进了人群。直到大家停止了叫喊，我才抬起头。
Stacey did not let him finish. Jumping up, he pulled T. J. up too and hit him squarely in the face. T. J. staggered back holding his eyes as if he were badly hurt, and Stacey momentarily let down his guard. At that moment, T. J. rammed into Stacey, forcing the fight to the ground again.
斯泰西没有理会他，他跳起来，把提杰拉起，冲他脸上就是狠狠一拳。提杰摇摇晃晃，捂着眼睛，似乎伤得很重。斯泰西放松了警惕。这时，提杰突然冲了过去，两人又扭打在了一起。
He did not look at me or Christopher-John or Little Man, although I knew he had seen us, but walked straight to the fighters and lifted a still-swinging Stacey off T, J. After a long, tense moment, he said to Stacey, “You and your sister and brothers get on in the wagon.”
我知道他早就看到了我、小家伙和克里斯托弗，但他装作没看见。他径直走向正在打架的两个人，抓住了正要挥拳的斯泰西：“你带弟弟妹妹到马车上去。”
Mr. Morrison towered above us.
是莫里森先生。
We walked through the now-silent crowd. Kaleb and Dewbeny Wallace, standing on the front porch of the store with the Simmses, stared at Mr. Morrison as we passed, but Mr. Morrison looked through them as if they were not there.
我们穿过寂静的人群。卡莱伯、杜伯里以及马文兄弟站在门口盯着莫里森先生。但莫里森先生目不斜视，仿佛他们没站在那儿一样。
Stacey sat in front of the wagon with Mr. Morrison; the rest of us climbed into the back.
斯泰西和莫里森先生坐在马车前头，我和弟弟们坐在后头。
“Now we gonna get it,” shuddered Christopher-John. “I told y’all we shoulda gone on home.”
克里斯托弗发着抖：“看吧，我就说过我们该回家的。”
“Mr. Morrison… you gonna tell Mama!” Stacey asked huskily.
“莫里森先生，你会不会告诉我妈妈？”斯泰西局促不安。
Before Mr. Morrison took the reins, he handed Stacey a handkerchief in which to wrap his bruised right hand, but he did not say a word and it wasn’t until we had passed the crossroads leading to Great Faith that the silence was broken.
莫里森先生用一条手帕给斯泰西包扎好他受伤的右手，然后沉默地驾驶着马车。直到到了大信仰中小学的岔路口后，我们才打破了沉默。
Mr. Morrison was very quiet as Jack the mule clopped noisily along the dry road. “Seems I heard your mama tell y’all not to go up to that Wallace store,” he said at last.
莫里森先生没说话，只听到“嗒嗒”的马蹄声。最后他说：“我听到你妈妈说，不让你们去华莱士商店的。”
The boys and I looked woefully at each other and my bottom stung from the awful thought of Mama’s leather strap against it. “But Mr. Morrison,” I cried anxiously, “T. J. was hiding there ’cause he thought Stacey wouldn’t never come down there to get him. But Stacey had to go down there ’cause T. J. was cheating and –“
我和男孩们面面相觑。一想到妈妈的鞭打，我的屁股就有些隐隐作痛。“可是，莫里森先生，”我急切地说，“提杰就躲在那里，因为他知道斯泰西是不会去那里的。但斯泰西去了，因为提杰今天考试作弊——”
“Y-yessir,” said Stacey, glancing nervously at Mr. Morrison. Then he blurted out, “But I had good reason!”
“是…是的。”斯泰西紧张地看了莫里森先生一眼，然后辩解了一句，“我有充足的理由！”
“Ain’t never reason good enough to go disobey your mama.”
“没有什么理由充足到可以违反你妈妈说的话。”
“I ain’t gonna tell her,” he said quietly.
“我不会告诉她的。”他平静地说。
“Hush, Cassie,” Stacey ordered, turning sharply around.
“住口！凯西！”斯泰西猛地回过头来，警告我。
Christopher-John sighed with relief. “Ain’t going down there no more neither,” he promised. Little Man and I agreed. But Stacey stared long and hard at Mr. Morrison.
克里斯托弗这下放心了。“我们以后再也不要去那里了。”他信誓旦旦地说，我和小家伙跟着点了点头。只有斯泰西紧紧地盯着莫里森先生。
“How come, Mr. Morrison!” he asked. “How come you ain’t gonna tell Mama!”
“为什么，莫里森先生？”斯泰西问，“为什么你不告诉我妈妈？”
I faltered for only a moment before deciding that my bottom was more important than Stacey’s code of honor — and Stacey had to take the blame for it and Mama whipped him right in front of God and everybody?” Once the truth had been disclosed, I waited with dry throat and nauseous stomach for Mr. Morrison to say something. When he did, all of us strained tensely forward,
我迟疑了一下，觉得自己的屁股比斯泰西的自尊心来得重要，“斯泰西帮提杰背黑锅，结果当着大家的面被妈妈打！”说出真相后，我喉咙发紧，等待着莫里森先生说些什么。他一开口，我们都紧张地往前靠。
Mr. Morrison slowed Jack as we turned into the road leading home. ‘Cause I’m leaving it up to you to tell her.”
莫里森先生放慢了车速，这时我们已经进入通往家里的车道，他说：“因为我要你们亲自告诉她。”
“What!” we exclaimed together.
“什么！”我们难以置信地叫了出来。
“Sometimes a person’s gotta fight.” he said slowly. “But that store ain’t the place to be doing it. From what I hear, folks like them Wallaces got no respect at all for colored folks and they just think it’s funny when we fight each other. Your mama knowed them Wallaces ain’t good folks, that’s why she don’t want y’all down there, and y’all owe it to her and y’allselves to tell her. But I’m gonna leave it up to y’all to decide.”
“有时候，我们是得为了名誉而战。”他语速缓慢，“但不是刚刚那样的场合。据我所知，华莱士那帮人很看不起有色人种，看着你们打架，他们只会觉得很好玩。你妈妈知道华莱士他们不是好人，所以不准你们去那里。你们犯了错，就应该跟她说。我让你们自己决定。”
As we neared the house, Mr. Granger’s Packard rolled from the dusty driveway. Mr. Morrison directed Jack to the side of the road until the big car had passed, then swung the wagon back into the road’s center and up the drive. Big Ma was standing by the yard gate that led onto the drive, gazing across the road at the forest.
当我们快到家时，格兰杰的车子从前面开了过来，扬起高高的灰尘。莫里森先生把马车拉到路旁，等他的车子通过了才继续行驶。回到家时，我看到奶奶站在院子门口，凝视着路那边的森林。
But he seemed not to hear us as his eyes met Mr. Morrison’s and the two of them smiled in subtle understanding, the distance between them fading,
但他似乎没在意我们的话，他和莫里森先生相视一笑，像达成了什么默契，之前的误会都消散了。
“Boy, you crazy!” I cried as Christopher-John and Little Man speedily came to the same conclusion. If he did not care about his own skin, he could at least consider ours.
“天哪，你疯了吗？”我、小家伙和克里斯托弗都惊讶无比，就算他不在乎被揍，也要想想我们吧。
Stacey nodded thoughtfully and wound his handkerchief tighter around his wounded hand. His face was not scarred, so if he could just figure out a way to explain the bruises on his hand to Mama without lying he was in the clear, for Mr. Morrison had not said that he had to tell her. But for some reason I could not understand he said, “All right, Mr. Morrison, I’ll tell her.”
斯泰西若有所思地点了点头，攥着手中的手帕。他的脸没有受伤，只要编上一个合理的理由，向妈妈解释手上的伤，就可以了。而且，莫里森先生也没有让斯泰西向妈妈说出真相。突然，斯泰西不明所以地说：“好吧，莫里森先生，我会跟妈妈说的。”
“Oh,” said Stacey, his tone indicating that he considered the visit of no importance. Mr. Granger had always wanted the land.
“哦。”斯泰西这样的语气，说明这事一点也不打紧。格兰杰先生一直想要这块土地。
“Big Ma.” I said, “what Mr. Granger need more land for!”
“奶奶，”我问道，“格兰杰先生要那么多地干什么啊？”
“Big Ma. what was Mr. Granger doing here!” Stacey asked, jumping from the wagon and going to her. Little Man, Christopher-John. and I hopped down and followed him.
“奶奶，格兰杰先生来做什么？”斯泰西跳下马车，走向奶奶，我、小家伙和克里斯托弗跟在后头。
He turned and went to help Mr. Morrison. Little Man and Christopher-John went with him, but I remained by the gate with Big Ma.
斯泰西转身去帮莫里森先生，小家伙和克里斯托弗也跟着他，我留下来陪着奶奶。
“Nothin’,” Big Ma replied absently, her eyes still on the forest. “Just worryin’me ’bout this land again.”
“没什么。”奶奶依然专注地望着森林，“又来要这块地了。”
“Don’t need it,” Big Ma said flatly, “Got more land now than he know what to do with.”
“不知道。”奶奶语气平静，“估计他也不知道用这些地做什么吧。”
“Well, what he want with ours then!”
“那他为什么还要我们的地？”
“Well, seems to me he’s just being greedy. You ain’t gonna sell it to him, are you!”
“哼，我看就是贪心。奶奶，你不会把地卖给他的，对吧？”
“Just like to have it, that’s all.
“就是想要，仅此而已吧。”
Big Ma did not answer me. Instead, she pushed open the gate and walked down the drive and across the road into the forest. I ran after her. We walked in silence down the narrow cow path which wound through the old forest to the pond. As we neared the pond, the forest gaped open into a wide, brown glade, man-made by the felling of many trees, some of them still on the ground. They had been cut during the summer after Mr. Andersen came from Strawberry with an offer to buy the trees. The offer was backed with a threat, and Big Ma was afraid. So Andersen’s lumbermen came, chopping and sawing, destroying the fine old trees. Papa was away on the railroad then but Mama sent Stacey for him. He returned and stopped the cutting, but not before many of the trees had already fallen.
奶奶没有回答。她推开门，沿着路走向了森林。我跟着她。我们沿着森林小径，静静地走着，一直走到湖旁。湖旁有一片棕色的空地，那是人工砍伐造成的，还有几棵树倒在地上。去年安德生先生从斯特罗贝里过来，说想要买这些树。安德生先生还威胁了奶奶，奶奶害怕，就答应了。安德生先生的伐木工来了，又砍又锯，砍倒了许多老树。爸爸那时在铁路上工作，妈妈便让斯泰西去找爸爸回来阻止，但树还是被砍了很多。
Big Ma surveyed the clearing without a word, then, step ping around the rotting trees, she made her way to the pond and sat down on one of them. I sat close beside her and waited for her to speak. After a while she shook her head and said: “I’m she’ glad your grandpa never had to see none of this. He dearly loved these here old trees. Him and me, we used to come down here early mornin’s or just ‘fore the sun was ’bout to set and just sit and talk. He used to call this place his thinkin’ spot and he called that old pond there Caroline, after me.”
奶奶一言不发地望着空地，然后绕过湖边，走向对面，坐在一棵倒下的枯树上。我在她身边坐下，等她开口。她轻轻摇了摇头：“我真庆幸你爷爷没见到这一幕，他以前很爱这些树木。我和他以前常常在清晨或是太阳下山前来这里，说说话，谈谈心。他以前常说这个地方是他灵魂的栖息地。他还把这个湖叫作‘卡罗琳湖’，用的是我的名字。”
She smiled vaguely, but not at me.
她露出淡淡的笑容，我知道，那不是在对我笑。
“You know, I… I wasn’t hardly eighteen when Paul Ed- ward married me and brung me here. He was older than me by ’bout eight years and he was smart. Ow-ow, my Lord, that was one smart man! He had himself a mind like a steel trap. Anything he seen done, he could do it. He had done learned carpentry back up there near Macon, Georgia, where he was born. Born into slavery he was, two years ‘fore freedom come, and him and his mama stayed on at that plantation after the fightin’ was finished. But then when he got to be fourteen and his mama died, he left that place and worked his way ‘cross here up to Vicksburg.”
“你知道的…我还不到十八岁时，就嫁给了保罗，来到了这里。他比我大八岁，他真的是个很聪明的人。哦，天哪，他真的很聪明，什么东西一学就会。他出生在佐治亚州的麦肯附近，在那里学会了木工。虽然身为奴隶，但两年后他就解放了，和妈妈一起经营种植园。在他十四岁时，他妈妈去世了。他便离开家乡，来到维京伯格工作。”
“And he bought himself two hundred acres from that Yankee, didn’t he!”
“所以他就买下了这两百英亩地，是吗？”
“That’s where he met you, ain’t it, Big Ma!” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“他是在那里遇见你的吧，奶奶？”我心里已经猜到了答案。
Big Ma nodded, smiling. “Sho’ was. He was carpenterin’ up there and my papa took me in with him to Vicksburg — we was tenant farmin’ ’bout thirty miles from there — to see ’bout gettin’ a store-bought rocker for my mama, and there was ole Paul Edward workin’ in that furniture shop just as big. Had himself a good job, but that ole job wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted himself some land. Kept on and kept on talkin’ ’bout land, and then this place come up for sell.”
奶奶笑着点了点头：“是的。他在那里做木工，我爸爸带着我去维京伯格——那时我们在三十千米外的地方做佃农。我们是去给妈妈挑摇椅的，保罗就在家具店里做木工。他做得不错，可那不是他想要的，他想要一块土地，后来听说这块土地要卖…”
Big Ma chuckled. “That man went right on over to see Mr. Hollenbeck and said, ‘Mr. Hollenbeck, I understand you got land to sell and I’d be interested in buyin’ me ’bout two hundred acres if yo’ price is right.’ Ole Mr. Hollenbeck questioned him good ’bout where he was gonna get the money to pay him, but Paul Edward just said, ‘Don’t seem to me it’s your worry ’bout how I’m gonna get the money just long as you get paid your price.’ Didn’t nothin’ scare that man!” She beamed proudly. “And Mr. Hollenbeck went on and let him have it. Course now, he was just ’bout as eager to sell this land as Paul Edward was to buy. He’d had it for goin’ on nigh twenty years — bought it during Reconstruction from the Grangers –“
奶奶“咯咯”地笑了起来，“他直接去找哈伦贝克先生，对他说，‘哈伦贝克先生，我知道你想卖土地，我想买两百英亩。’哈伦贝克先生问他哪来的钱，他只说，‘别担心我有没有钱，你只要等着收钱就好了。’他真的什么都不怕！”奶奶的语气里透着自豪，“后来哈伦贝克就把土地卖给了他。当然，也是因为他急着卖地，而保罗也正好要买。哈伦贝克买下这块地已经快二十年了，是重建时期向格兰杰家族买的。”
‘Cause they didn’t have no money to pay their taxes –“
“因为格兰杰家族那时没有钱缴税…”
“Then he turned ’round and tried to sell it back to ’em, huh, Big Ma!”
“然后他再转手卖给别人，是吗？”
“She’ did… but not till eighty-seven, when your grandpa bought himself that two hundred acres. As I hears it, that Yankee offered to sell all two thousand acres back to Harlan Granger’s daddy for less’n the land was worth, but that old Filmore Granger was just ’bout as tight with a penny as anybody ever lived and he wouldn’t buy it back. So Mr. Hollenback just let other folks know he was sellin’, and it didn’t take long’fore he sold all of it ’cause it was some mighty fine land. Besides your grandpa, a bunch of other small farmers bought up eight hundred acres and Mr. Jamison bought the rest.”
“嗯。直到1887年，你爷爷想买地时他才卖出去的。我听说哈伦贝克先生本来是想把这两千英亩地以较低的价格卖回给格兰杰家族的，但那时格兰杰家族手头很紧，没办法买回去。所以他就放出消息说他要卖地。因为地很肥沃，没过多久就被卖掉了。你爷爷和其他人买了一千英亩，剩下的被杰米森买走了。”
“Not only didn’t have tax money, didn’t have no money at all! That war left them plumb broke. Their ole Confederate money wasn’t worth nothin’ and both Northern and Southern soldiers had done ransacked their place. Them Grangers didn’t have nothin’ but they land left and they had to sell two thousand acres of it to get money to pay them taxes and rebuild the rest of it, and that Yankee bought the whole two thousand –“
“不只是没钱缴税，他们是一点儿钱都没有！战争使他们破了产，南方邦联的钱变得一文不值。他们一无所有，只剩下土地，所以必须卖掉两千英亩土地来缴税以及重建家园，那北方佬一下子买了他两千英亩…”
“But he didn’t like to farm,” I said.
“但他不喜欢种田啊。”我说。
“But that wasn’t our Mr. Jamison,” I supplied knowingly. “That was his daddy.”
“不是现在的杰米森。”我知道，“是他的爸爸。”
“Charles Jamison was his name,” Big Ma said. “A fine old gentleman, too. He was a good neighbor and he always treated us fair… just like his son. The Jamison’s was what folks call ‘Old South’ from up in Vicksburg, and as I understands it, before the war they had as much money as anybody and even after the war they managed better than some other folks ’cause they had made themselves some Northern money. Anyways, old Mr. Jamison got it into his mind that he wanted to farm and he moved his family from Vicksburg down in here. Mr. Wade Jamison wasn’t but ’bout eight years old then.”
“查尔斯·杰米森。”奶奶说，“他是个好人，以前是我们的邻居，很平等地对待我们，像对他的儿子一样。杰米森是大家所说的‘老南方’。据我了解，战前他们家很有钱，战后也比别人过得好，因为他们弄到了一些北方的钱。之后，老杰米森打算开始种田，就举家搬到了维京伯格。那个时候小杰米森还不到八岁。”
“Is that how come he sold Grandpa them other two hundred acres?”
“是不是因为这样，他才跟爷爷说要卖那两百英亩地的？”
“Sho’ is… and it was mighty good of him to do it, too. My Paul Edward had been eyein’ that two hundred acres ever since 1910 when he done paid off the bank for them first two hundred, but ole Mr. Jamison didn’t wanna sell. ’bout that same time, Harlan Granger ‘come head of the Granger plantation — you know, him and Wade Jamison ’bout the same year’s children — and he wanted to buy back every inch of land that used to belong to the Grangers. That man crazy ’bout anythin’ that was before that war and he wantin’ his land to be every bit like it was then. Already had more’n four thousand acres, but he just itchin’ to have back them other two thousand his granddaddy sold. Got back eight hundred of ’em, too, from them other farmers that bought from Mr. Hollenbeck –“
“是的，他人真的很好。保罗在还掉原来那两百英亩地的贷款后，就一直想买下他的地。但杰米森一直不肯。那时，哈伦·格兰杰掌管着格兰杰农庄，他和杰米森年龄相仿——他想买下以前属于格兰杰家族的每一块土地。他对战前的一切是那么狂热，一直希望他的土地能恢复到战前那样大。他已经有四千多英亩地了，却还想要他爷爷卖掉的那两千英亩地。他已经从其他小农户那里买回了原来卖给哈伦贝克的八百英亩地了。”
“Oh, he liked it all right. Just wasn’t never much hand at it though, and after he went up North to law school and all he just felt he oughta practice his law.”
“哦，还算喜欢吧，只是不太上手罢了。后来他到北方去学法律，就想当律师了。”
The soft swish of falling leaves made Big Ma look up from the pond and at the trees again. Her lips curved into a tender smile as she looked around thoughtfully. “You know,” she said, “I can still see my Paul Edward’s face the day Mr. Jamison sold him them two hundred acres. He put his arms round me and looked out at his new piece of land, then he said’zactly the same thing he said when he grabbed himself that first two hundred acres. Said, “Pretty Caroline, how you like to work this fine piece of earth with me! She’ did… said the ‘tact same thing.”
落叶随风轻飘下来，奶奶抬头看了一眼，又环顾了一下四周，若有所思地笑了笑。“你知道吗？”她声音轻柔，“那天保罗买下那两百英亩地时，他脸上的笑容至今让我难忘。他的手臂搭着我的肩膀，望着他刚买下的土地，对我说，美丽的卡罗琳啊，你愿意和我在这片土地上一块儿工作吗？跟他之前买下那两百英亩土地时说的，一模一样…”
“But Grandpa and old Mr. Jamison wasn’t interested in selling, period, was they, Big Mal They didn’t care how much money Mr. Granger offered ’em.” I declared with an emphatic nod.
“但爷爷和杰米森先生是不会卖掉那些地的，是吗？无论出多少钱，他们也不愿意！”
“That’s the truth of it all right,” agreed Big Ma. “Butwhen Mr. Jamison died in I9I8 and Wade ‘come head of the family, he sold them two hundred acres to Paul Edward and the rest of his land to Harlan Granger, and moved his family into Strawberry. He could’ve just as easy sold the full thousand acres to the Grangers and gotten more money, but he didn’t… and till this day Harlan Granger still hold it ‘gainst him ’cause he didn’t…”
“嗯，的确如此。”奶奶同意我的说法，“但老杰米森在1918年就去世了，韦德·杰米森当了家。他只把其中的两百英亩地卖给了保罗，剩下的都卖给格兰杰家族了，然后举家搬到了斯特罗贝里。其实他可以把地都卖给格兰杰家族，这样还可以拿到更多的钱，但他没有这么做…直到现在，哈伦·格兰杰还对此耿耿于怀。”
She shook her head and sighed. “Then Mitchell, he got killed in the war and Kevin got drowned…” Her voice faded completely, but when she spoke again it had hardened and there was a determined glint in her eyes. “Now all the boys I got is my baby boys, your papa and your Uncle Hammer, and this they place as much as it is mine. They blood’s in this land, and here that Harlan Granger always talkin’ ’bout buyin’ it. He pestered Paul Edward to death ’bout buyin’ it, now he pesterin’ me. Humph!” she grumped angrily. “He don’t know nothin’ ’bout me or this land, he think I’m gonna sell!”
她轻轻摇了摇头，叹息着：“米切尔在战争中牺牲了，凯文溺水身亡了。”她的声音浸满悲伤。但当她再次开口时，声音似乎有力了些，眼睛里闪着坚毅的光芒。“现在就剩下你爸爸和哈默了。他们和这片土地血肉相连。而格兰杰总是想要买下这片土地，以前烦你爷爷，现在又来烦我，倒是想得美！”奶奶很生气，“他什么都不知道！根本就不知道这块土地对我来说意味着什么，还以为我会卖！”
She grew quiet then and rubbed the wrinkles down one hand as if to smooth them away. I gazed at the pond, glassy gray and calm, until she was ready to go on. I had learned that at times like these it was better to just sit and wait than to go asking disrupting questions which might vex her.
奶奶停下来，用手抚摸着她的皱纹，像是要将它们抚平似的。我凝望着平滑如镜的湖水，等着奶奶接着讲下去。我发现与其问那些显得有些唐突而冒昧的问题，不如就这样坐着，静静地听。
“So long ago now,” she said eventually, in a voice that was almost a whisper. “We worked real hard gettin’ them crops sown gettin’ ’em reaped. We had us a time… But there was good times too. We was young and strong when we started out and we liked to work. Neither one of us, I’m proud to say never was lazy and we didn’t raise us no lazy children neither. Had ourselves six fine children. Lost our girls when they was babies, though… I s’pose that’s one of the reasons I love your sweet mama so much… But them boys grew strong and all of ’em loved this place as much as Paul Edward and me. They go away, they always come back to it. Couldn’t leave it.”
“很久以前，”她终于开口了，以近乎低语的声音，“我们辛勤劳作，过得很苦…不过，也有快乐的时光。那时的我们，年轻而有活力，热爱工作。我们俩，没有一个是偷懒鬼，我们生的孩子也是个个勤劳。我们有六个孩子，唯一的女儿很早便离开人世了，这大概就是我那么爱你妈妈的原因吧。而男孩们都活得健健康康的，也跟我和保罗一样，深深爱着这片土地。他们离开了，也会想着回来。”
She became silent again.
奶奶又陷入沉默。
“Don’t you be lyin’ to me girl!” she snapped, putting out her hand. “It’s time we was goin’ back to the house any- ways. Your Mama’ll be home soon.
“别骗我。”她打断我的话，伸出手，“我们也得回去了，这个时候你妈妈应该快到家了。”
A cold wind rose, biting through my jacket, and I shivered. Big Ma looked down at me for the first time. “You cold!”
起风了，大风刮过我的夹克衫，我打了个冷战。奶奶看了我一眼：“冷吗？”
I took her hand, and together we left the Caroline.
我牵着奶奶的手，我们一起离开了森林。
Despite our every effort to persuade Stacey otherwise, when Mama came home he confessed that he had been fighting T. J. at the Wallace store and that Mr. Morrison had stopped it. He stood awkwardly before her, disclosing only those things which he could honorably mention. He said nothing of T. J.’s cheating or that Christopher-John, Little Man, and I had been with him, and when Mama asked him a question he could not answer honestly, he simply looked at his feet and refused to speak. The rest of us sat fidgeting nervously throughout the interview and when Mama looked our way, we swiftly found somewhere else to rest our eyes.
无论我们怎样劝斯泰西，斯泰西还是执意要把他揍了提杰和莫里森先生阻止了他的事情说给妈妈听。他手足无措地站在那儿，没有说提杰作弊，没有说克里斯托弗、小家伙和我也去了华莱士商店。当妈妈问他问题时，他无法诚实地回答，所以只好低着头，不说话。我们也在一旁坐立不安，妈妈一把视线投向我们，我们就赶紧移开视线。
“N-no, ma’am,” I stuttered, not ready to leave the forest.
“不，不冷。”我结结巴巴，还想在树林里待着。
Although she scolded us severely, she did not whip us. We were sent to bed early but we didn’t consider that a punishment, and we doubted that Mama did either. How we had managed to escape a whipping we couldn’t fathom until Saturday, when Mama woke us before dawn and piled us into the wagon. Taking us southwest toward Smellings Creek, she said, “Where we’re going the man is very sick and he doesn’t look like other people. But I don’t want you to be afraid or uncomfortable when you see him. Just be yourselves.”
妈妈痛骂了我们一顿，却没有打我们。我们被要求早早去睡觉——这不算是惩罚吧？可能妈妈也这么想。第二天早晨，妈妈早早叫我们起床，让我们坐上马车，告诉我们要去斯梅林河那边，我们才知道我们是怎么躲过那一顿揍的。妈妈说：“我们要去拜访一个人，他病得很重，我不希望你们看到他时表现出害怕或是不舒服的样子，要有礼貌，知道了吗？”
Finally, seeing that she had gotten all the information she was going to get from Stacey, Mama turned to us. “I suppose you three went to the store too, huh!” But before any of us could squeak an answer, she exclaimed, “That does it!” and began to pace the floor, her arms folded, her face cross.
最后，妈妈问完了斯泰西，又转向我们，“你们也去商店了，是吧？”我们还没说什么，妈妈便气愤地说，“你们去了！”她双手交叉，踱着步子，脸色很难看。
We rode for almost two hours before turning onto a back- woods trail. We were jarred and bounced over the rough road until we entered a clearing where a small weather- grayed house stood and fields stretched barren beyond it. As Mama pulled up on the reins and ordered us down, the front door cracked warily open, but no one appeared. Then Mama said, “Good morning, Mrs. Berry. It’s Mary Logan, David’s wife.”
我们几乎颠簸了快两个小时才转到森林小径。后来车驶到了一片空地，那里坐落着一个破败的小房子，一旁是围起来的田地。妈妈勒住马车，让我们下来。妈妈走上去，轻轻敲了敲门，门“嘎吱”一声开了一条缝，却没有人应答。妈妈对着里头说：“早上好，贝瑞太太，我是玛丽·洛根，大卫的妻子。”
The interior was dark, lit only by the narrow slat of gray daylight allowed in by the open door. Stacey and I carried cans of milk and butter, and Christopher-John and Little Man each had a jar of beef and a jar of crowder peas which Mama and Big Ma had canned. Mrs. Berry took the food, her thanks intermingled with questions about Big Ma, Papa, and others. When she had put the food away, she pulled stools from the darkness and motioned us to sit down, then she went to the blackest corner and said, “Daddy, who you s’pose done come to see ’bout us!”
屋里很暗，只有微弱的光从开着的门缝里照进来。斯泰西和我拿着牛奶和黄油罐头，克里斯托弗和小家伙各拿着一瓶牛肉和豆子，这是妈妈和奶奶准备的。贝瑞太太接过礼物，高兴地致谢，并问起奶奶、爸爸以及其他人的近况。整理好那些食物后，她从黑漆漆的屋子里拿出凳子让我们坐下，然后走到屋里最暗的角落：“你猜谁来看你了？”
The door swung wide then and an elderly woman, frail and toothless, stepped out. Her left arm hung crazily at her side as if it had been broken long ago but had not mended properly, and she walked with a limp; yet she smiled widely, throwing her good arm around Mama and hugging her. “Land sakes, child, ain’t you somethin’!” she exclaimed. “Comin’ to see ’bout these old bones. I jus’ set to Sam, I set, ‘Who you reckon comin’ to see old folks like us!’ These yo’ babies, ain’t they! Lord a’mighty, ain’t they fine! She’ is!” She hugged each of us and ushered us into the house.
“嘎吱”，门开了，走出一个年迈的老奶奶，看起来身体虚弱，牙齿都掉光了。她的左臂垂在一边，好像是断了很久没有接起来一样。她跛着脚走过来，用她正常的右臂揽着妈妈，抱了抱她，激动地说：“天哪，你们竟然来看我们这两把老骨头呀！我才和山姆说，谁会来看我们呢？你们就来了。这是你的孩子们吗？长得真好！”她抱了抱我们，邀请我们进了屋。
There was no recognizable answer, only an inhuman guttural wheezing. But Mrs. Berry seemed to accept it and went on. “Miz Logan and her babies. Ain’t that somethin’!” She took a sheet from a nearby table. “Gots to cover him,” she explained. “He can’t hardly stand to have nothin’ touch him.” When she was visible again, she picked up a candle stump and felt around a table for matches. “He can’t speak no more. The fire burned him too bad. But he understands all right.” Finding the matches, she lit the candle and turned once more to the corner.
没有回答，只有一声虚弱的气喘。贝瑞太太接着说：“是洛根太太和她的孩子们，他们真好。”她从旁边的桌上拿起一块布，“我得把他盖起来，”她解释道，“他现在不能碰到别的东西。”当她再次出现在我们视野里时，手里拿着一截蜡烛，在桌上摸索着火柴。“他没法说话，被烧得太严重了，但他都听得懂。”她点燃蜡烛，再次走向了角落。
Mama said, “Say good morning to Mrs. Berry’s husband, children.”
妈妈说：“孩子们，快向贝瑞先生问好。”
A still form lay there staring at us with glittering eyes. The face had no nose, and the head no hair; the skin was scarred, burned, and the lips were wizened black, like charcoal. As the wheezing sound echoed from the opening that was a mouth.
有个人躺在那儿，眼睛发亮。他脸上没有鼻子，没有头发，皮肤都是灼伤的痕迹，嘴唇乌黑如炭，发出一声极其虚弱无力的喘气声。
The boys and I stammered a greeting, then sat silently trying not to stare at Mr. Berry during the hour that we remained in the small house. But Mama talked softly to both Mr. and Mrs. Berry, telling them news of the community as if Mr. Berry were as normal as anyone else.
打过招呼后，我们就静静地待在那儿，不敢看贝瑞先生第二眼。妈妈和贝瑞夫妇却相谈甚欢，跟他们聊着其他人的近况，仿佛贝瑞先生是一个正常人一样。
The people nodded and said she was right.
大人们点了点头，认为妈妈说得在理。
After we were on the main road again, having ridden in thoughtful silence over the wooded trail, Mama said quietly, “The Wallaces did that, children. They poured kerosene over Mr. Berry and his nephews and lit them afire. One of the nephews died, the other one is just like Mr. Berry.” She allowed this information to penetrate the silence, then went on. “Everyone knows they did it, and the Wallaces even laugh about it, but nothing was ever done. They’re bad people, the Wallaces. That’s why I don’t want you to ever go to their store again — for any reason. You understand!”
离开后，我们一直到大马路上才打破了沉默，妈妈对我们说：“那是华莱士那帮人干的。他们把煤油浇到贝瑞先生和他的两个侄子身上，点了火。一个侄子被烧死了，另一个就像贝瑞先生一样躺在床上。”过了一会儿，她接着说：“所有人都知道华莱士家族的恶行。华莱士甚至还把这当成笑料。他们是很坏的人，所以我才不让你们去他们的商店——无论是怎样的理由。明白了吗？”
She also spoke of finding another store to patronize, one where the proprietors were more concerned about the welfare of the community. But she did not speak directly of what the Wallaces had done to the Berrys for, as she explained later, that was something that wavered between the known and the unknown and to mention it outright to anyone outside of those with whom you were closest was not wise. There were too many ears that listened for others besides themselves, and too many tongues that wagged to those they shouldn’t.
她还提到有另一家商店可以去。那里的店主更关心社区的福利。但她并没有直接谈到华莱士夫妇对柏瑞夫妇所做的事，正如她后来解释的那样，那是在已知和未知之间摇摆不定的事情，直接向你最亲近的人以外的任何人提起这件事是不明智的。除了自己，这里有太多耳目在听着、盯着。
We nodded, unable to speak as we thought of the disfigured man lying in the darkness.
我们点了点头，脑子里一直闪现着黑暗中躺在床上的贝瑞先生。
On the way home we stopped at the homes of some of Mama’s students, where families poured out of tenant shacks to greet us. At each farm Mama spoke of the bad influence of the Wallaces, of the smoking and drinking permitted at their store, and asked that the family’s children not be allowed to go there.
在路上我们遇到了妈妈的几个学生，他们的家人从屋里走出来，跟我们打招呼。妈妈跟他们聊起了华莱士的恶行，说他们的商店里允许孩子抽烟喝酒，孩子们是不应该去那里的。
Mama nodded solemnly, showing she understood, then she said, “For the past year now, our family’s been shopping down at Vicksburg. There are a dumber of stores down there and we’ve found several that treat us well.”
妈妈严肃地点点头，表明她理解这样的状况：“过去几年，我们都是在维京伯格的商店买东西，那里有不少商店，有些对我们还不错。”
When we reached the Turner farm, Moe’s widowed father rubbed his stubbled chin and squinted across the room at Mama. “Miz Logan,” he said, “you know I feels the same way you do ’bout them low-down Wallaces, but it ain’t easy to jus’ stop shoppin’ there. They overcharges me and I has to pay them high interest, but I gets credit there ’cause Mr. Montier signs for me. Now you know most folks ’round here sharecroppin’ on Montier, Granger, or Harrison land and most of them jus’ ’bout got to shop at that Wallace store or up at the mercantile in Strawberry, which is jus ’bout as bad. Can’t go no place else.”
我们经过蒙特纳的家时，鳏居的老蒙特纳摸了摸胡子拉碴的下巴，斜眼望着妈妈，“洛根太太，”他说，“我和你一样，对华莱士的所作所为感到愤怒，但是不去那儿买东西，对我来说并不容易。他们漫天要价，跟我收取高额的利息，可是，我有蒙泰尔的签名，可以在那里赊账。很多农户都是蒙泰尔、格兰杰、哈里森的佃农，大多只能去华莱士商店或者斯特罗贝里的商店买东西——斯特罗贝里的商店也好不到哪里去，也没有别的地方了。”
The people only nodded, and Mama left.
大人们只是点点头。妈妈就走了。
“Vicksburg!” Mr. Turner echoed, shaking his head. “Lord, Miz Logan, you ain’t expectin’ me to go all the way to Vicksburg! That’s an overnight journey in a wagon down there and back.”
“维京伯格？”蒙特纳摇摇头，“天哪，洛根太太，你是想让我大老远地跑到维京伯格买东西吗？坐马车去那里，也要一天一夜呀。”
“Won’t do no good,” retorted Mr. Turner. “I got no cash money. Mr. Montier signs for me up at that Wallace store so’s I can get my tools, my mule, my seed, my fertilizer, my food, and what few clothes I needs to keep my children from runnin’ plumb naked. When cotton-pickin’ time comes, he sells my cotton, takes half of it, pays my debt up at that store and my interest for they credit, then charges me ten to fifteen percent more as ‘risk’ money for signin’ for me in the first place. This year I earned me near two hundred dollars after Mr. Montier took his half of the crop money, but I ain’t seen a penny of it. In fact, if I manages to come out even without owin’ that man nothin’, I figures I’ve had a good year. Now, who way down in Vicksburg gonna give a man like me credit!”
“不。”蒙特纳反驳道，“我没有现金。蒙泰尔给我签名，我去华莱士商店就可以买到工具、骡子、种子、肥料、食物，还有给孩子们穿的衣服。等到棉花收割的季节，他就会卖掉我的棉花，抽一半的成，以偿还我买东西的钱和赊账的利息，然后再抽百分之十到百分之十五的钱，作为第一次给我签名的风险金。今年，还清蒙泰尔的钱后，我大概还有两百美元，可我现在一分钱都没见到。我还想着，不欠他一分钱，今年我还可以过得不错呢。你想想，维京伯格的商店怎么会给我这样的人赊账呢？”
Mama thought on that a moment. “What if someone would be willing to make the trip for you! Go all the way to Vicksburg and bring back what you need!”
妈妈思忖了一会儿：“要是有人能代你去呢？到那里把你想要的东西带回来？”
Mama was very quiet and did not answer.
妈妈沉默不语。
“I she’ sorry, Miz Logan. I’m gonna keep my younguns from up at that store, but I gets to live. Y’all got it better’n most the folks ’round here ’cause y’all gets your own place and y’all ain’t gotta cowtail to a lot of this stuff. But you gotta understand it ain’t easy for sharecroppin’ folks to do what you askin’.
“洛根太太，很抱歉，我也不喜欢他们，可我也得养家糊口啊。你有你自己的土地，可以不受那么多束缚。但你得知道，对那些佃农来说，照你说的那样做，不是件那么容易的事。”
“Mr. Turner,” Mama said in a whisper, “what if someone backed your signature! Would you shop up in Vicksburg then!”
“蒙特纳先生，”妈妈低声说，“要是有人愿意给你签名呢？”
Mr. Turner looked at Mama strangely. “Now, who’d sign for me!”
蒙特纳惊异地看着妈妈：“谁会给我签名呢？”
Mr. Turner gazed into the fire, burning to a low ash, then got up and put another log on it, taking his time as he watched the fire shoot upward and suck in the log. Without turning around he said, “When I was a wee little boy, I got burnt real bad. It healed over but I ain’t never forgot the pain of it… It’s an awful way to die.” Then, turning, he faced Mama. “Miz Logan, you find someone to sign my credit, and I’ll consider it deeply.”
蒙特纳先生盯着即将熄灭的炉火，放了一根木柴进去，看着火苗“噌”地升起，吞没了木柴。他没有转身，“在我很小的时候，我曾被烧得很严重。治好后，我依然没法忘记那种痛苦，那种致死的痛…”他转过身，面向妈妈，“洛根太太，如果你找到愿意给我签名的人，我会认真考虑的。”
“If someone would, would you do it!”
“要是真的有人给你签呢？”
After we left the Turners’, Stacey asked, “Mama, who you gonna get to sign!” But Mama, her brow furrowed, did not reply. I started to repeat the question, but Stacey shook his head and I settled back wondering, then fell asleep.
我们离开了他的家，斯泰西问：“妈妈，谁会给他签名呢？”妈妈皱紧眉头，没有回答。我也问了这个问题，斯泰西摇摇头，我琢磨着、琢磨着，渐渐睡了过去。
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