“Little Man, would you come on! You keep it up and you’re gonna make us late.”
“小家伙，你能不能走快点？再磨磨蹭蹭的，我们都得迟到了！”
My youngest brother paid no attention to me. Grasping more firmly his newspaper-wrapped notebook and his tin can lunch of cornbread and oil sausages, he continued to concentrate on the dusty road. He lagged several feet behind my other brothers, Stacey and Christopher-John, and me, attempting to keep the rusty Mississippi dust from swelling with each step and drifting back upon his shiny black shoes and the cuffs of his corduroy pants by lifting each foot high before setting it gently down again. Always meticulously neat, six-year old Little Man never allowed dirt or tears or stains to mar anything he owned. Today was no exception.
我的小弟弟并没有理睬我，兀自抓紧自己用报纸包好的本子和装着玉米面包以及油香肠的饭盒，小心翼翼地走在尘土飞扬的道路上。他落在我的兄弟斯泰西、克里斯托弗·约翰和我的后头。每走一步，他都高高抬起脚，轻轻落下来，以免尘土沾上自己锃亮的黑皮鞋和灯芯绒裤子的翻边。这个六岁的小家伙永远这么爱干净，决不允许任何尘土污渍弄脏他的任何东西，今天也不例外。
“You keep it up and make us late for school, Mama’s gonna wear you out.” I threatened, pulling with exasperation at the high collar of the Sunday dress Mama had made me wear for the first day of school — as if that event were something special. it seemed to me that showing up at school at all on a bright August-like October morning made for running the cool forest trails and wading barefoot in the forest pond was concession enough; Sunday clothing was asking too much. Christopher-John and Stacey were not too pleased about the clothing or school either. Only Little Man, just beginning his school career, found the prospects of both intriguing.
“你最好走快点，要是我们迟到了，妈妈绝不会饶过你的。”我恼怒地竖起衣领，威胁这小家伙。妈妈让我穿上最好的衣服，因为今天是开学的第一天——好像这是个多么特别的日子似的。对我来说，在10月的清晨，穿着这身衣服穿过阴凉的森林小径，赤脚蹚过池塘，实在是个麻烦。克里斯托弗和斯泰西也或多或少对衣服、对上学有些不满。不过第一天上学的小家伙，倒是兴致勃勃，充满好奇。
“Y’all go ahead and get dirty if y’all wanna,” he replied without even looking up from his studied steps, “Me, I’m gonna stay clean.”
“你们走那么快，会弄脏衣服的。”他头也不抬，专注地看着脚下的路，“而我，依然保持得干干净净。”
“I betcha Mama’s gonna ‘clean’ you, you keep it up.” I grumbled.
“再不走快点儿，你就等着妈妈狠狠地收拾你吧。”我抱怨不停。
“Ah, Cassie, leave him be,” Stacey admonished, frowning and kicking testily at the road.
“哎，凯西，随他去吧。”斯泰西劝我，皱着眉头，烦躁地踢了踢路上的小石。
“I ain’t said nothing but…”
“我又没说什么，只是——”
Stacey cut me a wicked look and I grew silent. His disposition had been irritatingly sour lately. If I hadn’t known the cause of it. I could have forgotten very easily that he was at twelve, bigger than I, and that I had promised Mama to arrive at school looking clean and ladylike.
斯泰西瞪了我一眼，我才住了嘴。最近他的性格总让人不快。要不是我知道其中的原因，我估计早就忘了他是我十二岁的哥哥，何况我还答应了妈妈今天上学要保持整洁优雅。
“Shoot,” I mumbled finally, unable to restrain myself from further comment, “it ain’t my fault you gotta be in Mama’s class this year.”
“唷，”我嘟囔着，禁不住多说了句，“今年你分到了妈妈的班里，又不是我的错。”
Stacey’s frown deepened and he jammed his fists into his pockets, but said nothing.
斯泰西的眉头皱得更紧了，他攥紧的拳头伸进口袋，一言不发。
Christopher-John, walking between Stacey and me, glanced uneasily at both of us but did not interfere. A short, round boy of seven, he took little interest in troublesome things, preferring to remain on good terms with everyone, Yet he was always sensitive to others and now, shifting the handle of his lunch can from his right hand to his right wrist and his smudged notebook from his left hand to his left armpit. he stuffed his free hands into his pockets and attempted to make his face as moody as Stacey’s and as cranky as mine. But after a few moments he seemed to forget that he was supposed to be grouchy and began whistling cheerfully. There was little that could make Christopher-John unhappy for very long, not even the thought of school.
走在我和斯泰西中间的克里斯托弗，局促不安地看着我俩，却没有插话。他是个七岁的男孩儿，矮矮胖胖的，对这些麻烦事没什么兴趣，更乐意跟所有人乐乐呵呵的。克里斯托弗虽然对他人很敏感，就像此刻，一会儿把饭盒从右手换到腕上，一会儿把脏兮兮的本子从手上夹到腋窝，把闲着的手插进口袋，试图扮起鬼脸，时而模仿郁闷的斯泰西，时而模仿暴躁的我。不过，没一会儿，他就忘了这茬了，开始愉快地吹起口哨。没什么事情能让他不开心许久，连上学也是。
I tugged again at my collar and dragged my feet in the dust, allowing it to sift back onto my socks and shoes like gritty red snow. I hated the dress. And the shoes. There was little I could do in a dress, and as for shoes, they imprisoned freedom-loving feet accustomed to the feel of the warm earth,
我拽下衣领，用脚踢着土，让那些粗粝的棕红沙子落进我的袜子和鞋里。我讨厌这身衣服、这双鞋子，却又无计可施。它们禁锢了我热爱自由、习惯了温热土壤的双脚。
“Cassie, stop that,” Stacey snapped as the dust billowed in swirling clouds around my feet.
“凯西，别这样。”看我把尘土踢得到处都是，斯泰西责备道。
I looked up sharply, ready to protest. Christopher-John’s whistling increased to a raucous, nervous shrill. and grudgingly I let the matter drop and trudged along in moody silence, my brothers growing as pensively quiet as I.
我抬起头，冷冷看着他，打算反驳。克里斯托弗的口哨声尖锐刺耳，平添了紧张气氛。我勉强打消了念头，拖着沉重的步伐，静静地往前走，他俩也消停了。
Before us the narrow, sun-splotched road wound like a lazy red serpent dividing the high forest bank of quiet, old trees on the left from the cotton field, forested by giant green-and-purple stalks. on the right. A barbed-wire fence ran the length of the deep field, stretching eastward for over a quarter of a mile until it met the sloping green pasture that signaled the end of our family’s four hundred acres, An ancient oak tree on the slope, visible even now, was the official dividing mark between Logan land and the beginning of a dense forest. Beyond the protective fencing of the forest, vast farming fields, worked by a multitude of share- cropping families, covered two-thirds of a ten-square-mile plantation. That was Harlan Granger land.
在我们面前的这条狭窄、洒落阳光的道路，像一条慵懒的红色大蛇蜿蜒向前，将树林分成两边。左边的坡上生长着老树，连接着棉花田；右边绿色与紫红的树干参天入云。铁丝网篱笆围着棉花田的边缘，向西延伸约四分之一英里。篱笆尽头是一片牧草地，那是我们洛根家族四百英亩土地的尽头。斜坡上的那棵古栎树——从这儿看还依稀可见，是公认的我们家族与森林的分界点。在围着森林的铁丝网边缘，有广阔的农田，约七平方英里，由多户佃农耕作。那是哈伦·格兰杰家族的土地。
Once our land had been Granger land too, but the Grangers had sold it during Reconstruction to a Yankee for tax money. In 1887, when the land was up for sell again, Grandpa had bought two hundred acres of it, and in 19I8, after the first two hundred acres had been paid off, he had bought another two hundred, It was good rich land, much of it still virgin forest, and there was no debt on half of it. But there was a mortgage on the two hundred acres bought in 1918 and there were taxes on the full four hundred, and for the past three years there had not been enough money from the cotton to pay both and live on too.
我们家族的土地本来也是属于格兰杰家族的，不过当时格兰杰为了缴纳重建时期的税，把部分土地卖给了我们。1877年，格兰杰家族再次出售土地，爷爷买了两百英亩土地。1918年，在偿清了那两百英亩土地的贷款后，爷爷又买了两百英亩土地。这些土地土壤丰沃，大部分是未开发的森林。不过一想到1918年那两百英亩土地的贷款以及四百英亩土地的土地税，真是让人头大。过去三年里，我们种植棉花赚的钱，还不够偿还贷款与添补家用。
That was why Papa had gone to work on the railroad.
所以，爸爸外出，当了铁路工人。
In 1930 the price of cotton dropped, And so, in the spring of 1931, Papa set out looking for work, going as far north as Memphis and as far south as the Delta country, He had gone west too, into Louisiana. It was there he found work laying track for the railroad. He worked the remainder of the year away from us, not returning until the deep winter when the ground was cold and barren. The following spring after the planting was finished. he did the same. Now it was 1933 and Papa was again in Louisiana laying track.
1930年，棉花的价格大跌。到了1931年的春天，依旧如此。爸爸只好东奔西跑找工作，往北跑到了孟菲斯市，往南跑到了三角洲城市。他还到了路易斯安那，在那里找到了一份铺设铁路的工作。在棉花收获后，他离开；在天寒地冻、一片荒芜时，他回来。来年春天播种完棉花后，爸爸又离开了。今年（指1933年），爸爸又到路易斯安那铺设铁路去了。
I asked him once why he had to go away, why the land was so important. He took my hand and said in his quiet way: “Look out there, Cassie girl. All that belongs to you. You ain’t never had to live on nobody’s place but your own and long as I live and the family survives, you’ll never have to. That’s important. You may not understand that now, but one day you will. Then you’ll see.”
有一次，我问爸爸，为什么他必须离开，为什么把这片土地看得那么重要。他拉着我的手，温柔地回答：“凯西，看看这片土地，它们都是你的。你不用无依无靠地过活，这很重要。或许现在的你无法理解，不过以后你会懂的。”
I looked at Papa strangely when he said that, for I knew that all the land did not belong to me. Some of it belonged to Stacey, Christopher-John, and Little Man, not to mention the part that belonged to Big Ma. Mama, and Uncle Hammer, Papa’s older brother who lived in Chicago. But Papa never divided the land in his mind: it was simply Logan land. For it he would work the long, hot summer pounding steel: Mama would teach and run the farm; Big Ma, in her sixties, would work like a woman of twenty in the fields and keep the house; and the boys and I would wear threadbare clothing washed to dishwater color: but always, the taxes and the mortgage would be paid. Papa said that one day I would understand. I wondered.
我疑惑地看着爸爸，因为我清楚这些土地并不完全属于我。这片土地，还属于斯泰西、克里斯托弗和小家伙，更不用说奶奶、妈妈和住在芝加哥的哈默大伯了。但爸爸似乎从来都没有划分过这片土地，在他心里，它就是洛根家族的土地。为了这片土地，他得努力工作，在炎炎烈日下挥汗如雨，铺设铁路；妈妈在教书之余还要耕种土地；而花甲之年的奶奶，像年轻的妇女一样打理土地，操持家事；还有我的兄弟们，和我一样，穿着粗布衣服，帮家里的忙。但沉重的负债，怎么缴也缴不完似的。我很怀疑，到哪一天，我才能明白爸爸说的话。我想知道。
When the fields ended and the Granger forest fanned both sides of the road with long overhanging branches, a tall, emaciated-looking boy popped suddenly from a forest trail and swung a thin arm around Stacey. It was T. J. Avery. His younger brother Claude emerged a moment later, smiling weakly as if it pained him to do so. Neither boy had on shoes, and their Sunday clothing, patched and worn, hung loosely upon their frail frames. The Avery family share- cropped on Granger land.
当走到棉花田的尽头，到达格兰杰家族的森林时，一个瘦高的男孩突然从树林的小径旁跳了出来，并将瘦胳膊搭在斯泰西的肩头，这男孩叫提杰·艾弗里。过了一会儿，他的弟弟克劳德也出现了，脸上挂着虚弱的笑容。他们俩都光着脚，破破烂烂满是补丁的衣服罩着他们瘦弱的身躯。艾弗里家是格兰杰家族的佃农。
“Well.” said T. J… jauntily swinging into step with Stacey, there we go again startin’ another school year.
“嘿，”提杰兴高采烈地跟上斯泰西的步伐，“又开学啦。”
“Yeah,” sighed Stacey,
“唉。”斯泰西叹了口气。
“Ah, man, don’t look so down,” T. J. said cheerfully. “Your mama’s really one great teacher. I should know.” He certainly should. He had failed Mama’s class last year and was now returning for a second try,
“嘿，别这么垂头丧气的！”提杰愉快地说，“你妈妈可是个不错的老师，你应该知道的。”提杰当然知道，因为他去年挂掉了妈妈的那门课，今年又得再学一遍。
“Shoot! You can say that,” exclaimed Stacey. “You don’t have to spend all day in a classroom with your mama.”
“别站着说话不腰疼！”斯泰西大喊，“你又不用一整天和你妈妈待在教室里。”
“Look on the bright side,” said T. J. “Jus’ think of the advantage you’ve got. You’ll be learnin’ all sorts of stuff ‘fore the rest of us…” He smiled slyly. “like what’s on all them tests.
“想点好的吧！”提杰说，“想想你得到的好处，你可以知道一些我们不知道的事情，比如…提前知道考试题目。”他狡黠地笑了笑。
Stacey thrust T. J.’s arm from his shoulders. “If that’s what you think, you don’t know Mama.”
斯泰西甩开了提杰搭在他肩上的手：“如果你是这么想的，那你也太不了解我妈妈了。”
“Ain’t no need gettin’ mad,” T. J. replied undaunted. “Jus’ an idea.” He was quiet for a moment, then announced, “I betcha I could give y’all an earful ’bout that burnin’ last night.”
“别这么生气嘛，我只是随便说说而已。”提杰一副无所谓的模样。他沉默了一会儿，又说：“昨天晚上失火了，你们知道不？”
“Burning I What burning?” asked Stacey.
“失火了？在哪里？”斯泰西问道。
“Man, don’t y’all know nothin’! The Berrys’ burnin’. I thought y’all’s grandmother went over there last night to see ’bout ’em.”
“天，你竟然不知道这事！贝瑞家里着火了，昨晚你奶奶还过去看了呢。”
Of course we knew that Big Ma had gone to a sick house last night. She was good at medicines and people often called her instead of a doctor when they were sick. But we didn’t know anything about any burnings, and I certainly didn’t know anything about any Berrys either.
我们当然知道昨晚奶奶去给人看病了。奶奶精通医术，人们生病了，不找医生，却常常找她看病。但我们一点儿也不知道失火是怎么一回事，我也不知道贝瑞是谁。
“What Berrys he talking ’bout, Stacey!” I asked. “I don’t know no Berrys.”
“斯泰西，贝瑞是谁？”我问道，“我都不认识他。”
“They live way over on the other side of Smellings Creek. They come up to church sometimes,” said Stacey absently. Then he turned back to T. J. “Mr. Lanier come by real late and got Big Ma. Said Mr… Berry was low sick and needed her to help nurse him, but he ain’t said nothing ’bout no burning.”
“他们家在斯梅林河的另一边，他们有时会过来做礼拜。”斯泰西有些心不在焉，把头转向提杰，“昨天很晚的时候，拉尼尔先生来找我奶奶，说贝瑞先生病得很重，需要奶奶去看一下，可他没有说任何有关失火的事情。”
“He’s low sick all right ’cause he got burnt near to death. Him and his two nephews, And you know who done?”
“他的确病得厉害，因为他几乎快被烧死了，还有他的两个侄子也是。你知道是谁干的吗？”
“Who!” Stacey and I asked together.
“谁？”我和斯泰西异口同声。
“Well, since y’all don’t seem to know nothin’,” said T. J., in his usual sickening way of nursing a tidbit of information to death, “maybe I ought not tell y’all, It might hurt y’all’s little ears.”
“嘿，既然你们什么都不知道，”一提到这种小道消息，提杰总是吊人胃口，“我还是不告诉你们为妙，免得让你们太过受到惊吓。”
“Ah, boy,” I said, “don’t start that mess again.” I didn’t like T. J. very much and his stalling around didn’t help.
“喂，提杰，别玩这些把戏！”我很不喜欢他这么装腔作势。
“Come on, T. J.,” said Stacey, “out with it.”
“嘿，提杰，你就快说吧。”斯泰西催促道。
“Well…” T. J. murmured, then grew silent as if considering whether or not he should talk.
“好吧…”提杰嘟囔道，似乎在思考他应不应该说出来。
We reached the first of two crossroads and turned north; another mile and we would approach the second crossroads and turn east again.
我们走到第一个岔路口向北转，然后到了第二个岔路口向西走。
Finally T. J. said, “Okay. See, them Berrys’ burnin’ wasn’t no accident. Some white men took a match to ’em,”
最后，提杰开了口：“好吧，跟你们说，贝瑞家失火不是意外，那是白人拿着火柴放的火。”
“Y-you mean just lit ’em up like a piece of wood!” stammered Christopher-John, his eyes growing big with disbelief.
“你是说，白人像点燃木柴一样，就把他们家给烧了？”克里斯托弗难以置信地瞪大眼睛，结结巴巴地问道。
“But why!” asked Stacey.
“不过，他们为什么要这么做呢？”斯泰西问道。
T. J. shrugged. “Don’t know why. Jus’ know they done it, that’s all.”
提杰耸耸肩：“不知道，我只知道他们放了火，仅此而已。”
“How you know!” I questioned suspiciously.
“你怎么知道这事的？”我带着疑问。
He smiled smugly. ‘Cause your mama come down on her way to school and talked to my mama ’bout it.”
他有些得意地笑了：“因为你妈妈在去学校的路上，就把这事告诉我妈妈了。”
“She did!”
“我妈妈？”
“Yeah, and you should’ve seen the way she look when she come out that house.”
“是的，你真该看看她那时候的表情。”
“How’d she look!” inquired Little Man, interested enough to glance up from the road for the first time.
“她看起来怎么了？”小家伙第一次把一直盯着地面的眼睛抬起来，好奇地问道。
T. J. looked around grimly and whispered. “like… death.” He waited a moment for his words to be appropriately shocking, but the effect was spoiled by Little Man, who asked lightly, “What does death look like!”
提杰环顾了一下四周，神秘兮兮地说：“像…死人一样。”他停顿了一下，期待看到我们震惊的表情，而小家伙只是轻描淡写地问道：“什么是死人呀？”
T. J. turned in annoyance. “Don’t he know nothin’!”
提杰有些恼怒：“他什么都不知道吗？”
“Well, what does it look like?” Little Man demanded to know. He didn’t like T. J. either.
“喂，死人到底是什么呀？”小家伙很想知道，虽然他也不喜欢提杰。
“Like my grandfather looked jus’ ‘fore they buried him,” T. J. described all-knowingly.
“就像我爷爷下葬时的样子。”提杰向他解释。
“Oh.” replied Little Man, losing interest and concentrating on the road again.
“哦，是这样。”小家伙仿佛失去了兴趣，注意力又回到脚下的路了。
“I tell ya. Stacey, man,” said T. J. morosely, shaking his head. “sometimes I just don’t know ’bout that family of yours.”
“告诉你吧，斯泰西，有时候我真的搞不懂你们这家人。”提杰郁闷地摇了摇头。
Stacey pulled back, considering whether or not T. J.’s words were offensive. but T.]. immediately erased the question by continuing amiably. “Don’t get me wrong, Stacey. They some real swell kids, but that Cassie ’bout got me whipped this morning”.
斯泰西回过身，似乎在思考提杰这番话是否带着敌意，不过提杰很快换上亲切的口吻：“别误解我呀，斯泰西。有些孩子是不错，只是凯西害得我今天上午差点被我妈妈打一顿。”
“Good!” I said.
“真不错！”我说。
“Now how’d she do that!” Stacey laughed.
“凯西做了什么？”斯泰西笑着问。
“You wouldn’t be laughin’ if it’d’ve happened to you. She up and told your mama ’bout me goin’ up to that Wallace store dancin’ room and Miz Logan told Mama.” He eyed me disdainfully then went on. “But don’t worry, I got out of it though. When Mama asked me ’bout it, I jus’ said ole Claude was always sneakin’ up there to get some of that free candy Mr. Kaleb give out sometimes and I had to go and get him ’cause I knowed good and well she didn’t want us up there. Boy, did he get it?” T. J. laughed. “Mama ’bout wore him out.”
“如果这事发生在你身上，你也笑不出来。她跟你妈妈说我去华莱士店的跳舞室了，然后你妈妈告诉我妈妈了。”提杰一边讲一边轻蔑地看着我，“不过还好，我随机应变解决了这事。我跟妈妈说，克劳德常常去那里偷拿凯德先生的免费糖果，我是去那里叫他回来的。我很了解，我妈妈是决不允许我们去那的。结果，他被妈妈打啦！”提杰笑道。
I stared at quiet Claude. “You let him do that!” I exclaimed. But Claude only smiled in that sickly way of his and I knew that he had. He was more afraid of T. J. than of his mother.
我看着沉默的克劳德：“你允许他这么做的吗？”克劳德只是无奈地笑了笑，他怕提杰甚于他妈妈。
Again Little Man glanced up and I could see his dislike for T. J. growing. Friendly Christopher-John glared at T. J., and putting his short arm around Claude’s shoulder said. “Come on, Claude. let’s go on ahead.” Then he and Claude hurried up the road, away from T. J.
小家伙再次抬起了头，我看到他对提杰的不满更深了。和善的克里斯托弗瞪了一眼提杰，把他的短胳膊搭在克劳德的肩膀上：“来吧，克劳德，我们一块儿走。”他们加快脚步走到前头，远离了提杰。
Stacey, who generally overlooked T. J.’s underhanded stunts, shook his head. “That was dirty.”
一向忽视提杰那些卑劣把戏的斯泰西，也不禁摇了摇头说：“你真是卑鄙。”
“Well, what’d ya expect me to do! I couldn’t let her think I was g-oin’ up there ’cause I like to, could I! She’ d’ve killed me!”
“哈，那你要我怎么办？我又不能让我妈妈知道我去那里跳舞了，她肯定会揍死我的！”
“And good riddance.” I thought, promising myself that if he ever pulled anything like that on me, I’d knock his block off.
“还会把你赶出去呢。”我心想，要是他敢在我身上玩这种把戏，我一定打烂他的头。
We were nearing the second crossroads, where deep gullies lined both sides of the road and the dense forest crept to the very edges of high. jagged, clay-walled banks. Suddenly, Stacey turned, “Quick!” he cried. “Off the road!” Without another word, all of us but Little Man scrambled up the steep right bank into the forest.
我们快走到第二个岔路口了，路两旁是很深的水沟，茂密的树林延伸到陡峭的土坡边上。突然，斯泰西回过头大喊：“快，快离开！”除了小家伙，我们二话不说，一下子爬上土坡，躲进了树林。
“Get up here, Man.” Stacey ordered, but Little Man only gazed at the ragged red bank sparsely covered with scraggly brown briars and kept on walking.”Come on, do like I say.”
“快上来呀！”斯泰西命令道。小家伙瞥了一眼红土裸露、野草稀疏的土坡，继续走自个儿的路。“照我说的做！”斯泰西又催促道。
“But I’ll get my clothes dirty!” protested Little Man.
“会把我的衣服弄脏的！”小家伙坚持着。
“You’re gonna get them a whole lot dirtier you stay down there. Look!”
“你要是待在那儿，待会儿会变得更脏的，等着吧！”
Little Man turned around and watched saucer-eyed as a bus bore down on him spewing clouds of red dust like a huge yellow dragon breathing fire. Little Man headed toward the bank, but it was too steep. He ran frantically along the road looking for a foothold and, finding one, hopped onto the bank, but not before the bus had sped past enveloping him in a scarlet haze while laughing white faces pressed against the bus windows.
小家伙一回头，就看到一辆校车像吞吐着火焰的黄色巨龙一样，裹挟着红色沙尘开了过来。小家伙赶忙跑向了土坡，不过土坡太陡峭了，他只好惊慌失措地沿着道路跑，还没等他找到一个可以爬得上去的地方时，校车卷起的尘土已经淹没了他，车窗里一张张白人面孔笑个不停。
Little Man shook a threatening fist into the thick air, then looked dismally down at himself.
小家伙在飞扬的尘土里愤怒地挥了挥拳头，然后沮丧地看了一眼灰头土脸的自己。
“Well, ole Little Man done got his Sunday clothes dirty,” T. J. laughed as we jumped down from the bank. Angry tears welled in Little Man’s eyes but he quickly brushed them away before T. J. could see them.
“哦，小家伙把自己的礼服搞脏咯！”提杰跳下了土坡，大笑道。小家伙的眼里盈满了泪水，趁提杰没有看到，他连忙用手抹掉了。
“Ah, shut up, T. J.,” Stacey snapped.
“快住嘴！”斯泰西厉声呵斥。
“Yeah, shut up. T. J.,” I echoed.
“对，闭嘴。”我也附和道。
“Come on, Man,” Stacey said, “and next time do like I tell ya.”
“没事，下次照我说的做就行了。”斯泰西安慰小家伙。
Little Man hopped down from the bank. “How’s come they did that. Stacey, huh!” he asked. dusting himself off. “How’s come they didn’t even stop for us!”
小家伙从土坡上跳了下来，“他们怎么能这样，斯泰西！”他拍掉身上的尘土，“他们为什么不停下来让我们上车？”
‘Cause they like to see us run and it ain’t our bus.” Stacey said, balling his fists and jamming them tightly into his pockets.
“因为他们喜欢看着我们逃跑，而且，那也不是我们的校车。”斯泰西攥紧拳头，插进了口袋里。
“Well, where’s our bus!” demanded Little Man.
“那，我们的校车在哪呢？”小家伙追问道。
“We ain’t got one.”
“我们没有。”
“Well, why not!”
“好吧，为什么没有！”
“Ask Mama,” Stacey replied as a towheaded boy, bare- footed and pale. came running down a forest path toward us. The boy quickly caught up and fell in stride with Stacey and T. J.
“问妈妈吧。”斯泰西回答道。这时，一个淡黄色头发、脸色发白的男孩光着脚从树林小径跑了过来。他很快追上了提杰和斯泰西。
“Hey, Stacey,” he said shyly.
“嘿，斯泰西。”他有些害羞地打着招呼。
“Hey, Jeremy,” Stacey said.
“嘿，杰里米。”斯泰西说。
There was an awkward silence.
接着是一阵尴尬的寂静。
“Y’all jus’ startin’ school today!”
“你们今天刚开学吗？”
“Yeah.” replied Stacey,
“是啊。”斯泰西回答。
“I wishin’ ours was jus’ startin’,” sighed Jeremy. “Ours been goin’ since the end of August.” Jeremy’s eyes were a whitewashed blue and they seemed to weep when he spoke.
“我也希望我们刚开学。”杰里米叹了口气，“我们8月底就要上学了。”他的眼睛是水洗过般的淡蓝色，说话时好像含着泪一样。
“Yeah,” said Stacey again.
“嗯。”斯泰西回应着他。
Jeremy kicked the dust briskly and looked toward the north. He was a strange boy. Ever since I had begun school, he had walked with us as far as the crossroads in the morning. and met us there in the afternoon. He was often ridiculed by the other children at his school and had shown up more than once with wide red welts on his arms which Lillian Jean, his older sister, had revealed with satisfaction were the result of his associating with us. Still, Jeremy continued to meet us.
杰里米踢着脚下的尘土，默默看着北边。他是个奇怪的男孩。每天早上上学，他都会和我们一块儿走到岔路口才分别，下午放学时又会在那里等着我们。他常被学校里的其他孩子欺负，手臂上时不时会出现几道被鞭打的红印子。听他的姐姐莉莲·姬恩说，杰里米受欺负是因为总和我们待在一起。即使这样，他还是跟着我们。
When we reached the crossroads, three more children, a girl of twelve or thirteen and two boys, all looking very much like Jeremy, rushed past, The girl was Lillian Jean, “Jeremy, come on.” she said without a backward glance, and Jeremy, smiling sheepishly, waved a timid good-bye and slowly followed her.
当我们走到岔路口，三个孩子——一个十二三岁的女孩和两个男孩走了过来，他们看上去与杰里米非常相像。那女孩便是莉莲，她没往我们这边瞥一眼，只抛下一句话：“杰里米，我们走。”杰里米朝我们轻轻挥了挥手，默默地跟在莉莲后头。
We stood in the crossing gazing after them. Jeremy looked back once but then Lillian Jean yelled shrilly at him and he did not look back again. They were headed for the Jefferson Davis County School. a long white wooden building looming in the distance. Behind the building was a wide sports field around which were scattered rows of tiered gray-looking benches. In front of it were two yellow buses, our own tormentor and one that brought students from the other direction, and loitering students awaiting the knell of the morning bell. In the very center of the expansive front lawn, waving red, white and blue with the emblem of the Confederacy emblazoned in its upper left-hand corner. was the Mississippi nag. Directly below it was the American flag. As Jeremy and his sister and brothers hurried reward those transposed flags, we turned eastward toward our own school.
我们站在岔路口，看着他们远去的背影。杰里米还回头看了我们一眼，不过他的姐姐狠狠训斥了他，他便再也没回头。他们的学校是县立杰斐逊大卫学校，那有一排白色的木造校舍，后面是一个大操场，散落着许多灰色的凳子。校舍前停放着两辆黄色的校车，专门接送学生上下学。其中有辆校车就是捉弄我们的那辆。在学校的中央，悬挂着美国国旗和密西西比州的州旗。当看着杰里米和他的哥哥姐姐们走进学校后，我们也向西走进我们的学校。
The Great Faith Elementary and Secondary School, one of the largest black schools in the county, was a dismal end to an hour’s journey. Consisting of four weather-beaten wooden houses on stilts of brick. 320 students, seven teachers. a principal. a caretaker, and the caretaker’s cow, which kept the wide crabgrass lawn sufficiently clipped in spring and summer, the school was located near three plantations, the largest and closest by far being the Granger plantation. Most of the students were from families that sharecropped on Granger land, and the others mainly from Montier and Harrison plantation families.
我们的学校——大信仰中小学，是县里最大的黑人学校，离我家约一个小时路程。学校有四间破败的木制校舍，有三百二十个学生、七个老师、一个校长、一个校工和他的母牛——这头母牛在春夏季可是校园里的除草机。学校旁边有三块农田，最大最近的那块是格兰杰家族的。学校大部分的学生来自于格兰杰家族的佃农家庭，其他的来自于蒙泰尔和哈里森家族的佃农家庭。
Because the students were needed in the fields from early spring when the cotton was planted until after most of the cotton had been picked in the fall, the school adjusted its terms accordingly, beginning in October and dismissing in March. But even so, after today a number of the older students would not be seen again for a month or two, not until the last puff of cotton had been gleaned from the fields, and eventually most would drop out of school altogether. Because of this the classes in the higher grades grew Smaller with each passing year.
春季的棉花种植与秋季的棉花采摘，都需要孩子们下田帮忙。所以学校调整了上学时间，10月开学，3月放假。不过即使这样，有的学生在一两个月前就早早休学了，高年级的学生一年比一年少。
The class buildings, with their backs practically against the forest wall, formed a semicircle facing a small one-room church at the opposite edge of the compound. It was to this church that many of the school’s students and their parents belonged. As we arrived, the enormous iron bell in the church belfry was ringing vigorously, warning the milling students that only five minutes of freedom remained.
我们的学校背对着森林，形成一个半圆形，前面是围墙边的小教堂。学校里的孩子和他们的家长大多是教堂里的教友。当我们走到学校时，教堂的钟声“当当当”地响起，提醒着孩子们，还有五分钟就要上课了。
Little Man immediately pushed his way across the lawn to the well. Stacey and T. J., ignoring the rest of us now that they were on the school grounds, wandered off to be with the other seventh-grade boys, and Christopher-John and Claude rushed to reunite with their classmates of last year. Left alone, I dragged slowly to the building that held the first four grades and sat on the bottom step. Plopping my pencils and notebook into the dirt, I propped my elbows on my knees and rested my chin in the palms of my hands.
小家伙飞快穿过草地，走向水池。斯泰西和提杰没有理会我们，他们在操场上寻找着七年级的同伴们。克里斯托弗和克劳德也忙着和同班同学说话。而我，独自一人慢吞吞地走向四年级的教室，坐在台阶上。我把铅笔和本子丢在地上，手肘撑在膝盖上，托着腮休息。
“Hey, Cassie,” said Mary Lou Wellever, the principal’s daughter, as she flounced by in a new yellow dress.
“嘿，凯西。”校长的女儿玛丽洛·威尔穿着黄色的新裙子急匆匆地走过我面前。
“Hey, yourself,” I said, scowling so ferociously that she kept on walking. I stared after her a moment noting that she would have on a new dress. Certainly no one else did. Patches on faded pants and dresses abounded on boys and girls come so recently from the heat of the cotton fields. Girls stood awkwardly, afraid to sit, and boys pulled restlessly at starched, high-buttoned collars. Those students fortunate enough to have shoes hopped from one pinched foot to the other. Tonight the Sunday clothes would be wrapped in newspaper and hung for Sunday and the shoes would be packed away to be brought out again only when the weather turned so cold that bare feet could no longer traverse the frozen roads: but for today we all suffered.
“嘿，你好。”我望着她远去的背影，看了好一会儿，意识到没人像她那样，总有新衣服可穿。大多数男孩和女孩都穿着打着补丁的旧衣服在烈日炎炎的棉花田里干活。偶尔有新衣服可穿，女孩子就变得局促拘谨，不知怎么坐；男孩子穿着上了浆的高领衬衫，也变得不自在起来。对于他们来说，有一双即使不合脚的鞋子，也是一件幸运的事情了。过了今天，大家身上的新衣，就要脱下来用报纸仔细包好，等到下次做礼拜时再拿出来。鞋子也会被收起，等到天气冷得光脚承受不了时再拿出来。不过今天穿上这样的衣服，对我们而言像是受罪。
On the far side of the lawn I spied Moe Turner speeding toward the seventh-grade-class building, and wondered at his energy.
在草地的另一边，我瞥见蒙特纳飞快奔向了七年级的教室。对他的精力感到惊讶。
Moe was one of Stacey’s friends. He lived on the Montier plantation, a three-and-a-half-hour walk from the school. Because of the distance. many children from the Montier plantation did not come to Great Faith after they had finished the four-year school near Smellings Creek. But there were some girls and boys like Moe who made the trek daily, leaving their homes while the sky was black and not returning until all was blackness again. I for one was certainly glad that I didn’t live that far away. I don’t think my feet would have wanted that badly for me to be educated.
蒙特纳是斯泰西的朋友，家住蒙泰尔农庄，离学校三个半小时路程。因为距离太远，许多蒙泰尔农庄的孩子们在斯梅林河旁的四年级制小学读完后就不来我们学校了。不过还是有像蒙特纳一样好学的孩子，每天天未亮便出发，放学回到家天已经全黑了。我庆幸自己没有住得离学校那么远。否则，我的脚可吃不消。
The chiming of the second bell began. I stood up dusting my bottom as the first, second, third, and fourth graders crowded up the stairs into the hallway. Little Man flashed proudly past, his face and hands clean and his black shoes shining again. I glanced down at my own shoes powdered red and, raising my right foot, rubbed it against the back of my left leg, then reversed the procedure. As the last gong of the bell reverberated across the compound, I swooped up my pencils and notebook and ran inside.
上课铃响了。我起身拍了拍尘土，和其他学生一块儿走向走廊。小家伙神气十足地从我面前经过。我低头看了一眼沾满尘土的鞋子，抬起右脚，在左腿上蹭了蹭，然后又蹭干净我左脚的鞋。最后一声上课铃声回荡在学校，我俯身抓起铅笔和本子跑向教室。
A hallway extended from the front to the back door of the building. On either side of the hallway were two door- ways. both leading into the same large room which was divided into two classrooms by a heavy canvas curtain. The second and third grades were on the left, the first and fourth grades on the right. I hurried to the rear of the building, turned to the right, and slid into a third-row bench occupied by Gracey Pearson and Alma Scott.
我们校舍里有一条走廊，从前门直通后门。走廊两侧各有两扇门，通向大教室。每间大教室都用厚帆布隔成了两个小教室。二年级和三年级的教室在左边，一年级和四年级的教室在右边。我快步走向右边的教室，坐在第三排的位置上。虽然这位子已经被格雷斯·皮尔森和艾尔玛·斯科特占了，但我还是硬挤了进去。
“You can’t sit here.” objected Gracey. “I’m saving it for Mary Lou.”
“你不能坐这儿。”格雷斯抗议道：“这是我留给玛丽洛的。”
I glanced back at Mary Lou Wellever, depositing her lunch pail on a shelf in the back of the room and said, “Not any more you ain’t,”
我看了一眼在教室后头放午餐盒的玛丽洛：“我先占的，就是我的。”
Miss Daisy Crocker, yellow and buckeyed, glared down at me from the middle of the room with a look that said, “Soooooooo, it’s you, Cassie Logan.” Then she pursed her lips and drew the curtain along the rusted iron rod and tucked it into a wide loop in the back wall. With the curtain drawn back, the first graders gazed quizzically at us. Little Man sat by a window, his hands folded, patiently waiting for Miss Crocker to speak.
黛西·克洛克小姐站在教室中间瞥了我一眼，好像在说：“哦，又是你啊，凯西·洛根。”然后她紧抿嘴巴，沿着生锈的铁杆，把隔间的厚帆布拉开，挂到墙上的大铁钩上。厚帆布被拉开后，一年级的孩子们都好奇地看着我们。小家伙坐在窗边，托着腮，静静等待着克洛克小姐发话。
Mary Lou nudged me. “That’s my seat, Cassie Logan.”
玛丽洛用胳膊肘推了推我，看着克洛克小姐说：“克洛克小姐，这是我的座位。”
“Mary Lou Wellever,” Miss Crocker called primly, “have a seat.”
“玛丽洛，去找个位子坐下。”克洛克小姐命令道。
“Yes, ma’am,” said Mary Lou, eyeing me with a look of pure hate before turning away.
“是。”玛丽洛狠狠地瞪了我一眼，转身走向后头。
Miss Crocker walked stiffly to her desk, which was set on a tiny platform and piled high with bulky objects covered by a tarpaulin, She rapped the desk with a ruler, although the room was perfectly still, and said, “Welcome, children, to Great Faith Elementary School.” Turning slightly so that she stared squarely at the left side of the room, she continued, “To all of you fourth graders, it’s good to have you in my class. I’ll be expecting many good and wonderful things from you.” Then addressing the right side of the room, she said, “And to all our little first grade friends only today starting on the road to knowledge and education, may your tiny feet find the pathways of learning steady and forever before you.”
克洛克小姐径直走向被厚帆布覆盖住的小讲台。虽然教室安静得很，她还是用教鞭敲了敲讲桌，说道：“小朋友们，欢迎你们来到大信仰中小学。”她稍微转了下身，目光由右边巡视向左边，继续说道：“四年级的同学们，很高兴由我来上你们的课。期待你们这学期都有很好的表现。”然后她又将目光转向右边：“一年级的小朋友们，今天是你们的知识之旅启程之日，希望你们一步一个脚印，在学习的道路上脚踏实地，永不止步。”
Already bored, I stretched my right arm on the desk and rested my head in my upraised hand.
又是老一套。我把右手搭在桌上，左手托着脑袋。
Miss Crocker smiled mechanically, then rapped on her desk again. “Now, little ones,” she said, still talking to the first grade, “your teacher, Miss Davis, has been held up in Jackson for a few days so I’ll have the pleasure of sprinkling your little minds with the first rays of knowledge.” She beamed down upon them as if she expected to be applauded for this bit of news, then with a swoop of her large eyes to include the fourth graders, she went on. “Now since there’s only one of me, we shall have to sacrifice for the next few days. We shall work, work, work. but we shall have to work like little Christian boys and girls and share, share, share. Now are we willing to do that!”
克洛克小姐挤出机械的微笑，敲了敲讲桌：“一年级的小朋友们，你们的老师，戴维斯小姐，这几天家里有事，所以就由我来带你们开启知识之旅。”她面带笑意地望向一年级，期望能获得掌声，然后又瞪着她的大眼睛看向四年级的学生：“现在只有我一个老师，在接下来的日子里，你们要努力学习、学习、再学习，也要像基督教的孩子们一样懂得分享、奉献、牺牲，你们懂了吗？”
“YES’M. MIZ CROCKER,” the children chorused.
“是，克洛克小姐。”大家齐声答道。
But I remained silent. I never did approve of group responses. Adjusting my head in my hand, I sighed heavily, my mind on the burning of the Berrys.
我沉默不语。我一向不做出什么集体回应。我转了下头，深深叹了口气，满脑子都是失火的事。
“Cassie Logan!”
“凯西·洛根？”
I looked up, startled.
我吓了一跳，抬起头。
“Cassie Logan!”
“凯西·洛根！”
“Yes, ma’am!” I jumped up quickly to face Miss Crocker.
“是，克洛克小姐？”我从座位上跳起来，看着克洛克小姐。
“Aren’t you willing to work and share!”
“你不愿意努力学习、甘于奉献吗？”
“Yes’m.”
“我愿意。”
“Then say so!”
“那就说出来！”
“Yes’m,” I murmured, sliding back into my seat as Mary Lou. Gracey, and Alma giggled. Here it was only five minutes into the new school year and already I was in trouble.
“是，克洛克小姐。”我喃喃说道，然后在玛丽洛、格雷斯、艾尔玛的窃笑中坐回座位。唉，刚开学五分钟，我就已经一团糟了。
By ten o’clock, Miss Crocker had rearranged our seating and written our names on her seating chart. I was still sitting beside Gracey and Alma but we had been moved from the third to the first row in front of a small potbellied stove. Although being eyeball to eyeball with Miss Crocker was nothing to look forward to, the prospect of being warm once the cold weather set in was nothing to be sneezed at either, so I resolved to make the best of my rather dubious position.
到了十点，克洛克小姐重新安排了座位，并把我们的名字都写在了座位表上。我还是跟格雷斯和艾尔玛坐在一起，不过从第三排调到了第一排，在小暖炉前面。在克洛克小姐眼皮子底下上课，我是没什么好期待的了。虽然天冷的时候，暖炉能带来温暖，不过这又算得上什么呢！我决心好好利用这个不太靠谱的位置。
Now Miss Crocker made a startling announcement: “This year we would all have books.”
接着，克洛克小姐宣布了一个激动人心的消息：这一年，我们每个人都会有课本！
Everyone gasped, for most of the students had never handled a book at all besides the family Bible. I admit that even I was somewhat excited. Although Mama had several books. I had never had one of my very own.
大家都惊叹起来，除了《圣经》以外，我们还没有谁拥有过课本呢。我承认，我心里有些兴奋。虽然妈妈那有一些书，但我还没有属于自己的课本。
“Now we’re very fortunate to get these readers,” Miss Crocker explained while we eagerly awaited the unveiling. “The county superintendent of schools himself brought these books down here for our use and we must take extra-good care of them.” She moved toward her desk. “So let’s all promise that we’ll take the best care possible of these new books.” She stared down, expecting our response. “All right, all together, let’s repeat, ‘We promise to take good care of our new books.'” She looked sharply at me as she spoke.
“我们很幸运，能够得到这些书。”当我们在焦急地等待书开封时，克洛克小姐说道，“这些书是县里的主管亲自带来给我们的，我们要好好爱惜这些书。”她走向讲台，“来，让我们一块儿承诺，我们会好好爱惜这些书。”她的目光朝向我们，期待着我们的应答。“好吧，大家一起跟着我说‘我们会好好爱惜这些新’。”她说话时，还严厉地看了我一眼。
“WE PROMISE TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR NEW BOOKS!”
“我们会好好爱惜这些新书！”
“Fine,” Miss Crocker beamed, then proudly threw back the tarpaulin.
“很好。”克洛克小姐面露喜色，拆开了包着新书的油纸。
Sitting so close to the desk, I could see that the covers of the books, a motley red, were badly worn and that the gray edges of the pages had been marred by pencils, crayons, and ink. My anticipation at having my own book ebbed to a sinking disappointment. But Miss Crocker continued to beam as she called each fourth grader to her desk and, recording a number in her roll book, handed him or her a book.
坐在第一排的我一下子看到了书的封皮。红色的封皮被涂上了杂七杂八的颜色，显得破破烂烂的，灰色的书脊留有铅笔、蜡笔和墨水笔乱写的痕迹。我对于新书的渴望，一下子落了空。不过，克洛克小姐依然面露微笑，叫每一位四年级的学生走到讲台，在她的本子上做好登记，然后把课本递给我们。
As I returned from my trip to her desk, I noticed the first graders anxiously watching the disappearing pile. Miss Crocker must have noticed them too, for as I sat down she said, “Don’t worry, little ones, there are plenty of readers for you too. See there on Miss Davis’s desk.” Wide eyes turned to the covered teacher’s platform directly in front of them and an audible sigh of relief swelled in the room.
当我拿回我的课本时，我注意到一年级的学生看到渐渐变少的书，显得有些心焦。想必克洛克小姐也注意到了这一点。当我回到座位上时，她开口了：“小朋友们，别担心，还有很多书呢，看看戴维斯小姐的桌子。”大家都把目光转向前方的讲台，整个教室的氛围一下子轻松了。
I glanced across at Little Man, his face lit in eager excitement. I knew that he could not see the soiled covers or the marred pages from where he sat, and even though his penchant for cleanliness was often annoying, I did not like to think of his disappointment when he saw the books as they really were. But there was nothing that I could do about it, so I opened my book to its center and began browsing through the spotted pages. Girls with blond braids and boys with blue eyes stared up at me. I found a story about a boy and his dog lost in a cave and began reading while Miss Crocker’s voice droned on monotonously.
我瞥了一眼小家伙，他的脸上洋溢着兴奋的神色。看他坐的位置，我知道他不可能看到破旧的书皮和被乱涂的书页。虽然他的洁癖并不讨喜，但我还是不愿意看见他拿到书时失望的样子。我也无能为力，就干脆打开课本，随意翻阅了起来。书上的金发女孩和蓝眼男孩好像在盯着我，我还看到一个小男孩和他的狗在洞穴迷了路的故事，好像挺有意思的，便读了起来，没有在意克洛克小姐“嗡嗡嗡”的讲话声。
Suddenly I grew conscious of a break in that monotonous tone and I looked up. Miss Crocker was sitting at Miss Davis’s desk with the first-grade books stacked before her, staring fiercely down at Little Man, who was pushing a book back upon the desk.
突然，我听到了摔东西的声音。我抬起头，克洛克小姐坐在戴维斯小姐的桌子旁，前面堆着一年级的课本，她正严厉地看着小家伙，小家伙正在把课本推向桌子。
“What’s that you said, Clayton Chester Logan!” she asked. The room became gravely silent.
“你刚刚说什么，克莱顿·切斯特·洛根？”克洛克小姐问。
Everyone knew that Little Man was in big trouble for no one, but no one, ever called Little Man “Clayton Chester” unless she or he meant serious business.
整个教室变得死寂。大家心知肚明，小家伙这下遇上大麻烦了，不然老师不会叫他全名。
Little Man knew this too. His lips parted slightly as he took his hands from the book. He quivered, but he did not take his eyes from Miss Crocker.”I — I said may I have another book please, ma’am,” he squeaked. “That one’s dirty.”
小家伙也知道自己惹祸了。他把手从书上拿开，嘴唇微张，身体发着抖，但他的目光没有离开克洛克小姐，“我说，克洛克小姐，能不能给我换一本课本，”他喃喃道，“这本很脏。”
“Dirty!” Miss Crocker echoed, appalled by such temerity. She stood up, gazing down upon Little Man like a bony giant, but Little Man raised his head and continued to look into her eyes. “Dirty! And just who do you think you are, Clayton Chester! Here the county is giving us these wonderful books during these hard times and you’re going to stand there and tell me that the book’s too dirty! Now you take that book or get nothing at all!”
“脏！”克洛克小姐震惊于他的鲁莽，她起身，像个巨人一样俯视着小家伙，不过小家伙还是抬头看着她，“脏！你以为你是谁，克莱顿·切斯特？这么艰难的日子里，县里还把这么好的书给了我们，而你却站在这里，告诉我书脏！你要么拿走书，要么什么都别想要！”
Little Man lowered his eyes and said nothing as he stared at the book, For several moments he stood there, his face barely visible above the desk, then he turned and looked at the few remaining books and, seeming to realize that they were as badly soiled as the one Miss Crocker had given him. he looked across the room at me. I nodded and Little Man, glancing up again at Miss Crocker, slid the book from the edge of the desk, and with his back straight and his head up returned to his seat.
小家伙垂着眼，盯着书，一言不发。他站在那好一会儿，眼神划过课桌，划过剩下的那堆书，似乎意识到他拿到的那本书和它们一样破旧。他又望向了我，我冲他点了点头。他又很快看了一眼克洛克小姐，伸手把桌边的课本拿起，昂着头笔直地走回座位。
Miss Crocker sat down again. “Some people around here seem to be giving themselves airs. I’ll tolerate no more of that.” she scowled. “Sharon Lake, come get your book.
克洛克小姐再次坐下。“有些人真是不知感恩，我可不能忍。”她沉着脸，接着说，“莎伦·莱克，上来拿书。”
I watched Little Man as he scooted into his seat beside two other little boys. He sat for a while with a stony face looking out the window; then, evidently accepting the fact that the book in front of him was the best that he could expect, he turned and opened it. But as he stared at the book’s inside cover, his face clouded, changing from sulky acceptance to puzzlement. His brows furrowed. Then his eyes grew wide, and suddenly he sucked in his breath and sprang from his chair like a wounded animal, flinging the book onto the floor and stomping madly upon it.
我看着小家伙飞快回到他的座位，木着脸，呆呆地望向窗外。过了好一会儿，他似乎意识到眼前的书大概是他所能拥有的最好的书了，他转回头，打开了书。但当他翻开封面的内页时，他的脸色有些阴沉，有些疑惑，他皱了皱眉，瞪大眼睛，愤怒地呼着气，像一头受了伤的小兽。他推开椅子，把课本丢到地上，狠狠地踩着。
Miss Crocker rushed to Little Man and grabbed him up in powerful hands. She shook him vigorously, then set him on the floor again, “Now, just what’s gotten into you, Clayton Chester!”
克洛克小姐冲向小家伙，用有力的双手抓起他，狠狠晃了几下后才把他放下来：“你疯了吗，克莱顿·切斯特？”
But Little Man said nothing. He just stood staring down at the open book, shivering with indignant anger.
但小家伙什么话也没说，他只是静静站在那儿，盯着地上被翻开的课本，气得发抖。
“Pick it up,” she ordered.
“捡起来。”克洛克小姐命令道。
“No!” defied Little Man.
“不！”小家伙态度坚决。
“No! I’ll give you ten seconds to pick up that book, boy. or I’m going to get my switch.”
“不？给你十秒钟时间，把书给我捡起来，不然，你就要尝尝教鞭的滋味了。”
Little Man bit his lower lip, and I knew that he was not going to pick up the book. Rapidly, I turned to the inside cover of my own book and saw immediately what had made Little Man so furious. Stamped on the inside cover was a chart which read:
小家伙紧紧咬着唇，我知道，他是不会捡起那本书的。我看了一眼课本封面的内页，明白了小家伙如此生气的原因。封面的内页里附着一张表格：
The blank lines continued down to line 20 and I knew that they had all been reserved for black students. A knot of anger swelled in my throat and held there. But as Miss Crocker directed Little Man to bend over the ‘whipping chair. I put aside my anger and jumped up.
表格一直持续到第二十列，我知道，后面的都是给黑人学生填的。像有一把无名的愤怒之火，从我的心头一直烧到了喉咙。当我看到克洛克小姐让小家伙弯下腰，准备打他屁股时，我更是抑制不住怒火，从座位上跳了起来。
“Miz Crocker. don’t, please!” I cried. Miss Crocker’s dark eyes warned me not to say another word. “I know why he done it!”
“克洛克小姐，请别这样！”我叫了出来。克洛克小姐用锐利的眼神警告我不要乱说话，但我还是说：“我知道他为什么这么做！”
“You want part of this switch, Cassie!”
“凯西，你想挨鞭子吗？嗯？”
“No’m,” I said hastily. “I just wanna tell you how come Little Man done what he done.”
“不，”我加快语速，“我只是想告诉你，小家伙为什么会这么做。”
“Sit down!” she ordered as I hurried toward her with the open book in my hand, Holding the book up to her. I said. “See, Miz Crocker, see what it says. They give us these ole books when they didn’t want ’em no more.”
“坐下！”她话音未落，我跑向她，给她摊开书的内页。我举着书：“看，克洛克小姐，看看上面写的吧，他们把没人要的书给了我们。”
She regarded me impatiently, but did not look at the book. “Now how could he know what it says! He can’t read.”
克洛克小姐一脸不耐烦，连看都不看一眼：“他怎么可能看得懂？他连字都不认识。”
“Yes’m, he can. He been reading since he was four. He can’t read all them big words, but he can read them columns. See what’s in the last row. Please look, Miz Crocker.”
“不，他认得，他从四岁时就开始看书了。他可能看不太懂标题，但他能看懂表格。看看最后一行，看看吧，克洛克小姐。”
This time Miss Crocker did look, but her face did not change. Then, holding up her head, she gazed unblinkingly down at me.
这次，克洛克小姐看了，可脸上并没有任何变化。接着，她抬起头，眼睛眨也不眨地看着我。
“S-see what they called us,” I said, afraid she had not seen.
“看看上面是怎么称呼我们的吧。”我担心克洛克小姐没有看到。
“That’s what you are.” she said coldly. “Now go sit down.”
“上面说的没错。”她语气冷淡，“回去坐下。”
I shook my head, realizing now that Miss Crocker did not even know what I was talking about, She had looked at the page and had understood nothing,
我摇摇头，意识到克洛克小姐根本不知道我在说些什么。她只是看了一眼书，仅此而已。
“I said sit down. Cassie!”
“我说，坐下！”
I started slowly toward my desk, but as the hickory stick sliced the tense air. I turned back around. “Miz Crocker,” I said, “I don’t want my book neither.”
我慢慢踱回座位，但看到教鞭划过空气就要落下时，我转过头大喊：“克洛克小姐，这本书，我也不要了！”
The switch landed hard upon Little Man’s upturned bottom. Miss Crocker looked questioningly at me as I reached up to her desk and placed the book upon it. Then she swung the switch five more times and, discovering that Little Man had no intention of crying, ordered him up.
教鞭还是落下了，重重地落在小家伙的屁股上。我走向讲台，把课本放在桌上，克洛克小姐疑惑地看着我。她又用教鞭打了小家伙五下，却发现小家伙没有掉眼泪。
“All right, Cassie,” she sighed, turning to me, “come on and get yours.”
“好吧，凯西，”她叹了口气，转向我，“轮到你了。”
By the end of the school day I had decided that I would tell Mama everything before Miss Crocker had a chance to do so.
放学前，我打算在克洛克小姐跟我妈妈告状前把这一切说给妈妈听。
From nine years of trial and error, I had learned that punishment was always less severe when I poured out the whole truth to Mama on my own before she had heard anything from anyone else. I knew that Miss Crocker had not spoken to Mama during the lunch period, for she had spent the whole hour in the classroom preparing for the afternoon session.
根据我九年犯错的经验来看，在别人说些什么之前先坦白一切，受到的惩罚总是会小很多。我知道在午饭期间克洛克小姐并没有和妈妈说话，因为她一直待在教室里准备下午的课。
As soon as class was dismissed I sped from the room, weaving a path through throngs of students happy to be free. But before I could reach the seventh-grade-class building. I had the misfortune to collide with Mary Lou’s father. Mr. Wellever looked down on me with surprise that I would actually bump into him, then proceeded to lecture me on the virtues of watching where one was going. Meanwhile Miss Crocker briskly crossed the lawn to Mama’s class building. By the time I escaped Mr.
下了课，我就迅速溜出教室，穿过放学的人群。还没走到七年级的教室，我就撞上了玛丽洛的爸爸威尔先生，也就是校长先生。他教育了我一通，让我走路注意，看着些。但这时，克洛克小姐已经穿过草地走向妈妈所在的教室。当我摆脱了威尔先生时，克洛克小姐已经消失在走廊了。
Wellever, she had already disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, Mama’s classroom was in the back, I crept silently along the quiet hall and peeped cautiously into the open doorway, Mama, pushing a strand of her long, crinkly hair back into the chignon at the base of her slender neck, was seated at her desk watching Miss Crocker thrust a book before her, “Just look at that. Mary,” Miss Crocker said, thumping the book twice with her forefinger. “A perfectly good book ruined. Look at that broken binding and those foot marks all over it.”
妈妈的教室是在大房间的后头。我悄悄地走向教室，偷偷地从开着的教室门往里看。妈妈坐在桌前，一边整理着自己卷曲的长发，一边看着克洛克小姐猛地把一本书拍在桌上。“看看，玛丽，”克洛克小姐用手指戳了戳书，“书都裂开了，还有这脏兮兮的脚印，好好的一本书，被糟蹋成这样！”
Mama did not speak as she studied the book. “And here’s the one Cassie wouldn’t take.” she said, placing a second book on Mama’s desk with an outraged slam. “At least she didn’t have a tantrum and stomp all over hers. I tell you, Mary. I just don’t know what got into those children today. I always knew Cassie was rather high-strung, but Little Man! He’s always such a perfect little gentleman.”
妈妈没说话，只是仔细地看着那本书。“这还有一本，是凯西没拿走的。”克洛克小姐愤愤不平，“砰”地甩下另一本书，“至少她倒是没有踩坏这本书。不过，玛丽，我不知道今天他们是怎么回事，凯西一向倔脾气我倒是知道，可是，小家伙！他就是个小绅士呀。”
Mama glanced at the book I had rejected and opened the front cover so that the offensive pages of both books faced her. “You say Cassie said it was because of this front page that she and Little Man didn’t want the books!” Mama asked quietly.
妈妈看着我没有拿走的书，打开第一页，看到了那张表格。“你是说，凯西说，她和小家伙都是因为这一页才没有拿书的？”妈妈语气平静地问道。
“Yes, ain’t that something!” Miss Crocker said, forgetting her teacher-training-school diction in her indignation. “The very idea! That’s on all the books, and why they got so upset about it I’ll never know.”
“是啊，真搞不懂他们俩。”克洛克小姐生气得都忘记了身为教师的礼仪，“真了不起啊！书上那么多页，都不知道他们为什么要对这一页发脾气！”
“You punish them!” asked Mama, glancing up at Miss Crocker.
“你惩罚他们啦？”妈妈瞥了一眼克洛克小姐。
“Well, I certainly did! Whipped both of them good with my hickory stick. Wouldn’t you have!”
“是，那当然！我用教鞭狠狠地打了他们的屁股，难道你不会吗？”
When Mama did not reply, she added defensively, “I had a perfect right to.”
妈妈没回答，克洛克小姐为自己辩护道：“我这么做是有道理的。”
“Of course you did. Daisy.” Mama said, turning back to the books again. “They disobeyed you.” But her tone was so quiet and noncommittal that I knew Miss Crocker was not satisfied with her reaction.
“你应该这么做，黛西，他们没听你的话。”妈妈语气平静而语意含糊，我知道克洛克小姐并不满意她的反应。
“Well, I thought you would’ve wanted to know, Mary, in case you wanted to give them a piece of your mind also.”
“玛丽，我想你也应该知道真相。你惩罚他们时，总得让他们知道个理由。”
Mama smiled up at Miss Crocker and said rather absently, “Yes, of course, Daisy. Thank you.” Then she opened her desk drawer and pulled out some paper, a pair of scissors. and a small brown bottle.
妈妈冲着克洛克小姐笑了笑，心不在焉地回答道：“嗯，是的，黛西，谢谢你。”然后她打开抽屉，拿出了几张纸、一把剪刀、一个小瓶子。
Miss Crocker, dismayed by Mama’s seeming unconcern for the seriousness of the matter, thrust her shoulders back and began moving away from the desk. “You understand that if they don’t have those books to study from, I’ll have to fail them in both reading and composition, since i plan to base all my lessons around –” She stopped abruptly and stared in amazement at Mama. “Mary, what in the world are you doing!”
克洛克小姐看到妈妈并没有意识到事情有多严重似的，挺了挺肩膀，慢慢离开了桌子。“你应该知道，要是他们没有这些书的话，他们就没法学习了。我会给他们的阅读和写作不及格的，因为这学期我打算以这本书为基础——”她突然停下来，惊讶地看着妈妈，“玛丽，你在干什么？”
Mama did not answer. She had trimmed the paper to the size of the books and was now dipping a gray-looking glue from the brown bottle onto the inside cover of one of the books. Then she took the paper and placed it over the glue.
妈妈没有回答。她把纸张裁到像书页一样大小，把小瓶子里的胶水倒到内页上，再把裁好的纸粘到内页上。
“Mary Logan, do you know what you’re doing! That book belongs to the county. If somebody from the superintendent’s office ever comes down here and sees that book, you’ll be in real trouble.”
“玛丽·洛根，你知道你现在在做什么吗？这些书是县政府的，要是他们派人来检查，看到这些书被弄成这样的话，你就麻烦了。”
Mama laughed and picked up the other book. “In the first place no one cares enough to come down here, and in the second place if anyone should come, maybe he could see all the things we need — current books for all of our subjects, not just somebody’s old throwaways, desks, paper, black- boards, erasers, maps, chalk…” Her voice trailed off as she glued the second book.
妈妈拿起另一本书，笑了笑，“第一，他们是不会来的。第二，要是他们还真的来视察了，倒是可以看看我们需要什么——比如我们上课用的课本，不是这种别人不要的旧书，还有课桌、纸张、黑板、橡皮、地图、粉笔…”她一边说，一边糊着另一本书。
“Biting the hand that feeds you. That’s what you’re doing, Mary Logan, biting the hand that feeds you.”
“忘恩负义！玛丽，你知道这是什么吗，忘恩负义！”
Again, Mama laughed. “If that’s the case. Daisy, I don’t think I need that little bit of food.” With the second book finished, she stared at a small pile of seventh-grade books on her desk.
“如果真是这样，我倒不要这一点施舍呢。”妈妈又笑笑，看了一眼堆在桌上的七年级课本。
“Well, I just think you’re spoiling those children, Mary. They’ve got to learn how things are sometime.”
“你这是在惯坏他们，玛丽，有时候得让他们认清现实。”
“Maybe so,” said Mama, “but that doesn’t mean they have to accept them… and maybe we don’t either.”
“也许吧。”妈妈说，“不过，也不意味着，他们就得接受它…对于我们也是。”
Miss Crocker gazed suspiciously at Mama.
克洛克小姐难以置信地盯着妈妈。
Although Mama had been a teacher at Great Faith for fourteen years, ever since she had graduated from the Crandon Teacher Training School at nineteen, she was still considered by many of the other teachers as a disrupting maverick. Her ideas were always a bit too radical and her statements a bit too pointed. The fact that she had not grown up in Spokane County but in the Delta made her even more suspect, and the more traditional. thinkers like Miss Crocker were wary of her.
妈妈十九岁从克兰登教师培训学校毕业后，就进入了大信仰中小学，现在已经有十四个年头了。但很多老师还是把她当成离经叛道的人。她的想法有些激进，说的话有些犀利。因为妈妈不是出生在斯波坎县，而是在三角洲地区，所以性格上更为激进。很多传统的老师，像克洛克小姐，都有些怵她。
“Well, if anyone ever does come from the county and sees Cassie’s and Little Man’s books messed up like that,” she said, “I certainly won’t accept the responsibility for them.
“好吧，要是县里真的有人来视察，看到凯西和小家伙的课本被弄成这样，我可不会担什么责任的。”
“It will be easy enough for anyone to see whose responsibility it is, Daisy, by opening any seventh-grade book. Because tomorrow I’m going to ‘mess them up’ too.”
“黛西，如果他们打开七年级的课本，他们就会知道谁要负这责任了，因为明天我打算把这些书都糊起来。”
Miss Crocker, finding nothing else to say, turned imperiously and headed for the door. I dashed across the hall and awaited her exit, then crept back.
克洛克小姐无话可说，昂着头走向门外。我飞快地跑过走廊，等到她离开后再回去。
Mama remained at her desk, sitting very still. For a long time she did not move. When she did, she picked up one of the seventh-grade books and began to glue again. I wanted to go and help her, but something warned me that now was not the time to make my presence known, and I left.
妈妈依然静静地坐在桌前，很长时间都没有动。过了许久，她才拿起一本七年级的课本糊了起来。我想走上前去帮帮她，但是有个声音在我心里说，现在不是个出现的好时机。我悄悄地离开了。
I would wait until the evening to talk to her; there was no rush now. She understood.
我打算等到晚上再跟妈妈说，现在还不急，她会明白的。
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