諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第13章Part 3
"Here we are."Baby picked up her bundle and with great difficulty, caused by her hip and the hours of sitting in awagon, climbed down. Mr. Garner was up the walk and on the porch before she touched ground,but she got a peep at a Negro girl's face at the open door before she followed a path to the back ofthe house. She waited what seemed a long time before this same girl opened the kitchen door andoffered her a seat by the window.
"Can I get you anything to eat, ma'am?" the girl asked. "No, darling. I'd look favorable on somewater though." The girl went to the sink and pumped a cupful of water. She placed it in BabySuggs' hand. "I'm Janey, ma'am."Baby, marveling at the sink, drank every drop of water although it tasted like a serious medicine.
"Suggs," she said, blotting her lips with the back of her hand. "Baby Suggs.""Glad to meet you, Mrs. Suggs. You going to be staying here?" "I don't know where I'll be. er — that's him what brought me here — he say he arrange something for me." And then, "I'mfree, you know."Janey smiled. "Yes, ma'am.""Your people live around here?""Yes, ma'am. All us live out on Bluestone.""We scattered," said Baby Suggs, "but maybe not for long."Great God, she thought, where do I start? Get somebody to write old Whitlow. See who took Pattyand Rosa Lee. Somebody name Dunn got Ardelia and went West, she heard. No point in trying forTyree or John. They cut thirty years ago and, if she searched too hard and they were hiding,finding them would do them more harm than good. Nancy and Famous died in a ship off theVirginia coast before it set sail for Savannah. That much she knew. The overseer at Whitlow'splace brought her the news, more from a wish to have his way with her than from the kindness ofhis heart. The captain waited three weeks in port, to get a full cargo before setting off. Of theslaves in the hold who didn't make it, he said, two were Whitlow pickaninnies name of...
"我們到了。" 貝比拾起包袱，因爲屁股的傷和幾個小時的舟車勞頓，費了好大力氣才爬下車來。加納先生在她落地之前就到了甬道和門廊，而她瞄見門開處一個黑人姑娘的臉，就從一條小路向房後繞去。她似乎等了很久，那同一個姑娘纔打開廚房門，請她在窗前的座位上坐下。
"我給你拿點吃的好嗎，太太？"姑娘問。"不了，親愛的。我只是挺想喝點水的。"那個姑娘走到洗碗池邊壓了一杯水。她把杯子放到貝比·薩格斯的手上。"我叫簡妮，太太。"貝比在水池邊遲疑了一下，但還是把水喝個精光，儘管它喝起來像一種正兒八經的藥。
"薩格斯。"她用手背抹着嘴脣，說道，"貝比·薩格斯。""很高興見到你，薩格斯太太。你要在這兒留下來嗎？""我不知道我會留在哪兒，加納先生——是他帶我來這兒的——他說他給我安排好了。"然後她又說道："我自由了，你知道。"簡妮笑了。"是的，太太。""你家裏人住在附近嗎？""是的，太太。我們都住在藍石路。""我們都失散了。"貝比·薩格斯道，"可也許不會太久的。"萬能的上帝啊，她想，我從何處開始呢？找人寫信給惠婁。看看誰帶走了帕蒂和羅莎麗。她聽說，有個叫丹的要了阿黛麗亞到西部去了。犯不上去找泰瑞或者約翰。他們三十年沒有音訊了，要是她找得太緊而他們又正在東躲西藏，找到他們就會使他們反受其害。南希和菲莫斯死在了弗吉尼亞海岸一艘將駛往薩凡納的船上。她知道的就這些。是惠特婁那裏的工頭給她帶來的信兒，倒不是工頭怎麼心地善良，而是因爲他想讓她聽他的擺佈。船長在港口等了整整三個星期，塞滿了貨船才啓航。在貨艙裏沒活下來的奴隸當中，他說，有兩個是惠特婁的小黑鬼，名字叫……
