諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第7章Part 2

"I kissed her neck. I didn't choke it. The circle of iron choked it."
"I saw you." Denver grabbed Beloved's arm.
"Look out, girl," said Beloved and, snatching her arm away, ran ahead as fast as she could alongthe stream that sang on the other side of the woods.
Left alone, Denver wondered if, indeed, she had been wrong. She and Beloved were standing inthe trees whispering, while Sethe sat on the rock. Denver knew that the Clearing used to be whereBaby Suggs preached, but that was when she was a baby. She had never been there herself toremember it. 124 and the field behind it were all the world she knew or wanted.
Once upon a time she had known more and wanted to. Had walked the path leading to a real otherhouse. Had stood outside the window listening. Four times she did it on her own — crept awayfrom 124 early in the afternoon when her mother and grandmother had their guard down, justbefore supper, after chores; the blank hour before gears changed to evening occupations. Denverhad walked off looking for the house other children visited but not her. When she found it she wastoo timid to go to the front door so she peeped in the window. Lady Jones sat in a straight-backedchair; several children sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her. Lady Jones had a book. Thechildren had slates. Lady Jones was saying something too soft for Denver to hear. The childrenwere saying it after her. Four times Denver went to look. The fifth time Lady Jones caught her and said, "Come in the front door, Miss Denver. This is not a side show."

"我吻了她的脖子。我沒掐。是鐵圈掐的。"
"我看見你了。"丹芙抓住寵兒的胳膊。
"當心，姑娘。"寵兒說着，抽出胳膊，沿着在樹林一側歌唱的小溪竭盡全力地奔跑。
丹芙獨自一人留在那裏，心中納罕，自己是否的確誤會了。她和寵兒當時站在樹林中交頭接耳，而塞絲坐在石頭上。丹芙知道"林間空地"曾是貝比·薩格斯佈道的地方，不過那時候她還是個嬰兒。她從不記得自己後來到過那裏。124號和它後面的田野是她瞭解和需要的全部世界。
從前有過一段時間，她瞭解得更多，也更願意瞭解。她曾經沿着小徑走向另一座真實的房子。曾經在窗下偷聽。她獨自幹過四回——偷偷離開124號，在午後，當她媽媽和奶奶放鬆了警惕，家務活已經幹完，而晚飯又沒開始；充分利用與晚上的職責換檔的一小時空閒。丹芙曾經溜號去找那座其他孩子能去、而她卻不能去的房子。她找到的時候，膽小得不敢到前門去，只好扒着窗戶往裏偷看。瓊斯女士端坐在直背椅上；幾個孩子盤腿坐在她面前的地板上。瓊斯女士拿着一本書。孩子們拿着石板。瓊斯女士在說着什麼，可是聲音太小了，丹芙什麼也聽不見。孩子們跟着她說。丹芙去看了四次。第五次，瓊斯女士抓住了她，說："從前門進來，丹芙小姐。這可不是兒戲。"