世紀文學經典:《百年孤獨》第7章Part 2

It took úrsula several months to find out what was already public knowledge because people hid it from her so as not to increase her suffering. At first she suspected it. "Arcadio is building a house," she confided with feigned pride to her husband as she tried to put a spoonful of calabash syrup into his mouth. Nevertheless, she involuntarily sighed and said, "I don't know why, but all this has a bad smell to me." Later on, when she found out that Arcadio had not only built a house but had ordered some Viennese furniture, she confirmed her suspicion that he was using public funds. "You're the shame of our family name," she shouted at him one Sunday after mass when she saw him in his new house playing cards with his officers. Arcadio paid no attention to her. Only then did úrsula know that he had a six-month-old daughter and that Santa Sofía de la Piedad, with whom he was living outside of marriage, was pregnant again. She decided to write to Colonel Aureliano Buendía, wherever he was, to bring him up todate on the situation. But the fast-moving events of those days not only prevented her plans from being carried out, they made her regret having conceived them. The war, which until then had been only a word to designate a vague and remote circumstance, became a concrete and dramatic reality. Around the end of February an old woman with an ashen look arrived in Macondo riding a donkey loaded down with brooms. She seemed so inoffensive that the sentries let her pass without any questions as another vendor, one of the many who often arrived from the towns in the swamp. She went directly to the barracks. Arcadio received her in the place where the classroom used to be and which at that time had been transformed into a kind of rearguard encampment, with roiled hammocks hanging on hooks and mats piled up in the corners, and rifles and carbines and even hunting shotguns scattered on the floor. The old woman stiffened into a military salute before identifying herself:
"I am Colonel Gregorio Stevenson."
He brought bad news. The last centers of Liberal resistance, according to what he said, were being wiped out. Colonel Aureliano Buendía, whom he had left fighting in retreat near Riohacha, had given him a message for Arcadio. He should surrender the town without resistance on the condition that the lives and property of Liberals would be respected. Arcadio examined that strange messenger who could have been a fugitive grandmother with a look of pity.
"You have brought something in writing, naturally," he said.
"Naturally," the emissary answered, "I have brought nothing of the sort. It's easy to understand that under the present circumstances a person can't carry anything that would compromise him."

過了幾個月，烏蘇娜才發現了大家都已知道的情況，因爲人家不願增加她的痛苦，是把這種情況瞞着她的。起初，她產生了懷疑。“阿卡蒂奧在給自己蓋房子啦，”她試圖拿一匙南瓜粥喂到丈夫嘴裏，假裝驕傲地告訴他。但她忍不住嘆氣：“我不知道爲啥，這些都不合我的意。”隨後，她知道阿卡蒂奧不僅蓋成了房子。甚至給自己訂購了維也納傢俱，她就懷疑他動用了公款。有個星期天做完彌撒回來，她看見他在新房子裏跟自己的軍官們玩紙牌。“你是咱們家的恥辱，”她向他叫嚷。阿卡蒂奧沒有理睬她。烏蘇娜這時才知道，他有一個剛滿半歲的女兒，跟他非法同居的聖索菲婭·德拉佩德又懷了孕。烏蘇娜決定寫信給奧雷連諾上校，不管他在哪兒，把這些情況告訴他，然而隨後幾天事態的發展，不但阻止了她實現自己的計劃，甚至使她感到後悔。對馬孔多的居民來說，“戰爭”至今不過是一個詞兒，表示一種模糊的、遙遠的事情，現在成了具體的、明顯的現實了。二月底，一個老婦騎着一頭毛驢，驢背。上載着一些笤帚，來到馬孔多鎮口。她的模樣是完全沒有惡意的，哨兵沒問什麼就讓她通行了，他們以爲她不過是從沼澤地來的一個女商販，老婦逕直走向兵營。阿卡蒂奧在以前的教室裏接見她，這教室現在變成了後方營地：到處都可看見卷着的或者懸在鐵環上的吊鋪，各個角落都堆着草蓆，地上亂七八糟地扔着步槍、卡賓槍、甚至獵槍。老婦採取“立正”姿勢，行了個軍禮，然後自我介紹：
“我是格列戈里奧·史蒂文森上校。”
他帶來了不好的消息。據他說，自由黨人進行抵抗的最後幾個據點已給消滅了。奧雷連諾上校正在一面戰鬥，一面撤離列奧阿察，派他帶着使命來見阿卡蒂奧，說明馬孔多無需抵抗就得放棄，條件是自由黨人的生命財產必須得到保障。阿卡蒂奧輕蔑地打量古怪的信使，這人是不難被看成一個可憐老婦的。
“你當然帶有書面指示羅，”他說。
“不，”使者回答，“我沒帶任何這類東西。每個人都明白，在目前情況下，身邊是不能有任何招惹麻煩的東西的。”