Chapter 5 she's from across the ocean

The luggage was packed, but the room did not become any more comfortable.My cousin, a young architect, who has been living in this hotel room for two days, is just now sitting there like a bored idler, with his cigar in his mouth, in silence. Pacing up and down.It was a warm September night, and the stars were shining through the open windows; and in the street below, the noise of the big city and the rattling of the traffic was silenced, and only from the far port, came the The night wind played with the hunting of the ship's flags and cables. "When are you leaving, Alfred?" I asked.

"The boat that takes me on board leaves at three o'clock." "Don't you want to sleep for a few more hours?" He shook his head. "Then let me stay with you. I'll make up for my drowsiness tomorrow in the car on my way home. Tell me, if you will--about her! I don't know her at all; tell me, How did it all happen?" Alfred closed the windows and turned up the wicks, brightening the room. "Sit down and listen patiently," he said, "I'm going to tell you everything." When I was living with her in my parents' house—we sat down face to face, and Alfred began to preach—I was a child of twelve; she, perhaps, was a few years younger.Her father was then on one of the islands in the West Indies; plantation owner.A few years ago, he had sent his daughter back to Germany so that she could learn the customs and etiquette of his hometown; who knew that the boarding school she had been studying in had been disbanded due to the death of the abbot, and she was looking for a new boarding school. Before school, I had to entrust her to my parents to take care of her.Long before I met her in person, my head was already filled with all kinds of fantasies about the land, especially now that my mother actually prepared a small house for her next to her and my father's bedroom. .You know, there is a secret in the little girl.Not just because she came from another corner of the world, and was the daughter of a plantation owner; these plantation owners, I saw in my picture book, were both extremely rich and terribly cruel, —and I also know that her mother is not her father's wife.I have no further knowledge of this woman; therefore, I like best to imagine her as a good-looking black woman, with skin like ebony, and strings of pearls in her hair, and gleaming silver on her arms. bracelet.

At last, one evening in February, a carriage pulled up on my doorstep.A little white-haired old man got out of the car first. He was a clerk in a firm who was on good terms with her father. He was sent by the owner to give the little girl to her new guardian.Then he took down a little person who was tightly wrapped in countless headscarves and cloaks from the car, led her into my house solemnly, said a few words in a short and decent way, and then told the little person The girl was entrusted to the Senator and Senator's wife. —but what a surprise I was when she lifted the veil!She wasn't black, not even brown; she seemed even fairer to me than any little girl I'd ever known.I seem to still see how her large eyes looked here and there as my mother took off her fur-trimmed traveling cloak.The hat and gloves were also taken away, and her exquisite and petite body was completely stripped out of the complicated and bulky travel attire. Finally, she stood there with her original face, stretched her hand to my mother, and said with a little hesitation:

"Are you my aunt?" My mother brushed back the jet-black curls that fell over her forehead, and took her in her arms to kiss; and I was surprised to see how enthusiastically the little girl responded to such caresses.Then my mother dragged me along. "This is my son!" she said. "Look at him, Jenny; he's handsome, but he's too wild; and now he has a little girl for his playmate." Jenny turned her head and offered me her hand, but at the same time she gave me such a sly look as if she wanted to tell me: "Hello, friend, we'll hit it off!"

The next few days showed that this was the case; no tree was too high, no wall too dangerous for such a small and light girl.She was almost always playing with us boys, and before we knew it, she was the leader of the group, not so much because of her bravery but because of her beauty.Driven by her, I often turned the world upside down, so that my father ran out of the study because of the noise, and terminated all our happy events with strict orders.Jenny and her father have never been close, but her relationship with her mother is getting closer; her father doesn't know how to deal with children; when he looks at this strange little girl, his eyes always seem to have doubts.Jenny, too, failed to win the favor of Aunt Josephine; the respectable but rather stern spinster, whose rigidity with which we were to finish our schoolwork was repulsive enough.But Yanni still didn't let her great authority be overwhelmed, on the contrary, she quickly launched a protracted guerrilla war against her; from then on, no matter where the aunt went, she had to be careful not to step on a mischievous landmine, not herself. To be startled is to make people laugh.

However, what Yan Ni did was not only such mischievous things, we could also chat together.She knows all kinds of fairy tales and stories, and when she tells them, she beams with joy and gestures enthusiastically; most of these fairy tales and stories are probably heard in boarding schools, but some I believe still happened in her old days. home.So one can often find me sitting with her at dusk on the stairs leading to the garret, or in the dim light of the great suitcase; All those strange and lovely figures, those enchanted giants, that Snow White, that Mrs. Holle, they come more and more vividly before our eyes.This love of hidden storytelling places led us to keep discovering new hiding places; yes, I remember we settled on a big empty bucket in the packing room not far from my father's study.Every evening when I come back from homework, whenever I can, I squat with Jenny in this very sacred place; I have found some candle stubs for my little lantern in advance, and now I put the lamp between my knees, from the bucket. Pulling a large cover on top of the head tightly again, it was as if the two of them were sitting in a small room isolated from the outside world.People who were looking for their father at night passed by, heard the sound of gurgling in the barrel, and maybe found a ray of light coming out of the barrel, so they always liked to ask the old secretary on the opposite side of the dormitory; but our The old man couldn't explain why such a strange thing happened.Not till our candle stubs were finished, or the maid called to us at the gate, did we creep out of the barrel like two weasels, and slip back to our bedroom before Father left the study.

Only about her parents, especially her mother, we never talked about, except one Sunday morning. ——At that time, my children and I were playing the game of "Officers and Soldiers Catching Robbers".Next to my house, behind the garden, stood an empty factory building since my grandfather was alive, with many dark cellars and small rooms, and small attics built on top of each other.The rest of the robbers had lost their way in the labyrinth; only I—and I was of course one of them—was standing in the garden hesitating.I thought of Jenny, who used to play together, and never fell behind the most handsome robbers when climbing roofs and iron gates; but today Aunt Josephine forced her to sit on the seat to write, I knew that the window of the cottage in which she sat looked out onto the garden.At this moment, I heard the leader of the officers and soldiers admonishing his subordinates at the gate outside the courtyard, and at the same time, I tiptoed around the wall and walked to the house. peep.

I saw her sitting forward with her composition, one elbow resting on the table; however, she looked absent-minded, with one hand buried in the black curly hair on her head, and the other hand had put the poor quill pen on the table. The top was scraped. —beside her stationery stood Aunt Josephine's well-known silver needle case, and a little further on stood a large magnet that belonged to me.Suddenly, at the moment when she seemed terribly bored to let her gaze pass before the pillar, a gleam of joy shot from her black eyes; The brain is formed.The restless urgency is transformed into single-minded work.She emptied the contents of Aunt Josephine's silver needle box on the table, and then, seizing the magnet, she hurriedly rubbed it over the needles one by one.She sat there, like a fair goblin, with black and bright eyes, as if she had a foretaste of the joy of mischief, and saw the old maid take out these pure English needles of her own from the box, and found They were tangled together in a mysterious way, both surprised and annoyed.When she was more and more active in doing her gleeful activities, her little face kept showing an uncontrollable smile, so that her snow-white and clean teeth also burst out from her red lips.

I tapped on the window lightly; you must know that the horns of officers and soldiers had already sounded in the courtyard.Jenny was startled for a moment; but when she recognized her companion, she nodded at me and hurriedly put the mess back into Aunt Josephine's silver needle box.Then, brushing her black hair behind her ears, she knelt down and stinged her toes in front of me. "Jenny," I whispered, "let's play officers and men catching robbers!" She pushed open the window carefully: "Who pretends to be a robber, Alfred?" "Me and you; the rest is already hidden."

"Wait a minute!" She slipped back at once, and pushed the latch on the door to the living room. "See you later, Aunt Josephine!"—she quickly returned to the window, and stood in the garden with a light jump. It was a beautiful spring day, the garden and the yard were bright and sunny.The old pear trees that spread their branches high on the roof are covered with small white flowers, and the young leaves between the flowers are glowing with green light; but in the small jungle below, the branches are sparse. Spitting out green leaves, Jenny's white dress is likely to expose us.I grabbed her hand, dragged her through the bushes, and walked forward close to the wall; at the critical moment when I heard the footsteps of officers and soldiers in the corridor of a factory building in front, we passed through a garden gate, Slipped into the annexe just inside; in the attic on the top floor of it, my pigeon loft was built.We breathed a sigh of relief when we stood on the half-lit staircase; we had a narrow escape.But we climbed on, first to the first garret and then to the second garret; Jenny was ahead, and I could hardly keep up with her; Those nimble little feet walked steadily in front of me, almost without a sound, as if flying up the countless steps.Having climbed to the top garret, we carefully lowered the corner door, and rolled a long, thick log that, God knows how, lay there in this remote garret, and rolled it over the door.For a moment, we heard the sound of the wings of pigeons flying in and out in the nearby pigeon loft; then we sat down on the log together, and Jenny supported her little head with her hands, and her black curly hair hung down to the bottom. face.

"Are you tired, Jenny?" I asked. She took my hand and pressed it to her chest. "Look what a dance it is!" she said. At this moment, I inadvertently took a look at her white and slender fingers that grabbed me, and suddenly felt that there was something different from what I usually saw, but I didn't know what it was.I thought about it, and finally understood.Those little half-moons at the base of her nails, not sharper like the rest of us, are light blue, darker than the rest.I hadn't learned then from books that this is often a trait of very handsome gentry in American countries, even if they have but a drop of nigger blood in their veins; It seems like it can't be removed. Finally, she may have found out too, because she asked me: "Why do you keep staring at other people's hands?" I suddenly realized, which made her very embarrassed to ask. "Look for yourself," I said, and lined up her fingers so that those pink fingernails looked like a string of pearls. She didn't understand what it meant. "How can these little moons here be black?" I said again. She studied her own hand carefully and compared it with the one I reached out to. "I don't know," she replied afterwards, "that's the way all the people above. My mother is much darker, I think."— At this time, from a certain cellar downstairs, we heard the noise of robbers fighting with officers and soldiers in the distance, but it was still quite far from our hiding place.My thoughts went in another direction. "Why don't you stay with your mother?" I asked. She propped her little head on her hands again. "I think they want me to learn something," she replied indifferently. "Can't you learn anything there?" She shook her head. "Papa says the people over there talk like hell." Our attic was suddenly terribly quiet, and the light became hazy. The small windows were all covered by cobwebs, and only a little sunlight came in from the roof with a tile removed in front of it, and it was only When the lush branches of the big pear tree allow it to pass.Jenny sat beside me in silence; I looked at her little face; it was very fair, except for a strange shadow under the eyes. In the cold, she moved her lips and laughed loudly to herself.I couldn't help but laughed too, but immediately asked her: "What are you laughing at?" "It doesn't like Dad very much!" "who?" "Mother's long-tailed monkey!" "Is your father treating it badly?" "Well!—I don't know.—Every time he comes to our house, he steals his diamond brooch from the seam of his shirt!" "Your father doesn't live with you?" She shook her head. "He usually only comes at night; he lives in a big house in the city. Mother told me, and I haven't been there." "Well!—and where do you live then, you and your mother?" "It's a pretty place where we live, too. Outside the town, the house is surrounded by gardens, high above the great bay, with a long, columned porch in front of the door; my mother and I used to sit there, and we could see All the ships that come from the sea."—she was silent for a moment. "Oh, she is beautiful, my mother!" she said proudly.Then she added in a low voice, almost sadly: "The black curls on her forehead are so beautiful!" As soon as the words came out, the little girl began to cry. After a while, we heard chaotic footsteps downstairs and the sound of officers and soldiers blowing tin horns; they seemed to have stopped at the stairs of the attic on the first floor, discussing ideas.I jumped up and looked around.We didn't take into account that there was no way out here. "We must resist," I whispered, "we are surrounded." Yanni quickly wiped away her tears. "Not yet, Alfred!" she said, pointing to the hole in the roof. "You'll have to climb out of here, and then hug the old pear tree and sneak into the garden." "This won't work, I can't leave you behind!" "Hey!" she shouted, "I wouldn't call them this one." She raised her head and looked at the darkest corner under the roof as she spoke. "Quick, help me! I'm going to climb up to that top beam; and then I'll see how they're running around underneath!" It was a good idea; within a few seconds, with my help, she was climbing up the balance beams and finally riding on the tallest and tallest beam under the dark roof ridge. "Can you see me?" she asked loudly when I was on the ground again. "Hey, I see your white hands." "Can you still see it?" "No, I can't see anything." "So quickly, leave!"—— However the hole in the roof is too small.I pulled out another big tile and squeezed my body through it; you must know that the officers and soldiers who came to arrest the robber had already rushed under the hanging door shouting loudly, and I heard the heavy log already moving. I don't remember how it happened; but as soon as I climbed outside, I felt the roof tiles under my feet were falling; my body also slid, and the branches hit my face, and there was a crackling sound all around; Fortunately, when I was falling faster and faster, I caught a branch, and I hung on this branch and sank rapidly; at the same time, many roof tiles flew past me and broke into pieces. On the ground in the garden; at last I, too, hit the ground hard, and then lay almost unconscious. When I raised my eyes, I saw a pair of frightened eyes wide open among the flowering branches above my head, and the black curly hair of that beautiful little girl; she leaned half her body out of the dilapidated roof, Looking down on me from above.In order to show her that I was still alive, or more importantly, to show my bravery, I laughed hard at her twice; but when I turned my head, I saw my father's stern face.He fixed his eyes on me, more annoyed than worried; and Aunt Josephine appeared in the distance, holding in her frightened hands the never-ending knitting manual labor.To this day, I still don't understand how Yanni came to us from upstairs so quickly.She threw herself on me all at once, and began to wipe away the hair that was hanging on my face and temples; but at this moment, my father stretched out his hand suddenly, as if to pull me up from the ground; unexpectedly, Jenny Suddenly jumped up. "You," she yelled, straightening her small body, "don't touch him!" She stretched her tightly clenched fists to her father's face, her eyes seemed to burst into flames. Father took a step back, closed his lips as usual, put his hands behind his back, turned around and went back to the study, muttering something while walking.I heard in a daze, he seemed to say something: "We must not go on like this." At this moment, my mother also came to the garden, and Jenny ran to her quickly; I saw how the kind woman hugged her trembling little body tightly to her chest, and comforted her softly; she said something I didn't hear it. From that very day—so I think—a feeling of inseparability and mutuality arose unconsciously in both of us; and a seed was sown which, though dormant for many years, Then, in the moonlight, there were fairy-tale blue flowers whose fragrance still fascinates me. How can I describe to you those trivial and elusive little things!In the days that followed, whenever my father ordered me to ring the bell for the maid at lunchtime, Jenny must have seized the bell-rope before he could finish his words; Let me go with a limp, and it will remind everyone of the bad day. But good times don't last long, and bad news comes: a new boarding school has been found for Yanni, and the day of parting is coming. ——I still remember clearly, sitting on our old pear tree, I couldn't tell whether I was sad or angry, pulling those unripe pears off the branches one by one, and threw them on the neighbor's attic. Those innocent windows were thrown until the rustling underfoot caught my attention.I looked down and saw Yanni wearing a yellow cotton travel cloak produced in Nanjing, climbing up branch by branch towards me.When we got up, she put her arm around the trunk, then took a little ring from her pocket, and put it on my hand.She said nothing, but looked at me very sadly with her large eyes.I am a fool who is sensible and ignorant, and she can do everything as she pleases; my fingers are much more beautiful when they are decorated with rings.While I was watching there in embarrassment, Jenny went away as quietly as when she came.At this time, I hurried down from the tree and almost fell to the ground again.But when I went through the house and arrived at the gate, the carriage had already gone far away; I only saw a small white handkerchief waving frequently at us who stayed behind. At this moment, I suddenly felt as if I was lost by accident, staring at the little souvenir in my hand in a daze.It was a gold ring inlaid with Geng Xuan. ——I didn't know at the time that Yanni gave me the most precious thing she had. Alfred had put the cigar aside while he told the story. "You don't smoke," he said, "but I can't see you sitting around like this, you've got to have something to entertain yourself." So saying, he opened a wine-bottle case beside the suitcase; In a blink of an eye, I was already holding a ground glass in my hand, and the fragrance in the cup was overflowing. "Wine!" said Alfred, "and here are figs wrapped in thyme! I understand that you, like that man, love sweet and savory things. It was a present from Jenny's father; when I When he left him the other day, he hand-typed them in my luggage for me." "But you didn't talk about your brother," I pointed out to Alfred when he sat down next to me again. "My brother Hans was studying in an agricultural school far away from home; but he also met Jenny later on;" Alfred replied, "because his wife and Jenny went to the same boarding school. Jenny stayed there after school.—I myself didn't see her again until ten years later." "It was in June last year. You know, I was building a little meeting-house for a certain rich countess in her village, and I ended up catching the typhoid fever that was beginning to spread there. I Well cared for, yet far from home, the fellow with the long, bony arms would have liked to have me taken.—My father was then at home under the care of Aunt Josephine, and I My mother, who lives on my brother's manor, fell ill herself and had to entrust the care of her son to others. Now that we are both almost recovered, I plan to go home in a few days. Brother I have never been to the manor. It was bought from the estate of someone just before his marriage; the ancestor of this person was a wealthy French exile. It is said that he built not only the mansion, but especially the surrounding area The great gardens of the town were also laid out in the style of the mother. Letters from my mother state that a large part of this garden, the so-called boulevard, is still intact; , still standing quietly in front of the water here and there, by the side of the path, as if possessed by a demon, isolated and hidden by high tree walls. "Before I was about to leave, another letter came from my cheerful sister-in-law. 'Here you are,' she wrote, 'and we can read children's stories together. I have some vivid illustrations, one of which is There was a picture of a robber's fiancée, with a pretty little fair face and jet-black hair, sitting downcast, gazing at the ring finger of her right hand, for it had once worn a ring which she had given to some Unfaithful robber.' I took this letter, jumped up, rummaged through my luggage, and finally found an ivory box in which I kept all kinds of small treasures. Jenny's The ring, too, was in it. It had a black ribbon on it, for I wore it on my bosom, of course, in great secrecy for the first time after that parting. Then it went into the little box with the other treasures. I did; I had the box long ago, too. And now I did what I used to do when I was a boy, as if it must be so; and with a self-deprecating smile, I hung the ring again around my neck." "Don't be afraid to take that little detour when you go back!" - Alfred interrupted his own memories. —“The manor is not half a mile from here; besides, Hans told me you had promised to see them. You will find that it is exactly as it was written in my mother’s letter.”— One afternoon in June last year, I finally left the road under the scorching sun and drove into the avenue leading to the manor, with chestnut trees standing beside the road; after a while, the carriage stopped at a palace-like In front of the evil house, the architectural style is the so-called chest of drawers style, and the layered decorations are a bit bloated, but the prominent and distinct outlines and the three-dimensional reliefs all leave a strong impression on people, and arouse in my heart. The memory of that great and glorious age that has passed away.Hans and his Gretel met me on the steps; as we passed through the large hall they motioned me to speak softly, for my mother was still taking her nap. We entered a bright hall facing the main door, and through the two open doors at the back of the hall, we went out onto the terrace; Only then was it passed on to the other side.There are clumps of lush roses growing everywhere among the green grass, some with tall stems and some with short stems. Right now, they are all competing for beauty and blooming in full bloom, filling the air with lush fragrance.Behind the lawn is a small jungle, which, like the lawn, is obviously newly cultivated; but further forward, at a distance already, there is a forest garden arranged by the old owner, with tall tree walls and pruned trees. Neat and tidy; as wide as the garden itself is, so is the grove.All this unfolded before my eyes in the brilliant afternoon sun. "How is our paradise?" asked the young sister-in-law. "What more can I say, Gretel?—how long has your husband owned the estate?" "I thought it was two years last month." "How can our practical planters tolerate such a waste of land?" "Hey, don't act like you're the only one who knows what poetry is!" My brother laughed and said: "But he's right, Gretel!—it's the way it is, Alfred; I have no right to touch these fine things, the deed expressly says." "Thank God!" "I don't.--There's a Venus standing in a little pond, in the true Louis XV style. I could have sold her for a fortune; but--as just said !" At that moment Gretel suddenly grabbed my hand. "Look!" she exclaimed. On the threshold behind me stood a girl in a white gauze dress, who I recognized at a glance: still the strange eyes of the daughter of the manor in the West Indies; only the black curly hair no longer stubborn The ground was tied on the head, and it had already been coiled into a shiny bun, which was so big that her tender neck could hardly bear it. I walked towards her, but before I could speak, my bold sister-in-law had already inserted between us. "Wait a minute!" she said loudly. "I've seen 'you,' 'Miss Jenny,' and all that kind of address on your lips; it spoils our family atmosphere. So think of that old pear tree first!" Yanni covered her girlfriend's mouth with one hand, and offered the other to me. "You're welcome, Alfred!" she said. I hadn't heard her voice for many years; that's why I was all the more impressed by the peculiar tone of her calling my name in exactly the same way as before. "Thank you, Jenny," I answered, "you still sound exactly like you did when you were a child; but I don't think you've been called by that name for a long time." "I never met another Alfred," she replied, "and you, you always avoid me." Before I could reply to this accusation, Grete had forcibly separated us. "All right, all right," she cried. "Here, Jenny, go and make my coffee; you know he's come a long way, and besides, mother will wake up soon." While speaking, my mother had already stepped into the door; the reunion with her shocked my heart greatly.She thought she would never see her son again, but now she held him tightly in her arms, kissed him, and stroked his cheeks as if he were a child.Then I got up to lead my mother to an armchair, when I saw Jenny leaning against a chest, her face pale and tears welling up in her eyes.When we walked in front of her, she trembled violently, and a porcelain bowl in her hand fell to the ground and shattered. "Oh, please forgive me, dear Gretel!" she cried, embracing her friend. Grete gently led her out of the room. My brother smiled slightly. "Why are you so excited all of a sudden!" He said. "She's so compassionate, Hans!" said my mother, looking after her kindly. Gretel returned to the room. "Let's leave her alone for a while," she said. "The poor child was not at peace; his father wrote that he would be here in the next few days, and asked her to go up with him." Only then did I know that the wealthy manor owner had been idle so far, intending to move into a newly built house after going to the spa to recuperate, and let his daughter act as the hostess. —Grete doesn't seem very friendly to him. "He is Yanni's father," she said, "but—ah, I really hate him, I really hate this guy who can spend tens of thousands of dollars for his daughter, but doesn't respect her personality at all. - Yes, Hans," she went on, as her husband stroked her fair hair tenderly, as if trying to appease his wife, "you just read what he usually gives Any one of those letters from Jenny will suffice; at least, I can't tell them apart from receipts and invoices." My mother holds the hands of the young sister-in-law. "Well, our Gretel is excited too," she said. "I knew the man, that is, in the early years. But he later had to struggle with a hard life, so that certain feelings that were warm to the rest of us became cold to him.— That often seems to be the case.” We sat down afterwards, and at the request of my relatives, I related again all that I had reported to them in my letters.At this time Jenny also came back into the room and sat quietly beside Gretel. In the evening, after a long and cordial talk, Hans led me into the upstairs bedroom. ——He left, and I lay on the bed for a long time unable to fall asleep, but I felt comfortable and comfortable in my heart; you must know that in the garden in front of the window, Ye Du was letting go of her singing voice and singing softly in the grove. When I awoke, the room was lit by the summer morning light.A feeling of healing and fullness of life melted through my body like a warm current, which I have almost never experienced before.I got dressed and opened the window; the grassy lawn under the window was still covered with morning dew, and the fragrance of roses floated in front of me, fresh and cool in the morning.My pocket watch reads six o'clock, an hour before breakfast. Once again I looked around the room, which, according to Grete's whispered joke, had been the hideaway of my robber fiancée before my arrival.Indeed, in the drawer of a dressing box that I opened, there was a small piece of rose-colored silk, and a lock of long black hair was tightly wrapped in the silk, and I managed to untie it. came out without tearing.Then, I found some books with Jenny's name on the shelf beside the bed, and I started to flip through them.The first is the kind of souvenir book that young girls have. It is full of various poems and lines, most of which are very plain.However, in the ordinary there is also the extraordinary, just as the thorny thistle is hidden in the first letter.The first thistle that caught my eye was: There are two underlines under the last sentence; there are many, many lines of the same meaning in the memorial book. I put down the yearbook and pick up another book.To my astonishment, I turned to Sylfield's Chronicle of the Life of a Planter, and it was the part that described the colored women vividly.These graceful creatures, whom the author scarcely recognizes as human beings, are rendered so charmingly that they seem like goblins to lure emigrants from Europe into their descent.在这本书里有些地方也画上了铅笔道，而且常常画得非常重，以致书页都破损了。我蓦然想起许多年前曾与小燕妮进行过的那次谈话；当初她轻松愉快地保存在自己幻想中的一切，如今都势必打上了深深的痛苦的印记了吧。 我站起来，眺望窗外；这时她正在下边的碎石路上漫步。她仍像昨天一样穿着条白纱裙；在那些日子里，除了白纱裙，我就未见她穿过别的什么衣服。 一会儿，我也到了下边的花园里。她走在我面前的一条宽宽的石径上，石径从露台开始，绕着草坪转了一圈。她走得很快，手里提着用绸带系着的草帽荡来荡去，内心似乎挺不平静。我停下来，目送着她。等她不久又走回来时，我便迎上前去。 “请原谅，要是我打扰你的话，”我说。“我没有忘记小燕妮，可我更急于认识大燕妮。” 她马上用她那身黑的眼睛凝视着我。 “可这变化是很不幸的啊，阿尔弗雷德！”她回答。 “我希望压根儿没有变化。昨天你已经暴露自己；你仍然完全是从前那个情感热烈的小燕妮；我甚至觉得你黑色的头发又会从髻子里跳出来，变成儿时一样的那么多小卷卷儿，披散在额头上。而且，”我继续说：“让我告诉你吧，你那同情心的下意识流露，使我多么地感动啊。” “我不明白你的意思，”她说。 “喏，燕妮，在我母亲拥抱她的儿子的当儿，你手里的瓷碗掉了，这不是同情心又是什么呢？” “这不是同情心，阿尔弗雷德。你把我想得太好了。” “那究竟是什么呢？”我问。 “是嫉妒，”她冷冷地说。 “你讲什么哟，燕妮？” 她不再吭声；可在我俩肩并肩继续向前走去时，我发现她用自己洁白的牙齿紧紧咬着红色的嘴唇。接着，她再也控制不住自己。 “唉，”她大声道，“你不理解，你还没失去母亲！而且——啊，失去的是一个仍然活在世上的母亲！——我一想到自己曾经是她的孩子，我的脑袋就感到晕眩；要知道，她现在仿佛只生存在我脚底下的深渊里面。不管我怎么不断地拼命想啊，想啊，我都再不能认遗忘的浑饨中把她那美丽的脸庞唤出来。我唯一还看得见的就是她那苗条可爱的身躯，看见她跪在我的小床旁边，嘴里哼着一支奇异的歌，用温柔的黑天鹅绒一般的眼睛望着我，直至我再也抵抗不住睡梦的袭击。” 她默然了。我们重又朝房前走去，却见我的嫂子站在露台上，正用手绢向我们挥。我抓住了姑娘的手。 “你觉得不认识我了吗，燕妮？”我问。 “认识，阿尔弗雷德，而且对于我来说，这乃是一种幸福。” 我们登上露台，格蕾特冲我们晃动着食指，笑嘻嘻地吓唬我们。 “要是二位还需要人间的饮食的话，”她说，“那就马上给我到茶桌旁边去！”——说着她便把我们赶进了大厅；在厅中，我们看见母亲已经在和自己的大儿子谈话。此时此地，在如此亲切的气氛中，适才还紧紧笼罩在燕妮年轻的脸上的阴影消散了，或者说它们至少已经从表面上消退，消退到不可见的内心的深处。 午后，我找到机会和燕妮一起回忆我们共同读过的那些儿童故事，她又爽朗而开心地笑了。不止一次，我试图将话题从我的母亲身上引到她的母亲身上，她都要么闷声不响，要么扯起别的什么来。 后来，暑气消减了，我哥哥便叫我们和她妻子一块儿到大草坪上去打羽毛球。这是他礼拜天的一项消遣，因此严格坚持进行，不肯稍有懈怠。他让人搬了一把圈椅到露台上，以便母亲坐在那儿观看。 说起打球，燕妮真叫在行。她那一双敏慧的大眼睛紧盯球儿，两只脚在草坪上时前时后，时左时右，轻盈得就像飞一样。接着，在恰到好处的一刹那，她一挥手臂，球拍就击中迅速下降的球儿，使它又像长上了翅膀似的飞回到空中。有一次，她打得高兴，甚至忘情地把球拍扔了出去，并且大声喊叫起来：“它飞了，它飞了！追上去，追上去！”边喊边冲过草坪，手指头还在头顶上弹得嗒嗒嗒响，像是招呼什么人似的。——或者，当她弯下腰去救球，或者，当球被我哥哥有力的手臂一下子击到了她的身后时，你真得看一看，她那满头乌丝的脑袋如何飞快地往后一仰，柔软的腰肢也跟着美丽的头颅的摆动而轻捷地转了过去。我的眼睛让她完全给吸引住了；在这些有力而又优美的动作中，有点什么东西使人不知不觉地想到处于自然状态的原野。我好心的嫂子看来也被这野性完全倾倒了。趁燕妮还在追逐球儿时，她跑到我跟前来，咬着我的耳朵说道： “瞧见她啦，阿尔弗雷德？你该是睁着眼睛的吧？” “嘿，我眼睛睁得才大呢，格蕾特！”我回答。 她听了瞅着我再亲切不过地笑了笑，神秘地说： “她呀我只给一个人；听好了，在全世界只给唯一的一个人！” 这当回母亲却已在叫我们，对我们说：“够了，孩子们！”燕妮随即蹲在老太太脚边，她抚摩着姑娘发烫的脸颊，唤她做她的“宝贝儿心肝”。 晚饭后，大吊灯已经点亮，母亲已回房安息，我则陪着两位年轻女子，坐在大厅中朦朦胧胧的一角的一张沙发上。我哥哥到自己房中处理某些急务去了。通露台的两扇门敞开着，晚风阵阵吹送进来；抬眼望去，在黑她她的树林顶上的深蓝色夜空中，已经是繁星点点。 格蕾特和燕妮沉浸在对她们寄宿学校生活的回忆中，两人谈得津津有味；我呢，只需要在一旁听着。我们这么坐了好长时间。可是，当格蕾特喊出“啊，那时候真幸福”的瞬间，燕妮便默默地垂下了头；她把头垂得如此低，我甚至看见了她那闪亮的身发中间的头路。 随后，她站起身，朝着散开的厅门走去，在门口停了下来；这当儿，我哥哥把嫂子唤到隔壁房间去了，我于是踱到燕妮身边。厅外的花园已经被如水的月光笼罩着，空气里充满了葱郁的清香；在朦朦胧胧的草地上，这儿那儿都有一朵玫瑰对正在升起的月亮仰起脸儿，看上去好烟生辉。在小树林背后，林苑的一部分高高的叶墙呈现出淡蓝色，而通到那儿去的一条条小径却是黑沉沉的，显得十分神秘。燕妮也好，我也好，谁都不想讲话；这么静静地呆在她身旁，望着外边引起人无限通思的月夜，我心里异常甜蜜。 只有一次，我说： “我只觉得你身上少了一件东西；你那可爱的调皮捣蛋劲儿到哪儿去了呢？” 她回答： “是啊，阿尔弗雷德！”——从她的声调中，我听出她在笑——“要是约瑟芬姑妈在这儿就好啦！那没准儿，”——她的语气突然变得严肃起来——“我会以另外的方式来动我的脑筋的。” I am speechless.和昨晚一样，远远近近都有夜鸟儿在鸣哈；在它们停止歌唱的一瞬间，四周是如此地静，我简直觉得听见了露珠儿从星群中掉下来，滴落在玫瑰上的声音似的。我不知道这么呆了多久。冷丁儿里，燕妮挺直了身子，说： “晚安，阿尔弗雷德！”说着，把手伸给了我。 我真想留住她；可是只说了： “再给我一只手！——不，这儿，给我左手握！” “已经给你握了。干吗非得左手？” “干吗吗，燕妮？——这样我就不需要把它给别人了。” 燕妮已经离去；但在玫瑰丛中，一只只夜写仍在不断地歌唱。 那些像珍珠串一般美好的日子中断了；接下来的一天至少对于我是黯淡无光的，因为，燕妮一不在身边，我就只能是这样。她说过，她早就决定要去邻近的一个庄园做客。她一大早就乘从我哥哥的庄园前经过的驿车，上那儿去了，说好要晚上很晚才回来。 上午，在母亲房里，我与地静静地交换思想，谈自己未来的打算，如此地把时间消磨了过去；下午，我跟着哥哥去看了田畴、草场、旷野和泥灰坑；然后，格蕾特给我讲了她们有趣的订婚的历史。随着夜色渐渐地浪起来，我的心越来越不平静，亲人们讲的话已经没心思听了。母亲回卧室去以后，我便倚着敞开的厅门，站在与燕妮昨晚并肩站过的地方；放眼望去，越过草坪，只见丛林背后，林苑的树墙远远地立在淡蓝色的月光中，烟笼雾罩，缥缈神秘。由于一些偶然的原因，我至今还未到林苑中去过；眼下，它那些浓黑的阴影比昨晚还要强烈地吸引着我，而正是在这些阴影的映衬下，通往其中的路径历历可辨。我恍惚感觉到，在那叶与影的迷宫里，定然藏着这夏夜的最甜美的秘密。我回首厅中，看是否有谁注意我。随后，我轻轻步下露台，到了园内。月亮刚刚从橡树和栗子树的树冠后爬上来，还照不到它们的东边。我绕过草坪，走的正好是那完全笼罩着阴影的一侧；我在路边上顺手摘下一朵玫瑰，它湿漉漉的已经带着露水。我进了房子对面的小树林。石径在灌木丛的小草坪中弯弯曲曲，显然没依任何规则。黑暗中，这儿那儿，还有一丛丛白色的迎春花闪现出来。一会儿以后，我踏上了一条横在我跟前的宽宽的大道；大道的另一侧，在月光中，就耸立着那古老的园林艺术所造就的树墙，明朗而又端庄。我仁立、翘首，每一片叶子都看得分明；从那叶簇中，时不时地还有一只大甲虫或夜蛾儿飞到月夜中来，在我头顶上嗡嗡盘旋。正对着我，有一条小路通进林范深处，是否就是刚才诱使我走下露台，到它的阴影中去的那一条，我已无法断定，因为树林挡住了我的视线，背后的部宅已经看不见了。 我走在寂无人迹的小径上，心中时时涌起梦一般的恐惧，好似我已将返回的路径迷失。立在两旁的树墙又密又高，我像与世隔绝，能看见的仅仅还有头顶上一小块苍穹。在两条道路的交汇处，每每是一片小小的开阔地，走在那儿，我总不免顿生错觉，仿佛从对面的幽径中，随时可能有一位纤腰广裙、扑着发粉的美人儿，与一位公元一七五零年的时髦哥儿手挽着手，款步来到月亮地里。然而四周仍旧是一派岑寂，只有夜风偶尔穿过叶簇，发出低声的叹息。 走过几条纵横交错的小路以后，我来到一片水池边上；从我立足的地方望去，水池大约长一百步，宽五十步，与四周包围着它的树墙仅仅为一条宽宽的石径和岸上零零落落的大树所隔开。幽深的水面上，这儿那儿都是泛着白光的睡莲；睡莲之间，水池中央，在一个刚刚高出水面的基座上，孤独地，静静地，站着大理石的维纳斯像。四周鸦雀无声。我沿着湖岸走去，直到面对面站在离雕像尽可能近的地方。这显然是路易十五时代最美的艺术作品之一。维纳斯伸出一只赤裸的脚，使它悬在贴近水面的空中，像是立刻要浸进去的样子；与此同时，她一只手撑在岩石上，一只手捏着胸前已经解开的衣襟。从我站的地方看不请她的脸；她把头扭到了后面，像是想在赤身裸体地跳进水波之前，搞清楚有没有讨厌的偷看者。 雕像的动作情态是如此逼真，加之它的下半部隐藏在阴影中，大理石的雪肩却在月光温柔的抚摩下熠熠闪光，我真的就觉得，我业已偷偷进了一片禁止凡人涉足的圣地的深处。在我背后的树墙边立着张木头靠椅；我坐在上边，久久地凝望着那美丽的女神像。不知是动作中有某种相似之处呢，还是这美丽的形象拨动了我的心弦，望着望着，我禁不住一次次地想到燕妮。 终于，我站起身来，继续信步走去，在一条条幽径中胡乱转了好长时间。离我刚才离开的水池不远，在一处生长着低矮的灌木丛的场地上，我发现一个大理石的基座上还留着第二尊雕像的残肢。那是一只肌肉发达的男性的脚，很可能曾经属于一位独眼巨人；要真这样，我那位当语言学家的表兄的话就有道理，据说他曾把方才那尊大理石像解释为一位水泽女神，她为了躲避这个粗野的神之子的狂热追求，正想逃进海洋里去。 那尊雕像在我眼前活了起来。到底是水泽女神或是爱神维纳斯，我渴望自己去解决这个疑问；因此，我打算退回到刚才的那个地方去，进行更加冷静的观察。谁料我走来走去走了老半天，就是到不了刚才的水池边。终于，在从一条小路折进一条宽宽的林荫道时，我在它的尽头处看见了粼粼的水光；过了一会儿，我相信我又站在曾经站过的岸边上了。奇怪的是，我竟然还是走错路了。 ——我简直不再相信自己的眼睛：在池塘的中央，尽管那基座还突出在水面上，尽管朵朵睡莲仍如方才一样地在幽深的池水间泛着白光，但立在那儿的大理石神像和不知去向。我莫名其妙，呆呆地瞪着那空座子出了神。过了好一阵，我才抬起眼来朝水池对面的远处望去，蓦地却看见在那高高的树墙的阴影中有一个白衣女郎的身影。她将身于倚在池畔的一棵树上，像是低头凝视着水中。眼下她想必是动了动，因为尽管仍然完全处在阴影里，月光却已在她白色的衣裙上嬉戏跳跃。 --How is this going?是古代传说中的神仙又出来巡行了吗？如此一个夜晚的确有这种可能。在白色的睡莲之间，反映着天上的点点繁星；叶簇中，露珠儿滴滴答答往下掉；从临着池畔的树上，时不时地更有一滴落进了水中，发出悦耳的声响；从远远的花园中，还送来一声声夜莺的啼啭。我沿着阴影中的一侧绕过池塘。等我走得近了，那白衣女神方才抬起头来，而面对着我的竟然是燕妮的美丽白皙的脸庞，让月光辉映得如此地明亮，我连她那红唇之间泛着蓝光的皓齿也看得清清楚楚。 “是你，燕妮！”我失声喊出来。 “嗯，阿尔弗雷德！”她回答，同时向我迎上来。 “你怎么到这儿来了？” “我是在花园的后门下的车。” “我本来想，”我低声说，“该是那边那位女神从座子上走下来了吧。” “她也许早已走下来了，或者说倒下去了；我在那儿从未见过她。” “可我一刻钟前还看见她的呀！” She shook her head. “你刚才是在那边的另一片池塘边上；眼下石像还站在那里。这儿没有女神，阿尔弗雷德；这儿只有一个渴望得到帮助的可怜的人儿。” “你，燕妮，需要帮助？” 她连连点着头。 “要是你，要是你像你昨天对我讲的那样，还真的相信自己是了解我的话，那你就说出来，你需要的究竟是什么？” “钱，”她回答。 “你——钱，燕妮！”我惊异地打量着这位大富豪的小姐。 “别问我用来干什么，”她说，“你很快自会知道。”说完，她从袋里掏出手绢，从手绢中取出一件首饰。当她把这首饰伸到月光中的一刹那，我看见它闪闪发亮，原来是一些精工镶嵌在一起的绿宝石。“我没机会卖掉它，”她说。“你愿意明天去为我试一试吗？”我迟疑了一下，她赶紧又道：“不是一件礼物或者甚至遗物；我当初是省下自己的零花钱买到它的。” “可是，燕妮，”我忍不住问她，“你干吗不找你的父亲想办法呢？” She shook her head. “我想，”我继续说，“他对你的关心是挺多的。” “不错，阿尔弗雷德，他为我花的钱——是挺多！”她的声音里饱含怨恨，激动地接着说，“这个男人，我不能去求他。” 她倒退一步，坐在我们身后树墙边的长椅上，然而低下头去，将脸埋在双手里。 “完全有必要吗？”我问。 她抬起头来望着我，几乎是神情庄重地说： “我必须用它去尽一桩神圣的义务。” “除此别无它法了吗？” "I don't think so." “那把首饰给我。” 她递过来，我内心极不愿意地接到手里。——燕妮将身子默默地靠回到椅背上；一抹月华映照着她放在怀里的纤纤玉手，我重又像多年前一样，发现了她指甲盖上那些蓝色的小新月。我不知道，我何以会如此大吃一惊，一双眼睛就像中了魔法似的定住啦。燕妮察觉以后，把手悄悄缩回到了阴影中。 “我对你还有一个请求，阿尔弗雷德！”她说。 “只管讲吧，燕妮！” 她把头微微侧向旁边，开始道： “一些年前，咱俩还是小孩，我在与你告别时曾送过一只小小的戒指给你。你还记得起来吗？” “你怎么能怀疑呢？” “这个没有价值的小钻石，”她继续说，“你要是很珍视它，因此至今还保存着的话，那我就请你把它退还给我！” “如果你想要回去，”我回答，声音里不无一点恼怒，“那我也没权再占有它。” “你误解我了，阿尔弗雷德！”她大声说。“唉，这是我母亲给我的唯一的纪念品啊！” 我已经把系在缎带上的戒指从围巾底下拽出来。 “这儿，燕妮；可是——原谅我，我心里仍然很难过！” She stood up.我看见，在她美丽的面庞上掠过一片淡淡的红云；可随后，像出于下意识的冲动似的，她向戒指伸过手来，将它抓住。我呢，也克制不住自己的感情，把戒指紧紧捏着不放。 “不久前，”我说，“它仅仅还只能勾起我对童年时代的小女伴的怀念。——而今情况变了；从我生活在此地的第一天起，它对我的重要性与日俱增。” 我默然了；她望着我，看来我的话令她深为悲痛。 “别对我说这样的话，阿尔弗雷德，”她道。 我不管她说什么，抓住了她的手；她也让我把它握着。 “拿去，戒指，”我说，“可是燕妮，为此你得把自己的手给我！” 她慢慢地摇着头。 “一个有色女人的手，”她嗓音喑哑了。 “你的手，燕妮。其他一切与我们有什么关系！” 她站着一动不动；只有她那仍然被我握着的手在颤抖，使我感到她还有活气。 “我知道，我是很美的，”她后来说，“美得令人迷醉，就像我们人类之源——那罪孽一样。可是，阿尔弗雷德，我却不想迷惑你。” 话虽如此，当我默默地向她伸出双臂时，她突然扑到我的胸前，用手紧紧搂住了我的脖子。她抬起头来望着我，一双又大又亮的眼睛深不可测。 “是的，燕妮，”说话时，我觉得仿佛有一股寒气从树林中吹出来，直透我的骨髓，“是的，你美得令人迷醉；那曾经扰乱人们的心，使他们忘记自己过去所爱的一切的魔女，也不比你更美。没准儿你就是魔女本身吧；在这样的良夜里，你来世上巡行，只是为了赐给那些仍然信仰你的人们以幸福。——不，不，别离开我的怀抱；我知道得很清楚，你跟我一样是人，一样为你自身的魅力所困扰，在它面前一样无能为力；还有，像那吹过林梢的夜风一样，你也会玉碎香销，杳无踪迹。——不过别诅咒那使我俩相互拥抱在一起的神秘的力量。就算我们在这儿是不由自主地接受了未来生活的基础，它将要承受的大厦却仍然掌握在咱们自己手里。” 我把她的手从我脖子上轻轻拉下来，用一条胳臂搂住她的腰。随后，我扯掉缎带，把戒指套在她的食指上。她像个安静的孩子似的偎依着，一任我带领着向前走去。——不多时，我们走到了另一片池塘边，那尊维纳斯女神像果真依然立在一朵朵白色的睡莲中间；此刻我更加确信，我搂在臂膀中的是一个凡间的女子。 几经踌躇，我们终于还是离开了那些树影憧撞的幽径，走进小树林中；从小树林出来，又到了房子对面的旷地上。草坪对面，穿过那两扇敞开着的厅门，我们看见我的哥哥嫂嫂正在明亮的厅中踱来踱去，好像密谈着什么似的。 还没等我明白过来，燕妮一弯腰挣脱了我的搂抱；但同样飞快地，她一下子又抓住了我的手。 “你要做答应了我的事，阿尔弗雷德，”她说，“而其他一切，”她声音低得几乎听不见地补充道，“都忘掉吧！” 格蕾特走到敞开的厅门边，冲着黑夜大喊： “燕妮，阿尔弗雷德，是你们吗？” 这时燕妮急切地请求我： “别提我的事，对你母亲也别提；咱们不应叫她们不痛快。” “可我不懂你的意思，燕妮。” 她只使劲捏我的手。然后，她离开我，奔上露台，站在格蕾特身边；当我们走进大厅时，格蕾特摇着脑袋，把我俩打量了又打量。 第二天一清早，我就骑马进城去，实践自己的诺言。在城里，我分别找了两个珠宝商给首饰估价。它值不少钱，而我当时的钱包正好很充实，因此可以替燕妮把首饰自行保管起来，用我随身带来的现款调换了一卷价值相当的金叶给她。——事情办妥以后，我还在美丽的港口里遛达了一会儿。在港外的泊船处，一片金色的光雾中，能看见远远地停着一艘大船；一位海员告诉我，这艘双桅帆船已经张帆待发，即将驶往西印度群岛。 “驶往她的故乡！”我心里南咕；这一来我便十分想念她，心情再也平静不下去，赶紧踏上了归途。 将近中午，我跨进大厅。厅中阒无一人；但看门外，却见燕妮和一位瘦削的上了几分年纪的男人站在花园里，离大厅有相当距离。接着，他颇为庄重地把胳臂伸给她，领着地朝房子走来。走近了，我方才看出这男人的头发差不多全白了，但在清癯的脸上，一双眼睛咄咄逼人，脑袋的简捷歪动也表明，他已习惯发号施令。白色的围巾和衬衫皱缝中的大钻石别针，似乎都理所当然地是他身上的一个组成部分。我立刻就知道，他是燕妮的父亲，那位阔绰的庄园主，我自己迄今尚未谋面的远房表叔；不过尽管如此，他眼下这模样却和我孩提时代的想象完全吻合。此刻我听见了他那异样的嗓音；他对自己女儿讲的话短促有力，我听不懂讲的什么意思；燕妮呢，也是只听不答。 我感到自己没有立刻与他见面的精神准备，便赶在他父女俩登上露台之前离开大厅，到楼上去了。燕妮的卧室门开着，我走过去，按照约定把用首饰换来的钱放在房门上方的壁橱里。然后，我退回自己的房间，既激动又疲倦地倒在沙发上。 约莫才过了几分钟，我就听见楼梯上响起脚步声，接着有两个人从我房前经过，走进隔壁大屋子去了。正对着我的座位，有一扇沟通两间屋子的门。这门眼下虽然关死了，但上边却是一面玻璃窗，在背面挂着一块白帘子。 我从声音听出来，走进隔壁房中的是燕妮父女，虽说他们可能站在房里的另一端，我一点听不明白他们谈些什么。我正打算悄悄离开，这时他们却走过来了，而清楚地传到我耳际的头几句话，就对我产生了奇异的影响，我把其他一切统统给忘记了，只能一动不动地呆坐在原来的位置上。 “不，你不能留在那儿！”我听见燕妮的父亲道，语调仍如刚才讲过的那样急促。 “为什么呢？”燕妮问。 这时我听见他来来去去地踱了好几圈，然后静静地站住了。 “你既然非要我说不可，”他回答，“那就听好了。你由于你那母亲的血统关系，永远也别想进入你父亲的社会。” “也由于我自己的血统关系，”燕妮补充说。“这我了解。” “你了解？谁给你讲这些事的？” “谁也没有；我自己从书里读到的。” “喏，既然如此，你就知道我干吗一定要送你到欧洲来。我想，你应该感激我才是。” “是的，”她说，“就像我要感激你让我生下来一样。” 父亲没有回答；但是一扇窗户被推开了，从声音判断，他是把脑袋伸到了窗外，在十分激动地清着嗓子。——燕妮背靠在两间屋子之间的门上；透过挂着白帘子的玻璃窗，看得见她脑袋的影子，听得见她裙子的悉索声。 过了片刻，父亲像是又退回到了房间中央。 “我为你做了所能做的一切，”他又开始说。“你自然从来表示过任何违抗我意志的愿望；不过我也不了解，你还能有什么愿望。” 燕妮站直身子，向他慢慢跨出一步。 “我的母亲在什么地方？”她问。 “你的母亲，燕妮！”老头子失声叫喊出来，仿佛他准备好了回答一切问题，就是想不到女儿会问这个女人。“你自个儿也知道，她还活着；她得到了照顾。” “可是，”姑娘毫不留情地追逼着，“在你的大房子、新房子建成和布置好以后，你作过去接她上这边来跟咱们生活在一起的打算吗？” 我听见老头子脚步沉重地在大屋子里走上走下，随后再次来到女儿跟前。 “你还是个孩子，燕妮，”他压低了嗓门，语调却变得严厉起来。“你不了解那边，不了解你出生的那个国家的情况；再说你也不需要去了解。”这时候，老商人像是突然沉湎在往事的回忆中似的，继续说：“她真美得令人难以置信啊，那个女人，难以置信！——她那么躺在吊床上轻轻地摇啊摇，在芒果树宽大的绿叶丛中穿着一身白色的衣裙，头顶着热带明净的蓝天，脚下是阳光灿烂的港湾，特别是当她和她的鸟儿们们嬉戏的时候，或是朗声笑着把一个个金球抛到空中的时候！——可是你千万别听她讲话；她那张漂亮的小嘴儿说着黑人的粗劣语言，哇啦哇啦地跟个学语的孩子差不多。——那个女人，燕妮，不能跟你生活在一起，如果你想成为你现在已成为的这种人的话。” 燕妮又把身子倚在门上。 “为这个，”她说，“你就把一位母亲的孩子给抢走了。——她大声哭叫，啊，她大声哭叫，当你把我从她怀抱中夺过来，走上跳板，抱进船舱的时候！而这哭叫声，就是我听见自己母亲发出的最后的声音。——有好长时间我把这声音给忘记了，因为我是个没头脑的孩子。上帝宽恕我！——而今每天夜里我的耳畔都响起这声音。是谁给了你权利，用我母亲的痛苦来作换取我的未来的代价！”我透过窗帘看见，她讲到这里将身子挺得笔直。 当父亲的那位像是抓住了她的手。 “你要明白，燕