第八章

　　Outside, in the dust and among the garbage (there were four dogs now), Bernard and John were walking slowly up and down.

　　外面，在沙尘和垃圾之中（那儿现在有了四条狗），伯纳在和约翰缓缓地走来走去。

　　"So hard for me to realize," Bernard was saying, to reconstruct.

　　“我很难明白，”伯纳说，也很难重新组合成印象。

　　As though we were living on different planets, in different centuries.

　　我们好像生活在不同的星球上，不同的世纪里。

　　A mother, and all this dirt, and gods, and old age, and disease …

　　有个母亲，有这么多肮脏，有上帝，有衰老，还有疾病……

　　He shook his head. "It's almost inconceivable. I shall never understand, unless you explain."

　　他摇摇头。“几乎难以想象。我永远也不会明白，除非你解释清楚。”

　　Explain what?

　　解释什么？

　　"This." He indicated the pueblo. "That." And it was the little house outside the village. "Everything. All your life."

　　解释这个，”他指着印第安村庄，“那个。”村子外那间小屋。“解释这一切。你们的生活。”

　　But what is there to say?

　　可那有什么可解释的？

　　From the beginning. As far back as you can remember.

　　从头解释起。解释你能够回忆起的一切。

　　"As far back as I can remember." John frowned. There was a long silence.

　　“我能够回忆起的一切。”约翰皱起了眉头，沉默了很久。

　　It was very hot. They had eaten a lot of tortillas and sweet corn.

　　天气炎热，母子俩吃了很多玉米摊饼和甜玉米。

　　Linda said, "Come and lie down, Baby." They lay down together in the big bed.

　　琳妲说，“来躺一躺，孩子，”母子俩在大床上躺了下来。

　　"Sing," and Linda sang. Sang "Streptocock-Gee to Banbury-T" and "Bye Baby Banting, soon you'll need decanting."

　　“唱歌，”琳妲唱起了“链霉菌马右转弯，转到斑波里T字边”，和“再见吧宝贝班亭，你马上就要换瓶”。

　　Her voice got fainter and fainter …

　　歌声越来越含糊……

　　There was a loud noise, and he woke with a start.

　　一阵响动，约翰给惊醒了。

　　A man was saying something to Linda, and Linda was laughing.

　　有个男人在对琳妲说着什么，琳妲在笑。

　　She had pulled the blanket up to her chin, but the man pulled it down again.

　　她原把毛毯拉到了下巴，那人却把它全掀开了。

　　His hair was like two black ropes, and round his arm was a lovely silver bracelet with blue stones in it.

　　那人的头发像两根黑色的绳子，手臂上有一条可爱的银臂测，镶嵌着蓝色的石头。

　　He liked the bracelet; but all the same, he was frightened; he hid his face against Linda's body.

　　约翰喜欢那臂侧，可仍然害怕。他把脸躲到淋妲怀里。

　　Linda put her hand on him and he felt safer.

　　琳妲搂住他，他感到了安全。

　　In those other words he did not understand so well, she said to the man, "Not with John here."

　　他听见琳妲用他听不大懂的话说，“不行，约翰在这儿。”

　　The man looked at him, then again at Linda, and said a few words in a soft voice.

　　那人看了看他，又看了看琳妲，又温柔地说了几句什么。

　　Linda said, "No."

　　琳妲说，“不行。”

　　But the man bent over the bed towards him and his face was huge, terrible; the black ropes of hair touched the blanket.

　　但那人却弯过身子对着他。那脸大而可怕，头发碰到了毛毯。

　　"No," Linda said again, and he felt her hand squeezing him more tightly.

　　"不。"琳妲又说，他感到她的手搂得更紧了。

　　"No, no!" But the man took hold of one of his arms, and it hurt. He screamed.

　　"不，不。”但是那人却抓住了他一条胳臂，抓得他生疼，他尖叫起来。

　　The man put up his other hand and lifted him up.

　　那人伸出另一只手抱起他来。

　　Linda was still holding him, still saying, "No, no."

　　琳妲仍然抱住他说，“不行，不行。”

　　The man said something short and angry, and suddenly her hands were gone.

　　那人说了些生气的话，很短促。琳妲的手突然放松了。

　　"Linda, Linda." He kicked and wriggled; but the man carried him across to the door, opened it, put him down on the floor in the middle of the other room, and went away, shutting the door behind hirn.

　　"琳妲，琳妲。”他又是踢腿又是挣扎;但是那人把他抱到了门边，开了门，把他放在另一间屋子正中，自己走掉，在身后关上了门。

　　He got up, he ran to the door.

　　他爬起来跑到门口。

　　Standing on tiptoe he could just reach the big wooden latch.

　　他踮起脚勉强可以摸到那巨大的水门闩。

　　He lifted it and pushed; but the door wouldn't open.

　　他抬起门闩一推；却打不开。

　　"Linda," he shouted. She didn't answer.

　　"琳妲。”他大叫。琳妲没有回答。