第83章 她一无是处 She Was Good for Nothing（1/2）

《她一无是处》，1853 年

She was Good for Nothg, 1853

市长站在敞开的窗户前。

the ayor stood at the open dow.

他看上去很精神，因为他衬衫的褶边（他还在上面别了一枚胸针）以及袖口的褶饰都非常精致。

he looked sart, for his shirt-frill,which he had stuck a breast-p, and his ruffles, were very fe.

他把下巴刮得格外光滑，尽管稍微刮破了一点，还在那个地方贴了一小片报纸。

he had shaved hisunonly sooth, although he had cut hiself slightly, and had stuck a piece of neer over the pce.

“听着，小家伙！” 他喊道。

“hark ‘ee, youngster!” cried he.

他说话的这个男孩正是一个穷苦洗衣妇的儿子，当时正从这所房子前经过。

the boy to who he spoke was no other than the son of a poor washer-woan, who was jt gog past the hoe.

男孩停了下来，恭敬地摘下帽子。

he sped, and respectfully took off his cap.

这顶帽子的帽檐在中间破了，所以他能很容易地把它卷起来放进兜里。

the peak of this cap was brokenthe iddle, so that he uld easily roll it up and put ithis pocket.

他穿着虽破旧但干净且缝补得很好的衣服，站在市长面前，脚上穿着沉重的木鞋，看上去谦卑得就好像站在国王本人面前一样。

he stood before the ayorhis poor butand well-nded clothes, with heavy wooden shoes on his feet, lookg as huble as if it had been the kg hiself.

“你是个有礼貌的好孩子。” 市长说。

“You are a good and civil boy,” said the ayor.

“我猜你妈妈正在河边忙着洗衣服，而你正要把兜里装着的东西给她送去。这对你妈妈可不好。你兜里装了多少（酒）啊？”

“I suppose your other is by washg the clothes down by the river, and yog to carry that thg to her that you haveyour pocket. It is very bad for your other. how uch have you gotit?”

“只有半品脱。” 男孩结结巴巴地用惊恐的声音回答道。

“only half a quartern,” stared the boya frightened voice.

“而且她今天早上已经喝了同样多的量了？”

“And she has had jt as uch thisalready?”

“不，是昨天。” 男孩回答道。

“No, it was yesterday,” replied the boy.

“两个半品脱就是一品脱了。” 市长说。“她真是一无是处。这些人可真让人悲哀。告诉你妈妈她应该为自己感到羞愧。你可别变成个酒鬼，不过我看你也会的。可怜的孩子！好了，走吧。”

“o halves ake a whole,” said the ayor. “She’s good for nothg. what a sad thg it is with these people. tell your other she ought to be ashad of herself. don’t you bee a drunkard, but I expect you will though. poor child! there, go now.”

男孩手里拿着帽子继续往前走，风把他金色的头发吹得竖了起来。

the boy went on his way with his caphis hand, while the d fttered his golden hair till the locks stood up straight.

他转过街角，走进通往河边的小巷，他母亲正站在齐腰深的水里，在洗衣凳旁用一根沉重的木棒捶打着亚麻布。

he turned round the er of the street to the little hat led to the river, where his other stood ier by her washg bench, beatg the len with a heavy wooden bar.

磨坊的水闸已经拉起，水流湍急，床单被水流拖着走，差点把洗衣凳掀翻，所以洗衣妇不得不靠在凳子上稳住它。

the floodgates at the ill had been drawn up, and as the water rolled rapidly on, the sheets were dragged along by the strea, and nearly overturhe bench, so that the washer-woan was obliged to lean agast it to keep it steady.

“我差点就被冲走了，” 她说，“你来了真是太好了，因为我需要点东西来提提神。水里面很冷，我已经在这儿站了六个小时了。你给我带什么来了吗？”

“I have been very nearly carried away,” she said; “it is a good thg that you are e, for I want sothg tthe is ld ier, and I have stood here six hours. have yht anythg for ?”

男孩从口袋里掏出瓶子，母亲把它放到嘴边，喝了一小口。

the boy drew the bottle fro his pocket, and the other put it to her lips, and drank a little.

“啊，这感觉真好，让我暖和多了，” 她说，“这就跟吃了一顿热饭一样，而且还没那么贵。喝点吧，我的孩子；你看起来脸色很苍白；你穿着单薄的衣服在发抖，秋天真的来了。哦，水好冷啊！我希望我不会生病。不过不会的，我可不能害怕生病。再给我一点，你也可以喝一小口，但只能一小口；你可不能养成喝酒的习惯，我可怜的、亲爱的孩子。”

“Ah, how uch good that does, and how it wars ,” she said; “it is as good as a hot al, and not so dear. drk a little, y boy; you look quite pale; you are shivergyour th clothes, and autun has really e. oh, how ld the water is! I hope I shall not be ill. but no, I t not be afraid of that. Givea little ore, and you ay have a sip too, but only a sip; you t not get ed to it, y poor, dear child.”

她边说边走上男孩站着的桥，然后上了岸。

She stepped up to the bridge on which the boy stood as she spoke, andshore.

水从她裹在身上的草垫以及长袍上滴下来。

the water dripped fro the straw at which she had bound round her body, and frown.

“我用我这双可怜的手辛苦干活，忍受着痛苦，” 她说，“但我心甘情愿这么做，为的是能把你诚实地、正当地养大，我亲爱的孩子。”

“I work hard and suffer pa with y poor hands,” said she, “but I do it willgly, that I ay be able t you up holy and truthfully, y dear boy.”

就在这时，一个比她年纪稍大些的女人朝她们走了过来。

At the sa ont, a woan, rather older than herself, ca towards the.

她看上去很可怜，一条腿瘸了，一只瞎了的眼睛上耷拉着一大绺假卷发。

She was a iserable-lookg object,of one leg, and with a rge false curl hangg down over one of her eyes, which was bld.

这绺卷发本是用来遮住那只瞎眼的，但却让缺陷更加明显了。

this curl was teo ceal the bld eye, but it ade the defely ore visible.

她是洗衣妇的朋友，邻居们都叫她 “卷毛瘸腿玛莎”。

She was a friend of the undress, and was called, aong the neighbors, “La artha, with the curl.”

“哦，你这可怜的人儿；你站在水里干活，多辛苦呀！” 她叫道。

“oh, you p; how you do work, standg there ier!” she excid.

“你确实需要点什么来暖和暖和身子，可那些恶毒的人却因为你喝的那几口酒就叫嚷起来。”

“You really do need sothg to give you a little warth, a spiteful people cry out about the few drops you take.”

然后，玛莎在短短几分钟内，就把市长对她儿子说的话原原本本地讲给了洗衣妇听，这些话她都偷听到了；她非常气愤，竟然有人能像市长那样，当着一个母亲的面，对她自己的孩子说她喝那几口酒的事；她更气愤的是，就在那天，市长要举办一场晚宴，宴会上会有葡萄酒，浓烈醇厚的葡萄酒，而且是整瓶整瓶地喝。

And then artha repeated to the undress,a very few utes, all that the ayor had said to her boy, which she had overheard; and she felt very angry that any an uld speak, as he had done, of a other to her own child, about the few drops she had taken; and she was still ore angry becae, on that very day, the ayor was gog to have a dner-party, at which there would be wirong, rich e, drunk by the bottle.

“很多人会喝得比他们应该喝的还多，但他们可不把那叫喝酒！他们都没事，而你才是真的一无是处！” 玛莎愤愤地喊道。

“any will take ore than they ought, but they don’t call that drkg! they are all fro the bottle.

“他就那样跟你说话，是吗，我的孩子？” 洗衣妇说，说话时嘴唇直打哆嗦。

“And so he spoke to youthat way, did he, y child?” said the washer-woan, and her lips trebled as she spoke.

“他说你有个一无是处的妈妈。哼，也许他说得对，但他不该对我的孩子说这种话。从那户人家出来后，我遭遇了多少事啊！”

“he says you have a other who is good for nothg. well, perhaps he is right, but he should not have said it to y child. how uch has happeofro that hoe!”

“是啊，” 玛莎说，“我记得你在那儿当佣人，市长的父母还在世的时候你就住在那房子里；那都是多少年前的事了。从那以后吃了好多桶盐呢，人肯定会口渴的。” 玛莎笑了笑。

“Yes,” said artha; “I reber you wereservice there, and livedthe hoe when the ayor’s parents were alive; how any years ago that is. bhels of salt have beeen sihen, and people ay well be thirsty,” and artha siled.

“市长今天的大型晚宴本该推迟的，但消息来得太晚了。男仆告诉我说，晚宴都已经做好了，这时来了一封信，说市长在哥本哈根的弟弟死了。”

“the ayreat dner-party to-day ought to have been put off, but the news ca too te. the footan toldthe dner was already oked, when a letter ca to say that the ayor’s younger brotherhagen is dead.”

“死了！” 洗衣妇叫道，脸色变得像死人一样苍白。

“dead!” cried the undress, turng pale as death.

“是啊，千真万确。” 玛莎回答说，“可你干嘛这么放在心上呀？我猜你很多年前在那儿当佣人的时候就认识他了吧？”

“Yes, certaly,” replied artha; “but why do you take it so uch to heart? I suppose you knew hi years ago, when you wereservice there?”

“他死了？” 她惊叫道，“哦，他是那么善良、好心的一个人，像他这样的人可不多见啊。” 她边说边流下了眼泪。

“Is he dead?” she excid. “oh, he was such a kd, good-hearted an, there are not any like hi,” and the tears rolled down her cheeks as she speakg.

接着她喊道：“哦，天哪；我感觉好难受啊：我觉得天旋地转的，我受不了了。瓶子空了吗？” 然后她靠在了木板上。

then she cried, “oh, dear ; I feel quite ill: everythg is gog round , I ot bear it. Is the bottle epty?” and she leaned agast the pnk.

“天哪，你真的病了。” 另一个女人说，“来，振作点；也许会好起来的。不，说真的，我看你是真病了；我最好还是扶你回家吧。”

“dear , you are ill deed,” said the other woan. “e, cheer up; perhaps it will pass off. No, deed, I see you are really ill; the best thg forto do is to lead you ho.”

“可我那边的衣服还没洗完呢？”

“but y washg yonder?”

“我会照看的。来，挽着我的胳膊。”

“I will take care of that. e, giveyour ar.

男孩可以留在这儿照看亚麻布，我会回来洗完这些衣服的；这只是小事一桩。

the boystay here and take care of the len, and I’ll e bad fish the washg; it is but a trifle.”

洗衣妇的双腿在她身下直打颤，她说：“我在冰冷的水里站得太久了，从早上到现在一整天都没吃东西。仁慈的上天啊，帮帮我，让我能回到家吧；我烧得厉害。哦，我可怜的孩子。” 说着她便放声大哭起来。

the libs of the undress shook under her, and she said, “I have stood too longthe ld water, and I have had nothg to eat the whole day sihe . o kd heaven, helpto get ho; I aa burng fever. oh, y poor child,” and she burst to tears.

而他，那个可怜的男孩，也哭了起来，他独自坐在河边，守着那些潮湿的亚麻布。

And he, poor boy, wept also, as he sat alone by the river, o and watg the dap len.

两个女人走得很慢。

the o won walked very slowly.

洗衣妇在小巷里跌跌撞撞地走着，转过街角，来到市长居住的那条街上；就在她走到市长家门前时，她瘫倒在了人行道上。

the undress slipped and tottered through the ne, and round the er, to the street where the ayor lived; and jt as she reached the front of his hoe, she sank down upon the pavent.

许多人围了过来，瘸腿玛莎跑进房子里去求助。

any persons ca round her, and La artha ran to the hoe for help.

市长和他的客人们来到了窗前。

the ayor and his guests ca to the dow.

“哦，是那个洗衣妇，” 他说，“她酒喝得有点多了。她真是一无是处。对她那漂亮的小儿子来说可真够惨的。我很喜欢那个男孩；但他母亲真是一无是处。”

“oh, it is the undress,” said he; “she has been a little drop too uch. She is good for nothg. It is a sad thg for her pretty little son. I like the boy very well; but the other is good for nothg.”

过了一会儿，洗衣妇缓过神来，他们把她扶到她那简陋的住处，让她上了床。

After a while the undress revered herself, and they led her to her poor dwellg, and put her to bed.

好心的玛莎给她热了一杯加了黄油和糖的啤酒 —— 她觉得这是最好的药 —— 然后赶忙跑到河边，把衣服洗了又漂洗了一下，当然洗得很糟糕，但她已经尽力了。

Kd artha ward a ug of beer for her, with butter and sugar — she sidered this the best die — and then hasteo the river, washed and rsed, badly enough, to be sure, but she did her best.

然后她把亚麻布拖上岸，尽管还是湿的，然后把它放进了一个篮子里。

then she drew the len ashore, wet as it was, and id ita basket.

傍晚前，她和洗衣妇一起坐在那间简陋的小屋里。

before eveng, she was sittgthe poor little roo with the undress.

市长家的厨师给了她一些烤土豆和一大块肥美的肉给生病的女人。

the ayor’s ok had given her so roasted potatoes and a beautiful piece of fat for the sian.

玛莎和男孩非常喜欢这些好吃的东西；但生病的女人只能说她觉得这香味很滋补。

artha and the boy ehese good thgs very uch; but the sian uld only say that the sll was very n, she thought.

不久后，男孩被安置在床上，和他母亲睡的是同一张床；但他睡在她的脚边，盖着一床用蓝白相间的碎布拼成的旧被子。

by-and-by the boy ut to bed,the sa bed as the onewhich his other y; but he slept at her feet, vered with an old quilt ade of be and white patchwork.

这时洗衣妇感觉好了一些。

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