諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第5章Part 4

Ella wrapped a cloth strip tight around the baby's navel as she listened for the holes — the thingsthe fugitives did not say; the questions they did not ask. Listened too for the unnamed,unmentioned people left behind. She shook gravel from the men's shoes and tried to force Sethe'sfeet into them. They would not go. Sadly, they split them down the heel, sorry indeed to ruin sovaluable an item. Sethe put on the boy's jacket, not daring to ask whether there was any word ofthe children.
"They made it," said Ella. "Stamp ferried some of that party. Left them on Bluestone. It ain't toofar."
Sethe couldn't think of anything to do, so grateful was she, so she peeled a potato, ate it, spit it upand ate more in quiet celebration.
"They be glad to see you," said Ella. "When was this one born?"
"Yesterday," said Sethe, wiping sweat from under her chin. "I hope she makes it."
Ella looked at the tiny, dirty face poking out of the wool blanket and shook her head. "Hard tosay," she said. "If anybody was to ask me I'd say, 'Don't love nothing.' " Then, as if to take the edgeoff her pronouncement, she smiled at Sethe. "You had that baby by yourself?"
"No. Whitegirl helped."
"Then we better make tracks."
Baby Suggs kissed her on the mouth and refused to let her see the children. They were asleep shesaid and Sethe was too uglylooking to wake them in the night. She took the newborn and handed itto a young woman in a bonnet, telling her not to clean the eyes till she got the mother's urine.
"Has it cried out yet?" asked Baby.
"A little."
"Time enough. Let's get the mother well."

艾拉一邊用一條布緊緊纏住嬰兒的肚臍，一邊去聽談話裏的漏洞——逃犯們不說的那些事，不問的那些問題。留意那些落往後面、不知道名字、沒被提起的人們。她控出那雙男鞋裏的沙子，試圖把塞絲的腳塞進去。它們塞不進去。很不幸，它們把鞋後跟撐裂了，毀了這麼貴重的東西實在可惜。塞絲穿上那個男孩的外衣，沒敢打聽是否有她孩子們的下落。
"他們成功了，"艾拉道，"斯坦普把那夥人運過了河。把他們留在藍石路上了。不算太遠。"
塞絲感激得不知該如何是好，於是剝了一個白薯，吃下去，吐出來，在靜靜的歡喜之中又吃了一些。
"他們見到你一定很高興。"艾拉說，"這一個是什麼時候生的？"
"昨天。"塞絲擦着下巴底下的汗，說道，"但願她能活下來。"
艾拉看看從羊毛毯裏鑽出來的小髒臉，搖了搖頭。"難說。"她說道。"誰要是問我，我就說：-啥也別愛-"然後，似乎是爲了收斂話裏的鋒芒，她衝塞絲笑笑。"你自己生的那個孩子？"
"不是。白人姑娘幫了忙。"
"那麼我們趁早開路吧。"
貝比·薩格斯親吻了她的嘴，不讓她馬上去見孩子們。她說他們正睡着呢，再說塞絲的樣子太難看了，不能在夜裏叫醒他們。她接過新生兒，把她遞給一個戴軟帽的年輕女人，告訴她先別洗兩隻眼睛，等得到媽媽的尿再說。
"她哭出聲了嗎？"貝比問。
"哭了一小會兒。"
"足夠了。我們先來把當媽媽的收拾乾淨吧。"