諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第1章Part 9

"She's a fine-looking young lady," said Paul D. "Fine-looking.
Got her daddy's sweet face.""You know my father?""Knew him. Knew him well.""Did he, Ma'am?" Denver fought an urge to realign her affection.
"Of course he knew your daddy. I told you, he's from Sweet Home."
Denver sat down on the bottom step. There was nowhere else gracefully to go. They were atwosome, saying "Your daddy" and "Sweet Home" in a way that made it clear both belongedtothem and not to her. That her own father's absence was not hers. Once the absence had belonged toGrandma Baby — a son, deeply mourned because he was the one who had boughther out of there. Then it was her mother's absent husband. Now it was this hazelnut stranger's absent friend. Onlythose who knew him ("knew him well") could claim his absencefor themselves. Just as only thosewho lived in Sweet Home could remember it, whisper it and glance sideways at one another whilethey did. Again she wished for the baby ghost —its anger thrilling her now where it used to wearher out. Wear her out.
"We have a ghost in here," she said, and it worked. They were not a twosome anymore. Hermother left off swinging her feet and being girlish. Memory of Sweet Home droppedaway fromthe eyes of the man she was being girlish for. He looked quickly up the lightning-white stairsbehind her.
"So I hear," he said. "But sad, your mama said. Not evil.""No sir," said Denver, "not evil. But not sad either.""What then?""Rebuked. Lonely and rebuked.""Is that right?"Paul D turned to Sethe.

"她是個好看的姑娘，"保羅·D說，"好看。臉蛋像她爹一樣甜。"
"你認識我爸爸？" "認識。相當認識。" "是嗎，太太？"丹芙儘量避免油然而生的好感。
"他當然認識你的爸爸。我不是跟你說了嗎，他是-甜蜜之家-的人。"
丹芙在最低一磴樓梯上坐下。再沒有別的地方好去了。他們成了一對，說着什麼"你的爸爸"和"甜蜜之家"，用的全是那種顯然屬於他們而不屬於她的方式。就是說，她自己父親的失蹤不關她的事。失蹤首先是屬於貝比奶奶的——一個兒子，被深切地哀悼着，因爲是他把她從那裏贖出來的。其次，他是媽媽失蹤的丈夫。現在他又是這個榛色陌生人的失蹤的朋友。只有那些認識他的人（"相當認識"）有權利說起他的失蹤。就好像只有那些住在"甜蜜之家"的人才能記得他，悄聲談起他，一邊說一邊互相用眼角交換目光。她又一次盼望那個小鬼魂——它那現在令她興奮的憤怒，曾經讓她疲憊不堪。讓她疲憊不堪。
她說道："我們這兒有個鬼。"這句話立即起了作用。他們不再是一對了。她媽媽不再悠着腳作女孩狀了。對"甜蜜之家"的記憶從她爲之作女孩狀的男人眼中一滴一滴漏走。他猛擡頭，瞥了一眼她身後明亮的白樓梯。
"我聽說了，"他說，"可那是悲傷，你媽媽說的。不是邪惡。" "不，先生，"丹芙道，"不是邪惡，可也不是悲傷。" "那是什麼呢？" "冤屈。孤獨和冤屈。" "是這樣嗎？"保羅·D轉頭問塞絲。