(雙語)月亮和六便士 第55章(9)
"But Ata did not send for me," the doctor went on, at last, "and it chanced that I did not go to that part of the island for a long time. I had no news of Strickland. Once or twice I heard that Ata had been to Papeete to buy painting materials, but I did not happen to see her. More than two years passed before I went to Taravao again, and then it was once more to see the old chiefess. I asked them whether they had heard anything of Strickland. By now it was known everywhere that he had leprosy. First Tane, the boy, had left the house, and then, a little time afterwards, the old woman and her grandchild. Strickland and Ata were left alone with their babies. No one went near the plantation, for, as you know, the natives have a very lively horror of the disease, and in the old days when it was discovered the sufferer was killed; but sometimes, when the village boys were scrambling about the hills, they would catch sight of the white man, with his great red beard, wandering about. They fled in terror. Sometimes Ata would come down to the village at night and arouse the trader, so that he might sell her various things of which she stood in need. She knew that the natives looked upon her with the same horrified aversion as they looked upon Strickland, and she kept out of their way. Once some women, venturing nearer than usual to the plantation, saw her washing clothes in the brook, and they threw stones at her. After that the trader was told to give her the message that if she used the brook again men would come and burn down her house."
“但是愛塔并沒有叫我去，”醫(yī)生最后繼續(xù)說，“我湊巧也有很長時間沒有機會到那個地區(qū)去。關(guān)于思特里克蘭德我什么消息也沒聽到。有一兩次我聽說愛塔到帕皮提來買繪畫用品，但是我都沒有看見她。大約過了兩年多，我才又去了一趟塔拉窩，仍然是給那個女酋長看病。我問那地方的人，他們聽到過思特里克蘭德的什么消息沒有。這時候，思特里克蘭德害了麻風病的事已經(jīng)到處都傳開了。首先是那個男孩子塔耐離開了他們住的地方，不久以后，老太婆帶著她的孫女兒也走了。后來只剩下思特里克蘭德、愛塔和他們的孩子了。沒有人走近他們的椰子園。當?shù)氐耐寥藢@種病怕得要命，這你是知道的；在過去的日子里，害麻風病的人一被發(fā)現(xiàn)就被活活兒打死。但是有時候村里的小孩到山上去玩，偶然會看到這個留著大紅胡子的白人在附近游蕩。孩子們一看見他就象嚇掉了魂兒似地沒命地跑掉。有時候愛塔半夜到村子里來，叫醒開雜貨店的人買一些她需要的東西。她知道村子里的人對她也同樣又害怕又厭惡，正象對待思特里克蘭德一樣，因此她總是避開他們。又有一次有幾個女人奓著膽子走到他們住的椰子園附近，這次她們走得比哪次都近，看見愛塔正在小溪里洗衣服，她們向她投擲了一陣石塊。這次事件發(fā)生以后，村里的雜貨商就被通知給愛塔傳遞一個消息：以后如果她再用那條溪水，人們就要來把她的房子燒掉?！?/p>
"Brutes," I said.
“這些混帳東西?！蔽艺f。
"Mais non, mon cher monsieur, men are always the same. Fear makes them cruel.... I decided to see Strickland, and when I had finished with the chiefess asked for a boy to show me the way. But none would accompany me, and I was forced to find it alone."
“別這么說，我親愛的先生，人們都是這樣的?？謶质谷藗冏兊脷埧釤o情……我決定去看看思特里克蘭德。當我給女酋長看好病以后，我想找一個男孩子給我?guī)?，但是沒有一個人肯陪我去，最后還是我一個人摸索著去了?！?/p>
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