讀點好英文:The Love Letter　遲到的情書

The Love Letter　遲到的情書

·Melissa Nevels·

I was always a little in awe of great-aunt Stephina Roos. Indeed, as children we were all frankly terrified of her.The fact that she did not live with the family, preferring her tiny cottage and soIitude to the comfortable but rather noisy household where we were brought up-added to the respectful fear in which she was held.

We used to take it in turn to carry small delicacies which my mother had made down from the big house to the little cottage where Aunt Stephina and an old colored maid spent their days. Old Tnate Sanna would open the door to the rather frightened little messenger and would usher him or her into the dark voor-kamer, where the shutters were always closed to keep out the heat and the flies.There we would wait, in trembling but not altogether unpleasant.

She was a tiny little woman to inspire so much veneration. She was always dressed in black, and her dark clothes melted into the shadows of the voor-kamer and made her look smaller than ever.But you felt, the moment she entered, that something vital and strong and somehow indestructible had come in with her, although she moved slowly, and her voice was sweet and soft.

She never embraced us. She would greet us and take out hot little hands in her own beautiful cool ones, with blue veins standing out on the back of it, as though the white skin were almost too deIicate to contain them.

Tnate Sanna would bring in dishes of sweet, sticky candy, or a great bowl of grapes or peaches, and great-aunt Stephina would converse gravely about happenings on the farm, and, more rarely, of the outer world.

When we had finished our sweetmeats or fruit she would accompany us to the stoep, bidding us thank our mother for her gift and sending quaint, old-fashioned messages to her and father. Then she would turn and enter the house, closing the door behind, so that it became once more a place of mystery.

As I grew older I found, rather to my surprise, that I had become genuinely fond of my aloof old great-aunt. But to this day I do not know what strange impulse made me take George to see her and to tell her, before I had confided in another living soul, of our engagement.To my astonishment, she was delighted.

“An Englishman.”she exclaimed，“But that is splendid, splendid. And you，”she turned to George，“you are making your home in this country?You do not intend to return to England just yet?”

She seemed relieved when she heard that George had bought a farm near our own farm and intended to settle in South Africa. She became quite animated, and chattered away to him.

After that I would often slip away to the little cottage by the mealie lands. Once she was somewhat disappointed on hearing that we had decided to wait for two years before getting married, but when she learned that my father and mother were both pleased with the match she seemed reassured.

Still, she often appeared anxious about my love affair, and would ask questions that seemed to me strange, almost as though she feared that something would happen to destroy my romance. But I was quite unprepared for her outburst when I mentioned that George thought of paying a lightning visit to England before we were married.“He must not do it！”she cried，“Ina, you must not let him go.Promise me you will prevent him.”She was trembling all over.I did what I could to console her, but she looked so tired and pale that I persuaded her to go to her room and rest, promising to return the next day.

When I arrived I found her sitting on the step. She looked lonely and pathetic, and for the first time I wondered why no man had ever taken her and looked after her and loved her.Mother had told me that great-aunt Stephina had been lovely as a young girl, and although no trace of that beauty remained, except perhaps in her brown eyes, yet she looked so small and appealing that any man, one felt, would have wanted to protect her.She paused, as though she did not quite know how to begin.Then she seemed to give herself, mentally, a little shake.“You must have wondered”，she said，“why I was so upset at the thought of young George's going to England without you.I am an old woman, and perhaps I have the silly fancies of the old, but I should like to tell you my own love story, and then you can decide whether it is wise for your man to leave you before you are married.”

“I was quite a young girl when l first met Richard Weston. He was an Englishman who boarded with the Van Rensburgs on the next farm, four or five miles from us.Richard was not strong.He had a weak chest, and the doctors had sent him to South Africa so that the dry air could cure him.He taught the Van Rensburgs'children, who were younger than I was, though we often played together, but he did this for pleasure and not because he needed money.

“We loved one another from the first moment we met, though we did not speak of our love until the evening of my eighteenth birthday. All our friends and relatives had come to my party, and in the evening we danced on the big old carpet which we had laid down in the barn.Richard had come with the Van Rensburgs, and we danced together as often as we dared, which was not very often, for my father hated the uitlanders.Indeed, for a time he had quarreled with Mynheer Van Rensburg for allowing Richard to board with him, but afterwards he got used to the idea, and was always polite to the Englishman, though he never liked him.

“That was the happiest birthday of my life, for while we were resting between dances Richard took me outside into the cool, moonlit night, and there, under the stars, he told me he loved me and asked me to marry him. Of course I promised l would, for I was too happy to think of what my parents would say, or indeed of anything except Richard was not at our meeting place as he had arranged.I was disappointed but not alarmed, for so many things could happen to either of us to prevent out keeping our tryst.I thought that next time we visited the Van Ransburgs, l should hear what had kept him and we could plan further meetings……

“So when my father asked if I would drive with him to Driefontein I was delighted. But when we reached the homestead and were sitting on the step drinking our coffee, we heard that Richard had left quite suddenly and had gone back to England.His father had died, and now he was the heir and must go back to look after his estates.

“I do not remember very much more about that day, except that the sun seemed to have stopped shining and the country no longer looked beautiful and full of promise, but bleak and desoIate as it sometimes does in winter or in times of drought. Late that afternoon, Jantje, the little Hottentot herd boy, came up to me and handed me a letter, which he said the English baas had left for me.It was the only love letter I ever received, but it turned all my bitterness and grief into a peacefulness which was the nearest I could get, then, to happiness.I knew Richard still loved me, and somehow, as long as I had his letter, I felt that we could never be really parted, even if he were in England and I had to remain on the farm.I have it yet, and though I am an old, tired woman, it still gives me hope and courage.”

“It must have heen a wonderful letter, Aunt Stephina，”I said.

The old lady came back from her dreams of that far-off romance.“Perhaps，”she said, hesitating a little，“perhaps. My dear, you would care to read it?”

“I should love to, Aunt Stephina，”I said gently.

She rose at once and tripped into the house as eagerly as a young girl. When she came back she handed me a letter, faded and yellow with age.The edges of the envelope worn and frayed as though it had been much handled.But when I came to open it I found that the seal was unbroken.

“Open it, open it！”said great-aunt Stephina, and her voice was shaking.

I broke the seal and read.

It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word, but pages of the minutest directions of how“my sweetest Phina”was to eIude her father's vigilance, creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp. There she was to go to“my true friend, Henry Wilson”，who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England，“where, my love, we can be married at once.But if, my dearest, you are not sure that you can face life with me in a land strange to you, then do not take this important step, for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness.If you do not come, and if I do not hear from you, then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love.If, however, you feel you can keep your promise to me, but are too timid and modest about a journey to England unaccompanied, then write to me, and I will, by some means, return to fetch my bride.”

I read no further.

“But Aunt Phina！”I gasped，“Why……why……?”

The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness, her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation.“Read it aloud, my dear，”she said，“I want to hear every word of it. There was never anyone I could trust……Uitlanders were hated in my young days……I could not ask anyone.”

“But, Auntie, don't you even know what he wrote?”

The old lady looked down, troubled and shy like a child who has unwittingIy done wrong.

“No, dear.”she said, speaking very low，“You see, I never learned to read.”

梅麗莎·內(nèi)維爾斯

我對斯蒂菲娜·魯斯姑姑總是懷著敬畏之情。說實話，我們幾個孩子對她都怕得要死。她寧愿住在她的小屋子里，也不愿住在舒舒服服、熱熱鬧鬧的家里——我們幾個孩子都是在這個家里長大的——這更加重了我們對她的敬畏之情。

我們經(jīng)常輪流帶著母親做的可口食品到她和一名黑人女仆一起生活的那間小屋去。桑娜阿姨（黑人女仆）總是為每一個怯生生的小使者打開房門，將他或她領(lǐng)進昏暗的客廳。那里的百葉窗長年關(guān)閉著，以防熱氣和蒼蠅進去。我們總是在那里哆哆嗦嗦的，但也不是完全不高興地等著斯蒂菲娜姑姑出來。

像她那樣身材纖細的女人居然能贏得我們?nèi)绱说淖鹁?。她總是身穿黑色衣服，與客廳里的陰暗背景融為一體，這將她的身材襯托得更加嬌小。但她一進門，我們就感到有一種說不清道不明、充滿活力和剛強的氣氛，盡管她腳步緩慢、聲調(diào)甜柔。

她從不擁抱我們，但總是和我們寒暄，用她那雙冰涼的手握著我們熱乎乎的小手。她的手背上暴露出一些青筋，感覺手上的皮膚白嫩細薄到遮不住它們似的。

桑娜阿姨每次都要端出幾碟黏糊糊的糖果或者一缽葡萄或桃子給我們吃。斯蒂菲娜姑姑總是一本正經(jīng)地說些農(nóng)場里的事，偶爾也談些外界的事。

等我們吃完糖果或水果，她總要將我們送到屋前的門廊，感謝我母親給她送食品，要我們對父母親轉(zhuǎn)達一些稀奇古怪的老式祝愿，然后就轉(zhuǎn)身回到屋里，隨手關(guān)上門。那里再次成了神秘世界。

隨著年齡的增長，我驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)，我打心眼兒里開始喜歡起我那位孤零零的姑姑來。至今我仍不知道那是一種什么樣的奇異動力，使我在沒有向別人透露之前就帶著喬治去看望姑姑，告訴她我們已經(jīng)訂婚的消息。不曾想，聽到這個消息以后，她竟非常高興。

“是英國人！”她驚訝地大聲說道，“好極了。你，”她轉(zhuǎn)向喬治，“你要在南非安家嗎？你現(xiàn)在不打算回國吧？”

當聽說喬治已經(jīng)在我們農(nóng)場附近購置了一片農(nóng)場并打算定居下來時，她好像松了一口氣。她興致勃勃地和喬治攀談起來。

從那以后，我經(jīng)常到那個位于玉米地邊的小屋。有一次，當斯蒂菲娜姑姑聽說我們決定再過兩年結(jié)婚時，她露出了失望的神色。但當聽說我的父母親都同意這門親事時，她又放寬了心。

但她還是經(jīng)常把我的婚姻大事掛在嘴邊。她常常問一些怪怪的問題，似乎擔心我的婚事會告吹一樣。當我提到喬治打算在婚前回國一段時間時，她竟激動了起來。只見她渾身哆嗦著大聲嚷道：“他不能回去！愛娜！你不能放他走，你得答應(yīng)我不放他走！”我盡力安慰她，但她還是顯得萎靡不振。我只好勸她回屋休息，并答應(yīng)第二天再去看她。

我第二天去看她時，她正坐在屋前的臺階上，流露出抑郁的神情。我第一次感到納悶：以前怎么沒有人娶她，沒人照料她、愛她呢？記得母親曾經(jīng)說過，斯蒂菲娜姑姑以前是一個可愛的小姑娘。除了她那褐色的眼睛尚能保留一點昔日的風韻之外，她的美貌早已蕩然無存，但她看上去還是那樣小巧玲瓏，魅力散發(fā)，能引起男人的憐香惜玉之情。她看著我欲言又止，好像不知道從何說起似的。接著，她仿佛振作了起來。她說：“我聽你說喬治要回國，又不帶你走，心里非常不安。我這份心事你肯定有些不解。我是一個老婆子了，大概還懷著老人們的那顆癡心吧。不過，我想把自己的愛情故事講給你聽。這樣你就能明白在你們結(jié)婚之前讓你的未婚夫離開，不是一個明智之舉。

“我第一次遇見理查德·威斯頓時還很年輕。他是一個英國人，寄宿在離我家四五英里的一個農(nóng)場上的范·倫斯堡家里。他身體不好，胸悶氣短。醫(yī)生讓他去南非，因為干燥的氣候?qū)λ牟∮泻锰?。他教倫斯堡的孩子們念書，他們都比我小，可我們還是經(jīng)常在一塊兒玩。理查德以教書為樂，并不是為了賺錢。

“我和理查德一見鐘情，盡管直到我18歲生日那天我們才表達對彼此的愛慕之情。我的親友都參加了那晚的舞會。我們在倉房里鋪的一條寬大的舊毛毯上翩翩起舞。理查德是和范·倫斯堡一家一起來的。我和他壯著膽子頻頻起舞，但事實上并沒有幾次，因為我的父親很討厭‘洋人’。有一次，他曾抱怨說倫斯堡先生不應(yīng)該讓理查德寄住在他的家里，為此還跟他吵過一架，可后來就習以為常了。雖談不上喜歡，但他對這個英國人還是以禮相待。

“那是我一生中過得最快樂的一個生日，因為在舞會間歇，理查德將我領(lǐng)到外面，在清涼的月光下，在點點繁星下對我傾訴愛慕之情，并向我求婚。我二話沒說就答應(yīng)了，因為我早已心醉神迷，根本顧不上考慮父母的態(tài)度，什么也顧不上了。直到后來的一天，在他安排的約會處，理查德爽約沒有來。失望之際，我沒有大驚小怪，因為誰都會碰到形形色色的事而無法赴會。我想，下次去范·倫斯堡家看看就會知道理查德未能赴約的原因，然后再安排接下來的約會……

“所以，當父親問我是否愿意和他一塊兒去德里方丹時，我就高興地答應(yīng)了。但等我們趕到范·倫斯堡家，坐在他們家屋前的門廊上喝咖啡時，卻聽說理查德已經(jīng)不辭而別，回英國去了。他的父親死了，他作為繼承人，不得不回去料理遺產(chǎn)。

“那天的事我記不大清楚了，只記得當時陽光慘淡，田野也失去了美麗的風采和欣欣向榮的景象，蕭瑟凄涼得跟冬天或大旱時一樣。那天傍晚，在我和父親動身回家之前，霍屯督的小牧童詹杰交給我一封信，他說是那位英國老爺留給我的。這可是我有生以來收到的唯一的情書！它將我的憂傷一掃而光，使我的心情變得平靜，這種平靜又迅速變成一種幸福感。我知道理查德仍愛著我。不知怎么回事，有了這封信，我便覺得我們不可能真正分開，哪怕他在英國，而我在南非的農(nóng)場。這封信我至今仍保留著，盡管我已經(jīng)年邁體衰，但它仍能帶給我希望和勇氣?！?/p>

“斯蒂菲娜姑姑，那封信一定浪漫極了！”我說。

老太太從她那久遠的愛之夢中緩過神來。“也許，”她帶著猶豫的神情說，“也許，親愛的。你想看看那封信吧？”

“我很想看，斯蒂菲娜姑姑?！蔽逸p聲說。

她猛地站起身，奔進屋里，急切得像個小姑娘。她從屋里出來，遞給我一封信。由于時日已久，信紙已經(jīng)褪色發(fā)黃，信封邊也有所磨損，好像曾被摩挲過好多次。但當我取信時，我發(fā)現(xiàn)封口還沒有拆開。

“拆開，拆開吧！”斯蒂菲娜姑姑聲音顫抖地說。

我撕開封口，開始念信。

嚴格地說，這算不上是情書，實際上只是幾頁內(nèi)容詳盡的行動指南。信里告訴“我最親愛的菲娜”該怎么擺脫她父親的監(jiān)視，夜里逃出家門，詹杰會在淺灘上牽馬等著她，然后將她馱到史密斯多普，到了那里再去找理查德的“知心朋友亨利·威爾遜”，他會給她錢并為她安排跟隨她的情人到開普敦，隨后轉(zhuǎn)道英國?！坝H愛的，這樣我們就可以立即在英國結(jié)婚了。但是我的至愛，如果你不能保證你能在一個陌生的地方和我一塊兒生活，你就不要采取這個重大行動了，因為我太愛你了，不想讓你有絲毫不快。如果你沒來，而且我沒有收到你的回信，我就會知道，如果你離開你摯愛的親人和鄉(xiāng)土，你是不會幸福的。但如果你能實現(xiàn)你對我的許諾而由于你生性持重，害怕只身前往英國，就來信告訴我，我會設(shè)法回南非來迎娶我的新娘?！?/p>

我沒有再念下去。

“可是，菲娜姑姑，”我急切地說，“為什么……為什么……”老太太的身體由于渴望知道信的內(nèi)容而顫抖，她注視著我，臉龐因急切的期待而一片緋紅?！坝H愛的，大聲念吧！”她說，“信里的一字一句，我都要聽！當時我找不到可靠的人給我念……我年輕時，‘洋人’是被人深惡痛絕的……我找不到人給我念??！”

“可是姑姑，難道你一直不知道信的內(nèi)容嗎？”

老太太低著頭，像一個無心做錯事的怯生生的孩子。

“不知道，親愛的?！彼吐曊f，“你知道，我從來沒有念過書??！”

Practising&Exercise　實戰(zhàn)提升篇

核心單詞

soIitude['s?litju：d]n.孤獨；寂寞

veneration[,ven?'rei??n]n.尊敬

deIicate['delik?t]adj.精美的，雅致的；纖弱的

mystery['mist?ri]n.神秘；秘密

anxious['??k??s]adj.焦慮的；掛念的

pathetic[p?'θetik]adj.引起憐憫的；可憐的；可悲的

desoIate['des?leit]adj.荒蕪的；無人煙的

fade[feid]v.凋謝，枯萎；褪色

eIude[i'lju：d]v.（巧妙地）逃避，躲避

unwittingIy[,?n'witi?li]adv.無意地；不經(jīng)意地

實用句型

Indeed, as chiIdren we were aII frankIy terrified of her.說實話，我們幾個孩子對她都怕得要死。

①as在這里做介詞。

②frankly真誠地。類似的adj.+ly構(gòu)成adv.的有：rapid→rapidly, careful→carefully等。

翻譯練習

1.許多男孩的夢想是成為飛行員。（dream of）

2.馬上就做！（at once）

3.我累得都動不了了。（too……to）