諾貝爾文學經典:《寵兒》第13章Part5
"Yes, sir.""Keep your seat, Jenny," said the sister, and that good news got better.
When they asked what work she could do, instead of reeling off the hundreds of tasks she hadperformed, she asked about the slaughterhouse. She was too old for that, they said.
"She's the best cobbler you ever see," said Mr. Garner.
"Cobbler?" Sister Bodwin raised her black thick eyebrows. "Who taught you that?""Was a slave taught me," said Baby Suggs.
"New boots, or just repair?""New, old, anything.""Well," said Brother Bodwin, "that'll be something, but you'll need more.""What about taking in wash?" asked Sister Bodwin.
"Yes, ma'am.""Two cents a pound.""Yes, ma'am. But where's the in?""What?""You said 'take in wash.' Where is the 'in'? Where I'm going to be.""Oh, just listen to this, Jenny," said Mr. Garner. "These two angels got a house for you. Place theyown out a ways." It had belonged to their grandparents before they moved in town. Recently it. hadbeen rented out to a whole parcel of Negroes, who had left the state. It was too big a house for Jenny alone, they said (two rooms upstairs, two down), but it was the best and the only thing theycould do. In return for laundry, some seamstress work, a little canning and so on (oh shoes, too),they would permit her to stay there. Provided she was clean. The past parcel of colored wasn't.
"給了，先生。""別起來了，珍妮。"妹妹說道，於是好消息變得更好了。
他們問她能幹什麼活兒，她沒有把她完成過的幾百樣差事數落個遍，只顧打聽那個屠宰場。她幹那個太老了，他們說。
"她是你能見到的最好的鞋匠。"加納先生道。
"鞋匠？"鮑德溫妹妹挑起又黑又濃的眉毛，"誰教你的？""是個奴隸教的我。"貝比·薩格斯答道。
"是做新鞋子，還是光修補？""新的舊的，什麼都行。""好嘛，"鮑德溫哥哥說，"那可挺了不起，可你還得乾點別的。""拿回去漿洗怎麼樣？"鮑德溫妹妹問。
"行，太太。""一磅兩分錢。""行，太太。可拿回哪兒去啊？""什麼？" 您說-拿回去漿洗-回-哪兒去啊？我要去的地方是哪兒？""噢，聽着，珍妮，"加納先生說，"這兩位天使有所房子給你。他們在城外有一處宅子。"那所房子在他們搬進城之前屬於他們的祖父母。最近租住它的一大窩黑人剛剛離開了俄亥俄州。對於珍妮一個人來說，房子太大了，他們說（樓上兩間，樓下兩間），可這是他們能做到的最佳和唯一的選擇。作爲漿洗衣服、做些針線活兒、做罐頭以及諸如此類（哦，還有鞋）的報酬，他們會允許她住在那裏。規定她必須保持清潔。以前那一窩黑人可不怎麼樣。
