Scarlett nodded obstinately. Her heart was too sore to care whether or not she put her father in a temper.
思嘉固执地点点头。她内心太痛苦了，已经顾不上考虑这是否会惹她父亲大发脾气。
“Land is the only thing in the world that amounts to anything,” he shouted, his thick, short arms making wide gestures of indignation,
“土地是世界上惟一最值钱的东西啊！”他一面嚷，一面伸开两只又粗又短的胳臂做出非常气愤的姿势，
“for It's the only thing in this world that lasts, and don't you be forgetting it! It's the only thing worth working for, worth fighting for—worth dying for.”
“因为它是世界上惟一持久的东西，而且你千万别忘了！它是惟一值得你付出劳动，进行战斗——牺牲性命的东西啊！”
“Oh, Pa,” she said disgustedly, “you talk like an Irishman!”
“啊，爸，”她厌恶地说，“你说这话可真像个爱尔兰人哪！”
“Have I ever been ashamed of it?
“难道我为这感到羞耻过吗？
No, It's proud I am. And don't be forgetting that you are half Irish, Miss! And to anyone with a drop of Irish blood in them the land they live on is like their mother.
不, 我感到自豪呢。你可别忘了你是半个爱尔兰人，姑娘！对于每一个身上有一滴爱尔兰血液的人来说，他们居住的土地就像他们的母亲一样。
It's ashamed of you I am this minute. I offer you the most beautiful land in the world–saving County Meath in the Old Country–and what do you do? You sniff!”
此刻我是在为你感到羞耻啊。我把世界上——咱们祖国的米思除外——最美好的土地给你，可你怎么样呢？你嗤之以鼻嘛！”
Gerald had begun to work himself up into a pleasurable shouting rage when something in Scarlett's woebegone face stopped him.
杰拉尔德正准备痛痛快快发泄一下心中的怒气，这时他看见思嘉满脸悲伤的神色，便止住了。
“But there, you're young. It will come to you, this love of land.
“不过，你还年轻。将来你会懂得爱这块土地的。
There's no getting away from it, if you're Irish. You're just a child and bothered about your beaux.
只要你做了爱尔兰人，你是没法摆脱它的。你现在还是个孩子，还只为自己的意中人操心哪。
When you're older, you'll be seeing how it is. … Now, do you be making up your mind about Cade or the twins or one of Evan Munroe's young bucks, and see how fine I turn you out!”
等到你年纪大一些，你就会懂得——如今你要下定决心，究竟是挑选凯德还是那对双胞胎，或者伊凡·芒罗家的一个小伙子，无论谁，到时候看我让你们过得舒舒服服的。”
“Oh, Pa!”
“啊，爸！”
By this time, Gerald was thoroughly tired of the conversation and thoroughly annoyed that the problem should be upon his shoulders.
这时杰拉尔德觉得这番谈话实在厌烦透了，而且一想到这个问题还得由他来解决，便十分恼火。
He felt aggrieved, moreover, that Scarlett should still look desolate after being offered the best of the County boys and Tara, too.
此外，由于思嘉对他所提供的最佳对象和塔拉农场居然无动于衷，还是那么郁郁不乐，也感到委屈得很。
Gerald liked his gifts to be received with clapping of hands and kisses.
他多么希望这些礼物被女儿用鼓掌、亲吻来接受啊！
“Now, none of your pouts, Miss. It doesn't matter who you marry, as long as he thinks like you and is a gentleman and a Southerner and prideful.
“好，姑娘，别撅着嘴生气了。无论你嫁给谁，这都没关系，只要他跟你情投意合，是上等人，又是个有自尊心的南方人就行。
For a woman, love comes after marriage.”
女人嘛，结了婚便会产生爱情的。”
“Oh, Pa, that's such an Old Country notion!”
“啊，爸！看你这观念有多旧多土啊！”
“And a good notion it is! All this American business of running around marrying for love, like servants, like Yankees!
“这才是个好观念啊！那种美国式的做法，到处跑呀找呀，要为爱情结婚呀，像些用人似的，像北方佬似的，有什么意思呢。
The best marriages are when the parents choose for the girl.
最好的婚姻是凭父母给女儿选择对象。
For how can a silly piece like yourself tell a good man from a scoundrel?
要不，像你这样的傻丫头，怎能分清楚好人和坏蛋呢？
Now, look at the Wilkes. What's kept them prideful and strong all these generations?
好吧，你看看威尔克斯家。他们凭什么世世代代保持了自己的尊严和兴旺呢？
Why, marrying the likes of themselves, marrying the cousins their family always expects them to marry.”
那不就凭的是跟自己的同类人结婚，跟他们家庭所希望的那些表亲结婚哪。”
“Oh,” cried Scarlett, fresh pain striking her as Gerald’s words brought home the terrible inevitability of the truth. Gerald looked at her bowed head and shuffled his feet uneasily.
“啊！”思嘉嚷起来，由于杰拉尔德的话把事实的不可避免性说到家了，她心中产生了新的痛苦。杰拉尔德看看她低下的头，很不自在地把两只脚反复挪动着。
“It's not crying you are?” he questioned, fumbling clumsily at her chin, trying to turn her face upward, his own face furrowed with pity.
“你不是在哭吧？”他问她，笨拙地摸摸她的下巴，想叫她仰起脸来，这时他自己的脸由于怜悯而露出深深的皱纹来了。
33
“No,” she cried vehemently, jerking away.
“没有！”她猛地把头扭开，激怒地大叫了一声。
“It's lying you are, and I'm proud of it. I'm glad there's pride in you, Puss.
“你这是在撒谎，可是我很喜欢这样。我巴不得你为人骄傲一些，姑娘。
And I want to see pride in you tomorrow at the barbecue.
但愿在明天的大野宴上也看到你这样骄傲。
I'll not be having the County gossiping and laughing at you for mooning your heart out about a man who never gave you a thought beyond friendship.”
我不要全县的人都谈论和笑话你，说你成天痴心想着一个男人，而那个人却根本无意于你，只维持着一般的友谊罢了。”
“He did give me a thought,” thought Scarlett, sorrowfully in her heart. “Oh, a lot of thoughts! I know he did.
“他对我是有意的呀，”思嘉想，心里十分难过，“啊，情意深着呢！我知道他真的这样。
I could tell. If I'd just had a little longer, I know I could have made him say–Oh, if it only wasn't that the Wilkes always feel that they have to marry their cousins!”
我敢断定。只要再有一点点时间，我相信便能叫他亲自说出来——啊，要不是威尔克斯家的人总觉得他们只能同表亲结婚，那就好了！”
Gerald took her arm and passed it through his.
杰拉尔德把她的臂膀挽起来。
“We'll be going in to supper now, and all this is between us. I'll not be worrying your mother with this–nor do you do it either. Blow your nose, daughter.”
“咱们得进去吃晚饭了。这件事就不要声张，只咱俩知道行了。我不会拿它去打扰你妈——你也用不着跟她说。擤擤鼻涕吧，女儿。”
Scarlett blew her nose on her torn handkerchief, and they started up the dark drive arm in arm, the horse following slowly.
思嘉用她的破手绢擤了擤鼻涕，然后他们彼此挽着胳臂走上黑暗的车道，那匹马在后面缓缓地跟着。
Near the house, Scarlett was at the point of speaking again when she saw her mother in the dim shadows of the porch.
走近屋子时，思嘉正要开口说什么，忽然看见走廊暗影中的母亲。
She had on her bonnet, shawl and mittens, and behind her was Mammy, her face like a thundercloud, holding in her hand the black leather bag in which Ellen O'Hara always carried the bandages and medicines she used in doctoring the slaves.
她戴着帽子、披肩和手套，嬷嬷跟在后面，脸色阴沉得像满天乌云，手里拿着一个黑皮袋，那是爱伦出去给农奴们看病时经常带着装药品和绷带用的。
Mammy's lips were large and pendulous and, when indignant, she could push out her lower one to twice its normal length.
嬷嬷那两片又宽又厚的嘴唇向下耷拉着，她生起气来会把下嘴唇拉得有平时两倍那么长。
It was pushed out now, and Scarlett knew that Mammy was seething over something of which she did not approve.
现在这张嘴正撅着，因此思嘉明白嬷嬷正在为什么不称心的事生气呢。
“Mr. O'Hara,” called Ellen as she saw the two coming up the driveway–“
奥哈拉先生，”爱伦一见父女俩在车道上走来便叫了一声——
Ellen belonged to a generation that was formal even after seventeen years of wedlock and the bearing of six children
爱伦是地道的老一辈人，她尽管结婚十七年了，生育了六个孩子，可仍然讲究礼节——她说：
“Mr. O'Hara, there is illness at the Slattery house.
“奥哈拉先生，斯莱特里那边有人病了。
Emmie's baby has been born and is dying and must be baptized. I am going there with Mammy to see what I can do.”
埃米的新生婴儿快要死了，可是还得给他施洗礼。我和嬷嬷去看看还有没有什么办法。”
Her voice was raised question-ingly…, as though she hung on Gerald's assent to her plan, a mere formality but one dear to the heart of Gerald.
她的声音带有明显的询问口气，仿佛在征求杰拉尔德的同意，这无非是一种礼节上的表示，但从杰拉尔德看来却是十分珍贵的。
“In the name of God!” blustered Gerald.“Why should those white trash take you away just at your supper hour and just when I'm wanting to tell you about the war talk that's going on in Atlanta!
“真是天晓得！”杰拉尔德一听便嚷嚷开了，“为什么这些下流白人偏偏在吃晚饭的时候把你叫走呢？而且我正要告诉你亚特兰大那边人们在怎样谈论战争呀！
Go,Mrs. O'Hara. You'd not rest easy on your pillow the night if there was trouble abroad and you not there to help.”
去吧，奥哈拉太太。我知道，只要外边出了点什么事，你不去帮忙是整夜也睡不好觉的。”
“She doan never get no rest on her piller for hopping up at night time nursing niggers an poor white trash that could tend to themself,”
“她总是一点不休息，深更半夜给黑人和穷白人下流坯子看病，好像他们就照顾不了自己。”
grumbled Mammy in a monotone as she went down the stairs toward the carriage which was waiting in the side drive.
嬷嬷自言自语咕哝着下了台阶，向等在道旁的马车走去。
“Take my place at the table, dear,” said Ellen, patting Scar-lett's cheek softly with a mittened hand.
“亲爱的，你就替我照管晚饭吧。”爱伦说，一面用戴手套的手轻轻摸了摸思嘉的脸颊。
In spite of her choked-back tears, Scarlett thrilled to the never-failing magic of her mother's touch, to the faint fragrance of lemon verbena sachet that came from her rustling silk dress.
不管思嘉怎样强忍着眼中的泪水，她一接触到母亲的爱抚，从她绸衣上隐隐闻到那个柠檬色草编香囊中的芳馨，便被那永不失效的魅力感动得震颤起来。
34
To Scarlett, there was something breath-taking about Ellen O'Hara, a miracle that lived in the house with her and awed her and charmed and soothed her.
对于思嘉来说，爱伦·奥哈拉周围有一种令人吃惊的东西，房子里有一种不可思议的东西同她在一起，使她敬畏，使她着迷，又使她平静。
Gerald helped his wife into the carriage and gave orders to the coachman to drive carefully.
杰拉尔德扶他的太太上了马车，吩咐车夫一路小心。
Toby, who had handled Gerald's horses for twenty years, pushed out his lips in mute indignation at being told how to conduct his own business.
车夫托比驾驭杰拉尔德的马已经二十年了，他撅着嘴对这种吩咐表示抗议——还用得着你来教训我这个老把式哪！
Driving off, with Mammy beside him, each was a perfect picture of pouting African disapproval.
他赶着车动身了，嬷嬷坐在他身旁，刚好构成一副非洲人撅嘴使气的绝妙图画。
“If I didn't do so much for those trashy Slatterys that they'd have to pay money for elsewhere,” fumed Gerald,
“要是我不给斯莱特里那些下流坯帮那么大的忙——换了别人本来是要报酬的，”杰拉尔德气愤地说，
“they'd be willing to sell me their miserable few acres of swamp bottom, and the County would be well rid of them.”
“他们就会愿意把沼泽边上那几英亩赖地卖给我，县里也就会把他们摆脱了。”
Then, brightening, in anticipation of one of his practical jokes:“Come daughter, let's go tell Pork that instead of buying Dilcey, I've sold him to John Wilkes.”
接着，他面露喜色，想起一个有益的玩笑来：“来吧，女儿，咱们去告诉波克，说我没有买下迪尔茜，而是把他卖给约翰·威尔克斯了。”
He tossed the reins of his horse to a small pickaninny standing near and started up the steps.
他把缰绳扔给一个站在旁边的黑小子，然后大步走上台阶。
He had already forgotten Scarlett's heartbreak and his mind was only on plaguing his valet.
他已经忘记了思嘉的伤心事，一心想去捉弄他的管家。
Scarlett slowly climbed the steps after him, her feet leaden.
思嘉跟在他后面，慢腾腾地爬上台阶，两只脚像铅一般沉重。
She thought that, after all, a mating between herself and Ashley could be no queerer than that of her father and Ellen Robillard O'Hara.
她想，无论如何，要是她自己和艾希礼结为夫妻，至少不会比她父母这一对显得更不相称的。
As always, she wondered how her loud, insensitive father had managed to marry a woman like her mother,
如往常那样，她觉得奇怪，怎么这位大喊大叫、没心计的父亲会设法娶上了像她母亲那样一个女人呢？
for never were two people further apart in birth, breeding and habits of mind.
因为从出身、教养和性格来说，世界上再没有两个人比他们彼此距离更远的了。
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