高级英语第一册(修订本)第课Lesson The Loons原文与翻译

TheLoons

MargarelLaurence

1、JustbelowManawaka,wheretheWachakwaRiverranbrownandnoisy

overthepebbles,thescruboakandgrey-greenwillowandchokecherrybushes

grewinadensethicket、Inaclearingatthecentreofthethicketstoodthe

Tonnerrefamily'sshack>Thebasisatthisdwellingwasasmallsquarecabin

madeofpoplarpolesandchinkedwithmud,whichhadbeenbuiltbyJules

Tonnerresomefiftyyearsbefore,whenhecamebackfromBatochewitha

bulletinhisthigh,theyearthatRielwashungandthevoicesoftheMetis

enteredtheirlongsilence、Juleshadonlyintendedtostaythewinterinthe

WachakwaValley,butthefamilywasstillthereinthethirties,whenIwasa

child、AstheTonnerreshadincreased,theirsettlementhadbeenaddedto,

untiltheclearingatthefootofthetownhillwasachaosoflean-tos,wooden

packingcases,warpedlumber,discardedcartypes,ramshacklechickencoops,

tangledstrandsofbarbedwireandrustytincans>

2、TheTonnerreswereFrenchhalfbreeds,andamongthemselvesthey

spokeapatoisthatwasneitherCreenorFrench>TheirEnglishwasbrokenand

fullofobscenities>TheydidnotbelongamongtheCreeoftheGalloping

Mountainreservation,furthernorth,andtheydidnotbelongamongthe

Scots-IrishandUkrainiansofManawaka,either>Theywere,asmy

GrandmotherMacLeodwouldhaveputit,neitherflesh,fowl,norgoodsalt

herring、Whentheirmenwerenotworkingatoddjobsorassectionhandson

theC、P、R、theylivedonrelief>Inthesummers,oneoftheTonnerre

youngsters,withafacethatseemedtotallyunfamiliarwithlaughter,would

knockatthedoorsofthetown'sbrickhousesandofferforsalealard-pailfull

ofbruisedwildstrawberries,andifhegotasmuchasaquarterhewouldgrab

thecoinandrunbeforethecustomerhadtimetochangehermind、Sometimes

oldJules,orhissonLazarus,wouldgetmixedupinaSaturday-nightbrawl,and

wouldhitoutatwhoeverwasnearestorhowldrunkenlyamongtheoffended

shoppersonMainStreet,andthentheMountiewouldputthemforthenightin

thebarredcellunderneaththeCourtHouse,andthenextmorningtheywould

bequietagain>

3、PiquetteTonnerre,thedaughterofLazarus,wasinmyclassatschool>

ShewasolderthanI,butshehadfailedseveralgrades,perhapsbecauseher

attendancehadalwaysbeensporadicandherinterestinschoolwork

negligible、Partofthereasonshehadmissedalotofschoolwasthatshehad

hadtuberculosisofthebone,andhadoncespentmanymonthsinhospitaLI

knewthisbecausemyfatherwasthedoctorwhohadlookedafterher、Her

sicknesswasalmosttheonlythingIknewabouther,however>Otherwise,she

existedformeonlyasavaguelyembarrassingpresence,withherhoarsevoice

andherclumsylimpingwalkandhergrimycottondressesthatwerealways

milestoolong>Iwasneitherfriendlynorunfriendlytowardsher、Shedwelt

andmovedsomewherewithinmyscopeofvision,butIdidnotactuallynotice

herverymuchuntilthatpeculiarsummerwhenIwaseleven、

4、"Idon'tknowwhattodoaboutthatkid、”myfathersaidatdinnerone

evening、"PiquetteTonnerre,Imean>Thedamnbone*sflaredupagain、I've

hadherinhospitalforquiteawhilenow,andit'sundercontrolallright,butI

hatelikethedickenstosendherhomeagain>"

5、“Couldn'tyouexplaintohermotherthatshehastorestalot?"mymother

said>

6、"Themother'snotthere"myfatherreplied>"Shetookoffafewyears

back>Can'tsayIblamehe「、Piquettecooksforthem,andshesaysLazarus

wouldneverdoanythingforhimselfaslongasshe'sthere>Anyway,Idon't

thinkshe'dtakemuchcareofherself,onceshegotback、She'sonlythirteen,

afterall、Beth,Iwasthinking—WhatabouttakingheruptoDiamondLakewith

usthissummer?Acoupleofmonthsrestwouldgivethatboneamuchbetter

chance^"

7、Mymotherlookedstunned>

8、"ButEwen-whataboutRoddieandVanessa?"

、、

9"She'snotcontagiousz"myfathersaid"Anditwouldbepanyfor

Vanessa>"

10、"Ohdear,"mymothersaidindistress,"I'llbetanythingshehasnitsin

herhair、

11、"ForPete'ssake,"myfathersaidcrossly,"doyouthinkMatronwouldlet

herstayinthehospitalforallthistimelikethat?Don'tbesilly,Beth、"

12>GrandmotherMacLeod,herdelicatelyfeaturedfaceasrigidasacameo,

nowbroughthermauve-veinedhandstogetherasthoughshewereaboutto

beginprayer>

13、"Ewen,ifthathalfbreedyoungsteresalongtoDiamondLake,I'mnot

going,"sheannounced、"I'llgotoMorag'sforthesummer、"

14、Ihadtroubleinstiflingmyurgetolaugh,formymotherbrightened

visiblyandquicklytriedtohideit、IfitcametoachoicebetweenGrandmother

MacLeodandPiquette,Piquettewouldwinhandsdown,nitsornot>

15、"Itmightbequiteniceforyou,atthat,"shemused^"Youhaven'tseen

Moragforoverayear,andyoumightenjoybeinginthecityforawhile、Well,

Ewendear,youdowhatyouthinkbest>IfyouthinkitwoulddoPiquettesome

good,thenwe'IIbegladtohaveher,aslongasshebehavesherself、"

16、Soithappenedthatseveralweekslater,whenweallpiledintomy

father'soldNash,surroundedbysuitcasesandboxesofprovisionsandtoysfor

myten-month-oldbrother,PiquettewaswithusandGrandmotherMacLeod,

miraculously,wasnot、Myfatherwouldonlybestayingatthecottagefora

coupleofweeks,forhehadtogetbacktohispractice,buttherestofuswould

stayatDiamondLakeuntiltheendofAugust>

17、Ourcottagewasnotnamed,asmanywere,“DewDropInn*'or

nBide-a-Wee/'or"BonnieDoon"、Thesignontheroadwayboreinaustere

lettersonlyourname,MacLeod>Itwasnotalargecottage,butitwasonthe

lakefront>Youcouldlookoutthewindowsandsee,throughthefiligreeofthe

sprucetrees,thewaterglisteninggreenlyasthesuncaughtit>Allaroundthe

cottagewereferns,andsharp-branchedraspberrybushes,andmossthathad

grownoverfallentreetrunks,Ifyoulookedcarefullyamongtheweedsand

grass,youcouldfindwildstrawberryplantswhichwereinwhiteflowernowand

inanothermonthwouldbearfruit,thefragrantglobeshanginglike

miniaturescarletlanternsonthethinhairystems、Thetwogreysquirrelswere

stillthere,gossipingatusfromthetallsprucebesidethecottage,andbythe

endofthesummertheywouldagainbetameenoughtotakepiecesofcrust

frommyhands>Thebroadmooseantlersthathungabovethebackdoorwere

alittlemorebleachedandfissuredafterthewinter,butotherwiseeverything

wasthesame、Iracedjoyfullyaroundmykingdom,greetingalltheplacesIhad

notseenforayear、Mybrother,Roderick,whohadnotbeenbornwhenwe

wereherelastsummer,satonthecarruginthesunshineandexamineda

brownspruceconezmeticulouslyturningitroundandroundinhissmalland

curioushands、Mymotherandfathertotedtheluggagefromcartocottage,

exclaimingoverhowwelltheplacehadwintered,nobrokenwindows,thank

goodness,noapparentdamagefromstormfelledbranchesorsnow>

18、OnlyafterIhadfinishedlookingarounddidInoticePiquette>Shewas

sittingontheswingherlamelegheldstifflyout,andherotherfootscuffingthe

groundassheswungslowlybackandforth>Herlonghairhungblackand

straightaroundhershoulders,andherbroadcoarse-featuredfaceboreno

expression—itwasblank,asthoughshenolongerdweltwithinherownskull,

asthoughshehadgoneelsewhere>Iapproachedherveryhesitantly、

19、"Wanttoeandplay?"

20、Piquettelookedatmewithasuddenflashofscorn>

21、"Iain'takid/'shesaid、

22、Wounded,Istampedangrilyaway,swearingIwouldnotspeaktoherfor

therestofthesummer、Inthedaysthatfollowed,however,Piquettebeganto

interestme,andIbegantowanttointeresther>Myreasonsdidnotappear

bizarretome、Unlikelyasitmayseem,Ihadonlyjustrealisedthatthe

Tonnerrefamily,whomIhadalwaysheardCalledhalfbreeds,wereactually

Indians,orasnearasmadenodifferenceMyacquaintancewithIndianswas

notexpensive、IdidnotremembereverhavingseenarealIndian,andmynew

awarenessthatPiquettesprangfromthepeopleofBigBearandPoundmaker,of

Tecumseh,oftheIroquoiswhohadeatenFatherBrebeuf'sheart-allthisgave

heraninstantattractioninmyeyes>IwasdevotedreaderofPaulineJohnson

atthisage,andsometimeswouldoratealoudandinanexaltedvoice,West

Wind,blowfromyourprairienest,Blowfromthemountains,blowfromthe

west—andsoon、ItseemedtomethatPiquettemustbeinsomewaya

daughteroftheforest,akindofjuniorprophetessofthewilds,whomight

imparttome,ifItooktherightapproach,someofthesecretswhichshe

undoubtedlyknew—wherethewhippoorwillmadehernest,howthecoyote

rearedheryoung,orwhateveritwasthatitsaidinHiawatha、

23、IsetaboutgainingPiquette'strust、Shewasnotallowedtogo

swimming,withherbadleg,butImanagedtolureherdowntothebeach-or

rather,shecamebecausetherewasnothingelsetodo>Thewaterwasalways

icy,forthelakewasfedbysprings,butIswamlikeadog,thrashingmyarms

andlegsaroundatsuchspeedandwithsuchanoutputofenergythatInever

grewcold>Finally,whenIhadenough,IcameoutandsatbesidePiquetteon

thesand>Whenshesawmeapproaching,herhandssquashedflatthesand

castleshehadbeenbuilding,andshelookedatmesullenly,withoutspeaking、

24、"Doyoulikethisplace?"Iasked,afterawhile,intendingtoleadonfrom

thereintothequestionofforestlore、

25、Piquetteshrugged>“It'sokay、Goodasanywhere、"

26、"Iloveit,"1said、"Weehereeverysummer、"

27、"Sowhat?"Hervoicewasdistant,andIglancedatheruncertainly,

wonderingwhatIcouldhavesaidwrong、

28>"Doyouwanttoeforawalk?*1Iaskedher>"Wewouldn'tneedtogo

far、Ifyouwalkjustaroundthepointthere,youetoabaywheregreatbig

reedsgrowinthewater,andallkindsoffishhangaroundthere>Wantto?eon>

H

29、Sheshookherhead、

30、"YourdadsaidIain'tsupposedtodonomorewalkingthanIgotto、"

Itriedanotherline>

31、"Ibetyouknowalotaboutthewoodsandallthat,eh?"Ibegan

respectfully^

32、Piquettelookedatmefromherlargedarkunsmilingeyes>

33、"Idon'tknowwhatinhellyou'retalkin'about/'shereplied>"Younuts

orsomethin'?Ifyoumeanwheremyoldman,andme,andallthemlive,you

bettershutup,byJesus,youhear?"

34、Iwasstartledandmyfeelingswerehurt,butIhadakindofdogged

perseverance>Iignoredherrebuff、

35、"Youknowsomething,Piquette?There'sloonshere,onthislake、You

canseetheirnestsjustuptheshorethere,behindthoselogs、Atnight,youcan

hearthemevenfromthecottage,butit'sbettertolistenfromthebeach、My

dadsaysweshouldlistenandtrytorememberhowtheysound,becauseina

fewyearswhenmorecottagesarebuiltatDiamondLakeandmorepeopleein,

theloonswillgoaway、"

36、Piquettewaspickingupstonesandsnailshellsandthendroppingthem

again>

37、"Whogivesagoodgoddamn?"shesaid、

38、Itbecameincreasinglyobviousthat,asanIndian,Piquettewasadead

loss、ThateveningIwentoutbymyself,scramblingthroughthebushesthat

overhungthesteeppath,myfeetslippingonthefallenspruceneedlesthat

coveredtheground、WhenIreachedtheshore,Iwalkedalongthefirmdamp

sandtothesmallpierthatmyfatherhadbuilt,andsatdownthere>Iheard

someoneelsecrashingthroughtheundergrowthandthebracken,andfora

momentIthoughtPiquettehadchangedhermind,butitturnedouttobemy

father、Hesatbesidemeonthepierandwewaited,withoutspeaking、

38、Atnightthelakewaslikeblackglasswithastreakofamberwhichwas

thepathofthemoon、Allaround,thesprucetreesgrewtallandclose-set,

branchesblacklysharpagainstthesky,whichwaslightenedbyacoldflickering

ofstars>Thentheloonsbegantheircalling、Theyroselikephantombirdsfrom

thenestsontheshore,andflewoutontothedarkstillsurfaceofthewater>

40^Noonecaneverdescribethatululatingsound,thecryingoftheloons,

andnoonewhohashearditcaneverforgetit^Plaintive,andyetwithaquality

ofchillingmockery,thosevoicesbelongedtoaworldseparatedbyaeonfrom

ourneatworldofsummercottagesandthelightedlampsofhome>

41、"Theymusthavesoundedjustlikethat,"myfatherremarked,"before

anypersoneversetfoothere>”Thenhelaughed、"Youcouldsaythesame,of

course,aboutsparrowsorchipmunk,butsomehowitonlystrikesyouthatway

withtheloons>"

42、"Iknow,"Isaid、

43、Neitherofussuspectedthatthiswouldbethelasttimewewouldever

sitheretogetherontheshore,listeningWestayedforperhapshalfanhour,

andthenwewentbacktothecottage、Mymotherwasreadingbesidethe

fireplace、Piquettewaslookingattheburningbirchlog,andnotdoing

anything、

44、"Youshouldhaveealong,"Isaid,althoughinfactIwasgladshehad

not、

45^"Notme”，Piquettesaid>"Youwouldn'catchmewalkin'waydownthere

jus*forabunchofsquawkin'birds>"

46、PiquetteandIremainedillateasewithoneanother、feltIhadsomehow

failedmyfather,butIdidnotknowwhatwasthematter,norwhysheWouldnot

orcouldnotrespondwhenIsuggestedexploringthewoodsorPlayinghouse、

Ithoughtitwasprobablyherslowanddifficultwalkingthatheldherback、She

stayedmostofthetimeinthecottagewithmymother,helpingherwiththe

dishesorwithRoddie,buthardlyevertalking、ThentheDuncansarrivedat

theircottage,andIspentmydayswithMavis,whowasmybestfriend、Icould

notreachPiquetteatallzandIsoonlostinterestintrying>Butallthatsummer

sheremainedasbothareproachandamysterytome、

47、Thatwintermyfatherdiedofpneumonia,afterlessthanaweek's

illness、ForsometimeIsawnothingaroundme,beingpletelyimmersedinmy

ownpainandmymother's、WhenIlookedoutwardoncemore,Iscarcely

noticedthatPiquetteTonnerrewasnolongeratschooKIdonotremember

seeingheratalluntilfouryearslater,oneSaturdaynightwhenMavisandI

werehavingCokesintheRegalCafe>Thejukeboxwasboomingliketuneful

thunder,andbesideit,leaninglightlyonitschromeanditsrainbowglass,was

agirl、

48、Piquettemusthavebeenseventeenthen,althoughshelookedabout

twenty、Istaredather,astoundedthatanyonecouldhavechangedsomuch>

Herface,sostolidandexpressionlessbefore,wasanimatednowwithagaiety

thatwasalmostviolent>Shelaughedandtalkedveryloudlywiththeboys

aroundher>Herlipstickwasbrightcarmine,andherhairwascutShortand

frizzilypermed、Shehadnotbeenprettyasachild,andshewasnotpretty

now,forherfeatureswerestillheavyandblunt^Butherdarkandslightly

slantedeyeswerebeautiful,andherskin-tightskirtandorangesweater

displayedtoenviableadvantageasoftandslenderbody>

49、Shesawmezandwalkedover>Sheteeteredalittle,butitwasnotdue

toheronce-tubercularlegzforherlimpwasalmostgone>

50、"Hi,Vanessa,"Hervoicestillhadthesamehoarseness、"Longtimeno

see,eh?"

51、"Hi/*Isaid"Where*veyoubeenkeepingyourself,Piquette?"

52、"Oh,Ibeenaround,"shesaid、nIbeenawayalmosttwoyearsnow>

Beenallovertheplace-Winnipeg,Regina,Saskatoon>Jesus,whatIcouldtell

you!Iebackthissummer,butIain'tstayin'、Youkidsgointothedance?"

53、"No,"Isaidabruptly,forthiswasasorepointwithme>Iwasfifteen,

andthoughtIwasoldenoughtogototheSaturday-nightdancesatthe

Flamingo、Mymother,however,thoughtotherwise、

54、"Y'oughtae,"Piquettesaid、"Inevermissone>It'sjustabouttheon'y

thinginthisjerkwater

55、townthat'sanyfun、Boy,youcouldn'catchmestayin'here、Idon*give

ashitaboutthisplace、Itstinks、

56、Shesatdownbesideme,andIcaughttheharshover-sweetnessofher

perfume、

57^"Listen,youwannaknowsomething,Vanessa?"sheconfided,hervoice

onlyslightlyblurred>"YourdadwastheonlypersoninManawakathatever

doneanythinggoodtome、"

58、Inoddedspeechlessly、Iwascertainshewasspeakingthetruth>I

knewalittlemorethanIhadthatsummeratDiamondLake,butIcouldnot

reachhernowanymorethanIhadthen,Iwasashamed,ashamedofmyown

timidity,thefrightenedtendencytolooktheotherway、YetIfeltnoreal

warmthtowardsher-IonlyfeltthatIoughtto,becauseofthatdistantsummer

andbecausemyfatherhadhopedshewouldbepanyforme,orperhapsthatI

wouldbeforher,butithadnothappenedthatway、Atthismoment,meeting

heragain,Ihadtoadmitthatsherepelledandembarrassedme,andIcouldnot

helpdespisingtheself-pityinhervoice、Iwishedshewouldgoaway、Ididnot

wanttoseeherdidnotknowwhattosaytoher>Itseemedthatwehadnothing

tosaytooneanother、

59、"I'lltellyousomethingelse/*Piquettewenton、"Alltheoldbitchesan,

biddiesinthistownwillsurebesurprised、I'mgettin*marriedthisfall-myboy

friend,he*sanEnglishfella,worksinthestockyardsinthecitythere,averytall

guy,gotblondwavyhair^Gee,isheeverhandsome、GotthisrealHiroshima

name>AlvinGeraldCummings-somehandle,eh?TheycallhimAl、

60、Forthemerestinstant,thenIsawher>Ireallydidseeher,forthefirst

andonlytimeinalltheyearswehadbothlivedinthesametown、Herdefiant

face,momentarily,becameunguardedandunmasked,andinhereyesthere

wasaterrifyinghope、

61、“Gee,Piquette—"Iburstoutawkwardly,"thafsswelLThat'sreally

wonderfuLCongratulations-goodluck-Ihopeyou'llbehappy-"

62、AsImouthedtheconventionalphrases,Icouldonlyguesshowgreather

needmusthavebeen,thatshehadbeenforcedtoseektheverythingssheso

bitterlyrejected>

63、WhenIwaseighteen,IleftManawakaandwentawaytocollege^Atthe

endofmyfirstyear,Icamebackhomeforthesummer、Ispentthefirstfew

daysintalkingnon-stopwithmymother,asweexchangedallthenewsthat

somehowhadnotfounditswayintoletters-whathadhappenedinmylifeand

whathadhappenedhereinManawakawhileIwasaway、Mymothersearched

hermemoryforeventsthatconcernedpeopleIknew^

64、"DidIeverwriteyouaboutPiquetteTonnerre,Vanessa?"sheaskedone

morning>

65、"No,Idon'tthinkso,"Ireplied、"LastIheardofher,shewasgoingto

marrysomeguyinthecity>Isshestillthere?"

66^MymotherlookedHiroshima,anditwasamomentbeforeshespoke,

asthoughshedidnotknowhowtoexpresswhatshehadtotellandwishedshe

didnotneedtotry、

67、"She*sdead/'shesaidatlast>Then,asIstaredather,"Oh,Vanessa,

whenithappened,Icouldn*thelpthinkingofherasshewasthatsummer-so

sullenandgaucheandbadlydressedIcouldn'thelpwonderingifwecould

havedonesomethingmoreatthattime-butwhatcouldwedo?Sheusedtobe

aroundinthecottagetherewithmeallday,andhonestlyitwasallIcoulddoto

getawordoutofhe「、Shedidn'teventalktoyourfatherverymuch,although

Ithinkshelikedhiminherway、"

68、“Whathappened?"Iasked>

69、"Eitherherhusbandlefther,orshelefthim/'mymothersaid>*'Idon't

knowwhich、Anyway,shecamebackherewithtwoyoungsters,bothonly

babies--theymusthavebeenbornveryclosetogether、Shekepthouse,I

guess,forLazarusandherbrothers,downinthevalleythere,intheold

Tonnerreplace、Iusedtoseeheronthestreetsometimes,butsheneverspoke

tome、She'dputonanawfullotofweight,andshelookedamess,totellyou

thetruth,arealslattern,dressedanyoldhow、Shewasupincourtacouple

oftimes—drunkanddisorderly,ofcourse>OneSaturdaynightlastwinter,

duringthecoldestweather,Piquettewasaloneintheshackwiththechildren^

TheTonnerresmadehomebrewallthetime,soI'veheard,andLazarussaid

latershe'dbeendrinkingmostofthedaywhenheandtheboyswentoutthat

evening、Theyhadanoldwoodstovethere—youknowthekind,withexposed

pipes、Theshackcaughtfire、Piquettedidn'tgetout,andneitherdidthe

children、"

70^Ididnotsayanything、AssooftenwithPiquette,theredidnotseem

tobeanythingtosay、Therewasakindofsilencearoundtheimageinmymind

ofthefireandthesnow,andIwishedIcouldputfrommymemorythelookthat

IhadseenonceinPiquette'seyes、

71、IwentuptoDiamondLakeforafewdaysthatsummer,withMavisand

herfamily>TheMacLeodcottagehadbeensoldaftermyfather'sdeath,andI

didnotevengotolookatit,notwantingtowitnessmylong-agokingdom

possessednowbystrangers、ButoneeveningIwentclowntotheshoreby

myself、

72、Thesmallpierwhichmyfatherhadbuiltwasgone,andinitsplacethere

wasalargeandsolidpierbuiltbythegovernment,forGallopingMountainwas

nowanationalpark,andDiamondLakehadbeenre-namedLake,foritwasfelt

thatanIndiannamewouldhaveagreaterappealtotourists、Theonestorehad

beeseveraldozen,andthesettlementhadalltheattributesofaflourishing

resort-hotels,adance-hall,cafeswithneonsigns,thepenetratingodoursof

potatochipsandhotdogs>

73^Isatonthegovernmentpierandlookedoutacrossthewater>Atnight

thelakeatleastwasthesameasithadalwaysbeen,darklyshiningandbearing

withinitsblackglassthestreakofamberthatwasthepathofthemoon、There

wasnowindthatevening,andeverythingwasquietallaroundme、Itseemed

tooquiet,andthenIrealizedthattheloonswerenolongerhere>Ilistenedfor

sometime,tomakesure,butneveroncedidIhearthatlong-drawncall,half

mockingandhalfplaintive,spearingthroughthestillnessacrossthelake、

74、Ididnotknowwhathadhappenedtothebirds、Perhapstheyhadgone

awaytosomefarplaceofbelonging、Perhapstheyhadbeenunabletofindsuch

aplace,andhadsimplydiedout,havingceasedtocareanylongerwhetherthey

livedornot>

75、IrememberedhowPiquettehadscornedtoealong,whenmyfatherand

Isatthereandlistenedtothelakebirds>Itseemedtomenowthatinsome

unconsciousandtotallyunrecognizedway,Piquettemighthavebeentheonly

one,afterall,whohadheardthecryingoftheloons>

第十二课潜水鸟

玛格丽特劳伦斯

马纳瓦卡山下有一条小河，叫瓦恰科瓦河,浑浊得河水沿着布满鹅卵石得河床哗哗地

流淌着，河边谷地上长着无数得矮橡树、灰绿色柳树与野樱桃树，形成一片茂密得丛林。坦纳

瑞家得棚屋就座落在丛林中央得一片空地上。这住所得主体结构就是一间四方形木屋，系用

一根根白杨木涂以灰泥建成，建造者就是儒勒?坦纳瑞。大约五十年前，也就就是里尔被绞杀、

法印混血族遭到彻底失败得那一年，儒勒?坦纳瑞大腿上带着一颗枪弹从巴托什战场回到这

里后便建造了那间小木屋。儒勒当初只打算在瓦恰科瓦河谷里度过当年得那个冬天，但直到

三十年代，她们家仍住在那儿，当时我还就是个孩子。坦纳瑞家人丁兴旺，她们得木屋慢慢地

扩建，越来越大,到后来，那片林中空地上小披屋林立,到处乱七八糟地堆放着木板包装箱、晒

翘了得木材、废弃得汽车轮胎、摇摇欲坠得鸡笼子、一卷一卷得带刺得铁丝与锈迹斑斑得洋

铁罐。

坦纳瑞一家就是法裔混血儿，她们彼此之间讲话用得就是一种土话，既不像克里印第安

语,也不像法语。她们说得英语字不成句，还尽就是些低级下流得粗话。她们既不属于北方跑

马山保留地上居住得克里族，也不属于马纳瓦卡山上居住得苏格兰爱尔兰人与乌克兰人群

体。用我祖母爱用得词来说，她们简直就就是所谓得“四不像”。她们得生计全靠家里得壮

丁外出打零工或就是在加拿大太平洋铁路上当养路工来维持;没有这种打工机会时，她们一

家便靠吃救济粮过日子。到了夏天,坦纳瑞家得一个长着一张从来不会笑得脸得小孩就会用

一个猪油桶提一桶碰得伤痕累累得野草莓，挨家挨户地敲开镇上那些砖砌房屋得门叫卖。只

要卖得一枚二角五分得硬币，她就会迫不及待地将那硬币抓到手中，然后立即转身跑开，生怕

顾客会有时间反悔。有时候，在星期六晚上,老儒勒或就是她得儿子拉扎鲁会酗酒闹事，不就

是发疯似地见人就打，就就是挤到大街上购物逛街得行人之中狂呼乱叫，让人恼怒，于就是骑

警队就会将她们抓去，关进法院楼下得铁牢里，到第二天早上,她们便会恢复常态。

拉扎鲁得女儿皮格特?坦纳瑞在学校读书时与我同班。她年纪比我大几岁，但由于成绩

不好留了几级，这也许怪她经常旷课而且学习劲头不大。她掉课次数多得部分原因就是她患

有骨节炎,有一次一连住了好几个月得医院。我之所以知道这一情况就是因为我父亲正好就

是为她治过病得医生。不过，我对她得了解几乎只限于她得病情。除此之外，我就只知道她就

是一个让人一见就觉得不舒服得人:说话时声音沙哑，走起路来踉踉跄跄，身上穿着得棉布衣

裙总就是脏兮兮得，而且总就是长大得极不合体。我对她得态度谈不上友好,也谈不上不友

好。她得住处与活动范围都在我得眼前，但直到我十一岁那年得夏季到来之前,我还从来没有

太多地注意到她得存在。

“我真不知道该怎样去帮助那孩子,”我父亲有一天吃晚饭得时候说，“我指得就是皮

格特?坦纳瑞。她得骨结核又恶化了，我在医院里给她治疗好长一段时间了，病情自然就是控

制住了，但我真她妈不愿打发她回到她那个家里去。”

“您难道就不会对她妈妈说说她应该好好保养吗？"我母亲问道。

“她妈妈不在了，"我父亲回答说。“几年前她就离家出走了。也不能怪她。皮格特为

她们烧火做饭，她说只要她在家拉扎鲁便什么也不干。不管怎么说，只要她一回到家里，我瞧

她就很难保养好自己得身体了。毕竟她才十三岁呀。贝丝,我在想一一咱们全家去钻石湖避

暑时把她也一道带去，您瞧怎么样?好好休养两个月会使她得骨病治愈得希望大大增加。"我

母亲满脸惊讶得神色。“可就是艾文一一罗迪与凡乃莎怎么办呢？”

“她得病并不就是传染性得,”我父亲说。