读《飘》42章7（飘章节读后感）

The ladies sewed while Archie lay full length on the parlor sofa snoring, his gray whiskers fluttering at each rumble.

rumble:隆隆声;打群架;持续而低沉的声音;

这几个女人做针线活儿，阿尔奇就直挺挺地躺在客厅里的沙发上打呼噜，每呼一声，他那灰白胡子就跳动一阵。

No one had invited him to dispose himself on the sofa and as it was the finest piece of furniture in the house,

谁也没有请他在沙发上坐，而且这沙发是全家最精致的一件家具，

the ladies secretly moaned every time he lay down on it, planting his boot on the pretty upholstery.

upholstery:家具装饰

每次见他往上面一躺，还把靴子放在漂亮的软垫上，她们就心疼得不得了。

But none of them had the courage to remonstrate with him.

可是她们谁也没有这个勇气出来阻拦他。

Especially after he remarked that it was lucky he went to sleep easy,

有一次，他说幸亏他一躺下就睡着，

for otherwise the sound of women clattering like a flock of guinea hens would certainly drive him crazy.

否则一帮女人像一群母鸡似的不停地唠叨，会使他发疯的。大家一听，更不敢阻拦他了。

Scarlett sometimes wondered where Archie had come from and what his life had been before he came to live in Melly's cellar but she asked no questions.

有时思嘉也纳闷，阿尔奇究竟是哪里人，在媚兰的地窖里住下之前是干什么的，但一直没有问过他。

There was that about his grim one-eyed face which discouraged curiosity.

一看他那只有一只眼睛的严厉的面孔，好奇心也就消失了。

All she knew was that his voice be spoke the mountains to the north

她只知道，听他的口音，他是北方的山里人，

and that he had been in the army and had lost both leg and eye shortly before the surrender.

他当过兵，在南方军队投降之前不久，他受了伤，丢了一只眼睛、一条腿。

It was words spoken in a fit of anger against Hugh Elsing which brought out the truth of Archie's past.

有一天，她大骂休·埃尔辛，倒使得阿尔奇和盘托出了自己的经历。

One morning, the old man had driven her to Hugh's mill

有一天早上，这个老头儿赶着车送思嘉到休经管的木材厂去。

and she had found it idle, the negroes gone and Hugh sitting despondently under a tree.

思嘉发现厂子没开工，黑人都不在，休垂头丧气地在树底下坐着。

His crew had not made their appearance that morning and he was at a loss as to what to do.。

工人都不露面，他也不知如何是好。

Scarlett was in a furious temper and did not scruple to expend it on Hugh,

scruple:顾忌

一看这情形，思嘉十分恼火，便毫不客气地向休发作起来，

for she had just received an order for a large amount of lumber–a rush order at that.

因为她刚弄到一份购买大宗木材的订单，而且要得很急。

She had used energy and charm and bargaining to get that order and now the mill was quiet.

这份订单是她费了好大的力气，搭上自己的姿色，而且争了半天才弄到手的，而木材厂现在却不开工。

“Drive me out to the other mill," she directed Archie.

“送我到那个厂子去，”她向阿尔奇吩咐道，

“Yes, I know it'll take a long time and we won't get any dinner but what am I paying you for?

“我知道路上要走很长时间，饭也吃不上了，不过我花钱雇你又是为了什么呢？

I'll have to make Mr. Wilkes stop what he's doing and run me off this lumber.

我要让威尔克斯先生把手上的活儿停下来，先把我这批木材赶出来。

Like as not, his crew won't be working either. Great balls of fire!

说不定他那里也没开工呢。那可就好了！

I never saw such a nincompoop as Hugh Elsing!

我从来没见过休·埃尔辛这样的蠢货！

I'm going to get rid of him just as soon as that Johnnie Gallegher finishes the stores he's building.

等约翰尼·加勒格尔一把商店盖好，我就把他赶走。

What do I care if Gallegher was in the Yankee Army? He'll work.

加勒格尔在北方佬军队里干过事，这有什么关系？他能干活儿。

I never saw a lazy Irishman yet. And I'm through with free issue darkies.

我没见过爱尔兰人有发懒的。我再也不用获得自由的黑鬼了。

You just can't depend on them.

那些人靠不住。

I'm going to get Johnnie Gallegher and lease me some convicts. He'll get work out of them. He'll--”

我要把加勒格尔找来，再雇上几个犯人，他会让他们干活儿的，他——”

Archie turned to her, his eye malevolent,

阿尔奇一听这话，回过头来看着她，眼睛里充满了恶意，

and when he spoke there was cold anger in his rusty voice.

接着他用沙哑的声音带着冷酷的怒气说：

“The day you gits convicts is the day I quits you," he said.

“你什么时候雇来犯人，我什么时候走。”

Scarlett was startled. “Good heavens! Why?”

思嘉吃了一惊，说：“哎呀！那是为什么？”

"I knows about convict leasin'. I calls it convict murderin'. Buying men like they was mules.

“我知道雇犯人是怎么回事。我管它叫谋杀犯人。买人就像买骡子一样，

Treating them worse than mules ever was treated.

他们受到的待遇连骡子都不如，

Beating them, starving them, killing them. And who cares?

他们挨打，挨饿，还要遭杀害。有谁过问呢？

The State don't care. It's got the lease money.

政府不管。政府已经把钱拿到手了。

The folks that gits the convicts, they don't care.

雇犯人的，他们也不管。

All they want is to feed them cheap and git all the work they can out of them.

他们只想花最少的钱管他们饭，让他们干最多的活儿。

Hell, Ma'm. I never thought much of women and I think less of them now.”

见鬼去吧，太太。我历来看不起女人，现在就更看不起女人了。”

“Is it any of your business?”

“这和你有什么关系嘛？”

“I reckon,” said Archie laconically and, after a pause, “I was a convict for now on to forty years."

“有的，”他的答话十分简单，他停顿了一下又接着说：“我当犯人当了将近四十年。”

Scarlett gasped, and, for a moment, shrank back against the cushions.

思嘉倒抽了一口冷气，一时间，倚在靠垫上直往后缩。

This then was the answer to the riddle of Archie,

原来阿尔奇这个谜的谜底在这里。

his unwillingness to tell his last name or the place of his birth or any scrap of his past life,

scrap:碎片，小块(纸、织物等)，零屑;废料，废物（尤指废金属）;切屑，碎料;

他之所以不肯说出自己的姓和出生地，不肯谈自己的经历，原因就在这里。

the answer to the difficulty with which he spoke and his cold hatred of the world.

他说话不流畅，对世界采取冷酷、仇恨的态度，原因也在这里。

Forty years! He must have gone into prison a young man.

四十年啊！他入狱的时候一定还年轻。

Forty years! Why--he must have been a life prisoner and lifers were--

四十年啊！他一定是判的无期徒刑，而判无期徒刑的人——

“Was it--murder?”

“是不是因为——杀人？”

“Yes,” answered Archie briefly, as he flapped the reins.“My wife." Scarlett's eyelids batted rapidly with fright.

“是的，”他直截了当地答道，同时抖了抖缰绳，“杀了老婆。” 思嘉吓得直眨眼睛。

The mouth beneath the beard seemed to move, as if he were smiling grimly at her fear.

胡子遮盖着的嘴唇好像动了动，仿佛他在讥笑思嘉这样害怕。“

"I ain't going to kill you, Ma'm, if that's what's frettin' you.

你要是怕我杀你，感到紧张，那你可以放心，太太，我是不会杀你的。

That ain't but one reason for killing a woman."

我没有理由杀死任何一个女人。”

"You killed your wife!"

“你杀了你的老婆！”

"She was laying with my brother. He got away.

“她和我兄弟乱搞。他跑了。