诺贝尔文学经典:《宠儿》第5章Part 4
Ella wrapped a cloth strip tight around the baby's navel as she listened for the holes — the thingsthe fugitives did not say; the questions they did not ask. Listened too for the unnamed,unmentioned people left behind. She shook gravel from the men's shoes and tried to force Sethe'sfeet into them. They would not go. Sadly, they split them down the heel, sorry indeed to ruin sovaluable an item. Sethe put on the boy's jacket, not daring to ask whether there was any word ofthe children.
"They made it," said Ella. "Stamp ferried some of that party. Left them on Bluestone. It ain't toofar."
Sethe couldn't think of anything to do, so grateful was she, so she peeled a potato, ate it, spit it upand ate more in quiet celebration.
"They be glad to see you," said Ella. "When was this one born?"
"Yesterday," said Sethe, wiping sweat from under her chin. "I hope she makes it."
Ella looked at the tiny, dirty face poking out of the wool blanket and shook her head. "Hard tosay," she said. "If anybody was to ask me I'd say, 'Don't love nothing.' " Then, as if to take the edgeoff her pronouncement, she smiled at Sethe. "You had that baby by yourself?"
"No. Whitegirl helped."
"Then we better make tracks."
Baby Suggs kissed her on the mouth and refused to let her see the children. They were asleep shesaid and Sethe was too uglylooking to wake them in the night. She took the newborn and handed itto a young woman in a bonnet, telling her not to clean the eyes till she got the mother's urine.
"Has it cried out yet?" asked Baby.
"A little."
"Time enough. Let's get the mother well."
艾拉一边用一条布紧紧缠住婴儿的肚脐，一边去听谈话里的漏洞——逃犯们不说的那些事，不问的那些问题。留意那些落往后面、不知道名字、没被提起的人们。她控出那双男鞋里的沙子，试图把塞丝的脚塞进去。它们塞不进去。很不幸，它们把鞋后跟撑裂了，毁了这么贵重的东西实在可惜。塞丝穿上那个男孩的外衣，没敢打听是否有她孩子们的下落。
"他们成功了，"艾拉道，"斯坦普把那伙人运过了河。把他们留在蓝石路上了。不算太远。"
塞丝感激得不知该如何是好，于是剥了一个白薯，吃下去，吐出来，在静静的欢喜之中又吃了一些。
"他们见到你一定很高兴。"艾拉说，"这一个是什么时候生的？"
"昨天。"塞丝擦着下巴底下的汗，说道，"但愿她能活下来。"
艾拉看看从羊毛毯里钻出来的小脏脸，摇了摇头。"难说。"她说道。"谁要是问我，我就说：-啥也别爱-"然后，似乎是为了收敛话里的锋芒，她冲塞丝笑笑。"你自己生的那个孩子？"
"不是。白人姑娘帮了忙。"
"那么我们趁早开路吧。"
贝比·萨格斯亲吻了她的嘴，不让她马上去见孩子们。她说他们正睡着呢，再说塞丝的样子太难看了，不能在夜里叫醒他们。她接过新生儿，把她递给一个戴软帽的年轻女人，告诉她先别洗两只眼睛，等得到妈妈的尿再说。
"她哭出声了吗？"贝比问。
"哭了一小会儿。"
"足够了。我们先来把当妈妈的收拾干净吧。"
