【正文】 m sure I don39。ll take you if you really want to go. She relaxed limply in the seat. Oh, no. No. I don39。t think you39。t know you read things like that. He brought the car to a stop, then turned to the right over the Salinas River bridge. Do any women ever go to the fights? she asked. Oh, sure, some. What39。ve read how the fighting gloves get heavy and soggy with blood. He looked around at her. What39。 then she said, Henry, at those prize fights, do the men hurt each other very much? Sometimes a little, not often. Why? Well, I39?！盢ow you39。她沒(méi)有往后看。她急忙轉(zhuǎn)向自己的丈夫，以免汽車超過(guò)時(shí)看見(jiàn)那輛小小的篷車，那怪模怪樣的隊(duì)伍?！八隙ǖ昧糁ㄅ瑁詻](méi)能把它們?nèi)拥铰废逻?。那不?huì)給他增加什么麻煩的，一點(diǎn)兒也不會(huì)。當(dāng)他們經(jīng)過(guò)那個(gè)黑點(diǎn)時(shí)，她盡量不去看它，可眼睛不聽(tīng)她的話。遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)的，伊利莎看到路上有個(gè)黑點(diǎn)。t get them off the road. The roadster turned a bend and she saw the caravan ahead. She swung full around toward her husband so she could not see the little covered wagon and the mismatched team as the car passed them. In a moment it was over. The thing was done. She did not look back. She said loudly, to be heard above the motor, It will be good, tonight, a good dinner.小敞篷車沿著河在土路上顛簸前行，驚起一群鳥(niǎo)，野兔也被驚得鉆進(jìn)了樹(shù)叢。t have been much trouble, not very much. But he kept the pot, she explained. He had to keep the pot. That39。這時(shí)亨利熄了馬達(dá)，她很快穿上大衣，走了出去。她聽(tīng)到亨利把車開(kāi)到了門口，馬達(dá)空轉(zhuǎn)著?！拔胰グ衍囬_(kāi)出來(lái)，趁這當(dāng)兒，你把大衣穿好?！焙嗬驴戳丝赐侠瓩C(jī)棚?！拔液軓?qiáng)壯，”她夸耀地說(shuō)。你不知道你在說(shuō)什么?！币粫r(shí)間她僵硬的神情沒(méi)了?！澳阍谕嬗螒颉＿@又是什么意思？”他顯得有些迷惑不解?！焙嗬Y(jié)結(jié)巴巴地說(shuō)。m starting. Elisa went into the house. She heard him drive to the gate and idle down his motor, and then she took a long time to put on her hat. She pulled it here and pressed it there. When Henry turned the motor off she slipped into her coat and went out.“我不知道。m strong, she boasted. I never knew before how strong. Henry looked down toward the tractor shed, and when he brought his eyes back to her, they were his own again. I39。t talk like that. You didn39。re playing some kind of a game, he said helplessly.It39。strong39?！昂?，伊利莎，你看起來(lái)真棒！”“棒？你覺(jué)得我很棒？‘很棒’是什么意思？”Henry blundered on. I don39。伊利莎直起身子，臉也繃緊了。她一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地坐了很久，很少眨眼睛。她朝河邊的路上看去，那兒的柳葉上掛著霜，依然泛著黃色，因而在半空的灰白色霧氣籠罩下，這一帶柳樹(shù)好象是道薄薄的陽(yáng)光。?伊利莎聽(tīng)到亨利在浴盆里嘩啦嘩啦的洗澡聲，把他的黑西服放在床上，邊上是他的襯衫、襪子和領(lǐng)帶?！盬hen she heard him splashing in the tub, Elisa laid his dark suit on the bed, and shirt and socks and tie beside it. She stood his polished shoes on the floor beside the bed. Then she went to the porch and sat primly and stiffly down. She looked toward the river road where the willowline was still yellow with frosted leaves so that under the high grey fog they seemed a thin band of sunshine. This was the only color in the grey afternoon. She sat unmoving for a long time. Her eyes blinked rarely. Henry came banging out of the door, shoving his tie inside his vest as he came. Elisa stiffened and her face grew tight. Henry stopped short and looked at her. Why － why, Elisa. You look so nice! Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by 39。走廊上傳來(lái)亨利的腳步聲，他走到屋里喊道，“伊利莎，你在哪兒？”“在我屋里穿衣服呢，還沒(méi)好呢。亨利同他的伙計(jì)吆喝著往牲口圈里趕牛。她仔細(xì)地梳理著頭發(fā)，描眉，涂口紅。s getting late.過(guò)了一會(huì)兒她開(kāi)始穿衣服，穿得很慢。m not ready. There39。After a while she began to dress, slowly. She put on her newest underclothing and her nicest stockings and the dress which was the symbol of her prettiness. She worked carefully on her hair, penciled her eyebrows and rouged her lips. Before she was finished she heard the little thunder of hoofs and the shouts of Henry and his helper as they drove the red steers into the corral. She heard the gate bang shut and set herself for Henry39。她把身上的水弄干，站在臥室里的鏡子前，端詳著自己的身體。里面盛滿了熱水，是中午做飯時(shí)燒熱的。伊利莎轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身，匆匆跑進(jìn)了屋里。她搖搖頭讓自己清醒過(guò)來(lái)，四處看看是不是有人在聽(tīng)。然后她低聲道，“那邊霞光萬(wàn)丈，多么 亮啊。她直起身子，頭往后仰著，雙眼微微閉著，眼前的景色也因此變得模模糊糊。s a bright direction. There39。馬車調(diào)了頭，慢慢地從來(lái)的入口徐徐出去，上了來(lái)時(shí)沿河的那條路。那兩匹牲口舒服地在它們的軛上靠著。你是說(shuō)菊花根部吧，我肯定會(huì)的?！薄坝浿?，”她喊道，“要是到那兒時(shí)間很久，要保持沙土濕潤(rùn)?！拔視?huì)按你交代我的去做。他把自己安頓到座位上，拿起韁繩?！胺蛉耍瑢?duì)于一個(gè)女人來(lái)說(shuō)，每天晚上都躺在馬車上，下面蜷縮著牲畜，這種生活太寂寞而且叫人害怕。我可以讓你見(jiàn)識(shí)一下一個(gè)女人能干些什么。我也能讓剪子鋒利起來(lái)。am?...sand? Oh, sure. You mean around the chrysanthemums. Sure I will. He clucked his tongue. The beasts leaned luxuriously into their collars. The mongrel dog took his place between the back wheels. The wagon turned and crawled out the entrance road and back the way it had e, along the river.伊利莎從屋里拿了五十美分放到他手里。ll go back and catch the Salinas road. Mind, she called, if you39。ll do like you told me。s white rump. He settled himself in the seat, picked up the lines. Thank you kindly, ma39?！盓lisa brought him a fiftycent piece from the house and dropped it in his hand. You might be surprised to have a rival some time. I can sharpen scissors, too. And I can beat the dents out of little pots. I could show you what a woman might do. He put his hammer back in the oily box and shoved the little anvil out of sight. It would be a lonely life for a woman, ma39。我的要價(jià)一向很低，但活兒是高質(zhì)量的。好，你的鍋好了，你不用買新的了?！彼粷M地說(shuō)?！澳阍趺粗?？你怎么能這樣說(shuō)？”她說(shuō)?！薄斑@種生活不適合女人。“肯定美極了。下雨也好，天晴也好，我身上都不會(huì)濕?！澳憔驮隈R車?yán)锼X(jué)嗎？”伊利莎問(wèn)。他的嘴巴顯得自信，躊躇滿志?！彼隈R車的后面支起了一個(gè)鐵砧，然后從一個(gè)油乎乎的工具箱里鼓搗出一個(gè)小機(jī)錘。s why I have all them satisfied customers up and down the highway.他的樣子為之一變，顯得很專業(yè)。t have to buy no new ones. How much? Oh, fifty cents39。t know. Now here39。t know, ma39。m dry as a cow in there. It must be nice, she said. It must be very nice. I wish women could do such things. It ain39?！盚is manner changed. He became professional. Good as new I can fix them. At the back of his wagon he set a little anvil, and out of an oily tool box dug a small machine hammer. Elisa came through the gate to watch him while he pounded out the dents in the kettles. His mouth grew sure and knowing. At a difficult part of the work he sucked his lip. You sleep right in the wagon? Elisa asked. Right in the wagon, ma39。她拿著它們回來(lái)交給他?；蛟S我能找些東西來(lái)你修一下。她將花盆抱出來(lái)，輕輕地放在他的懷里。”聽(tīng)到這些她站了起來(lái)。他說(shuō)，“對(duì)，就象你說(shuō)的，那很美。接著她的手垂了下去?！彼蛟谀莾海氖殖┲K兮兮的黑褲子的腿伸了去。就是那樣。天黑的時(shí)候——啊，群星亮閃閃的，周遭一片寂靜。t have no dinner, it ain39。s like that. Hot and sharp and － lovely. Kneeling there, her hand went out toward his legs in the greasy black trousers. Her hesitant fingers almost touched the cloth. Then her hand dropped to the ground. She crouched low like a fawning dog. He said, it39。ve never lived as you do, but I know what you mean. When the night