LESSON 3 THE GENTLE HAND 溫柔的手

Timothy S.Arthur (b.1809, d.1885) was born near Newburgh, N.Y., but passed most of his life at Baltimore and Philadelphia.His opportunities for good schooling were quite limited, and he may be considered a self-educated man.He was the author of more than a hundred volumes, principally novels of a domestic and moral tone, and of many shorter tales—magazine articles, etc.“Ten Nights in a Barroom,” and “Three Years in a Mantrap,” are among his best known works.

1.When and where it matters not now to relate—but once upon a time, as I was passing through a thinly peopled district of country, night came down upon me almost unawares.Being on foot, I could not hope to gain the village toward which my steps were directed, until a late hour; and I therefore preferred seeking shelter and a night’s lodging at the fi rst humble dwelling that presented itself.

2.Dusky twilight was giving place to deeper shadows, when I found myself in the vicinity^[1] of a dwelling, from the small uncurtained windows of which the light shone with a pleasant promise of good cheer and comfort.The house stood within an inclosure, and a short distance from the road along which I was moving with wearied feet.

3.Turning aside, and passing through the ill-hung gate, I approached the dwelling.Slowly the gate swung on its wooden hinges, and the rattle of its latch, in closing, did not disturb the air until I had nearly reached the porch in front of the house, in which a slender girl, who had noticed my entrance, stood awaiting my arrival.

4.A deep, quick bark answered, almost like an echo, the sound of the shutting gate, and, sudden as an apparition, the form of an immense dog loomed in the doorway.At the instant when he was about to spring, a light hand was laid upon his shaggy neck, and a low word spoken.

5.“Go in, Tiger,”said the girl, not in a voice of authority, yet in her gentle tones was the consciousness that she would be obeyed; and, as she spoke, she lightly bore upon the animal with her hand, and he turned away and disappeared within the dwelling.

6.“Who’s that?”A rough voice asked the question; and now a heavy-looking man took the dog’s place in the door.

7.“How far is it to G—?”I asked, not deeming it best to say, in the beginning, that I sought a resting place for the night.

8.“To G—!”growled the man, but not so harshly as at first.“It’s good six miles from here.”

9.“A long distance; and I’m a stranger and on foot,” said I.“If you can make room for me until morning, I will be very thankful.”

10.I saw the girl’s hand move quickly up his arm, until it rested on his shoulder, and now she leaned to him still closer.

11.“Come in.We’ll try what can be done for you.” There was a change in the man’s voice that made me wonder.I entered a large room, in which blazed a brisk fi re.Before the fi re sat two stout lads, who turned upon me their heavy eyes, with no very welcome greeting.A middle-aged woman was standing at a table, and two children were amusing themselves with a kitten on the fl oor.

12.“A stranger, mother,” said the man who had given me so rude a greeting at the door; “and he wants us to let him stay all night.”

13.The woman looked at me doubtingly for a few moments, and then replied coldly, “We don’t keep a public house.”

14.“I’m aware of that, ma’am,” said I; “but night has overtaken me, and it’s a long way yet to G——.”

15.“Too far for a tired man to go on foot,” said the master of the house, kindly, “so it’s no use talking about it, mother; we must give him a bed.”

16.So unobtrusively^[2] that I scarce noticed the movement, the girl had drawn to her mother’s side.What she said to her I did not hear, for the brief words were uttered in a low voice; but I noticed, as she spoke, one small, fair hand rested on the woman’s hand.

17.Was there magic in that touch? The woman’s repulsive^[3] aspect changed into one of kindly welcome, and she said, “Yes, it’s a long way to G——.I guess we can fi nd a place for him.”

18.Many times more during that evening, did I observe the magic power of that hand and voice—the one gentle yet potent^[4] as the other.On the next morning, breakfast being over, I was preparing to take my departure when my host^[5] informed me that if I would wait for half an hour he would give me a ride in his wagon to G——, as business required him to go there.I was very well pleased to accept of the invitation.

19.In due time, the farmer’s wagon was driven into the road before the house, and I was invited to get in.I noticed the horse as a rough-looking Canadian pony, with a certain air of stubborn endurance.As the farmer took his seat by my side, the family came to the door to see us off .

20.“Dick!” said the farmer in a peremptory^[6] voice, giving the rein a quick jerk as he spoke.But Dick moved not a step.“Dick! you vagabond! get up.” And the farmer’s whip cracked sharply by the pony’s ear.

21.It availed^[7] not, however, this second appeal.Dick stood fi rmly disobedient.

Next the whip was brought down upon him with an impatient hand; but the pony only reared up a little.Fast and sharp the strokes were next dealt to the number of half a dozen.The man might as well have beaten the wagon, for all his end was gained.

22.A stout lad now came out into the road, and, catching Dick by the bridle, jerked him forward, using, at the same time, the customary language on such occasions, but Dick met this new ally^[8] with increased stubbornness, planting his fore feet more fi rmly and at a sharper angle with the ground.

23.The impatient boy now struck the pony on the side of the head with his clinched hand, and jerked cruelly at his bridle.It availed nothing, however; Dick was not to be wrought upon by any such arguments.

24.“Don’t do so, John!” I turned my head as the maiden’s sweet voice reached my ear.She was passing through the gate into the road, and in the next moment had taken hold of the lad and drawn him away from the animal.No strength was exerted in this; she took hold of his arm, and he obeyed her wish as readily as if he had no thought beyond her gratifi cation.

25.And now that soft hand was laid gently on the pony’s neck, and a single low word spoken.How instantly were the tense^[9] muscles relaxed^[10]—how quickly the stubborn air vanished!

26.“Poor Dick!” said the maiden, as she stroked his neck lightly, or softly patted it with a childlike hand.“Now, go along, you provoking fellow!” she added, in a half-chiding^[11], yet aff ectionate voice, as she drew up the bridle.

27.The pony turned toward her, and rubbed his head against her arm for an instant or two; then, pricking up his ears, he started off at a light, cheerful trot, and went on his way as freely as if no silly crotchet^[12] had ever entered his stubborn brain.

28.“What a wonderful power that hand possesses!” said I, speaking to my companion, as we rode away.

29.He looked at me for a moment, as if my remark had occasioned surprise.Then a light came into his countenance, and he said briefly, “She’s good! Everybody and everything loves her.”

30.Was that, indeed, the secret of her power? Was the quality of her soul perceived in the impression of her hand, even by brute beasts! The father’s explanation was doubtless the true one.Yet have I ever since wondered, and still do wonder, at the potency which lay in that maiden’s magic touch.I have seen something of the same power, showing itself in the loving and the good, but never to the extent as instanced^[13] in her, whom, for want of a better name, I must still call “Gentle Hand.”

【中文閱讀】

蒂莫西·S·亞瑟（1809—1885）出生于美國(guó)紐約州紐堡市附近，但他在巴爾的摩和費(fèi)城度過生命中的大部分時(shí)光。他所受的正規(guī)教育很有限，屬于自學(xué)成才的類型。他的著述多達(dá)一百多部，其中主要是家庭和道德倫理方面的小說，以及

為期刊雜志撰寫的大量篇幅更短的文章。在他的作品中，《酒吧里的十個(gè)夜晚》和《無間道·三年》都流傳甚廣。

1.這件事發(fā)生在何時(shí)、何地，現(xiàn)在看來并不重要——姑且叫它從前吧，當(dāng)我正穿過一處人煙稀少的地方時(shí)，夜幕悄然降臨了。由于是步行，如果我想到達(dá)原先想去的城鎮(zhèn)，恐怕得走到深夜。于是我急切地想找個(gè)地方過夜，隨便哪個(gè)先碰上的房舍都行，不管條件有多簡(jiǎn)陋，對(duì)付一晚足矣。

2.暗淡的暮色漸漸褪去，黑暗降臨了。這時(shí)我發(fā)現(xiàn)附近有戶人家，從幾扇不掛窗簾的小窗戶中透出的光，似乎正傳遞著溫暖而愉悅的氣氛。這棟屋子四周圍著柵欄，離我所行走的路很近，而我正疲累不堪。

3.我離開小路，推開虛掩的柵欄門，走近這棟屋子。柵欄門上的木質(zhì)鉸鏈在慢慢晃動(dòng)著，門關(guān)上時(shí)，門閂發(fā)出輕微的聲響。這些聲音都沒有驚動(dòng)屋內(nèi)歡樂的氣氛，一直等我快走到門廊了，才發(fā)現(xiàn)有位身材苗條的姑娘站在那里，顯然，剛才她聽到了我的腳步聲。

4.門剛關(guān)上，像是回應(yīng)這個(gè)聲響似的，響起一聲低沉而短促的狗吠；緊接著，一條體型碩大的狗幽靈般地出現(xiàn)在門廊上。眼看它快撲上來的時(shí)候，一只手輕輕搭在它毛發(fā)蓬松的脖頸上，一個(gè)溫柔的聲音低聲響起。

5.“小虎，進(jìn)去。”姑娘說道，聲音并不威嚴(yán)，但她溫柔的嗓音中帶著一種不容置疑的清晰暗示。一邊說著，她一邊輕拍了幾下大狗的腦袋，于是那狗轉(zhuǎn)過身，進(jìn)了屋。

6.“誰在那兒？”一個(gè)粗獷的聲音傳來，一個(gè)臉色陰沉的男人從狗的身后閃出。

7.“請(qǐng)問，這兒離G地還有多遠(yuǎn)？”我問道。一開始就告訴他我想找個(gè)今晚過夜的地方，大概不是個(gè)好主意，我想。

8.“G地！”男人大聲地說著，言語間卻少了最初的嚴(yán)厲，“離這兒還有足足六英里呢。”

9.“路可真夠遠(yuǎn)的。我是步行來的，一個(gè)過路客，”我說，“如果你們能讓我在這里歇上一晚，我真是感激不盡。”

10.我看到那姑娘的手沿著那男人的手臂上移，最后搭在他肩上，現(xiàn)在她離那男人更近了些。

11.“進(jìn)來吧，看看我們能給你幫上什么忙。”男人的語氣有所變化，讓我頗覺意外。我進(jìn)了屋，房間很寬敞，壁爐中的火苗輕快地躍動(dòng)著。壁爐前，坐著兩個(gè)身材結(jié)實(shí)的小伙子，他們滿臉陰沉地抬眼看我，明顯帶著不快的神情。一位中年婦女站在桌子旁邊，兩個(gè)孩子在地板上自顧自地逗著小貓咪。

12.“孩子他媽，這個(gè)過路的，”剛才在門前粗魯?shù)嘏c我打招呼的那個(gè)男人說道，“想在我們這兒過一夜。”

13.那婦人狐疑地打量我片刻，冷冷地說：“我們這兒沒有客房。”

14.“我知道，夫人，”我說，“但是，天太晚了，去G地實(shí)在太遠(yuǎn)了。”

15.“讓一個(gè)疲憊的人走這么長(zhǎng)一段路，太荒唐了。”男主人和藹地說，“不用再討論了，孩子他媽，我們得為他勻出一張床。”

16.悄無聲息地，那姑娘已經(jīng)靠近她母親，我?guī)缀鯖]注意到她是何時(shí)走過去的。她悄聲對(duì)她母親說了些什么，聲音太輕，我聽不見內(nèi)容。但我注意到，當(dāng)她說話時(shí)，她那嬌小美麗的手已輕輕搭在她母親的手上。

17.她的觸摸有魔法嗎？那婦人反感冷淡的態(tài)度瞬間變得親切和善，她說：“說得對(duì)，到G地還遠(yuǎn)著呢。我想，我們是得幫他準(zhǔn)備張床。”

18.就在那個(gè)晚上，我無數(shù)次地觀察到那雙手和那個(gè)聲音——像她的手一般溫柔而有力所具有的魔力。第二天早上，吃完早餐后，我正打算告辭，男主人告訴我，他要趕往G地辦事，如果我愿意多等待半小時(shí)，他便可以用自己的馬車送我一程，我自然非常高興地接受了他的好意。

19.約定的時(shí)間到了，那農(nóng)夫?qū)ⅠR車停在屋前的馬路上，招呼我上車。我注意到那匹駕轅的馬，那馬駒面部粗糙，屬于加拿大品種，具有頑強(qiáng)忍耐的優(yōu)良品性。農(nóng)夫上了馬車，坐在我身邊，全家人走出門來為我們送行。

20.“狄克！”農(nóng)民嚴(yán)厲地呵斥，一邊猛地拉動(dòng)韁繩，但狄克竟然一步都沒挪動(dòng)，“狄克，你這個(gè)懶鬼！快走啊。”農(nóng)夫猛地一甩鞭，鞭子聲在小馬的耳邊尖銳地乍響。

21.依然毫不奏效，狄克固執(zhí)地站在那里，無動(dòng)于衷。男主人急躁起來，第二鞭便甩到小馬駒身上，但它只是暴跳了一下。接著幾鞭又快又狠地甩在馬駒背上，但全無效果，農(nóng)夫如果早知道他最終束手無策，還不如起先就鞭打那馬車罷。

22.一個(gè)身材粗壯的小伙子走到路中間，抓著狄克的韁繩猛地向前拽，邊拽邊罵罵咧咧。但狄克面對(duì)這個(gè)新來的敵人，報(bào)以更加倔強(qiáng)的姿態(tài)，將前蹄死死抵住地面，怎么都不肯動(dòng)彈。

23.小伙子不耐煩起來，開始握緊拳頭狠揍小馬駒的腦袋，然后死命地猛拽韁繩。但這同樣毫不奏效，狄克無論如何就是不肯邁開蹄子。

24.“別這么做，約翰！”少女甜美的聲音傳來。我循聲扭頭，她正穿過柵欄門，走到路上，接著她握住小伙子的手臂，將他輕輕從小馬駒身邊推開。在做這些事情的時(shí)候，她的動(dòng)作很溫柔。她抓住他的手臂，而他也毫不反抗地任她這么做，絲毫沒有忤逆她的意思。

25.現(xiàn)在，她柔軟的手正溫柔撫摸著小馬駒的脖頸，嘴里對(duì)它低低地說著些什么。一轉(zhuǎn)眼間，小馬駒身上那緊繃的肌肉便放松了——原本僵持的氣氛一掃而空！

26.“可憐的狄克！”少女一邊說著，一邊撫摸著它的脖子，或者說，是用她嬌小的手溫柔地拍打了它幾下，“現(xiàn)在，去吧，你這愛折騰人的孩子！”她提了提籠頭，語氣中略帶責(zé)備，但仍然滿懷愛意。

27.小馬駒轉(zhuǎn)向她，將腦袋靠在她臂彎間蹭了幾下，接著，它豎起耳朵，開始輕快地跑起碎步來。它的步伐越來越矯健，就好像剛才不曾有任何怪異的念頭盤踞在它那固執(zhí)的小腦瓜里一樣。

28.馬車跑起來了。“那雙手，擁有多么奇妙的力量啊！”我對(duì)身旁的農(nóng)夫說道。

29.農(nóng)夫注視了我片刻，似乎我的評(píng)論使他偶發(fā)驚奇，他的臉上閃過一絲喜悅，卻只說了句：“她心地仁慈，這里的人和那些牲口都喜歡她。”

30.這便是她魅力的源泉嗎？大家都從她的雙手中感受到她靈魂的高貴，即使是那些不通人性的動(dòng)物！她父親的解釋無疑道出了真相。但從那以后，我始終很好奇，直到今天也仍然想知道，那名少女充滿魔力的撫摸中到底蘊(yùn)藏了多少力量。我曾見過通過愛與善表達(dá)出來的類似力量，但從來沒有一種力量能像我在她身上見到的那么強(qiáng)大。這種力量，在沒有更好的名稱之前，我愿稱它為“溫柔的手”。

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【注釋】

[1] Vicinity, neighborhood.

[2] Unobtrusively, not noticeably, modestly.

[3] Repulsive, repelling, forbidding.

[4] Potent, powerful, eff ective.

[5] Host, one from whom another receives food, lodging, or entertainment.

[6] Peremptory, commanding, decisive.

[7] Availed, was of use, had ef fect.

[8] Ally, a confederate, one who unites with another in some purpose.

[9] Tense, strained to stif fness, rigid.

[10] Relaxed, loosened.

[11] Chiding, scolding, rebuking.

[12] Crotchet, a perverse fancy, a whim.

[13] Instanced, mentioned as an example.