《英语天堂》

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英语天堂- 第154部分


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; a commiseration for his fellow…sufferers; strange and new to them; which was watched with a jealous eye by Legree。 He had purchased Tom with a view of eventually making him a sort of overseer; with whom he might; at times; intrust his affairs; in short absences; and; in his view; the first; second; and third requisite for that place; was hardness。 Legree made up his mind; that; as Tom was not hard to his hand; he would harden him forthwith; and some few weeks after Tom had been on the place; he determined to commence the process。
One morning; when the hands were mustered for the field; Tom noticed; with surprise; a new comer among them; whose appearance excited his attention。 It was a woman; tall and slenderly formed; with remarkably delicate hands and feet; and dressed in neat and respectable garments。 By the appearance of her face; she might have been between thirty…five and forty; and it was a face that; once seen; could never be forgotten;—one of those that; at a glance; seem to convey to us an idea of a wild; painful; and romantic history。 Her forehead was high; and her eyebrows marked with beautiful clearness。 Her straight; well…formed nose; her finely…cut mouth; and the graceful contour of her head and neck; showed that she must once have been beautiful; but her face was deeply wrinkled with lines of pain; and of proud and bitter endurance。 Her complexion was sallow and unhealthy; her cheeks thin; her features sharp; and her whole form emaciated。 But her eye was the most remarkable feature;—so large; so heavily black; overshadowed by long lashes of equal darkness; and so wildly; mournfully despairing。 There was a fierce pride and defiance in every line of her face; in every curve of the flexible lip; in every motion of her body; but in her eye was a deep; settled night of anguish;—an expression so hopeless and unchanging as to contrast fearfully with the scorn and pride expressed by her whole demeanor。
Where she came from; or who she was; Tom did not know。 The first he did know; she was walking by his side; erect and proud; in the dim gray of the dawn。 To the gang; however; she was known; for there was much looking and turning of heads; and a smothered yet apparent exultation among the miserable; ragged; half…starved creatures by whom she was surrounded。
“Got to come to it; at last;—grad of it!” said one。
“He! he! he!” said another; “you’ll know how good it is; Misse!”
“We’ll see her work!”
“Wonder if she’ll get a cutting up; at night; like the rest of us!”
“I’d be glad to see her down for a flogging; I’ll bound!” said another。
The woman took no notice of these taunts; but walked on; with the same expression of angry scorn; as if she heard nothing。 Tom had always lived among refined; and cultivated people; and he felt intuitively; from her air and bearing; that she belonged to that class; but how or why she could be fallen to those degrading circumstances; he could not tell。 The women neither looked at him nor spoke to him; though; all the way to the field; she kept close at his side。
Tom was soon busy at his work; but; as the woman was at no great distance from him; he often glanced an eye to her; at her work。 He saw; at a glance; that a native adroitness and handiness made the task to her an easier one than it proved to many。 She picked very fast and very clean; and with an air of scorn; as if she despised both the work and the disgrace and humiliation of the circumstances in which she was placed。
In the course of the day; Tom was working near the mulatto woman who had been bought in the same lot with himself。 She was evidently in a condition of great suffering; and Tom often heard her praying; as she wavered and trembled; and seemed about to fall down。 Tom silently as he came near to her; transferred several handfuls of cotton from his own sack to hers。
“O; don’t; don’t!” said the woman; looking surprised; “it’ll get you into trouble。”
Just then Sambo came up。 He seemed to have a special spite against this woman; and; flourishing his whip; said; in brutal; guttural tones; “What dis yer; Luce;—foolin’ a’” and; with the word; kicking the woman with his heavy cowhide shoe; he struck Tom across the face with his whip。
Tom silently resumed his task; but the woman; before at the last point of exhaustion; fainted。
“I’ll bring her to!” said the driver; with a brutal grin。 “I’ll give her something better than camphire!” and; taking a pin from his coat…sleeve; he buried it to the head in her flesh。 The woman groaned; and half rose。 “Get up; you beast; and work; will yer; or I’ll show yer a trick more!”
The woman seemed stimulated; for a few moments; to an unnatural strength; and worked with desperate eagerness。
“See that you keep to dat ar;” said the man; “or yer’ll wish yer’s dead tonight; I reckin!”
“That I do now!” Tom heard her say; and again he heard her say; “O; Lord; how long! O; Lord; why don’t you help us?”
At the risk of all that he might suffer; Tom came forward again; and put all the cotton in his sack into the woman’s。
“O; you mustn’t! you donno what they’ll do to ye!” said the woman。
“I can bar it!” said Tom; “better ’n you;” and he was at his place again。 It passed in a moment。
Suddenly; the stranger woman whom we have described; and who had; in the course of her work; come near enough to hear Tom’s last words; raised her heavy black eyes; and fixed them; for a second; on him; then; taking a quantity of cotton from her basket; she placed it in his。
“You know nothing about this place;” she said; “or you wouldn’t have done that。 When you’ve been here a month; you’ll be done helping anybody; you’ll find it hard enough to take care of your own skin!”
“The Lord forbid; Missis!” said Tom; using instinctively to his field companion the respectful form proper to the high bred with whom he had lived。
“The Lord never visits these parts;” said the woman; bitterly; as she went nimbly forward with her work; and again the scornful smile curled her lips。
But the action of the woman had been seen by the driver; across the field; and; flourishing his whip; he came up to her。
“What! what!” he said to the woman; with an air of triumph; “You a foolin’? Go along! yer under me now;—mind yourself; or yer’ll cotch it!”
A glance like sheet…lightning suddenly flashed from those black eyes; and; facing about; with quivering lip and dilated nostrils; she drew herself up; and fixed a glance; blazing with rage and scorn; on the driver。
“Dog!” she said; “touch me; if you dare! I’ve power enough; yet; to have you torn by the dogs; burnt alive; cut to inches! I’ve only to say the word!”
“What de devil you here for; den?” said the man; evidently cowed; and sullenly retreating a step or two。 “Didn’t mean no harm; Misse Cassy!”
“Keep your distance; then!” said the woman。 And; in truth; the man seemed greatly inclined to attend to something at the other end of the field; and started off in quick time。
The woman suddenly turned to her work; and labored with a despatch that was perfectly astonishing to Tom。 She seemed to work by magic。 Before the day was through; her basket was filled; crowded down; and piled; and she had sever
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