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She carried her head high enough--even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
艾米莉髙昂著頭——即使我們都認為她已經墮落；仿佛她不僅僅想要人們承認她就是格里爾遜家族末代的尊嚴；仿佛需要同世俗接觸才能重新確認她那倔強的性格。拿她買耗子藥、礎霜的事來說吧。也就是人們開始說“可憐的艾米莉”之后一年多發生的事，當時她的兩個堂姐妹正好來看望她。
"I want some poison," she said to the druggist. She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye sockets as you imagine a lighthouse keeper's face ought to look. "I want some poison," she said.
“買點毒藥，”她對翻師說道。當時她已經三十多了，依然是一個身細腰纖的女人，比平常還要清瘦，一雙黑色的眼睛顯得冷峻髙傲，臉上太陽穴和眼窩處，肌肉緊繃，那副模樣好像只有燈塔守望者才應該具有的。“買點毒藥，”艾米莉說道。
Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recoin--
“好的，艾米莉小姐。要買哪一種？是毒耗子一類的藥嗎？我建議……”
I want the best you have. I don't care what kind.
“拿店里最靈的藥。種類不論。”
The druggist named several. "They'll kill anything up to an elephant. But what you want is--"
藥劑師一連說了好幾種藥名。“這些藥什么都毒得死，就是大象也不例外。不過，你想要……”
Arsenic, Miss Emily said. "Is that a good one?"
“砒霜，”艾米莉小姐說，“靈不靈？”
Is…arsenic? Yes, ma'am. But what you want--
“是……砒霜？好的，小姐。可你想要……”
I want arsenic.
“我要砒霜。”
The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. "Why, of course," the druggist said. "If that's what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for."
藥劑師朝下看著她。艾采莉挺直著身，回敬了他一眼，那臉繃得像鑿出來的石板。“嗯嗯，當然有，”藥劑師說道，“如果你真想要這種藥。可是，按法律規定，你得說明用途。”
Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up. The Negro delivery boy brought her the package; the druggist didn't come back. When she opened the package at home, there was written on the box, under the skull and bones: "For rats."
艾米莉小姐目不轉睛地盯著他，頭向后仰著，雙眼正視著他，直到藥劑師移開目光，轉身拿砒霜包好。把那包藥送出來的是店里的黑人送貨員，而藥劑師再也沒有露過面。艾米莉回到家，打開藥包，盒子上有個骷髏標記，標記下注明：“殺鼠專用。”
