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Scarlett heard the stairs groan and she got softly to her feet. When Mammy returned she would resume her lecture on Scarlett’s breach of hospitality, and Scarlett felt that she could not endure prating about such a trivial matter when her heart was breaking. As she stood, hesitant, wondering where she could hide until the ache in her breast subsided a little, a thought came to her, bringing a small ray of hope. Her father had ridden over to Twelve Oaks, the Wilkes plantation, that afternoon to offer to buy Dilcey, the broad wife of his valet, Pork. Dilcey was head woman and midwife at Twelve Oaks, and, since the marriage six months ago, Pork had deviled his master night and day to buy Dilcey, so the two could live on the same plantation. That afternoon, Gerald, his resistance worn thin, had set out to make an offer for Dilcey.
聽(tīng)到樓梯格格作響，思嘉便輕輕站起身來(lái)。嬤嬤一回來(lái)又要重復(fù)那番責(zé)備她不懂禮貌的話了，可思嘉覺(jué)得正當(dāng)自己心酸的時(shí)候，實(shí)在無(wú)法忍受叨叨這種雞毛蒜皮的小事。她就猶豫不定地站著，不知該躲到哪里去讓痛苦的心情略略平息，這時(shí)她忽然起了一個(gè)念頭，這給她帶來(lái)了一線微弱的希望。原來(lái)那天下午她父親騎馬到威爾克斯家的農(nóng)場(chǎng)“十二橡樹(shù)”村去了，是為了商量購(gòu)買(mǎi)他那位管家波克的迪爾茜。迪爾茜是“十二橡樹(shù)”村的女領(lǐng)班，自從六個(gè)月前結(jié)婚以來(lái)，波克就沒(méi)日沒(méi)夜地纏著要主人把她買(mǎi)過(guò)來(lái)，好讓他們兩口子住在一起。那天下午杰拉爾德實(shí)在已抵擋不住，只得動(dòng)身到那邊去商量購(gòu)買(mǎi)迪爾茜的事。
Surely, thought Scarlett, Pa will know whether this awful story is true. Even if he hasn’t actually heard anything this afternoon, perhaps he’s noticed something, sensed some excitement in the Wilkes family. If I can just see him privately before supper, perhaps I’ll find out the truth—that it’s just one of the twins’ nasty practical jokes.
當(dāng)然，思嘉想，爸爸會(huì)知道這個(gè)可怕的傳聞不是真的。就算今天下午他的確沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到什么消息，他也可能注意到了某些跡象，感覺(jué)到威爾克斯家有什么叫人興奮的事情吧。要是我能在吃晚飯前一個(gè)人看見(jiàn)他，說(shuō)不定就能弄個(gè)明白----原來(lái)不過(guò)是那哥兒倆的一個(gè)缺德的玩笑罷了。
It was time for Gerald’s return and, if she expected to see him alone, there was nothing for her to do except meet him where the driveway entered the road. She went quietly down the front steps, looking carefully over her shoulder to make sure Mammy was not observing her from the upstairs windows. Seeing no broad black face, turbaned in snowy white, peering disapprovingly from between fluttering curtains, she boldly snatched up her green flowered skirts and sped down the path toward the driveway as fast as her small ribbon-laced slippers would carry her.
杰拉爾德該回來(lái)了。如果她想單獨(dú)見(jiàn)他，她也無(wú)須麻煩，只要在車(chē)道進(jìn)入大路的口子上迎接他就行了。她悄悄地走下屋前的臺(tái)階，又回過(guò)頭來(lái)仔細(xì)看看，要弄清楚嬤嬤的確沒(méi)有在樓上窗口觀望。她沒(méi)有看見(jiàn)那張圍著雪白頭巾的黑色闊臉在晃動(dòng)的窗簾間不滿地窺探，便大膽地撩起那件綠花布裙，沿著石徑向車(chē)道快快地跑去，只要那又鑲有鍛帶的小便鞋允許，她是能跑多快就跑多快的。
