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It was not a love letter in the true sense of the word, but pages of the minutest directions of how"my sweetest Phina"was to elude her father's vigilance, creep down to the drift at night and there meet Jantje with a horse which would take her to Smitsdorp. There she was to go to "my true friend, Henry Wilson",who would give her money and make arrangements for her to follow her lover to Cape Town and from there to England ," where, my love, we can he be married at once. But if, my dearest, you are not sure that you can face lift with me in a land strange to you, then do not take this important step, for I love you too much to wish you the smallest unhappiness. If you do not come, and if I do not hear from you, then I shall know that you could never be happy so far from the people and the country which you love. If, however, you feel you can keep your promise to me, but are of too timid and modest a journey to England unaccompanied, then write to me, and I will, by some means, return to fetch my bride."
嚴(yán)格說來，它算不上是一封情書，實際是只是幾頁內(nèi)容詳盡的行動指南。信里稱"我最親愛的菲娜"該怎么擺脫她父親的監(jiān)視，夜里逃出家門，詹杰會在淺灘上牽馬等著她，然后將她馱到史密斯多普，到了那里再去找理查德的"知心朋友亨利·威爾遜"，他會給她錢為她作好安排，使她能跟隨她的情人到開普敦，隨后轉(zhuǎn)道英國。"親愛的，這樣我們就可以在英國結(jié)婚了。但是我的至愛，如果你不能保證你能在一個陌生的地方和我一塊生活，你就不必采取這個重大行動，因為我太愛你了，不能讓你感到絲毫不快。如果你不來，如果我聽不到你的回信，我就會知道，如果你離開你摯愛的親人和鄉(xiāng)土，你是不會幸福的。但如果你能實踐你對我的許諾而由于你生性持重膽怯不愿單身前往英國，就來信告訴我，那我就會設(shè)法回南非來迎接我的新娘。"
I read no further.
我沒有再念下去。
"But Aunt Phina!"I gasped. "Why…why…?"
"可是，菲娜老姑，"我氣喘吁吁地說，"為什么……？為什么……"
The old lady was watching me with trembling eagerness, her face flushed and her eyes bright with expectation."Read it aloud, my dear,"she said."I want to hear every word of it. There was never anyone I could trust…Uitlanders were hated in my young days…I could not ask anyone."
老太太的身子由于渴望知道信的內(nèi)容而顫抖，她的眼睛炯炯有神地凝視著我，臉龐因急切的期待一片緋紅。"親愛的，大聲念吧！"她說，"信里的一字一句，我都要聽！當(dāng)時我找不到可靠的人給我念……我年輕時，'洋人'是被人深惡痛絕的……我找不到人給我念啊！"
