TheLoons

MargarelLaurence

1、JustbelowManawaka,wheretheWachakwaRiverranbrownandnoisy

overthepebbles,thescruboakandgrey-greenwillowandchokecherrybushes

grewinadensethicket、Inaclearingatthecentreofthethicketstoodthe

Tonnerrefamily'sshack>Thebasisatthisdwellingwasasmallsquarecabin

madeofpoplarpolesandchinkedwithmud,whichhadbeenbuiltbyJules

Tonnerresomefiftyyearsbefore,whenhecamebackfromBatochewitha

bulletinhisthigh,theyearthatRielwashungandthevoicesoftheMetis

enteredtheirlongsilence、Juleshadonlyintendedtostaythewinterinthe

WachakwaValley,butthefamilywasstillthereinthethirties,whenIwasa

child、AstheTonnerreshadincreased,theirsettlementhadbeenaddedto,

untiltheclearingatthefootofthetownhillwasachaosoflean-tos,wooden

packingcases,warpedlumber,discardedcartypes,ramshacklechickencoops,

tangledstrandsofbarbedwireandrustytincans>

2、TheTonnerreswereFrenchhalfbreeds,andamongthemselvesthey

spokeapatoisthatwasneitherCreenorFrench>TheirEnglishwasbrokenand

fullofobscenities>TheydidnotbelongamongtheCreeoftheGalloping

Mountainreservation,furthernorth,andtheydidnotbelongamongthe

Scots-IrishandUkrainiansofManawaka,either>Theywere,asmy

GrandmotherMacLeodwouldhaveputit,neitherflesh,fowl,norgoodsalt

herring、Whentheirmenwerenotworkingatoddjobsorassectionhandson

theC、P、R、theylivedonrelief>Inthesummers,oneoftheTonnerre

youngsters,withafacethatseemedtotallyunfamiliarwithlaughter,would

knockatthedoorsofthetown'sbrickhousesandofferforsalealard-pailfull

ofbruisedwildstrawberries,andifhegotasmuchasaquarterhewouldgrab

thecoinandrunbeforethecustomerhadtimetochangehermind、Sometimes

oldJules,orhissonLazarus,wouldgetmixedupinaSaturday-nightbrawl,and

wouldhitoutatwhoeverwasnearestorhowldrunkenlyamongtheoffended

shoppersonMainStreet,andthentheMountiewouldputthemforthenightin

thebarredcellunderneaththeCourtHouse,andthenextmorningtheywould

bequietagain>

3、PiquetteTonnerre,thedaughterofLazarus,wasinmyclassatschool>

ShewasolderthanI,butshehadfailedseveralgrades,perhapsbecauseher

attendancehadalwaysbeensporadicandherinterestinschoolwork

negligible、Partofthereasonshehadmissedalotofschoolwasthatshehad

hadtuberculosisofthebone,andhadoncespentmanymonthsinhospitaLI

knewthisbecausemyfatherwasthedoctorwhohadlookedafterher、Her

sicknesswasalmosttheonlythingIknewabouther,however>Otherwise,she

existedformeonlyasavaguelyembarrassingpresence,withherhoarsevoice

andherclumsylimpingwalkandhergrimycottondressesthatwerealways

milestoolong>Iwasneitherfriendlynorunfriendlytowardsher、Shedwelt

andmovedsomewherewithinmyscopeofvision,butIdidnotactuallynotice

herverymuchuntilthatpeculiarsummerwhenIwaseleven、

4、"Idon'tknowwhattodoaboutthatkid、”myfathersaidatdinnerone

evening、"PiquetteTonnerre,Imean>Thedamnbone*sflaredupagain、I've

hadherinhospitalforquiteawhilenow,andit'sundercontrolallright,butI

hatelikethedickenstosendherhomeagain>"

5、“Couldn'tyouexplaintohermotherthatshehastorestalot?"mymother

said>

6、"Themother'snotthere"myfatherreplied>"Shetookoffafewyears

back>Can'tsayIblamehe「、Piquettecooksforthem,andshesaysLazarus

wouldneverdoanythingforhimselfaslongasshe'sthere>Anyway,Idon't

thinkshe'dtakemuchcareofherself,onceshegotback、She'sonlythirteen,

afterall、Beth,Iwasthinking—WhatabouttakingheruptoDiamondLakewith

usthissummer?Acoupleofmonthsrestwouldgivethatboneamuchbetter

chance^"

7、Mymotherlookedstunned>

8、"ButEwen-whataboutRoddieandVanessa?"

、、

9"She'snotcontagiousz"myfathersaid"Anditwouldbepanyfor

Vanessa>"

10、"Ohdear,"mymothersaidindistress,"I'llbetanythingshehasnitsin

herhair、

11、"ForPete'ssake,"myfathersaidcrossly,"doyouthinkMatronwouldlet

herstayinthehospitalforallthistimelikethat?Don'tbesilly,Beth、"

12>GrandmotherMacLeod,herdelicatelyfeaturedfaceasrigidasacameo,

nowbroughthermauve-veinedhandstogetherasthoughshewereaboutto

beginprayer>

13、"Ewen,ifthathalfbreedyoungsteresalongtoDiamondLake,I'mnot

going,"sheannounced、"I'llgotoMorag'sforthesummer、"

14、Ihadtroubleinstiflingmyurgetolaugh,formymotherbrightened

visiblyandquicklytriedtohideit、IfitcametoachoicebetweenGrandmother

MacLeodandPiquette,Piquettewouldwinhandsdown,nitsornot>

15、"Itmightbequiteniceforyou,atthat,"shemused^"Youhaven'tseen

Moragforoverayear,andyoumightenjoybeinginthecityforawhile、Well,

Ewendear,youdowhatyouthinkbest>IfyouthinkitwoulddoPiquettesome

good,thenwe'IIbegladtohaveher,aslongasshebehavesherself、"

16、Soithappenedthatseveralweekslater,whenweallpiledintomy

father'soldNash,surroundedbysuitcasesandboxesofprovisionsandtoysfor

myten-month-oldbrother,PiquettewaswithusandGrandmotherMacLeod,

miraculously,wasnot、Myfatherwouldonlybestayingatthecottagefora

coupleofweeks,forhehadtogetbacktohispractice,buttherestofuswould

stayatDiamondLakeuntiltheendofAugust>

17、Ourcottagewasnotnamed,asmanywere,“DewDropInn*'or

nBide-a-Wee/'or"BonnieDoon"、Thesignontheroadwayboreinaustere

lettersonlyourname,MacLeod>Itwasnotalargecottage,butitwasonthe

lakefront>Youcouldlookoutthewindowsandsee,throughthefiligreeofthe

sprucetrees,thewaterglisteninggreenlyasthesuncaughtit>Allaroundthe

cottagewereferns,andsharp-branchedraspberrybushes,andmossthathad

grownoverfallentreetrunks,Ifyoulookedcarefullyamongtheweedsand

grass,youcouldfindwildstrawberryplantswhichwereinwhiteflowernowand

inanothermonthwouldbearfruit,thefragrantglobeshanginglike

miniaturescarletlanternsonthethinhairystems、Thetwogreysquirrelswere

stillthere,gossipingatusfromthetallsprucebesidethecottage,andbythe

endofthesummertheywouldagainbetameenoughtotakepiecesofcrust

frommyhands>Thebroadmooseantlersthathungabovethebackdoorwere

alittlemorebleachedandfissuredafterthewinter,butotherwiseeverything

wasthesame、Iracedjoyfullyaroundmykingdom,greetingalltheplacesIhad

notseenforayear、Mybrother,Roderick,whohadnotbeenbornwhenwe

wereherelastsummer,satonthecarruginthesunshineandexamineda

brownspruceconezmeticulouslyturningitroundandroundinhissmalland

curioushands、Mymotherandfathertotedtheluggagefromcartocottage,

exclaimingoverhowwelltheplacehadwintered,nobrokenwindows,thank

goodness,noapparentdamagefromstormfelledbranchesorsnow>

18、OnlyafterIhadfinishedlookingarounddidInoticePiquette>Shewas

sittingontheswingherlamelegheldstifflyout,andherotherfootscuffingthe

groundassheswungslowlybackandforth>Herlonghairhungblackand

straightaroundhershoulders,andherbroadcoarse-featuredfaceboreno

expression—itwasblank,asthoughshenolongerdweltwithinherownskull,

asthoughshehadgoneelsewhere>Iapproachedherveryhesitantly、

19、"Wanttoeandplay?"

20、Piquettelookedatmewithasuddenflashofscorn>

21、"Iain'takid/'shesaid、

22、Wounded,Istampedangrilyaway,swearingIwouldnotspeaktoherfor

therestofthesummer、Inthedaysthatfollowed,however,Piquettebeganto

interestme,andIbegantowanttointeresther>Myreasonsdidnotappear

bizarretome、Unlikelyasitmayseem,Ihadonlyjustrealisedthatthe

Tonnerrefamily,whomIhadalwaysheardCalledhalfbreeds,wereactually

Indians,orasnearasmadenodifferenceMyacquaintancewithIndianswas

notexpensive、IdidnotremembereverhavingseenarealIndian,andmynew

awarenessthatPiquettesprangfromthepeopleofBigBearandPoundmaker,of

Tecumseh,oftheIroquoiswhohadeatenFatherBrebeuf'sheart-allthisgave

heraninstantattractioninmyeyes>IwasdevotedreaderofPaulineJohnson

atthisage,andsometimeswouldoratealoudandinanexaltedvoice,West

Wind,blowfromyourprairienest,Blowfromthemountains,blowfromthe

west—andsoon、ItseemedtomethatPiquettemustbeinsomewaya

daughteroftheforest,akindofjuniorprophetessofthewilds,whomight

imparttome,ifItooktherightapproach,someofthesecretswhichshe

undoubtedlyknew—wherethewhippoorwillmadehernest,howthecoyote

rearedheryoung,orwhateveritwasthatitsaidinHiawatha、

23、IsetaboutgainingPiquette'strust、Shewasnotallowedtogo

swimming,withherbadleg,butImanagedtolureherdowntothebeach-or

rather,shecamebecausetherewasnothingelsetodo>Thewaterwasalways

icy,forthelakewasfedbysprings,butIswamlikeadog,thrashingmyarms

andlegsaroundatsuchspeedandwithsuchanoutputofenergythatInever

grewcold>Finally,whenIhadenough,IcameoutandsatbesidePiquetteon

thesand>Whenshesawmeapproaching,herhandssquashedflatthesand

castleshehadbeenbuilding,andshelookedatmesullenly,withoutspeaking、

24、"Doyoulikethisplace?"Iasked,afterawhile,intendingtoleadonfrom

thereintothequestionofforestlore、

25、Piquetteshrugged>“It'sokay、Goodasanywhere、"

26、"Iloveit,"1said、"Weehereeverysummer、"

27、"Sowhat?"Hervoicewasdistant,andIglancedatheruncertainly,

wonderingwhatIcouldhavesaidwrong、

28>"Doyouwanttoeforawalk?*1Iaskedher>"Wewouldn'tneedtogo

far、Ifyouwalkjustaroundthepointthere,youetoabaywheregreatbig

reedsgrowinthewater,andallkindsoffishhangaroundthere>Wantto?eon>

H

29、Sheshookherhead、

30、"YourdadsaidIain'tsupposedtodonomorewalkingthanIgotto、"

Itriedanotherline>

31、"Ibetyouknowalotaboutthewoodsandallthat,eh?"Ibegan

respectfully^

32、Piquettelookedatmefromherlargedarkunsmilingeyes>

33、"Idon'tknowwhatinhellyou'retalkin'about/'shereplied>"Younuts

orsomethin'?Ifyoumeanwheremyoldman,andme,andallthemlive,you

bettershutup,byJesus,youhear?"

34、Iwasstartledandmyfeelingswerehurt,butIhadakindofdogged

perseverance>Iignoredherrebuff、

35、"Youknowsomething,Piquette?There'sloonshere,onthislake、You

canseetheirnestsjustuptheshorethere,behindthoselogs、Atnight,youcan

hearthemevenfromthecottage,butit'sbettertolistenfromthebeach、My

dadsaysweshouldlistenandtrytorememberhowtheysound,becauseina

fewyearswhenmorecottagesarebuiltatDiamondLakeandmorepeopleein,

theloonswillgoaway、"

36、Piquettewaspickingupstonesandsnailshellsandthendroppingthem

again>

37、"Whogivesagoodgoddamn?"shesaid、

38、Itbecameincreasinglyobviousthat,asanIndian,Piquettewasadead

loss、ThateveningIwentoutbymyself,scramblingthroughthebushesthat

overhungthesteeppath,myfeetslippingonthefallenspruceneedlesthat

coveredtheground、WhenIreachedtheshore,Iwalkedalongthefirmdamp

sandtothesmallpierthatmyfatherhadbuilt,andsatdownthere>Iheard

someoneelsecrashingthroughtheundergrowthandthebracken,andfora

momentIthoughtPiquettehadchangedhermind,butitturnedouttobemy

father、Hesatbesidemeonthepierandwewaited,withoutspeaking、

38、Atnightthelakewaslikeblackglasswithastreakofamberwhichwas

thepathofthemoon、Allaround,thesprucetreesgrewtallandclose-set,

branchesblacklysharpagainstthesky,whichwaslightenedbyacoldflickering

ofstars>Thentheloonsbegantheircalling、Theyroselikephantombirdsfrom

thenestsontheshore,andflewoutontothedarkstillsurfaceofthewater>

40^Noonecaneverdescribethatululatingsound,thecryingoftheloons,

andnoonewhohashearditcaneverforgetit^Plaintive,andyetwithaquality

ofchillingmockery,thosevoicesbelongedtoaworldseparatedbyaeonfrom

ourneatworldofsummercottagesandthelightedlampsofhome>

41、"Theymusthavesoundedjustlikethat,"myfatherremarked,"before

anypersoneversetfoothere>”Thenhelaughed、"Youcouldsaythesame,of

course,aboutsparrowsorchipmunk,butsomehowitonlystrikesyouthatway

withtheloons>"

42、"Iknow,"Isaid、

43、Neitherofussuspectedthatthiswouldbethelasttimewewouldever

sitheretogetherontheshore,listeningWestayedforperhapshalfanhour,

andthenwewentbacktothecottage、Mymotherwasreadingbesidethe

fireplace、Piquettewaslookingattheburningbirchlog,andnotdoing

anything、

44、"Youshouldhaveealong,"Isaid,althoughinfactIwasgladshehad

not、

45^"Notme”，Piquettesaid>"Youwouldn'catchmewalkin'waydownthere

jus*forabunchofsquawkin'birds>"

46、PiquetteandIremainedillateasewithoneanother、feltIhadsomehow

failedmyfather,butIdidnotknowwhatwasthematter,norwhysheWouldnot

orcouldnotrespondwhenIsuggestedexploringthewoodsorPlayinghouse、

Ithoughtitwasprobablyherslowanddifficultwalkingthatheldherback、She

stayedmostofthetimeinthecottagewithmymother,helpingherwiththe

dishesorwithRoddie,buthardlyevertalking、ThentheDuncansarrivedat

theircottage,andIspentmydayswithMavis,whowasmybestfriend、Icould

notreachPiquetteatallzandIsoonlostinterestintrying>Butallthatsummer

sheremainedasbothareproachandamysterytome、

47、Thatwintermyfatherdiedofpneumonia,afterlessthanaweek's

illness、ForsometimeIsawnothingaroundme,beingpletelyimmersedinmy

ownpainandmymother's、WhenIlookedoutwardoncemore,Iscarcely

noticedthatPiquetteTonnerrewasnolongeratschooKIdonotremember

seeingheratalluntilfouryearslater,oneSaturdaynightwhenMavisandI

werehavingCokesintheRegalCafe>Thejukeboxwasboomingliketuneful

thunder,andbesideit,leaninglightlyonitschromeanditsrainbowglass,was

agirl、

48、Piquettemusthavebeenseventeenthen,althoughshelookedabout

twenty、Istaredather,astoundedthatanyonecouldhavechangedsomuch>

Herface,sostolidandexpressionlessbefore,wasanimatednowwithagaiety

thatwasalmostviolent>Shelaughedandtalkedveryloudlywiththeboys

aroundher>Herlipstickwasbrightcarmine,andherhairwascutShortand

frizzilypermed、Shehadnotbeenprettyasachild,andshewasnotpretty

now,forherfeatureswerestillheavyandblunt^Butherdarkandslightly

slantedeyeswerebeautiful,andherskin-tightskirtandorangesweater

displayedtoenviableadvantageasoftandslenderbody>

49、Shesawmezandwalkedover>Sheteeteredalittle,butitwasnotdue

toheronce-tubercularlegzforherlimpwasalmostgone>

50、"Hi,Vanessa,"Hervoicestillhadthesamehoarseness、"Longtimeno

see,eh?"

51、"Hi/*Isaid"Where*veyoubeenkeepingyourself,Piquette?"

52、"Oh,Ibeenaround,"shesaid、nIbeenawayalmosttwoyearsnow>

Beenallovertheplace-Winnipeg,Regina,Saskatoon>Jesus,whatIcouldtell

you!Iebackthissummer,butIain'tstayin'、Youkidsgointothedance?"

53、"No,"Isaidabruptly,forthiswasasorepointwithme>Iwasfifteen,

andthoughtIwasoldenoughtogototheSaturday-nightdancesatthe

Flamingo、Mymother,however,thoughtotherwise、

54、"Y'oughtae,"Piquettesaid、"Inevermissone>It'sjustabouttheon'y

thinginthisjerkwater

55、townthat'sanyfun、Boy,youcouldn'catchmestayin'here、Idon*give

ashitaboutthisplace、Itstinks、

56、Shesatdownbesideme,andIcaughttheharshover-sweetnessofher

perfume、

57^"Listen,youwannaknowsomething,Vanessa?"sheconfided,hervoice

onlyslightlyblurred>"YourdadwastheonlypersoninManawakathatever

doneanythinggoodtome、"

58、Inoddedspeechlessly、Iwascertainshewasspeakingthetruth>I

knewalittlemorethanIhadthatsummeratDiamondLake,butIcouldnot

reachhernowanymorethanIhadthen,Iwasashamed,ashamedofmyown

timidity,thefrightenedtendencytolooktheotherway、YetIfeltnoreal

warmthtowardsher-IonlyfeltthatIoughtto,becauseofthatdistantsummer

andbecausemyfatherhadhopedshewouldbepanyforme,orperhapsthatI

wouldbeforher,butithadnothappenedthatway、Atthismoment,meeting

heragain,Ihadtoadmitthatsherepelledandembarrassedme,andIcouldnot

helpdespisingtheself-pityinhervoice、Iwishedshewouldgoaway、Ididnot

wanttoseeherdidnotknowwhattosaytoher>Itseemedthatwehadnothing

tosaytooneanother、

59、"I'lltellyousomethingelse/*Piquettewenton、"Alltheoldbitchesan,

biddiesinthistownwillsurebesurprised、I'mgettin*marriedthisfall-myboy

friend,he*sanEnglishfella,worksinthestockyardsinthecitythere,averytall

guy,gotblondwavyhair^Gee,isheeverhandsome、GotthisrealHiroshima

name>AlvinGeraldCummings-somehandle,eh?TheycallhimAl、

60、Forthemerestinstant,thenIsawher>Ireallydidseeher,forthefirst

andonlytimeinalltheyearswehadbothlivedinthesametown、Herdefiant

face,momentarily,becameunguardedandunmasked,andinhereyesthere

wasaterrifyinghope、

61、“Gee,Piquette—"Iburstoutawkwardly,"thafsswelLThat'sreally

wonderfuLCongratulations-goodluck-Ihopeyou'llbehappy-"

62、AsImouthedtheconventionalphrases,Icouldonlyguesshowgreather

needmusthavebeen,thatshehadbeenforcedtoseektheverythingssheso

bitterlyrejected>

63、WhenIwaseighteen,IleftManawakaandwentawaytocollege^Atthe

endofmyfirstyear,Icamebackhomeforthesummer、Ispentthefirstfew

daysintalkingnon-stopwithmymother,asweexchangedallthenewsthat

somehowhadnotfounditswayintoletters-whathadhappenedinmylifeand

whathadhappenedhereinManawakawhileIwasaway、Mymothersearched

hermemoryforeventsthatconcernedpeopleIknew^

64、"DidIeverwriteyouaboutPiquetteTonnerre,Vanessa?"sheaskedone

morning>

65、"No,Idon'tthinkso,"Ireplied、"LastIheardofher,shewasgoingto

marrysomeguyinthecity>Isshestillthere?"

66^MymotherlookedHiroshima,anditwasamomentbeforeshespoke,

asthoughshedidnotknowhowtoexpresswhatshehadtotellandwishedshe

didnotneedtotry、

67、"She*sdead/'shesaidatlast>Then,asIstaredather,"Oh,Vanessa,

whenithappened,Icouldn*thelpthinkingofherasshewasthatsummer-so

sullenandgaucheandbadlydressedIcouldn'thelpwonderingifwecould

havedonesomethingmoreatthattime-butwhatcouldwedo?Sheusedtobe

aroundinthecottagetherewithmeallday,andhonestlyitwasallIcoulddoto

getawordoutofhe「、Shedidn'teventalktoyourfatherverymuch,although

Ithinkshelikedhiminherway、"

68、“Whathappened?"Iasked>

69、"Eitherherhusbandlefther,orshelefthim/'mymothersaid>*'Idon't

knowwhich、Anyway,shecamebackherewithtwoyoungsters,bothonly

babies--theymusthavebeenbornveryclosetogether、Shekepthouse,I

guess,forLazarusandherbrothers,downinthevalleythere,intheold

Tonnerreplace、Iusedtoseeheronthestreetsometimes,butsheneverspoke

tome、She'dputonanawfullotofweight,andshelookedamess,totellyou

thetruth,arealslattern,dressedanyoldhow、Shewasupincourtacouple

oftimes—drunkanddisorderly,ofcourse>OneSaturdaynightlastwinter,

duringthecoldestweather,Piquettewasaloneintheshackwiththechildren^

TheTonnerresmadehomebrewallthetime,soI'veheard,andLazarussaid

latershe'dbeendrinkingmostofthedaywhenheandtheboyswentoutthat

evening、Theyhadanoldwoodstovethere—youknowthekind,withexposed

pipes、Theshackcaughtfire、Piquettedidn'tgetout,andneitherdidthe

children、"

70^Ididnotsayanything、AssooftenwithPiquette,theredidnotseem

tobeanythingtosay、Therewasakindofsilencearoundtheimageinmymind

ofthefireandthesnow,andIwishedIcouldputfrommymemorythelookthat

IhadseenonceinPiquette'seyes、

71、IwentuptoDiamondLakeforafewdaysthatsummer,withMavisand

herfamily>TheMacLeodcottagehadbeensoldaftermyfather'sdeath,andI

didnotevengotolookatit,notwantingtowitnessmylong-agokingdom

possessednowbystrangers、ButoneeveningIwentclowntotheshoreby

myself、

72、Thesmallpierwhichmyfatherhadbuiltwasgone,andinitsplacethere

wasalargeandsolidpierbuiltbythegovernment,forGallopingMountainwas

nowanationalpark,andDiamondLakehadbeenre-namedLake,foritwasfelt

thatanIndiannamewouldhaveagreaterappealtotourists、Theonestorehad

beeseveraldozen,andthesettlementhadalltheattributesofaflourishing

resort-hotels,adance-hall,cafeswithneonsigns,thepenetratingodoursof

potatochipsandhotdogs>

73^Isatonthegovernmentpierandlookedoutacrossthewater>Atnight

thelakeatleastwasthesameasithadalwaysbeen,darklyshiningandbearing

withinitsblackglassthestreakofamberthatwasthepathofthemoon、There

wasnowindthatevening,andeverythingwasquietallaroundme、Itseemed

tooquiet,andthenIrealizedthattheloonswerenolongerhere>Ilistenedfor

sometime,tomakesure,butneveroncedidIhearthatlong-drawncall,half

mockingandhalfplaintive,spearingthroughthestillnessacrossthelake、

74、Ididnotknowwhathadhappenedtothebirds、Perhapstheyhadgone

awaytosomefarplaceofbelonging、Perhapstheyhadbeenunabletofindsuch

aplace,andhadsimplydiedout,havingceasedtocareanylongerwhetherthey

livedornot>

75、IrememberedhowPiquettehadscornedtoealong,whenmyfatherand

Isatthereandlistenedtothelakebirds>Itseemedtomenowthatinsome

unconsciousandtotallyunrecognizedway,Piquettemighthavebeentheonly

one,afterall,whohadheardthecryingoftheloons>

第十二課潛水鳥

瑪格麗特勞倫斯

馬納瓦卡山下有一條小河，叫瓦恰科瓦河,渾濁得河水沿著布滿鵝卵石得河床嘩嘩地

流淌著，河邊谷地上長著無數得矮橡樹、灰綠色柳樹與野櫻桃樹，形成一片茂密得叢林。坦納

瑞家得棚屋就座落在叢林中央得一片空地上。這住所得主體結構就是一間四方形木屋，系用

一根根白楊木涂以灰泥建成，建造者就是儒勒?坦納瑞。大約五十年前，也就就是里爾被絞殺、

法印混血族遭到徹底失敗得那一年，儒勒?坦納瑞大腿上帶著一顆槍彈從巴托什戰場回到這

里后便建造了那間小木屋。儒勒當初只打算在瓦恰科瓦河谷里度過當年得那個冬天，但直到

三十年代，她們家仍住在那兒，當時我還就是個孩子。坦納瑞家人丁興旺，她們得木屋慢慢地

擴建，越來越大,到后來，那片林中空地上小披屋林立,到處亂七八糟地堆放著木板包裝箱、曬

翹了得木材、廢棄得汽車輪胎、搖搖欲墜得雞籠子、一卷一卷得帶刺得鐵絲與銹跡斑斑得洋

鐵罐。

坦納瑞一家就是法裔混血兒，她們彼此之間講話用得就是一種土話，既不像克里印第安

語,也不像法語。她們說得英語字不成句，還盡就是些低級下流得粗話。她們既不屬于北方跑

馬山保留地上居住得克里族，也不屬于馬納瓦卡山上居住得蘇格蘭愛爾蘭人與烏克蘭人群

體。用我祖母愛用得詞來說，她們簡直就就是所謂得“四不像”。她們得生計全靠家里得壯

丁外出打零工或就是在加拿大太平洋鐵路上當養路工來維持;沒有這種打工機會時，她們一

家便靠吃救濟糧過日子。到了夏天,坦納瑞家得一個長著一張從來不會笑得臉得小孩就會用

一個豬油桶提一桶碰得傷痕累累得野草莓，挨家挨戶地敲開鎮上那些磚砌房屋得門叫賣。只

要賣得一枚二角五分得硬幣，她就會迫不及待地將那硬幣抓到手中，然后立即轉身跑開，生怕

顧客會有時間反悔。有時候，在星期六晚上,老儒勒或就是她得兒子拉扎魯會酗酒鬧事，不就

是發瘋似地見人就打，就就是擠到大街上購物逛街得行人之中狂呼亂叫，讓人惱怒，于就是騎

警隊就會將她們抓去，關進法院樓下得鐵牢里，到第二天早上,她們便會恢復常態。

拉扎魯得女兒皮格特?坦納瑞在學校讀書時與我同班。她年紀比我大幾歲，但由于成績

不好留了幾級，這也許怪她經常曠課而且學習勁頭不大。她掉課次數多得部分原因就是她患

有骨節炎,有一次一連住了好幾個月得醫院。我之所以知道這一情況就是因為我父親正好就

是為她治過病得醫生。不過，我對她得了解幾乎只限于她得病情。除此之外，我就只知道她就

是一個讓人一見就覺得不舒服得人:說話時聲音沙啞，走起路來踉踉蹌蹌，身上穿著得棉布衣

裙總就是臟兮兮得，而且總就是長大得極不合體。我對她得態度談不上友好,也談不上不友

好。她得住處與活動范圍都在我得眼前，但直到我十一歲那年得夏季到來之前,我還從來沒有

太多地注意到她得存在。

“我真不知道該怎樣去幫助那孩子,”我父親有一天吃晚飯得時候說，“我指得就是皮

格特?坦納瑞。她得骨結核又惡化了，我在醫院里給她治療好長一段時間了，病情自然就是控

制住了，但我真她媽不愿打發她回到她那個家里去?！?/p>

“您難道就不會對她媽媽說說她應該好好保養嗎？"我母親問道。

“她媽媽不在了，"我父親回答說?！皫啄昵八碗x家出走了。也不能怪她。皮格特為

她們燒火做飯，她說只要她在家拉扎魯便什么也不干。不管怎么說，只要她一回到家里，我瞧

她就很難保養好自己得身體了。畢竟她才十三歲呀。貝絲,我在想一一咱們全家去鉆石湖避

暑時把她也一道帶去，您瞧怎么樣?好好休養兩個月會使她得骨病治愈得希望大大增加。"我

母親滿臉驚訝得神色?！翱删褪前囊灰涣_迪與凡乃莎怎么辦呢？”

“她得病并不就是傳染性得,”我父親說。