The Blanket 半床毛毯
The Blanket 半床毛毯
◎ Floyd Dell
Petey hadn’t really believed that Dad would be doing it—sending Granddad away. “Away” was what they were calling it. Not until now could he believe it of his father.
彼得不相信爸爸真的会这么做——把爷爷送走。“送走”是他们的说法。现在他相信了爸爸的话。
But here was the blanket that Dad had bought for Granddad, and in the morning he’d be going away. This was the last evening they’d be having together. Dad was off seeing that girl he was to marry. He would not be back till late, so Petey and Granddad could sit up and talk.
但是这个毛毯是爸爸前日就买好了送给爷爷的，第二天早晨爷爷就会离开。今晚是他和爷爷在一起的最后一个晚上了。爸爸走了，和那个就要与他结婚的女人一起走的，他不到深夜是不会回来的。于是彼得可以和爷爷坐起来说话。
It was a fine September night, with a silver moon riding high. They washed up the supper dishes and then took their chairs out onto the porch. “I’ll get my fiddle,” said the old man, “and play you some of the old tunes.”
那是个晴朗的九月夜晚，银色的月光洒落在溪谷上。他们吃完晚饭后，爷孙俩一块洗碗碟，然后爷孙把椅子搬到屋外的走廊上，坐在月光下。“我去拿口琴来，”爷爷说，“给你吹几支老曲子。”
But instead of the fiddle he brought out the blanket. It was a big double blanket, red with black stripes.
一会儿，爷爷从屋里出来了，拿来的不是口琴，而是那床毛毯。那是条大大的双人毛毯。红色与黑色条纹相间。
“Now, isn’t that a fine blanket!” said the old man, smoothing it over his knees. “And isn’t your father a kind man to be giving the old fellow a blanket like that to go away with? It cost something, it did—look at the wool of it! There’ll be few blankets there the equal of this one!”
“这是一条多好的毛毯啊！”老人轻抚着膝头的毛毯说，“你爸真孝顺，给我这老家伙带这么床高级毛毯走。你看这毛，一定很贵的。以后冬天晚上不会冷了。那里不会有这么好的毛毯的！”
It was like Granddad to be saying that. He was trying to make it easier. He had pretended all along that he wanted to go away to the great brick building—the government place. There he’d be with so many other old fellows, having the best of everything... But Petey hadn’t believed Dad would really do it, not until this night when he brought home the blanket.
爷爷总是这么说。为了避免难堪，他一直假装着很想去政府办的养老院的样子，去那个地方与其他许多老家伙一起共度晚年，拥有最好的一切……可彼得当时并没想到爸爸真会这么做，直到这个夜晚看到爸爸带回这床毛毯。
“Oh, yes, it’s a fine blanket.” said Petey. He got up and went into the house. He wasn’t the kind to cry and, besides, he was too old for that. He’d just gone in to fetch Granddad’s fiddle.
“哦，是的，是床好毛毯。”彼得附和着走进小屋。他不是个好哭的孩子，况且，他早已过了好哭鼻子的年龄了。他是进屋给爷爷拿口琴的。
The blanket slid to the floor as the old man took the fiddle and stood up. He tuned up for a minute, and then said, “This is one you’ll like to remember.”
爷爷凑合着站起来接过口琴时，毛毯滑落到了地板上。他调整了好一会，然后说：“你会记住这支曲子的。”
Petey sat and looked out over the gully. Dad would marry that girl. Yes, that girl who had kissed Petey and fussed over him, saying she’d try to be a good mother to him, and all...
彼得坐在那里，怔怔地望着远方。爸爸就要娶那个姑娘了。是的，那个姑娘亲过他了，还发誓要对他好，说她会努力做个好妈妈的……
The tune stopped suddenly. Granddad said, “It’s a fine girl your father’s going to marry. He’ll be feeling young again with a pretty wife like that. And what would an old fellow like me be doing around their house, getting in the way? An old nuisance, what with my talks of aches and pains. It’s best that I go away, like I’m doing. One more tune or two, and then we’ll be going to sleep. I’ll pack up my blanket in the morning.”
曲子突然停了下来。爷爷说：“你爸要娶的这个姑娘不错。有个这么漂亮的妻子，他会感觉又变年轻了。我这个老头儿又何必待在这儿碍事呢？我一会儿这病一会儿那疼，讨人嫌呢。还是走为好啊，这样才像我做的事。再吹一两支曲子吧，然后我们就上床睡觉。睡到明天早晨，我就带上我的毛毯走人。”
They didn’t hear the two people coming down the path. Dad had one arm around the girl, whose bright face was like a doll’s. But they heard her when she laughed, right close by the porch. Dad didn’t say anything, but the girl came forward and spoke to Granddad prettily: “I won’t be here when you leave in the morning, so I came over to say good-bye.”
他们没有听到爸爸和那个美人正沿着乡间小道走来的声音。父亲一只手臂搂着那个姑娘，她就像个瓷娃娃一样。直到走近门廊，爷孙俩才听到她的笑声，琴声戛然而止。爸爸什么也没说，那个女孩走到爷爷面前，恭敬地对爷爷说：“明天早晨不能来送您了，我现在来跟您告别的。”
“It’s kind of you.” said Granddad, with his eyes cast down. Then, seeing the blanket at his feet, he stooped to pick it up. “And will you look at this,” he said. “The fine blanket my son has given me to go away with.”
“谢谢了。”爷爷说。然后，低头看到脚边的毛毯，爷爷弯下腰把它拾起来。“你看，”爷爷局促地说，“这是儿子送我的离别礼物。多好的毛毯！”
“Yes,” she said. “It’s a fine blanket.” She felt the wool and repeated in surprise, “A fine blanket—I’ll say it is!” She turned to Dad and said to him coldly, “That blanket really cost something.”
“是不错。”她摸了一下毛毯，感觉着这上好的呢绒而惊叹了一番，“好高级呀——我就说它呢！”她转向爸爸，冷冷地说，“一定花了不少钱吧。”
Dad cleared his throat and said, “I wanted him to have the best...”
爸爸清了清嗓子，说道：“我想给他一床最好的毛毯……”
“It’s double, too.” she said, as if accusing Dad.
“还是双人的呢。”她说道，像是在指责爸爸。
“Yes,” said Granddad, “it’s double—a fine blanket for an old fellow to be going away with.”
“是啊，”爷爷说，“是床双人毛毯——一床一个老家伙即将带走的毛毯。”
The boy went suddenly into the house. He was looking for something. He could hear that girl scolding Dad. She realized how much of Dad’s money—her money, really—had gone for the blanket. Dad became angry in his slow way. And now she was suddenly going away in a huff...
彼得突然转身跑进了房间。他在找什么东西。他可以听到那女孩还在责备爸爸。她意识到爸爸花了多少钱——实际上是她的钱——花在这个毛毯上。爸爸似乎有点动怒了。现在，她怒气冲冲地掉头就走……
As Petey came out, she turned and called back, “All the same, he doesn’t need a double blanket!” And she ran off up the path.
彼得出来的时候，她正回头冲爸爸喊道：“甭解释，他根本用不着双人毛毯。”然后她又跑上了小径。
Dad was looking after her as if he wasn’t sure what he ought to do.
爸爸看着她，仿佛不确定自己应该做些什么。
“Oh, she’s right,” Petey said. “Here, Dad,”—and he held out a pair of scissors. “Cut the blanket in two.”
“哦，她说得对，”彼得说，“这儿，爸爸，给”——他伸出手，递给爸爸一把剪刀，“把毛毯剪成两块。”
“That’s not a bad idea,” said Granddad gently. “I don’t need so much of a blanket.”
“这倒是个好主意，”爷爷温和地说，“我用不着这么大的毛毯。”
“Yes,” the boy said harshly, “a single blanket’s enough for an old man when he’s sent away. We’ll save the other half, Dad. It’ll come in handy later.”
“是的，”男孩说，“把老人家送走时，给床单人毛毯就不错了。我们还能留下一半，以后迟早总有用处的，爸爸。”
“Now what do you mean by that?” asked Dad.
“你这是什么意思？”爸爸问道。
“I mean,” said the boy slowly, “that I’ll give it to you, Dad—when you’re old and I’m sending you—away.”
“我的意思是，”彼得一字一句地说道，“那我就等你老了，送你走时，给你这一半，也要把你送走。”
There was a silence. Then Dad went over to Granddad and stood before him, not speaking. But Granddad understood. He put out a hand and laid it on Dad’s shoulder. And he heard Granddad whisper, “It’s all right, son. I knew you didn’t mean it ... ” And then Petey cried.
一片沉寂的声音。好半天，爸爸走到爷爷面前，呆呆地，没有一句话。但爷爷理解。他伸出一只手来，把它放在爸爸的肩膀上。爸爸听到爷爷喃喃地说：“没关系，孩子。我知道你不是这么想的……”然后，彼得哭了。
But it didn’t matter—because they were all crying together.
但这没什么……因为他们都哭了，哭成了一团。
