5. Taⁿ yi sī chi̍t-ê khiàng-kha cha-bó͘
Yi o̍h ē-hiáu chò chhù nih chho͘-tāng ê sit-thâu kap chàu-kha thó-ià ê khang-khòe. Yi sé óaⁿ-pôaⁿ, lù iû-sé-sé ê oe-á kap tiáⁿ-té, kā hún-âng ê chéng-kah mā lù kah ui khì. Yi sé chhn̂g-kin, sé saⁿ-khò͘, sé mô͘-kin, koh the̍h khì tiàu tī soh-á pha̍k-ta; ta̍k chá-khí yi the̍h pùn-sò kàu ke-lō͘ khì hiat, yi koh kōaⁿ chúi chiūⁿ lâu, múi peh chi̍t-chàn lâu, yi tio̍h hioh-khùn chhoán-khùi. Iáu-ū, yi chhēng pêng-bîn cha-bó͘ ê saⁿ, chhiú kōaⁿ nâ-á, káu kóe-chí-hâng, kàu kám-á-tiàm, kàu bah-tiam, tī hia kap lâng kóng-kè, jím-siū thí-chhiò, ūi-tio̍h boeh khiām chi̍t-sián gō͘-lî ê kan-khó͘ chîⁿ.
Ta̍k-kò-goe̍h in lóng tio̍h hêng chè, a̍h chioh sin chè thang thoa-iân sî-ji̍t.
Yin ang tī boeh-àm thè chi̍t-ê tiàm thâu-ke chò siàu, àm-sî óng-óng koh chò chhau-siá, chi̍t-ia̍h 5-ê tâng-chîⁿ.
Chit-chióng seng-oa̍h keng-kòe 10 nî.
Cha̍p-tang liáu, in hêng-chheng só͘-ū ê chè, só͘-ū ê it-chhè, liân kāu-lāi ê lī-sit, hām in-ūi lī-sit só͘ lúi-chek ê siàu.
Loisel Tt chit-chūn khòaⁿ khí-lâi chhàu-lāu. Yi í-keng sī chi̍t-ê sàn-chhiah ka-têng ê khiàng-kha cha-bó͘, chho͘-ióng koh nāi-chhau. Thâu-chang loa̍h bô chê, kûn chhēng bô-chiàⁿ, siang-chhiú âng-âng, kóng-ōe tōa-siaⁿ, sé tē-pán ê chúi kō͘ chhiâng ê.
M̄-koh ū sî-chūn, tī yin ang khì siōng-pan ê sî, yi ka-tī chē tī thang-á piⁿ, siūⁿ kú-kú í-chêng ê hit-ê àm-mê, hit-ê bú-hōe, hit-sî yi sī gōa-nī-á súi koh hiah-nī-á bê-lâng.
Yi nā bô phah-m̄-kìⁿ hit-tiâu phoa̍h-liān, tāi-chì ē án-chóaⁿ neh? Siáng ē chai? Siáng ē chai? Jîn-seng ū-kàu kî-koài, piàn-hòa bô-siông! Chi̍t-kiāⁿ sió-sió ê tāi-chì ē kiù lí ê miā, mā ē hāi-sí lâng.
Chi̍t-ê lé-pài-ji̍t, yi khì Champs Elysées kong-hn̂g sàn-pō͘, pâi-khián chi̍t-lé-pài ê sin-khó͘, hut-jiân yi chù-ì tio̍h chi̍t-ê chhōa gín-á teh sàn-pō͘ ê cha-bó͘. He sī Forester Tt, iáu-sī siàu-liân, iáu-sī súi, iáu-sī bê-lâng.
Loisel Tt kám-khài bān-hun. Tio̍h khì kap yi phah chio-ho͘ bô? Tio̍h, tiāⁿ-tio̍h ài. Kàu-taⁿ, yi í-keng kā chè lóng hêng liáu ah, yi ē-tàng kā yi kóng chhut it-chhè. Án-ne kám m̄-hó?
Yi kiâⁿ ǹg chêng.
"Gâu-chá, Jeanne."
Hit-ê cha-bó͘ soah bē jīn-tit yi. Chi̍t-ê pêng-bîn hū-lú hiah-nī chhin-bi̍t án-ne kā chio-ho͘, hō͘ yi chhoah chi̍t-tiô. Yi tiû-tû chi̍t-ē:
"M̄-koh... Hu-jîn... Góa m̄-chai... lí sī-m̄-sī jīn m̄-tio̍h lâng ah?"
"Bô lah. Góa sī Mathilde Loisel."
"Oh! ... Khó-liân ê Mathilde, lí ná ē piàn hiah chē."
"Lí ah, chū-chiông hit-nî, góa ji̍t-chí tō chin pháiⁿ kòe, siū chin chē khó͘, ... lóng sī in-ūi lí lah."
"In-ūi góa? ... Án-chóaⁿ kóng?"
"Lí it-tēng ē-kì-tit lí chioh góa hit-kōaⁿ phoa̍h-liān, hō͘ góa khì chham-ka Kàu-io̍k-pō͘ ê bú-hōe."
"Sī ah, iá án-chóaⁿ?"
"Hmh, góa kā phah m̄-kìⁿ."
"Ná ū khó-lêng án-ne? ... lí ū the̍h lâi hêng neh?"
"Góa hêng ê sī lēng-gōa chi̍t-kōaⁿ, kap lí ê oân-choân kāng-khoán. Chit 10-nî lâi, goán it-ti̍t teh hêng hit-ê kè-siàu. Lí ē lí-kái, tùi goán chit-chióng sàn-chhiah lâng, he chin bô kán-tan. M̄-koh, tāi-chì chóng-sǹg kiat-sok ah, taⁿ góa chiok hoaⁿ-hí."
Forester Tt siūⁿ chi̍t-ē, kóng:
"Lí sī kóng, lí bé chi̍t-tiâu soān-chio̍h phoa̍h-liān lâi pôe góa?"
"Sī ah. Lí mā bô chù-ì tio̍h, sī bô? Hit nn̄g-tiâu kāng-khoán kāng-khoán."
Yi chhiò-chhiò, kám-kak hong-sîn koh hoaⁿ-hí.
Forester Tt chhim-chhim kám-tōng, siang-chhiú khan yi, kóng:
"Oh, khó-liân ê Mathilder. M̄-koh góa hit-kōaⁿ sī ké ê. He kek-ke ta̍t 500 franc!"
[Soah]
- -
5. 今她是一个 khiàng 跤查某
她學會曉做厝 nih 粗重 ê 穡頭 kap 灶跤討厭 ê 工課. 她洗碗盤, lù 油洗洗 ê 鍋仔 kap 鼎底, kā 粉紅 ê 指甲 mā lù kah ui 去. 她洗床巾, 洗衫褲, 洗毛巾, koh 提去吊 tī 索仔曝焦; 逐早起她提糞埽到街路去㧒, 伊 koh 捾水上樓, 每 peh 一層樓, 她著歇睏喘氣. 猶有, 她穿平民查某 ê 衫, 手捾籃仔, 到果子行, 到 kám 仔店, 到肉砧, tī hia kap 人講價, 忍受恥笑, 為著欲儉一仙五厘 ê 艱苦錢.
逐個月 in lóng 著還債, a̍h 借新債通拖延時日.
Yin 翁 tī 欲暗替一个店頭家做數, 暗時往往 koh 做抄寫, 一頁 5 个銅錢.
這種生活經過 10 年.
十冬了, in 還清所有 ê 債, 所有 ê 一切, 連厚利 ê 利息, 和因為利息所累積 ê 數.
Loisel Tt 這陣看起來臭老. 她已經是一个散赤家庭 ê khiàng 跤查某, 粗勇 koh 耐操. 頭鬃捋無齊, 裙穿無正, 雙手紅紅, 講話大聲, 洗地板 ê 水 kō͘ 沖 ê.
M̄-koh 有時陣, tī yin 翁去上班 ê 時, 她 ka-tī 坐 tī 窗仔邊, 想久久以前 ê 彼个暗暝, 彼个舞會, 彼時 她是 gōa-nī-á 媠 koh hiah-nī-á 迷人.
她若無拍毋見彼條袚鍊, 代誌會按怎 neh? Siáng 會知? Siáng 會知? 人生有夠奇怪, 變化無常! 一件小小 ê 代誌會救你 ê 命, mā 會害死人.
一个禮拜日, 她去 Champs Elysées 公園散步, 排遣一禮拜 ê 辛苦, 忽然她注意著一个 chhōa 囡仔 teh 散步 ê 查某. 彼是 Forester Tt, 猶是少年, 猶是媠, 猶是迷人.
Loisel Tt 感慨萬分. 著去 kap 她拍招呼無? 著, 定著愛. 到今, 她已經 kā 債 lóng 還了 ah, 她會當 kā 她講出一切. Án-ne 敢毋好?
她行 ǹg 前.
"Gâu 早, Jeanne."
彼个查某煞袂認得她. 一个平民婦女 hiah-nī 親密 án-ne kā 招呼, 予她掣一趒. 她躊躇一下:
"M̄-koh... 夫人... 我毋知... 你是毋是認毋著人 ah?"
"無 lah. 我是 Mathilde Loisel."
"Oh! ... 可憐 ê Mathilde, 你那會變 hiah 濟."
"你 ah, 自從彼年, 我日子 tō 真歹過, 受真濟苦, ... lóng 是因為你 lah."
"因為我? ... 按怎講?"
"你一定會記得你借我彼捾袚鍊, 予我去參加教育部 ê 舞會."
"是 ah, iá 按怎?"
"Hmh, 我 kā 拍毋見."
"那有可能 án-ne? ... 你有提來還 neh?"
"我還 ê 是另外一捾, kap 你 ê 完全仝款. 這 10 年來, 阮一直 teh 還彼个價數. 你會理解, 對阮這種散赤人, 彼真無簡單. M̄-koh, 代誌總算結束 ah, 今我足歡喜."
Forester Tt 想一下, 講:
"你是講, 你買一條璇石袚鍊來賠我?"
"是 ah. 你 mā 無注意著, 是無? 彼兩條仝款仝款."
她笑笑, 感覺風神 koh 歡喜.
Forester Tt 深深感動, 雙手牽她, 講:
"Oh, 可憐 ê Mathilder. M̄-koh 我彼捾是假 ê. He 極加值 500 franc!"
[煞]
- -
5.
She learned the rough work of the household, the odious labors of the kitchen. She washed the dishes, wearing out her pink nails on the greasy pots and the bottoms of the pans. She washed the dirty linen, the shirts and the towels, which she dried on a rope; she carried down the garbage to the street every morning, and she carried up the water, pausing for breath on every floor. And, dressed like a woman of the people, she went to the fruiterer, the grocer, the butcher, a basket on her arm, bargaining, insulted, fighting for her wretched money, sou by sou.
Every month they had to pay notes, to renew others to gain time.
The husband worked in the evening keeping up the books of a shopkeeper, and at night often he did copying at five sous the page.
And this life lasted ten years.
At the end of ten years they had paid everything back, everything, with the rates of usury and all the accumulation of heaped-up interest.
Mme. Loisel seemed aged now. She had become the robust woman, hard and rough, of a poor household. Badly combed, with her skirts awry and her hands red, her voice was loud, and she washed the floor with splashing water.
But sometimes, when her husband was at the office, she sat down by the window and she thought of that evening long ago, of that ball, where she had been so beautiful and so admired.
What would have happened if she had not lost that necklace? Who knows? Who knows? How singular life is, how changeable! What a little thing it takes to save you or to lose you.
Then, one Sunday, as she was taking a turn in the Champs Elysées, as a recreation after the labors of the week, she perceived suddenly a woman walking with a child. It was Mme. Forester, still young, still beautiful, still seductive.
Mme. Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid up, she would tell her all. Why not?
She drew near.
“Good morning, Jeanne.”
The other did not recognize her, astonished to be hailed thus familiarly by this woman of the people. She hesitated—
“But—madam—I don’t know—are you not making a mistake?”
“No. I am Mathilde Loisel.”
Her friend gave a cry—
“Oh!—My poor Mathilde, how you are changed.”
“Yes, I have had hard days since I saw you, and many troubles,—and that because of you.”
“Of me?—How so?”
“You remember that diamond necklace that you lent me to go to the ball at the Ministry?”
“Yes. And then?”
“Well, I lost it.”
“How can that be?—since you brought it back to me?”
“I brought you back another just like it. And now for ten years we have been paying for it. You will understand that it was not easy for us, who had nothing. At last, it is done, and I am mighty glad.”
Mme. Forester had guessed.
“You say that you bought a diamond necklace to replace mine?”
“Yes. You did not notice it, even, did you? They were exactly alike?”
And she smiled with proud and naïve joy.
Mme. Forester, much moved, took her by both hands:—
“Oh, my poor Mathilde. But mine were false. At most they were worth five hundred francs!”
- -
No comments:
Post a Comment