as。’ She knew that she had hurthim; and that he was angry; by the habit he had at such a moment of running his tongue quicklyand incessantly over his lower lip。 ‘But we’s a…going now; so you can sweep up the parlor and sitthere; if you want to; till the judgment day。’
And he left the kitchen。 She heard murmurs in the parlor; and then the slamming of thedoor。 She remembered; too late; that he had all his money with him。 When he came back; longafter nightfall; and she put him to bed and went through his pockets; she found nothing; or almostnothing; and she sank helplessly to the parlor floor and cried。
When he came back at times like this he would be petulant and penitent。 She would notcreep into bed until she thought that he was sleeping。 But he would not be sleeping。 He would turn as she stretched her legs beneath the blankets; and his arm would reach out; and his breath wouldbe hot and sour…sweet in her face。
‘Sugar…plum; what you want to be so evil with your baby for? Don’t you know you donemade me go out and get drunk; and I wasn’t a…fixing to do that? I wanted to take you outsomewhere to…night。’ And; while he spoke; his hand was on her breast; and his moving lipsbrushed her neck。 And this caused such a war in her as could scarcely be endured。 She felt thateverything in existence between them was part of a mighty plan for her humiliation。 She did notwant his touch; and yet she did: she burned with longing and froze with rage。 And she felt that heknew this and inwardly smile to see how easily; on this part of the battlefield; his victory could beassured。 But at the same time she felt that his tenderness; his passion; and his love were real。
‘Let me alone; Frank。 I want to go to sleep。’
‘No you don’t。 You don’t want to go to sleep so soon。 You want me to talk to you a little。
You know how your baby loves to talk。 Listen。’ And he brushed her neck lightly with his tongue。
‘You hear that?’
He waited。 She was silent。
‘Ain’t you got nothing more to say than that? I better tell you something else。’ And then hecovered her face with kisses; her face; neck; arms; and breasts。
‘You stink of whisky。 Let me alone。’
‘Ah。 I ain’t the only one got a tongue。 What you got to say to this? And his hand strokedthe inside of her thigh。
‘Stop。’
‘I ain’t going to stop。 This is sweet talk; baby。’
Ten years。 Their battle never ended; they never bought a home。 He died in France。 To…night sheremembered details of those years which she thought she had forgotten; and at last she felt thestony ground of her heart break up; and tears; as difficult and slow as blood; began to tricklethrough her fingers。 This the old woman above her somehow divined; and she cried: ‘Yes; honey。
You just let go; honey。 Let Him bring you low so He can raise you up。’ And was this the way sheshould have gone? Had she been wrong to fight so hard? Now she was an old woman; and allalone; and she was going to die。 And she had nothing for all her battles。 It had all e to this: shewas on her face before the altar; crying to God for mercy。 Behind her she heard Gabriel cry: ‘Blessyour name; Jesus!’ and; thinking of him and the high road of holiness he had traveled; her mindswung like a needle; and she thought of Deborah。
Deborah had written her; not many times; but in a rhythm that seemed to remark each crisisin her life with Gabriel; and once; during the time she and Frank were still together; she hadreceived from Deborah a letter that she had still: it was locked to…night in her handbag; which layon the altar。 She had always meant to show this letter to Gabriel one day; but she never had。 Shehad talked with Frank about it late one night while he lay in bed whistling some ragtag tune and she sat before the mirror and rubbed bleaching cream into her skin。 The letter lay open before herand she sighed loudly; to attract Frank’s attention。
He stopped whistling in the middle of a phrase; mentally; she finished it。 ‘What you gotthere; sugar?’ he asked; lazily。
‘It’s a letter from my brother’s wife。’ She stared at her face in the mirror; thinking angrilythat all these skin creams were a waste of money; they never did any good。
‘What’s them niggers doing down home? It ain’t no bad news; is it? Still he hummed;irrepressibly; deep in his throat。
‘No … well; it ain’t no good news neither; but it ain’t nothing to surprise me none。 She saysshe think my brother’s got a bastard living right there in the same town what he’s scared to call hisown。’
‘No? And I thought you said you brother was a preacher。’
‘Being a preacher ain’t never stopped a nigger from doing his dirt。’
Then he laughed。 ‘You sure don’t love your brother like you should。 How e his wifefound out about this kid?’
She picked up the letter and turned to face him。 ‘Sound to me like she been knowing aboutit but she ain’t never had the nerve to say nothing。’ She paused; then added; reluctantly: ‘Ofcourse; she ain’t really what you might call sure。 But she ain’t a woman to go around thinkingthings。 She mighty worried。’
‘Hell; what she worried about it now for? Can’t nothing be done about it now。
‘She wonder if she ought to ask him about it。’
‘And do she reckon if she ask him; he going to be fool enough to say yes?’
She sighed again; more genuinely this time; and turned back to the mirror。 ‘Well … he’s apreacher。 And if Deborah’s right; he ain’t got not right to be a preacher。 He ain’t no better’nnobody else。 In fact; he ain’t no better than a murderer。’
He had begun to whistle again; he stopped。 ‘Murderer? How so?’
‘Because he done let this child’s mother go off and die when the child was born。 That’show so。’ She paused。 ‘And it sounds just like Gabriel。 He ain’t never thought a minute aboutnobody in this world but himself。’
He said nothing; watching her implacable back。 Then: ‘You going to answer this letter?’
‘I reckon。’
‘And what you going to say?’
‘I’m going to tell her she ought to let him know she know about his wickedness。 Get up infront of the congregation and tell them too;
小说推荐
- 在细雨中呼喊
- (﹏(﹏╯在细雨中呼喊余华中文版自序就这样,我和一个家庭再次相遇,和他们的所见所闻再次相遇,也和他们的欢乐和痛苦再次相遇。我感到自己正在逐渐地加入到他们的生活之中,有时侯我幸运地听到了他们内心的声音,他们的叹息喊叫,他们的哭泣之声和他们的微笑。接下来,我就会获得应有的权利,去重新理解他们的命运的权利
- 最新章:第49章
- 高山上的泪痕
- =书名:高山上的泪痕作者:陈冠先【内容简介】吉玛淡月,出生在一妻多夫的少数民族旧制里,父子同妻,兄弟同妻,朋友同妻。上过小学的她,会日常汉语,算是族人女性有文化的人,却从未走出过大山,整日堆埋在永远做不完的家务活里。对外面的世界,一无所知。吉玛淡月,是位贮族姑娘,清雅秀丽,温柔娴淑的她,生长在青藏高
- 最新章:第42章
- 软呼呼的你
- 作品:软呼呼的你 作者:晨希 男主角:卫邵杰 女主角:张芊 内容简介 唉,这年头工作真是越来越不好找了 不过是应征管家,却来了成千上百个美女抢着要面试,搞得像选美大会 而以她身高一六二公分、体重六十公斤的条件,看来是没了指望 好在她祖上积德,靠着.一分的运气,再加上九十九.九分的傻气 奇迹的以压倒性
- 最新章:第26章
- 呼啸山庄
- 呼啸山庄人物表恩萧先生 呼啸山庄主人辛德雷·恩萧 其 子凯瑟琳·恩萧 其女,小名凯蒂希刺克厉夫 恩萧抚养的孤儿弗兰西斯 辛德雷之妻哈里顿·恩萧 辛德雷之子丁耐莉 女管家,又名艾伦约瑟夫 呼啸山庄的老仆人林惇先生 画眉田庄主人埃德加·林惇 其子,后娶凯瑟琳·恩萧伊莎贝拉·林惇 其女,后嫁希刺克厉夫凯瑟
- 最新章:第73章
- [呼啸]贵族山庄
- 《贵族山庄[呼啸》作者:客年 文案 林顿一直知道自己不是主角 但还是努力想要做个好人 结果直到最后,他才发现自己有多失败 那就回到开始吧,他想 这一次,爱情什么的,我都不要了 这是一个扑倒与反扑倒的故事 内容标签 西方名著 西方罗曼 骑士与剑 搜索关键字:主角:画眉山庄 配角 其它:第1章 交易 埃
- 最新章:第61章
- 山上的和尚山下的虎
- 文案从前有座山,山上有座庙,庙里有个老和尚和小和尚。有一天,小和尚下山去化斋,老和尚有交代“山下的女人是老虎,见到你要快躲开”小和尚:好的师父!寅十郎:呵呵,我是男人。小和尚:师父,我被公老虎拐走了!老和尚:万万没想到,辛辛苦苦养的猪居然被老虎拱了!外强内强一直硬气时而装乖的年上小虎妖攻X外弱内强一
- 最新章:第61章
- 符文之子第06部封印之地的呼唤(上)
- 作者:全民熙(韩 第六部 封印之地的呼唤 68、霍拉坎 雪还是继续不断地纷飞著。通往大礼堂的路上,留有许多人走过的足迹,整条路就像刚被捕获的貂的皮般闪闪发亮 达夫南以前居住在大陆时,只看过一次貂。当然啦,那是已经死掉的貂。如果要再说得清楚些,那其实只是某个拜访贞奈曼宅邸的高官夫人,她围著的银灰色貂皮
- 最新章:第28章
- 皇上,本宫喊你回家
- -皇上,本宫喊你回家 文 唐叶皇上“我想拉屎”卞小冉额头浮现三条黑线“皇上,文明一点,你可以说你要嗯哼”皇上“咱们做点爱做的事情吧”卞小冉再次囧“皇上,含蓄一点,你可以说你要嗯哼”卞小冉站在花园大声喊“皇上,本宫喊你回家嗯哼”皇上无辜的对着手指问卞小冉“是上床还是拉屎*推荐新书《老板,我被吃了》链接
- 最新章:第140章
- 高山下的花环
- 高山下的花环 记不清哪朝哪代哪位诗人,曾写过这样一句不朽的诗“位卑未敢忘忧国-作者题记 引子在哀牢山中某步兵团三营营部,在赵蒙生的办公室里,我和他相识了。寒暄之后坐下来,便是令人难捱的沉默。赵蒙生是这三营的指导员。他出生于革命家庭,其父是位战功赫赫的老将军,其母是位“三八”式的老军人。三年前在对越自
- 最新章:第24章