4.2 請你 kā 冊讓予我

4.2 Chiáⁿ lí kā chheh niū hō͘ góa

Duval Ss ê pi-siong lēng lâng tông-chêng, hō͘ góa chin-sim goān-ì pang-bâng i. Chū án-ne i kă kóng:

"Lí tī Marguerite ê phah-bē hōe kám ū bé siáⁿ?"

"Ū, sī chi̍t pún chheh."

"Manon Lescaut?"

"Tio̍h."

"Chheh iáu tī lí chia bô?"

"Tī góa ê pâng-keng."

Thiaⁿ tio̍h che, Armand Duval ká-ná pàng-tiāu chi̍t lia̍p sim-lāi ê chio̍h-thâu, bē-su góa pó-liû chit pún chheh í-keng sī tōa pang-bâng ah."

Góa khiā khí-lâi, kiâⁿ ji̍p pâng-keng khì the̍h hit pún chheh, kau hō͘ i.

"Chit pún bô m̄-tio̍h," i ná kóng ná khòaⁿ thâu-ia̍h siá ê jī, koh hian-lâi hian-khì; "chit pún bô m̄-tio̍h," nn̄g lia̍p ba̍k-sái tih lo̍h chheh-ia̍h. "Án-ne, sian-siⁿ," i gia̍h thâu kóng, bô-khah koh am-khàm i tú-chiah khàu-kòe, chit-chūn mā ká-ná kiông boeh koh khàu ah, "Lí sī-m̄-sī chin khòaⁿ tiōng chit pún chheh?"

"Sī án-chóaⁿ án-ne mn̄g?"

"In-ūi góa lâi, sī boeh chhiáⁿ lí kā chheh niū hō͘ góa."

"Goân-liōng góa ê hòⁿ-kî, sī-m̄-sī lí sàng chit pún chheh hō͘ Marguerite Gautier?"

"Sī góa, bô m̄-tio̍h!"

"Chit pún chheh sī lí ê ah, sian-siⁿ, lí the̍h khì. Góa chin hoaⁿ-hí kā i kau hêng lí."

"M̄-koh," Duval Ss pháiⁿ-sè pháiⁿ-sè, "siōng bô góa ài kā lí bé chheh ê chîⁿ hêng lí."

"Góa kā chheh sàng lí lah. Chit pún chheh ê chîⁿ tī kui-ê phah-bē nih bô sǹg siáⁿ, hô-hóng góa mā bē-kì-tit góa bé gōa-chē ah."

"Lí bé chi̍t-pah franc."

"Ká-ná sī," taⁿ ōaⁿ góa kám-kak pháiⁿ-sè, "lí ná ē chai?"

"Chin kán-tan. Góa pún-chiâⁿ siūⁿ boeh kóaⁿ kàu Paris chham-ka phah-bē hōe, m̄-koh kàu chá-khí chiah kàu. Góa koat-sim boeh tit-tio̍h bó͘-hāng i ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, góa tō kóaⁿ khì chhōe phah-bē ê lâng hia, chhiáⁿ i hôa khòaⁿ phah-bē-phín kap bé-chiá ê miâ-toaⁿ. Góa khòaⁿ tio̍h sī lí bé chit pún chheh, só͘-í koat-tēng boeh chhiáⁿ lí kā i niū hō͘ góa, m̄-koh lí chhut ê kè-siàu hō͘ góa khióng-kiaⁿ, hoān-sè lí kap chit pún chheh ū siáⁿ kì-liām ì-gī.

I án-ne kóng, chin bêng-hián i khióng-kiaⁿ góa kap Marguerite ê koan-hē tō ná-chhiūⁿ in kāng-khoán. Góa kóaⁿ-kín kiò i hòng-sim.

"Góa kan-ta bat khòaⁿ-kòe Gautier Sc [Sió-chiá]," góa kā kóng, "i ê sí tùi góa lâi kóng, tō sī siàu-liân-ke ài khòaⁿ ê súi cha-bó͘ sí khì ê hit-chióng ìn-siōng. Góa siūⁿ boeh bé chi̍t-hāng i ê phah-bē-phín, góa chhut-kè lú lâi lú koân, sī in-ūi kò͘-chip, thiau-kang kap bó͘-lâng tùi-ke̍h, hit-ê lâng mā chin siūⁿ boeh bé chit pún chheh, koh ná-chhiūⁿ thiau-kang boeh kap góa piàⁿ. Góa koh kóng chi̍t piàn, sian-siⁿ, chit pún chheh taⁿ sī lí ê ah, góa chhiáⁿ lí siu--khí-lâi; mài tòng-chò góa sī phah-bē-siong, lán tō iōng chit pún chheh lâi chò chi̍t-ê kau-pôe, lâi kiàn-li̍p chi̍t-ê khah kú, khah chhim ê iú-gî."

"Hó," Armand ná kóng, ná khan góa ê chhiú tēⁿ tiâu-tiâu: "góa chiap-siū, góa chi̍t sì-lâng lóng kì-tit chit-ê un-chêng."

Góa chin siūⁿ boeh mn̄g Armand iú-koan Marguerite ê tāi-chì, in-ūi chheh thâu-ia̍h siá--ê, chit-ê siàu-liân ê hiong-kông lí-hêng, i ài-boeh chit pún chheh ê chhim-chêng, chāi-chāi lóng sú góa hòⁿ-kî; m̄-koh góa m̄-káⁿ mn̄g, khíong-kiaⁿ i ē siūⁿ kóng, góa bô siu i ê chîⁿ, sī ūi-tio̍h boeh chhì-thàm i ê su-sū.

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4.2 請你 kā 冊讓予我

Duval Ss ê 悲傷令人同情, 予我真心願意幫忙伊. 自 án-ne 伊 kă 講:

"你 tī Marguerite ê 拍賣會敢有買啥?"

"有, 是一本冊."

"Manon Lescaut?"

"著."

"冊猶 tī 你遮無?"

"Tī 我 ê 房間."

聽著這, Armand Duval 敢若放掉一粒心內 ê 石頭, 袂輸我保留這本冊已經是大幫忙 ah."

我徛起來, 行入房間去提彼本冊, 交予伊.

"這本無毋著," 伊 ná 講 ná 看頭頁寫 ê 字, koh 掀來掀去; "這本無毋著," 兩粒目屎滴落冊頁. "Án-ne, 先生," 伊攑頭講, bô-khah koh 掩崁伊拄才哭過, 這陣 mā 敢若強欲 koh 哭 ah, "你是毋是真看重這本冊?"

"是按怎 án-ne 問?"

"因為我來, 是欲請你 kā 冊讓予我."

"原諒我 ê 好奇, 是毋是你送這本冊予 Marguerite Gautier?"

"是我, 無毋著!"

"這本冊是你 ê ah, 先生, 你提去. 我真歡喜 kā 伊交還你."

"毋過," Duval Ss 歹勢歹勢, "上無我愛 kā 你買冊 ê 錢還你."

"我 kā 冊送你 lah. 這本冊 ê 錢 tī 規个拍賣 nih 無算啥, 何況我 mā 袂記得我買偌濟 ah."

"你買一百 franc."

"敢若是," 今換我感覺歹勢, "你 ná 會知?"

"真簡單. 我本成想欲趕到 Paris 參加拍賣會, 毋過到早起才到. 我決心欲得著某項伊 ê 物件, 我 tō 趕去揣拍賣 ê 人遐, 請伊 hôa 看拍賣品 kap 買者 ê 名單. 我看著是你買這本冊, 所以決定欲請你 kā 伊讓予我, 毋過你出 ê 價數予我恐驚, 凡勢你 kap 這本冊有啥紀念意義. 

伊 án-ne 講, 真明顯伊恐驚我 kap Marguerite ê 關係 tō 若像 in 仝款. 我趕緊叫伊放心.

"我干焦 bat 看過 Gautier Sc [小姐]," 我 kā 講, "伊 ê 死對我來講, tō 是少年家愛看 ê 媠查某死去 ê 彼種印象. 我想欲買一項伊 ê 拍賣品, 我出價愈來愈懸, 是因為固執, 刁工 kap 某人對 ke̍h, 彼个人 mā 真想欲買這本冊, koh 若像刁工欲 kap 我拚. 我 koh 講一遍, 先生, 這本冊今是你 ê ah, 我請你收起來; 莫當做我是拍賣商, 咱 tō 用這本冊來做一个交陪, 來建立一个較久, 較深 ê 友誼."

"好," Armand ná 講, ná 牽我 ê 手捏牢牢: "我接受, 我一世人攏記得這个恩情."

我真想欲問 Armand 有關 Marguerite ê 代誌, 因為冊頭頁寫 ê, 這个少年 ê 兇狂旅行, 伊愛欲這本冊 ê 深情, 在在攏使我好奇; 毋過我毋敢問, 恐驚伊會想講, 我無收伊 ê 錢, 是為著欲試探伊 ê 私事.

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4.2

M. Duval's sorrow was sympathetic, arid in spite of myself I felt the desire of doing him a kindness. Thereupon he said to me: 

"You bought something at Marguerite's sale?" 

"Yes, a book."

"Manon Lescaut?"

"Precisely." 

"Have you the book still?" 

"It is in my bedroom." 

On hearing this, Armand Duval seemed to be relieved of a great weight, and thanked me as if I had already rendered him a service merely by keeping the book. 

I got up and went into my room to fetch the book, which I handed to him. 

"That is it indeed," he said, looking at the inscription on the first page and turning over the leaves; "that is it in deed," and two big tears fell on the pages. "Well, sir," said he, lifting his head, and no longer trying to hide from me that he had wept and was even then on the point of weeping, "do you value this book very greatly?" 

"Why?" 

"Because I have come to ask you to give it up to me."

"Pardon my curiosity, but was it you, then, who gave it to Marguerite Gautier?" 

"It was!" 

"The book is yours, sir; take it back. I am happy to be able to hand it over to you." 

"But," said M. Duval with some embarrassment, "the least I can do is to give you in return the price which you paid for it." 

"Allow me to offer it to you. The price of a single volume in a sale of that kind is a mere nothing, and I do not remember how much I gave for it." 

"You gave one hundred francs." 

"True," I said, embarrassed in my turn, "how do you know?" 

"It is quite simple. I hoped to reach Paris in time for the sale, and I only managed to get here this morning. I was absolutely resolved to have something which had belonged to her, and I hastened to the auctioneer and asked him to allow me to see the list of the things sold and of the buyers' names. I saw that this volume had been bought by you, and I decided to ask you to give it up to me, though the price you had set upon it made me fear that you might yourself have some souvenir in connection with the possession of the book." 

As he spoke, it was evident that he was afraid I had known Marguerite as he had known her. I hastened to reassure him. 

"I knew Mlle. Gautier only by sight," I said; "her death made on me the impression that the death of a pretty woman must always make on a young man who had liked seeing her. I wished to buy something at her sale, and I bid higher and higher for this book out of mere obstinacy and to annoy some one else, who was equally keen to obtain it, and who seemed to defy me to the contest. I repeat, then, that the book is yours, and once more I beg you to accept it; do not treat me as if I were an auctioneer, and let it be the pledge between us of a longer and more intimate acquaintance." 

"Good," said Armand, holding out his hand and pressing mine; "I accept, and I shall be grateful to you all my life." 

I was very anxious to question Armand on the subject of Marguerite, for the inscription in the book, the young man's hurried journey, his desire to possess the volume, piqued my curiosity; but I feared if I questioned my visitor that I might seem to have refused his money only in order to have the right to pry into his affairs. 

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