21.1 我無拄著阮老爸

Tē 21 Chiong

21.1 Góa bô tú-tio̍h goán lāu-pē

"Lí chóng-sǹg tńg-lâi ah," i ná kóng, ná lám tio̍h góa ê ām-kún. "Lí ná ē bīn-sek hiah pe̍h?"

Góa kā kap lāu-pē ê tāi-chì kóng hō͘ thiaⁿ.

"Thiⁿ ah! Góa tio̍h-sī kiaⁿ án-ne," i kóng. "Joseph lâi pò kóng lín lāu-pē lâi, góa tio̍h kiaⁿ-kah khū-khū-chùn, ná-chhiūⁿ ū siáⁿ pháiⁿ tāi-chì. Khó-liân ê pêng-iú, sī góa hāi lí chia̍h chit-chióng khó͘. Lí nā lī-khui góa, mài ūi-tio̍h góa kap lín lāu-pē oan-ke, hoān-sè tō ē bô tāi-chì. I chai, lí su-iàu ū chi̍t ê chêng-hū, i èng-tong kám-siā lí chhōe tio̍h góa, in-ūi góa ài lí, góa mā bô iau-kiû lí chò bē-kàu ê sū-hāng. Lí sī-m̄-sī ū kā i kóng, lán í-keng an-pâi hó lán ê chiong-lâi ah?"

"Kóng kòe ah; tō sī he, hō͘ i hiah-nī siūⁿ-khì, in-ūi i khòaⁿ tio̍h lán ê ài hiah-nī chhim."

"Án-ne, lán boeh án-chóaⁿ?"

"Lán ài mo͘h chò-hóe, góa ê koai Marguerite, tán hong-hō͘ kòe."

"Ē kòe bô?"

"Tiāⁿ-tio̍h ē."

"M̄-koh lín lāu-pē bē án-ne tō soah."

"Lí siūⁿ-kóng i ē án-chóaⁿ?"

"Góa ná ē chai? Lāu-pē kiò kiáⁿ sūn-chiông ê jīm-hô chhiú-tōaⁿ. I ē thê-khí góa kòe-khì ê tāi-chì, hoān-sè koh thè góa ke-iû ke-chhò͘, án-ne hō͘ lí siūⁿ boeh lī-khui góa."

"Lí chai, góa sī chin-chiàⁿ ài lí."

"Sī, m̄-koh góa mā chai, chá-bān lí ē thiaⁿ lín lāu-pē ê ōe, lí hoān-sè ē siong-sìn i kóng-ê."

"Bē, Marguerite. Sī góa, góa boeh hō͘ i siong-sìn góa. I sī thiaⁿ in pêng-iú ê êng-á-oē chiah siūⁿ-khì; m̄-koh i pún-té sī siān-liông ê lâng, chin chiàⁿ-ti̍t, i ē kái-piàn i ê siūⁿ-hoat; hoán-chèng, che kap góa ná ū siáⁿ koan-hē?"

"M̄-thang án-ne kóng, Armand. Góa jīn-ûi, siáⁿ lóng bô iàu-kín, tō sī lí m̄-thang kap chhù-nih ê lâng oan-ke; kin-á-ji̍t kàu chia, bîn-á-chài lí tńg-khì Paris. Kàu-sî lín lāu-pē khó-lêng mā ū hó-hó khó-lī kòe, hoān-sè lín nn̄g-lâng tō ē-tàng hō͘-siong liōng-kái. M̄-thang ûi-pòe i ê ì-chì, ài hō͘ i siong-sìn lí ū thè chi̍t-pō͘, chiàu i ê ì-sù; mài piáu-hiān-kah lí tùi góa ū gōa koan-sim, i tō bē koh chìn chi̍t-pō͘ iau-kiû lah. Ài lo̍k-koan, góa ê pêng-iú, ū chi̍t-hāng tāi-chì lí ài ū sìn-sim: m̄-koán án-chóaⁿ, Marguerite éng-oán sī lí ê."

"Lí boeh li̍p-sè?"

"Góa tio̍h li̍p-sè sioh?"

Thiaⁿ lí só͘ thiàⁿ ê lâng khó͘-khǹg sī gōa-nī tiⁿ-bi̍t ê tāi-chì! Marguerite hām góa kui-kang lóng teh thó-lūn chiong-lâi ê kè-ōe, bē-su goán í-keng chai-iáⁿ tio̍h án-chóaⁿ kín-kín khì si̍t-hiān. Goán sî-sî khióng-kiaⁿ ē ū siáⁿ-mih tāi-chì hoat-seng, ka-chài chi̍t-kang chin kín tō kòe-khì, mā bô siáⁿ tāi-chì.

Tē-jī kang, góa tī cha̍p-tiám chhut-hoat, tī cha̍p-jī tiám kàu-ūi lí-koán. Goán lāu-pē chhut-khì ah.

Góa tńg goán-tau, siūⁿ-kóng i hoān-sè ē lâi chia. Bô lâng lâi kòe. Góa khì goán lāu-pē ê lu̍t-su hia, mā bô lâng tī hia. Góa koh tńg lí-koán, tī hia tán kàu la̍k tiám, goán lāu-pē lóng bô tńg-lâi, góa chí-hó koh tńg-lâi Bougival.

Marguerite bô teh tán góa, bô chhiūⁿ cha-hng án-ne chē tī thang-á piⁿ tán, i sī chē tī hóe-lô͘ piⁿ, in-ūi thiⁿ-khì í-keng kôaⁿ loh. I m̄-chai sī teh siūⁿ siáⁿ, liân góa kiâⁿ kàu i sin-piⁿ i mā bô kám-kak. Tán góa chim i ê hia̍h-thâu ê sî, i chiah ná khì hō͘ hit ê chim kiò-chhéⁿ kāng-khoán.

"Lí heh tio̍h góa," i kóng. "Lín lāu-pē án-chóaⁿ kóng?"

"Góa bô tú tio̍h i. Góa m̄-chai che siáⁿ ì-sù. I bô tī lí-koán nih, mā bô khì góa siūⁿ-kóng ē tú tio̍h i ê só͘-chāi."

"Hm̀, bîn-á-chài koh chhì-khòaⁿ-māi."

"Góa siūⁿ, góa boeh tán i kiò lâng lâi chhōe góa. Góa eng-kai chò ê, góa lóng í-keng chò ah."

"M̄-hó, góa ê pêng-iú, án-ne bô-kàu; lí tio̍h koh khì chhōe lín lāu-pē, bîn-á-chài tio̍h khì."

"Sī án-chóaⁿ bîn-á-chài, pa̍t-ji̍t kám bē-sái?"

"In-ūi," Marguerite thiaⁿ tio̍h góa mn̄g, bīn-sek hoán âng, tō kóng, "in-ūi án-ne piáu-sī lí pí i khah iōng-sim, án-ne i tio̍h ē khah kín pàng lán kòe."

--

第 21 章

21.1 我無拄著阮老爸

"你總算轉來 ah," 伊 ná 講, ná 攬著我 ê 頷頸. "你那會面色 hiah 白?"

我 kā kap 老爸 ê 代誌講予聽.

"天 ah! 我著是驚 án-ne," 伊講. "Joseph 來報講恁老爸來, 我著驚甲 khū-khū 顫, 若像有啥歹代誌. 可憐 ê 朋友, 是我害你食這種苦. 你 nā 離開我, 莫為著我 kap 恁老爸冤家, 凡勢 tō 會無代誌. 伊知, 你需要有一个情婦, 伊應當感謝你揣著我, 因為我愛你, 我 mā 無要求你做袂到 ê 事項. 你是毋是有 kā 伊講, 咱已經安排好咱 ê 將來 ah?"

"講過 ah; tō 是彼, 予伊 hiah-nī 受氣, 因為伊看著咱 ê 愛 hiah-nī 深."

"Án-ne, 咱欲按怎?"

"咱愛 mo͘h 做伙, 我 ê 乖 Marguerite, 等風雨過."

"會過無?"

"定著會."

"毋過恁老爸袂 án-ne tō 煞."

"你想講伊會按怎?"

"我那會知? 老爸叫囝順從 ê 任何手段. 伊會提起我過去 ê 代誌, 凡勢 koh 替我加油加醋, án-ne 予你想欲離開我."

"你知, 我是真正愛你."

"是, 毋過我 mā 知, 早慢你會聽恁老爸 ê 話, 你凡勢會相信伊講 ê."

"袂, Marguerite. 是我, 我欲予伊相信我. 伊是聽 in 朋友 ê 閒仔話才受氣; M̄-koh 伊本底是善良 ê 人, 真正直, 伊會改變伊 ê 想法; 反正, 這 kap 我那有啥關係?"

"毋通 án-ne 講, Armand. 我認為, 啥攏無要緊, tō 是你毋通 kap 厝 nih ê 人冤家; 今仔日到遮, 明仔載你轉去 Paris. 到時恁老爸可能 mā 有好好考慮過, 凡勢恁兩人 tō 會當互相諒解. 毋通違背伊 ê 意志, 愛予伊相信你有退一步, 照伊 ê 意思; 莫表現甲你對我有偌關心, 伊 tō 袂 koh 進一步要求 lah. 愛樂觀, 我 ê 朋友, 有一項代誌你愛有信心: 毋管按怎, Marguerite 永遠是你 ê."

"你欲立誓?"

"我著立誓 sioh?"

聽你所疼 ê 人苦勸是偌 nī 甜蜜 ê 代誌! Marguerite 和我規工攏 teh 討論將來 ê 計畫, 袂輸阮已經知影著按怎緊緊去實現. 阮時時恐驚會有啥物代誌發生, 佳哉一工真緊 tō 過去, mā 無啥代誌.

第二工, 我 tī 十點出發, tī 十二點到位旅館. 阮老爸出去 ah.

我轉阮兜, 想講伊凡勢會來遮. 無人來過. 我去阮老爸 ê 律師遐, mā 無人 tī 遐. 我 koh 轉旅館, tī 遐等到六點, 阮老爸攏無轉來, 我只好 koh 轉來 Bougival.

Marguerite 無 teh 等我, 無像昨昏 án-ne 坐 tī 窗仔邊等, 伊是坐 tī 火爐邊, 因為天氣已經寒 loh. 伊毋知是 teh 想啥, 連我行到伊身邊伊 mā 無感覺. 等我唚伊 ê 額頭 ê 時, 伊才 ná 去予彼个唚叫醒仝款.

"你嚇著我," 伊講. "恁老爸按怎講?"

"我無拄著伊. 我毋知這啥意思. 伊無 tī 旅館 nih, mā 無去我想講會拄著伊 ê 所在."

"Hm̀, 明仔載 koh 試看覓."

"我想, 我欲等伊叫人來揣我. 我應該做 ê, 我攏已經做 ah."

"毋好, 我 ê 朋友, án-ne 無夠; 你著 koh 去揣恁老爸, 明仔載著去."

"是按怎明仔載, 別日敢袂使?"

"因為," Marguerite 聽著我問, 面色反紅, tō 講, "因為 án-ne 表示你比伊較用心, án-ne 伊著會較緊放咱過."

--

Chapter 21 

21.1

"At last you have come," she said, throwing her arms round my neck. "But how pale you are!" 

I told her of the scene with my father. 

"My God! I was afraid of it," she said. "When Joseph came to tell you of your father's arrival I trembled as if he had brought news of some misfortune. My poor friend, I am the cause of all your distress. You will be better off, perhaps, if you leave me and do not quarrel with your father on my account. He knows that you are sure to have a mistress, and he ought to be thankful that it is I, since I love you and do not want more of you than your position allows. Did you tell him how we had arranged our future?" 

"Yes; that is what annoyed him the most, for he saw how much we really love one another." 

"What are we to do, then?"

"Hold together, my good Marguerite, and let the storm pass over."

"Will it pass?" 

"It will have to."

"But your father will not stop there." 

"What do you suppose he can do?" 

"How do I know? Everything that a father can do to make his son obey him. He will remind you of my past life, and will perhaps do me the honour of inventing some new story, so that you may give me up." 

"You know that I love you." 

"Yes, but what I know, too, is that, sooner or later, you will have to obey your father, and perhaps you will end by believing him." 

"No, Marguerite. It is I who will make him believe me. Some of his friends have been telling him tales which have made him angry; but he is good and just, he will change his first impression; and then, after all, what does it matter to me?" 

"Do not say that, Armand. I would rather anything should happen than that you should quarrel with your family; wait till after to-day, and to-morrow go back to Paris. Your father, too, will have thought it over on his side, and perhaps you will both come to a better understanding. Do not go against his principles, pretend to make some concessions to what he wants; seem not to care so very much about me, and he will let things remain as they are. Hope, my friend, and be sure of one thing, that whatever happens, Marguerite will always be yours." 

"You swear it?"

"Do I need to swear it?" 

How sweet it is to let oneself be persuaded by the voice that one loves! Marguerite and I spent the whole day in talking over our projects for the future, as if we felt the need of realizing them as quickly as possible. At every moment we awaited some event, but the day passed without bringing us any new tidings. 

Next day I left at ten o'clock, and reached the hotel about twelve. My father had gone out. 

I went to my own rooms, hoping that he had perhaps gone there. No one had called. I went to the solicitor's. No one was there. I went back to the hotel, and waited till six. M. Duval did not return, and I went back to Bougival. 

I found Marguerite not waiting for me, as she had been the day before, but sitting by the fire, which the weather still made necessary. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that I came close to her chair without her hearing me. When I put my lips to her forehead she started as if the kiss had suddenly awakened her. 

"You frightened me," she said. "And your father?" 

"I have not seen him. I do not know what it means. He was not at his hotel, nor anywhere where there was a chance of my finding him." 

"Well, you must try again to-morrow." 

"I am very much inclined to wait till he sends for me. I think I have done all that can be expected of me." 

"No, my friend, it is not enough; you must call on your father again, and you must call to-morrow." 

"Why to-morrow rather than any other day?" 

"Because," said Marguerite, and it seemed to me that she blushed slightly at this question, "because it will show that you are the more keen about it, and he will forgive us the sooner." 

--