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第37章 A Rose for Miss Emily（第1页）

第37章ARoseforMissEmily

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I

WhenMissEmilyGriersondied，ourenttoherfuhroughasortofrespectfulaffeforafallehewomenmostlyoutofcuriositytoseetheinsideofherhouse，whiesaveanoldma-abinedgardenerandcook-hadseeenyears。

Itwasabig，squarishframehousethathadoe，decoratedwithdspiresandscrolledbaltheheavilylight-somestyleofthesevehadonostselectstreet。Butgaragesandshadencroadobliteratedeveneighborhood;onlyMissEmily'shousewasleft，liftingitsstubbornaishdecayabovethewagonsandthegasolinepumps-aneyeseyesores。AndnowMissEmilyhadgoojoiivesofthoseaugustheylayinthecedar-bemusedcemeteryamongtherankedandanonymousgravesofUnionaesoldierswhofellatthebattleofJefferson。

Alive，MissEmilyhadbeenatradition，aduty，aofhereditaryobligatioingfromthatdayin1894whendSartoris，themayor-hewhofatheredtheedioNegrowomanshouldappearohoutaedhertaxes，thedispensationdatingfromthedeathofherfatheroy。NotthatMissEmilytedcharity。elSartorisiedaotheeffectthatMissEmily'sfatherhadloahetown，whiatterofbusihisaying。OnlyamanofelSartoris'geionandthoughtcouldhavei，andonlyawomancouldhavebelievedit。

&heion，withitsmoremodernideas，becamemayorsahisarraedsomelittledissatisfathefirstoftheyeartheymailedherataxnotice。Februarydtherely。Theywroteheraformalletter，askiocallatthesheriff'sofficeatherce。Aweeklaterthemayorwroteherhimself，tocallortosendhiscarforher，andrereplyanoteonpaperofanarchaiathin，flohyiotheeffectthatsheoutatall。Thetaxnoticewasalsoeent。

TheycalledaspecialmeetingoftheBoardofAldermeiononher，khedhwhiovisitorhadpassedsincesheceasedgivingtinglessoeheywereadmittedbytheoldoadimhallfromwhichastairwaymouillmoreshadow。Itsmelledofdustanddisuse-aksmell。Thehemintotheparlor。Itwasfurnishediher-coveredfurhehebliheycouldseethattheleatherwasdwhedown，afaintdustrosesluggishlyabhs，spinningwithslowmotesinthesinglesun-ray。ilteaselbeforethefireplacestoodaportraitofMissEmily'sfather。

Theyrosewheered-asmall，fatwomaninblack，withathingolddesgtoherwaistandvanishi，leaningonaneboarnishedgoldhead。Herskeletonare;perhapsthatouldhavebeenmerelyplumpnessinanotherwasobesityinher。Shelookedbloated，likeabodyledier，andofthatpallidhue。Hereyes，lostiyridgesofherface，lookedliketiecesofcoalpressedintoalumpofdoughastheymovedfromoherwhilethevisitorsstatedtheirerrand。

&askthemtosit。Shejuststoodinthedooralyuntilthespokesmaumblinghalt。Thentheycouldheartheiigattheendofthegold。

Hervoicewasdryandcold。"IhavenotaxesinJeffersoorisexplaiome。Perhapsoneofyouaccesstothecityredsatisfyyourselves。"

"Butwehave。WearetheissEmily。Didn'tyougetahesheriff，signedbyhim?"

"Ireceivedapaper，yes，"MissEmilysaid。"Perhapshesidershimselfthesheriff。。。IhavenotaxesinJefferson。"

"Butthereisnothioshowthat，yousee。Wemustgobythe-"

"SeeelSartoris。IhavenotaxesinJefferson。'

"But，MissEmily-"

"SeeelSartoris。"（elSartorishadbeetenyears。）"Ihavenotaxesiobe!"TheNegroappeared，"Showthesege。"

II

Soshevahem，horseandfoot，justasshehadvaheirfathersthirtyyearsbeforeaboutthesmell。Thatwastwoyearsafterherfather'sdeathandashorttimeafterhersweetheart-theonewebelievedwouldmarryher-haddesertedher。Afterherfather'sdeathshewele;afterhersweetheartlehardlysawheratall。Afewoftheladieshadthetemeritytocall，butwerenotredtheonlysigheplacewastheNegroman-ayoungmanthen-goinginandoutwithamarketbasket。

"Justasifaman-anymaproperly，"theladiessaid;sotheywerenotsurprisedwhenthesmelldeveloped。Itwasanotherlihegross，teemingworldandthehighandmightys。

Aneighbor，alaihemayeSteveyyearsold。

"Butwhatwillyouhavemedoaboutit，madam?"hesaid。

"Why，seostopit，"thewomansaid，"Isn'ttherealaw?"

"I'msurethatos;tbenecessary，"JudgeStevenssaid，"It'sprobablyjustasthatniggerofherskilledintheyard。I'llspeaktohimaboutit。"

&dayhereplaints，onefromamanwhodiffideion。"Wereallymustdosomethingaboutit，Judge。I'dbethelastoobotherMissEmily，butos;vegottodosomething。"ThatnighttheBoardofAldermehreegraybeardsandoneyoungermaherisiion。

"It'ssimpleenough，"hesaid。"Seohaveherplaedup。Giveheratimetodoitin，andifshedon't。。。"

"Dammit，sir，"JudgeStevenssaid，"Willyouaccusealadytoherfaellingbad?"

Sothe，aftermidnight，fourmenissEmily'slawnandslunkaboutthehouselikeburglars，sniffingalongthebaseofthebridatthecellaropenihemperfularsowingmotionwithhishandoutofasagfromhisshoulder。Theybrokeopenthecellardoorandsprihere，andibuildings。Astheyrecrossedthelathathadbeendarkwaslightedaibehindher，atorsomotiohatofaquietlyacrossthelawnandintotheshadowofthelocuststhatli。Afteraweekortwothesmell>

Thateoplehadbeguntofeelreallysorryforher。Peopleinourtown，rememberinghowoldladyWyatt，hergreat-aunt，hadgoelycrazyatlast，believedthattheGriexsohemselvesalittletoohighforwhattheyreallywere。heyouegoodenoughforMissEmilyandsuch。Wehadlongthoughtofthemasatableau;MissEmilyaslenderfigureihebad，herfatheraspraddledsilhouetteinthefround，hisbacktoherandgahorsewhip，thetwoofthemframedbythebagfrontdoors。Sowheobethirtyandwasstillsipleasedexactly，butvihinsanityinthefamilysheos;thaveturneddownallofhercesiftheyhadreallymaterialized。

&herdied，itgotaboutthatthehousewasallthatwaslefttoher;andinalewereglad。AtlasttheycouldpityMissEmily。Beialone，andapauper，shehadbeanized。oowouldkhrillandtheolddespairofapennymoreorless。

&erhisdeathalltheladiespreparedtocallatthehouseandofferdaid，asisourilymetthematthedoor，dressedasusualandwithnriefooldthemthatherfatherwasnotdead。Shedidthatforthreedays，withtheministersher，atopersuadehertoletthemdisposeofthebody。Justastheywereabouttoresorttolawandforce，shebrokedown。andtheyburiedherfatherquickly。

&sayshewas。Webelievedshehadtodothat。Werememberedalltheyouherhaddrivenathatwith，shewouldhavetogtothatwhichhadrobbedher，aspeoplewill。

III