29 “I know，”he said and paused，looking very wise with his head cocked on one side，“that you’re a good woman。Friends have told me。”
30 Mrs。Hopewell never liked to be taken for a fool。“What are you selling？”she asked。
31 “Bibles，”the young man said and his eye raced around the room before he added，“I see you have no family Bible in your parlor，I see that is the one lack you got！”
32 Mrs。Hopewell could not say，“My daughter is an atheist and won’t let me keep the Bible in the parlor。”She said，stiffening slightly，“I keep my Bibleby my bedside。”This was not the truth。It was in the attic somewhere。
33 “Lady，”he said，“the word of God ought to be in the parlor。”
34 “Well，I think that’s a matter of taste，”she began，“I think……”
35 “Lady，”he said，“for a Chrustian，the word of God ought to be in every room in the house besides in his heart。I know you’re a Chrustian because I cansee it in every line of your face。”
36 She stood up and said，“Well，young man，I don’t want to buy a Bible and I smell my dinner burning。”
37 He didn’t get up。He began to twist his hands and lookingdown at them，hesaid softly，“Well lady，I’ll tell you the truth—not many people want to buy one nowadays and besides，I know I’m real simple。I don’t know how to say athing but to say it。I’m just a country boy。”He glanced up into her unfriendly face。“People like you don’t like to fool with country people like me！”
38 “Why！”she cried，“good country people are the salt of the earth！Besides，we all have different ways of doing，it takes all kinds to make the world go’round。That’s life！”
39 “You said a mouthful，”he said。
40 “Why，I think there aren’t enough good country people in the world！”she said，stirred。“I think that’s what’s wrong with it！”
41 His face had brightened。“I didn’t intraduce myself，”he said。“I’mManley Pointer from out in the country around Willohobie，not even from a place，just from near a place。”
atheist：n。无神论者
stiffen：v。使僵硬
attic：n。顶楼，屋顶室
twist：vt。拧，搓
the salt of the earth：人类中最优秀者。语出《圣经马太福音》第五章第13节。
You said a mouthful：你说得很对。美俚语。
stir：v。使激动
intraduce：应是introduce42“You wait a minute，”she said。“I have to see about my dinner。”She went out to the kitchen and found Joy standing near the door where she had been listening。
43 “Get rid of the salt of the earth，”she said，“and let’s eat。”
44 Mrs。Hopewell gave her a pained look and turned the heat down under the vegetables。“I can’t be rude to anybody，”she murmured and went back into the parlor。
45 He had opened the suitcase and was sitting with a Bible on each knee。
46 “You might as well put those up，”she told him。“I don’t want one。”
47 “I appreciate your honesty，”he said。“You don’t see any more real honest people unless you go way out in the country。”
48 “I know，”she said，“real genuine folks！”Through the crack in the door she heard a groan。
49 “I guess a lot of boys come telling you they’re working their way throughcollege，”he said，“but I’m not going to tell you that。Somehow，”he said，“I don’t want to go to college。I want to devote my life to Chrustian service。See，”he said，lowering his voice，“I got this heart condition。I may not live long。When you know it’s something wrong with you and you may not live long，well then，lady……”He paused，with his mouth open，and stared at her。
50 He and Joy had the same condition！She knew that her eyes were filling withtears but she collected herself quickly and murmured，“Won’t you stay for dinner？We’d love to have you！”and was sorry the instant she heard herself say it。
51 “Yes mam，”he said in an abashed voice。“I would sher love to do that！”
52 Joy had given him one look on being introduced to him and then throughout the meal had not glanced at him again。He had addressed several remarks to her，which she had pretended not to hear。Mrs。Hopewell could not understand deliberate rudeness，although she lived with it，and she felt shehad always to overflow with hospitality to make up for Joy’s lack of courtesy。She urged him to talk about himself and he did。He said he was the seventh child of twelve and that hisfather had been crushed under a tree when he himself was eight years old。He hadbeen crushed very badly，in fact，almost cut in two and was practically not recognizable。His mother had got along the best she could by hard working and she had always seen that her children went to Sunday School and that they read the Bible every evening。He was now nineteen years old and he had been selling Bibles for four months。In that time he had sold seventy-seven Bibles and had the promise of two more sales。He wanted to become a missionary because he thought that was the way you could do most for people。“He who losest his life shall find it，”he said simply and he was so sincere，so genuine and earnest that Mrs。Hopewell would not for the world have smiled。He prevented his peas from sliding onto the table by blocking them with a piece of bread which he later cleaned his plate with。She could see Joy observing sidewise how he handled his knife and fork and she saw too that every few minutes，the boy would dart a keenappraising glance at the girl as if he were trying to attract her attention。
genuine：adj。真的，真正的
crack：n。缝隙
groan：n。叹息
they’re working their way through college：他们自己挣钱念大学。work one’s way through（college，school，the university，etc。）自己挣钱读书。
abashed：adj。不好意思的
deliberate：adj。故意的
live with：容忍，忍受
hospitality：n。好客，殷勤
make up for：弥补
courtesy：n。礼貌，谦恭
Sunday School：主日学校，星期天给孩子们上圣经课的学校
missionary：n。传教士
sidewise：adv。斜着
dart：v。投掷
appraise：v。审查53After dinner Joy cleared the dishes off the table and disappeared and Mrs。Hopewell was left to talk with him。He told her again about his childhood and his father’s accident and about various things that had happened to him。Every five minutes or so she would stifle a yawn。He satfor two hours until finally shetold him she must go because she had an appointment in town。He packed his Bibles and thanked her and prepared to leave，but in the doorway he stopped and wrung her hand and said that not on any of his trips had he met a lady as nice as her and he asked if he could come again。She had said she would always be happy tosee him。
54 Joy had been standing in the road，apparently looking at something in the distance，when he came down the steps toward her，bent to the side with his heavyvalise。He stopped where she was standing and confronted her directly。Mrs。Hopewell could not hear what he said but she trembled to think what Joy would say to him。She could see that after a minute Joy said something and that then the boy began to speak again，making an excited gesture with his free hand。After a minute Joy said something else at which the boy began to speak once more。Then to her amazement，Mrs。Hopewell saw the two of them walk off together，toward the gate。Joy had walked all the way to the gate with him and Mrs。Hopewell could notimagine what they had said to each other，and she had not yet dared to ask。
55 Mrs。Freeman was insisting upon her attention。She had moved from the refrigerator to the heater so that Mrs。Hopewell had to turn and face her in order toseem to be listening。“Glynese gone out with Harvey Hill again last night，”she said。“She had this sty。”
56 “Hill，”Mrs。Hopewell said absently，“is that the one who works in the garage？”
57 “Nome，he’s the one that goes to chiropractor school，”Mrs。Freeman said。“She had this sty。Been had it two days。So she says when he brought her in the other night he says，‘Lemme get rid of that sty for you，’and she says，‘How？’and he says，‘You just lay yourself down acrost the seat of that car and I’ll show you。’So she done it and he popped her neck。Kept on a-popping it several times until she made him quit。This morning，”Mrs。Freeman said，“she ain’t got no sty。She ain’t got no traces of a sty。”
58 “I never heard of that before，”Mrs。Hopewell said。
59 “He ast her to marry him before the Ordinary，”Mrs。Freeman went on，“and she told him she wasn’t going to be married in no office。”
60 “Well，Glynese is a fine girl，”Mrs。Hopewell said。“Glynese and Carramae are both fine girls。”
61 “Carramae said when her and Lyman was married Lyman said it sure felt sacred to him。She said he said he wouldn’t take five hundred dollars for being married by a preacher。”
62 “How much would he take？”the girl asked from the stove。
63 “He said he wouldn’t take five hundred dollars，”Mrs。Freeman repeated。
64 “Well we all have work to do，”Mrs。Hopewell said。
65 “Lyman said it just felt more sacred to him，”Mrs。Freeman said。“Thedoctor wants Carramae to eat prunes。Says instead of medicine。Says them cramps iscoming from pressure。You know where I think it is？”
评注：由牧师来主持婚礼是基督教的传统。上文中弗里曼太太说女儿坚持由牧师主持婚礼是为了表明自己的女儿很“虔诚”，霍普维尔太太也在旁边附和着说她们是“好女孩”。奥康纳在小说中始终强调人的“外表”和“内心”的不一致性。
stifle：vt。阻止
yawn：n。哈欠
wring one’s hand：紧握某人的手
valise：n。小提箱
sty：n。麦粒肿，亦称眼腺炎
chiropractor：n。按摩师
Been had it two days：得麦粒肿已经两天了
Ordinary：美国某州设的地方司法官，只在自己的办公室给人主持结婚仪式，而不在大庭广众面前。故下文弗里曼太太说女儿不愿在官府结婚。
sacred：adj。神圣的
prune：n。干梅子
cramp：n。抽筋，痉挛66“She’ll be better in a few weeks，”Mrs。Hopewell said。
67 “In the tube，”Mrs。Freeman said。“Else she wouldn’t be as sick as she is。”
68 Hulga had cracked her two eggs into a saucer and was bringing them to the table along with a cup of coffee that she had filled too full。She sat down carefully and began to eat，meaning to keep Mrs。Freeman there by questions if for any reason she showed an inclination to leave。She could perceive her mother’s eye on her。The first round-about question would be about the Bible salesman and she did not wish to bring it on。“How did he pop her neck？”she asked。
69 Mrs。Freeman went into a description of how he had popped her neck。She said he owned a’55 Mercury but that Glynese said she would rather marry a man with only a’36 Plymouth who would be married by a preacher。The girl asked what if he had a’32 Plymouth and Mrs。Freeman said what Glynese had said was a’36 Plymouth。
评注：Mercury和Plymouth都是车的名字。在第69段中，从作者讽刺性的幽默中可以看出Mrs。Freeman内心对物质的重视胜过信仰，与前文的“虔诚”形成对比（contrast）。
70 Mrs。Hopewell said there were not many girls with Glynese’s common sense。She said what she admired in those girls was their common sense。She said that reminded her that they had had a nice visitor yesterday，a young man selling Bibles。“Lord，”she said，“he bored me to death but he was so sincere and genuineI couldn’t be rude to him。He was just good country people，you know，”she said，“—just the salt of the earth。”
71 “I seen him walk up，”Mrs。Freeman said，“and then later—I seen him walk off，”and Hulga could feel the slight shift in her voice，the slight insinuation，that he had not walked off alone，had he？Her face remained expressionless but the color rose into her neck and she seemed to swallow it down with the next spoonful of egg。Mrs。Freeman was looking at her as if they had a secret together。
72 “Well，it takes all kinds of people to make the world go‘round，”Mrs。Hopewell said。“It’s very good we aren’t all alike。”
73 “Some people are more alike than others，”Mrs。Freeman said。
74 Hulga got up and stumped，with about twice the noise that was necessary，into her room and locked the door。She was to meet the Bible salesman at ten o’clock at the gate。She had thought about it half the night。She had started thinking of it as a great joke and then she had begun to see profound implications in it。She had lain in bed imagining dialogues for them that were insane on the surface but that reached below the depths that no Bible salesman would be aware of。Their conversation yesterday had been of this kind。
75 He had stopped in front of her and had simply stood there。His face was bony and sweaty and bright，with a little pointed nose in the center of it，and hislook was different from what it had been at the dinner table。He was gazing at her with open curiosity，with fascination，like a child watching a new fantasticanimal at the zoo，and he was breathing as if he had run a great distance to reach her。His gaze seemed somehow familiar but she could not think where she had been regarded with it before。For almost a minute he didn’t say anything。Then on what seemed an insuck of breath，he whispered，“You ever ate a chicken that was two days old？”
76 The girl looked at him stonily。He might have just put this question up forconsideration at the meeting of a philosophical association。“Yes，”she presently replied as if she had considered it from all angles。
77 “It must have been mighty small！”he said triumphantly and shook all overwith little nervous giggles，getting very red in the face，and subsiding finally into his gaze of complete admiration，while the girl’s expression remained exactly the same。
inclination：n。意愿
perceive：vt。察觉
insinuation：n。暗讽
insane：adj。疯狂的
where she had been regarded with it before：意思是她曾在什么地方被这种目光审视过。regard 这里是“仔细端详”，是较旧的书面语。
triumphantly：adv。胜利地
giggle：n。傻笑
subside：v。下陷，平息，平静78“How old are you？”he asked softly。
79 She waited some time before she answered。Then in a flat voice she said，“Seventeen。”
80 His smiles came in succession like waves breaking on the surface of a little lake。“I see you got a wooden leg，”he said。“I think you’re real brave。Ithink you’re real sweet。”
81 The girl stood blank and solid and silent。
82 “Walk to the gate with me，”he said。“You’re a brave sweet little thing and I liked you the minute I seen you walk in the door。”
83 Hulga began to move forward。
84 “What’s your name？”he asked，smiling down on the top of her head。
85 “Hulga，”she said。
86 “Hulga，”he murmured，“Hulga。Hulga。I never heard of anybody name Hulga before。You’re shy，aren’t you，Hulga？”he asked。
87 She nodded，watching his large red hand on the handle of the giant valise。
88 “I like girls that wear glasses，”he said。“I think a lot。I’m not likethese people that a serious thought don’t ever enter their heads。It’s because I may die。”
89 “I may die too，”she said suddenly and looked up at him。His eyes werevery small and brown，glittering feverishly。
90 “Listen，”he said，“don’t you think some people was meant to meet onaccount of what all they got in common and all？Like they both think serious thoughts and all？”He shifted the valise to his other hand so that the hand nearest her was free。He caught hold of her elbow and shook it a little。“I don’t workon Saturday，”he said。“I like to walk in the woods and see what Mother Nature is wearing。O’er the hills and far away。Picnics and things。Couldn’t we go on a picnic tomorrow？Say yes，Hulga，”he said and gave her a dying look as if he felt his insides about to drop out of him。He had even seemed to sway slightly toward her。
91 During the night she had imagined that she seduced him。She imagined that the two of them walked on the place until they came to the storage barn beyond the two back fields and there，she imagined，that things came to such a pass that she very easily seduced him and that then，of course，she had to reckon with hisremorse。True genius can get an idea across even to an inferior mind。She imagined that she took his remorse in hand and changed it into a deeper understandingof life。She took all his shame away and turned it into something useful。
评注：乔伊认为是她巧妙地引诱了“愚笨”的朴恩特。第91段中乔伊的幻想说明她对自己的“智慧”自鸣得意。在她看来，她与朴恩特的约会是她智力上的一次胜利。
92 She set off for the gate at exactly ten o’clock，escaping without drawing Mrs。Hopewell’s attention。She didn’t take anything to eat，forgetting that food is usually taken on a picnic。She wore a pair of slacks and adirty white shirt，and as an afterthought，she had put some Vapex on the collar of it since shedid not own any perfume。When she reached the gate no one was there。
on account of：因为，由于
seduce：v。勾引
things came to such a pass：情况发展到了这种地步
reckon with：认真对付
remorse：n。懊悔，悔恨
inferior：adj。低级的
slacks：n。宽松的裤子93She looked up and down the empty highway and had the furious feeling that she had been tricked，that he only meant to make her walk to the gate after the idea of him。Then suddenly he stood up，very tall，from behind a bush on the opposite embankment。Smiling，he lifted his hat which was new and wide-brimmed。He had not worn it yesterday and she wondered if he had bought it for the occasion。It was toast-colored with a red and white band around it and was slightly too large for him。He stepped from behind the bush still carrying the black valise。Hehad on the same suit and the same yellow socks sucked down in his shoes from walking。He crossed the highway and said，“I knew you’d come！”
94 The girl wondered acidly how he had known this。She pointed to the valise and asked，“Why did you bring your Bibles？”
95 He took her elbow，smiling down on her as if he could not stop。“You can never tell when you’ll need the word of God，Hulga，”he said。She had a moment in which she doubted that this was actually happening and then they began to climb the embankment。They went down into the pasture toward the woods。The boy walked lightly by her side，bouncing on his toes。The valise did not seem to be heavy todayhe even swung it。They crossed half the pasture without saying anything and then，putting his hand easily on the small of her back，he asked softly，“Where does your wooden leg join on？”
96 She turned an ugly red and glared at him and for an instant the boy looked abashed。“I didn’t mean you no harm，”he said。“I only meant you’re so brave and all。I guess God takes care of you。”
97 “No，”she said，looking forward and walking fast，“I don’t even believe in God。”
98 At this he stopped and whistled。“No！”he exclaimed as if he were too astonished to say anything else。
99 She walked on and in a second he was bouncing at her side，fanning with hishat。“That’s very unusual for a girl，”he remarked，watching her out of the corner of his eye。When they reached the edge of the wood，he put his hand on her back again and drew her against him without a word and kissed her heavily。
100 The kiss，which had more pressure than feeling behind it，produced that extra surge of adrenalin in the girl that enablesone to carry a packed trunk out of a burning house，but in her，the power went at once to the brain。Even beforehe released her，her mind，clear and detached and ironic anyway，was regarding him from a great distance，with amusement but with pity。She had never been kissed before and she was pleased to discover that it was an unexceptional experience and all a matter of the mind’s control。Some people might enjoy drain water if they were told it was vodka。When the boy，looking expectant but uncertain，pushed her gently away，she turned and walked on，saying nothing as if such business，for her，were common enough。
101 He came along panting at her side，trying to help her when he saw aroot that she might trip over。He caught and held back the long swaying blades of thornvine until she had passed beyond them。She led the way and he came breathing heavily behind her。Then they came out on a sunlit hillside，sloping softly into another one a little smaller。Beyond，they could see the rusted top of the old barn where the extra hay was stored。
embankment：n。堤岸，路基
pasture：n。牧场
surge：n。汹涌，波动
adrenalin：n。肾上腺素
detached：adj。公开的，超然公平的
vodka：n。（俄）伏特加
thorn：n。荆棘
rusted：adj。生锈的102 The hill was sprinkled with small pink weeds。“Then you ain’t saved？”he asked suddenly，stopping。
103 The girl smiled。It was the first time she had smiled at him at all。“In my economy，”she said，“I’m saved and you are damned but I told you I didn’t believe in God。”
104 Nothing seemed to destroy the boy’s look of admiration。He gazed at her now as if the fantastic animal at the zoo had put its paw through the bars and given him a loving poke。She thought he looked as if he wanted to kiss her again and she walked on before he had the chance。
105 “Ain’t there somewheres we can sit down sometime？”he murmured，his voice softening toward the end of the sentence。
106 “In that barn，”she said。
107 They made for it rapidly as if it might slide away like a train。Itwas a large two-story barn，cool and dark inside。The boy pointed up the ladder that led into the loft and said，“It’s too bad we can’t go up there。”
108 “Why can’t we？”she asked。
109 “Yer leg，”he said reverently。
110 The girl gave him a contemptuous look and putting both hands on theladder，she climbed it while he stood below，apparently awestruck。She pulled herself expertly through the opening and then looked down at him and said，“Well，come on if your coming，”and he began to climb the ladder，awkwardly bringing the suitcase with him。
111 “We won’t need the Bible，”she observed。
112 “You never can tell，”he said，panting。After he had got into the loft，he was a few seconds catching his breath。She had sat down in a pile of straw。A wide sheath of sunlight，filled with dust particles，slanted over her。She lay back against a bale，her face turned away，looking out the front opening of the barn where hay was thrown from a wagon into the loft。The two pink-speckled hillsides lay back against a dark ridge of woods。The sky was cloudless and cold blue。The boy dropped down by her side and put one arm under her and the other over her and began methodically kissing her face，making little noises like a fish。He did not remove his hat but it was pushed far enough back not to interfere。When her glasses got in his way，he took them off of her and slipped them into his pocket。
113 The girl at first did not return any of the kisses but presently she began to and after she had put several on his cheek，she reached his lips and remainedthere，kissing him again and again as if she were trying to draw all the breathout of him。His breath was clear and sweet like a child’s and the kisses were sticky like a child’s。He mumbled about loving her and about knowing when he first seen her that he loved her，but the mumbling was like the sleepy fretting ofa child being put to sleep by his mother。Her mind，throughout this，never stopped or lost itself for a second to her feelings。“You ain’t said you loved me none，”he whispered finally，pulling back from her。“You got to say that。”
sprinkle sth。with sth。：撒某物于某物的表面上
contemptuous：adj。傲慢的
awestruck：adj。敬畏的
pant：v。喘着气
particle：n。微粒
slant：vi。倾斜
bale：n。草垛
interfere：v。妨碍
fretting：n。烦恼114 She looked away from him off into the hollow sky and then down at ablack ridge and then down farther into what appeared to be two green swelling lakes。She didn’t realize he had taken her glasses but this landscape could not seem exceptional to her for she seldom paid any close attention to her surroundings。
115 “You got to say it，”he repeated。“You got to say you love me。”
116 She was always careful how she committed herself。“In a sense，”she began，“if you use the word loosely，you might say that。But it’s not a word I use。I don’t have illusions。I’m one of those people who see through to nothing。”
117 The boy was frowning。“You got to say it。I said it and you got tosay it，”he said。
118 The girl looked at him almost tenderly。“You poor baby，”she murmured。“It’s just as well you don’t understand，”and she pulled him by the neck，face-down，against her。“We are all damned，”she said，“but some of us have takenoff our blindfolds and see that there’s nothing to see。It’s a kind of salvation。”
119 The boy’s astonished eyes looked blankly through the ends of her hair。“Okay，”he almost whined，“but do you love me or don’tcher？”
120 “Yes，”she said and added，“in a sense。But I must tell you something。There mustn’t be anything dishonest between us。”She lifted his head and looked him in the eye。“I am thirty years old，”she said。“I have a number of degrees。”
121 The boy’s look was irritated but dogged。“I don’t care，”he said。“I don’t care a thing about what all you done。I just want to know if you love me or don’tcher？”and he caught her to him and wildly planted her face with kissesuntil she said，“Yes，yes。”
122 “Okay then，”he said，letting her go。“Prove it。”
123 She smiled，looking dreamily out on the shifty landscape。She had seduced him without even making up her mind to try。“How？”she asked，feeling that he should be delayed a little。
124 He leaned over and put his lips to her ear。“Show me where your wooden leg joins on，”he whispered。
125 The girl uttered a sharp little cry and her face instantly drained of color。The obscenity of the suggestion was not what shocked her。As achild she had sometimes been subject to feelings of shame but education had removed the last traces of that as a good surgeon scrapes for cancershe would no more have felt it over what he was asking than she would have believed in his Bible。But she wasas sensitive about the artificial leg as a peacock about his tail。No one ever touched it but her。She took care of it as someone else would his soul，in private and almost with her own eyes turned away。“No，”she said。
126 “I known it，”he muttered，sitting up。“You’re just playing me for a sucker。”
127 “Oh no no！”she cried。“It joins on at the knee。Only at the knee。Why do you want to see it？”
128 The boy gave her a long penetrating look。“Because，”he said，“it’s what makes you different。You ain’t like anybody else。”
129 She sat staring at him。There was nothing about her face or her round freezing-blue eyes to indicate that this had moved herbut she felt as if her hearthad stopped and left her mind to pump her blood。She decided that for the first time in her life she was face to face with real innocence。This boy，with an instinct that came from beyond wisdom，had touched the truth about her。When after a minute，she said in a hoarse high voice，“All right，”it was like surrendering to him completely。It was like losing her own life and finding it again，miraculously，in his。
130 Very gently，he began to roll the slack leg up。The artificial limb，in a white sock and brown flat shoe，was bound in a heavy material like canvas and ended in an ugly jointure where it was attached to the stump。The boy’s face and his voice were entirely reverent as he uncovered it and said，“Now show me how totake it off and on。”
blindfold：n。眼罩
salvation：n。拯救
whine：v。哀号，哀哭
don’tcherdon’t you？
dogged：adj。顽强的，固执的
obscenity：n。猥亵
scrape：v。刮擦
sucker：n。小孩
reverent：adj。恭敬的131 She took it off for him and put it back on again and then he took it offhimself，handling it as tenderly as if it were a real one。“See！”he said with adelighted child’s face。“Now I can do it myself！”
132 “Put it back on，”she said。She was thinking that she would run away withhim and that every night he would take the leg off and every morning put it back on again。“Put it back on，”she said。
133 “Not yet，”he murmured，setting it on its foot out of her reach。“Leave it off for awhile。You got me instead。”
134 She gave a little cry of alarm but he pushed her down and began to kiss heragain。Without the leg she felt entirely dependent on him。Her brain seemed to have stopped thinking altogether and to be about some other function that it wasnot very good at。Different expressions raced back and forth over her face。Every now and then the boy，his eyes like two steel spikes，would glance behind himwhere the leg stood。Finally she pushed him off and said，“Put it back on me now。”
135 “Wait，”he said。He leaned the other way and pulled the valise toward himand opened it。It had a pale blue spotted lining and there wereonly two Biblesin it。He took one of these out and opened the cover of it。It was hollow and contained a pocket flask of whiskey，a pack of cards，and a smallblue box with printing on it。He laid these out in front of her one at a time in an evenly-spaced row，like one presenting offerings at the shrine of a goddess。He put the blue box in her hand。THIS PRODUCT TO BE USED ONLY FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISEASE，she read，and dropped it。The boy was unscrewing the top of the flask。He stoppedand pointed，with a smile，to the deck of cards。It was not an ordinary deck but one with an obscene picture on the back of each card。“Take aswig，”he said，offering her the bottle first。He held it in front of her，but like one mesmerized，she did not move。
136 Her voice when she spoke had an almost pleading sound。“Aren’t you，”she murmured，“aren’t you just good country people？”
137 The boy cocked his head。He looked as if he were just beginning to understand that she might be trying to insult him。“Yeah，”he said，curling his lip slightly，“but it ain’t held me back none。I’m as good as you any day in the week。”
138 “Give me my leg，”she said。
139 He pushed it farther away with his foot。“Come on now，let’s begin tohave us a good time，”he said coaxingly。“We ain’t got to know one another goodyet。”
140 “Give me my leg！”she screamed and tried to lunge for it but he pushedher down easily。
141 “What’s the matter with you all of a sudden？”
lining：n。（衣服里的）衬里
flask：n。瓶
shrine：n。神殿
obscene：adj。淫秽的
mesmerized：adj。被施了催眠术的
insult：vt。侮辱
coaxingly：adv。以巧言哄骗
lunge for：向前去够he asked，frowningas he screwed the top on the flask and put it quickly back inside the Bible。“You justa while ago said you didn’t believe in nothing。I thought you was somegirl！”
142 Her face was almost purple。“You’re a Christian！”she hissed。“You’re a fine Christian！You’re just like them all—say one thing and do another。You’re a perfect Christian，you’re……”
评注：在142段中，乔伊本是个无神论者，小伙子靠计谋夺去她的假腿时，在恐慌中她却希望他是一个真正的基督徒，作者讽刺的喜剧手法达到了高峰。
143 The boy’s mouth was set angrily。“I hope you don’t think，”he said in alofty indignant tone，“that I believe in that crap！I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasn’t born yesterday and I know where I’m going！”
144 “Give me my leg！”she screeched。He jumped up so quickly that shebarely saw him sweep the cards and the blue box back into the Bible and throw the Bibleinto the valise。She saw him grab the leg and then she saw it for an instant slanted forlornly across the inside of the suitcase with a Bible at either side ofits opposite ends。He slammed the lid shut and snatched up the valise and swungit down the hole and then stepped through himself。
145 When all of him had passed but his head，he turned and regarded herwith alook that no longer had any admiration in it。“I’ve gotten a lot of interesting things，”he said。“One time I got a woman’s glass eye this way。And you needn’t to think you’ll catch me because Pointer ain’t really my name。I use a different name at every house I call at and don’t stay nowhere long。And I’ll tell you another thing，Hulga，”he said，using the name as if he didn’t think much of it，“you ain’t so smart。I been believing in nothing ever since I was born！”and then the toast-colored hat disappeared down the hole and the girl was left，sitting on the straw in the dusty sunlight。When she turned her churningface toward the opening，she saw his blue figure struggling successfully over the green speckled lake。
146 Mrs。Hopewell and Mrs。Freeman，who were in the back pasture，digging uponions，saw him emerge a little later from the woods and head across the meadow toward the highway。“Why，that looks like that nice dull young man that tried to sell me a Bible yesterday，”Mrs。Hopewell said，squinting。“Hemust have been selling them to the Negroes back in there。He was so simple，”she said，“but Iguess the world would be better off if we were all that simple。”
I thought you was some girl I thought you were some girl。在这里some 是很不错的、了不起的意思。
indignant：adj。愤慨的
crap：n。（俚）笨话，蠢行
forlornly：adv。孤独而凄凉地
churning：adj。扭曲的
squint：vi。眯着眼看147 Mrs。Freeman’s gaze drove forward and just touched him before he disappeared under the hill。Then she returned her attention to the evil-smelling onion shoot she was lifting from the ground。“Some can’t be that simple，”she said。“I know I never could。”
评注：本文的写作特点是反讽（irony），作者在喜剧性的情节中采用了反讽结构手法，使起初处于高高在上、自认为学问高深的乔伊，企图改变朴恩特的信仰并带领他找到更强大的力量，结果却被伪称是基督徒的朴恩特骗取了假腿，丢弃在仓库中。这种从高处跌到低处的转折，展示了作者高超的写作技巧。
Comprehension Exercises
1.Why does Joy feel that changing her name to Hulga is“her highest creative act”？
2.What is the irony of the story？What does the title“Good Country People”signify？
3.How does Hulga form her cynical philosophy of“nothing”？And how isthis cynical philosophy of hers borne out by her experience with Manley Pointer？
弗兰纳里·奥康纳（1925—1964）：当代美国南方作家。她是一位勤奋的身有残疾的作家，大半生在美国南方佐治亚州度过，因此她的小说均以南方为背景，描写的都是生活中非常熟悉的环境和人物，具有比较强的真实性。她的作品被看成是美国南方哥特式小说的典范，是因为她作品的“南方性”不仅仅在于她描写的是南方社会、南方青年一代以及他们的堕落、绝望和苦恼，主要还在于她小说中特有的南方文学的传统手法，如南方人的方言口语、黑色幽默等。她小说中的角色多为社会底层人物：心理变态者、智力迟钝者、行为怪僻的人、盲人、跛子、哑巴等，刻画了南方的暴力和病态，揭示了人物心灵深处的丑恶，剖析了人的本性及其道德堕落的社会和文化心理根源，暗示了人们精神上的残疾比身体上的残疾更严重。