CHAPTER II ELIZA RUNS AWAY WITH LITTLE HARRY

 Mr. Shelby was very unhappy because of what he had done. He knew his wife would be very unhappy too, and he did not know how to tell her.

 

He had to do it that night, however, before she went to bed.

 

Mrs. Shelby could hardly believe it. 'Oh, you do not mean this,' she said. 'You must not sell our good Tom and dear little Harry¹. Do anything rather than that. It is a wicked², wicked thing to do.

 

'There is nothing else I can do,' said Mr. Shelby. 'I have sold everything I can think of, and at any rate now that Haley has set his heart on having Tom and Harry, he would not take anything or anybody instead.'

 

Mrs. Shelby cried very much about it, but at last, though she was very, very unhappy she fell asleep.

 

But some one whom Mr. and Mrs. Shelby never thought of was listening to this talk.

 

Eliza was sitting in the next room. The door was not quite closed, so she could not help hearing what was said. As she listened she grew pale and cold and a terrible look of pain came into her face.

 

Eliza had had three dear little children, but two of them had died when they were tiny babies. She loved and cared for Harry all the more because she had lost the others. Now he was to be taken from her and sold to cruel men, and she would never see him again. She felt she could not bear it.

 

Eliza's husband was called George, and was a slave³ too. He did not belong to Mr. Shelby, but to another man, who had a farm quite near. George and Eliza could not live together as a husband and wife generally do. Indeed, they hardly ever saw each other. George's master was a cruel man, and would not let him come to see his wife. He was so cruel, and beat George so dreadfully, that the poor slave made up his mind to run away. He had come that very day to tell Eliza what he meant to do.

 

As soon as Mr. and Mrs. Shelby stopped talking, Eliza crept⁴ away to her own room, where little Harry was sleeping. There he lay with his pretty curls⁵ around his face. His rosy⁶ mouth was half open, his fat little hands thrown out over the bed-clothes, and a smile like a sunbeam upon his face.

 

'My baby, my sweet-one,' said Eliza, 'they have sold you. But mother will save you yet!'

 

She did not cry. She was too sad and sorrowful for that. Taking a piece of paper and a pencil, she wrote quickly.

 

'Oh, missis! dear missis! don't think me ungrateful—don't think hard of me, anyway! I heard all you and master said to-night. I am going to try to save my boy—you will not blame me I God bless and reward⁷ you for all your kindness!'

 

Eliza was going to run away.

 

She gathered a few of Harry's clothes into a bundle⁸, put on her hat and jacket, and went to wake him.

 

Poor Harry was rather frightened at being waked in the middle of the night, and at seeing his mother bending over him, with her hat and jacket on.

 

'What is the matter, mother?' he said beginning to cry.

 

'Hush,' she said, 'Harry mustn't cry or speak aloud, or they will hear us. A wicked man was coming to take little Harry away from his mother, and carry him 'way off in the dark. But mother won't let him. She's going to put on her little boy's cap and coat, and run off with him, so the ugly man can't catch him.'

 

Harry stopped crying at once, and was good and quiet as a little mouse, while his mother dressed him. When he was ready, she lifted him in her arms, and crept softly⁹ out of the house.

 

It was a beautiful, clear, starlight night, but very cold, for it was winter-time. Eliza ran quickly to Uncle Tom's cottage, and tapped on the window.

 

Aunt Chloe was not asleep, so she jumped up at once, and opened the door. She was very much astonished¹⁰ to see Eliza standing¹¹ there with Harry in her arms. Uncle Tom followed her to the door, and was very much astonished too.

 

'I'm running away, Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe—carrying off my child,' said Eliza. 'Master sold him.'

 

'Sold him?' they both echoed¹², lifting up their hands in dismay¹³.

 

'Yes, sold him,' said Eliza. 'I heard master tell missis that he had sold my Harry, and you, Uncle Tom. The man is coming to take you away to-morrow.'

 

At first Tom could hardly believe what he heard. Then he sank down, and buried his face in his hands.

 

'The good Lord¹⁴ have pity on us!' said Aunt Chloe. 'What has Tom done that master should sell him?'

 

'He hasn't done anything—it isn't for that. Master don't want to sell; but he owes¹⁵ this man money. If he doesn't pay him it will end in his having to sell the house and all the slaves¹⁶. Master said he was sorry. But missis she talked like an angel¹⁷. I'm a wicked girl to leave her so, but I can't help it. It must be right; but if it an't right, the good Lord will forgive me, for I can't help doing it.

 

'Tom,' said Aunt Chloe, 'why don't you go too? There's time.'

 

Tom slowly raised his head and looked sorrowfully at her.

 

'No, no,' he said. 'Let Eliza go. It is right that she should try to save her boy. Mas'r has always trusted me, and I can't leave him like that. It is better for me to go alone than for the whole place to be sold. Mas'r isn't to blame, Chloe. He will take care of you and the poor—'

 

Tom could say no more. Big man though he was, he burst¹⁸ into tears, at the thought of leaving his wife and dear little children, never to see them any more.

 

'Aunt Chloe,' said Eliza, in a minute or two, 'I must go. I saw my husband to-day. He told me he meant to run away soon, because his master is so cruel to him. Try to send him a message from me. Tell him I have run away to save our boy. Tell him to come after me if he can. Good-bye, good-bye. God bless you!'

 

Then Eliza went out again into the dark night with her little boy in her arms, and Aunt Chloe shut the door softly behind her.

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 wicked   

adj.邪恶的，恶劣的，缺德的；淘气的

参考例句：

• Let everyone know all the wicked things she has done.把她干的坏事给大家抖搂抖搂。
• The wicked must be wiped out.恶人必须除掉。

3 slave   

n.奴隶，附件，卑鄙的人；vi.拼命工作

参考例句：

• Don't be a slave to custom.不要做风俗习惯的奴隶。
• Why should I slave away all my life!我为什么要辛辛苦苦地干一辈子呀！

4 crept   

v.蹑手蹑足地走( creep的过去式和过去分词 )；缓慢地行进；爬行；匍匐

参考例句：

• I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents. 为了尽量不吵醒父母，我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• He had crept up on his unsuspecting victim from behind. 他从背后悄悄逼近了那毫无戒备的受害者。

5 curls   

n.一绺鬈发( curl的名词复数 )；卷曲物；螺旋状物；（指头发）拳曲v.（使）弯曲( curl的第三人称单数 )；（使）卷曲；盘旋；缠绕

参考例句：

• His hair curls naturally. 他的头发天生鬈曲。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls. 她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

7 reward   

n.报酬，酬谢，赏金；vt.奖赏，酬谢，报应

参考例句：

• He will expect some reward after working so hard.他工作很努力，会得到报偿的。
• I didn't do it for reward;I did it for love.我做这件事不是为了报酬，而是出于爱好。

8 bundle   

n.捆，包，束；一堆，一批；v.把…扎成一捆

参考例句：

• My uncle sent me a large bundle on my birthday.我生日时叔父给我寄来一个大包裹。
• Dad found a bundle of spelling mistakes in my composition.爸爸在我作文里找出一大堆拼写错误。

9 softly   

adv.柔和地，静静地，温柔地

参考例句：

• He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻，她听不见。
• She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。

10 astonished   

adj.惊讶的

参考例句：

• The news astonished everyone. 这消息使大家十分惊讶。
• He was astonished to learn he'd won the competition. 他听说他比赛赢了，感到很惊讶。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 echoed   

重复，随声附和( echo的过去式和过去分词 )； 类似； 发射（声音等）； 发出回声

参考例句：

• Their shouts re-echoed through the darkness. 他们的喊声回荡在黑暗中。
• Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。

13 dismay   

n.灰心，沮丧，惊愕；vt.使沮丧，使惊愕

参考例句：

• The enemy retreated in perfect dismay.敌人沮丧地退去。
• I am filled with dismay at the news.我对这个消息极为震惊。

14 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

15 owes   

v.亏欠，负债，感恩；感激( owe的第三人称单数 )；应把…归功于；欠…债；（对位高权重者）忠诚

参考例句：

• He owes a lot of money to Mr. Smith. 他欠史密斯先生许多钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 slaves   

n.奴隶( slave的名词复数 )；苦工；完全受（某事物）控制的人；完全依赖（某事物）的人v.奴隶般地工作，做苦工( slave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Slaves were not emancipated until 1863 in the United States. 美国奴隶直到1863年才获得自由。
• fashionistas who are slaves to the latest trends 被潮流牵着鼻子走的赶时髦者

17 angel   

n.天使，守护神，可爱的人

参考例句：

• The angel of death's in the house!死神在屋里呢！
• I can say without exaggeration that she is an angel.我可以毫不夸张地说她是个天使。

18 burst   

vi.（burst，burst）爆炸；爆破；爆裂；爆发；vt.使…破裂；使…炸破；n.突然破裂；爆发

参考例句：

• We all held our breath till the bomb burst.我们屏住呼吸直到炸弹爆炸。
• She suddenly burst into song.她突然唱起歌来。