"Fifteen miles from here," continued the man, "on the river, at Saladillo, in a place where a big sugar factory is being built, and a cluster of houses; Signor Mequinez's house is there; every one knows it: you can reach it in a few hours. "I was there a month ago," said a youth, who had hastened up at the cry. Marco stared at him with wide-open eyes, and asked him hastily, turning pale as he did so, "Did you see the servant of Signor Mequinez the Italian?" "The Genoese? Yes; I saw her." Marco burst into a convulsive sob, which was half a laugh and half a sob. Then, with a burst of violent resolution: "Which way am I to go? quick, the road! I shall set out instantly; show me the way!"

主人继续说：“从这里沿河过去十五英里，有一个地方叫做赛拉地罗。那里有个大大的糖厂，还有几家住宅。美贵耐治先生就住在那里。那地方谁都知道，费五六个钟头工夫就可走到的。”有一个青年见主人这样说，就跑近来；“我一月前曾到过那里。”玛尔可睁圆了眼注视他，脸色苍白地急忙问：“你见到美贵耐治先生家里的女仆吗？那意大利人？”“就是那热那亚人吗？哦！见到的。”玛尔可又似哭又似笑，痉挛地啜泣，既而现出激烈的决心：“向什么方向走的？快，把路指给我！我就去！”

"But it is a day's march," they all told him, in one breath. "You are weary; you should rest; you can set out tomorrow." "Impossible! impossible!" replied the lad. "Tell me the way; I will not wait another instant; I shall set out at once, were I to die on the road!" On perceiving him so inflexible, they no longer opposed him. "May God accompany you!" they said to him. "Look out for the path through the forest. A fair journey to you, little Italian!" A man accompanied him outside of the town, pointed out to him the road, gave him some counsel, and stood still to watch him start. At the expiration of a few minutes, the lad disappeared, limping, with his bag on his shoulders, behind the thick trees which lined the road.

人们齐声说；“差不多有一天的路程哩，你不是已很疲劳了吗，非休息不可，明天去好吗？”“不好！不好！请把路指给我！我不能等待了！就是倒在路上也不怕，立刻就去！”人们见玛尔可这样坚决，也就不再劝阻了。“上帝保护你！路上树林中要小心！但愿你平安！意大利的朋友啊！”他们这样说，有一个还陪他到街外，指示他路径，及种种应注意的事，又从背后目送他去。过了几分钟，见他已背了衣包，胶着脚，穿入路侧浓厚的树荫中去了。

That night was a dreadful one for the poor sick woman. She suffered atrocious pain, which wrung from her shrieks that were enough to burst her veins, and rendered her delirious at times. The women waited on her. She lost her head. Her mistress ran in, from time to time, in affright. All began to fear that, even if she had decided to allow herself to be operated on, the doctor, who was not to come until the next day, would have arrived too late. During the moments when she was not raving, however, it was evident that her most terrible torture arose not from her bodily pains, but from the thought of her distant family. Emaciated, wasted away, with changed visage, she thrust her hands through her hair, with a gesture of desperation, and shrieked: "My God! My God! To die so far away, to die without seeing them again! My poor children, who will be left without a mother, my poor little creatures, my poor darlings!

这夜，病人危笃了，因患处剧痛，悲声哭叫，时时陷入人事不省的状态。看护的女人们守在床前片刻不离。病人发了狂，主妇不时惊惧地赶来省视。大家都很焦虑：她现在即使愿受手术，医生也非明天不能来，已不及救治了。她略为安静的时候，就非常苦闷，这并不是从身体上来的苦痛，乃是她悬念在远处的家属的缘故。这苦闷使她骨瘦如柴，人相全变。她不时扯着头发疯也似的狂叫：“啊！太凄凉了！死在这样远处！不见孩子的面！可怜的孩子。他们将没有母亲了！啊！

My Marco, who is still so small! only as tall as this, and so good and affectionate! You do not know what a boy he was! If you only knew, signora! I could not detach him from my neck when I set out; he sobbed in a way to move your pity; he sobbed; it seemed as though he knew that he would never behold his poor mother again. Poor Marco, my poor baby! I thought that my heart would break! Ah, if I had only died then, died while they were bidding me farewell! If I had but dropped dead! Without a mother, my poor child, he who loved me so dearly, who needed me so much! without a mother, in misery, he will be forced to beg! He, Marco, my Marco, will stretch out his hand, famishing! O eternal God! No! I will not die! The doctor! Call him at once I let him come, let him cut me, let him cleave my breast, let him drive me mad; but let him save my life! I want to recover; I want to live, to depart, to flee, to-morrow, at once! The doctor! Help! help!"

玛尔可还小哩！只有这点长，他原是好孩子！主人！我出来的时候，他抱住我的项颈不肯放，真哭得厉害呢！原来他已经知道此后将不能再见母亲了，所以哭得那样悲惨！啊！可怜！我那时心欲碎了！如果在那时死了，在那分别时死了，或者反而幸福。我一向那样地抚抱他，他是顷刻不离开我的。万一我死了，他将怎样呢！没有了母亲，又贫穷，他就要流落为艺丐了！张了手饿倒在路上！我的玛尔可！啊！我那永远的上帝！不，我不愿死！医生！快去请来！快替我行手术！把我的心割开！把我弄成疯人！只要他把性命留牢！我想病好！想活命！想回国去！明天立刻！医生！救我！救我！”

And the women seized her hands and soothed her, and made her calm herself little by little, and spoke to her of God and of hope. And then she fell back again into a mortal dejection, wept with her hands clutched in her gray hair, moaned like an infant, uttering a prolonged lament, and murmuring from time to time: "O my Genoa! My house! All that sea! O my Marco, my poor Marco! Where is he now, my poor darling?"

在床前的女人们执了病人的手安慰她，使她心情沉静了些，且对她讲上帝及来世的话。病人听了又复绝望，扯着头发啜泣，终于像小儿似的扬声号哭：“啊！我的热那亚！我的家！那个海！啊！我的玛尔可现在不知在什么地方做什么！我的可怜的玛尔可啊！”