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She carried her head high enough--even when we believed that she was fallen. It was as if she demanded more than ever the recognition of her dignity as the last Grierson; as if it had wanted that touch of earthiness to reaffirm her imperviousness. Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic. That was over a year after they had begun to say "Poor Emily," and while the two female cousins were visiting her.
艾米莉髙昂着头——即使我们都认为她已经堕落；仿佛她不仅仅想要人们承认她就是格里尔逊家族末代的尊严；仿佛需要同世俗接触才能重新确认她那倔强的性格。拿她买耗子药、础霜的事来说吧。也就是人们开始说“可怜的艾米莉”之后一年多发生的事，当时她的两个堂姐妹正好来看望她。
"I want some poison," she said to the druggist. She was over thirty then, still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eye sockets as you imagine a lighthouse keeper's face ought to look. "I want some poison," she said.
“买点毒药，”她对翻师说道。当时她已经三十多了，依然是一个身细腰纤的女人，比平常还要清瘦，一双黑色的眼睛显得冷峻髙傲，脸上太阳穴和眼窝处，肌肉紧绷，那副模样好像只有灯塔守望者才应该具有的。“买点毒药，”艾米莉说道。
Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recoin--
“好的，艾米莉小姐。要买哪一种？是毒耗子一类的药吗？我建议……”
I want the best you have. I don't care what kind.
“拿店里最灵的药。种类不论。”
The druggist named several. "They'll kill anything up to an elephant. But what you want is--"
药剂师一连说了好几种药名。“这些药什么都毒得死，就是大象也不例外。不过，你想要……”
Arsenic, Miss Emily said. "Is that a good one?"
“砒霜，”艾米莉小姐说，“灵不灵？”
Is…arsenic? Yes, ma'am. But what you want--
“是……砒霜？好的，小姐。可你想要……”
I want arsenic.
“我要砒霜。”
The druggist looked down at her. She looked back at him, erect, her face like a strained flag. "Why, of course," the druggist said. "If that's what you want. But the law requires you to tell what you are going to use it for."
药剂师朝下看着她。艾采莉挺直着身，回敬了他一眼，那脸绷得像凿出来的石板。“嗯嗯，当然有，”药剂师说道，“如果你真想要这种药。可是，按法律规定，你得说明用途。”
Miss Emily just stared at him, her head tilted back in order to look him eye for eye, until he looked away and went and got the arsenic and wrapped it up. The Negro delivery boy brought her the package; the druggist didn't come back. When she opened the package at home, there was written on the box, under the skull and bones: "For rats."
艾米莉小姐目不转睛地盯着他，头向后仰着，双眼正视着他，直到药剂师移开目光，转身拿砒霜包好。把那包药送出来的是店里的黑人送货员，而药剂师再也没有露过面。艾米莉回到家，打开药包，盒子上有个骷髅标记，标记下注明：“杀鼠专用。”
