If tomorrow comes （9）假如明天来临

Chapter 9

第九章

When Tracy reported to the kitchen, she was somehow not surprised to see Ernestine Littlechap there.

当特蕾西去厨房报到，看到欧内斯廷-利特尔查普也在那里时，她并不怎么惊讶。

Tracy approached her. "Thank you." With difficulty, she forced a friendly note into her voice.

特蕾西走到她跟前：“谢谢你。”她费了很大劲才在她的音调中掺进一些友好的成分。

Ernestine grunted and said nothing.

欧内斯廷哼了一声，什么都没有说。

"How did you get me past Old Iron Pants?"

“你是怎么让我通过老铁裤衩这一关的？”

"She ain't with us no mo'."

“她滚蛋了。”

"What happened to her?"

“她出了什么事？”

"We got a little system. If a guard is hard-ass and starts givin' us too much of a bad time, we get rid of 'em."

“我们有一套小小的规矩。如果哪个狱卒太他妈的番混，开始跟我们找茬儿的时候，我们就叫她滚蛋。”

"You mean the warden listens to---?"

“你是说监狱长会听——”

"Shee-et. What's the warden got to do with it?"

“去你一边的，监狱长怎么会那么好说话！”

"Then how can you---?"

“那你们怎么能——”

"It's easy. When the guard you want to get rid of is on duty, hassles begin to happen. Complaints start comin' in. A prisoner reports that Old Iron Pants grabbed her pussy. The next day 'nother prisoner accuses her of brutality. Then someone complains she took somethin' from her cell--- say a radio--- and sure enough, it turns up in Old Iron Pants's room. Old Iron Pants is gone. The guards don't run this prison, we do."

“这很简单。当那个我们想让他滚蛋的狱卒值班的时候，大家挨着个儿上诉。一个犯人报告说老铁裤衩污辱她。第二天，另一个犯人又控诉她施用暴力。然后又有人控告她从牢房里拿走了什么东西——比如，一个半导体——当然，这个半导体不久就会从老铁裤衩的房间里搜出来。这样一来，老铁裤衩就得滚蛋。狱卒们在这儿当不了家，当家的是咱们。”

"What are you in here for?" Tracy asked. She had no interest in the answer. The important thing was to establish a friendly relationship with this woman.

“你是因为什么关进来的？”特蕾西问。她对回答不感兴趣，重要的是跟这个女人套套近乎。

"Through no fault of Ernestine Littlechap, you'd better believe it. I had a whole bunch of girls workin' for me."

“这不是欧内斯廷-利特尔查普的过错，你最好还是相信这一点。我有一大群女孩儿为我干活儿。”

Tracy looked at her. "You mean as---?" She hesitated.

特蕾西看着她：“你是说——”她吞吞吐吐地说。

"Hookers?" She laughed.. "Naw. They worked as maids in big homes. I opened me a employment agency. I had at least twenty girls. Rich folks have a hell of a time findin' maids. I did a lot of fancy advertisin' in the best newspapers, and when they called me I placed my girls with 'em. The girls would size up the houses, and when their employers was at work or outta town, the girls would gather up all the silver and jewelry and furs and whatever other goodies were around and skip." Ernestine sighed. "If I told you how much fuckin' tax-free money we was pullin' down, you wouldn't believe me."

“妓女吗？”她笑了，“不，她们都在大户人家当佣人。我开办了一个职业介绍所。我手下至少有二十个女孩儿。阔老慢他妈的总是想找女佣人。我在最畅销的报纸上登了许多吹得天花乱坠的广告。当他们来找我时，我就把一个女孩儿安置到他们家里，那些女孩儿便会摸清他们家里的底细。趁他们的主人上班或外出时，她们就把所有的金银珠宝以及值钱的东西偷个一干二净。”欧内斯廷叹了一口气，“我要是告诉你我们捞了多少钱，你是不会信的。”