第10章 The Righteous Never Forsaken 正直的人从未被抛弃

It was Saturday night, and the widow of the Pine Cottage sat by her blazing fagots, with her five tattered children at her side, endeavoring by listening to the artlessness of their prattle to dissipate the heavy gloom that pressed upon her mind. For a year, her own feeble hand had provided for her helpless family, for she had no supporter: she thought of no friend in all the wide, unfriendly world around.

But that mysterious Providence, the wisdom of whose ways is above human comprehension, had visited her with wasting sickness, and her little means had become exhausted. It was now, too, midwinter, and the snow lay heavy and deep through all the surrounding forests, while storms still seemed gathering in the heavens, and the driving wind roared amid the neighboring pines, and rocked her puny mansion.

The last herring smoked upon the coals before her; it was the only article of food she possessed, and no wonder her forlorn, desolate state brought up in her lone bosom all the anxieties of a mother when she looked upon her children: and no wonder, forlorn as she was, if she suffered the heart swellings of despair to rise, even though she knew that He, whose promise is to the widow and to the orphan, can not forget his word.

Providence had many years before taken from her her eldest son, who went from his forest home to try his fortune on the high seas, since which she had heard no tidings of him; and in her latter time had, by the hand of death, deprived her of the companion and staff of her earthly pilgrimage, in the person of her husband. Yet to this hour she had upborne; she had not only been able to provide for her little flock, but had never lost an opportunity of ministering to the wants of the miserable and destitute.

The indolent may well bear with poverty while the ability to gain sustenance remains. The individual who has but his own wants to supply may suffer with fortitude the winter of want; his affections are not wounded, his heart is not wrung. The most desolate in populous cities may hope, for charity has not quite closed her hand and heart, and shut her eyes on misery.

But the industrious mother of helpless and depending children, far from the reach of human charity, has none of these to console her. And such a one was the widow of the Pine Cottage; but as she bent over the fire, and took up the last scanty remnant of food to spread before her children, her spirits seemed to brighten up, as by some sudden and mysterious impulse, and Cowper's beautiful lines came uncalled across her mind:

"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.

But trust him for his grace;

Behind a frowning Providence

He hides a smiling face."

The smoked herring was scarcely laid upon the table, when a gentle rap at the door, and the loud barking of a dog, attracted the attention of the family. The children flew to open it, and a weary traveler, in tattered garments and in apparently indifferent health; entered, and begged a lodging and a mouthful of food. Said he:"It is now twenty-four hour's since I tasted bread." The widow's heart bled anew, as under a fresh complication of distresses; for her sympathies lingered not around her fireside. She hesitated not even now; rest, and a share of all she had, she proffered to the stranger. "'We shall not be forsaken," said she, "or suffer deeper for an act of charity."

The traveler drew near the board, but when he saw the scanty fare, he raised his eyes toward heaven with astonishment: "And is this all your store?" said he; "and a share of this do you offer to one you know not? then never saw I charity before! But, madam," said he, continuing, "do you not wrong your children by giving a part of your last mouthful to a stranger?"

"Ah," said the poor widow—and the tear-drops gushed into her eyes as she said it—"I have a boy, a darling son, somewhere on the face of the wide world, unless Heaven has taken him away, and I only act toward you as I would that others should act toward him. God, who sent manna from heaven, can provide for us as he did for Israel; and how should I this night offend him, if my son should be a wanderer, destitute as you, and he should have provided for him a home, even poor as this, were I to turn you unrelieved away!"

The widow ended, and the stranger, springing from his seat, clasped her in his arms. "God indeed has provided your son a home, and has given him wealth to reward the goodness of his benefactress: my mother! oh, my mother!" It was her long lost son, returned to her bosom from the Indies. He had chosen that disguise that he might the more completely surprise his family; and never was surprise more perfect, or followed by a sweeter cup of joy.

星期六晚上，松树堡的寡妇坐在火堆旁，五个衣衫褴褛的孩子围在她的身边，她想通过孩子们咿咿呀呀的说话声来驱散心中的阴霾。这一年，她努力靠自己的双手勉强支撑着无助的家庭，她没有可依赖的人：在这个广阔、冰冷的世界里，她没有一个朋友。

但是神奇的上帝眷顾着她，上帝已经了解了她的疾病和困境。现在正值隆冬，皑皑白雪覆盖了森林，寒风从树林间呼啸而过，轻摇着她的小屋。

她用眼前的煤炭熏烤着最后一条鲱鱼，这是她仅有的一点食物，当她看着孩子们时，凄凉、无助的内心充满了忧郁。尽管她知道上帝承诺过孤儿寡母，他也不会忘记自己的承诺，可绝望、无助还是从她的心底油然而生。

好几年前，上帝将长子从她的身边带走了。他离开森林中的家，去海上寻找财富，可从那以后，他就杳无音信了；而之后不久，死亡之手又带走了她的伴侣，她的福祉——她的丈夫。但直到这时她都没有失去支柱，她不但供应孩子吃穿，还经常帮助那些需要帮助的人。

懒惰的人只要还有生存能力，他就能够忍受贫穷。自私的人可能需要经受寒冬的考验，他的感情不会受伤，内心也不会受到折磨。在繁华的城市中，最无助的人也应该抱有希望，因为仁爱在他们面前并没有合上她施舍的双手、关上她的善心，在苦难面前也没有闭上双眼。

然而这群无助孩子的勤劳母亲却远离社会慈善机构，更不会有人去怜悯、安慰她，这就是松树堡的寡妇。可当她弯腰取出火中那最后一点食物分给孩子们吃的时候，她的精神好像突然被一种神秘的东西鼓舞了，她也变得很愉快，脑海中突现考珀的优美诗句：

上帝不会通过脆弱的感觉判断，

我们应该相信他的仁慈；

在紧锁的眉头后面，

藏着一张微笑的面孔。

她刚把鲱鱼放在桌子上，门口就响起了轻轻的敲门声，紧接着便传来几声狗吠，家人的注意力都被吸引了过去。一个孩子立马起身开了门，门口是一位衣着破破烂烂、疲惫不堪的流浪者，他看起来病怏怏的。他进来后，恳求这家人能收留他住一晚，并给他点吃的东西。他说：“我已经有24小时没吃东西了。”寡妇为那个可怜的流浪者感到难过，她不仅仅关心自己家里的事，尽管现在很困难，她还是把盘子里仅有的食物分给那个陌生人吃。她说：“我们没有因为善行被抛弃或受到更深重的苦难。”

当流浪者走近盘子，看到盘子中的一点点食物，他惊讶地看着上天，“这就是你们所有的食物？”他问道，“并且还把它分给一个不认识的人，我从来没有见过这样的善行，但是，女士，”他继续说，“您把最后一口食物分给一个陌生人，这样做是不是太委屈您的孩子了？”

“啊！”泪水顺着这位可怜的寡妇的脸颊流下，她说：“我有一个儿子，我亲爱的儿子，上帝如果没有把他带走，那么他肯定在世界的某个角落，如果我对你施以善行，那么别人也会像我对你一样对待他。上帝从天上向人间洒下了甘露，他会像养育以色列人一样供养我们的。如果今晚我的儿子像你一样也是个流浪者，贫困潦倒，流浪街头，上帝也会让一个家庭收留他，即使那个家庭像我家一样穷困。所以，我不能违背上帝的旨意，让你转身离开。”

寡妇话音刚落，流浪者就从凳子上站起来，他伸出双手，紧紧地抱住了她：“上帝真的让一个家庭收留了您的儿子，并且给了他财富，让他去报答收留他的人家，妈妈，哦，我的妈妈。”原来这就是她失散多年的儿子，他从印度回到了母亲的怀抱，他将自己伪装起来，想给家人一个惊喜。的确，这是一个最完美、最甜蜜喜悦的惊喜。