大学英语精读-1 Unit Eight : Yoe Go Your Way，I'll Go Mine -3

The Mexican woman pretended not to hear.

"Oh, do not be afraid," she said. "Come inside. Come inside. I will bring you candy."

She took the boy's arm and brought him to the table at the center of the room and there she made him sit.

"All boys like candy," she said. "I will bring you candy." She went into another room and soon returned with an old chocolate candy box.

She opened the box at the table and in it Homer saw a strange kind of candy.

"Here," she said. "Eat this candy. All boys like candy."

Homer took a piece of the candy from the box, put it into his mouth, and tried to chew.

"You would not bring me a bad telegram," she said. "You are a good boy -- like my little Juanito when he was a little boy. Eat another piece."

And she made the messenger take another piece of the candy.

Homer sat chewing the dry candy while the Mexican woman talked.

"It is our own candy," she said, "from cactus. I made it for my Juanito when he come home, but you eat it. You are my boy, too."

Now suddenly she began to sob, holding herself in as if weeping were a disgrace.

Homer wanted to get up and run, but he knew he would stay. He even thought he might stay the rest of his life.

He just didn't know what else to do to try to make the woman less unhappy, and if she had asked him to take the place of her son, he would not have been able to refuse, because he would not have known how.

He got to his feet, as if by standing he meant to begin correcting what could not be corrected and then he knew the foolishness of this intention and became more awkward than ever.

In his heart he was saying over and over again, "What can I do? What the hell can I do? I'm only the messenger."