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Years later, her inspiration, urging, anger, and persuasion and passion for learning finally led to that lovely day when Miss Bessie dropped me a note saying, "I’m so proud to read your column in the Nashville Tennessean.”
许多年后，贝茜老师的激励和敦促、她的愤怒、她的劝诱、她对学习的热情终于迎来了一个美好的日子，那天她给我写了一封短信，上面写道：“能够在纳什维尔市的《田纳西人》上读到你写的专栏，我很为你骄傲。”
Miss Bessie was 80 when I went back to McMinnville and visited her in a senior citizens' apartment building. Pointing out proudly that her building was racially integrated, she reached for two glasses and a pint of bourbon. I was momentarily shocked, because it would have been scandalous in the 1930s and ’40s for word to get out that a teacher drank, and nobody had ever raised a rumor that Miss Bessie did.
当我再次回到麦克明维尔并到老年公寓里看望贝茜老师的时候，她已经80岁了。她很骄傲地告诉我这所公寓里住着各色人种。然后她拿出了两个玻璃杯和一品脱波旁酒。我顿时愣住了，因为在二十世纪三、四十年代的时候如果老师喝酒的消息被传出去是很不体面的，而且没有人说过贝茜老师会喝酒。
I felt a new sense of equality as she lifted her glass to mine. Then she revealed a softness and compassion that I had never known as student.
当她和我碰杯时，我感受到一种前所未有的平等。当时她流露出来的温柔和怜爱是我以前作为一个学生时从来没有感受到的。
"I've never forgotten that examination day," she said, "when Buster Martin held up seven fingers, obviously asking you for help with question number seven. 'Name a common carrier.’ I can still picture you looking at your exam paper and humming a few bars of "Chattanooga Choo Choo." I was so amused, I couldn't punish either of you."
她说：“我永远不会忘记那天考试，巴斯特·马丁伸出七根手指，很明显他想问你第七个问题的答案，‘说出一种常见的运输工具’。我现在都还清楚地记得你看了看试卷，然后小声地哼起一小节‘查塔努加火车’。我被逗乐了，没有惩罚你们俩。”
Miss Bessie was telling me that I had never fooled her for a moment.
贝茜老师是在告诉我我什么时候都蒙不了她。
