书虫三级 铁路少年：9.车站上的人

9．The man at the station
9．车站上的人

Life at the white house was never quite the same again. Jim's leg got better and better, and he told them stories about his school. And now Mother was not writing stories every day, she was able to teach the children their lessons.

白色小屋里的生活发生了巨大的变化。吉姆的腿恢复得越来越好，他经常给他们讲一些发生在自己学校里的故事。现在妈妈也不必每天写故事了，因此她就有时间教孩子们一些功课。

I wonder if the railway misses us,' said Phyllis one day. 'We never go and see it now.'

“我想知道铁路是否会想念我们，”一天菲利斯说，“因为我们最近不到那儿去了。”

It seems ungrateful,' said Bobbie. 'We loved it when there wasn't anyone to play with. And we've stopped waving to the 9.15, and sending our love to Father by it.'

“似乎有些忘恩负义，”博比说，“过去没人和我们玩的时候，我们曾很喜欢它。而且我们也不再去跟9点15分的那趟火车招手，让它把我们的爱带给爸爸了。”

Let's begin again,' said Phyllis.

“那我们重新开始吧。”菲利斯说。

So the next morning, they ran down to the fence and watched the 9.15 come out of the tunnel.

于是第二天一早，他们便跑到山下的篱笆那里，去迎接9点15分的那趟火车穿出隧道。

Take our love to Father!' they cried, as they waved their handkerchiefs.

“把我们的爱带给爸爸！”他们一边大喊，还一边挥舞着他们的手绢。

The old gentleman waved from his window. And there was nothing strange about that, because he had always waved. But now... hands and handkerchiefs and newspapers waved from every window of the train, and smiling faces looked up at the children on the fence.

老先生仍然从窗口招手，这没有什么可奇怪的，因为他一直是这样做的。但是现在……列车的每一个窗口都挥着手和手绢或者报纸，一张张笑脸注视着篱笆墙上的孩子们。

Well!' said Phyllis.

“哦！”菲利斯说。

What does it mean?' said Peter.

“这是怎么回事儿？”彼得说。

Perhaps the old gentleman told the people to wave,' said Bobbie. But she had a strange feeling inside her, a feeling that something was going to happen.

“也许是老先生让人们朝我们挥手的。”博比说。不过她心里还是有一种异样的感觉，预感到有什么事情将要发生。

Lessons with Mother were difficult for Bobbie that morning. She found it hard to think about them.

那天早晨，博比觉得很难专心听妈妈讲功课。她觉得自己没法把心思放到功课上。

What is it, my darling?' asked Mother. 'You don't feel ill, do you?'

“出什么事儿了，亲爱的？”妈妈问，“你没有觉得不舒服吧？”

I don't know,' answered Bobbie. 'Perhaps I'd feel better in the garden.'

“我不知道，”博比回答，“也许到花园里走走我会好受一些。”

But the trees and the flowers all seemed to be waiting for something to happen. It was one of those quiet September days, when everything does seem to be waiting. 'I'll go down to the station and talk to Perks,' she thought.

但是，院子里的树木和鲜花好像也在期待着什么事情的发生。在那个安静的九月的日子里，周围的一切好像都在期待着什么。“我应该下山，到车站和珀克斯谈一谈。”博比心想。

Everyone seemed to have a newspaper in their hand that morning. Several people waved theirs at Bobbie, and smiled as she went by—people who never usually waved or smiled at her. 'How strange,' she thought.

那天早晨似乎每个人手里都拿着一份报纸。在博比经过的时候，有几个人还对她微笑，挥舞着他们手中的报纸——这些人平时一般不跟她挥手或者对她微笑的。“太奇怪了。”博比心里想。

Perks wasn't anywhere on the platform, and Bobbie had only the station cat to talk to. 'How kind and friendly everybody is today,' she said to the cat.

珀克斯没在站台上，博比只好和车站的小猫聊了起来。“今天这里的每一个人都是这么和善，这么友好。”她对小猫说。

Perks appeared when it was time for the 11.54 to arrive. He had a newspaper, too. 'Hallo,' he said to Bobbie. 'I saw it in the paper, and I've never been so pleased about anything in all my life.'

当11点54分的那趟火车快要进站的时候，珀克斯终于出现了。他手里也拿着一份报纸。“你好，”他跟博比招呼道，“我在报纸上看到了，我这一辈子还没有为什么事情这么高兴过。”

What did you see in the paper?' asked Bobbie.

“你在报纸上看到了什么？”博比问。

But already the 11.54 was steaming into the station, and Perks was looking in all the windows.

恰巧此时，11点54分的那趟列车进站了。珀克斯往每一个窗口里瞧着。

Only three people got out of the train. The first was a woman with three boxes of chickens. The second was a woman with a brown suitcase.

只有三位旅客下车。第一位是个女士，她带了三箱小鸡。第二位也是个女士，带着一个棕色的手提箱。

And the third...

第三位是……

Oh! my Daddy, my Daddy!' cried Bobbie.

“哦！我的爸爸，我的爸爸！”博比叫着。

That scream went like a knife into the heart of everyone on the train. People put their heads out of windows and saw the tall white-faced man and the little girl, with their arms around each other.

这叫声像把尖刀一样，直刺进车上每位旅客的心间。他们纷纷把头伸出窗外，看见那个身材高大、面色白皙的男人和一个小姑娘拥抱在一起。

I knew something wonderful was going to happen,' said Bobbie, as they went up the road. 'But I didn't think it was going to be this. Oh, my Daddy!'

“我已经预感到今天会有好事发生，”在沿着大路回家的时候，博比说，“但是，我没想到会是这么大的喜事。哦，我的爸爸！”

Didn't Mother get my letter?' asked Father.

“妈妈没有收到我的信吗？”爸爸问。

There weren't any letters this morning,' said Bobbie. 'Oh, Daddy. It really is you, isn't it?'

“今天早晨没有信呀。”博比回答，“哦，爸爸。真的是您吗，没错吧？”

He held her hand and said, 'You must go in by yourself, and tell Mother very quietly that it's all right. They've caught the man who did it. Everyone knows now that your Daddy isn't a spy.'

爸爸握着她的手说：“你自己先回去，悄悄地告诉妈妈现在没事了，他们已经抓住那个贩卖情报的人了。现在大家都知道你们的爸爸不是间谍。”

We always knew you weren't,' said Bobbie. 'Me and Mother and our old gentleman.'

“我们一直知道您不是，”博比说，“我，妈妈，还有我们那位老先生。”

Yes,' said Father. 'It's him I must thank.'

“对，”爸爸说，“我一定要谢谢他。”

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And now they are going across the field. Bobbie goes into the house, trying to find the right words to tell Mother that Father has come home. Father is walking in the garden—waiting. He is looking at the flowers, but he keeps turning towards the house.

现在他们已经穿过了田野。博比进了家，她绞尽脑汁，想用最合适的话告诉妈妈，爸爸已经回来了。爸爸此刻就在花园里转悠着呢——他也在等待着。虽然眼睛瞧着院子里的鲜花，可他却不住地回转身朝房子那边观望。

Now the door opens. Bobbie's voice calls:

现在屋门打开了，传来了博比的叫声：

Come in, Daddy. Come in!'

“请进，爸爸。请进！”

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