Chapter15 Nest Building筑巢-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《秘密花园The Secret Garden》

Chapter XV Nest Building After another week of rain the high arch of blue sky appeared again and the sun which poured down was quite hot.Though there had been no chance to see either the secret garden or Dickon,Mistress Mary had enjoyed herself very much.The week had not seemed long.She had spent hours of every day with Colin in his room,talking about Rajahs or gardens or Dickon and the cottage on the moor.They had looked at the splendid books and pictures and sometimes Mary had read things to Colin,and sometimes he had read a little to her.When he was amused and interested she thought he scarcely looked like an invalid at all,except that his face was so colorless and he was always on the sofa. "You are a sly young one to listen and get out of your bed to go following things up like you did that night,"Mrs.Medlock said once."But there's no saying it's not been a sort of blessing to the lot of us.He's not had a tantrum or a whining fit since you made friends.The nurse was just going to give up the case because she was so sick of him,but she says she doesn't mind staying now you've gone on duty with her,"laughing a little. In her talks with Colin,Mary had tried to be very cautious about the secret garden.There were certain things she wanted to find out from him,but she ·260· 第十五章 筑巢 雨下了一周后终于停了，高远的蓝色天空再次悬挂 于头顶，太阳也洒下了热辣的光芒。尽管玛丽近来一直 没能见到迪康，也没有机会去看看那座秘密花园，但她 还是过得很开心。这一周似乎并不漫长。她每天都会花 上几个小时，待在柯林的房间里，聊聊小王爷或是花园， 要不就谈谈迪康和那座旷野上的小屋。他们会在一起读 书，看看上面那些精美的图片，有时候，玛丽还会给柯 林念上几段故事，柯林也同样会给她念上两段。每当他 兴致勃勃的时候，玛丽都会觉得，面前的这个小孩看上 去一点都不像是病人，只不过是面色有些苍白，还一直 待在沙发上罢了。 “你这小东西可真淘气，那天晚上听见动静居然就 起床跟着去了。”有一次，麦德洛克夫人这样说道，“但 是我也不得不说，这对我们大家来说还真都是件好事 ①ft[间n,(感情等的) 激发，突发：反复无常 儿。自打你俩成了朋友，他好久都没发过脾气，也没再 的情绪 哭哭啼啼的了。那个看护本来觉得实在是受不了他，都 打算不干了，但是现在呢，既然你每天都跟她一起出工， 她又说自己可以继续做下去了。”麦德洛克夫人轻轻笑 了一声。 玛丽在同柯林聊天的过程中，一直小心翼翼，尽量 避免提起那座秘密花园。她想从他那里打听出来几件事 ·261· ChapterXV Nest Building felt that she must find them out without asking him direct questions.In the first place,as she began to like to be with him,she wanted to discover whether he was the kind of boy you could tell a secret to.He was not in the least like Dickon,but he was evidently so pleased with the idea of a garden no one knew anything about that she thought perhaps he could be trusted.But she had not known him long enough to be sure.The second thing she wanted to find out was this:If he could be trusted-if he really could-wouldn't it be possible to take him to the garden without having any one find it out?The grand doctor had said that he must have fresh air and Colin had said that he would not mind fresh air in a secret garden.Perhaps if he had a great deal of fresh air and knew Dickon and the robin and saw things growing he might not think so much about dying.Mary had seen herself in the glass sometimes lately when she had realized that she looked quite a different creature from the child she had seen when she arrived from India.This child looked nicer.Even Martha had seen a change in her. "Th'air from th'moor has done thee good already,"she had said."Tha'rt not nigh so yeller and tha'rt not nigh so serawny.Even tha'hair doesn't slamp down on tha'head so flat.It's got some life in it so as it sticks out a bit." "It's like me,"said Mary."It's growing stronger and fatter.I'm sure there's more of it." "It looks it,for sure,"said Martha,ruffling it up a little round her face. "Tha'rt not half so ugly when it's that way an'there's a bit o'red in tha'cheeks." If gardens and fresh air had been good for her perhaps they would be good for Colin.But then,if he hated people to look at him,perhaps he would not like to see Dickon. "Why does it make you angry when you are looked at?"she inquired one day. ·262· 第十五章 筑巢 情，却又觉得自己不能就那样直白地问出口。首先呢， 既然玛丽已经慢慢喜欢和他相处，她也想知道他是不是 那种可以保守秘密的男孩。他同迪康完全不一样，但是 很明显，他却很是享受“一座没有人知道的花园”这种 想法，这令玛丽觉得自己大约还是可以信任他的。然而 话虽是这么说，两个人认识的时间毕竟不长，她也不能 完全确定。她想知道的第二件事情也同这第一件有些 关系。假如她可以信任他的话一假如他是值得信任的 话一那么，她是否有可能在不被任何人发现的情况 下，将他带去那座秘密花园呢？那个有名的医生说他需 要多多呼吸新鲜空气，柯林自己也说了，如果是在那座 秘密花园里的话，他也不介意呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。如果 他能多呼吸点儿新鲜空气，认识一下迪康和那只知更 鸟，再看看万物生长的样子，或许，他就不会像现在这 样一直想着自己活不下去这件事了。玛丽最近照镜子的 时候，突然意识到，自己看上去好像变了一个人似的， 再也不是刚从印度来到这里时的那个小姑娘了。现在这 个孩子看着更顺眼。就连玛莎都看到了她的变化。 Dscrawny ['skro:ni]a.骨瘦 如柴的 “旷野上的空气己经把你养好了嘞，”她以前便这 样说过，“面皮儿没有那么黄了，人也没有那么瘦巴巴 的了。就连你那头发都不像原来似的可怜兮兮地贴在脑 袋上了，它都有生气了，也开始蓬起来嘞。” “就跟我一样，”玛丽说，“变强壮了，也变胖了。 我敢说它们也变多了。” “看着绝对是这样的，”玛莎一边应道，一边把她 脸颊周围的头发往上梳了梳，“你比刚来的时候起码好 看了一倍，脸颊也开始有血色了。” 如果说花园和新鲜空气已经对她产生了积极影响的 话，那么，它们或许也能对柯林有好处。但是话又说回 来，若是柯林讨厌别人看着他，那样的话，他也不一定 会喜欢看到迪康 “为什么有人看着你的时候你会觉得生气呢？”一 天，她如是问道。 ·263· ChapterXV Nest Building "I always hated it,"he answered,"even when I was very little.Then when they took me to the seaside and I used to lie in my carriage everybody used to stare and ladies would stop and talk to my nurse and then they would begin to whisper and I knew then they were saying I shouldn't live to grow up.Then sometimes the ladies would pat my cheeks and say'Poor child!'Once when a lady did that I screamed out loud and bit her hand.She was so frightened she ran away..” "She thought you had gone mad like a dog,"said Mary,not at all admiringly "I don't care what she thought,"said Colin,frowning. "I wonder why you didn't scream and bite me when I came into your room?"said Mary.Then she began to smile slowly. "I thought you were a ghost or a dream,"he said."You can't bite a ghost or a dream,and if you scream they don't care." "Would you hate it if-if a boy looked at you?"Mary asked uncertainly. He lay back on his cushion and paused thoughtfully. "There's one boy,"he said quite slowly,as if he were thinking over every word,"there's one boy I believe I shouldn't mind.It's that boy who knows where the foxes live-Dickon." "I'm sure you wouldn't mind him,"said Mary. "The birds don't and other animals,"he said,still thinking it over,"perhaps that's why I shouldn't.He's a sort of animal charmer and I am a boy animal." Then he laughed and she laughed too;in fact it ended in their both laughing a great deal and finding the idea of a boy animal hiding in his hole very funny indeed. ·264· 第十五章 筑巢 “我一直都讨厌被别人盯着看，”他回答，“很小的 时候就这样了。那时候，他们每次把我带到海边，我总 会躺在马车里，每个人都会过来打量我，女士们还会停 下步子，跟我的看护聊上儿句，然后就开始小声嘀咕， 我知道她们说的是什么，她们说我一定活不到长大成 人。有的时候，还有些女士会过来拍拍我的脸颊，感叹 一句‘可怜的孩子！’有一回，一位女士那样做的时候， 我就大声尖叫来着，还咬了她的手。她都吓死了，立马 就跑了。” admiringly [od'maiorinli] ad,赞赏地 “她估计是以为你像狗一样发疯了呢。”玛丽丝毫 不感到赞同。 “我不在乎她怎么想。”柯林皱着眉头说道。 “我在想啊，为什么我走进来的时候，你既没有 尖叫，也没有咬我呢？”玛丽说，随后便缓缓地笑了 起来。 “我以为你是鬼魂呢，或者是我在做梦，”他回答， “你没办法咬一个鬼魂或是梦里的人啊，就算你尖叫了， 他们也不会在意的。” “如果一个小男孩看着你的话，你会觉得讨厌 吗？”玛丽不确定地问道。 他靠回到软垫上，思索了一小会儿。 “有一个男孩，”他慢悠悠地开口了，仿佛是在思 考自己说出口的每一个字，“有那么一个男孩，我觉得 我应该是不介意让他看着我的。就是那个知道孤狸住在 哪儿的男孩—迪康。” “你一定不会讨厌他的。”玛丽保证道。 “小鸟不讨厌他，其他动物也不讨厌他，”他依旧 还在琢磨着这件事，“这大概就是我不会讨厌他的原因 吧。他是那种招小动物喜欢的人，我这个小男孩也是个 小动物。” 然后，他便笑了起来，她也跟着笑了起来：事实上， 他们直到最后都一直在笑，觉得一个男孩动物躲在自己 的洞穴里这件事实在是非常好笑。 ·265· ChapterXV Nest Building What Mary felt afterward was that she need not fear about Dickon. On that first morning when the sky was blue again Mary wakened very early.The sun was pouring in slanting rays through the blinds2 and there was something so joyous in the sight of it that she jumped out of bed and ran to the window.She drew up the blinds and opened the window itself and a great waft of fresh,scented air blew in upon her.The moor was blue and the whole world looked as if something Magic had happened to it.There were tender little fluting sounds here and there and everywhere,as if scores of birds were beginning to tune up for a concert.Mary put her hand out of the window and held it in the sun. "It's warm-warm!"she said."It will make the green points push up and up and up,and it will make the bulbs and roots work and struggle with all their might under the earth.” She kneeled down and leaned out of the window as far as she could,breathing big breaths and sniffing the air until she laughed because she remembered what Dickon's mother had said about the end of his nose quivering like a rabbit's."It must be very early,"she said."The little clouds are all pink and I've never seen the sky look like this.No one is up.I don't even hear the stable boys." A sudden thought made her scramble to her feet. "I can't wait!I am going to see the garden!" She had learned to dress herself by this time and she put on her clothes in five minutes.She knew a small side door which she could unbolt herself and she flew downstairs in her stocking feet and put on her shoes in the hall.She unchained and unbolted and unlocked and when the door was open she sprang across the step with one bound,and there she was standing on the grass,which seemed to have turned green,and with the sun pouring down on her and warm sweet wafts about her and the fluting and twittering and singing coming from every bush and tree.She clasped her hands for pure joy and looked up in the sky and it was so blue and pink and pearly and white and flooded with springtime light that she felt as if she must flute and sing aloud herself and knew that thrushes and robins and skylarks could not possibly help it.She ran around the shrubs and paths towards the secret garden ·266· 第十五章 筑巢 事后，玛丽觉得，自己再也不用担心迪康的事了。 在天空又放晴的第一天，玛丽早早使爬了起来。太 ①slanting ['sla:ntir]a.倾斜 阳透过百叶窗投射下一道道倾斜的光芒，这样的场景令 玛丽雀跃不已，立刻跳下床，跑到了窗边。她拉起百叶 ②blind[blaind],百叶窗 ③waft[wa:f)n.(气味等 窗，打开窗户，登时，一股清新的空气迎面吹拂而来。 的)一阵 旷野是湛蓝色的，而整个世界都仿佛被施了魔法一样。 ④scented['sentid]a.芳香 的 四周传来同笛声一般的轻柔声响，好似成群结队的鸟儿 ⑤futing[Hu:tig]h.(吹奏 在为即将到来的演唱会而调音。玛丽将手伸出窗外，置 出的)笛声 ⑥scores of许多，大量 于阳光之下。 “天气真暖和，真暖和！”她说，“这样的话，那 些绿色的小尖尖就能长啊长啊长的，球茎和根茎也能在 地底下使使劲儿，努力往下蹿。” 她跪下身，尽可能地探出窗外，深深呼吸，嗅着外 面的新鲜空气，忽然笑出了声，因为她想起迪康的妈妈 总是说他鼻尖一动一动的样子像只小兔子似的。 “现在一定还早，”她说，“一朵一朵的小云彩还是 粉色的呢，我从来没有见过这样的天空。大家还都在睡， 就连马童那里都没有动静。” ⑦stable[steibl]n.马厩， 马棚 一闪而过的念头令她跳了起来。 8 scramble【['skraembl]v.仓 “我等不下去了！我要去看看那座花园！” 促完成 到了这会儿，玛丽已经学会怎样自己穿衣服，只花 了五分钟就把衣服穿好了。她知道一扇小边门，可以从 那里出去，于是，她穿着长筒袜，飞快地跑下楼梯，在 大厅里套上鞋子。她打开门上的锁链，卸下门闩，拧开 门锁，门开的瞬间便冲了出去，一下就跳下台阶，站在 了草地上。草叶似乎已经开始转绿，阳光照在身上，温 暖甜蜜的空气紫绕在周身，四面的树木和树丛那里纷纷 传来悦耳的唧唧啾啾声。玛丽因着喜悦而用力攥紧了双 手，拾头看着天空，蓝色、粉色、白色、珍珠色交融在 春日的阳光中，这一切都不禁令她产生了一种想要演奏 或是高歌的情绪，她方才意识到，画眉鸟、知更鸟和云 雀定是难以自持才会放声歌唱的。她在灌木丛和小路上 跑来跑去，一直跑到了秘密花园。 ·267· ChapterXV Nest Building "It is all different already,"she said."The grass is greener and things are sticking up everywhere and things are uncurling and green buds of leaves are showing.This afternoon I am sure Dickon will come." The long warm rain had done strange things to the herbaceous beds which bordered the walk by the lower wall.There were things sprouting and pushing out from the roots of clumps of plants and there were actually here and there glimpses of royal purple and yellow unfurling among the stems of crocuses.Six months before Mistress Mary would not have seen how the world was waking up,but now she missed nothing. When she had reached the place where the door hid itself under the ivy,she was startled by a curious loud sound.It was the caw-caw of a crow and it came from the top of the wall,and when she looked up,there sat a big glossy- plumaged blue-black bird,looking down at her very wisely indeed.She had never seen a crow so close before and he made her a little nervous,but the next moment he spread his wings and flapped away across the garden.She hoped he was not going to stay inside and she pushed the door open wondering if he would.When she got fairly into the garden she saw that he probably did intend to stay because he had alighted on a dwarf apple-tree and under the apple- tree was lying a little reddish animal with a bushy tail,and both of them were watching the stooping body and rust-red head of Dickon,who was kneeling on the grass working hard. Mary flew across the grass to him “Oh,Dickon!Dickon!”she cried out..“How could you get here so early! How could you!The sun has only just got up!" He got up himself,laughing and glowing,and tousled;his eyes like a bit of the sky. “Eh!”he said..“I was up long before him.How could I have stayed abed!Th'world's all fair begun again this mornin',it has.An'it's workin'an' hummin'an'scratchin'an'pipin'an'nest-buildin'an'breathin'out scents,till ·268· 第十五章 筑巢 “看上去已经不一样了，”她说，“草比以前更绿了， 到处都是新冒出来的小芽，叶片都伸展开了，绿芽也钻 出来了。迪康今天下午一定会过来的。” herbaceous [ha:'beifas]a. 漫长的暖雨似乎对矮墙周边小路上的草床产生了奇 草的 妙的影响。一丛丛植物的根茎处抽出了嫩芽，甚至连深 紫色和黄色的番红花都隐隐约约在四处迎风招展着。要 是在六个月之前，女王玛丽本不会注意到这般万物苏醒 ②royal purple深紫蓝色 ③unfurl[n'fl.展开， 的景象呢，然而现在，她却不放过任何细节。 抖开 当她来到秘密花园的时候，大门依旧掩藏在常春藤 之下，这时，她却被一声奇异的怪响吓了一跳。原来是 乌鸦的聒噪声，是从墙沿那里传过来的，而当她抬头张 ④caw [ka:n,鸭叫声 望的时候，只见那里蹲坐着一只羽翼光亮的黑蓝色大 鸟，正带着睿智的目光低头看着她。她以前从未这样近 plumaged ['plu:mid3d]a. 羽毛一的 距离地观察过乌鸦，不免有些紧张：然而就在下一刻， 它便扑扇着羽翼，穿过花园飞走了。她暗暗希望它不会 待在园子里面，于是推开了大门想看个究竞。当她跨过 大门走了几步之后，玛丽便发现，它可能确实有着长居 于此的打算，因为它此刻正栖息在一棵低矮的苹果树 上，树下则趴着一只全身泛红、尾巴毛茸茸的小动物， 两只小东西都不约而同地打量着弯腰蜷在那里、有着一 头锈红色乱发的迪康一眼下，他正跪在草地上，辛勤 地劳作着。 玛丽飞快穿过草地，跑向了他。 “哦，迪康！迪康！”她大叫出声，“你怎么能来 得这么早呢！怎么能呢！太阳才刚出来！” 他也站起了身，容光焕发地笑着，头发依旧乱蓬蓬 ⑥tousle[tauzl]v.弄乱，搞 8 地顶在脑袋上，瞳孔中映照着蓝天的样子。 “啊！”他开口道，“我比太阳可起得早多了。我 怎么还能躺在床上呢！今天早上，整个世界都再一次醒 过来了，没错的。周遭的一切都在生长，在哼唱，在骚 动，在吹奏，在筑巢，散发出芬芳的香气，直到你再也 ·269·