Of course,it was most important that no one should see Colin,Mary,or Dickon entering the secret garden.So Colin gave orders to the gardeners that they must all keep away from that part of the garden in future.
當然,重要的是不能讓人見到柯林、瑪麗和狄肯進秘密花園里面去。所以柯林吩咐園丁們以后不準到那片花園去。
The next afternoon Colin was carried downstairs by a man servant,and put in his wheelchair outside the front door.Dickon arrived,with his crow,two squirrels and the fox,and started pushing the wheelchair gently away from the house,and into the gardens.Mary walked beside the chair.
第二天下午,柯林由一個男仆抱下樓放在大門外的輪椅上。狄肯來了,帶著他的烏鴉、兩只松鼠和狐貍,開始慢慢推著輪椅離開房子到花園里去?,旣愒谂赃吀?/p>
Spring had really arrived now and it seemed very exciting to Colin,who had lived indoors for so long.He smelt the warm air from the moor,and watched the little white clouds in the blue sky.In a very short time he heard Mary say,‘This is where I found the key…and this is the door…and this…this is the secret garden!’
春天已經(jīng)來了,而柯林已經(jīng)在房間里生活了那么久,所以顯得十分激動。他聞到荒原上飄來的溫暖的氣息,看到小朵的白云在藍天上浮動。很快,他聽見瑪麗小聲說,“我就是在這兒找到鑰匙的……門在這兒……這兒……這就是秘密花園!”
Colin covered his eyes with his hands until he was inside the four high walls,and the door was shut again.Then he looked round at the roses climbing the old red walls,the pink and white flowers on the fruit trees,and the birds and the butterflies everywhere.The sun warmed his face,and he suddenly knew he felt different.
柯林用手捂住眼睛,直到進了那四堵高大的圍墻里才松開,門又被關(guān)上了。然后他四周看了看,看見玫瑰爬滿了古老的紅磚墻,果樹上開著粉色和白色的花兒,到處都是鳥兒和蝴蝶。陽光暖暖地照在他的臉上,他頓時感到自己與以往不一樣了。
‘Mary!Dickon!’he cried.‘I'm going to get better!I'm going to live for ever and ever and ever!’
“瑪麗!狄肯!”他喊著。“我會好起來的!我會永遠永遠活下去!”
As Dickon pushed the wheelchair all round the garden,he told Colin the names of all the plants.The sun shone,the birds sang,and in every corner of the garden there was something interesting to look at.The three children talked and laughed,and by the end of the afternoon all three were speaking Yorkshire together.
狄肯推著輪椅在花園里轉(zhuǎn)著,告訴柯林所有植物的名字,陽光明媚,鳥兒歌唱,花園的每一個角落都有有趣的東西可看。三個孩子說著笑著,到了傍晚就都說起約克郡話來。
‘I'll come back here every afternoon,’said Colin.‘I want to watch things growing.’
“我每天下午都要來,”柯林說。“我要看著它們生長。”
‘Soon you'll be strong enough to walk and dig.You'll be able to help us with the gardening,’said Dickon kindly.
“你很快就會強壯起來,能自己走路,自己挖土。你還能幫我們收拾園子。”狄肯友好地說道。
‘Do you really think I'll be able to…to walk and…dig?’asked Colin.
“你真的覺得我能……能走路,還能……挖土?”柯林問。
‘Of course you will.You've got legs,like us!’
“你當然能!你有腿,跟我們一樣!”
‘But they're not very strong,’answered Colin.‘They shake,and…and I'm afraid to stand on them.’
“可是我的腿沒有勁,”柯林答道。“總是不穩(wěn),我……我不敢站起來。”
‘When you want to use them,you'll be able to,’said Dickon.The garden was quiet for a moment.
“你想用它們時,你就能。”狄肯說。這會兒花園里非常安靜。
Suddenly Colin said,‘Who's that?’Mary turned her head,and noticed Ben Weatherstaff's angry face looking at her over the garden wall.
突然,柯林說,“那是誰?”瑪麗轉(zhuǎn)過頭,看見本·威瑟斯塔夫生氣的眼睛正從圍墻上邊望著她。
‘What are you doing in that garden,young miss?’he shouted.He had not seen Colin or Dickon.
“你在花園里干嘛,小姐?”他吼道,他沒看見柯林和狄肯。
‘The robin showed me the way,Ben,’she replied.
“知更鳥帶我來的,本。”她回答。
‘You…you—’He stopped shouting and his mouth dropped open as he saw Dickon pushing a boy in a wheelchair over the grass towards him.
“你……你——”當他看見狄肯在對面的草地上用輪椅推著個男孩時,他不再吼叫,嘴巴也張得老大。
‘Do you know who I am?’asked the boy in the chair.
“知道我是誰嗎?”輪椅上的男孩問。
Old Ben stared.‘You've got your mother's eyes,’he said in a shaking voice.‘Yes,I know you.You're Mr Craven's son,the little boy with the crooked back.’
本瞪大了眼睛,“你的眼睛跟你媽媽的一模一樣,”他說,聲音有點發(fā)抖。“是啊,我知道你,你是克萊文先生的兒子,那個駝背的小男孩。”
Colin forgot that he had ever had backache.‘My back's as straight as yours is!’he shouted.
柯林忘了自己曾一度背疼。他嚷道:“我的背跟你的一樣直!”
Ben stared and stared.He only knew what he had heard from the servants.‘You haven't got a crooked back?’he asked.‘Or crooked legs?’
本從上到下仔細打量。他只是聽仆人們說起過。“你的背不駝?”他問道,“你不是羅圈腿?”
That was too much.Colin was furious,and it made him feel strong.
這可太過分了。柯林生氣了,這反而讓他覺得強壯起來。
‘Come here,Dickon!’he shouted,and threw off his blanket.Dickon was by his side in a second.Mary felt sick with fear.Could Colin stand?
“過來,狄肯!”他叫道,甩掉了蓋毯,狄肯立刻來到他身旁,瑪麗感到有點擔心,柯林能站起來嗎?
Then Colin's thin feet were on the grass and he was standing,holding Dickon's arm.He looked strangely tall,and he held his head very high.
柯林瘦弱的腳放在草地上,扶著狄肯的胳膊站了起來。他看上去異常高大,頭高高地揚著。
‘Look at me!’he shouted at Ben.‘Just look at me!’
“看我!”他沖本喊道,“看看我呀!”
‘He's as straight as any boy in Yorkshire!’said Dickon.
“他像約克郡別的男孩一樣直!”狄肯說。
Tears were running down Ben's brown old face.‘They said you were going to die!he whispered.
淚水從本那棕色而蒼老的臉上滑落下來。“他們說你要死了!”他小聲說。
‘Well,you can see that's not true,’said Colin.‘Now,get down from the wall and come here.I want to talk to you.You've got to help us keep the garden a secret.’
“那么,現(xiàn)在你該知道那不是真的,”柯林說道,“現(xiàn)在從墻上下來到這兒來吧。我想跟你談?wù)?。你得幫我們保守花園的秘密。”
‘Yes,sir,’said old Ben,as he dried his eyes.
“好的,先生。”本說著,一邊擦干了淚水。
That was the first of many beautiful afternoons in the secret garden.Colin was brought there by Dickon and Mary nearly every day,and he saw all the changes that happened there during the spring and early summer.Ben Weatherstaff,now in the secret,joined them as often as he could.
這是秘密花園中第一個美麗的下午,這樣的下午以后還有很多??铝謳缀趺刻於加傻铱虾同旣悗У竭@兒,他看到了春天和初夏這里的所有變化。本·威瑟斯塔夫,現(xiàn)在也是秘密的一部分,一有空就加入他們。
One day Colin spoke to all of them.‘Listen,everybody.I think there's something like magic that makes gardens grow and things happen.Perhaps if I believe in it,the magic will make me strong.Let's all sit down in a circle and ask the magic to work.’
一天,柯林對大家說:“你們大家聽我說。我想是什么魔法使花園里的植物生長,使很多事情發(fā)生?;蛟S要是我相信,魔法也會使我變得強壯起來。咱們坐下來圍成圈請魔法顯靈吧!”
So they all sat on the grass in a circle,Dickon with his crow,his fox and the two squirrels,Mary,Colin,and Ben.Colin repeated these words several times.‘The sun's shining.That's the magic.Being strong.That's the magic.Magic!Help me!Magic!Help me!’
于是他們圍坐在草地上,狄肯和他的烏鴉、狐貍以及兩只松鼠,瑪麗、柯林、還有本??铝种貜?fù)說著:“陽光在照耀,這就是魔法。強壯起來,這就是魔法。魔法!幫幫我!魔法!幫幫我!”
At last Colin stopped.‘Now I'm going to walk round the garden,’he said,and took Dickon's arm.Slowly he walked from one wall to another,followed closely by Mary and Ben.And when he had walked all the way round,he said,‘You see!I can walk now!The magic worked!’
最后柯林停下來。“現(xiàn)在我得在花園里走走了。”他說。于是他扶著狄肯的胳膊,慢慢地從一面墻走到另一面墻,瑪麗和本緊緊跟著他們。當他走完一圈時,他說:“看哪!我能走了!魔法顯靈了!”
‘It's wonderful!’cried Mary.‘Your father will think he is dreaming when he sees you!’
“太棒了!”瑪麗叫著。“你父親看見你一定會以為是在做夢呢!”
‘I won't tell him yet.I'm going to keep it a secret from everybody.I'll come to the garden and walk and run a little more every day until I'm as healthy as any other boy.Then,when my father comes home,I'll walk up to him and say,“Here I am,F(xiàn)ather.You see? I'm not going to die!”’
“我還不想告訴他。我要保守秘密,不讓任何人知道。我要每天都到花園里散步,再跑上一小會兒,直到我像其他人一樣健康。到那會兒,等我父親回家時,我要走到他面前,說,‘我在這兒,爸爸。你看到了嗎?我不會死的!’”
Now began a difficult time for Colin and Mary.Dickon told his mother about it one evening as he was digging the cottage garden.
這可給瑪麗和柯林出了難題。狄肯一天晚上在挖屋前的菜園時把這事告訴了媽媽。
‘You see,mother,they don't want the doctor or the servants to guess that Colin can walk and is getting better.So they have to pretend he's still ill and just as disagreeable as he used to be!’
“您看,媽媽,他們不想讓醫(yī)生或用人猜出柯林能走路,而且身體也好多了。所以他們假裝他還病著,而且還像從前一樣不討人喜歡!”
‘If they're running about all day in the fresh air,that'll make them hungry,I should think!’
“要是他們整天跑來跑去,呼吸新鮮空氣,那樣他們會感到餓的,我想。”
‘Yes,that's the problem.They're both getting fatter and healthier,and they really enjoy their food now.But they have to send some of it back to the kitchen,uneaten.If they eat it all,people will realize how healthy they are!Sometimes they're very hungry!’
“是啊,就是這件事。他們倆都長胖了,也健康了,而且很能吃飯了??墒撬麄儏s不得不剩下一些送回廚房,要是都吃光了,人家就會知道他們很健康!所以,他們有時餓得很厲害!”
‘I know what we can do,’said Mrs Sowerby.‘You can take some fresh milk and some of my newly baked bread to the garden in the mornings.If they have that,it'll do them a lot of good!What a game those children are playing!’And she laughed until tears came to her eyes.
“我知道我們能做些什么,”索爾比太太說,“上午你帶點新鮮的牛奶和我剛烤好的面包到花園去,吃了這些會對他們有很大好處的!孩子們這是在玩什么把戲??!”她笑得眼淚都流出來了。
One afternoon when they were all working in the garden,the door opened and a woman came quietly in.
一天下午,他們正在花園里干活兒,門開了,一個女人悄悄走了進來。
‘It's Mother!’cried Dickon,and ran towards her.‘I told her where the door was,because I knew she would keep the secret.’
“是媽媽!”狄肯喊道,跑了過去,“我告訴了她門在哪兒,因為我知道她會保密的。”
Colin held out his hand to her.‘I've wanted to see you for a long time,’he said.
柯林伸出手,說:“我一直都想見到您。”
‘Dear boy!’Susan Sowerby whispered,holding his hand.‘You're so like your mother!’
“好孩子!”蘇珊·索爾比小聲說著,握住他的手,“你長的可真像你媽媽。”
‘Do you think,’asked Colin carefully,‘that will make my father like me?’
“您覺得,”柯林小心地問道,“這會讓我父親喜歡我嗎?”
‘I'm sure it will,’she answered warmly.‘He must see you —he must come home now.’
“我肯定他會的。”她熱情地答道。“他得看看你——他現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該回家了。”
‘You see how healthy the boy is,Susan?’asked old Ben.‘Look how strong and straight his legs are now!’
“蘇珊,瞧這孩子多健康??!”本說,“看他的腿,現(xiàn)在又直又結(jié)實!”
‘Yes,’she laughed.‘Playing and working outside,and eating good Yorkshire food,has made him strong.And Miss Mary too,’she added,turning to Mary.‘Mrs Medlock heard that your mother was a pretty woman.You'll soon be as pretty as she was.’
“是啊,”她笑了,“在外面玩,在外面干活,加上約克郡的美食,這就讓他壯實起來了。再加上有瑪麗小姐。”她加了一句,轉(zhuǎn)向瑪麗。“梅洛太太聽說你媽媽很漂亮,你很快也會像她一樣漂亮的。”
‘Do you believe in magic?’Colin asked her.
“您相信魔法嗎?”柯林問她。
‘I do,’she answered,‘but everybody gives it a different name.It makes the sun shine and the seeds grow—and it has made you healthy.’
“相信。”她回答,“不過每個人都給它起了個不同的名字。它使陽光照耀,種子生長——同樣也讓你健康。”
She sat down on the grass and stayed for a while,talking and laughing with the children in the quiet,sunny garden.When she stood up to leave,Colin suddenly put out a hand to her.
她在草地上坐了一會兒,和孩子們在灑滿陽光、寧靜的花園里說笑著。她站起身臨走的時候,柯林向她伸出一只手。
‘I wish—you were my mother!’he whispered.
“我真希望——您是我的媽媽!”他小聲說。
Mrs Sowerby put her arms round him and held him to her.‘Dear boy!You're as close to your mother as you could be,here in her garden.And your father'll come back soon!’
索爾比太太把他摟在懷里,“好孩子!在你媽媽的花園里,你離她要多近有多近。而且,你爸爸也快回來了!”