吹小號的天鵝 第59期:夏天的尾聲(2)

Summer passed all too quickly.

夏天過得太快了。

On the last day of camp, Mr. Brickle called hiscounselors together and paid them what he owedthem.

夏令營的最后一天，布里克先生把他的輔導員們召集到一起，付給他們他應付的工資。

Louis received one hundred dollars--the first moneyhe had ever earned.

路易斯得到了一百美元——他有生以來掙得的第一筆錢。

He had no wallet and no pockets,

他沒有錢夾和口袋，

so Mr. Brickle placed the money in a waterproof bag that had a drawstring.

因此布里克先生把這些錢裝到了一個帶拉繩的防水袋里。

He hung this moneybag around Louis's neck,

他把這個錢袋掛到路易斯的脖子上，

along with the trumpet, the slate, the chalk pencil, and the lifesaving medal.

和小號，石板，石筆，救生獎章放在一起。

Louis went to Sam Beaver's tent and found Sam packing his things.

路易斯來到了薩姆·比弗的帳篷，看見薩姆正在捆扎他的行李。

Louis took off his slate and pencil.

路易斯摘下了他的石板和石筆。

"I need another job," he wrote. "Where should I go?"

“我需要一個新工作，”他寫，“我該去哪兒找呢?”

Sam sat down on his bed and thought for a while.

薩姆坐到他的床上想了一會兒。

Then he said, "Go to Boston.

然后他說道：“到波士頓去吧。

Maybe you can get a job with the Swan Boat."

你大概能在天鵝游艇上找到一個工作。”

Louis had never been to Boston, and he had no idea what the Swan Boat was,

路易斯從沒去過波士頓，他也不知道天鵝游艇究竟是什么，

but he nodded his head.

可他還是點了點頭。

Then on his slate he wrote: "Do me a favor?"

他在石板上接著寫道：“幫個忙好嗎?”

"Sure," said Sam.

“可以，”薩姆說。

"Take a razor blade and slit the web on my right foot,

“請拿刀片把我右腳上的蹼割開，

so I can wiggle my toes." He held out his foot.

這樣我就能活動我的腳趾了。”他伸出了他的腳。

"Why do you want to wiggle your toes?" asked Sam.

“你為什么要活動你的腳趾呢?”薩姆問。

"You'll see," wrote Louis.

“你會明白的。”路易斯寫。

"I need my toes in my business."

“我要用我的腳趾來做我的事情。”

Sam hesitated.

薩姆猶豫了一會兒。

Then he borrowed a razor blade from one of the older counselors.

然后他朝一位年紀大的輔導員借來了一把刀片。

He made a long, neat cut between Louis's inner toe and middle toe.

他在路易斯的內(nèi)趾和中趾之間齊齊地割了一道長長的口子。

Then he made another cut between Louis's middle toe and outer toe.

接著他又在路易斯的中趾和外趾之間割了一道。

"Does it hurt?" Louis shook his head.

“疼嗎?” 路易斯搖搖頭。

He lifted his trumpet, placed his toes on the valves,

他舉起他的小號，把他的三個腳趾放到三個活瓣上，

and played do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Do, ti, la, sol, fa, mi, re, do.Ko-hoh!

順利地吹出了“do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. Do, ti, la, sol, fa, mi, re, do” 吭嗬!”

Sam grinned. "The Swan Boat will hire you, all right," he said. "You're a real trumpeter now.

薩姆咧嘴笑了。“天鵝游艇會雇傭你了，一定會的，”他說，“因為你現(xiàn)在是真正的號手了。

But with your web cut, swimming will be harder for you.

可是你的蹼被割開后，你游起泳來會困難些的。

You will have a tendency to swim in circles, because your left foot will push better than yourright foot."

你在游水時會很容易打轉(zhuǎn)，因為的左腳劃動得比你的右腳更有力。”

"I can manage," wrote Louis. "Thanks very much for the surgery."

“我能處理好這些的，”路易斯寫，“非常感謝你為我做的外科手術(shù)。”