英语经典散文：幼年的玛丽小姐 Little Miss Mary(4)

After the long sea journey，she was met in London by Mr Craven's housekeeper，Mrs Medlock.Together they travelled north by train.Mrs Medlock was a large woman，with a very red face and bright black eyes.Mary did not like her，but that was not surprising，because she did not usually like people.Mrs Medlock did not like Mary either.

轮船在海上航行了很久，克莱文先生的管家梅洛太太到伦敦来接玛丽，带她坐火车去北方。梅洛太太是个高大的女人，红脸膛，长着一双明亮的黑眼睛。玛丽不喜欢她，这也没什么好奇怪的，因为她谁也不喜欢。梅洛太太也不怎么喜欢玛丽。

‘What a disagreeable child!’thought the housekeeper.‘But perhaps I should talk to her.’

“这孩子可真不讨人喜欢!”管家心里想。“不过也许我能跟她聊聊。”

‘I can tell you a bit about your uncle if you like，’she said aloud.‘He lives in a big old house，a long way from anywhere. There are nearly a hundred rooms，but most of them are shut and locked.There's a big park round the house，and all kinds of gardens.Well，what do you think of that?’

“要是你愿意，我可以给你讲讲你舅舅的事。”她大声说。“他住在一幢很大的老宅子里，离哪儿都不近。那个宅子差不多有一百个房间，可大部分都是上了锁的。房子周围有一片很大的园林，还有各式的花园。你觉得怎么样?”

‘Nothing，’replied Mary.‘It doesn't matter to me.’

“不怎么样，”玛丽答道。“跟我一点关系都没有。”

Mrs Medlock laughed.‘You're a hard little girl!Well，if you don't care，Mr Craven doesn't either.He never spends time on anyone.He's got a crooked back，you see，and although he's always been rich，he was never really happy until he married.’

梅洛太太笑了，“你这个小倔丫头!好啦，如果你不在乎，克莱文先生自然也不在乎。他从不把时间花在任何人身上，他是个驼背，而且，尽管一直都很有钱，在他结婚之前他从来没有真正快乐过。”

‘Married?’repeated Mary in surprise.

“结婚?”玛丽惊奇地重复道。

‘Yes，he married a sweet，pretty girl，and he loved her deeply.So when she died—’

“是啊，娶了个温柔美丽的姑娘，他非常非常爱她。所以那姑娘一死——”

‘Oh!Did she die?’asked Mary，interested.

“哦!她死了吗?”玛丽感兴趣地问道。

‘Yes，she did.And now he doesn't care about anybody.If he's at home，he stays in his room and sees nobody.He won't want to see you，so you must stay out of his way and do what you're told.’

“是啊，她死了。所以克莱文先生谁也不关心了，他在家的时候就呆在屋子里谁也不见，他不会想见你的，所以你必须躲着他，照别人吩咐你的去做。”

Mary stared out of the train window at the grey sky and the rain.She was not looking forward to life at her uncle's house.

玛丽望着车窗外灰色的天空和飘落的雨水，对于住在舅舅家的生活没有一丝期盼。

The train journey lasted all day，and it was dark when they arrived at the station.Then there was a long drive to get to the house.It was a cold，windy night，and it was raining heavily. After a while Mary began to hear a strange，wild noise.She looked out of the window，but could see nothing except the darkness.

火车走了一天，到站时天已经黑了。可离那幢房子还有很远的路，要搭马车才能到。这是一个寒冷的夜晚，风疾雨骤。过了一阵，玛丽听到一种奇怪的狂野的声音，她向窗外看去，可除了黑暗什么都看不见。

‘What's that noise?’she asked Mrs Medlock.‘It's—It's not the sea，is it?’

“那是什么声音?”她问梅洛太太，“那——那不是海，对么?”

‘No，that's the moor.It's the sound the wind makes，blowing across the moor.’

“对，那不是海，是荒原的声音，是风吹过荒原时发出的声音。”

‘What is a moor?’

“荒原是什么?”

‘It's just miles and miles of wild land，with no trees or houses.Your uncle's house is right on the edge of the moor.’

“就是大片大片的荒地，没有树，也没有房屋，你舅舅家就住在荒原的尽头。”

Mary listened to the strange，frightening sound.‘I don't like it，’she thought.‘I don't like it.’She looked more disagreeable than ever.