夏洛的網 Chapter 4：孤獨

The next day was rainy and dark. Rain fell on the roof of the barn and dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain fell in the barnyard and ran in crooked courses down into the lane where thistles and pig weed grew. Rain spattered against Mrs. Zuckerman's kitchen windows and came gushing out of the downspouts. Rain fell on the backs of the sheep as they grazed in the meadow. When the sheep tired of standing in the rain, they walked slowly up the lane and into the fold.

第二天是個陰沉的雨天。雨珠兒落到谷倉上面，又一滴滴地從屋檐上滑了下來。雨珠兒落到谷倉旁邊的地上，一路濺跳到長滿刺兒菜和灰菜的小路里面。雨珠兒輕輕拍打著祖克曼太太廚房的窗子，順著玻璃汩汩地往下淌。雨珠兒也落到正在草地吃草的綿羊們的背上。當綿羊們在雨中吃膩了，便慢吞吞地沿著小路回到了羊圈里。

Rain upset Wilbur's plans. Wilbur had planned to go out, this day, and dig a new hole in his yard. He had other plans, too. His plans for the day went something like this:

雨打亂了威伯的所有計劃。今天威伯本打算出去散個步，在他的院子里掘一個新坑呢。而且他還有其他的計劃。他今天的所有計劃大致如下：

Breakfast at six-thirty. Skim milk, crusts, middlings, bits of doughnuts, wheat cakes with drops of maple syrup sticking to them, potato skins, leftover custard pudding with raisins, and bits of Shredded Wheat.

六點半吃早飯。早飯包括脫脂奶，面包渣兒，粗麥粉，一小塊油煎圈餅，上面沾著楓蜜的麥糕，土豆皮，綴著葡萄干的小塊布丁，零碎的麥片。

Breakfast would be finished at seven.

早餐將在七點結束。

From seven to eight, Wilbur planned to have a talk with Templeton, the rat that lived under his trough. Talking with Templeton was not the most interesting occupation in the world but it was better than nothing.

從七點到八點，威伯打算和住在他的食槽下面的耗子坦普爾曼談天兒。雖然和坦普爾曼談天不是這世上最有趣的事情，但至少比什么都不做要好。

From eight to nine, Wilbur planned to take a nap outdoors in the sun.

八點到九點，威伯想在外面的太陽下打一個盹兒。

From nine to eleven he planned to dig a hole, or trench, and possibly find something good to eat buried in the dirt.

九點到十一點，他打算挖一個洞，或者一條小溝也行，沒準兒還能從臟土里翻出什么好吃的呢。

From eleven to twelve he planned to stand still and watch flies on the boards, watch bees in the clover, and watch swallows in the air.

十一點到十二點，他只想默默地站著，瞧瞧落在木板上的蒼蠅，瞅瞅在苜?；ㄩg的蜜蜂，望望天空里的燕子。

Twelve o'clock-lunchtime. Middlings, warm water, apple parings, meat gravy, carrot scrapings, meat scraps, stale hominy, and the wrapper off a package of cheese. Lunch would be over at one.

十二點鐘——該吃午餐了。午飯有粗麥粉，溫水，蘋果皮，肉汁，尖尖的胡蘿卜，肉末兒，陳玉米粒兒，去皮的干酪。用餐將在下午一點結束。

From one to two, Wilbur planned to sleep.

從一點到兩點，威伯打算睡覺。

From two to three, he planned to scratch itchy places by rubbing against the fence.

兩點到三點，他準備在柵欄上蹭癢。

From three to four, he planned to stand perfectly still and think of what it was like to be alive, and to wait for Fern.

三點到四點，他打算靜默而又完美地站在地上，想想生活的樂趣到底是什么，并且等芬來看他。

At four would come supper. Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upside down cake.

四點鐘吃晚飯。晚飯有脫脂奶，剩飯，魯維的午餐盒里剩下的三明治，干梅皮，一小片這個，一小塊那個，還有炸薯片，稀稀的果醬，一點兒蘋果干，一塊蛋糕等等這些那些東西。

Wilbur had gone to sleep thinking about these plans. He awoke at six and saw the rain, and it seemed as though he couldn't bear it.

昨晚睡覺時，威伯還一直想著這些計劃。可是今早六點睜開眼，卻看到外面正在下雨，這可真讓他無法忍受。

"I get every thing all beautifully planned out and it has to go and rain," he said.

“我把計劃訂得多么完美呀，可天卻下起了雨，”他說。

For a while he stood gloomily indoors. Then he walked to the door and looked out. Drops of rain struck his face. His yard was cold and wet. his trough had and inch of rainwater in it. Templeton was nowhere to be seen.

他憂郁地在屋里站了一會兒。然后他走到門口往外看。雨滴撞到了他的臉。他的院子里又冷又濕。他的食槽里足有一英寸厚的雨水。不知道坦普爾曼躲到哪兒去了。

"Are you out there, Templeton?" called Wilbur. There was no answer. Suddenly Wilbur felt lonely and friendless.

“你在嗎，坦普爾曼?”威伯喊道。沒有誰回答他。陡然間，威伯覺得自己是那么的孤獨，無助。

"One day just like another," he groaned. "I'm very young, I have no real friend here in the barn, it's going to rain all morning and all afternoon, and Fern won't come in such bad weather. Oh, honestly!" And Wilbur was crying again, for the second time in two days.

“今天就像昨天一樣沒勁，”他嘆息。“我很年輕，我在谷倉里沒有真正的朋友，雨會下一早晨，甚至整個下午，這樣的壞天氣，芬可能也不會出來。唉，她準不會來!”威伯又難過得哭起來，這兩天里，他已經哭了兩次了。

At six-thirty Wilbur heard the banging of a pail. Lurvy was standing outside in the rain, stirring up breakfast.

六點半，威伯聽到了食桶晃動的聲音。魯維正在外面的雨里給自己準備早飯呢。

"C'mon, pig!" said Lurvy.

“來吃吧，小豬!”魯維說。

Wilbur did not budge. Lurvy dumped the slops, scraped the pail and walked away. He noticed that something was wrong with the pig.

威伯動都懶得動。魯維把飼料倒進食槽，又刮了刮桶壁，才走開了。他注意到小豬好像有毛病了。

Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love. He wanted a friend--someone who would play with him. He mentioned this to the goose, who was sitting quietly in a corner of the sheepfold.

威伯想要的不是食物，而是關愛。他想有一個朋友——某個能和他一起玩兒的人。他把這心思對在羊圈角落里靜靜坐著的母鵝講了出來。

"Will you come over and play with me?" he asked.

“你愿意來和我一起玩兒嗎?”他問。

"Sorry, sonny, sorry," said the goose. "I'm sitting-sitting on my eggs. Eight of them. Got to keep them toasty-oasty-oasty warm. I have to stay right here, I'm no flibberty-ibberty-gibbet. I do not play when there are eggs to hatch. I'm expecting goslings."

“抱歉，寶貝兒，抱歉，”母鵝說。”我正在孵我的蛋呢。他們共有八個，得時刻讓他們又干-干-干又暖。因此我只好呆在這兒，不能走-走-走開。我孵蛋時不能玩兒。我盼著能早點孵出小鵝來。”

"Well, I didn't think you were expecting wood-peckers," said Wilbur, bitterly.

“當然，我想你一定不愿孵出一群啄木鳥來，”威伯酸溜溜地說。

Wilbur next tried one of the lambs.

威伯又試著去問羊羔。

"Will you please play with me?" he asked.

“你能來和我一起玩兒嗎?”他請求。

"Certainly not," said the lamb. "In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump over the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me."

“當然不能了，”一只羊羔說。“首先，我無法進到你的院子里，因為我還太小，跳不過這籬笆。其次，我對豬一點兒也不感興趣。照我看，豬比啥都不是還不是。”

"What do you mean, less than nothing?" replied Wilbur. "I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowest you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something--even though it's just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is."

“什么叫比啥都不是還不是?”威伯回答。“我不認為有什么東西會比啥都不是還不是。'啥都不是'已經不是到了頂了，那絕對是天地的頂端，世界的盡頭了。怎么可能還會有比啥都不是還不是的東西呢?要是你說得對，那'啥都不是'就該是點啥，哪怕只是那么一丁點兒。但是如果'啥都不是'就是'啥都不是'，那么你就找不到會比啥都不是還不是的東西。”①

"Oh, be quiet!" said the lamb. "Go play by yourself! I don't play with pigs.

“哎呀，吵死了!”羊羔說。“自己上一邊兒玩去!我就是不和豬一起玩兒。”

Sadly, Wilbur lay down and listened to the rain. Soon he saw the rat climbing down a slanting board that he used as a stairway.

威伯悲傷地躺下來，去聽雨的聲音。不久，他看見耗子正在順著一塊他自稱為樓梯的，斜放在那里的木板往下爬。

"Will you play with me, Templeton?" asked Wilbur.

“你愿意和我玩兒嗎，坦普爾曼?”威伯懇求。

"Play?" said Templeton, twirling his whiskers. "Play? I hardly know the meaning of the word."

“玩兒?”坦普爾曼說著，捻了捻他的胡子。“玩兒?我都不懂這詞兒是什么意思。”

"Well," said Wilbur, "it means to have fun, to frolic, to run and skip and make merry."

“哦，”威伯說，“玩就是做游戲，嬉耍，跑跳，找樂子。”

"I never do those things if I can avoid them, " replied the rat, sourly. "I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying, and hiding. I am a glutton but not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat your breakfast, since you haven't got sense enough to eat it yourself." And Templeton, the rat, crept stealthily along the wall and disappeared into a private tunnel that he had dug between the door and the trough in Wilbur's yard. Templeton was a crafty rat, and he had things pretty much his own way. The tunnel was an example of his skill and cunning. The tunnel enabled him to get from the barn to his hiding place under the pig trough without coming out into the open. He had tunnels and runways all over Mr. Zuckerman's farm and could get from one place to another without being seen. Usually he slept during the daytime and was abroad only after dark.

“我從不愿意在這些事兒上浪費時間。”耗子冷冷的回答。“我寧愿把我的時間用在吃，咬，偷，藏上面。我是一個貪吃的老鼠，不是游戲主義者。我要去吃你食槽里的早餐了，反正現(xiàn)在你也不想去吃。”老鼠坦普爾曼說完，便沿著墻縫爬進他開鑿的那條貫穿門和食槽的秘密通道里去了。坦普爾曼是只非常狡猾的耗子，也很有些高明的手段。這條通道不過是他的狡猾與挖洞技巧的一個證明而已。這條通道能令他不用在谷倉的明處露面，就能在谷倉和自己在豬食槽下的藏身處來回。他在祖克曼先生的農場里挖了很多條地道，這樣就可以不被發(fā)現(xiàn)的任意來去了。通常他都在白天睡覺，夜深才出來活動。

Wilbur watched him disappear into his tunnel. In a moment he saw the rat's sharp nose poke out from underneath the wooden trough. Cautiously Templeton pulled himself up over the edge of the trough. This was almost more than Wilbur could stand: on this dreary, rainy day to see his breakfast being eaten by somebody else. He knew Templeton was getting soaked, out there in the pouring rain, but even that didn't comfort him. Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.

威伯看著他爬進了通道。瞬間來歷，他就看見耗子的尖鼻頭從木頭食槽下面探出來。坦普爾曼小心地順著食槽邊爬了進去。威伯幾乎再也不能忍受了：誰愿意在一個憂傷的下雨天，看到自己的早餐被別人吃掉呢?他知道外面的雨水正澆著在那里大嚼的坦普爾曼，可這也不會使他感到有所安慰。無助，失意，饑餓……他趴在牛糞堆里啜泣起來。

Late that afternoon, Lurvy went to Mr. Zuckerman. "I think there's something wrong with that pig of yours. He hasn't touched his food."

傍晚，魯維去見祖克曼先生。“我想你的豬有毛病了。他沒吃食。”

"Give him two spoonfuls of sulphur and a little molasses," said Mr. Zuckerman.

“給他喝兩勺硫磺，里面和點兒糖水。”祖克曼先生說。

Wilbur couldn't believe what happening to him when Lurvy caught him and forced the medicine down his throat. This was certainly the worst day of his life. He didn't know whether he could endure the awful loneliness any more.

當魯維抓住威伯，強行把藥水灌到他喉嚨里時，威伯還不能相信這些發(fā)生在自己身上的事。這是他一生中最糟糕的一天。他不知道自己是否還能再忍受這可怕的孤獨了。

Darkness settled over everything. Soon there were only shadows and the noises of the sheep chewing their cuds, and occasionally the rattle of a cow-chain up overhead. You can imagine Wilbur's surprise when, out of the darkness, came a small voice he had never heard before. It sounded rather thin, but pleasant. "Do you want a friend, Wilbur?" it said. "I'll be a friend to you. I've watched you all day and I like you."

黑暗朦朧了一切。不久，除了影子和綿羊咀嚼的聲音，還有頭頂的牛牽動鏈子發(fā)出的嘩啦聲外，什么也感覺不到了。所以你一定能想象得出，當一個從未聽見過的纖細的聲音從黑夜中傳出來時，威伯是多么的驚奇。這聲音相當的微弱，但聽來卻那么使人愉快。“你想要一個朋友嗎，威伯?”那個聲音說。“我將成為你的朋友。我已經觀察你好多天了，我喜歡你。”

"But I can't see you," said Wilbur, jumping to his feet. "Where are you? And who are you?"

“可我看不見你呀，”威伯說著，踮起腳來尋找。“你在哪兒，你是誰?”

"I'm right up here," said the voice. "Go to sleep. You'll see me in the morning."V. Charlotte(1)The night seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full. And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.

“我就在這兒，”那個聲音說。“你先睡吧。明早你就會看到我了。”

A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to figure out what time it was. A barn is never perfectly quiet. Even at midnight there is usually something stirring.

暫無翻譯

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin. Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur. "Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"the second time Wilbur woke, he heard the goose turning on her nest and chuckling to herself.

"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the goose.

"Probably-obably-obably about half-past eleven," said the goose, "Why aren't you asleep, Wilbur?""Too many things on my mind," said Wilbur.

"Well," said the goose, "that's not my trouble. I have nothing at all on my mind, but I've too many things under my behind. Have you ever tried to sleep while sitting on eight eggs?""No," replied Wilbur, "I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?""Approximately-oximately thirty days, all told," answered the goose. "But I cheat a little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a little straw over the eggs and go out for a walk."Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In his dreams he heard again the voice saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep--you'll see me in the morning."About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened. The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand. The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth. Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this--calm and quiet, waiting for light.

"Day is almost here," he thought.

Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared.

One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing. Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.

"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly. He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided he would have to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his throat.

"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice. "Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"Wilbur paused and listened. All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed. But he was determined to get in touch with his unknown friend.

"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up. Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"The sheep looked at each other in disgust.

"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep. "If you have a new freind here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?""I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn't mean to be objectionable."He lay down meekly in the in the manure, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near. and the old sheep was right--the friend was still asleep.

Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate everything in a hurry, and licked the trough. The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled along behind them, pulling grass. And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before.

"Salutations!" said the voice.

Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.

"Salutations!" said the voice.

"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?""Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner of the dooway! Here I am. Look, I'm waving!"At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down, was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. "See me now?" she asked.

The next day was rainy and dark. Rain fell on the roof of the barn and dripped steadily from the eaves. Rain fell in the barnyard and ran in crooked courses down into the lane where thistles and pigweed grew. Rain spattered against Mrs. Zuckerman's kitchen windows and came gushing out of the downspouts. Rain fell on the backs of the sheep as they grazed in the meadow. When the sheep tired of standing in the rain, they walked slowly up the lane and into the fold.

Rain upset Wilbur's plans. Wilbur had planned to go out, this day, and dig a new hole in his yard. He had other plans, too. His plans for the day went something like this:

Breakfast at six-thirty. Skim milk, crusts, middlings, bits of doughnuts, wheat cakes with drops of maple syrup sticking to them, potato skins, leftover custard pudding with raisins, and bits of Shredded Wheat.

Breakfast would be finished at seven.

From seven to eight, Wilbur planned to have a talk with Templeton, the rat that lived under his trough. Talking with Templeton was not the most interesting occupation in the world but it was better than nothing.

From eight to nine, Wilbur planned to take a nap outdoors in the sun.

From nine to eleven he planned to dig a hole, or trench, and possibly find something good to eat buried in the dirt.

From eleven to twelve he planned to stand still and watch flies on the boards, watch bees in the clover, and watch swallows in the air.

Twelve o'clock-lunchtime. Middlings, warm water, apple parings, meat gravy, carrot scrapings, meat scraps, stale hominy, and the wrapper off a package of cheese. Lunch would be over at one.

From one to two, Wilbur planned to sleep.

From two to three, he planned to scratch itchy places by rubbing against the fence.

From three to four, he planned to stand perfectly still and think of what it was like to be alive, and to wait for Fern.

At four would come supper. Skim milk, provender, leftover sandwich from Lurvy's lunchbox, prune skins, a morsel of this, a bit of that, fried potatoes, marmalade drippings, a little more of this, a little more of that, a piece of baked apple, a scrap of upside down cake.

Wilbur had gone to sleep thinking about these plans. He awoke at six and saw the rain, and it seemed as though he couldn't bear it.

"I get every thing all beautifully planned out and it has to go and rain," he said.

For a while he stood gloomily indoors. Then he walked to the door and looked out. Drops of rain struck his face. His yard was cold and wet. his trough had and inch of rainwater in it. Templeton was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you out there, Templeton?" called Wilbur. There was no answer. Suddenly Wilbur felt lonely and friendless.

"One day just like another," he groaned. "I'm very young, I have no real friend here in the barn, it's going to rain all morning and all afternoon, and Fern won't come in such bad weather. Oh, honestly!" And Wilbur was crying again, for the second time in two days.

At six-thirty Wilbur heard the banging of a pail. Lurvy was standing outside in the rain, stirring up breakfast.

"C'mon, pig!" said Lurvy.

Wilbur did not budge. Lurvy dumped the slops, scraped the pail and walked away. He noticed that something was wrong with the pig.

Wilbur didn't want food, he wanted love. He wanted a friend--someone who would play with him. He mentioned this to the goose, who was sitting quietly in a corner of the sheepfold.

"Will you come over and play with me?" he asked.

"Sorry, sonny, sorry," said the goose. "I'm sitting-sitting on my eggs. Eight of them. Got to keep them toasty-oasty-oasty warm. I have to stay right here, I'm no flibberty-ibberty-gibbet. I do not play when there are eggs to hatch. I'm expecting goslings."

"Well, I didn't think you were expecting wood-peckers," said Wilbur, bitterly.

Wilbur next tried one of the lambs.

"Will you please play with me?" he asked.

"Certainly not," said the lamb. "In the first place, I cannot get into your pen, as I am not old enough to jump over the fence. In the second place, I am not interested in pigs. Pigs mean less than nothing to me."

"What do you mean, less than nothing?" replied Wilbur. "I don't think there is any such thing as less than nothing. Nothing is absolutely the limit of nothingness. It's the lowest you can go. It's the end of the line. How can something be less than nothing? If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something--even though it's just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is."

"Oh, be quiet!" said the lamb. "Go play by yourself! I don't play with pigs.

Sadly, Wilbur lay down and listened to the rain. Soon he saw the rat climbing down a slanting board that he used as a stairway.

"Will you play with me, Templeton?" asked Wilbur.

"Play?" said Templeton, twirling his whiskers. "Play? I hardly know the meaning of the word."

"Well," said Wilbur, "it means to have fun, to frolic, to run and skip and make merry."

"I never do those things if I can avoid them, " replied the rat, sourly. "I prefer to spend my time eating, gnawing, spying, and hiding. I am a glutton but not a merry-maker. Right now I am on my way to your trough to eat your breakfast, since you haven't got sense enough to eat it yourself." And Templeton, the rat, crept stealthily along the wall and disappeared into a private tunnel that he had dug between the door and the trough in Wilbur's yard. Templeton was a crafty rat, and he had things pretty much his own way. The tunnel was an example of his skill and cunning. The tunnel enabled him to get from the barn to his hiding place under the pig trough without coming out into the open. He had tunnels and runways all over Mr. Zuckerman's farm and could get from one place to another without being seen. Usually he slept during the daytime and was abroad only after dark.

Wilbur watched him disappear into his tunnel. In a moment he saw the rat's sharp nose poke out from underneath the wooden trough. Cautiously Templeton pulled himself up over the edge of the trough. This was almost more than Wilbur could stand: on this dreary, rainy day to see his breakfast being eaten by somebody else. He knew Templeton was getting soaked, out there in the pouring rain, but even that didn't comfort him. Friendless, dejected, and hungry, he threw himself down in the manure and sobbed.

Late that afternoon, Lurvy went to Mr. Zuckerman. "I think there's something wrong with that pig of yours. He hasn't touched his food."

"Give him two spoonfuls of sulphur and a little molasses," said Mr. Zuckerman.

Wilbur couldn't believe what happening to him when Lurvy caught him and forced the medicine down his throat. This was certainly the worst day of his life. He didn't know whether he could endure the awful loneliness any more.

Darkness settled over everything. Soon there were only shadows and the noises of the sheep chewing their cuds, and occasionally the rattle of a cow-chain up overhead. You can imagine Wilbur's surprise when, out of the darkness, came a small voice he had never heard before. It sounded rather thin, but pleasant. "Do you want a friend, Wilbur?" it said. "I'll be a friend to you. I've watched you all day and I like you."

"But I can't see you," said Wilbur, jumping to his feet. "Where are you? And who are you?"

"I'm right up here," said the voice. "Go to sleep. You'll see me in the morning."V. Charlotte(1)The night seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full. And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.

A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to figure out what time it was. A barn is never perfectly quiet. Even at midnight there is usually something stirring.

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin. Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur. "Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"the second time Wilbur woke, he heard the goose turning on her nest and chuckling to herself.

"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the goose.

"Probably-obably-obably about half-past eleven," said the goose, "Why aren't you asleep, Wilbur?""Too many things on my mind," said Wilbur.

"Well," said the goose, "that's not my trouble. I have nothing at all on my mind, but I've too many things under my behind. Have you ever tried to sleep while sitting on eight eggs?""No," replied Wilbur, "I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?""Approximately-oximately thirty days, all told," answered the goose. "But I cheat a little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a little straw over the eggs and go out for a walk."Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In his dreams he heard again the voice saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep--you'll see me in the morning."About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened. The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand. The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth. Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this--calm and quiet, waiting for light.

"Day is almost here," he thought.

Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared.

One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing. Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.

"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly. He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided he would have to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his throat.

"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice. "Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"Wilbur paused and listened. All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed. But he was determined to get in touch with his unknown friend.

"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up. Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"The sheep looked at each other in disgust.

"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep. "If you have a new freind here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?""I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn't mean to be objectionable."He lay down meekly in the in the manure, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near. and the old sheep was right--the friend was still asleep.

Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate everything in a hurry, and licked the trough. The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled along behind them, pulling grass. And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before.

"Salutations!" said the voice.

Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.

"Salutations!" said the voice.

"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?""Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner of the dooway! Here I am. Look, I'm waving!"At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down, was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. "See me now?" she asked.

?

第二天是個陰沉的雨天。雨珠兒落到谷倉上面，又一滴滴地從屋檐上滑了下來。雨珠兒落到谷倉旁邊的地上，一路濺跳到長滿刺兒菜和灰菜的小路里面。雨珠兒輕輕拍打著祖克曼太太廚房的窗子，順著玻璃汩汩地往下淌。雨珠兒也落到正在草地吃草的綿羊們的背上。當綿羊們在雨中吃膩了，便慢吞吞地沿著小路回到了羊圈里。

雨打亂了威伯的所有計劃。今天威伯本打算出去散個步，在他的院子里掘一個新坑呢。而且他還有其他的計劃。他今天的所有計劃大致如下：

六點半吃早飯。早飯包括脫脂奶，面包渣兒，粗麥粉，一小塊油煎圈餅，上面沾著楓蜜的麥糕，土豆皮，綴著葡萄干的小塊布丁，零碎的麥片。

早餐將在七點結束。

從七點到八點，威伯打算和住在他的食槽下面的耗子坦普爾曼談天兒。雖然和坦普爾曼談天不是這世上最有趣的事情，但至少比什么都不做要好。

八點到九點，威伯想在外面的太陽下打一個盹兒。

九點到十一點，他打算挖一個洞，或者一條小溝也行，沒準兒還能從臟土里翻出什么好吃的呢。

十一點到十二點，他只想默默地站著，瞧瞧落在木板上的蒼蠅，瞅瞅在苜蓿花間的蜜蜂，望望天空里的燕子。

十二點鐘——該吃午餐了。午飯有粗麥粉，溫水，蘋果皮，肉汁，尖尖的胡蘿卜，肉末兒，陳玉米粒兒，去皮的干酪。用餐將在下午一點結束。

從一點到兩點，威伯打算睡覺。

兩點到三點，他準備在柵欄上蹭癢。

三點到四點，他打算靜默而又完美地站在地上，想想生活的樂趣到底是什么，并且等芬來看他。

四點鐘吃晚飯。晚飯有脫脂奶，剩飯，魯維的午餐盒里剩下的三明治，干梅皮，一小片這個，一小塊那個，還有炸薯片，稀稀的果醬，一點兒蘋果干，一塊蛋糕等等這些那些東西。

昨晚睡覺時，威伯還一直想著這些計劃。可是今早六點睜開眼，卻看到外面正在下雨，這可真讓他無法忍受。

“我把計劃訂得多么完美呀，可天卻下起了雨，”他說。

他憂郁地在屋里站了一會兒。然后他走到門口往外看。雨滴撞到了他的臉。他的院子里又冷又濕。他的食槽里足有一英寸厚的雨水。不知道坦普爾曼躲到哪兒去了。

“你在嗎，坦普爾曼?”威伯喊道。沒有誰回答他。陡然間，威伯覺得自己是那么的孤獨，無助。

“今天就像昨天一樣沒勁，”他嘆息。“我很年輕，我在谷倉里沒有真正的朋友，雨會下一早晨，甚至整個下午，這樣的壞天氣，芬可能也不會出來。唉，她準不會來!”威伯又難過得哭起來，這兩天里，他已經哭了兩次了。

六點半，威伯聽到了食桶晃動的聲音。魯維正在外面的雨里給自己準備早飯呢。

“來吃吧，小豬!”魯維說。

威伯動都懶得動。魯維把飼料倒進食槽，又刮了刮桶壁，才走開了。他注意到小豬好像有毛病了。

威伯想要的不是食物，而是關愛。他想有一個朋友——某個能和他一起玩兒的人。他把這心思對在羊圈角落里靜靜坐著的母鵝講了出來。

“你愿意來和我一起玩兒嗎?”他問。

“抱歉，寶貝兒，抱歉，”母鵝說。”我正在孵我的蛋呢。他們共有八個，得時刻讓他們又干-干-干又暖。因此我只好呆在這兒，不能走-走-走開。我孵蛋時不能玩兒。我盼著能早點孵出小鵝來。”

“當然，我想你一定不愿孵出一群啄木鳥來，”威伯酸溜溜地說。

威伯又試著去問羊羔。

“你能來和我一起玩兒嗎?”他請求。

“當然不能了，”一只羊羔說。“首先，我無法進到你的院子里，因為我還太小，跳不過這籬笆。其次，我對豬一點兒也不感興趣。照我看，豬比啥都不是還不是。”

“什么叫比啥都不是還不是?”威伯回答。“我不認為有什么東西會比啥都不是還不是。'啥都不是'已經不是到了頂了，那絕對是天地的頂端，世界的盡頭了。怎么可能還會有比啥都不是還不是的東西呢?要是你說得對，那'啥都不是'就該是點啥，哪怕只是那么一丁點兒。但是如果'啥都不是'就是'啥都不是'，那么你就找不到會比啥都不是還不是的東西。”①

“哎呀，吵死了!”羊羔說。“自己上一邊兒玩去!我就是不和豬一起玩兒。”

威伯悲傷地躺下來，去聽雨的聲音。不久，他看見耗子正在順著一塊他自稱為樓梯的，斜放在那里的木板往下爬。

“你愿意和我玩兒嗎，坦普爾曼?”威伯懇求。

“玩兒?”坦普爾曼說著，捻了捻他的胡子。“玩兒?我都不懂這詞兒是什么意思。”

“哦，”威伯說，“玩就是做游戲，嬉耍，跑跳，找樂子。”

“我從不愿意在這些事兒上浪費時間。”耗子冷冷的回答。“我寧愿把我的時間用在吃，咬，偷，藏上面。我是一個貪吃的老鼠，不是游戲主義者。我要去吃你食槽里的早餐了，反正現(xiàn)在你也不想去吃。”老鼠坦普爾曼說完，便沿著墻縫爬進他開鑿的那條貫穿門和食槽的秘密通道里去了。坦普爾曼是只非常狡猾的耗子，也很有些高明的手段。這條通道不過是他的狡猾與挖洞技巧的一個證明而已。這條通道能令他不用在谷倉的明處露面，就能在谷倉和自己在豬食槽下的藏身處來回。他在祖克曼先生的農場里挖了很多條地道，這樣就可以不被發(fā)現(xiàn)的任意來去了。通常他都在白天睡覺，夜深才出來活動。

威伯看著他爬進了通道。瞬間來歷，他就看見耗子的尖鼻頭從木頭食槽下面探出來。坦普爾曼小心地順著食槽邊爬了進去。威伯幾乎再也不能忍受了：誰愿意在一個憂傷的下雨天，看到自己的早餐被別人吃掉呢?他知道外面的雨水正澆著在那里大嚼的坦普爾曼，可這也不會使他感到有所安慰。無助，失意，饑餓……他趴在牛糞堆里啜泣起來。

傍晚，魯維去見祖克曼先生。“我想你的豬有毛病了。他沒吃食。”

“給他喝兩勺硫磺，里面和點兒糖水。”祖克曼先生說。

當魯維抓住威伯，強行把藥水灌到他喉嚨里時，威伯還不能相信這些發(fā)生在自己身上的事。這是他一生中最糟糕的一天。他不知道自己是否還能再忍受這可怕的孤獨了。

黑暗朦朧了一切。不久，除了影子和綿羊咀嚼的聲音，還有頭頂的牛牽動鏈子發(fā)出的嘩啦聲外，什么也感覺不到了。所以你一定能想象得出，當一個從未聽見過的纖細的聲音從黑夜中傳出來時，威伯是多么的驚奇。這聲音相當的微弱，但聽來卻那么使人愉快。“你想要一個朋友嗎，威伯?”那個聲音說。“我將成為你的朋友。我已經觀察你好多天了，我喜歡你。”

“可我看不見你呀，”威伯說著，踮起腳來尋找。“你在哪兒，你是誰?”

“我就在這兒，”那個聲音說。“你先睡吧。明早你就會看到我了。”