書蟲三級 鐵路少年：6.珀克斯的生日

6．A birthday for Perks
6．珀克斯的生日

It was breakfast-time and Mother was smiling.

吃早飯時，媽媽微笑著。

I've sold another story, darlings,' she said. 'We can have cakes for tea.'

“親愛的，我又賣掉了一篇故事，”她說，“我們又有茶點可以吃了。”

The three children looked at each other. Then Bobbie said, 'Can we have the cakes on Thursday instead of today? It's Perks's birthday on Thursday.'

三個孩子相互看了一眼。博比開口說道：“我們星期四再吃茶點好嗎？因為星期四是珀克斯的生日。”

How do you know?' asked Mother.

“你們怎么知道的？”媽媽問。

I showed him my brooch—the one you gave me for my birthday—and I asked him about his birthday. He says he doesn't keep birthdays anymore, because he has other things to keep—his wife and children! But he said it was on the 15th, and that's Thursday.'

“我讓他看我的胸針——就是我過生日時您送給我的那枚——我問他的生日是什么時候。他說他已經不再過生日了，因為他已經有了其他的事情要操心——他的妻子和孩子們！不過他還是說他的生日是在15號，就是這個星期四。”

And we thought we could make a birthday tea for him,' said Peter. 'He's been very good to us.'

“我們想，我們可以邀請他來我們家喝茶，”彼得補充道，“他一直對我們很好。”

All right,' said Mother.

“好吧。”媽媽說。

But cakes didn't seem a very exciting birthday present.

但是，蛋糕并不能算是令人興奮的生日禮物。

We can give him flowers,' said Bobbie, when they were discussing it in the garden, later that day.

“我們可以送他一些鮮花。”那天晚些時候，當他們在花園里再次討論這個問題的時候，博比說。

Then Peter had an idea. 'Perks is nice to everybody,' he said. 'There must be lots of people in the village who will want to help us give him a nice birthday. Let's ask everybody.'

這時，彼得有了主意。“珀克斯對所有的人都很好，”他說，“村里一定有很多人愿意幫我們送他一個不錯的生日禮物，我們去問問大家吧。”

Bobbie wasn't sure. 'Mother said we weren't to ask people for things.'

博比拿不定主意。“媽媽說，我們不能再張嘴跟別人要東西了。”

Not for ourselves,' said Peter. 'It's all right to ask for other people. I'll ask the old gentleman, too.'

“可這不是給我們自己要的，”彼得說，“給別人要應該是可以的，我也會去問那位老先生要的。”

So they went to the village. Some people were kind, and some were not.

于是他們來到了村里。有些人對他們很友好，可也有些不怎么友好。

It's my birthday tomorrow,' said old Mrs Ransome at the Post Office. 'Nobody will remember mine. Why should I give anything to Perks? Go away!'

“明天是我的生日，”在郵局工作的一位叫蘭塞姆的老婦人說，“但沒人記得我的生日，我為什么要給珀克斯禮物呢？走開！”

But other people gave things—a pipe, a tin of tea, a walking stick—and others promised to give small presents, too.

不過其他的人還是給了他們一些東西——一個煙斗，一罐茶葉，一根拐杖——還有一些人也答應要送些小禮物。

Early the next morning, Bobbie and Phyllis went into the garden and cut some roses. They put them into a box with one of Bobbie's prettiest handkerchiefs. Then they wrote on a piece of paper: For Mrs Ransome for her birthday, with our love, and put it inside the box. Bobbie and Phyllis took the box down to the Post Office, and put it inside the door when the old woman wasn't looking.

第二天一大早，博比和菲利斯就到花園里去剪玫瑰花。他們用博比最漂亮的手絹把剪下的玫瑰扎成一束裝進盒子里。然后他們在一張紙上寫道：送給蘭塞姆夫人，祝她生日快樂，這花代表我們的愛。隨后他們把這張紙條也放入盒中。博比和菲利斯拿著盒子下山到了郵局，趁那個老婦人沒注意，他們把盒子放到了郵局的門里。

While they were gone, Peter told his mother about Perks's presents. 'We're not doing it because he's poor,' said Peter, 'but because we like him.'

他們走了之后，彼得跟媽媽講了給珀克斯籌集禮物的事情。“我們這樣做，并不是因為珀克斯沒錢，”彼得說，“而是因為我們喜歡他。”

I hope he understands that,' said Mother.

“我希望他能理解這一點。”媽媽說。

On Thursday morning, the children went to fetch the presents which other people had promised—eggs, meat, tomatoes. The old lady at the Post Office was standing outside as they went by.

星期四早晨，孩子們去取其他人答應送的禮物——雞蛋，肉，西紅柿。當他們路過郵局的時候，那位老婦人站在門口。

I want to thank you for the roses,' she said.

“我想謝謝你們送給我玫瑰。”她說。

We're pleased you liked them,' said Phyllis.

“你能喜歡那些玫瑰我們很高興。”菲利斯說。

And here's your box,' said Mrs Ransome, giving it back to them. It was now full of shiny red apples. She smiled. 'The Perks's children will like them. And I've got a pram in the back of the shop. It was for my daughter's first child, but the child died after six months. I'd like Mrs Perks to have it for her little boy. Will you take it?'

“把你們的盒子還給你們，”蘭塞姆夫人一邊說著，一邊把盒子交回到他們手中。盒子里裝滿了油光閃閃的紅蘋果。她微笑著。“珀克斯的孩子們會喜歡的。另外，商店的后面放著一輛嬰兒車，那是為我女兒的第一個孩子準備的，但孩子六個月大的時候夭折了。我想珀克斯夫人可以給她的小兒子用。你們愿意把它帶過去嗎？”

Thank you,' said Bobbie. 'We will.'

“謝謝您，”博比說，“我們愿意。”

The children put all the presents in the pram, and at three o'clock they pushed it to the Perks's little yellow house. Mrs Perks and her young children were surprised to see them.

孩子們把所有的禮物都放進嬰兒車里，3點鐘的時候，他們把這些東西推到了珀克斯家的黃色小房子那里?？吹剿麄?，珀克斯夫人和她的小孩子們大吃一驚。

We know it's Mr Perks's birthday,' said Peter. 'And we've brought some presents for him.'

“我們知道今天是珀克斯先生的生日，”彼得說，“我們給他帶來了一些禮物。”

The woman's eyes got bigger and bigger with surprise as each thing was taken from the pram.

隨著東西一樣樣地從嬰兒車里拿出來，珀克斯夫人真有些瞠目結舌。

Perks has never had a birthday like it!' she said.

“珀克斯從來沒有過這樣的生日！”她說。

The cakes and the presents were put on the table, then the children hid in the other room when they heard Perks coming home from work. They wanted to surprise him by jumping out and saying 'Happy birthday!' after he'd seen the presents.

孩子們把蛋糕和禮物放在桌上，這時他們聽到珀克斯下班回來了，于是孩子們躲到了另外一個房間里。他們想等珀克斯看見這些禮物之后，再從里面跳出來，跟他說“生日快樂！”，給他一個驚喜。

What's all this?' they heard him say. 'What's that pram doing here?' His wife explained, but too quietly for the children to hear. But they heard Perks shout, 'I'm not having any of it! We've managed all these years, asking people for nothing, and I'm not going to start taking things now. We may be poor, but we don't need charity.'

“這都是什么？”他們聽見他在問，“這輛嬰兒車怎么會在這兒？”他的妻子開始解釋，但是她說話的聲音太低了，孩子們聽不見。不過他們聽見珀克斯高吼：“我一樣都不會接受的！這么多年來，我們都做到了從不張口跟別人要東西，現(xiàn)在我也不會開這個先例的。我們是窮，但我們不需要人憐憫。”

Bobbie ran into the other room. 'We thought you'd be pleased!' she cried.

博比跑進了另外的那個房間。“我們還以為您會高興呢！”她哭著說。

We didn't mean to do anything wrong,' said Peter, following her.

“我們沒有惡意。”彼得跟著她說。

I—I'll never be kind to anyone again!' said Phyllis, starting to cry.

“我——我再也不會對任何人好了！”菲利斯說著，哭了起來。

Don't you understand?' said Perks. 'People in the village will laugh at me. "Poor Perks, he can't take care of his own family. We have to give him things." That's what they'll be saying now.'

“難道你們不明白嗎？”珀克斯說，“村里的人會笑話我的：‘可憐的珀克斯養(yǎng)不起家了，我們得施舍給他一些東西。’他們現(xiàn)在肯定就在這么說。”

No!' cried Bobbie. 'It's not charity! People were happy to give you birthday presents. The man at the village shop said, "I'm pleased to give something to Mr Perks. He always pays his bills." And the woman at the Post Office wanted you to have the pram. It was for her granddaughter, but the little girl died.'

“不！”博比哭著說，“這不是慈善捐贈！大家都樂意送生日禮物給您。村里小賣部的人說：‘我非常愿意送給珀克斯先生東西，因為他從不欠賬。’還有，郵局的那位夫人希望你能收下這輛嬰兒車，這原本是給她的外孫女買的，但那個可憐的小女孩兒死了。”

I'm not sending the pram back, Bert,' said Mrs Perks, when she heard this. 'So don't ask me to.'

“我不想把這輛嬰兒車送回去，伯特，”聽到這里，珀克斯夫人說，“請別要求我這么做。”

I—I won't,' said Perks, quietly.

“我——我不會。”珀克斯低聲說。

And other people said you were kind and polite and hardworking,' said Bobbie. 'They wanted to give you a birthday present. The old gentleman gave Peter a pound for you. He said you were a man who was good at his work. We thought you would like—'

“別人也說您心地善良、待人禮貌，而且工作努力，”博比說，“他們都愿意送您生日禮物。那位老先生給了彼得一英鎊，讓他轉交給您。他說您是個十分敬業(yè)的人。我們想您會——”

Stop!' Perks said suddenly. 'I take back every word I said. I—I don't know if I was ever so pleased... not only with the presents, but with the kind thoughts of our neighbours. They're the best presents of all, aren't they, Nell?'

“別說了！”珀克斯突然開口說，“我收回我剛才所說的話。我——我想自己從來沒有這么高興過……不僅僅是因為這些生日禮物，而且也因為鄰居們善良的想法。這才是最好的禮物，對嗎，內爾？”

They are!' agreed his wife, happily.

“是呀！”他的妻子愉快地附和道。

Perks looked at the children. 'You'll stay to tea, won't you?' he said.

珀克斯看著孩子們。“你們留下來一起喝茶，行嗎？”他說。

Oh, yes please!' they said.

“哦，當然行，謝謝！”他們說。

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