Coraline put on her blue coat with a hood, her red scarf and her yellow Wellington boots. She went out.
卡萝兰套上她那件带兜帽的蓝外套，围上红围巾，穿上她的黄色雨靴。她出门了。
Miss Spink looked around cautiously, looking first over one shoulder and then over the other, peering into the mist as though someone might be listening.
斯平克小姐小心地四下张望，先从一边肩膀朝后看，再从另一边肩膀。朝大雾里窥视着，生怕有人听见似的。
“Yes,” said Coraline.
“对。”卡萝兰说。
“I played Portia once,” said Miss Spink. “Miss Forcible talks about her Ophelia, but it was my Portia they came to see. When we trod the boards.”
“我以前演过一次波西亚。”斯平克小姐说，“福斯波尔小姐总是唠唠叨叨说她演的奥菲莉亚①，可大家来看的是我演的波西亚。那时候，我们可是登台表演哩。”【注：①波西亚：莎士比亚戏剧《威尼斯商人》的女主角；奥菲莉亚：莎剧《哈姆雷特》的女主角。】
“They used to send flowers to my dressing room. They did,” she said.
“从前，他们经常往我的化装间送花。真的。”她说。
“I’m going for a walk,” said Coraline.
“我出去走走。”卡萝兰说。
“Men,” she whispered. Then she tugged the dogs to heel and waddled off back towards the house.
“男人。”她悄声说。然后，她把狗拽到脚跟前，摇摇摆摆朝宅子走去。
Miss Spink was bundled up in pullovers and cardigans, so she seemed more small and circular than ever. She looked like a large, fluffy egg. She wore thick glasses that made her eyes seem huge.
斯平克小姐浑身上下被套衫、毛衣裹得严严实实的，显得比平时更矮小、更圆滚滚的，活像一只毛茸茸的大鸡蛋。她戴着一副厚厚的眼镜，两只眼睛被镜片放得老大。
Miss Spink was walking her dogs. “Hello, Caroline,” said Miss Spink. “Rotten weather.”
斯平克小姐正在遛狗。“你好，卡罗琳。”斯平克小姐说，“天气真糟，对吗？”
“Who did?” asked Coraline.
“谁送花？”卡萝兰问。
The next day it had stopped raining, but a thick white fog had lowered over the house.
第二天，雨停了。但屋顶上压着一层厚厚的白雾。
“Don’t go too far,” said her mother. “And dress up warmly.”
“别跑太远。”妈妈说，“多穿些衣服。”
“Oh, hello,” said Coraline.
“哎！”卡萝兰答应着。
“Have you seen Miss Spink, Caroline?”
“见过斯平克小姐吗，卡罗琳？”
Coraline continued her walk.
卡萝兰继续散步。
She could hardly see the old man through the mist.
好大的雾，她简直看不见那个疯老头儿。
After about ten minutes of walking she found herself back where she had started.
绕着圈子走了十分钟后，她发现自己又回到了出发的地方。
She was three quarters of the way around the house when she saw Miss Forcible, standing at the door to the flat she shared with Miss Spink.
绕着宅子走到四分之三圈的地方，她瞧见了福斯波尔小姐。福斯波尔小姐站在她和斯平克小姐合住的套房门口。
“I do hope she doesn’t get lost; it’ll bring on her shingles if she does, you’ll see,” said Miss Forcible. You’d have to be an explorer to find your way around in this fog.”
“但愿她别迷路才好。真要走岔了，她非发神经不可。到时候你就知道了。”福斯波尔小姐说，“这么大的雾，除非是个探险家，谁也别想找着路。”
Coraline continued walking through the garden in grey mist. She always kept in sight of the house.
卡萝兰继续在一片大雾里走着，一直走进园子里。因为怕迷路，她随时瞧着宅子。
He walked down the steps on the outside of the house that led up past Coraline’s front door to the door of his flat. He walked down very slowly. Coraline waited at the bottom of the steps.
卡萝兰家的前门外有个楼梯，从屋外通向上面。老头儿从那截楼梯上走下来。他走得很慢。卡萝兰在楼梯脚下等着。
“Of course you are, lovey,” said Miss Forcible. “Don’t get lost, now.”
“那还用说，宝贝儿。”福斯波尔小姐说，“小心别走丢了。”
“I’m an explorer,” said Coraline.
“我就是个探险家。”卡萝兰说。
Coraline told her that she had, and that Miss Spink was out walking the dogs.
卡萝兰说看见过，告诉她斯平克小姐遛狗去了。
The hair over her eyes was limp and wet, and her face felt damp.
眼睛上边的头发湿漉漉的，紧贴在脑门上。脸上也潮乎乎的。
“Ahoy! Caroline!” called the crazy old man upstairs.
“喂！卡罗琳！”楼上的疯老头儿吆喝道。
The old man leaned down, so close that the bottom of his moustache tickled Coraline’s ear. “The mice have a message for you,” he whispered.
老头儿凑得很近，胡须尖挠得卡萝兰的耳朵直痒痒。“老鼠要我给你捎个信。”他悄声说。
“I don’t like the mist much, either,” admitted Coraline.
“我也一样，不大喜欢雾。”卡萝兰承认。
“Hmph,” said her mother. “I suppose I shall have to get you new school clothes. Remind me, dear, or else I’ll forget,” and she went back to typing things on the computer screen.
“晤，”妈妈说，“我想，应该给你置办几套新校服。亲爱的，一定记得提醒我，不然我记不住。”她回头面对电脑屏幕，又敲打起键盘来。
“When do you go back to school?” asked her mother.
“你什么时候开学？”妈妈问。
“Next week,” said Coraline.
“下星期。”卡萝兰说。
He picked up a milk bottle from the bottom step, and started back up to his attic flat.
他从楼梯脚下拿起牛奶瓶，重新沿着楼梯朝他的阁楼套间走去。
“No,” said Coraline.
“不明白。”卡萝兰说。
“The mice do not like the mist,” he told her. “It makes their whiskers droop.”
“老鼠们不喜欢雾。”他对她说，“潮气弄得它们的胡子都耷拉下来了。”
“What shall I do?” asked Coraline.
“我该干什么？”卡萝兰问。
Coraline went indoors. Her mother was working in her study. Her mother’s study smelt of flowers.
卡萝兰回了自己的家。妈妈正在她的书房工作，妈妈的书房里一股鲜花味儿。
Coraline didn’t know what to say.
卡萝兰不知道该说什么。
The old man shrugged. “They are funny, the mice. They get things wrong. They got your name wrong, you know. They kept saying Coraline. Not Caroline. Not Caroline at all.”
老头儿耸耸肩，“它们都是怪家伙，我是说老鼠。颠三倒四的，总出错儿。你知道，连你的名字都念错了，老是管你叫卡萝兰。什么卡萝兰，卡罗琳才对嘛。”
“The message is this. Don’t go through the door.” He paused. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“口信是这样的：不要进那扇门。”他顿了顿，“你明白是什么意思吗？”
Coraline tried drawing the mist. After ten minutes of drawing she still had a white sheet of paper with “M ST I” written on it in one corner, in slightly wiggly letters. She grunted and passed it to her mother.
卡萝兰想把雾气画出来。画了十分钟以后，面前还是一张白纸，只有几个字母，歪歪扭扭的，画在一个纸角里“M ST I”①她不满意地哼哼着，把纸递给妈妈看。【注：①原文是分离的几个字母，组成“雾”（mist）这个词。】
Coraline shook her head. “Why don’t you play with me?” she asked.
卡萝兰摇摇头。“陪我玩好吗？”她问。
Coraline crept into the drawing room and tried to open the old door in the corner. It was locked once more. She supposed her mother must have locked it again. She shrugged.
卡萝兰一步一步蹭进客厅，想打开角落里的那扇旧门。门又锁上了，估计是妈妈锁的。她耸了耸肩。
“Busy,” he said. “Working,” he added. He still hadn’t turned around to look at her. “Why don’t you go and bother Miss Spink and Miss Forcible?”
“忙。”他说，又补充了一句，“得工作呀。”他还是没转过头来，“干吗不去磨斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐，烦她们去？”
Coraline went to see her father.
卡萝兰去找爸爸。
“I’m bored,” she said.
“好无聊。”她说。
He had his back to the door as he typed. “Go away,” he said cheerfully as she walked in.
爸爸背对着门，忙着敲打键盘。“走开！”他高高兴兴地轰她。
“What shall I do?” repeated Coraline.
“我该干什么？”卡萝兰又问了一遍。
“Learn how to tap-dance,” he suggested, without turning round.
“学学跳踢踏舞吧。”爸爸头都没回，又出了个主意。
“Mm. Very modern, dear,” said Coraline’s mother.
“哟，亲爱的，挺现代派的嘛。”卡萝兰的妈妈说。
“Draw something.” Her mother passed her a sheet of paper and a ballpoint pen.
“画点儿什么吧。”妈妈递给她一张纸，一枝圆珠笔。
Coraline put on her coat and pulled up her hood and went out of the house. She went down the steps. She rang the door of Miss Spink and Miss Forcible’s flat.
卡萝兰套上外套，拉下兜帽，出门了。她走下楼梯，按响斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐的门铃。
After a while Miss Spink opened the door.
过了一会儿，斯平克小姐打开房门。
Miss Forcible looked at Miss Spink, picked up her knitting, and took a deep breath. “Anyway, April. As I was saying: you still have to admit, there’s life in the old dog yet,” she said.
福斯波尔小姐瞅了斯平克小姐一眼，收拾着编织活儿，深深吸了一口气。“对了，阿普里尔，我是怎么说的来着？你不能不承认，老骨头也能蹦跶一阵子。”
Coraline could hear a frenzied woofing as the Scottie dogs ran out into the hall.
卡萝兰听见屋里的苏格兰小猎犬跑来跑去，汪汪乱叫。
“Miriam, dear, neither of us is as young as we were.”
“米里亚姆，亲爱的，咱们俩谁也不是当年的年轻姑娘了。”
“Oh, it’s you, Caroline,” she said. “Angus, Hamish, Bruce, down now, lovies. It’s only Caroline. Come in, dear. Would you like a cup of tea?”
“噢，是你呀，卡罗琳。”她说，“安古斯，哈米什，布鲁斯，好宝贝儿们，都坐下。不认识了，是卡罗琳呀。进来，进来，亲爱的。想喝杯茶吗？”
“Yes, please,” said Coraline. Miss Spink led her into a dusty little room, which she called the parlour. On the walls were black and white photographs of pretty women, and theatre programmes in frames.
“好的，谢谢您。”卡萝兰说。斯平克小姐领着她走进一个满是灰尘的房间，她管这儿叫起居室。墙上贴着漂亮女人的黑白照片，还有装在镜框里的戏院节目单。
Miss Forcible was sitting in one of the armchairs, knitting hard.
福斯波尔坐在一把扶手椅里，手里飞快地织毛线。
Miss Spink poured Coraline a cup of tea in a little pink bone-china cup with a saucer, and gave her a dry Garibaldi biscuit to go with it.
斯平克小姐用一个粉红色的骨瓷小茶杯给她斟了一杯茶，加上方糖，还给了她一块干干的夹心饼干当茶食。
The flat smelt of furniture polish and dogs.
套间里一大股家具的油漆味，还有狗味儿。
“Madame Arcati,” replied Miss Forcible. “The nurse in Romeo. Lady Bracknell. Character parts. They can’t retire you from the stage.”
“阿卡蒂夫人，”福斯波尔小姐回答说，“《罗密欧与朱丽叶》里的奶妈，布瑞克奈夫人②。这些都是很有性格的角色。你完全可以再一次走上舞台。”【注：②都是著名戏剧中的人物。 】
“You know, Caroline,” she said after a while, “you are in terrible danger.”
“知道吗，卡罗琳，”过了一会儿，她说，“你有危险了，非常危险。”
Coraline passed Miss Spink her cup. Miss Spink peered short-sightedly at the black tea leaves in the bottom. She pursed her lips.
卡萝兰把她的杯子递给斯平克小姐。近视的斯平克小姐把杯子凑在眼睛跟前，仔细看杯底黑黑的茶叶片。她噘起嘴唇。
“I’ll read the leaves, if you want,” said Miss Spink to Coraline.
“我会看茶叶，想让我替你看看吗？”斯平克小姐对卡萝兰说。
“Now, Miriam, we agreed,” said Miss Spink.
“听着，米里亚姆，这个问题咱们早就达成了共识。”斯平克小姐说。
Miss Forcible snorted and put down her knitting. “Don’t be silly, April. Stop scaring the girl. Your eyes are going. Pass me that cup, child.”
福斯波尔小姐哼了一声，放下编织活儿。“别傻了，阿普里尔，别吓着小姑娘。你眼力不行了。孩子，杯子给我。”
Coraline wondered if they’d forgotten she was there. They weren’t making much sense; she decided they were having an argument as old and comfortable as an armchair, the kind of argument that no one ever really wins or loses, but which can go on for ever, if both parties are willing.
卡萝兰心想，她们在说什么呀，是不是忘了她也在这儿。她想明白了，两位老太太争论的肯定是个她们说过许多许多次的老话题，就跟一把坐上去最舒服不过的老扶手椅一样。那种争论谁都不可能赢，也不可能输。还有，只要大家乐意，可以永永远远争论下去。
“Sorry?” said Coraline.
“什么？”卡萝兰问。
She sipped her tea.
她喝着杯子里的茶。
Miss Forcible looked into it carefully, and shook her head, and looked into it again.
福斯波尔小姐认真看着杯里的茶叶，摇摇头，又看了一遍。
“The tea leaves, dear. I’ll read your future.”
“茶叶，亲爱的。我会用它算命。”
Coraline carried the cup over to Miss Forcible.
卡萝兰把茶杯端给福斯波尔小姐。
“Oh dear,” she said. “You were right, April. She is in danger.”
“哎哟，天哪。”她说，“阿普里尔，你说得对，她确实有危险。”
“What am I in danger from?” asked Coraline.
“我有什么危险？”卡萝兰问。
Misses Spink and Forcible stared at her blankly. “It didn’t say,” said Miss Spink. “Tea leaves aren’t reliable for that kind of thing. Not really. They’re good for generalities, but not for specifics.”
斯平克小姐和福斯波尔小姐愣愣地瞪着她，“茶叶没告诉我们。”斯平克小姐说，“具体分析嘛，这方面，茶叶就不中用了。它们只能说个大概，不能详详细细讲明白。”
“Don’t wear green in your dressing room,” suggested Miss Spink. “Or mention the Scottish play,” added Miss Forcible.
“别在化装间穿绿色衣服。”斯平克小姐建议，“也别演跟苏格兰有关的戏。”福斯波尔小姐补充说。
“What should I do then?” asked Coraline, who was slightly alarmed by this.
“那，我应该怎么办？”卡萝兰稍微有些担心了。
“See, Miriam,” said Miss Spink triumphantly. “My eyes are as good as they ever were É”
“怎么样，米里亚姆？”斯平克小姐胜利地说，“我的眼力跟从前一样好…”
“And be very, very careful,” said Miss Spink. She got up from her armchair and went over to the fireplace. On the mantelpiece was a small jar, and Miss Spink took off the top of the jar and began to pull things out of it. There was a tiny china duck, a thimble, a strange little brass coin, two paperclips, and a stone with a hole in it.
“还有，一定要非常、非常小心。”斯平克小姐说。她从扶手椅里站起来，走到壁炉旁。壁炉架上搁着一个小罐子，斯平克小姐打开罐子盖，把里面的东西一件一件掏出来。有一个小小的瓷鸭子、一个顶针、一个样子很奇特的铜币、两个小夹子，最后是一块中间有个洞眼的石头。
Coraline wondered why so few of the adults she had met made any sense. She sometimes wondered who they thought they were talking to.
卡萝兰觉得太奇怪了：她遇上的大人怎么都这么糊涂？有时候，她真的搞不清楚：他们到底知不知道自己在跟谁说话？
She passed Coraline the stone with a hole in it.
她把带洞眼的石头交给卡萝兰。
“It might help,” said Miss Spink. “They’re good for bad things, sometimes.”
“说不定它会帮助你。”斯平克小姐说。“这种石头能帮你对付坏东西——有时候挺管用。”
The hole went all the way through the middle of the stone. She held it up to the window and looked through it.
洞眼在石头正中，穿通了。她把石头凑到眼前，从洞眼里朝窗户外面看。
Coraline put on her coat, said goodbye to Misses Spink and Forcible, and to the dogs, and went outside.
卡萝兰套上外套，向斯平克小姐、福斯波尔小姐和小猎犬们说再见，然后走出宅子大门。
In the mist, it was a ghost-world. In danger? thought Coraline to herself. It sounded exciting. It didn’t sound like a bad thing. Not really.
好大的雾，像随时可能钻出妖怪来。有危险？卡萝兰心里琢磨着。听上去好像挺有趣儿，一点儿也不坏。不算真的坏事。
The mist hung like blindness around the house. She walked slowly to the steps up to her family’s flat, and then stopped and looked around.
厚厚的雾把宅子整个裹起来了，像在周围围了一圈百叶帘。卡萝兰慢慢爬上宅子外面的楼梯，走向爸爸妈妈的房间。走了一会儿，她停住脚步，四处张望着。
Coraline went back up the steps, her fist closed tightly around her new stone.
卡萝兰继续朝楼上爬去，小拳头里紧紧攥着她新得到的石头。
“What’s it for?” asked Coraline.
“这是干什么用的？”卡萝兰问。
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