The doll’s house
娃娃屋
When dear old Mrs Hay went home after staying with the Burnells, she sent the children a doll’s house.
当亲爱的老海太太在伯内尔家做客结束回家后，她送给孩子们一座娃娃屋。
It was so big that Pat, the hired man, could only just lift it, and they had to leave it outside in the garden.
它太大了，连雇工帕特都只能勉强搬动，他们只好把它留在花园里。
It was all right there; it was summer.
放在那里倒也没关系，反正正值夏天。
And perhaps the smell of paint would go before they had to take it indoors.
也许等不得不把它搬进屋里之前，油漆味就散了。
Really, the smell of paint (so sweet of dear, generous Mrs Hay!) — but the smell of paint was so strong that it was enough to make anyone seriously ill, or so Aunt Beryl thought.
说真的，那股油漆味（亲爱的、慷慨的海太太真是太贴心了！）——但那股油漆味实在太浓了，足以让任何人病得不轻，至少贝丽尔姨妈是这么认为的。
You could smell the paint even when it was wrapped up.
即使它还包着包装纸，你也能闻到那股油漆味。
And when they unwrapped it…
而当他们拆开包装时……
There it stood, a doll’s house, painted a thick, dark, oily green.
它就立在那里，一座娃娃屋，刷着厚重、深沉、油亮的绿漆。
Its two solid little chimneys were painted red and white, and it had a bright yellow door and real glass windows.
它那两座结实的小烟囱被漆成红白相间，还有一扇明黄色的门和真正的玻璃窗。
It was perfect!
它简直完美无缺！
Who cared about the smell?
谁还在乎什么气味呢？
It was part of the wonder of the doll’s house, part of the newness.
那也是娃娃屋奇妙之处的一部分，是崭新感的一部分。
‘Open it quickly, someone!’
“快谁来打开它！”
The fastening at the side was stuck fast, and Pat had to use his knife to get it open.
侧面的扣件卡得死死的，帕特不得不用刀子才把它撬开。
But then… the whole front of the house swung back and—you could see everything!
可接着……房子的整个正面像门一样向后敞开——里面的一切尽收眼底！
The sitting-room, the kitchen, the two bedrooms.
客厅、厨房，还有两间卧室。
That is the way for a house to open!
房子就该这样打开才对嘛！
Why don’t all houses do that?
为什么不是所有的房子都能这样呢？
How exciting, to be able to see everything you want to see, all at once!
能一下子看到所有想看的东西，多么令人兴奋啊！
‘Oh—oh!’ The Burnell children were quite unable to speak.
“哦——哦！”伯内尔家的孩子们激动得说不出话来。
It was too wonderful.
这实在太美妙了。
They had never seen anything like it in their lives.
他们这辈子从没见过这样的东西。
There was paper on the walls, and pictures, just like in real houses.
墙上贴着壁纸，挂着画儿，就跟真房子里一模一样。
There was red carpet on the floors, except in the kitchen; red and green chairs, beds with real covers on them, tiny plates and cups.
除了厨房外，地板上铺着红地毯；有红色和绿色的椅子，床上铺着真正的床罩，还有小巧的盘子和杯子。
But what Kezia liked more than anything, what she liked most awfully, was the lamp.
但凯齐娅最喜欢、最最喜爱的，是那盏灯。
It stood in the middle of the table, a beautiful little gold and white lamp, all ready to be lit.
它立在桌子中央，是一盏漂亮的金白色小灯，仿佛随时可以点亮。
Of course, you couldn’t really light it, but there was something inside it that looked like oil and moved when you shook it.
当然，你没法真的点亮它，但里面装着某种看起来像油的东西，摇晃时还会流动。
The mother and father dolls sitting stiffly in their chairs and their two little children in bed upstairs were really too big for the doll’s house.
僵硬地坐在椅子上的玩偶父母，以及楼上躺在床上的两个玩偶小孩，对于这座娃娃屋来说实在太大了一些。
They didn’t look quite right.
它们看起来不太协调。
But the lamp was perfect.
但那盏灯却是完美的。
It seemed to smile at Kezia, to say, ‘I live here.’
它似乎在对着凯齐娅微笑，仿佛在说：“我就住在这里。”
The lamp was real.
那盏灯是真实的。
The Burnell children could not walk to school fast enough the next morning.
第二天早上，伯内尔家的孩子们恨不得飞奔去学校。
They burned to tell everybody about the doll’s house.
她们迫不及待地想把娃娃屋的事告诉所有人。
‘I shall describe it,’ said Isabel, ‘because I’m the eldest. You two can join in, but I must speak first.’
“由我来描述它，”伊莎贝尔说，“因为我是大姐。你们俩可以补充，但我必须先说。”
Lottie and Kezia said nothing.
洛蒂和凯齐娅没说什么。
Isabel was bossy, but she was always right.
伊莎贝尔虽然爱发号施令，但她总是对的。
‘And I shall choose who’s going to come and see it first,’ Isabel said. ‘Mother said I could.’
“而且我要决定谁先来看它，”伊莎贝尔说，“妈妈说了我可以做主。”
Their mother had told them that they could ask the girls at school, two at a time, to come and see the doll’s house.
她们的母亲告诉过她们，可以邀请学校里的女孩来看娃娃屋，每次请两个。
Of course, they were not invited to tea, or to come into the house, but they could come into the garden and stand there quietly, while Isabel showed them all the lovely things in the doll’s house.
当然，客人不会被邀请喝茶，也不能进屋，但可以来到花园里安静地站着，听伊莎贝尔展示娃娃屋里所有可爱的物件。
It was too bad that they arrived at school just as the bell was ringing, and they had no time to talk to anyone.
遗憾的是，她们到学校时刚好打铃了，没时间跟任何人说话。
Never mind!
不过没关系！
Isabel looked very important and mysterious, and whispered to some of her friends, ‘I’ve got something to tell you at play-time!’
伊莎贝尔摆出一副神秘又了不起的样子，对几个朋友耳语道：“课间休息时我有件事要告诉你们！”
When play-time came, everyone wanted to be near Isabel.
课间休息时，大家都想围在伊莎贝尔身边。
The little girls almost fought to put their arms around her, to walk beside her and be her special friend.
小女孩们争着搂她的胳膊，想走在她身旁，成为她特别的朋友。
Laughing and pushing one another, they gathered closely around her.
她们笑着、推挤着，紧紧地围在她周围。
The only two who stayed outside the circle were the two who were always outside—the Kelveys.
唯二站在圈子外面的，是那对永远被排斥在外的姐妹——凯尔维家的孩子。
They knew they were not wanted.
她们知道自己不受欢迎。
To be perfectly honest, the school the Burnell children went to was not the kind of school their parents really wanted for them.
老实说，伯内尔家孩子们上的这所学校，并不是她们父母真正想让她们去的那种。
But they had no choice.
但他们别无选择。
It was the only school for miles.
方圆几英里内只有这一所学校。
And because of this, all the children in the area, the Judge’s little girls, the doctor’s daughters and all the children of milkmen and farmers, were forced to mix together.
正因如此，这一带所有的孩子，法官家的小女孩、医生的女儿们，以及送奶工和农夫家的孩子们，都被迫混在一起上学。
And there were plenty of rude, rough little boys, too.
还有不少粗鲁野蛮的小男孩。
But worst of all, there were the Kelveys.
但最糟糕的是，还有凯尔维家的孩子。
The Burnell children were not allowed to speak to them.
伯内尔家的孩子被禁止与她们说话。
They walked past the Kelveys with their heads in the air.
她们走过凯尔维姐妹身边时，总是把头昂得高高的。
And because others followed where the Burnells led, nobody spoke to the Kelveys.
由于其他人都有样学样地跟着伯内尔家孩子的态度走，所以没人跟凯尔维姐妹说话。
Even the teacher had a special voice for them, and a special smile for other children when Lil Kelvey came up to her desk to give her some very tired-looking flowers she had picked by the side of the road.
就连老师对她们说话时也带着一种特殊的语调，而当莉尔·凯尔维走到讲台前，献上几朵从路边摘来的、蔫头耷脑的花儿时，老师只对别的孩子露出那种特别的微笑。
They were the daughters of a neat, hard-working little woman, who went from house to house, doing people’s washing for them.
她们是一位整洁勤快的小个子女人的女儿，那个女人挨家挨户替人洗衣服。
This was awful enough.
这已经够糟的了。
But where was Mr Kelvey?
可凯尔维先生去哪儿了？
Nobody knew.
没人知道。
But everybody said he was in prison.
但人人都说他进了监狱。
So they were the daughters of a woman who washed people’s clothes and a man who was in prison.
所以，她们就是一个给人洗衣的女人和一个坐牢男人的女儿。
Very nice companions for other people’s children!
真是别人家孩子的好玩伴啊！
Then there was the way they looked.
再看看她们的打扮。
It was hard to understand why Mrs Kelvey dressed them in such an odd way.
很难理解凯尔维太太为什么把她们穿得那么怪异。
The truth was, she made their clothes from old bits and pieces which were given to her by the people she worked for.
事实是，她用雇主们给她的旧碎布片给她们做衣服。
Lil, for example, who was a solid, plain child, came to school in a dress made out of an old green tablecloth of the Burnells, and a red curtain that had belonged to the Logans.
比如莉尔，这个结实朴素的孩子，穿着一条用伯内尔家旧绿桌布和洛根家旧红窗帘拼成的裙子上学。
Her hat came from Miss Lecky at the post office, and had a long red feather stuck in it.
她的帽子是邮局莱基小姐给的，上面还插着一根长长的红色羽毛。
What a sight she looked!
她那副模样真是滑稽！
It was impossible not to laugh.
让人看了忍不住想笑。
And her little sister, ‘our Else’, as Lil always called her, wore a long white dress that looked like a night-dress, and a pair of boy’s boots.
而她的小妹妹——莉尔总叫她“我们的埃尔丝”——穿着一件看似睡裙的白色长连衣裙，脚上却蹬着一双男式靴子。
But our Else would have looked strange in any clothes.
不过，“我们的埃尔丝”不管穿什么都会显得古怪。
She was a tiny white creature with huge eyes—just like a little bird.
她是个苍白瘦小、长着大眼睛的生物——就像一只小鸟。
Nobody had ever seen her smile; she hardly ever spoke.
没人见她笑过；她也几乎从不说话。
Everywhere Lil went, our Else followed, holding a piece of Lil’s skirt in her hand.
无论莉尔走到哪儿，“我们的埃尔丝”都跟在后面，手里紧紧攥着莉尔的裙角。
In the playground or on the road to or from school, you could always see Lil, with our Else close behind her.
在操场上，或是在上下学的路上，你总能看到莉尔在前，“我们的埃尔丝”紧随其后。
When she wanted something, our Else pulled on Lil’s skirt, and Lil stopped and turned around.
当她想要什么东西时，“我们的埃尔丝”就会拉拉莉尔的裙子，莉尔便会停下脚步转过身来。
The Kelveys always under stood one another.
凯尔维姐妹总是彼此心意相通。
Now they stood at the edge of the circle, outside the group of friends.
此刻，她们站在人群圈子的边缘，被排除在朋友圈之外。
You couldn’t stop them listening.
但你没法阻止她们偷听。
When the little girls turned round and gave them angry looks, Lil, as usual, smiled all over her silly red face, but our Else just stared and said nothing.
当小女孩们转过头来瞪她们时，莉尔照例在她那张傻乎乎的红脸上堆满笑容，而“我们的埃尔丝”只是呆呆地望着，一言不发。
Isabel talked on, in a proud voice.
伊莎贝尔骄傲地继续讲着。
She described the car pet, the beds with real covers, the kitchen with its tiny cups and plates.
她描述了地毯、铺着真床罩的床，以及厨房里那些小巧的杯盘。
When she finished, Kezia said, ‘You’ve forgotten the lamp, Isabel.’
等她说完，凯齐娅提醒道：“你忘了提那盏灯了，伊莎贝尔。”
‘Oh yes,’ said Isabel. ‘There’s a lovely little lamp on the table. It’s just like a real one.’
“噢，对了，”伊莎贝尔说，“桌上有盏可爱的小灯，跟真的一模一样。”
‘The lamp’s best of all,’ cried Kezia.
“那盏灯才是最棒的！”凯齐娅喊道。
She wanted Isabel to talk for longer about the lamp, to let everyone know how special it was.
她希望伊莎贝尔能多讲讲那盏灯，让大家知道它有多特别。
But nobody was listening to Kezia.
可是没人听凯齐娅的。
Isabel was choosing the first two who were going to come and see the doll’s house.
伊莎贝尔正在挑选第一批去看娃娃屋的人选。
She chose Emmie Cole and Lena Logan.
她选了埃米·科尔和莉娜·洛根。
But all the others knew that they would have a chance to see it another day.
不过其他人都知道改天也有机会看到。
They all wanted to be nice to Isabel.
大家都想讨好伊莎贝尔。
They all had a secret to whisper to her. ‘Isabel’s my friend.’
每个人都有悄悄话要对她说：“伊莎贝尔是我的好朋友。”
Only the little Kelveys were forgotten.
只有小小的凯尔维姐妹被遗忘了。
There was nothing more for them to hear.
再也没有什么可供她们听的了。
Days passed, and more and more children were taken to see the doll’s house.
日子一天天过去，越来越多的孩子被带去看了娃娃屋。
It was the one thing they talked about. ‘Have you seen the Burnells’ doll’s house? Oh, isn’t it lovely? Haven’t you seen it yet? Oh, dear!’
这成了她们唯一的话题。“你看过伯内尔家的娃娃屋了吗？噢，是不是很漂亮？你还没看过吗？哎呀！”
The little girls talked about the doll’s house at dinner-time, as they sat under trees in the school playground, eating their thick meat sandwiches and buttered cake.
午餐时间，小女孩们坐在学校操场的树下，一边吃着厚厚的肉三明治和抹了黄油的蛋糕，一边谈论着娃娃屋。
The little Kelveys listened, while they ate their bread and butter out of a piece newspaper.
小小的凯尔维姐妹在一旁听着，手里拿着报纸包着的黄油面包吃着。
‘Mother,’ said Kezia, ‘please can I ask the Kelveys, just once?’
“妈妈，”凯齐娅恳求道，“能不能让我请凯尔维姐妹来看一次，就一次？”
‘Of course not, Kezia.’
“当然不行，凯齐娅。”
‘But why not?’
“可是为什么不行呢？”
‘Run away, Kezia. You know why not.’
“别问了，凯齐娅。你自己清楚为什么。”
At last the day came when everyone except the Kelveys had seen the doll’s house.
终于有一天，除了凯尔维姐妹外，所有人都看过了娃娃屋。
That day, there was less to talk about.
那天，大家没什么好聊的了。
It was dinner-time.
又是午餐时间。
The little girls sat together under the trees, and suddenly, as they looked at the Kelveys eating out of their piece of newspaper, they wanted to be unkind to them.
小女孩们聚坐在树下，突然，看着正用报纸垫着吃东西的凯尔维姐妹，她们心生恶意。
Emmie Cole started it. ‘Lil Kelvey’s going to be a servant when she grows up,’ she whispered.
埃米·科尔挑起了头。“莉尔·凯尔维长大后要去当佣人，”她小声说道。
‘Oh, how awful!’ said Isabel Burnell.
“噢，太可怕了！”伊莎贝尔·伯内尔附和道。
Emmie looked at Isabel in a way she had seen her mother look, when she was talking about things like this.
埃米学着母亲谈论这类事情时的神态看了伊莎贝尔一眼。
‘It’s true,’ she said.
“这是真的，”她说。
Then Lena Logan joined in. ‘Shall I ask her?’ she said.
接着莉娜·洛根也加入了进来。“我去问问她好吗？”她说。
‘You don’t dare,’ said Jessie May.
“你不敢的，”杰西·梅说。
‘Oh, I’m not frightened,’ said Lena.
“噢，我才不怕呢，”莉娜说。
She laughed and did a little dance in front of the other girls. ‘Watch! Watch me now!’ she said, and she danced right over to the Kelveys.
她笑着在其他女孩面前跳了一小段舞。“瞧好了！看我的！”说着，她便一路跳到了凯尔维姐妹面前。
Lil looked up from her bread and butter.
莉尔从黄油面包中抬起头来。
Our Else stopped eating. What was coming now?
“我们的埃尔丝”也停下了咀嚼。这是要干什么？
‘Is it true that you’re going to be a servant when you grow up, Lil Kelvey?’ Lena screamed at her.
“莉尔·凯尔维，你长大后真的要去当佣人吗？”莉娜冲她尖叫道。
Silence.
一片寂静。
Lil gave no answer, but she smiled her silly, red-faced smile.
莉尔没有回答，只是露出了她那傻乎乎的红脸笑容。
She didn’t seem to mind the question at all.
她似乎一点也不介意这个问题。
Poor Lena!
可怜的莉娜！
The other girls began to laugh at her.
其他女孩开始嘲笑起她来。
Lena didn’t like that.
莉娜不喜欢被嘲笑。
She stepped right up to Lil ‘Yah, your father’s in prison!’ she shouted in her face.
她径直冲到莉尔跟前，对着她的脸大喊道：“耶，你爸爸在坐牢！”
This was so wonderful to hear that all the little girls rushed away together, deeply excited by what Lena had done.
这句话听起来太刺激了，所有的小女孩都兴奋地一哄而散，对莉娜的壮举感到无比激动。
How fast they ran, how high they jumped, how wild and free they felt that morning!
那个早晨，她们跑得多么快，跳得多么高，感觉是多么狂野自由啊！
In the afternoon, Pat came to take the Burnell children home.
下午，帕特来接伯内尔家的孩子们回家。
There were visitors.
家里来了客人。
Isabel and Lottie, who liked visitors, went upstairs to change their dresses, but Kezia slipped quietly out into the garden.
喜欢待客的伊莎贝尔和洛蒂上楼换裙子去了，凯齐娅却悄悄溜进了花园。
There was nobody there.
花园里空无一人。
She began to swing on the big white garden gate.
她开始在白色的花园大门上荡秋千。
Then, looking down the road, she saw two little figures coming towards her, one in front, the other close behind.
这时，顺着路望去，她看见两个小小的身影朝她走来，一个在前，一个紧跟在后。
It was the Kelveys.
是凯尔维姐妹。
She got down from the gate.
她从门上跳了下来。
For a moment she thought about running away.
有那么一瞬间，她想转身跑掉。
The Kelveys came nearer.
凯尔维姐妹越走越近。
Then Kezia climbed back up on the gate.
随后凯齐娅又爬回了门上。
She had decided what she must do.
她已经下定决心该怎么做了。
She started swinging on the gate again.
她又开始荡起秋千来。
‘Hello,’ she said to the Kelveys.
“你好呀，”她对凯尔维姐妹打招呼道。
They were so surprised that they stopped.
她们惊讶得停下了脚步。
Lil gave her silly smile.
莉尔露出了她那傻乎乎的笑容。
Our Else stared.
“我们的埃尔丝”则呆呆地盯着看。
‘You can come and see our doll’s house if you want to,’ Kezia said.
“如果你们愿意的话，可以来看看我们的娃娃屋，”凯齐娅说。
Lil turned red. She shook her head.
莉尔涨红了脸，摇了摇头。
‘Why not?’ asked Kezia.
“为什么不来呢？”凯齐娅问。
‘Your ma told our ma you mustn’t speak to us.’
“你妈妈告诉我们妈妈，你不许跟我们说话。”
‘Oh, well,’ said Kezia. She didn’t know what to say. ‘It doesn’t matter. But you can still come and see our doll’s house. Come on. Nobody’s looking.’
“噢，好吧，”凯齐娅一时不知该说什么，“没关系。你们还是可以来看看我们的娃娃屋的。来吧，没人看着呢。”
But Lil shook her head again.
可莉尔再次摇了摇头。
‘Don’t you want to?’ asked Kezia.
“难道你们不想看吗？”凯齐娅问。
Suddenly, there was a pull on Lil’s skirt.
突然，有人拉了一下莉尔的裙子。
She turned round.
她转过身去。
Our Else was looking at her with big, desperate eyes.
“我们的埃尔丝”正用大而渴望的眼神望着她。
She wanted to see the doll’s house.
她想看看那座娃娃屋。
Lil looked at her very doubtfully.
莉尔十分犹豫地看着妹妹。
But then our Else pulled her skirt again.
可紧接着，“我们的埃尔丝”又拉了拉她的裙子。
Lil stepped forwards.
莉尔终于迈出了步子。
Like two little lost cats, they followed Kezia across the garden to where the doll’s house stood.
像两只迷路的小猫一样，她们跟着凯齐娅穿过花园，来到了娃娃屋前。
‘There it is,’ said Kezia.
“就是这儿了，”凯齐娅说。
They said nothing.
姐妹俩一言不发。
Lil breathed loudly.
莉尔呼吸急促。
Our Else was as still as stone.
“我们的埃尔丝”则静如磐石。
‘I’ll open it for you,’ said Kezia kindly. ‘Look, here’s the sitting-room and the kitchen, and that’s the—’
“我帮你们打开吧，”凯齐娅亲切地说，“瞧，这是客厅和厨房，那边是——”
‘Kezia!’
“凯齐娅！”
Oh, how they jumped!
哎呀，她们吓得猛地一跳！
‘Kezia!’
“凯齐娅！”
It was Aunt Beryl’s voice.
是贝丽尔姨妈的声音。
They turned round.
她们回过头去。
She was standing at the back door, staring at them.
她正站在后门口，死死地盯着她们。
Aunt Beryl just couldn’t believe her eyes.
贝丽尔姨妈简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。
‘How dare you bring the little Kelveys into our garden!’ she said to Kezia, in a cold, angry voice. ‘You know as well as I do that you aren’t allowed to talk to them.’
“你竟敢把凯尔维家的小崽子带到我们花园里来！”她用冰冷愤怒的语气对凯齐娅吼道，“你跟我一样清楚，不许你跟她们说话！”
‘Run away, children, run away and don’t come back!’ she said to the Kelveys. ‘Off you go immediately!’
“滚开，你们这两个小鬼，滚开别再回来！”她冲着凯尔维姐妹喝道，“马上给我滚！”
She did not have to tell them twice.
她用不着说第二遍。
They were out of the garden in a moment, Lil red-faced and ashamed, with our Else hanging onto her skirt.
转眼间她们就跑出了花园，莉尔满脸羞愧通红，“我们的埃尔丝”紧紧拽着她的裙角。
‘Bad, disobedient little girl!’ Aunt Beryl said bitterly to Kezia, and she closed the doll’s house with a bang.
“你这个不听话的坏丫头！”贝丽尔姨妈刻薄地对凯齐娅骂道，然后“砰”的一声关上了娃娃屋。
Aunt Beryl had been having a terrible day, but now that she had got rid of those little animals the Kelveys and shouted at Kezia, she felt a lot better.
贝丽尔姨妈这一天本来过得很糟，但现在赶走了凯尔维家那两个小畜生，又训斥了凯齐娅一顿，她感觉好多了。
She went back into the house singing.
她哼着小曲回到了屋里。
When the Kelveys were far away from the Burnells’ house, they stopped and sat down by the side of the road.
当凯尔维姐妹远远离开了伯内尔家后，她们停下来坐在路边。
Lil’s face was still burning, and she took off her hat.
莉尔的脸依然滚烫，她摘下了帽子。
They stared across the fields, where the Logans’ cows were eating grass.
她们凝视着田野对面，洛根家的奶牛正在那儿吃草。
What were the little Kelveys thinking?
这对小小的凯尔维姐妹在想什么呢？
Our Else moved closer to her sister.
“我们的埃尔丝”向姐姐靠得更近了些。
She had already forgotten the angry lady.
她已经忘记了刚才那个凶狠的女人。
She put out a finger and touched the feather on Lil’s hat.
她伸出一根手指，摸了摸莉尔帽子上的羽毛。
She smiled her rare smile.
她露出了难得一见的笑容。
‘I seen the little lamp,’ she said softly.
“我看到那盏小灯了，”她轻声说道。
Then both were silent once more.
随后，两人再次陷入了沉默。
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