Now, tell us, Grandfather,” cried Henry. “We ran all the way home from school.”
现在您就告诉我们吧，外公！”亨利喊道，“我们是一路从学校跑回家的。”
“Tell us!” shouted Benny, throwing himself down on the grass beside the dog. “School is out for the whole summer, and Watch wants to know.”
“快告诉我们！”本尼一边喊，一边扑倒在狗旁边的草地上，“整个夏天都不用上学啦，沃奇也想知道呢。”
“Violet1 and I want to know, too,” said Jessie.
“维奥莱特和我也很想知道。”杰西说。
Mr. Alden was sitting in the garden reading. He looked at his four grandchildren in surprise.
奥尔登先生正坐在花园里看书。他惊讶地望着自己的四个孙辈。
“Let me see, was this the day I said I’d tell you?” he asked them.
“让我想想，我说要告诉你们的就是今天吗？”他问他们。
“He’s joking, Benny,” said Jessie.
“他在开玩笑呢，本尼。”杰西说。
“Joking?” cried Mr. Alden. “I mean everything I say!”
“开玩笑？”奥尔登先生叫道，“我说的每一句都是认真的！”
But he was joking, just the same, and enjoying himself, too. In the spring, he had promised his grandchildren a surprise for the summer, and now he had been waiting more than an hour for the children to come home.
不过他确实是在开玩笑，而且还挺乐在其中。春天的时候，他答应要送给孩子们一个夏天的惊喜，这会儿他已经坐在这儿等了一个多小时，等孩子们放学回家。
“School is out,” said Violet.
“已经放学了呀。”维奥莱特说。
“We ran all the way home,” shouted Benny.
“我们是一路跑回来的！”本尼喊道。
“Yes, so you said,” said Mr. Alden slowly.
“是啊，你们刚说过了。”奥尔登先生慢条斯理地说。
“You said the surprise was something you liked to do yourself when you were fifteen,” Henry told him.
“您说过，这个惊喜是您自己十五岁的时候喜欢做的事。”亨利对他说。
“Yes, or even six,” said Mr. Alden, looking at Benny.
“是啊，六岁也行。”奥尔登先生看着本尼说。
“And you said you’d tell us the minute school was out, Grandfather,” said Benny.
“您还说过一放学就告诉我们的，外公。”本尼说。
Mr. Alden laughed. “I certainly did,” he replied. “And now I’m going to tell you.”
奥尔登先生笑了。“我确实说过的，”他答道，“现在我就告诉你们。”
The four children looked at him.
四个孩子一齐望着他。
He began, “Once upon a time my father bought an island.”
他开口了：“从前，我父亲买下了一个岛。”
“He bought one!” cried Henry.
“他买了一个岛！”亨利叫道。
“Yes,” Mr. Alden went on. “The island is small. There is nothing much on it except a small house, a barn2, and a fisherman’s hut. My father wanted a quiet place to keep his best horses. Old Captain Daniel, who runs the motorboat, lives in the fisherman’s hut now. Let’s all go down to the island and look it over. If you want to stay there all summer, you may.”
“是的，”奥尔登先生继续说，“那个岛不大。岛上没多少东西，只有一座小房子、一个牲口棚，还有一间渔民的小屋。我父亲想要个清静的地方养他最好的马。开机动船的老丹尼尔船长，现在就住在那间渔民小屋里。我们一起去岛上看看怎么样。要是你们想在那儿待上一整个夏天，也可以。”
“Oh, Grandfather!” cried Jessie. “We would like it better than anything in the world. It will be just like the boxcar days!”
“啊，外公！”杰西叫道，“我们求之不得，世上再没有比这更好的事了。那简直就像当年住棚车的日子一样！”
“Couldn’t Watch go, too?” asked Benny, with his hand on the dog’s head.
“沃奇也能一起去吗？”本尼把手放在狗头上问。
“Certainly,” said Mr. Alden. “He would be lonesome without you.”
“当然可以，”奥尔登先生说，“没有你们陪着，它会孤单的。”
“Can we have a real stove, and cook?” asked Violet.
“我们能有个真正的炉子，自己做饭吗？”维奥莱特问。
“You’ll have to cook,” replied Mr. Alden, “if you want to eat. I will give you some money for dishes and things. You must tell me how much money you need, but don’t make it too much.”
“想吃饭就得自己做饭。”奥尔登先生答道，“我会给你们一些钱去买餐具之类的东西。你们得告诉我需要多少钱，不过别开口太大。”
All the children laughed a little, because even Benny knew that their grandfather had enough money to buy anything they wanted.
孩子们都轻轻笑了起来，因为连本尼都知道，外公的钱多得买得起他们想要的任何东西。
“Let’s go now,” said Benny suddenly.
“我们现在就走吧。”本尼突然说。
The four children jumped up so quickly that Mr. Alden threw back his head and laughed.
四个孩子跳起来的速度太快了，奥尔登先生仰起头哈哈大笑。
“We will go in the car as far as the ocean,” he said. “Then Captain Daniel will take us in the motorboat across to the island. We might stop and get Dr. Moore and his mother to come along and enjoy the fun. It’s the doctor’s day off.”
“我们先坐汽车到海边，”他说，“然后请丹尼尔船长开机动船送我们上岛。我们可以顺路接上摩尔医生和他母亲，让他们也一起来凑凑热闹。今天是医生休息的日子。”
The children were delighted, for Dr. Moore and his mother were their best friends.
孩子们高兴极了，因为摩尔医生和他的母亲是他们最好的朋友。
Dr. Moore did not look at all surprised when they came. He helped his mother into the big car, and off they all went toward3 the ocean. On the way Jessie and Violet began to plan their housekeeping.
他们来的时候，摩尔医生一点儿也不觉得意外。他扶母亲上了那辆大汽车，一行人便朝海边出发了。路上，杰西和维奥莱特开始盘算起今后的家务事。
“We have to buy bread and bottles of milk,” said Jessie. “Then we could live, even if we didn’t have anything else to eat.”
“我们得买面包和瓶装牛奶。”杰西说，“只要有这些，就算再没有别的东西吃，我们也过得下去。”
“Here’s a little book and a pen,” said Mr. Alden, taking a small blue book from his pocket.
“这儿有个小本子和一支笔。”奥尔登先生说，从口袋里掏出一本蓝色的小本子。
“Write down the dishes we need,” said Violet.
“把我们要用的餐具都写下来。”维奥莱特说。
Before they reached the ocean, Jessie had put down all the things they could think of. There were spoons, cups, bowls, plates, a sharp knife, a dishpan, and a big kettle.
还没到海边，杰西就把他们能想到的东西全写下来了：勺子、杯子、碗、盘子、一把锋利的刀、一个洗碗盆，还有一口大锅。
Then they saw the ocean and the Alden motorboat tied up at the small dock4. Captain Daniel, the old fisherman, was waiting for them on the dock.
随后他们望见了大海，还有奥尔登家那艘泊在小码头边的机动船。老渔民丹尼尔船长正在码头上等着他们。
“How are you, Captain?” said Mr. Alden, as they shook hands. “Just take us across to the island. If the children don’t like it, you can bring us right back again.”
“您好吗，船长？”奥尔登先生一边握手一边说，“送我们过海上岛就行。要是孩子们不喜欢，您再把我们马上接回来。”
The children shouted at this. “We’ll like it all right,” they said.
孩子们一听就嚷起来了。“我们肯定会喜欢的。”他们说。
They climbed into the boat and were off.
他们爬上了船，出发啦。
“There’s our island!” cried Henry. “Our very own island!”
“我们的岛就在那儿！”亨利叫道，“真正属于我们自己的岛！”
Benny began to wave.
本尼开始挥起手来。
“There’s nobody there, Benny. Why are you waving?” asked Grandfather. In spite5 of this, all the children began to wave at the island.
“那上面又没有人，本尼，你挥手做什么？”外公问。话虽这么说，孩子们却全都朝小岛挥起手来。
“And there’s our little house!” shouted Benny. “But is it big enough for all of us?”
“那就是我们的小房子！”本尼喊道，“可它够我们几个人住吗？”
“Oh, no,” said Captain Daniel. “That little hut is my house.” He laughed and looked at Mr. Alden.
“哦，才不是呢，”丹尼尔船长说，“那间小屋是我的家。”他笑着看了看奥尔登先生。
They landed at the little dock, and walked a short way before they saw a small yellow house.
他们在小码头上岸，走了一小段路，就看见一座黄色的小房子。
“Are we going to live in that yellow house?” cried Jessie.
“我们要住在那座黄房子里吗？”杰西叫道。
“Oh, no!” answered Mr. Alden. “You children are going to live in the barn!”
“哦，不是！”奥尔登先生答道，“你们这些孩子要住在牲口棚里！”
“In the barn!” shouted the children, as they ran over to it.
“住在牲口棚！”孩子们一边喊一边朝那边跑去。
“This is the best idea I have ever heard!” cried Henry. He opened the big door and looked in. A new floor had been laid but the children did not notice it. All of them were looking at the four box stalls7 along the back of the room.
“这是我听过的最妙的主意！”亨利叫道。他拉开那扇大门往里看。里头已经铺了新地板，可孩子们谁也没注意到。他们的眼睛全都盯着屋子后墙那一排四个隔开的马厩。
“Bedrooms!” cried Benny, pointing to the box stalls.
“卧室！”本尼指着那些马厩叫道。
“That’s what they are!” said Henry, opening one of the swinging doors to look in. Each stall6 had a large window and nothing else at all.
“对，就是卧室！”亨利推开其中一扇晃门往里瞧。每个马厩都有一扇大窗户，别的东西一样也没有。
“Let’s bring down some straw for beds,” said Henry, looking up the stairs. “We can cover the straw with blankets.” He pointed8 to a pile of clean, light brown blankets.
“我们上楼去拿些稻草铺床吧。”亨利抬头望着楼梯说，“我们可以在稻草上铺毯子。”他指了指一大堆干净的浅褐色毯子。
Jessie ran over to look at the little stove. It was new, and there was an oven9 on top. Then Henry walked over to look at some barrels10.
杰西跑过去看那个小炉子。炉子是新的，顶上还带一个烤箱。接着亨利走过去看几个木桶。
“Here are two empty barrels,” he shouted. “We can use them for table legs, and lay this long board across them for a table.”
“这儿有两个空木桶！”他喊道，“我们可以拿它们当桌腿，把这块长木板往上一搭，就是一张桌子了。”
“Wonderful!” said Jessie.
“太妙了！”杰西说。
The older people stood in the doorway11, watching the excited children.
长辈们站在门口，看着这群兴奋不已的孩子。
“I’m glad the workmen12 left these old boxes here,” said Henry. “I can make dozens of things out of that wood—maybe a little cupboard for the dishes.”
“真高兴工人们把这些旧木箱留在这儿了。”亨利说，“那些木头我能做出几十样东西来——说不定还能打个小碗橱放餐具。”
“Oh, Henry, do you think you could?” cried Violet. “We wouldn’t need doors.”
“哦，亨利，你真做得了吗？”维奥莱特叫道，“门可以不装。”
“Of course he could,” said Benny. “He could make doors, too. Henry can make anything.”
“他当然做得了。”本尼说，“门他也能做。亨利什么都会做。”
“There is a little spring over there,” said Mr. Alden, taking the children to the window to look. “That spring never runs dry. It is always as cold as ice, even on very hot days, and it is safe to drink, too.”
“那边有一眼小泉水。”奥尔登先生带着孩子们走到窗前去看，“那眼泉从来不会干。水一直冰凉冰凉的，哪怕大热天也一样，而且可以放心地喝。”
“Isn’t this perfect, Henry?” said Jessie. “The most important things are settled already. Oh, I wish we could stay here tonight!”
“这儿再好不过了，是不是，亨利？”杰西说，“最要紧的事情都已经有着落了。哦，真希望我们今晚就能住在这儿！”
“How about dishes?” asked Violet.
“那餐具怎么办呢？”维奥莱特问。
Jessie said, “We can get spoons and things at the five and ten. Are there any dishes already on the island, Grandfather?”
杰西说：“勺子之类的东西，我们去五分十分的杂货店买就行。外公，岛上已经有餐具了吗？”
“Not a dish except what the captain has,” replied Mr. Alden. “I’m sorry.”
“除了船长自己那份，一个盘子也没有。”奥尔登先生答道，“很抱歉。”
“Don’t be sorry!” cried Jessie. “It’s lots more fun to buy them. Let’s get six of each thing. Then we can have company.”
“您不用抱歉！”杰西叫道，“自己去买才有意思呢。我们每样都买六份吧，这样来了客人也招待得了。”
“There’s still time to go back to the mainland,” said Henry looking at his watch. “We could go to the five and ten for dishes, and we could buy bread and milk for supper.”
“现在回大陆还来得及。”亨利看着手表说，“我们可以去五分十分的杂货店买餐具，再买些面包和牛奶当晚饭。”
“And I want my bear,” said Benny.
“还有我的小布熊，我也想要。”本尼说。
“Very well, my children,” said Mr. Alden, smiling. “You shall go back and get your things and stay here this very night.”
“好吧，我的孩子们。”奥尔登先生笑着说，“你们回去把东西取来，今晚就住在这儿。”
But just then Mr. Alden noticed that Captain Daniel had something on his mind.
可就在这时候，奥尔登先生注意到丹尼尔船长好像有心事。
“Did you want something, Captain?” he asked.
“船长，您是不是有什么话要说？”他问。
“Well, yes,” replied Captain Daniel. “I heard you say I was the only one on the island.”
“嗯，是有。”丹尼尔船长答道，“我听见您说，岛上只有我一个人。”
“Well, aren’t you?” Mr. Alden looked at him.
“难道不是吗？”奥尔登先生看着他。
“No, I’m not. I’ve got a young friend staying with me in my hut. I thought I had better tell you. He’s a good young man, handy13 and all, but he hasn’t been well.”
“不是的。有个年轻朋友住在我那间小屋里，陪我一起。我想我最好还是告诉您一声。他人挺好，手也巧，样样活儿都会干，只是一直身体不好。”
“What’s the matter with him? Who is he?” asked Mr. Alden sharply14, just as Captain Daniel knew he would.
“他怎么了？他是什么人？”奥尔登先生立刻严厉地追问起来，正和丹尼尔船长所预料的一样。
“I’ve known him all his life,” said Captain Daniel. Then he looked at Dr. Moore for help.
“我看着他长大的。”丹尼尔船长说。接着他望了望摩尔医生，像是在求助。
“Suppose I go down to the hut and talk with this man,” said Dr. Moore.
“不如我到那间小屋去，跟这个人谈谈。”摩尔医生说。
“Fine!” said Mr. Alden. “You go and see what this is all about.”
“好！”奥尔登先生说，“你去看看究竟是怎么回事。”
“I want to go with you,” said Benny.
“我想跟您一起去。”本尼说。
“Oh, no,” said the doctor. “You go look in the windows of the yellow house, and see what you can see. I’ll be right back.”
“哦，不行。”医生说，“你们到那座黄房子的窗户边上去看看，能看到些什么。我马上就回来。”
So the children went over to look into every window, while Dr. Moore went off with Captain Daniel to see his friend.
于是孩子们过去挨个儿往窗户里看，摩尔医生则跟着丹尼尔船长去看他的那位朋友。
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