学文网I
There was a fascinating little stream just at the other side of the low wall that 1)bounded the garden, and this stream had more attractions for Sydney than anything else about the holiday home.
It was not for its cool murmuring sound that Sydney liked it, nor for its crystal clearness though he must have felt the charm of all this during those hot August days. He had found a beautiful place where he could put a water-wheel, and he was as busy as he could be planning and making one. He had his little box of tools with him, and it was easy to get pieces of wood; and for the rest Sydney’s cleverness in “making things” was well known to his sisters and brothers, and held in great 2)reverence by them. They never “3)meddled,” and so were graciously allowed to come and admire.
“Oh, bother!” exclaimed Sydney. “Here’s this little 4)plague! You can’t come here, Walter,” he called out. “Go back to the garden and play there.”
But little Walter had already climbed over the loose stones and was running towards the stream.
Sydney jumped up from the ground and went to meet him.
“Did you hear, Walter?” said he. “Go back and play. I don’t want you here.”
“Oh, please, Sydney,” said a 5)pleading voice, as a pair of childish blue eyes were lifted up to the face of the elder boy. “I do want to see the water-mill! I won’t touch it I promise.”
“You won’t get the chance,” said Sydney roughly. “Just you go back when you’re told.
You’ve got Madge and Johnny to play with.”
As he took the little boy by the shoulders and marched him back to the wall, he felt very angry.
“Now, look here, Walter,” he said. “In that elder bush there lives a ghost that comes out sometimes. I think you’d better keep away from it, for you’re the sort of 6)chap that would be caught.”
Sydney, seeing the sudden fear in the child’s face as he turned his eyes towards the elder tree, thought he had hit on a very happy plan for keeping Walter away. He was content and thought Walter wouldn’t come past in a hurry.
Then Walter went slowly back again through the garden, his heart full of bitter disappointment. He did so want to see that wheel! He had been dreaming about it all night, for he had known that it was to be fixed and tried the next day. He had been watching for an opportunity ever since Sydney had gone to the stream. It came when Nurse went indoors with Johnny, and Madge got 7)sulky and buried herself in a picture book. That was the moment when he stole away unobserved. If only he could have had one 8)peep! He wouldn’t have touched it, not for the world; he only wanted to look at the wonderful thing, and to see if he could perhaps make one some day. He would like to try now, but he was not allowed to have a knife, and he did not know where to get wood. Then when he went home there would be no stream and no new sorts of play.
Just then he heard Madge calling him.
“Come here and play, Walter,” she said. “I’ll be a bear among the trees and I’ll run out and catch you.”
“I don’t like that game, Madge,” said he. “You roar so loud and then I think it really is a bear.”
II
The next day it happened that there was a large picnic party, to which all the elders were
invited, including Sydney. It was rather a dull day, Walter thought. He was thinking about the wheel and wondering if it was turning merrily in the stream, or if Sydney had put it away. He would have given worlds to go and see, but he never got the chance. When the children went to the kitchen garden it was to walk round with Nurse.
Johnny was 9)bemoaning that strawberries were over, and Madge was looking vainly for 10)gooseberries on the trees that had long ago been 11)stripped. But Walter cast 12)furtive glances
at the thick elder bush by the wall, and shivered a little inside when he thought of what Sydney had told him about it.
Directly after that, they went indoors to have supper and go to bed. As they were undressing it was discovered that Madge had lost a coral necklace she had on. It was a fancy of her mother’s
that Madge should always wear this, as it was a present from a dead grandmother, and the question now was where it had been dropped.
“She had it on at the gooseberry bushes,” said Walter. “For I saw it.”
“You can run down the garden and look for it, Master Walter,” said Nurse. “It gets dark so fast I shan’t be able to see by the time I’ve got you all in bed.”
So away went Walter full of importance, for the moment, quite forgetting where he was going. But scarcely had he got outside the door when he remembered the 13)dreadful tree, and fear took possession of him.
How could he go? He would have to pass the elder bush if he went all round the path where they had walked with nurse. Dare he do it?
But if he went back the others would laugh at him and call him a baby. He could not stand that. He was not a baby, but a boy who would one day be a man and do great deeds. So he went on. Trying hard not to think of the elder bush, Walter went bravely along, looking for the necklace. But still he could not help knowing that he was getting nearer to the dreaded spot. Oh, if he could but see those pink beads he would seize them and run!
He saw them at last, when he had nearly reached the tree. With 14)mingled joy and fear he took a step forward and stopped to pick up the necklace when suddenly there was a 15)rustling sound among the elder branches and a hand reached out to part them, a hand belonging to a white figure. That was all Walter knew. With a cry of terror he rushed forward, not looking where he was going. Then he tripped and fell, and lay quite still. He was still unconscious when, an hour later, Sydney’s mother bent over him anxiously. He had struck his head on the stones bordering the path, and there was waiting till the doctor came to know the extent of the injury.
Nurse told how the little boy had gone to look for Madge’s necklace, and just as she saw Master Walter he gave a scream and ran away as if frightened. But what could have terrified him she could not think.
Sydney looked at his mother’s 16)distressed face and at the little figure lying on the bed. He knew what had made Walter afraid, and he did not like afterwards to think of what he felt during the half hour before the doctor came.
“But I never thought, mother,” said he. “That he would be frightened at that.”
His mother was too anxious to say much just then, and Sydney’s 17)conscience spoke instead. “You did want to make him afraid,” she said, “knowing he was a small and 18)timid boy.” And Sydney knew that this was the truth.
Walter got better after a time, and his little heart was made glad by the kindness all around. Even Sydney came and worked beside him, explaining all the improvements and extensions of the water-wheel. But the little boy did not know all that was in Sydney’s mind, for it could not be spoken. But Sydney’s unspoken thought was the 19)stirring of true manliness within him. It was the determination to remember that those who were not so strong and big as himself needed all the more his consideration and gentleness. And he did remember that all his life.
(一)
在花园的四周环绕着一圈矮墙,一条美丽的小溪从矮墙的另一边淌过。这条小溪比度假屋里的任何东西都要吸引西德尼。
西德尼喜欢它,并不是因为它那清亮的潺潺水声,也不是因为它如水晶般的清澈――虽然在八月的炎炎夏日里,他确实感受到个中魅力。他已经找到一个漂亮的地方,可以在那里搭起一座水车,所以他现在忙得不可开交,着手兴建计划。他随身带着小工具箱,而且在这里很容易就能弄到木板;剩下的就简单多了,因为西德尼的兄弟姐妹都知道他在“创作”方面是多么心灵手巧,对他推崇备至。由于他们从不“指手画脚”,所以他也总是很有风度地让他们前来表达钦佩之情。
“噢,真麻烦!”西德尼叫道。“又是这个小讨厌鬼!沃尔特,你不能到这里来,”他喊道。“回花园去,在那里玩。”
可是小沃尔特已经爬过那堆松散的石头,朝着小溪这边跑过来了。
西德尼跳了起来,过去拦住他。
“你没听到吗,沃尔特?”他说。“回去玩。我不想你待在这里。”
“噢,求你了,西德尼,”他恳求道,充满孩子气的蓝眼睛仰望着大男孩的脸。“我真的很想看看那座水车啊!我不会碰它的――我
保证。”
“你没有机会碰它,”西德尼粗鲁地说。“照我说去做,赶紧回去。你已经有玛奇和约翰尼陪你玩了。”
他搭着小男孩的肩膀,把他拽回到矮墙边,感到非常气愤。
“听清楚了,沃尔特,”他说。“在那棵老灌木里住着一只鬼怪,它有时候会跑出来。你最好跟它保持距离,因为你是那种容易被抓的小东西。”
当小家伙的眼睛转向那棵老树时,西德尼看到他的脸上突然闪过一丝恐惧。西德尼认为自己找到了一个很棒的计划能让沃尔特不再靠近。他觉得心满意足,认定沃尔特短期内不会再
过来了。
沃尔特慢慢地穿过花园,心里充满了苦涩的失望。他多么想看看那座水车啊!他整晚都梦见它,因为他知道第二天它就能完工并下水运作了。自从西德尼去小溪边开始,他就一直在寻找一个机会去看看。好不容易等到机会了――因为保姆和约翰尼一起进屋了,而玛奇则闹脾气埋头看***画书,这样他就能偷偷溜出来而不被发觉了。哪怕只瞄一眼也好啊!他不会去碰它的,绝对不会。他只想看看那个精巧的东西,看是不是有一天自己也能做出一个来。尽管他现在就愿意一试,不过大家还不许他玩刀,而且他也不知道到哪里能弄到木头。一旦他回家了,就不会再有小溪,也没有什么新奇的消遣了。
就在这时,他听见玛奇在叫他。
“到这儿玩吧,沃尔特,”她说。“我会假扮树林里的熊熊,然后跑出来抓你哦。”
“我不喜欢那个游戏,玛奇,”他说。“你太能嚷嚷了,我会以为那真是一头熊。”
(二)
第二天碰巧有个大型的野餐聚会,所有年长的人都被邀请过来了,包括西德尼在内。真是无聊的一天,沃尔特想。他还在想着那座水车,想知道它是否在溪水中欢快地转动着,还是被西德尼搁在一边了。他愿意放弃一切过去看看,但他一直找不到机会。当孩子们去菜园里玩时,保姆总会一起去。
约翰尼在抱怨草莓已经过季了,而玛奇则徒劳无功地寻找残留在树上的醋栗――尽管它们其实早就被采摘完了。沃尔特鬼鬼祟祟地瞄着墙边茂密的老灌木,一想到西德尼告诉他的故事就寒心。
之后他们直接回到屋里,吃完晚饭就上床睡觉了。他们脱衣服时,玛奇才发现一直戴着的珊瑚项链不见了。那可是她母亲的最爱,所以玛奇才一直戴着它,因为它是一位已故的老祖母留下的礼物。问题是,它到底掉在什么地方了呢?
“她在醋栗丛时还戴着它呢,”沃尔特说。“我看到了。”
“你可以跑到花园里去找找它,沃尔特少爷,”保姆说。“天黑得太快了,等我把你们都安顿上床后,可能就什么都看不到了。”
于是沃尔特郑重其事地走了出去,一时间几乎忘了自己要去哪里。不过当他快要走出门口时,他突然想起了那棵可怕的大树,一种恐惧感攫住了他。
他该怎么过去呢?如果要找遍那条和保姆一起走过的路,他就不得不经过那棵老灌木。他敢这么做吗?
但是,如果他转身回去的话,其他人就会嘲笑他,说他还是个小娃娃。他可受不了这一点。他已经不是小娃娃,而是一个男孩子了,而且终有一天会变成一个男子汉,创出一番丰功伟绩。于是他继续向前走去,努力不去想那棵老灌木。沃尔特勇敢地向前走着,寻找那串项链。可他还是不禁想到自己离那个可怕的地方越来越近了。噢,如果现在他能看见那些粉红色的小珠子,他一定会一把抓起它们拔腿就跑!
快要走到那棵树下时,他终于看到它们了。混合着喜悦与恐惧,他向前走了一步,停下来捡起那串项链。突然间,老灌木的树枝里传来一阵沙沙声,一个白色身影伸出一只手来分开了枝条。沃尔特知道的就是这些了。随着一声恐惧的尖叫,他向前冲去,没有注意自己往哪个方向跑。接着他绊倒了,静静地躺在那里。一个小时以后,西德尼的母亲焦急地俯身看他时,他依然昏迷不醒。他的脑袋撞到小路边的石头上,只能等医生赶过来检查他的伤势。
保姆告诉他们,这个小男孩出去寻找玛奇的项链,可当她见到沃尔特少爷时,他尖叫了一声,受了惊似地转身就跑。可是她想不出到底是什么吓到他了。
西德尼看着母亲哀伤的脸庞,还有床上躺着的那个小小的身影。他知道是什么让沃尔特受惊了,他都不愿意回想起自己在等待医生到来那半个小时里是什么
感觉。
“妈妈,我从没想过会这样,”他说。“我没想到他会这么害怕。”
那时他母亲太焦急了,所以没说什么,但西德尼的良心代替她发作了一通。“你确实想让他害怕,”她说。“你知道他是个胆小的孩子。”西德尼知道,这都是真的。
过了一段时间,沃尔特康复了。他小小的心灵由于大家的爱护再次充满了欢乐,就连西德尼也会来到他旁边干活,向他解释自己对水车所做的改良和补充。但是小男孩无法了解西德尼的全部心思,因为这是无法付诸言语的东西。不过这些没说出口的想法却激发出西德尼内心深处真正的男子气概。他决心要记住,对于那些没有他强壮和比他年幼的人,他需要付出更多的关心和怜爱。他确实将这一点终身铭记。