03-01-03-秘密花园 [17]
看上去异常高大，头高高地扬着。
“看我！”他冲本喊道，“看看我呀！”
“他像约克郡别的男孩一样直！”狄肯说。
泪水从本那棕色而苍老的脸上滑落下来。“他们说你要死了！”他小声说。
“那么，现在你该知道那不是真的，”柯林说道，“现在从墙上下来到这儿来吧。我想跟你谈谈。你得帮我们保守花园的秘密。”
“好的，先生。”本说着，一边擦干了泪水。
这是秘密花园中第一个美丽的下午，这样的下午以后还有很多。柯林几乎每天都由狄肯和玛丽带到这儿，他看到了春天和初夏这里的所有变化。本·威瑟斯塔夫，现在也是秘密的一部分，一有空就加入他们。
一天，柯林对大家说：“你们大家听我说。我想是什么魔法使花园里的植物生长，使很多事情发生。或许要是我相信，魔法也会使我变得强壮起来。咱们坐下来围成圈请魔法显灵吧！”
于是他们围坐在草地上，狄肯和他的乌鸦、狐狸以及两只松鼠，玛丽、柯林、还有本。柯林重复说着：“阳光在照耀，这就是魔法。强壮起来，这就是魔法。魔法！帮帮我！魔法！帮帮我！”
最后柯林停下来。“现在我得在花园里走走了。”他说。于是他扶着狄肯的胳膊，慢慢地从一面墙走到另一面墙，玛丽和本紧紧跟着他们。当他走完一圈时，他说：“看哪！我能走了！魔法显灵了！”
“太棒了！”玛丽叫着。“你父亲看见你一定会以为是在做梦呢！”
“我还不想告诉他。我要保守秘密，不让任何人知道。我要每天都到花园里散步，再跑上一小会儿，直到我像其他人一样健康。到那会儿，等我父亲回家时，我要走到他面前，说，‘我在这儿，爸爸。你看到了吗？我不会死的！’”
这可给玛丽和柯林出了难题。狄肯一天晚上在挖屋前的菜园时把这事告诉了妈妈。
“您看，妈妈，他们不想让医生或用人猜出柯林能走路，而且身体也好多了。所以他们假装他还病着，而且还像从前一样不讨人喜欢！”
“要是他们整天跑来跑去，呼吸新鲜空气，那样他们会感到饿的，我想。”
“是啊，就是这件事。他们俩都长胖了，也健康了，而且很能吃饭了。可是他们却不得不剩下一些送回厨房，要是都吃光了，人家就会知道他们很健康！所以，他们有时饿得很厉害！”
“我知道我们能做些什么，”索尔比太太说，“上午你带点新鲜的牛奶和我刚烤好的面包到花园去，吃了这些会对他们有很大好处的！孩子们这是在玩什么把戏啊！”她笑得眼泪都流出来了。
一天下午，他们正在花园里干活儿，门开了，一个女人悄悄走了进来。
“是妈妈！”狄肯喊道，跑了过去，“我告诉了她门在哪儿，因为我知道她会保密的。”
柯林伸出手，说：“我一直都想见到您。”
“好孩子！”苏珊·索尔比小声说着，握住他的手，“你长的可真像你妈妈。”
“您觉得，”柯林小心地问道，“这会让我父亲喜欢我吗？”
“我肯定他会的。”她热情地答道。“他得看看你——他现在应该回家了。”
“苏珊，瞧这孩子多健康啊！”本说，“看他的腿，现在又直又结实！”
“是啊，”她笑了，“在外面玩，在外面干活，加上约克郡的美食，这就让他壮实起来了。再加上有玛丽小姐。”她加了一句，转向玛丽。“梅洛太太听说你妈妈很漂亮，你很快也会像她一样漂亮的。”
“您相信魔法吗？”柯林问她。
“相信。”她回答，“不过每个人都给它起了个不同的名字。它使阳光照耀，种子生长——同样也让你健康。”
她在草地上坐了一会儿，和孩子们在洒满阳光、宁静的花园里说笑着。她站起身临走的时候，柯林向她伸出一只手。
“我真希望——您是我的妈妈！”他小声说。
索尔比太太把他搂在怀里，“好孩子！在你妈妈的花园里，你离她要多近有多近。而且，你爸爸也快回来了！”
■ 8 Mr Craven comes home
While the secret garden was returning to life，a man with high，crooked shoulders was wandering round the most beautiful places in Europe．For ten years he had lived this lonely life，his heart full of sadness and his head full of dark dreams．Everywhere he．went，he carried his unhappiness with him like a black cloud．Other travellers thought he was half mad or a man who could not forget some terrible crime．His name was Archibald Craven．
But one day，as he sat by a mountain stream，he actually looked at a flower，and for the first time in ten years he realized how beautiful something living could be．The valley seemed very quiet as he sat there，staring at the flower．He felt strangely calm．
‘What is happening to me？’he whispered．‘I feel different —I almost feel I'm alive again！’
At that moment，hundreds of miles away in Yorkshire，Colin was seeing the secret garden for the first time，and saying，‘I'm going to live for ever and ever and ever！’But Mr Craven did not know this．
That night，in his hotel room，he slept better than usual．As the weeks passed，he even began to think a little about his home and his son．One evening in late summer，as he was sitting quietly beside a lake，he felt the strange calmness again．He fell asleep，and had a dream that seemed very real．He heard a voice calling him．It was sweet and clear and happy，the voice of his young wife．
‘Archie！Archie！Archie！’
‘My dear！’He jumped up．‘Where are you？’
‘In the garden！’called the beautiful voice．
And then the dream ended．In the morning，when he woke，he remembered the dream．
‘She says she's in the garden！’he thought．‘But the door's locked and the key's buried．’
That morning he received a letter from Susan Sowerby．In it she asked him to come home，but she did not give a reason．Mr Craven thought of his dream，and decided to return to England immediately．On the long journey back to Yorkshire，he was thinking about Colin．
‘I wonder how he is！I wanted to forget him，because he makes me think of his mother．He lived，and she died！But perhaps I've been wrong．Susan Sowerby says I should go home，so perhaps she thinks I can help him．’
When he arrived home，he found the housekeeper very confused about Colin's health．
‘He's very strange，sir，’said Mrs Medlock．‘ He looks better，it's true，but some days he eats nothing at all，and other days he eats just like a healthy boy．He used to scream even at the idea of fresh air，but now he spends all his time outside in his wheelchair，with Miss Mary and Dickon Sowerby．He's in the garden at the moment
“看我！”他冲本喊道，“看看我呀！”
“他像约克郡别的男孩一样直！”狄肯说。
泪水从本那棕色而苍老的脸上滑落下来。“他们说你要死了！”他小声说。
“那么，现在你该知道那不是真的，”柯林说道，“现在从墙上下来到这儿来吧。我想跟你谈谈。你得帮我们保守花园的秘密。”
“好的，先生。”本说着，一边擦干了泪水。
这是秘密花园中第一个美丽的下午，这样的下午以后还有很多。柯林几乎每天都由狄肯和玛丽带到这儿，他看到了春天和初夏这里的所有变化。本·威瑟斯塔夫，现在也是秘密的一部分，一有空就加入他们。
一天，柯林对大家说：“你们大家听我说。我想是什么魔法使花园里的植物生长，使很多事情发生。或许要是我相信，魔法也会使我变得强壮起来。咱们坐下来围成圈请魔法显灵吧！”
于是他们围坐在草地上，狄肯和他的乌鸦、狐狸以及两只松鼠，玛丽、柯林、还有本。柯林重复说着：“阳光在照耀，这就是魔法。强壮起来，这就是魔法。魔法！帮帮我！魔法！帮帮我！”
最后柯林停下来。“现在我得在花园里走走了。”他说。于是他扶着狄肯的胳膊，慢慢地从一面墙走到另一面墙，玛丽和本紧紧跟着他们。当他走完一圈时，他说：“看哪！我能走了！魔法显灵了！”
“太棒了！”玛丽叫着。“你父亲看见你一定会以为是在做梦呢！”
“我还不想告诉他。我要保守秘密，不让任何人知道。我要每天都到花园里散步，再跑上一小会儿，直到我像其他人一样健康。到那会儿，等我父亲回家时，我要走到他面前，说，‘我在这儿，爸爸。你看到了吗？我不会死的！’”
这可给玛丽和柯林出了难题。狄肯一天晚上在挖屋前的菜园时把这事告诉了妈妈。
“您看，妈妈，他们不想让医生或用人猜出柯林能走路，而且身体也好多了。所以他们假装他还病着，而且还像从前一样不讨人喜欢！”
“要是他们整天跑来跑去，呼吸新鲜空气，那样他们会感到饿的，我想。”
“是啊，就是这件事。他们俩都长胖了，也健康了，而且很能吃饭了。可是他们却不得不剩下一些送回厨房，要是都吃光了，人家就会知道他们很健康！所以，他们有时饿得很厉害！”
“我知道我们能做些什么，”索尔比太太说，“上午你带点新鲜的牛奶和我刚烤好的面包到花园去，吃了这些会对他们有很大好处的！孩子们这是在玩什么把戏啊！”她笑得眼泪都流出来了。
一天下午，他们正在花园里干活儿，门开了，一个女人悄悄走了进来。
“是妈妈！”狄肯喊道，跑了过去，“我告诉了她门在哪儿，因为我知道她会保密的。”
柯林伸出手，说：“我一直都想见到您。”
“好孩子！”苏珊·索尔比小声说着，握住他的手，“你长的可真像你妈妈。”
“您觉得，”柯林小心地问道，“这会让我父亲喜欢我吗？”
“我肯定他会的。”她热情地答道。“他得看看你——他现在应该回家了。”
“苏珊，瞧这孩子多健康啊！”本说，“看他的腿，现在又直又结实！”
“是啊，”她笑了，“在外面玩，在外面干活，加上约克郡的美食，这就让他壮实起来了。再加上有玛丽小姐。”她加了一句，转向玛丽。“梅洛太太听说你妈妈很漂亮，你很快也会像她一样漂亮的。”
“您相信魔法吗？”柯林问她。
“相信。”她回答，“不过每个人都给它起了个不同的名字。它使阳光照耀，种子生长——同样也让你健康。”
她在草地上坐了一会儿，和孩子们在洒满阳光、宁静的花园里说笑着。她站起身临走的时候，柯林向她伸出一只手。
“我真希望——您是我的妈妈！”他小声说。
索尔比太太把他搂在怀里，“好孩子！在你妈妈的花园里，你离她要多近有多近。而且，你爸爸也快回来了！”
■ 8 Mr Craven comes home
While the secret garden was returning to life，a man with high，crooked shoulders was wandering round the most beautiful places in Europe．For ten years he had lived this lonely life，his heart full of sadness and his head full of dark dreams．Everywhere he．went，he carried his unhappiness with him like a black cloud．Other travellers thought he was half mad or a man who could not forget some terrible crime．His name was Archibald Craven．
But one day，as he sat by a mountain stream，he actually looked at a flower，and for the first time in ten years he realized how beautiful something living could be．The valley seemed very quiet as he sat there，staring at the flower．He felt strangely calm．
‘What is happening to me？’he whispered．‘I feel different —I almost feel I'm alive again！’
At that moment，hundreds of miles away in Yorkshire，Colin was seeing the secret garden for the first time，and saying，‘I'm going to live for ever and ever and ever！’But Mr Craven did not know this．
That night，in his hotel room，he slept better than usual．As the weeks passed，he even began to think a little about his home and his son．One evening in late summer，as he was sitting quietly beside a lake，he felt the strange calmness again．He fell asleep，and had a dream that seemed very real．He heard a voice calling him．It was sweet and clear and happy，the voice of his young wife．
‘Archie！Archie！Archie！’
‘My dear！’He jumped up．‘Where are you？’
‘In the garden！’called the beautiful voice．
And then the dream ended．In the morning，when he woke，he remembered the dream．
‘She says she's in the garden！’he thought．‘But the door's locked and the key's buried．’
That morning he received a letter from Susan Sowerby．In it she asked him to come home，but she did not give a reason．Mr Craven thought of his dream，and decided to return to England immediately．On the long journey back to Yorkshire，he was thinking about Colin．
‘I wonder how he is！I wanted to forget him，because he makes me think of his mother．He lived，and she died！But perhaps I've been wrong．Susan Sowerby says I should go home，so perhaps she thinks I can help him．’
When he arrived home，he found the housekeeper very confused about Colin's health．
‘He's very strange，sir，’said Mrs Medlock．‘ He looks better，it's true，but some days he eats nothing at all，and other days he eats just like a healthy boy．He used to scream even at the idea of fresh air，but now he spends all his time outside in his wheelchair，with Miss Mary and Dickon Sowerby．He's in the garden at the moment