《魔法师的外甥》第61期:草莓远征(5)

Digory said that Polly had better take herself home by ring and get something to eat there; he couldn't himself because he had promised to go straight on his message for Aslan, and, if once he showed up again at home, anything might happen to prevent his getting back. But Polly said she wouldn't leave him, and Digory said it was jolly decent of her.

"I say," said Polly, "I've still got the remains of that bag of toffee in my jacket. It'll be better than nothing."

"A lot better," said Digory, "But be careful to get your hand into your pocket without touching your ring."

This was a difficult and delicate job but they managed it in the end. The little paper bag was very squashy and sticky when they finally got it out, so that it was More a question of tearing the bag off the toffees than of getting the toffees out of the bag. Some grown-ups (you know how fussy they can be about that sort of thing) would rather have gone without supper altogether than eaten those toffees. There were nine of them all told. It was Digory who had the bright idea of eating four each and planting the ninth; for, as he said, "if the bar off the lamp-post turned into a little light-tree, why shouldn't this turn into a toffee-tree?" So they dibbled a small hole in the turf and buried the piece of toffee. Then they ate the other pieces, making them last as long as they could. It was a poor meal, even with all the paper they couldn't help eating as well.

When Fledge had quite finished his own excellent supper he lay down. The children came and sat one on each side of him leaning against his warm body, and when he had spread a wing over each they were really quite snug. As the bright young stars of that new world came out they talked over everything: how Digory had hoped to get something for his Mother and how, instead of that, he had been sent on this message. And they repeated to one another all the signs by which they would know the places they were looking for - the blue lake and the hill with a garden on top of it. The talk was just beginning to slow down as they got sleepy, when suddenly Polly sat up wide awake and said "Hush!"

Everyone listened as hard as they could.

"Perhaps it was only the wind in the trees," said Digory presently.

"I'm not so sure," said Fledge. "Anyway - wait! There it goes again. By Aslan, it is something."

The horse scrambled to its feet with a great noise and a great upheaval; the children were already on theirs. Fledge trotted to and fro, sniffing and whinnying. The children tip-toed this way and that, looking behind every bush and tree. They kept on thinking they saw things, and there was one time when Polly was perfectly certain she had seen-a tall, dark figure gliding quickly away in a westerly direction. But they caught nothing and in the end Fledge lay down again and the children re-snuggled (if that is the right word) under his wings. They went to sleep at once. Fledge stayed awake much longer moving his ears to and fro in the darkness and sometimes giving a little shiver with his skin as if a fly had lighted on him: but in the end he too slept.

他说，波莉最好靠戒指回家取些吃的，他自己不能去，因为他已答应阿斯兰要直接去完成任务，而一旦回到家中，可能会发生什么事使他难以返回。但波莉说她不离开他，迪格雷说她太好了。

“唉呀，”波莉说，“我的口袋里还剩一些太妃糖。总比没有吃的好吧。”

“好极了，”迪格雷说，“但手伸进去时要小心，别碰着戒指。”

这件事非常棘手，搞不好就会弄糟，但最后还是成功了。他们拿出来的小纸袋又软又湿，黏糊糊的，所以，从糖上撕下纸袋要比从口袋里拿出糖来更困难。有些大人(你知道他们遇到这种事时会如何大惊小怪地瞎忙乎一阵)，宁愿不吃晚饭也不愿吃那些太妃糖。一共有九颗。迪格雷想出一个好办法，每人吃四颗，将第九颗种在地里。他说：“从灯柱上取下的铁棒都能长成一个小灯柱，这颗糖为什么不能长成一棵太妃糖树呢？”于是，他们在草皮上挖了一个小洞，埋下了那颗太妃糖，然后，开始吃剩下的八颗，尽可能久地慢慢品味。那是一顿糟糕的晚餐，即使糖纸全部黏在上面，他们也不得不吃下去。

弗兰奇吃完丰盛的晚餐后躺了下来，孩子们坐在它的两边，靠着它温暖的躯体。它伸开翅膀盖住他们，使他们更感温暖和舒适。当新世界明亮而年轻的星星升起来时，他们开始谈天说地：迪格雷当初多么希望为他的妈妈弄点儿什么，后来又是如何被派遣来执行这项任务。他们一再地提及他们要找的那个地方的特征——蓝色的湖泊，山顶上有座花园。直到睡意袭来，他们的谈话才减慢了。突然，波莉惊醒坐了起来：“嘘！”

三位同伴竭尽全力地仔细倾听。

“也许只是树间的风声吧。”过了一会儿迪格雷说。

“不敢肯定，”弗兰奇说，“不管怎么说——等等！有动静。凭阿斯兰起誓，是有什么。”

马猛地一蹶，发出很大的响声，匆忙爬了起来。孩子们已经站好了。弗兰奇前前后后地小跑着，嗅着，发出低低的嘶鸣；孩子们蹑手蹑脚地在每一丛灌木和每一棵树后巡查。他们一直认为自己看见了什么。有一次，波莉非常肯定地说，她看见一个高大的黑影迅速地溜向西方。但他们什么也没有找到。最后，弗兰奇又躺下了，孩子们偎依(如果可以用这个词的话)在马的翅膀下，很快就睡着了。弗兰奇好长时间都醒着，在黑暗中前后移动它的耳朵，有时皮肤轻轻地战栗一下，似乎有只苍蝇落在它身上，但最后它也睡着了。