昨天是我出生以来最美妙的一天。如果我能活到99岁,我也决不会忘记最微小的细节。清晨离开洛克威洛的那个女孩和晚上回来的那个大不相同。山普太太凌晨四点半叫我起床。在黑暗中,我开始苏醒过来,而第一个闪入我脑中的念头是“我要去见长腿叔叔啦!”我借着烛光在厨房吃了早餐,然后开车开了五英里路到达车站,穿越了十月最辉煌的色彩。太阳渐渐升起来,沼泽枫和山茱萸映着深红橘黄的光辉,石墙和小麦田上的冰霜闪闪发亮,空气清新而刺骨,弥漫着希望的气息。我当时就知道有些事要发生了。一路上,铁轨都在唱着“你就要见到长腿叔叔了。”这让我分外安心。我对叔叔的处事能力有信心。并且我相信,在某处,有另一位男子——比长腿叔叔更亲爱的人——正等着要见我,不知何故,我有种感觉:在旅程结束前我应该也见见他。而你瞧!
When I came to the house on Madison Avenue it looked so big and brown and 13)forbidding that I didn’t dare go in, so I walked around the block to get up my courage. But I needn’t have been a bit afraid; your 14)butler is such a nice, fatherly old man that he made me feel at home at once. “Is this Miss Abbott?” he said to me, and I said, “Yes,” so I didn’t have to ask for Mr. Smith after all. He told me to wait in the 15)drawing-room. It was a very 16)sombre, magnificent, man’s sort of room. I sat down on the edge of a big 17)upholstered chair and kept saying to myself: “I’m going to see Daddy-Long-Legs! I’m going to see Daddy-Long-Legs!”
当我抵达位于麦迪逊大道的房子时,它看起来如此大,棕色外墙,令人生畏,以至我都不敢走进去,于是我绕着房子走了一会儿,好让自己鼓起勇气。但我根本一点都不用怕;你的男管家十分友善,是个像父亲一般和蔼可亲的老人,让我立刻感觉像在家一样。“是阿伯特小姐吗?”他问我,而我回答“是的。”因此我根本不用提出求见史密斯先生。他让我在客厅等候。客厅布置得沉稳庄重,是典型的男人住的房子。我坐在一张舒适的大椅子边上,心里不断想道:“我要见到长腿叔叔了!我要见到长腿叔叔了!”
Then presently the man came back and asked me please to step up to the library. I was so excited that really and truly my feet would hardly take me up. Outside the door he turned and whispered, “He’s been very ill, Miss. This is the first day he’s been allowed to sit up. You’ll not stay long enough to excite him?” I knew from the way he said it that he loved you—and I think he’s an old dear!
不一会儿,管家回来请我移步到书房。我兴奋得双脚真的几乎走不上楼了。到了书房门口后,他转过头低声说道:“小姐,他病得很重。他是今天才被允许坐起来的。你不会呆太久让他过于激动吧?”我从他说话的样子就知道他爱着你——而我觉得他是位亲爱的老先生!
Then he knocked and said, “Miss Abbott,” and I went in and the door closed behind me.
然后,他边敲门边说道:“阿伯特小姐到了。”然后我走进去,门在我身后关上了。
It was so dim coming in from the brightly lighted hall that for a moment I could scarcely 18)make out anything; then I saw a big easy chair before the fire and a shining tea table with a smaller chair beside it. And I realized that a man was sitting in the big chair propped up by pillows with a 19)rug over his knees. Before I could stop him, he rose—rather shakily—and steadied himself by the back of the chair and just looked at me without a word. And then—and then—I saw it was you! But even with that I didn’t understand. I thought Daddy had had you come there to meet me or for a surprise.
从明亮的客厅走进这里一切变得很暗,有那么一会儿,我的眼睛几乎看不到什么东西。接着,我看到火炉前有张大的安乐椅,旁边有一个闪亮的茶几和一张小一点的椅子。并且我看到有个人靠着一些枕头坐在大椅子上,膝上盖着一张毯子。我还来不及阻止他,他已经站了起来——身体颤抖得很厉害——靠着椅背稳住自己,一语不发,只是看着我。然后——然后——我看到那是你啊!不过就算是这样,我也还是不明白。我以为是长腿叔叔让你来那儿见我,或是给我一个惊喜。
Then you laughed and held out your hand and said, “Dear little Judy, couldn’t you guess that I was Daddy-Long-Legs?”
然后,你笑着伸出手,说道:“亲爱的小茱蒂,难道你猜不出我就是长腿叔叔吗?”
In an instant it flashed over me. Oh, but I have been stupid! A hundred little things might have told me, if I had had any 20)wits. I wouldn’t make a very good detective, would I, Daddy? Jervie? What must I call you? Just plain Jervie sounds disrespectful, and I can’t be disrespectful to you!
我顿时醒悟过来了。噢,一直以来我可真笨!有一百件小事可能都已告诉了我答案,如果我有点脑子的话。我不是个很好的侦探。不是吗?叔叔?杰维?我该怎么称呼你?只是叫你“杰维”显得失礼,我可不能对你失礼!
It was a very sweet half hour before your doctor came and sent me away. I was so dazed when I got to the station that I almost took a train for St Louis. And you were pretty dazed, too. You forgot to give me any tea. But we’re both very, very happy, aren’t we? I drove back to Lock Willow in the dark but oh, how the stars were shining! And this morning I’ve been out with Colin visiting all the places that you and I went to together, and remembering what you said and how you looked. The woods today are 21)burnished bronze and the air is full of frost. It’s CLIMBING weather. I wish you were here to climb the hills with me. I am missing you dreadfully, Jervie dear, but it’s a happy kind of missing; we’ll be together soon. We belong to each other now really and truly, no make-believe. Doesn’t it seem 22)queer for me to belong to someone at last? It seems very, very sweet.
在你的医生来把我送走前,那是非常甜蜜的半个小时。当我抵达车站时,我兴奋得头脑发昏,以至差点搭上前往圣·路易斯的火车。而你也激动得头脑发昏,连一杯茶也没给我倒。但我俩都非常非常快乐,不是吗?我摸黑开车回到洛克威洛——噢,满天星光闪烁!今早,我和柯林走遍了所有我和你一起去过的地方,想着你说的话,和你当时的样子。今天,树木被抹上了金黄色彩,空气冷冽清新。这是个爬山的好天气。我真希望你在这儿陪我爬山。我想你想得不行了,亲爱的杰维,但这是种愉快的思念。我们很快就会在一起了。现在,我们真的属于对方了,一点也不假!我终究属于某人了,这不是件似乎挺奇怪的事吗?这似乎是件非常非常甜蜜的事。
And I shall never let you be sorry for a single instant.
并且,我今后将不会让你有片刻的伤心。
Yours, for ever and ever,
Judy
PS: This is the first love-letter I have ever written. Isn’t it funny that I knew how?
你永远并始终如一的,
茱蒂
另:这是我曾写下的第一封情书。我竟然知道该怎么写,好玩吧?
