《魔法師的外甥》第61期:草莓遠征(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.

他說，波莉最好靠戒指回家取些吃的，他自己不能去，因爲他已答應阿斯蘭要直接去完成任務，而一旦回到家中，可能會發生什麼事使他難以返回。但波莉說她不離開他，迪格雷說她太好了。

“唉呀，”波莉說，“我的口袋裏還剩一些太妃糖。總比沒有吃的好吧。”

“好極了，”迪格雷說，“但手伸進去時要小心，別碰着戒指。”

這件事非常棘手，搞不好就會弄糟，但最後還是成功了。他們拿出來的小紙袋又軟又溼，黏糊糊的，所以，從糖上撕下紙袋要比從口袋裏拿出糖來更困難。有些大人(你知道他們遇到這種事時會如何大驚小怪地瞎忙乎一陣)，寧願不吃晚飯也不願吃那些太妃糖。一共有九顆。迪格雷想出一個好辦法，每人吃四顆，將第九顆種在地裏。他說：“從燈柱上取下的鐵棒都能長成一個小燈柱，這顆糖爲什麼不能長成一棵太妃糖樹呢？”於是，他們在草皮上挖了一個小洞，埋下了那顆太妃糖，然後，開始吃剩下的八顆，儘可能久地慢慢品味。那是一頓糟糕的晚餐，即使糖紙全部黏在上面，他們也不得不吃下去。

弗蘭奇吃完豐盛的晚餐後躺了下來，孩子們坐在它的兩邊，靠着它溫暖的軀體。它伸開翅膀蓋住他們，使他們更感溫暖和舒適。當新世界明亮而年輕的星星升起來時，他們開始談天說地：迪格雷當初多麼希望爲他的媽媽弄點兒什麼，後來又是如何被派遣來執行這項任務。他們一再地提及他們要找的那個地方的特徵——藍色的湖泊，山頂上有座花園。直到睡意襲來，他們的談話才減慢了。突然，波莉驚醒坐了起來：“噓！”

三位同伴竭盡全力地仔細傾聽。

“也許只是樹間的風聲吧。”過了一會兒迪格雷說。

“不敢肯定，”弗蘭奇說，“不管怎麼說——等等！有動靜。憑阿斯蘭起誓，是有什麼。”

馬猛地一蹶，發出很大的響聲，匆忙爬了起來。孩子們已經站好了。弗蘭奇前前後後地小跑着，嗅着，發出低低的嘶鳴；孩子們躡手躡腳地在每一叢灌木和每一棵樹後巡查。他們一直認爲自己看見了什麼。有一次，波莉非常肯定地說，她看見一個高大的黑影迅速地溜向西方。但他們什麼也沒有找到。最後，弗蘭奇又躺下了，孩子們偎依(如果可以用這個詞的話)在馬的翅膀下，很快就睡着了。弗蘭奇好長時間都醒着，在黑暗中前後移動它的耳朵，有時皮膚輕輕地戰慄一下，似乎有隻蒼蠅落在它身上，但最後它也睡着了。