Chapter 7 ‘The Deepest Dungeon Below The Castle Moat’
第八章 王后光临伦敦
Chapter 8 The Queen in London
第九章 亚特兰蒂斯
Chapter 9 Atlantis
第十章 黑女孩和凯撒
Chapter 10 The Little Black Girl and Julius Caesar
第十一章 在法老面前
Chapter 11 Before Pharaoh
第十二章 前往未来
Chapter 12 The Sorry-Present and The Expelled Little Boy
第十三章 锡岛沉船
Chapter 13 The Shipwreck On The Tin Islands
第十四章 心愿
Chapter 14 The Heart’s Desire
附录 主要人物中英对照表
内容摘要 第二章 半个护身符 Chapter 2 The Half Amulet 孩子们去画具店买了许多细沙,然后把沙仙舒舒服服地安顿在了圆浴盆里,然后请求它告诉他们,它究竟是怎么来到宠物店的。 “好吧,这不会是个长故事,”沙仙打着哈欠说, “有个人捉住我,我咬他,他把我丢进了布袋,然后带我进城,卖给了一个人——就是那个开店的家伙,我咬了他们两个,就是这样。你们呢,有什么新鲜事?” “我们的故事里没有那么多咬人的事,”西里尔遗憾地说,“爸爸去了中国东北,妈妈和小羊羔去了马德拉群岛,我只希望他们能平安回来。” 沙仙出于习惯,一听到“希望”就开始鼓胀起来,但马上又停止了。 “我忘了,我再也不会实现你们的愿望了。” “那你一点儿也不能帮我们的忙了。”简哭了起来,“我一直盼望你能把妈妈带回来。” “请不要哭了,”沙仙赶紧说,“我知道在那家店的不远处有一件世界上最强有力的法宝,只要你们买回来,就能实现你们的心愿。” 孩子们重新振作起了精神,他们将沙仙装进柳皮篮子里,在它的指点下来到了一家摆满六角形手风琴、丝手帕等的古董杂货店的橱窗前。沙仙让他们去看其中一只装满垃圾的碟子,语气激动地说: “就是它!它在蓝的黄的扣子底下,就露出一点点。” 安西娅一个人进去了,其他人用鼻子顶着橱窗玻璃往里看。大概过了很长时间——长得足以把店内所有东西都买下来…… 安西娅终于出来了,笑容满面,手里拿着那个法宝——一只护身符。 护身符是用有光泽的红色石头制成的,但是沙仙看了一眼,就用责怪的语气说:“这里只有半个!” 安西娅坚定又胆怯地说:“全在这里了,店里就只有这个东西。” “唉,事情比我想象得要糟,”沙仙叹了一口气,“对于一个完整的护身符来说,它无所不能,可以消除一切使人不愉快的妒忌、坏脾气、骄傲等邪恶思想,能给予人们勇气、力量和美德,还能满足心愿。但是这里只有半个,它具备的力量是把你们带到随便哪个地方去寻找另外半个。” “它知道上哪儿找吗?”罗伯特激动地问。 沙仙摇摇头:“我想它不知道。但是,如果你们能读一下这半个护身符上写的名字,这东西就能……嗯,做一些事情。” 一阵沉默,这半个护身符在几双手之间传阅后,大家发现上面写的字完全看不懂,更像是画的小鸡或者蛇什么的。 “好吧,你们不会读,但是可以找到一个会读的,比如祭司什么的?” “我们不认识什么祭司。不过楼上有一个可怜的学者先生,也许我们可以找他试试。”安西娅说。 Long ago--that is to say last summer-- the children, finding themselves embarrassed by some wish which the Psammead had granted them, and which the servants had not received in a proper spirit, had wished that the servants might not notice the gifts which the Psammead gave. And when they parted from the Psammead their last wish had been that they should meet it again. Therefore they HAD met it (and it was jolly lucky for the Psammead, as Robert pointed out). Now, of course, you see that the Psammead s being where it was, was the consequence of one of their wishes, and therefore was a Psammead-wish, and as such could not be noticed by the servants. And it was soon plain that in the Psammead s opinion old Nurse was still a servant, although she had now a house of her own, for she never noticed the Psammead at all. And that was as well, for she would never have consented to allow the girls to keep an animal and a bath of sand under their bed. When breakfast had been cleared away--it was a very nice breakfast with hot rolls to it, a luxury quite out of the common way--Anthea went and dragged out the bath, and woke the Psammead. It stretched and shook itself. You must have bolted your breakfast most unwholesomely, it said, you can t have been five minutes over it. We ve been nearly an hour, said Anthea. Come--you know you promised. Now look here, said the Psammead, sitting back on the sand and shooting out its long eyes suddenly, we d better begin as we mean to go on. It won t do to have any misunderstanding, so I tell you plainly that-- Oh, PLEASE, Anthea pleaded, do wait till we get to the others. They ll think it most awfully sneakish of me to talk to you without them; do come down, there s a dear. She knelt before the sand-bath and held out her arms. The Psammead must have remembered how glad it had been to jump into those same little arms only the day before, for it gave a little grudging grunt, and jumped once more. Anthea wrapped it in her pinafore and carried it downstairs. It was welcomed in a thrilling silence. At last Anthea said, Now then! What place is this? asked the Psammead, shooting its eyes out and turning them slowly round. It s a sitting-room, of course, said Robert. Then I don t like it, said the Psammead. Never mind, said Anthea kindly; we ll take you anywhere you like if you want us to. What was it you were going to say upstairs when I said the others wouldn t like it if I stayed talking to you without them? It looked keenly at her, and she blushed. P18-21
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