本集演播：槑贰 

后期：米粒儿

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第4节

“哦，谢谢您，奶奶！我从没见过那么漂亮的东西，除了那些——五彩斑斓的——请问，那是您的皇冠吗？”

“是呀，这就是我的皇冠。戒指上的石头和皇冠上的是同一种——只不过没那么好罢了。这枚石头只有红色，可你看，我皇冠上的石头什么颜色都有。”

“是呀，奶奶。我会小心保管的！可是——”艾琳犹豫道。

“可是什么？”奶奶问她。

“要是洛蒂问我这是从哪儿来的，我该怎么说呀？”

“你就问她这是从哪儿来的，”老妇人笑着回答。

“我不明白自己要怎么才能这样做。”

“可你会明白的。”

“如果您那么说的话，那我肯定会明白的。可您明白，我没法假装不知道呀。”

“你当然不用假装。不过别为这件事烦恼了，到时候你就明白了。”

老妇人说着转过身去，把线团扔到火焰玫瑰里头。

“哦，奶奶！”艾琳喊道，“我以为您是织给我的。”

“是织给你的，好孩子。而且你已经拿到了。”

“可是，它在火里烧掉了！”

老妇人把手放到火里，把线团拿了出来递给艾琳，线团还是和刚才一样微微发亮。艾琳正要伸手接过线团，老妇人却又转身走到柜子边，打开一个抽屉，把线团放在了里头。

“我做了什么让您不高兴的事情了吗，奶奶？”艾琳可怜巴巴地说。

“没有，亲爱的。不过你得明白，若不好好保管，就没法真正把某样东西送给别人。这线团就是你的。”

“哦！我不打算把它带走了！您会替我保管的！”

“你要把它带走。我把线团的一端系在了你戴的戒指上。”

艾琳瞧了瞧戒指。

“可我看不见呢，奶奶，”她说。

“感觉一下——往柜子的方向——就在戒指旁边一点点的地方，”老妇人说道。

“哦！我感觉到了！”公主叫了起来，“可我看不见，”她边说边伸手仔细打量。

“对，这线太细了，你是看不见的。可你摸得到。现在你该知道，这个看上去那么小的线团需要多少线了吧。”

“可要是它躺在您的柜子里，对我又有什么用呢？”

“这就是我要给你解释的。如果这线团不躺在我的柜子里，那它就压根儿不是你的东西——对你一点儿用处都没有。听我说，如果你发现自己遇到了任何危险——比如就像你今天晚上遇到的一样——你得把戒指取下来，塞在你床上的枕头底下。然后，你得把戴戒指的那只手放在线上，顺着它的方向走。”

“哦，太好了！我知道了，它会指引我找到您的，奶奶！”

“是的。不过，你要记住，那条路看起来可能会有点迂回，你一定不能对丝线产生怀疑。可以肯定的是，你抓着丝线的时候，我也抓着它。”

“这真是太神奇了！”艾琳若有所思地说道。然后，她突然想起来什么，一下子跳起来喊道：

“哦，奶奶！我一直坐在您的椅子里，而您却一直站着！真是对不起！”

老妇人把手放在艾琳的肩上说道：

“坐下吧，艾琳。再没有比看到有人坐在这把椅子里更让我高兴的了。只要有人坐在那儿，我站多久都乐意。”

PART IV

'Oh, thank you, grandmother! It's prettier than anything I ever saw, except those—of all colours-in your—Please, is that your crown?'

'Yes, it is my crown. The stone in your ring is of the same sort—only not so good. It has only red, but mine have all colours, you see.'

'Yes, grandmother. I will take such care of it! But—' she added, hesitating.

'But what?' asked her grandmother.

'What am I to say when Lootie asks me where I got it?'

'You will ask her where you got it,' answered the lady smiling.

'I don't see how I can do that.'

'You will, though.'

'Of course I will, if you say so. But, you know, I can't pretend not to know.'

'Of course not. But don't trouble yourself about it. You will see when the time comes.'

So saying, the lady turned, and threw the little ball into the rose fire.

'Oh, grandmother!' exclaimed Irene; 'I thought you had spun it for me.'

'So I did, my child. And you've got it.'

'No; it's burnt in the fire!'

The lady put her hand in the fire, brought out the ball, glimmering as before, and held it towards her. Irene stretched out her hand to take it, but the lady turned and, going to her cabinet, opened a drawer, and laid the ball in it.

'Have I done anything to vex you, grandmother?' said Irene pitifully.

'No, my darling. But you must understand that no one ever gives anything to another properly and really without keeping it. That ball is yours.'

'Oh! I'm not to take it with me! You are going to keep it for me!'

'You are to take it with you. I've fastened the end of it to the ring on your finger.'

Irene looked at the ring.

'I can't see it there, grandmother,'  

'Feel—a little way from the ring—towards the cabinet,' said the lady.

'Oh! I do feel it!' exclaimed the princess. 'But I can't see it,' she added, looking close to her outstretched hand.

'No. The thread is too fine for you to see it. You can only feel it. Now you can fancy how much spinning that took, although it does seem such a little ball.'

'But what use can I make of it, if it lies in your cabinet?'

'That is what I will explain to you. It would be of no use to you—it wouldn't be yours at all if it did not lie in my cabinet. Now listen. If ever you find yourself in any danger—such, for example, as you were in this same evening—you must take off your ring and put it under the pillow of your bed. Then you must lay your finger, the same that wore the ring, upon the thread, and follow the thread wherever it leads you.'

'Oh, how delightful! It will lead me to you, grandmother, I know!'

'Yes. But, remember, it may seem to you a very roundabout way indeed, and you must not doubt the thread. Of one thing you may be sure, that while you hold it, I hold it too.'

'It is very wonderful!' said Irene thoughtfully. Then suddenly becoming aware, she jumped up, crying:

'Oh, grandmother! here have I been sitting all this time in your chair, and you standing! I beg your pardon.'

The lady laid her hand on her shoulder, and said:

'Sit down again, Irene. Nothing pleases me better than to see anyone sit in my chair. I am only too glad to stand so long as anyone will sit in it.'

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：米粒儿

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第3节

“我想——我真的想，谢谢您，奶奶！”艾琳回答道，接着又停下来想了一会儿。然后她说道：“奶奶，我看到了您那盏美丽的灯——不只是灯光——我还看到了那盏圆圆的银灯。它就独自高悬在无边无际的天上，这到底是怎么回事？我看到的就是您的银灯对吗？”

“是的，好孩子——那就是我的银灯。”

“这是怎么一回事呢？我在这儿都没瞧见一扇窗户。”

“只要我乐意，就能让银灯透过墙壁照到外面——灯光耀眼得都能让墙壁从视线中消失，这么一来，你才会看到那盏银灯。不过，你还记得吗，并非人人都能看到它。”

“那么，我会什么能看见呢？我都不知道这是为什么。”

“这是你与生俱来的本领。我希望有朝一日，人人都有这个本领。”

“可您是怎么让它穿过墙壁，照到外面的呢？”

“啊哈！那个呀，即便我努力想让你弄明白，你也理解不了的——现在还不是时候——还不是时候。不过，”老妇人说着站了起来，“你得在我的椅子里坐一会儿，我给你准备了一个礼物。我说过自己在织的东西是给你的吧，这会儿呀已经织好了，我去把它取来。我把它放在了一只正在孵卵的鸽子下面，好让它暖暖和和的。”

艾琳坐在矮矮的椅子上，奶奶关上屋门走了出去。这孩子坐在那儿凝神细看，一会儿瞧瞧火焰玫瑰，一会儿打量打量布满星星的墙壁，一会儿又细细端详银色的灯光，她的心变得好安静好安静。这会儿就算世上所有的长腿怪猫这时都朝她冲来，她也不会害怕。艾琳自己也说不上来为什么会这样——只知道自己心里没有一丝恐惧，一切都安全可靠，没什么好害怕的。

她目不转睛地盯着那盏美丽的银灯看了一会儿，等她移开眼睛的时候，突然发现墙壁消失不见了，自己正看着一片乌云密布的夜空。可是，虽然艾琳能听到北风的呼啸声，身上却感觉不到一点儿风吹。过了一会儿，乌云也散开了，或者说是像墙壁那样消失不见了，艾琳就这样直视点点繁星，看着它们在深蓝色的天空中闪耀。

“好了，艾琳；这就是我为你做的！”奶奶说着，递给公主一个线团。

公主接过线团，翻来覆去地打量。线团微微泛着光芒，时不时地这里亮一亮，那里闪一闪。线团颜色灰白，有点儿像玻璃丝。

“奶奶，这就是您一直在织的东西吗？”公主问道。

“自从你来了以后我就一直在织了。这里头的线呀可比看上去的要多。”

“真好看！请问，我要用它做什么呢？”

“我现在就来解释给你听，”老妇人说着转身朝柜子走去，回来的时候，手里拿了一只小小的戒指。然后她从艾琳手里拿过线团，用戒指做了点什么——艾琳说不出她到底做了什么。

“把你的手给我，”奶奶说。艾琳伸出右手。

“对，我要的就是这只手，”老妇人说着，把戒指戴在了艾琳的右手食指上。

“多么漂亮的戒指啊！”艾琳说，“这枚石头叫什么？”

“这是一枚火蛋白石。”

“请问，我能留着它吗？”

“你能一直留着它。”

PART III

'Thank you, grandmother; I will—I will indeed,' answered Irene, and was again silent for some moments thinking. Then she said: 'How was it, grandmother, that I saw your beautiful lamp—not the light of it only—but the great round silvery lamp itself, hanging alone in the great open air, high up? It was your lamp I saw—wasn't it?'

'Yes, my child—it was my lamp.'

'Then how was it? I don't see a window all round.'

'When I please I can make the lamp shine through the walls—shine so strong that it melts them away from before the sight, and shows itself as you saw it. But, as I told you, it is not everybody can see it.'

'How is it that I can, then? I'm sure I don't know.'

'It is a gift born with you. And one day I hope everybody will have it.'

'But how do you make it shine through the walls?'

'Ah! that you would not understand if I were to try ever so much to make you—not yet—not yet. But,' added the lady, rising, 'you must sit in my chair while I get you the present I have been preparing for you. I told you my spinning was for you. It is finished now, and I am going to fetch it. I have been keeping it warm under one of my brooding pigeons.'

Irene sat down in the low chair, and her grandmother left her, shutting the door behind her. The child sat gazing, now at the rose fire, now at the starry walls, now at the silver light; and a great quietness grew in her heart. If all the long-legged cats in the world had come rushing at her then | she would not have been afraid of them for a moment. How this was she could not tell—she only knew there was no fear in her, and everything was so right and safe that it could not get in.

She had been gazing at the lovely lamp for some minutes fixedly: turning her eyes, she found the wall had vanished, for she was looking out on the dark cloudy night. But though she heard the wind blowing, none of it blew upon her. In a moment more the clouds themselves parted, or rather vanished like the wall, and she looked straight into the starry herds, flashing gloriously in the dark blue. It was but for a moment. The clouds gathered again and shut out the stars; the wall gathered again and shut out the clouds; and there stood the lady beside her with the loveliest smile on her face, and a shimmering ball in her hand, about the size of a pigeon's egg.

'There, Irene; there is my work for you!' she said, holding out the ball to the princess.

She took it in her hand, and looked at it all over. It sparkled a little, and shone here and there, but not much. It was of a sort of grey-whiteness, something like spun glass.

'Is this all your spinning, grandmother?' she asked.

'All since you came to the house. There is more there than you think.'

'How pretty it is! What am I to do with it, please?'

'That I will now explain to you,' answered the lady, turning from her and going to her cabinet. She came back with a small ring in her hand. Then she took the ball from Irene's, and did something with the ring—Irene could not tell what.

'Give me your hand,' she said. Irene held up her right hand.

'Yes, that is the hand I want,' said the lady, and put the ring on the forefinger of it.

'What a beautiful ring!' said Irene. 'What is the stone called?'

'It is a fire-opal.'

'Please, am I to keep it?'

'Always.'

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：米粒儿

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第2节

公主疑惑不解，惊羡不已，几乎都没怎么说谢谢。她怯生生地走近了一点儿，觉得自己脏兮兮的，很不自在。老奶奶就坐在火焰旁一张矮矮的椅子里，她朝艾琳伸出双手，可公主却畏缩不前，脸上挂着不安的笑容。

“怎么了？”奶奶问道，“虽然你看上去糟糕透了，可我看得出来你并没有做错什么。怎么了，亲爱的？”

奶奶仍旧朝她伸出双臂。

“亲爱的奶奶，”艾琳说，“我不确定自己有没有做什么坏事。那只长腿怪猫跳进窗户的时候，我应该立刻就跑到您这儿来，而不是跑到外面的山上，把自己吓成这样。”

“我的孩子，你当时被吓了一跳，而且你应该不会再这么做了。人们只有故意做坏事的时候，才有可能一错再错。来吧！”

奶奶还是伸着双臂。

“可是，奶奶，你那么美丽，戴着皇冠又显得那么尊贵；我却满身是泥，被雨淋得脏兮兮的！我会弄脏你那美丽的蓝裙子的。”

老奶奶愉快地轻声笑了起来，她从椅子里站起来，动作比艾琳还要轻盈。她把孩子抱在怀里，在她那挂满泪痕的脸蛋儿上亲了又亲，然后坐了下来，把艾琳抱在膝盖上。

“哦，奶奶！您会把自己弄得一团糟的！”艾琳依偎在她身边哭道。

“我的宝贝！难不成你觉得我会更在乎裙子，而不在乎我的小姑娘吗？再说——看看这儿。”

她说着把艾琳放了下来。艾琳沮丧地发现那条漂亮的裙子上沾满了泥巴，这些泥巴都是她在山路上跌倒时沾上的。可是，老妇人俯下身子，从燃烧着的玫瑰里头拣了一朵出来，她捏着花柄，在裙子前来回比画了一次、两次、三次；等艾琳再打量的时候，裙子上一点儿污泥都不见了。

“好了！”奶奶说道，“这下你不会再介意到我身边来了吧？”

可是艾琳瞥瞥老妇人手里那朵火焰玫瑰，又畏缩不前了。

“你害怕这玫瑰——是吗？”她说着要把玫瑰扔回壁炉里。

“哦！不要扔，求您了！”艾琳喊了起来，“您能用它照照我的裙子吗？还有我的手和脸，恐怕我的脚丫和膝盖也要照一照。”

“不行，”奶奶回答道，笑容里浮现出一丝忧伤，她把玫瑰从艾琳身边拿开，“这对你来说太热了，会让你的裙子烧起来的。而且，今天晚上我不想把你收拾得干干净净。

“我想让奶妈和其他人都看到你的这副模样，因为你得告诉他们自己是怎么因为害怕那只长腿怪猫而逃走的。我很想帮你洗洗，可那样一来，他们就不会相信你说的了。你看到身后的那口浴缸了吗？”

公主瞧了瞧，看到了一只大大的银色浴盆。浴盆是椭圆形的，在奇妙的灯光下闪耀着灿烂的光芒。

“朝里头看看，”老妇人说。

艾琳悄悄地走了过去，又悄悄地折了回来，眼睛闪闪发亮。

“你看到了什么？”奶奶问她。

“我看到了天空，还有月亮和星星，”她回答道。“这浴缸看上去好像深不见底。”

老妇人颇为满意地笑了起来，默不作声了一会儿，然后说道：

“什么时候你想洗澡了，就上我这儿来。我知道你每天早上都会洗澡，不过有时候，你也想在晚上洗个澡。”

PART II

The princess was so bewildered with astonishment and admiration that she could hardly thank her, and drew nigh with timidity, feeling dirty and uncomfortable. The lady was seated on a low chair by the side of the fire, with hands outstretched to take her, but the princess hung back with a troubled smile.

'Why, what's the matter?' asked her grandmother. 'You haven't been doing anything wrong—I know that by your face, though it is rather miserable. What's the matter, my dear?'

And she still held out her arms.

'Dear grandmother,' said Irene, 'I'm not so sure that I haven't done something wrong. I ought to have run up to you at once when the long-legged cat came in at the window, instead of running out on the mountain and making myself such a fright.'

'You were taken by surprise, my child, and you are not so likely to do it again. It is when people do wrong things wilfully that they are the more likely to do them again. Come.'

And still she held out her arms.

'But, grandmother, you're so beautiful and grand with your crown on; and I am so dirty with mud and rain! I should quite spoil your beautiful blue dress.'

With a merry little laugh the lady sprung from her chair, more lightly far than Irene herself could, caught the child to her bosom, and, kissing the tear-stained face over and over, sat down with her in her lap.

'Oh, grandmother! You'll make yourself such a mess!' cried Irene, clinging to her.

'You darling! do you think I care more for my dress than for my little girl? Besides—look here.'

As she spoke she set her down, and Irene saw to her dismay that the lovely dress was covered with mud of her fall on the mountain road. But the lady stooped to the fire, and taking from it, by the stalk in her fingers, one of the burning roses, passed it once and again and a third time over the front of her dress; and when Irene looked, not a single stain was to be discovered.

'There!' said her grandmother, 'you won't mind coming to me now?'

But Irene again hung back, eying the flaming rose which the lady held in her hand.

'You're not afraid of the rose—are you?' she said, about to throw it on the hearth again.

'Oh! don't, please!' cried Irene. 'Won't you hold it to my frock and my hands and my face? And I'm afraid my feet and my knees want it too.'

'No, answered her grandmother, smiling a little sadly, as she threw the rose from her; 'it is too hot for you yet. It would set your frock in a flame. Besides, I don't want to make you clean tonight.

I want your nurse and the rest of the people to see you as you are, for you will have to tell them how you ran away for fear of the long-legged cat. I should like to wash you, but they would not believe you then. Do you see that bath behind you?'

The princess looked, and saw a large oval tub of silver, shining brilliantly in the light of the wonderful lamp.

'Go and look into it,' said the lady.

Irene went, and came back very silent with her eyes shining.

'What did you see?' asked her grandmother.

'The sky, and the moon and the stars,' she answered. 'It looked as if there was no bottom to it.'

The lady smiled a pleased satisfied smile, and was silent also for a few moments. Then she said:

'Any time you want a bath, come to me. I know YOU have a bath every morning, but sometimes you want one at night, too.'

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：米粒儿

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第15章 纺纱织线

“进来，艾琳，”里面传来了奶奶清脆的声音。

公主打开门朝屋里张望，可里面一片漆黑，压根听不到纺车的声音。她又害怕起来，担心屋子虽然在那儿，可老妇人没准儿还是一场梦。每个小姑娘都知道，要是自己原本以为一间屋子里有人，到头来却发现里面空空如也是多么吓人；有好一会儿，艾琳都觉得自己要找的人根本就不存在。不过，她想起来老妇人晚上只在月光底下纺纱，所以断定这就是为什么自己听不到像蜜蜂飞舞一样悦耳的嗡嗡声；老奶奶一定就在这片黑暗之中。她还没来得及接着想，老妇人的声音又传了过来，和刚才一样说道：“进来，艾琳。”艾琳听到这声音，立刻就明白老妇人不在这间屋子里。也许她在卧室里头。艾琳转身穿过走廊，摸到另一扇门口。她刚把手放在门锁上，老妇人又开口说话了：

“把你身后的那扇门关上，艾琳。我去卧室的时候，总是会把工作室的门关上。”

门里清晰地传来了老妇人的声音，艾琳听了好不惊讶，她关上身后的房门，推开眼前那扇走了进去。哦，刚刚还一片漆黑，怪让人害怕的，可现在艾琳已经置身于这么一个美好的港湾！温柔的灯光照得她呀，感觉正身处最最温润的珍珠当中；有那么一会儿，蓝色的墙壁和墙上闪着银光的星星让她疑惑不已，还以为它们就是一片真正的天空。她刚进屋的时候，这片天空还乌云密布呢。

“我为你生了火，艾琳，你看上去又冷又湿的，”奶奶说道。

艾琳又瞧了瞧，这才发现自己原先在一张矮矮的桌子上看到的一大束红玫瑰原来是一团火焰，这团火焰就在两尊银闪闪的小天使像中间，宛如他们脑袋上和翅膀上最鲜红、最可爱的玫瑰一般绚烂夺目。她走近了一些，发现屋子里弥漫的玫瑰花香原来就是从壁炉边的火焰玫瑰里散发出来的。奶奶穿着一身顶顶漂亮的浅蓝色天鹅绒衣裳，她的一头秀发不再是白色的，而是浓密的金色，仿佛瀑布一般，有些地方堆在一起没什么光泽，有些地方则闪耀着光芒直直落下。艾琳每次瞧见，都觉得那头瀑布般的长发好像是从奶奶的头顶倾泄而下，快垂到地上的时候就消失在一片金色的迷雾之中。奶奶的头顶上戴着一圈华美的银饰，珍珠和猫眼石相间，点缀其间。奶奶的裙子上不见一点儿装饰，她既不戴戒指，也不戴项链或项圈。可是，她脚上的拖鞋缀满了小珍珠和猫眼石，闪耀着银河一般的光芒。她看上去就像一位二十来岁的少女。

。

CHAPTER 15 Woven and Then Spun

'Come in, Irene,' said the silvery voice of her grandmother.

The princess opened the door and peeped in. But the room was quite dark and there was no sound of the spinning-wheel. She grew frightened once more, thinking that, although the room was there, the old lady might be a dream after all. Every little girl knows how dreadful it is to find a room empty where she thought somebody was; but Irene had to fancy for a moment that the person she came to find was nowhere at all. She remembered, however, that at night she spun only in the moonlight, and concluded that must be why there was no sweet, bee-like humming: the old lady might be somewhere in the darkness. Before she had time to think another thought, she heard her voice again, saying as before: 'Come in, Irene.' From the sound, she understood at once that she was not in the room beside her. Perhaps she was in her bedroom. She turned across the passage, feeling her way to the other door. When her hand fell on the lock, again the old lady spoke:

'Shut the other door behind you, Irene. I always close the door of my workroom when I go to my chamber.'

Irene wondered to hear her voice so plainly through the door: having shut the other, she opened it and went in. Oh, what a lovely haven to reach from the darkness and fear through which she had come! The soft light made her feel as if she were going into the heart of the milkiest pearl; while the blue walls and their silver stars for a moment perplexed her with the fancy that they were in reality the sky which she had left outside a minute ago covered with rainclouds.

'I've lighted a fire for you, Irene: you're cold and wet,' said her grandmother.

Then Irene looked again, and saw that what she had taken for a huge bouquet of red roses on a low stand against the wall was in fact a fire which burned in the shapes of the loveliest and reddest roses, glowing gorgeously between the heads and wings of two cherubs of shining silver. And when she came nearer, she found that the smell of roses with which the room was filled came from the fire-roses on the hearth. Her grandmother was dressed in the loveliest pale blue velvet, over which her hair, no longer white, but of a rich golden colour, streamed like a cataract, here falling in dull gathered heaps, there rushing away in smooth shining falls.And ever as she looked, the hair seemed pouring down from her head and vanishing in a golden mist ere it reached the floor. It flowed from under the edge of a circle of shining silver, set with alternated pearls and opals. On her dress was no ornament whatever, neither was there a ring on her hand, or a necklace or carcanet about her neck. But her slippers glimmered with the light of the Milky Way, for they were covered with seed-pearls and opals in one mass. Her face was that of a woman of three-and-twenty.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：倩文

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第2节

公主不停地往山上跑，不一会儿就跑得气喘吁吁了。可她以为那个吓人的怪物仍旧跟在自己身后，所以还是跑呀跑的。她都忘了那怪物的腿那么长，要是它一直跟在后面，自己早就被抓住了。最后，艾琳再也跑不动了，连叫的力气都没有。她摔倒在路边，在那儿躺了半天，吓得半死。不过，艾琳发现自己并没有被抓住，呼吸也慢慢恢复了正常，她终于敢半坐起来，不安地四下张望。天太黑了，她什么都瞧不见。天上连一颗星星都没有，她甚至都说不清房子在哪个方向。她猜想那只可怕的怪物一定就挡在她回家的路上，随时准备朝自己扑过来。这下，她终于明白自己刚刚应该立刻往楼梯上跑的。好在艾琳没有惊声尖叫，因为虽说已经有好几个星期都没什么哥布林跑出来了，但没准儿就有那么一两个在外面游来荡去的哥布林听到她的喊声。艾琳坐在一块石头上，只有犯了错误的人才会看上去那么可怜巴巴。她差不多已经忘了自己答应过要去看奶奶的。一滴雨滴落到艾琳脸上，她抬头一看，吃惊得都忘记了害怕。一开始，她还以为是升到空中的月亮挪了挪地方，好凑近点儿瞧瞧这小姑娘是怎么了——她孤零零地坐在黑漆漆、光秃秃的山上，既没戴帽子，也没披斗篷；可不一会儿，她就发现自己弄错了，因为她脚边的地上没有一丝光亮，也不见一丝影子。但是，天空中挂着一只银色的圆球，她凝视着那个美丽的圆球，恢复了勇气。要是她能回到屋子里，就什么都不怕了，就算是那个吓人的长腿怪物也不怕！可她该怎么找到回去的路呢？那道光亮到底是什么？会是——？不，不会的。但这光亮要真是——对——一定就是的——那是祖祖祖奶奶的灯，这盏灯能在最黑暗的夜里指引她的鸽子回家！她跳了起来，多了不少勇气——只要跟着光亮，就一定能找到房子。她飞快地朝山下走去，蹑手蹑脚地，希望自己不要被站岗的怪物发现。虽然天色很黑，但她几乎没有走错路的危险。而且最奇怪的是，就算她眼前都是这道灯光，再看其他东西的时候也不会觉得一片漆黑，反而看得更清楚了。

她抬眼看看灯光，又低头看看地上，能看到一两码开外的地方。山路很崎岖，要不是能看清楚前面的路，她会摔上好几次。可是突然之间，灯光就消失了。她惊慌不已，本来往回走的时候，她已经不觉得害怕了，可是现在，她的心里又充满了对那只怪物的恐惧。然而就在这个时候，她看到了窗户透出的光亮，于是就知道自己究竟在哪儿了。天太黑了，她虽然没法飞奔，但还是步履匆匆，平安地赶到了大门口。房门仍然敞开着，于是她跑进大厅，看都没看一眼育儿室，就径直跑上楼梯。一层，又一层，往右转，穿过长长的走道——走道两边的房间鸦雀无声，然后艾琳立刻发现了塔楼楼梯脚下的那扇门。

奶妈找不到艾琳，起初还以为她是在和自己闹着玩儿，于是没怎么理会。可是后来，她吓坏了，开始找人。公主进屋的时候，所有人都在到处找她。她跑到楼梯那儿没多久，仆人就开始搜查那些个不太起眼的房间。要不是他们在想到的那些地方一无所获，才不会想起搜查这些不太引人注意的房间呢。但这个时候，公主已经敲响了老妇人的房门。

PART II

The princess was soon out of breath with running uphill; but she ran on, for she fancied the horrible creature just behind her, forgetting that, had it been after her such long legs as those must have overtaken her long ago. At last she could run no longer, and fell, unable even to scream, by the roadside, where she lay for some time half dead with terror. But finding nothing lay hold of her, and her breath beginning to come back, she ventured at length to get half up and peer anxiously about her. It was now so dark she could see nothing. Not a single star was out. She could not even tell in what direction the house lay, and between her and home she fancied the dreadful creature lying ready to pounce upon her. She saw now that she ought to have run up the stairs at once.  It was well she did not scream; for, although very few of the goblins had come out for weeks, a stray idler or two might have heard her. She sat down upon a stone, and nobody but one who had done something wrong could have been more miserable. She had quite forgotten her promise to visit her grandmother. A raindrop fell on her face. She looked up, and for a moment her terror was lost in astonishment. At first she thought the rising moon had left her place, and drawn nigh to see what could be the matter with the little girl, sitting alone, without hat or cloak, on the dark bare mountain; but she soon saw she was mistaken, for there was no light on the ground at her feet, and no shadow anywhere. But a great silver globe was hanging in the air; and as she gazed at the lovely thing, her courage revived. If she were but indoors again, she would fear nothing, not even the terrible creature with the long legs! But how was she to find her way back? What could that light be? Could it be—? No, it couldn't. But what if it should be—yes—it must be—her great-great-grandmother's lamp, which guided her pigeons home through the darkest night! She jumped up: she had but to keep that light in view and she must find the house. Her heart grew strong. Speedily, yet softly, she walked down the hill, hoping to pass the watching creature unseen. Dark as it was, there was little danger now of choosing the wrong road. And—which was most strange—the light that filled her eyes from the lamp, instead of blinding them for a moment to the object upon which they next fell, enabled her for a moment to see it, despite the darkness. By looking at the lamp and then dropping her eyes, she could see the road for a yard or two in front of her, and this saved her from several falls, for the road was very rough. But all at once, to her dismay, it vanished, and the terror of the beast, which had left her | the moment she began to return, again laid hold of her heart. The same instant, however, she caught the light of the windows, and knew exactly where she was. It was too dark to run, but she made what haste she could, and reached the gate in safety. She found the house door still open, ran through the hall, and, without even looking into the nursery, bounded straight up the stair, and the next, and the next; then turning to the right, ran through the long avenue of silent rooms, and found her way at once to the door at the foot of the tower stair.

When first the nurse missed her, she fancied she was playing her a trick, and for some time took no trouble about her; but at last, getting frightened, she had begun to search; and when the princess entered, the whole household was hither and thither over the house, hunting for her. A few seconds after she reached the stair of the tower, they had even begun to search the neglected rooms, in which they would never have thought of looking  |   had they not already searched every other place they could think of in vain. But by this time she was knocking at the old lady's door.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：倩文

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第14章 一个星期过去了

虽然艾琳到现在还是不太确定是不是在做梦，可整整一个星期，她每时每刻都在想着自己答应老妇人的诺言。这幢屋子的楼顶真的住着一位老妇人吗？她真的养着一群鸽子、有一架纺车、还有一盏从来都不会熄灭的灯吗？但是，艾琳的决心丝毫没有动摇——不管奶奶是出现在她眼前还是出现在梦里，她都要在星期五爬上三层楼梯，穿过两边有很多扇门的走廊，设法找到那里。

艾琳常常一言不发、若有所思地坐着，有时候甚至玩着玩着就突然变得恍恍惚惚。奶妈不由得纳闷，这孩子到底是怎么了。可是，不管洛蒂用了什么办法打探，艾琳都小心翼翼地没流露出任何心思。洛蒂只得作罢，心想：“这孩子可真奇怪！”

盼望已久的星期五终于到了，艾琳一直安安静静地待着，生怕洛蒂过来看着自己。到了下午，她又来了玩具屋，一遍又一遍地布置房间，摆弄住在里面的玩具娃娃。一个娃娃不肯好好坐着，另一个娃娃则不肯好好站着，所有的娃娃都让人烦透了。这千真万确，有一个娃娃甚至不能好好躺着，真是太糟糕了。不过天色已然暗了下来，变得越来越黑。艾琳越来越激动，可她又觉得自己更加要保持镇定。

“公主殿下，我想你要吃晚饭了吧，”奶妈说道，“我去拿。这屋子太闷了，我把窗户打开一点。今天晚上挺暖和的，你不会被冻着。”

“不用担心，洛蒂，”艾琳说。她觉得要是洛蒂能等天色暗些再去备茶就好了，到时候她就能千方百计地溜走了。

洛蒂去了好长时间，我想她本来没想去那么久的，因为等艾琳再度从沉思中抬头看的时候，天已经完全黑了。就在这时，艾琳看到窗外有一双泛着绿光的眼睛正瞪着自己。眨眼间，就有什么东西跳到了屋子里。据艾琳说，那东西长得像只猫，四条腿却和马儿一样长，但是它的身子比猫大不了多少，腿也跟猫差不多粗细。艾琳吓得都没喊出声来，不过她还是从椅子里跳起来逃走了。

每个读者应该都清楚她该做什么了吧？的确，艾琳自己也想到了。可是等她跑到育儿室门外那段陈旧的楼梯底下时，突然想到那个怪物会不会追着自己跑上长长的楼梯，穿过黑暗的走廊——这样一来，她可能就找不到楼顶了！这个念头把艾琳吓坏了，她惊慌不已，于是转身朝门厅飞奔。大厅的前门开着，她冲进院子，怪物就在后面追她——至少她觉得怪物跟着自己。谁都没看见她，她跑呀跑，顾不上害怕，只要能躲开那只可怕的长腿怪物，她哪儿都愿意去。她不敢回头看，径直冲出大门，往山上跑去。这么做可真是傻透了——因为她跑得离那些能帮助自己的人越来越远，似乎就是在挑个好地方，好让某个哥布林闲来无事的时候吃掉她。不过恐惧就是这么对待我们的，往往我们怕什么，就会来什么。

CHAPTER 14  That Night Week

During the whole of the week | Irene had been thinking every other moment of her promise to the old lady, although even now she could not feel quite sure | that she had not been dreaming. Could it really be that an old lady lived | up in the top of the house, with pigeons and a spinning-wheel, and a lamp that never went out? She was, however, nonetheless determined, on the coming Friday, to ascend the three stairs, walk through the passages with the many doors, and try to find the tower in which she had either seen or dreamed her grandmother.

Her nurse could not help wondering what had come to the child—she would sit so thoughtfully silent, and even in the midst of a game with her | would so suddenly fall into a dreamy mood. But Irene took care to betray nothing, whatever efforts Lootie might make to get at her thoughts. And Lootie had to say to herself: 'What an odd child she is!' and give it up.

At length the longed-for Friday arrived, and lest Lootie should be moved to watch her, Irene endeavoured to keep herself as quiet as possible. In the afternoon she asked for her doll's house, and went on arranging and rearranging the various rooms and their inhabitants for a whole hour. Then she gave a sigh and threw herself back in her chair. One of the dolls would not sit, and another would not stand, and they were all very tiresome. Indeed, there was one would not even lie down, which was too bad. But it was now getting dark, and the darker it got the more excited Irene became, and the more she felt it | necessary to be composed.

'I see you want your tea, princess,' said the nurse: 'I will go and get it. The room feels close: I will open the window a little. The evening is mild: it won't hurt you.'

'There's no fear of that, Lootie,' said Irene, wishing she had put off going for the tea till it was darker, when she might have made her attempt with every advantage.

I fancy Lootie was longer in returning than she had intended; for when Irene, who had been lost in thought, looked up, she saw it was nearly dark, and at the same moment caught sight of a pair of eyes, bright with a green light, glowering at her through the open window. The next instant something leaped into the room. It was like a cat, with legs as long as a horse's, Irene said, but its body no bigger and its legs no thicker than those of a cat. She was too frightened to cry out, but not too frightened to jump from her chair and run from the room.

It is plain enough to every one of my readers what she ought to have done—and indeed, Irene thought of it herself; but when she came to the foot of the old stair, just outside the nursery door, she imagined the creature running up those long ascents after her, and pursuing her through the dark passages—which, after all, might lead to no tower! That thought was too much. Her heart failed her, and, turning from the stair, she rushed along to the hall, whence, finding the front door open, she darted into the court | pursued—at least she thought so—by the creature. No one happening to see her, on she ran, unable to think for fear, and ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with the stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out of the gate and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed—thus to run farther and farther from all who could help her, as if she had been seeking a fit spot for the goblin creature to eat her in his leisure; but that is the way fear serves us: it always sides with the thing we are afraid of.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：倩文

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第2节

读者们一定会猜测这到底是些什么怪物，我现在就详细地来说一说。它们当然就是地精驯养的矮脚怪了。几百年前，地精的祖先把这些动物的祖先从光明的地上带到了黑暗的地下。这些可怕的怪物起初也和如今在乡下的农场田地、家家户户见到的动物一样，不过少数狐狸呀、狼呀、小熊呀，可就凶狠野蛮多了。地精更喜欢这些凶狠的动物，所以把它们的幼崽掳去驯养。然而随着时间的推移，这些动物身上发生的变化比它们的主人还要大。这些动物变成了——我是说，它们的后代变成了怪物，那模样我连个大概都描述不出来，它们身上的各个部分显然是随心所欲地乱长一气，最后长成了最反常的样子。说真的，有些怪物到最后连原本的特征都长没了，你只能猜测它们的祖先会是哪种你知道的动物。即便如此，它们与祖先唯一有些相像的也只是大体的外观，身体构造几乎没有相似之处。自从地精驯养了这些动物，让它们成为家中的一员之后，自己倒是古怪地越长越像人类，这么一来更是比原先可怕上十倍。

熟悉动物的人都知道，每种动物多少都有点像人，即便是关系隔着十万八千里的鱼类，也和人类有几分说不清道不明的相似之处。通常来说，动物和人类会越来相似——人类会向动物靠拢，而动物则会朝它们的主人演化；但地底下的生活环境太差了，地精越长越糟糕，那些动物跟它们越长越像的话，自然也没什么长进。它们到头来长成的模样，就连最爱动物的人看了也会觉得滑稽得难以接受。我现在就来解释一下这些动物是怎么会在那个时候出现在国王的乡间宅邸附近的。

就跟科迪发现的一样，地精们正没日没夜地挖矿——它们分头干活儿，好快点实现自己的计划，而科迪守在那儿就是想弄明白这个计划是什么。它们挖呀挖，挖破了条隧道，有一条小溪从里头流过，不过地精们挖破的是隧道顶上，溪水没有灌进它们挖好的地方。地精们养的牲口经常在主人身边转悠，它们一直生活在环境恶劣的地底下，对外面的世界很是好奇。发现了那个豁口之后，这份好奇心又变成了一探究竟的热情，于是它们纷纷穿过隧道，来了一番探险。

我前面说过，艾琳和她的父王曾坐在花园里的椅子上，这条小溪呀就是从椅子旁边流过的那条。地精们养的牲口过得好不可怜，从来都没见到过平坦的草坪，它们觉得在那上面蹦蹦跳跳可好玩儿了。虽说它们跟主人一样以惊扰吓唬在山上遇到的人类为乐，但这些牲口显然不会自个儿想出阴谋诡计，也不会故意帮着主人使坏。

侍卫们终于众口一词，证实大家都看到了可怕的怪物，不过他们还说不清楚那些怪物到底是人是鬼。从那以后，有好几天晚上，他们都仔细查探那些怪物在花园里现身的地方，也许这么一来，他们就不太关心屋子里的情况了。不过那些怪物可狡猾了，要抓到它们才没那么容易呢；它们就藏在溪水流出的地方，可侍卫们眼睛不够尖，既看不到它们的脑袋，也看不到那些透着一股子精明劲儿的眼睛。这些怪物正轮流监视侍卫，只要他们一离开草坪，它们就通知其他同伴。

PART II

My readers will suspect what these were; but I will now give them full information concerning them. They were, of course, household animals belonging to the goblins, whose ancestors had taken their ancestors many centuries before from the upper regions of light into the lower regions of darkness. The original stocks of these horrible creatures were very much the same as the animals now seen about farms and homes in the country, with the exception of a few of them, which had been wild creatures, such as foxes, and indeed wolves and small bears, which the goblins, from their proclivity towards the animal creation, had caught when cubs and tamed. But in the course of time all had undergone even greater changes than had passed upon their owners. They had altered—that is, their descendants had altered—into such creatures as I have not attempted to describe except in the vaguest manner—the various parts of their bodies assuming, in an apparently arbitrary and self-willed manner, the most abnormal developments. Indeed, so little did any distinct type predominate in some of the bewildering results, that you could only have guessed at any known animal as the original, and even then, what likeness remained would be more one of general expression than of definable conformation. But what increased the gruesomeness tenfold was that, from constant domestic, or indeed rather family association with the goblins, their countenances had grown in grotesque resemblance to the human.

No one understands animals who does not see that every one of them, even amongst the fishes, it may be with a dimness and vagueness infinitely remote, yet shadows the human: in the case of these the human resemblance had greatly increased: while their owners had sunk towards them, they had risen towards their owners. But the conditions of subterranean life being equally unnatural for both, while the goblins were worse, the creatures had not improved by the approximation, and its result would have appeared far more ludicrous than consoling to the warmest lover of animal nature. I shall now explain how it was that just then these animals began to show themselves about the king's country house.

The goblins, as Curdie had discovered, were mining on—at work both day and night, in divisions, urging the scheme after which he lay in wait. In the course of their tunnelling they had broken into the channel of a small stream, but the break being in the top of it, no water had escaped to interfere with their work. Some of the creatures, hovering as they often did about their masters, had found the hole, and had, with the curiosity which had grown to a passion from the restraints of their unnatural circumstances, proceeded to explore the channel. The stream was the same which ran out by the seat on which Irene and her king-papa had sat as I have told, and the goblin creatures found it jolly fun to get out for a romp on a smooth lawn such as they had never seen in all their poor miserable lives. But although they had partaken enough of the nature of their owners to delight in annoying and alarming any of the people whom they met on the mountain, they were, of course, incapable of designs of their own, or of intentionally furthering those of their masters.

For several nights after the men-at-arms were at length of one mind as to the fact of the visits of some horrible creatures, whether bodily or spectral they could not yet say, they watched with special attention that part of the garden where they had last seen them. Perhaps indeed they gave in consequence too little attention to the house. But the creatures were too cunning to be easily caught; nor were the watchers quick-eyed enough to descry the head, or the keen eyes in it, which, from the opening whence the stream issued, would watch them in turn, ready, the moment they should leave the lawn, to report the place clear.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：倩文

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第13章 矮脚怪驯养的牲畜

这会儿，国王留下来照看公主的每个侍卫都有理由怀疑自己的眼睛，因为他们从来没见过这么奇怪的东西。它们是某种动物，但是长得模样怪异、奇丑无比，不像是自然界里的动物，倒像是小孩子在画板上的涂鸦。侍卫们只有晚上在屋子附近站岗时，才见到过那些家伙。第一个说自己看到怪物的侍卫是这么描述的——当时他正慢慢地绕着屋子巡逻，虽然光线很暗，但他还是看见月光下有个怪物后腿直立，前腿趴在窗台上，正盯着窗户里面看。侍卫觉得它的身体有点像狗，又有点像狼，但他以名誉担保，这怪物的脑袋圆得像个皮球，而且按照身体比例，比正常的脑袋足足大了一倍。怪物转身逃跑的时候，侍卫瞧见了它的脸，他觉得那张脸就跟小男孩儿刻的、用来放蜡烛的萝卜一个样儿，除此之外，他实在想不出那张脸还能像什么。怪物冲进花园，侍卫朝它射了一箭。他觉得自己一定是射中了，因为怪物发出一声可怕的哀嚎，连同那枝箭一起消失不见了。侍卫在它消失的地方仔细搜寻了一番，但什么都没找到。其他侍卫听了都笑话他，说他一定是喝了太多酒，弄得他再也不提这件事了。

可是没过两天，就有人证实了他的说法。那名侍卫也看到了奇怪的东西，只不过他看到的和前一个侍卫说的又不太一样。第二名侍卫描述的怪物长得更丑、更匪夷所思。其他侍卫都笑话他们俩，但是每过一个晚上，就会有一个侍卫证实他们的说法。到了最后，就只剩下一个侍卫在笑话其他人。两天过去了，他什么都没看到；但是到了第三天晚上，他冲出花园，朝屋子前的另外两个侍卫跑去。现在轮到那两个人笑话他了，他们说呀，他激动得头发都竖了起来，把头盔直往上顶，弄得系在下巴上的带子都断了。他们俩同他一起朝花园跑去，就是我前面提到的那个地方，看见那里有二十来个怪物。这些怪物的名字他们一个都叫不出，而且每个怪物都长得不一样。它们披着月光，在草坪上蹦来蹦去，那样子又可怕又滑稽。它们的脸与其说是长得不可思议，倒不如说是丑得异乎寻常。有些怪物腿长脖子也长；有些怪物腿短脖子也短，还有些怪物要么腿短，要么脖子短。就像我说过的那样，侍卫们虽然都对看到了什么没有异议，但还是不相信自己的眼睛。他们也不相信自己的耳朵，因为怪物发出的声音虽然不大，但听上去就跟它们的长相一样粗野狂放、各不相同。那声音既不是哼唧声，也不是咆哮声；既不像嘶喊；又不像尖叫；既不是吱吱叫、嗷嗷叫、汪汪叫，也不是呱呱叫、喵喵叫、嘶嘶声；而是像把这些声音混在一起，弄出一种又可怕又刺耳的声响。侍卫们躲在暗处，在被那群丑陋的怪物发现之前，稍稍镇定了一下心神。可是突然之间，那些怪物像说好了一样逃向一块巨大的岩石，侍卫们还没回过神想起来要追，它们就消失不见了。

CHAPTER 13 The Cobs' Creatures

About this time the gentlemen whom the king had left behind him to watch over the princess had each occasion to doubt the testimony of his own eyes, for more than strange were the objects to which they would bear witness. They were of one sort—creatures—but so grotesque and misshapen as to be more like a child's drawings upon his slate than anything natural. They saw them only at night, while on guard about the house. The testimony of the man who first reported having seen one of them was that, as he was walking slowly round the house, while yet in the shadow, he caught sight of a creature standing on its hind legs in the moonlight, with its forefeet upon a window-ledge, staring in at the window. Its body might have been that of a dog or wolf, he thought, but he declared on his honour that its head was twice the size it ought to have been for the size of its body, and as round as a ball, while the face, which it turned upon him as it fled, was more like one carved by a boy upon the turnip inside which he is going to put a candle than anything else he could think of. It rushed into the garden. He sent an arrow after it, and thought he must have struck it; for it gave an unearthly howl, and he could not find his arrow any more than the beast, although he searched all about the place where it vanished. They laughed at him until he was driven to hold his tongue, and said he must have taken too long a pull at the ale-jug.

But before two nights were over he had one to side with him, for he, too, had seen something strange, only quite different from that reported by the other. The description the second man gave of the creature he had seen was yet more grotesque and unlikely. They were both laughed at by the rest; but night after night another came over to their side, until at last there was only one left to laugh at all his companions. Two nights more passed, and he saw nothing; but on the third he came rushing from the garden to the other two before the house, in such an agitation that they declared—for it was their turn now—that the band of his helmet was cracking under his chin with the rising of his hair inside it. Running with him into that part of the garden which I have already described, they saw a score of creatures, to not one of which they could give a name, and not one of which was like another, hideous and ludicrous at once, gambolling on the lawn in the moonlight. The supernatural or rather subnatural ugliness of their faces, the length of legs and necks in some, the apparent absence of both or either in others, made the spectators, although in one consent as to what they saw, yet doubtful, as I have said, of the evidence of their own eyes—and ears as well; for the noises they made, although not loud, were as uncouth and varied as their forms, and could be described neither as grunts nor squeaks nor roars nor howls nor barks nor yells nor screams nor croaks nor hisses nor mews nor shrieks, but only as something like all of them mingled in one horrible dissonance. Keeping in the shade, the watchers had a few moments to recover themselves before the hideous assembly suspected their presence; but all at once, as if by common consent, they scampered off in the direction of a great rock, and vanished before the men had come to themselves sufficiently to think of following them.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：荆溪

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第12章 科迪的一些事情

一连好几个晚上，科迪都待在矿井里。他和爸爸让彼得森太太也知道了这个秘密。其他矿工的妻子也许不好说，但他们知道，妈妈一定会对此守口如瓶。

但是科迪没告诉她自己每天晚上都待在井下，有一部分也是为了挣钱给她买条新的红裙子。

彼得森太太真是个和蔼可亲的好妈妈！当妈妈的多多少少都和蔼可亲，但彼得森太太呀，比所有妈妈都要和蔼可亲。她把那间安在高高的山坡上的寒酸小屋打理得像天堂一样舒服，等着科迪父子俩从枯燥乏味的地底下钻出来回家去。他们爷儿俩都在这地底下干活呢。彼得森太太拥抱彼得和科迪的时候呀，我怀疑他们的高兴劲儿比公主被祖奶奶拥在怀里时更甚。说真的，她的双手大而有力，很是粗糙，但这双手是替父子俩操持家务才变成这样的，所以在善良的人眼里，她的双手更为美丽。科迪为了给她买条裙子而努力干活，彼得森太太每天也都忙前忙后，好让他过得舒服一点儿。她的确需要一条裙子过冬，但相比起来，科迪更需要舒舒服服的休息。她和科迪从来都没想过自己为对方付出了多少，要是他们这么想的话，就会把一切都弄糟的。

井里只有科迪一个人的时候，他总是会先干上一两个小时的活儿，顺着格鲁普提到的那条通往原来住所的矿脉往下挖。接着，他会展开一番侦察。为了完成侦察，或者说为了返回的时候比第一次顺利，他带了一大团细细的绳子。妈妈经常跟科迪讲小矮人的传说，这一招就是从小矮人身上学到的。这倒不是说小矮人曾用过线团——抱歉我跑题了——不过其中的道理就跟用鹅卵石一个样儿。他把绳子的一头系在自己的镐上，那镐可不比一只锚差。然后，他一边拿着线团往前走，一边把绳子松开，摸黑穿过地精地盘上那些个天然形成的通路。地精把各式各样的洞穴称为房子，

头一两天晚上，科迪没遇到什么值得记下来的事儿，只窥到一点儿他们在“房子”里的日常生活。之前提到的那个暂时挡住洪水的计划，科迪一点儿都没觉察。但是，我想是在第三或第四天晚上，他终于发现地精当中有一群最好的工兵和矿工正在努力干活，从某种程度来说，科迪正是循着他们弄出的声响才发现这事儿的。

接着怎么样了呢？

他躲在那儿观察，每时每刻都冒着被发现的巨大风险，不过他没有陷入这一险境。他一次又一次匆忙往回撤，由于他顺着绳子往回跑的时候还得把它收起来，事情就变得更难了。他倒不是怕那些个地精，而是怕他们发现有人监视他们，那样一来，自己可能就没法找出想知道的答案了。有时候，他跑得太急了，为了“躲开那些地精”，都没时间把绳子缠起来，所以清晨到家的时候，绳子乱作一团，似乎都没什么希望解开。但是每当科迪美美地睡了一觉之后，哪怕只睡了一小会儿，他总会发现母亲又把绳子整理停当了。绳子好端端地绕了起来，只要他需要，马上就能派上用场！

“我想不出你是怎么做到的，妈妈，”他说。

“顺着绳子就行，”她会回答——“就跟你在矿井地下一样。”她总是不多说什么，但是她越不善言辞，就越是心灵手巧；而且她说得越少，科迪就越相信她说的话。不过，他还是没发现地精矿工到底要干什么。

CHAPTER 12 A Short Chapter About Curdie

Curdie spent many nights in the mine. His father and he had taken Mrs. Peterson into the secret, for they knew mother could hold her tongue, which was more than could be said of all the miners' wives.

But Curdie did not tell her that every night he spent in the mine, part of it went in earning a new red petticoat for her.

Mrs. Peterson was such a nice good mother! All mothers are nice and good more or less, but Mrs. Peterson was nice and good all more and no less. She made and kept a little heaven in that poor cottage on the high hillside | for her husband and son to go home | to out of the low and rather dreary earth in which they worked. I doubt if the princess was very much happier even in the arms of her huge great-grandmother than Peter and Curdie were in the arms of Mrs. Peterson. True, her hands were hard and chapped and large, but it was with work for them; and therefore, in the sight of the angels, her hands were so much the more beautiful. And if Curdie worked hard to get her a petticoat, she worked hard every day to get him comforts which he would have missed much more than she would a new petticoat even in winter. Not that she and Curdie ever thought of how much they worked for each other: that would have spoiled everything.

When left alone in the mine Curdie always worked on for an hour or two at first, following the lode which, according to Glump, would lead at last into the deserted habitation. After that, he would set out on a reconnoitring expedition. In order to manage this, or rather the return from it, better than the first time, he had bought a huge ball of fine string, having learned the trick from Hop-o'-my-Thumb, whose history his mother had often told him. Not that Hop-o'-my-Thumb had ever used a ball of string—I should be sorry to be supposed so far out in my classics—but the principle was the same as that of the pebbles. The end of this string he fastened to his pickaxe, which figured no bad anchor, and then, with the ball in his hand, unrolling it as he went, set out in the dark through the natural gangs of the goblins' territory. The first night or two he came upon nothing worth remembering; saw only a little of the home-life of the cobs in the various caves they called houses; failed in coming upon anything to cast light upon the foregoing design which kept the inundation for the present in the background. But at length, I think on the third or fourth night, he found, partly guided by the noise of their implements, a company of evidently the best sappers and miners amongst them, hard at work. What were they about? It could not well be the inundation, seeing that had in the meantime been postponed to something else. Then what was it? He lurked and watched, every now and then in the greatest risk of being detected, but without success. He had again and again to retreat in haste, a proceeding rendered the more difficult that he had to gather up his string as he returned upon its course. It was not that he was afraid of the goblins, but that he was afraid of their finding out that they were watched, which might have prevented the discovery at which he aimed. Sometimes his haste had to be such that, when he reached home towards morning, his string, for lack of time to wind it up as he 'dodged the cobs', would be in what seemed most hopeless entanglement; but after a good sleep, though a short one, he always found his mother had got it right again. There it was, wound in a most respectable ball, ready for use the moment he should want it!

'I can't think how you do it, mother,' he would say.

'I follow the thread,' she would answer—'just as you do in the mine.' She never had more to say about it; but the less clever she was with her words, the more clever she was with her hands; and the less his mother said, the more Curdie believed she had to say. But still he had made no discovery as to what the goblin miners were about.

本集演播：槑贰 

后期：倩文

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第5节

哦！这床真是妙极了！她都说不出自己到底躺在什么上面，只觉得这床柔软无比。

老奶奶脱了衣服，在她旁边躺了下来。

“你为什么不把月亮关掉呢？”公主问道。

“那轮月亮从来不会熄灭，不管是白天还是晚上，”老奶奶回答道，“若是我的鸽子在最黑最黑的夜里飞去送信，它们总能瞧见这轮明月，知道该往哪儿飞。”

“可要是还有别人——我是说屋子附近的人——看到的话，他们就上这儿查看，还会找到您。”

“要真是那样，那对他们也倒是件好事，”老奶奶说道，“不过月亮被别人瞧见这事儿，一百年里头都碰不上五次。

“大多数人都会以为那是一颗流星，他们眨眼间就会忘得一干二净。再说，除非我乐意，否则没人能找到这间屋子。再再说——告诉你个秘密——如果那盏灯熄灭了，你就会觉得自己睡在一个空荡荡的阁楼里，下面垫着一个旧草堆，而且就看不到周围这些可爱的玩意儿了。”

“我希望它永远都不要熄灭，”公主说。

“我也希望如此，不过我们都该睡觉了，我搂着你睡好吗？”

小公主紧紧地依偎在老奶奶身边，老奶奶用双臂把她搂到自己怀里。

“哦，亲爱的祖奶奶！这真是太好了！”公主说道，“我都不知道这世上还有什么能比这更舒服的了。我真想一直躺在这儿。”

“要是你愿意，就可以一直躺在这儿，”老奶奶说，“但我要先考验你一下，希望这考验不是太难。下星期的这个时候，你一定得回到我这儿来。要是你做不到的话，我就不晓得你能否再找到我了。你很快就会非常需要我的。”

“哦，别让我忘掉，求求您了。”

“你不会忘记的，唯一的问题在于你是否相信我真的存在——是否相信我绝对不是一场梦。你要相信我会竭尽所能地帮你回到这儿。不过说到底，这取决于你自己。记住，下星期五晚上，你一定得回到我这儿。”

“我会努力的，”公主说。

“那么，晚安了，”老奶奶说着把公主用在怀里，亲了亲她的额头。

不一会儿，小公主就进入了最甜蜜的梦乡里——她梦到了夏日的大海、皎洁的月光、长着青苔的泉水、喃喃低语的树林，还有用野花铺就的床榻，那香味她从来都没闻过。但是，终究没有一个美梦比得上她入睡前在老奶奶的屋子里看到的那些东西。

第二天早上，她发现自己就躺在自己的床上，手上没包着手绢，什么也没有，只有一股甜甜的香味萦绕在侧。红肿都消了，胸针扎到的地方也不痛了——事实上，她的手完全好了。

PART V

And oh, what a delicious bed it was into which her grandmother laid her! She hardly could have told she was lying upon anything: she felt nothing but the softness.

The old lady having undressed herself lay down beside her.

'Why don't you put out your moon?' asked the princess.

'That never goes out, night or day,' she answered. 'In the darkest night, if any of my pigeons are out on a message, they always see my moon and know where to fly to.'

'But if somebody besides the pigeons were to see it—somebody about the house, I mean—they would come to look what it was and find you.'

'The better for them, then,' said the old lady. 'But it does not happen above five times in a hundred years that anyone does see it.

The greater part of those who do take it for a meteor, wink their eyes, and forget it again. Besides, nobody could find the room except I pleased. Besides, again—I will tell you a secret—if that light were to go out you would fancy yourself lying in a bare garret, on a heap of old straw, and would not see one of the pleasant things round about you all the time.'

'I hope it will never go out,' said the princess.

'I hope not. But it is time we both went to sleep. Shall I take you in my arms?'

The little princess nestled close up to the old lady, who took her in both her arms and held her close to her bosom.

'Oh, dear! this is so nice!' said the princess. 'I didn't know anything in the world could be so comfortable. I should like to lie here for ever.'

'You may if you will,' said the old lady. 'But I must put you to one trial-not a very hard one, I hope. This night week you must come back to me. If you don't, I do not know when you may find me again, and you will soon want me very much.'

'Oh! please, don't let me forget.'

'You shall not forget. The only question is whether you will believe I am anywhere—whether you will believe I am anything but a dream. You may be sure I will do all I can to help you to come. But it will rest with yourself, after all. On the night of next Friday, you must come to me. Mind now.'

'I will try,' said the princess.

'Then good night,' said the old lady, and kissed the forehead which lay in her bosom.

In a moment more the little princess was dreaming in the midst of the loveliest dreams—of summer seas and moonlight and mossy springs and great murmuring trees, and beds of wild flowers with such odours as she had never smelled before. But, after all, no dream could be more lovely than what she had left behind when she fell asleep.

In the morning she found herself in her own bed. There was no handkerchief or anything else on her hand, only a sweet odour lingered about it. The swelling had all gone down; the prick of the brooch had vanished—in fact, her hand was perfectly well.