现在距离不伦瑞克还有20英里，年轻人都聚集到车右边靠窗子的座位，等着大橡树的出现。紧张的气氛顿时笼罩了整个车厢。温哥没有勇气望窗外，紧绷着脸，尽量掩饰自己内心的不安，他像惊1之鸟一样，做好了失望的心理准备。
还有10英里，5英里了突然，所有的年轻人都从座位上站了起来，尖叫着，呼喊着，欢呼雀跃不已，只有温哥例外。
温哥木讷地坐在那里，望着橡树。树上挂满了黄手帕——20条，30条，或许足有数百条。这棵树像面旗帜一样，站在那儿，ó风招展，似乎在欢ó他的归来。在那些年轻人的欢呼声中，这位刚出狱的人从座位上站了起来，走到车门，准备下车回家了。
暖暖的河流
Warm River
厄斯金·考德威尔 / Erskine Caldwell
The driver stopped at the suspended footbridge and pointed out to me the house across the river. I paid him the quarter fare for the ride from the station two miles away and stepped from the car. After he had gone I was alone with the chill night and the star-pointed lights twinkling in the valley and the broad green river flowing warm below me. All around me the mountains rose like black clouds in the night, and only by looking straight heavenward could I see anything of the dim after glow of sunset.
The creaking footbridge swayed with the rhythm of my stride and the momentum of its swing soon overcame my pace. Only by walking faster and faster could I cling to the pendulum as it swung in its wide arc over the river. When at last I could see the other side, where the mountain came down abruptly and slid under the warm water, I gripped my handbag tighter and ran with all my might.
Even then, even after my feet had crunched upon the gravel path, I was afraid. I knew that by day I might walk the bridge without fear; but at night, in a strange country, with dark mountains towering all around me and a broad green river flowing beneath me, I could not keep my hands from trembling and my heart from pounding against my chest,
I found the house easily, and laughed at myself for having run from the river. The house was the first one to come upon after leaving the footbridge, and even if I should have missed it, Gretchen would, have called me. She was there on the steps of the porch waiting for me. When I heard her familiar voice calling my name, I was ashamed of myself for having been frightened by the mountains and the broad river flowing below.
She ran down the gravel path to meet me.
"Did the footbridge frighten you, Richard? " she asked excitedly, holding my arm with both of her hands and guiding me up the path to the house.
"I think it did, Gretchen,"I said: "but I hope I outran it."
"Everyone tries to do that at first, but after going over it once, it's like walking a tight-rope. I used to walk tight-ropes when I was small—didn't you do that, too, Richard？ We had a rope stretched across the floor of our barn to practice on."
"I did, too, but it's been so long ago I've forgotten how to do it now."
We reached the steps and went up to the porch. Gretchen took me to the door. Someone inside the house was bringing a lamp into the hall, and with the coming of the light I saw Gretchen's two sisters standing just inside the open door.
"This is my little sister, Anne," Gretchen said. "And this is Mary."
I spoke to them in tile semi-darkness, and we went on into the hall. Gretchen's father was standing beside a table holding the lamp a little to one side so that he could see my face. I had not met him before.
"This is my father," Gretchen said. "He was afraid you wouldn't be able to find our house in tile dark."
"I wanted to bring a light down to the bridge and meet you, but Gretchen said you would get here without any trouble. Did you get lost? I could have brought a lantern down with no trouble at all."
I shook hands with him and told him how easily I had found the place.
"The hack driver pointed out to me the house from the other side of the river, and I never once look my eyes from the light. If I had lost sight of the light, I'd probably be stumbling around somewhere now in the dark down there getting ready to fall into the water."
He laughed at me for being afraid of tile river.
"You wouldn't have minded it. The river is warm. Even in winter, when there is ice and snow underfoot, the river is as warm as a comfortable room. All of us here love the water down there."
"No, Richard, you wouldn't have fallen in," Gretchen said, laying her hand in mine. "I saw you the moment you got out of the hack, and if you had gone a step in the wrong direction, I was ready to run to you."
I wished to thank Gretchen for saying that, but already she was going to the stairs to the floor above, and calling me. I went with her, lifting my handbag in front of me. There was a shaded lamp, lighted but turned low, on the table at the end of the upper ball, and she picked it up and went ahead into one of the front rooms.
We stood for a moment looking at each other, and silent.
"There is fresh water in the pitcher, Richard. If there is anything else you would like to have, please tell me. I tried not to overlook anything."
"Don't worry, Gretchen," I told her. "I couldn't wish for anything more. It's enough just to be here with you, anyway. There's nothing else I care for."
She looked at me quickly, and then she lowered her eyes.We stood silently for several minutes, while neither of us could think of anything to say. I wanted to tell her how glad I was to be with her, even if it was only for one night, but I knew I could say that to her later. Gretchen knew why I had come.
"I'll leave the lamp for you, Richard, and I'll wait down stairs for you on the porch. Come as soon as you are ready."
She had left before I could offer to carry the light to the stairhead for her to see the way down. By the time I had picked up the lamp, she was out of sight down the stairs.
I walked back into the room and closed the door and bathed my face and hands, scrubbing the train dust with brush and soap. There was a row of hand-embroidered towels on the rack, and I took one and dried my face and bands. After that I combed my hair, and found a fresh handkerchief in the handbag. Then I opened the door and went downstairs to find Gretchen.
Her father was on the porch with her. When I walked through the doorway, he got up and gave me a chair between them.Gretchen pulled her chair closer to mine, touchi
