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 tiptoed 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.
中文阅读
迪戈里紧紧地抿着嘴唇,感到越来越难受。他希望,无论发生什么事情,自己都不要再哭鼻子,不要做出什么可笑的举止。
“亚当的儿子。”阿斯兰说,“你是否已经准备好弥补自己的过错?就是在美好的纳尼亚国诞生的当天,你对它犯下的过失?”
“噢,我不晓得我能够做些什么。”迪戈里说,“你看,女王逃跑了,而且..”
“我问的是,你准备好了吗?”狮子说。
“是的。”迪戈里回答。刹那之间,他有一种疯狂的冲动,想要说:“如果你答应帮助我妈妈,我就尽力地帮助你。”但他立刻认识到,一个人不应当跟狮子讨价还价。就在他回答“是”的时候,他想起了妈妈,想起了自己曾经怀有的那些美好希望,而这些希望正在慢慢地破灭。一块东西堵在了他的喉咙里,泪水充满了他的眼睛,他不禁脱口而出:
“求求你,求求你了..难道你..难道你不能给我一样东西,治好我妈妈的病吗?”在这之前,他一直低着脑袋,看着狮子巨大的脚掌以及上面硕大的爪子。此刻,在绝望中,他抬起头来,望着狮子的脸。他看到了一生中最最令他感到震憾的事情。狮子黄褐色的脸垂到了他的脸旁,而且(奇迹中的奇迹)一颗颗亮闪闪的巨大泪珠充溢在狮子的眼眶里。和迪戈里自己的眼泪相比,那些眼泪要大得多,晶莹得多。一时之间,他似乎觉察到,狮子对他妈妈感到的悲伤,一定远远超过了他自己。
“我的儿子,我的儿子。”阿斯兰说,“我知道。这是莫大的悲伤。在这片土地上,只有你和我才懂得这种悲伤。让我们彼此善待吧。我不得不考虑纳尼亚今后几百年的命运。你带到这个世界的女巫将会重返纳尼亚。但不是在当下。我希望在纳尼亚种下一棵树,一棵使女巫不敢靠近的树。那棵树将会保护纳尼亚很多年不受她的威胁。在乌云遮蔽太阳之前,这片土地将拥有一个漫长而明亮的早晨。你必须去把那棵树的种子取来给我。”
“好的,阁下。”迪戈里应允道。他不知道应该怎么去做,但他很有把握,相信自己能够办成这件事。狮子长长地吸了一口气,把头垂得更低,给了迪戈里一个狮子的吻。迪戈里顿时感到新的力量和勇气进入到自己的身体当中。
“亲爱的儿子,”阿斯兰说,“我来告诉你必须做些什么。转过身来,看着西边,告诉我你都看到了什么?”
“我看到了直插云霄的高山,阿斯兰,”迪戈里说,“我看见河流从绝壁上奔腾而下,形成了瀑布。在悬崖峭壁后边,有覆盖着森林的绿色山峦。山峦后面矗立着几乎是墨黑色的崇山峻岭。再往后,远处有连绵不断的巨大雪山..就像是阿尔卑斯山的风景画。在那后边,就只有天空了。”
“你看得很仔细。”狮子说,“瀑布奔流而下的地方,就是纳尼亚国土的疆界。一旦你到达了峭壁的顶端,你就离开了纳尼亚,进入了西边的旷野。你必须翻越群山,直到你找到一个绿色峡谷,峡谷周围雪峰环绕,峡谷中间有一个蓝色湖泊。在湖的对岸,有一座陡峭的绿色山峰。山峰顶上有一座花园。在花园的中央生长着一棵树。你要从那棵树上摘下一个苹果,把它带回来交给我。”
“好的,阁下。”迪戈里再次答应道。对于如何攀上悬崖峭壁,如何在崇山峻岭之间识别道路,他心里毫无头绪。但是他不愿意说出来,担心那样做就像是在寻找借口。于是他开口说道:“阿斯兰,我希望你不要着急。我大概不能很快地到达那里,再转回来。”
“年幼的亚当的儿子,你将获得帮助。”阿斯兰说。他转向一直静静地站在他们旁边的马儿,它一边甩着尾巴驱赶苍蝇,一边侧着脑袋在倾听,好像对他们的谈话似懂非懂。
“亲爱的,”阿斯兰对马儿说,“你愿意成为一匹飞马吗?”
你真该看看,那匹马是如何抖动鬃毛,张大鼻孔,用后面的一个蹄子在地上轻轻地踢踏着。显而易见,它非常希望能够成为一匹飞马,但它嘴里却说:
“如果你愿意的话,阿斯兰..如果你说的是真的..我不知道为什么会是我..我不是一匹聪明的马。”