书虫三级 铁路少年：7.可怕的秘密

7．The terrible secret
7．可怕的秘密

When the children first went to live at the white house, they talked about Father a lot and were always asking questions about him. But as time passed, their questions seemed to make Mother unhappy, so they stopped asking them. But they never forgot him.

孩子们刚住进白色小屋的时候，他们经常谈到爸爸，也经常问起爸爸的情况。可是随着时间的流逝，他们发现这些问题好像总是让妈妈很伤感，所以他们也就不再问这一类的问题了。但是他们从来没有忘记他。

Bobbie thought about Father often. She knew her mother was unhappy, and she worried a lot about that. And why was Father away for so long? Was there something that Mother wasn't telling them?

博比常常思念爸爸。她知道妈妈心里不高兴，她一直在为此担心。而且爸爸为什么离开这么长时间呢？是不是有什么事情妈妈在瞒着他们呢？

The answer came on the day she went to the station, to fetch the magazines. They were old magazines which people left on trains or in the waiting room. Perks said the children could have them to read, and one day Bobbie went to fetch them.

她在去车站取杂志的那天找到了答案。这些都是人们丢弃在火车上或者候车室里的旧杂志。珀克斯说，孩子们可以拿回去看，博比这天就过来取了。

I'll just put some newspaper round them to keep them together,' said Perks. And he took an old newspaper from the heap.

“我用报纸把它们包一包吧。”珀克斯边说边从一堆旧报纸上拿起一张。

The magazines were heavy, and Bobbie stopped to rest on the way home. She sat on the grass and dropped them beside her. As she did this, she looked at the newspaper and read some of the words on the page... and it was like a terrible dream.

这些杂志很重，回家的路上，博比停下来休息。她坐在草地上，把杂志就放在了自己旁边。这时，她朝报纸上扫了一眼，有一行字映入她的眼帘……这简直像一场噩梦。

She never remembered how she got home. But she went to her room and locked the door. Then she took the newspaper off the magazines and looked at it again. The words seemed to jump at her:

她都不记得她是怎么回到家里的了。她进了自己的房间，锁上房门。然后把那张报纸从杂志上拿下来，重新看了起来。有一行字映入她的眼帘：

FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR SPY!

因间谍罪入狱五年！

And the name of the 'spy' was the name of her father.

这个“间谍”的名字正是她爸爸的名字。

Bobbie was very quiet at tea-time.

喝茶的时候，博比看上去非常沉默。

Is anything wrong?' Mother asked her.

“出什么事儿了吗？”妈妈问她。

I'm all right,' said Bobbie.

“我没事儿。”博比答道。

But after tea, Mother went up to Bobbie's room. 'What's the matter?' she wanted to know.

但是，喝完茶，妈妈还是上楼来到了博比的房间。“怎么了？”她想知道。

For an answer, Bobbie took the newspaper from under her bed and showed it to her mother.

为了讲清事情的缘由，博比从床底下取出那张报纸，让她的妈妈看。

Oh, Bobbie!' cried Mother. 'You don't believe it, do you? You don't believe Daddy is a spy?'

“噢，博比！”妈妈哭了，“你不相信这上面说的，对吗？你不相信爸爸真的是间谍，是吗？”

No!' said Bobbie.

“我不相信！”博比回答。

He's good and honest and he's done nothing wrong,' said Mother. 'We have to remember that.'

“他是个好人，他很诚实，没有做错任何事情，”妈妈说，“我们得牢记这一点。”

What happened?' asked Bobbie.

“究竟发生了什么？”博比问。

You remember the two men who came to see Daddy at the old house, don't you?' said Mother. 'They said he was a spy, and that he'd sold Government secrets to another country. There were some letters in Daddy's desk at his office. When the police saw them, they were sure Daddy was a spy.'

“你还记得在老房子的时候那两个来找爸爸的人吗？”妈妈说，“他们说他是个间谍，说他把政府的机密出卖给了别的国家。在爸爸办公室的书桌里有一些信件。警察看到了这些信件，就断定爸爸是间谍。”

But how did the letters get into his desk?' asked Bobbie.

“可是，那些信怎么会到了他的书桌里呢？”博比问。

Somebody put them there,' said Mother. 'And that person is the real spy.'

“有人放进去的，”妈妈说，“那个人才是真正的间谍。”

Who?' said Bobbie. 'Who put the letters there?'

“谁？”博比问，“谁把信放进去的？”

I don't know,' said Mother. 'But the man who got Daddy's job never liked him, and he always wanted Daddy's job.'

“我还不清楚，”妈妈说，“不过现在接替爸爸工作的那个人与爸爸的关系一直不好，他一直想得到爸爸的职位。”

Is he an honest man?' asked Bobbie.

“那个人诚实吗？”博比问。

Daddy was never really sure,' said Mother.

“爸爸从来也不确信。”妈妈说。

Can't we explain all this to someone?' said Bobbie.

“难道我们不能跟人解释吗？”博比问。

I've tried, but nobody will listen,' said Mother sadly. 'I've tried everything. There's nothing we can do except be brave and patient. Now we won't talk of this anymore, my darling. Try not to think of it. It's easier for me if you can be happy and enjoy things.'

“我已经努力过了，但没人愿意听，”妈妈伤心地说，“我已经试过了所有的办法。我们现在所能做的就是要勇敢地去面对，要有耐心。亲爱的，我们不要再说这些了。别再去想它了。如果你们幸福快乐的话，我会感到轻松一些的。”

But Bobbie did think about it. She did not talk to Peter or Phyllis, but she wrote a letter—to the old gentleman.

但是博比仍在想着这件事。她没有跟彼得和菲利斯商量，但她偷偷写了一封信——写给那位老先生。

My Dear Friend,

我亲爱的朋友：

You see what is in this newspaper. It is not true. Father never did it. Mother says someone put the letters in Father's desk, and she thinks it is the man who got Father's job. But nobody listens to her. You are good and clever. Can you find out the name of the real spy? It is not Father!

请看看这张报纸上的内容。这不是真的。爸爸从来没做过这样的事情。妈妈说是有人把信放到爸爸的书桌里的，而且她认为这件事是接替爸爸工作的那个人干的。但是没有人愿意听妈妈的解释。您是个好人，又那么聪明。您能找出真正的间谍吗？真的不是爸爸！

Peter and Phyllis don't know he is in prison. Can you help me? Oh, do help me!

彼得和菲利斯还不知道他被关进了监狱。您能帮帮我吗？噢，请一定帮帮我！

With love from your friend,

爱您的朋友

Bobbie

博比

She put the page of the newspaper with her letter and took it to the station. Bobbie asked the Station Master to give it to the old gentleman the next morning.

她把信和那张报纸装在一起，拿到了车站。博比请站长第二天早晨把信转交给老先生。

Now she could only wait and see what happened.

现在她只能耐心等待，以观事态了。

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