【荆棘鸟】第二章 04

 Behave yourself, and mind your brothers."

Bob, Jack 1, Hughie and Stu were hopping 2 up and down by the front gate when Fee finally pushed Meggie out the door, her luncheon 3 jam sandwiches in an old satchel 4.
  "Come on, Meggie, we'll be late!" Bob shouted, moving off down the road. Meggie followed the dwindling 5 forms of her brothers at a run. It was a little after seven o'clock in the morning, and the gentle sun had been up several hours; the dew had dried off the grass except where there was deep shade. The Wahine road was a wheel-rutted earthen track, two ribbons of dark red separated by a wide band of bright green grass. White calla lilies and orange nasturtiums flowered profusely 6 in the high grass to either side, where the neat wooden fences of bordering properties warned against trespassing 7.
  Bob always walked to school along the top of the right-hand fences, balancing his leather satchel on his head instead of wearing it haversack style. The lefthand fence belonged to Jack, which permitted the three younger Clearys domain 8 of the road itself. At the top of the long, steep hill they had to climb from the smithy hollow to where the Robertson road joined the Wahine road, they paused for a moment, panting, the five bright heads haloed against a puffily clouded sky. This was the best part, going down the hill; they linked hands and galloped 9 on the grassy 10 verge 11 until it vanished in a tangle 12 of flowers, wishing they had the time to sneak 13 under Mr. Chapman's fence and roll all the way down like boulders 14.
  It was five miles from the Cleary house to Wahine, and by the time Meggie saw telegraph poles in the distance her legs were trembling and her socks were falling down. Ears tuned 15 for the assembly bell, Bob glanced at her impatiently as she toiled 16 along, hitching 17 at her drawers and giving an occasional gasp 18 of distress 19. Her face under the mass of hair was pink and yet curiously 20 pallid 21. Sighing, Bob passed his satchel to Jack and ran his hands down the sides of his knickers.
  "Come on, Meggie, I'll piggyback you the rest of the way," he said gruffly, glaring at his brothers in case they had the mistaken idea that he was going soft.
  Meggie scrambled 22 onto his back, heaved herself up enough to lock her legs around his waist, and pillowed her head on his skinny shoulder blissfully. Now she could view Wahine in comfort.
  There was not much to see. Little more than a big village, Wahine straggled down each side of a tar-centered road. The biggest building was the local hotel, of two stories, with an awning 23 shading the footpath 24 from the sun and posts supporting the awning all along the gutter 25. 
 

要规矩点儿，当心你的哥哥们！”
    菲终于把梅吉推到门外的时候，鲍勃、杰克、休吉和斯图尔特在前门那儿蹦蹦跳跳得正欢呢。她午餐吃的果酱三明治放在一个旧书包里。
    “来呀，梅吉，要迟到了！”鲍勃喊叫着，顺着路走了。
    梅吉望着她哥哥们越来越小的身影，跑步紧跟着。
    现在是早晨七点过一点儿，柔和的太阳已经升起有几个钟头了；除了草荫深处以外，草上的露水都已经干了。韦汉的道路是一条满是辙印的士路，两边是深红色的路面，中间隔着一片宽阔的浅绿色草地。道路两旁，白色的水芋百合和桔黄色的旱金莲花在深深的草丛中争相怒放；那里的整整齐齐的木栅栏，划出了所有权的界限，警告别人不得擅入。
    鲍勃总是站在沿着右手上方的栅栏步行上学，他的书包总是摆平了顶在头上，而不是背着的。左手的栅栏是属于杰克的，这样，这条路就成了三个小克利里的领地了。在长长的、陡峭的小山顶上，他们得从打铁铺子所在的洼地爬上罗伯逊路和韦汉路相交的地方。他们逗留了一会儿，喘着粗气，五个明亮的脑袋在云海漫漫的天空闪着光。下山的那一段路是最愉快的了。他们手拉着手，在路边的草丛里飞跑着，直到那草从消失在一片花丛之中。他们希望能有时间从查普曼先生的栅栏底下溜进去，像圆石头子儿一样一路滚下山去。
    从克利里家到韦汉有5英里，当梅吉看到远处的电线杆的时候，她的两条腿抖了起来，袜子也褪下来了。
    鲍勃一边用耳朵听着集合的铃声，一边不耐烦地瞟着她；她吃力地向前走着，提着衬裤，时不时苦恼地喘着粗气。她那浓密的头发下的脸蛋是粉红色的，但却又出奇的苍白。鲍勃叹了口气，把书包递给了杰克，双手叉在自己灯笼裤的两侧。
    “来，梅吉，剩下的路我背着你走吧。”他狠狠地说道，瞪着眼望着他的兄弟们，免得他们错以为他的态度软下来了。
    梅吉爬到他的后背，抬起两条腿勾住他的腰，把头舒舒服服地枕在他那瘦削的肩膀上，现在她可以痛痛快快地看看韦汉镇了。
    其实也没什么可看的。韦汉镇比一个大村子大不了多少，零零散散地坐落在一条柏油路的两旁。最大的建筑物是那座两层楼的地方旅馆，遮荫篷使阳光照不到人行道上；沿着路边的沟渠，有一排柱子支撑着那这篷。