【荆棘鸟】第五章 02

 有时候，最好不要把安妨的意思弄得水落石出，或者是对她的话过分注意而使她更来劲儿、用她自己的话来讲，她是个能掐会算的人，倘若怜惜这孩子，他可不想听她说她怜惜的是她的将来，而不是她的过去。

　　弗兰克来了，他还因为在酒吧间仍然碰到他父亲而浑身哆嗦着，他不知道干些什么才好。
　　"喂，梅吉，我带你赶集去，"他说着，伸出了一只手。
　　"干嘛不让我带你们俩一起去呢？"拉尔夫神父问道。他也伸出了一只手。
　　梅吉夹在两个她所崇拜的人中间，紧紧地拉着他们的手，她真是快乐极了。
　　基兰博娱乐场设在巴温河畔，挨着赛马场。尽管洪水已经退去六个月了，但泥浆仍然没有干透，急不可耐的捷足先来者已经把它踏成了烂泥塘。在绵羊、牛、猪、山水和那些第一流的、无暇可指的为夺标获奖而竞争的牲畜围栏之外，有许多摆满了手工艺品和吃食的帐篷，他们看着那些牲畜、糕饼、钩针编织的围巾、针织的婴儿装、刺绣的桌布、阿猫、阿狗和金丝雀。
　　在这一切的远处的另一侧是赛马场，那里，年轻的男女骑手仍正在裁判员的面前慢慢地跟着他们的截短了尾巴的坐骑，在咯咯笑着的梅吉的眼里，那些裁判员本身看上去就很像马。女骑手们穿着漂亮的哗叽女骑装，高高地坐在高头大马的鞍子上；她们的大礼帽上缠着一束撩人干着急的轻纱。在梅吉看到一个了不起的姑娘骑着一匹鲜龙活跳的马做出一系列难度很大的腾跃动作，并且一如开始那样无可挑剔地结束她的表演之前，梅吉是想象不出一个人怎么能那么玄地骑在马背上，戴着那样的帽子、以比遛花蹄快得多的速度奔驰而又稳坐马鞍、安然无恙的。这时，那姑娘性急地用马刺刺了一下她的坐骑，碎蹄穿过潮湿的地面，在梅吉、弗兰克和拉尔夫神父的面前勒住马，挡住了他们的去路；勾在鞍上的、穿着雪亮的黑色长统靴的一条腿脱开了，那姑娘坐到了鞍子的一侧，傲然地伸出了戴着手套的双手。
　　"神父！劳驾帮我下来！"
　　他向上伸出两手搂住了她的腰，她的手搭在他的肩膀上。他轻巧地一转身把她抱了下来。
 

Sometimes it was better not to know what Annie meant, or encourage her by paying much attention to what she said; she was, in her own parlance 1, fey, and if she pitied the child he didn't want to be told it was because of her future rather than her past.
Frank arrived, still trembling from his encounter with his father in the bar, and at a loose end.
"Come on, Meggie, I'll take you to the fair," he said, holding out his hand.
"Why don't I take you both?" Father Ralph asked, holding out his. Sandwiched between the two men she worshipped, and hanging on to their hands for dear life, Meggie was in seventh heaven. The Gillanbone showground lay on the banks of the Barwon River, next door to the race course. Though the floods were six months gone, the mud had not completely dried, and the eager feet of early comers had already pulped 2 it to a mire 3. Beyond the stalls of sheep and cattle, pigs and goats, the prime and perfect livestock 4 competing for prizes, lay tents full of handicrafts and cooking. They gazed at stock, cakes, crocheted 5 shawls, knitted baby clothes, embroidered 6 tablecloths 7, cats and dogs and canaries.
On the far side of all this was the riding ring, where young equestrians 8 and equestriennes cantered their bobtailed hacks 9 before judges who looked, it seemed to a giggling 10 Meggie, rather like horses themselves. Lady riders in magnificent serge habits perched sidesaddle on tall horses, their top hats swathed with tantalizing 11 wisps of veiling. How anyone so precariously 12 mounted and hatted could stay unruffled upon a horse at anything faster than an amble 13 was beyond Meggie's imagination, until she saw one splendid creature take her prancing 14 animal over a series of difficult jumps and finish as impeccable as before she started. Then the lady pricked 15 her mount with an impatient spur and cantered across the soggy ground, reining 16 to a halt in front of Meggie, Frank and Father Ralph to bar their progress. The leg in its polished black boot hooked round the saddle was unhooked, and the lady sat truly on the side of her saddle, her gloved hands extended imperiously. "Father! Be so kind as to help me dismount!"
He reached up to put his hands around her waist, her hands on his shoulders, and swung her lightly down;