送书松鼠：一个给孩子的故事

我是莉亚。

This is Ria.

欢迎来到《小人物的故事》。

Welcome to little stories for tiny people.

我有一个非常重要的公告。

I have a very important announcement.

重要到需要号角齐鸣。

So important, I believe it calls for trumpets.

我请到了一位嘉宾。

I have a guest.

我知道已经很久没请嘉宾了。

I know it's been a while.

看吧。

Look.

邀请嘉宾上节目可没你想的那么简单。

Booking guests to come on this show is just not as easy as you may think.

他们总是忙着觅食、打理毛发、冬眠。

They're always so busy with their food scavenging, their fur styling appointments, their hibernation.

唉。

Ugh.

要找到符合以下条件的访客几乎不可能：一、体型够小不会碰倒我易碎的盘子塔

It is nearly impossible to find a creature to visit my tiny studio who is a, small enough not to disturb my tower of breakable plates.

二、能对我的故事提供深思熟虑的建设性意见

Two, capable of providing thoughtful, constructive feedback on my stories.

三、刚好有空档

And thirdly, available.

但我做到了！

But I did it!

我找到了今天故事的完美嘉宾。

I found the perfect guest to sit in on today's story.

请大家热烈欢迎苍蝇露西尔。

Please give a hearty welcome to Lucille, the fly.

进来吧，露西尔。

Come on in, Lucille.

哦，等一下。

Oh, wait a second.

别往那儿飞。

Don't fly up there.

我太兴奋了，好像忘了提醒露西尔我录音棚最上面的角落里有蜘蛛。

In my excitement, I think I forgot to warn Lucille about the spiders who live in the uppermost corners of my studio.

别吃掉我的客人。

Do not eat my guest.

露西尔？

Lucille?

好吧。

Okay.

下来吧。

Come down.

露西尔，你为什么不落在这片不新鲜的面包上呢？

Lucille, why don't you land on this piece of stale toast?

这就对了。

There you go.

就待在面包上别动。

Just just stay on the toast.

她说好的。

She says okay.

好的。

Alright.

让我们开始讲故事吧。

Let's get to our story.

这个故事叫《送书松鼠》。

It's called the book delivery squirrel.

交给你了，伊兰。

Take it away, Elan.

记住，这个故事没有图画。

Remember, there are no pictures.

你需要在脑海中想象这些画面。

You have to imagine the pictures in your mind.

你可以随心所欲地想象它们。

You can imagine them however you want.

好的。

Okay.

我们开始吧。

Here we go.

韦斯从未计划成为一只送书松鼠。

Wes had never planned to become a book delivery squirrel.

他怎么可能想到呢？他连听都没听说过这种事。

How could he when he'd never heard of such a thing?

他的哥哥查克也没听说过。

Neither had his elder brother, Chuck.

书？

Books?

认真的吗？

Seriously?

书？

Books?

查克从未读过一本书，而且明确表示他压根没这个打算。

Chuck had never read a book and made it known he never planned to.

韦斯自己也不是个爱读书的人。

Wes himself was not much of a reader.

他喜欢好故事，但认为自己更偏向行动派。

He appreciated a good story, but he thought of himself as more of a doer.

这些都与现状毫无关系，因为韦斯纯属意外地掉进了图书配送这行。

None of that had any real bearing in the situation because Wes literally fell into book delivery by accident.

当时他刚从核桃脱壳工厂又一次糟糕的面试回来。

He'd been on his way home from yet another dismal interview at the walnut shelling factory.

那时天已全黑，连月亮都看不见。

It was dark by that time, and the moon was invisible.

他几乎看不清伸到面前的爪子轮廓，结果直接掉进了地上的一个洞里。

He could hardly see the outline of his paw in front of his face, and he fell directly into a hole in the ground.

幸好这个黑洞虽然幽深，却没触发任何警报。

Thankfully, the hole, despite its darkness, did not raise any alarms.

没有东西突然扑向他。

Nothing jumped out at him.

于是他决定先睡一觉，等天亮再找路出去。

So he decided to get some sleep and find a way out in the morning.

黎明时分，韦斯被一阵嗅闻声惊醒。

At dawn, Wes was awakened by the sound of someone sniffing.

接着传来一个声音。

Then came a voice.

拉斯

Lars,

是你吗？

is that you?

韦斯撑起身子，打着哈欠环顾四周。

Wes lifted himself and peered around, yawning.

他花了一会儿才想起自己身在何处以及如何到达那里的。

It took him a moment to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there.

阳光从上方滤下，他终于看清了自己掉进的这个洞。

With sunlight filtering down from above, he finally got a look at the hole into which he'd fallen.

洞里堆满了书。

It was filled with books.

目光所及之处，书籍整齐地码放在箱子和板条箱里。

Everywhere he looked, there were books in neatly stacked boxes and crates.

事实上，韦斯发现自己正蜷缩在一堆平装书上睡觉。

In fact, Wes saw that he'd slept curled up on a pile of paperbacks.

拉斯，你得赶紧

Lars, you need to get

行动起来。

a move on.

这些书可不会自己送货上门。

These books won't deliver themselves.

尽管韦斯确信自己不是拉斯，关于需要送书的评论也不可能适用于他，但他仍感到一阵紧迫。

And even though Wes was certain he was not Lars and the comment about the books needing to be delivered could not possibly apply to him, He felt a measure of urgency.

他必须离开这个洞。

He had to get out of that hole.

就在这时，他注意到了梯子。

That's when he noticed the ladder.

你不是拉斯，那只惊讶地望着洞里的松鼠说道。

You are not Lars, observed the astonished looking squirrel who'd called into the hole.

她嗅了嗅

She sniffed at

空气。

the air.

我就知道。

I knew it.

我自言自语道，这只松鼠闻起来一点也不像拉斯。

I said to myself, that squirrel smells nothing like Lars.

松鼠的鼻子很灵敏。

Squirrels have keen noses.

韦斯正想为自己不是拉斯而道歉，并解释他为什么会在洞里，但刚一张嘴，松鼠就挥手制止了他。

Wes was about to apologize for not being Lars, and to explain why he'd been in the hole, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the squirrel waved him off.

没关系，她一边说一边打量着他。

It's alright, she said, studying him.

但是，她环顾了一下周围的树木。

But, she glanced around at the surrounding trees.

看来拉斯不在这里。

Looks like Lars isn't here.

你觉得去送这些书怎么样？

How do you feel about delivering these books?

拉斯始终没有回来要回他的工作。

Lars never did show up to reclaim his job.

显然，他离开了森林，改行去当捕蛙人了。

Apparently, he skipped forests and became a toad lassore.

至少，这是韦斯从哈里特那里听说的——那只在许多个月前把拉斯的工作交给他的松鼠。

At least, that's what Wes heard from Harriet, the squirrel who gave him Lars' job those many moons ago.

从那以后，韦斯就一直为'松林书页'书店送书。

Ever since, Wes had delivered books for Pages in the Pines bookshop.

这份工作令人艳羡，韦斯常想，能获得这个职位真是机缘巧合。

It was an enviable gig, and Wes often thought of the serendipity that had allowed him to fall into the position.

不仅因为工作本身令人愉快，还因为那些书籍的缘故。

And not only because the job was delightful, also because of the books themselves.

当一只松鼠日复一日被某种事物包围时，往往会对它产生强烈情感。

When a squirrel is surrounded by a particular thing, day in and day out, it is not uncommon for him to develop strong feelings about that thing.

比如在胡桃加工厂工作的松鼠，可能会对胡桃产生厌恶。

For example, a squirrel who works at a pecan shellery might develop an aversion to pecans.

它甚至可能完全不再吃胡桃。

He might even stop eating pecans altogether.

它可能会说，要是再让我看到一个胡桃...

He might say, if I see one more pecan.

嗯，你明白我的意思。

Well, you get the idea.

同理，一只编织河草地毯的松鼠。

Similarly, a squirrel might get a job weaving river grasses into rugs.

她可能起初非常喜爱那些地毯的样式。

She might start out loving the look of those rugs.

说不定她的树屋门廊就铺着这样一块地毯。

Perhaps she has one of those rugs in the entryway of her tree house.

但在编织了成百上千条地毯后，某天回家看到地上的那条，她会立即卷起来扔出窗外。

But at a certain point, after making hundreds and hundreds of those woven rugs, she gets home, takes one look at the one covering her floor, rolls it up, and tosses it out the window.

但情况也可能相反。

But it can go the other way.

偶尔，松鼠不会对工作对象产生厌恶，反而会萌生喜爱。

Occasionally, instead of developing a distaste for the object of a squirrel's work, he develops a fondness for it.

有时，甚至是热爱。

Sometimes, even a love.

这就是发生在韦斯身上的事。

That is what happened to Wes.

在长时间与书籍为伴的工作中，他逐渐爱上了它们。

After spending so many of his working hours surrounded by books, he grew to love them.

他喜欢新书淡淡的松木香，也爱旧书那些被翻卷的书页。

He loved the faint pinewood scent of freshly printed books as well as the lived in rabbit eared pages of used books.

这两种书他都负责运送。

He delivered both kinds.

有次他在箱子里发现一本被翻烂的食谱，书页边缘写满了潦草的笔记——有建议替换食材的，也有对作者烹饪方法的质疑。

He once found a well loved recipe book in one of his crates that contained dozens of faintly scribbled notes in the margins recommending ingredient substitutions and taking issue with the methods promoted by the book's author.

某个早晨韦斯花了四十分钟津津有味地翻完602页，不时为这位神秘批注者的刁钻口味发笑。

Wes spent an absorbing forty minutes one morning flipping through all 602 pages, chuckling now and then at the cantankerousness of the mysterious note scribbler.

从某些方面来说，对书籍的痴迷影响了他的工作效率。

In some ways, his fondness for books made him worse at his job.

有时他会在午休时翻开本有趣的书，在阳光和煦的午后躺在树枝上阅读，膝头摊着书，手边放着袋种子。

Sometimes he'd crack open a promising looking title on his lunch break, stretching out on a tree branch with the book on his lap and a pouch of seeds at the ready on blissful afternoons in the woods when the sun was warm but not blazing.

他常以这个姿势睡着，耽误整天的配送工作。

He'd been known to fall asleep in that position, delaying his deliveries for the rest of the day.

偶尔遇到大型动物挡道时，由于推着书车只能走老路，他就会蜷在车角看书。

Occasionally, if there was a large creature blocking a trail he needed, he had to keep to well worn trails because of his book cart, he'd curl up in the corner of his cart and read.

有次一头麋鹿直接睡在了路中央。

Once, there was an elk sleeping right in the middle of the path.

韦斯沉浸在冒险故事里两小时后，突然被一个怯生生的声音惊醒。

Wes had spent two hours absorbed in an adventure story before being startled by a timid voice.

打扰了。

Excuse me.

能让我过去吗？

Could I possibly get through?

韦斯抬头一看，发现那只麋鹿已经不见了，而他自己正挡着一只骑三轮车的兔子的路。

Wes had looked up to see that the elk was gone and that he himself was blocking the way of a rabbit riding a tricycle.

但韦斯对书籍的热爱在很多方面让他的工作表现更出色。

But there were ways that Wes' love of books made him much better at his job.

最主要的是，这使他特别擅长向顾客推荐书籍。

Mainly, it made him excellent at recommending books to his customers.

韦斯，我很喜欢你上次推荐给我的《耳语庄园之谜》。

Now, Wes, I loved the last book I got from you, The Mystery of Whisperly Mansion.

我迫切想读类似的书。

I'm desperate to read something similar.

稍等。

Hold on.

我正好有本合适的。

I've got just the thing.

给，《编织圈系列》。

Here, the knitting circle series.

讲的是一只猫加入编织圈，但这个编织圈还兼职破案的故事。

It's about a cat who joins a knitting circle, but the knitting circle also solves mysteries.

韦斯，我不知道

Wes, I don't know

没有你我该怎么办。

what I'd do without you.

好吧，其实我知道。

Well, I do know.

我会陷入书荒，这可不是什么好状态。

I'd be between books, which is never a good place to be.

请注意，这原本不在韦斯的工作职责范围内。

Mind you, this was not part of Wes's job description.

哈丽特与丈夫克里夫共同经营'松林书页'书店时，曾简明扼要地描述过这份工作。

Harriet, who ran the Pages in the Pines bookshop alongside her husband, Cliff, had described the job succinctly.

每天早晨你会拿到一个夹着客户订单清单和地址的写字板。

You'll get a clipboard each morning with your list of customer orders along with the addresses.

这是你的推车。

This is your cart.

每天早晨用它装满书籍。

Fill it with books every morning.

每晚清空归还。

Return it empty each evening.

我们这儿讲究简单行事。

We keep things simple around here.

哦，记得一定要把书窖盖上遮布。

Oh, and make sure to pull the cover over the book den.

拉斯似乎永远记不住这个步骤。

Lars could never seem to remember that part.

'书窖'是对那个堆满书籍板条箱的幽深洞穴的爱称，韦斯曾在那里摔过一跤。

The book den was the endearing name given for the deep dark hole filled with crates of books into which Wes had once fallen.

但韦斯打心底感激拉斯总忘记盖书窖。

But Wes was endlessly grateful to Lars for never remembering to cover it.

若非如此，韦斯就不会误打误撞找到这份他如此钟爱的意外生计。

If he had, Wes would not have stumbled into this unexpected livelihood he so loved.

五年间，他已成长为非常可靠的员工。

Over the course of five years, he had grown into a very reliable employee.

这类工作总免不了有些小插曲。

There were the usual little hiccups that came with a job such as this.

下雨是最常见的问题。

Rain was the most frequent problem.

当第一滴雨从天空落下时，韦斯急忙用防水布盖住他的推车，以免任何书籍被雨水损坏。

When the first drops fell from the sky, Wes had to rush to pull a tarp over his cart so as not to allow any of the books to be ruined.

不过这很不寻常。

That was unusual though.

大多数时候，这份工作简单直接，日子也过得顺顺利利。

Mostly, the job was straightforward and the days went smoothly.

韦斯从未在完成基本要求上遇到过任何麻烦。

Wes never had any trouble fulfilling the basic requirements.

早上把书装满推车，傍晚空车返回。

Fill the cart with books in the morning, return it empty in the evening.

但在中秋一个晴朗的傍晚，当韦斯完成当天的配送任务，核对完最后一位顾客的名字和订单后，他有了一个惊人的发现。

But on one clear evening in mid autumn, after Wes had finished his deliveries for the day, after he had checked the final customer name and order off his list, he made a startling discovery.

他的推车里多了一本书。

There was an additional book in his cart.

他差点错过了它，因为书的颜色几乎与箱子底部完全一致，而且书页和封面都已褪色。

He nearly missed it because its color almost perfectly matched the bottom of the crate in which it sat, and the text and the cover was faded.

换作是另一只松鼠——也许是拉尔斯，我们永远无法知晓——看到它时可能不会倒吸一口凉气，可能不会立刻认出这是一本珍藏版。

Another squirrel, possibly Lars, we'll never know, might not have let out a small gasp upon seeing it, might not have recognized it immediately for what it was, a collector's edition.

稀有、古老，一块关于树木历史的美丽砖头。

Rare, ancient, a beautiful brick of a thing on the history of trees.

但韦斯确实认出了它。

But Wes did recognize it.

树木历史是他最喜爱的话题之一。

The history of trees was one of his favorite topics.

事实上，他早就听说过这本书。

In fact, he'd heard of this very book.

几个月前他还向哈丽特打听过，希望作为书商的她或许能通过关系弄到一本。

He had asked Harriet about it a few months back, hoping perhaps as a bookseller, she could pull some strings to acquire a copy.

她只是好奇地看了他一眼，咂了咂舌头说，这本书已经绝版好一阵子了。

She'd simply cast him a curious look, clucked her tongue, and said, it's been out of print for some time.

非常难找。

Very hard to find.

无论'松林书页'的哪位顾客订了这本书，肯定会注意到它不见了。

Whichever Pages in the Pines customer had ordered this book would certainly notice it missing.

不管是谁，此刻可能正耐心地等在门口，期待着随时送达。

Whoever it was was likely waiting patiently at the door expecting it to be delivered at any moment.

我说耐心是因为，那些对树木历史有浓厚兴趣的生物往往都是很有耐心的。

I say patiently because creatures who have a deep interest in the history of trees tend to be patient sort of creatures.

韦斯翻着剪贴板上当天的书页寻找书名，'肯定在这里'，但就是找不到。

Wes flipped through the day's pages on his clipboard searching for the title, It has to be here, but it wasn't.

他又仔细检查了三遍清单，用爪子划过每个书名确认。

He went through the list another three times to be certain, running a paw beneath each book title.

韦斯从剪贴板上抬起头来。

Wes glanced up from his clipboard.

他停在森林深处一条狭窄的小径上，周围是茂密高大的松树。

He was stopped on a narrow trail amidst a dense area of the forest, thick with tall pines.

暮日的阳光透过树梢斑驳洒落。

The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees.

他的每日配送清单总是按地理位置排序的。

His list of deliveries for the day was always sorted by location.

哈丽特尽力安排路线，但韦斯会自己绘制每日地图，确保最后一站总在'松林书页'附近。

Harriet did her best to arrange things, but it was Wes who created a daily map for himself with his last delivery leaving him close to Pages In The Pines.

他现在离得很近了。

He was near it now.

再沿着小径走几步就能看见了。

A few more steps on the trail and it would come into view.

但他从未在下班时带着一本未送达的书出现。

But he had never shown up with an undelivered book at the end of a workday.

他从未归还任何东西，除了空荡荡的推车，现在也不打算破例。

He had never returned anything but an empty cart, and he was not about to now.

韦斯在小路上调转推车，沿着来时的路返回。

Wes turned his cart around in the trail and headed back the way he'd come.

你说的是跳蚤的历史？

The history of fleas, you say?

我不确定我会想读那个。

I'm not sure I would like to read that.

是关于树的，帕斯尼普太太。

Trees, missus Parsnip.

哦，那听起来确实很有趣。

Oh, that does sound interesting.

但是

But

不是我订的这本书。

it wasn't me who ordered it.

谢谢你，帕斯尼普太太。

Thank you, missus Parsnip.

抱歉打扰了。

Sorry to bother.

不麻烦的。

It's no bother.

韦斯利，我很喜欢你顺道来访，而且我已经迷上你今天早些时候带给我的那本书了。

I love when you stop by, Wesley, and I'm already hooked on the book you brought me earlier today.

我很高兴

I'm glad to

听到了。

hear that.

好好享受你的书。

Enjoy your book.

哦，我会的。

Oh, I will.

韦斯走下梯子前往帕斯尼普太太的树屋，拿出他的记事板。

Wes headed down the ladder for missus Parsnip's tree house and got out his clipboard.

每当他将书送到顾客手中时，总会在名字旁工整地打上勾。

When he delivered a book to a customer, he always put a tidy checkmark beside each name.

过去一小时里，他不断添加删除线——每返回一个地址询问顾客是否也订购了遗留在推车里的珍本时就在名字上划横线。

For the last hour, he'd been adding strike throughs as he went back to each address to inquire as to whether the customer had also ordered the rare book left behind in his cart.

一小时后，他已划掉了六个名字。

After an hour, he'd crossed out six names.

此时暮色渐浓。

By then, it was nearing twilight.

哈丽特和克利夫会确保被书动物移动的书本归位，熄灭窗台上的蜡烛，将门牌和店门从'营业'翻到'打烊'，然后回到店铺上方的树屋。

Harriet and Cliff would be making sure any books animals had moved were put back in their proper places, putting out the candles that sat in the windows, flipping the sign and the door from open to closed, and heading upstairs to their tree house above the shop.

韦斯知道他们不会为自己的缺席而担忧。

They would not, Wes knew, be worrying about his absence.

初来乍到时，韦斯总会在收工后——将空推车放回店铺后方灌木丛下的固定位置后——特意找到哈丽特或克利夫。

Back when Wes was new to the job, he had made a point to find either Harriet or Cliff at the end of his workday, after he'd returned the empty cart to its resting spot underneath a shrub behind the shop.

他会说：都收拾好了。

All finished up, he would say.

头几个月里，哈丽特总会回应：谢谢你，韦斯。

For the first few months, Harriet would reply, thank you, Wes.

好好休息吧。

Get some rest.

如果是克里夫，他会说，那就明早见。

If it was Cliff, he'd say, see you in the morning then.

但有一个晚上，韦斯干了三个季度后，他说，都收拾完了。

But one evening, after Wes had been in the job for three seasons, he'd said, all finished up.

哈丽特只是简单地说，韦斯，我很感激每晚见到你，但我想让你知道你不必每晚都来。

And Harriet said simply, Wes, I appreciate seeing you each evening, but I want you to know you don't have to stop in every night.

你可以把推车留下直接回家。

You're welcome to leave the cart and head home.

韦斯微笑着点头，明白了哈丽特的意思。

Wes had smiled and nodded, understanding Harriet's meaning.

她和克里夫信任他。

She and Cliff trusted him.

从那以后，韦斯经常在放好空推车后，透过书店窗户挥手道别。

Since then, Wes had often waved goodnight through the window of the bookshop after leaving the empty cart.

但有时他经过时店主正忙，他就径自漫步回家不打扰他们。

But sometimes the owners were occupied when he passed by, and so he ambled home without interrupting them.

被人信任的感觉真好。

It felt good to be trusted.

因此韦斯知道，虽然回来晚了，但没人会注意到或在意，这让他有更多时间寻找书的主人。

And so, Wes knew that though he was late getting back, no one would notice or mind if they did, which gave him a bit more time to find the intended owner of the book.

至此，韦斯一直在重新拜访名单上的每位顾客。

Up to that point, Wes had been revisiting every customer on his list.

但随着夕阳西沉，他变得更有策略。

But with the sun sinking in the sky, he became more strategic.

他熟悉大多数顾客，这些年来已与他们相熟。

He knew most of his customers well, having gotten to know them over the years.

他扫视名单，立刻划掉了三个名字。

He scanned the list and immediately crossed out three names.

汉弗莱先生是只拄着精致木手杖的獾，只看建筑类书籍。

Mister Humphrey, a badger who walked with an elegant wooden cane, only read books about architecture.

松鼠埃莉诺是位技艺精湛的编织能手。

Eleanor Squirrel was an accomplished knitter.

她订购的书籍清一色都是编织图案集。

She exclusively ordered books filled with knitting patterns.

还有乔治娜乌龟，据他所知这位只买烹饪书。

And then there was Georgina Turtle, who he'd only ever known to purchase cookbooks.

名单上还剩三个名字。

That left three names.

韦斯首先去找最有可能的杰拉德老鼠——这位历史迷上个月刚订购了一本帽子发展史。

Wes went first to the most promising, Gerald Mouse, a history buff who last month ordered a volume on the history of hats.

杰拉德打开小洞穴门时重重打了个哈欠。

Gerald yawned heavily as he opened the door to his small burrow.

韦斯。

Wes.

是你吗？

That you?

我把你吵醒了。

I woke you up.

抱歉。

I'm sorry.

没有。

No.

不是。

No.

只是在闭目养神。

Just resting my eyes.

他给韦斯端了杯茶。

He offered Wes a cup of tea.

不。

No.

我本不该打扰你，但他确实没订过这本书。

I I shouldn't have even bothered you, but he had not ordered the book.

不过看起来挺有意思的。

Looks interesting, though.

打赌等找到主人后对方肯定会爱不释手。

Bet the owner will love it once you find out who it is.

接着，韦斯来到了花栗鼠黛利拉的家。

Next, Wes went to the home of Delilah Chipmunk.

这次，透过她的小窗户能看到她醒着，正借着烛光阅读。

This time, he could see through her small window that she was awake, sitting by candlelight, reading.

但她也不是这本书的主人。

But she was not the owner of the book either.

说实话，我更喜欢历史小说。

I'm more into historical fiction, to be honest.

当韦斯离开黛利拉家门口时，夜色已深。

When Wes stepped away from Delilah's door, night had truly fallen.

天幕是浓重的紫黑色，无月的星空繁星点点。

Above was a deep blackened purple, stars dotted the moonless sky.

韦斯的名单上只剩下最后一个名字。

There was a single name left on Wes's list.

我何德何能，让我最爱的图书配送松鼠一天内二次光临呢？

And to what do I owe the pleasure of a second visit in a single day for my favorite book delivery squirrel?

麝鼠哈罗德·T洪亮的声音响起，他是松页书店最资深的老主顾——当初韦斯刚接手这份工作时，他可没少评价拉斯。

Boomed Harold t Muskrat, one of Pages in the Pines' oldest and most loyal customers, who, when Wes had first taken over the job, had had many things to say about Lars.

那家伙总是迟到。

Always late, that one.

哈罗德每次开门看到韦斯站在门阶上，手里拿着他订购的书时，总会开怀大笑；当他看到韦斯拿着那本被遗忘的《树木史》站在门阶上时，也同样笑容满面。

Harold always smiled broadly when he opened the door to see Wes on the stoop with a book he'd ordered, and he smiled broadly when he saw Wes on the stoop with the left behind book on the history of trees.

但这本书不是他的。

But it was not his.

真希望能帮到你，韦斯利。

Wish I could help you, Wesley.

谢谢您的时间，马斯格拉特先生。

Thank you for your time, mister Musgrat.

那是个凉爽的夜晚，微风吹过森林，带着一丝寒意，引得松针齐声颤抖。

It was a cool evening, and there was a chill in the breeze that swept through the forest causing the needles on the pines to shiver in concert.

韦斯把这本无人认领的珍本夹在一侧腋下，另一只手拖着推车，边走边打着哈欠。

Wes held the rare unclaimed book beneath one arm and pulled his cart behind him with the other yawning.

他已经核对了客户名单上的每一个名字，现在再复查什么都来不及了。

He'd crossed off every name on his list of customers, and it was too late to double check anything.

当你知道在一天结束之际已无事可做，必须放下未完成的工作休息到明天时，会有种如释重负的感觉。

There is a sense of relief in knowing that there is nothing more you can possibly do at the very end of the day, that it is necessary to set down unfinished work and rest until tomorrow.

当韦斯推着车在星光柔和照耀的小径上疾行时，他感到了这种释然，但同时也感到不安。

As Wes briskly wheeled his cart on the trail, which was illuminated in soft starlight from above, he felt that sense of relief, but he also felt unsettled.

他不习惯像这本未送达的书这样带着未了之事结束一天。

He wasn't used to ending the day with loose ends such as this book.

他想，或许哈丽特只是出了差错，忘记把客户姓名和书名加进他的清单里。

He wondered if perhaps Harriet had simply made an error, forgotten to add the customer name and title to his list.

这时他突然想到——也可能是自己在书屋漏拿了一张纸条。

Or it struck him then, or perhaps there was a paper he had missed in the book den.

韦斯把空推车还回了"松林书页"后院的存放处。

Wes returned the cart empty to its spot behind Pages in the Pines.

然后，

Then,

用

with

手里仍抓着那本树木历史书，他走过短短一段路来到藏书室，掀开盖子，顺着梯子滑了下去。

the tree history book still in his grasp, walked the short distance to the book den, uncovered it, and slipped down the ladder.

没有月光帮助，下面一片漆黑，韦斯不得不等待眼睛适应，才能翻找那个装满客户记录、订单和收据的小档案柜。

Without the help of the moon, it was quite dark down there, and Wes had to wait for his eyes to adjust before rifling through the small filing cabinet filled with customer records, orders, and receipts.

这个时间他通常已经入睡，每隔一会儿，他就会忍不住打个哈欠。

He was usually asleep by this hour, and every few moments, he was overtaken by a yawn.

最终，他翻遍了整个档案柜。

Eventually, he flipped through the whole filing cabinet.

一无所获。

Nothing.

没有任何关于这本书的订单记录。

No record of an order for the book.

韦斯瞥了眼梯子，想象着回家的路。

Wes glanced at the ladder, imagined the walk home.

光是想想就让他更疲惫了。

Just thinking of it made him more tired.

他滑坐到藏书室的地板上，周围是成箱成箱的书，其中一些他将在清晨送达。

He slid to the floor of the book den surrounded by crates and crates of books, some of which he'd deliver in the morning.

那本关于树木历史的书摊在他的膝头。

The book on the history of trees lay in his lap.

他闭上眼睛，打算只休息一分钟就振作精神启程回家。

He closed his eyes, intending to rest them for just a minute before rallying for the trip home.

但直到黎明时分被一阵抽鼻子的声音惊醒，他才再次睁开眼睛。

But he didn't open them until he was awakened at dawn by the sound of someone sniffing.

韦斯，是你吗？

Wes, is that you?

韦斯在微弱的阳光下眨了眨眼，用手遮住眼睛，抬头望向正站在书堆边缘的哈丽特。

Wes blinked against the dim sun and shielded his eyes as he peered up at Harriet, who stood overlooking the edge of the book den.

啊，果然是你。

Ah, that is you.

好吧，上来吧。

Well, come on up.

这些书可不会自己送货上门。

These books won't deliver themselves.

韦斯抓起那本未能送达的书，爬上了梯子。

Wes grabbed the book he'd failed to deliver and clambered up the ladder.

幸好昨晚没下雨，韦斯踏上坚实的地面时暗自想道。

Good thing it didn't rain last night, Wes thought to himself as he reached solid ground.

他本想为忘记遮盖书堆、睡在里面以及没能送出手中的书而道歉。

He intended to apologize for forgetting to cover the book den and for sleeping in it and for failing to deliver the book in his grasp.

哈丽特，对不起。

Harriet, I'm sorry.

但哈丽特挥手打断了他。

But Harriet waved him off.

没关系，她说。

It's alright, she said.

然后她罕见地

Then she flashed a rare

露出了笑容。

grin.

那么，你觉得这本书怎么样？

Well, what did you think of it?

韦斯仍昏昏沉沉，因睡姿别扭尾巴还抽筋了。

Wes was still groggy, and he had a crick in his tail from his awkward sleeping position.

而现在，他更困惑了。

And now, in addition, he was confused.

他觉得自己肯定漏听了什么。

He thought he must have missed something or misheard.

我对此怎么看？

What what do I think of it?

哈丽特笑了起来。

Harriet laughed.

是的。

Yes.

它达到你的

Did it live up to your

预期了吗？

expectations?

韦斯比以往更困惑了。

Wes was more puzzled than ever.

他低头瞥了眼书窝。

He glanced down at the book den.

老实说，糟透了。

To be honest, it was lousy.

听到这话，哈丽特瞪大了眼睛。

At this, Harriet's eyes widened.

糟透了？

Lousy?

对。

Yes.

那相当不舒服。

It was rather uncomfortable.

现在她看起来困惑了。

Now she looked confused.

不舒服？

Uncomfortable?

是的。

Yes.

而且我尾巴抽筋了，还有韦斯。

And I have a crick in my tail and Wes.

怎么了？

Yes?

你在说什么？

What are you talking about?

那个书窝。

The book den.

睡在里面很不舒服。

It's very uncomfortable to sleep in.

韦斯注意到了哈丽特饶有兴趣的表情。

Wes took in Harriet's amused expression.

你刚才问的不是这个吧？

And that's not what you were asking about, were you?

不是。

No.

哈丽特低下头，用爪子指着韦斯手里的书。

Harriet looked down and pointed a paw at the book in Wes's grip.

我想知道你觉得我们送你的这本书怎么样。

I wanted to know what you thought of the book we got you.

在哈丽特的坚持下，韦斯翻开封面，发现了一行爪印题词。

At Harriet's insistence, Wes opened the front cover to find a paw written inscription.

韦斯，感谢你五年来的杰出服务，哈丽特和克里夫。

Wes, thank you for five years of exceptional service, Harriet and Cliff.

韦斯无法停止微笑，为这善意的举动，为他曾为这本书无谓的担忧，也为它现在属于他。

Wes couldn't stop smiling at the kind gesture, at the fact that he'd worried over this book for no reason at all, and the fact that it was his.

这本精美的收藏级书籍现在真真切切属于他了。

This beautiful collectible book was truly his.

他翻阅着纤薄的纸页，注意到每个新章节前精美的微型插图标记。

He flipped through the thin pages, noting the ornate little illustrations that marked each new chapter.

谢谢。

Thank you.

非常感谢。

Thank you so much.

这这实在是我们最起码能做的。

It's It's the very least we could do.

韦斯知道哈丽特是个寡言的松鼠。

Wes knew Harriet to be a squirrel of few words.

对话基本结束了，但他还有个问题。

The conversation was largely over, but he did have one question.

为什么你们不送兔子礼物？

Why didn't you gift rabbit?

我完全没想到这是给我的。

I had no idea it was for me.