徒添笑柄 《魔法师的外甥》第47期:第一个笑柄及其他(3)

《魔法师的外甥》第47期:第一个笑柄及其他(3)  

A Panther
which had been washing its face
stopped for a moment to say
"Well
if they are
they're nothing like so good as the first one. At least
1 don't see anything very funny about them." It yawned and went on with its wash.
"Oh
please
" said Digory. "I'm in such a hurry. I want to see the Lion."
All this time the Cabby had been trying to catch Strawberry's eYe. Now he did. "Now
Strawberry
old boy
" he said. "You know me. You ain't going to stand there and say as you don't know me."
"What's the Thing talking about
Horse?" said several voices.
"Well
" said Strawberry very slowly
"I don't exactly know
I think most of us don't know much about any thing yet. But I've a sort of idea I've seen a thing like this before. I've a feeling I lived somewhere else - or was something else - before Aslan woke us all up a few minutes ago. It's all very muddled. Like a dream. But there were things like these three in the dream."
"What?" said the Cabby. "Not know me? Me what used to bring you a hot mash of an evening when you was out of sorts? Me what rubbed you down proper? Me what never fot to put your cloth on you if you was standing in the _ cold? I wouldn't 'ave thought it of you
Strawberry."
"It does begin to e back
" said the Horse thoughtfully. "Yes. Let me think now
let me think. Yes
you used to tie a horrid black thing behind me and then hit me to make me run
and however far I ran this black thing would always be ing rattle-rattle behind me."
"We 'ad our living to earn
see
" said the Cabby. "Yours the same as mine. And if there 'adn't been no work and no whip there'd 'ave been no stable
no hay
no mash
and no oats. For you did get a taste of oats when I could afford 'em
which no one can deny."
"Oats?" said the Horse
pricking up his ears. "Yes
I remember something about that. Yes
I remember more and more. You were always sitting up somewhere behind
and I was always running in front
pulling you and the black thing. I know I did all the work."
"Summer
I grant you
" said the Cabby. " 'Ot work for you and a cool seat for me. But what about winter
old boy
when you was keeping yourself warm and I was sitting up there with my feet like ice and my nose fair pinched off me with the wind
and my 'ands that numb I couldn't 'ardly 'old the reins?"
"It was a hard
cruel country
" said Strawberry. "There was no grass. All hard stones."
一头一直在洗脸的黑豹踌躇了一下，说道，“嗯，如果是的话，也没有第一个好笑。至少，我看不出他们有什么可笑之处。”它打了一个呵欠，又继续洗脸。
“噢，对不起，”迪格雷说，“我很着急。我想见见狮子。
马车伕一直存试着吸引草莓的目光。终子，它看见他了。“草莓，好朋友，”他说，“你认识我。你不会往那儿一站就说不认识我吧，”
“那玩意儿在说什么，马？”几个声音问道。
“嗯，”草莓慢吞吞地说，“我不太清楚。我认为我们中的大多数都还不知道多少事情。但我觉得，我以前见过类似的这种玩意儿。我有种感觉，我过去住存别的什么地方——或者说，是另外一种东两——在阿斯兰几分钟前唤醒我们之前。一切都混混沌沌的，像一个梦，但梦里有很像他们三个的玩意儿。”
“什么？”马车伕说，“你不认识我，就是我，在你不舒服时拿谷糖给你当晚餐，就是我给你梳理鬃毛，你居然不认识我？你站在冷地方我从没忘记给你盖点儿什么，没想到你会说出这种话，草莓。”
“真的想起来了。”马沉思着，“是的。让我想想，想想。对了，你过去老是把一个可怕的黑东西绑在我后面，然后打着我往前跑。不管我跑多远，那黑东西都一直在我后面哐啷哐啷地拖着。”
“我们不得不挣钱过日子，”马车伕说，“你我是一根藤上的苦瓜。要是不干活儿不挨鞭子，就不会有马厩和干草，不会有谷糖和燕麦。我买得起燕麦的时候，你就能尝到一点儿。这一点谁也不能否认。”
“燕麦？”马竖起耳朵说，“对，我记得有那种东西。是的，我记得的事儿越来越多了。你以前总是坐在我后面的一个地方，而我总在前面跑，拉着你和那黑东西。我知道，所有的活儿都是我在干。”
“夏天，我承认，”马车伕说，“你干活儿很热，我坐在凉快的地方。可冬天呢，好朋友。你能一直让自己暖和，我却坐在那儿，脚冻得像冰棍似的，鼻子都快让风给刮掉了，手也二东僵了，差点儿抓不住缰绳。”
“那是个难以忍受的残酷的国家，”草莓说，“那儿没有草，全是硬硬的石头。”