The night seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full. And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.

夜好像变长了。威伯的肚子是空的，脑子里却装得满满的。当你的肚子是空的，可脑子里却满是心事的时候，总是很难入睡的。

 

A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to figure out what time it was. A barn is never perfectly¹ quiet. Even at midnight there is usually something stirring.

这一夜，威伯醒了很多次。醒时他就拼命朝黑暗中望着，听着，想弄明白是几点钟了。谷仓从没有完全安静的时候，甚至在半夜里也还是老有响动。

 

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing² a hole in the grain bin³. Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur. "Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"

第一次醒来时，他听到坦普尔曼在谷仓里打洞的声音。坦普尔曼的牙使劲儿地嗑着木头，弄出很大的动静。“那只疯耗子！”威伯想。“为什么他整夜的在那里磨牙，破坏人们的财产？为什么他不去睡觉，像任何一只正常的动物那样？”

 

The second time Wilbur woke, he heard the goose turning on her nest and chuckling⁴ to herself.

第二次醒来时，威伯听到母鹅在她的窝里来回挪着，自顾自的傻笑。

 

"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the goose.

“几点了？”威伯低声问母鹅。

 

"Probably-obably-obably about half-past eleven," said the goose, "Why aren't you asleep, Wilbur?"

“可能-能-能十一点半了吧，”母鹅说。“你为什么不睡，威伯？”

 

"Too many things on my mind," said Wilbur.

“我脑子里的东西太多了，”威伯说。

 

"Well," said the goose, "that's not my trouble. I have nothing at all on my mind, but I've too many things under my behind. Have you ever tried to sleep while sitting on eight eggs?"

“唔，”母鹅说。“我没这样的麻烦。我脑子里什么东西都没有，不过我的屁股下面倒有很多东西。你试过坐在八个蛋上睡觉吗？”

 

"No," replied Wilbur, "I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?"

“没有，”威伯回答。“我猜那一定很不舒服，一个鹅蛋得孵多久？”

 

"Approximately-oximately thirty days, all told," answered the goose. "But I cheat a little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a little straw over the eggs and go out for a walk."

“他们说大约-约要三十天，”母鹅回答。“可我有时会偷懒。在温暖的午后，我常衔来一些稻草把蛋盖上，一个人去散步。”

 

Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In his dreams he heard again the voice saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep--you'll see me in the morning."

威伯打了个哈欠，进入了梦乡。梦里他又仿佛听到了那个声音，“我将成为你的朋友。去睡吧——明早你会看见我。”

 

About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened. The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed⁵. Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand. The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth⁶. Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this--calm and quiet, waiting for light.

大约在天亮前的半小时，威伯醒了，开始倾听。谷仓里还是很黑。绵羊睡得很沉。甚至那只母鹅也很安静。头上的主楼那里也没什么动静：牛正在休息，马在打盹儿。坦普尔曼也不见了，可能到别处工作去了吧。只有谷仓顶上才有些轻微的响动，那是风信鸡在风里晃来晃去。威伯很喜欢这时的谷仓——一切都那么静谧，安详，只等曙光的来临。

 

"Day is almost here," he thought.

“白天就要来了。”他想。

 

Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared. One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing. Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.

一缕微光从小窗子里透了进来。星星们一个接一个的熄灭了。威伯现在能看清几步远的母鹅了。她的头藏到了翅膀的下面。接着，他也能看清绵羊和羊羔了。天亮了。

 

"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."

“哦，美丽的白天，它终于来了！今天我会找到朋友了。”

 

Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly⁷. He examined the window ledge⁸, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided⁹ he would have to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his throat.

威伯四处搜寻着。他把家里查了个遍。他检查了窗台，又望了望天花板。但却什么新变化都没发现。最后他只好决定喊话了。尽管他不愿用自己的声音来打破这可爱的黎明时分的寂静，但他想不出还有什么别的办法可以找出那位无处可见的，神秘的新朋友。因此威伯清了清嗓子。

 

"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice. "Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly¹⁰ make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"

“请注意！”他用特别洪亮的嗓门说，“请在昨晚就寝时友好地和我谈话的那位先生或女士给我打一个手势，或者发个信号！”

 

Wilbur paused and listened. All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed. But he was determined¹¹ to get in touch with his unknown friend.

威伯停下来，听了听。别的动物都抬起头瞪向他。威伯脸红了。但他还是决心找出这个陌生的朋友。

 

"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up. Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"

“请注意！”他说。“我再重复一遍。请昨夜睡前和我亲切谈话的朋友出来说话。请告诉我你在哪里，如果你是我的朋友的话！”

 

The sheep looked at each other in disgust.

绵羊们互相交流着厌恶的表情。

 

"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep. "If you have a new friend here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?"

“别说胡话了，威伯！”最老的绵羊说。“如果你在这里有一个新朋友，你就是在妨害他的休息；而且在他早晨准备起床前把他吵醒，也是打破友谊的最快方法。你能确定你的朋友喜欢早起吗？”

 

"I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn't mean to be objectionable."

“各位，请原谅，”威伯的声音低了下来。“我并不想打扰别人。”

 

He lay down meekly¹² in the in the manure¹³, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near. and the old sheep was right--the friend was still asleep.

他脸朝门委屈地躺了下来。他没想到会打扰别人，但如果他的朋友就在不远，早就该听到了。可能老羊说得对——这个朋友还没睡醒呢。

 

Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate everything in a hurry, and licked the trough. The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled¹⁴ along behind them, pulling grass. And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before.

不久鲁维来送早饭了。威伯冲出去急忙把食物吃光，还把食槽舔了个遍。绵羊们向小路走去，后面跟着摇摇摆摆的公鹅。就在威伯准备躺下来睡个早觉时，他又听到了昨夜的那种声音。

 

"Salutations!" said the voice.

“致敬！”那个声音说。

 

Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.

威伯跳了起来。“致什么？”他问。

 

"Salutations!" said the voice.

“致敬！”那声音重复道。

 

"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?"

“这个词儿是什么意思，你又在哪儿？”威伯尖叫起来。“求求你，求求你，告诉我你在哪儿吧。还有，致敬是什么意思？”

 

"Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner of the dooway! Here I am. Look, I'm waving!"

“致敬是句问候用语，”那个声音说道。“当我说‘致敬’，就等于对你说‘你好’或是‘早上好’。实际上，这是种愚蠢的表达方式，真奇怪我刚才怎么会用这么一个词儿。你想知道我在哪儿吗？那很容易。往门框上角看！我在这儿。看，我在挥手哩！”

 

At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the upper part of the doorway¹⁵ was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down, was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. "See me now?" she asked.

威伯终于找到了如此友善的和自己交谈的动物。门框的上方拉着一张大蜘蛛网，一只大灰蜘蛛正倒挂在网的高处。她只有一粒树胶糖丸那么大。她长着八条腿，正用其中的一条腿友好地对威伯致意呢。“现在看到我了？”她问。

 

"Oh, yes indeed," said Wilbur. "Yes indeed! How are you? Good morning! Salutations! Very pleased to meet you. What is your name, please? May I have your name?"

“噢，确实看见了，”威伯说。“确实看见了！你好！早上好！致敬！很高兴认识你。请问芳名？我可以问你的名字吗？”

 

"My name," said the spider," is Charlotte."

“我的名字，”蜘蛛说，“叫夏洛。”

 

"Charlotte what?" asked Wilbur, eagerly.

“夏洛什么？”威伯渴切地问。

 

"Charlotte A. Cavatica. But just call me Charlotte."

“夏洛·A·卡瓦蒂娜。你就叫我夏洛好了。”

 

"I think you're beautiful," said Wilbur.

“我觉得你真很漂亮，”威伯说。

 

"Well, I am pretty," replied Charlotte. "There's no denying that. Almost all spiders are rather nice-looking. I'm not as flashy as some, but I'll do. I wish I could see you, Wilbur, as clearly as you can see me."

“谢谢，我是很漂亮，”夏洛回答。“那是毫无疑问的。几乎所有的蜘蛛都长得相当好看。我不像别的蜘蛛那么艳丽，不过我也算可以了。我希望能看清你，威伯，就像你能看清我一样。”

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