Tony worked and worked. He got up at six every morning. He worked on the farm until four o’clock in the afternoon. But every minute of the day, music filled his mind.
At four o’clock he cycled to his piano lesson with Mr Gordon. He practised until seven o’clock, then he cycled back to the farm for supper. After supper he read Mr Gordon’s music books. Often he fell asleep at the kitchen table.
At night, while he slept, his mind was still full of music. Small black notes danced in front of his eyes. When he woke up the music was still there. Tony lived in a world of music.
The leaves fell from the trees. Winter came. It was dark when Tony got up in the mornings. It was dark when he cycled to his piano lesson, and it was dark when he cycled back to the farm again. Sometimes it snowed. Then he had to walk to and from the school. But he never missed a lesson.
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5
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“小家伙学得怎么样了?”一天,农场主问戈登先生。
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5
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’How’s the boy getting on?’ the farmer asked Mr Gordon one day.
Mr Gordon was a kind old man. But he made Tony practise for four hours every day. Another boy helped Mr Wood on the farm while Tony practised for the competition.
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14
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“距离比赛只有两个星期了,”一天晚上,戈登先生说道,“看看节目单吧。”
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14
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’Two weeks to go before the competition,’ said Mr Gordon one evening. ’Look, this is the programme.’
’Tony is a boy’s name,’ said Mr Gordon. ’Anthony is a man’s name. Tony Evans was a farm boy. Anthony Evans is a musician. One day, Anthony Evans will be famous all over the world. And from today I’m going to call you Anthony.’
On the morning of the competition Mr and Mrs Wood and Anthony went into town in the car. While Mr Wood had a drink with some friends, Mrs Wood took Anthony shopping. She bought him a new brown suit and a new white shirt. Then she took him into a shoe shop — and Pip’s father sold her some new shoes for Anthony.
They were beautiful shoes. They shone like glass and Mrs Wood liked them very much. The shoes were too small and they hurt Anthony’s feet. But he did not say anything — what could he say?
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20
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伍德太太付了鞋钱,皮普的父亲把皮鞋放到盒子里。
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20
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Mrs Wood paid for the shoes, and Pip’s father put them in a box.
’I hear you’re playing in the music competition tonight,’ he said to Anthony. ’I saw your name in the programme. Anthony Evans — it sounds wonderful. Good luck!’
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22
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晚上,伍德一家和安东尼开车到了戈登先生的住处。戈登先生一身盛装地走出门来。
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22
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In the evening the Wood family and Anthony drove to Mr Gordon’s house. Mr Gordon came out. He was wearing his best suit.
The old man got into the car and they all drove to the competition. The Woods went to their seats, but Mr Gordon took Anthony through the stage door. He took him to a room behind the stage. A lot of musicians were waiting there. The women were wearing long dresses. The men were wearing evening suits. Nobody spoke to Anthony.
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25
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“再会,我的孩子,”戈登先生说道,“祝你好运。”
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25
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’Goodbye, my boy,’ said Mr Gordon, ’and good luck.’
Anthony sat in the waiting room for a long time. His feet hurt. They burned like fire. His hands felt cold. They were shaking. From a long way away he heard the sound of a piano. Every few minutes a man came in and called someone’s name. After a long time the man came in and said, ’Mr Evans, please.’ Anthony did not move. Nobody usually called him Mr Evans!
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27
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“安东尼·埃文斯先生,请上场!”那人重复道,“快点,我们可等不了你一晚上!”
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27
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’Mr Anthony Evans, please!’ said the man again. ’Come along — we haven’t got all night!’
Anthony got up. ’Oh, my feet hurt!’ he thought. He followed the man up some stairs. ’I’m walking like Charlie Chaplin,’ he thought. ’Everybody will laugh at me.’
He walked on to the stage and sat down at the big piano. The dark wood shone like glass. He could see his face in it. He turned round and looked at the sea of faces. He could not see the Wood family. He could not see Mr Gordon. But suddenly Anthony felt their love and their kindness. His feet stopped hurting, his hands stopped shaking. He touched the piano. It was much bigger than the old piano in the classroom. The keys looked very clean and new. He wanted to touch them.
’Well,’ he said to himself, ’of course I want to touch them. That’s why I’m here!’ And he began to play. He forgot about himself. He forgot about all the strange people in the theatre, and he just played for his friends. He played for Mr and Mrs Wood. He played for Linda. He played for Mr Gordon. And he played for old Mrs Lark.
’Where are you now, Mrs Lark?’ he thought. ’Do you remember Tony Evans? You gave us a lot of happiness, Mrs Lark. Thank you. Thank you.’ His hands flew over the piano keys. Beautiful sounds filled the theatre.
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32
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“他会赢得这场比赛的,”戈登先生对自己说道,“这是我一生中最高兴的一天。”
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32
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’He’s going to win the competition,’ Mr Gordon said to himself. ’And this is the happiest day of my life.’
And Anthony won the competition. He knew that he was the winner because he saw his photograph in the newspaper the next day. But he could not remember anything about it. All he remembered was his feet.
When he got out of the car, he could not walk. His new shoes hurt him too much. Mr Wood helped him into the kitchen while Mrs Wood filled an old tin bath with warm water. Linda took Anthony’s shoes off. His feet were very hot and red. He put them in the warm water.