The Careys made up their minds to send Philip to King’s School at Tercanbury. The neighbouring clergy sent their sons there. It was united by long tradition to the Cathedral: its headmaster was an honoraryCanon, and a past headmaster was the Archdeacon. Boys were encouraged there to aspire to Holy Orders, and the education was such as might prepare an honest lad to spend his life in God’s service. A preparatory school was attached to it, and to this it was arranged that Philip should go. Mr. Carey took him into Tercanbury one Thursday afternoon towards the end of September. All day Philip had been excited and rather frightened. He knew little of school life but what he had read in the stories of The Boy’s Own Paper. He had also read Eric, or Little by Little.
When they got out of the train at Tercanbury, Philip felt sick with apprehension , and during the drive in to the town sat pale and silent. The high brick wall in front of the school gave it the look of a prison. There was a little door in it, which opened on their ringing; and a clumsy, untidy man came out and fetched Philip’s tin trunk and his play-box. They were shown into the drawing-room; it was filled with massive, ugly furniture, and the chairs of the suite were placed round the walls with a forbidding rigidity . They waited for the headmaster.
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"沃森先生是个啥模样的?"过了半响,菲利普开口问。
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‘What’s Mr. Watson like?’ asked Philip, after a while.
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"待会儿你自己瞧吧。"
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‘You’ll see for yourself.’
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接着又是一阵沉默。凯里先生暗暗纳闷:校长怎么迟迟不露面?这时菲利普鼓起勇气,又说:
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There was another pause. Mr. Carey wondered why the headmaster did not come. Presently Philip made an effort and spoke again.
Before Mr. Carey could speak the door burst open and Mr. Watson swept into the room. To Philip he seemed gigantic. He was a man of over six feet high, and broad, with enormous hands and a great red beard; he talked loudly in a jovial manner; but his aggressive cheerfulness struck terror in Philip’s heart. He shook hands with Mr. Carey, and then took Philip’s small hand in his.
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"喂,小家伙,来上学了,觉得带劲吗?"他大声说。
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‘Well, young fellow, are you glad to come to school?’ he shouted.
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菲利普红着脸,窘得不知如何回答是好。
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Philip reddened and found no word to answer.
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"你多大岁数啦?"
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‘How old are you?’
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"九岁,"菲利普说。
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‘Nine,’ said Philip.
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"你该称呼一声’先生,才是,"他大伯在旁提醒说。
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‘You must say sir,’ said his uncle.
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"看来你要学的东西还不少呢,"校长兴致勃勃地大声嚷嚷道。
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‘I expect you’ve got a good lot to learn,’ the headmaster bellowed cheerily.
‘I’ve put him in the small dormitory for the present.... You’ll like that, won’t you?’ he added to Philip. ‘Only eight of you in there. You won’t feel so strange.’
Then the door opened, and Mrs. Watson came in. She was a dark woman with black hair, neatly parted in the middle. She had curiously thick lips and a small round nose. Her eyes were large and black. There was a singular coldness in her appearance. She seldom spoke and smiled more seldom still. Her husband introduced Mr. Carey to her, and then gave Philip a friendly push towards her.
Without a word she shook hands with Philip and then sat down, not speaking, while the headmaster asked Mr. Carey how much Philip knew and what books he had been working with. The Vicar of Blackstable was a little embarrassed by Mr. Watson’s boisterousheartiness , and in a moment or two got up.
He swept out of the drawing-room with giant strides, and Philip hurriedly limped behind him. He was taken into a long, bare room with two tables that ran along its whole length; on each side of them were wooden forms.
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"现在学校里还没什么学生,"沃森先生说,"我再领你去看看操场,然后就请你自便了。"
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‘Nobody much here yet,’ said Mr. Watson. ‘I’ll just show you the playground, and then I’ll leave you to shift for yourself.’
Mr. Watson led the way. Philip found himself in a large play-ground with high brick walls on three sides of it. On the fourth side was an iron railing through which you saw a vast lawn and beyond this some of the buildings of King’s School. One small boy was wandering disconsolately , kicking up the gravel as he walked.
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"喂,文宁,"沃森先生大声招呼,"你什么时候来的?"
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‘Hulloa, Venning,’ shouted Mr. Watson. ‘When did you turn up?’
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小男孩走上前来同沃森先生握手。
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The small boy came forward and shook hands.
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"这是个新同学,年纪比你大,个子也比你高,可别欺负他呀。"
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‘Here’s a new boy. He’s older and bigger than you, so don’t you bully him.’
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校长瞪大眼睛,友善地望着这两个孩子,那洪钟般的嗓音足以将孩子们震慑住,接着他哈哈笑着走开了。
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The headmaster glared amicably at the two children, filling them with fear by the roar of his voice, and then with a guffaw left them.
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"你叫什么名字?"
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‘What’s your name?’
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"凯里。"
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‘Carey.’
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"你爸爸干什么的?"
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‘What’s your father?’
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"爸爸过世了。"
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‘He’s dead.’
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"哦!你妈妈给人洗衣服吗?"
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‘Oh! Does your mother wash?’
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"我妈妈也去世了。"
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‘My mother’s dead, too.’
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菲利普以为他的回答会使那孩子发窘,哪知文宁并不当回事,仍嬉皮笑脸地开玩笑。
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Philip thought this answer would cause the boy a certain awkwardness, but Venning was not to be turned from his facetiousness for so little.
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"哦,那她生前洗衣服吗?"
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‘Well, did she wash?’ he went on.
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"洗过的,"菲利普没好气地回答。
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‘Yes,’ said Philip indignantly.
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"那她是个洗衣妇啰?"
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‘She was a washerwoman then?’
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"不,她不是洗衣妇。"
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‘No, she wasn’t.’
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"那她就没给人洗过衣服。"
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‘Then she didn’t wash.’
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小男孩觉得自己巧辩有术,占了上风,挺洋洋得意。这时候他一眼瞧见了菲利普的脚。
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The little boy crowed with delight at the success of his dialectic. Then he caught sight of Philip’s feet.
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"你的脚怎么啦?"
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‘What’s the matter with your foot?’
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菲利普本能地缩回那只跛足,藏在好脚的后面,想不让他看见。
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Philip instinctively tried to withdraw it from sight. He hid it behind the one which was whole.
The little boy accompanied the words with a sharp kick on Philip’s shin, which Philip did not expect and thus could not guard against. The pain was so great that it made him gasp , but greater than the pain was the surprise. He did not know why Venning kicked him. He had not the presence of mind to give him a black eye. Besides, the boy was smaller than he, and he had read in The Boy’s Own Paper that it was a mean thing to hit anyone smaller than yourself. While Philip was nursing his shin a third boy appeared, and his tormentor left him. In a little while he noticed that the pair were talking about him, and he felt they were looking at his feet. He grew hot and uncomfortable.
But others arrived, a dozen together, and then more, and they began to talk about their doings during the holidays, where they had been, and what wonderful cricket they had played. A few new boys appeared, and with these presently Philip found himself talking. He was shy and nervous. He was anxious to make himself pleasant, but he could not think of anything to say. He was asked a great many questions and answered them all quite willingly. One boy asked him whether he could play cricket.
The boy looked down quickly and reddened. Philip saw that he felt he had asked an unseemly question. He was too shy to apologise and looked at Philip awkwardly.