The children and their father remember Miranda, of course, and they talk about her sometimes. Miranda’s sister often visits us, and she always tells the children a story about their mother. Nick remembers Miranda; I know he does. And in the hospital, Grandma remembers, too. They all remember Miranda.
I never met Miranda, but every day I look at her photograph, next to the telephone in the kitchen, the picture of her with her children. Every day I look at her beautiful dark eyes and her long dark hair.
I first saw Miranda’s photograph two years ago. It was a cold October day, and I left London for my new job with a family in Norfolk. I drove north, past Norwich, and it began to rain. It was dark and there was a strong wind so I drove slowly and carefully. I wanted to see the Harvey children before they went to bed. But because of the weather, it was eight o’clock before I arrived in Cromer. I drove through the town, along the sea road.
Suddenly, I stopped. There was a tree across the road. I got out of my car. It was a big tree, and I couldn’t move it. Just then, a car drove up behind me and a man got out.
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5
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"出什么事了?哦--一棵树横在路上。"他个子高高的,三十岁左右。"你要去哪儿?"他问。
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5
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’What’s the matter? Oh - a tree across the road.’ He was a tall man, about thirty years old. ’Where are you going?’ he asked.
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6
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"不远了,"我回答,"就是这条路上的一栋房子,靠近海边,叫做海滩屋。"
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6
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’Not far,’ I said. ’It’s a house along this road, near the sea. It’s called Beach House.’
’Oh, I know Beach House,’ the man said. ’It’s the last house along this road. But you can’t drive there tonight, with this tree across the road.’ He stopped for a minute. ’I’m Nick Watson, and I live at the farm along the road. We can go back to my house, and then walk across the fields to Beach House. Are you visiting for the weekend?’
’No, no. I’m going to work in the house and look after Mr Harvey’s children. Their mother died two years ago, and their grandmother has arthritis in her legs and can’t walk much now. So I’m going to look after the children and the house,’ I told him. ’I met old Mrs Harvey in London, six weeks ago, and she gave me the job. Do you know the Harveys?’
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9
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那个男人笑了。他的笑温和而友好。"哦,是的,我认识他们。"他回答。
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9
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The man laughed. His laugh was warm and friendly. ’Oh, yes, I know them,’ he said.
We drove back down the road and into the farm. Then we walked across the fields. It was dark and windy and cold. After ten minutes we arrived at a big white house. The lights were on downstairs, and the house looked friendly. I had no home because my mother and father died a long time ago, and I had no brothers or sisters. This was my first job and I wanted to be happy in this house.
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11
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一个男人来开了门。他看起来很疲惫,脸上毫无笑意。
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11
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A man opened the door. He looked tired and there was no smile on his face.
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12
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"你好,我是凯茜·威尔逊。"我开口道,"我知道,我来得太晚了,都是因为天气太差了。"
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12
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’Hello, I’m Cathy Wilson,’ I began. ’I’m very late, I know. It’s because the weather’s so bad.’
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13
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"一棵树横在了公路中间,"尼克说,"所以凯茜把她的车停在了农场,我们步行过来的。"
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13
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’There’s a tree down across the road,’ Nick said. ’So Cathy left her car at the farm and we walked here.’
Duncan Harvey looked at Nick. ’You always want to help,’ he said coldly. ’And you’re always there at the right time, ready to help.’ His face was angry and I didn’t understand why.
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15
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"风大极了......"我说。
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15
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’The wind’s very strong...’ I began.
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16
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"没关系,"尼克回答。他冲我笑笑,他的眼睛很蓝。"再见,凯茜。明天过来取你的车。"
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16
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’It doesn’t matter,’ Nick said. He smiled at me and his eyes were very blue. ’Goodbye, Cathy. Come and get your car tomorrow.’
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17
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邓肯什么也没说。我走进屋里,他带着我穿过屋子进了厨房。
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17
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Duncan said nothing. I went into the house and he took me through into the kitchen.
Old Mrs Harvey sat near the window. ’Hello, my dear,’ she said warmly. ’What a wind! Come and have something to eat.’ She stood up and walked slowly across the room. Her hair was white, and she had a stick because of her bad legs.
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20
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我坐下来,开始吃东西。
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20
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I sat down and began to eat.
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21
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"邓肯生气是因为他不喜欢尼克。"哈维太太悄悄地告诉我,"他不是在生你的气。"
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21
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’Duncan is angry because he doesn’t like Nick,’ Mrs Harvey told me quietly. ’He’s not angry with you.’
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22
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邓肯为什么不喜欢尼克?我在想。我不明白,但是我也不想问哈维太太。
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22
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Why didn’t Duncan like Nick? I thought. I didn’t understand, but I didn’t like to ask Mrs Harvey.
The next morning I met the children. Tim was five years old. He ran up and down the garden with a football. Susan was seven years old, a quiet little girl with big brown eyes. She watched me carefully but she didn’t smile.
The weather changed and the sun was warm. In the afternoon I walked with the children by the sea. The sky was blue and the sea was beautiful. I cooked dinner and we all ate in the kitchen.
The days went quickly. Duncan went to stay in London for three weeks for his work. He had a job with a big London company. He often worked on his computer at home, but he went away a lot, too. I liked the children and I liked old Mrs Harvey, but I had no friends.
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37
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有一天,我走出克罗默镇的一家商店,正巧碰上了朱丽叶。
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37
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One day, I came out of a shop in Cromer, and there was Juliet!
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38
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"你好!"她说,"很高兴见到你!我们去喝杯咖啡吧,可以说说话!"
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38
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’Hello!’ she said. ’It’s good to see you! Let’s go and have a coffee, and we can talk.’
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39
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于是我们去了。朱丽叶跟我讲她教书的工作,讲苏珊和蒂姆,也讲她姐姐。
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39
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And we did. Juliet told me about her teaching job, and she talked about Susan and Tim, and she talked about her sister.
’I often visited Miranda at Beach House because she wasn’t happy there,’ Juliet said quietly. ’Duncan is a difficult man; you can see that. He loved her, of course, but he was often away in London. She loved the children, and Grandma, but she was very lonely.’