第5章 火车上的少女 The Girl on the Train
佚名/Anonymous
I had the compartment on the train to myself up to Rohana, and then a girl got on. The couple seeing her off were probably her parents, they seemed very anxious about her comfort, and the woman gave the girl detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of windows, and how to avoid speaking to strangers.
As I had become blind by then, I could not tell what the girl looked like, but I knew she wore slippers from the way they slapped against her heels, and I liked the sound of her voice.
“Are you going all the way to Dehra Dun?” I asked her as the train pulled out of the station.
I must have been sitting in a dark corner, because my voice startled her. She gave a little exclamation, and said,“I didn't know anyone else was here.”
Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them. They have too much to observe, I suppose, whereas those who cannot see take in what registers most telling on their remaining senses.
“I didn't see you either at first,” I said,“but I heard you come in.” I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering that I couldn't see. I thought, provided I keep to my seat, it shouldn't be too difficult.
“I'm getting down at Saharanpur,” the girl said,“my aunt is meeting me there. Where are you going?”
“To Dehra Dun, and then to Mussoorie.” I replied.
“Oh, lucky you! I wish I were going to Mussoorie. I love the mountains. Especially in October.”
“Yes, this is the best time.” I said, calling on my memories when I could see.“The hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sun is delicious, and at night you can sit in front of a log fire and drink a little brandy. Most of the tourists have gone, and the roads are quiet and almost deserted.”
She was silent, and I wondered if my words had touched her, or whether she thought me a romantic fool. Then I made a mistake.“What is it like outside?” I asked.
She seemed to find nothing strange in the question. Had she noticed already that I could not see? But her next question removed my doubts.“Why don't you look out of the window?” she asked quite naturally.
I moved easily along the berth and felt for the window ledge. The window was open and I faced it, making a pretense of studying the landscape. In my mind's eye, I could see the telegraph posts flashing by.“Have you noticed,” I ventured,“that the trees seem to be moving while we seem to be standing still?”
“That always happens.” she said.
I turned from the window and faced the girl, and for a while we sat in silence.“You have an interesting face,” I commented. I was becoming quite daring, but it was a safe remark, few girls can resist flattery.
She laughed pleasantly, a clear, ringing laugh.“It's nice to be told that,” she said,“I'm so tired of people telling me that I have a pretty face.”
Oh, so you do have a pretty face, thought I, and aloud I said,“Well, an interesting face can also be pretty.”
“You are very gallant,” she said,“but why are you so serious?”
“We'll soon be at your station.” I said rather abruptly.
“Thank goodness it's a short journey. I can't bear to sit in a train for more than two or three hours.”
Yet I was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time, just to listen to her talking. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream. As soon as she left the train, she would forget our brief encounter, but it would stay with me for the rest of the journey, and for some time after.
The engine's whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm. The girl got up to collect her things. I wondered if she wore her hair in a bun, or if it hung down loose over her shoulders, or if it was cut very short.
The train drew slowly into the station. Outside, there was the shouting of porters and vendors and, near the carriage door, a high pitched female voice that must have belonged to the girl's aunt.
“Goodbye.” said the girl.
She was standing very close to me, so close that the perfume from her hair was tantalizing. I wanted to raise my hand and touch her hair, but she moved away, and only the perfume still lingered where she had stood.
There was some confusion in the doorway. A man getting into the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged shut, and the world was closed out again. I returned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off.
The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into daylight that was darkness for me. Once again I had a game to play and a new fellow traveller.
“She was an interesting girl, ”I said,“can you tell me— did she keep her hair long or short?”
“I don't remember,” he replied, sounding puzzled,“it was her eyes I noticed, not her hair. She had such beautiful eyes, but they were of no use to her—she was completely blind. Didn't you notice?”
火车车厢里只有我一个人，直到到了达罗哈那，一个少女上来了。一对夫妇为她送行，那可能是她的父母，他们似乎很担心她舒适与否，那个妇人很详细地向她说明，她的东西放在什么位置，什么时候不能探身窗外，还有怎么避免和陌生人交谈。
那时，因为我双目失明，无法看见少女的面貌，但从她的鞋子拍打后跟的声音听出来她穿着拖鞋。我很喜欢她说话的声音。
“你要一直到台拉登吗？”火车出站的时候，我问她。
我的声音吓了她一跳，我想自己一定是坐在阴暗的角落里了。她轻轻地惊叫了一声，说道：“我不知道还有人在这儿。”
噢，视力正常的人通常发生这种事——对眼前的事物视而不见。我猜想，他们是要观察太多的东西，反过来，那些失明的人则对其他感官的感受特别敏感。
“刚开始我也没有看见你，”我说，“可是，我听到你进来的声音了。”我不想让她发现我看不见。不知道能不能做得到，我想，这应该不难，倘若我坐着不动的话。
“我在萨哈兰布尔下车，”少女说道，“我的姑姑会在那里接我。你去哪儿？”
“去台拉登，再去穆索里。”我回答道。
“啊，你真幸运，我真希望自己也能去穆索里，我爱那里的山，特别是在10月份的时候。”
“是的，那是最好的时节。”我说，回想起自己还能看见时的一些记忆，“漫山遍野都覆盖着野生的大丽花，阳光一片绚烂。而且，晚上，你可以坐在篝火前喝些白兰地。游客大部分都已经走了，山路上一片寂静，甚至有些荒凉。”
她默默无语，我很纳闷，不知道是不是我的语言触动了她，或者，她是否会认为我是个爱幻想的笨蛋。后来，我犯了一个错误，“外面是什么样子？”
她好像并没有发现这个问题有什么奇怪之处。她是不是已经注意到我看不见了呢？但我的疑虑很快被她的下一个问题打消了，“你为什么不自己看看窗外呢？”她很自然地问道。
我轻松地在卧铺上移动了一下，摸到了窗台的边沿，面对着打开的窗户，装作欣赏风景的样子。在我的想象中，我能看见电线杆一根根地不断闪过，“你注意到了吗？”我冒险问道，“树似乎都在移动，而我们看起来倒像是静止的。”
“通常都是这样。”她说。
我从窗口转过来，面对着女孩，我们沉默地坐了一会儿，“你的脸蛋很有趣，”我评价道，我变得非常大胆了，但这种评论很安全，没有哪个女孩不喜欢被奉承。
她开心地笑了，笑声如银铃般清脆，“很高兴听你这么说，”她说，“人们总是说我的脸蛋很漂亮，我都听厌了。”
噢，这么说来，你的脸蛋真的很漂亮，我想，便又大声说道：“当然，有趣的脸蛋可以很美丽啊。”
“你真会说话，”她说，“但为什么你这么严肃呢？”
“你下车的站很快就要到了。”我突然说道。
“谢天谢地，行程很短。我可忍受不了要在火车上坐两三个小时以上。”
然而，只要能听她说话，不论在那里坐多长时间，我都无所谓。她的声音有一种如山涧溪流般的活力。也许，我们短暂的相遇，她一下车就会忘记，但余下的旅程里，甚至以后的一段时间，我都将无法忘怀。
尖锐的火车汽笛声响起来了，车轮的声音和节奏有所变化。少女起身收拾东西，我想知道她是将头发结成髻，还是自然地让其披散在肩头，亦或是剪成短发。
火车慢慢地进站了，窗外，搬运工和小贩的叫喊声不绝于耳，一个尖嗓子的女人在车门附近说话，那一定是少女的姑姑了。
“再见。”少女说道。
她站在那里，离我很近，近得可以闻到她发上的芳香，令我心神**漾。我想抬起手来，摸摸她的头发，可她已经走开了，只有一股芳香仍萦绕在她刚刚站立的地方。
车门口一片混乱，车厢里上来一个男人，嘴里还在结结巴巴地道歉，然后，车门重重地关上了，世界重新又被关在外面。我回到卧铺，站台员吹响了口哨，我们又往前移动了。
火车的速度加快了，车轮继续鸣唱起来，车厢摇晃着，发出嘎吱的呻吟声。我找到窗台，坐在它前面，盯着这于我如同黑夜一般的白昼，与这个新的旅伴又玩起了这种游戏。
“她是个很有趣的女孩，”我说，“你能告诉我——她是留长发还是短发吗？”
“我不记得了，”他答道，听起来有些困惑，“我留意了她的眼睛，而不是头发。她的眼睛非常漂亮，可是毫无用处——她完全失明了，你没有注意到吗？”
1.As I had become__________by then, I could not tell what the__________looked like, but I knew she wore slippers__________the way they slapped against her heels, and I__________the sound of her voice.
2.She seemed__________find nothing strange in the question. Had she noticed already that I could not__________? But her next question removed my doubts.“Why__________you look out of the window?” she__________quite naturally.
1.噢，视力正常的人通常发生这种事——对眼前的事物视而不见。
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2.也许，我们短暂的相遇，她一下车就会忘记，但余下的旅程里，甚至以后的一段时间，我都将无法忘怀。
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3.我想抬起手来，摸摸她的头发，可她已经走开了，只有一股芳香仍旋绕在她刚刚站立的地方。
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1.Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them.
fail to：未能……；没能做成
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2.I said, calling on my memories when I could see.
call on：拜访；请求；号召
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