《爱丽丝梦游仙境-2》第12章

时间：2022-12-21 08:05:51

（单词翻译:单击）

Years further in the past, Alice steered1 the Chronosphere to a safe landing. Once again, she stood on the outskirts2 of Witzend, but this time the air had a winter bite.
Her shoes crunched3 on the frost-covered ground as she made her way into the village. Strolling around her, people wore heavy coats, and their cheeks were pink from the chill.
Suddenly, a tiny grinning set of teeth, followed by an aqua-and-gray-striped kitten's tail, appeared from around a corner. That must be a young Chessur! Alice thought. The tail twitched4 teasingly, and a bloodhound puppy—who could only be Bayard—bounded into sight.
Two plump young boys toddled5 into view, their arms knocking against each other; these were the young Tweedles! Trailing behind them was a very dapperly dressed eight-year-old boy with bright orange hair. There was no mistaking the Hatter, no matter his age.
Smiling, Alice watched her young friends.
"Tarrant!" A stern voice called.
Hatter stopped mid-step and turned toward his father, whose tall figure was framed by the doorway6 of his shop. Zanik, his arms crossed over his chest, was frowning.
Dragging his shoes, the young Hatter trudged7 toward his family's shop. He perked8 up when he noticed Alice standing9 in the shadows. Perhaps drawn10 by her colorful tunic11 or the hat on her head that he himself would later create, he skipped over to her. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into the shop.
Zanik, who had his nose buried in an account book, glanced up, his eyes briefly13 focusing on Alice.
"We're closed," he said.
Hatter ran around the desk to join his father.
"Papa! Look!" he cried. "A customer with a lovely head. Right here!"
"I'm sorry, miss," Zanik continued, ignoring his son. "You'll have to come back another time."
Zanik shut the ledger14 with a snap, tucked it under his arm, and moved toward a back room. Alice knew he wanted her to leave, but she stayed put, waiting for an opportunity to broach15 the subject of the future with Zanik now that she was there.
"Oh, and, Papa, look!" Hatter clamored at Zanik's side, tugging16 on his coat.
"Not now, Son," Zanik said firmly.
"I made something for you in school," Hatter continued. He flopped17 open his schoolbag and dug into it.
Zanik sighed. "I keep telling you I'm busy. What is it?"
Caught up in their conversation, both Zanik and Tarrant seemed unaware18 that Alice had lingered in the shop.
Hatter pulled out his present, his face full of hope. Alice felt a jolt19, her heart fluttering at the sight of the tiny blue paper hat cupped in his hand.
"A hat!" Hatter exclaimed as he held it out proudly.
"This? Let me have a look." Zanik took the hat and began to examine it. "If my son is going to make a hat, he will make a proper one. Do something, do it right, eh? Look here"—he jabbed at the hat—"the band is crooked20."
As Zanik's fingers poked21 at the band, the paper ripped. In the stillness of the shop, the sound echoed. Alice cringed; Hatter looked like he'd been slapped.
"Ah. Oh. Hmm," Zanik muttered. "Well, cheap materials. There's your lesson. Tell you what, tomorrow I'll help you make a real hat, Son. Not one of these pretend ones, eh?"
Zanik balled up the paper hat and tossed it into the waste bin12. Hatter's eyes brimmed with tears as he saw it arc through the air. fleeing from the room, he passed his mother on the stairs. Though Tyva reached for him, he barreled past her without a word.
"You're too hard on him, Zanik," Tyva said as she joined her husband. She did not notice Alice by the door, either.
"I'm hard on him because he has great potential." Zanik's mouth twitched slightly. "It's how my father was with me, and his father with him."
He walked to his desk and opened one of the drawers. Inside, Alice saw a sea of green-and-white Swizzles. She stepped forward slightly to make sure she wasn't imagining things. The movement caught Zanik's eye, and his head snapped up. With a quick push, he shut the drawer.
"Miss, I told you, we're closed," Zanik said in a tone that brooked22 no argument.
Alice bowed her head and backed out of the store, her expression pensive23.
Time shifted irritably24 in his chair. Alice still hadn't shown up for tea and the Hatter was becoming tiresome—as were his companions. Time's eyes drifted to where Mallymkun danced in circles on the table and the March Hare bounced up and down as he poured himself some tea.
Time's breaths came in heavy pants and his shoulders sagged25 slightly. "Now, when is Alice coming?" he asked impatiently.
Hatter's lips twitched. Imagine Time's not knowing the when of something. Surely this all powerful being would be aware of every event in every second.
Hatter sprang around Time's chair, leaning over one shoulder, then the other as he fired questions.
"Enough!" Time bellowed26. flinging the Hatter off, he jerked to his feet and, with narrowed eyes, rounded on him. "She's not coming, is she?"
"I never said she was, old bean," Hatter said nonchalantly. He sauntered to a chair and slid into it. "I merely said I invited her."
Time's eyes nearly popped out of his skull27. "What? You! You—you ..." he stammered28 in rage. He took a deep breath, then continued more calmly. "Nicely done, sir. But now it's my turn." His eyes glinted menacingly. "You were asking when ‘now' is?"
Time lifted his cloak once again to reveal the clock in his chest. The hands read 5:59.
"Now is precisely29 one minute to teatime," Time continued. "And until young Alice eventually joins you for tea, it will always be one minute to teatime." He smiled smugly. "Enjoy your little party."
Spinning the clock in his chest backward, Time disappeared.
"What? Wait, what's he done?" Mallymkun asked. She and Thackery both twisted in their own seats, squirming to get free.
Hatter tried to stand up but couldn't! He pushed his arms down harder on the chair's arms and strained with his legs, but it was no use.
He was stuck in place.
 
爱丽丝回到了更早的过去，她操纵着时空传送仪安全着陆。她又来到了奥特兰的郊外，但这一次空气中弥漫着一丝寒意。
她走在通往村庄的路上，鞋子踩在霜冻的地面上嘎吱作响。她周围的行人都穿着厚厚的大衣，脸蛋冻得发红。
突然，拐角处露出一排笑嘻嘻的牙齿，后面拖着一条水蓝色和灰色相间的猫尾巴。那一定是小时候的妙妙猫了！爱丽丝心想。那条尾巴调皮地甩动着。这时一只小猎犬跳入了视线——那肯定是贝亚德。
两个胖嘟嘟的小男孩互相推搡着，摇摇晃晃地走来，他们是小时候的叮咚兄弟!跟在他们身后的是一个着装整洁的八岁男孩，顶着一头亮橘色头发。他肯定是疯帽子，就算是小时候，他的特征也那么明显。
爱丽丝微笑地看着她年少的朋友们。
“塔兰特！”一声厉喝传来。
小疯帽子停下脚步，朝父亲转过身来。桑尼克高大的身影出现在自家店铺门口。他手臂环抱在胸前，紧锁着眉头。
小疯帽子只好不情愿地拖着脚步，走向自家的店铺。他看见站在阴影里的爱丽丝，一下子振作了精神。他被爱丽丝吸引住了，也许是因为她那件鲜艳的外衣，也许是因为她头上的那顶帽子（疯帽子在未来制作的帽子）。他蹦蹦跳跳地向爱丽丝走来，抓起她的手，拉着她走进了店里。
桑尼克正在埋头记账，他抬头扫了一眼，目光在爱丽丝身上停留了片刻。
“我们打烊了。”他说道。
小疯帽子绕过桌子，跑到父亲身旁。
“父亲，你看！”他大声说道。“这位顾客的帽子多可爱。 快看！”
“不好意思，小姐。”桑尼克完全不理会儿子，继续说道，“您下次再来吧。”
桑尼克一把合起账本，夹到腋下，向后面的房间走去。爱丽丝知道桑尼克并不想招待她，但她仍站在原地。既然来了，就得等待机会和桑尼克谈一谈未来的事。
“噢，父亲，看！”小疯帽子拽住桑尼克的外衣，在他身边嚷 嚷着。
“别闹了，儿子。”桑尼克严厉地说道。
“我在学校里给你做了个礼物。”小疯帽子继续说道，他猛地拉开书包，将手伸了进去。
桑尼克叹了口气：“我说了我在忙。是什么东西？”
桑尼克和小疯帽子只顾着说话，似乎没有察觉到爱丽丝还在店里徘徊。
小疯帽子从书包里拿出礼物，脸上满是希望。看到疯帽子手中小巧的蓝色纸帽子，爱丽丝感到很震惊，她的心微微一颤。
“一顶帽子!”小疯帽子骄傲地举起来，大声告诉桑尼克。
“就这个？让我看看。”桑尼克拿过帽子仔细端详。“我的儿子如果要做帽子，一定能做得好。做什么事，都一定要做到最好，对吧？看这里，”他戳了戳帽子，“这帽圈弯了。”
桑尼克用手指戳帽圈时，帽子上的纸裂开了。纸张撕裂的声音在一片寂静的店铺中回响。爱丽丝向后退了退。小疯帽子的脸色看起来像是被谁扇了一耳光。
“啊，哦，嗯——”桑尼克低声说道，“而且，材质也不够高档。这就算是个教训了。明天我帮你做一顶真正的帽子，儿子。别再做这种不像样的帽子了，好吧？”
说着桑尼克把纸帽子揉成一团，丢进了垃圾筒。看到那团纸在空中画过一道弧线，小疯帽子的眼里盈满了泪水。他跑出房间，在楼梯上遇到了母亲。尽管泰瓦向儿子伸出了手，他还是一言不发地从母亲身边跑了过去。
“你对他太严厉了，桑尼克。”泰瓦说着，走到丈夫身旁。她也同样没有注意到站在门边的爱丽丝。
“我对他严格要求，是因为他很有潜力。”桑尼克微微抽动着嘴角，继续说道，“我父亲是这么教导我的，作为他的父亲，我也应该这么教导他。”
说完他走到桌前，拉开一个抽屉。爱丽丝瞧见抽屉里堆满了绿白相间的糖果。她轻轻向前走了几步，以确认自己没有看花眼。她的动作引起了桑尼克的注意，他突然抬起头，一下子关上了抽屉。
“这位小姐，我说过了，我们打烊了。”桑尼克的语气不容置疑。
爱丽丝低下头，神情忧郁地退出了店铺。
这时，“时间”正在椅子上不耐烦地变换着坐姿。爱丽丝仍然没有在茶会上露面，疯帽子也变得无趣了——他的同伴们也一样。“时间”的目光移向了在桌上转着圈跳舞的睡鼠和上蹿下跳给自己倒茶水的三月兔。
“时间”喘着粗气，微微垂下肩，不耐烦地问：“那么，爱丽丝什么时候到？”
疯帽子的嘴唇抽动了一下。难以置信，“时间” 居然不知道某件事何时发生。像“时间”这么强大的人物，理应对每一秒发生的每一件事都了如指掌。
疯帽子一边连环炮似的问着问题，一边绕着“时间”的椅子转来转去，一会儿靠上左肩，一会儿又靠上右肩。
“够了!”“时间”大叫一声，甩开了疯帽子。他猛地站起身，眯起眼睛，生气地责问道：“爱丽丝今天不来了，是吧？”
“我可没说爱丽丝今天要来，老伙计。”疯帽子若无其事地说。他信步走向一把椅子，坐了下来。“我只说我邀请了她。”
“时间”的眼球几乎要蹦出来了。“你说什么？你！你——你……”他气得话都说不好了。他深吸一口气，然后稍微平静一些说道：“干得漂亮，先生。不过现在轮到我了。”“时间”目露凶光：“你刚才不是问‘现在’是什么时候吗？”
“时间”又一次掀起外衣，露出他胸口的钟。指针显示的时间是5点59分。
“现在距离茶会正好一分钟，”“时间”接着说道，“时间将永远停在这一刻，直到小爱丽丝来参加你们的茶会。”说完他得意地笑了。“好好享受你们的小派对吧。”
“时间”把胸口的钟向后拨了一下，然后便消失了。
“怎么回事？等等，他对我们做了什么？”睡鼠问道。她和三月兔都在自己的座位上扭动着身体，想要挣脱这一切。
疯帽子也发现自己站不起来了！他更加用力地按着椅子扶手，绷紧双腿，可是仍然无济于事。
他被定住了。

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1 steered dee52ce2903883456c9b7a7f258660e5     
v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导
参考例句：
  • He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
  • The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 outskirts gmDz7W     
n.郊外，郊区
参考例句：
  • Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
  • They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。
3 crunched adc2876f632a087c0c8d7d68ab7543dc     
v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄
参考例句：
  • Our feet crunched on the frozen snow. 我们的脚嘎吱嘎吱地踩在冻雪上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He closed his jaws on the bones and crunched. 他咬紧骨头，使劲地嚼。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命
4 twitched bb3f705fc01629dc121d198d54fa0904     
vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
  • The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 toddled abf9fa74807bbedbdec71330dd38c149     
v.（幼儿等）东倒西歪地走( toddle的过去式和过去分词 )；蹒跚行走；溜达；散步
参考例句：
  • It's late — it's time you toddled off to bed. 不早了—你该去睡觉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Her two-year-old son toddled into the room. 她的两岁的儿子摇摇摆摆地走进屋里。 来自辞典例句
6 doorway 2s0xK     
n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径
参考例句：
  • They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
  • Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。
7 trudged e830eb9ac9fd5a70bf67387e070a9616     
vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
  • He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 perked 6257cbe5d4a830c7288630659113146b     
（使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣
参考例句：
  • The recent demand for houses has perked up the prices. 最近对住房的需求使房价上涨了。
  • You've perked up since this morning. 你今天上午精神就好多了。
9 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
10 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
11 tunic IGByZ     
n.束腰外衣
参考例句：
  • The light loose mantle was thrown over his tunic.一件轻质宽大的斗蓬披在上衣外面。
  • Your tunic and hose match ill with that jewel,young man.你的外套和裤子跟你那首饰可不相称呢，年轻人。
12 bin yR2yz     
n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件
参考例句：
  • He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
  • He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
13 briefly 9Styo     
adv.简单地，简短地
参考例句：
  • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
  • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
14 ledger 014xk     
n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿
参考例句：
  • The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺，然后又埋头写起分类帐。
  • She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的，家庭分类账记得清楚详细。
15 broach HsTzn     
v.开瓶，提出(题目)
参考例句：
  • It's a good chance to broach the subject.这是开始提出那个问题的好机会。
  • I thought I'd better broach the matter with my boss.我想我最好还是跟老板说一下这事。
16 tugging 1b03c4e07db34ec7462f2931af418753     
n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 )
参考例句：
  • Tom was tugging at a button-hole and looking sheepish. 汤姆捏住一个钮扣眼使劲地拉，样子显得很害羞。 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险
  • She kicked him, tugging his thick hair. 她一边踢他，一边扯着他那浓密的头发。 来自辞典例句
17 flopped e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e     
v.（指书、戏剧等）彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 )；（因疲惫而）猛然坐下；（笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地）移动或落下；砸锅
参考例句：
  • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽，一屁股坐到椅子上。
  • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地，出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 unaware Pl6w0     
a.不知道的，未意识到的
参考例句：
  • They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
  • I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。
19 jolt ck1y2     
v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸
参考例句：
  • We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
  • They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。
20 crooked xvazAv     
adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的
参考例句：
  • He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
  • You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
21 poked 87f534f05a838d18eb50660766da4122     
v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交
参考例句：
  • She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
  • His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 brooked d58d1d1fa48433e3228c2500020624be     
容忍，忍受（brook的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
  • The tone in his voice brooked no argument. 他的声音里透露着一种不容争辩的语调。
  • He gave her a look that brooked no further arguments. 他看了她一眼，表示不容再争论。
23 pensive 2uTys     
a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的
参考例句：
  • He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
  • He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。
24 irritably e3uxw     
ad.易生气地
参考例句：
  • He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了，暴躁地斥责孩子们。
  • On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事，他妻子大声斥责，令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
25 sagged 4efd2c4ac7fe572508b0252e448a38d0     
下垂的
参考例句：
  • The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
  • He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。
26 bellowed fa9ba2065b18298fa17a6311db3246fc     
v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫
参考例句：
  • They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
  • He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
27 skull CETyO     
n.头骨；颅骨
参考例句：
  • The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
  • He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。
28 stammered 76088bc9384c91d5745fd550a9d81721     
v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
  • He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
29 precisely zlWzUb     
adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地
参考例句：
  • It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
  • The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

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