It was mid-morning on a day in January—a very cold, bright day. Holding a potted plant before her, a girl of fourteen jumped off the bus in front of the Old Ladies’ Home. “I’m a Campfire Girl…I have to pay a visit to some old lady,” she told the nurse at the desk. This was a woman in a white uniform who looked as if she were cold, from the outside and the inside. Marian, the little girl, did not tell her that this visit would give her three points in the competition held at the girl’s scouts’ association she was part of.
这是一月的一天，上午10点左右， 一个非常寒冷但很晴朗的日子。一个名叫玛丽安的14岁女孩手里捧着一盆盆栽植物，蹦蹦跳跳地下了大巴车，来到了敬老院门前。“我是一名露营少女团团员......我要到敬老院里拜访一位老太太。”她告诉前台的护理人员。她是一位身穿白色制服的女士，外表和说话的语气都让人感觉冷冰冰的。玛丽安并没有告诉她，这次拜访会让她在自己参加的女童子军协会举办的竞赛中赢得三个奖励积分。
“Acquainted with any of our residents?” asked the nurse. She lifted one eyebrow and spoke like a man. “With any old ladies? No—but—that is, any of them will do,” Marian stammered. The nurse shrugged and rose, and walked towards the hallway. There was a smell in the entire hallway like the interior of a clock. Everything was silent until, behind one of the doors before which they stopped, an old lady cleared her throat which sounded like a sheep bleating.
“认识住在这里的一位老太太？”护理人员问道，同时抬起一侧的眉毛，说话的声音像男人一样。“认识住在这里的老太太？不，不，但，探望谁都行。”玛丽安结结巴巴地说。护理人员耸了耸肩，然后站起身来走向走廊。穿过整个走廊给人一种进入钟表内部的感觉。到处寂静一片，直到她们停在其中一扇门前，门里传来一位老太太清嗓子的声音，听起来像一只绵羊在咩咩叫。
“There are two in each room,” the nurse remarked over her shoulder. “Two what?” asked Marian without thinking. One old woman was pulling the door open in short, gradual jerks. Marian saw next to her the side-face of another woman, even older, who was lying flat in bed. “Visitor,” said the nurse, and left. “
每个房间住着两位老人。”护理人员边说边侧过身来。“两位什么？”玛丽安不假思索地问道。房间里的一位老妇人用带着短暂抽搐的手拉开了房门。玛丽安看到了这位老妇人旁边另一位老妇人的侧脸。她平躺在床上，看上去年龄更大。 “有访客，”护理人员说了一声就离开了。
Marian stood tongue-tied; both hands held the potted plant. The old woman was waiting…Perhaps she said something. The old woman in bed said nothing at all, and she did not look around. “My, my, my,” said the old lady standing suddenly. “Did you come to be our little girl for a while?” Then something was snatched from Marian’s hand—the little potted plant. “Flowers!” screamed the old woman. “Pretty flowers,” she added.
玛丽安双手捧着盆栽植物，呆呆地站在那里，不知道该说什么好。老妇人在等着她开口......也许她的确说了些什么。躺在床上的老妇人没有说话，甚至没有抬头看看发生了什么。“天啊，天啊，天啊，”站着的老太太突然说道。“小姑娘，你是来陪我们一会儿的吗？”然后，玛丽安手里的东西被夺走了——就是那一小盆盆栽植物。“是花！”老太太尖叫道。“这花真漂亮。”她补充说。
The old woman in bed cleared her throat and also spoke. “They are not pretty,” she said, still without looking around, but very distinctly. “Pretty flowers,” the first woman insisted. “Stinkweeds,” said the other old woman sharply. She had a bunchy white forehead and red eyes like a sheep. Now she turned them toward Marian. The fogginess seemed to rise in her throat again, and she bleated, “Who—are—you?”
那位躺在床上的老太太清了清嗓子，也开口说话了。“不怎么好看，”她说，仍然没有抬头看，但说的话非常清楚。“很漂亮，”第一位老太太坚持说。“臭草而已。”另一位老太太严厉地说道。她白色的额头上挂满了皱纹，眼睛红色像绵羊一样。此时，她的双眼转向了玛丽安。她对玛丽安说：“你……是……谁？”她的喉咙里似乎又进了什么东西，说话的声音像绵羊一样。
To her surprise, Marian could not remember her name. “I’m a Campfire Girl,” she said finally. “You mustn’t pay any attention to old Addie,” the other woman said to Marian. “She’s ailing today.” “Will you shut your mouth?” said the woman in bed. “I am not.” “The flowers are beautiful,” the other old woman whispered again. “Ugly,” said the woman in bed.
令玛丽安惊讶的是，她自己居然没想起自己的名字。“我是一名露营少女团团员。”她终于说了出来。“你一定没注意到老艾迪，”另一位老妇人对玛丽安说，“她今天病了。”“你闭嘴好吗？”躺 在床上的那位老妇人说。“我没病。”“花很美，”另一位老太太再次低声说道。“难看死了。”躺在床上的老妇人说。
If we bring flowers— “Marian began, then fell silent. She had almost said that if Campfire Girls brought flowers to the Old Ladies’ Home, the visit would count one extra point. But the old woman had not listened, anyway. “Poor Addie is ailing.” She said. She has to take medicine—see?” she said, pointing a horny finger at a row of bottles on the table.
“如果我们带花来…..”玛丽安刚开口便又重新陷入了沉默。她差点就说出：如果露营少女团团员给敬老院送来花卉，她们就会在这次拜访敬老院的活动中多获得一个积分。但，这位老妇人根本并没有听她说什么。“可怜的艾迪病了。”她说。她不得不吃药——看到了吧？”她说着用一跟粗糙的手指指向桌子上的一排药瓶。
“I am not more sick than you are,” said the woman in bed. “Oh, yes you are! I even got more sense than you have” said the other old woman. “Will you hush! Will you hush!” cried the other one. Marian leaned back rigidly in her chair.
“你比我病得严重多了。”躺在床上老妇人说。“哦，没错，你说得对！我还比你聪明呢！”另一位老妇人说。“你能安静点吗？你能安静点吗？”另一位老妇人喊道。玛丽安坐在那里，身体僵硬地靠在椅子背上。
“When I was a little girl like you, I went to school and all,” said the other old woman. “Hush!” said the sick woman in the bed. “You never went to school. You never came and you never went. You never were anything—only here. Your head is empty, your heart and hands and your old black purse are all empty—you showed it to me. And yet you talk, talk, talk, talk, talk all the time until I think I’m losing my mind! Do they seriously suppose that I’ll be able to keep it up, day in, day out, night in, night out, living in the same room with a terrible old woman forever?”
“当我还是一个像你这样的小女孩时，我也在上学，跟你做一样的事情。”另一位老妇人说。“别乱说了！”卧病在床的老妇人说。“你从未上过学。除了这里，你哪都没去过！你头脑空空、没心没肺、游手好闲，你那个旧的黑色钱包里也什么没有，你让我看过的。但是，你却一直在不停地说啊、说啊、说啊，我都快被你逼疯了！他们是否真的觉得我能一直忍下去，日复一日，年复一年，跟你这个可怕的老太婆永远住在一个房间里？”
“Now, now, Addie,” said the first old woman. “That’s not polite. Do you know what’s really the matter with old Addie today?” “The matter?” the child repeated stupidly. “What’s the matter with her?” “Why, she’s mad because it’s her birthday!” said the other old woman.
“好啦，好啦，艾迪，”第一位老妇人说。 “她今天有点失礼了。你知道今天老艾迪究竟怎么了吗？”“怎么了？”小女孩傻傻地重复道。“她怎么了？”“她生气是因为今天是她的生日！”另一位老妇人说。
“It is not, it is not!” screamed the old woman in bed. “It is not my birthday, no one knows when that is but myself, and will you please be quiet and say nothing more, or I’ll go straight out of my mind!”
“不是，不是！”床上的老妇人尖叫道。“今天不是我的生日。除了我自己，没人知道我的生日是哪天。请你保持安静，别再说了，否则我就疯了！”
“How old are you?” Marian finally dared to ask. “I won’t tell!” The old face on the pillow, where Marian was bending over it, slowly changed into something that looked like a reflection in a broken mirror. “She’s crying!” Marian said and turned to the other old woman. “That’s Addie for you,” the old woman said spitefully. Marian jumped up and moved toward the door. She ran down the hall, without looking behind her and without looking at the nurse. Her yellow hair under the white cap, her scarlet coat, her bare knees flashed in the sunlight as she ran to meet the big bus rocketing through the street. “Wait for me!” she shouted. The bus stopped
“您多大年纪了？”玛丽安终于壮着胆子弯下腰，对着枕头上的老妇人的脸问道。“我不会告诉你的！”与此同时，那张老脸慢慢变得像破碎镜子中的倒影。“她哭了！”玛丽安说，然后转向另一位老妇人。“这才是真正的艾迪，”老妇人不怀好意地说道。玛丽安跳了起来，奔向门口，沿着走廊向外跑，没回头看一眼，也没有看护理人员。她白色的帽子下的黄色头发、她的猩红色外套，还有她裸露的双膝在阳光下闪闪发光，她迎着大巴车从街道上飞速穿行的方向跑去。“等等我！”她喊道。大巴车停了下来……