1. "Do you really want it? Don't you think it's a bit, well, corny?", said her friend Norah. Dorothy walked around the gnome, admiring the red and white toadstool on which he sat and the mischievous expression on his face. "Yes," she said at last. "Yes, I really want him. Ted, when he was alive, never liked ornamental things in the garden, but now there's only myself to please.” After they bought the gnome and put it in Dorothy‘s garden, Norah went home. Dorothy was standing in the garden, admiring her new treasure.
“你真的想要这东西吗？难道你不觉得它有点……呃……奇怪吗？”她的朋友诺拉问道。多萝西绕着这个花园精灵雕像走来走去，赞赏着它的红白相间的蘑菇底座，以及它脸上淘气的表情。“是的，”她说道。“是的，我真的很想要。特德活着的时候，从来不喜欢在花园里放任何装饰物，但现在我只需要照顾自己的喜好。”于是，她们买下了这个花园精灵雕塑，把它放在多萝西的花园里，然后诺拉回家了。多萝西站在花园里，再一次赞赏着她的这个新宝贝。
2. "He sure looks cute, Mrs. Graham." Dorothy gave a start and turned around. It was only Norman, the mailman, standing there with his empty bag, but she felt her cheeks flush. "That's just what I thought," said Dorothy gratefully. “The spot seems made for him." Strangely enough, the gnome was gone the very next morning. Dorothy’s anger about it was mixed with other feelings. She was a little bit afraid, she realized. She looked up and down the empty street, but no curtain moved. Most of the people were at work. She went inside, wondering what could have happened. “
它看起来很可爱，格雷厄姆太太。”多萝西被吓了一跳，转过身来发现邮递员诺曼背着空背包正站在那里。她感觉自己的脸颊有些发红。“我觉得也是，”多萝西说，话音里流露着感激，“这个地方似乎就是为它准备的。” 第二天早上，奇怪的事情发生了——花园精灵不见了。多萝西对这事的愤怒与其他情感交织在一起。她意识到，自己有点害怕。她来回看着空荡荡的街道，却并没有拉开窗帘。大部分人都在忙于工作。她却走上大街，疑惑着昨晚到底发生了什么。
3. Her days without the gnome passed, and the first thing she'd do each day was to pull back the living-room curtains, half-expecting to see him back there. Darn it, she missed him, just as if he'd been a person. She'd shrug it off and after breakfast get out her gardening gloves and tools and busy herself with the weeding.
在失去花园精灵的日子里，她每天要做的第一件事就是拉回客厅的窗帘，半信半疑地期待着能够看到它回来。该死，她开始想念它了，就好像“它”真的是一个人。她本应对此不屑一顾，然后在早餐后拿出园艺手套和工具，去忙着除草。
4. The first postcard arrived the following Wednesday. It had a photograph of the Rockies. It was postmarked Calgary, and the message, in a neat, round, almost childish hand, said, "Dear Dorothy, Having a great time. Saw a rodeo yesterday. Wild! Love, Mr. Gnome." She sat down on the chair in the hallway. Her heart was racing. A trick. It had to be a trick. Two days later there was another postcard in the box, this time from Vancouver. She didn't even bother looking at the picture. "Dearest Dorothy," said the message. "What a wonderful city! You really should see it. Just spectacular! See you soon, Mr. Gnome." The handwriting was the same. Angrily she tore it into pieces until her fingers hurt trying to reduce it to smaller and smaller scraps. She took them into the living room, put them in the fireplace and, lighting a match, watched the blue flame dance until the little heap was reduced to ashes.
接下来那个星期的星期三，她收到了第一张明信片。上面是一张落基山脉的照片。明信片上的邮戳是卡尔加里的，而且明信片上用工整、圆润、几乎像孩子般的字迹写着：“亲爱的多萝西，祝您生活愉快！昨天看了一场牛仔竞技表演。太奔放了！爱您的花园精灵先生。”她在走廊的椅子上坐了下来，心脏飞快地跳动着。这是一个恶作剧。这肯定是一个恶作剧。两天后，信箱里又来了一张明信片，这次是从温哥华寄来的。她甚至都没看上面的照片，就开始急切地读起了上面的文字： “亲爱的多萝西，这是一座多么美好的城市啊！你真的应该来看看。简直引人入胜！希望尽快见到您，花园精灵先生。”字迹跟上次的一样。一气之下，她把明信片撕得粉碎，甚至因为试图把它撕得更碎些而伤到了自己的手指。她把撕碎的明信片带到了客厅，仍进了壁炉里，点燃了一根火柴，看着蓝色的火焰翩翩起舞，直到那堆碎片化为灰烬。
5. That night Dorothy had a strange, mixed-up dream in which she looked outside and the gnome had come back. Only when she looked again it wasn't the gnome at all, but Ted who was sitting in the middle of the rockery in his pyjamas. "Come on inside, Ted. You'll catch your death," she called. "I can't, Dorothy," he replied. "I'm too ill. Help me, please!" Then he got smaller and smaller, and his voice became squeaky until she could no longer hear or see him.
那天晚上多萝西做了一个非常奇怪而又混乱的梦。在梦中，她看向窗外，发现花园精灵回来了。只是，当她再次看过去时，发现那根本不是花园精灵，而是穿着睡衣坐在假山中间的特德。“回屋来吧，特德。不然，你会得重病而死的，”她喊道。“不行啊，多萝西，”他回答说。“我病得太重了。快帮帮我吧，求你了！”然后，他变得越来越小，他的声音也变成咯吱咯吱的，最后他的声音和形象全都消失了。

6. Norman looked shamefaced when he brought another the postcard next day. "I've read it. I suppose I shouldn't have. But you mustn't get upset," he said handing it to her. "Would you like me to stay while you read it?" She shook her head. "I'll be okay. Thanks, Norman," she said, and took the card with her other mail into the kitchen. She sat down dully at the table and studied the picture of Sydney harbour for several moments before turning the card over. "Dorothy. Doc says operation my only hope. Pray for me. Feel so bad." The writing trailed off and this time there was no signature. She felt her eyes stinging. She took off her glasses, and put her head down on her arms. "Oh, please," she sobbed. "Leave me alone. Whoever you are."
第二天，诺曼又送来了一张明信片。此时的诺曼看起来非常害羞。“我看过这张明信片上的文字了。我想我不应该这样做。但您一定不要生气，”他边说边把明信片交给了她。“您是否允许我在您看它的时候暂时留下？”她摇了摇头。“我不会有事的。谢谢你，诺曼，”她说，然后把这张明信片与其他邮件一起带进了厨房。她没精打采地在桌子旁坐下，盯着悉尼港的照片端详了好一会儿后，才翻到明信片背面——“多萝西，医生说手术是我的唯一希望。请为我祷告。感觉很糟糕。”后面的字迹有些模糊不清，而且这次没有留下签名。她感到双眼一阵刺痛。她摘下眼镜，用双臂抱住头。“哦，拜托，”她抽泣着说，“请放过我吧！不管你是谁。”
7. That night, after she went to bed, it seemed as if she hadn't been asleep more than a few minutes when the phone rang. The red glow of the clock radio told her it was 5: 14 a.m. Dorothy grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and, bumping her shoulder on the door, stumbled down the hallway to the phone table. "Yes, hello," she said. "Is that Mrs. Dorothy Graham?" It was a male voice, official sounding and faintly bored. "Yes, who's calling?" "This is CNCP Telecommunications. We have a telegram for you. Shall I read it to you?" “Yes, yes. But just a minute please while I turn the light on. I’ll get a pen.”
那天晚上，她上床睡觉后，似乎也就是她刚刚入睡几分钟后，电话铃响了。收音机闹钟上泛着红光的数字显示此时的时间是早晨5点14分。多萝西从床脚板上抓起睡袍，用一只肩膀撞开房门，跌跌撞撞地沿着走廊走到电话桌旁。“喂，您好，”她说。“您是多萝西·格雷厄姆太太吗？”电话那边是一个男人的声音。这声音听起来比较正式且稍稍有些无趣。“是的，您是哪位？”“这里是CNCP通讯公司。我们这里有一封您的电报。我能把它读给您听吗？”“当然可以，当然可以。但您得稍等片刻，我先去把灯打开，顺便拿支笔。”
8. It was unlike Dorothy not to be home at breakfast. Norah let the phone ring a few more times then put down the receiver. Perhaps Dorothy had taken ill. Norah went out to the garage to get her car, and go to see Dorothy. She passed the ambulance as it pulled out of Dorothy's street. It didn't seem to be rushing, and there was no siren. Probably dropping someone off, coming home from hospital, Norah thought.
早餐时间多萝西不可能不在家。诺拉让电话铃响了很多声才放下听筒。也许多萝西生病了。诺拉出门走到车库，上了车，然后开车去看望多萝西。一辆救护车从多萝西家所在的街道驶出，从诺拉的身边驶过。它似乎不太匆忙，也没有开警笛。诺拉想：可能是从医院送某人回家。
9. As she walked up the path she was surprised to see a young man in a mailman's uniform sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. "Where's Mrs. Graham?" she asked. He looked up startled. "They just took her away. Are you Mrs. Graham's friend?" Norah nodded. "She told me about you," he said. "I'm Norman." "Well, where on earth did they take her?" she said sharply. “What's the matter?" "It's terrible really," he said, almost as if he hadn't heard her. "I found her, see. Well, like, I looked in the window and I could see her lying there on the living-room floor, right in front of the big window. She wasn't moving, eh? So, well, went round the back and smashed open the window. She just looked sort of blue. I tried everything, but it wasn't no good. So I called the ambulance. She was gone."
当她走到多萝西家门前的小路时，她惊讶地看到一个穿着邮递员制服的年轻人坐在台阶上，双手抱头。“格雷厄姆太太在哪？”她问。他抬起头来，被吓了一跳。“他们刚刚把她带走了。您是格雷厄姆太太的朋友吗？”诺拉点点头。“她跟我提起过您，”他说，“我是诺曼。”“嗯，他们到底把她带去哪儿了？”她急切地问，“究竟怎么回事？”“真的很可怕，”他说，仿佛完全没有听到她在说什么。“是我发现的，嗯，我从窗口看进去，看到她躺在客厅的地板上，就在大窗前。她一动不动，呃？于是，嗯，我绕到后面，砸碎了窗户。她只是看起来气色不太好。我做了我能做的一切，但无济于事。我就打电话叫来了救护车。但她已经死了。”
10. Norah steadied herself against the wall. "Gone”? She felt nauseous with the thought of it. "Look Norman," said Norah, making up her mind. "This is all pretty fishy. I think we should call the police. How do we know something didn't happen here last night? You carry on with your route, but I'll stay here and call the police.” Norman agreed, and off he went.
诺拉的身体倚在墙上。“死了”？想到这里，她感到有些恶心。“听着，诺曼，”诺拉坚定地说， “这一切都很可疑。我觉得我们应该报警。我们怎么知道昨天晚上这里发生了什么？你继续送你的邮件，我会留下来打电话报警。”诺曼同意了，随即离开了。
11. Norah went into the hall of Dorothy’s house to phone the police. As she dialled her eye caught a message scribbled on the pad by the phone. "The gnome died today," it said. She put the receiver back. Her heart was pounding. She looked at the postcard next to the phone. "Beautiful spot," she read. Something tickled at the back of her brain. Two things trying to come together. She looked at the card again, at the round, childish handwriting.She got up and went to the front window. Norman, his bag slung over his shoulder, was walking down the street. She could hear him whistling. The tiny hairs on the back of her hands tingled. She knew someone was watching her. She didn't know how it was that she hadn't noticed before: the gnome was back in his old place. His smile had the same insolence she had noticed when she had first seen him.
诺拉走进多萝西家的大厅，准备给警察打电话。拨打号码时，她看到了电话机旁便笺薄上的一行潦草的字——“今天，花园精灵死了”。她放回了电话听筒。她的心砰砰直跳。她看着电话机旁的明信片。“美丽的地方，”她读道。她感到脑后发痒。两件事情正试图建立某种联系。她再一次看了看那张明信片，注意到上面圆润、孩子般的字迹。她起身走向前窗。诺曼正斜挎着背包顺街而行。她能听到他的口哨声。她感到手背上汗毛发出阵阵刺痛。她知道有人正注视着她。但她搞不懂自己之前怎么会没注意到——花园精灵已经回到了它原来的地方。它的脸上依旧挂着她第一次看到它时那小小傲慢的笑容。