長腿叔叔（節選）

孤兒院里的女孩茱蒂因為自己寫的一篇文章，受到了孤兒院一位自稱為“約翰·史密斯(在美國很通用的匿名)”的理事的資助上大學。她從未見過這位好心的理事，只是有一次在昏暗的光線中偶然看到他的身影——個子很高，腿很長，因此，她戲稱他為“長腿叔叔”。這位理事讓茱蒂每個月都要給他寫信匯報學習和生活情況，并聲明不會回信，以此作為其資助要求。于是，茱蒂開始興致盎然地以幽默逗趣而又真情流露的筆調，給她心中的“長腿叔叔”寫信。在大學生活中，她偶然認識了同學的叔叔——比她年長14歲的杰維·彭德爾頓。他獨到的見解和淵博的知識吸引了她，但畢業時，深愛著杰維的她卻因為自己卑微的出身而拒絕了他的求婚。就在這時，一直未曾謀面，甚至從未給她回過一封信的“長腿叔叔”邀請她到紐約和他見面。直到見面的那一刻，茱蒂才發現“長腿叔叔”竟然是……

相信80后一代人中有不少人都看過改編自該書的卡通片《長腿叔叔》吧，相信你們和小編們一樣都曾為片末那個溫馨的結局而感動。這期，就讓我們翻開原著，重溫茱蒂和“長腿叔叔”見面時的那個溫馨場面，一同分享茱蒂的幸福心情吧!^_^

本文節選自該書最后一章。

——Lavender

Thursday Morning

My Very Dearest Master-Jervie-Daddy-Long-Legs Pendleton-Smith，

Did you sleep last night? I didn’t. Not a single wink. I was too amazed and excited and1)bewildered and happy. I don’t believe I ever shall sleep again—or eat either. But I hope you slept; you must， you know， because then you will get well faster and can come to me.

Dear Man， I can’t bear to think how ill you’ve been—and all the time I never knew it. When the doctor came down yesterday to put me in the cab， he told me that for three days they gave you up. Oh， dearest， if that had happened， the light would have gone out of the world for me. I suppose that some day in the far future—one of us must leave the other; but at least we shall have had our happiness and there will be memories to live with.

I meant to cheer you up—and instead I have to cheer myself. For in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be， I’m also 2)soberer. The fear that something may happen rests like a shadow on my heart. Always before I could be 3)frivolous and care-free and unconcerned， because I had nothing precious to lose. But now—I shall have a Great Big Worry all the rest of my life. Whenever you are away from me I shall be thinking of all the automobiles that can run over you， or the sign-boards that can fall on your head， or the dreadful， 4)squirmy 5)germs that you may be swallowing. My peace of mind is gone for ever—but anyway， I never cared much for just plain peace.

Please get well—fast—fast—fast. I want to have you close by where I can touch you and make sure you are tangible. Such a little half hour we had together! I’m afraid maybe I dreamed it. If I were only a member of your family (a very distant fourth cousin) then I could come and visit you every day， and read aloud and 6)plump up your pillow and smooth out those two little wrinkles in your forehead and make the corners of your mouth turn up in a nice cheerful smile. But you are cheerful again， aren’t you? You were yesterday before I left. The doctor said I must be a good nurse， that you looked ten years younger. I hope that being in love doesn’t make everyone ten years younger. Will you still care for me， darling， if I turn out to be only eleven?

Yesterday was the most wonderful day that could ever happen. If I live to be ninety-nine I shall never forget the tiniest detail. The girl that left Lock Willow at dawn was a very different person from the one who came back at night. Mrs. Semple called me at half past four. I started wide awake in the darkness and the first thought that popped into my head was， “I am going to see Daddy-Long-Legs!” I ate breakfast in the kitchen by candle-light， and then drove the five miles to the station through the most glorious October colouring. The sun came up on the way， and the 7)swamp maples and 8)dogwood glowed 9)crimson and orange and the stone walls and 10)cornfields sparkled with 11)hoar frost; the air was 12)keen and clear and full of promise. I knew something was going to happen. All the way in the train the rails kept singing， “You’re going to see Daddy-Long-Legs.” It made me feel secure. I had such faith in Daddy’s ability to set things right. And I knew that somewhere another man—dearer than Daddy—was wanting to see me， and somehow I had a feeling that before the journey ended I should meet him， too. And you see!

When I came to the house on Madison Avenue it looked so big and brown and 13)forbidding that I didn’t dare go in， so I walked around the block to get up my courage. But I needn’t have been a bit afraid; your 14)butler is such a nice， fatherly old man that he made me feel at home at once. “Is this Miss Abbott?” he said to me， and I said， “Yes，” so I didn’t have to ask for Mr. Smith after all. He told me to wait in the 15)drawing-room. It was a very 16)sombre， magnificent， man’s sort of room. I sat down on the edge of a big 17)upholstered chair and kept saying to myself: “I’m going to see Daddy-Long-Legs! I’m going to see Daddy-Long-Legs!”

Then presently the man came back and asked me please to step up to the library. I was so excited that really and truly my feet would hardly take me up. Outside the door he turned and whispered， “He’s been very ill， Miss. This is the first day he’s been allowed to sit up. You’ll not stay long enough to excite him?” I knew from the way he said it that he loved you—and I think he’s an old dear!

Then he knocked and said， “Miss Abbott，” and I went in and the door closed behind me.

It was so dim coming in from the brightly lighted hall that for a moment I could scarcely 18)make out anything; then I saw a big easy chair before the fire and a shining tea table with a smaller chair beside it. And I realized that a man was sitting in the big chair propped up by pillows with a 19)rug over his knees. Before I could stop him， he rose—rather shakily—and steadied himself by the back of the chair and just looked at me without a word. And then—and then—I saw it was you! But even with that I didn’t understand. I thought Daddy had had you come there to meet me or for a surprise.

Then you laughed and held out your hand and said， “Dear little Judy， couldn’t you guess that I was Daddy-Long-Legs?”

In an instant it flashed over me. Oh， but I have been stupid! A hundred little things might have told me， if I had had any 20)wits. I wouldn’t make a very good detective， would I， Daddy? Jervie? What must I call you? Just plain Jervie sounds disrespectful， and I can’t be disrespectful to you!

It was a very sweet half hour before your doctor came and sent me away. I was so dazed when I got to the station that I almost took a train for St Louis. And you were pretty dazed， too. You forgot to give me any tea. But we’re both very， very happy， aren’t we? I drove back to Lock Willow in the dark but oh， how the stars were shining! And this morning I’ve been out with Colin visiting all the places that you and I went to together， and remembering what you said and how you looked. The woods today are 21)burnished bronze and the air is full of frost. It’s CLIMBING weather. I wish you were here to climb the hills with me. I am missing you dreadfully， Jervie dear， but it’s a happy kind of missing; we’ll be together soon. We belong to each other now really and truly， no make-believe. Doesn’t it seem 22)queer for me to belong to someone at last? It seems very， very sweet.

And I shall never let you be sorry for a single instant.

Yours， for ever and ever，

Judy

PS: This is the first love-letter I have ever written. Isn’t it funny that I knew how?

星期四早上

我最最親愛的杰維主人兼長腿叔叔彭德爾頓·史密斯:

你昨晚睡著了嗎?我沒有。一刻也沒有睡著。我太驚訝又太興奮，太困惑又太開心了。我想，我不會再睡覺，或再吃東西了。但我希望你睡著了。你必須睡覺，你知道的，因為只有這樣你才能更快好起來，并能來到我的身邊。