07 Seven

Seven The two women and the small boy stood absolutely still on the grass underneath the tree, gazing up at this extraordinary fruit. James's little face was glowing with excitement, his eyes were as big and bright as two stars. He could see the peach swelling larger and larger as clearly as if it were a balloon being blown up. In half a minute, it was the size of a melon! In another half-minute, it was twice as big again! 'Just look at it growing!' Aunt Spiker cried. 'Will it ever stop!' Aunt Sponge shouted, waving her fat arms and starting to dance around in circles. And now it was so big it looked like an enormous butter-coloured pumpkin dangling from the top of the tree.

这两个女人和小男孩一动不动地站在树下的草地上，仰望着这奇异的果实。 詹姆斯的小脸因兴奋而容光焕发，他的眼睛又大又亮，像两颗星星。 他可以清楚地看到桃子越来越大，就像气球被吹起来一样。 不到半分钟，它就变成了甜瓜那么大!又过了半分钟，它又变大了一倍!“看看它长得多快!”斯派克姨妈叫道。 “它会停吗?”海绵姨妈喊着，挥舞着她肥大的手臂，开始绕着圈子跳舞。 现在它是如此之大，看起来像一个巨大的奶油色南瓜悬挂在树顶。

'Get away from that tree trunk, you stupid boy!' Aunt Spiker yelled. 'The slightest shake and I'm sure it'll fall off! It must weigh twenty or thirty pounds at least!' The branch that the peach was growing upon was beginning to bend over further and further because of the weight. 'Stand back!' Aunt Sponge shouted. 'It's coming down! The branch is going to break!' But the branch didn't break. It simply bent over more and more as the peach got heavier and heavier. And still it went on growing. In another minute, this mammoth fruit was as large and round and fat as Aunt Sponge herself, and probably just as heavy. 'It has to stop now!' Aunt Spiker yelled. 'It can't go on for ever!' But it didn't stop. Soon it was the size of a small car, and reached halfway to the ground.

“离那树干远点，你这个笨孩子!”斯派克姨妈喊道。 “稍微摇晃一下，我肯定它就会掉下来!”它至少有二三十磅重!”长桃子的树枝因为太重，开始越来越弯了。 “退后!”海绵姨妈喊道。 “它下来了!”树枝要断了!”但是树枝没有断。 随着桃子变得越来越重，它就越来越弯。 它还在继续生长。 又过了一分钟，这个巨大的水果又大又圆，又胖，跟海绵姨妈一样，可能也跟她一样重。 “现在必须停止!”斯派克姨妈喊道。 “不可能永远这样下去!”但它并没有停止。 很快，它变成了一辆小汽车的大小，到达了地面的一半。

Both aunts were now hopping round and round the tree, clapping their hands and shouting all sorts of silly things in their excitement. 'Hallelujah!' Aunt Spiker shouted. 'What a peach! What a peach!' 'Terrifico!' Aunt Sponge cried out, 'Magnifico! Splendifico! And what a meal!' 'It's still growing.' 'I know! I know!' As for James, he was so spellbound by the whole thing that he could only stand and stare and murmur quietly to himself, 'Oh, isn't it beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' 'Shut up, you little twerp!' Aunt Spiker snapped, happening to overhear him. 'It's none of your business!' 'That's right,' Aunt Sponge declared. 'It's got nothing to do with you whatsoever! Keep out of it.'

两位阿姨现在围着树跳来跳去，兴奋地拍着手，喊出各种各样的蠢话。 “哈利路亚!”斯派克姨妈喊道。 “多好的桃子啊!”多好的桃子啊!“Terrifico !”海绵姨妈喊道:“大人!Splendifico !多么丰盛的一餐啊!”“还在长呢。“我知道!”我知道!”至于詹姆斯，他被整件事迷住了，他只能站在那里盯着看，悄悄地喃喃自语:“哦，这不是很美吗? 这是我见过的最美的东西。“闭嘴，你这个小笨蛋!”斯派克姨妈突然厉声说，碰巧听到了他的话。 “不关你的事!”“对，”海绵姨妈说。 “这跟你一点关系都没有!”别插手。”

'Look!' Aunt Spiker shouted. 'It's growing faster than ever now! It's speeding up!' 'I see it, Spiker! I do! I do!' Bigger and bigger grew the peach, bigger and bigger and bigger. Then at last, when it had become nearly as tall as the tree that it was growing on, as tall and wide, in fact, as a small house, the bottom part of it gently touched the ground – and there it rested. 'It can't fall off now!' Aunt Sponge shouted. 'It's stopped growing!' Aunt Spiker cried. 'No, it hasn't!' 'Yes, it has!' 'It's slowing down, Spiker, it's slowing down! But it hasn't stopped yet! You watch it!' There was a pause. 'It has now!' 'I believe you're right.' 'Do you think it's safe to touch it?' 'I don't know. We'd better be careful.'

“看!”斯派克姨妈喊道。 “它现在比以往任何时候都长得快!”它在加速!“我看见了，斯派克!”我做!我做的!”桃子越来越大，越来越大，越来越大。 最后，当它长得几乎和它生长的那棵树一样高的时候，又高又宽，事实上，就像一座小房子一样，它的底部轻轻地触到了地面——它就停在那里了。 “它现在不会掉下来了!”海绵姨妈喊道。 “它不长了!”斯派克姨妈叫道。 “不，没有!”“是的，是这样!”“慢下来了，斯派克，慢下来了!”但它还没有停止!你小心点!”一阵沉默。 “现在有了!””“我相信你是对的。“你觉得摸它安全吗?””“我不知道。 我们最好小心点。”

Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker began walking slowly round the peach, inspecting it very cautiously from all sides. They were like a couple of hunters who had just shot an elephant and were not quite sure whether it was dead or alive. And the massive round fruit towered over them so high that they looked like midgets from another world beside it. The skin of the peach was very beautiful – a rich buttery yellow with patches of brilliant pink and red. Aunt Sponge advanced cautiously and touched it with the tip of one finger. 'It's ripe!' she cried. 'It's just perfect! Now, look here, Spiker. Why don't we go and get a shovel right away and dig out a great big chunk of it for you and me to eat?' 'No,' Aunt Spiker said. 'Not yet.' 'Why ever not?' 'Because I say so.' 'But I can't wait to eat some!' Aunt Sponge cried out. She was watering at the mouth now and a thin trickle of spit was running down one side of her chin.

海绵姨妈和斯派克姨妈开始绕着桃子慢慢地走，从四面八方小心翼翼地检查它。 他们就像一对猎人，刚射死了一头大象，还不确定它是死是活。 硕大的圆形水果高高耸立在他们的头顶上，在它旁边，他们看起来就像来自另一个世界的侏儒。 桃子的皮非常漂亮——是一种丰富的黄油黄色，上面点缀着明亮的粉红色和红色。 海绵姨妈小心翼翼地走上前，用指尖碰了碰它。 这是成熟!她叫道。“太完美了!”听着，斯派克。 我们为什么不马上去拿把铲子，挖出一大块给你和我吃呢?“不，”斯派克姨妈说。 “还没有。“为什么不呢?””“因为我这么说。“可我等不及要吃了!”海绵姨妈叫道。 她嘴里流着口水，一股细细的口水顺着她下巴的一边流下来。