5. Flat as a Pancake

5 Flat as a Pancake As they walked through the room, some musicians began to play, and a young man in a tailcoat approached the Lambchops and Detective Bates. He greeted them warmly. "Welcome," he said in a low voice that Stanley could barely hear over the music. "I'm glad you were able to join us tonight." Detective Bates turned to Stanley. "This is Prince Henry," he said. "The future king of

当他们穿过房间时，一些乐师开始演奏起来，一个穿燕尾服的年轻人走近兰勃夫妇和贝茨侦探。 他热情地欢迎他们。“欢迎。”他说，声音很低，在音乐声中斯坦利几乎听不见。 “我很高兴你今晚能来参加我们的活动。” 贝茨侦探转向斯坦利。 “这是亨利王子，”他说。 “未来的国王。

England!" Stanley put two and two together. "Are you the queen's son?" he asked. He was not sure if this was good manners, but he needed to know. Was Prince Henry the one who needed all the crown jewels? Prince Henry nodded. "I am!" he said. He smiled at Stanley. "I hope you will enjoy your evening at the palace." He winked to show he knew that Stanley was here for another reason, too. "Will you come with me?" he asked. "I will introduce you to a very special guest." "Remember," Detective Bates whispered, "I am here if you need help. I will never be very far away." He stepped into the crowd with the rest of the Lambchops. Stanley followed Prince Henry through a group of guests until he came to some women in long gowns, standing by the fountain. One of them had excellent posture. "Lady Laura," said the prince, "there is someone here I'd like you to meet."

英格兰!”斯坦利根据事实推断。 “你是王后的儿子吗?” 他不确定这是不是礼貌，但他需要知道。 亨利王子是需要所有王冠珠宝的人吗? 亨利王子点点头。“我是!”他说。 他对斯坦利笑了笑。“我希望你在宫殿里过得愉快。” 他眨了眨眼睛，表示他知道斯坦利来这里还有别的原因。 “你愿意和我一起去吗?”他问。 “我将向你介绍一位非常特别的客人。” “记住，”贝茨警探低声说，“如果你需要帮助，我就在这里。 我永远不会离你很远。” 他和其他小羊们一起走进了人群。 斯坦利跟着亨利王子穿过一群客人，直到他来到一些穿着长裙站在喷泉旁的妇女面前。 其中一个姿势很好。 “劳拉夫人，”王子说，“这里有个人，我想让你见见。”

Lady Laura! She was the one who had borrowed the Windsor Ring before it disappeared. She could be a thief! Do I have to shake her hand? Stanley wondered. When she turned around, Stanley gasped and quickly realized he would have to. Lady Laura was the woman from the tearoom at Harrods! Lucy's auntie! Stanley knew that Lady Laura cared deeply about good manners, like handshaking. "A pleasure to meet you," she said. "Charmed, I'm sure." Her smile was frozen and her fingers were cold. As he shook her hand, Stanley could feel that she was wearing rings, but he did not look at them. He did not want her to guess why he was here quite yet.

夫人劳拉!就是她在温莎戒指消失前借走了它。 她可能是个小偷!我一定要和她握手吗? 斯坦利想知道。当她转过身来时，斯坦利倒吸了一口气，很快意识到他必须这么做。 劳拉夫人就是哈罗德茶室里的那个女人!露西的阿姨!斯坦利知道劳拉夫人非常注重礼貌，比如握手。 “很高兴见到你，”她说。 “我敢肯定是被魔法迷住了。”她的笑容凝固了，手指冰凉。 当他和她握手时，斯坦利能感觉到她戴着戒指，但他没有看。 他还不想让她猜出他来这里的原因。

"It is very nice to meet you, too," he said. She asked, "Is this your first visit to London?" Her voice was friendly enough, but she was not even looking at Stanley. She was looking over

“我也很高兴见到你，”他说。 她问:“这是你第一次来伦敦吗?”她的声音很友好，但她甚至没有看斯坦利。 她看着我

his head. Was she trying to find someone else to talk to? Stanley wondered. Sure enough, Lady Laura caught someone's eye and nodded. "If you'll excuse me...," she said. She drifted away, and Stanley was on his own. What did people do at a ball? Well, now Stanley would find out. Some people were dancing near the musicians, but more people were just standing around and talking. All around him, he could hear the clink of glasses and the hum of conversation. The ballroom was full of actors and rock stars and gold medalists—not to mention members of the royal family—so Flat Stanley did not stand out. That was what Detective Bates had in mind, Stanley remembered. Since no one was watching Stanley, he could watch everybody else! It was the first step toward becoming a spy. A server in an apron approached Stanley, holding out a tray. "Would you care for a canapé?" Stanley looked at the tray just as his stomach rumbled. There were about a dozen tiny meatballs

他的头。她是想找别人说话吗? 斯坦利想知道。果然，劳拉夫人看到了一个人的目光，点了点头。 “请原谅……她说。 她渐行渐远，斯坦利孤身一人。 人们在舞会上做什么? 好吧，现在斯坦利会发现的。 有些人在乐手旁边跳舞，但更多的人只是站在旁边聊天。 在他周围，他能听到玻璃杯的叮当声和谈话的嗡嗡声。 舞厅里坐满了演员、摇滚明星和金牌得主——更不用说王室成员了——所以Flat Stanley并不引人注目。 这正是贝茨警探的想法，斯坦利记得。 既然没有人监视斯坦利，他就可以监视其他人!这是成为间谍的第一步。 一位系着围裙的服务员走近斯坦利，递给他一个托盘。 “你要不要来一份馅饼?”斯坦利看着盘子，他的肚子咕咕叫着。 有十几个小肉丸

and a bowl of toothpicks. He said, "Yes, please," and stabbed four of them with a toothpick. Just when he had stuffed all four meatballs in his mouth and was savoring the delicious taste, Lady Laura happened to glance his way. He could read the disapproval in her eyes. But the meatballs were so good! And here came another server with another tray! In a corner of the ballroom, Stanley could see Arthur with a group of children. One of them was

还有一碗牙签。他说:“是的，请。”然后用牙签刺了其中四个人。 就在他把四个肉丸都塞进嘴里，品尝着美味的时候，劳拉夫人碰巧朝他看了一眼。 他能从她眼中看出不赞成的神情。 但是肉丸太好吃了!另一个服务员端着另一个托盘过来了!在舞厅的一个角落里，斯坦利看见阿瑟和一群孩子在一起。 其中之一是