2. The Matador

2 The Matador Stanley Lambchop awoke to the sound of applause just outside his envelope. Somebody must have informed the Mexicans of his arrival! Since becoming flat, Stanley had grown used to attention. Sometimes he did not like it, especially when strangers called him "Flatty." But he had also found that there was such a thing as good attention. He remembered the reporters who crowded around him after he saved President Lincoln's nose from breaking off Mount Rushmore. He thought of the crowds calling his name as he stood with the movie star Oda Nobu in Japan. And now, he had arrived in Mexico to thunderous applause! Stanley hoped he would have a minute to straighten himself. He liked to look presentable for his public.

斗牛士斯坦利·兰博切被信封外的掌声惊醒。 一定有人把他的到来通知了墨西哥人!自从变得平淡之后，斯坦利已经习惯了人们的关注。 有时他不喜欢别人叫他“Flatty”，尤其是当陌生人叫他“Flatty”的时候。 但他也发现，有一种东西叫做好的注意力。 他还记得，在他从拉什莫尔山上救下林肯总统的鼻子后，记者们围在他身边。 当他和电影明星Oda Nobu站在一起时，他想起了在日本喊他名字的人群。 现在，他在雷鸣般的掌声中抵达了墨西哥!斯坦利希望他能有一分钟的时间来整理一下自己。 他喜欢在公众面前显得体面。

At that very moment, someone tore the envelope open, and Stanley leaped out, smiling for the crowd. But there was no crowd in sight. It appeared that Stanley was just outside the door of a massive stadium. The crowd must have been inside. A giant sign above the gate said PLAZA DE TOROS MÉXICO. Staring down at Stanley was a beautiful woman in a fancy velvet outfit with a frilly white shirt. ".Quién es?" she said sharply. "I'm afraid I don't speak Spanish," said Stanley, slightly embarrassed. "Who are you?" she repeated in English. "My name is Stanley Lambchop," answered Stanley. "I am here for the secret ingredient of Isabela Beluga Tortilla de Sandoval." (Carlos had taught him how to properly pronounce his great grandmother's name before licking the envelope.) "Then you are a spy!" the woman cried. "No, I'm not!" Stanley said. "Look!" Ever since Stanley had had a difficult time at the Cairo post office, he always made sure to travel with the proper documentation. In this case, Carlos had

就在这时，有人撕开了信封，斯坦利跳了出来，对着人群微笑。 但是看不见人群。 斯坦利似乎就在一个大型体育场的门外。 人群一定在里面。 大门上方的一个巨大标志写着PLAZA DE TOROS MÉXICO。 一个漂亮的女人正俯视着斯坦利，她穿着一件华丽的天鹅绒外套和一件有褶边的白衬衫。 ＂．她严厉地说。 “恐怕我不会说西班牙语。”斯坦利有点尴尬地说。 “你是谁?”她用英语重复道。 “我叫斯坦利·兰博切，”斯坦利回答。 "我是为伊莎贝拉·白鲸·桑多瓦尔玉米饼的秘密原料而来的" (在舔信封之前，卡洛斯曾教过他如何正确读他曾祖母的名字。)“那你就是个间谍!” “不，我没有!”斯坦利说。 “看!”自从斯坦利在开罗邮局经历了一段艰难的时光后，他总是确保旅行时带着适当的证件。 在这种情况下，卡洛斯有

written a letter in Spanish, explaining the situation. Stanley pulled it from his pocket. When the woman had finished reading, she peered down at Stanley. "You are Stanley the flat boy?" Stanley raised his eyebrows. "Forgive me. Carlos has been telling me of you in letters," she said. "I thought you were in his imagination."

用西班牙语写了一封信，解释了情况。 斯坦利从口袋里掏出它。 女人读完后，低头看着斯坦利。 “你就是那个公寓男孩斯坦利?”斯坦利扬起眉毛。 “原谅我。卡洛斯一直在信里跟我说起你，”她说。 “我以为你是在他的想象中。”

"You know Carlos?!" said Stanley, surprised. "He is my cousin," the woman said, nodding. "Then you must know Carmen del Junco, the famous bullfighter!" The woman looked confused. Then she smiled for the first time. "I do," she admitted. "Julio!" she called suddenly to a man nearby. She said something in Spanish and then turned back to Stanley. "You are my guest here," she said. "Julio will take care of you. I will join you after." "After what?" asked Stanley. Without answering, the woman opened the huge door to the stadium and slipped inside. The crowd's roar got louder. Julio led Stanley to another, smaller door and then through a maze of corridors. They came out among the seats of the crowded stadium. There must have been tens of thousands of people. Julio directed Stanley to a lone empty seat in the front row. In the center of the ring was the woman who had opened Stanley's envelope. She waved a red cape in the air as a bull ran into the ring.

“你认识卡洛斯?!”斯坦利惊讶地说。 “他是我的表弟，”女人点头说。 “那你一定认识卡门·德尔·琼科，著名的斗牛士!”那个女人看起来很困惑。 然后她第一次笑了。 “是的，”她承认。“胡里奥!”她突然对旁边的一个男人喊道。 她用西班牙语说了几句，然后转向斯坦利。 “你是我的客人，”她说。 “胡里奥会照顾你的。 之后我就去找你。”“在什么之后?”斯坦利问。 女人没有回答，打开通往体育场的大门，溜了进去。 人群的吼声越来越大。 胡里奥领着斯坦利来到另一扇较小的门前，然后穿过迷宫般的走廊。 他们从拥挤的体育场的座位中走了出来。 肯定有成千上万的人。 胡里奥把斯坦利领到前排的一个空座位上。 站在圆圈中央的是那个打开斯坦利信封的女人。 当一头公牛跑进斗牛场时，她在空中挥动一件红斗篷。

Stanley slapped his head with a clap: She was the famous matador!

斯坦利拍了拍他的头:她是著名的斗牛士!