5. Sneaking Up on the Thieves

Chapter 5 Sneaking Up on the Thieves The kids crossed Main Street and cut behind Howard's Barbershop. Lots of people were out in the snow. Some big kids were having a snowball fight. A few other kids were building a snow fort behind the Book Nook. A man was walking his dog. The dog was wearing a green sweater with tiny bells sewn all over it. When the dog walked,

孩子们穿过大街，从霍华德理发店的后面抄近路过去。 很多人都在外面的雪地里。 一些大孩子在打雪仗。 其他几个孩子在书角后面搭雪堡。 一个人在遛狗。 那只狗穿着一件绿色的毛衣，上面缝满了小铃铛。 当狗走路的时候，

the bells jingled. Everybody except the dog had a red nose and shiny eyes. The kids passed the high school and the swan pond. "Where do swans go in winter?" Brian asked. "They fly to Florida," Bradley said. "In an airplane?" Nate joked. "It would be fun sitting in an airplane next to a big white swan!" They came to Woody Street. There were lights on in Dink's house and in Nate's house. The kids peeked in the windows to make sure there were no burglars prowling around. Bradley pulled out the note and looked at it again. "North on Farm Lane to P," he said as they left Woody Street. They hiked up Farm Lane, leaving footprints in the snow. "We should sneak up on our house," Brian said. "Maybe we'll catch them in the act!" A few minutes later, they stood in Bradley and Brian's front yard. It was almost dark, and snow was floating down in big, wet flakes. Lights were on in every room of the house. Behind the house, the barn stood dark and cold-looking.

铃铛叮当作响。除了狗，每个人都有一个红鼻子和闪亮的眼睛。 孩子们经过了高中和天鹅池。 “天鹅冬天会去哪里？”布莱恩问。 “他们飞往佛罗里达，”布拉德利说。 “在飞机上？”内特开玩笑说。 “在飞机上坐在一只大白天鹅旁边一定很有趣！”他们来到伍迪街。 丁克家和内特家都亮着灯。 孩子们从窗户里偷看，以确保没有小偷在附近徘徊。 布拉德利掏出纸条，又看了一遍。 “从农场巷往北走到P街，”他们离开伍迪街时，他说。 他们沿着农场小道徒步而上，在雪地上留下了脚印。 “我们应该溜到我们家，”布莱恩说。 “也许我们能当场抓住他们！”几分钟后，他们站在布拉德利和布莱恩家的前院。 天快黑了，又大又湿的雪花飘下来。 房子里每个房间都亮着灯。 房子后面的谷仓黑暗而冰冷。

"I see big footprints," Bradley whispered, pointing at the ground. "They're probably Josh's," Brian said. "He has giant feet." The kids walked up onto the porch, trying to be as quiet as mice. They peered through the windows at Bradley and Brian's living room. A fire was in the fireplace, and a Christmas tree stood in one corner. Pal was lying in front of the fireplace, sound asleep. "There are Mom and Dad," said Bradley. Everyone was wearing a party hat with HAPPY NEW YEAR! printed on the front. Bradley's dad had on oversize yellow sunglasses. "And my aunt and uncle," Lucy said. "Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are frosting cupcakes!" Nate said. "Let's go in and help them!" Just then, Nate's parents walked out of the kitchen into the living room. Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway were wearing party hats, too, and carrying a banner. They hung it from the fireplace mantel. In gold letters, it said: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“我看到了大脚印，”布拉德利指着地面小声说。 “可能是乔什的，”布莱恩说。 “他有一双巨大的脚。”孩子们走上门廊，尽量保持安静。 他们透过窗户窥视着布拉德利和布莱恩的起居室。 壁炉里生着火，角落里立着一棵圣诞树。 伙计躺在壁炉前，睡得很熟。 “有妈妈和爸爸，”布拉德利说。 每个人都戴着派对帽，上面写着新年快乐！印在正面。 布拉德利的爸爸戴着一副超大号的黄色太阳镜。 “还有我的姨妈和姨父。”露茜说。 “丁克，乔什和露丝·罗斯在给纸杯蛋糕涂糖霜”内特说。 “我们进去帮助他们吧！”就在这时，内特的父母从厨房走进客厅。 哈撒韦夫妇也戴着派对帽，举着横幅。 他们把它挂在壁炉架上。 上面用金字写着：新年快乐！

"It's going to be a fun party," Nate said. "Why am I standing out in the cold with my nose running?" "Because you're going to help catch two laptop thieves," Bradley reminded Nate. "But they're not here," Lucy said. "Maybe they came, but when they saw how many people were in there, they got chicken and left," Nate said. "Let's go in," Bradley said. "We can't stay out here all night." The four kids banged in through the front door. They shook snow off their hats, pulled off their coats, and kicked their boots into a corner.

“这将是一个有趣的聚会，”内特说。 “为什么我站在外面这么冷，还流鼻涕？”“因为你要帮忙抓两个偷笔记本电脑的贼，”布拉德利提醒内特。 “可他们不在这儿。”露茜说。 “也许他们来了，但当他们看到里面有那么多人时，他们吃了鸡就离开了，”内特说。 “我们进去吧，”布拉德利说。 “我们不能整晚都待在外面。” 四个孩子从前门闯了进来。 他们抖掉帽子上的雪，脱下外套，把靴子踢到角落里。

"You're here!" Bradley's mom cried. "We thought you'd been kidnapped and taken to the North Pole!" "Cool!" Josh said, grinning. He had green frosting on his lips. "More cupcakes for us!" "Your cheeks are so pink," Dink's mother said. "You look like you're freezing! Come and sit by the fire." "Good thing you guys showed up," Dink said. "We were getting ready to go out looking for you." "Where were you, Nate?" Ruth Rose asked her brother. "I called our house an hour ago, but no one answered. You were supposed to stay there." "We were following a gang of thieves!" Nate answered. "You were what?" his father demanded. "Mrs. Wong's laptop got stolen out of her house," Bradley explained. Everyone was staring at him and the other younger kids. "Then the thieves came to Nate's house and peeked in the window. We followed them all over town, but we lost them."

“你在这里!”布拉德利的妈妈哭了。 “我们还以为你被绑架到北极去了呢！”“酷!”乔希咧嘴笑着说。 他嘴唇上有绿色的糖霜。 “给我们更多的纸杯蛋糕！”“你的脸颊好粉，”丁克的妈妈说。 “你看起来冻僵了！”过来坐在火边。” “幸好你们来了，”丁克说。 “我们正准备出去找你呢。” “你去哪儿了，内特？”露丝·罗斯问她哥哥。 “一小时前我给我们家打了电话，但没人接。 你应该呆在那里的。” “我们在跟踪一帮小偷！”奈特回答。 “你是什么？”他父亲问。 “黄太太的笔记本电脑从家里被偷了，”布拉德利解释说。 每个人都盯着他和其他更小的孩子。 然后小偷来到内特的房子，从窗户往里偷看。 我们跟着他们满城跑，但还是跟丢了。”