3 The Stranger

CHAPTER 3

第三章

The Stranger The children and Ruskin zigzagged between pine trees as they raced through the forest. Soon they came to a trail that spread out in three different directions. They looked from one trail to the next, but they couldn't tell which one the stranger had taken. Lucas huffed and puffed. "It looks like our only clue just got away." Clara put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "I have another idea," she said. "Why don't we do some research in the royal library?" Lucas thought for a moment. Well, at least the library will get my mind off losing the stranger, he said to himself.

孩子们和罗斯金在松树间曲折穿行，飞快地穿过森林。 很快，他们来到了一条向三个不同方向延伸的小路上。 他们从一条小路看到另一条小路，但他们看不出那个陌生人走的是哪一条。 卢卡斯气喘吁吁。“看来我们唯一的线索丢了。” 克拉拉把手放在膝盖上喘口气。 “我有另一个主意，”她说。 “我们为什么不在皇家图书馆做一些研究呢？”卢卡斯想了一会儿。 “好吧，至少图书馆能让我忘掉那个陌生人，”他自言自语道。

"Okay," he agreed. Then, with Ruskin leading the way, they tramped toward home. When they got to the castle, they hurried to the royal library.

“好吧，”他同意了。然后，在罗斯金的带领下，他们朝家走去。 当他们到达城堡时，他们急忙去了皇家图书馆。

The library had a whole section on trolls. Lucas and Clara each grabbed a book and sat on a bench topped with a purple velvet cushion. Ruskin curled up by their feet while they read. "Here's something about enderberries!" said Clara excitedly. Lucas looked up. "Oh, never mind," she said. "It just says how much trolls like them." She snapped the book shut and slid it back onto the shelf. Then she picked out another book and sat down. They both read quietly. Suddenly Lucas's eyes grew wide. Clara looked over. "Did you find something?" she asked. Lucas nodded. "I found a legend about a pegasus," he said. Clara leaned in closer. "You mean, like, a horse with wings?"

图书馆里有一整版的喷子。 卢卡斯和克拉拉各自拿了一本书，坐在一张铺着紫色天鹅绒靠垫的长凳上。 他们读书时，罗斯金蜷缩在他们的脚边。 “这是关于覆膜莓的事！”克拉拉兴奋地说。 卢卡斯抬起头来。“哦，没关系，”她说。 “这只能说明喷子有多喜欢他们。” 她啪的一声合上书，把它放回书架上。 然后她又拿起一本书坐下。 他们俩都静静地读着书。卢卡斯突然睁大了眼睛。 克拉拉看了看。“你找到什么了吗？”她问。 卢卡斯点点头。“我发现了一个关于飞马的传说，”他说。 克拉拉靠得更近了。“你是说，像一匹长翅膀的马？”

"Exactly," he said, pointing to a drawing on the page. "But what does a pegasus have to do with missing enderberries?"

“没错，”他指着纸上的一幅画说。 “但是飞马和丢失的黑莓有什么关系呢？”