Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 19 HOURS EARLIER SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 1912 7:15 A.M. FIRST CLASS SUITE, B DECK, RMS TITANIC George woke up early that morning, half expecting to hear Papa calling him for chores. But then he remembered: the Titanic! He was on the greatest ship in the world. It was their fifth day at sea. George and his eight-year-old sister, Phoebe, had spent two months in England with their aunt Daisy. What a

第2章1912年4月14日星期日早19小时 乔治那天早上起得很早，还以为会听到爸爸叫他做家务呢。 但这时他想起了:泰坦尼克号!他在世界上最伟大的船上。 这是他们出海的第五天。 乔治和他八岁的妹妹菲比和他们的姑姑黛西在英国待了两个月。 什么是

time they had! As a surprise for George's tenth birthday, Aunt Daisy took them to see the Tower of London, where they used to chop off your head if the king didn't like you. Now they were heading back to America. Back to Papa and their little farm in upstate New York. George got out of bed and knelt by the small, round window that looked out on the ocean. "Morning," said Phoebe, peering through the silk curtains of her bed and fumbling for her spectacles. Her curly brown hair was practically standing straight up. "What were you looking for?" George had to smile. Phoebe always had a question, even at the crack of dawn. Maybe that's why she was the smartest little sister in the world. "I thought I saw a giant squid," George said. "And it's coming to get us!" George rushed over and grabbed Phoebe with wiggly squid arms. She curled up into a ball and laughed.

他们有的是时间!作为乔治十岁生日的惊喜，黛西姨妈带他们去看伦敦塔，过去如果国王不喜欢你，他们就会在那里砍下你的头。 现在他们要回美国了。 回到爸爸和他们在纽约州北部的小农场。 乔治下了床，跪在望向大海的小圆窗旁。 “早上好，”菲比说，透过床上的丝绸窗帘往外看，摸索着找她的眼镜。 她那卷曲的棕色头发几乎直竖着。 “你在找什么?”乔治只好笑了。 菲比总是有一个问题，即使是在黎明时分。 也许这就是为什么她是世界上最聪明的小妹妹。 “我以为我看到了一只大乌贼，”乔治说。 “它来抓我们了!”乔治冲过去，用扭动的鱿鱼手臂抓住菲比。 她蜷缩成一团笑了起来。

She was still laughing when Aunt Daisy came in. Even in her robe and slippers, Aunt Daisy was the prettiest lady on the whole ship. Sometimes George couldn't believe she was so old: twenty- two! "What's this?" Aunt Daisy said. "You know the rule: No having fun without me!" Phoebe sat up and put her arms around George. "Georgie said he saw a giant squid." Aunt Daisy laughed. "I wouldn't doubt it. Everyone wants to get a look at the Titanic. Even sea monsters." George halfway believed it. He'd never imagined anything like the Titanic. Aunt Daisy called the ship a floating palace. But it was way better than the cold and dusty castles they'd seen in England. They had three whole rooms — one for Phoebe and George, one for Aunt Daisy, and one for sitting around and doing nothing. They even had a man, a steward named Henry. He had bright red hair and an Irish accent that made everything he said sound like a jolly song.

黛西姨妈进来时，她还在笑。 即使穿着长袍和拖鞋，黛西阿姨也是全船最漂亮的女士。 有时乔治不敢相信她已经这么老了:22岁!“这是什么?”黛西姨妈说。 “你知道规矩的:没有我不能玩!”菲比坐起来，搂着乔治。 “乔治说他看到了一只大乌贼。” 黛西姨妈笑了。“我对此毫不怀疑。 每个人都想看一看泰坦尼克号。 甚至是海怪。”乔治半信半疑。 他从没想过会有泰坦尼克号这样的东西。 黛西阿姨称这艘船为漂浮的宫殿。 但这比他们在英国看到的寒冷、尘土飞扬的城堡要好得多。 他们有三间完整的房间——一间给菲比和乔治，一间给黛西姨妈，另一间给大家坐着不做任何事。 他们甚至还有一个叫亨利的管家。 他长着一头鲜红的头发，操着一口爱尔兰口音，这使他说的话听起来像一首欢快的歌曲。

"Some fresh towels for your bath?" he would say. "Some cocoa before bed?" And just before they turned out the lights for the night, Henry would knock on their door and peep his head in. "Is there anything else you might need?" he'd ask. George kept trying to think of something he needed. But what could you ever need on the Titanic? The ship had everything, even a swimming pool with ocean water heated up like a bath, even gold silk curtains for your bed so you could pretend you were sleeping in a pirate's den, even three dining rooms where you could eat anything you wanted. Last night George had eaten two plates of roast beef, veal and ham pie, carrots sweet as candy, and a mysterious dessert called meringue pudding. It tasted like sugary clouds. Actually, there was one thing missing from the Titanic: the New York Giants baseball team. George wondered what Henry would say if George said, "I need shortstop Artie Fletcher right away!"

“给你拿几条新毛巾洗澡?”他会说。 “睡前喝点可可吗?”就在他们晚上熄灯之前，亨利会敲他们的门，把头探进去。 “你还需要别的什么吗?”他会问。 乔治一直在想他需要的东西。 但你在泰坦尼克号上还需要什么呢? 船上什么都有，甚至有一个像浴缸一样加热海水的游泳池，甚至有金丝绸的床帘，这样你就可以假装睡在海盗的巢穴里，甚至还有三间餐厅，你可以吃任何你想吃的东西。 昨晚乔治吃了两盘烤牛肉、小牛肉和火腿派、甜得像糖果的胡萝卜，还有一种叫蛋白派布丁的神秘甜点。 它尝起来像糖云。 事实上，泰坦尼克号上少了一样东西:纽约巨人棒球队。 乔治想知道，如果他说:“我现在需要游击手阿蒂·弗莱彻!”亨利会怎么说?

Probably Henry would say, "Coming right up, sir!" George grinned just thinking about it. But Aunt Daisy wasn't smiling at him. She looked very serious. "We have to make the most of our last three days at sea," Aunt Daisy said in a low voice. "I want you to promise me, George. No more trouble!" George gulped. Was she really still mad at him for last night? He'd slid down the banister of the grand staircase in the first class lobby. How could he resist? The wood was so shiny and polished, curving around like a ride at the fair.

也许亨利会说:“马上就来，先生!”乔治一想到这里就咧嘴笑了。 但是黛西姨妈并没有对他笑。 她看上去很严肃。“我们必须充分利用在海上的最后三天，”黛西阿姨低声说。 “我要你答应我，乔治。 别再麻烦了!”乔治一饮而尽。 她还在为昨晚的事生他的气吗? 他从头等舱大厅的大楼梯扶手上滑了下来。 他怎能抗拒呢?木头闪闪发亮，像集市上的马车一样弯弯曲曲。

"That lady could have moved out of the way," George said. "How could she?" Phoebe said. "She was wearing a hundred pounds of diamonds!" Aunt Daisy almost smiled. George could tell.

“那位女士本可以让开的，”乔治说。 “她怎么可能呢?”菲比。 “她戴着一百磅重的钻石!”黛西姨妈几乎笑了。 乔治看得出来。