Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 In a blink, everyone in the beanery seemed to be on their feet. Janie leapt up and joined the search. People raced around the little shack, calling for Violet. They searched under tables, behind barrels, in dusty corners. But there was no sign of the little girl. Suddenly, Janie remembered what Violet had whispered to her: I'm going to build a snowman.

转眼间，豆荚房里的每个人似乎都站了起来。 珍妮跳了起来，加入了搜寻。 人们在小棚屋里跑来跑去，喊维奥莱特。 他们在桌子底下、木桶后面、尘土飞扬的角落里搜寻。 但是没有那个小女孩的踪影。 突然，珍妮想起了维奥莱特对她耳语的话：我要堆一个雪人。

"She's outside!" Janie shouted, racing toward the door. "No, she couldn't have gotten out!" Mrs. Kayden gasped. But, of course, Janie knew how easy it was to slip away when no one was looking. To disappear. With so many people coming in and out of the beanery, Violet could have snuck outside without anyone noticing. Without even thinking, Janie opened the door and plunged into the blizzard. Frederick, Mr. McBride, and Miss Wade rushed out after her, along with John and some others. "Violet!" they called. "Violet!" Only the wind and snow answered them. The cold drilled through Janie's thin wool coat and up through the patched holes in her flimsy boots. Her bones seemed to freeze. Nobody would last long out here, she thought. Especially not a little kid. Janie thought of those many freezing nights she'd spent shivering behind

“她是外面!”简妮喊道，向门口跑去。 “不，她不可能出去的！”凯登太太喘着气说。 不过，珍妮当然知道，在没有人注意的时候，她是多么容易溜之夭夭。 消失。在这么多人进进出出的情况下，维奥莉特完全可以偷偷溜出去而不被人发现。 詹妮想都没想就打开了门，一头扎进了暴风雪里。 弗雷德里克、麦克布莱德先生和韦德小姐跟在她后面冲了出来，还有约翰和其他几个人。 “维奥莱特！”“紫!”只有风和雪在回答他们。 寒气从珍妮的薄羊毛大衣里钻了出来，又从她那双破靴子上的补丁洞里钻了出来。 她的骨头似乎都冻僵了。 她想，在这里谁也撑不了多久。 尤其是小孩子。 珍妮想起了她在后面瑟瑟发抖度过的许多寒冷的夜晚

buildings, hiding out from the police. How her hands would get numb. How her teeth would chatter so hard she was afraid they'd crumble to dust. "Violet!" she hollered, as loudly as she could. "Violet!" She heard a sound, like a cat mewing. But no cat would be out here in the snow. Janie listened more closely. She narrowed her eyes, peering through the swirling snow the way she scanned the streets of Spokane for police and stray dogs. But all she saw were snowdrifts. Until… one of the snowdrifts seemed to move. Janie lurched forward and thrust her arms into the snow. She felt a warm body. Violet! Janie lifted the shivering little girl out of the snow and held her tight.

建筑物，躲避警察。 她的手会变得麻木。 她的牙齿不停地打颤，她担心它们会碎成灰尘。 “维奥莱特！”她尽可能大声地喊道。 “紫!”她听到一种像猫叫的声音。 但是没有猫会出现在雪地里。 珍妮听得更仔细了。 她眯起眼睛，透过纷飞的雪，在斯波坎的街道上寻找警察和流浪狗。 但她看到的都是雪堆。 直到其中一堆雪似乎在移动。 珍妮蹒跚地向前走，把双臂伸到雪地里。 她感到一个温暖的身体。紫色!珍妮把瑟瑟发抖的小女孩从雪地里抱起来，紧紧地抱着她。

"Janie found Violet!" Frederick shouted, punching his fist in the air. "Brava!" cheered Miss Wade. Janie smiled—a real smile. The first one since Dash left.

“珍妮找到维奥莱特了！”弗雷德里克喊着，在空中挥舞着拳头。 “太棒了！"韦德小姐欢呼起来。 珍妮笑了——真正的笑。 达什走后的第一次。

They warmed Violet up in front of the crackling fire. Her mother had peeled off her soaking dress. Harry, the chef, had found a thick flannel shirt for Violet to wear and a blanket to wrap around her. Pretty soon the little girl was smiling and back to her bossy self. "I want more pancakes!" she demanded, climbing on Janie's lap. "I just cleaned the grill," Harry said. "But for you, sweetheart, I'll fire it up again." "Thank you," Mrs. Kayden said gratefully. "But I'm going to take Violet back to the train." Her baby boy had started to yowl. "Poor little Billy is exhausted. He needs a nap." "Go, Mommy!" Violet commanded. "I stay with Janie!" Miss Wade put a hand on little Billy's bald head. "Take the baby down to the train. We can keep an eye on Violet here." After Mrs. Kayden left, Violet devoured a stack of pancakes. When she was finished, she let out a

他们在噼啪作响的炉火前给维奥莱特取暖。 她母亲脱下了她湿透的衣服。 厨师哈利找了一件厚法兰绒衬衫给维奥莱特穿，又找了一条毯子把她裹起来。 很快，小女孩笑了起来，又恢复了她那个专横的样子。 “我还要些煎饼！”她爬上珍妮的腿，要求道。 “我刚打扫了烤架。”哈利说。 “但是为了你，亲爱的，我会重新点燃它的。” “谢谢你，”凯登太太感激地说。 “但我要带维奥莱特回到火车上。” 她的小儿子开始嚎啕大哭。 “可怜的小比利累坏了。 他需要小睡一下。”妈妈,“去!”紫色的吩咐。 “我和珍妮呆在一起！”韦德小姐把手放在小比利的秃头上。 “把孩子带到火车上。 我们可以在这里照看维奥莱特。” 凯登夫人走后，维奥莱特狼吞虎咽地吃了一叠煎饼。 当她完成后，她发出了一声

little burp, curled up against Janie's chest, and fell asleep. Harry stepped away from the grill, took off his apron, and plopped himself down on a stool. "I'm ready for my nap!" he said, rubbing his hands through his shaggy beard. "We've been working since three o'clock this morning." "You'll have some peace and quiet soon," Mr. McBride said with his usual smile. "Our train will be leaving in the next hour or two." Harry's eyebrows slid up. "Who told you that?" "The conductor. Mr. Pettit," said Mr. Riggins. "He's a good chap." "He is," Harry said. "One of the best on the Great Northern line. But I'm afraid he's dead wrong. Your train isn't going anywhere today. Probably not tomorrow either." "But we were told the tracks were just about cleared," Mr. McBride said with surprise. Harry shook his head. "There are slides happening up and down the line. The snowplows

轻轻打了个嗝，蜷缩在珍妮的胸前睡着了。 哈利离开烤架，脱下围裙，扑通一声坐在一张凳子上。 “我准备好要睡午觉了！”他说着，用手揉了揉蓬乱的胡子。 “我们从今天早上三点就开始工作了。” “你很快就会过上平静的生活，”麦克布莱德先生带着惯常的微笑说。 “我们的火车再过一两个小时就要开了。” 哈利的眉毛往上一耸。“谁告诉你的？””售票员。 佩蒂特先生，”里金斯先生说。 “他是个好小伙子。”“是的。”哈利说。 “是大北线上最好的火车之一。 但恐怕他大错特错了。 你的火车今天哪儿也去不了。 也许明天也不会。” “但我们被告知铁轨已经清理干净了，”麦克布莱德惊讶地说。 哈利摇了摇头。“这条线上上下都有滑坡。 的除雪机