12 I Get News of Alice

Chapter 12 IN WHICH I Get News of Alice We leave the Catskills behind north of the cemetery and enter the Helderbergs. I know we are in them when the forest trees change. Maples and hemlocks are replaced by yellow birch and the northland's black spruce. Dark bogs pock the mountaintops. We sink up to our calves in one of these, so avoid the others by checking the map and plotting a course around them. As we bushwhack along, the mountains themselves tell me we have arrived. The Helderbergs are made up of layers of limestone and shale, through which underground streams and rivers have carved miles of caverns. Some near the surface have caved in, leaving gaping sink holes in the land. Others are walk-in caves. These are magnets, and we explore each one we come upon. Deep in them we can hear subterranean rivers rushing off through the

第十二章 我得到了爱丽丝的消息 我们把墓地以北的卡茨基尔山抛在身后，踏入赫尔德贝里山区 林木换了模样，我就知道我们已经进入山区了 枫树和铁杉被黄桦和北欧黑云杉取代 漆黑的沼泽星星点点散落在山顶 我们曾陷进一片沼泽，没到小腿肚，于是查好地图规划路线，绕开了其他沼泽 我们在林间披荆斩棘前进，山势本身就告诉我，我们到了 赫尔德贝里山由石灰岩和页岩分层构成，地下溪流与河流在山体中凿出了数英里长的洞穴 有些靠近地表的洞穴坍塌了，在地面留下一个个张开大口的落水洞 还有一些洞穴可以直接走进去 这些洞穴像磁石一样吸引着我们，我们每遇见一个都会进去探险 在洞穴深处，我们能听见地下河正朝着

netherworld, and our voices echo and reecho through the halls. We see a dimly illumed underground waterfall and climb down to it for a dark thundering shower. We spend the night by a cavern and before sunup are jogging along toward the 4-H Club fair. I am concerned about Alice's using the name Van Rensselaer. I can sense an Alice-scrape coming up. Imposters are not appreciated, not even yellowheaded ones. Shortly after sunrise we come down the steep road into Livingstonville, a small town of no more than forty houses and stores cozied at the confluence of the Catskill and Lake creeks. Virtually no cars pass us; the sidewalks are empty, and the homes, which were built many years ago, stand gray or paint-chipped behind walls of lilacs and groves of stately trees. Modernizing is not fashionable in Livingstonville. Even the store is an old grocery-gas-hardware-feed store and luncheonette–post office that dates back to the twenties, Bando says. It's a wonderful town. We enter the all-purpose store and sit down at the luncheonette counter. Only four people are here,

地底深处奔流而去，我们的声音在洞穴甬道里一遍遍回荡 我们看见一处光线昏暗的地下瀑布，爬下去淋了一场暗沉沉轰鸣作响的澡 我们在洞穴边过夜，天还没亮就动身，朝着4-H俱乐部的集市赶去 我很担心爱丽丝冒用范·伦斯勒这个姓氏 我能预感到爱丽丝要惹麻烦了 没人喜欢冒名顶替的人，哪怕是黄头发的小姑娘也不行 日出后没多久，我们沿着陡坡路走进利文斯顿维尔，这是座很小的镇子，只有不到四十栋房屋和商铺，静静坐落在卡茨基尔溪与莱克溪的交汇处 一路上几乎没有汽车经过，人行道空空荡荡，多年前修建的房屋要么灰蒙蒙的，要么掉了漆，坐落在紫丁香树墙和参天树林的后方 在利文斯顿维尔，现代化可不是什么时髦事 班多说，就连这里的商店也是老式的，兼卖杂货、汽油、五金、饲料，还做简餐和邮局，从二十世纪二十年代就存在了 这真是一座很棒的镇子 我们走进这家全能商店，在简餐柜台边坐下 店里只有四个人，

which is the right number for any store as far as I'm concerned. Bando picks up the menu. "Coffee, homemade sausage sandwich, and strawberry-rhubarb pie," he says to the woman behind the counter. She also seems to be the postmistress, for she is sorting mail as well as listening to Bando's order. I stare at him. We've just finished a breakfast of fish chowder and sow-thistle leaves, and here he is eating again. No wonder he has a paunch! Or he did have one. He's walked it off, I see. "Sam," Bando says. "What do you want to eat?" "Nothing," I reply. "I'm stuffed." When Bando's breakfast is set before him, I turn to the burly man beside me. "Sir," I say to the stranger, emboldened by the comforting shelves of canning jars and bins of nails and feed. "Can you tell me how to get to the Livingstonville fairgrounds?" "Fairgrounds?" His voice is so low it vibrates. "Ain't no fairgrounds in Livingstonville." "There aren't? But there's supposed to be a 4-H Club fair in Livingstonville." I'm devastated as

对我来说，这个人数对任何商店来说都刚刚好 班多拿起菜单 “一杯咖啡，一份自制香肠三明治，再来一块草莓大黄派，”他对柜台后的女人说 她看起来同时还兼做邮局局长，因为她一边听班多点餐，一边分拣邮件 我盯着他看 我们刚吃完鱼杂汤和苦苣菜早餐，他居然又要吃了 难怪他原来有小肚子！ 哦他之前确实有 我看出来了，走路把小肚子走没了 “山姆，”班多叫道 “你想吃点什么？” “什么都不要，”我回答 “我吃饱了” 班多的早餐端上来后，我转向旁边壮实的男人 “先生，”我对陌生人开口，摆满密封罐、钉子和饲料的货架让我安下心壮了胆 “你能告诉我去利文斯顿维尔集市广场怎么走吗？” “集市广场？” 他的声音低得发颤 “利文斯顿维尔根本没有什么集市广场” “没有吗？” 可利文斯顿维尔明明该有一场4-H俱乐部的集市啊 我彻底懵了，因为

Alice slips away again. We just can't ever quite catch up with her. The postmistress finishes sorting the mail and brings me a glass of water. "I just happened to overhear you," she says, pushing back her gray hair. "I'll bet you're looking for that hog show." "I am," I reply. "It's at the Monroe Farm, a piece up Hauverville Road toward Rensselaerville." "Is that what you're looking for?" the man beside me asks. I nod. "Mammie's right. The hog show's up there on that farm. Lots of kids. Nice kids. They like pigs." I impatiently wait for Bando to finish his meal so I can go outside and talk to him without being overheard. I know why Alice took the name Van Rensselaer. The postmistress unwittingly gave me the answer. I nudge Bando. He picks up the newspaper lying on the counter, sips his coffee, and reads. He's not ready to leave. I count to one hundred slowly, then watch the postmistress read a postcard before putting it in a box.

爱丽丝又溜走了 我们怎么都追不上她 女邮局局长分拣完邮件，给我端了一杯水 “我刚好听见你们说话了，”她一边说，一边捋开灰白的头发 “我猜你们是在找生猪展对不对” “没错，”我回答 “它在门罗农场，就在豪弗维尔路往伦斯勒维尔方向的那段” “你们找的就是这个对不对？” 我旁边的男人问道 我点了点头 “大妈说的对 生猪展就在那边的农场 来了好多孩子 都是好孩子 他们都喜欢猪” 我不耐烦地等着班多吃完，好出去悄悄跟他说话 我知道爱丽丝为什么要用范·伦斯勒这个名字了 是女邮局局长无意中给了我答案 我碰了碰班多 他拿起柜台上的报纸，抿了口咖啡，读了起来 他还不打算走 我慢慢数到一百，看着女邮局局长读完明信片，再把它放进信箱

"Here's a news story on the 4-H Club fair," Bando says. I count tractor tires. He turns the page and reads on. "This note in the personal column ought to interest you. "Skri. Hacking falcons at Huyck Preserve, 6:00 P.M., 25th of June. Check R library for final arrangements." "That is interesting," I say, leaning over his shoulder to read this item. I ask the postmistress where the Huyck Preserve is. "Just this side of Rensselaerville," she answers, and I thank her and get right to my feet. Bando is still reading, so I look at the jelly jars. My clay ones are nicer. Finally he lays down the paper, pays his bill, and we leave. "Bando," I say as soon as we step on the sidewalk. "I know why Alice used the name Van Rensselaer." "You do? Why?" "She's telling me her destination." "You're kidding. Where is she going?"

“这里有一篇关于4-H俱乐部集市的新闻，”班多说 我数着拖拉机轮胎打发时间 他翻了一页继续读 “私人专栏里这则消息你肯定感兴趣 斯卡利 六月二十五日下午六点，在海克保护区放鹰捕猎 到R图书馆确认最终安排” “这确实很有意思，”我说着凑到他肩膀后面看这则消息 我问女邮局局长海克保护区在哪里 “就在伦斯勒维尔这边，”她回答，我谢过她立刻站起身 班多还在读报，我就盯着果冻罐看 我做的陶罐比这些好看多了 终于他放下报纸付了钱，我们离开了商店 “班多，”我们一走上人行道我就开口说 “我知道爱丽丝为什么要用范·伦斯勒这个名字了” “你知道？ 为什么？” “她这是在告诉我她的目的地 你在开玩笑吧 她到底要去哪里？”

"To Rensselaerville." "How do you know that?" "Let me look at the Rensselaerville quadrangle map," I say and open it on the hood of a truck. "Yep, there's a waterfall there. It drops about a hundred feet." "She sent a message by changing her name?" Bando says incredulously. "That's pretty farfetched. She doesn't even know we're following her." "She sure does." "Come on, Sam. She's been at least twenty miles ahead of us ever since we left." "But she's playing On the Track." "So?" He throws up his hands. "I should have known when I found the compass on the sand spit. We always begin with a directional guide. I was so sure she was off to find her own home that I forgot about that game pretty much." I go on. "I didn't realize the name Van Rensselaer was a clue until the postmistress mentioned

“去伦斯勒维尔。” “你怎么知道的？” “给我看看伦斯勒维尔的四边形地图，”我边说边把地图摊在卡车引擎盖上。 “没错，那儿有一座瀑布。 落差差不多有一百英尺。” “她改名字就是给我们传消息？” 班多难以置信地说。 “这也太扯了。 她根本不知道我们在跟踪她啊。” “她肯定知道。” “别这样，萨姆。 从我们出发开始，她就一直比我们至少领先二十英里。” “可她在玩‘寻踪’游戏呀。” “那又怎样？” 他摊开了双手。 “我在沙嘴找到指南针的时候就该反应过来的。 我们出发总会带方向指引的。 我之前笃定她是去找自己的家，差点把这个游戏忘得一干二净。” 我接着说道。 “直到女邮政局长提到范·伦斯勒这个名字，我才反应过来这是个线索