4 Mrs Riley

Chapter 4 Mrs Riley The Rileys lived in Morse Tower, a block of flats ten minutes from Melody Road. Peanut and Little-Bit arrived on the seventh-floor landing, slightly out of breath, to find a tall, elegant lady in an amazing black-and- white-check cycling suit, wheeling a bike through the front door of 7C. "Hello, girls," she said cheerfully. "Come in, come in. Shoes off please. ROCKWELL, YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!" The sisters followed her through a small hallway and into a stylish living room. They sat on the sofa and thanked Rockwell's mum for the glasses of orange squash she handed them. "So, you must be Peanut, and you must be Little-Bit." She smiled a radiant smile. "He talks about you all the time.

第四章 莱利夫人 莱利一家住在莫尔斯大楼，这是一栋距离旋律路十分钟路程的公寓楼。 皮纳特和利特比特走到七楼平台时微微有些喘气，她们看见一位高挑优雅的女士穿着一身惊艳的黑白格骑行服，正推着自行车走进7C的前门。“你们好呀，姑娘们，”她开心地打招呼。 “快进来，快进来。 麻烦脱一下鞋子哦。 罗克韦尔，你的朋友来啦！ 姐妹俩跟着她穿过窄小的走廊，走进了一间时髦的客厅。 她们坐在沙发上，接过罗克韦尔妈妈递来的橙汁，向她道了谢。 “这么说，你肯定是皮纳特，你就是利特比特对不对。” 她露出了灿烂明媚的笑容。 “他时时刻刻都在念叨你们俩。

"Likewise," said Peanut. "It's lovely to finally meet you, Mrs Riley." Ooh, Bridget, please!" She sat on the chaise longue next to them. "I'm so happy Rocky has made some friends at last. It hasn't been easy for him, you know. First, his dad and I split, and then he had to adapt to life at St Hubert's."

“我们也早就听过您了，”皮纳特说。 “终于见到您了，莱利夫人，真高兴。” “哎呀，叫我布里吉特就好啦！” 她在姐妹俩旁边的躺椅上坐了下来。 “我太开心洛基终于交到朋友了。 你们也知道，他这阵子过得很不容易。 先是我和他爸爸分开，之后他又得适应圣休伯特学校的新生活。

Sounds familiar, thought Peanut. "That stuff can be tough if you're sensitive like Rocky," continued Bridget. "He's a smart lad, and fairly happy with his own company, but he works so hard and he's such a worrier. Everybody needs friends of their own age to talk to, right?" "I guess so," said Little-Bit, "although sometimes he talks a

听起来好熟悉啊，皮纳特暗自想道。 “对于像洛基这么敏感的孩子来说，这些事真的太难熬了，”布里吉特继续说道。 “他很聪明，也挺享受独处，可他学习太用功，又总是爱操心。 每个人都需要同龄的朋友聊聊天呀，对不对？” “大概是吧，”利特比特说，“不过有时候他说起话来

bit too much. Especially about homework and revision and stuff." Bridget and Peanut laughed. Suddenly, a door next to the kitchen burst open, and a tall boy with even taller hair emerged with a big grin on his face. "What's so funny?" he said. "Well, it's definitely not that T-shirt!" said Peanut. Rockwell looked down at the big symbol on his chest with the word "Cutie" written in small type above it. "Really?" A look of uncertainty flashed across his face, until he registered Peanut's teasing smile. "Don't you think it's a good one for my nerdlinger fanbase?" he said. "The mathmagicians at the, er, Science Museum are going to love it! Come on, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Peanut and Little-Bit stood up. "Thanks for the drink, Mrs Riley. It was lovely to meet you. "You too, girls. Make sure you look after Rocky at the sleepover. Oh, and don't let him take things too seriously. Make sure he has a bit of fun!" "Well, we'll do our best," said Little-Bit, "but it's hard to change the habits of a lifetime."

实在太多了。 尤其是总说作业、复习这些事儿。” 布里吉特和皮纳特都笑了。 突然，厨房旁边的一扇门被猛地推开，一个高个子、头发比个子还高的男孩咧嘴笑着走了出来。 “有什么这么好笑呀？”他说。 “咳，反正肯定不是你的T恤啦！”皮纳特说。 罗克韦尔低头看向胸口的大图案，图案上方印着一行小字“小可爱”。 “真的吗？” 一丝疑惑的神色从他脸上闪过，直到他看出皮纳特在开玩笑逗他。 “难道你们不觉得这件很配我的极客粉丝团吗？”他说。 “科技馆里那些数学大神肯定会喜欢这件的！ 走吧，咱们该出发了，好不好？” 皮纳特和利特比特站起了身。 “谢谢您的饮料，莱利夫人。 见到您真开心。 “我也很开心见到你们，姑娘们。 通宵派对记得帮我照看好洛基哦。 哦对了，别让他对什么事都太较真。 一定要让他好好玩一玩！” “好的，我们会尽力的，”利特比特说，“不过改变多年的习惯可不容易。