Chapter 12

12 Tom's Aeroplane Nan spent the afternoon packing a bag for her next adventure, while making sure that Rosa wanted for nothing. She checked all the cupboards and cleaned out the stove – she even washed the windows, just to be safe. When the sound of Tom's plane echoed around the valley, they rushed out on to the shore and welcomed him in. With a putt-putt and a grumble the little waterplane

南整个下午都在为下一次冒险收拾行李，同时确保罗莎什么都不缺。 她检查了所有的橱柜，打扫了炉子——为了安全起见，她甚至擦了窗户。 当汤姆的飞机的声音在山谷中回响时，他们冲到岸边，欢迎他进来。 随着一声“噗——噗”和一声“咕噜”的声音，小水车开了起来

came in to land on the lake and drifted towards the shore. 'Bang on time, as always,' said Nan, as Tom opened his cockpit door and clambered out. 'Afternoon!' he said. He noticed the bag on the ground at Nan's side. 'What's that then?' 'We need to talk,' said Nan. 'You're going to have a co-pilot on your return journey.' 'Eh?' he said, his moustache rippling above his lips. 'Let me help you get everything inside first,' said Rosa. 'Then we'll explain everything.' 'Right you are!' said Tom.

在湖上登陆，然后漂向岸边。 “像往常一样准时，”南说，这时汤姆打开驾驶舱门爬了出来。 “下午!他说。他注意到南身边地上的包。 “那是什么？”“我们需要谈谈，”南说。 “回程时你会有一名副驾驶。“嗯?他说，他的小胡子在嘴唇上飘动。 “让我先帮你把东西搬进去，”罗莎说。 “然后我们会解释一切。“你说得对！”汤姆说。

They spent the next half an hour moving boxes to the cabin and sorting tins and dried goods on to shelves. Nan found it hard to talk about leaving Big Sky Mountain, so Rosa told her to wait outside while she told Tom their plans. 'She's not herself, then?' asked Tom. 'I think she's a little worried about the future,' said Rosa.

接下来的半个小时，他们把箱子搬到小木屋，把罐头和干货整理到架子上。 南觉得离开大天山很难启齿，所以罗莎让她在外面等着，她告诉汤姆他们的计划。 “这么说，她不舒服了？”汤姆问。 “我想她对未来有点担心，”罗莎说。

'Well,' said Tom, 'your nan's always very practical. I can see it makes sense. But what about you? It'll be about two weeks before we can be back.' 'I'll be fine,' she said truthfully. Tom wasn't certain about leaving Rosa behind, but he had a solution. 'Now then,' he said, 'I have an old radio in the plane. It's not fancy, I'll admit, but it will give you a way of contacting me if anything goes wrong.' Rosa wasn't sure she'd need it, but it would be a way of keeping in touch with Grandma Nan. 'If you don't mind me having it?' she asked.

“嗯，”汤姆说，“你奶奶总是很实际的。 我明白这是有道理的。但是你呢？ 我们大概要过两个星期才能回来。“我会没事的，”她诚实地说。 汤姆不确定是否要把罗莎留下，但他有一个解决办法。 “那么，”他说，“我在飞机上有一台旧收音机。 我承认，这并不花哨，但如果出了什么问题，你可以通过它联系我。”罗莎不确定她是否需要它，但这将是与南奶奶保持联系的一种方式。 “如果你不介意我拿着它的话？ ”她问。

'No, I want you to have it,' he said. 'In fact, I insist!' 'All right, then,' said Rosa, with a smile. Nan stood alone on the shore, silently passing the time. Tom had installed the new radio receiver in the cabin and was idly twiddling his moustache outside the cabin. 'So here we are, then!' he said. 'Yup,' said Rosa. There was sadness in the air. It felt like the end of an era. Tom shoved his hands in his pockets. 'You know, she always knew there would come a time

“不，我想让你拥有它，”他说。 “事实上，我坚持！”“那好吧，”罗莎笑着说。 南独自站在岸边，静静地度过时光。 汤姆已经在船舱里装上了新的无线电接收机，他在舱外闲荡地摆弄着他的小胡子。 “那么，我们在这儿了！”他说。 “是的，”罗莎说。空气中弥漫着悲伤。 感觉像是一个时代的终结。 汤姆把手插在口袋里。 “你知道，她总是知道会有那么一天的