Chapter 6

ChAPTER SIX Kate and Rupert hopped into the lift and soon arrived outside the Fashion Room. It was here Hilda Hoop dreamed up whatever the City's elite would be wearing next week. Kate pressed the small gold Special Correspondent pin into the keyhole and pulled open the doors. Rolls of brightly patterned fabrics in every colour were strewn across the floor next to piles of furry hats, empty

第六章 凯特和鲁珀特蹦蹦跳跳地进了电梯，很快就到了时尚室的门外。 全城精英下周要穿的所有款式，都是希尔达·胡普在这里构思出来的。 凯特把她那枚小小的金色特约记者徽章按进钥匙孔，拉开了房门。 地板上散落着一卷卷印着鲜亮图案、五颜六色的布料，旁边是一堆堆毛茸茸的帽子，还有空的

takeaway boxes and open tins of paint. "Dad would faint if he saw this mess," muttered Kate, stepping over a bowl of mouldy cereal. "Don't touch that!" snapped a voice from behind a mannequin draped in greasy hot-dog wrappers. "It is experiment in texture for winter coats!" Kate exchanged a Certain Look with Rupert, who stifled a giggle as Hilda Hoop stepped into view, adjusting a scarf that appeared to be stitched from used napkins.

外卖盒，还有开盖的油漆罐。 “我爸要是看见这么乱，得直接晕过去。”凯特嘟囔着，跨过一碗长了霉的麦片。 “别碰那个！” 一个声音厉声传来，就来自一个裹着油腻热狗包装纸的人体模型后面。 “这是我给冬装做的质感实验！” 凯特和鲁珀特交换了个“你懂的”眼神，等希尔达·胡普走出来的时候，鲁珀特还憋住了笑——希尔达正在调整一条围巾，那围巾看着像是用过的餐巾纸缝起来的。

"Hello, Hilda, I'm Kate," said Kate, hoping her Special Correspondent badge was catching the light. "And this is Rupert." Hilda eyed Rupert. "What softy fur," she murmured. Rupert gulped. Kate put Rupert in her pocket and continued. "I'm here to ask you about the sabotage that's happening at The Lookout Post. What do you think about it?" "I think it very boring," said Hilda through a mouthful of pins. "It is silly person playing silly games."

“你好呀，希尔达，我是凯特。”凯特打着招呼，心里盼着自己的特约记者徽章能刚好反射到光，显眼一点。 “这位是鲁珀特。” 希尔达打量着鲁珀特。 “这软乎乎的毛可真不错。”她小声说。 鲁珀特吓得咽了口唾沫。 凯特把鲁珀特放进自己口袋，接着说。 “我来这儿是想问问你瞭望哨报社搞破坏的事。 你对这件事有什么看法呀？” “我觉得特别无聊。”希尔达嘴里叼着一把别针，含含糊糊地说。 “就是个傻人在玩傻游戏而已。”

"And you're not... silly... at all?" asked Kate cautiously, looking about the room as she lowered herself onto an upturned crate labelled Lunch Remains. "No." Hilda scowled, picking up a needle and piercing the hot-dog wrappers so fast Kate could barely follow her hands. "And I have no time to sabotage any newspaper. I am sewing, I am photographing, I am writing about my sewing and photographing, I am getting angry and cutting things up and then photographing them all over again because that is fashion." "Let me get this right..." Kate raised her eyebrows, thinking back to the rubbish tipped into Johannes.

“那你可一点都不……傻……对吗？”凯特小心翼翼地问，一边环视着房间，一边坐到一个倒扣的板条箱上，箱子上还贴着“剩午饭”的标签。 “当然不。” 希尔达皱起眉，拿起一根针飞快地扎进热狗包装纸，快得凯特都跟不上她手的动作。 “我可没闲工夫去破坏什么报社。 我要缝衣服，要拍照，要写我缝衣服、拍照的内容，还要生气，把东西都剪碎，然后再全部重新拍一遍，这就是时尚。” “我捋捋啊……” 凯特挑了挑眉，想起之前倒进约翰内斯车里的那堆垃圾。

"You... work with rubbish?" "It is not rubbish," spat Hilda, pins flying out of her mouth. "It is process. Much like your pencil book." She nodded at Kate's notebook. But Kate's mind was whizzing ahead. "Can I take a look at your chutes, Hilda?" Hilda raised her eyebrows and pulled up the hem of her skirt. "My working clogs." "Chutes," said Kate. "Not shoes." "What can this mean?" Hilda scowled again, hands on her hips. "They're over here!" called Rupert from a corner, pulling aside a crocheted curtain. Kate made her way over, pulled a lever

“你……用垃圾做东西？” “这才不是垃圾。”希尔达啐了一口，别针都从她嘴里飞了出来。 “这是创作流程。 就跟你的小本子一样。” 她冲着凯特的笔记本点了点头。 可凯特的脑子已经飞快转了起来。 “希尔达，我能看看你的输送管道吗？” 希尔达挑了挑眉，把自己的裙子下摆掀了起来。 “我干活穿的木屐？” “是输送管道。”凯特说。 “不是鞋子。” “这说的是什么呀？” 希尔达又皱起了眉，双手叉着腰。 “管道在这边呢！”鲁珀特在角落喊着，一把拉开了一幅钩针编织的帘子。 凯特走了过去，扳下一个控制杆

and peered inside the metal pipe marked For Hilda. Inside lay a pile of at least seven glass tubes containing letters and parcels stamped with various initials. "Hilda!" Kate exclaimed. "Don't you ever check your post?"

朝标着“希尔达专属”的金属管子里望去。 里面堆着至少七根玻璃管，装着信和包裹，上面盖着各种首字母的印章。 “希尔达！” 凯特叫出了声。 “你从来都不查收你的信件吗？”