014 为医生策马疾驰

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One night soon after James had left Birtwick Park for his new job, I was awakened from a sound sleep by the clang of the stable bell

詹姆斯离开伯特威克庄园去新工作后不久的一个晚上，我被马厩铃的响声从沉睡中惊醒。

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John came running in

约翰跑了进来。

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His clothes were askew as if he'd pulled them on very quickly

他的衣服歪歪扭扭的，好像匆忙穿上一样。

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" Wake up, Beauty!" he called." You must go as fast as you can!"

“醒醒，美儿！”他喊道，“你必须尽可能快地跑！”

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Almost before I knew what was happening, he had my saddle and bridle on

我几乎还没反应过来，他就给我套上了马鞍和缰绳。

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Then he led me out and jogged me over toward the main house

然后他牵着我出去，小跑着把我带到主屋那边。

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The squire was standing in the doorway wrapped in a robe

乡绅裹着长袍站在门口。

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" Ride for your life, John," he said in a hoarse, anxious voice

“拼命骑，约翰，”他用沙哑焦虑的声音说。

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" Or rather, ride for your mistress' life. There's not a moment to lose

“更确切地说，是为女主人的生命骑。片刻都耽误不得。”

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Give Dr. White this note, and then give your horse a rest at the inn

把这封信交给怀特医生，然后让马在旅店休息一下。

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After that start back as soon as you can."

然后尽快往回赶。”

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John took the note from the squire and put it in his pocket

约翰从乡绅手里接过便条，放进口袋里。

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" Yes, sir," he said." We'll ride swiftly!"

“好的，先生，”他说，“我们会骑得飞快！”

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He swung into the saddle, urging me into a trot as we passed through the gates

他翻身上马，穿过大门时催我快步小跑起来。

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Once we were out on the road, he touched my side with his heel, asking me to canter

一到大路上，他就用脚跟轻碰我的身体，让我慢跑起来。

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I was fully awake by now and feeling extra alert due to the unusual situation

这时我已完全清醒，因为这非同寻常的情况而格外警觉。

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It was a moonlit night and almost as bright as day

那是个月明之夜，几乎亮如白昼。

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Everything looked and felt a little different than it did in the daytime

一切看起来、感觉起来都和白天有点不一样。

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Still I knew that John would take care of me and so I wasn't afraid

不过我知道约翰会照顾我，所以我并不害怕。

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Soon we came to a long, level stretch of road along the river

很快，我们来到河边一条又长又平的路上。

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" Now, Beauty," John said," do your best."

“现在，黑骏马，”约翰说，“尽力跑。”

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He closed his legs against my side, and I understood instantly what he wanted

他双腿夹紧我的身侧，我立刻明白了他的意思。

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Stretching my legs, I burst into a gallop

我伸展四肢，猛地全速奔驰起来。

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For the next two miles I ran as fast as I could

接下来的两英里，我以最快速度奔跑。

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Even my racehorse ancestors couldn't have done any better!

甚至我的赛马祖先也不可能跑得更好了！

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When we reached a bridge, John pulled me back to a trot and patted me

到达一座桥时，约翰让我减速小跑，并轻拍着我。

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" Well done, Beauty!" he said." Good boy!"

“干得好，黑骏马！”他说，“好孩子！”

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On the other side of the bridge, John seemed willing to continue at the trot

过了桥，约翰似乎愿意继续小跑。

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But it was a clear, frosty night, and I was still feeling good and ready to run

但这是一个晴朗而寒冷的夜晚，我仍然感觉良好，准备奔跑。

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When I moved into a canter, and then a gallop, he allowed me to do so

当我改为慢跑，然后又全速奔驰时，他任由我这样跑。

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We passed through a sleepy village and continued on our way

我们穿过一个寂静的村庄，继续赶路。

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After eight miles we finally reached the larger town

走了八英里后，我们终于到达了更大的镇子。

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It was very quiet, and my hooves clattered on the pavement

四周很安静，我的蹄子在路面上嗒嗒作响。

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John steered me toward a street near the market square

约翰把我引向集市广场附近的一条街。

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The church clock struck three as we stopped outside the doctor's house

我们在医生家门外停下时，教堂的钟敲了三下。

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John rang the bell twice, and then knocked loudly on the door

约翰按了两下门铃，又重重地敲了敲门。

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An upstairs window slid open

楼上的一扇窗户打开了。

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" What is it?" Dr. White called down, sounding sleepy

“什么事？”怀特医生朝下喊道，声音里带着困意。

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" Mrs. Gordon is very ill, sir," John called back

“戈登夫人病得很重，先生。”约翰大声回答。

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" The squire is afraid she'll die if you don't come right away."

“乡绅担心您要是不马上来，她会死的。”

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" I'll be right down," the doctor said

“我马上下来，”医生说。

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The window slid shut again

窗户又滑下来关上了。

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Moments later Dr. White was hurrying out toward us, buttoning his coat

不一会儿，怀特医生就边扣着外套，匆匆向我们走来。

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" There's just one problem," he told John

“只是有一个问题，”他对约翰说。

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" My son had to go somewhere tonight and took my horse. Can I ride yours?"

“我儿子今晚有事出门，把我的马骑走了。我能骑你的马吗？”

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John gave me a worried look

约翰忧心忡忡地看了我一眼。

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" He came at a gallop almost the whole way, sir," he told the doctor

“先生，它几乎是一路飞奔过来的，”他对医生说。

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" I was going to let him rest before heading back

“我本想让它休息一下再往回走的。

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But I suppose the squire would want you to take him if there's no other choice."

但我想，如果没有别的选择，老爷也会同意你骑它去的。”

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Soon the doctor was climbing into the saddle

很快，医生就跨上了马鞍。

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I don't wish to say too much about our ride back to Birtwick Park

关于我们返回伯特维克庄园的这段路程，我不想多说。

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The doctor was heavier than John, and not as good a rider

医生比约翰重，骑术也不如他。

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For those reasons the second eight miles felt much longer than the first

因为这些缘故，这第二个八英里感觉比第一个八英里漫长得多。

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But I did my very best, galloping as fast as I could for most of the way

但我尽了全力，大部分路程都尽可能快地飞驰。

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When we came to a steep hill, Dr. White brought me down to a walk

当我们来到一个陡坡时，怀特医生让我放慢脚步，慢慢走。

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" All right, boy," he said kindly, giving me a pat

“好了，伙计，”他和蔼地说着，轻轻拍了拍我。

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" Take a breath here before we go on."

“在这里喘口气，我们再继续赶路。”

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Once we reached the top of the hill, all he had to do was touch my sides with his heels

一到山顶，他只需用脚后跟轻碰一下我的身体两侧。

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Then I was off again at a run

我就又奔跑起来了。

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The squire was waiting for us when we got back

我们回来时，老爷已经在等着了。

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Little Joe stood nearby, yawning and looking sleepy

小乔站在旁边，打着哈欠，一副困倦的样子。

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The doctor jumped down and hurried into the house with the squire

医生跳下马，和老爷一起匆匆进了屋。

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But I had no energy to watch them go. I was dead tired

但我已经没有力气看他们离去。我累坏了。

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" Come on, Black Beauty," Little Joe said as he took me by the bridle

“来吧，黑骏马，”小乔说着，牵住了我的缰绳。

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" John won't be back for a while since he has to walk the whole way home

“约翰得过一阵子才能回来，因为他得一路走回家。

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But don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

不过别担心，我会好好照顾你的。”