《篝火女孩解谜：卡弗宅邸的圣诞冒险》开篇：英文原著带中文翻译

Katherine Adams stepped from the train at Oakwood, glanced expectantly up and down the station platform, hesitated a moment, and then, picking out a conspicuous spot under a glaring arc light, deposited her suitcase on the ground with a thump, mounted guard beside it and patiently waited for Nyoda to find her in the surging crowd.

凯瑟琳·亚当斯在奥克伍德下了火车，满怀期待地朝站台两头张望，犹豫片刻，然后挑了一盏刺眼的弧光灯下显眼的位置，把行李箱砰地放在地上，守在旁边，耐心地等着奈约达在汹涌的人潮中找到她。

It was two days before Christmas, and travel was heavy. It seemed as though the entire population of Oakland was either coming home, departing, or rushing madly up and down before the panting train in search of friends and relatives. Katherine was engulfed in a tidal wave of rapturous greetings that rolled over her from every side, as a coachful of soldiers, home for Christmas, were met and surrounded by the waiting lines of townspeople.

那是圣诞节前两天，旅行的人很多。仿佛整个奥克兰的人都在回家、出发，或者气喘吁吁的火车前疯狂地跑来跑去寻找亲友。一车厢回家过圣诞的士兵被等候的镇民围住迎接，欢呼问候的浪潮从四面八方涌向凯瑟琳，将她淹没。

Katherine stood still, absorbed in watching the various reunions taking place around her, while the tidal wave gradually subsided, receding in the direction of Main Street. The principal stream had already flowed past her and the crowd was rapidly thinning out when Katherine woke to the realization that she was still unclaimed. There was no sign of Nyoda. The expectant smile faded from Katherine’s face and in its place there came a look of puzzled wonder. What had happened? Why wasn’t Nyoda there to meet her? Was there some mistake? Wasn’t this Oakwood? Had she gotten off at the wrong station, she thought in sudden panic. No, there was the sign beside the door of the green boarded station; its gilded letters gleamed down reassuringly at her. Katherine stood on one foot and pondered. Was this the day she was supposed to come? What day was it, anyway? The thick pad calendar beside the ticket seller’s window inside the station proclaimed it to be the twenty-third. All right so far; she hadn’t mixed up the date, then. She had written Nyoda that she would come on the twenty-third, on the five-forty-five train. The train had been on time. Where was Nyoda?

凯瑟琳站在原地，专心看着周围各种重逢的场面，浪潮渐渐退去，朝主街方向流走。主流已经经过她身边，人群迅速稀疏下来，凯瑟琳这才意识到还没有人来认领她。奈约达不见踪影。凯瑟琳脸上期待的微笑消失了，取而代之的是困惑不解的神情。出了什么事？奈约达为什么没来接她？是不是弄错了？这里不是奥克伍德吗？她突然惊慌地想，自己是不是下错了站。不，绿色木板车站门旁就有牌子，镀金的字母闪闪发亮，安慰着她。凯瑟琳单脚站着，沉思起来。这是她该来的日子吗？今天到底是几号？车站里面售票窗口旁的厚日历牌上写着二十三号。到目前为止没错，那她没有弄错日期。她写信告诉奈约达，她会乘五点四十五分的火车在二十三号来。火车准点到达。奈约达在哪里？

Katherine was assailed by a sudden doubt. Had she mailed that letter? Yes, she was certain of that. She had run out to the mail box at ten o’clock at night especially to mail it. What had gone wrong? Why wasn’t there someone to meet her?

凯瑟琳突然起了疑心。那封信她寄出去了吗？是的，她确信寄了。她晚上十点还特地跑到邮箱去寄。哪里出了问题？为什么没有人来接她？

She looked around at the walls as if expecting them to answer, and her roving eye caught sight of the lettering on a glass door opposite. The telephone! Goose! Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Of course there was some mistake responsible for Nyoda’s not meeting her, but in a moment that would be all straightened out.

她环顾四周的墙壁，仿佛指望它们回答，游移的目光落在对面玻璃门上的字迹上。电话！傻瓜！她怎么早没想到？当然是什么误会害得奈约达没来接她，但马上就能弄清楚。

She sprang across to the booth and picked up the directory hanging beside the telephone. Then a queer, bewildered look came into her eyes and she stood still with the book hanging uncertainly from her fingers. She had forgotten Nyoda’s name! She twisted her brows into a pucker and made a frantic effort to recall it. No use; it was a fruitless endeavor. Where that name used to be in her mind there was now a blank space, empty and echoless as the original void. It was too ridiculous! Katherine gave a little stamp of vexation. It was not the first time a name had popped out of her mind at a critical moment. And sometimes—O horror! it didn’t come back again for days. Was there ever anything so utterly absurd as the plight in which she now found herself? She knew Nyoda’s name as well as her own. M. M. It certainly began with an M.

她跳到电话亭前，拿起电话旁挂着的电话簿。这时，她眼里露出一种古怪而困惑的神情，她站住了，手指不确定地拎着那本书。她忘了奈约达的名字！她皱起眉头，拼命回想。没用，白费力气。那个名字原先在她脑海里的地方，现在是一片空白，空荡荡的，像最初的虚空一样没有回响。太荒唐了！凯瑟琳气得轻轻跺了跺脚。这已经不是第一次名字在关键时刻从她脑子里蹦出去了。有时候，天哪，它好几天都不回来。她现在的处境还有比这更荒谬的吗？奈约达的名字她跟自己的一样熟悉。M.M.，肯定是以M开头的。

After nearly an hour’s exasperated wracking of her brains she gave it up in disgust and stalked out of the station. Not for worlds would she have confided to anyone her plight.

她气急败坏地绞尽脑汁将近一个小时，最后厌恶地放弃了，大步走出车站。她无论如何也不会把自己的窘境告诉任何人。