购买
下载掌阅APP,畅读海量书库
立即打开
畅读海量书库
扫码下载掌阅APP

Chapter 2

What Lucy Found There 露西首探纳尼亚

“Good evening,” said Lucy. But the Faun was so busy picking up its parcels that at first it did not reply. When it had finished it made her a little bow.

“Good evening, good evening,” said the Faun. “Excuse me—I don’t want to be inquisitive—but should I be right in thinking that you are a Daughter of Eve?”

“My name’s Lucy,” said she, not quite understanding him.

“But you are—forgive me—you are what they call a girl?” said the Faun.

“Of course I’m a girl,” said Lucy.

“You are in fact Human?”

“Of course I’m human,” said Lucy, still a little puzzled.

“To be sure, to be sure,” said the Faun. “How stupid of me! But I’ve never seen a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve before. I am delighted. That is to say—” and then it stopped as if it had been going to say something it had not intended but had remembered in time. “Delighted, delighted,” it went on. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tumnus.”

“I am very pleased to meet you, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy.

“And may I ask, O Lucy Daughter of Eve,” said Mr Tumnus, “how you have come into Narnia?”

“Narnia? What’s that?” said Lucy.

“This is the land of Narnia,” said the Faun, “where we are now; all that lies between the lamp—post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea. And you—you have come from the wild woods of the west?”

“I—I got in through the wardrobe in the spare room,” said Lucy.

“Ah!” said Mr Tumnus in a rather melancholy voice, “if only I had worked harder at geography when I was a little Faun, I should no doubt know all about those strange countries. It is too late now.”

“But they aren’t countries at all,” said Lucy, almost laughing. “It’s only just back there—at least—I’m not sure. It is summer there.”

“Meanwhile,” said Mr Tumnus, “it is winter in Narnia, and has been for ever so long, and we shall both catch cold if we stand here talking in the snow. Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?”

“Thank you very much, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy. “But I was wondering whether I ought to be getting back.”

“It’s only just round the corner,” said the Faun, “and there’ll be a roaring fire—and toast—and sardines—and cake.”

“Well, it’s very kind of you,” said Lucy. “But I shan’t be able to stay long.”

“If you will take my arm, Daughter of Eve,” said Mr Tumnus, “I shall be able to hold the umbrella over both of us. That’s the way. Now—off we go.”

And so Lucy found herself walking through the wood arm in arm with this strange creature as if they had known one another all their lives.

They had not gone far before they came to a place where the ground became rough and there were rocks all about and little hills up and little hills down. At the bottom of one small valley Mr Tumnus turned suddenly aside as if he were going to walk straight into an unusually large rock, but at the last moment Lucy found he was leading her into the entrance of a cave. As soon as they were inside she found herself blinking in the light of a wood fire. Then Mr Tumnus stooped and took a flaming piece of wood out of the fire with a neat little pair of tongs, and lit a lamp. “Now we shan’t be long,” he said, and immediately put a kettle on.

Lucy thought she had never been in a nicer place. It was a little, dry, clean cave of reddish stone with a carpet on the floor and two little chairs (“One for me and one for a friend,” said Mr Tumnus) and a table and a dresser and a mantelpiece over the fire and above that a picture of an old Faun with a grey beard. In one corner there was a door which Lucy thought must lead to Mr Tumnus’s bedroom, and on one wall was a shelf full of books. Lucy looked at these while he was setting out the tea things. They had titles like The Life and Letters of Silenus or Nymphs and Their Ways or Men, Monks and Gamekeepers; a Study in Popular Legend or Is Man a Myth?

“Now, Daughter of Eve!” said the Faun.

And really it was a wonderful tea. There was a nice brown egg, lightly boiled, for each of them, and then sardines on toast, and then buttered toast, and then toast with honey, and then a sugar—topped cake. And when Lucy was tired of eating, the Faun began to talk. He had wonderful tales to tell of life in the forest. He told about the midnight dances and how the Nymphs who lived in the wells and the Dryads who lived in the trees came out to dance with the Fauns; about long hunting parties after the milk—white stag who could give you wishes if you caught him; about feasting and treasure—seeking with the wild Red Dwarfs in deep mines and caverns far beneath the forest floor; and then about summer when the woods were green and old Silenus on his fat donkey would come to visit them, and sometimes Bacchus himself, and then the streams would run with wine instead of water and the whole forest would give itself up to jollification for weeks on end. “Not that it isn’t always winter now,” he added gloomily. Then to cheer himself up he took out from its case on the dresser a strange little flute that looked as if it were made of straw, and began to play. And the tune he played made Lucy want to cry and laugh and dance and go to sleep all at the same time. It must have been hours later when she shook herself and said:

“Oh, Mr Tumnus—I’m so sorry to stop you, and I do love that tune—but really, I must go home. I only meant to stay for a few minutes.”

“It’s no good now, you know,” said the Faun, laying down its flute and shaking its head at her very sorrowfully.

“No good?” said Lucy, jumping up and feeling rather frightened. “What do you mean? I’ve got to go home at once. The others will be wondering what has happened to me.” But a moment later she asked, “Mr Tumnus! Whatever is the matter?” for the Faun’s brown eyes had filled with tears and then the tears began trickling down its cheeks, and soon they were running off the end of its nose; and at last it covered its face with its hands and began to howl.

“Mr Tumnus! Mr Tumnus!” said Lucy in great distress. “Don’t! Don’t! What is the matter? Aren’ you well? Dear Mr Tumnus, do tell me what is wrong.”

But the Faun continued sobbing as if its heart would break. And even when Lucy went over and put her arms round him and lent him her handkerchief, he did not stop. He merely took the handkerchief and kept on using it, wringing it out with both hands whenever it got too wet to be any more use, so that presently Lucy was standing in a damp patch.

“Mr Tumnus!” bawled Lucy in his ear, shaking him. “Do stop. Stop it at once! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a great big Faun like you. What on earth are you crying about?”

“Oh—oh—oh!” sobbed Mr Tumnus. “I’m crying because I’m such a bad Faun.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad Faun at all,” said Lucy. “I think you are a very good Faun. You are the nicest Faun I’ve ever met.”

“Oh—oh—you wouldn’t say that if you knew,” replied Mr Tumnus between his sobs. “No, I’m a bad Faun. I don’t suppose there ever was a worse Faun since the beginning of the world.”

“But what have you done?” asked Lucy.

“My old father, now,” said Mr Tumnus; “that’s his picture over the mantelpiece. He would never have done a thing like this.”

“A thing like what?” said Lucy.

“Like what I’ve done,” said the Faun. “Taken service under the White Witch. That’s what I am. I’m in the pay of the White Witch.”

“The White Witch? Who is she?”

“Why, it is she who has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she who makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!”

“How awful!” said Lucy. “But what does she pay you for?”

“That’s the worst of it,” said Mr Tumnus with a deep groan. “I’m a kidnapper for her, that’s what I am. Look at me, Daughter of Eve. Would you believe that I’m the sort of Faun to meet a poor innocent child in the wood, one that had never done me any harm, and pretend to be friendly with it, and invite it home to my cave, all for the sake of lulling it asleep and then handing it over to the White Witch?”

“No,” said Lucy. “I’m sure you wouldn’t do anything of the sort.”

“But I have,” said the Faun.

“Well,” said Lucy rather slowly (for she wanted to be truthful and yet not be too hard on him), “well, that was pretty bad. But you’re so sorry for it that I’m sure you will never do it again.”

“Daughter of Eve, don’t you understand?” said the Faun. “It isn’t something I have done. I’m doing it now, this very moment.”

“What do you mean?” cried Lucy, turning very white.

“You are the child,” said Tumnus. “I had orders from the White Witch that if ever I saw a Son of Adam or a Daughter of Eve in the wood, I was to catch them and hand them over to her. And you are the first I’ve ever met. And I’ve pretended to be your friend an asked you to tea, and all the time I’ve been meaning to wait till you were asleep and then go and tell Her.”

“Oh, but you won’t, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy. “You won’t, will you? Indeed, indeed you really mustn’t.”

“And if I don’t,” said he, beginning to cry again “she’s sure to find out. And she’ll have my tail cut off, and my horns sawn off, and my beard plucked out, and she’ll wave her wand over my beautiful cloven hoofs and turn them into horrid solid hoofs like a wretched horse’s. And if she is extra and specially angry she’ll turn me into stone and I shall be only a statue of a Faun in her horrible house until the four thrones at Cair Paravel are filled—and goodness knows when that will happen, or whether it will ever happen at all.”

“I’m very sorry, Mr Tumnus,” said Lucy. “But please let me go home.”

“Of course I will,” said the Faun. “Of course I’ve got to. I see that now. I hadn’t known what Humans were like before I met you. Of course I can’t give you up to the Witch, not now that I know you. But we must be off at once. I’ll see you back to the lamp—post. I suppose you can find your own way from there back to Spare Oom and War Drobe?”

“I’m sure I can,” said Lucy.

“We must go as quietly as we can,” said Mr Tumnus. “The whole wood is full of her spies. Even some of the trees are on her side.”

They both got up and left the tea things on the table, and Mr Tumnus once more put up his umbrella and gave Lucy his arm, and they went out into the snow. The journey back was not at all like the journey to the Faun’s cave; they stole along as quickly as they could, without speaking a word, and Mr Tumnus kept to the darkest places. Lucy was relieved when they reached the lamp—post again.

“Do you know your way from here, Daughter of Eve?” said Mr Tumnus.

Lucy looked very hard between the trees and could just see in the distance a patch of light that looked like daylight. “Yes,” she said, “I can see the wardrobe door.”

“Then be off home as quick as you can,” said the Faun, “and—c—can you ever forgive me for what I meant to do?”

“Why, of course I can,” said Lucy, shaking him heartily by the hand. “And I do hope you won’t get into dreadful trouble on my account.”

“Farewell, Daughter of Eve,” said he. “Perhaps I may keep the handkerchief?”

“Rather!” said Lucy, and then ran towards the far—off patch of daylight as quickly as her legs would carry her. And presently instead of rough branch brushing past her she felt coats, and instead of crunching snow under her feet she felt wooden board and all at once she found herself jumping out of the wardrobe into the same empty room from which the whole adventure had started. She shut the wardrobe door tightly behind her and looked around, panting for breath. It was still raining and she could hear the voices of the others in the passage.

“I’m here,” she shouted. “I’m here. I’ve come back, I’m all right.”

“晚上好。”露西问候道。而潘恩正忙着拣起他的纸包,顾不上搭腔。他忙完之后,向她微微鞠了一躬。

“晚上好,晚上好。”潘恩说,“对不起——我并不是出于好奇——但是我认为你是夏娃的女儿,对吗?”

“我的名字叫露西。”她答道,没怎么听明白他的话。

“但你是——请原谅——你就是一个所谓的女孩子吗?”潘恩问道。

“当然啦,我是一个女孩子。”露西说。

“你实际上是人类?”

“当然我是人类。”露西回答道,仍然感到有点迷惑不解。

“那是当然,那是当然。”潘恩说,“我可真笨啊!但我以前从没见过亚当的儿子或者夏娃的女儿。我很高兴。那就是说——”突然他停了下来,仿佛他差点儿说出一些原本不准备说的话,恰好又及时地记起了这一点。“很高兴,很高兴。”他继续说道,“请允许我介绍一下自己。我的名字是图姆纳斯。”

“见到你很高兴,图姆纳斯先生。”露西说。

“哦,夏娃的女儿露西,我可否问一下,”图姆纳斯先生说,“你是怎么来到纳尼亚的?”

“纳尼亚?那是什么?”露西反问道。

“这就是纳尼亚的土地,”潘恩说,“包括我们现在所站的地方。从灯柱到东海之滨的雄伟城堡凯尔帕拉维尔之间的土地都属于纳尼亚。你是——你是从西边的野生树林进来的吗?”

“我——我是从空房间里的衣柜进来的。”露西说。

“啊!”图姆纳斯先生用一种相当沮丧的声音说,“我小时候,如果多下点功夫学学地理就好了,我肯定就会知道所有那些稀奇古怪的国家。现在为时已晚。”

“但那些根本就不是国家。”露西说,差点儿笑出声来,“它就在那后面——至少——我不能确定。那里还是夏天。”

“与此同时,”图姆纳斯先生说,“纳尼亚则是冬天,很久以来一直都是冬天。我们若一直站在雪中谈话,我们两个都会冻感冒的。来自遥远的空房大陆的夏娃的女儿,在那里,永恒的夏天统治着明亮的衣柜城,你是否愿意到我家来喝一杯茶?”

“非常感谢,图姆纳斯先生。”露西说,“但我在考虑自己是不是该回家了。”

“前面一拐弯儿就到了,”潘恩说,“我家有熊熊燃烧的暖炉——有吐司——有沙丁鱼——还有蛋糕。”

“好吧,你真是太好了。”露西说,“但是我不能待太久。”

“如果你抓着我的胳膊,夏娃的女儿。”图姆纳斯先生说,“我就能用伞为我们两人遮雪了。就是这样。好了——我们出发吧。”

于是,露西和这个奇怪的人物手挽着手,穿过树林,好像他们自从生下来就认识对方似的。

他们还没有走出多远,就来到了一处崎岖不平的地方,那里到处都是岩石,还有高低起伏的小山丘。在一个小山谷的底部,图姆纳斯先生突然掉转方向,好像他打算径直走进一块超乎寻常的巨型岩石,但在最后一刻,露西发现他正带她进入一个洞穴的入口。他们刚一进到洞穴里面,露西就因木柴燃烧发出的火光而眨起眼睛来。图姆纳斯先生弯下腰,用一只整洁的小火钳从火中取出一片燃烧着的木柴,用它点燃了一盏油灯。“我们不需要多长时间。”他说着,立刻把一个水壶放在火上。

露西觉得,自己从来没有到过比这里更惬意的地方。那是一个由红色石头构成的洞穴,小巧、干燥而清洁,地上铺着地毯,有两把小椅子(“我自己一把,另一把是留给朋友的。”图姆纳斯先生说)和一张桌子,还有一个碗橱。火堆上面有个壁炉架,壁炉架上方挂着一张留着灰白胡须的老潘恩的画像。在一个角落里有一扇门,露西想,这扇门一定通向图姆纳斯先生的卧室。一个堆满了书的书架靠在一面墙上。在潘恩摆设茶具时,露西看了看这些书,其书名大都是一些《森林之神西勒诺斯的生平及书信》,《仙女以及她们的习俗》,《人类、僧侣和猎场看守人:通俗传奇研究》,或者《人类是杜撰出来的吗?》等等。

“好啦,夏娃的女儿!”潘恩说。

这真的是一次绝妙的茶点。他们每个人都吃了一个煮得很嫩的鸡蛋,还有夹着沙丁鱼的吐司,然后是奶油吐司,接着又是蜂蜜吐司,再往后是涂抹着糖霜的蛋糕。露西吃饱喝足之后,潘恩开始聊天。他知道许多关于森林生活的精彩故事。他讲到午夜的舞蹈,住在井里的仙女们和树木中的树精们如何跑出来与潘恩们跳舞;讲到长长的狩猎队伍追逐着乳白色的雄鹿,如果你捉住它的话,它会满足你的愿望;讲到宴会,以及与野蛮的红矮人在幽深的矿井和森林地下深处的洞窟中去寻宝;还讲到夏天,当树木都郁郁葱葱的时候,老西勒诺斯会骑着他的肥驴子前来拜访,有时酒神巴克斯也会来,那时候小溪中流淌的不再是水,而是葡萄酒,整个森林将沉浸于狂欢之中,一连几个星期之久。“不像现在这样一直是冬天。”他阴郁地补充道。为了使自己高兴起来,他从碗橱上的盒子中取出一支奇怪的小笛子,开始吹奏起来。那个小笛子看上去就像是用稻草做的。他吹奏出来的旋律,使得露西在同一时刻既想哭,又想笑,既想跳舞,却又昏昏欲睡。一定过去了好几个钟头,露西才猛地一下子惊醒过来,说道:

“哦,图姆纳斯先生——对不起,打断了你的演奏,我确实很喜欢那个旋律——但说真的,我必须回家了。我本来只打算待几分钟的。”

“现在不行了,你要知道。”潘恩说着,放下手中的长笛,对着她非常悲伤地摇了摇头。

“不行?”露西说着,跳了起来,感到相当恐惧。“你是什么意思?我必须立刻回家。其他人会担心我出了什么事儿。”过了片刻,她又问道:“图姆纳斯先生!到底是怎么回事?”因为潘恩棕色的眼睛里已经充满了泪水,随即泪水开始顺着他的面颊缓缓流淌,很快泪水在他的鼻尖上成串地滴下;最后他用双手捂住脸,放声大哭起来。

“图姆纳斯先生!图姆纳斯先生!”露西异常苦恼地说,“不要哭!别哭啦!怎么回事?你感觉不舒服吗?亲爱的图姆纳斯先生,请你告诉我出了什么问题。”

潘恩继续啜泣着,好像他感到心痛欲绝。露西走了过去,用双臂拥抱着他,将自己的手帕借给他用,即使这样,他也没有停止哭泣。他只是接过手帕,不停地用它揩干眼泪。每当手帕浸满了泪水,无法使用时,他就用双手将它拧干,不一会儿,露西所站的地面就变得湿漉漉的。

“图姆纳斯先生!”露西对着他的耳朵大叫,一边摇晃着他,“劳驾别哭了。立刻停止哭泣!你自己应该感到害臊,一个像你这样伟大的潘恩。你到底在哭什么?”

“哦——哦——哦!”图姆纳斯先生哽咽着说:“我在哭泣,因为我是一个坏透了的潘恩。”

“我可压根儿没认为你是个坏潘恩。”露西说,“我觉得你是一个很好的潘恩。你是我所见过的最好的潘恩。”

“哦——哦——如果你知道底细的话,你就不会这么说了。”图姆纳斯先生一边抽抽搭搭地哭泣,一边回答道,“不,我是个坏潘恩。我想,自从这个世界诞生以来,还没有比我更坏的潘恩。”

“可是你做了什么呢?”露西问。

“我的老父亲,哦,”图姆纳斯先生说,“壁炉架上方就是他的画像。他可决不会做出这样的事情。”

“什么样的事情?”露西又问。

“像我所做的事情。”潘恩说,“为白女巫服务。这就是我的真实身份。我是白女巫所雇用的。”

“白女巫?她是谁?”

“嗯,是她掌控着整个纳尼亚。是她使得这里一直都是冬天。漫漫寒冬,永远没有圣诞节。你想想看!”

“多么可怕啊!”露西说,“可是她雇用你做什么?”

“那正是最糟糕的部分。”图姆纳斯先生低沉地呻吟了一声,说道:“我是一个为她效劳的绑架者,那就是我的真面目。看着我,夏娃的女儿。你会相信我是那样一种潘恩吗?我在树林中遇到一个可怜无辜的孩子,一个从来没有伤害过我的人,我假装对她友好,邀请她到我的洞穴里来做客,这一切都只是为了哄她睡着,然后将她交给白女巫。”

“不。”露西说,“我确信你不会做那样的事情。”

“但是我已经这样做了。”潘恩说。

“好吧,”露西相当缓慢地(因为她想要说实话,却又不想对他太严厉)说,“嗯,那样做的确不太好。但是你对此感到这么懊悔,我相信,你将再也不会这样做了。”

“夏娃的女儿,你难道还不明白吗?”潘恩说,“那不是我已经做过的事情。我现在正在做那件事,就是此时此刻。”

“你是什么意思?”露西叫了起来,脸色变得异常苍白。

“你就是那个孩子。”图姆纳斯说,“我接到白女巫的命令,如果我在树林中看到亚当的儿子或者夏娃的女儿,我必须捉住他们,将他们交给她。而你正是我所遇到的第一个。于是我假装对你友好,请你来喝茶。在这段时间里,我一直在谋划着,打算等你睡着了,我就去报告她。”

“哦,你不会这么做的,图姆纳斯先生。”露西说,“你不会这么做,对吗?真的,真的,求你一定不要这样做。”

“如果我不这样做的话,”他说着又哭了起来,“她肯定会发现的。她将会把我的尾巴割掉,把我的角锯掉,把我的胡子拔掉,她将对着我的漂亮的分趾的蹄子挥舞她的魔杖,把它们变成可怕的连成一片的蹄子,就像可怜的马蹄子。如果她非常地、特别地生气的话,她会将我变成石头,我将成为她的恐怖魔宫中的一座潘恩石像,直到凯尔帕拉维尔的四个王座都被坐满——天知道什么时候那件事才会发生,或者到底会不会发生。”

“我感到非常抱歉,图姆纳斯先生。”露西说,“但是请放我回家吧。”

“当然我会的。”潘恩说,“当然啦,我必须这样做。现在我明白了。在我遇到你之前,我并不知道人类是什么样子。现在我认识你了,我当然不能把你交给那个女巫。我们必须立刻动身。我将送你回到路灯柱。我想,从那里你自己能够找到返回空房大陆和衣柜城的路了吧?”

“我肯定可以。”露西说。

“我们必须尽量安静地离开。”图姆纳斯先生说,“整个树林到处都有她的密探。就连一些树木也都站到了她那边。”

他们站起身来,顾不上收拾茶具,图姆纳斯先生再一次撑起他的伞,让露西拉住他的手臂,两个人又走进了漫天飞雪之中。返程和前往潘恩洞穴时的路程大不相同;他们尽可能快地悄悄行走,一声不吭,图姆纳斯先生一直拣最暗的地方行走。当他们到达路灯柱时,露西才松了一口气。

“你知道从这里回家的路吗,夏娃的女儿?”图姆纳斯先生问。

露西使劲从树木之间望去,隐隐约约看到远处有一小块看起来像是日光的亮光。“是的,”她说,“我能看到衣柜的门。”

“那就赶快回家去吧,”潘恩说,“嗯——你能——能否宽恕我原本打算做的事情?”

“哦,当然了,我可以。”露西说着,诚心诚意地握着他的手,“我真心希望,你不会因为我而惹上可怕的麻烦。”

“别了,夏娃的女儿。”他说,“也许我可以留下这块手帕吧?”

“没问题!”露西说着,用自己最快的速度,朝着远处的那片日光跑去。很快,她就感觉不到擦身而过的坚硬树枝,而是触摸到了毛皮大衣;脚下不再是嘎吱作响的积雪,而是硬实的木板。猛然间她发现自己跳出了衣柜,回到了那个空房间,而整个历险就是从这里开始的。她紧紧地将衣柜门在身后关上,喘息着向四周观看。外面仍然下着雨,她能够听到走廊中其他人的声音。

“我在这里。”她大叫,“我在这里。我回来了,我没事儿。” fa14ONNboYD9j0TQyvjXZLiNxyZMrIgi0y0hRXwZuaJyDJ6wVCantxNWF42/NNHb

点击中间区域
呼出菜单
上一章
目录
下一章
×

打开