第九章 新生的羔羊

秦虞

Chapter 9   The newborn lamb

The next morning Mary told Dickon all about Colins tantrum.

“Poor lad，” Dickon said， with more sympathy than Mary had shown， “stuck indoors all day.”Dickon looked thoughtful.

“You know， if he cant see nature， maybe we should take nature to him.”

Mary looked up. “What do you mean？”

“Ive got a newborn lamb at home. I found her next to her dead mam on the moor last night. Maybe Master Colind like to have a hold and feeder. Theres nothing nicer than feeding a lamb.”

Mary thought it was a fine idea. “Tomorrow！ Lets do it tomorrow！” she cried.

So the next day， Dickon visited Colin in his bedroom. “Ive brought this for you，” he said， setting the lamb in Colins arms. “You can feed her if you want.”

“May I？” Colin said in awe. The feel of the warm， soft newborn lamb through his nightgown filled him with tenderness. The poor thing shivered with nerves， just like he did sometimes.

As Mary watched Colin feeding the lamb， Dickon looked round the room. “Whats that？” he asked， pointing to a wheelchair in the corner. Colin glanced across. “Oh， thats for me if I ever want to go out of bed. I cant walk， you see. My legs are too weak. But I never use it. I hate going out.”

“Wouldnt you like to come out with us？ Me and Mary？ And see the garden？” Dickon asked.

“I... I would，” Colin agreed， “but...”

“Hes worried that people will stare at him，” Mary said.

“Well， what if we fix it so theres nobody to stare？” Dickon asked.

So thats what they did. Colin made Mrs Medlock send for the head gardener， Mr Roach. A puzzled Mr Roach waited for his orders. “At two oclock this afternoon I shall be going out in my chair...” Colin began.

Mrs Medlock gasped. “But Master Colin！”

Colin ignored her. “And if the fresh air agrees with me， Ill be doing the same every day.”

“Yes， sir，” Mr Roach mumbled.

“So it is your job to make sure no one sees me. I want no gardeners on the lawns or anywhere near the walled gardens.”

“Yes， sir. Two oclock， sir. No one around.”

“Good. Off you go.”

Roach left but Mrs Medlock began to panic. “But Master Colin， what if you catch a chill？”

“Stop fussing， Medlock！”

“But...”

Colin glared at her.

“Yes， Master Colin，” Mrs Medlock sighed. She left with a shake of her head. Whatever was the world coming to？

Colin never forgot that day. How Dickon pushed him in his wheelchair along the grounds towards the secret garden. How the smell of fresh air and the feel of the gentle spring breeze on his face wasnt scary at all. It was wonderful！ His heart beat fast when Mary showed him the very spot where the robin had shown her the key. The cascading ivy hid the entrance. And when he leaned forward in his chair to push open the door leading inside the secret garden. Oh！ Oh！

Inside was just as Mary had described. Better. Better than any fairy tale. “Take me over there！ Now over there！” he ordered in delight as Dickon wheeled him up to every corner， every nook and cranny of the garden.

After a while， when he had seen almost everything， they drew the chair under a plum tree while they got some more work done. The plum tree was about to burst with white blossom and it formed a canopy under which Colin sat in wonder. “Everything is beautiful，” he said， and then stopped. “Thats strange.”

“What？” Mary asked， glancing up from her digging.

Colin pointed. “That tree there. Its not got one leaf on it. Everything else has got at least a bit of greenery but that... thats quite dead. I wonder why.”

A silence fell across the garden then. Mary and Dickon knew why. It had been the tree with the swing. And that swing had broken with Colins mother on it.

“How about some music？” Dickon asked. He pulled his pipe from his pocket and began to play. Soft， reedy sounds floated across the garden.

Colin smiled. How perfect！ How perfect everything was. “Its magical in here，” he said several times. “Its magical.”

Activity A   Reading for understanding

Ⅰ. Understanding the main idea

What does this chapter mainly talk about？

A. Dickon brought Colin a newborn lamb and Colin visited the garden.

B. What were the garden and the newborn lamb like.

C. How Dickon， Colin and Mrs Medlock prepared for Colins visit to the garden.

D. How Colin discovered the dead tree in the secret garden.

Ⅱ. Understanding the characters

1. What characteristics did Dickon display from the clues？ Fill in the table.

2. What role did Dickon play in the changes of Mary and Colin？

3. What emotional changes did nature bring to Colin？

Activity B   Reading for writing

Ⅰ. Useful expressions for creating a novel

expressions for describing emotions

look thoughtful 看起来在思考

shiver with nerves 紧张得发抖

in delight 高兴地

in wonder 惊奇地

in awe 敬畏地

fill him with tenderness 使他內心充满温柔

expressions for describing nature and settings

burst with white blossom 开满了白色的花

The cascading ivy hid the entrance. 瀑布般的长藤遮住了入口。

A silence fell across the garden then. 顿时花园一片寂静。

expressions for describing “see”

glance across 横扫了一眼

stare at 盯着看

glare at 怒视

Ⅱ. Summary writing

Write a summary of Chapter 9 with about 60 words. Remember to leave out unnecessary details.

迪肯把新生的羔羊送至科林的房间，提议让他坐着轮椅去花园参观。科林听从了迪肯的建议，看到花园的草木，科林的心情会如何呢？