Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well. He was the stinkiest stinky stinker who ever lived. 臭先生臭气熏天。他也傻了。如果说他很臭是正确的英语，那么他也很臭。他是有史以来最臭的臭臭的。
A stink is the worst type of smell. A stink is worse than a stench. And a stench is worse than a pong. And a pong is worse than a whiff. And a whiff can be enough to make your nose wrinkle. 臭味是最糟糕的气味。臭味比恶臭更难闻。恶臭比乒乓球更糟糕。乒乓球比嗅觉更糟糕。一闻就足以让你的鼻子皱起来。
It wasn't Mr Stink's fault that he stank. He was a tramp, after all. He didn't have a home and so he never had the opportunity to have a proper wash like you and me. After a while the smell 臭先生发臭不是他的错。毕竟，他是个流浪汉。他没有家，所以他从来没有机会像你和我一样洗漱。过了一会儿，气味
Mr Stink 臭先生
just got worse and worse. Here is a picture of Mr Stink. 只是越来越糟。这是臭先生的照片。
He is quite a snappy dresser in his bow-tie and tweed jacket, isn't he? But don't be fooled. The illustration doesn't do justice to the smell. This could be a scratch ' ' sniff book, but the smell 他穿着领结和粗花呢夹克，打扮得很时髦，不是吗？但不要被愚弄。插图与气味不符。这可能是一本划痕的 嗅觉书，但气味
would be so bad you would have to put it in the bin. And then bury the bin. Very deep underground. 太糟糕了，你不得不把它放在垃圾箱里。然后把垃圾箱埋起来。非常深的地下。
That's his little black dog with him, the Duchess. The Duchess wasn't any particular breed of dog, she was just a dog. She smelt too, but not as bad as Mr Stink. Nothing in the world really smelt as bad as him. Except his beard. His beard was full of old bits of egg and sausage and cheese that had fallen out of his mouth years before. It had never, ever been shampooed so it had its own special stink, even worse than his main one. 那是他和他在一起的小黑狗，公爵夫人。公爵夫人不是任何特定品种的狗，她只是一条狗。她也闻起来，但不像臭先生那么难闻。世界上没有什么比他闻起来更糟糕了。除了他的胡子。他的胡子上全是多年前从他嘴里掉出来的旧鸡蛋、香肠和奶酪。它从来没有被洗过，所以它有自己特殊的臭味，甚至比他的主要臭味还要严重。
One morning, Mr Stink simply appeared in the town and took up residence on an old wooden bench. No one knew where he had come from, or where he might be going. The town folk were mostly nice to him. They sometimes dropped a few coins at his feet, before rushing off with their eyes watering. But no one was really friendly 一天早上，臭先生干脆出现在镇上，在一张旧木凳上住了下来。没有人知道他从哪里来，或者他可能要去哪里。镇上的人大多对他很好。他们有时会在他脚下扔几枚硬币，然后眼泪汪汪地冲走。但没有人真正友好
towards him. No one stopped for a chat. 朝他走。没有人停下来聊天。
At least, not till the day that a little girl finally plucked up the courage to speak to him - and that's where our story begins. 至少，直到有一天，一个小女孩终于鼓起勇气和他说话——这就是我们故事的开始。
"Hello," said the girl, her voice trembling a little with nerves. The girl was called Chloe. She was only twelve and she had never spoken to a tramp before. Her mother had forbidden her to speak to 'such creatures'. Mother even disapproved of her daughter talking to kids from the local council estate. But Chloe didn't think Mr Stink was a creature. She thought he was a man who looked like he had a very interesting story to tell - and if there was one thing Chloe loved, it was stories. “你好，”女孩说，她的声音因紧张而颤抖。这个女孩叫克洛伊。她只有十二岁，以前从未和流浪汉说过话。她的母亲禁止她与“这样的生物”说话。母亲甚至不赞成她的女儿与当地议会庄园的孩子交谈。但克洛伊并不认为臭先生是个生物。她认为他是一个看起来有一个非常有趣的故事要讲的男人——如果克洛伊喜欢一件事，那就是故事。
Every day she would pass him and his dog in her parents' car on the way to her posh private school. Whether in sunshine or snow, he was always sitting on the same bench with his dog by 每天，她都会在去豪华私立学校的路上，开着父母的车经过他和他的狗。无论在阳光下还是在雪地里，他总是和他的狗坐在同一个长凳上
Scratch ' ' Sniff 刮擦 ' ' 嗅
his feet. As she luxuriated on the leather of the back seat with her poisonous little sister Annabelle, Chloe would look out of the window at him and wonder. 他的脚。当她和她有毒的小妹妹安娜贝尔在后座的皮革上尽情享受时，克洛伊会望着窗外的他，并感到纳闷。
Millions of thoughts and questions would swim through her head. Who was he? Why did he live on the streets? Had he ever had a home? What did his dog eat? Did he have any friends or family? If so, did they know he was homeless? 数以百万计的想法和问题会在她的脑海中游动。他是谁？他为什么流落街头？他曾经有过家吗？他的狗吃了什么？他有朋友或家人吗？如果是这样，他们知道他无家可归吗？
Where did he go at Christmas? If you wanted to write him a letter, what address would you put on the envelope? 'The bench, you know the one - round the corner from the bus stop'? When was the last time he'd had a bath? And could his name really be Mr Stink? 圣诞节他去哪儿了？如果你想给他写一封信，你会在信封上写什么地址？“长凳，你知道那个——在公交车站的拐角处”？他上一次洗澡是什么时候？他的名字真的是臭先生吗？
Chloe was the kind of girl who loved being alone with her thoughts. Often she would sit on her bed and make up stories about Mr Stink. Sitting on her own in her room, she would come 克洛伊是那种喜欢独自思考的女孩。她经常坐在床上编造关于臭先生的故事。她一个人坐在她的房间里，她会来
up with all kinds of fantastical tales. Maybe Mr Stink was a heroic old sailor who had won dozens of medals for bravery, but had found it impossible to adapt to life on dry land? Or perhaps he was a world-famous opera singer who one night, upon hitting the top note in an aria at the Royal Opera House in London, lost his voice and could never sing again? Or maybe he was really a Russian secret agent who had put on an elaborate tramp disguise to spy on the people of the town? 有各种奇幻故事。也许臭先生是一位英勇的老水手，他因勇敢而赢得了数十枚奖章，但发现无法适应陆地上的生活？或者，也许他是一位举世闻名的歌剧演唱家，有一天晚上，在伦敦皇家歌剧院的咏叹调中击中最高音时，他失去了声音，再也唱不下去了？或者，也许他真的是一名俄罗斯特工，他伪装成精心设计的流浪汉来监视镇上的人们？
Chloe didn't know anything about Mr Stink. But what she did know, on that day when she stopped to talk to him for the first time, was that he looked like he needed the five-pound note she was holding much more than she did. 克洛伊对臭先生一无所知。但那天，当她第一次停下来和他说话时，她所知道的是，他看起来比她更需要她拿着的那张五英镑的钞票。
He seemed lonely too, not just alone, but lonely in his soul. That made Chloe sad. She knew full well what it was like to feel lonely. 他似乎也很孤独，不仅孤独，而且灵魂孤独。这让克洛伊很伤心。她非常清楚孤独是什么感觉。
Chloe didn't like school very much. Mother had insisted on sending her to a posh all-girls secondary school, and she hadn't made any friends there. Chloe didn't like being at home much either. Wherever she was she had the feeling that she didn't quite fit in. 克洛伊不太喜欢上学。母亲坚持要送她去一所豪华的女子中学，她在那里没有交到任何朋友。克洛伊也不太喜欢呆在家里。无论她身在何处，她都觉得自己不太适应。
What's more, it was Chloe's least favourite time of year. Christmas. Everyone is supposed to love Christmas, especially children. But Chloe hated it. She hated the tinsel, she hated the crackers, she hated the carols, she hated having to watch the Queen's speech, she hated the mince pies, she hated that it never really snowed like it's supposed to, she hated sitting down with her family to a long, long dinner, and most of all, she hated how she had to pretend to be happy just because it was December . 更重要的是，这是克洛伊一年中最不喜欢的时候。圣诞节。每个人都应该爱圣诞节，尤其是孩子。但克洛伊讨厌它。她讨厌金属丝，她讨厌饼干，她讨厌颂歌，她讨厌必须看女王的演讲，她讨厌肉馅饼，她讨厌它从来没有像它应该的那样真正下雪，她讨厌和家人坐下来吃一顿很长很长的晚餐，最重要的是，她讨厌她不得不假装很开心，因为现在是十二月 。
"What can I do for you, young lady?" said Mr Stink. His voice was unexpectedly posh. As “我能为你做些什么呢，小姐？”臭先生说。他的声音出乎意料地时髦。如
no one had ever stopped to talk to him before, he stared slightly suspiciously at this plump little girl. Chloe was suddenly a bit frightened. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to talk to the old tramp after all. She had been working up to this moment for weeks, months even. This wasn't how it had all played out in her head. 以前从来没有人停下来和他说话，他有点怀疑地盯着这个丰满的小女孩。克洛伊突然有点害怕。也许和老流浪汉说话毕竟不是一个好主意。为了这一刻，她已经工作了数周，甚至数月。这并不是她脑海中的一切。
To make matters worse, Chloe had to stop breathing through her nose. The smell was starting to get to her. It was like a living thing, creeping its way up her nostrils and burning the back of her throat. 更糟糕的是，克洛伊不得不停止用鼻子呼吸。气味开始传到她身上。它就像一个活物，爬上她的鼻孔，灼烧着她的喉咙后部。
"Erm, well, sorry to bother you..." “呃，好吧，不好意思打扰你了......”
"Yes?" said Mr Stink, a little impatiently. Chloe was taken aback. Why was he in such a hurry? He always sat on his bench. It wasn't like he suddenly needed to go somewhere else. “是吗？”臭先生有点不耐烦地说。克洛伊吃了一惊。他为什么这么着急？他总是坐在板凳上。这并不是说他突然需要去别的地方。
At that moment the Duchess started barking at her. Chloe felt even more scared. Sensing 就在这时，公爵夫人开始对她吠叫。克洛伊感到更加害怕。传感
this, Mr Stink pulled the Duchess's lead, which was really just a bit of old rope, to encourage her to be quiet. 这时，臭先生拉了拉公爵夫人的绳子，这根绳子实际上只是一根旧绳子，鼓励她安静下来。
"Well," Chloe went on nervously, "my auntie sent me five pounds to buy myself a Christmas present. But I don't really need anything so I thought I would give it to you." “嗯，”克洛伊紧张地继续说，“我姨妈给我寄了五英镑，让我给自己买一份圣诞礼物。但我真的不需要任何东西，所以我想我会把它给你。
Mr Stink smiled. Chloe smiled too. For a moment it looked as if he was going to accept Chloe's offer, then he looked down at the pavement. 臭先生笑了。克洛伊也笑了。有那么一会儿，他似乎要接受克洛伊的提议，然后他低头看了看人行道。
Mr Stink 臭先生
"Thank you," he said. "Unimaginable kindness, but I can't take it, sorry." “谢谢你，”他说。“难以想象的善意，但我不能接受，对不起。”
Chloe was confused. "Why ever not?" she asked. 克洛伊很困惑。“为什么不呢？”她问。
"You are but a child. Five pounds? It's too, too generous." “你只是个孩子。五磅？太慷慨了。
"I just thought-" “我只是想——”
"It's really kind of you, but I'm afraid I can't accept. Tell me, how old are you, young lady? Ten?" “你真的很善良，但恐怕我接受不了。告诉我，小姐，你多大了？十个？
"TWELVE!" said Chloe loudly. She was a little short for her age, but liked to think she was grown-up in lots of other ways. "I'm twelve. Thirteen on January the ninth!" “十二！”克洛伊大声说。她比她的年龄有点矮，但喜欢认为自己在很多其他方面都长大了。“我十二岁。1月9日十三！
"Sorry, you're twelve. Nearly thirteen. Go and buy yourself one of those new musical stereo discs. Don't you worry about an old vagabond like me." He smiled. There was a real twinkle in his eye when he smiled. “对不起，你才十二岁。快十三岁了。去给自己买一张新的音乐立体声光盘吧。你不用担心像我这样的老流浪汉吗？他笑了。当他微笑时，他的眼睛里闪烁着真正的光芒。
Scratch ' 'Sniff 刮擦 ' '嗅
"If it's not too rude," said Chloe, "can I ask you a question “如果不是太粗鲁的话，”克洛伊说，“我可以问你一个问题吗
"Yes, of course you can." “是的，当然可以。”
"Well, I would love to know: why do you live on a bench and not in a house like me?" “嗯，我很想知道：为什么你住在长凳上，而不是像我这样的房子里？”
Mr Stink shuffled slightly and looked anxious. "It's a long story, my dear," he said. "Maybe I will tell you another day." 臭先生微微踉踉跄跄，看起来很着急。“说来话长，亲爱的，”他说。“也许改天我会告诉你的。”
Chloe was disappointed. She wasn't sure there would be another day. If her mother found out that she was even talking to this man, let alone offering him money, she would do her nut. 克洛伊很失望。她不确定还会有另一天。如果她的母亲发现她甚至在和这个男人说话，更不用说给他钱了，她会发疯的。
"Well, sorry for bothering you," said Chloe. "Have a lovely day." As the words came out she cringed. What a stupid thing to say! How could he possibly have a lovely day? He was a smelly old tramp, and the sky was growing gloomy with black clouds. She took a few paces up the street, feeling embarrassed. “好吧，很抱歉打扰你了，”克洛伊说。“祝你有美好的一天。”话音刚落，她就畏缩了。说什么傻话！他怎么可能过得愉快呢？他是个臭气熏天的老流浪汉，天空乌云密布，阴沉沉的。她在街上走了几步，感到尴尬。
"What's that on your back, child?" called out Mr Stink. “孩子，你背上的是什么？”臭先生喊道。
"What's what on my back?" asked Chloe, trying to look over her shoulder. She reached round and tore a piece of paper from her blazer. She peered at it. “我背上有什么？”克洛伊问道，试图回头看。她伸手从西装外套上撕下一张纸。她凝视着它。
Written on the piece of paper, in thick black letters, was a single word. 在那张纸上，用厚厚的黑色字母写着一个字。
LOSER! 失败者！
Chloe felt her stomach twist with humiliation. Rosamund must have sellotaped it to her when she left school. Rosamund was the head girl of the cool gang. She was always bullying Chloe, picking on her for eating too many sweets, or for being poorer than the other girls at school, or for being the girl neither team ever wanted on their side in hockey matches. As Chloe had left school 克洛伊感到自己的肚子因屈辱而扭曲。罗莎蒙德一定是在她离开学校时给她贴的。罗莎蒙德是酷帮的头目。她总是欺负克洛伊，挑剔她吃了太多甜食，或者比学校里的其他女孩更穷，或者因为她是两支球队在曲棍球比赛中都不想站在他们这边的女孩。当克洛伊离开学校时
today Rosamund patted her on the back several times, saying "Merry Christmas", while all the other girls laughed. Now Chloe knew why. Mr Stink rose creakily from his bench and took the paper from Chloe's hands. 今天罗莎蒙德拍了好几次她的背，说“圣诞快乐”，而其他女孩都笑了。现在克洛伊知道为什么了。臭先生吱吱呀呀地从长凳上站起来，从克洛伊手中接过那张纸。
"I can't believe I've been going round with that on my back all afternoon," said Chloe. Embarrassed to feel tears welling up, she looked away, blinking into the sunlight. “我简直不敢相信我整个下午都背着它转来转去，”克洛伊说。她尴尬地感觉到眼泪涌了出来，她把目光移开，眨了眨眼睛。
"What is it, child?" asked Mr Stink, kindly. “这是什么，孩子？”臭先生和蔼地问道。
Chloe sniffed. "Well," she said, "it's true, isn't it? I really am a loser." 克洛伊嗅了嗅。“嗯，”她说，“这是真的，不是吗？我真的是个失败者。
Mr Stink bent down to look at her. "No," he said, authoritatively. "You're not a loser. The real loser is the person who stuck it to you in the first place." 臭先生弯下腰看着她。“不，”他权威地说。“你不是失败者。真正的失败者是一开始就把它粘在你身上的人。
Chloe tried to believe him, but couldn't quite. 克洛伊试图相信他，但不能完全相信。
For as long as she could remember she had felt like a loser. Maybe Rosamund and all those other girls in her gang were right. 从她记事起，她就觉得自己是个失败者。也许罗莎蒙德和她帮派中的所有其他女孩都是对的。
"There's only one place for this," said Mr Stink. He screwed up the piece of paper and, like a professional cricketer, expertly bowled it into “只有一个地方可以做到这一点，”Stink先生说。他把那张纸搞砸了，像一个职业板球运动员一样，熟练地把它扔进去
the bin. Chloe clocked this and her imagination instantly started whirring; had he once been captain of the England cricket team? 垃圾箱。克洛伊注意到了这一点，她的想象力立即开始嗡嗡作响;他曾经是英格兰板球队的队长吗？
Mr Stink brushed his hands together. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," he said. 臭先生双手合十。“好好摆脱坏垃圾，”他说。
"Thanks," murmured Chloe. “谢谢，”克洛伊喃喃自语。
"Not at all," said Mr Stink. "You mustn't let bullies get you down." “一点也不，”Stink先生说。“你不能让恶霸把你打倒。”
"I'll try," said Chloe. "Nice to meet you Mr... um..." she began. Everyone called him Mr Stink, but she didn't know if he knew that. It felt rude to say it to his face. “我会努力的，”克洛伊说。“很高兴见到你，先生......嗯......”她开始了。大家都叫他臭先生，但她不知道他是否知道。当着他的面说这句话感觉很不礼貌。
"Stink," he said. "They call me Mr Stink." “很臭，”他说。“他们叫我臭先生。”
"Oh. Nice to meet you, Mr Stink. I'm Chloe." "Hello, Chloe," said Mr Stink. “哦。很高兴见到你，臭先生。我是克洛伊。“你好，克洛伊，”臭先生说。
"You know, Mr Stink," said Chloe, "I still might go the shops. Do you need anything? Like a bar of soap or something?" “你知道的，臭先生，”克洛伊说，“我还是会去商店。你需要什么吗？比如一块肥皂什么的？
"Thank you, my dear," he replied. "But I have “谢谢你，亲爱的，”他回答说。“但我有
Chapter One 第一章
no use for soap. You see, I had a bath only last year. But I would love some sausages. I do adore a nice meaty sausage..." 不使用肥皂。你看，我去年才洗过澡。但我会喜欢一些香肠。我确实喜欢一根美味的肉香肠......”
2
Icy Silence 冰冷的寂静
"Mother?" said Annabelle. 「媽媽？」安娜貝爾說。
Mother finished chewing her food completely, then swallowed it, before finally replying. 母亲完全咀嚼完了她的食物，然后吞了下去，最后才回答。
"Yes, my darling child?" “是的，我亲爱的孩子？”
"Chloe just took one of her sausages off her plate and hid it in her napkin." “克洛伊刚刚从盘子里拿出一根香肠，把它藏在餐巾纸里。”
It was Saturday evening, and the Crumb family sat at the dining room table, missing Strictly Come Dancing and The X-Factor as they ate their dinner. Mother had banned watching television and eating at the same time. She had decided that it was 'awfully common'. Instead 那是星期六晚上，Crumb 一家坐在餐桌旁，在吃晚饭时想念 Strictly Come Dancing 和 The X-Factor。母亲禁止一边看电视一边吃饭。她认为这是“非常普遍的”。相反
Icy Silence 冰冷的寂静
the family had to sit in icy silence and eat their dinner staring at the walls. Or sometimes Mother would choose a subject for discussion, normally what she would do if she ran the country. That was her absolute favourite. Mother had given up running a beauty salon to stand for Parliament, and had no doubt in her mind that one day she would be Prime Minister. 一家人不得不坐在冰冷的寂静中，盯着墙壁吃晚饭。或者有时母亲会选择一个话题进行讨论，通常是如果她管理国家，她会做什么。那是她的最爱。母亲为了代表议会而放弃了经营美容院，她毫不怀疑有一天她会成为总理。
Mother had named the white Persian family cat Elizabeth, after the Queen. She was obsessed with Being Posh. There was a downstairs loo that was kept locked for 'very important guests', as if a member of the royal family was going to swing by for a waz. There was a china tea set in the cupboard that was 'for best', and had never once been used. Mother even sprayed air freshener in the garden. Mother would never go out, and not even answer the door, unless immaculately groomed, with her beloved pearls 母亲以女王的名字给这只白色的波斯家猫取名伊丽莎白。她痴迷于成为时髦的人。楼下有一个厕所，为“非常重要的客人”上锁，好像王室成员要过来喝杯酒。橱柜里有一套“最好的”瓷茶，从来没有用过。母亲甚至在花园里喷洒了空气清新剂。母亲从不出门，甚至不开门，除非她带着她心爱的珍珠打扮得一尘不染
around her neck and her hair made stiff with enough hairspray to create its own hole in the ozone layer. She was so used to turning up her nose at everybody and everything, it was in danger of staying that way. Here's a picture of her. 在她的脖子上，她的头发被足够的发胶弄得僵硬，在臭氧层上形成了自己的洞。她已经习惯了对每个人和每件事都嗤之以鼻，保持这种状态是有危险的。这是她的照片。
My word, she looks posh, doesn't she? 我的话，她看起来很时髦，不是吗？
Unsurprisingly Father, or Dad as he preferred to be called when Mother wasn't around, opted 不出所料，父亲，或者爸爸，因为他更喜欢在母亲不在的时候被称呼，选择了
Icy Silence 冰冷的寂静
for a quiet life and usually didn't speak unless spoken to. He was a big powerful man, but his wife made him feel small inside. Dad was only forty, but he was already going bald and starting to stoop. He worked long hours at a car factory on the edge of the town. 过着安静的生活，除非有人说话，否则通常不会说话。他是一个有权势的大男人，但他的妻子让他内心感到渺小。爸爸只有四十岁，但他已经秃顶了，开始弯腰了。他在小镇边缘的一家汽车厂工作了很长时间。
"Did you hide a sausage in your napkin, Chloe?" demanded Mother. “克洛伊，你把香肠藏在餐巾纸里了吗？”母亲问道。
"You are always trying to get me into trouble!" snapped Chloe. “你总是想给我惹麻烦！”克洛伊厉声说。
This was true. Annabelle was two years younger than Chloe, and one of those children adults think are perfect, but other children don't like because they are snotty little goody-goodies. Annabelle loved getting Chloe into trouble. She would lie on her bed in her bright pink room upstairs and roll around crying, shouting “CHLOE, GET OFF ME! YOU ARE HURTING ME!” even though Chloe was 这是真的。安娜贝尔比克洛伊小两岁，是大人认为完美的孩子之一，但其他孩子不喜欢，因为他们是流鼻涕的小乖乖女。安娜贝尔喜欢给克洛伊惹麻烦。她会躺在楼上亮粉色房间的床上，哭着滚来滚去，大喊“克洛伊，我！你伤害了我！“尽管克洛伊是
quietly writing away in her room next door. You could say that Annabelle was evil. She was certainly evil to her older sister. 在隔壁的房间里静静地写着。你可以说安娜贝尔是邪恶的。她对她的姐姐当然是邪恶的。
"Oh, sorry Mother, it just slipped into my lap," said Chloe guiltily. Her plan had been to smuggle the sausage out for Mr Stink. She had been thinking about him all evening, imagining him shivering out there in the cold dark December night as they sat in the warm, eating away. “哦，对不起，妈妈，它刚刚滑到我的腿上，”克洛伊内疚地说。她的计划是把香肠偷偷带出去给臭先生。她整晚都在想他，想象着他在寒冷黑暗的十二月夜晚瑟瑟发抖，他们坐在温暖的房间里吃饭。
"Well then Chloe, unroll it from your napkin and put it back on your plate," ordered Mother. "I am so ashamed that we are even eating sausages for dinner. I gave your father strict instructions to dispatch himself to the supermarket and purchase four wild sea-bass fillets. And he comes home with a packet of sausages. If anyone called around and saw us eating food like this it would be hideously embarrassing. They'd think we were savages!" “那么克洛伊，把它从你的餐巾纸上展开，放回你的盘子里，”母亲命令道。“我很惭愧，我们甚至在晚餐时吃香肠。我给你父亲下了严格的指示，让他去超市买四条野生鲈鱼片。他带着一包香肠回家。如果有人打电话过来，看到我们这样吃食物，那将是可怕的尴尬。他们会认为我们是野蛮人！
Icy Silence 冰冷的寂静
"I am sorry, my darling wife," protested Dad. "They were all out of wild sea-bass fillets." He gave Chloe the tiniest wink as he said this, confirming her suspicion that he had deliberately disobeyed Mother's orders. Chloe smiled at him discreetly. She and her dad both loved sausages and lots of other food that Mother didn't approve of, like burgers, fish-fingers, fizzy drinks, and especially Whippy ice-cream ('the devil's spume', Mother called it). "I have never eaten anything from a van," she would say. "I'd rather die." “对不起，我亲爱的妻子，”爸爸抗议道。“它们都是野生鲈鱼片。”说这话的时候，他向克洛伊眨了眨眼，证实了她对他故意违抗母亲命令的怀疑。克洛伊小心翼翼地对他笑了笑。她和爸爸都喜欢香肠和许多其他妈妈不赞成的食物，比如汉堡、鱼条、碳酸饮料，尤其是 鞭打冰淇淋（妈妈称之为“魔鬼的泡沫”）。“我从来没有吃过面包车上的任何东西，”她会说。“我宁愿死。”
"Right now, all hands on deck as we clear up," said Mother when they had finished eating. "Annabelle, my precious angel, you clear the table, Chloe, you can wash up and Husband, you can dry." When she said "all hands on deck", what she really meant was everybody's hands except hers. As the rest of the family all went “现在，当我们清理时，所有人都在甲板上，”母亲在他们吃完饭时说。“安娜贝尔，我亲爱的天使，你把桌子收拾干净，克洛伊，你可以洗漱，丈夫，你可以擦干。当她说“所有人的手在甲板上”时，她真正的意思是除了她的手之外的每个人的手。当家里其他人都走了
about their duties Mother reclined on the sofa and started unwrapping a wafer-thin chocolate mint. She allowed herself one chocolate mint a day. She nibbled so infuriatingly slowly she made each one last an hour. 关于他们的职责 母亲斜靠在沙发上，开始打开薄薄的巧克力薄荷。她允许自己每天吃一个巧克力薄荷。她啃得如此令人生气的缓慢，以至于每一次都持续了一个小时。
"One of my Bendicks luxury chocolate mints has gone walkies again!" she called out. “我的一个Bendicks豪华巧克力薄荷糖又走了！”她喊道。
Annabelle shot Chloe an accusing look before returning to the dining room to collect some more plates. "I bet it was you, fatty!" she hissed. 安娜贝尔指责地看了克洛伊一眼，然后回到餐厅又拿了一些盘子。“我敢打赌是你，胖子！”她嘶声说。
Chloe felt guilty, even though it wasn't her who had been scoffing her mother's chocolates. She and Dad assumed their familiar positions at the sink. 克洛伊感到内疚，尽管嘲笑她母亲巧克力的不是她。她和爸爸在水槽前摆出他们熟悉的位置。
"Chloe, why were you trying to hide one of your sausages?" he asked. "If you didn't like it, you could have just said." “克洛伊，你为什么要把你的一根香肠藏起来？”他问道。“如果你不喜欢它，你可以直接说。”
Icy Silence 冰冷的寂静
"I wasn't trying to hide it, Dad." “我不是想隐瞒，爸爸。”
"Then what were you doing with it?" “那你拿它做什么？”
Suddenly Annabelle appeared with another stack of dirty plates and the pair fell silent. They waited a moment until she had gone. 突然，安娜贝尔拿着另一堆脏盘子出现了，两人沉默了。他们等了一会儿，直到她走了。
"Well, Dad, you know that tramp who always sits on the same bench every - " “嗯，爸爸，你知道那个流浪汉，他总是坐在同一个长凳上——”
“Mr Stink “臭先生
"Yes. Well, I thought his dog looked hungry and I wanted to bring her a sausage or two." “是的。嗯，我觉得他的狗看起来很饿，我想给她带一两根香肠。
It was a lie, but not a big one. 这是一个谎言，但不是一个大谎言。
"Well, I suppose there isn't any harm in giving his poor dog a bit of food," said Dad. "Just this once though, you understand?" “好吧，我想给他可怜的狗一点食物也没有什么坏处，”爸爸说。“就这一次，你明白吗？”
“But-" “可是——”
"Just this once, Chloe. Or Mr Stink will expect you to feed his dog every day. Now, I hid another packet of sausages behind the crème fraîche, whatever that is. I'll cook them up for “就这一次，克洛伊。或者臭先生会希望你每天喂他的狗。现在，我把另一包香肠藏在鲜奶油后面，不管那是什么。我会把它们煮熟
you before your mother gets up tomorrow morning and you can give them-" 你明天早上在妈起床之前，你可以给他们——”
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO CONSPIRING ABOUT?" demanded Mother from the sitting room. “你们俩在密谋什么？”母亲在客厅里问道。
"Oh, erm, we were just debating which of the Queen's four children we most admire," said Dad. "I am putting forward Anne for her equestrian skills, though Chloe is making a strong case for Prince Charles and his unrivalled range of organic biscuits." “哦，呃，我们只是在争论女王的四个孩子中我们最欣赏哪个，”爸爸说。“我推荐安妮的马术技巧，尽管克洛伊正在为查尔斯王子和他无与伦比的有机饼干系列提供强有力的理由。
"Very good. Carry on!" boomed the voice from next door. “非常好。继续！“隔壁的声音响起。
Dad smiled at Chloe cheekily. 爸爸厚着脸皮对克洛伊笑了笑。
3
The Wanderer 流浪者
Stink ate the sausages in an unexpectedly elegant manner. First he took out a little linen napkin and tucked it under his chin. Next he took an antique silver knife and fork out of his breast pocket. Finally he produced a dirty gold-rimmed china plate, which he gave to the Duchess to lick clean before he set down the sausages neatly upon it. 臭臭以一种出乎意料的优雅方式吃了香肠。首先，他拿出一张亚麻小餐巾，塞在下巴下面。接着，他从胸前的口袋里掏出一把古董银刀叉。最后，他拿出一个脏兮兮的金边瓷盘，交给公爵夫人舔干净，然后把香肠整齐地放在上面。
Chloe stared at his cutlery and plate. This seemed like another clue to his past. Had he perhaps been a gentleman thief who crept into country houses at midnight and 克洛伊盯着他的餐具和盘子。这似乎是他过去的另一条线索。如果他可能是一个绅士小偷，在午夜偷偷溜进乡间别墅，
made off with the family silver? 用家里的银子做成的？
"Do you have any more sausages?" asked Mr Stink, his mouth still full of sausage. “你还有香肠吗？”臭先生问道，他的嘴里还塞满了香肠。
"No, just those eight I'm afraid," replied Chloe. “不，恐怕只有那八个，”克洛伊回答。
She stood at a safe distance from the tramp, so that her eyes wouldn't start weeping at the smell. The Duchess looked up at Mr Stink as he ate the sausages, with a heartbreaking longing that suggested that all love and all beauty was contained in those tubes of meat. 她站在离流浪汉安全的地方，这样她的眼睛就不会因为气味而哭泣。公爵夫人抬头看着臭先生吃着香肠，带着一种令人心碎的渴望，暗示着所有的爱和所有的美丽都包含在那些肉管里。
"There you go, Duchess," said Mr Stink, slowly lowering half a sausage into his dog's mouth. The Duchess was so hungry she didn't even chew; instead she swallowed it in half a millisecond before returning to her expression of sausage-longing. Had any man or beast ever eaten a sausage so quickly? Chloe was half-expecting a gentleman in a blazer “你去吧，公爵夫人，”臭先生说，慢慢地把半根香肠放进他的狗嘴里。公爵夫人饿得连嚼都没嚼;相反，她在半毫秒内吞下了它，然后又回到了她渴望香肠的表情。有没有人或野兽这么快就吃了香肠？克洛伊半信半疑地期待一位穿着西装外套的绅士
The Wanderer 流浪者
and slacks with a clipboard and stopwatch to appear and declare that the little black dog had set a new sausage-eating international world record! 还有带有写字板和秒表的休闲裤出现并宣布小黑狗创造了新的吃香肠国际世界纪录！
"So, young Chloe, is everything fine at home?" asked Mr Stink, as he let the Duchess lick his fingers clean of any remnants of sausage juice. “那么，年轻的克洛伊，家里一切都好吗？”臭先生问道，他让公爵夫人舔干净手指上的香肠汁。
"I'm sorry?" replied a befuddled Chloe. “对不起？”困惑的克洛伊回答。
"I asked if everything was fine at home. If things were tickety-boo I am not sure you would be spending your Sunday talking to an old vagabond like me." “我问家里是否一切都好。如果事情是嘘声，我不确定你会不会在星期天和我这样的老流浪汉交谈。
"Vagabond?" “流浪汉？”
"I don't like the word 'tramp'. It makes you think of someone who smells." “我不喜欢'流浪汉'这个词。它让你想起一个闻起来的人。
Chloe tried to conceal her surprise. Even the Duchess looked puzzled and she didn't speak English, only Dog. 克洛伊试图掩饰她的惊讶。就连公爵夫人也一脸疑惑，她不会说英语，只会说狗。
"I prefer vagabond, or wanderer," continued Mr Stink. “我更喜欢流浪者，或者流浪者，”Stink先生继续说道。
The way he put it, thought Chloe, it sounded almost poetic. Especially 'wanderer'. She would love to be a wanderer. She would wander all around the world if she could. Not stay in this boring little town where nothing happened that hadn't happened the day before. 克洛伊想，他这样说，听起来几乎是诗意的。尤其是“流浪者”。她很想成为一个流浪者。如果可以的话，她会在世界各地游荡。不要呆在这个无聊的小镇上，那里没有发生前一天没有发生的事情。
"There's nothing wrong at home. Everything is fine," said Chloe adamantly. “家里没什么问题。一切都很好，“克洛伊坚定地说。
"Are you sure?" enquired Mr Stink, with the wisdom some people have that cuts right through you like a knife through butter. “你确定吗？”臭先生问道，有些人的智慧就像刀子切黄油一样直接切开你。
Things were, in fact, not at all fine at home for Chloe. She was often ignored. Her mother doted on Annabelle - probably because her youngest daughter was like a miniature version of her. Every inch of every wall in the house was covered with celebrations of Annabelle's infinite achievements. 事实上，克洛伊家里的情况一点也不好。她经常被忽视。她的母亲溺爱安娜贝尔——可能是因为她最小的女儿就像她的缩影。房子里每一面墙的每一寸都覆盖着对安娜贝尔无限成就的庆祝。
Photographs of her standing smugly on winner's podiums, certificates bearing her name emblazoned in italic gold, trophies and statuettes and medals engraved with 'winner', 'first place' or 'little creep'. (I made up that last one.) 她得意洋洋地站在领奖台上的照片，用斜体金色印有她名字的证书，奖杯和小雕像以及刻有“冠军”、“第一名”或“小毛骨悚然”的奖牌。（最后一个是我编的。
Mr Stink 臭先生
The more Annabelle achieved, the more Chloe felt like a failure. Her parents spent most of their lives providing a chauffeur service for Annabelle's out of school activities. Her schedule was exhausting even to look at. 安娜贝尔取得的成就越多，克洛伊就越觉得自己是个失败者。她的父母一生中的大部分时间都在为安娜贝尔的校外活动提供司机服务。她的日程安排甚至让人筋疲力尽。
The Wanderer 流浪者
Tuesday 星期二
4am Violin lesson 凌晨4点小提琴课
5am Stilt-walking practice 早上 5 点踩高跷练习
6am Chess Society 早上 6 点 国际象棋协会
7am Learning Japanese 早上 7 点学习日语
8am Flower-arranging class 上午8点 插花课
9 am to School 上午9点到 学校 Creative writing workshop 创意写作工作坊 Porcelain frog painting class 瓷蛙画课 Harp practice 竖琴练习 Watercolour painting class 水彩画课
8pm Dance class, ballroom 晚上 8 点 舞蹈课，交际舞厅
Wednesday 星期三
3am Choir practice 凌晨 3 点合唱团练习
4am Long-jump training 凌晨 4 点跳远训练
5am High-jump training 凌晨 5 点跳高训练
6am Long-jump training again 早上6点 再次进行跳远训练
7am Trombone lesson 早上 7 点长号课
8am Scuba-diving 早上 8 点水肺潜水
9am to 4 pm School 上午 9 点至下午 4 点学校 Chef training 厨师培训 Mountain climbing 爬山 Tennis 网球
7pm Drama workshop, Shakespeare and his 晚上 7 点戏剧工作坊，莎士比亚和他的
contemporaries 同龄人
8 pm Show jumping 晚上 8 点 场地障碍赛
Thursday 星期四
2am Learning Arabic 凌晨 2 点学习阿拉伯语
3am Dance lesson, break-dance, hip-hop, 凌晨 3 点舞蹈课、霹雳舞、嘻哈、
krumping 克鲁平
4 am Oboe lesson 凌晨 4 点双簧管课
5am Tour de France cycle training 凌晨 5 点环法自行车训练
6am Bible studies 早上6点查经
7am Gymnastics training 早上7点 体操训练
8am Calligraphy class 早上8点书法课
9am to School 上午9点到 学校
4pm Work experience shadowing a brain surgeon 下午 4 点 跟随脑外科医生的工作经验
Opera singing lesson 歌剧演唱课
6pm NASA space exploration workshop 下午6点，美国宇航局太空探索研讨会
7 pm Cake baking class, level 5 晚上 7 点 蛋糕烘焙课，5 楼
Attend lecture on 'A History of Victorian Moustaches 参加“维多利亚时代胡须的历史”讲座
Friday 星期五
1am Triangle lesson, grade 5 凌晨 1 点三角课，五年级
2am Badminton 凌晨 2 点 羽毛球
3am Archery 凌晨 3 点射箭
4am Fly to Switzerland for ski-jump practice. 凌晨 4 点飞往瑞士进行跳台滑雪练习。
Learn about eggs from an expert on eggs (TBC) on outbound flight. 在出境航班上向鸡蛋专家（TBC）了解鸡蛋。
6am Do quick ski-jump, and then board inbound flight. Take pottery class on flight. 早上 6 点做快速跳台滑雪，然后登上入境航班。在飞机上上陶艺课。
8am Thai kick-boxing (remember to take skis off before class). 早上8点泰式跆拳道（记得上课前脱下滑雪板）。
9am to 4 pm School 上午 9 点至下午 4 点学校
Channel swimming training 频道游泳训练
Motorbike maintenance workshop 摩托车维修车间
6pm Candle making 下午 6 点 蜡烛制作
Otter rearing class 水獭饲养班
Television viewing. A choice between either a documentary about carpet manufacturing in Belgium, or a Polish cartoon from the 1920s about a depressed owl. 看电视。可以选择一部关于比利时地毯制造的纪录片，或者一部 1920 年代关于一只沮丧的猫头鹰的波兰卡通片。
And that was just the weekdays. The weekends were when things really got busy for Annabelle. No wonder Chloe felt ignored. 而那只是工作日。周末是安娜贝尔真正忙碌的时候。难怪克洛伊觉得自己被忽视了。
"Well, I suppose things at home are... are..." stammered Chloe. She wanted to talk to him about it all, but she wasn't sure how. “嗯，我想家里的事情是......是......”克洛伊结结巴巴地说。她想和他谈谈这一切，但她不知道该怎么做。
Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong! 奉！奉！奉！奉！
No, I haven't lost my mind, readers. That was meant to be the church clock striking four. 不，我没有失去理智，读者。那本来是教堂的钟敲四下。
The Wanderer 流浪者
Chloe gasped and looked at her watch. Four o'clock! Mother made her do her homework from four until six every day, even in the school holidays when she didn't have any to do. 克洛伊喘着粗气，看了看手表。四点钟！妈妈让她每天从四点到六点做作业，即使在学校放假的时候，她也无事可做。
"Sorry Mr Stink, I have to go," she said. Secretly “对不起，臭先生，我得走了，”她说。偷偷
Chloe was relieved. No one had ever asked her how she felt before, and she was beginning to panic... 克洛伊松了一口气。以前从来没有人问过她的感受，她开始恐慌了......
"Really, child?" said the old man, looking disappointed. “真的吗，孩子？”老人说，看起来很失望。
"Yes, yes, I need to get home. Mother will be furious if I don't get at least a in Maths next term. She sets me extra tests during the holidays." “是的，是的，我需要回家。如果我下学期数学成绩不及 ，妈妈会很生气的。她在假期里给我安排了额外的测试。
"That doesn't sound much like a holiday to me," said Mr Stink. “对我来说，这听起来不像是一个假期，”Stink先生说。
Chloe shrugged. "Mother doesn't believe in holidays." She stood up. "I hope you liked the sausages," she said. 克洛伊耸了耸肩。“妈妈不相信假期。”她站了起来。“我希望你喜欢香肠，”她说。
"They were scrumptious," said Mr Stink. "Thank you. Unimaginable kindness." “它们很美味，”Stink先生说。“谢谢。难以想象的善良。
Chloe nodded and turned to run off towards home. If she took a short-cut she'd be back before Mother. 克洛伊点了点头，转身向家里跑去。如果她走捷径，她会在母亲之前回来。
“Farewell!" Mr Stink called after her softly. “再见！”臭先生在她身后轻声叫道。
Drivel 傻话
Terrified of being late for homework hour, Chloe began to quicken her pace. She didn't want her mother to ask questions about where she'd been or who she'd been talking to. Mrs Crumb would be horrified to find out her daughter had been sitting on a bench with someone she would describe as a 'soap-dodger'. Grown-ups always have a way of ruining everything. 克洛伊害怕在作业时间迟到，于是开始加快步伐。她不想让母亲问她去过哪里，或者和谁说话。克鲁姆夫人会惊恐地发现她的女儿和一个她形容为“肥皂躲避者”的人坐在长凳上。大人总是有办法毁掉一切。
Chloe stopped hurrying, though, when she saw that she was about to pass Raj's shop. Just one chocolate bar, she thought. 然而，当克洛伊看到她即将经过拉杰的商店时，她停止了匆忙。就一块巧克力吧，她想。
Chloe's love of chocolate made her one of 克洛伊对巧克力的热爱使她成为其中之一
Raj's best customers. Raj ran the local newsagent shop. He was a big jolly jelly of a man, as sweet and colourful as his slightly over-priced confectionery. Today, though, what Chloe really needed was some advice. Raj 最好的客户。拉杰经营着当地的报刊亭。他是一个快乐的大果冻，就像他价格略高的糖果一样甜美多彩。然而，今天，克洛伊真正需要的是一些建议。
And maybe some chocolate. Just one bar, of course. Maybe two. 也许还有一些巧克力。当然，只有一个酒吧。也许两个。
"Ah, Miss Chloe!" said Raj, as she entered the shop. "What can I tempt you with today?" “啊，克洛伊小姐！”拉杰说，她走进了商店。“我今天能用什么来诱惑你？”
"Hello, Raj," said Chloe smiling. She always smiled when she saw Raj. It was partly because he was such a lovely man, and partly because he sold sweets. “你好，拉杰，”克洛伊微笑着说。当她看到拉杰时，她总是微笑。部分原因是因为他是一个可爱的人，部分原因是他卖糖果。
"I have some Rolos on special offer!" announced Raj. "They have gone out of date and hardened. You may lose a tooth as you chew into one, but at 10p off you can't really argue!" “我有一些特别优惠的Rolos！”Raj宣布。“他们已经过时了，变硬了。当你咀嚼一颗牙齿时，你可能会失去一颗牙齿，但在 10 便士时，你真的无法争辩！
"Mmm, let me think," said Chloe scouring the racks and racks of confectionery. “嗯，让我想想，”克洛伊说，在一排又一排的糖果上翻找。
"I had half a Lion bar earlier, you are welcome to make me an offer on the other half. I'll take anything upwards of ." “我之前有半个狮子酒吧，欢迎你给我提供另一半的报价。我会接受任何更高的东西 。
"I think I'll just take a Crunchie, thanks Raj." “我想我就吃个脆饼吧，谢谢拉杰。”
"Buy seven Crunchie bars you get an eighth Crunchie bar absolutely free!" “买七个 Crunchie 酒吧，你就可以完全免费获得第八个 Crunchie 酒吧！”
"No thanks, Raj. I only want one." She put the money down on the counter. 35 p. Money well spent considering the nice feeling the chocolate would give her as it slipped down her throat and into her tummy. “不用了，谢谢，拉杰。我只想要一个。她把钱放在柜台上。35 页码考虑到巧克力从她的喉咙滑落到她的肚子里会给她带来美好的感觉，钱花得很值。
"But Chloe, don't you understand? This is a unique opportunity to enjoy the popular chocolate-covered honeycomb bar at a dramatic saving!" “但是克洛伊，你不明白吗？这是一个独特的机会，可以享受受欢迎的巧克力覆盖的蜂窝棒，节省大量费用！
"I don't need eight Crunchie bars, Raj," said Chloe. "I need some advice." “我不需要八根Crunchie酒吧，Raj，”Chloe说。“我需要一些建议。”
"I don't think I am really responsible enough to give out advice," replied Raj without “我不认为我真的有足够的责任感来提供建议，”拉杰回答说，没有
Drivel 傻话
a hint of irony. "But I'll try." 一丝讽刺。“但我会努力的。”
Chloe loved talking to Raj. He wasn't a parent or a teacher, and whatever you said to him, he would never judge you. However, Chloe still gulped slightly, because she was about to attempt another little lie. "Well, there's this girl I know at school..." she began. 克洛伊喜欢和拉杰说话。他不是父母或老师，无论你对他说什么，他都不会评判你。然而，克洛伊还是微微咽了口唾沫，因为她正要再撒个小谎。“嗯，我在学校认识的这个女孩......”她开始了。
"Yes? A girl at school. Not you?" “是吗？一个在学校的女孩。不是你吗？
"No, somebody else." “不，是别人。”
"Right," said Raj. “对，”拉杰说。
Chloe gulped again and looked down, unable to meet his gaze. "Well, this friend of mine, she's started to talk to this tramp, and she really likes talking to him, but her mother would blow a fuse if she knew, so I - I mean, my friend - doesn't know what to do." 克洛伊再次咽了口唾沫，低下头，无法与他的目光相遇。“嗯，我的这个朋友，她已经开始和这个流浪汉说话了，她真的很喜欢和他说话，但她的母亲如果知道的话会引爆导火索，所以我——我的意思是，我的朋友——不知道该怎么办。
Raj looked at Chloe expectantly. "Yes?" he said. "And what is your question exactly?" "Well Raj," said Chloe. "Do you think it's 拉杰期待地看着克洛伊。“是吗？”他说。“你的问题到底是什么？”“好吧，拉杰，”克洛伊说。“你以为是吗
wrong to talk to tramps?" 和流浪汉说话不对？
"Well, it's not good to talk to strangers," said Raj. "And you should never let anyone give you a lift in a car!" “嗯，和陌生人说话不好，”拉杰说。“而且你永远不应该让任何人在车里送你！”
"Right," said Chloe, disappointed. “好吧，”克洛伊失望地说。
"But a tramp is just somebody without a home," continued Raj. "Too many people walk on by and pretend they're not there." “但流浪汉只是没有家的人，”拉杰继续说道。“太多人走过，假装他们不在那里。
"Yes!" said Chloe. "That's what I think too." “是的！”克洛伊说。“我也是这么想的。”
Raj smiled. "Any of us could become homeless one day. I can see nothing wrong with talking to a tramp, just like you would anyone else." Raj笑了。“我们中的任何人有一天都可能无家可归。我看不出和流浪汉说话有什么不对，就像你对其他人一样。
"Thanks Raj, I will... I mean, I'll tell her. This girl at school, I mean." “谢谢拉杰，我会......我的意思是，我会告诉她。我是说，学校里的这个女孩。
"What's this girl's name?" “这姑娘叫什么名字？”
"Umm... Stephen! I mean Susan... no, Sarah. Her name is Sarah, definitely Sarah." “呃......斯蒂芬！我是说苏珊......不，莎拉。她的名字叫莎拉，绝对是莎拉。
"It's you, isn't it?" said Raj smiling. “是你，不是吗？”拉杰微笑着说。
"Yes," admitted Chloe after a millisecond. “是的，”克洛伊在一毫秒后承认。
"You are a very sweet girl, Chloe. It's lovely that you would take the time to talk to a tramp. There but for the grace of God go you and I." “你是一个非常可爱的女孩，克洛伊。你会花时间与流浪汉交谈，这真是太好了。若不是为了上帝的恩典，你和我都去吧。
"Thanks, Raj." Chloe went a little red, embarrassed by his compliment. “谢谢，拉杰。”克洛伊脸色有些红，对他的恭维感到尴尬。
"Now what can you buy your homeless friend for Christmas?" said Raj as he scoured around his disorganised shop. "I have a box full of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stationery sets I can’t seem to shift. Yours for only . In fact buy one set, get ten free." “现在，你能给你无家可归的朋友买什么圣诞节礼物呢？”拉杰说，他在他杂乱无章的商店里四处搜寻。“我有一个装满忍者神龟文具套装的盒子，我似乎无法移动。你的只 为.其实买一套，送十套。
"I'm not sure a tramp really has any need for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stationery set, thanks anyway Raj." “我不确定流浪汉是否真的需要忍者神龟文具套装，无论如何，谢谢拉杰。”
"We all have use of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stationery set, Chloe. You have your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pencil, your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles eraser, your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ruler, your “我们都使用忍者神龟文具套装，克洛伊。你有你的忍者神龟铅笔，你的忍者神龟橡皮擦，你的忍者神龟尺子，你的忍者神龟尺子，你的
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pencil case, your Teenage Mutant-" 忍者神龟的铅笔盒，你的忍者神龟——”
"I get the idea, thanks, Raj, but I'm sorry, I'm not going to buy one. I've got to go," said Chloe, edging out of the shop as she unwrapped her Crunchie. “我明白了，谢谢，拉杰，但对不起，我不打算买一个。我得走了，“克洛伊说，一边打开她的Crunchie，一边走出商店。
"I haven't finished, Chloe. Please, I haven't sold one! You also have your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pencil sharpener, your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles notepad, your Teenage Mutant... oh, shes gone." “我还没说完，克洛伊。拜托，我还没卖！你还有你的忍者神龟卷笔刀，你的忍者神龟记事本，你的忍者神龟......哦，她走了。
"And what's this, young lady?" demanded Mother. She was standing waiting in Chloe's room. Between her thumb and index finger was one of Chloe's exercise books from school. Mother held it as if it were an exhibit in a court case. “这是什么，小姐？”母亲问道。她站在克洛伊的房间里等着。在她的拇指和食指之间是克洛伊在学校的一本练习册。母亲拿着它，就好像它是法庭案件中的展品一样。
"It's just my maths book, Mother," said “这只是我的数学书，妈妈，”说
Chloe, gulping as she edged into the room. 克洛伊一边吞咽着口水，一边走进房间。
You might think that Chloe was worried because her maths work wasn't up to scratch. But that wasn't quite it. The problem was, Chloe's maths book didn't have any maths in it! The book was supposed to be full of boring numbers and equations, but instead it was positively overflowing with colourful words and pictures. 你可能会认为克洛伊很担心，因为她的数学工作没有达到要求。但事实并非如此。问题是，克洛伊的数学书里没有任何数学！这本书本来应该充满了无聊的数字和方程式，但相反，它充满了丰富多彩的文字和图片。
Spending so much time alone had turned Chloe's imagination into a deep dark forest. It was a magical place to escape to, and so much more thrilling than real life. Chloe had used the exercise book to write a story about a girl who is sent to a school (loosely based on her own) where all the teachers are secretly vampires. She thought it was much more exciting than boring equations, but Mother clearly didn't agree. 花这么多时间独处，让克洛伊的想象力变成了一片深邃的黑暗森林。这是一个神奇的地方，可以逃避，比现实生活更刺激。克洛伊用练习册写了一个故事，讲述了一个女孩被送到一所学校（松散地以她自己的为基础），那里所有的老师都是秘密的吸血鬼。她认为这比无聊的方程式更令人兴奋，但母亲显然不同意。
"If it is your mathematics book, why does it contain this repulsive horror story?" said Mother. This was one of those questions when you aren't supposed to give an answer. "No wonder you did so poorly in your mathematics exam. I imagine you have spent the time in class writing this... this drivel. I am so disappointed in you, Chloe." “如果这是你的数学书，为什么里面有这个令人厌恶的恐怖故事？”母亲说。当你不应该给出答案时，这是其中一个问题。“难怪你的数学考试成绩这么差。我想你在课堂上花时间写这个......这个驱动器。我对你太失望了，克洛伊。
Chloe felt her cheeks smarting with shame 克洛伊感到自己的脸颊羞愧得发抖
and hung her head. She didn't think her story was drivel. But she couldn't imagine telling her Mother that. 然后垂下了头。她不认为她的故事是荒谬的。但她无法想象会告诉她的母亲。
"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" shouted Mother. “你没有什么要说的吗？”母亲喊道。
Chloe shook her head. For the second time in one day she wanted to just disappear. 克洛伊摇了摇头。一天之内，她第二次想消失。
"Well, this is what I think of your story," said Mother, as she started trying to rip up the exercise book. “嗯，这就是我对你故事的看法，”母亲说，她开始试图撕毁练习册。
"No, no, no! I'm not paying your school fees for you to waste your time on this rubbish! . It's going in the bin!" “不，不，不！我不是为你付学费，让你把时间浪费在这些垃圾上！.它要扔进垃圾桶了！
The book was obviously harder to rip than Mother had expected, and it took a few attempts to make the first tear. However, soon the book was nothing more than confetti. Chloe bowed her head, tears welling up in her 这本书显然比母亲预想的更难撕开，花了几次尝试才撕开第一下。然而，很快这本书就只不过是五彩纸屑。克洛伊低下头，泪水涌上心头
eyes, as her mother dropped all the pieces in the bin. 眼睛，因为她的母亲把所有的碎片都扔进了垃圾桶。
"Do you want to end up like your father? Working in a car factory? If you concentrate on your maths and don't get distracted by silly stories, you have a chance of making a better life for yourself! Otherwise you'll end up wasting your life, like your father. Is that what you want?" “你想像你父亲一样吗？在汽车厂工作？如果你专注于你的数学，不被愚蠢的故事分心，你就有机会为自己创造更好的生活！否则，你最终会像你父亲一样浪费你的生命。这是你想要的吗？
“Well, I- “嗯，我——
"How dare you interrupt me!" shouted Mother. Chloe hadn't realised this was another one of those questions you're not actually meant to answer. "You'd better buck your ideas up, young lady!" “你怎么敢打断我！”母亲喊道。克洛伊没有意识到这是另一个你实际上不打算回答的问题。“小姐，你最好把你的想法改写出来！”
Chloe wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it didn't seem like the best time to ask. Mother left the room, dramatically slamming the door behind her. Chloe slowly sat down on the edge of her bed. As she buried her face in her hands, 克洛伊不太确定这意味着什么，但现在似乎不是问这个问题的最佳时机。母亲离开了房间，戏剧性地关上了身后的门。克洛伊慢慢地在床边坐下。当她把脸埋在手里时，
Drivel 傻话
she thought of Mr Stink, sitting on his bench with only the Duchess for company. She wasn't homeless like him, but she felt homeless in her heart. 她想起了臭先生，他坐在长凳上，只有公爵夫人陪伴。她不像他那样无家可归，但她心里感到无家可归。
5
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
Monday morning. The first proper day of the Christmas holidays. A day Chloe had been dreading. She didn't have any friends she could text or email or SMS or Facebook or Twitter or whatever, but there was one person she wanted to see... 星期一早上。圣诞节假期的第一天。克洛伊一直害怕的一天。她没有任何朋友可以发短信、发电子邮件、发短信、Facebook、Twitter或其他什么，但有一个人她想见......
By the time Chloe got to the bench it was raining heavily, and she wished she'd at least paused to pick up an umbrella. 当克洛伊走到长凳上时，已经下起了大雨，她希望自己至少停下来拿起一把雨伞。
"The Duchess and I weren't expecting to see you again, Chloe," said Mr Stink. His eyes twinkled at the surprise, despite the rain. “公爵夫人和我都没想到会再见到你，克洛伊，”臭先生说。尽管下着雨，他的眼睛还是闪烁着惊喜。
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
"I am sorry I ran off like that," said Chloe, "Don't worry, you are forgiven," he chuckled. Chloe sat down next to him. She gave the Duchess a stroke, and then noticed that the palm of her hand was black. She surreptitiously wiped it on her trousers. Then she shivered, as a raindrop ran down the back of her neck. “对不起，我就这样跑了，”克洛伊说，“别担心，你被原谅了，”他笑着说。克洛伊在他旁边坐下。她抚摸了一下公爵夫人，然后注意到她的手掌是黑色的。她偷偷地在裤子上擦了擦。然后她颤抖着，一滴雨滴顺着她的脖子后面流下来。
"Oh, no, you're cold!" said Mr Stink. "Shall we take shelter from the rain in a coffee shop establishment?" “噢，不，你很冷！”臭先生说。“咱们去咖啡店避雨好吗？”
"Err... yes, good idea," said Chloe, not sure if taking someone quite so stinky into an enclosed space really was a good idea. As they walked into the town centre, the rain felt icy, almost becoming hail. “呃......是的，好主意，”克洛伊说，不确定把一个这么臭的人带进一个封闭的空间是否真的是个好主意。当他们走进镇中心时，雨感觉很冷，几乎变成了冰雹。
When they arrived at the coffee shop, Chloe peered through the steamed-up glass window. "I don't think there's anywhere to sit down," she said. Unfortunately, the coffee shop was full to 当他们到达咖啡店时，克洛伊透过蒸气腾腾的玻璃窗凝视着。“我认为没有地方可以坐下来，”她说。不幸的是，咖啡店已经满了
bursting with Christmas shoppers, trying to avoid the cruel British weather. 圣诞购物者络绎不绝，试图避开残酷的英国天气。
"We can but try," said Mr Stink, picking up the Duchess and attempting to conceal her under his tweed jacket. “我们只能试试，”臭先生说，抱起公爵夫人，试图把她藏在他的粗花呢夹克下面。
The tramp opened the door for Chloe and she squeezed herself inside. As Mr Stink entered, the pleasing aroma of freshly-brewed coffee keeled over and died. His own special smell replaced it. 流浪汉为克洛伊打开了门，她把自己挤了进去。当臭先生进来时，新鲜煮好的咖啡的令人愉悦的香气扑面而来。他自己的特殊气味取代了它。
There was silence for a moment. 沉默了一会儿。
Then panic. 然后恐慌。
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
People started running towards the door, clutching serviettes to their mouths as makeshift gas masks. 人们开始向门口跑去，嘴里攥着餐巾作为临时防毒面具。
"Abandon Starbucks!" screamed a member of staff, and his colleagues immediately stopped making coffees or bagging muffins and ran for their lives. “放弃星巴克！”一名工作人员尖叫着，他的同事们立即停止煮咖啡或装袋松饼，逃命。
"It seems to be thinning out a little," announced Mr Stink. “它似乎有点变薄了，”Stink先生宣布。
Soon they were the only ones left in the shop. Maybe smelling this bad has its advantages, thought Chloe. If Mr Stink's super-smell could empty a coffee shop, what else could it do? Maybe he could clear the local ice rink of skaters so she could have it all to herself? Or they could go to Alton Towers together and not have to queue for a single ride? Better still, she could take him and his smell into school one day, and if he was particularly stinky the headmistress would 很快，店里就只剩下他们了。也许闻到这种难闻的味道有它的好处，克洛伊想。如果臭先生的超级气味可以清空一家咖啡店，它还能做什么？也许他可以清除当地溜冰场的溜冰者，这样她就可以独享一切？或者他们可以一起去奥尔顿塔，而不必排队乘车？更好的是，有一天她可以把他和他的气味带到学校，如果他特别臭，校长会
have to send everyone home and she could have the day off! 必须把每个人都送回家，她可以休息一天！
"You take a seat here, child," said Mr Stink. "Now, what would you like to drink?" “你坐在这里，孩子，”臭先生说。“现在，你想喝什么？”
"Er... a cappuccino, please," replied Chloe, trying to sound grown-up. “呃......请来一杯卡布奇诺，”克洛伊回答说，试图让自己听起来很成熟。
"I think I'll have one too." Mr Stink shuffled behind the counter and started opening tins. "Righty-ho, two cappuccinos coming right up." “我想我也会有一个。”Stink先生拖着脚步走到柜台后面，开始打开罐头。“呵呵，两杯卡布奇诺上来了。”
The machines hissed and spat for a few moments, and then Mr Stink pottered back over to the table with two mugs of a dark, unidentifiable liquid. On closer inspection, it appeared to be some kind of black slime, but Chloe was too well brought up to complain and pretended to sip whatever it was that he had concocted for her. She even managed an almost convincing, "Mmm... lovely!" 机器发出嘶嘶声，吐了一会儿口水，然后臭先生拿着两杯深色的、无法辨认的液体回到桌子旁。仔细一看，它似乎是某种黑色的粘液，但克洛伊太有教养了，不会抱怨，并假装啜饮他为她炮制的任何东西。她甚至设法说：“嗯......可爱！
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
Mr Stink stirred his solid liquid with a dainty little silver spoon he pulled out from his breast pocket. Chloe stole a glance at it and noticed it was monogrammed, with three little letters delicately engraved on the handle. She tried to get a better look, but he put it away before she could see what the letters were. What could they mean? Or was this simply another item Mr Stink had purloined during his career as a gentleman thief? 臭先生用他从胸前口袋里掏出的精致小银勺搅拌着他的固体液体。克洛伊偷偷瞥了一眼，发现上面有字母组合，手柄上刻着三个小字母。她想看得更清楚，但在她看清字母是什么之前，他就把它收了起来。它们可能意味着什么？或者这只是臭先生在绅士盗贼生涯中偷窃的另一件物品？
"So, Miss Chloe," said Mr Stink, breaking her train of thought. "It's the Christmas holidays, isn't it?" He took a sip from his coffee, holding his mug elegantly between his fingers. "Why aren't you at home decorating the tree with your family or wrapping presents?" “所以，克洛伊小姐，”臭先生说，打断了她的思路。“现在是圣诞节假期，不是吗？”他喝了一口咖啡，优雅地将杯子夹在手指之间。“你为什么不在家里和家人一起装饰这棵树或包装礼物？”
"Well, I don't know how to explain..." No one in Chloe's family was good at expressing their feelings. To her mother, feelings were at best “嗯，我不知道该怎么解释......”克洛伊的家人中没有人善于表达自己的感受。对她的母亲来说，感情充其量只是
an embarrassment, at worst a sign of weakness. 一种尴尬，最坏的情况是软弱的表现。
"Just take your time, young lady." “慢慢来吧，小姐。”
Chloe took a deep breath and it all came flooding out. What started off as a stream soon became a rushing river of emotion. She told him how her parents argued most of the time and how once she was sitting on the stairs when she heard her Mother shout, "I am only staying with you for the sake of the girls!" 克洛伊深吸了一口气，一切都涌了出来。最初是一条小溪，很快就变成了一条湍急的情感之河。她告诉他，她的父母大部分时间都在争吵，有一次她坐在楼梯上，听到母亲喊道：“我只是为了女孩才和你在一起！
How her little sister made her life a misery. How nothing she did was ever good enough. How if she brought home some little bowl she had made in pottery class her Mother would put it at the back of a cupboard, never to be seen again. However, if her little sister brought any piece of artwork home, however awful, it was put in pride of place behind bulletproof glass as if it was the Mona Lisa. 她的小妹妹如何让她的生活变得悲惨。她所做的一切都不够好。如果她把她在陶艺课上做的一个小碗带回家，她的母亲会把它放在橱柜的后面，再也看不到了。然而，如果她的妹妹把任何一件艺术品带回家，无论多么糟糕，它都会被放在防弹玻璃后面的显眼位置，就好像它是蒙娜丽莎一样。
Chloe told Mr Stink how her mother was 克洛伊告诉臭先生她妈妈的情况
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
always trying to force her to lose weight. Up until recently, Mother had described her as having "puppy fat". But once she turned twelve, Mother rather cruelly started calling it "flab" or even worse "blubber", as if she was some species of whale. 总是试图强迫她减肥。直到最近，母亲还形容她有“小狗肥”。但是一旦她十二岁了，母亲就开始残忍地称它为“松弛”，甚至更糟的是“脂肪”，就好像她是某种鲸鱼一样。
Perhaps Mother 也许是母亲
was trying to shame her into losing weight. In truth, it only 试图羞辱她减肥。事实上，它只是
made Chloe more miserable, and being miserable only made her eat more. Filling herself up with chocolate, crisps and cake felt like being given a much-needed hug. 让克洛伊更加痛苦，而痛苦只会让她吃得更多。用巧克力、薯片和蛋糕填饱肚子，感觉就像得到了一个急需的拥抱。
She told Mr Stink how she wished her dad would stand up to her mother sometimes. How she didn't find it easy to make friends, as she was so shy. How she only really liked making up 她告诉臭先生，她多么希望她的父亲有时能站出来对抗她的母亲。她觉得交朋友并不容易，因为她太害羞了。她是多么喜欢化妆
stories, but it made her mother so angry. And how Rosamund ensured that every day at school was an absolute misery. 故事，却让妈妈很生气。以及罗莎蒙德如何确保在学校的每一天都是绝对的痛苦。
It was a long, long list, but Mr Stink listened intently to everything she said as jolly Christmas songs played incongruously in the background. 这是一份很长很长的清单，但臭先生专心致志地听着她说的每一句话，背景中播放着欢快的圣诞歌曲。
For someone who spent every day with only a little black dog for company, he was surprisingly full of wisdom. In fact, he seemed to relish the opportunity to listen and talk and help. People didn't really stop to talk to Mr Stink - and he seemed pleased to be having a proper conversation for once. 对于一个每天只有一只小黑狗陪伴的人来说，他出奇地充满了智慧。事实上，他似乎很享受倾听、交谈和帮助的机会。人们并没有真正停下来与臭先生交谈——他似乎很高兴能进行一次适当的交谈。
He told Chloe, "Tell your Mother how you feel, I am sure she loves you and would hate you to be unhappy." And, “...try and find something fun you can do with your sister." And, “...why not talk to your dad about how you feel?" 他告诉克洛伊，“告诉你的母亲你的感受，我相信她爱你，会讨厌你不快乐。而且，“......试着找一些有趣的事情，你可以和你的妹妹一起做。而且，“......为什么不和你爸爸谈谈你的感受呢？
Finally, Chloe told Mr Stink about how 最后，克洛伊告诉臭先生如何
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
Mother had ripped her vampire story to shreds. She had to try very hard not to cry. 母亲把她的吸血鬼故事撕成碎片。她不得不非常努力地不哭。
"That's terrible, child," said Mr Stink. "You must have been devastated." “这太可怕了，孩子，”臭先生说。“你一定被摧毁了。”
"I hate her," said Chloe. "I hate my mother." "You shouldn't say that," said Mr Stink. “我讨厌她，”克洛伊说。“我恨我的母亲。”“你不应该这么说，”Stink先生说。
"But I do." “但我愿意。”
"You are very angry with her, of course, but she loves you, even if she finds it hard to show it." “当然，你对她很生气，但她爱你，即使她觉得很难表现出来。
"Maybe." Chloe shrugged, unconvinced. But having talked everything through she felt a little calmer now. "Thank you so much for listening to me," she said. “也许吧。”克洛伊耸了耸肩，不相信。但把所有事情都说完了，她现在感觉平静了一点。“非常感谢你听我说话，”她说。
"I just hate to see a young girl like you looking sad," said Mr Stink. "I may be old, but I can remember what it was like to be young. I just hope I helped a little." “我只是讨厌看到像你这样的年轻女孩看起来很悲伤，”臭先生说。“我可能老了，但我能记得年轻时的感觉。我只是希望我能帮上一点忙。
"You helped a lot." “你帮了大忙。”
Mr Stink smiled, before letting the last sludge of his volcanic gloop slip down his throat. "Delicious! Now, we'd better leave some money for our beverages." He searched around in his pockets for some change. "Oh, bother, I can't read the board without my spectacles. I'll leave six pence. That should be enough. And a tuppence tip. They will be pleased with that. They can treat themselves to one of those new-fangled video cassettes. Right, I think you'd better be heading home now, young lady." 臭先生笑了笑，然后让他火山的最后一滴污泥滑进了他的喉咙。“好吃！现在，我们最好留一些钱来买饮料。他在口袋里四处寻找零钱。“哦，打扰了，我不戴眼镜就看不懂黑板。我留下六便士。这应该足够了。还有一个小费。他们会对此感到满意。他们可以用那些新奇的录像带来犒劳自己。好吧，我想你最好现在就回家，小姐。
The rain had stopped when they left the coffee shop. They sauntered down the road as cars hummed past. 当他们离开咖啡店时，雨已经停了。他们在路上闲逛，汽车呼啸而过。
"Let's swap places," said Mr Stink. “我们换个地方吧，”Stink先生说。
“Why?" “为什么？”
"Because a lady should always walk on the inside of the pavement and a gentleman on the outside." “因为女士应该总是走在人行道的内侧，而绅士应该走在外面。”
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
"Really?" said Chloe. "Why?" “真的吗？”克洛伊说。“为什么？”
"Well," replied Mr Stink, "the outside is more dangerous because that's where the cars are. But I believe it was originally because in the olden days people used to throw the contents of their chamber pots out of their windows and into the gutter. The person on the outside was more likely to get splattered!" “嗯，”臭先生回答说，“外面更危险，因为那是汽车所在的地方。但我相信这最初是因为在过去，人们习惯于将室内罐子里的东西从窗户扔到排水沟里。外面的人更容易被溅到！
"What's a chamber pot?" said Chloe. “什么是腔室锅？”克洛伊说。
"Well I don't wish to be crude, but it's a kind of portable toilet." “好吧，我不想变得粗鲁，但它是一种便携式厕所。
"Ugh! That's gross. Did people do that when you were a boy?" “啊！这太恶心了。你小时候有人这样做吗？
Mr Stink chuckled. "No, that was a little before my time, child. In the sixteenth century, in fact! Now, Miss Chloe, etiquette demands we swap places." 臭先生咯咯笑了起来。“不，那是在我的时间之前，孩子。事实上，在十六世纪！现在，克洛伊小姐，礼仪要求我们交换位置。
His old-world gallantry was so charming it made Chloe smile, and they changed places. 他旧世界的英勇是如此迷人，让克洛伊微笑，他们换了个地方。
They strolled side by side, passing high-street shop after high-street shop, all trying to herald the approach of Christmas louder than the next. After a few moments Chloe saw Rosamund walking towards them with a small flotilla of shopping bags. 他们并肩漫步，经过一家又一家高街商店，都试图比下一个更响亮地预示着圣诞节的到来。过了一会儿，克洛伊看到罗莎蒙德提着一小队购物袋向他们走来。
Abandon Starbucks! 放弃星巴克！
"Can we cross the road, please? Quickly," whispered Chloe anxiously. “请问我们能过马路吗？快点，“克洛伊焦急地低声说。
"Why, child? Whatever is the matter?" “为什么，孩子？怎么回事？
"It's that girl from school I just told you about, Rosamund." “就是我刚才跟你说的那个学校里的女孩，罗莎蒙德。”
"The one who stuck that sign to your back?" "Yes, that's her." “那个把牌子贴在你背上的人？”“是的，就是她。”
"You need to stand up to her," pronounced Mr Stink. "Let her be the one to cross the road!" “你需要挺身而出对抗她，”Stink先生说。“让她来过马路！”
"No... please don't say anything," pleaded Chloe. “不......请不要说什么，“克洛伊恳求道。
"Who is this? Your new boyfriend?" laughed Rosamund. It wasn't a real laugh, like people do when they find something funny. That's a lovely sound. This was a cruel laugh. An ugly sound. “这是谁？你的新男朋友？“罗莎蒙德笑着说。这不是一个真正的笑声，就像人们在发现有趣的东西时所做的那样。那声音很可爱。这是一个残酷的笑声。一个丑陋的声音。
Chloe didn't say anything, just looked down. 克洛伊什么也没说，只是低着头。
"My daddy just gave me to buy myself whatever I wanted for Christmas," said Rosamund. "I blew the lot at Topshop. Shame “我爸爸只是让我 给自己买圣诞节想要的任何东西，”罗莎蒙德说。“我在 Topshop 大放异彩。羞耻
you're too fat to get into any of their clothes." 你太胖了，穿不进他们的衣服。
Chloe merely sighed. She was used to being hounded by Rosamund. 克洛伊只是叹了口气。她已经习惯了被罗莎蒙德追捕。
"Why are you letting her talk to you like that, Chloe?" said Mr Stink. “你为什么让她这样跟你说话，克洛伊？”臭先生说。
"What's it to you, Grandad?" said Rosamund mockingly. "Hanging around with smelly old tramps now, are you Chloe? You are tragic! How long did it take you to find that sign on your back then?" “你怎么了，爷爷？”罗莎蒙德嘲弄地说。“现在和臭气熏天的老流浪汉在一起，你是克洛伊吗？你是悲剧！你花了多长时间才找到背上的那个标志？
"She didn't find it," said Mr Stink, slowly and deliberately. "I did. And I didn't find it amusing." “她没有找到它，”臭先生缓慢而故意地说。“我做到了。我并不觉得这很有趣。
"Didn't you?" said Rosamund. "All the other girls found it really funny!" “你不是吗？”罗莎蒙德说。“所有其他女孩都觉得这很有趣！”
"Well, then they are as vile as you," said Mr Stink. “好吧，那他们和你一样卑鄙，”臭先生说。
"What?" said Rosamund. She wasn't used to being talked to like that. “什么？”罗莎蒙德说。她不习惯被这样说话。
"I said 'then they are as vile as you'," he repeated, even louder this time. "You are a nasty little bully." Chloe looked on anxiously. She hated confrontation. “我说'那他们和你一样卑鄙'，”他重复了一遍，这次声音更大了。“你是个讨厌的小恶霸。”克洛伊焦急地看着。她讨厌对抗。
To make matters worse, Rosamund took a pace forward and stood eye to eye with Stink. "Say that to my face, you old stinker!" 更糟糕的是，罗莎蒙德向前走了一步，与 臭臭四目相对。“当着我的面这么说，你这个老臭蛋！”
For a moment Mr Stink fell silent. Then he opened his mouth and let out the deepest darkest dirtiest burp. 有那么一会儿，臭先生沉默了。然后他张开嘴，发出了最深、最黑、最脏的打嗝。
Rosamund's face turned green. It was as if a putrid tornado had engulfed her. It was the smell of coffee and sausages and rotten vegetables recovered from bins all rolled into one. Rosamund turned and ran, hurtling down the high street in such a panic that she dropped her TopShop bags on the way. 罗莎蒙德的脸变绿了。就好像一场腐烂的龙卷风吞没了她。那是咖啡、香肠和从垃圾箱里捡到的腐烂蔬菜的味道，都卷成一团。罗莎蒙德转身就跑，惊慌失措地在大街上飞奔，以至于她在路上丢下了她的TopShop包。
"That was so funny!" laughed Chloe. “这太有趣了！”克洛伊笑着说。
"I didn't mean to belch. Most impolite. It was just that coffee repeating on me. Dear me! Now next time I want to see you stand up for yourself, Miss Chloe. A bully can only make you feel bad about yourself if you let them." “我不是故意打嗝的。最不礼貌的。只是咖啡在我身上重复。亲爱的我！下次我想看到你为自己挺身而出，克洛伊小姐。欺凌者只有在你允许他们的情况下才能让你对自己感到难过。
"OK... I'll try," said Chloe. "So... see you tomorrow “好吧......我会努力的，“克洛伊说。“所以......明天见
"If you really want to," he replied. “如果你真的愿意，”他回答。
"I would love to." “我很乐意。”
"And I would love to too!" he said, his eyes twinkling and twinkling as the last golden glow “我也很乐意！”他说，他的眼睛闪烁着最后一道金色的光芒
of the sunlight splintered through the sky. 阳光划破天空。
At that moment a thundered past. Its giant tyres sloshed through a huge puddle by the bus stop, sending up a wave that soaked Mr Stink from dirty head to dirty foot. 那一刻，雷 鸣般的过去。它巨大的轮胎在公交车站旁的一个巨大的水坑里晃来晃去，掀起一股波浪，把臭先生从脏头浸透到脏脚。
Water dripping from his glasses, he gave Chloe a little bow. "And that," he said, "is why a gentleman always walks on the outside." 水从他的眼镜上滴落，他向克洛伊鞠了一躬。“这就是为什么绅士总是走在外面。
"At least it wasn't a chamber pot!" chuckled Chloe. “至少它不是一个室内锅！”克洛伊笑着说。
6
Soap-Dodgers 肥皂道奇
The next morning Chloe pulled open her curtains. Why was there a giant ' ' and a giant ' ' stuck to her window? She went outside in her dressing gown to investigate. 第二天早上，克洛伊拉开了窗帘。为什么她的窗户上贴着一个巨大的“和一个巨大的” ？她穿着睡袍到外面去调查。
'VOTE CRUMB!' was spelled out in giant letters across the windows of the house. Elizabeth the cat pattered out with a rosette emblazoned with the words 'Crumb for MP' attached to her jewel-encrusted collar. “VOTE CRUMB！”在房子的窗户上用大字写着。伊丽莎白猫咪咔嚓咔嚓地走了出来，她镶满宝石的项圈上戴着一朵玫瑰花结，上面写着“Crumb for MP”。
Then Annabelle came skipping out of the house with an air of self-congratulatory joy that was instantly annoying. 然后安娜贝尔从房子里跳了出来，带着一种自我祝贺的喜悦，这种喜悦立刻令人讨厌。
"Where are you going?" asked Chloe. “你要去哪里？”克洛伊问。
"As her favourite daughter, Mother has entrusted with the responsibility of putting these leaflets through every door in the street. “作为她最喜欢的女儿，母亲委托 她把这些传单放到街上的每一扇门上。
She's standing to be a Member of Parliament, remembers" 她有资格成为国会议员，记得”
"Let me see that," said Chloe, reaching out to grab one of the leaflets. The two warring sisters had long since dispensed with 'please' and 'thank you'. “让我看看，”克洛伊说，伸手去抓其中一张传单。两个争吵的姐妹早就放弃了“请”和“谢谢”。
Annabelle snatched it back. "I am not wasting one on you!" she snarled. 安娜贝尔把它抢了回来。“我不会在你身上浪费一个！”她咆哮道。
"Let me see!" Chloe pulled the leaflet out of Annabelle's hand. There were some advantages to being the older sister; sometimes you could use brute force. Annabelle huffed off with the rest of the leaflets. Chloe walked back into the house studying it, her slippers moistening with the dew. Mother was always going on and on about how she should run the country, but Chloe found the whole subject so dreary and dull that her imagination would float away into la-la land whenever the subject came up. “让我瞧瞧！”克洛伊把传单从安娜贝尔的手里掏了出来。作为姐姐有一些好处;有时您可以使用蛮力。安娜贝尔气喘吁吁地拿着剩下的传单离开了。克洛伊走回屋子里研究它，她的拖鞋被露水弄湿了。母亲总是滔滔不绝地谈论她应该如何管理这个国家，但克洛伊发现整个话题是如此沉闷和沉闷，以至于每当这个话题出现时，她的想象力就会飘到啦啦的土地上。
On the front of the leaflet was a photograph of Mother looking incredibly serious, with her finest pearls around her neck, her hair so waxy with spray that it would become a fireball if you put a lit match to it. Inside was a long list of her policies. 传单的正面是一张母亲的照片，看起来非常严肃，脖子上挂着她最好的珍珠，她的头发被喷雾弄得蜡质，如果你把点燃的火柴放在上面，它就会变成一个火球。里面是她的一长串政策。
A curfew to be introduced to ensure all children under 30 are not allowed out after and are preferably in bed with lights out by . 实行宵禁，以确保所有 30 岁以下的儿童在之后 都不允许外出，最好在床上 熄灯。
The police to be given new powers to arrest people for talking too loudly in public. 警察将被赋予新的权力，可以逮捕在公共场合大声说话的人。
Litterbugs to be deported. 垃圾虫将被驱逐出境。
The wearing of leggings to be outlawed in public areas, as they are 'extremely common'. 在公共场所穿紧身裤是非法的，因为它们“非常普遍”。
The national anthem to be played in the town square every hour on the hour. Everyone must be upstanding for this. Being in a wheelchair is no excuse for not paying your respects to Her Majesty. 每小时在城镇广场上播放国歌。每个人都必须为此挺身而出。坐在轮椅上不是不向女王陛下致敬的借口。
All dogs to be kept on leads at all times. Even indoors. 所有狗都要始终牵着绳子。即使在室内。
Verruca socks to be worn by everyone attending the local swimming pool whether they have a verruca or not. This should cut down the chance of verruca infection to less than zero. 参加当地游泳池的每个人都要穿疣袜，无论他们是否有疣。这应该将疣感染的几率降低到零以下。
The Christmas pantomime to be discontinued due to the consistent lewdness of the humour (jokes about bottoms, for example. There is nothing funny about a bottom. We all have a bottom and we all know full well what comes out of a bottom and what sound a bottom can make of its own accord). 由于幽默的一贯淫秽（例如关于下装的笑话）而停播的圣诞节哑剧。底部没有什么好笑的。我们都有一个底部，我们都非常清楚底部会发出什么声音，底部可以自动发出什么声音）。
Church-going on Sunday morning to be compulsory. And when you do go you have 星期天早上去教堂是强制性的。当你去的时候，你有
to sing the hymns properly, not just open and close your mouth when the organ plays. 正确地唱赞美诗，而不仅仅是在管风琴演奏时张开和闭上嘴巴。
Mobile telephonic devices to have only classical music ringtones from now on, like Mozart and Beethoven and one of the other ones, not the latest pop songs from the hit parade. 从现在开始，移动电话设备只有古典音乐铃声，例如莫扎特和贝多芬以及其他一种，而不是热门游行中的最新流行歌曲。
Unemployed people not to be allowed to claim benefit any more. Dole scum only have themselves to blame and are just plain idle. Why should we pay for them to sit at home all day watching or appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show? 失业者不再被允许申请福利。都乐渣滓只能怪自己，只是无所事事。我们为什么要花钱让他们整天坐在家里看或出现在杰里米凯尔秀上？
Giant bronze statues of royals Prince Edward and his fragrant wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex, to be erected in the local park. 皇室成员爱德华王子和他芬芳的妻子威塞克斯伯爵夫人苏菲的巨型青铜雕像将竖立在当地公园内。
Tattoos on anyone but visiting sailors to be banned. Tattoos can to be dropped off anonymously at police stations without prosecution. 除了来访的水手之外，任何人都禁止纹身。纹身可以匿名送到警察局，无需起诉。
Fast food burger restaurants to introduce plates, cutlery and table service. And stop serving burgers. And French fries. And nuggets. And those apple pies that are always too hot in the middle. 快餐汉堡店介绍盘子、餐具和餐桌服务。并停止供应汉堡。还有炸薯条。还有金块。还有那些中间总是太热的苹果派。
The local library to stock only the works of Beatrix Potter. Apart from The Tale of Jeremy Fisher, as the sequence when the frog, Mr Fisher, is swallowed by a trout is far too violent even for adults. 当地图书馆只收藏比阿特丽克丝·波特的作品。除了 《杰里米·费舍尔的故事》之外，青蛙费舍尔先生被鳟鱼吞下的情节即使对成年人来说也太暴力了。
Football games in the local park are a nuisance. 当地公园的足球比赛令人讨厌。
From now on only imaginary balls to be used. 从现在开始，只能使用假想的球。
Only nice films to be offered for rental in Blockbuster. That is to say films about posh people from the olden days who are too shy even to hold hands. 只有好看的电影才能在 Blockbuster 中出租。也就是说，关于古代时髦的人的电影，他们太害羞了，甚至不敢牵手。
To combat the growing problem of 'hoodies' all hooded tops to have the hoods cut off. 为了解决日益严重的“连帽衫”问题，所有连帽上衣的兜帽都被剪掉了。
Video games rot the brain. Any video games (or computer games or console games or whatever the stupid things are called) to be played only between and 4:01pm daily. 电子游戏会腐烂大脑。任何视频游戏（或电脑游戏或主机游戏或任何愚蠢的东西）只能在每天下午 4：01 之间 玩。
Finally, all homeless people, or 'soap-dodgers', are to be banned from our streets. They are a menace to society. And, more importantly, they smell. 最后，所有无家可归的人，或“肥皂躲避者”，都将被禁止进入我们的街道。它们是对社会的威胁。而且，更重要的是，它们闻起来很香。
Soap-Dodgers 肥皂道奇
Chloe slumped down on the sofa when she read these last sentences. There was a loud squeak as she did so. Mother had insisted on keeping on the plastic covers the sofa and armchair had arrived in, so as to keep them immaculate. They were indeed still immaculate, but it meant your bum got really hot and sweaty. 克洛伊在读到最后几句话时瘫倒在沙发上。当她这样做时，一声响亮的吱吱声。母亲坚持要把沙发和扶手椅放在塑料罩上，以保持它们完美无暇。他们确实仍然完美无暇，但这意味着你的屁股变得非常热和出汗。
What about my new friend Mr Stink? Chloe thought. What's going to happen to him? And what about the Duchess? If he is banned from the streets where on earth is he going to go? 我的新朋友臭先生呢？克洛伊想。他会怎样？那么公爵夫人呢？如果他被禁止上街，他到底要去哪里？
And then, a moment later, Wow, my bum is getting incredibly hot and sweaty. 然后，过了一会儿，哇，我的屁股变得非常热和出汗。
She chaffed her way sadly back up the stairs to her room. Sitting on her bed, she stared out of the window. Because she was shy and awkward, Chloe didn't make friends easily. Now her newest friend Mr Stink was going to have to leave the town. Maybe for ever. She 她伤心地走上楼梯回到自己的房间。她坐在床上，盯着窗外。因为害羞和笨拙，克洛伊不容易交到朋友。现在，她的新朋友臭先生将不得不离开这个小镇。也许是永远的。她
stared out through the glass at the deep blue endless air. Then, just before her eyes lost focus in the infinite sky of nothing, she looked down. The answer was at the end of the garden staring back at her. 透过玻璃凝视着深蓝色无尽的空气。然后，就在她的眼睛在无边无际的天空中失去焦点之前，她低下了头。答案是在花园的尽头盯着她看。
The shed. 棚子。
7
A Bucket in the Corner 角落里的水桶
This operation had to be top-secret. Chloe waited until darkness fell, and then led Mr Stink and the Duchess silently down her street, before slipping through the side gate to her garden. 这项行动必须是绝密的。克洛伊一直等到天黑，然后领着臭先生和公爵夫人默默地走在她的街上，然后从侧门溜到她的花园。
"It's just a shed..." said Chloe apologetically as they entered his new abode. "I'm sorry there's no ensuite bathroom, but there is a bucket in the corner there just behind the lawnmower. You can use that if you need to go in the night..." “这只是一个棚子......”克洛伊歉意地说，他们进入了他的新住所。“对不起，没有套间浴室，但割草机后面的角落里有一个水桶。如果你需要在晚上去，你可以用它......”
"Well, this is unimaginably kind, young “嗯，这真是难以想象的善良，年轻人
Miss Chloe, thank you," said Mr Stink, smiling broadly. Even the Duchess seemed to bark 'thank you', or at least 'cheers'. "Now," continued Mr Stink, "are you sure your mother and father don't mind me being here? I would hate to be an unwelcome guest." 克洛伊小姐，谢谢你，“臭先生笑着说。就连公爵夫人似乎也吠叫着“谢谢”，或者至少是“干杯”。“现在，”臭先生继续说，“你确定你的父母不介意我在这里吗？我不想成为一个不受欢迎的客人。
Chloe gulped, nervous about the lie that was about to come out of her mouth. "No... no... they don't mind at all. They're just both very busy people and they apologise that they weren't able to be here right now to meet you in person." 克洛伊咽了口唾沫，对即将从她嘴里说出来的谎言感到紧张。“不......不。。。他们一点也不介意。他们都是非常忙碌的人，他们很抱歉他们现在不能在这里亲自见到你。
Chloe had carefully picked the right time to settle Mr Stink in. She knew Mother was out campaigning for election, and Dad was picking up Annabelle from her sumo-wrestling class. 克洛伊小心翼翼地挑选了合适的时机让臭先生安顿下来。她知道妈妈正在竞选，爸爸正在从她的相扑课上接安娜贝尔。
"Well I would love to meet them both," said Mr Stink, "and see what people turned out such a wonderfully generous and thoughtful “好吧，我很想见见他们俩，”斯廷克先生说，“看看人们变得如此慷慨和体贴
daughter. This will be so much warmer than my bench." 女儿。这将比我的长凳温暖得多。
Chloe smiled shyly at the compliment. "Sorry there are all these old cardboard boxes in here," she said. She started to move them out of the way, to give him room to lie down. Mr Stink gave her a hand, lifting some of the boxes on top of each other. When she got to the bottom box, Chloe paused. Poking out of the top was a charred electric guitar. She examined. it for a moment, puzzled, then rummaged through the box and found a pile of old CDs. They were all the same, stacks and stacks of an album entitled Hell For Leather by The Serpents of Doom. 克洛伊羞涩地笑了笑。“对不起，这里有这么多旧纸板箱，”她说。她开始把它们移开，给他躺下的空间。臭先生伸出一只手，把一些箱子叠在一起。当她到达最下面的盒子时，克洛伊停了下来。从顶部探出的是一把烧焦的电吉他。她检查了一下。它疑惑了一会儿，然后在盒子里翻找，发现了一堆旧CD。他们都是一样的，一摞又一摞的 The Serpents of Doom 的专辑《Hell For Leather》。
"Have you ever heard of this band?" she asked. “你听说过这个乐队吗？”她问。
"I don't really know any music past 1958, I'm afraid." “恐怕1958年以后的音乐我都不知道。”
A Bucket in the Corner 角落里的水桶
Chloe studied the picture on the cover for a moment. Super-imposed in front of a drawing of a giant snake stood four long-haired, leather-jacketed types. Chloe's eyes fixed on the guitar player, who looked an awful lot like her dad, only with a mess of curly black hair. 克洛伊端详了一会儿封面上的照片。在一幅巨蛇的画前，站着四个长发、穿着皮夹克的人。克洛伊的眼睛盯着吉他手，他长得很像她爸爸，只是有一头乱糟糟的黑发。
"I don't believe it!" said Chloe. "That's my dad." “我不相信！”克洛伊说。“那是我爸爸。”
She hadn't had any idea her dad had ever had a perm, let alone that he'd been in a rock band! She didn't know which was more shocking - the idea of him not being bald, or the idea of him playing electric guitar. 她根本不知道她爸爸曾经烫过烫发，更不用说他曾经参加过摇滚乐队了！她不知道哪个更令人震惊——他不秃头的想法，还是他弹电吉他的想法。
"Really?" said Mr Stink. “真的吗？”臭先生说。
"I think so," said Chloe. "It looks like him anyway." She was still studying the album cover with a curious combination of pride and embarrassment. “我想是的，”克洛伊说。“反正看起来很像他。”她仍然在研究专辑封面，带着一种奇怪的骄傲和尴尬。
"Well, we all have secrets, Miss Chloe. Now what should I do if I require a pot of tea or a round of sausage sandwiches on white bread please with HP sauce on the side? Is there a bell I should ring?" “嗯，我们都有秘密，克洛伊小姐。现在，如果我需要一壶茶或一轮白面包上的香肠三明治，请在旁边放上HP酱，我该怎么办？我应该敲钟吗？
Chloe looked at him, a little surprised. She hadn't realised she was going to have to feed him as well as shelter him. 克洛伊看着他，有点惊讶。她没有意识到她将不得不喂养他并庇护他。
"No, there's no bell," she said. "Erm, you see that window up there? That's my bedroom." “不，没有铃铛，”她说。“呃，你看到上面的窗户了吗？那是我的卧室。
"Ah yes?" “啊，是吗？”
"Well if you need something, why don't you flash this old bicycle light up at my window? Then I can come down and... erm... take your order." “好吧，如果你需要什么，为什么不把这辆旧自行车的灯放在我的窗户上呢？然后我就可以下来了......呃......接受你的订单。
"Perfection!" exclaimed Mr Stink. “完美！”臭先生惊呼道。
Being in the confined space of the shed with Mr Stink was beginning to make it difficult for Chloe to breathe. The smell was especially bad 和臭先生一起待在棚子的密闭空间里，克洛伊开始呼吸困难。气味特别难闻
A Bucket in the Corner 角落里的水桶
today. It was stinky even by Mr Stink's stinky standards. "Would you like to have a bath before my family get back?" Chloe said hopefully. The Duchess looked up at her master with a look of desperate hope in her blinking eyes. It was the stink that made her blink. 今天。即使按照臭先生的臭标准，它也很臭。“你想在我家人回来之前洗个澡吗？”克洛伊满怀希望地说。公爵夫人抬头看着她的主人，眨眼的眼睛里流露出绝望的希望。是那股臭味让她眨了眨眼。
"Let me think..." “让我想想......”
Chloe smiled at him expectantly. 克洛伊期待地对他笑了笑。
"Actually, I'll leave it for this month, thank you." “其实，这个月我就留着吧，谢谢。”
"Oh," said Chloe, disappointed. "Is there anything I can get you right now?" “哦，”克洛伊失望地说。“我现在有什么可以给你的吗？”
"Is there an afternoon tea menu perhaps?" asked Mr Stink. "A choice of scones, cakes and French pastries?" “也许有下午茶菜单吗？”Stink先生问。“有烤饼、蛋糕和法式糕点可供选择吗？”
"Erm... no," said Chloe. "But I could bring you a cup of tea and biscuits. And we should have some cat food that I could bring for the Duchess." “呃......不，“克洛伊说。“但我可以给你带来一杯茶和饼干。我们应该给公爵夫人带一些猫粮。
"I am pretty sure the Duchess is a dog not a cat, pronounced Mr Stink. “我很确定公爵夫人是一条狗，而不是一只猫，”臭先生说。
"I know, but we only have a cat, so we've only got cat food." “我知道，但我们只有一只猫，所以我们只有猫粮。”
"Well, maybe you could pop into Raj's shop tomorrow and buy the Duchess some tins of dog food. Raj knows the brand she likes." Mr Stink rummaged in his pockets. "Here's a ten pence piece. You can keep the change." “好吧，也许你明天可以去拉杰的店里，给公爵夫人买几罐狗粮。Raj 知道她喜欢的品牌。臭先生在口袋里翻找。“这是一块十便士。你可以保留零钱。
Chloe looked in her hand. Mr Stink had actually placed an old brass button there. 克洛伊看着她的手。臭先生实际上在那里放了一个旧的黄铜纽扣。
"Thank you so much, young lady," he continued. "And please don't forget to knock when you return in case I am getting changed into my pyjamas." “非常感谢你，小姐，”他继续说。“你回来的时候别忘了敲门，以防我换上睡衣。”
What have I done? thought Chloe, as she made her way across the lawn back to the house. Her head was buzzing with more imaginary life-stories for her new friend, but none of them 我做了什么？克洛伊一边想着，一边穿过草坪回到屋子里。她的脑子里嗡嗡作响，想着她的新朋友的更多想象中的生活故事，但没有一个
seemed quite right. Was he an astronaut who had fallen to earth and, in the shock, lost his memory? Or perhaps he was a convict who had escaped from prison after serving thirty years for a crime he didn't commit? Or, even better, a modern-day pirate who had been forced by his comrades to walk the plank into shark-infested waters, but against all the odds had swum to safety? 似乎很正确。他是一名宇航员，在震惊中坠落到地球，失去了记忆吗？或者，也许他是一个罪犯，在服刑三十年后因他没有犯下的罪行而越狱？或者，更好的是，一个现代海盗被他的战友强迫将木板走入鲨鱼出没的水域，但排除万难游到了安全的地方？
One thing she knew for sure was that he did really whiff. Indeed she could still smell him as she reached the back door. The plants and flowers in the garden seemed to have wilted with the smell. They were all now leaning away from the shed as if they were trying to avert their stamens. At least he's safe, thought Chloe. And warm, and dry, if only for tonight. 她肯定知道的一件事是，他确实闻到了。事实上，当她走到后门时，她仍然能闻到他的味道。花园里的植物和花朵似乎都随着气味而枯萎了。他们现在都向棚子靠了靠，好像他们试图避开他们的雄蕊。至少他是安全的，克洛伊想。温暖，干燥，如果只是今晚。
When she got up to her room and looked out of the window, the light was flashing already. 当她起身回到自己的房间，向窗外望去时，灯光已经闪烁了。
Monday 星期一
5am Swimming training 凌晨 5 点 游泳训练
6am Clarinet lesson 早上6点单簧管课
7am Dance lesson, tap and contemporary jazz 早上 7 点：舞蹈课、踢踏舞和现代爵士乐
8am Dance lesson, ballet 上午8点 舞蹈课， 芭蕾舞
9 am to School 上午9点到 学校
Drama lesson, improvisation and movement 戏剧课、即兴表演和动作
