《魔法師的外甥》第55期:迪格雷和他的舅舅又陷困境(5)

The last words were spoken to Polly and the Cabby who had now arrived. Polly, all eyes and mouth, was staring at Aslan and holding the Cabby's hand rather tightly. The Cabby gave one glance at the Lion, and took off his bowler hat: no one had yet seen him without it. When it was off, he looked younger and nicer, and more like a countryman and less like a London cabman.

"Son," said Aslan to the Cabby. "I have known you long. Do you know me?"

"Well, no, sir," said the Cabby. "Leastways, not in an ordinary manner of speaking. Yet I feel somehow, if I may make so free, as 'ow we've met before."

"It is well," said the Lion. "You know better than you think you know, and you shall live to know me better yet. How does this land please you?"

"It's a fair treat, sir," said the Cabby.

"Would you like to live here always?"

"Well you see sir, I'm a married man," said the Cabby. "If my wife was here neither of us would ever want to go back to London, I reckon. We're both country folks really."

Aslan threw up his shaggy head, opened his mouth, and uttered a long, single note; not very loud, but full of power. Polly's heart jumped in her body when she heard it. She felt sure that it was a call, and that anyone who heard that call would want to obey it and (what's more) would be able to obey it, however many worlds and ages lay between. And so, though she was filled with wonder, she was not really astonished or shocked when all of a sudden a young woman, with a kind, honest face stepped out of nowhere and stood beside her. Polly knew at once that it was the Cabby's wife, fetched out of our world not by any tiresome magic rings, but quickly, simply and sweetly as a bird flies to its nest. The young woman had apparently been in the middle of a washing day, for she wore an apron, her sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, and there were soapsuds on her hands. If she had had time to put on her good clothes (her best hat had imitation cherries on it) she would have looked dreadful; as it was, she looked rather nice.

Of course she thought she was dreaming. That was why she didn't rush across to her husband and ask him what on earth had happened to them both. But when she looked at the Lion she didn't feel quite so sure it was a dream, yet for some reason she did not appear to be very frightened. Then she dropped a little half curtsey, as some country girls still knew how to do in those days. After that, she went and put her hand in the Cabby's and stood there looking round her a little shyly.

"My children," said Aslan, fixing his eyes on both of them, "you are to be the first King and Queen of Narnia."

The Cabby opened his mouth in astonishment, and his wife turned very red.

"You shall rule and name all these creatures, and do justice among them, and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise. And enemies will arise, for there is an evil Witch in this world."

最後一句是對剛剛到達的波莉和馬車伕說的。波莉緊緊地拉着馬車伕的手，目瞪口呆地盯着阿斯蘭。馬車伕看了獅子一眼，摘下帽子來，誰也沒有見過他不戴帽子的模樣。這下，他看上去要年輕漂亮些，更像一個鄉下人而不像倫敦的馬車伕。

“孩子，”阿斯蘭對馬車伕說，“我很早就認識你了，你認識我嗎？”

“不，閣下，不認識，”馬車伕說，“至少不是一般人說的那種認識。不過我覺得，如果我可以這麼說的話，我們以前是有些認識的。”

“很好，”獅子說，“你比你自己想像的更有悟性，你會越來越瞭解我的。你喜歡這片土地嗎？”

“我在這兒非常快樂，閣下。”馬車伕說。

“你想永遠住在這兒嗎？”

“你知道，閣下，我結了婚，”馬車伕說，“我想，要是我妻子也在這兒，我們誰也不想再回倫敦了。我們都是地地道道的鄉下人。”

阿斯蘭昂起多毛的頭，張口呼出長長的、不很嘹亮但有力的一聲。波莉聽得心跳加快。她敢肯定，那是一種呼喚，任何人聽到這聲呼喚，不管隔了多少世界多少年代，都想聽從而且都能夠聽從。雖然她心中充滿了好奇，但當一個看上去善良、誠實的年輕女人不知從哪兒走出來站在她旁邊時，她並沒有被嚇一跳或者感到十分震驚。波莉立刻明白，那就是馬車伕的妻子，不是被任何折磨人的魔法戒指從我們的世界硬生生地拖過去的，而是如鳥兒回巢一般迅捷、簡單、舒適地到了那裏。那年輕女人繫着圍裙，袖子挽到肘部，手上還沾着肥皂泡，顯然剛纔正在洗衣服。如果有時間換上好衣服(她最好的帽子上鑲有櫻桃飾)，她看上去準會讓人討厭。那身樸實無華的衣服卻使她顯得相當可愛。

當然，她以爲自己是在夢中，便沒有馬上奔到丈夫身邊，問他到底怎麼回事。但當她看見獅子時，她不那麼肯定是在做夢，然而不知什麼原因她也沒露出非常害怕的神情。然後，她微微行了一個屈膝禮，那年月，一些農村姑娘也知道如何行屈膝禮。接着，她走過去，拉住馬車伕的手，站在那裏，略帶羞澀地四下環顧。

“我的孩子們，”阿斯蘭看着他們兩人說，“你們將是納尼亞第一位國王和王后。”

馬車伕吃驚地張大了嘴，他妻子的臉也紅了。

“你們將統治所有這些動物，要公正行事，當敵人入侵時保衛它們的安全。而且敵人是會來的，因爲這個世界裏已經有了一個惡魔般的女巫。”