《能言馬與男孩》第38期:阿拉維斯在塔什班城(4)

When they had talked for a long time - and it was all the longer because Aravis found it hard to keep her friend to the point-at last Lasaraleen clapped her hands and said, "Oh, I have an idea. There is one way of getting out of the city without using the gates. The Tisroc's garden (may he live for ever!) runs right down to the water and there is a little water-door. Only for the palace people of course - but then you know, dear (here she tittered a little) we almost are palace people. I say, it is lucky for you that you came to me. The dear Tisroc (may he live for ever!) is so kind. We're asked to the palace almost every day and it is like a second home. I love all the dear princes and princesses and I positively adore Prince Rabadash. I might run in and see any of the palace ladies at any hour of the day or night. Why shouldn't I slip in withyou, after dark, and let you out by the water-door? There are always a few punts and things tied up outside it. And even if we were caught-"

"All would be lost," said Aravis.

"Oh darling, don't get so excited," said Lasaraleen. "I was going to say, even if we were caught everyone would only say it was one of my mad jokes. I'm getting quite well known for them. Only the other day- do listen, dear, this is frightfully funny-"

"I meant, all would be lost for me," said Aravis a little sharply.

"Oh - ah - yes - I do see what you mean, darling. Well, can you think of any better plan?"

Aravis couldn't, and answered, "No. We'll have to risk it. When can we start?"

"Oh, not tonight," said Lasaraleen. "Of course not tonight.

There's a great feast on tonight (I must start getting my hair done for it in a few minutes) and the whole place will be a blaze of lights. And such a crowd too! It would have to be tomorrow night."

This was bad news for Aravis, but she had to make the best of it. The afternoon passed very slowly and it was a relief when Lasaraleen went out to the banquet, for Aravis was very tired of her giggling and her talk about dresses and parties, weddings and engagements and scandals. She went to bed early and that part she did enjoy: it was so nice to have pillows and sheets again.

But the next day passed very slowly. Lasaraleen wanted to go back on the whole arrangement and kept on telling Aravis that Narnia was a country of perpetual snow and ice inhabited by demons and sorcerers, and she was mad to think of going there.

"And with a peasant boy, too!" said Lasaraleen. "Darling, think of it! It's not Nice." Aravis had thought of it a good deal, but she was so tired of Lasaraleen's silliness by now that, for the first time, she began to think that travelling with Shasta was really rather more fun than fashionable life in Tashbaan. So she only replied, "You forget that I'll be nobody, just like him, when we get to Narnia. And anyway, I promised."

她們已經討論了好長一段時間——阿拉維斯發覺很難使她的朋友不要離題太遠，所以時間就拖得格外長了——拉斯阿拉莉恩終於拍手說道，“呀，我想到一個主意了。有一個辦法可以不穿過城門而走出塔什班城去。蒂斯羅克(願他萬壽無疆！)的花園從山上綿延而下，直達河流，那兒有個水門。當然，僅僅供王宮裏的人使用——不過，你要知道，親愛的(說到這兒她哧哧地笑了一下)，我們幾乎是王宮裏的人物了。我說，你來找我，是你運道好。親愛的蒂斯羅克(願他萬壽無疆！)是那麼和藹可親，幾乎每天都召我們進宮去，王宮就像是我們第二個家。我敬愛所有親愛的王子和公主，我十分崇拜王子拉巴達什。不論白天黑夜，不論哪一個時辰，我都可以跑去見王宮裏不論哪一位夫人。天黑以後，爲什麼我不帶着你溜進宮去，然後從水門把你放出城去?水門外總是有些平底船之類系在那兒。而且，哪怕我們被逮住了，”

“那就一切都完了。”阿拉維斯說。

“寶貝兒，別那麼激動啊，”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，“我要說的是如果我們被逮住了，人人都會說，這不過是我開的一瘋狂的玩笑罷了。我的開玩笑正在變得十分出名。就在幾天之前——親愛的，你聽呀，真是有趣得可怕——”

“我的意思是說對我說來，就切都完了。”阿拉維斯有點生氣地說道。

“唷——啊——是呀——我聽明白你的意思了，寶貝兒。喂，你可想得出其他好計劃嗎?”

阿拉維斯想不出好辦法，答道，”我沒有辦法。我們不得不冒險了。我們能在什麼時候開始行動呢？”

“啊，今夜不行，”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，“今夜當然不行。”

今夜要舉行一個盛大宴會(我必須在幾分鐘之內做好頭髮去赴宴)，整個王宮將是一片燈火輝煌。而且還有那麼一大羣人。只好改到明天夜裏了。

對於阿拉維斯，這是個壞消息，但她不得不充分利用這個機會。那天下午過得很慢，而拉斯阿拉莉恩出去赴宴的時候倒是個解脫，因爲阿拉維斯十分厭倦她那格格的笑聲，她那關於服裝、舞會、結婚、訂婚和醜聞的閒談。她很早就上牀了，有一點她倒很欣賞重新睡在枕頭和被單上畢竟是十分舒適的。

但第二天過得十分緩慢。拉斯阿拉莉恩想要取消原來的整個安排，不斷地告訴阿拉維斯，納尼亞是個永遠下雪結冰的國家，住着惡魔和巫師，她要到那兒去簡直是發瘋。

“而且和一個鄉下孩子同去！”拉斯阿拉莉恩說道，”寶貝兒，你倒考慮考慮！那可不妙。”阿拉維斯考慮過很多，但如今她對拉斯阿拉莉恩的糊塗無知實在感覺厭倦了，她第一次開始想到同沙斯塔一起旅行趕路，確實比塔什班城裏時髦的上流社會生活要有趣得多。所以她只是答道”你忘記了一點：我們到達納尼亞時，我便將是個無名小卒了，就像他一樣。而且，無論如何，原是我答允了一起去的。”