Vivian loved used bookshops. She liked the smell of old paper. She liked to read the names on the first page.
薇薇安喜欢旧书店。她喜欢旧纸张的气味，也喜欢看扉页上写的名字。
One rainy Saturday, she went into a small shop. It was near the station. The shelves were tall and crooked. A grey cat slept on a pile of maps.
一个下雨的星期六，她走进了一家小书店，就在车站附近。书架又高又歪。一只灰猫睡在一堆地图上。
Vivian found a thin book of poems. The cover was soft and green. It cost two dollars. She bought it and went home.
薇薇安找到一本薄薄的诗集，封面软软的，绿色。只卖两美元。她买下它，回了家。
That night, she sat in bed and opened the book. On page nine, she saw a pencil mark. Next to a sea poem, someone wrote a note. It said, "I read this on a train. It made me cry."
那天晚上，她坐在床上翻开书。第九页上有一道铅笔印。在一首写大海的诗旁边，有人写了一句话：“我在火车上读了这首诗，它让我哭了。”
Vivian smiled. She read the poem twice. Then she took her own pencil. Under the note, she wrote, "I read it in bed. It made me sleepy, but I like it."
薇薇安笑了。她把这首诗读了两遍。然后拿起自己的铅笔，在那句话下面写道：“我在床上读了它，它让我昏昏欲睡，不过我很喜欢。”
She felt silly. Nobody could read it, she thought. She closed the book and put out the light.
她觉得自己有点傻。她想，没有人会看到的。她合上书，关了灯。
Two weeks later, she went back to the shop. She wanted a map. The shopkeeper was an old woman with big glasses.
两个星期后，她又去了那家书店。她想买一张地图。店主是一位戴着大眼镜的老太太。
"Do you sell this kind of book often?" Vivian asked. She showed the green book.
“这种书你们常卖吗？”薇薇安问。她拿出那本绿色的书。
"I buy it back," said the woman. "A young man brought it in again last week. He bought it, then sold it again."
“我会把它买回来，”老太太说。“上星期，一个年轻人又把它拿来了。他买了它，然后又卖了。”
"Sold it again?"
“又卖了？”
"Yes. He says he never keeps books. He leaves them for the next person."
“是啊。他说他从不留书，都留给下一个人。”
Vivian did not say why she asked. She bought the green book again for one dollar. At home, she opened it to page nine.
薇薇安没有说自己为什么问。她花一美元又把绿色的书买了下来。回到家，她翻到第九页。
There was a new note under hers. It said, "Sleepy is a good review. Who are you?"
她的话下面有一句新的话：“昏昏欲睡是个好评价。你是谁？”
Her heart jumped. She read the words three times. Then she wrote, "I am Vivian. I like the sea and old cats. Who are you?"
她的心一下子跳得很快。她把那些字读了三遍。然后写道：“我是薇薇安。我喜欢大海和老猫。你是谁？”
The next day, she took the book to the shop. The old woman put it near the door.
第二天，她把书带到书店。老太太把它放在了门口附近。
For a month, they wrote in the margins. Sometimes the book stayed in the shop for days. Sometimes Vivian found it in one hour. The writer wrote a new note on every visit. He said his name was Cedric. He said he worked in a school. He said he did not like crowds or loud music. He said he loved tea.
整整一个月，他们都在页边空白处写字。有时书在书店里一放就是好几天，有时薇薇安一个小时就找到了。写字的人每次来都会写一段新的话。他说他叫塞德里克，在一所学校工作，不喜欢人多，也不喜欢吵闹的音乐，但他爱喝茶。
Vivian told him about her sister. She told him about her job at the library. She told him about her fear of birds. The little book got full. They wrote in tiny letters. The poem about the sea was almost black with pencil.
薇薇安跟他讲了她的姐姐，讲了她在图书馆的工作，还讲了她怕鸟。小小的书写满了。他们用很小的字写。那首写大海的诗，几乎被铅笔涂成了黑色。
One Friday, Vivian found a note on the last page. It said, "I am out of space. I want to say this to your face. Come to the shop on Saturday at three. I will hold the book."
一个星期五，薇薇安在最后一页发现了一段话：“我没有地方可写了。我想当面跟你说这些话。星期六下午三点来书店吧，我会拿着这本书。”
Vivian looked at the page for a long time. Then she wrote one line below it. It said, "I will bring the tea."
薇薇安看着那一页，看了很久。然后在下面写了一行：“我会带茶来。”
On Saturday, she came to the shop at three. The rain fell again. The grey cat was on the maps. By the window stood a tall man. He held a green book.
星期六，她三点钟到了书店。雨又下了起来。灰猫趴在地图上。窗边站着一个高个子的男人，手里拿着一本绿色的书。
He turned around. He looked shy. He held the book up like a small gift.
他转过身来，有点害羞。他把书举起来，像举着一份小礼物。
"I think," he said, "that you are Vivian."
“我想，”他说，“你就是薇薇安。”
"And you never keep books," she said.
“你不是从不留书的吗。”她说。
"I kept this one," Cedric said. "I kept it all week."
“这一本我留下了，”塞德里克说。“我留了整整一个星期。”
