The town library had a basket by the window. In it sat a big ball of green yarn. A card said, "Please knit a little. Please pass it on."
镇上的图书馆窗边放着一个篮子。篮子里有一大团绿色的毛线。一张卡片上写着：“请织一点。请传下去。”
Olive saw the basket on a Tuesday. She loved to knit. She sat down in the soft chair. She took out her needles and began a long scarf.
奥利芙是在一个星期二看到这个篮子的。她爱织毛衣。她在软软的椅子上坐下，拿出自己的针，开始织一条长围巾。
She knitted for one hour. Then she put the yarn back. On a small paper, she wrote, "Hello, whoever you are. I knit on Tuesdays. Please be kind to my scarf." She put the paper in the basket. Then she went home.
她织了一个小时。然后把毛线放回去。她在一张小纸条上写道：“你好，不管你是谁。我每周二织。请善待我的围巾。”她把纸条放进篮子里，然后回家了。
On Thursday, Saul came to the library. He was new in town. He wanted books about fish. He saw the basket, and he saw the scarf. It was good, but the stitches were very tight.
星期四，索尔来到图书馆。他刚搬到镇上。他想找关于鱼的书。他看到了篮子，也看到了围巾。织得不错，但针脚非常紧。
Saul knew how to knit. His aunt taught him as a boy. He sat down and knitted for an hour. Then he took a pencil. He wrote on the paper, "Hello. I knit on Thursdays. Your stitches are very tight. Do you ever relax?"
索尔会织毛线。他小时候，姑妈教过他。他坐下来织了一个小时。然后他拿起一支铅笔，在纸条上写道：“你好。我每周四织。你的针脚太紧了。你有没有放松的时候？”
He smiled and left the basket on the table.
他笑了笑，把篮子留在桌上，走了。
Next Tuesday, Olive came back. She read the note and laughed out loud. The librarian looked up from her desk. Olive covered her mouth.
下个星期二，奥利芙又来了。她读了纸条，大声笑了出来。图书管理员从桌后抬起头。奥利芙连忙捂住嘴。
She wrote, "My stitches are not tight. Yours are loose! Your side looks like a net." Then she knitted a new row, very tight.
她写道：“我的针脚不紧。是你的太松了！你那一边看起来像一张网。”然后她织了新的一行，织得很紧很紧。
On Thursday, Saul read it and laughed too. He wrote, "My loose side is warm and soft. Yours is a board." He knitted a row, very loose.
星期四，索尔读到了，也笑了。他写道：“我这松的一边又暖和又柔软。你那一边像块木板。”他织了一行，织得很松很松。
The librarian saw the basket every day. She said nothing. Each week, she moved it closer to the sunny window.
图书管理员每天都看到那个篮子。她什么也没说。每过一周，她就把它往阳光充足的窗边挪近一点。
So the weeks went by. The scarf grew longer. It was tight, then loose, then tight, then loose. It looked funny, like green waves. The notes grew longer too. Olive wrote about her day. Saul wrote about the fish book. She asked about his town. He asked about her cat.
就这样，一周一周过去了。围巾越来越长。紧一段，松一段，又紧一段，又松一段。它看起来很滑稽，像绿色的波浪。纸条也越写越长。奥利芙写她这一天的事。索尔写那本关于鱼的书。她问起他住的地方。他问起她的猫。
One day, Olive wrote a new line. "I like your notes more than your knitting." Saul read it and his face went hot. He wrote, "I like yours too. Maybe we can say hello in person."
有一天，奥利芙写了新的一句：“我喜欢你的纸条胜过你织的东西。”索尔读到后，脸一下子红了。他写道：“你的我也喜欢。也许我们可以当面打个招呼。”
He did not know what to do next. He stood at the basket for a long time. Then he wrote, "Come on Wednesday. I will bring tea."
他不知道接下来该怎么办。他在篮子前站了很久。然后他写道：“星期三来吧。我带茶。”
On Wednesday, Saul sat in the soft chair. He had two cups of tea. His hands were cold. Every time the door opened, he looked up.
星期三，索尔坐在那把软软的椅子上。他带了两杯茶。他的手是凉的。每次门开了，他都抬头看。
At three o'clock, Olive came in. She stopped. She looked at the scarf in his hands. Then she looked at his face.
三点钟，奥利芙进来了。她停住脚步。她看着他手里的围巾。然后她看向他的脸。
"You are the loose one," she said.
“你就是织得松的那个，”她说。
"And you are the tight one," said Saul.
“你就是织得紧的那个，”索尔说。
They laughed. The librarian said, "Shh!" But she smiled too.
他们笑了起来。图书管理员说：“嘘！”但她也笑了。
Olive sat down next to him. She took a cup of tea. The scarf lay between them. It was long and green. The tight and loose stitches lay side by side.
奥利芙在他身边坐下。她拿起一杯茶。围巾躺在他们中间。它又长又绿。紧的针脚和松的针脚并排躺在一起。
Saul found the end of the scarf. He gave it to her.
索尔找到围巾的另一头，递给了她。
"Your turn," he said.
“轮到你了，”他说。
