Niall locked the front gate of the tram depot at seven. The old trams stood in two long rows. Their green paint shone under the dusty lamps. He loved the depot best at this hour.
尼尔在七点锁上了电车库的前门。老电车停成两长排。它们的绿漆在积了灰的灯下闪着光。他最爱这个钟点的车库。
"Wait," called Dalma. "I am not done yet."
“等一下，”达尔玛喊道，“我还没弄完。”
Dalma was new. She worked on Tram 12 with a tiny pot of gold paint. That evening she painted the number on the front.
达尔玛是新来的。她拿着一小罐金漆，在12号电车上刷着。那天傍晚，她正在给车头画编号。
"The lights go off at eight," said Niall. "They are on a timer."
“灯八点会关，”尼尔说，“是定时的。”
"Then I will be quick."
“那我快点。”
Niall sighed and sat on a box. He did not like paint. He liked puzzles. He took a folded crossword from his pocket. He read the first clue.
尼尔叹了口气，在一只箱子上坐下。他不喜欢油漆。他喜欢谜题。他从口袋里掏出一张折起来的填字游戏，读起了第一条提示。
Suddenly Dalma gave a small cry. Her brush fell from her hand. It rolled under the tram. It dropped into the pit between the rails.
突然，达尔玛轻轻叫了一声。她的刷子从手里掉了。它滚到了电车底下，掉进了铁轨之间的检修坑。
"I will get it," she said.
“我去捡，”她说。
"Be careful. It is dark down there."
“小心点。下面很黑。”
Dalma climbed down with her phone light. Niall heard her steps on the stone floor. Then he heard nothing for a long minute.
达尔玛打着手机灯爬了下去。尼尔听见她的脚步声踩在石头地面上。然后很长一分钟，他什么也没听见。
"Niall," she said. Her voice was low and strange. "Come down here."
“尼尔，”她说。她的声音很低，有点奇怪。“你下来一下。”
He went down the steps. The pit was narrow and cold. It smelled of oil and old dust. Dalma pointed her light at the bottom of the tram.
他走下台阶。坑里又窄又冷，有油味和陈年灰尘的气味。达尔玛把光对准了电车的底部。
A small metal box hung under the driver's platform. Two thick straps held it in place. On the front was a lock with four letter wheels. A yellow card hung from the handle on a piece of string.
司机平台下面吊着一个小金属盒子。两根粗带子把它固定住。前面有一把锁，上面有四个字母转轮。一张黄色的卡片用一根绳子系在把手上。
"Someone hid this," said Dalma.
“有人把它藏在这儿，”达尔玛说。
"Someone hid it a long time ago." Niall took the card. "Look. It is a crossword."
“是很久以前有人藏的。”尼尔拿起卡片。“看，是个填字游戏。”
The card was old, and the ink was pale. Someone cut the crossword from a newspaper. Then they filled it in by hand. Every word was filled in except one. On the back were ten words in neat writing.
卡片很旧，墨迹已经发白。有人从报纸上剪下这个填字游戏，然后用手填满。每个词都填好了，只剩一个。背面是工工整整的十个词。
"Finish me. The answer opens the box. You have one try."
“把我填完。答案能打开盒子。你只有一次机会。”
"It is a treasure hunt," whispered Dalma.
“这是寻宝游戏，”达尔玛低声说。
"It is a puzzle," said Niall. But his heart beat fast.
“这是个谜题，”尼尔说。可他的心跳得很快。
They carried the box up to the platform of Tram 12. The cab lamp was still on. Niall sat on the driver's stool with the card on his knee. Dalma held the light.
他们把盒子抬到12号电车的平台上。驾驶室里的灯还亮着。尼尔坐在司机的凳子上，卡片放在膝头。达尔玛举着手机灯。
"The old clues are easy," he said. "Tram things. Rail, wheel, pole, ticket."
“旧的提示都很容易，”他说，“都是电车上的东西。轨道、车轮、电杆、车票。”
"What is the empty one?"
“空着的是哪一条？”
"Fourteen across." He read it out loud. "Ring in the cab. Four letters."
“横向十四。”他念了出来。“驾驶室里的铃声。四个字母。”
"Bell," said Dalma at once.
“bell（铃），”达尔玛马上说。
"No. Call."
“不对。是call（呼叫）。”
Dalma looked at him. "Call?"
达尔玛看着他。“call？”
"A ring is a call on the phone. It is four letters."
“ring 是打电话的意思。四个字母。”
"Niall, this is a tram. There was no phone in the cab."
“尼尔，这是电车。驾驶室里可没有电话。”
"The driver could call the depot."
“司机可以打电话给车库。”
"The driver rang a bell. Everybody knows that."
“司机是拉铃。人人都知道。”
"Not everybody," said Niall. His voice was tight. "A ring can be a call. I know words. It is my hobby."
“不是人人都知道，”尼尔说。他的声音绷着。“ring 可以是打电话。我懂词。这是我的爱好。”
Dalma folded her arms. "And I know trams. It is my job."
达尔玛抱起了胳膊。“而我懂电车。这是我的工作。”
For a minute neither of them spoke. The depot was very quiet. A clock on the wall ticked. It was five to eight.
有一分钟，两个人谁也没说话。车库里非常安静。墙上的钟滴答作响。八点差五分。
"We should stop," said Dalma at last. "We are both tired."
“我们该停下了，”达尔玛终于说，“我们俩都累了。”
"We should finish." Niall held the card closer to the lamp. His eyes ran along the row of boxes. "Wait. Wait a moment."
“我们该做完它。”尼尔把卡片凑近灯。他的目光扫过那一排格子。“等等。等一下。”
"What?"
“怎么了？”
"I did not look at the crossing word." He put his finger on a clue. "Nine down. Fruit like an apple. Four letters. Somebody wrote it in already."
“我没看交叉的那个词。”他用手指按住一条提示。“竖向九。像苹果一样的水果。四个字母。有人已经填上了。”
"Pear," said Dalma.
“pear（梨），”达尔玛说。
"P, E, A, R. And fourteen across crosses it at the second letter." He looked up. "The second letter is E."
“P，E，A，R。横向十四和它在第二个字母交叉。”他抬起头。“第二个字母是E。”
Dalma waited. Then her mouth opened.
达尔玛等着。然后她张大了嘴。
"Call has an A," said Niall slowly. "Bell has an E."
“call 里有个 A，”尼尔慢慢地说，“bell 里有个 E。”
"So it is bell."
“所以是 bell。”
"It is bell." Niall started to laugh. "I thought about phones all day. I forgot the whole tram."
“是 bell。”尼尔笑了起来。“我想了一整天电话。我把整辆电车都忘了。”
"A good driver rings a bell," said Dalma. She smiled now. "I am sorry I was rude."
“好司机会拉铃，”达尔玛说。她现在笑了。“对不起，我刚才太没礼貌了。”
"I am sorry I did not listen."
“对不起，我没听你的。”
At that moment, the clock struck eight. The depot lights clicked off one by one. The long rows of trams were lost in the dark. Only the cab lamp and Dalma's phone still glowed.
就在这时，钟敲了八点。车库的灯一盏接一盏啪地灭了。一长排一长排的电车消失在黑暗里。只有驾驶室的灯和达尔玛的手机还亮着。
"Quickly," said Niall.
“快，”尼尔说。
He turned the four wheels of the lock. B. E. L. L. Dalma held her breath. The lock gave a soft click, and the lid came up.
他转动锁上的四个转轮。B。E。L。L。达尔玛屏住了呼吸。锁轻轻咔哒一声，盖子弹了起来。
Inside lay an old key, a photograph and a folded note. The photograph showed a young woman in a driver's coat. She stood in front of Tram 12 and laughed. Her hand held the bell rope.
里面放着一把旧钥匙、一张照片和一张折起来的字条。照片上是一位穿着司机外套的年轻女子。她站在12号电车前，笑着。她的手握着铃绳。
Dalma unfolded the note. The writing was neat and blue.
达尔玛展开字条。字迹工整，是蓝色的。
"To the person who finishes my puzzle. Thank you for caring about my old tram. Keep the key. It opens this tram's cab. Ring the bell once for luck. It likes to be heard."
“致解开我谜题的人。谢谢你关心我的旧电车。钥匙留给你。它能打开这辆电车的驾驶室。为了好运，拉一下铃吧。它喜欢被人听见。”
Niall looked at Dalma. Dalma looked at the little bell above the driver's window. The rope hung down in the cab lamp's light. It was thin and old, and it did not move.
尼尔看着达尔玛。达尔玛看着司机窗上方的那只小铃。绳子垂在驾驶室灯光里。它又细又旧，一动不动。
"You do it," said Niall.
“你来拉，”尼尔说。
"No. You found the answer."
“不。答案是你找到的。”
"We found it together."
“是我们一起找到的。”
Dalma took the rope in her fingers. She pulled it down, gently, once.
达尔玛用手指握住绳子。她轻轻往下一拉，拉了一下。
"Ding."
“叮。”
