Sade worked in the reading room at the town hall. It was the quietest room in town.
莎黛在市政厅的阅览室工作。那是全镇最安静的房间。
A sign hung over the door. It said, "No talking. No eating. No noise."
门上挂着一块牌子。上面写着：“禁止交谈。禁止饮食。禁止喧哗。”
Sade loved the sign. She loved the hush, too. Most days, the only sound was the tick of the clock.
莎黛喜欢这块牌子。她也喜欢那份寂静。大多数日子里，唯一的声音就是时钟的嘀嗒。
One morning, a man pushed the door open with his shoulder. He carried a big box.
一天早晨，一个男人用肩膀顶开了门。他抱着一个大盒子。
"Good morning," he whispered. "My name is Uriel. I come from the toy club."
“早上好，”他低声说，“我叫乌列尔。我来自玩具俱乐部。”
"Good morning," Sade whispered back. "How can I help you?"
“早上好，”莎黛也低声回答，“有什么可以帮您的吗？”
"The mayor wants a gift for the children's corner," Uriel said softly. "Here it is."
“市长想为儿童角准备一份礼物，”乌列尔轻声说，“就是这个。”
He opened the box with care. Inside sat a silver robot. It was as tall as a cat. It had round blue eyes and two long arms.
他小心地打开盒子。里面坐着一个银色的机器人。它有一只猫那么高。有圆圆的蓝眼睛和两条长长的手臂。
"It is lovely," said Sade. "What can it do?"
“真可爱，”莎黛说，“它会做什么？”
"It waves, it dances, and it tells stories," Uriel said. "The children come at two o'clock to meet it."
“它会招手，会跳舞，还会讲故事，”乌列尔说，“孩子们两点钟来和它见面。”
Sade looked at the wall clock. It was half past one.
莎黛看了看墙上的钟。现在是一点半。
"Then we have thirty minutes," she said.
“那我们还有三十分钟。”她说。
Uriel pressed the button on the robot's back. Nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing.
乌列尔按下机器人背后的按钮。什么也没发生。他又按了一下。还是什么也没有。
"Oh no," he said. "The batteries are flat."
“糟了，”他说，“电池没电了。”
"Do you have new ones?" Sade asked.
“您有新电池吗？”莎黛问。
"No. I left them at home," Uriel said. "My home is an hour away."
“没有。我把它们忘在家里了，”乌列尔说，“我家离这儿有一个小时的路。”
Sade thought for a moment. "The shop on Market Street sells batteries," she said.
莎黛想了一会儿。“市场街上的店里卖电池。”她说。
"Is it open now?" asked Uriel.
“现在开着吗？”乌列尔问。
Sade picked up the phone and called the shop. A sleepy voice said the owner was at lunch. The shop opened again at two.
莎黛拿起电话，打给那家店。一个睡意蒙眬的声音说，老板去吃午饭了。店铺两点才重新开门。
"The shop is shut until two," Sade told Uriel. "That is too late for us."
“那家店要到两点才开，”莎黛对乌列尔说，“对我们来说太晚了。”
A woman at a nearby table lifted her head. She gave them a long look.
旁边桌子前的一位女士抬起头来。她久久地看了他们一眼。
"Please," she whispered. "This is a reading room."
“请安静，”她低声说，“这里是阅览室。”
"Sorry," Sade and Uriel whispered together.
“对不起。”莎黛和乌列尔一起低声说。
Uriel opened a small door on the robot's back. "It needs two big round batteries," he read. "Do you have any?"
乌列尔打开机器人背后的一扇小门。“它需要两节大号的圆电池，”他读道，“您有吗？”
Sade opened every drawer in her desk. She found pens, paper clips, and a ruler. She found one old sock.
莎黛拉开办公桌的每一个抽屉。她找到了笔、回形针和一把尺子。她还找到一只旧袜子。
"Why do you keep a sock in your desk?" Uriel asked.
“你为什么在桌子里放一只袜子？”乌列尔问。
"It is a long story," Sade said. "The sock does not like to talk about it."
“说来话长，”莎黛说，“这只袜子不喜欢谈这件事。”
Uriel laughed, then put a hand over his mouth. Three readers looked up and frowned.
乌列尔笑了，又赶紧用手捂住嘴。三个读者抬起头，皱起了眉。
Sade turned to the drawer again. Then she looked up at the wall. The big clock ticked above the door. It had a round white face and a thick black frame.
莎黛又转向抽屉。然后她抬头看了看墙。那只大钟在门上方嘀嗒作响。它有一张圆圆的白色表盘和一圈粗黑的边框。
"Wait," she said. "That clock uses two big round batteries."
“等一下，”她说，“那只钟用的就是两节大号的圆电池。”
"Then the clock will stop," said Uriel.
“那样钟就会停了。”乌列尔说。
"Yes, it will stop," Sade said. "But the robot will work. I can buy new batteries after lunch."
“是的，它会停，”莎黛说，“可是机器人能工作了。午饭后我可以再买新电池。”
Uriel looked at the clock. He looked at the robot. "Is that allowed?" he asked.
乌列尔看了看钟。又看了看机器人。“这样可以吗？”他问。
"No," said Sade. "But the children come soon."
“不可以，”莎黛说，“但孩子们马上就要来了。”
She dragged a chair to the wall and climbed up. The clock was heavier than it looked. She lifted it down and carried it to her desk.
她把一把椅子拖到墙边，爬了上去。钟比看上去要重。她把它抱下来，拿到自己的桌上。
Sade opened the back of the clock. She took out the two batteries and gave them to Uriel. The ticking stopped. For the first time, the room was truly silent.
莎黛打开钟的后盖。她取出那两节电池，交给乌列尔。嘀嗒声停了。房间里第一次真正地鸦雀无声。
The hands of the clock said 1:36. They did not move.
钟的指针指着一点三十六分。它们不再走动。
Uriel slid the batteries into the robot. He closed the little door. He took a deep breath and pressed the button.
乌列尔把电池塞进机器人里。他关上小门。他深吸一口气，按下了按钮。
The robot's eyes lit up blue. Its long arms rose into the air. Then it spoke.
机器人的眼睛亮起了蓝光。它的长臂举向空中。然后它开口说话了。
"HELLO, FRIENDS! IT IS STORY TIME!"
“大家好！朋友们！故事时间到啦！”
The voice was as loud as a fire bell. The woman at the table jumped. A man dropped his book on the floor. A pile of newspapers slid off a chair.
那声音像消防警铃一样响。桌边的女士吓得跳了起来。一个男人把书掉在了地上。一叠报纸从椅子上滑了下来。
"Shh!" Sade said. She put a finger to her lips.
“嘘！”莎黛说。她把一根手指放在嘴唇上。
"SHH! SHH!" the robot said. It waved both arms. "SHH! SHH! SHH!"
“嘘！嘘！”机器人说。它挥动着两只手臂。“嘘！嘘！嘘！”
"Turn it down!" Uriel cried. He forgot to whisper.
“把声音调小！”乌列尔喊道。他忘了要小声说话。
He turned the robot over. Under its arm, he found a small wheel for the sound. It was stuck at the top. He pushed it with his thumb. He pulled it with two fingers. The wheel did not move.
他把机器人翻过来。在它的腋下，他找到了一个调节音量的小转轮。它卡在最大的位置。他用拇指推它。又用两根手指拉它。转轮一动不动。
"I need a screwdriver," he said. "Do you have one?"
“我需要一把螺丝刀，”他说，“您有吗？”
"No!" Sade said. Her eyes went to the open drawer. They stopped on the sock.
“没有！”莎黛说。她的目光落到敞开的抽屉上。又停在那只袜子上。
She grabbed it. She pulled it over the little round speaker on the robot's chest. She tied it there with a paper clip.
她一把抓起袜子。把它套在机器人胸前那个圆圆的小扬声器上。再用一枚回形针把它扎住。
"Hello, friends," the robot said. "It is story time."
“大家好，朋友们，”机器人说，“故事时间到了。”
Now its voice was small and soft, as if under a blanket. The room went still.
现在它的声音又小又轻，像被盖在毯子下面一样。房间里安静下来了。
The woman at the table looked at the robot. Then she smiled. "That is better," she whispered. "I like him."
桌边的女士看着机器人。然后她笑了。“这样好多了，”她低声说，“我喜欢它。”
Two readers began to clap, very quietly. Their hands made almost no sound at all.
两位读者开始鼓掌，非常轻地。他们的手几乎没发出一点声音。
At two o'clock, the children came. There were twelve of them. They walked in a line. A girl at the front pointed at the robot.
两点钟，孩子们来了。一共十二个。他们排成一队走进来。排在最前面的一个女孩指着机器人。
"It whispers!" she said, in the smallest voice she had.
“它在悄悄说话！”她用自己最小的声音说。
"Hello, robot," all twelve children whispered together.
“你好，机器人。”十二个孩子一起低声说。
The robot waved. It danced in a slow circle on the carpet. Then it told a story about a button and a coin.
机器人挥了挥手。它在地毯上缓缓地转着圈跳舞。然后它讲了一个关于纽扣和硬币的故事。
The children sat on the floor and listened. Nobody shouted. Nobody ran. One boy laughed so hard that he rolled over. He made no sound at all.
孩子们坐在地板上听着。没有人喊叫。没有人奔跑。一个男孩笑得太厉害，滚到了一边。他一点声音也没发出。
Sade stood by the wall and watched. Uriel stood next to her, with a big smile.
莎黛站在墙边看着。乌列尔站在她身旁，笑得很开心。
"I think the sock likes its new job," he whispered.
“我想这只袜子很喜欢它的新工作。”他低声说。
"I think the sock is the best worker here," Sade whispered back.
“我想这只袜子是这里最棒的员工。”莎黛低声回答。
When the story ended, the children clapped with their fingertips. Then they went to look at the picture books.
故事讲完，孩子们用指尖鼓掌。然后他们去看图画书了。
The clock lay on Sade's desk. Its hands still said 1:36. Nobody looked at it.
钟躺在莎黛的桌子上。它的指针仍然指着一点三十六分。没有人去看它。
The robot lifted one arm. In its soft voice, it asked, "Does anyone know the time?"
机器人举起一只手臂。它用轻柔的声音问：“有人知道现在几点吗？”
