Dov worked at the campsite shop for the summer. He sold ice, matches and fishing line. He also practiced his English on every guest.
多夫整个夏天都在营地商店打工。他卖冰块、火柴和钓鱼线。他还拿每一位客人练习自己的英语。
His English was slow and careful. Sometimes it was also very funny. He said, "I speak English like a duck with a dictionary." He did not smile.
他的英语又慢又谨慎。有时候也非常好笑。他说：“我说英语，就像一只带着词典的鸭子。”他并没有笑。
On a quiet morning, a woman came into the shop. Her name was Fenna. She had wet hair and a red nose. In her hand was a postcard.
一个安静的早晨，一位女士走进商店。她叫芬娜。头发湿漉漉的，鼻子红红的。她手里拿着一张明信片。
"Please help me," she said. "I need to send this card today. But I have a small problem."
“请帮帮我，”她说，“我今天必须把这张卡寄出去。可是我有个小问题。”
"I like problems," said Dov. "They are good for my English."
“我喜欢问题，”多夫说，“它们对我的英语有好处。”
Fenna put the card on the counter. On the front was a picture of the river. On the back was a long message in blue pen. It was funny and a little wild.
芬娜把卡片放在柜台上。正面是一幅河流的照片。背面是用蓝笔写的一长段留言。内容很搞笑，还有点疯。
"Dear sister," it said. "Happy birthday! Today I fell into a river. Not on purpose. A duck laughed at me."
“亲爱的姐姐，”上面写道，“生日快乐！今天我掉进了河里。不是故意的。一只鸭子嘲笑了我。”
"This is a good card," said Dov. "The duck is my favorite part."
“这是一张好卡片，”多夫说，“鸭子是我最喜欢的部分。”
"There is no address," said Fenna. "My sister moved to this country last month. I only know she lives in this town. My phone is dead, so I cannot look it up."
“上面没有地址，”芬娜说，“我姐姐上个月搬到这个国家来了。我只知道她住在这个镇上。我的手机没电了，所以没法查。”
Dov looked at the card for a long time. "No address," he said. "This is a card for nobody."
多夫盯着卡片看了很久。“没有地址，”他说，“这是一张寄给‘没有人’的卡片。”
"It is a card for my sister," said Fenna. "She just does not have a street."
“这是寄给我姐姐的卡片，”芬娜说，“她只是还没有街道而已。”
"What do you know about the house?" Dov asked. He took a pencil. He felt like a very serious police officer.
“关于那所房子，你知道些什么？”多夫问。他拿起一支铅笔，觉得自己像一位非常严肃的警察。
Fenna thought hard. "She told me three things on the phone," she said. "The gate is yellow. The door is the color of a lemon. And there is a goat."
芬娜使劲想了想。“她在电话里告诉我三件事，”她说，“大门是黄色的。门是柠檬的颜色。还有一只山羊。”
"A goat?" Dov put down the pencil. "In the garden?"
“山羊？”多夫放下了铅笔。“在花园里？”
"In the garden. She says he is very famous."
“在花园里。她说它非常有名。”
"Which goat?" said Dov. "This town has eleven goats. But only one very important goat."
“哪一只山羊？”多夫说，“这个镇上有十一只山羊。但只有一只非常重要的山羊。”
Fenna laughed. "How do you know which one is important?"
芬娜笑了。“你怎么知道哪一只重要？”
"Because he is on the town sign," said Dov. "And he eats paper."
“因为它在镇牌子上，”多夫说，“而且它吃纸。”
"He eats paper?"
“它吃纸？”
"Only the white kind," said Dov. "The post lady gives him a carrot every day. Then he does not follow her."
“只吃白色的那种，”多夫说，“邮递员阿姨每天给它一根胡萝卜。这样它就不会跟着她走了。”
Fenna looked at the postcard in her hand. It was white. Her face became very serious.
芬娜看着手里的明信片。它是白色的。她的脸变得非常严肃。
"So I cannot just put it in that house's mailbox," she said.
“那我就不能直接把它投进那家的信箱了，”她说。
"The goat will read your message first," said Dov.
“山羊会先读你的留言，”多夫说。
They both laughed. A man came to buy ice. Dov gave him a bag and took his coins. The man left. Then Dov turned back to Fenna. He had a new look on his face.
两个人都笑了。一个男人来买冰块。多夫给了他一袋冰，收下他的硬币。男人走了。然后多夫转向芬娜。他脸上有了一副新的神情。
"The goat lives on Mill Road," he said. "I know it. It is near my school. The yellow gate belongs to a woman with a trumpet."
“那只山羊住在磨坊路，”他说，“我知道。就在我学校附近。那扇黄色的大门属于一位吹小号的女士。”
"My sister plays the trumpet," said Fenna slowly. "She says her new neighbors hate it."
“我姐姐吹小号，”芬娜慢慢地说，“她说她的新邻居们讨厌那声音。”
"Then it is her house," said Dov. "No other house on Mill Road has a lemon door."
“那就是她家了，”多夫说，“磨坊路上没有别的房子是柠檬色的门。”
Fenna put both hands on the counter. "You just found my sister," she said. "With a goat."
芬娜双手撑在柜台上。“你刚刚找到了我姐姐，”她说，“靠一只山羊。”
"With a goat and a little English," said Dov. He looked proud.
“靠一只山羊和一点点英语，”多夫说。他看上去很得意。
"Now the card can go in the mail," said Fenna. "A birthday card must come in the mail. It is more fun."
“现在这张卡片可以寄出去了，”芬娜说，“生日卡就该用邮寄的。这样更有意思。”
"I will write the address on the card," said Dov. "In my language. Then the post lady understands."
“我把地址写在卡片上，”多夫说，“用我们的语言写。这样邮递员阿姨就看得懂了。”
He took her pen. He wrote slowly, one letter at a time. First came the road, then the number, then the town. The number was fourteen. He knew it because it was painted on the gate.
他拿起她的笔。他写得很慢，一笔一画地写。先是路名，再是门牌号，最后是镇名。门牌号是十四。他知道，因为它就漆在大门上。
"Is that all?" asked Fenna.
“就这些了吗？”芬娜问。
"One more thing," said Dov. He wrote a few more words at the bottom of the card. "This says, 'Not for the goat.'"
“还有一件事，”多夫说。他在卡片底部又多写了几个字。“这写的是：‘不是给山羊的。’”
Fenna laughed so hard that she had to hold the counter.
芬娜笑得太厉害，不得不扶住柜台。
"We need a stamp," said Dov. "I have stamps in the drawer. Stamps are the only thing here that is not wet."
“我们需要一张邮票，”多夫说，“我抽屉里有邮票。邮票是这里唯一不潮的东西。”
He gave her a stamp. She put it on the corner of the card. Then she pressed it down.
他递给她一张邮票。她把它贴在卡片的角上，然后用力按平。
"I owe you something," she said. "What can I give you?"
“我欠你一份人情，”她说，“我能给你什么？”
Dov thought. "Speak to me for ten minutes," he said. "Only English. Fast, like you always do. I want to hear it."
多夫想了想。“跟我说十分钟话，”他说，“只说英语。要快，就像你平时那样。我想听听。”
So Fenna talked. She told him about the river and the duck. Then she told him about her borrowed tent. She spoke fast and Dov listened with his whole face. Sometimes he did not understand. Then he asked, "What does 'borrow' mean?" She explained, and he wrote the word on his hand.
于是芬娜开口讲了起来。她给他讲了那条河和那只鸭子。接着讲了她借来的帐篷。她说得很快，多夫整张脸都在认真地听。有时候他听不懂。他就问：“‘borrow’是什么意思？”她解释了一遍，他把这个词写在了手上。
When ten minutes ended, the sun was high. Fenna picked up the card.
十分钟结束时，太阳已经升得很高了。芬娜拿起卡片。
"The yellow mailbox is at the campsite gate," said Dov. "I walk with you."
“黄色的邮筒在营地大门口，”多夫说，“我陪你走过去。”
They went out into the bright morning. The grass was warm. Near the river, a family played cards on a blanket. A small boat moved slowly along the far bank.
他们走进明亮的早晨。草地暖暖的。河边，一家人在毯子上玩纸牌。一条小船沿着对岸缓缓移动。
At the gate stood the yellow mailbox. Fenna held the card to her chest for a moment. Then she put it in.
营地大门口立着那只黄色的邮筒。芬娜把卡片贴在胸口停了一会儿。然后她把它投了进去。
It fell with a soft sound. Dov nodded. The hard job was finished.
它落下去，发出一声轻轻的响动。多夫点了点头。最难的活儿完成了。
On the river, a duck pulled a thin line across the water. Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Dov looked at his hand.
河面上，一只鸭子拉出一道细长的水纹。两人谁也没有说话，过了一会儿。然后多夫低头看着自己的手。
"Borrow," he said quietly, to practice. "Borrow, borrow, borrow."
“borrow，”他轻声说，练习着，“borrow，borrow，borrow。”
