Vasco worked at a tailor shop on Lantern Street. The shop had three sewing machines. They stood in a row under the big window. The tailor called them Left, Middle and Right.
瓦斯科在灯笼街的一家裁缝店工作。店里有三台缝纫机，在大窗下排成一排。裁缝师傅管它们叫左台、中台和右台。
Vasco was new. He started last Friday. The tailor worked in the back office. The door was closed, and he never saw her sew.
瓦斯科是新来的，上周五才开始上班。师傅在后面的办公室里干活，门总是关着，他从没见过她缝东西。
Behind the shop was a small yard. A fig tree grew there, and its leaves made thick shade. In the shade stood a stone sundial. It never showed the time, because the sun never touched it.
店后面有一个小院子，里面长着一棵无花果树，树叶投下浓密的阴影。阴影里立着一座石头日晷。它从不指示时间，因为阳光从来照不到它。
On Monday morning Vasco came in at half past seven. A coat lay on the Middle machine. The night before, it was not there. Its torn sleeve was now mended with tiny stitches.
星期一早上，瓦斯科七点半来到店里。中间那台缝纫机上放着一件外套，前一天晚上它还不在那儿。那只撕破的袖子，如今已用细密的针脚补好了。
"Somebody sewed this," Vasco said to the empty room.
“有人缝过这个，”瓦斯科对着空荡荡的屋子说。
The stitches were gold. Vasco looked at the shelf of thread. There was blue, black, grey and white. There was no gold at all.
针脚是金色的。瓦斯科看了看线架，上面有蓝线、黑线、灰线和白线，一根金色的也没有。
Bo came in with a bag of buttons. Bo rode a bike and brought cloth to the shop every morning. Bo looked at the coat and smiled.
波拎着一袋纽扣走进来。波骑自行车，每天早上给店里送布料。波看看那件外套，笑了。
"The night fairy did it," Bo said. "Everyone on this street knows that."
“是夜里的仙子干的，”波说，“这条街上的人都知道。”
"There is no fairy," said Vasco.
“哪有什么仙子，”瓦斯科说。
"Then who mended the coat?"
“那是谁补好了外套？”
Vasco did not know. That was the problem. This was the fourth coat in two weeks. Each time, the work was perfect.
瓦斯科不知道，问题就在这儿。这已经是两个星期里的第四件外套了，每一次，活儿都做得完美无缺。
"People leave their torn clothes by the door," Bo said. "In the morning, they are mended. Nobody pays. Nobody sees anything."
“人们把破衣服放在门边，”波说，“早上，衣服就补好了。没人付钱，没人看见任何东西。”
"Somebody sees something," said Vasco. "I want to find the answer."
“总有人看见了点什么，”瓦斯科说，“我想找出答案。”
Bo laughed. "You are a tailor, not a detective."
波笑了。“你是裁缝，又不是侦探。”
"A tailor looks at small things," Vasco said. "Let us look."
“裁缝就是看小地方的，”瓦斯科说，“我们来看看。”
They started with the coat. Vasco held the sleeve up to the window. The stitches leaned to the left, every one of them. They were neat and quick, like handwriting.
他们从外套入手。瓦斯科把袖子举到窗前，每一针都向左倾斜，整齐又利落，像手写的字迹。
"Clue one," said Vasco. "Whoever sewed this is left-handed."
“线索一，”瓦斯科说，“缝这件衣服的人是左撇子。”
"Fairies can be left-handed," Bo said.
“仙子也可以是左撇子，”波说。
Vasco ignored that. He went to the back door and walked out into the yard. The air was cool under the fig tree. The sundial sat in its usual place. Its brass pointer was bent a little.
瓦斯科没理他。他走到后门，来到院子里。无花果树下很凉爽，日晷在老地方，它的黄铜指针有点弯。
"This is odd," said Vasco. "Yesterday the pointer was straight."
“奇怪，”瓦斯科说，“昨天指针还是直的。”
"Maybe a bird sat on it."
“也许是只鸟停在上面。”
"A bird did not turn it to the number seven."
“鸟可不会把它拨到七点的刻度。”
Bo came closer. The pointer really did aim at the mark for seven. Under the pointer lay a small fig, soft and purple.
波走近了些。指针果然对准了七点的刻度。指针下面放着一颗小小的无花果，软软的，紫色的。
"Clue two," said Vasco. "Someone moves the pointer. And someone leaves figs."
“线索二，”瓦斯科说，“有人拨动指针，还有人留下无花果。”
"Or takes them," Bo said. "People put figs here for the fairy. My mother does it every week."
“或者拿走无花果，”波说，“人们把无花果放在这儿给仙子。我妈妈每个星期都放。”
Vasco picked up the fig. He put it back. Then he saw something on the ground. A few fig leaves lay near the back door, flat and wet. One of them was stuck to the stone step.
瓦斯科拿起那颗无花果，又把它放了回去。然后他看见地上有东西：后门附近散落着几片无花果叶，平平的，湿湿的，其中一片粘在石阶上。
"Why are leaves on the step?" he said.
“台阶上为什么有叶子？”他说。
"Wind?"
“风吹的？”
"There is no wind."
“没有风。”
Bo sighed and looked at the sky. "You really want to ruin the fairy."
波叹了口气，望着天空。“你真是想毁掉那个仙子。”
"I want to know," Vasco said. "That is different."
“我只是想弄明白，”瓦斯科说，“这不一样。”
They went back inside. The shop was quiet. The three machines sat in their row. Vasco touched the seat of the Right machine. It was cold. He touched the Middle one. It was warm.
他们回到屋里。店里静悄悄的，三台缝纫机排成一排。瓦斯科摸了摸右台的座椅，是凉的；又摸了摸中台的，是暖的。
"Clue three," he said. "Somebody sat here this morning. Very early."
“线索三，”他说，“今天早上有人坐过这儿，而且非常早。”
"Maybe the fairy is warm."
“也许仙子的身体是暖的。”
"Fairies do not sit that long," Vasco said. He looked at the chair. The seat was pressed flat. "And it is set very high. Look at it."
“仙子不会坐这么久，”瓦斯科说。他看着那把椅子，坐垫被压得扁扁的。“而且椅子调得很高，你看。”
Bo looked. Yes, the seat was high. Vasco knew only one person in the shop who was tall enough.
波看了看。没错，座位很高。整个店里，瓦斯科只知道一个人高得够得着。
Both of them turned their heads at the same time. The tailor stood in the doorway. She wore her soft slippers. She held a lunch box in one hand. A fig leaf was stuck to her shoe.
两人同时转过头。裁缝师傅站在门口，穿着软软的拖鞋，一只手提着饭盒，一片无花果叶粘在她的鞋上。
Nobody spoke for a moment.
好一会儿，谁也没有说话。
"Good morning," she said, in a small voice.
“早上好，”她用很小的声音说。
"You are left-handed," said Vasco.
“您是左撇子，”瓦斯科说。
"Yes."
“是的。”
"And you are very tall."
“而且您个子很高。”
"Also yes."
“也对。”
"And you have a leaf on your shoe," said Bo.
“而且您鞋上有一片叶子，”波说。
The tailor looked down. She pulled the leaf off. She looked at it for a long time.
裁缝师傅低头看了看，把叶子揭下来，盯着它看了很久。
"I come at six," she said at last. "I sit at the Middle machine. I mend the coats that people leave. Then I turn the sundial to seven. After that, I go out to buy my lunch."
“我六点来，”她终于说，“我坐在中间那台机器前，补人们留下的外套。然后我把日晷拨到七点，之后出去买午饭。”
"Why seven?" asked Vasco.
“为什么是七点？”瓦斯科问。
"Seven is when I finish. It is my own little joke. The shop opens at eight. I like to be early."
“七点是我完工的时间。这是我自己的小玩笑。店八点开门，我喜欢早一点。”
"But why the fairy?" said Bo. "Why not just say it was you?"
“可为什么要扮成仙子？”波说，“为什么不直接说是您？”
The tailor put her lunch box on the table. She looked a little shy.
裁缝师傅把饭盒放在桌上，看起来有点害羞。
"When I mend a coat, people thank me too much," she said. "They give me flowers and speeches. One man cried. I do not like it. But a fairy? Nobody makes a speech to a fairy."
“我补好一件外套，人们就谢我谢得太多，”她说，“又是送花，又是发表演说。有个男人还哭了。我不喜欢这样。可是仙子呢？没有人会对仙子发表演说。”
"And the gold thread?" Vasco asked.
“那金线呢？”瓦斯科问。
"I make it myself. I twist a yellow thread with a little wax." She almost smiled. "It looks nice, does it not?"
“我自己做的。把一根黄线抹上一点蜡拧在一起，”她几乎笑了，“好看吧？”
Vasco looked at the coat. It did look nice. The gold stitches caught the light from the window.
瓦斯科看着外套，确实好看。金色的针脚在窗外的光里闪着光。
"And the figs?" said Bo.
“那无花果呢？”波说。
The tailor opened her lunch box. Inside were six soft purple figs. A few more waited in her coat pocket.
裁缝师傅打开饭盒，里面有六颗软软的紫色无花果，她外套口袋里还藏着几颗。
"People leave them for the fairy," she said. "It is rude to waste them."
“人们是留给仙子的，”她说，“浪费了多不礼貌。”
Vasco began to laugh. Bo laughed too. Soon the tailor laughed as well. The three machines seemed to shake in their row.
瓦斯科大笑起来，波也笑了，不一会儿裁缝师傅也笑了。排成一排的三台缝纫机似乎也跟着颤动。
"The whole street believes in a fairy," said Vasco. "And the fairy is you."
“整条街都相信有仙子，”瓦斯科说，“而仙子就是您。”
"A fairy is not so tired," the tailor said. "I only sleep five hours."
“仙子可没这么累，”裁缝师傅说，“我只睡五个小时。”
"What do we tell people?" asked Bo.
“我们该怎么跟大家说？”波问。
"Nothing. Please." The tailor held out the box. "If anyone asks, say the fairy is very busy."
“什么都别说，拜托了。”裁缝师傅把饭盒递过来，“要是有人问起，就说仙子很忙。”
Vasco took a fig. It was sweet and cool. He thought about the left-handed stitches. He thought about the bent pointer and the warm chair. They were there all along. He only needed to look.
瓦斯科拿了一颗无花果，又甜又凉。他想着那些向左倾斜的针脚，想着弯了的指针和温热的椅子。它们一直都在那里，他只是需要去看。
Bo took a fig too and bit into it. Then Bo looked at the tailor with a serious face.
波也拿了一颗，咬了一口。然后，波一脸严肃地看着裁缝师傅。
"So the fairy is just hungry?"
“所以仙子只是饿了？”
"The fairy is always hungry, Bo," said the tailor. "Now pass me the buttons."
“仙子总是饿着的，波，”裁缝师傅说，“现在把纽扣递给我。”
