The little governess

Oh dear, she wished she wasn't travelling at night. She would much rather have travelled by day, much rather. But the lady at the Governess Agency had said: 'Take an evening boat. Then you can get into a "Ladies Only" carriage on the train next day, and that will be much safer than sleeping in a foreign hotel. Don't leave your seat on the train except to go and wash your hands, and when you do that, make sure you lock the door. The train arrives at Munich at eight o'clock in the morning, and Frau Arnholdt says that the Hotel Grunewald is only one minute away. She will arrive at six the same evening, so you can have a nice quiet day to rest and practise your German. When you want something to eat, I advise you to go to the nearest baker's and get a cake and some coffee. You haven't been abroad before, have you?'

No.'

Well, I always tell my girls that it's better to believe that other people are all bad than all good. It sounds hard, but we've got to be women of the world, haven't we?'

It was nice on the boat. The attendant in the Ladies' Sitting Room was so kind, and changed her money for her and helped her to find a comfortable place to lie down. She lay there and watched the other passengers taking off their hats and arranging themselves for the night. The attendant put a green shade over the lamp and sat with her sewing on her knees. 'I like travelling very much,' thought the little governess. She smiled as she fell asleep.

But when the boat stopped and she moved sleepily forward with all the people who knew where to go and what to do—then she felt afraid. Just a little afraid, just enough to wish—oh, that it was day and that she had someone, another woman, to travel with her.

Tickets, please. Show your tickets. Have your tickets ready.'

She was off the boat. Immediately, a man in a leather hat came forward and touched her on the arm. 'Where for, Miss?' He spoke English—he must be a guard or an official of some kind with a hat like that. But then—without asking—he took her bag and started pushing past people, shouting: 'This way!' He had such a rude, determined voice.

But I don't want help with my bag.' What a horrible man! 'I don't want any help. I can carry it myself.' He walked so fast that she had to run, and she tried to pull the bag out of his hand. He took no notice, but continued down the long, dark platform and across the railway line. She was sure that he was a robber as she, too, crossed the railway line. On the other side—oh, thank goodness!—there was a train with 'Munich' written on it.

The man stopped. 'Here?' asked the rude voice.

Yes, a Ladies' carriage.' She opened her little purse to find something small enough to give to this horrible man, while he threw the bag into an empty carriage. There was a 'Ladies Only' notice stuck to the window. She got into the train and gave him a coin.

What's this?' shouted the man, looking at it angrily. 'What have you given me? It isn't enough!' Did he think that he could trick her like that just because she was a girl and travelling alone at night? Never, never! She kept her purse safe in her hand and refused, simply refused, to see or hear him.

Ah no. Ah no. This is not enough. You make a mistake.' He jumped onto the train and threw the money back at her.

Trembling with terror, she put out an icy hand and took the money. 'That's all you're going to get,' she said. For a minute he stood, staring at her with his sharp eyes. Then he said something she did not understand, and disappeared into the dark. Oh, how thankful she was! How simply terrible that had been. As she stood up to see if her bag was all right, she saw her face in the mirror—white, with big, round eyes. 'You're all right now,' she said to the mirror face, feeling that it was more frightened than she was.

People stood talking in groups on the platform; a strange light from the station lamps made their faces green. A boy was selling tea; a woman offered blankets for hire. White smoke floated in the dark air. 'How strange it all is,' thought the little governess, 'and the middle of the night, too.' She looked out from her safe corner of the carriage. She was not frightened any more, but proud that she had not given that man any money. 'I can take care of myself—of course I can. The great thing is not to—'

Suddenly there was a sound of men's voices and loud laughter. It came nearer. The little governess froze in her corner as four young men passed, staring in at her through the window. One of them, bursting with the joke, pointed at the 'Ladies Only' notice, and they all stopped to stare at the little girl in the corner. Oh dear, they were in the next carriage. She heard them talking and laughing, and then there was a sudden silence before one of them, a tall thin fellow with black hair, threw open her door.

We invite you to share our carriage, Mademoiselle,' he said in French. She could see the others, standing behind him. She sat very straight and very still. 'Please be so kind,' said the tall man, and behind him one of the others exploded into screams of laughter. 'The young lady is too serious,' said the man. Then they all went laughing back to their carriage and she was alone again.

Close the doors! Close the doors!' Someone ran up and down beside the train.

I wish it wasn't dark. I wish there was another woman in my carriage. I'm frightened of the men next door.' The little governess looked out of the window, and saw—the man in the leather hat coming back again. His arms were full of luggage. But—what was he doing? He tore the 'Ladies Only' notice off the window, while an old man climbed into the carriage. 'But this is for ladies only.'

Oh, no, Miss. You make a mistake.'

Close the doors!' A whistle blew and the train started.

Tears came to her eyes, but through them she saw the old man taking off his hat. He looked very old. Ninety, at least. But he had a nice face, pink, with little blue eyes. And he asked her, so politely, 'Would you like me to move to another carriage, Mademoiselle?'

What, make him carry all those heavy things? She couldn't do that! 'No, it's quite all right.'

Ah, a thousand thanks.'

The train left the station and rushed into the dark. She looked out of the window but could see nothing—just the occasional light on a hill or the shape of a tree. In the carriage next door the young men were singing—the same song again and again. 'I wouldn't dare go to sleep if I were alone in here,' thought the little governess. She was glad that the old man was there. Really, he looked so nice, sitting there, so straight-backed and neat, reading his German newspaper. Some old men were horrible, but he... He put down his newspaper. 'Do you speak German, Mademoiselle?'

Yes, a little,' said the little governess, blushing a deep pink.

Ah, then, perhaps you would like to look at my papers. I have several here.'

First, she took off her hat, and put it safely with her bag. How kindly the old man watched her as her little hand turned over the big white pages. Her beautiful golden hair hung over her face. How sad to be a poor little governess and have such wonderful hair! Perhaps the kind old man was thinking that. Perhaps he thought, 'Poor little girl, travelling all alone at night. I wish I could be a grandfather to her and look after her!'

Thank you very much,' she smiled, giving back the papers.

But you speak German extremely well,' said the old man. 'You have been in Germany before, of course?'

Oh, no, this is the first time I have ever been abroad at all.'

Really! I am surprised. I had the feeling you had travelled a great deal before. Well, you will like Munich,' said the old man. 'Munich is a wonderful city. Museums, pictures, theatres, shops—you can find everything in Munich. I have travelled all over Europe, but I am always glad to get back to Munich.'

I am not going to stay in Munich,' said the little governess shyly. 'I am going to be governess to a doctor's family in Augsburg.'

Ah, he knew Augsburg. A fine city, too. 'But you should take a little holiday in Munich before you go.'

Oh, I am afraid I could not do that,' said the little governess seriously. 'Also, if one is alone...' He understood. He, too, looked serious, and they were both silent after that. The train flew on through the night. It was warm in the carriage. There were distant noises of doors opening and closing, rain on the windows. She fell asleep.

A sudden loud noise woke her. What had happened? The old man sat frowning. 'Ha! ha! ha!' came from the next carriage.

Such thoughtless young men,' said the old man. 'I am afraid that they have woken you up with their noisy behaviour.' No, not really. She wanted to wake up now. She looked at her watch. Half-past four. A cold blue light filled the window. She looked out on fields, white houses, trees. How pretty it was! How pretty and how different! Even those pink clouds in the sky looked foreign. She rubbed her cold hands together, and felt very happy.

The train began to go more slowly. It gave a long whistle. They were coming to a town. Tall pink and yellow houses went by. A woman threw open her window and stared out at the train. More women appeared. And then—Look! What lovely flowers—and at the railway station, too! Colours you would never see at home.

The train stopped. A fat woman walked along the platform, carrying baskets of strawberries. Oh, she was thirsty! She was very thirsty!

The old man got up, smiling, and put his coat on. She smiled back at him as he left the carriage. While he was gone, the little governess looked at herself in the mirror and arranged her hair like a girl who is quite old enough to travel by herself. But she was so thirsty! She opened the window, and the fat woman with the strawberries came to her immediately. 'How much?' asked the little governess. 'Oh, my goodness! Much too expensive!' And she sat down in her corner again.

A whistle blew. She hoped the old man would not be left behind. Oh, here he was! And she smiled at him like an old friend as he came back into the carriage, holding—a basket of strawberries! 'Mademoiselle, please accept these...'

What, are they for me?' She looked alarmed, uncertain.

Certainly, for you,' said the old man. 'I myself am no longer able to eat strawberries. Please. Try one.'

Oh, thank you!' she gasped. 'They look so delicious.'

Eat them all up,' said the old man, looking pleased and friendly. They were so big and juicy that she had to take two bites of each one. The juice ran all over her fingers. While she was eating them, she pretended to herself that the old man was her grandfather. What a perfect grandfather he would be!

When she had finished the strawberries, she felt that she had known him for years. She told him all about Frau Arnholdt and the arrangements for meeting her in Munich. Frau Arnholdt would not arrive until the evening. He listened, and then he said, 'I wonder if you would let me show you a little of Munich today. Just the English Garden, and perhaps a museum... It would be so much more pleasant for you than sitting in a hotel room, and it would give an old man a great deal of pleasure.'

She said 'yes' immediately, and only wondered later if that had been a sensible thing to do. After all, she really did not know him. But he was so old and so kind—not to mention the strawberries. And it was her last day, really, her last day to enjoy herself.

I will take you to your hotel,' he said, 'and call for you there at ten o'clock.' He gave her a card with his name on it. So then everything was arranged, everything was all right. And the little governess began to feel excited at being abroad, and enjoyed looking out of the window at all the new and foreign things, and talking about them all to the kind old grandfather until they reached Munich. He guided her carefully through the crowds at the station, and took her straight to her hotel. 'I will call for you at ten o'clock,' he said, and then he was gone.

This way, Miss,' said a waiter, who had been staring at the little governess and the old man.

She followed him up the stairs to a dark bedroom. Ugh! What an ugly, cold room! How horrible it would be to spend the whole day here! 'Is this the room Frau Arnholdt ordered for me?' asked the little governess.

The waiter kept staring at her—he seemed to think there was something peculiar about her. He began to whistle, then changed his mind. 'Certainly,' he said.

Well, why didn't he go? Why did he stare at her like that? 'Go away,' said the little governess, in her cold English way. His little eyes widened in surprise. 'Go away at once,' she repeated icily.

He went to the door, but then he turned round. 'And your gentleman friend,' he said. 'Shall I send him upstairs to you when he comes?'

*　　*　　*

Big white clouds over the white streets—and sunshine everywhere.Tall trees on both sides of the streets, trams full of fat, smiling people, a sound of laughter from open windows.And beside her, looking neater and more beautifully brushed than ever, her grandfather, who was showing her Munich. She wanted to run, to hang on his arm, to cry, 'Oh, I am so very happy!'

He guided her across the roads, waiting while she looked at everything and watching her with his kind eyes. She ate bread and meat and drank beer out of a huge glass like a flower vase. It didn't make you drunk like English beer. And then they went to look at pictures in the museum.

When they came out of the museum, it was raining. The grandfather put up his umbrella, and held it over her as they walked to a restaurant to have lunch. 'It will be easier if you take my arm,' he said. 'And, you know, that is the custom here in Germany.' So she took his arm and walked beside him, and the walk was so interesting that he forgot to put the umbrella down even when the rain stopped.

After lunch they went to the English Garden. 'I wonder what the time is,' said the little governess. 'My watch has stopped. We've seen so many things that I feel it must be quite late.'

Late!' he laughed, 'late! But there is so much more to see, and you have not yet tried our delicious ice-cream!'

Oh,' cried the little governess, 'I have enjoyed myself more than I can say. It has been wonderful! But Frau Arnholdt is calling at the hotel for me at six, so I should be there by five.'

And you shall be there, but first we will sit down in this café and have a chocolate ice-cream.'

She was happy again. The ice-cream slipped down beautifully, and she sat with her back to the clock that pointed to twenty-five minutes to seven. 'Really and truly,' she said, 'this has been the happiest day of my life.' Her grateful baby heart was full of love for her dear old grandfather.

When they left the English Garden, the day was almost over. 'You see those big buildings there,' said the old man. 'That is where I live—I and my old housekeeper who looks after me.' She was very interested. 'Now, before I take you back to your hotel, will you come up for a few minutes and see my little home?' Of course, she would love to.

The passage was quite dark. 'Ah, I suppose my old woman has gone out to buy me a chicken.' He opened the door, and shy but curious, she went into a strange room. She did not know quite what to say. It wasn't pretty, but it was neat, and, she supposed, comfortable for such an old man. 'Well, what do you think of my little home?' He took a bottle and two pink glasses out of a cupboard. 'If ever you want to spend one or two days in Munich, there will always be a place for you here, and an old man ready to look after you.' He poured some wine into the pink glasses, and his hand shook a little as he poured. It was very quiet in the room.

She said, 'I think I ought to go now.'

But you will have a little glass of wine with me—just one tiny glass before you go?' said the old man.

No, really, no. I never drink wine, or anything like that.' And although she was afraid she was being awfully rude, she was quite determined. 'No, really, please.'

Well, will you sit here by me for five minutes while I drink your health?'

The little governess sat down on the edge of the sofa, and he sat beside her and drank. 'Have you really been happy today?' asked the old man, and he sat so close to her that she could feel his knee against hers. Before she could answer, he took her hands in his. 'And are you going to give me one little kiss before you go?' he asked, pulling her towards him.

It was a dream. It wasn't true! It wasn't the same old man at all. Ah, how horrible! The little governess stared at him in terror. 'No, no no!' she gasped, pulling away from him.

One little kiss. A kiss.Just a little kiss, my dear.' He pushed his face into hers, his lips smiling. How his little blue eyes shone!

Never—never. How can you!' She jumped up, but he was too quick for her, and he pushed her against the wall and pushed his hard old body against hers. Although she fought him, shaking her head desperately from side to side, he kissed her on the mouth. On the mouth! Where nobody had ever kissed her before...

She ran, ran down the street until she found a wide road with trams and a policeman standing in the middle. 'I want to get a tram to the station,' cried the little governess.

Excuse me?'

The station!'

There—there's a tram now,' and he watched, very much surprised, as the little girl with her hat on one side and tears pouring down her face, jumped on to the tram and sat there with her hands over her mouth.

*　　*　　*

When the little governess reached the Hotel Grunewald, the same waiter who had shown her to her room was there, putting glasses on the tables. He seemed oddly pleased to see her and to answer her questions. 'Oh, yes, the lady came. I told her you had arrived and then gone out again with a gentleman. She asked me when you were coming back again—but of course I could not say. And then she went to see the manager.' He picked up a glass and examined it closely. He smiled as he put it down again.

Where is the lady now?' asked the little governess, shaking so violently that she had to hold her handkerchief up to her mouth.

How should I know?' cried the waiter, and he pushed past her to greet some new guests coming through the door of the hotel. 'That's it! That's it!' he thought. 'That will teach her.' And as he picked up the new guests' luggage, he repeated again the little governess's words, 'Go away. Go away at once. Shall I! Shall I!' he shouted to himself.

governess n. woman employed to teach young children in their home (usu. living as a member of the household). 家庭女教师（通常似家庭成员般一起生活）。

Frau the German word for 'Mrs' (a married woman). （德语）夫人，太太（指已婚妇女）。

shade n. thing that shuts out light or makes it less bright. 遮光物。

determined adj. with one's mind firmly made up; resolute. 有决心的；意志坚定的；坚决的。

trick v. deceive (sb.). 欺骗，欺诈（某人）。

offer v. give opportunity for (sth.); provide. 为（某事物）提供机会；给予。

freeze v. (cause a person or an animal to) stop suddenly; make or become unable to move, speak, or act, because of fear, shock, etc. （使人或动物）突然停住；惊呆；吓呆。

explode v. (of feelings) burst out suddenly. （指感情）迸发。

occasional adj. happening, coming, done, etc. from time to time; not regular. 偶然的；偶尔的；非定时的。

thoughtless adj. inconsiderate of others; selfish. 不顾及他人的；自私的。

rub v. act or process of rubbing. 擦；磨；摩擦。

at home 在本国；在国内。

leave sb./sth. behind fail or forget to bring or take sb./sth. 未能或忘记带某人或某物。

gasp v. utter sth. in a breathless way. 气喘吁吁地说。

call for collect (sb./sth.). 接（人或物）。

tram n. public passenger vehicle, usu. driven by electricity, running on rails laid along the streets of a town. （有轨的）电车。

custom n. usual, generally accepted and long established way of behaving or doing things. 习俗；风俗。

call at make a short visit. 拜访。

slip down beautifully pleasant to drink, eat, etc. 很好喝（吃等）。

pour v. cause (a liquid or substance that flows like liquid) to flow in a continuous stream. 灌注，倾泻。

drink your health express good wishes to your health by drinking (toast). 为你的健康干杯。

家庭女教师

噢，天啊，她多么希望不在夜间旅行啊。她宁肯在白天旅行，宁肯在白天。可是家庭女教师办事处的那位女士说：“搭乘夜间的船只，第二天再换乘火车，乘坐‘女士专用’车厢，这样要比在外国旅馆里过夜安全得多。在火车上，除了去洗手间，否则不要离开你的座位，去洗手间时一定要锁好房门。火车早上8点钟到达慕尼黑，阿恩霍尔德夫人说车站离格罗尼沃尔德旅馆只有一分钟的路程。她会在当天晚上6点钟到那儿，你可以安静地好好休息一天，练练德语。你要是想吃东西，我建议你去最近的面包店要一块蛋糕，喝点儿咖啡。你以前没出过国吧？”

“没有。”

“嗯，我总是告诉到这儿来的女孩子们，最好相信别人都是坏人，而不要相信他们都是好人。这听起来很冷酷，但是在这个世界上，我们身为女人不得不这样，你说对吗？”

乘船挺不错的。女士舱的服务员很和气，为她兑换钱币，还帮她找了个舒服的地方让她躺下。她躺在那儿，望着其他乘客把帽子摘下来，准备睡觉。服务员用绿色的罩子把灯罩住，在她身边坐下来，把针线活放在膝盖上做了起来。“我真喜欢旅行呀。”小教师心想。她微笑着睡着了。

但是当船停下来，她困倦地随着那些知道自己要往哪儿去以及去干什么的人群往前走时——她害怕起来。但只是有点儿害怕，这使她不禁期盼起来——噢，现在要是白天，并且有位女旅伴就好了。

“检票，请出示您的票，把票准备好。”

她下了船。马上就有个戴皮帽子的男人走过来，碰了碰她的胳膊。“去哪儿，小姐？”他用英语说——戴这种帽子的人很可能是个警卫或是某类职员。可紧接着——问都没问她一声——他就拎起她的包，开始推开行人往前走，他大叫着：“这边儿走！”他的声音很粗鲁，不容置疑。

“我不需要人帮我拎包。”多可怕的一个人！“我不需要人帮忙，我自己拎得动。”他走得很快，她得跑着才能追上。她试图从他手里把包夺回来。但他毫不理会，继续沿着又长又黑的站台往前走，穿过了铁路线。当她也跟着穿过那条铁路线时，她深信这人是个强盗。对面——噢，谢天谢地！——有辆火车，上面写着“慕尼黑”。

那人停了下来。“是这儿吗？”他粗鲁地问。

“对，女士车厢。”就在她打开小钱包，想找点儿小钱给这个令人讨厌的男人的时候，那人把她的包扔进了一节空车厢。车厢的窗户上贴着一张“女士专用”的条子。她上了火车，给了那人一枚硬币。

“这是什么？”那个男人吼道，生气地看着给他的钱，“你给了我些什么？不够！”他以为她是个晚上独自出门的女孩子就可以这样骗她吗？没门儿，绝对没门儿！她把钱包牢牢地攥在手里，不肯理他，她根本就不想理睬他。

“噢，不。噢，不。这不够，你搞错了。”他跳上火车，把钱朝她扔过来。

她害怕得浑身发抖，伸出冰冷的手把钱捡起来。“只能给你这么多。”她说。他在那儿站了片刻，那双尖利的眼睛盯着她。然后，他说了句什么，她也没听懂，他就消失在黑暗中了。噢，她真觉得庆幸！刚才的事真是太可怕了。当她起身查看自己的包是否放好了的时候，她在镜子里看到了自己的脸——面色苍白，双眼圆睁。“你现在没事了。”她对着镜中的那张脸说，感觉那张脸比她自己还要害怕。

人们成群地站在站台上聊天；车站上那古怪的灯光把人们的脸映成了绿色。一个男孩儿在卖茶叶；一个女人在出租毯子。黑暗的天空中飘着白烟。“多么不可思议呀，”小教师心想，“这可是在半夜啊。”她从车厢自己那安全的角落里往外望着。她不再觉得害怕了，相反，她觉得很自豪，她没有给那个男人一分钱。“我能自己照顾自己了——我当然能。重要的是不去——”

突然传来了男人的说话声和大笑声。声音越来越近了。四个年轻小伙子经过她这儿的时候，透过窗户盯着她瞧，小教师待在角落里一动也不敢动。其中一人指着“女士专用”的条子，跟他们开了个玩笑，他们都停下来盯着角落里的这个小女孩儿看。噢，天啊，他们就在隔壁车厢。她听到他们又说又笑，忽然静了下来，其中一个黑头发、身材瘦高的小伙子推开了她车厢的门。

“我们邀请您来我们车厢，小姐。”他用法语说道。她看到另外几个人在他身后站着。她笔直地坐在那儿，一动不动。“请您赏光。”高个子说。他身后有个人哄然大笑起来。“这位小姐太严肃了。”这人又说道。然后他们笑着回到了自己的车厢，这里又剩下她一个人了。

“关上车门！关上车门！”有人在火车边跑来跑去。

“要不是在夜里该多好，但愿我这节车厢再来一位女士。隔壁那些人真令我害怕。”小教师朝窗外望去，她看见——那个戴皮帽子的男人又回来了。他怀里抱了满满一大堆行李。可——他来干什么呀？他把“女士专用”的条子从窗户上撕了下来，这时一个老头儿爬进了车厢。“可这节车厢是女士专用的呀。”

“哦，不，小姐，你弄错了。”

“关门了！”汽笛鸣响，火车开动了。

泪水涌出了她的眼睛。透过泪眼，她看到那个老头儿摘下了帽子。他看上去很老，至少有90岁。但他的脸红红的，长着一双蓝色的小眼睛，看上去很和善。他非常客气地问她：“要不要我换个车厢，小姐？”

什么，让他一个人把那些沉重的东西都搬走吗？她不能这样做！“不用了，这样可以。”

“啊，万分感谢。”

火车出了站，在黑暗中向前疾驶。她往窗外望去，但什么也看不见——只能偶尔看见山上的灯光或者树的轮廓。隔壁车厢里的年轻人在唱歌——同一首歌唱了一遍又一遍。“要是一个人在这儿的话，我可不敢睡觉。”小教师想。她很高兴有位老人在这儿。他笔直端正地坐在那儿看德文报纸，看上去真是非常和善。有些老头儿很让人讨厌，但是他……老人放下报纸问她：“你会说德语吗，小姐？”

“是的，会一点儿。”小教师回答道，她的脸变得通红。

“啊，那么，也许你想看看我的报纸吧，我这儿有好几份呢。”

她先把帽子摘掉，把它好好地和包放在一起。当她的小手翻着大张的白色报纸时，老人在多么慈祥地望着她呀！她那美丽的金发垂在脸旁。也许这位和蔼的老人在想，作为一个贫穷的小家庭教师，拥有这样一头秀发是多么令人悲哀啊！他可能还会想：“可怜的小姑娘，竟然独自在夜间旅行。我真希望作她的祖父去照顾她！”

“太谢谢您了。”她微笑着把报纸还回去。

“你的德语讲得很好，”老人说，“你以前一定去过德国吧？”

“哦，没有，这是我第一次出国。”

“真的吗？我很吃惊。我感觉你以前好像经常旅行。嗯，你会喜欢慕尼黑的。”老人说，“慕尼黑是座很棒的城市，博物馆、绘画、剧院、商店——应有尽有。我去过欧洲的各个地方，但我总是很高兴能回到慕尼黑来。”

“我不会在慕尼黑久住，”小教师不好意思地说，“我要去奥格斯堡一个医生家当家庭教师。”

啊，他知道奥格斯堡，那也是座不错的城市。“不过你去奥格斯堡之前，还是应该在慕尼黑度个短假。”

“哦，恐怕我不能那样做，”小教师严肃地说，“而且，如果是独自一人……”他明白她的意思。他也严肃起来，接下去他们就都不出声了。火车继续在夜色中飞驰。车厢里很暖和。远处传来开门关门以及雨点打在窗户上的声音。她就这样睡着了。

突然一声巨响把她吵醒了。出了什么事？老人皱着眉头坐在那儿。隔壁传来“哈！哈！哈！”的声音。

“这些自私的年轻人，”老人说，“恐怕他们吵吵闹闹的，把你给弄醒了吧？”不，真的没有。她本来就要醒了。她看看手表，4点半了。一束冰冷的蓝光照在窗户上。她望着外面的田野、白房子、还有树木。多漂亮啊！多漂亮多特别啊！连那天空中的粉色云彩都显得充满了异国情调。她搓着冰冷的双手，感觉真是快乐极了。

火车开始减速了，发出长长的鸣笛声。他们驶入了一个小镇。高高的粉色和黄色的房屋从车边掠过。有个女人打开窗户，盯着火车看。更多的女人出现了。接着——快看呀！多可爱的花儿呀——就在车站旁边！这些颜色你在国内是根本看不到的。

火车停下来了。一个胖女人沿着站台走来，手里提着装满草莓的篮子。噢，她觉得口渴了！真是渴得要命！

老人微笑着站起身，把外衣穿上。他离开车厢时，她也朝老人笑了笑。他走后，小教师照了照镜子，理了理头发，就像个可以独自出门旅行的大姑娘那样。可她确实太渴了！她打开车窗，那个卖草莓的胖女人马上就走了过来。“多少钱？”小教师问。“噢，我的天！太贵了！”她又在角落里坐下。

汽笛响了。她希望老人不要被落下。哦，他来了！当他回到车厢时，她像老朋友似的冲他微笑，他手里拿着——一篮子草莓！“小姐，请收下……”

“什么，给我的吗？”她看起来很惊慌，不太确信的样子。

“当然是给你的，”老人说，“我自己已经不能吃草莓了。请尝一尝吧。”

“哦，谢谢您！”她高兴得倒吸了口气，“这些草莓看起来真是太鲜美了。”

“把它们都吃了吧。”老人说。他看起来很高兴，也很亲切。草莓又大，汁水又多，她得咬上两口才能吃完一个。她的手指上沾满了草莓汁。她在吃草莓的时候，把老人假想成自己的祖父。他会是个多么完美的祖父啊！

她吃完草莓，感觉自己好像已经认识他好多年了似的。她把阿恩霍尔德夫人以及在慕尼黑如何与她会面的安排都告诉了这位老人。阿恩霍尔德夫人晚上才能到。他听她讲完，然后说：“不知道你今天想不想让我带你在慕尼黑转转，就看看英国花园，也可能再去看看博物馆……这要比你在旅馆房间里坐着开心多了，也会给我这个老人带来很多乐趣。”

她马上就回答说“行”，过后她才去想这样做是否明智。毕竟她并不真正了解他。但是他年纪这么大了，人又那么好——更不用说还送草莓给她吃了。这是她的最后一天，真的，最后一个可以痛痛快快玩的日子。

“我先带你去旅馆，”他说，“然后10点钟我去那儿接你。”他给了她一张名片。于是一切都安排妥当了，一切都那么尽如人意。小教师开始为自己身处异国他乡而感到兴奋，她欣赏着窗外所有那些新奇陌生的事物，跟这位好心的老祖父谈论着这一切，就这样一直到他们抵达慕尼黑车站。他小心地领着她穿过车站上的人群，把她直接送到旅馆。“我10点钟来接你。”他说完就走了。

“这边请，小姐。”那个一直在盯着小教师和老人的服务员说道。

她跟着他上了楼，来到一间黑暗的卧室。啊唷！多难看、多冰冷的房间啊！要是在这里待上一整天，那简直是糟糕透了！“这就是阿恩霍尔德夫人给我订的房间吗？”小教师问道。

服务员还在打量着她——他好像觉得她有什么异样似的。他开始吹口哨，随后又改变了主意。“当然。”他说。

嗯，他为什么还不走？为什么这样看着她？“走开。”小教师用冷漠的英国人的方式说道。服务员吃惊地睁大了他的小眼睛。“马上给我走开。”她冷冷地重复道。

他向门口走去，接着又转过身来。“您那位绅士朋友，”他问，“他来的时候，我该带他上楼来吗？”

*　　*　　*

干净的街道上空飘着大朵白云——阳光照耀着万物。街道两旁长着高高的树木，电车上坐满了胖胖的、微笑着的乘客，开着的窗口传来阵阵笑声。她那位看起来比刚才更整洁、更漂亮的祖父就在她身旁，在带她游览慕尼黑。她想跑起来，想挽着他的胳膊，想大声喊叫：“噢，我太幸福了！”

他领着她过马路，不管她看什么东西，他都等着她，和蔼地看着她。她吃了些面包和肉，还喝了点儿啤酒。啤酒是用大玻璃杯盛着的，那玻璃杯的样子像花瓶一样。跟英国啤酒不一样，这种啤酒不会醉人。然后他们又去博物馆看绘画作品。

他们从博物馆出来的时候，天下雨了。祖父为她撑起了伞，他们步行去一家餐馆吃午饭。“你要是挽着我的胳膊，我打起伞来会轻松些。”他说，“而且你要知道，这也是德国的风俗。”于是她搀着他的胳膊，走在他旁边。这样走着很有意思，雨都停了，可他却忘记把伞收起来。

吃完午饭，他们又去了英国花园。“不知道现在几点了，”小教师说，“我的表停了。我们看了那么多东西，我觉得时间一定很晚了。”

“晚了！”他笑着说，“晚了！可我们还有那么多东西要看，你还没能尝尝我们美味的冰淇淋呢！”

“哦，”小教师大声说，“我今天玩得太开心了，简直无法用语言表达。真是开心极了！但是阿恩霍尔德夫人6点钟要去旅馆找我，所以我应该在5点之前就回去。”

“你能赶回去的，不过我们还是先去咖啡馆坐坐，吃一份巧克力冰淇淋吧。”

她又高兴起来。冰淇淋很好吃。她背对着钟表坐在那儿，时针指在了6点35分。“说真的，”她说，“这是我一生中最快乐的一天。”她那孩子般满怀感激的心充满了对她这位老祖父的爱。

他们离开英国花园的时候，几乎已经是晚上了。“你瞧那边那些高大的楼房，”老人说，“我就住在那儿——就我和一个照顾我的老管家。”她很感兴趣。“那么，在我送你回旅馆前，你想不想上来待几分钟看看我的小家？”她当然想去了。

过道里很黑。“啊，我想老太婆出去给我买鸡去了。”他把门打开。带着点儿羞涩和好奇，她走进了一间陌生的屋子。她真不知道该说些什么。房间并不漂亮，但很整洁。她想，像他这样的老头儿住在这里还算舒服。“嗯，觉得我的小家怎么样？”他从壁橱里拿出一瓶酒和两个粉色的玻璃杯。“你要是什么时候想在慕尼黑住上一两天的话，随时欢迎你来这儿住，我这个老头儿乐意照顾你。”他往粉色的杯子里倒了些酒。他倒酒的时候，手有些发抖。房间里静悄悄的。

她说：“我想我得走了。”

“你难道不想和我喝上一小杯吗——在你走之前就喝很小一杯好吗？”老头儿说。

“不喝了，真的，不喝了。我从来不喝酒这类的东西。”虽然她担心这样做极为不礼貌，但是她很坚决。“求您了，真的不喝。”

“嗯，你在我身边坐五分钟，让我为你的健康干一杯好吗？”

小教师坐在沙发边上，他挨着她坐下来把酒喝了。“你今天真的很开心吗？”老人问道。他坐得离她很近，她都能感觉到他的膝盖抵着她的膝盖了。没等她回答，他就抓住了她的手。“你能轻轻地吻我一下再走吗？”他说着就把她往怀里拉。

这简直是一场梦。这不可能是真的！这根本不是原来的那个老头儿。啊，太可怕了！小教师惊恐地盯着他。“不要，不要，不要！”她喘着气，想挣脱出来。

“就吻一下，一下，只吻一下，亲爱的。”他把脸使劲地凑过来，他的嘴在笑。他那蓝色的小眼睛闪着光！

“千万不要——千万不要。你怎么能这样！”她跳了起来，可是他比她要快得多，他一下子把她按到了墙上，硬梆梆的老身子骨紧紧地压住她。尽管她也反抗，头拼命地摆来摆去，但他还是吻了她的嘴。竟然是在嘴上！以前还从来没人吻过她的嘴唇……

她顺着大街跑啊跑，一直跑到有电车的宽马路上，一个警察正站在路中央。“我要坐电车去火车站。”小教师哭着说。

“你说什么？”

“火车站！”

“那边——现在就有辆车。”他很吃惊地看着这个帽子歪在一边，泪流满面的小女孩儿跳上电车，双手捂着嘴巴坐在那儿。

*　　*　　*

当小教师回到格罗尼沃尔德旅馆的时候，曾带她去房间的那位服务员正在往桌子上放玻璃杯。他好像很高兴见到她并回答她的问题，但是这种高兴有点儿怪。“哦，是的，那位女士来了。我告诉她你已经到了，又和一位先生出去了。她问我你什么时候再回来——我当然说不出了。然后她就去见经理了。”他拿起一个杯子仔细查看着。等再把杯子放下的时候，他笑了起来。

“那位女士现在在哪儿？”小教师问道。她抖得太厉害了，不得不拿手帕捂住嘴。

“我怎么会知道？”服务员大声说着，从她身旁挤过去迎接那些正要进门的新客人。“活该！活该！”他心想，“那会给她个教训。”当他扛起新来的客人的行李时，他重复着小教师的话：“走开，马上给我走开。该我吗？该我吗？”他冲自己大声叫道。