翻译《我们建了一座花园》Margery Fish
图片来源：《每日邮报》
接上文
直到十一月，我们还奔波在找房子的路上，有一天，又经过在九月被我们一下子就否掉了的那座房子的附近，于是我们顺着路标“离East Lambrrok一英里”所指的方向，再去看看那座房子，看看过了三个月它会有什么改变。
确实很大变化。前院的月桂树丛被清理掉了，房子也好看多了。铁瓦片不见了，换成了旧砖瓦，屋里墙壁油成粉色，木头油上了光漆。
这房子是很典型的Somerset结构，正中间是一条通道，前后各有一个门，所以看些来很漂亮，可是住在里面会有穿堂风。那天我们只考虑到房子的美观，那个黄昏，太阳西下，前后大门都打开着，我能瞥见夕阳下一棵树影和它背后的绿色。
那天Walter终于肯走进屋内，我们巡视了厨房，那里有一个宽大的生火壁炉，低矮的横梁天花，石头地板，边上还有一个可爱的小厅。隔壁是一间大点的房间，石头地板，壁炉比厨房那个还大。最远那头是一间装饰着镶板的美观的房间。
我们知道，不用再找了，我们到家了。
（待续）
We were still hunting in November when our way took us very near the old house so summarily dismissed in September, so we turned down the lane which said ‘East Lambrook one mile’, just to see what had been happening during those three months.
Quite a lot had happened. The front garden had been cleared of its laurels and the house looked much better. Old tiles had replaced the corrugated iron on the roof, and inside the walls had been washed with cream and the woodwork with glossy paint.
It is one of those typical Somerset houses with a central passage and a door at each end, so very attractive to look at and so very draughty for living. That day we thought only of the artistic angle. It was late afternoon and the sun was nearly setting. Both doors were open and through them we caught a glimpse of a tree and a green background against the sunlight.
That day I got Walter further than the flagged passage, and we explored the old bakehouse, with its enormous inglenook and open fireplace, low beamed ceiling and stone floor, and a gay little parlour beyond. On the other side was another large room with stone floor and an even bigger fireplace, and at the far end a lovely room with wonderful panelling.
We both knew that our search had ended, we had come home.
We Made a Garden, by Margery Fish, Publisher: Batsford (19 Dec 2011)
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