Under the Lilacs  Charpter 1 A Mysterious Dog The elm-tree avenue was all overgrown, the great gatewas never unlocked, and the old house had been shut upfor several years. Yet voices were heard about the place, the lilacsnodded over the high wall as if they said," Wecould tell fine secrets if we chose," and the mulleinoutside the gate made haste to reach the keyhole,that it might peep in and see what was going on. If it had suddenly grown up like a magic bean-stalk, and looked in on a certain June day, it wouldhave seen a droll but pleasant sight, for somebodyevidently was going to have a party. From the gate to the porch went a wide walk,paved with smooth slabs of dark stone, and borderedwith the tall bushes which met overhead, making agreen roof. All sorts of neglected flowers and wildweeds grew between their stems, covering the wallsof this summer parlor with the prettiest tapestry. A board, propped on two blocks of wood, stood inthe middle of the walk, covered with a little plaidshawl much the worse for wear, and on it a miniaturetea-service was set forth with great elegance. To besure, the tea-pot had lost its spout, the cream-jug itshandle, the sugar-bowl its cover, and the cups andplates were all more or less cracked or nicked; butpolite persons would not take notice of these triflingdeficiencies, and none but polite persons were invitedto this party. On either side of the porch was a seat, and herea somewhat remarkable sight would have been revealed toany inquisitive eye peering through theaforesaid keyhole. Upon the left-hand seat lay sevendolls, upon the right-hand seat lay six; and so variedwere the expressions of their countenances, owingto fractures, dirt, age, and other afflictions, that onewould very naturally have thought this a doll's hospital, andthese the patients waiting for their tea. This, however, would have been a sad mistake; forif the wind had lifted the coverings laid over them,it would have disclosed the fact that all were in fulldress, and merely reposing before the feast shouldbegin. There was another interesting feature of the scenewhich would have puzzled any but those well acquaintedwith the manners and customs of dolls. A fourteenth rag baby, with a china head, hung byher neck from the rusty knocker in the middle ofthe door. A sprig of white and one of purple lilacnodded over her, a dress of yellow calico, richlytrimmed with red-flannel scallops, shrouded her slenderform, a garland of small flowers crowned herglossy curls, and a pair of blue boots touched toesin the friendliest, if not the most graceful, manner. An emotion of grief, as well as of surprise, mightwell have thrilled any youthful breast at such aspectacle; for why, oh! why, was this resplendentdolly hung up there to be stared at by thirteen of herkindred? Was she a criminal, the sight of whose executionthrew them flat upon their backs in speechless horror? Or was she an idol, to be adored inthat humble posture? Neither, my friends. She wasblonde Belinda, set, or rather hung, aloft, in the placeof honor, for this was her seventh birthday, and asuperb ball was about to celebrate the great event. All were evidently awaiting a summons to thefestive board; but such was the perfect breeding ofthese dolls, that not a single eye out of the wholetwenty-seven (Dutch Hans had lost one of the blackbeads from his worsted countenance) turned for amoment toward the table, or so much as winked,as they lay in decorous rows, gazing with muteadmiration at Belinda. She, unable to repress the joyand pride which swelled her sawdust bosom till theseams gaped, gave an occasional bounce as the windwaved her yellow skirts, or made the blue bootsdance a sort of jig upon the door. Hanging wasevidently not a painful operation, for she smiledcontentedly, and looked as if the red ribbon aroundher neck was not uncomfortably tight; therefore, ifslow suffocation suited her, who else had any rightto complain? So a pleasing silence reigned, noteven broken by a snore from Dinah, the top ofwhose turban alone was visible above the coverlet,or a cry from baby Jane, though her bare feet stuckout in a way that would have produced shrieks froma less well-trained infant. Presently voices were heard approaching, andthrough the arch which led to a side-path came twolittle girls, one carrying a small pitcher, the otherproudly bearing a basket covered with a napkin. They looked like twins, but were not, for Bab was ayear older than Betty, though only an inch taller. Both had on brown calico frocks, much the worsefor a week's wear; but clean pink pinafores, in honorof the occasion, made up for that, as well as thegray stockings and thick boots. Both had round,rosy faces rather sunburnt, pug noses somewhatfreckled, merry blue eyes, and braided tails of hairhanging down their backs like those of the dear littleKenwigses. "Don't they look sweet?" cried Bab, gazing withmaternal pride upon the left-hand row of dolls, whomight appropriately have sung in chorus, "We areseven.""Very nice; but my Belinda beats them all. I dothink she is the splendidest child that ever was!"And Betty set down the basket to run and embracethe suspended darling, just then kicking up her heelswith joyful abandon. "The cake can be cooling while we fix the children. It does smell perfectly delicious!" said Bab, liftingthe napkin to hang over the basket, fondly regardingthe little round loaf that lay inside. "Leave some smell for me!" commanded Betty,running back to get her fair share of the spicy fragrance. The pug noses sniffed it up luxuriously, and thebright eyes feasted upon the loveliness of the cake,so brown and shiny, with a tipsy-looking B in pie-cruststaggering down one side, instead of sittingproperly a-top. "Ma let me put it on the very last minute, and itbaked so hard I couldn't pick it off. We can giveBelinda that piece, so it's just as well," observedBetty, taking the lead, as her child was queen of therevel. "Let's set them round, so they can see too," proposedBab, going, with a hop, skip, and jump, tocollect her young family. Betty agreed, and for several minutes both wereabsorbed in seating their dolls about the table; forsome of the dear things were so limp they wouldn'tsit up, and others so stiff they wouldn't sit down, andall sorts of seats had to be contrived to suit thepeculiarities of their spines. This arduous task accomplished,the fond mammas stepped back to enjoy thespectacle, which, I assure you, was an impressive one. Belinda sat with great dignity at the head, her handsgenteelly holding a pink cambric pocket-handkerchiefin her lap. Josephus, her cousin, took the foot,elegantly arrayed in a new suit of purple and green gingham,with his speaking countenance much obscuredby a straw hat several sizes too large for him; whileon either side sat guests of every size, complexion,and costume, producing a very gay and varied effect,as all were dressed with a noble disregard of fashion. "They will like to see us get tea. Did you forgetthe buns?" inquired Betty, anxiously. "No; got them in my pocket." And Bab produced from thatchaotic cupboard two rather stale and crumbly ones, savedfrom lunch for the fete. These were cut up and arranged inplates, forming a graceful circle around the cake, still inits basket. "Ma couldn't spare much milk, so we must mixwater with it. Strong tea isn't good for children,she says." And Bab contentedly surveyed the gillof skim-milk which was to satisfy the thirst of thecompany. "While the tea draws and the cake cools, let's sitdown and rest; I'm so tired!" sighed Betty, droppingdown on the door-step and stretching out thestout little legs which had been on the go all day; forSaturday had its tasks as well as its fun, and muchbusiness had preceded this unusual pleasure. Bab went and sat beside her, looking idly down thewalk toward the gate, where a fine cobweb shone inthe afternoon sun. "Ma says she is going over the house in a day ortwo, now it is warm and dry after the storm, and wemay go with her. You know she wouldn't take us inthe fall, cause we had whooping-cough, and it wasdamp there. Now we shall see all the nice things;won't it be fun?" observed Bab, after a pause. "Yes, indeed! Ma says there's lots of books inone room, and I can look at 'em while she goes round. May be I'll have time to read some, and then I cantell you," answered Betty, who dearly loved stories,and seldom got any new ones. "I'd rather see the old spinning-wheel up garret,and the big pictures, and the queer clothes in theblue chest. It makes me mad to have them all shutup there, when we might have such fun with them. I'd just like to bang that old door down!" AndBab twisted round to give it a thump with her boots. "You needn't laugh; you know you'd like it asmuch as me," she added, twisting back again, ratherashamed of her impatience. "I didn't laugh.""You did! Don't you suppose I know what laughing is?""I guess I know I didn't.""You did laugh! How darst you tell such afib?""If you say that again I'll take Belinda and goright home; then what will you do?""I'll eat up the cake.""No, you won't! It's mine, Ma said so; and youare only company, so you'd better behave or I won'thave any party at all, so now."This awful threat calmed Bab's anger at once, andshe hastened to introduce a safer subject. "Never mind; don't let's fight before the children. Do you know, Ma says she will let us play in thecoach-house next time it rains, and keep the key ifwe want to.""Oh, goody! that's because we told her howwe found the little window under the woodbine, anddidn't try to go in, though we might have just aseasy as not," cried Betty, appeased at once, for, aftera ten years' acquaintance, she had grown used toBab's peppery temper. "I suppose the coach will be all dust and ratsand spiders, but I don't care. You and the dollscan be the passengers, and I shall sit up in frontdrive.""You always do. I shall like riding better thanbeing horse all the time, with that old wooden bit inmy mouth, and you jerking my arms off," said poorBetty, who was tired of being horse continually. "I guess we'd better go and get the water now,"suggested Bab, feeling that it was not safe to encourageher sister in such complaints. "It is not many people who would dare to leavetheir children all alone with such a lovely cake, andknow they wouldn't pick at it," said Betty proudly,as they trotted away to the spring, each with a littletin pail in her hand. Alas, for the faith of these too confiding mammas! They were gone about five minutes, and when theyreturned a sight met their astonished eyes whichproduced a simultaneous shriek of horror. Flat upontheir faces lay the fourteen dolls, and the cake, thecherished cake, was gone. For an instant the little girls could only standmotionless, gazing at the dreadful scene. Then Babcast her water-pail wildly away, and, doubling upher fist, cried out fiercely, --"It was that Sally! She said she'd pay me forslapping her when she pinched little Mary Ann, andnow she has. I'll give it to her! You run that way. I'll run this. Quick! quick!"Away they went, Bab racing straight on, and bewilderedBetty turning obediently round to trot in theopposite direction as fast as she could, with the watersplashing all over her as she ran, for she had forgottento put down her pail. Round the house theywent, and met with a crash at the back door, but nosign of the thief appeared. "In the lane!" shouted Bab. "Down by the spring!" panted Betty; and offthey went again, one to scramble up a pile of stonesand look over the wall into the avenue, the other toscamper to the spot they had just left. Still, nothingappeared but the dandelions' innocent faces lookingup at Bab, and a brown bird scared from his bath inthe spring by Betty's hasty approach. Back they rushed, but only to meet a new scare,which made them both cry "Ow!" and fly into theporch for refuge. A strange dog was sitting calmly among the ruinsof the feast, licking his lips after basely eating up thelast poor bits of bun, when he had bolted the cake,basket, and all, apparently. "Oh, the horrid thing!" cried Bab, longing to givebattle, but afraid, for the dog was a peculiar as well asa dishonest animal. "He looks like our China poodle, doesn't he?"whispered Betty, making herself as small as possiblebehind her more valiant sister. He certainly did; for, though much larger anddirtier than the well-washed China dog, this live onehad the same tassel at the end of his tail, ruffles ofhair round his ankles, and a body shaven behind andcurly before. His eyes, however, were yellow, insteadof glassy black, like the other's; his red nose workedas he cocked it up, as if smelling for more cakes, inthe most impudent manner; and never, during thethree years he had stood on the parlor mantel-piece,had the China poodle done the surprising feats withwhich this mysterious dog now proceeded to astonishthe little girls almost out of their wits. First he sat up, put his forepaws together, andbegged prettily; then he suddenly flung his hind-legsinto the air, and walked about with great ease. Hardly had they recovered from this shock, whenthe hind-legs came down, the fore-legs went up, andhe paraded in a soldierly manner to and fro, likea sentinel on guard. But the crowning performancewas when he took his tail in his mouth and waltzeddown the walk, over the prostrate dolls, to the gateand back again, barely escaping a general upset ofthe ravaged table. Bab and Betty could only hold each other tight andsqueal with delight, for never had they seen any thingso funny; but, when the gymnastics ended, and thedizzy dog came and stood on the step before thembarking loudly, with that pink nose of his sniffingat their feet, and his queer eyes fixed sharply uponthem, their amusement turned to fear again, and theydared not stir. "Whish, go away! " commanded Bab. "Scat! " meekly quavered Betty. To their great relief, the poodle gave several moreinquiring barks, and then vanished as suddenly ashe appeared. With one impulse, the children ran tosee what became of him, and, after a brisk scamperthrough the orchard, saw the tasselled tail disappearunder the fence at the far end. "Where do you s'pose he came from?" askedBetty, stopping to rest on a big stone. "I'd like to know where he's gone, too, and givehim a good beating, old thief! " scolded Bab, rememberingtheir wrongs. "Oh, dear, yes! I hope the cake burnt him dreadfully if hedid eat it," groaned Betty, sadly remembering the dozen goodraisins she chopped up, and the "lots of 'lasses" mother putinto the dear lost loaf. "The party's all spoilt, so we may as well gohome; and Bab mournfully led the way back. Betty puckered up her face to cry, but burst outlaughing in spite of her woe. "It was so funny to see him spin round and walk onhis head! I wish he'd do it all over again; don't you?""Yes: but I hate him just the same. I wonderwhat Ma will say when - why! why!" and Babstopped short in the arch, with her eyes as roundand almost as large as the blue saucers on thetea-tray. "What is it? oh, what is it? " cried Betty, all readyto run away if any new terror appeared. "Look! there! it's come back!" said Bab in anawe-stricken whisper, pointing to the table. Betty did look, and her eyes opened even wider, --as well they might, -- for there, just where they firstput it, was the lost cake, unhurt, unchanged, exceptthat the big B had coasted a little further down thegingerbread hill. 第一章 一只神秘的狗狗 大道上布满了榆树，郁郁葱葱，繁茂的枝叶仿佛熙熙攘攘的人群，拥挤着，打闹着，一不小心便被挤出了战局，成为旁枝，却仍旧不堪寂寞，继续编织着绿锦。大门一直小心翼翼地紧闭，似乎从未被打开过，难免激发路人汹涌的好奇心，想着翻墙入院，一探究竟。这栋古老的房子也已经安静地闭锁着，像一名恪尽职守的卫士，守护着房内神秘的故事。 这里的一切都是那么沉寂，丁香花在高墙上起舞，并跃跃欲试，放佛想要诉说一个美丽的故事，传达关于这个地方的秘密。墙外的毛蕊花更是迫不及待，想要凭借着东风飞入锁眼，亲眼见证院内的神秘。院内到底在上演什么样的好剧呢？ 倘若毛蕊花能够基因突变，长出了魔幻豆荚一般的长茎，并在多变的六月里的一天向院内偷窥，那么它将享受到一番令人赏心悦目的滑稽场景，因为显而易见的是，有人打算举办一场别开生面的聚会。 只见一条宽阔光滑厚实的黑石路贯通着大门和走廊，黑石路的两边镶满了齐人高度的灌木，向上搭建成了一个碧绿的廊顶，像一潭幽幽的绿水。各种叫不出名的野生花草混杂着，放佛给墙面披上了一张锦帏，美轮美奂。 黑石路的中央架起了一张木板，底部由两条木头支撑，木板上覆盖着苏格兰花格桌布，质量上比穿戴之用的花格披肩略逊一筹。放眼望去，木板桌上的微型茶具映射着茶道的玄妙，彰显出出一股优雅之气。观摩摩观细节吧，茶壶的壶嘴、奶壶的把手、糖罐的盖子都已不知踪迹，杯子和盘子也都或多或少有些破损。不过不用担心，因为有修养的客人并不会太关注繁文缛节，以至于注意到这些细小的瑕疵，否则他们是不会应邀参加聚会的。 透过锁眼，一双双好奇的、求知的眼睛还可以看到走廊另一边摆放着的椅子，椅子左手边躺着七个娃娃玩偶，右边六个，十三个玩偶表情各异。通过它们身上的裂痕、灰土以及年龄和其他痛苦表象，人们很自然地会联想到玩偶医院的场景，这些玩偶像正在等待茶点的小病人。 事实果真如此吗？不幸的是，您的猜测有误啦。当风儿掀起这些物品的盖头，真相将大白于世。但是盛宴开始前，咱们还是先保守秘密，维持现状，就当作是卖个关子吧。 这个场景还有另外一个让人不得不提的有趣特点，定会令很多人迷惑不已，当然那些对玩偶礼仪和风俗了如指掌的人除外。这个有趣的特点便是第十四个瓷头娃娃玩偶，她衣衫褴褛，脖子悬吊在门中央锈迹斑斑的门环上。一缕白色枝条和一朵紫丁香冲着她点头召唤；一袭黄棉服点缀着红色法兰绒荷叶边，包裹着瓷头娃娃纤细的身体；光滑的卷发上戴着花环皇冠；蓝靴子透露着一种风情，即使谈不上最优雅，也可拿下最具亲和力奖。 置身于此种场景，任何一个年轻的充满活力的思想都会为之一震，紧接着，一种悲伤和惊奇的感情油然而生。为什么呢？这个衣着华丽的瓷头娃娃玩偶被悬挂在门环上，是为了给其他的十三个娃娃玩偶所注视吗？还是因为她犯了罪，被悬吊起来，对其他同类起到杀鸡儆猴的震慑作用呢？又或者说，她是位偶像级人物，只是现在摆了个恭谦的姿势以供膜拜呢？亲爱的朋友们，这些猜测都没中。其实她是金发碧眼的贝琳达，只是被摆放在，或者说是悬挂在饱含威慑之气的高处，为的是她十七岁的生日会，一场盛况空前的舞会将举办以庆祝这一大事件。 一切就绪，只等着庆祝盛会的号召，但对娃娃玩偶们来说，当下即是完美时刻，这也解释了为什么27只眼睛（来自荷兰的汉斯掉了一只原本镶嵌在精纺面庞上的眼睛）都全神贯注地盯着桌子，眼睛连眨也不眨。他们优雅且有秩序地排成一排，神情充满崇拜与艳羡，无言地注视着贝琳达。贝琳达无法抑制内心的喜悦与自豪，激动充盈着她的身体，使得她锯末材质的胸部不停地膨胀，直到衣服的缝线口绽开。贝琳达的黄裙子随风飘摆，宛然一阵黄色的波浪起伏不断；蓝靴子也在门上叮咚叮咚地跳起了吉格舞。显而易见，悬吊并非痛苦的刑罚，因为她嫣然地笑着，脖子上的红丝带更没有紧紧勒住的感觉。如果连绞刑窒息都让贝琳达感觉很舒服，那么其他人还有什么权利抱怨呢？于是一种令人倍感愉悦的沉默笼罩着，即使是那个头巾在覆盖物下仍依稀可见的黛娜的鼾声、抑或是把光光的小脚丫踢到外面，难度高到足以令其他婴儿尖叫的简的哭声都不能将其打破。 就在此刻，未见其人先闻其声，小女孩的声音渐渐传近，穿过通往一条小路的拱门。只见两个小女孩渐渐走近，一个提着小水壶，另外一个挎着盖着餐巾的篮子。 尽管实际并非如此，但她们看起来太像双胞胎了，实际上巴博比贝蒂长一岁，也高出一英寸。她们都穿着棕色的印花棉布裙，估计穿了一周了；但为了今天这个特殊的场合，她们在棉布裙的外面罩上了干净的粉红围裙，并且化了妆，还有灰色的长筒袜和厚实的靴子。两个小姑娘都长着红扑扑的小圆脸，有点晒黑，狮子鼻，长着小雀斑，碧蓝的眼睛，马尾辫向后梳着，垂在背后，就像亲爱的肯威格。 巴博带着母性的骄傲，注视着左手边一排足以组成合唱队的娃娃玩偶，大声喊道：“我的娃娃们不可爱吗？足足七个呢。”贝蒂说道：“真漂亮，但是我的贝琳达以一抵七，足以打败它们。她是史上最棒最酷的娃娃！”话毕，贝蒂便放下餐篮，一路小跑着去拥抱亲爱的贝琳达，乐颠儿乐颠儿地，连鞋跟就跑掉了。 “我们在摆弄这些玩偶孩子的时候，蛋糕就会凉却，然后就可以吃啦！哇，它闻起来的确美味无穷啊！”巴博边说边拿掉篮子里的餐布，开心地盯着篮子中央那块小小的圆面包。 “让我也闻闻！”贝蒂一边向巴博下达着命令，一边冲过去享受食物的香味儿。她贪婪地嗅着蛋糕的香味儿，明亮的眼眸尽情享受着这款蛋糕盛宴，微醉地瞅着本该呆在顶部，而现在却倒向一边的蛋糕外皮。 贝蒂一边观察着，一边喃喃道：“还是等到最后一刻吃蛋糕的时候再把蛋糕皮裹上吧，烘焙得太硬，我都没法儿给它脱下来。或许咱们可以把蛋糕的这块儿给贝琳达吧。”贝蒂在这种事情上起到了带头作用，毕竟她的贝琳达是这场生日会狂欢的皇后呀。 贝蒂刚说完，巴博便迫不及待地提议：“把娃娃玩偶们围成一个圆圈吧，把蛋糕放在中间，这样它们都看得见蛋糕啦！” 只见巴博又蹦又跳，整理娃娃玩偶，忙得不亦乐乎。 贝蒂响应着，没几分钟，两个女孩便都沉浸在给娃娃玩偶安置座位的欢乐中。有的玩偶太软绵松垮，所以根本站不起来；有的太僵硬笔直，连坐下都成问题；所以到了最后，所有的座位的脊背上都被刻意安装上了富有特色的“装备”，以帮助所有的娃娃都能正常就座。一切就绪后，两位可爱的小妈妈退后几步，欣赏着自己的杰作，我敢说，这个场景绝对给人印象深刻。 贝琳达优雅地坐在一群娃娃玩偶的前头，手中轻轻地捏着一张粉红棉纱材质的手帕，搁在膝头。贝琳达的表兄弟——约瑟夫斯，站立着，做演讲状，身着紫色套装和绿色洋伞，颇具绅士风范，一只硕大的草帽略显不合时宜，显得与其一身装扮格格不入。约瑟夫斯两旁坐着身材不一、形态多样、服装各异的客人，营造了一种轻快多元的氛围，而且每个人的穿着都洋溢着一股贵族时尚风范。 “它们一定会乐意看到我们喝茶的。巴博，没忘记小圆面包吧？”贝蒂焦虑不安地询问着。 “当然没有忘记。”话毕，巴博就从凌乱不堪的橱柜上取了两块已经不太新鲜，有点碎碎的面包，这可是她们为了生日会特意从午饭中省出来的。面包被切片后，在盘中围绕蛋糕形成了一个雅致的圈圈，跟蛋糕一起乖乖地呆在篮子中。 “妈妈给的牛奶太少，所以我们得掺点水进去。而且茶也要淡一些，浓茶对孩子们可没什么好处。”巴博满足地研究着那及耳脱脂牛奶，细心地统筹着如何让这限量的牛奶满足大家伙的需求。 “咱们坐下来休息一会吧，等着茶好了蛋糕凉了。我真是要累瘫了！”贝蒂如释重负地叹了口气，就势坐在了门前的台阶上，伸展着劳碌奔波了一整天的小粗腿。这个星期六真是人物与乐趣并存，先苦后甜，要想享受这与众不同的欢乐，前期繁琐的准备工作肯定是逃不掉的。 巴博见状，也过来坐到了贝蒂身旁，懒散地打量着大门前的这条道路，只见一张织得完好的蜘蛛网在下午的阳光的照射下熠熠生辉。 顿了一会儿，巴博突然观察起那栋房子，说道：“暴雨结束了，房子里即温暖又干燥，妈妈这两天到房子里的时候，我们就可以跟着啦！倘若仍然在雨季，妈妈肯定不会带上我们，咱们患有百日咳，房子里又那么潮湿。想想可以看到屋内的优美景象，真的好有趣好兴奋啊！” “是呀是呀！妈妈说有间屋子里堆满了书，咱们可以趁妈走开的时候去看看那些书哦。或许我还有时间读几本，然后就可以讲给你听啦！“钟爱故事书却得不到几本新书的贝蒂回答道。 “我希望房子的阁楼里有古老的纺车，蓝色的衣柜里有怪异的服装。想到要把这些有趣的宝贝锁在那里，我就几乎要抓狂，恨不得破门而入，把那扇门毁掉。”巴博还扭过身来，示意地用靴子踢了门一脚。并冲贝蒂喊道：“你不用五十步笑百步，我知道你和我想的一样。” 接着便扭过身来，看得出，巴博对自己的不镇定有点惭愧。 贝蒂立刻分辨道：“我没有嘲笑你。” 巴博不由贝蒂分说：“你嘲笑我了！难道你以为我连嘲笑都分辨不出了嘛？” “我真的没有嘲笑你。” “你有，现在还撒这种谎有意义吗？”巴博丝毫没有退让的意思。 贝蒂显然已经有点着急了：“你再说这种话，我可就带着贝琳达回家了；到时候看你怎么收场？” “怎么收场？我会一个人把蛋糕通通吃掉！”巴博任性地说。 此刻，贝蒂已恼羞成怒：“不！你休想！蛋糕是我的，连妈妈也承认蛋糕是我的，你只是陪同；所以你最好还是乖乖的，否则我把生日会都取消，看你怎么办，哼！” 贝蒂的此番威胁果真奏效了，巴博的愤怒得到了安抚，并聪明地迅速转移了话题。 “算了吧，贝蒂，我们不要在孩子面前吵嘴了。你知道吗，妈妈说下次下雨的时候，她会让我们在马车房里玩耍哦；而且可以让我们保管钥匙呢。” 十年的相处使得贝蒂早已习惯了巴博暴躁的脾气，听闻这个喜讯，贝蒂立刻化干戈为玉帛，并大喊道：“哇，太棒了！我想是因为上次我们发现覆盖在冬属植物下面的小窗户，尽管很容易，我们却没有进去；妈妈为了嘉奖我们才做的这个决定吧。” “马车房里肯定满是灰尘、老鼠和蜘蛛，但是没关系啦，我不在乎。我可以坐在前方驾驶马车，你和娃娃玩偶们就充当乘客好啦。” 巴博的话再次引起了可怜的贝蒂的不满，于是乎她抱怨道：“你总是这样。比起一直扮演马，我倒更希望驾驶马车；我已经厌倦了嘴里衔着一根朽木，还要被你猛拉缰绳似地扯着胳膊。” 巴博见势不妙，立即故技重施转移话题：“咱们去取些水回来吧！” 贝蒂这时自豪地说道：“一般人可是没胆量让孩子们和这么可爱的蛋糕单独呆在一块儿啊，要知道，孩子们偷吃起来，可不会只吃一点点就罢休哦。”说着，两个女孩儿提着小锡桶，向泉水一路小跑过去。 哎，为小妈妈们对孩子的信任致敬！ 五分钟后，贝蒂和巴博回来了，眼前的一幕没有惊喜只有惊吓，从她们慌乱惊恐的眼神中可以看出：这五分钟的时间里，一定有神秘的剧情上演。14个玩偶娃娃和她们最珍视的蛋糕，全都莫名其妙地人间蒸发了。 面对眼前令人惊骇的场面，两个女孩一时间都没有晃过神来，一言不发，放佛处于梦境。当意识到发生的一切时，巴博发狂似地抛掉手中的水桶，叠着拳头嚎啕大哭起来：“一定是莎莉干的好事，她说过要报仇的，因为上次她勒索玛丽安时，我扇了她一耳光。没错，是她干的，我一定找她算清楚这笔账。快，贝蒂你从那边追，我从这边追，快跑！” 只见巴博径直地追着，贝蒂有点迷茫，仍遵照巴博的指示逆时针跑着，希望能够将莎莉截获在路中间。因为慌乱中忘记放下手中的水桶，奔跑中的贝蒂水花四溅。两个姑娘绕着房子的外围整整跑了一圈，最后相遇在后门，却没见着小偷的影儿。 “一定是抄小道逃跑了！”巴博恍然大悟。 “沿着泉水跑掉的！”贝蒂气喘吁吁地说道。于是两个姑娘又开始了新一轮的“追捕”， 一个爬上沙石堆，越过墙头向大街上眺望，另一个则奔向刚刚他们离开的地方。结果除了蒲公英无辜的脸庞，在泉水边喝水时被慌里慌张的贝蒂吓跑的棕鸟儿，两人仍旧一无所获。 当两人飞奔般地回来时，撞到了新的“惊吓”，在“啊！”的一声后，飞快地躲进了走廊避难。 眼前的景象令人惊愕，一只陌生的狗异常镇定地端坐在盛宴的废墟中，吃掉仅剩的最后一块面包后，正在满足地舔着嘴巴；很显然，那个精美的蛋糕已经成了其腹中美味。 “讨厌的东西！”巴博哭喊着，她是多么渴望与之进行一场恶战，但矛盾的是，巴博又害怕这个不诚实的家伙会对其造成危险。 贝蒂一边躲在勇敢的姐姐身后，一边低声说道：“他看起来像极了我们的中国瓷贵宾犬，是不是？” 可不是嘛，这只狗除了体积更大些，身上更脏一些，其他地方都像极了那只中国瓷贵宾犬： 正如尾巴上有着同样的毛穗；脚踝上绕了一圈皱巴巴的毛发；前半身毛发修剪的齐整，后半身卷曲。两者也存在着很多不同：例如这只狗没有中国贵宾狗那玻璃黑般的眼睛，取而代之的是黄眼睛；它竖起红鼻子，贪婪地嗅着，似乎在找寻更多蛋糕的踪迹。而过去的三年里，那只中国瓷贵宾狗一直乖乖地呆在客厅的壁炉台上，从未像这只神秘狗狗一样介入并破坏盛宴现场，还把两个小女孩吓得惊慌失措。 看到贝蒂和巴博，神秘狗狗先站了起来，然后前爪合拢，恭敬地作了作揖，随后突然将后腿抛入空中，仅前爪着地，轻松自在地走了起来。 两个姑娘还没从惊恐中恢复过来，狗狗的后腿已经着地，改换前腿抬起，像阅兵时士兵的步伐那样来回走动着，好像守卫的卫士。最精彩的表演还在后面呢，狗狗嘴巴衔着尾巴跳起了华尔兹，越过散落在地的娃娃玩偶，在大门之间来回穿梭着，勉强躲过了桌子上一片狼藉的尴尬。 巴博和贝蒂从未见到如此滑稽的场面，于是紧紧抱住对方，高兴地尖叫着。“体操”表演结束后，已经有点晕头转向的狗狗坐到台阶上，然后汪汪汪地大声吠着，狗狗古怪的眼神盯着巴博和贝蒂的脚，粉红色的鼻子不停地嗅着。巴博和贝蒂的愉悦感顿时消失殆尽，恐惧感重新袭来，呆在原地不敢动弹。 终于，巴博按捺不住了，向狗狗命令道：“呼！呼！呼！快走开！” 贝蒂不得已，声音微颤地附和着：“去，快走开！” 令她们感到欣慰的是，贵宾狗又象征性地叫了几声后便消失得无影无踪，就像出现时那样，神龙见首不见尾。贝蒂和巴博见势，如离弦之箭一般冲出去，想要一探究竟。当她们欢快地跑到果树林，只见狗狗的尾巴毛穗已经消失在篱笆的尽头。 贝蒂气喘吁吁，坐到一块大石头上歇脚，问道：“你看见它从哪里出来了吗？” 想到狗狗的“累累罪行”，巴博责备道：“我不仅想知道它从哪里来，也想知道它逃去了哪儿；要是让我找到它，非得给它一顿痛打，强盗！” 想到那些切好的葡萄干和面包里饱含的妈妈的情怀，贝蒂就抑制不住伤心，于是也不甘示弱，低声呻吟诅咒：“是的是的！如果真的是它偷吃了蛋糕，那就希望蛋糕烂在它的肚子里，烧破它的肚皮。” “聚会泡汤了，我们还是回家吧。”巴博一脸凄惨，无精打采地踏上了回家的路途。 贝蒂皱起脸，差一点就哭出来了，却又突然不顾巴博的悲痛爆笑起来。 她回忆着：“狗狗转圈和倒立行走时太滑稽了，好想再重新观赏一次哦，是不是呀？” 巴博既承认狗狗表演的可爱，又难忘其可恨之处，“真不知道当妈妈知道发生的一切后，会怎么......天啊！又发生了什么？为什么会这样呢？”巴博止步于走廊，眼睛瞪得又圆又大，显然她又看到了出人意料的场面。“天啊，怎么了，这究竟是怎么了？” 贝蒂哭喊着，并摆出了新恐怖事件一发生就即刻逃走的准备。 巴博用手指着桌子，一副被畏惧击中模样，窃声道：“看呐，看那边，它回来了！” 贝蒂望去，眼睛瞪得更大了，大得不能再大了。因为那里摆着她们丢失的蛋糕，除了蛋糕上那个大大的B字沿着姜饼向下滑落了一些，其他的都完好无损，毫发未伤。 |
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