Jernbanebørnene

起初，他們並不是鐵路邊的孩子。

They were not railway children to begin with.

我想，他們從沒把鐵路當作別的什麼，只當它是一種交通工具，能載他們去看馬斯基林和庫克的魔術、

I don’t suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook’s,

看童話劇、

the Pantomime,

逛動物園

Zoological Gardens,

和參觀杜莎夫人蠟像館。

and Madame Tussaud’s.

他們只是普普通通的郊區孩子，

They were just ordinary suburban children,

和父親母親住在一棟普通的紅磚門面別墅裡，

and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa,

前門鑲著彩色玻璃，

with coloured glass in the front door,

有一條鋪著磁磚、被稱作門廳的走道，

a tiled passage that was called a hall,

有冷熱水俱全的浴室，

a bath-room with hot and cold water,

有電鈴，

electric bells,

有落地長窗，

French windows,

還有大片大片的白漆，

and a good deal of white paint,

以及「

and '

一切現代化設備」，

every modern convenience',

房屋仲介都是這麼說的。

as the house-agents say.

他們一共三個孩子。

There were three of them.

羅伯塔是老大。

Roberta was the eldest.

當然，

Of course,

做母親的從不偏心，

Mothers never have favourites,

可要是他們的母親真的有所偏愛，

but if their Mother HAD had a favourite,

那多半就是羅伯塔。

it might have been Roberta.

接下來是彼得，

Next came Peter,

他長大後想當一名工程師；

who wished to be an Engineer when he grew up;

最小的是菲莉絲，

and the youngest was Phyllis,

她總是一片好心。

who meant extremely well.