第13章

接近圣诞假期的尾声，确切的日期不知道

亲爱的长腿叔叔：

您那里下雪了吗？从我的小阁楼望出去，全世界都变成白茫茫的一片，而雪花如爆米花一般飘落。此刻是傍晚时分，冰黄色的太阳刚落到寒冷的、紫色的山头后面，我在窗台上凭借着最后一点儿余光写信给您。

您的五个金币真是个惊喜！我不太习惯收到圣诞礼物。您已经给我这么多东西了——我所拥有的一切，您知道的——我觉得自己已经拥有太多了。但我还是很喜欢它们。您想知道我用钱买了什么吗？

一、一只皮盒装的银表，是戴在手腕上的，能及时提醒我时间。

二、马修·奥纳德的诗集。

三、一个热水壶。

四、一张小毯子（我的小阁楼很冷）。

五、500张带网格线的黄色稿纸（我很快就要开始写作了）。

六、一本同义词字典（可以增加我的词汇量）。

七、（我不太想告诉您最后一件，不过我会的）一双丝袜。

如果您一定要知道的话，是个很浅薄的理由促使我去买丝袜的。茱莉亚·平莱顿每天晚上到我的房间里来读书，她总是穿着丝袜，双腿交叉坐在椅子上。不过等着好了，等她一放假回来，我就要走进去，穿着我的丝袜坐在她的椅子上。您瞧，叔叔，我真是坏坯子，不过，至少我很诚实。您早就从约翰·格利尔之家的记录中了解到我不是完美的，不是吗？

我对我的7个礼物都心存感激。我假装它们是装在大箱子里，从加州的家里寄来的。您不会反对吧，是吗？假装您是我的一整个大家庭？

现在我该跟您谈谈我的假期，还是您仍旧只关心我的教育？我希望您能了解“仍旧”这个词的微妙含义。这是我新学会的词。

那个来自德州的女孩名叫伦农拉·芬顿（这名字和乔若莎一样可笑，是吗？）。我喜欢她，不过比不上喜欢莎丽·麦克白。我可能不会喜欢其他人像喜欢莎丽一样多——除了您。我永远都会最喜欢您的，因为您是我一大家子的化身。每当天气好时，伦农拉跟我还有两个二年级的女孩子就远行至乡间，穿着短裙和毛衣，戴着手工编织的帽子，拿着光溜溜的棍子四处敲打。有一回我们走到4英里外的镇上，来到一家餐馆，大学里的女孩子都在那里用晚餐。我们要了龙虾（35美分），吃完后又吃了煎饼（15美分）。真是营养又便宜！

这真的很有趣！尤其对我而言，因为这跟孤儿院太不一样了——每回我离开学校，都觉得自己好像是逃狱的犯人。还没来得及思考，就开始跟别人分享我过去的经历了。这秘密差点就脱口而出，我赶忙闭上嘴，把它咽回肚子里。对我而言，我很难不去说我所知道的一切。我天性诚实，如果不是有您可以倾诉，我一定会爆炸的。

我们上星期五吃了麦芽糖，是大楼的管理员提供的。一个戴白帽子的厨师变出22顶帽子来——我想不出他是从哪里弄来的——于是我们把自己全变为厨师。

真的很有趣，虽然我吃过味道更好的麦芽糖。当一切终于结束时，我们自己、厨房还有门板全都黏糊糊的，我们还戴着白帽和围裙，组成了游行队伍，每个人都带着一把大汤匙或平底锅。我们穿过空荡荡的大厅来到了教师休息室，那里有半打的教授正在打发宁静的夜晚。我们为他们唱校歌，然后送上麦芽糖。他们礼貌但犹豫地接了下来。我们离开了，留他们吃着大片的麦芽糖，黏糊糊的，让他们都说不出话来。

所以您瞧瞧，叔叔，这就是我的求学过程！

您真的认为我应该当个艺术家，而不是作家吗？

再过两天，假期就要结束了，我又可以高兴地见到女孩子们了。

可怜的叔叔，您一定累了！我本来打算写封简短的感谢函——不过我一拿起笔就停不下来了。

晚安，谢谢您惦记着我——我应该无比快乐，但心头有一小朵的乌云。二月要考试了。

您充满爱的，茱蒂

P. S.致上爱意可能会不太适当吧？如果是这样，请原谅我。不过我一定得爱某人，而我只有您跟李皮太太可以选择，所以您瞧，您得忍耐一下，亲爱的叔叔，因为我无法爱她。

Towards the end of the Christmas vacation.

Exact date unknown

Dear Daddy-Long-Legs,

Is it snowing where you are?All the world that I see from my tower is draped in white and the flakes are coming down as big as pop-corns. It's late afternoon-the sun is just setting(a cold yellow colour)behind some colder violet hills, and I am up in my window seat using the last light to write to you.

Your five gold pieces were a surprise!I'm not used to receiving Christmas presents. You have already given me such lots of things-everything I have, you know-that I don't quite feel that I deserve extras.But I like them just the same.Do you want to know what I bought with my money?

I. A silver watch in a leather case to wear on my wrist and get me to recitations in time.

II. Matthew Arnold's poems.

III. A hot water bottle.

IV. A steamer rug.(My tower is cold.)

V. Five hundred sheets of yellow manuscript paper.(I'm going to commence being an author pretty soon.)

VI. A dictionary of synonyms.(To enlarge the author's vocabulary.)

VII.(I don't much like to confess this last item, but I will.)

A pair of silk stockings.

It was a very low motive, if you must know it, that prompted the silk stockings. Julia Pendleton comes into my room to do geometry, and she sits cross-legged on the couch and wears silk stockings every night.But just wait-as soon as she gets back from vacation I shall go in and sit on her couch in my silk stockings.You see, Daddy, the miserable creature that I am but at least I'm honest;and you knew already, from my asylum record, that I wasn't perfect, didn't you?

I am very much obliged for my seven presents. I'm pretending to myself that they came in a box from my family in California.You don't object, do you, to playing the part of a composite family?

And now, shall I tell you about my vacation, or are you only interested in my education as such?I hope you appreciate the delicate shade of meaning in"as such". It is the latest addition to my vocabulary.

The girl from Texas is named Leonora Fenton.(Almost as funny as Jerusha, isn't it?)I like her, but not so much as Sallie McBride;I shall never like any one so much as Sallie-except you. I must always like you the best of all, because you're my whole family rolled into one.Leonora and I and two Sophomores have walked across country every pleasant day and explored the whole neighbourhood, dressed in short skirts and knit jackets and caps, and carrying shiny sticks to whack things with.Once we walked into town-four miles-and stopped at a restaurant where the college girls go for dinner.Broiled lobster(35 cents),and for dessert, buckwheat cakes and maple syrup(15 cents).Nourishing and cheap.

It was such a lark!Especially for me, because it was so awfully different from the asylum-I feel like an escaped convict every time I leave the campus. Before I thought, I started to tell the others what an experience I was having.The cat was almost out of the bag when I grabbed it by its tail and pulled it back.It's awfully hard for me not to tell everything I know.I'm a very confiding soul by nature;if I didn't have you to tell things to, I'd burst.

We had a molasses candy pull last Friday evening, given by the house matron of Fergussen to the left-behinds in the other halls. The chef, in a white cap and apron, fetched out twenty-two other white caps and aprons-I can't imagine where he got so many-and we all turned ourselves into cooks.

It was great fun, though I have seen better candy. When it was finally finished, and ourselves and the kitchen and the door-knobs all thoroughly sticky, we organized a procession and still in our caps and aprons, each carrying a big fork or spoon or frying pan, we marched through the empty corridors to the officers'parlour, where half-a-dozen professors and instructors were passing a tranquil evening.We serenaded them with college songs and offered refreshments.They accepted politely but dubiously.We left them sucking chunks of molasses candy, sticky and speechless.

So you see, Daddy, my education progresses!

Don't you really think that I ought to be an artist instead of an author?

Vacation will be over in two days and I shall be glad to see the girls again.

Poor Daddy, you must be tired!I meant this to be just a short little thank-you note-but when I get started I seem to have a ready pen.

Goodbye, and thank you for thinking of me-I should be perfectly happy except for one little threatening cloud on the horizon. Examinations come in February.

Yours with love, Judy

PS. Maybe it isn't proper to send love?If it isn't, please excuse.But I must love somebody and there's only you and Mrs.

Lippett to choose between, so you see-you'll HAVE to put up with it, Daddy dear, because I can't love her.