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Chapter Four A Parliament of Owls
第四章 猫头鹰议会
It is a very funny thing that the sleepier you are, the longer you take about getting to bed; especially if you are lucky enough to have a fire in your room.
这件事可真有趣，你越困，上床花的时间越多；特别是当你够幸运，房间里还生着火的时候。
Jill felt she couldn't even start undressing unless she sat down in front of the fire for a bit first. And once she had sat down, she didn't want to get up again.
吉尔觉得如果不先在火炉前坐一会儿，她甚至不想脱衣服上床。而她一旦坐下，就不想再起来了。
She had already said to herself about five times, "I must go to bed", when she was startled by a tap on the window. She got up, pulled the curtain, and at first saw nothing but darkness.
她已经和自己说过五遍：“我必须上床睡觉了。”突然，一阵敲窗声传来，吉尔被吓了一跳。她站起身，拉开窗帘，但什么都看不见。
Then she jumped and started backwards, for something very large had dashed itself against the window, giving a sharp tap on the glass as. it did so.
突然，吉尔吓得跳起来，往后退了一大步，一个非常巨大的东西冲向窗户，砸得玻璃咣咣作响。窗外确实有人。
A very unpleasant idea came into her head—"Suppose they have giant moths in this country! Ugh!"
吉尔有种不祥的预感：“这里不会有什么巨型飞蛾吧？上帝！”
But then the thing came back, and this time she was almost sure she saw a beak, and that the beak had made that tapping noise.
然而过了一会儿，那东西又回来了，这次，吉尔确定自己看到了尖尖的鸟嘴，刚才敲窗户的就是它。
"It's some huge bird," thought Jill. "Could it be an eagle?" She didn't very much want a visit even from an eagle, but she opened the window and looked out.
“是只大鸟。”吉尔想，“会不会是只鹰？”她可不希望来访的都是什么鹰之类的，但吉尔还是打开窗户向外张望了一下。
Instantly, with a great whirring noise, the creature alighted on the window-sill and stood there filling up the whole window, so that Jill had to step back to make room for it. It was the Owl.
窗户刚打开就传来一阵呼呼声，那动物在窗台上落定。它体形很大，占据了整个窗框，吉尔不得不往后退，以便给它腾出点儿地方。原来是只猫头鹰。
"Hush, hush! Tu-whoo, tu-whoo," said the Owl. "Don't make a noise. Now, are you two really in earnest about what you've got to do?"
“安静，安静！呜咕，呜咕。”猫头鹰叫道，“别乱叫。现在你们真的急着完成任务吗？”
"About the lost Prince, you mean?" said Jill. "Yes, we've got to be." For now she remembered the Lion's voice and face, which she had nearly forgotten during the feasting and story-telling in the hall.
“你是说寻找王子？”吉尔说，“是的，我们很着急。”现在吉尔记起了狮子的话和它那严肃的表情。刚才在大厅里光顾着吃饭听故事，把正事都忘了。
"Good!" said the Owl. "Then there's no time to waste. You must get away from here at once. I'll go and wake the other human. Then I'll come back for you.
“很好！”猫头鹰说，“那我们就别浪费时间了。你必须马上离开这儿。我现在就去把那个男孩叫醒，然后再来找你。
You'd better change those court clothes and put on something you can travel in. I'll be back in two twos. Tu-whoo!" And without waiting for an answer, he was gone.
你最好把这身宫廷衣服脱下来，换上适合旅行的行头。我马上就回来。呜咕！”吉尔还没来得及答复，它就飞走了。
If Jill had been more used to adventures, she might have doubted the Owl's word, but this never occurred to her: and in the exciting idea of a midnight escape she forgot her sleepiness.
如果吉尔的冒险经历比较丰富，她可能会怀疑猫头鹰的话，但她初来乍到，根本没产生一丝怀疑：想到自己要做半夜逃窜这么刺激的事，她的睡意立马全消。
She changed back into sweater and shorts—there was a guide's knife on the belt of the shorts which might come in useful—and added a few of the things that had been left in the room for her by the girl with the willowy hair.
吉尔换回自己的毛衣和短裤，短裤腰带上系着把导向刀，也许旅途中用得上。除此之外，她还把那个长着柳条般头发的女孩留给自己的东西也系在腰带上。
She chose a short cloak that came down to her knees and had a hood ("just the thing, if it rains,"she thought), a few handkerchiefs and a comb. Then she sat down and waited.
吉尔还选了件长到膝部的短斗篷、一顶兜帽（“没准还会下雨呢。”她想）、几条手绢和一把梳子。然后她坐下等着猫头鹰。
She was getting sleepy again when the Owl returned. "Now we're ready," it said. "You'd better lead the way," said Jill. "I don't know all these passages yet."
猫头鹰来时，吉尔又开始困了。“现在我们都准备好了。”猫头鹰说。“最好由你来领路。”吉尔说，“我搞不清这些走廊通向哪儿。”
"Tu-whoo!" said the Owl. "We're not going through the castle. That would never do. You must ride on me. We shall fly."
“呜咕！”猫头鹰叫道，“我们不走城堡，那样根本出不去。你坐在我背上，我们得飞出去。”
"Oh!" said Jill, and stood with her mouth open, not much liking the idea. "Shan't I be too heavy for you?"
“哦！”吉尔说，她惊讶得长大了嘴巴，好像不太喜欢这个主意，“对你来说，我会不会太沉了？”
"Tu-whoo, tu-whoo! Don't you be a fool. I've already carried the other one. Now. But we'll put out that lamp first."
“呜咕，呜咕！别傻了。我已经把男孩驮走了。快点，我先把那盏灯熄了。”
As soon as the lamp was out, the bit of the night which you saw through the window looked less dark—no longer black, but grey.
灯熄灭后，从窗户里看天空，觉得天没那么暗了——不再是黑色，而是灰色。
The Owl stood on the window-sill with his back to the room and raised his wings. Jill had to climb on to his short fat body and get her knees under the wings and grip tight.
猫头鹰站在窗台背朝房间里，张开了翅膀。吉尔不得不爬上它那又矮又胖的身躯，将膝盖放在它的翅膀下，紧紧夹住。
The feathers felt beautifully warm and soft but there was nothing to hold on by. "I wonder how Scrubb liked his ride!" thought Jill.
猫头鹰的羽毛很漂亮，又暖和又柔软，但就是没个抓处。“斯库波是怎么骑的？”吉尔想。
And just as she was thinking this, with a horrid plunge they had left the window-sill, and the wings were making a flurry round her ears, and the night air, rather cool and damp, was flying in her face.
她正思考着，猫头鹰突然一个猛冲，他们离开了窗台，一双翅膀在吉尔耳边扇来扇去。夜晚的风扑向她的脸颊，湿冷湿冷的。
It was much lighter than she expected, and though the sky was overcast, one patch of watery silver showed where the moon was hiding above the clouds.
天空要比她想的亮得多。虽然有些阴沉，但隐藏在云端的明月却投出一片水银色的光。
The fields beneath her looked grey, and the trees black. There was a certain amount of wind—a hushing, ruffling sort of wind which meant that rain was coming soon.
下边的土地是灰蒙蒙的，树林是黑沉沉的。风也很大，飒飒作响，雨就要来了。
The Owl wheeled round so that the castle was now ahead of them. Very few of the windows showed lights.
猫头鹰在天空盘旋，城堡就在他们前方。那里的灯都关得差不多了，所以几乎没有光从窗户透出来。
They flew right over it, northwards, crossing the river: the air grew colder, and Jill thought she could see the white reflection of the Owl in the water beneath her.
他们飞过城堡，一路向北，横跨过小河：空气越来越冷，吉尔在河水中看到了猫头鹰的白色倒影。
But soon they were on the north bank of the river, flying above wooded country. The Owl snapped at something which Jill couldn't see.
但很快，他们就飞到河北岸，到达了森林上空。猫头鹰似乎在捕捉什么，吉尔看不到。
"Oh, don't, please!" said Jill. "Don't jerk like that. You nearly threw me off."
“哦，请别这样！”吉尔说，“别那样摇晃。你差点把我甩出去。”
