The She-Wolf

To Leonard Bilsiter the real world was not very agreeableor interesting．He preferred to live in an 'unseen world'of his imagination．Children are often very good atthis，but they are happy in their own dream worlds and do nottry to make other people believe them． Leonard Bilsiter talked about'the unseen world'to anyone who would listen to him．Nothing very strange happened to Leonard，until one year he travelled by train across Eastern² Europe．He had a long conversation with a Russian passenger，who talked about mag－ic and'hidden powers'in a most interesting way．Leonard lis-tened excitedly．He came home with many stories about the strange，dark mysteries³ which he called Siberian Magic．His aunt，Cecilia Hoops，was deeply⁵ interested in Leonard's Siberian Magic．When she told her friends about it（'My dears，he took a garden vegetable and changed it into abird in front of my eyes！'），her friends realized that she also had a wonderful imagination．

Leonard，together with his hidden powers，was invited toMary Hampton's house－party．Several other people were alsostaying in the house，and they all had to listen to Leonardtalking about the mysteries of the unseen world．

'Do please change me into a wolf，Mr Bilsiter，'said MrsHampton during lunch on the day of his arrival．

'My dear Mary，'said her husband．'What a strangeidea！'

'A she-wolf，of course，'continued Mrs Hampton．'I don't want to change into a man as well as an animal！'

'We should not joke about the unseen world，'saidLeonard．

'Oh，I'm not joking，I promise you．But don't changeme into a wolf tonight．I want to play cards，and there are on-ly eight of us in the house today．I've invited some more peo－ple to come here tomorrow．Wait until tomorrow night．'

Leonard was not amused．'Mrs Hampton，you reallymust not laugh at these dark mysteries．They can be strongerand more dangerous than we realize．'

Clovis Sangrail listened silently⁸ to this conversation，andafter lunch he spoke⁹ to Lord¹⁰ Pabham in the smoking－room．

'Tell me，Lord Pabham，'began Clovis．'Have you got ashe－wolf in your zoo at Pabham Park？A quiet，friendly she－wolf？'

'There's Louisa，'said Lord Pabham thoughtfully．'She's very quiet and gentle．Why do you ask？'

'I'd like to borrow her tomorrow evening，'said Clovis lightly．'May I，please？'

'Tomorrow night？'repeated¹² Lord Pabham in surprise．

'Yes．Wolves usually sleep during the day，don't they？So a night-time journey¹³ won't hurt her．Could you ask one of your men to bring Louisa here when it is dark？Then he can take her quietly into the conservatory¹⁴ at the same time as MrsHampton leaves the dining－room．'

Lord Pabham looked at Clovis in surprise．Then he smiled．'I understand！'he said．'You're going to try a little Siberian Magic．And has Mrs Hampton agreed to help you？''Mary has promised—if your she－wolf is quiet and gen-tle.'

'Louisa won't give you any trouble，'said Lord Pabham．The next day several more guests arrived．Leonard Bil-siter enjoyed telling them all about Siberian Magic⁴ and hidden powers．He talked all through dinner．When the coffee arrivedat the end of the meal，Leonard's aunt spoke．

'Dear Leonard，'she said，'please show us your powers.Change something into another shape．'She turned to the oth－er guests．'He can do it if he wants to，'she told them．'Oh，please show us，'said Mavis Pellington excitedly.'Well…'began Leonard．'If somebody will give me asmall coin…'

'Oh，surely you aren't going to do stupid¹⁵ things withdisappearing coins？'said Clovis．'We want to see somethingreally surprising．'

'That's right，'said Mary Hampton．'Why don't youchange me into a wolf？ You promised！'She got up from thetable and walked into the conservatory with a bowl of fruit forher macaws．

'I have already warned¹⁶ you，'said Leonard seriously.'Itis dangerous to joke about these things.'

'I don't believe you can do it！'laughed Mary from theconservatory.As she spoke，she disappeared¹⁷ behind a largegreen plant．

'Mrs Hampton—'began Leonard seriously．Then anicy wind seemed to fill the dining-room，and at the same timeMrs Hampton's macaws began to scream．

'What's wrong with those stupid birds，Mary？'askedher husband.Just then，a big grey wolf stepped out from be-hind the large green plant．

Leonard's aunt saw it first．'Leonard！'she screamed．'Bring Mrs Hampton back at once！We don't want a danger－ous wild animal in here！'

'I—I don't know how to bring her back，'said Leonardin a small，frightened voice．

'Rubbish！'shouted Mr Hampton．'You changed my dear wife into a wolf. Now you must bring her back again！'

'Please believe me，'said Leonard．'I didn't change your wife into a wolf．'

'Then where is she，and how did that animal get into the conservatory？'asked Mr Hampton angrily．

'Of course，we must believe you when you say that you didn't change Mrs Hampton into a wolf，'said Clovis politely．'But you must agree that it all looks very strange．'

'How can you stand there arguing，'cried Mavis Pelling－ton，'with a wild animal in the house？'

'Lord Pabham，'began Mr Hampton，'you know a lotabout wild animals…'

'I buy all my animals，'said Lord Pabham．'I have nev-er found one in a conservatory before．But this is a wolf，I amsure of that．I think it's probably a North American she－wolf_'

'Oh，who cares where it came from！'screamed¹⁹ Mavis，as the wolf came a few steps further²⁰ into the room．'Can't you offer it some food，and take it away safely somewhere be－fore it bites²¹ somebody？'

'If this animal is really Mrs Hampton，'said Clovis，'she's just had an excellent dinner. She won't be interested infood．'

'Oh，Leonard，'cried his aunt，'can't you use your wonderful powers to change this terrible animal into something small and gentle，like a rabbit？'

'I don't think Mr Hampton would like that，'said Clovis．

'You're right！'shouted Mr Hampton．'I forbid²² it！'

'All my wolves love sugar，'said Lord Pabham．'If youlike，I'll offer this one a piece．'He took a piece of sugar fromthe table and pushed it along the floor towards Louisa．She ateit quickly and then，clearly hoping for more sugar，she fol－lowed Lord Pabham out of the room．

The guests left the table thankfully and hurried into the conservatory．It was empty．Mrs Hampton had disappeared．

'The door to the garden is locked on the inside！'saidClovis．（He had quickly turned the key while he was pretend－ing to try the lock．）

Everyone turned towards Leonard Bilsiter．

'If you have not changed my wife into a wolf，'said MrHampton，'will you please explain where she has gone？ Clear-ly she could not go out through a locked door—so where isshe？'

'I tell you，I had nothing to do with it！'repeatedLeonard again and again．But nobody believed him．

'I'm leaving，'said Mavis Pellington．'I refuse to stayanother hour in this house．'

Just then Mary Hampton entered the room．

'What happened？'she asked crossly．'Someone has beenplaying a stupid game with me．I found myself in the kitchen，eating sugar from Lord Pabham's hand．I hate stupid games，and my doctor has forbidden²³ me to eat sugar．'

'Well，my dear…'began Mr Hampton．Mrs Hamptonlistened excitedly as he explained．

'So you really did change me into a wolf，Mr Bilsiter？'cried Mrs Hampton．

'No，no，'said Leonard．'It's all a mistake．' 'Actually，I did it，'said Clovis．'You see，I spent two years in Russia，and I know a little about Siberian Magic．Of course，I don't like to talk about it．But when other people talk a lot of rubbish about hidden powers，I like to show what Siberian Magic can really do… May I please have a drink？Ifeel a little tired now．'

Leonard Bilsiter looked at Clovis with hate in his eyes．At that moment he wished strongly that he could change Clovisin to some small helpless²⁴ animal，and then step on him very hard．

母狼

对伦纳德·比尔斯特来说现实世界不很惬意或有趣，他喜欢生活在想像中的“神秘世界”里。孩子们经常擅于这样，他们在自己的梦幻世界里非常快乐，并不想让别人相信他们。可伦纳德·比尔斯特对任何愿意听的人都大谈“神秘世界”。

伦纳德没碰到过什么奇特的事情，直到有一年他乘火车穿越东欧旅行。他同一个俄国乘客谈了很长时间，这个人用很有趣的方式大谈魔法和“隐秘的力量”。他带回家很多关于奇怪、隐晦的魔法的故事，并把它们称作“西伯利亚魔法”。

他的姑妈，塞西莉亚·霍普斯，对伦纳德的魔法很着迷。她告诉朋友“天哪，他在我眼前把花园里的一棵菜变成了一只鸟！”朋友们认为她的想像力也真够丰富的。

伦纳德带着他神秘的力量应邀参加玛丽·汉普顿的家庭聚会。屋里还有其他几个人，都在听伦纳德讲述神秘世界里的离奇故事。

“请你一定把我变成一只狼，比尔斯特先生，”汉普顿夫人在他来那天的午餐时说。

“亲爱的玛丽，”她丈夫说，“你这念头真奇怪！”

“当然是一只母狼，”汉普顿夫人继续说，“我不想变成一个男人或一头牲畜！”

“我们不能拿神秘世界开玩笑，”伦纳德说。

“哦，我不是在开玩笑，我向你保证。但是今晚别把我变成狼，我想玩牌，今天屋里只有我们8个人。我已经邀请了更多的人明天来这儿，等到明天晚上。”

伦纳德没有觉得好笑。“汉普顿夫人，你真的不能嘲笑这些隐秘的离奇故事，它们比我们想像的更强大、更危险。”

克洛维斯·桑格瑞尔不出声地听着。午餐后他在吸烟室对帕布汉姆勋爵说起此事。

“告诉我，帕布汉姆勋爵，”克洛维斯说。“帕布汉姆公园你的动物园里有母狼吗？一只安静友好的母狼？”

“有，叫路易莎，”帕布汉姆勋爵思索着说。“她很安静温顺。你为什么问这个？”

“我明晚想借用她，”克洛维斯轻轻地说。“可以吗？”

“明天晚上？”帕布汉姆惊奇地重复。

“是的，狼通常白天睡觉，不是吗？因此白天的旅行不会伤害她。你能让你的一个人在天黑后把她带到这儿吗？然后他可以在汉普顿夫人离开餐厅的时候悄悄把她带进暖房。”

帕布汉姆勋爵吃惊地看着克洛维斯，然后一笑。“我懂！”他说。“你要表演一个西伯利亚小魔法。汉普顿夫人同意帮你了吗？”

“玛丽保证过——如果你的母狼安静温顺。”

“路易莎不会给你们什么麻烦，”帕布汉姆勋爵说。

第二天又来了几个客人。伦纳德津津乐道地给他们讲西伯利亚魔法和神秘的力量。他整个晚餐都在讲这些事。晚餐最后喝咖啡时，伦纳德的姑妈开口了。

“亲爱的伦纳德，”她说，“请给我们表演你的力量，把某件东西变成另外的形状。”她转向其他客人。“如果他愿意他会做到的。”她告诉他们。

“哦，请表演给我们看，”梅维斯·佩林顿激动地说。

“这个……”伦纳德开始说，“如果谁给我一枚小硬币……”

“哦，你当然不会用消失的硬币做傻事吧？”克洛维斯说。“我们想看真正令人吃惊的事情。”

“对，”玛丽·汉普顿说。“你为什么不把我变成一只狼？你保证过！”她从桌旁站起身，端着喂她的鹦鹉的一碗水果走进了暖房。

“我已经警告过你，”伦纳德严肃地说，“开这些事情的玩笑是危险的。”

“我不信你会做这事！”玛丽从暖房笑着说。说着话，她在一颗高大的绿色植物后面消失了。

“汉普顿夫人——”伦纳德开始严肃起来。过后一阵寒风吹进餐室，同时汉普顿夫人的鹦鹉尖叫起来。

“那些笨鸟怎么回事，玛丽？”她丈夫问。就在这时，一只大灰狼从高大的绿色植物后面走出来。

伦纳德的姑妈最先看见。“伦纳德！”她尖叫着。“立刻把汉普顿夫人变回来！我们不想有一只危险的野兽在这儿！”

“我——我不知道怎么把她变回来，”伦纳德小声害怕地说。

“胡说！”汉普顿先生叫嚷道。“你把我亲爱的妻子变成了狼，现在你必须将她再变回来！”

“请相信我，”伦纳德说，“我没有把你的妻子变成狼。”

“那么她在哪儿？那只动物怎么进暖房的？”汉普顿先生气愤地问。

“当你说你没有将汉普顿夫人变成狼时，我们当然相信你，”克洛维斯礼貌地说，“但是你必须承认这太奇怪了。”

“房子里还有一只野兽，你们怎么还能站在那里争来争去？”梅维斯·佩林顿喊道。

“帕布汉姆勋爵，”汉普顿先生说，“你对动物了解很多……”

“我的动物都是买的，”帕布汉姆勋爵说。“我以前从没在暖房见过。可这是一只狼，我敢肯定。我想它可能是一只北美母狼—”

“哦，谁管她是哪儿来的！”梅维斯尖叫着，这时狼又走进房屋几步。“你难道不能给它些食物，趁它还没咬谁时把它带到某个安全的地方吗？”

“如果这只动物真的是汉普顿夫人，”克洛维斯说，“她刚吃过丰盛的晚餐，不会对食物感兴趣。”

“哦，伦纳德，”姑妈嚷着，“你难道不能用你神奇的力量把这只可怕的动物变成某个小巧温顺的动物吗？比如说一只兔子？”

“我想汉普顿先生不会喜欢，”克洛维斯说。

“对！”汉普顿先生叫嚷道。“我不准这样做！”

“我所有的狼都喜欢糖，”帕布汉姆勋爵说。“如果你不反对的话，我会给这只狼一块。”他从桌上拿起一块糖，顺着地板推给路易莎。她很快就吃完了，然后就跟着帕布汉姆勋爵出了屋，很明显还想要糖。

客人们非常感谢地离开桌子，急忙走进暖房。暖房是空的，汉普顿夫人不见了。

“通往花园的门是从里面锁着的！”克洛维斯说。（他假装试着开锁时迅速转动了钥匙。）

每个人都转身对着伦纳德·比尔斯特。

“如果你没有把我妻子变成狼，”汉普顿先生说，“那么你能解释她去哪儿了吗？很明显她不会从一扇锁着的门出去——所以她在哪儿？”

“我告诉你，我与此事无关！”伦纳德一遍又一遍地重复着说，但是没人相信他。

“我要走了，”梅维斯·佩林顿说。“我再不愿在这房子里多呆一小时。”

这时玛丽·汉普顿走了进来。

“怎么搞的？”她生气地问。“有人在和我玩愚蠢的游戏。我发现自己在厨房里，吃帕布汉姆勋爵手上的糖。我恨这愚蠢的游戏，医生不准我吃糖。”

“好吧，亲爱的……”汉普顿先生开始说。当他解释时，汉普顿夫人激动地听着。

“那么你真的把我变成了一只狼，比尔斯特先生？”汉普顿夫人喊道。

“不，没有，”伦纳德说。“那只是个误会。”

“事实上，这是我做的，”克洛维斯说。“你知道，我在俄国呆了两年，知道一些西伯利亚魔法。当然我不喜欢谈论它。可当人们说一大堆关于神秘力量的废话时，我愿意显示西伯利亚魔法倒底能做些什么……我可以来一杯吗？我现在觉得有点累了。”

伦纳德·比尔斯特用愤恨的眼神看着克洛维斯。就在这时他强烈地希望他能把克洛维斯变成某个矮小无助的动物，然后狠狠地踩上几脚。