E.L.Konigsburg+宋怡秋

E. L. 柯尼斯伯格（E. L. Konigsburg， 1930～2013），美国作家、插画家，史上两次获得纽伯瑞儿童文学奖的六位作家之一，代表作有《小巫婆求仙记》（Jennifer， Hecate， Macbeth， William McKinley， and Me， Elizabeth）、《相约星期六》（The View from Saturday）等。《天使雕像》（From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler）为她赢得了纽伯瑞儿童文学金奖。该书讲述12岁的克劳迪娅（Claudia）厌倦了枯燥的生活，带着九岁的弟弟杰米（Jamie）离家出走的故事。他们藏在纽约的大都会博物馆一个星期，为揭开天使雕像（Angel）的秘密与福兰克威尔夫人（Mrs. Frankweiler）结下了友谊，也在这场冒险中获得了成长。

下文选自小说第九章，讲述的是福兰克威尔夫人为他们揭开天使雕像的秘密之后与他们分享关于“秘密”的独特想法。

精彩片段

"You won't tell my secret because if you do， I'll write you out of my will1）. You would lose all that money. You said that the sketch was worth quite a boodle2）. So you're going to be very good about keeping this secret. Claudia will keep quiet for a different reason. Her reason happens to be the same as mine."

"Which is what？" Jamie asked.

"Simply because it is a secret. It will enable her to return to Greenwich different."

Claudia looked at Jamie and nodded. Something I had just said made sense.

I continued， "Returning with a secret is what she really wants. Angel had a secret and that made her exciting， important. Claudia doesn't want adventure. She likes baths and feeling comfortable too much for that kind of thing. Secrets are the kind of adventure she needs. Secrets are safe， and they do much to make you different. On the inside where it counts. I won't actually be getting a secret from you； I'll be getting details. I'm a collector of all kinds of things besides art，" I said pointing to my files.

"If all those files are secrets， and if secrets make you different on the inside， then your insides， Mrs. Frankweiler， must be the most mixed-up， the most different insides I've ever seen. Or any doctor has ever seen， either."

I grinned. "There's a lifetime of secrets in those files. But there's also just a lot of newspaper clippings. Junk. It's ahodgepodge3）. Like my art collection. Now， you'll tell me all about your running away， and I'll add that to my files."

Whereas Jamie's excitement bubbled4） out of him in grins and spurts of jittering5） around the room， Claudia's excitement flowed， not bubbled. I could see that she was a little surprised. She had known that Angel would have the answer， but she had expected it to be a loud bang， not a quiet soaking6） in. Of course secrets make a difference. That was why planning the runaway had been such fun； it was a secret. And hiding in the museum had been a secret. But they weren't permanent； they had to come to an end. Angel wouldn't. She could carry the secret of Angel inside her for twenty years just as I had. Now she wouldn't have to be a heroine when she returned home ... except to herself. And now she knew something about secrets that she hadn't known before.

I could tell that she felt happy. Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place， but there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around. Claudia could have kept her doubts to herself， but she was an honest child， and honorable child.

"Mrs. Fankweiler，" she said swallowing7） hard， "I really love the sketch. I really do. I love. Just love， love， love it. But don't you think you ought to give it to the museum. They're just dying to find out whether the statue is real or not."

"Nonsense！ What a conscience you suddenly have. I want to give it to you. In exchange. If you and Jamie want to give it to the museum after you inherit it， then you give it to the museum. I won't let the museum people near here. If I could keep them out of Connecticut altogether， I would. I don't want them to have it while I'm alive."

Claudia wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her sweater and asked， "Why not？"

"I've thought about that for a long time， and I've decided 'why not？'. What they'll do is start investigating the authenticity of the sketch. They'll call in authorities from all over the world. They'll analyze the ink. And the paper. They'll research all his illustrated notes and compare， compare， compare. In short， they'll make a science of it. Some will say 'yes'. Some will say 'no'. Scholars will debate about it. They will poll all the authorities， and probably the majority will agree that the note and the statue are really the work of Michelangelo. At least that's what they should conclude. But some stubborn ones won't agree， and thereafter the statue and the sketch will appear in books with a big question mark. The experts don't believe in coincidence as much as I do， and I don't want them to throw doubt on something that I've felt always， and actually known for about twenty years."

Claudia's eyes widened， "But， Mrs. Frankweiler， if there is the slightest doubt that either the statue or the sketch is aforgery8）， don't you want to know？ Don't you want the last little bit of doubt cleared up？"

"No，" I answered abruptly.

“你不会泄露我的秘密，因为如果你那样做了，我会把你从我的遗嘱中删掉，你将得不到那一大笔钱——你说过那幅手稿很值钱。所以，你会好好保守这个秘密的。克劳迪娅则会出于另外的原因什么也不说。她的原因刚好和我的一样。”

“是什么呢？”杰米问。

“只因为那是个秘密，那会让她回到格林尼治时变得‘不一样。”

克劳迪娅看着杰米，点了点头。我刚刚说的话是有道理的。

我接着说：“带着秘密回去是她真正想要的。天使雕像有个秘密，这让它变得令人兴奋，变得重要。克劳迪娅不想冒险。她太喜欢洗澡，喜欢舒适的感觉，不会喜欢冒险那种事。秘密是她需要的那种冒险。秘密既安全，又足以令你与众不同。这种不同对于内心感受很重要。确切地说，我不是要从你们这里探听一个秘密，我要的是细节。除了艺术品之外，我还收集各种东西。……