Jake stared at her, speechless. She seemed pale and very tired. A small, close-fitting cap of some clipped dark-brown fur that matched her loose, big-pocketed coat, framed her small, delicate face.
“听着。” 他突然说，“现在不是说话的时候。下一趟北岸的火车什么时候开往文明世界？”
“Look here,” he said suddenly, “this is no time to talk. When does the next North Shore train start back to civilization?”
她从钱包里拿出一张时刻表看了看。“三点四十七分。”
She consulted a schedule taken from her purse. “Three-forty-seven.”
他看了看表。“现在正好三点四十三分。我希望老天保佑火车站不远。”
He looked at his watch. “It’s three-forty-three right now. I hope to heaven it isn’t far.”
“几个街区远。沿着森林大道一直走然后……”
“A couple of blocks. Right down Forest Avenue and—”
他抓住她的手。“别站在那儿说个不停了。快走。”
He grabbed her hand. “Don’t stand there talking about it. Come on.”
他们在轻轻飘落的雪花中沿着森林大道飞奔，在最后一个街区向左拐去北岸车站，最后冲刺跑完了这段路。
They raced down Forest Avenue through the gently falling snow, wheeled left for the last block to the North Shore station, and covered it in a final sprint.
就在杰克领着她沿着通往铁轨交叉处的煤渣小路走下去，走到另一边的时候，他们听到了钟声当当响起，行人门开始关上。在远处，那两节车厢的郊区特快列车风驰电掣般地向车站驶来，竭力想让自己看起来尽可能像一辆高速流线型列车。
Just as Jake piloted her down the cindered path leading to the track crossing and over to the other side, they could hear bells clanging as the pedestrian gates began to swing shut. In the distance the rattling two-car suburban limited hurled itself at the station, trying to look as much as possible like a crack streamliner.
当杰克向站台边缘走去时，海伦抓住他的胳膊，把他拉回到一群等着上火车的郊区居民后面的遮蔽处。
As Jake started for the edge of the platform, Helene caught at his arm and pulled him back behind the shelter of the little group of suburbanites waiting to take the train.
“杰克！看那儿！”
“Jake! Look there!”
他看到一个身材较高、体格壮实的女人，穿着一件深蓝色的水手短上衣，头上歪戴着一顶小花图案的毡制水手帽。她宽阔的脸庞上露出严厉、坚定的神情，她的小眼睛似乎在同时向四面八方张望。尽管戴着帽子，但她一点也不可笑。
He saw a tallish, heavy-set woman in a navy-blue reefer coat, a small, flowered felt sailor set slightly awry on her head. Her broad face was set in grim, determined lines, her small eyes seemed to be trying to peer everywhere at once. In spite of the hat, there was nothing even remotely ic about her.
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