Marvin’s friends waited with him in the parking lot.
马文的朋友们在停车场陪他一起等。
“Which one do you think is her car?” asked Stuart.
「你觉得哪辆是她的车？」斯图尔特问。
“I don’t know,” said Marvin.
「我不知道，」马文说。
“I can’t believe you guys are so dumb!” said Nick. “She drives that yellow Firebird. Over there, next to Mrs. Grant’s red Cougar. The pick-up truck is Mr. McCabe’s. The van is Mr. Gurdy’s. I can tell you every teacher’s car.”
「我真不敢相信你们这么笨！」尼克说，「她开那辆黄色的火鸟。就在那儿，格兰特太太那辆红色美洲狮旁边。那辆皮卡是麦凯布先生的。那辆面包车是格迪先生的。每位老师的车我都能告诉你。」
“But you’ve never driven in one,” said Stuart, patting Marvin on the back.
「可你从没坐过其中任何一辆，」斯图尔特说，拍了拍马文的背。
Mrs. North came out of the office. She held a folder filled with papers.
诺斯太太从办公室出来了。她拿着一个装满纸张的文件夹。
“Are you ready, Marvin?” she asked.
「准备好了吗，马文？」她问。
He nodded.
他点点头。
“We just wanted to watch him get into your car,” said Stuart.
「我们只是想看他上你的车，」斯图尔特说。
Mrs. North smiled. “Well, it’s that yellow one, over there.”
诺斯太太笑了。「嗯，就是那边那辆黄色的。」
“I know,” said Nick.
「我知道，」尼克说。
Mrs. North and Marvin walked across the parking lot.
诺斯太太和马文穿过停车场。
“May I carry that for you?” Marvin asked.
「要我帮您拿吗？」马文问。
“Thank you, Marvin,” said Mrs. North. She handed him the folder. “It’s my homework,” she told him.
「谢谢你，马文，」诺斯太太说。她把文件夹递给他。「这是我的作业，」她告诉他。
“You have homework?”
「您也有作业？」
“Sure. I have to correct your homework. In fact, I have a lot more homework than you. I have to correct your homework, plus the homework of every student in the class.”
「当然。我得批改你们的作业。其实，我的作业比你们多得多。我得批改你的作业，加上全班每个学生的作业。」
“Hmm,” said Marvin. He never thought of that before.
「嗯，」马文说。他以前从没想过这个。
She unlocked the door of her car, got in, then reached over and unlocked Marvin’s door.
她打开车门锁，坐进去，然后探过身打开马文那侧的门。
He sat down next to her.
他在她旁边坐下。
“You have a very nice car,” he said.
「您的车真好，」他说。
“Thank you,” said Mrs. North.
「谢谢，」诺斯太太说。
“The seat is very comfortable.”
「座位很舒服。」
“I’m glad you like it,” said Mrs. North.
「很高兴你喜欢，」诺斯太太说。
He tugged gently on the seat belt. “The seat belt seems nice and strong,” he said.
他轻轻拉了拉安全带。「安全带看起来又好又结实，」他说。
“Good,” said Mrs. North. “In case I crash.”
「很好，」诺斯太太说，「万一我撞车的话。」
She started the engine. They drove off.
她发动引擎。他们开走了。
Marvin waved out the window to his two best friends. Then he leaned back and enjoyed the ride.
马文从车窗向两个最好的朋友挥手。然后他往后一靠，享受这趟车。
From the outside, Mrs. North’s house just looked like a normal house. Marvin didn’t know what he expected. Maybe a flagpole in front? He wondered if her neighbors even knew she was a teacher.
从外面看，诺斯太太的房子就是一栋普通的房子。马文不知道自己原本期待的是什么。也许门前有根旗杆？他好奇她的邻居们到底知不知道她是老师。
They parked in the garage and walked inside through the laundry room.
他们把车停在车库，穿过洗衣房进了屋。
Waldo was waiting for them. His long black tail swished slowly behind him.
沃尔多在等他们。他长长的黑尾巴在身后慢慢摆动。
He was a big dog with graying black hair. His face was covered with long gray whiskers, almost white.
他是条大狗，黑毛里夹着灰。脸上长满长长的灰胡须，几乎全白了。
He looked like a walrus.
他看起来像只海象。
“Waldo, I’d like you to meet Marvin,” Mrs. North said very politely. “Marvin, this is Waldo.”
「沃尔多，我想让你认识一下马文，」诺斯太太非常有礼貌地说，「马文，这是沃尔多。」
“Nice to meet you, Waldo,” Marvin said.
「很高兴认识你，沃尔多，」马文说。
“He’s seventeen years old,” said Mrs. North. “That’s a hundred and nineteen in dog years.”
「他十七岁了，」诺斯太太说，「按狗的年龄算是119岁。」
Marvin petted the old dog and scratched him behind the ears.
马文抚摸着这条老狗，挠他耳朵后面。
Mrs. North showed Marvin around her house. Waldo followed. He waddled like a walrus when he walked.
诺斯太太带马文参观她的房子。沃尔多跟着。他走起路来一摇一摆，像只海象。
“You just live in a regular house,” said Marvin.
「您就住在很普通的房子里，」马文说。
Mrs. North laughed. “What did you expect? A blackboard in the living room?”
诺斯太太笑了。「你以为是什么？客厅里有块黑板？」
He laughed.
他笑了。
Waldo made a whining noise. It was almost like he was singing.
沃尔多发出一阵呜呜声。几乎像在唱歌。
Mrs. North bent down and petted him. “Oh, Wa-wa-wa-Waldo,” she said, her nose almost touching his. “I’m going to miss you, Wa-wa-wa-Waldo!”
诺斯太太弯下腰抚摸他。「哦，沃-沃-沃-沃尔多，」她说，鼻子几乎碰到他的鼻子，「我会想你的，沃-沃-沃-沃尔多！」
Waldo licked her right on the mouth.
沃尔多正正地舔了她的嘴。
Marvin couldn’t believe it. Mrs. North was almost like a real person.
马文简直不敢相信。诺斯太太几乎就像个真人。
“Would you like something to eat?” she asked. “I’ve got chocolate chip cookies.”
「你想吃点什么吗？」她问，「我有巧克力豆饼干。」
“No, thank you.”
「不用了，谢谢。」
“I’ll be gone a week. They’ll go stale if nobody eats them.”
「我要走一个星期。要是没人吃，它们会变硬的。」
“Okay,” said Marvin.
「好，」马文说。
While Marvin had cookies and milk, Mrs. North showed him where she kept Waldo’s bowls, the leash, and the bag of dog food.
马文吃饼干喝牛奶的时候，诺斯太太指给他看沃尔多的碗、牵狗绳和那袋狗粮放在哪儿。
He had to fill the bowls whenever they got low. And he had to walk Waldo three times a day. Before school, after school, and in the evening.
碗里快空了的时候他就得添满。还有，他一天得遛沃尔多三次。上学前、放学后，还有晚上。
“Oh, and here’s his pooper-scooper,” said Mrs. North. “You know what this is for?”
「哦，这是他的拾便器，」诺斯太太说，「你知道这是干嘛用的吗？」
Marvin nodded as he swallowed a cookie.
马文咽下一口饼干，点了点头。
She wrote down the phone number of Waldo’s vet, just in case.
她把沃尔多兽医的电话号码写下来，以防万一。
She also asked Marvin to bring in her mail and newspapers.
她还让马文把她的信件和报纸拿进屋。
“So, any questions?”
「那么，有什么问题吗？」
Marvin only had one question. “Why’d you pick me?”
马文只有一个问题。「您为什么选我？」
Mrs. North smiled. “You don’t think I’d let Nick alone in my house, do you?”
诺斯太太笑了。「你不会以为我会让尼克一个人待在我家吧？」
Marvin smiled.
马文笑了。
“I don’t know,” Mrs. North said, more seriously. “I feel I can trust you, Marvin. I think you are mature and responsible.”
「我说不好，」诺斯太太更认真地说，「我觉得我能信任你，马文。我觉得你又成熟又负责。」
Marvin suddenly felt very mature and responsible.
马文突然觉得自己真的又成熟又负责了。
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “The key.”
「哦，我差点忘了，」她说，「钥匙。」
She gave Marvin the key to her house.
她把家里的钥匙给了马文。