There was a red post out in front of Marvin Redpost’s house. The rest of the fence was white. Marvin tapped the post for luck as he walked through the gate on his way to school.
马文·雷德波斯特家门前有一根红柱子。栅栏其余的部分都是白的。马文上学穿过大门时，拍了拍那根柱子讨个吉利。
He wore a pair of blue jeans with a hole over each knee. It was “hole day” at school.
他穿着一条蓝色牛仔裤，两个膝盖上各有一个洞。今天是学校的「破洞日」。
Every day had been special this week. Monday, he had to wear socks that didn’t match. Tuesday, everyone wore T-shirts that came from a vacation. Wednesday, yesterday, had been hat day. And today, everyone had to wear clothes with holes.
这一周每天都很特别。周一，他得穿不配对的袜子。周二，大家都穿旅行带回来的 T 恤。周三，也就是昨天，是帽子日。而今天，每个人都要穿带洞的衣服。
His two best friends, Nick and Stuart, were waiting for him at the corner.
他两个最好的朋友，尼克和斯图尔特，在街角等他。
“Do you think Mrs. North will wear clothes with holes?” asked Stuart.
「你觉得诺斯太太会穿带洞的衣服吗？」斯图尔特问。
“Sure, why not?” asked Marvin.
「当然会，为什么不呢？」马文说。
“No way!” said Nick. “I’ll bet you a million dollars!”
「绝不可能！」尼克说，「我跟你赌一百万美元！」
Nick had also said there was “no way!” Mrs. North would wear mismatched socks. He had also said there was “no way!” she would let the kids wear hats in class.
尼克也说过诺斯太太「绝不可能」穿不配对的袜子。他还说过她「绝不可能」让孩子们在课堂上戴帽子。
So far, he owed Marvin two million dollars.
到目前为止，他欠马文两百万美元了。
Nick was wearing a T-shirt that had a large hole under his right armpit. It had been torn in a fight.
尼克穿着一件 T 恤，右腋下有个大洞。那是打架时撕破的。
“She probably doesn’t even own any clothes with holes,” Nick said. “How could a teacher get holes in her clothes?”
「她大概连一件带洞的衣服都没有，」尼克说，「一个老师怎么可能把衣服弄出洞来？」
“Moths,” said Marvin. “She might have a wool sweater. Moths eat wool.”
「蛀虫，」马文说，「她可能有件羊毛衫。蛀虫吃羊毛。」
“Actually, moths don’t really eat wool,” Stuart pointed out. “Everybody thinks that, but really, it’s the caterpillars that eat the wool.”
「其实，飞蛾并不真吃羊毛，」斯图尔特指出，「大家都这么以为，但实际上，吃羊毛的是毛毛虫。」
Stuart was wearing a T-shirt that also had a large hole under the right armpit. It had also been torn in a fight.
斯图尔特穿着一件 T 恤，右腋下也有个大洞。也是打架时撕破的。
It was the same fight.
是同一场架。
Nick and Stuart had fought each other. But now they were friends.
尼克和斯图尔特打过架。但现在他们是朋友了。
“You want to come over after school today?” Nick asked.
「你今天放学后来我家吗？」尼克问。
“Okay,” said Stuart.
「好啊，」斯图尔特说。
“I can’t,” said Marvin. “My mom is taking me to the shoe store. I’m going to my cousin’s bar mitzvah on Saturday.”
「我不行，」马文说，「我妈妈要带我去鞋店。周六我要去参加表兄的成人礼。」
When they got to school, everybody they saw had holes in their clothes. Travis wore a shirt that was more hole than it was shirt. Clarence had a hole in his sneaker and his sock, so his big toe stuck all the way through.
他们到学校时，见到的每个人衣服上都有洞。特拉维斯的衬衫，洞比布还多。克拉伦斯的运动鞋和袜子上都有洞，大脚趾整个从洞里伸出来。
“You should clip your toenail,” said Marvin.
「你该剪剪脚趾甲了，」马文说。
“You should clip your mouth!” said Clarence.
「你该剪剪你的嘴！」克拉伦斯说。
That didn’t really make sense, but Marvin got the point. Clarence was the toughest kid in his class.
这话其实说不通，但马文明白他的意思。克拉伦斯是班上最强悍的孩子。
The bell rang, and everybody lined up and went inside.
铃响了，大家排队进了教学楼。
Mrs. North was waiting in the classroom. She had a large hole in her shirt, over her stomach.
诺斯太太在教室里等着。她的衬衫在肚子那儿有一个大洞。
Marvin stopped and stared. He could see Mrs. North’s belly button.
马文停下脚步，瞪着眼。他能看见诺斯太太的肚脐。
Nick now owed him three million dollars.
尼克现在欠他三百万美元了。