The night seemed long. Wilbur's stomach was empty and his mind was full. And when your stomach is empty and your mind is full, it's always hard to sleep.
夜好像變長了。威伯的肚子是空的，腦子里卻裝得滿滿的。當你的肚子是空的，可腦子里卻滿是心事的時候，總是很難入睡的。

A dozen times during the night Wilbur woke and stared into the blackness, listening to the sounds and trying to figure out what time it was. A barn is never perfectly quiet. Even at midnight there is usually something stirring.
這一夜，威伯醒了很多次。醒時他就拼命朝黑暗中望著，聽著，想弄明白是幾點鐘了。谷倉從沒有完全安靜的時候，甚至在半夜里也還是老有響動。

The first time he woke, he heard Templeton gnawing a hole in the grain bin. Templeton's teeth scraped loudly against the wood and made quite a racket. "That crazy rat!" thought Wilbur. "Why does he have to stay up all night, grinding his clashers and destroying people's property? Why can't he go to sleep, like any decent animal?"
第一次醒來時，他聽到坦普爾曼在谷倉里打洞的聲音。坦普爾曼的牙使勁兒地嗑著木頭，弄出很大的動靜。“那只瘋耗子！”威伯想。“為什么他整夜的在那里磨牙，破壞人們的財產？為什么他不去睡覺，像任何一只正常的動物那樣？”

The second time Wilbur woke, he heard the goose turning on her nest and chuckling to herself.
第二次醒來時，威伯聽到母鵝在她的窩里來回挪著，自顧自的傻笑。

"What time is it?" whispered Wilbur to the goose.
“幾點了？”威伯低聲問母鵝。

"Probably-obably-obably about half-past eleven," said the goose, "Why aren't you asleep, Wilbur?"
“可能-能-能十一點半了吧，”母鵝說。“你為什么不睡，威伯？”

"Too many things on my mind," said Wilbur.
“我腦子里的東西太多了，”威伯說。

"Well," said the goose, "that's not my trouble. I have nothing at all on my mind, but I've too many things under my behind. Have you ever tried to sleep while sitting on eight eggs?"
“唔，”母鵝說。“我沒這樣的麻煩。我腦子里什么東西都沒有，不過我的屁股下面倒有很多東西。你試過坐在八個蛋上睡覺嗎？”

"No," replied Wilbur, "I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?"
“沒有，”威伯回答。“我猜那一定很不舒服，一個鵝蛋得孵多久？”

"Approximately-oximately thirty days, all told," answered the goose. "But I cheat a little. On warm afternoons, I just pull a little straw over the eggs and go out for a walk."
“他們說大約-約要三十天，”母鵝回答。“可我有時會偷懶。在溫暖的午后，我常銜來一些稻草把蛋蓋上，一個人去散步。”

Wilbur yawned and went back to sleep. In his dreams he heard again the voice saying, "I'll be a friend to you. Go to sleep--you'll see me in the morning."
威伯打了個哈欠，進入了夢鄉。夢里他又仿佛聽到了那個聲音，“我將成為你的朋友。去睡吧——明早你會看見我。”

About half an hour before dawn, Wilbur woke and listened. The barn was still dark. The sheep lay motionless. Even the goose was quiet. Overhead, on the main floor, nothing stirred: the cows were resting, the horses dozed. Templeton had quit work and gone off somewhere on an errand. The only sound was a slight scraping noise from the rooftop, where the weather-vane swung back and forth. Wilbur loved the barn when it was like this--calm and quiet, waiting for light.
大約在天亮前的半小時，威伯醒了，開始傾聽。谷倉里還是很黑。綿羊睡得很沉。甚至那只母鵝也很安靜。頭上的主樓那里也沒什么動靜：牛正在休息，馬在打盹兒。坦普爾曼也不見了，可能到別處工作去了吧。只有谷倉頂上才有些輕微的響動，那是風信雞在風里晃來晃去。威伯很喜歡這時的谷倉——一切都那么靜謐，安詳，只等曙光的來臨。

"Day is almost here," he thought.
“白天就要來了。”他想。

Through a small window, a faint gleam appeared. One by one the stars went out. Wilbur could see the goose a few feet away. She sat with head tucked under a wing. Then he could see the sheep and the lambs. The sky lightened.
一縷微光從小窗子里透了進來。星星們一個接一個的熄滅了。威伯現在能看清幾步遠的母鵝了。她的頭藏到了翅膀的下面。接著，他也能看清綿羊和羊羔了。天亮了。

"Oh, beautiful day, it is here at last! Today I shall find my friend."
“哦，美麗的白天，它終于來了！今天我會找到朋友了。”

Wilbur looked everywhere. He searched his pen thoroughly. He examined the window ledge, stared up at the ceiling. But he saw nothing new. Finally he decided he would have to speak up. He hated to break the lovely stillness of dawn by using his voice, but he couldn't think of any other way to locate the mysterious new friend who was nowhere to be seen. So Wilbur cleared his throat.
威伯四處搜尋著。他把家里查了個遍。他檢查了窗臺，又望了望天花板。但卻什么新變化都沒發現。最后他只好決定喊話了。盡管他不愿用自己的聲音來打破這可愛的黎明時分的寂靜，但他想不出還有什么別的辦法可以找出那位無處可見的，神秘的新朋友。因此威伯清了清嗓子。

"Attention, please!" he said in a loud, firm voice. "Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly make himself or herself known by giving an appropriate sign or signal!"
“請注意！”他用特別洪亮的嗓門說，“請在昨晚就寢時友好地和我談話的那位先生或女士給我打一個手勢，或者發個信號！”

Wilbur paused and listened. All the other animals lifted their heads and stared at him. Wilbur blushed. But he was determined to get in touch with his unknown friend.
威伯停下來，聽了聽。別的動物都抬起頭瞪向他。威伯臉紅了。但他還是決心找出這個陌生的朋友。

"Attention, please!" he said. "I will repeat the message. Will the party who addressed me at bedtime last night kindly speak up. Please tell me where you are, if you are my friend!"
“請注意！”他說。“我再重復一遍。請昨夜睡前和我親切談話的朋友出來說話。請告訴我你在哪里，如果你是我的朋友的話！”

The sheep looked at each other in disgust.
綿羊們互相交流著厭惡的表情。

"Stop your nonsense, Wilbur!" said the oldest sheep. "If you have a new friend here, you are probably disturbing his rest; and the quickest way to spoil a friendship is to wake somebody up in the morning before he is ready. How can you be sure your friend is an early riser?"
“別說胡話了，威伯！”最老的綿羊說。“如果你在這里有一個新朋友，你就是在妨害他的休息；而且在他早晨準備起床前把他吵醒，也是打破友誼的最快方法。你能確定你的朋友喜歡早起嗎？”

"I beg everyone's pardon," whispered Wilbur. "I didn't mean to be objectionable."
“各位，請原諒，”威伯的聲音低了下來。“我并不想打擾別人。”

He lay down meekly in the in the manure, facing the door. He did not know it, but his friend was very near. and the old sheep was right--the friend was still asleep.
他臉朝門委屈地躺了下來。他沒想到會打擾別人，但如果他的朋友就在不遠，早就該聽到了。可能老羊說得對——這個朋友還沒睡醒呢。

Soon Lurvy appeared with slops for breakfast. Wilbur rushed out, ate everything in a hurry, and licked the trough. The sheep moved off down the lane, the gander waddled along behind them, pulling grass. And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before.
不久魯維來送早飯了。威伯沖出去急忙把食物吃光，還把食槽舔了個遍。綿羊們向小路走去，后面跟著搖搖擺擺的公鵝。就在威伯準備躺下來睡個早覺時，他又聽到了昨夜的那種聲音。

"Salutations!" said the voice.
“致敬！”那個聲音說。

Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.
威伯跳了起來。“致什么？”他問。

"Salutations!" said the voice.
“致敬！”那聲音重復道。

"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?"
“這個詞兒是什么意思，你又在哪兒？”威伯尖叫起來。“求求你，求求你，告訴我你在哪兒吧。還有，致敬是什么意思？”

"Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner of the dooway! Here I am. Look, I'm waving!"
“致敬是句問候用語，”那個聲音說道。“當我說‘致敬’，就等于對你說‘你好’或是‘早上好’。實際上，這是種愚蠢的表達方式，真奇怪我剛才怎么會用這么一個詞兒。你想知道我在哪兒嗎？那很容易。往門框上角看！我在這兒。看，我在揮手哩！”

At last Wilbur saw the creature that had spoken to him in such a kindly way. Stretched across the upper part of the doorway was a big spiderweb, and hanging from the top of the web, head down, was a large grey spider. She was about the size of a gumdrop. She had eight legs, and she was waving one of them at Wilbur in friendly greeting. "See me now?" she asked.
威伯終于找到了如此友善的和自己交談的動物。門框的上方拉著一張大蜘蛛網，一只大灰蜘蛛正倒掛在網的高處。她只有一粒樹膠糖丸那么大。她長著八條腿，正用其中的一條腿友好地對威伯致意呢。“現在看到我了？”她問。

"Oh, yes indeed," said Wilbur. "Yes indeed! How are you? Good morning! Salutations! Very pleased to meet you. What is your name, please? May I have your name?"
“噢，確實看見了，”威伯說。“確實看見了！你好！早上好！致敬！很高興認識你。請問芳名？我可以問你的名字嗎？”

"My name," said the spider," is Charlotte."
“我的名字，”蜘蛛說，“叫夏洛。”

"Charlotte what?" asked Wilbur, eagerly.
“夏洛什么？”威伯渴切地問。

"Charlotte A. Cavatica. But just call me Charlotte."
“夏洛·A·卡瓦蒂娜。你就叫我夏洛好了。”

"I think you're beautiful," said Wilbur.
“我覺得你真很漂亮，”威伯說。

"Well, I am pretty," replied Charlotte. "There's no denying that. Almost all spiders are rather nice-looking. I'm not as flashy as some, but I'll do. I wish I could see you, Wilbur, as clearly as you can see me."
“謝謝，我是很漂亮，”夏洛回答。“那是毫無疑問的。幾乎所有的蜘蛛都長得相當好看。我不像別的蜘蛛那么艷麗，不過我也算可以了。我希望能看清你，威伯，就像你能看清我一樣。”

（來源：愛思英語 編輯：丹妮）