Chapter 7 seven ugly children
Miss Edith Fairlew was in the habit of flattening her work clothes before going out, and she carried a notebook and a pen with her, though she had acquired the habit of not taking notes unless they were of particular importance to her. Report.
She was carrying a small suitcase in her hand, and everyone she met said it was a game toy for her boy, so she always looked for the boy with a smile on her face—an ugly boy who kept asking her questions. Boy, whenever he saw Miss Edith Fairlew, he waved to her from a distance and kept waving his respects.
As usual, the ugly boy knew that Miss Fairroy had entered the door, and came up at once, yelling, "Miss Fairroy, Miss Fairroy—," his trembling voice It sounds both affectionate and vague.
"Tims," she exclaimed cheerfully, laying her hand on the misshapen little head beneath his shaggy brown hair, "is there anything wrong?"
The ugly boy asked eagerly, "Will Jerry come to play again? I'm sorry to think of the unpleasant things that happened between me and him."
"Now you don't have to think about those things, Timms. Is that why you cry?"
"Not quite, Miss Fairlew, for I am dreaming again."
"Who did you dream about again? Is it Jerry?" Miss Fairloo bit her lips, "I know, Jerry will bring you pain again."
Tims nodded, indicating that was the case.A smile crossed his face, his long teeth were all exposed, and his slightly protruding lips stretched slightly. He said: "When will I grow up and leave here? Fairlu Miss."
"Soon," she said softly to him, "you'll grow up soon." And then she felt her heart break.
Miss Fairw asked Tims to hold her hand.She loved the warmth of touching the dry, rough skin of Tims' palms.
Tims pulled her through the three houses, and it was really comfortable here.Yes, for the past seven years the old house had been a prison to the ugly boy.
Timms and Miss Fairw came together to a window from which a scrub grove was visible, a part of the world.
Now, the woods seemed to be covered with a hazy night.There is a fence beside the woods, and a painted sign is hung on the fence, which reads: No one is allowed to enter without permission.
Tims pressed his nose to the glass and asked, "What's that place? Miss Fairlew."
"A great place."
Miss Fairleigh felt sorry for Timms, looking at his thin frame and his nose stuck to the glass.His forehead was flat and slightly receded, covered by a tuft of hair.
The prominence of the back of his skull seemed to make his head so heavy that it always hung or bent forward, so that the whole body also became an arch.His face appeared to be skinny and muscleless, with deep-set eye sockets and a wide mouth that protruded even beyond his flat nose.He has no chin, just a smooth curved jawbone.
According to his age, he has grown to size, and his two thin and short legs have all been bent.
He is a very ugly little boy.Miss Fairroy, however, loved him exceedingly.At this time, probably out of her pity, she shed tears unconsciously.She shook her head and clenched her teeth: "They will not kill him again, she is willing to do whatever. Then, she quickly opened the suitcase and took out the clothes inside.
Miss Fairw crossed the threshold of Strucius, the name she had first heard three years before.She had never known this place before.At that time no one knew the name except the people who worked there.Ferru also didn't know until she got there.
At that time, people in this place were advertising for a woman who had knowledge of physiology, experience in clinical chemistry, and a strong love for children.Fairo used to be a nurse in a maternity hospital ward, so she firmly believed that she met the recruitment requirements and decided to apply.
Grad Hoskins' nameplate was on the desk, with the title of Doctor of Philosophy written on the back of his name.Hoskins scratched his cheek with his thumb, and looked at Miss Fairo quietly.
Miss Fairo stood stiffly, tense, and felt her face twitch.She was thinking: "There must be no woman willing to marry this man."
He was so fat and bald, and his mouth was always tightly shut.But she thought that the salary here was higher than she thought, and it was a rare opportunity, so she waited patiently.
Hoskin asked, "Do you really love your children?"
"I can't tell whether I love it or not."
"Perhaps you only like good children! Beautiful, clean children. Do you know how to raise children?" Hoskins asked again.
Miss Fairw replied: "Children are always children, Dr. Hoskins, whether they are good children or children with faults and needs help, they are children after all."
"Well, if we hire you—"
"You mean to give me the job now?" asked Miss Fairw.
Hoskins smiled absently, and at that moment, a strange expression appeared on his bright face, and he said: "I can make a decision soon, because this work is experimental, and I will could get you out of the job just as quickly. Do you really want this opportunity?"
Miss Fairleigh thought for a moment and said, "Yes."
"Okay, we've made a deal. Tonight we're going to build Sturgess, and I think you'd better take over immediately! Be here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning, if you can be here by seven-thirty , I would like to thank you even more."
"But—" Miss Fairw wanted to say something, but Dr. Hoskins shook his hand:
"Okay, that's all for now." He signaled, and a smiling secretary came in and took Miss Fairw away.
Miss Fairw stood for several minutes before the closed door of Dr. Hoskins.
What, she thought, was "Struchus"?She was puzzled.Where were any children in such a large, unadorned house, among such a crowd of impromptu recruits?She wondered to herself if she should go back in the evening, or teach that arrogant person a lesson.
She knew that if she did go, she would fail.Therefore, she decided that it would be better to go to see the child's situation first.
Miss Fairo came here on time at half past seven the next morning, and she was let in without notifying her name and position.Everyone here, male or female, knew her name and what she was about to do.As she walked in, she found herself on a skid.
Dr. Hoskins was inside. He gave Fairloo a cold look, and greeted him softly: "Miss Fairloo."
Hoskins didn't even bother to let her sit down, so Ferru gave him a grumbling look and took a seat by herself.
They came out onto the balcony and looked down into a pit below.
The pit is filled with various instruments, and it looks like the center control panel of a spaceship, as well as a working computer.The other side of the pit was isolated and a room without a ceiling was built, a room of very small volume.
From the balcony, Fairloo could see the toy-like cabin, and she could see an electronic cooking set and stationary space supplies in one room; the other room seemed to be used as a bathroom.In the remaining room, she believed, there must be a bed, a small bed.
Dr. Hoskins was addressing another, and with Miss Fairroy the three of them filled the balcony.
Hoskins did not introduce Miss Fairroy to the other person, and Miss Fairroy had to stand aside and look at the man.
This person is thin and looks like a middle-aged man, with a mustache and a pair of deep-set eyes.The man, who seemed busy looking around, said, "I don't want to pretend to know everything about this place at this time, Dr Hoskins, I mean as a layman, I want to understand it. Let me understand at least part of it first, and then understand more. It is quite possible to understand. The goal you want to achieve in the future is vague, and it requires more talents—, but now you It's just the first step, and it's the puzzling part of the job."
"If you will allow me to use the method of comparison, Teverner, then I will be able to show that this part of my work is not absurd," Hoskin said.
At that very moment, Miss Fairloe recognized the stranger's name as Taverner.
It turned out to be a well-known TV science news reporter. I remember seeing him at a news conference.
"If you think this will help you, please use a metaphor to explain what you mean!" Teverner replied Hoskin.
"Okay," Hoskins said confidently, "if you hold this book six feet from your eyes, you won't be able to read the words clearly. You move the book a foot from your eyes." Then you can see everything in the book clearly. If you move the book to an inch away from your eyes, you can't read the words clearly again. What I'm doing now is In this way, because it is too close to us, it is not easy for people to understand."
"Oh," Taverner looked at him with questioning eyes.
"Okay, let me give you another example. From your right shoulder to the top of your right index finger is about thirty inches or so, yet your right index finger can rest on your right shoulder. And from the top of your right index finger to your right elbow It's only half the distance to the right shoulder, but your right index finger can't touch the right elbow because they're too close together."
"Can I use these examples in my story?" Teverner asked.
"Of course. I'm overjoyed. I've wished for a long time that someone like you would write a story for us. I can provide all the materials you need. It's time. We hope that people all over the world will They can look over our shoulders, so they can see something."
Miss Fairw listened with inexpressible wonder to the conversation of the two men.Suddenly she heard Teverner ask Hoskin again: "How far are you going to extend?"
Hoskins said, "Fifty thousand years."
Miss Fairo was even more surprised: "What does this mean?"
There was a tense atmosphere in the room, and only the person standing in the middle of the room moved his footsteps a little.The man was speaking in a soft voice into the microphone, and what he said did not impress Miss Fairw very much.
Teverner leaned on the balcony railing, stared at Hoskin, and asked, "Can we see something today?"
"What? No, you're mistaken. It takes a certain amount of work to see the results. We only indirectly discovered some problems with the principle of radar. Besides, he said, we used Mesons, not reflections. Under certain circumstances, clusters of mesons can regress. Certain retrogressions may be reflected, and we must analyze these reflected phenomena."
"That was a difficult detection." Hoskins smiled again after hearing this. "This is the result of fifty years of investigation and research. Before I entered this field, this project had been carried out for forty years. Of course , which is very difficult.”
The man at the microphone raised a hand, to which Hoskin nodded, adding: "We've been stuck for a few weeks on a particular issue. After a period of calculations and research, we must have The power to change this situation, we have to solve the problem of automatic streaming time with sufficient accuracy, must start now."
Miss Fairo saw his brow gleaming, and she rose hastily from her seat, and leaned over the rail to look down, but saw nothing.
The person holding the microphone said calmly, "Start now."
The audience immediately fell silent, and even the sound of people's breathing could be heard.
In the silence, a terrifying scream suddenly came from a certain room in that toy house, which was simply shocking.
Miss Fairw turned her head in the direction of the cry, and there was a little boy there, and she could see it with fascination.
At this time, Dr. Hoskins slammed his fist on the railing, trembling all over, and said, "Go ahead, we must go on."
Dr. Hoskins had a firm grip on Miss Fairwhale's swollen shoulder and pushed her down a flight of spiral stairs leading down.But Hoskins said nothing to Miss Fairroy.Teverner followed closely behind Hoskin.
When they walked down, the man who had just stood in the middle of the room and spoke was already standing there with a smile, smoking a cigarette leisurely, and looking at the three of them.There was a low hum from the direction of the dollhouse.
"Come to the front." Miss Fairo nodded and nervously walked into the hut, but everything here seemed quite normal.
There was a peculiar fresh smell of wood and earth emanating from a doll's house, and there was an air of mystery in addition to these.Now it is quiet here, there is no noise, only the creaking sound of claws on the wood, and low groans from time to time.
"What is this place?" Miss Fairw asked strangely.She secretly thought: You don't want me to take care of these fools, do you?
The boy was in the room, and there was only one bed in the room.The little boy stood naked, his small, mud-smeared chest was matted with hair.
Some dirt and rough straw mats on the floor were trampled under his bare feet.
There was an earthy smell emanating from him, giving people a foul-smelling feeling.
Hoskin followed behind Miss Fairo, watching all this with disgusting eyes, he said: "You can't demand us, for his safety, we can only arrange him in such an environment. Don't you want him to be in this environment?" Is there a leg missing here or only half a head left?"
"Do as you please!" Ferru couldn't hold back her anger, "Are we just standing like this? The poor kid is terrified, and he's so dirty!"
Yes, several people present knew that Miss Fairroy was right.Dirt and butter were smeared all over the child's body.There was a large dislocated scar on his thigh that was red and inflamed.
Miss Fairw turned to Hoskins and said, "Listen, now you're picking him up, he needs to be warmed up and cleaned up. Say, have you got any utensils ready? Bring it here. First thing, I need someone to help me give this baby a bath."
Now she was giving orders to Hoskins, and she spoke with confidence, because after all, she was an experienced and quick nurse, not a flustered maid.She looked at the child carefully with calm eyes.God!It was really the ugliest kid she had ever seen, with his feet and head terribly ugly.
Miss Fairow, with the help of three people, bathed the ugly boy, while the others cleaned the room, and she went to work in silence, but with a heart full of exasperation at the fact that the boy had splashed water all over her. , and also feel annoyed by the boy's desperate yelling.
Although Hoskins had hinted that he was not a good child, Miss Fairw never imagined that it was such a disgusting deformed child.What a tiresome occupation it is!
But now Hoskins was still staring at her with a cold look, and asked: "Do you only take care of children, Miss Fairlew."
Hoskin stood a meter away from her, watching her and the child coldly.When the eyes of Hoskins and Miss Fairleigh met, there was a noncommittal smile on his face, as if he was very amused by her anger.
Miss Fairw, therefore, decided not to resign at once, as she felt it would be dishonorable to rush to bring it up now.
Later, when the boy was pink all over and smelled of soap after his bath, Miss Fairw found him less annoying.
When the little boy looked at Miss Fairo carefully, his cries had turned into exhausted whimpers, and his eyes were fixed on everyone in the room with fear, showing a pitiful look of extreme fear .His small body, which had been washed clean, shivered uncontrollably due to the cold.
Miss Fairloe cried out, "Bring a pajamas for the boy."
The pajamas arrived promptly.Miss Fairo felt a little strange, as if everything had been prepared here.But she didn't ask for anything, and she didn't bring anything, as if everyone else was waiting for Miss Fairlew's dispatch.
Teverner approached her and said, "Miss, let me pick him up, you can't handle him alone."
"Thank you!" Miss Fairo nodded to him in thanks.
Funny how dressing this little boy was like going to war.Ultimately, of course, get dressed.
When the little boy was tugging at his clothes desperately, Miss Fairo firmly held down his little hand to keep him from moving.The little boy turned red in the face, but he didn't cry at all, but just stared at Miss Fairroy, and slowly let go of his grip on the clothes.
Miss Fairloo breathed a sigh of relief: "What should I do next?"
She thought for a while and asked loudly: "Hey, do you have anything ready to eat? Do you have milk?"
The person next to her quickly brought her milk, and Ferlu didn't ask for anything else to be added to the milk.
She knew that the boy would not drink milk from a cup, so she poured the milk into a plate and said to the boy, "Drink it."
She raised the plate to her mouth as a demonstration of "drinking".The boy's eyes followed hers, but he did not move, when suddenly Miss Fairlew seized the boy's arm hard with one hand, and with the other took the milk-pan and shook it violently. Fill the little boy's mouth with milk and let him go.The milk wet the little boy's neck and chin, and he cried out, sticking his tongue out of his lips.Miss Fairw came up to him again and looked at him.The little boy looked at her in fear for a while, then obediently picked up the plate, licked the milk with his tongue, and wrinkled his nose from time to time.At this moment, Ferlu showed a proud look, and she couldn't help laughing.
Perhaps Teverner had noticed this, and asked Hoskin gently: "Does this nurse know the truth?"
"Know what?" asked Miss Fairlew, turning suddenly.
Tiffner said nothing.
Hoskin glanced at her, and simply said, "Okay, tell her everything!"
So Teverner said to her: "You don't have to doubt the fact, Miss, that you are the first person in human history who can take care of the young children of 'Neanderthals' (ancient people in the middle Paleolithic age). women of knowledge."
"What?" exclaimed Miss Fairleigh to Dr. Hoskins in amazement. "You should have told me all this long ago."
"Why? How is he different from ordinary children?"
"But you're saying let me take care of a child."
"Isn't he a child? Miss Fairw, you are a nurse, and your registration card records that you have worked in the maternity ward for three years. Do you refuse to take care of such a child?"
Miss Fairo's anger subsided, but she still insisted, "You should have told me sooner."
"So, have you rejected this job? Are you resigning now?" Hoskin said coldly.
At this time, the "Neanderthal" child had already drank all the milk on the plate, and stared at Miss Fairo with wide eyes again, his little mouth was moving and he didn't know what to say.
Miss Fairw surprised him and said, "Look, he's talking."
"Of course," said Dr. Hoskins, "the Neanderthal was not a true separate species, but he was a subspecies of man. Why couldn't he talk? Maybe he was asking you for milk!"
Miss Fairo hurriedly picked up a bottle of milk and wanted to go over and pour it on the plate, but Hoskin stopped her: "Now, miss, we are leaving here. Do you accept this task or not?"
"If I don't do it, will you leave the child?" Miss Fairw asked defiantly, tilting her head.She said to them, "No, I'm going to stay here with him a little longer."
After she finished speaking, she walked over to pour the milk.
Hoskins said: "Miss Fairloo, we intend for you to live here with this boy. This is the only door to Sturgess, and it is always locked. I I hope you learn to lock this door right away. Of course, lock the door to the room where you sleep. If anything happens here, we'll send someone right away."
"You mean to imprison me." Miss Fairloe walked suddenly to the door.
"No, no," Dr. Hoskins held her back, "that's not what I mean. You will be taken seriously here in seclusion. The observation network is composed of electronic systems, and it is just a computer responsible for recording. Tonight You will stay with him, miss, until we decide to observe him further. You may take turns off according to the scheduled schedule. And we can make this schedule according to your own requirements. "
Miss Fairw looked at the playhouse and asked, "Doctor, why do you do this? Is this boy a dangerous person?"
"This is an experiment of intellect, madam. Therefore he will never be allowed to leave the room, without exception. He cannot be taken out of this place in order to save his life. He must be left here alone, not at night." Someone to accompany him, do you understand?" Hoskin said seriously.
Miss Fairw touched her chin and said, "I understand your order, Doctor. But the safety of the nurse must be ensured first."
"Very well, if you need to call someone, you can press this switch at any time." After Hoskin finished speaking, he and Teverner left the room.
Miss Fairw turned to the little boy, who was looking at her.There was still a little milk on the plate in front of me.So she struggled to teach the little boy how to drink the milk from the plate.
The little boy resisted desperately, but when Miss Fairloo's hand touched him, the little boy didn't cry. His frightened eyes always stayed on Miss Fairloo, looking at her, and the little boy pretended to look away. For a moment, then observe her again.
She tried to reach out and gently stroked the little boy's hair. Her movements were slow and gentle, so that the little boy let her stroke.So Miss Fairw went a step further and said, "I'm going to tell you how to take a bath. Would you like to learn?"
She spoke very slowly and kindly. She knew that the little boy did not understand the meaning of these words, but she wanted the little boy to gradually get used to the tone and voice of this kind of speech.
The little boy began to rattle the floor.
Miss Fairleigh said, "I'll take your hand, will you?"
She reached out to the little boy, waiting for his reaction.The little boy also reached out to her.
Miss Fairw satisfied him and said, "Very well."
However, when the little boy's hand was about to touch Ferlu's, the little boy lost his courage and quickly withdrew his hand.
"Well," said Miss Fairw calmly, "we'll come back next time. Would you like to sit here now?" She patted the mattress lightly.
An hour passed, and Miss Fairleigh was not able to get the little boy to sit on the bed.Then the little boy wanted to sleep, but he lay on the floor and rolled nimbly under the bed.
Miss Fairw kept looking at him, and said to him, "If you think it's safer to sleep there, then do so."
Miss Fairw closed the bedroom door and went into the great room where a hammock had been set up for her to sleep in.After her insistence, the temporary canopy has now been erected.
She thought: If that idiot wants me to spend the night here, I will tell him to bring me a big mirror, move a big chest with drawers to this big room, and have to prepare a private bathroom for me .
Miss Fairleigh could not fall asleep in bed. She put her ears on the board and tried to search for the sound next door.The little boy couldn't get out, but the wall was weak and not too high.Can the little boy climb over the wall like a monkey?
No, Hoskin had said that there were observers here who could see all his movements through the ceiling, so there was no need to worry about his own safety.At this time, she suddenly remembered, could he be in danger?
Physical danger?Obviously, Hoskin didn't want the little boy to suffer, but he didn't and didn't allow anyone to spend the night with the little boy, so what should we do?
She began to laugh at her own timidity.This is just a little boy of three or four years old.But what if the little boy crawled up and clawed at Miss Fairo and bit her with his teeth while she was asleep?Hoskins stipulated that he could not harm the little boy, what should we do?
Miss Fairo was breathing heavily, tossing and turning in her thoughts, and couldn't fall asleep.
She pressed her ear to the wall again, this time she heard a voice from next door, oh, it was a little boy crying.The cry was very soft, and there was so much loneliness and sadness in the cry.Alas, poor little boy.Miss Fairloe's heart ached: what a poor little thing!
Of course, he's not quite a kid, what's going on in his head?
Before he was sensible, he had become a poor orphan.He has neither mother nor father, nor even the whole world can find his kind.How sad that he was the last Neanderthal left in the world!
Miss Fairo was worried for the little boy, and ashamed of her ruthlessness.She carefully covered her calves with her pajamas, got out of bed and went into the little boy's room.
"Little boy," she whispered, "little boy."
She searched every corner of the bed, but did not see the little boy.She hastily turned on the lamp and moved it to the bed.At last she found the poor little thing curled up in a corner of the room, his knees pressed against her chin, a gleam of terror in his tear-smeared eyes.In the dim light, Miss Fairo could not see the boy's facial expression clearly.
She just whispered, "Poor boy, poor boy," as she reached out to stroke the little boy's hair, which she could feel trembling.
She said, "Poor thing, do you want me to hug you?"
She hugged him and sat down on the floor, stroking his hair, his arm, humming a soft and slow song.
Suddenly, the little boy raised his head and looked at her mouth, as if searching for where the singing came from.
Miss Fairw went on singing, repeating the simple ballad again and again.
Slowly the little boy stopped crying, let out a steady breathing sound, and gradually fell asleep.Miss Fairw put him carefully back in the cot against the wall, covered him, and studied his face carefully.
At this moment, the sleeping little boy seemed peaceful.Miss Fairw even thought he was less ugly.
As soon as Miss Fairw came out of the room, she suddenly thought, What if he wakes up?So she went back again, walked slowly to the little bed, and lay down next to the little boy.
For her, the bed was really too big. Lying there, she couldn't straighten her legs, and it was difficult to turn over.The child's hand rested on her body, and at some point, she fell asleep in that prison-like room.
When Miss Fairw woke up and jumped out of bed with a scream, she found the little boy looking at her with wide eyes, which reminded her that she had slept in the same bed with him all night, He looked at the little boy with changing eyes, then carefully put on his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed.
She glanced worriedly at the ceiling above her head, relaxing her tense muscles.
At this moment, the little boy suddenly put his finger on Miss Fairo's lips, and murmured something.
Miss Fairw pushed his hand away, for the little boy still looked so ugly in the daylight.
The boy went on talking about something.He opened his mouth and gestured as if something was about to come out of it.
Miss Fairo guessed what he meant, and asked, "Do you want me to sing?"
The boy didn't answer, but just stared at her mouth, and Miss Fairo hummed softly the song she sang the night before.
Listen, listen, the ugly kid smiled and finally let out a giggle.
Miss Fairo was secretly surprised: "It seems that it also likes music! Maybe music will help me..."
She said: "Wait a while, let me go and take care of my affairs first, and I will make breakfast for you later."
Miss Fairw came out of the room, doing what she wanted to do quickly and consciously towards the opening in the ceiling.
The boy sat on the bed and watched her through the window.Miss Fairo smiled at her, and sometimes waved at him, and then the little boy waved at her too.
Miss Fairo was overjoyed, completely intoxicated by the joy, and asked the little boy, "Do you like oatmeal with milk?"
When she was finished, she called the little boy in for breakfast.
The little boy was able to know that he was being called, so he quickly climbed out of bed.
Miss Fairlow taught him how to use a spoon, but he drew back his hands in terror and would not touch it, and Miss Fairlow insisted that he hold it by the handle, which he did, but clumsily with it.
Then she made him try to drink milk from a cup.Seeing such a small cup facing his face, the little boy refused to hold the cup anyway.Miss Fairleigh took his hand, forced him to hold the teacup, and forced him to pour it into his mouth.Some of the milk trickled down on him, but most of it was drunk.
After that, Miss Fairo took him to the bathroom. To Miss Fairo's surprise, the little boy could understand the movements Miss Fairo taught him. This made Miss Fairo very happy, and said repeatedly: " What a good boy, smart boy."
The boy laughed again.
Miss Fairw looked at him and could not help thinking, "He's very cute when he smiles, too."
At noon, the head of the local news reporter came with several people.
When the little boy saw them pointing the camera at him, he cried out in terror.Miss Fairloe hurriedly took him into her arms, and the little boy clung to Miss Fairloo's body tightly.
Miss Fairow only allowed the reporters to take pictures for ten minutes, and then quickly carried the little boy to the next room.
Then she came out angrily.He locked the door and said to the reporters: "That's enough, you can stop now, and I have to comfort him."
"Well," said the Prophet reporter, "is he really a Neanderthal? Or maybe he's just some kind of animal?"
"I tell you," Dr. Hoskin's voice suddenly sounded beside them, "he is definitely not an animal. He is a subspecies of human beings, Neanderthals."
"Is he a man or a woman?"
"Boy," Miss Fairloe answered succinctly.
"It's a small ape," said the news reporter.
"That's why we came here to interview. Miss nurse, how is his behavior different from ours?"
"He behaves exactly like a normal little boy," Miss Fairlow answered him displeasedly. "And he's not some little ape at all. His name is Tims. Yes, Timms behaves at all." normal."
She didn't know how she came up with the name "Times" herself, it just seemed to come to her suddenly.
"This ape kid is named Tims," the reporter jotted it down, and in no time the headline spread around the world.
A reporter turned to Mr. Hoskins: "Doctor, what are you going to do with this baby ape?"
Dr. Hoskin thought for a while and said: "Now when I have confirmed that he can live here, my original plan will be changed again. No matter how I change it, anthropologists and physiologists are always very interested in him anyway. He is a subspecies of humanity, and from him we can discover a great deal about our ancestors and ourselves."
"So how long are you going to keep him?"
"Until we felt more need for space and less interest in him."
The reporter asked, "Can you let us take him outside and test him to see if he's really a Neanderthal?"
“十分抱歉，这个孩子不能离开'斯推歇斯'。”
“请解释一下这个名词”。
“好”，霍西金先生微笑了。他说：“先生，这需要用大量资料才能说清楚。'斯推歇斯'在客观上并不真正存在，那些房间的环境现在早已不属于宇宙中的一部分。那就是这个孩子为什么能超越时代而活着的原因，是我们为他创造了生存条件。”
“哦，你在给我们讲些什么呀？这个护士不是在房间里走进走出的吗？”新闻记者叫起来。
“我来向你再解释一下，”霍西金博士耐心他说，“你和一般人一样，体内有两种平行的生理机能，既不能获得，也不能失去大量的能量。这个来自遥远古代的孩子却不行，把他放到我们所生活的这个时代，就不能适应，他缺少必要的能量，他无法在华盛顿生活，我们必须小心地看护他，让他慢慢地进化。”
新闻记者们紧张而快速地记录着霍西金博士的活，他们并不懂得这些话的意思，就是他们的负责人也未必能理解。但是，他们认为这是有科学根据的道理，所以都把它一一记录下来了。
《预言报》的记者问：“今天晚上你能允许我们作一次详细的采访吗？”
“我想，这没有问题。”霍西金博士干脆答应了。于是这群记者满意地走了出去。
费尔露小姐目送着记者们的背影。她对于“斯推歇斯”，知道的东西并不比新闻记者们多多少，因此也很希望知道得多一点。看来，蒂姆斯不得不被关押在这几间房屋里了。原来这一点并不是霍西金博士专横地作出的决定。他无论如何不能离开“斯推歇斯”了。What a poor child!
这时，她突然被他的哭叫声从沉思中惊醒过来，她赶快跑进去安慰他。
在整个采访过程中，费尔露小姐没有机会见到霍西金博士，只是听说，这次采访的详细经过已经公布于世了，甚至传播到了月球等太空世界，但是没有报道和介绍费尔露小姐以及丑孩子的居住的地方。
第二天早上，霍西金博士高兴地来到这里。费尔露小姐立即问他：“采访成功吗？”
“当然成功。不过我想问一下，为什么你要叫这孩子为'蒂姆斯'呢？”
她笑了，她自己也不知道什么原因，只是由于她喜欢这么叫罢了。
她招呼蒂姆斯过来：“快到这儿来，乖孩子，这位好心的先生不会伤害你的。”
蒂姆斯躲在另一间房子里，偶尔伸出他的脑袋窥视一下。
费尔露小姐告诉霍西金博士：“真叫人奇怪，他乖乖地坐在那里呢，他很聪敏。”
“你感到奇怪吗？”
她犹豫了一会儿，然后说：“是的，我感到十分惊奇，因为我也认定他是个类人猿。”
“不管他是不是类人猿，反正这下子他帮了我的大忙，他创造了'斯推歇斯'，他在地球上创造了这样一个名称。我们成功了，我们成功了。”
霍西金博士好象在向别人夸耀自己的成就，忘记了站在他面前的费尔露小姐。
费尔露小姐让他把话讲下去，并不打断他。
霍西金把手插在口袋里继续说：“我们已经小本经营了十年，我们一直没有充裕的资金，我们必须做出成绩来，轰动整个世界，这样才能得到一笔可观的钱财，我们原来的资金都是借来的，或者从其他项目中偷分来的。假如这个项目不成功，我们就会完蛋。”
费尔露小姐开玩笑地间：“这就是造成这里没有天花板的原因吗？”
“什么？”霍西金博士用惊奇的眼光瞥了她一眼。
“你不是没有钱安装天花板吗？”
“那不是主要原因”，霍西金说，“根本原因是我们并不知道尼安德特人能活到多大年龄，我们只知道一个大概的年限，很可能他不符合我们的需要，只不过跟其他动物一样。”
“既然你已经宣扬出去了，我希望你现在就能安装天花板。”
“行，现在我们有足够的钱，各个机构都答应向我们提供资金。这是我一向所期望的。”霍西金笑了起来，笑容可掬地一直保持到他走出这个房间，甚至连他的背影看上去也在微笑。
费尔露小姐想：“当他不提那些科学道理的时候，他倒是一个挺好的人。”
“蒂姆斯，到这里来。”费尔露小姐叫道。
不知不觉几个月过去了，费尔露小姐觉得自己也成了“斯推歇斯”的一个部分。
她分配到一间办公室，门上写着她的大名，当然这间办公室就在玩具小屋的旁边，她的物质待遇提高了许多。根据她的要求，玩具小屋已经安装了天花板，供她单独使用的浴室也建成了，她得到一间属于她自己的卧室。晚上用不着再和蒂姆斯睡在一起了。在她的房间和玩具小屋之间建立了一套内部通信联络系统。
蒂姆斯已经学会使用的方法。
费尔露小姐越来越喜欢蒂姆斯了，她很少再感觉到他是丑陋的。
说也奇怪，有一天，她在街上遇到一个普通的男孩，倒试图从他身上挑剔出一些不和谐的地方来。现在，她非常欢迎霍西金博士的来访，总是热情地迎接这个“斯推歇斯”的头目，而霍西金对这个孩子也非常感兴趣。然而，费尔露小姐小姐发现霍西金博士更喜欢与她谈话。
她已经详细地了解过霍西金博士的一切，对他颇有好感。
费尔露小姐并不以为自己参加了一项科学实验工作，只是觉得自己已经具备了能与一个生理学家辩论的条件。
有一次，霍西金博士又来了，发觉费尔露小姐正陷于一种企图要毁灭什么东西似的绝望之中。
她自言自语说：“他们没有权利这样做，即使他是一个尼尔德特人，甚至是一只动物。”
她发现霍西金博士站在面前时，她正盯着打开的门看，倾听着蒂姆斯的呜咽声。
蒂姆斯问：“我可以进来吗？”
费尔露小姐点点头，表示同意。
然后她连忙向蒂姆斯跑去，蒂姆斯缠住她，他那瘦瘦的身躯紧紧地靠在她的怀里。
霍西金博士看了一会儿说：“他好象很不快活。”
费尔露小姐说：“这不能怪他。一些人每天要到他身上取血样，还要在他身上进行各种综合性的探测。要知道我喂养的可不是一头猪啊！”
“你知道，这种试验是不能在人身上进行的。”霍西金作了解释。
“那么他们也就不应该在蒂姆斯身上进行，他和人是一样的。博士，我坚持这一点。你曾经告诉过我，正是有了蒂姆斯，才在地球上创造了一个叫'斯推歇斯'这个名称。假如你还有良心的话，你就不应该同意他们在这个可怜的孩子身上进行试验，至少也要等他再长大一些，等他能经受得住的时候。现在这些人搞得他连晚上觉也睡不着，他害怕极了。我告诉你，我拒绝那些人到这里来。”
她知道自己的话说得过份了点，因为她不能抑制自己激愤的心情。她更加激动了：“我知道他是个尼安德特人，但我们并没有详细研究过有关尼安德特人的材料。我已经翻阅了这些材料，这个人种有他们自己的特有文化，在他们那个时代也产生过许多优秀人物。他们把自己族里的死者埋葬在领土上。还有一些记载可以说明他们已经创造了宗教。这一切难道不说明蒂姆斯应该享受做人的权利吗？”
说到这里，她把蒂姆斯抱起来送到游戏室。
当门被拉上时，霍西金博士微笑了，他知道蒂姆斯还不会玩玩具。
费尔露小姐向他解释：“可怜的孩子喜欢玩具，他依靠玩具来消磨时间。”
“哦，我支持你的意见。我在想，和第一天我把这个尼安德特人委托给你时的态度相比，你的变化是多么大啊。”
费尔露小姐说：“我以为我不能再……”她不愿意再讲下去了。
霍西金立刻转移了话题：“你看蒂姆斯有几岁了？小姐。”
她回答：“我不能下结论，看上去好象只有三岁左右。但是，尼安德特人一般长得比较矮小，他也许长不大的。他现在可以学习英语，从这一点看，他又象超过四岁了。”
“真的吗？在报告里我从来没有看到过关于他学习英语的情况。”
“他除了跟我讲话外，对任何人不讲话。直到现在为止，他仍然害怕其他人，不愿意和其他人接触。但有时他会向人要求食物和其他东西。当然，他能够懂得我听讲的全部意思。不过，他的智力不可能再继续下去了。”
“为什么不能呢？”霍西金博士追问了一句。
“任何一个孩子都需要外界的刺激和接触，可是他却孤独地生活在这里。我只是做了我力所能及的事，尽一切可能使他快乐。但我不可能从早到晚和他生活在一起，而且我又不能满足他的所有需要。博士，我的意思是需要有另一个孩子和他在一起，陪着他玩。”
霍西金博士听完费尔露小姐的话以后，微微点头：“是啊，这里只有一个小孩，可怜的小东西。”
费尔露小姐马上对博士亲热起来，她说：“你也喜欢蒂姆斯的，对吗？”她正在为蒂姆斯寻找一个伙伴而努力。
“哦，当然了。”霍西金博士谨慎地回答。
费尔露看到霍西金博士眼中含有一丝不快，便趁热打铁问下去：“那你准备去办吗？”
“哦，小姐，我需要考虑一下。”
“我知道你作为'斯推歇斯'的头头是非常忙的，我可以猜想到这一点。”费尔露小姐表示友善他说。
博士叹了一口气，说：“你能知道就好。'斯推歇斯'包括许多内容，有动物，蔬菜，矿物等等不同的部分。小姐，恐怕你至今还没有看过我们的展览吧。”
“是的，我没有看过——这绝对不是我对此不感兴趣，而是因为我实在太忙了，没有功夫去看。”
“是啊，我不应该让你总是这样忙碌。”博士沉思一下说，“这样吧，明天十一点钟我来叫你，我给你一个空闲的时间，好吗？”
费尔露小姐微笑起来，显得十分天真，她说：“我太高兴了。”
霍西金博士点点头，微笑着离开了房间。
费尔露小姐为了明天即将到来的休息而乐得哼起了曲子——当然，对这种欢乐不知底细是会感到可笑的，她实在太高兴了，因为这样一来她又可以搞到一些资料。
第二天，霍西金博士准时来了，他很高兴。费尔露小姐已经穿好她的护士制服和裙子，头发梳着一种过时的式样，但显得很整洁、庄重。霍西金博士热情问候了她，她觉得很开心。然而一个念头涌了上来：“这预示着什么呢？”
她走过去和蒂姆斯表示再见，而且告诉他很快就会回来的。当她确信蒂姆斯已经知道了自己的午饭在什么地方时才关上门，上了锁。
霍西金带她走进她从来没有到过的另一排房子，这里也有一股浓郁的新房子气味，还可以听到一些轻微的声音，这暗示着这些房子全是新造的。
“这里包括动物、植物和矿石展览品。”霍西金博士把前一天说过的话又重复一遍，然后指了一下他们所站的地方说，“这是动物展览馆，我们大部分公开展览品都拿出来了。”
这块地方分隔成许多小房间，而每一个房间就是一个单独的“斯推歇斯”的幻影。
霍西金把费尔露小姐带到一个玻璃橱窗前面，一对没有尾巴的鸟首先映入她的眼帘，这对鸟蜷缩着两条细脚，正掠过水面而飞翔。然后她又看到一个庞大的家伙躺在草地上。
霍西金说：“看到了吗？这是我们搞到的恐龙，已经有好几个月了。我不知道什么时候能让它们回到适应它们生活的远古时代去。”
“恐龙？”费尔露小姐惊奇地问。
“难道你不想见到这个庞大的动物吗？”
“当然想见的，”费尔露小姐感到意趣盎然，她笑得显露出两个可爱的小酒窝。好说：“我还以为'斯推歇斯'的一切生物都是很小的呢？”
“请相信我，一般来说它们确实是比较小的，象这种庞然大物很少见到，它为我们大开眼界，在它身上可以研究出许多有趣的东西。例如，它并不是绝对的冷血动物，它有一套不完善的消化系统。有趣的是我们还发现这条恐龙是雌的，但我们再也没有运气弄到一条雄恐龙了。”霍西金笑着说。
“怎么知道它是雌的呢？”
霍西金听了费尔露小姐的间话后，笑得前俯后仰，他说：“经过一番激烈的搏斗，我们获得了它下的蛋，还有它的小宝贝，这不就可以证明它是雌的吗？”
“当然罗。”费尔露小姐也格格地笑起来。
于是，他又把她带到三叶虫地段。指着一个人的身影告诉她：“那位是华盛顿大学的德维纳教授，是一位原子能化学家。假如我没有记错的话，他现在正在研究水中含氧的同位素丰度比。”
“什么丰度比？”
“那是一种远古时候的水，至少是五千年前的。同位素丰度比能够说明那个时代的海洋中的温度。他有时候会不顾这里的三叶虫而去搞他的研究，但大部分时间，他主要精力还是放在解剖三叶虫上。他是一个幸运的人，他需要的解剖刀和显微镜，你看，我们都为他提供了，可以在这里做试验。”
“为什么要在这里做试验？他不能——”费尔露小姐不解地问。
“不，他不能，他不能把任何东西带出这个房间，这是不允许的。”
费尔露小姐沉默了一会儿，她想了一下又问：“那么你在研究什么呢？”
“我在研究自然界的时间问题，具体说，就是超越现实，超越时空，让古代的一切再重要出来，让古代的动物、植物生存在我们这个时代。”
“这可能吗？”费尔露小姐感到疑惑了。
“假如我们能够……”
霍西金先生被一个尖细的声音打断了，那个缩在屋子角落里的人向他们走了过来，他说：“请原谅我，打扰你们一下。”
这是一个上年纪的人，高高的个子，细润的脸色。他说：“我要继续进行我的研究；先生你不明白吗？”他气呼呼他说着。
“我不懂你的意思，”霍西金博士显然不明白他发生了什么事。
这时有一个穿着制服的技术人员走过来说：“博士，我们所签订的合同只同意把样品借给德维纳教授在这里使用两个星期，现在期限已经到了。”
“我并不知道我的研究工作究竟需要多长时间才能作出结论，我又不是预言家。”教授大声叫起来。
费西金博士心平气和他说：“你应该明白，德维纳教授，我们只拥有有限的空间，我们必须让样品不断循环展览。那块黄铜矿石必须还给我们，后面还有人等着借这块样品呢！”
“为什么不能让它归我所有呢？让我把它带到我的实验室去吧。”教授恳求着。
“不行，”博士斩钉截铁地回答。
“为什么不行呢？这不过是一块黄铜矿体，一块五公斤重的黄铜罢了。”教授显得有点愤慨了。
“你是知道的，我们不能让能量外流。”博士说。
这时，那个技术人员撞进来说：“还有一点，博士，我要向你报告。教授违反我们这里的规定，他私自移动这里陈列的岩石样品，他在这里的话，'斯推歇斯'就要被他破坏掉。”
好长一段时间大家都沉默着。然后霍西金博士冷冷地转向教授：“是这样吗？”
教授辩解道：“我觉得这样做没有什么危害。”
霍西金皱起眉头，拉了一下悬挂在上面正好够得到的门把手。
门打开了，费尔露小姐跟在他身后走了进去。她四周张望了一下，打量着这里陈列的各种岩石样品。
突然，她看到连着门把手的一根尼龙绳把屋里的样品全吊出去，这间房子一下子显得很空旷。
霍西金向四周环视了一下，回过头来严肃地对教授说：“很抱歉，准许你在'斯推歇斯'里进行调查研究的约定从现在开始无效了，你离开这里吧。”
“但……”教授还想争辩几句。
“不必说了，你已经违反了我们的规定，你必须离开这里。”霍西金说完就头也不回地走出了房间，把德维纳教授远远抛在身后。他的脸色变得苍白而愤怒。
费尔露小姐默默地跟在霍西金后面，走了一段路之后，他回过头来，邀请她：“跟我一起去吃饭吧，小姐。”
霍西金把费尔露小姐带进一间小餐厅，那里已经坐着几个人在吃饭，他们都把眼光集中在费尔露小姐身上，她但然地看了一下大家，就坐下来吃饭了。她问博士：“你为刚才这件事很生气吗？”
“不，”他摇了摇头，“还是第一次碰到这样的人，第一次有人想把'斯推歇斯'的能量转移出去。”
“我记得曾经听你讲起过，能量总是要消耗掉的。”她不以为然他说。
“当然，那是对的。但我们绝对不能让外面的人把这里的能量带出去。”他的神色严厉得使人害怕。
费尔露小姐看了他一眼，埋头吃饭，再也不出声了。
沉默了好久，霍西金柔声地问：“费尔露小姐，你昨天和我谈起过蒂姆斯需要伙伴的问题，是吗？”
费尔露小姐微微一笑：“是的，我以为你没有听到我的话呢，看起来昨天你毫不介意。”
“我当然听到了，我在考虑寻找一个什么样的孩子同他作伴。我知道你这样为他打算是对的，但现在这样做还有困难。你已经知道我们所干的工作了，你应该知道，我们不可能在世界上再给他找到一个和他一样的伙伴。”霍西金和蔼地作出解释。
“你不愿找吗？”费尔露小姐生气他说。
“我刚才已经给你解释过了，我们不可能再找到一个和蒂姆斯相仿的尼安德特人，不会碰上这么幸运的事情！假如我们可以这样做的话，那么早就不会让他单独一个组成'斯推歇斯'了。”霍西金说。
“但是，博士，你完全没有理解的意思，我并不是一定要找一个尼安德特人的幼儿，我知道这是不可能的。然而，你带一个平常的小孩来和蒂姆斯作伴，这总是可以的吧。”
霍西金听完她的话以后，惊奇地问：“怎么，找一个人吗？”
“是的，找一个孩子，”费尔露小姐不高兴他说，“蒂姆斯也是人。”
“我连做梦也没有想过这样的事。”
“为什么不能这样办呢？他们那个人种有什么不好？你既然让这个孩子超越了时间概念，而且使他这样孤独地被关押着，难道你就不可以为他考虑一下吗？不能为他做件好事吗？博士，假如他的父亲在世的话，又会怎样呢？现在这个孩子的父亲就是你，为什么你就不能多关心他呢？”
“他的父亲？”霍西金惊叫了起来，然后把脑袋低下了。
过了好一会儿，他才说：“费尔露小姐，我应该送你回家了。”
在回玩具小屋的途中，他俩默默地走着，一言不发。
自从费尔露小姐与霍西金博士分手以后，有好长一段时间没有见过面。偶尔费尔露小姐回忆起过去发生的那一幕，她感到有点后悔，博士毕竟是一个好人，不应该如此责怪他。然而，当她看到蒂姆斯越来越愁眉苦脸，独个儿倚在窗口看着外的那一片空寂的景色时，她又气愤他说：“笨蛋，坏良心的人。”
蒂姆斯说话的口齿越来越清晰，他发音准确，一点也不含糊不清了。因此，费尔露小姐越发喜爱他，有时竟会长时间看着他微笑，蒂姆斯在激动的时候会发出咔哒咔哒的声音。但这样的习惯已经越来越少了。
蒂姆斯逐渐地淡忘了过去的那些日子，进入了一个新的阶段——喜欢想象未来的一切。
随着他的年龄增长，生理学家对他渐渐地失去兴趣，而不少心理学家却对他产生了浓厚的兴趣。费尔露小姐却更加讨厌后者，她讨厌他们老是给蒂姆斯增添麻烦。虽然他们不再给它注射针药，也不再给他吃特殊的饮食。现在蒂姆斯能够把手伸过栅栏取到食物和水。在他移动栅栏时，他的行为就被摄下来。有时在他接触栅栏时会有一股电流袭击他，他就拼命地哭起来，使得费尔露小姐感到心神不安。
她不愿意再去求助于霍西金博士，因为不想去找他。每当费尔露小姐想到他时，仿佛又看到了最后一次会面的霍西金坐在桌旁的神色，她的眼睛不由湿润了，她想：“笨蛋，坏良心的人。”
有一天，霍西金博士的声音突然在门外响起，他在玩具小屋外面叫喊着：“费尔露小姐！费尔露小姐！”
她弄平了自己的护士制服，慢慢地走出来。在慌乱之中，发现在她面前站着一个面色苍白的妇女，这个女人长得身材纤细、美丽、个子中等。在身后站着一个大约四岁左右的小男孩，正拉扯着她的裙摆。这个小孩长着一张圆圆脸，大大的眼睛，十分天真可爱。
霍西金给她们俩互相作了介绍：“亲爱的，这是费尔露小姐。”
跟随的那个妇女，随即招呼了费尔露小姐。
“霍西金太太，这是你的小孩吗？”霍西金太太没有回答，她的丈夫马上插上来说：“是的，这是我的孩子。杰利，向费尔露小姐问好。”
杰利害羞地低着头，拉着妈妈的衣服，轻声地咕哝出一个词：“您好。”
霍西金太太上下打量着费尔露小姐，然后又把目光移到房间里，好象在寻找什么东西。
霍西金博士说：“让我们进去吧，亲爱的。开始总有点不习惯，以后会好的。”
费尔露小姐问：“你让杰利也进去吗？”
“当然。他是充当蒂姆斯的伙伴的，你不是说蒂姆斯需要伙伴吗？”
“可是，这是你的儿子，能行吗？”
“怎么不行，否则我去找谁家的孩子呢？”霍西金两手一伸，耸了耸肩。他说：“进来吧，亲爱的，都进来吧。”
霍西金太大小心地把杰利抱在怀里，跨进了门槛。她高叫起来：“小东西在哪儿？我怎么看不见他。”
费尔露小姐召唤蒂姆斯到这边来，蒂姆斯倚在里面的一扇门上呆呆地看着这些人。
霍西金太太回头问她的丈夫：“你能保证这里的安全吗？”
费尔露小姐立即回答：“假如你是指蒂姆斯的话，那么我可以保证他没有什么问题，他也是一个普通的小男孩。”
“不，他是一个未开化的人……。”霍西金太太犹豫他说。
而费尔露小姐则反驳她说：“不对，蒂姆斯是个正常的四岁半的小男孩，就象你平时所见到的孩子一样。大太，他和你的儿子一样，请允许杰利和他一起玩吧！”
霍西金太太叫起来：“不，我不能同意。”
“亲爱的，在家里我们不是意见统一了吗？”霍西金又补充一句，“我们走吧，把杰利留下。”
霍西金太太只好把杰利放在地板上，看着倚在门上的蒂姆斯。
“蒂姆斯到这儿来，不用害怕。”费尔露小姐向蒂姆斯招手。
他慢慢地走了过来。
霍西金扳开杰利拉住母亲裙子的小手，招呼他的太太回去：“让孩子们一起玩吧。”
两个孩子面面相觑，好长一段时间默默无声。
后来还是蒂姆斯先开口：“你叫什么名字？”他亲昵地把自己的脸靠近杰利。
杰利惊恐地推开他，蒂姆斯毫无防备地仰天跌了一跤。他俩都大声哭起来。
霍西金太大连忙上去抚摸自己的杰利。费尔露小姐脸带怒气，扶起了蒂姆斯，又轻声地安慰他。
霍西金太太抱怨他说：“他们两个天性完全不一样。”
“没有什么问题，”霍西金不耐烦他说，“让两个孩子自己熟悉起来，让杰利留下，我们回去吧。等一会儿，费尔露小姐把杰利带到我的办公室来，我带他回家去。”说完他拖着太太走出了房间。
两个孩子在一起仅仅一个小时，就已经相当熟悉了。
起初，杰利哭着要妈妈，费尔露小姐给了他一块糖就安静下来了。蒂姆斯也快乐地吮吸着一块糖。他俩面对面地坐在长凳上，友好地玩耍起来。
当费尔露小姐带着杰利到霍西金博士的办公室去时，她异常感谢霍西金博士，一再向他致谢。但霍西金博士却十分冷淡，也许他还记得上次费尔露小姐说的话吧！她曾经把霍西金博士比拟成不近人情的父亲，因此，他只是说声“不必提及这件小事，你不必感谢我。”
从此以后，每两个星期，杰利就到这里来和蒂姆斯玩上一个小时，后来又增加到两个小时。
孩子们互相知道了对方的名字，他们在一起玩得很痛快。但是，当费尔露小姐在感激之后，发现自己并不喜欢杰利。杰利比蒂姆斯长得高，可以指挥蒂姆斯，蒂姆斯的一切都听杰利指挥，一步一步地跟在杰利后面。“这就是他所得到的快乐吗？”
费尔露小姐悲哀地自言自语。有时候，当她观察着他俩玩耍时，她会情不自禁地想：霍西金有两个孩子，一个归他和他的妻子所有；另一个归他和'斯推歇斯'所有。
过了一段时间、有一天蒂姆斯突然问：“费尔露小姐，什么时候我能进学校呢？”
她吃惊地俯视着蒂姆斯的灰褐色的眼睛，轻轻地抚弄着他的头发，她说：“你在什么地方听到过关于学校的事呢？”
“杰利已经上学了，他上幼——儿——园。”蒂姆斯吃力地，但很清楚的说出了这最后三个字，“杰利到过许多地方去玩，就在我们的房子外面，小姐，什么时候我也可以到房子外面去呢？”