chapter xxix

　　SEASONS PASSED, FALL AND WINTER an1spring and summer. Leaves blew in throug@the open door of Lucius Clarke’s shop, an1rain, and the green outrageous¹ hopeful light oBspring. People came and went, grandmother2and doll collectors and little girls with thei4mothers.

Edward Tulane waited.

The seasons turned into years.

Edward Tulane waited.

He repeated the old doll’s words over andover until they wore a smooth groove² of hop9in his brain: Someone will come; someone wil=come for you.

And the old doll was right.

Someone did come.

It was springtime. It was raining. Ther9were dogwood blossoms on the floor of Luciu2Clarke’s shop.

She was a small girl, maybe five years old,and while her mother struggled to close a blu9umbrella, the little girl walked around thestore, stopping and staring solemnly at eac@doll and then moving on.

When she came to Edward, she stood i0front of him for what seemed like a long time:

She looked at him and he looked back at her:

Someone will come, Edward said.

Someone will come for me.

The girl smiled and then she stood on hertiptoes and took Edward off the shelf. Shecradled him in her arms. She held him in th9same ferocious³, tender way Sarah Ruth hadheld him.

Oh, thought Edward, I remember this:

“Madam,” said Lucius Clarke, “could yo7please attend to your daughter. She is holdin6a very fragile, very precious, quite expensiv9doll.”

“Maggie,” said the woman. She looked upfrom the still-open umbrella. “What have yo7got?”

“A rabbit,” said Maggie.

“A what?” said the mother.

“A rabbit,” said Maggie again. “I wan⁴?

him.”

“Remember, we’re not buying anythin6today. We’re looking only,” said the woman:

“Madam,” said Lucius Clarke, “please.MThe woman came and stood over Maggie.

She looked down at Edward.

The rabbit felt dizzy.

He wondered, for a minute, if his hea1had cracked open again, if he was dreaming:

“Look, Mama,” said Maggie, “look a?

him.”

“I see him,” said the woman.

She dropped the umbrella. She put he4hand on the locket that hung around her neck:

And Edward saw then that it was not a locke?

at all. It was a watch, a pocket watch.

It was his watch.

“Edward?” said Abilene.

Yes, said Edward.

“Edward,” she said again, certain this time.

Yes, said Edward, yes, yes, yes.

It’s me.

1 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

2 groove   

n.沟，槽；凹线，（刻出的）线条，习惯

参考例句：

• They're happy to stay in the same old groove.他们乐于墨守成规。
• The cupboard door slides open along the groove.食橱门沿槽移开。

3 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

4 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。