Marvin and Casey walked to the parking lot, where Casey’s father was waiting for her. Marvin had never been to Casey’s house before. He didn’t know what to expect.
马文和凯西走向停车场，凯西的爸爸在那儿等她。马文以前从没去过凯西家。他不知道会是什么样。
“I hope you like cats,” said Casey.
「我希望你喜欢猫，」凯西说。
“Oh, sure,” said Marvin.
「哦，当然，」马文说。
“You’re not allergic?” Casey asked.
「你不过敏吧？」凯西问。
“I don’t think so,” said Marvin.
「我想不会，」马文说。
“That’s good,” said Casey.
「那很好，」凯西说。
“Do you have a lot of cats?” Marvin asked.
「你家有很多猫吗？」马文问。
“No, I’m allergic,” said Casey.
「没有，我过敏，」凯西说。
Casey’s father waved to her from inside his car.
凯西的爸爸在车里冲她挥手。
“This is Marvin Redpost,” Casey told him. “He wants to come home with me.”
「这是马文·雷德波斯特，」凯西告诉他，「他想跟我回家。」
“You do?” asked Casey’s father.
「是吗？」凯西的爸爸问。
Marvin blushed. “Well, she asked me,” he said.
马文脸红了。「嗯，是她问我的，」他说。
Casey got in the back seat and slid over to make room for Marvin. He sat down next to her.
凯西坐进后座，挪了挪给马文腾地方。他在她旁边坐下。
Casey’s father turned around and looked at Marvin. “So you’re Marvin Redpost,” he said. “Casey has told me a lot about you.”
凯西的爸爸转过身看着马文。「原来你就是马文·雷德波斯特，」他说，「凯西跟我说了很多你的事。」
“I have not!” Casey insisted.
「我没有！」凯西坚持。
“Aren’t you really a prince, who was kidnapped at birth?” asked her father.
「你不是那个一出生就被绑架的王子吗？」她爸爸问。
“Yes, I mean no. I’m not really sure.”
「是，我是说不是。我也不太确定。」
“He really likes cats a lot,” said Casey.
「他真的很喜欢猫，」凯西说。
“That’s good,” said Casey’s father.
「那很好，」凯西的爸爸说。
“But you don’t have any cats,” said Marvin, a little unsure.
「但你家没有猫，」马文有点不确定地说。
“No, I hate the furry little things,” said Casey’s father.
「没有，我讨厌那些毛茸茸的小东西，」凯西的爸爸说。
Casey’s sideways ponytail stuck out toward Marvin. It bounced up and down as the car drove over the speed bumps in the school parking lot.
凯西那歪马尾朝马文这边翘着。车经过学校停车场的减速带时，它上下跳动。
“Do you know when the book report is due?” Marvin asked her.
「你知道读书报告什么时候交吗？」马文问她。
“Yes,” said Casey. “Mrs. North told us Tuesday.”
「知道，」凯西说，「诺斯太太星期二告诉我们了。」
Marvin nodded. He still didn’t know what that meant.
马文点点头。他还是不知道那是什么意思。
“I’m going to have to call my mom when we get to your house,” he said. “She thinks I’m at Stuart’s.”
「到你家的以后我得给我妈打个电话，」他说，「她以为我在斯图尔特家。」
“Do you know your phone number?” asked Casey.
「你知道你家的电话号码吗？」凯西问。
“Of course,” said Marvin. “Don’t you?”
「当然知道，」马文说，「你不知道吗？」
“No,” said Casey.
「不知道，」凯西说。
That surprised Marvin. He’d known his phone number since kindergarten. “You should,” he said.
这让马文很惊讶。他从幼儿园起就知道自己家的号码。「你应该知道，」他说。
“Why should I?” asked Casey.
「我为什么应该知道？」凯西问。
“I don’t know it either,” said Casey’s father from the front seat.
「我也不知道，」凯西的爸爸从前座说。
That really surprised Marvin. “Did you just move or something?” he asked.
这让马文大为惊讶。「你们是刚搬家还是怎么？」他问。
“No,” said Mr. Happleton.
「不是，」哈普尔顿先生说。
They reached Casey’s house. The house was four stories high. It had a very long driveway and a huge garage.
他们到了凯西家。那房子有四层楼高。车道很长，车库很大。
“I didn’t know you lived in a mansion,” Marvin said slowly.
「我不知道你住在豪宅里，」马文慢慢地说。
“This house used to be a fire station,” Mr. Happleton told him. “That was before Casey was born. The garage was even bigger than it is now. We remodeled. What’s now the living room used to be part of the garage.”
「这房子以前是个消防站，」哈普尔顿先生告诉他，「那是在凯西出生之前。车库以前比现在更大。我们改建过。现在的客厅以前是车库的一部分。」
“Cool,” said Marvin.
「酷，」马文说。
Mr. Happleton parked the car in the driveway. Marvin climbed out of the car.
哈普尔顿先生把车停在车道上。马文下了车。
“Don’t forget your book,” Casey reminded him.
「别忘了你的书，」凯西提醒他。
Marvin’s book lay on the back seat. He picked it up, then followed Casey into the house.
马文的书放在后座上。他拿起来，跟着凯西进了屋。
It looked pretty much like a normal house, except there was a pole right in the middle of the living room.
这屋子看起来挺像普通房子，只是客厅正中间有一根柱子。
“That’s the fire pole,” said Casey. “The firemen used to slide down it when there was a fire.”
「那是消防滑杆，」凯西说，「以前有火警时，消防员就从上面滑下来。」
“Cool,” Marvin said as he walked over to it.
「酷，」马文走过去时说。
Marvin looked up. There was a round hole in the ceiling, and he could see another hole in the ceiling above that, and the one above that, too. The pole went all the way up to the fourth floor.
马文抬头看。天花板上有一个圆洞，他能看见上面那层天花板上还有一个洞，再上面那层也有。滑杆一直通到四楼。
“Are you allowed to slide down it?” he asked.
「允许你滑下去吗？」他问。
“Sure,” said Casey. “I do my homework at the very top. It’s the library. Then, when my dad calls me to dinner, I slide down the pole.”
「当然，」凯西说，「我在最上面做作业。那是图书室。然后我爸叫我吃饭的时候，我就从杆子上滑下来。」
“That is so cool,” said Marvin.
「那太酷了，」马文说。
“Here’s the phone,” said Casey’s father, handing it to him.
「电话在这儿，」凯西的爸爸把电话递给他。
Marvin set his book down on a table and took the phone. He called home. His mother seemed quite surprised when he told her he was at Casey Happleton’s house.
马文把书放在一张桌子上，接过电话。他打回家。他告诉妈妈他在凯西·哈普尔顿家时，她似乎相当惊讶。
“Can you give me their phone number?” she asked.
「你能给我他们的电话号码吗？」她问。
“No one knows it,” said Marvin.
「没人知道，」马文说。
“What do you mean, no one knows it?”
「什么叫没人知道？」
Marvin put his hand next to his mouth and whispered into the phone. He didn’t want to embarrass Casey and her father. “They don’t know their own phone number.”
马文把手放在嘴边，对着电话小声说。他不想让凯西和她爸爸难堪。「他们不知道自己家的电话号码。」
“How could they not know their phone number?”
「他们怎么可能不知道自己家的号码？」
“I don’t know.”
「我不知道。」
“Let me speak to Casey’s mother.”
「让我跟凯西的妈妈说话。」
“Well, she might know it,” said Marvin. “But she’s not here. You can talk to her dad.”
「嗯，她可能知道，」马文说，「但她不在。你可以跟她爸爸说。」
He handed the phone to Mr. Happleton. “My mom wants to talk to you.”
他把电话递给哈普尔顿先生。「我妈想跟你说话。」
To Marvin’s surprise, he heard Mr. Happleton recite a phone number.
让马文惊讶的是，他听见哈普尔顿先生背出了一个电话号码。
Marvin turned to Casey. “I thought your dad just said he didn’t know your phone number.”
马文转向凯西。「我以为你爸刚才说他不知道你们家的电话号码。」
“Are you crazy?” asked Casey. “Of course he knows our phone number!”
「你疯了吗？」凯西问，「他当然知道我们家的电话号码！」
“Well, you don’t,” said Marvin.
「可你不知道，」马文说。
“I do, too,” said Casey. “I’ve known it since preschool.”
「我当然知道，」凯西说，「我从学前班就知道了。」
Casey’s father hung up the phone. He told Marvin his mother would come pick him up around five o’clock.
凯西的爸爸挂了电话。他告诉马文，他妈妈五点左右来接他。
Marvin put up his hands. “Wait a minute. Didn’t you both just tell me you didn’t know your phone number?”
马文举起双手。「等等。你们俩刚才不是都告诉我，你们不知道自家的电话号码吗？」
They looked at him strangely.
他们奇怪地看着他。
Marvin wondered if he was going crazy. “You asked me if I knew my phone number. I said I did, and then you both said you didn’t.”
马文怀疑自己是不是要疯了。「你问我知不知道我家的电话号码。我说知道，然后你们俩都说不知道。」
“That’s right,” said Casey’s father. “Why would I know your phone number? I just met you.”
「没错，」凯西的爸爸说，「我为什么要知道你家的电话号码？我刚认识你。」
Marvin’s book lay on the table. It was called A Thousand Cats.
马文的书放在桌上。书名叫《一千只猫》。