作者：美国迪士尼公司
出版社：华东理工大学出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
迪士尼英文原版.爱丽丝梦游仙境2：镜中奇遇记 Alice Through the Looking Glass试读：
PROLOGUE
1868, Strait of Malacca
Boom! Boom! Cannon fire exploded in the dark, stormy sky.
With a howl, the wind pushed the Wonder, as though helping it dodge the missiles. The moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the three large Malayan junks bearing down on the Wonder, their cannons blazing. These pirates would show no mercy.
The jagged outline of an island reared up in front of the Wonder. Rings of broken rock shoals—perfect for grounding ships—surrounded it.
His arms straining, the helmsman wrestled with the steering wheel as cannon balls whistled through the air. Debris rained down on him, shattering the chronometer.
“Sir!” the helmsman shouted to the first mate. “We've lost the clock! We cannot reckon our position through the shoals!”
Scanning the deadly outcroppings ahead of the clipper, the first mate felt a rush of despair. He turned to a figure behind him.
“Captain, we must surrender!” the first mate cried. “Or we shall all be lost!”
Alice Kingsleigh stepped out of the shadows, her face fierce and determined. She had not worked so hard or traveled so far to lose everything.
“I'm not sure surrendering my father's ship guarantees survival, Mr. Phelps,” she said calmly.
Alice glanced down at the sextant in her hand, measuring the angle of the moon, and then eyed the barrier shoals ahead. A thrill ran through her as she spotted something her first mate had missed.
“Dead ahead! Full sail!” she cried.
Her crew stared at her in disbelief. Had their captain gone mad?
Mr. Phelps tried to reason with her. “Captain! The shoals ... the ship will founder! That's impossible!”
“You know my views on that word, Mr. Phelps!” Alice shot him a stern look. Her father had taught her long ago that anything was possible, and Alice's own adventures had proven that time and again.
“Hard to starboard, Harper!” Alice shouted at the helmsman.
“To starboard? We'll surely capsize!” Harper cried.
“Exactly, Harper. Exactly ...” Alice said. Her eyes were lit with certainty. Harper had never known his captain to be wrong, so he pulled the ship to the right, gritting his teeth.
The Wonder began to tip to the side even as it barreled toward the rocks. This has to work, Alice thought. Her mad plan was their only hope. Looking skyward, she spotted a young sailor struggling to unfurl the topsail.
“Secure yourselves, men,” Alice called as she raced to a halyard. “We're going to roll!” Grabbing hold of the rope, she slashed it with her sword. Alice's eyes shone as the rope lifted her off the deck and carried her to the top of the Wonder. She danced through the rigging and severed the lines keeping the topsail closed. With a whoosh, the sail unfurled and snapped full in the raging wind.
Here we go! Alice thought as the Wonder leaned fully horizontal and the mast she clung to dipped into the frigid ocean waves. The keel of the ship scraped along a sandy shoal; then a wave lifted it and pushed it beyond the barrier into calmer waters.
Alice scrambled to reach the mainsails and used her sword to cut them. The sails slumped like weary travelers. Without the full force of the storm behind it, the Wonder swung upward, righting itself.
A cheer rose from her crew as she slid down to the deck. Were it not for her, they would be dead, and they knew it. Stepping forward, Mr. Phelps bowed his head in admiration.
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible,” Alice told him, thinking of her father's ever-optimistic spirit.
She fished her beloved pocket watch from her cloak and gazed at its inscription: Charles Kingsleigh, Esq. If only he could be by her side. She stepped across the deck and hung her pocket watch in front of the broken chronometer.
“I trust this will guide us home,” she said. As her crew turned the Wonder toward London, Alice added softly under her breath, “It always has ....”
Chapter One
Four Months Later, London
The Wonder sailed up the Thames into the heart of London. Collecting her things, Alice moved about the captain's cabin. She tucked her father's watch into her coat pocket, even though it had stopped working a week earlier. Ever since her father had passed away, Alice had carried the pocket watch with her everywhere, almost like a talisman.
She scanned her cabin one last time, then headed up to watch the Wonder pull alongside a pier. A slender figure in a gray cloak caught her eye. With a cry of joy, Alice darted down the gangplank.
“Mother!” Alice called as she ran toward her.
Flinging her arms around her mother, she pulled her into a tight embrace. Helen Kingsleigh returned the hug a bit more stiffly, softly patting Alice on the back.
“Well, here you are ... finally,” Helen said as she stepped away.
Alice drew a breath to launch into stories of her exploits—she had so much to tell her mother—but she stopped short as an unfamiliar man approached them.
He was young and handsome. As Alice studied his simple, clean suit for a clue, she noticed the insignia stamped on a briefcase he carried. So he was from the firm, here to check up on her cargo.
“You and the Wonder have been expected a year, Miss Kingsleigh,” he said.
Straightening her shoulders, she faced the stranger. “There were ... complications,” she said. She doubted anyone else could have achieved what she had, and Lord Ascot would be pleased with her discoveries, despite the delay.
“I daresay the cargo will account for time,” the man responded quickly, noting Alice's stiffness. “I'm James Harcourt, ma'am. Clerk to the firm.” He held out his hand and Alice shook it, softening a bit as James nodded respectfully.
“I should like to see Lord Ascot,” Alice said as the clerk led her and her mother to a hansom cab. Pausing at the cab's door, James gazed at her solemnly. “Ah, I'm afraid Lord Ascot passed away whilst you were at sea.”
Stunned, Alice turned to her mother, who nodded sadly in confirmation. Alice bowed her head, the loss weighing on her.
“The title has passed to his son,” James continued.
“Hamish?” Alice struggled to hide her astonishment.
“Indeed, now also chairman of the board,” James said.
Alice would not have been more shocked if the clerk had climbed atop the hansom and belted out “God Save the Queen.” She could not picture Hamish—droopy-faced Hamish—in charge of anything, much less the company her father had begun. She clambered into the hansom, mulling over the news.
Of course the title and company shares would have passed to Hamish, but he'd always been so uninterested in business matters that his father had given up trying to involve him. Yet she hoped they'd be able to work together. Perhaps the years had changed him. Perhaps he had grown up. At the very least, she hoped he would stay out of her way as she broadened the company's trade routes.
Deep in thought, she was oblivious to the blue butterfly struggling to keep up with the cab. When they pulled up to her childhood home, she followed her mother inside.
With a decisive click, the front door swung shut just before the blue butterfly reached it. The creature seemed almost to swat angrily at the solid wood before fluttering up to a window instead. Its wings beat soundlessly against the glass.
Alice stood in the front hall, a bit disappointed. While the outside remained the same, the interior was dark and cold. No fires had been lit to welcome them home and the air felt dusty.
Shivering slightly, Alice stepped toward the drawing room, planning to light a fire herself, but the sight of the room stopped her short. Half the furniture was missing. Even the sideboard table was gone, an imprint of its outline on the floor the only sign it had ever been there at all.
Her mother smiled awkwardly at Alice's confused expression and headed downstairs.
“Always warmer down here,” she offered.
Once inside the basement kitchen, Helen plucked cups and saucers from the cupboards and set them out for tea. Alice spotted new lines on her mother's face and streaks of gray in her hair. Time seemed to be taking its toll on her.
“Now then,” Helen said, breaking the silence. “Your letters were so infrequent. I hardly know where you have been all this time.”
“Oh, Mother! The Wonder brought back a hundred kinds of tea from China!” Alice began eagerly, setting aside her worries about her mother for the moment. “And silks of colors you've never seen before. I met with emperors and beggars ... holy men ... and pirates!”
Helen's smile disappeared.
“Were you never afraid?” Helen asked worriedly.
“When I was, I thought of Father,” Alice said.
“You sound like him. He'd be so proud. But, my dear, an extra year? At my age you realize that time is a cruel master.”
Alice absently rubbed her fingers over her father's pocket watch. “And a thief to boot,” she murmured darkly. Time was no friend of hers, having stolen her father too young. “The best are taken first.”
Helen turned back to the tea. “And the dregs left behind, I suppose?” she muttered to herself.
“I hear the Ascots are marking Hamish's succession tonight,” Helen said as she sank into an armchair opposite her daughter.
“Perfect. We should go,” Alice said. She needed to establish her working relationship with Hamish, and there was no time like the present.
“Without an invitation?” Helen blinked at her daughter, her brow furrowed.
“Lady Ascot once said we would always be welcome.” Alice waved her hand nonchalantly. “But, Alice ...” her mother began.
“Besides, I have a proposition for Hamish,” Alice continued.
Helen pursed her lips. “He married last year, Alice. He seems to have gotten over your public rejection—although I would imagine the other three hundred guests might still remember it.”
“A business proposition, Mother!” Alice nearly rolled her eyes. Then she sat forward, unable to contain her excitement. “It's time we saw the world as our partner, not a pocket to be picked. When I return to China, I'll prove it's so.”
“You aim to leave so soon?” She gathered her next words carefully. “There are matters here that would benefit from your attention.”
Alice patted her mother's hand reassuringly. “After my next voyage, you won't have to worry anymore. About anything.”
“Am I permitted to worry tonight?” Helen asked. Answering her mother with only a grin, Alice set off upstairs.
Alice carried her luggage up to her childhood room and pushed open the door. It was like stepping directly into the past.
Her favorite doll was propped up on the bed, and her collection of seashells cluttered a sidetable. Plunking down her bag, Alice wandered to the writing desk. She picked up a sampler she'd made at age twelve. The embroidery perfectly formed her father's favorite motto: “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast.” Sighing softly, she brushed her fingers over the blue thread, then set the sampler aside.
She found a stack of drawings and watercolors of Underland. She smiled as she thumbed through them. Each of them came to life in her hands as the vivid memories replayed in her mind.
Her father, the only person who would have believed her stories of Underland, was gone. And despite everything she had accomplished in this world, including her voyages at sea and her captain's title, her mother still only saw her as someone in need of a husband. Her sister, on a mission to spread Christianity in Africa, agreed, no doubt.
Pulling back the curtain from a window, Alice stared out over the rooftops of London. Why was it so hard for her family to accept her? Couldn't they see she was meant for grand adventures? Well, if they needed more proof, Alice would give it to them ... starting with her meeting with Hamish.
Chapter Two
The Ascot mansion perched atop a hill at the end of a long driveway. But as the hansom cab carried the Kingsleighs up the drive, Alice's eyes were drawn instead to the rambling woods lining the road. Leaning forward in excitement, she recognized the gnarled tree that marked the entrance to Underland.
“Look, Mother! The rabbit hole!” Alice said.
“Please don't start that, dear.” Helen Kingsleigh's hand floated up to her forehead, as though she had a headache.
The carriage pulled to a stop, and a footman rushed forward to open the door and help the ladies out.
“I do wish you'd worn that yellow dress,” Helen muttered to her daughter as they approached the mansion.
Alice grinned, running her hands down the traditional Chinese silk costume she'd chosen for the occasion. The collar was cut to imitate the petals of a flower, in panels of pink, yellow, and red, and beautifully embroidered butterflies circled the purple jacket. Hanging straight down from her waist, a pleated skirt of green and yellow fabric swung cheerfully against her legs. She knew nobody in London would combine those colors, let alone wear that style, but she adored it.
“If it's good enough for the Dowager Empress of China, it's good enough for the Ascots,” Alice said.
“Alice, must you be so headstrong?” Shaking her head, Helen sighed as they swept inside the mansion, servants slamming the grand oak doors behind them. Unbeknownst to the servants, they'd closed the doors in the face of the blue butterfly, who fluttered crossly.
Inside, Alice strode toward the grand hall, her mother lagging self-consciously behind her. They paused in the entryway. Dressed in their finest, London's elite flittered about on the gleaming floor.
“Miss Kingsleigh?” someone called. Turning, Alice saw James Harcourt, the clerk, approaching. “What are you—”
“I've come to give my report to Lord Ascot, Mr. Harcourt,” Alice said.
James nodded and gestured for them to follow him.
They wove through the crowd, and a ripple of whispers followed in their wake as guests raised their eyebrows and muttered about Alice's costume. Helen wrung her hands in embarrassment, but Alice couldn't have cared less.
Under a shimmering chandelier, they found Lady Ascot, Hamish, and his wife, all smiling benevolently at their audience. Hamish's chest was puffed out in self-importance. At his side, his prim and proper wife, Alexandra, balanced their son in her arms.
His piggish eyes landed on Helen Kingsleigh and the oddly dressed woman with her. That tiresome clerk, Harcourt, was leading them toward him. Blinking in shock, Hamish realized that the figure in the garish tunic was none other than Alice herself.
Lady Ascot noticed the two interlopers as well. “Helen! What a surprise!” Lady Ascot pronounced, her eyebrows raised ever so slightly to register her disapproval of their breach in etiquette. She reached forward and clasped Helen's arm before turning to her daughter. “And is that Alice? My, the sea and salt air have done wonders for you. When you left, you were so pale and peaked.”
“Thank you,” Alice said. Only Lady Ascot could find a way to combine an insult with a compliment.
Finally having collected himself, Hamish cleared his throat. “Alice! Welcome home. Only a year late.” He rocked on his feet. “We were afraid you may never come back with our ship!”
“My ship,” Alice said, correcting him. “Hello, Hamish.”
Next to them, Alexandra sniffed loudly. “It is proper to refer to my husband as Lord Ascot. It is why we are having this little soiree, after all,” she said, her words clipped.
“Miss Kingsleigh,” Hamish said formally. “This is my wife, the new Lady Ascot.”
Alice and Alexandra eyed each other.
“So. Hamish tells me you've traveled the world these last three years,” Alexandra drawled.
“Yes, I have just returned,” Alice replied.
“Well, then! How was it?” Alexandra said.
“The world?” Alice asked.
“Yes!” Alexandra said brightly.
Alice couldn't help teasing her. “Highly enjoyable. You should visit it sometime.”
Behind her, James covered his mouth to muffle his laugh as Alexandra's face registered her astonishment.
“I've come to give my report, Lord Ascot,” Alice continued smoothly.
“Ah, of course,” Hamish said. “If you would follow me, Miss Kingsleigh.” After nodding to his mother and wife, he guided Alice down a hall.
Hamish led Alice to the mansion's smoking room, which was covered in red wallpaper. The entire room of white-haired gentlemen turned to regard the newcomers. They greeted Hamish with a nod, but they stared blankly at Alice.
“Gentlemen,” Hamish said, addressing the room. “Might I introduce Miss Alice Kingsleigh. Miss Kingsleigh—the board.”
Despite Alice's polite smile, none of the men's expressions changed. Undaunted, she plunged forward with her planned speech. “Gentlemen, we must move quickly! The profits of my voyage—”
“Scarcely outweigh the costs,” Hamish interjected.
Alice glanced at him. “Further expeditions to Ta-Kiang or Wuchang—” she began.
“There will be no ‘further expeditions,’ ” Hamish interrupted once more.
“What?” Alice was flabbergasted. What could he mean? Surely the company was not going to abandon the trade liaison she had fostered.
“The risks are not worth the reward,” Hamish proclaimed.
“An extra year at sea, Alice. There were hard decisions in your absence. From everyone.” As though he were posing for a painting, he clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his head slightly.
Alice stared at him, finally realizing just how deadly serious he was. Nothing she could say would sway him; he had made up his mind. “But ... what am I to do?”
“There's a position in our clerking office,” Hamish offered. His mouth twitched smugly, and Alice realized how much he was enjoying the situation. “You'll start in files, but, in time—”
Alice felt her face burning, anger rising inside her. “This isn't about China at all, is it? It's because three years ago I turned you down when you asked me to marry you!” She couldn't believe Hamish would be so stupid, so pigheaded!
“I'm sorry, Miss Kingsleigh,” Hamish said, sounding completely unremorseful. “But that is all we can do for you. No other company is in the business of hiring female clerks, let alone ship's captains!”
Several of the board members chuckled, while others harrumphed at the thought. Only James, who had slipped into the room behind Alice, stood by quietly, wishing there were something he could do.
Alice ignored the laughter and pounded her hand on a nearby cigar table. Whatever it took, she would make herself heard. “I have voting rights and ten percent of the company! Your father set those shares aside for me—”
“Correction,” Hamish proclaimed. “He gave them to your mother, who sold them to me last year, while you were gone. Along with the bond on the house.”
Alice's anger seeped out like air from a deflating balloon. “Her ... house?”
“Secured by your father against the ship he bought,” Hamish confirmed.
“The Wonder?” Alice's words came out strangled.
“Yes. Sign it over and you'll redeem the house, receive a salary and a pension.” His tone might have been bored, but his eyes were fixed intently on her.
“Give up the Wonder?” Alice was aghast.
“Otherwise we cannot help you,” Hamish said, tapping a slip of paper that had been laid out on a table.
With a new rush of rage, Alice realized it must be a prepared contract for the Wonder. Helen Kingsleigh cautiously entered the room at that moment and glanced around.
“Or your mother.” Hamish's words sent a chill through Alice. She spotted Helen's thin shoulders from the corner of her eye, but she spun away, needing time to think.
Shoving open the door, Alice stalked out of the room. Helen raced after her, but Alice didn't stop until Helen reached out and grabbed hold of her sleeve.
Alice turned on her, unable to contain her aggravation. Now they had no say in the company, no control in their fate. “How could you sell our shares?”
“I had no choice, Alice! With your sister on her mission and you at sea for an extra year ... What was I to do?” Helen's voice climbed higher and people started to turn toward them.
Taking a deep breath, Helen pulled Alice into a hallway, firmly shutting the door behind them for privacy.
“I did it for you, Alice!” her mother said fervently. “So you can make a decent start in life. So that you won't be alone.”
Alice faced her mother. “Ten minutes ago I was a sea captain.” Her voice was tinged with bitterness. Her next voyage abroad could have secured them both a comfortable living.
“A sea captain is no job for a lady!” Helen countered.
“Good!” Alice exclaimed. “All the better! On the ocean I am free, as father was. Or would you rather have me be a clerk?”
“I'm talking about marriage, Alice,” Helen said impatiently. “Time is against you, and you are being careless with it!”
“I once believed I could do six impossible things before breakfast,” Alice said softly.
“That is a child's dream, Alice,” her mother said. “The only way for women like us to have a good life is to marry well.”
Alice rolled her eyes, her anger returning. Why was her mother so closed-minded? The world was changing. You didn't have to believe in magic to envision new possibilities.
“I'm only trying to help you,” her mother said softly.
“Well, don't,” Alice snapped. “Because the last thing I want in life is to end up like you.”
Alice spun on her heel and stalked off, her words hanging in the air behind her. She didn't turn back, so she didn't see her mother lift her hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes.
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