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The task went more easily than he had ever known it to before. Milking for once was not a chore. It was a gift to his father. He finished, the two milk cans were full, and he covered them and closed the milk-house door carefully, making sure of the latch. He put the stool in its place by the door and hung up the clean milk pail. Then he went out of the barn and barred the door behind him.

Back in his room he had only a minute to pull off his clothes and jump into bed, before he heard his father get up. He put the covers over his head to silence his quick breathing. The door opened.
"Rob! " his father called. "We have to get up, son, even if it is Christmas."
"Aw-right," he said sleepily.
"I'll go on out," his father said. "I'll get things started."

The door closed and he lay still, laughing to himself. In just a few minutes his father would know. His dancing heart was ready to jump from his body.
The minutes were endless—ten, fifteen, he did not know how many—and he heard his father's footsteps again. The door opened.
"Rob!"
"Yes, Dad—"
"You son of a—" His father was laughing, a queer sobbing sort of a laugh. "Thought you'd fool me, did you?" His father was standing beside his bed, feeling for him, pulling away the cover.
He found his father and clutched him in a great hug. He felt his father's arms go around him. It was dark, and they could not see each other's faces.
"Son, I thank you. Nobody ever did a nicer thing—"
"It's for Christmas, Dad!"

参考译文

这件工作比以前容易多了，挤牛奶一度并不是个家务活，是上天给他父亲的一件礼物。他挤完了，两个奶桶满满的，他把桶盖上，小心地关上奶房的门，并确保门锁上。他把凳子放到门旁，把干净的奶桶挂起来。然后走出马棚，关上身后的门。

回到自己的房间，他很快脱掉了衣服，跳到床上，这时候还没听到父亲起床的声音。他用被子蒙起头，掩盖自己急促的呼吸声。门开了。

“Rob!”父亲叫道，“要起床了，儿子，哪怕是圣诞节。”
“好的，”他困倦地说。
“我要出去，”父亲说。“把东西准备好。”

门关了，他仍躺在床上，兀自笑了起来。很快父亲就知道了。狂跳的心脏差点儿要蹦出心脏。时间好像很漫长--十分钟、十五分钟，他不知道过了多久--这时他又听到父亲的脚步声。门开了。
“Rob！”
“爸爸--”
“这个儿子---”父亲笑了，这是一种奇怪的笑声。“你想愚弄我吗？”父亲站在他的床前，摸索着他，拉开被角。
他看到父亲，就紧紧地抱住了他。他感到父亲的双臂围着他。夜很黑，彼此看不到对方的脸。
“儿子，谢谢你，没有人做过这么好...”
“这是为圣诞节做的，爸爸！”

词汇释义

1.chore [pl. ]家庭杂务,零星的事务

例句：
It's such a chore to do the shopping every day!
每天要去买东西真是个负担！

2.silence n. 沉默,寂静 v. 使沉默,使安静

例句：
The enemy's guns were silenced by repeated bombings.
敌人的炮火因遭到轮番轰炸而沉寂了。

3.clutch n. 抓紧,掌握,离合器

例句：
The child clutched his toy.
那个孩子紧抓着他的玩具不放。