A Little Princess
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
In Part 9 of A Little Princess, Becky and Ermengarde remain devoted to Sara as she adjusts to her new life as a school servant.
在"小公主"第9部分中,贝琪和埃尔门加德在她适应她作为学校仆人的新生活时,仍然致力于萨拉.
Part Ten: Melchisedec he third person in the trio was Lottie.
第十编: Melchisedec 他在三重奏中的第三人称是洛蒂.
She was a small thing and did not know what adversity meant, and was much bewildered by the alteration she saw in her young adopted mother.
她是一个小东西,不知道什么是逆境, 她非常困惑她看到的改变 她年轻的养母。
She had heard it rumored that strange things had happened to Sara, but she could not understand why she looked different—why she wore an old black frock and came into the schoolroom only to teach instead of to sit in her place of honor and learn lessons herself.
她听到谣言说Sara发生了奇怪的事情,但她无法理解为什么她看起来不同了——为什么她穿了一副黑色的花圈并来到教室里,只是为了教书,而不是坐在自己的荣誉位置上自己学习。
There had been much whispering among the little ones when it had been discovered that Sara no longer lived in the rooms in which Emily had so long sat in state.
当人们发现萨拉不再住在艾米丽如此久远的状态所处房间时,在小人中间已经有很多耳语.
Lottie’s chief difficulty was that Sara said so little when one asked her questions.
Lottie的主要困难在于Sara问她的问题时,
At seven, mysteries must be made very clear if one is to understand them.
7点,必须非常清楚地说明谜题,才能理解它们。
“ Are you very poor now, Sara?”
“...... 你现在很穷吗,萨拉? “
she had asked confidentially the first morning her friend took charge of the small French class.
第一天早上她的朋友 秘密地问了一下法国小班
“ Are you as poor as a beggar?”
“...... 你像乞丐一样穷? “
She thrust a fat hand into the slim one and opened round, tearful eyes.
她将一只肥胖的手推入了瘦小的一只,并打开了圆形的,可撕裂的眼睛.
“I don’t want you to be as poor as a beggar.”
我不想你像乞丐一样穷。 “
She looked as if she was going to cry, and Sara hurriedly consoled her.
她看起来好像要哭了,而莎拉匆匆地安慰了她.
“Beggars have nowhere to live,” she said courageously.
她勇敢地说,“乞丐无处可住”。
“I have a place to live in.”
“我有一个住的地方。 “
“Where do you live?”
“你住在哪里? “
persisted Lottie.
坚持洛蒂。
“The new girl sleeps in your room, and it isn’t pretty anymore.”
新来的女孩睡在你的房间里, “
“I live in another room,” said Sara.
Sara说:“我住在另一个房间。”
“Is it a nice one?”
“这是件好事吗? “
inquired Lottie.
问了洛蒂
“I want to go and see it.”
“我想去看看。 “
“You must not talk,” said Sara.
萨拉说,“你不能说话。”
“Miss Minchin will be angry with me for letting you whisper.”
“Minchin小姐会因为让你低声说话而生我的气。 “
She had found out already that she was to be held accountable for everything which was objected to.
她已经发现,她应该对一切遭到反对的事情负责。
If the children were not attentive, if they talked, if they were restless, it was she who would be reproved.
如果孩子们不关心,如果他们说话,如果他们不放心,那将是她受到谴责。
But Lottie was a determined little person.
但洛蒂是一个坚定的小家伙。
If Sara would not tell her where she lived, she would find out in some other way.
如果莎拉不告诉她她住在哪里 她会以其他方式发现的
She talked to her small companions and hung about the elder girls and listened when they were gossiping; and acting upon certain information they had unconsciously let drop, she started late one afternoon on a voyage of discovery, climbing stairs she had never known the existence of, until she reached the attic floor.
她与小同伴交谈并挂起长女的相声并听了她们八卦;根据她们无意识地放倒的某些信息,她一个下午很晚才开始一次探索之旅,登上她从未知道的楼梯,直到她到达阁楼地上.
There she found two doors near each other, and opening one, she saw her beloved Sara standing upon an old table and looking out of a window.
在那里她发现相邻有两扇门,打开了一扇门,她看到她所爱的莎拉站在一扇旧桌子上,从一扇窗户外望去.
“Sara!”
“萨拉!”
she cried, aghast.
她哭了,令人发指。
“Mama Sara!”
萨拉妈妈!
She was aghast because the attic was so bare and ugly and seemed so far away from all the world.
因为阁楼光鲜而丑陋 似乎远离了世界
Her short legs had seemed to have been mounting hundreds of stairs.
她的短腿似乎在爬上数百个楼梯。
Sara turned round at the sound of her voice.
莎拉在她的声音中转身。
It was her turn to be aghast.
现在轮到她了
What would happen now?
现在怎么办?
If Lottie began to cry and anyone chanced to hear, they were both lost.
如果洛蒂开始哭 和任何人偶然听到, 他们都失去了。
She jumped down from her table and ran to the child.
她从桌子上跳下来跑去见孩子。
“Don’t cry and make a noise,” she implored.
她恳求不要哭,不要发出声音。
“I shall be scolded if you do, and I have been scolded all day.
“如果你骂我,我就骂我一整天。
It’s—it’s not such a bad room, Lottie.”
Lottie, 这不是一个糟糕的房间。 “
“Isn’t it?”
“不是吗? “
gasped Lottie.
给洛蒂打气了
She was a spoiled child yet, but she was fond enough of Sara to make an effort to control herself.
她还是个被宠坏的孩子,但她对莎拉的好感足以控制自己.
It was possible that any place in which Sara lived might turn out to be nice.
任何莎拉住的地方 都有可能变得很好
“Why isn’t it, Sara?”
“为什么不是呢,萨拉? “
she whispered.
她低语了
Sara hugged her close and tried to laugh.
莎拉紧紧地拥抱她,并想取笑她.
There was a sort of comfort in the warmth of the plump, childish body.
有某种安慰 在温暖的羽毛, 幼稚的身体。
She had had a hard day and had been staring out of the windows with hot eyes.
她度过了艰难的一天,并用热眼从窗外凝视.
“You can see all sorts of things you can’t see downstairs,” she said.
”她说,
“What sort of things?”
“什么样的事情? “
demanded Lottie.
要求罗蒂。
“Chimneys—quite close to us—with smoke curling up in wreaths and clouds and going up into the sky—and sparrows hopping about and talking to each other just as if they were people— and other attic windows where heads may pop out any minute and you can wonder who they belong to.
" 辛尼人 -- -- 离我们很近 -- -- 有花环和云朵卷起烟来并飞入天空 -- -- 有麻雀互相兜圈子和交谈,就像他们都是人一样 -- -- 还有其他阁楼窗户,在那里头随时会冒出来,你们可以怀疑他们属于谁。
And it all feels as high up—as if it was another world.”
感觉就像高高起起起落 仿佛是另一个世界 “
“Oh, let me see it!”
" 哦,让我看看! “
cried Lottie.
哭了乐天.
“Lift me up!”
"放过我吧!"
Sara lifted her up, and they stood on the old table together and leaned on the edge of the flat window in the roof, and looked out.
莎拉把她抬起来,两人一起站到旧桌子上,并靠在屋顶平地窗户的边缘上,向外望去.
Anyone who has not done this does not know what a different world they saw.
没有这样做的人不知道他们所看到的是一个不同的世界。
The slates spread out on either side of them and slanted down into the rain gutter-pipes.
板子分出两侧并斜入雨沟管.
The sparrows, being at home there, twittered and hopped about quite without fear.
麻雀们在家中,
Two of them perched on the chimney top nearest and quarreled with each other fiercely until one pecked the other and drove him away.
其中两人被困在烟囱最靠近的地方,并互相激烈地争吵,直到一个啄到另一个并把他赶走.
The garret window next to theirs was shut because the house next door was empty.
他们旁边的外衣窗被关闭,因为隔壁的房子是空的.
“I wish someone lived there,” Sara said.
Sara说:“我希望有人住在那里。”
“It is so close that we could talk to each other through the windows and climb over to see each other, if we were not afraid of falling.”
“如果我们不怕摔倒的话,我们可以通过窗户相互交谈,然后爬过去相见。 “
The sky seemed so much nearer than when one saw it from the street, that Lottie was enchanted.
天空看起来比街上看到它时 更接近洛蒂的魔法
From the attic window, among the chimney pots, the world below seemed almost unreal.
从阁楼的窗户, 在烟囱的锅, 下方的世界看起来几乎不真实。
One scarcely believed in the existence of Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia and the schoolroom, and the roll of wheels in the square seemed a sound belonging to another existence.
人们很少相信明钦小姐和阿梅莉亚小姐以及教室的存在,广场上轮子的滚滚似乎是一种属于另一个存在的声音.
“Oh, Sara!”
"哦,萨拉!"
cried Lottie, cuddling in her guarding arm.
哭出洛特,抱住她的护臂
“I like this attic—I like it!
"我喜欢这阁楼——我喜欢!
It is nicer than downstairs!”
比楼下好! “
“Look at that sparrow,” whispered Sara.
“看那只麻雀”,Sara低声说道。
“I wish I had some crumbs to throw to him.”
“我希望我有一些碎屑要扔给他。 “
“I have some!”
"我有一些!"
came in a little shriek from Lottie.
从洛蒂那里进来了
“I have part of a bun in my pocket; I bought it with my penny yesterday, and I saved a bit.”
“我口袋里有一包面包;我昨天用我的一分钱买的,我省了一点。 “
When they threw out a few crumbs the sparrow flew away to an adjacent chimney top.
当他们扔出一些碎屑时,麻雀飞去相邻的烟囱顶部.
He was evidently not accustomed to intimates in attics, and unexpected crumbs startled him.
他显然不习惯阁楼的亲密关系,出人意料的碎屑吓到了他.
But when Sara chirped very softly—almost as if she were a sparrow herself—he saw that the thing which had alarmed him represented hospitality, after all.
但当撒拉轻轻地鸣叫的时候——几乎象她自己是麻雀一样——他看见震撼他的东西毕竟是款待的。
He put his head on one side, and from his perch on the chimney looked down at the crumbs with twinkling eyes.
他把头放在一旁,从烟囱上穿行的平地上,用闪闪发光的双眼向下望去碎屑.
Lottie could scarcely keep still.
洛蒂几乎不能保持静止。
“Will he come?
“他会来吗?
Will he come?”
他会来吗? “
she whispered.
她低语了
“His eyes look as if he would,” Sara whispered back.
Sara低声回话。
“He is thinking and thinking whether he dare.
“他正在思考和思考他是否敢这样做。
Yes, he will!
是的,他会的!
Yes, he is coming!”
是的,他来了!”
He flew down and hopped toward the crumbs, but stopped a few inches away from them, putting his head on one side again, as if reflecting on the chances that Sara and Lottie might turn out to be big cats and jump on him.
他向下飞去并跳向了碎屑口,但从它们相去几英寸就停下来了,又把头放在了一边,仿佛反省了萨拉和洛蒂可能变成大猫并跳到他身上的机会.
At last his heart told him they were really nicer than they looked, and he hopped nearer and nearer, darted at the biggest crumb with a lightning peck, seized it, and carried it away to the other side of his chimney.
他的心终于告诉他,他们真的比看起来好, 他跳出越来越近, 飞去最大的碎屑 用闪电啄,抓住它, 并把它带到他的烟囱的另一边。
“Now he knows,” said Sara, “and he will come back for the others.”
他说:现在他已知道了。 “
He did come back, and even brought a friend, and the friend went away and brought a relative, and among them they made a hearty meal over which they twittered and chattered and exclaimed, stopping every now and then to put their heads on one side and examine Lottie and Sara.
他确实回来了,甚至带了一位朋友,朋友走了,带了一位亲戚来,他们中间做了一顿温馨的饭,上面他们用推特,聊天并赞叹地说,时而停下来把头放在一边,检查洛蒂和萨拉.
Lottie was so delighted that she quite forgot her first shocked impression of the attic.
洛蒂非常高兴地忘记了 她对阁楼的第一印象
In fact, when she was lifted down from the table and returned to earthly things, as it were, Sara was able to point out to her many beauties in the room which she herself would not have suspected the existence of.
事实上,当她被从桌子上抬起,回到了土生土长的事物时,莎拉能够向她指出房间里的许多美人,而她自己也不会怀疑这些美人的存在.
“It is so little and so high above everything,” she said, “that it is almost like a nest in a tree.
她说,“这几乎像一棵树上的巢。
The slanting ceiling is so funny.
斜天花板太有趣了。
See, you can scarcely stand up at this end of the room; and when the morning begins to come I can lie in bed and look right up into the sky through that flat window in the roof.
你看,你几乎不能站在房间的这一端;当早晨开始的时候,我可以躺在床上,从屋顶的平地窗户向上望去。
It is like a square patch of light.
这就像一平方的光。
If the sun is going to shine, little pink clouds float about, and I feel as if I could touch them.
如果太阳会发光, 粉红色的小云会飘来飘去, 我觉得自己可以触摸它们。
And if it rains, the drops patter and patter as if they were saying something nice.”
如果下雨了 滴出滴出滴出滴出滴 滴出滴出滴出滴 滴出滴出滴出滴 滴出滴出滴出滴出滴出 “
“Then if there are stars, you can lie and try to count how many go into the patch.
“然后,如果有星星,你可以撒谎,并试图计算有多少星星进入了补丁。
It takes such a lot.
这需要很多钱。
And just look at that tiny, rusty grate in the corner.
看看角落里那个小而生锈的栅栏
If it was polished and there was a fire in it, just think how nice it would be.
如果它被打磨,里面有起火, 想想它会有多好。
You see, it’s really a beautiful little room.”
你看,这真是一个漂亮的小房间。 “
She was walking round the small place, holding Lottie’s hand and making gestures which described all the beauties she was making herself see.
她在小地方走来走去,握住Lottie的手,并做出一些手势,来描述她自己所看到的美貌。
She quite made Lottie see them, too.
她让洛蒂也看到了
Lottie could always believe in the things Sara made pictures of.
洛蒂可以一直相信萨拉拍的照片
“You see,” she said, “there could be a thick, soft blue Indian rug on the floor; and in that corner there could be a soft little sofa, with cushions to curl up on; and just over it could be a shelf full of books so that one could reach them easily; and there could be a fur rug before the fire, and hangings on the wall to cover up the whitewash, and pictures.
“你看,”她说,“地板上可能有一个厚而柔软的蓝色印度地毯;在那个角落里可以有一个柔软的小沙发,上面有可卷起的垫子;就在那个角落上,可以有一个满是书的架子,以便人们能够轻易地到达;在起火前可以有一个毛毯,并挂在墙上来遮盖白洗和图片。
They would have to be little ones, but they could be beautiful; and there could be a lamp with a deep rose-colored shade; and a table in the middle, with things to have tea with; and a little fat copper kettle singing on the hob; and the bed could be quite different.
他们必须小而能美;可以有一盏灯,有深而有玫瑰色的遮荫;中间有一张桌子,东西有茶;小而肥的铜壶在荷花上会唱歌;床可能相当不同.
It could be made soft and covered with a lovely silk coverlet.
它可以被软化并被一个可爱的丝绸花被所覆盖.
It could be beautiful.”
它可能是美丽的。 “
“ And perhaps we could coax the sparrows until we made such friends with them that they would come and peck at the window and ask to be let in.”
“...... 也许我们可以把麻雀拉平, 直到我们和他们交到朋友, 他们会来敲窗子,要求被允许进去。 “
“Oh, Sara!”
"哦,萨拉!"
cried Lottie.
哭了乐天.
“I should like to live here!”
“我想住在这里! “
When Sara had persuaded her to go downstairs again, and, after setting her on her way, had come back to her attic, she stood in the middle of it and looked about her.
当萨拉说服她再次下楼时,在让她上路后又回到了阁楼,她站在了中间并看着她.
The enchantment of her imaginings for Lottie had died away.
她对洛蒂的幻想已经逝去
The bed was hard and covered with its dingy quilt.
床又硬又被它的叮当被子盖住.
The whitewashed wall showed its broken patches, the floor was cold and bare, the grate was broken and rusty, and the battered footstool, tilted sideways on its injured leg, the only seat in the room.
被洗白的墙上显示出被打碎的补丁,地上被冷冻而赤裸,栅栏被打碎而生锈,被打倒的脚凳,被打伤的腿上倾斜了侧道,是房间唯一的座位.
She sat down on it for a few minutes and let her head drop in her hands.
她就坐在上面几分钟,让她的头掉入了手.
The mere fact that Lottie had come and gone away again made things seem a little worse—just as perhaps prisoners feel a little more desolate after visitors come and go, leaving them behind.
仅仅因为洛蒂再次来去去的事实,事情就显得有些更糟糕了,也许囚犯们在来访者来去后会觉得更加荒凉,留下他们。
“It’s a lonely place,” she said.
她表示:「这是一个孤独的地方,
“Sometimes it’s the loneliest place in the world.”
“有时候,这是世界上最孤独的地方。 “
She was sitting in this way when her attention was attracted by a slight sound near her.
她坐在这里,当时她的注意力被她附近的轻微声音所吸引.
She lifted her head to see where it came from, and if she had been a nervous child she would have left her seat on the battered footstool in a great hurry.
她抬起头来看它从哪里来,如果她是一个紧张的孩子,她会匆忙地把座位留在被打的脚凳上.
A large rat was sitting up on his hindquarters and sniffing the air in an interested manner.
一只大老鼠正坐在他后方 以有兴趣的方式嗅出空气
Some of Lottie’s crumbs had dropped upon the floor and their scent had drawn him out of his hole.
Lottie的一些碎屑倒在地上,
He looked so queer and so like a gray- whiskered dwarf or gnome that Sara was rather fascinated.
他看起来很怪异 像个灰发矮人或者小矮人 莎拉很着迷
He looked at her with his bright eyes, as if he were asking a question.
他用他明亮的眼睛看着她,好像在问问题.
He was evidently so doubtful that one of the child’s queer thoughts came into her mind.
他显然如此怀疑,以致于她心中想到了孩子的一个古怪想法。
“I dare say it is rather hard to be a rat,” she mused.
“我敢说做一只老鼠是相当困难的”,
“Nobody likes you.
“没有人喜欢你。
People jump and run away and scream out, ‘Oh, a horrid rat!’
人们跳来跑去,尖叫道:"哦,一个可怕的老鼠! " ; "
I shouldn’t like people to scream and jump and say, ‘Oh, a horrid Sara!’
我不应该喜欢人们尖叫和跳跃, " ; "
the moment they saw me.
当他们看到我的时候
And set traps for me, and pretend they were dinner.
设陷阱给我 假装是晚餐
It’s so different to be a sparrow.
身为麻雀,
But nobody asked this rat if he wanted to be a rat when he was made.
但没人问这只老鼠在造物时是否想当个老鼠.
Nobody said, ‘Wouldn’t you rather be a sparrow?’
没有人说,你宁愿做麻雀吗? " ; "
She had sat so quietly that the rat had begun to take courage.
她静静地坐着 老鼠开始鼓起勇气
He was very much afraid of her, but perhaps he had a heart like the sparrow and it told him that she was not a thing which pounced.
他非常害怕她,但也许他有一个心脏 像麻雀, 它告诉他,她不是一个东西 扑出。
He was very hungry.
他很饿
He had a wife and a large family in the wall, and they had had frightfully bad luck for several days.
他在墙上有一个妻子和一个大家庭,他们几天来都吓坏了。
He had left the children crying bitterly, and felt he would risk a good deal for a few crumbs, so he cautiously dropped upon his feet.
他让孩子们痛苦地流了泪,觉得自己会冒着好的风险去取取出几分碎屑来,于是谨慎地倒地.
“Come on,” said Sara; “I’m not a trap.
Sara说:“来吧,”
You can have them, poor thing!
你可以拥有他们,可怜的家伙!
Prisoners in the Bastille used to make friends with rats.
被囚禁在巴士底狱中,曾经与老鼠交朋友.
Suppose I make friends with you.”
如果我和你交朋友的话 “
How it is that animals understand things I do not know, but it is certain that they do understand.
动物是如何理解我所不知道的事物的, 但可以肯定,它们确实理解。
Perhaps there is a language which is not made of words and everything in the world understands it.
也许有一种语言不是由言语所制,世界上的一切事物都会理解它.
Perhaps there is a soul hidden in everything and it can always speak, without even making a sound, to another soul.
也许有灵魂隐藏在一切中, 它总是可以说话, 甚至没有发出声音, 对另一个灵魂。
But whatsoever was the reason, the rat knew from that moment that he was safe— even though he was a rat.
但无论是什么原因,老鼠从那一刻起就知道他是安全的——尽管他是一只老鼠.
He knew that this young human being sitting on the red footstool would not jump up and terrify him with wild, sharp noises or throw heavy objects at him which, if they did not fall and crush him, would send him limping in his scurry back to his hole.
他知道坐在红脚凳上的这个年轻人不会跳起来用狂野而尖锐的噪音吓倒他,也不会把重物扔到他身上去,如果他们不倒地并压倒他,就会将他一瘸一拐地赶回他的洞去.
He was really a very nice rat, and did not mean the least harm.
他是一个非常不错的老鼠, 并不意味着最小的伤害。
When he had stood on his hind legs and sniffed the air, with his bright eyes fixed on Sara, he had hoped that she would understand this, and would not begin by hating him as an enemy.
当他站在后腿上并嗅到空气时,用他明亮的眼睛固定在了萨拉身上,他原本希望她能理解这一点,而不是从恨他为敌人开始.
When the mysterious thing which speaks without saying any words told him that she would not, he went softly toward the crumbs and began to eat them.
当那个不说任何话的神秘事物告诉他她不会说话时,他轻轻地走向了碎屑并开始吃.
As he did it he glanced every now and then at Sara, just as the sparrows had done, and his expression was so very apologetic that it touched her heart.
当他这样做的时候,他时常在萨拉一眼,就像麻雀一样,他的表情非常激动地触动了她的心.
She sat and watched him without making any movement.
她坐着看着他,没有动静。
One crumb was very much larger than the others—in fact, it could scarcely be called a crumb.
一个屑比另一个屑大得多——事实上,它几乎不能称为一屑。
It was evident that he wanted that piece very much, but it lay quite near the footstool and he was still rather timid.
显然,他非常想要那块地,但是它躺在脚凳附近,他仍然相当胆小。
“I believe he wants it to carry to his family in the wall,” Sara thought.
“我相信,他想把它带到他的家人的墙上。” Sara想。
“If I do not stir at all, perhaps he will come and get it.”
“如果我不搅拌,他或许会来取来。 “
She scarcely allowed herself to breathe, she was so deeply interested.
她很少允许自己呼吸,她非常感兴趣。
The rat shuffled a little nearer and ate a few more crumbs; then he stopped and sniffed delicately, giving a side glance at the occupant of the footstool; then he darted at the piece of bun with the sudden boldness of the sparrow, and the instant he had possession of it fled back to the wall, slipped down a crack in the skirting board, and was gone.
老鼠更近地洗了一阵子,又吃了几道碎屑;后又停了下来细细地嗅了一下,给脚凳的占地者一一副一眼;后又用麻雀突然大胆地向包子一分一分地飞去,一分一分地拥有了它就逃回了墙上,从裙板上滑倒了个裂缝后就走了.
“I knew he wanted it for his children,” said Sara.
Sara说,“我知道他想要的是为了孩子。”
“I do believe I could make friends with him.”
“我相信我可以与他交朋友。 “
A week or so afterward, on one of the rare nights when Ermengarde found it safe to steal up to the attic, when she tapped on the door with the tips of her fingers Sara did not come to her for two or three minutes.
一周左右之后,在厄门加德发现可以安全地偷到阁楼的难得的夜晚, 她用指尖敲门 Sara有两三分钟没去找她
There was, indeed, such a silence in the room at first that Ermengarde wondered if she were asleep.
确实, 房间里有这样一个沉默 一开始,埃尔门加德想知道 她是否睡着了。
Then, to her surprise, she heard her utter a little, low laugh and speak coaxingly to someone.
然后,令人惊讶的是,她听到她 说出一点点,低调的笑声, 和某人说出令人惊叹的话。
“There!”
那边!
Ermengarde heard her say.
埃门加德听到了她的话
“Take it and go home, Melchisedec!
Melchisedec, 拿着它回家吧!
Go home to your wife!”
回到你妻子身边!”
Almost immediately Sara opened the door, and when she did so she found Ermengarde standing with alarmed eyes upon the threshold.
几乎立刻由萨拉打开了门,当她这样做时,她发现厄门加德站在门槛上,眼睛惊慌失措.
“Who—who are you talking to, Sara?”
"你在和谁说话,萨拉? “
she gasped out.
她喘气出来了。
Sara drew her in cautiously, but she looked as if something pleased and amused her.
Sara谨慎地吸引了她,但她看起来好像有些东西高兴并逗她开心.
“You must promise not to be frightened—not to scream the least bit, or I can’t tell you,” she answered.
她回答说, “你必须保证不害怕,
Ermengarde felt almost inclined to scream on the spot, but managed to control herself.
埃门加德觉得几乎倾向于当场尖叫,但设法控制了自己.
She looked all round the attic and saw no one.
她环顾四周的阁楼,没有看到任何人.
And yet Sara had certainly been speaking to someone.
然而Sara肯定在和别人说话
“Is it—something that will frighten me?”
" 是不是会吓到我? “
she asked timorously.
她热情地问了
“Some people are afraid of them,” said Sara.
Sara说,“有些人害怕他们”。
“I was at first—but I am not now.”
" 我起初是,但现在不是。 “
“Was it—a ghost?”
" 是鬼吗? “
quaked Ermengarde.
震撼了埃尔门加德。
“No,” said Sara, laughing.
Sara说:“不,”
“It was my rat.”
“这是我的老鼠。 “
Ermengarde made one bound, and landed in the middle of the little dingy bed.
Ermengarde做了一个捆绑, 降落在小叮当床中间。
She tucked her feet under her nightgown and the red shawl.
她把脚放在睡衣和红披肩下
“Oh!
“哦!
Oh!”
瓳
she gasped.
她气喘吁吁的。 她喘不过气了。
“ A rat!
“一只老鼠!
A rat!”
一只老鼠!"
“I was afraid you would be frightened,” said Sara.
Sara说,“我担心你会害怕。”
“But you needn’t be.
" 但你不必如此。
I am making him tame.
我让他驯服。
He actually knows me and comes out when I call him.
他其实了解我,当我打电话给他时就出来了。
Are you too frightened to want to see him?”
你怕不想见他吗? “
The truth was that, as the days had gone on and, with the aid of scraps brought up from the kitchen, her curious friendship had developed, she had gradually forgotten that the timid creature she was becoming familiar with was a mere rat.
事实是,随着日子的到来,在厨房带来的废墟的帮助下,她好奇的友谊逐渐得到发展,她逐渐忘记了她所熟悉的胆小的生物只是一只老鼠.
At first Ermengarde was too much alarmed to do anything but huddle in a heap upon the bed and tuck up her feet, but the sight of Sara’s composed little countenance and the story of Melchisedec’s first appearance began at last to rouse her curiosity, and she leaned forward over the edge of the bed and watched Sara go and kneel down by the hole in the skirting board.
起初,埃尔门加德太惊慌了,除了在床上站起脚来,别无所事事,但看到萨拉所组成的小面孔和梅尔希塞德克第一次出场的故事终于激起她的好奇心,她倒在了床边上,看着萨拉走去并跪倒在裙板上的洞边.
“He—he won’t run out quickly and jump on the bed, will he?”
他不会很快跑出床, “
she said.
她说。
“No,” answered Sara.
" 不, " 回答萨拉。
“He’s as polite as we are.
他和我们一样有礼貌。
He is just like a person.
他就像一个人。
Now watch!”
现在看!”
She began to make a low, whistling sound— so low and coaxing that it could only have been heard in entire stillness.
她开始发出低声的口哨声 低声的口哨声
She did it several times, looking entirely absorbed in it.
她做了几次,看起来完全被吸收了。
Ermengarde thought she looked as if she were working a spell.
埃门加德认为她看起来像是在施咒
And at last, evidently in response to it, a gray-whiskered, bright-eyed head peeped out of the hole.
终于,显然为了回应它, 一个灰发发光发光的脑袋从洞里窥出。
Sara had some crumbs in her hand.
Sara手里有块碎屑
She dropped them, and Melchisedec came quietly forth and ate them.
她放下了它们,而梅尔希泽克悄悄地出来吃.
A piece of larger size than the rest he took and carried in the most businesslike manner back to his home.
一块比其他的更大的地段 他带着他最有商业精神地带回他的家
“You see,” said Sara, “that is for his wife and children.
萨拉说:“你看,这是他的妻子和孩子的。
He is very nice.
他是个好人
He only eats the little bits.
他只吃一点点。
After he goes back I can always hear his family squeaking for joy.
他回去后,我总能听到他的家人为欢乐而叫喊.
There are three kinds of squeaks.
有三种叫声.
One kind is the children’s, and one is Mrs.
其中一个是孩子,另一个是夫人。
Melchisedec’s, and one is Melchisedec’s own.”
Melchisedec的,还有一个是Melchisedec的。 “
Ermengarde began to laugh.
埃门加德开始取笑.
“Oh, Sara!”
"哦,萨拉!"
she said.
她说。
“You are queer—but you are nice.”
你是同性恋,但你是善良的。 “
“I know I am queer,” admitted Sara, cheerfully; “and I try to be nice.”
“我知道我是同性恋,” 萨拉欣喜地承认:“我尽量友善。 “
She rubbed her forehead with her little brown paw, and a puzzled, tender look came into her face.
她用小棕爪来摩擦她的前额,一个迷惑,温柔的表情从她脸上走来.
“Papa always laughed at me,” she said; “but I liked it.
她说:“爸爸总是嘲笑我,”但我喜欢。
He thought I was queer, but he liked me to make up things.
他以为我是同性恋 但他喜欢我编故事
I—I can’t help making up things.
我-我-无法编造事物。
If I didn’t, I don’t believe I could live.”
若我没有, “
She paused and glanced around the attic.
她停了下来,看着阁楼
“I’m sure I couldn’t live here,” she added in a low voice.
“我肯定我不能住在这里”,
Ermengarde was interested, as she always was.
埃门加德一直很感兴趣
“When you talk about things,” she said, “they seem as if they grew real.
她说,“当你谈论事物时,他们似乎变得真实。
You talk about Melchisedec as if he was a person.”
你谈论梅尔希塞德克 就像他是一个人。 “
“He is a person,” said Sara.
Sara说:“他是一个人。”
“He gets hungry and frightened, just as we do; and he is married and has children.
“正如我们所做的那样,他感到饥饿和恐惧;他已婚并有子女。
How do we know he doesn’t think things, just as we do?
我们怎么知道他不象我们这样思考?
His eyes look as if he was a person.
他的眼睛看起来像一个人。
That was why I gave him a name.”
这就是为什么我给他一个名字。 “
She sat down on the floor in her favorite attitude, holding her knees.
她以她最爱的态度坐在地上,站起她的膝盖.
“Besides,” she said, “he is a Bastille rat sent to be my friend.
她说,“此外,他是被派来做我的朋友的巴士底狱老鼠。
I can always get a bit of bread the cook has thrown away, and it is quite enough to support him.”
我总是可以得到一些面包 厨师已经扔掉了, 这是相当足够的支持他。 “
“Is it the Bastille yet?”
“巴士底座还没有吗? “
asked Ermengarde, eagerly.
急切地问了厄门加德
“Do you always pretend it is the Bastille?”
“你总是假装是巴士底座吗? “
“Nearly always,” answered Sara.
萨拉回答说,“几乎永远”。
“Sometimes I try to pretend it is another kind of place; but the Bastille is generally easiest—particularly when it is cold.”
" 有时,我试图假装这是另一种地方;但巴士底狱一般是容易的,特别是在寒冷的时候。 “
Just at that moment Ermengarde almost jumped off the bed, she was so startled by a sound she heard.
就在那个时候,埃尔门加德几乎从床上跳下,她被她听到的声音吓到.
It was like two distinct knocks on the wall.
就像墙上敲了两下
“What is that?”
“这是什么? “
she exclaimed.
她叹为观止
Sara got up from the floor and answered quite dramatically: “It is the prisoner in the next cell.”
莎拉从地上站起来,回答非常强烈: “是囚犯在隔壁牢房里。 “
“Becky!”
"卑贱!"
cried Ermengarde, enraptured.
哭泣的厄门加德,被治疗。
“Yes,” said Sara.
Sara说:“是的,”
“Listen: the two knocks meant, ‘Prisoner, are you there?’
“听着:两下敲门意味着`囚犯,你在吗? " ; "
She knocked three times on the wall herself, as if in answer.
她自己敲了三下墙 好像在回答
“That means, ‘Yes, I am here, and all is well.’
“这意味着,`是的,我在这里,一切都很好。 " ; "
Four knocks came from Becky’s side of the wall.
四下敲击出自贝琪的一面墙.
“That means,” explained Sara, “‘Then, fellow sufferer, we will sleep in peace.
“这意味着”Sara解释说, " 那么,受难者们,我们将安息。
Good night.’
边 " ; "
Ermengarde quite beamed with delight.
Ermengarde相当的快乐。
“Oh, Sara!”
"哦,萨拉!"
she whispered joyfully.
她悄悄地说着很快乐
“It is like a story!”
“这就像一个故事!”
“It is a story,” said Sara.
Sara说:“这是个故事。”
“Everything’s a story.
“一切都是一个故事。
You are a story—I am a story.
你是个故事... 我是个故事。
Miss Minchin is a story.”
敏钦小姐是个故事 “
And she sat down again and talked until Ermengarde forgot that she was a sort of escaped prisoner herself, and had to be reminded by Sara that she could not remain in the Bastille all night, but must steal noiselessly downstairs again and creep back into her deserted bed.
她再次坐下来交谈,直到埃尔门加德忘记自己是某种逃跑的被囚禁者,不得不被萨拉提醒,她不能整晚呆在巴士底座上,而必须再次在楼下无声地偷来并爬回被抛弃的床上去.
Glossary accountable (adj.)
负责的词汇(adj.)
(v.)
(五.)
(adv.)
(编).