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Again the gardener was astounded. It seemed as though his ideas were becoming confused again. He stared at his daughter and scratched his head. His face demanded another explanation. Then the teacher turned to the attendant and said to him: "Call a child of the preparatory class for me." The attendant returned, in a short time, with a deaf-mute of eight or nine years, who had entered the institution a few days before. "This girl," said the mistress, "is one of those whom we are instructing in the first elements. This is the way it is done. I want to make her say a. Pay attention."
园丁更加奇怪了，茫然若失地看着女儿搔头，好像要求说明。先生向在旁的侍者说：“去叫一个预科的学生来！”侍者去了一会儿，领了一个才入学的八九岁的聋哑生出来。先生说：“这孩子才学初步的课程，我们是这样教的：我现在叫她发 A 字的音，你仔细看！”
The teacher opened her mouth, as one opens it to pronounce the vowel a, and motioned to the child to open her mouth in the same manner. Then the mistress made her a sign to emit her voice. She did so; but instead of a, she pronounced o. "No," said the mistress, "that is not right." And taking the child's two hands, she placed one of them on her own throat and the other on her chest, and repeated, "a." The child felt with her hands the movements of the mistress's throat and chest, opened her mouth again as before, and pronounced extremely well, "a." In the same manner, the mistress made her pronounce c and d, still keeping the two little hands on her own throat and chest. "Now do you understand?" she inquired. The father understood; but he seemed more astonished than when he had not understood. "And they are taught to speak in the same way?" he asked, after a moment of reflection, gazing at the teacher.
于是先生张开嘴，做发母音 A 字的状态，示给那孩子看，用手势叫孩子也做同样的口形。然后再用手势叫她发音。那孩子发出的音来不是 A，却变了 O。“不是。”先生说，拿起孩子的两手，叫她把一手按在先生的喉部，一手按在脑际，反复地再发 A 字的音。孩子从手上了解了先生的喉与胸的运动，重新如前开口，造完全发出了 A 字的音。先生又继续地叫孩子用手按住自己的喉与胸，教授 C 字与 D 字的发音。再向园丁说：“怎样？你明白了吧？”园丁虽已明白许多，似乎比本明白时更加惊异了：“那么，是这样一一把话说教给他们的吗？”说了暂停，又注视着先生。
"You have the patience to teach them to speak in that manner, little by little, and so many of them? one by one through years and years? But you are saints; that's what you are! You are angels of paradise! There is not in the world a reward that is worthy of you! What is there that I can say? Ah! leave me alone with my daughter a little while now. Let me have her to myself for five minutes." And drawing her to a seat apart he began to interrogate her, and she to reply, and he laughed with beaming eyes, slapping his fists down on his knees; and he took his daughter's hands, and stared at her, beside himself with delight at hearing her, as though her voice had been one which came from heaven; then he asked the teacher, "Would the Signor Director permit me to thank him?"
“是这许多孩子都一一费了任久的年月逐渐这样教吗？呀！你们真是圣人，真是天使！在这世界上，恐怕没有可以报答你们的东西吧？啊！我应该怎样说才好啊！请让我把女儿暂留在这里！五分钟也好，把她暂时借给我！”于是园丁把女儿领到一旁，问她种种事情。女儿一一回答。父亲用拳击膝，眯着眼笑。又携了女儿的手熟视打量，听着女儿的话声入魔了，好像这声音是从天上落下来的。过了一会儿，向着先生说：“可以让我见见校长，当面道谢吗？”
"The director is not here," replied the mistress; "but there is another person whom you should thank. Every little girl here is given into the charge of an older companion, who acts the part of sister or mother to her. Your little girl has been intrusted to the care of a deaf-mute of seventeen, the daughter of a baker, who is kind and very fond of her; she has been assisting her for two years to dress herself every morning; she combs her hair, she teaches her to sew, she mends her clothes, she is good company for her. "
“校长不在这里。你应该道谢的人却还有一个。这学校中，凡年幼的孩子，都由年长的学生当做母亲或是姊姊照顾着。照顾你女儿的是一个年纪十七岁的面包商人的女儿。她对于你女儿那才真是亲爱呢。这两年来，每天早晨代为着衣梳发，教她针线，真是好伴侣！”
