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When she reached the top of the stairs, she was surprised to see a glimmer of light coming from under the attic door.
当她上楼走到楼梯口时，惊奇地发现阁楼门底下露出一片微光。
"Nobody goes there but myself," she thought quickly, "but someone has lighted a candle."
“除了我自己是没人到这儿来的，”她立刻想到，“但是有人点燃了蜡烛。”
Someone had, indeed, lighted a candle, and it was not burning in the kitchen candlestick she was expected to use,
的确有人点燃了一支蜡烛，它不是插在她被允许使用的厨房里的烛台上，
but in one of those belonging to the pupils' bedrooms. The someone was sitting upon the battered footstool,
而是插在学生卧室里的一个烛台上。那人正坐在那只破旧的脚凳上，
and was dressed in her nightgown and wrapped up in a red shawl. It was Ermengarde.
穿着睡袍，裹着红披肩。那是埃芒加德。
"Ermengarde!" cried Sara. She was so startled that she was almost frightened.
“埃芒加德！”萨拉喊道。对方被突然一惊差点儿吓坏了。
"You will get into trouble."
“你要自找麻烦了。”
Ermengarde stumbled up from her footstool. She shuffled across the attic in her bedroom slippers, which were too large for her.
埃芒加德趔趄着从脚凳上站起来。她趿着拖鞋向这边迎上来，这双拖鞋她穿实在太大了。
Her eyes and nose were pink with crying.
她的眼睛和鼻子都哭红了。
"I know I shall—if I'm found out." she said.
“我知道我会倒霉的——如果被发现的话，”她说。
"But I don't care—I don't care a bit. Oh, Sara, please tell me. What is the matter? Why don't you like me any more?"
“但是我不在乎——一点儿也不在乎。哦，萨拉，请告诉我究竟是怎么一回事？为什么你不再喜欢我了？”
Something in her voice made the familiar lump rise in Sara's throat.
她话音里有点儿什么使萨拉喉咙里那块东西又升上来梗在那里。
It was so affectionate and simple—so like the old Ermengarde who had asked her to be "best friends."
她的话是多么亲热和纯朴——多么像原来那个曾要求萨拉做“最要好的朋友”的埃芒加德。
It sounded as if she had not meant what she had seemed to mean during these past weeks.
它听上去似乎说明过去那几星期中，她看上去表示的意思并不是她存心要表示的。
"I do like you," Sara answered. "I thought—you see, everything is different now. I thought you—were different."
“我是喜欢你的，”萨拉回答。“我原以为——你明白，现在样样事情都与以前不同了。我以为你——也不同了。”
Ermengarde opened her wet eyes wide.
埃芒加德睁大了她那双泪眼。
"Why, it was you who were different!" she cried.
“什么，是你不同了！”她喊道。
"You didn't want to talk to me. I didn't know what to do. It was you who were different after I came back."
“你不想和我说话。我不知道该怎么办。是你在我回来以后变得不一样了。”
Sara thought a moment. She saw she had made a mistake.
萨拉想了片刻。她明白自己做错了事。
"I am different," she explained, "though not in the way you think. Miss Minchin does not want me to talk to the girls.
“我是不一样了，”她解释说，“虽然不是你想的那种不一样。铭钦女士不想让我和姑娘们谈话。
Most of them don't want to talk to me. I thought—perhaps—you didn't. So I tried to keep out of your way."
她们大多数也不想和我谈话。我想——也许——你也不想。所以我存心躲着你。”
