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Just at that moment Ermengarde almost jumped off the bed, she was so startled by a sound she heard.
就在这一刻，埃芒加德差一点跳下床来。她被听到的一种声音吓了一大跳，
It was like two distinct knocks on the wall.
就像是两下清晰的敲墙壁的声音。
"What is that?" she exclaimed.
“那是什么？”她喊道。
Sara got up from the floor and answered quite dramatically:"It is the prisoner in the next cell."
萨拉从地板上站起来，完全像演戏似地回答：“那是隔壁牢房的囚犯。”
"Becky!" cried Ermengarde, enraptured.
“贝基，”埃芒加德狂喜地叫道。
"Yes," said Sara. "Listen; the two knocks meant, 'Prisoner, are you there?'"
“对，”萨拉说。“听，敲两下的意思是‘囚犯，你在吗？’”
She knocked three times on the wall herself, as if in answer.
萨拉在墙上敲了三下，似乎在回答。
"That means, 'Yes, I am here, and all is well.'"
“这意思是‘是的，我在这儿，一切平安。’”
Four knocks came from Becky's side of the wall.
贝基那边传来了四下敲墙声。
"That means," explained Sara, "'Then, fellow-sufferer, we will sleep in peace. Good night.'"
“这意思是，”萨拉喊道，“‘那么，难友，我们安静地睡吧。晚安。’”
Ermengarde quite beamed with delight.
埃芒加德笑逐颜开了。
"Oh, Sara!" she whispered joyfully. "It is like a story!"
“哦，萨拉！”她高兴地悄声说，“真像故事中的情景！”
"It is a story," said Sara. "Everything's a story. You are a story—I am a story. Miss Minchin is a story."
“这正是故事啊，”萨拉说，“一切都是故事。你是个故事——我是个故事。铭钦女士也是个故事。”
And she sat down again and talked until Ermengarde forgot that she was a sort of escaped prisoner herself,
萨拉又坐下来讲话，直讲到埃芒加德忘记了自己多少是个逃亡的囚犯，
and had to be reminded by Sara that she could not remain in the Bastille all night,
还得要萨拉提醒她不能留在巴士底监狱里过夜，
but must steal noiselessly downstairs again and creep back into her deserted bed.
而必须无声无息地偷偷回到楼下，爬到她撇下的那张空床上去。
