评论
打印
"Ah," she cried out, "how beautiful! Carlyle's French Revolution. I have so wanted to read that!"
“啊，”她喊道，“多美的书呀！卡莱尔的《法国大革命》。我一直非常想读这本书！”
"I haven't," said Ermengarde. "And papa will be so cross if I don't.
“我可不想，”埃芒加德说，“但如果我不读，爸爸会大大地生气的。
He'll expect me to know all about it when I go home for the holidays. What shall I do?"
他指望我在家度假时全都学懂。我该怎么办？”
Sara stopped turning over the leaves and looked at her with an excited flush on her cheeks.
萨拉停止翻书，望着她，双颊兴奋得发红。
"Look here," she cried, "if you'll lend me these books,
“听着，”她喊道，“如果你把这些书借给我，
I'll read them—and tell you everything that's in them afterward—and I'll tell it so that you will remember it, too."
我就来读它们——以后给你讲这书里的一切——我会讲得让你也能记住。”
"Oh, goodness!" exclaimed Ermengarde. "Do you think you can?"
“天啊！”埃芒加德叫道，“你认为你能做到吗？”
"I know I can," Sara answered. "The little ones always remember what I tell them."
“我知道我能，”萨拉回答。“那些小家伙总能记住我给她们讲的东西。”
"Sara," said Ermengarde, hope gleaming in her round face, "if you'll do that, and make me remember, I'll—I'll give you anything."
“萨拉，”埃芒加德说，圆脸上闪着希望之光，“如果你那样做了，能让我记住，我——我就什么都愿给你。”
"I don't want you to give me anything," said Sara. "I want your books—I want them!"
“我不要你给我任何东西，”萨拉说。“我只要你的书——我要它们！”
And her eyes grew big, and her chest heaved.
她眼睛变大，胸脯起伏着。
"Take them, then," said Ermengarde.
“那你就拿去吧，”埃芒加德说。
"I wish I wanted them—but I don't. I'm not clever, and my father is, and he thinks I ought to be."
“但愿我也要它们——但我不要。我并不聪明，而我父亲聪明，他认为我也应该聪明。”
Sara was opening one book after the other.
萨拉一本本翻阅着。
"What are you going to tell your father?" she asked, a slight doubt dawning in her mind.
“你准备怎样告诉你父亲呢？”她问，心中萌发了一点儿疑虑。
"Oh, he needn't know," answered Ermengarde. "He'll think I've read them."
“哦，不必让他知道，”埃芒加德回答。“他会以为我读过了那些书。”
Sara put down her book and shook her head slowly. "That's almost like telling lies," she said.
萨拉放下手中的书，慢慢地摇摇头。“这简直是说慌啊，”她说，
"And lies—well, you see, they are not only wicked—they're vulgar. Sometimes"—reflectively—
“而说谎——是啊，你明白，那不仅可恶——而且下流。有时候，”——若有所思地——
"I've thought perhaps I might do something wicked—I might suddenly fly into a rage and kill Miss Minchin, you know,
“我曾想或许我可以做些可恶的事——我可以突然爆发怒火而杀死铭钦女士，你知道，
when she was ill-treating me—but I couldn't be vulgar. Why can't you tell your father I read them?"
在她虐待我的时候——但我不能变得下流。为什么你不能告诉你父亲是我读那些书的？”
"He wants me to read them," said Ermengarde, a little discouraged by this unexpected turn of affairs.
“他要我去读那些书啊，”埃芒加德说，事情这样转折，出乎她的意料，使她有点儿泄气。
