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"He wants you to know what is in them," said Sara.
“他要你知道书中的内容，”，萨拉说。
"And if I can tell it to you in an easy way and make you remember it, I should think he would like that."
“如果我能把它简单地讲给你听，让你记住，我想他会乐意我们那样做的。”
"He'll like it if I learn anything in any way," said rueful Ermengarde. "You would if you were my father."
“无论我用什么办法学会什么东西，他都会觉得高兴的，”沮丧的埃芒加德说。“你要是我父亲，也一定会乐意的。”
"It's not your fault that—" began Sara. She pulled herself up and stopped rather suddenly.
“那不是你的过错——”萨拉开口说。她挺起身子，突然打住话头。
She had been going to say, "It's not your fault that you are stupid."
她本想说，“那并不是你的过错，如果你生来愚笨。”
"That what?" Ermengarde asked.
“什么不是我的过错？”埃芒加德问。
"That you can't learn things quickly," amended Sara. "If you can't, you can't. If I can—why, I can; that's all."
“就是说你不能够很快地学习，”，萨拉改口说。“如果你不能够，你就是不能够。如果我能够——哟，我就是能够，就是这么回事。”
She always felt very tender of Ermengarde,
她对埃芒加德总是怀着满腔柔情，
and tried not to let her feel too strongly the difference between being able to learn anything at once, and not being able to learn anything at all.
这时努力不让她太强烈地感觉到能对任何事一学就会和根本学不会这两者之间的差别。
As she looked at her plump face, one of her wise, old-fashioned thoughts came to her.
她望着那胖乎乎的脸蛋，想出了一个聪明、老练的主意。
"Perhaps," she said, "to be able to learn things quickly isn't everything. To be kind is worth a great deal to other people.
“或许，”她说，“能很快就学会并不等于一切。对别人来说，待人和善才大有价值，
If Miss Minchin knew everything on earth and was like what she is now, she'd still be a detestable thing, and everybody would hate her.
如果铭钦女士了解世上的一切，而却像她现在这副样子，那就仍然是个可憎的家伙，而人人都会恨她。
Lots of clever people have done harm and have been wicked. Look at Robespierre—"
很多聪明人做了害人的事而变得可恶。瞧那个罗伯斯比尔——”
She stopped and examined Ermengarde's countenance, which was beginning to look bewildered.
她停下来观察埃芒加德的表情，这表情开始显得迷惑不解。
"Don't you remember?" she demanded. "I told you about him not long ago. I believe you've forgotten."
“难道你不记得了？”她问道。“不久前我给你讲过他的事。我相信你已经忘记了。”
"Well, I don't remember all of it," admitted Ermengarde.
“是啊，我没有全都记住，”埃芒加德承认。
"Well, you wait a minute," said Sara, "and I'll take off my wet things and wrap myself in the coverlet and tell you over again."
“那么你稍等一会儿，”萨拉说，“我要把湿衣服脱下来，在身上裹上被单，然后再给你讲一遍。”
She took off her hat and coat and hung them on a nail against the wall, and she changed her wet shoes for an old pair of slippers.
她脱下帽子和外衣，挂在墙钉上，换下湿鞋，穿上一双旧拖鞋，
Then she jumped on the bed, and drawing the coverlet about her shoulders, sat with her arms round her knees.
然后跳上床，把被单扯到肩上，双臂抱住双膝。
"Now, listen," she said.
“现在听好，”她说。
