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"You live next door?" he demanded.
“你就住在隔壁？”他问。
"Yes; I live at Miss Minchin's seminary."
“是的，我住在铭钦女士的培育院里。”
"But you are not one of her pupils?"
“可你不是她的一个学生？”
A strange little smile hovered about Sara's mouth. She hesitated a moment.
萨拉嘴角上流露出一抹奇特的浅笑。她犹豫了片刻。
"I don't think I know exactly what I am," she replied.
“我也不知道我到底算是什么人，”她回答。
"Why not?"
“为什么不知道？”
"At first I was a pupil, and a parlor boarder; but now—"
“起初我是学生，而且是享受特殊优待的寄宿生但是现在——”
"You were a pupil! What are you now?"
“你原来是学生！那么现在是什么？”
The queer little sad smile was on Sara's lips again.
那古怪而伤感的浅笑又浮现在萨拉唇边了。
"I sleep in the attic, next to the scullery maid," she said. "I run errands for the cook—I do anything she tells me; and I teach the little ones their lessons."
“我睡在阁楼里，隔壁是那厨房婶女，”她说。“我给厨子跑腿——她叫我做什么我就做什么，我还给年龄较小的孩子上课。”
"Question her, Carmichael," said Mr. Carrisford, sinking back as if he had lost his strength. "Question her; I cannot."
“问问她，卡迈克尔，”卡里斯福特先生说，向后靠着，似乎已筋疲力尽了。“问问她，我不行了。”
The big, kind father of the Large Family knew how to question little girls.
“大家庭”的那位魁伟慈祥的父亲是知道如何向小姑娘们提问的。
Sara realized how much practice he had had when he spoke to her in his nice, encouraging voice.
萨拉意识到他对她说话是那么老练，嗓音悦耳、鼓舞人心。
"What do you mean by 'At first,' my child?" he inquired.
“你说的‘起初’是什么意思，我的孩子？”他询问道。
"When I was first taken there by my papa."
“那是我爸爸当初带我来这儿的时候。”
"Where is your papa?"
“你爸爸在哪儿呢？”
"He died," said Sara, very quietly.
“他死了，”萨拉很沉静地说。
"He lost all his money and there was none left for me. There was no one to take care of me or to pay Miss Minchin."
“他失去了所有的钱，一点也没给我留下。没有人来照料我，或者付钱给铭钦女士。”
"Carmichael!" the Indian gentleman cried out loudly. "Carmichael!"
“卡迈克尔！”印度绅士高声喊道，“卡迈克尔！”
"We must not frighten her," Mr. Carmichael said aside to him in a quick, low voice.
“我们不要吓着她，”卡迈克尔先生赶快私下低声对他说，
And he added aloud to Sara, "So you were sent up into the attic, and made into a little drudge. That was about it, wasn't it?"
又高声对萨拉说，“所以就把你打发到阁楼里，成为一个小苦工。大致是这么回事儿，是吗？”
"There was no one to take care of me," said Sara. "There was no money; I belong to nobody."
“没人来照料我，”萨拉说。“没有钱，我无依无靠。”
"How did your father lose his money?" the Indian gentleman broke in breathlessly.
“你父亲是怎样失去他的钱的？”印度绅士上气不接下气地插话道。
"He did not lose it himself," Sara answered, wondering still more each moment.
“不是他自己丢掉的，”萨拉回答，越来越觉得奇怪了。
