Not very long after this a very exciting thing happened. Not only Sara, but the entire school, found it exciting, and made it the chief subject of conversation for weeks after it occurred. In one of his letters Captain Crewe told a most interesting story. A friend who had been at school with him when he was a boy had unexpectedly come to see him in India. He was the owner of a large tract of land upon which diamonds had been found, and he was engaged in developing the mines. If all went as was confidently expected, he would become possessed of such wealth as it made one dizzy to think of; and because he was fond of the friend of his school days, he had given him an opportunity to share in this enormous fortune by becoming a partner in his scheme. This, at least, was what Sara gathered from his letters. It is true that any other business scheme, however magnificent, would have had but small attraction for her or for the schoolroom; but "diamond mines" sounded so like the Arabian Nights that no one could be indifferent. Sara thought them enchanting, and painted pictures, for Ermengarde and Lottie, of labyrinthine passages in the bowels of the earth, where sparkling stones studded the walls and roofs and ceilings, and strange, dark men dug them out with heavy picks. Ermengarde delighted in the story, and Lottie insisted on its being retold to her every evening. Lavinia was very spiteful about it, and told Jessie that she didn't believe such things as diamond mines existed.
此后不久，发生了一件令人非常兴奋的事。不仅仅是萨拉，整个学校都这样认为，使它成为事发后好几星期中的谈论的主要话题。克鲁上尉在有一封信中谈起了一件十分有趣的事。在印度，有个他小时候的同学曾出乎意料地去看他。这个朋友拥有一大片土地，在那里发现了钻石，他正致力于钻石矿的开发工作。如果一切进行得像预料的那样有把握，他就要变成偌大财富的拥有者，数量之多想想也令人头晕目眩。因为他喜欢学生时代的好友，所以给了他一个好机会，让他做事业上的合伙人，将来共享这笔巨额财富。这至少是萨拉从父亲的信中所得悉的情况。说真的，任何其他企业上的计划，不论有多么宏伟，对她或对那班同学来说，都没有多大的吸引力，但“钻石”听起来就“天方夜”，没有人能无动于中。萨拉把它想得很迷人，给埃芒加德和洛蒂绘声绘色地描述地球脏腑中的迷宫通道的景象，那里有闪烁的宝石散布在墙壁、屋顶和天花板上，奇异的肤色黝黑的人们正用沉重的鹤嘴锄把宝石挖掘出来埃芒加德听得欢天喜地，洛蒂坚持要求每天傍晚给她重讲一遍。拉维尼娅对此甚感厌恶．对杰西说她不相信有钻石矿这码事。
"Well, people have to get them from somewhere," said Jessie. "Lavinia," with a new giggle, "what do you think Gertrude says?"
“可是，人们总得从某个地方搞到它啊”杰西说“拉维尼娅，你认为格特鲁德说的怎么样”又吃吃地笑起来
"I believe you hate her," said Jessie.
“我相信你恨她”杰西说。
Naturally, Jessie giggled again.
自然，杰西又吃吃地傻笑开了。
"No, I don't," snapped Lavinia. "But I don't believe in mines full of diamonds."
“不，我不恨她”拉维尼娅厉声说“但是我不相信有满是钻石的”
"She's ridiculous without being rich," Lavinia sniffed.
“她就是不富也很可笑”拉维尼娅嗤之以鼻。
"She IS too fat," said Lavinia. "And Sara is too thin."
“她的确太胖”拉维尼娅说“而萨拉太瘦”
"I don't know, I'm sure; and I don't care if it's something more about that everlasting Sara."
“我不知道，真的不知道，可是如果又是关系到那位人们经常提到的萨拉的什么新名堂，我也不在”
"She says it has nothing to do with what you look like, or what you have. It has only to do with what you THINK of, and what you DO."
“她说这跟你看上去像什么，或者你有什么毫不相干。这只跟你想的是什么和做的是什么相干”
"Perhaps Sara will be so rich that she will be ridiculous," giggled Jessie.
“也许萨拉会那样富，那她就是荒唐可笑的啰”杰西吃吃痴笑着说
"Well, it is. One of her `pretends' is that she is a princess. She plays it all the time -- even in school. She says it makes her learn her lessons better. She wants Ermengarde to be one, too, but Ermengarde says she is too fat."
“不错，正是这样，她的假装把戏之一就是自认为是位公主。她无时无刻不在装模作样——甚至在学校里也是如此。她说那样能使她更好地学习功课。她要让埃芒加德也做公主，可是埃芒加德说自已太胖”
"My mamma has a diamond ring which cost forty pounds," she said. "And it is not a big one, either. If there were mines full of diamonds, people would be so rich it would be ridiculous."
“我妈妈有一只钻石戒指，价值四十镑”拉维尼娅“那还不好算是大的呢。如果有满是钻石的矿，人们该有多么富，那才荒唐可笑呢”
"I suppose she thinks she could be a princess if she was a beggar," said Lavinia. "Let us begin to call her Your Royal Highness."
“我看她认为即使她是乞丐也能够成为公主”拉准尼娅说“让我们开始称呼她尊贵的殿下吧”
Lessons for the day were over, and they were sitting before the schoolroom fire, enjoying the time they liked best. It was the time when Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia were taking their tea in the sitting room sacred to themselves. At this hour a great deal of talking was done, and a great many secrets changed hands, particularly if the younger pupils behaved themselves well, and did not squabble or run about noisily, which it must be confessed they usually did. When they made an uproar the older girls usually interfered with scolding and shakes. They were expected to keep order, and there was danger that if they did not, Miss Minchin or Miss Amelia would appear and put an end to festivities. Even as Lavinia spoke the door opened and Sara entered with Lottie, whose habit was to trot everywhere after her like a little dog.
白天的课程已经结束，她们正坐在教室的炉火前享受着她们最喜爱的时刻。这是铭钦女士和阿米莉亚小姐在她们那神圣不可侵犯的起居室内用茶的时刻。在这一小时中，学生们进行广泛的交谈，交换大量的秘闻，如果较年幼的学生们表现良好，不吵闹，不喧嚣地乱跑，那就更好了，诚然她们通常是要这么干的。当她们发出吼声时，年龄大些的女孩常常加以斥责，或挥拳相对加以制止。她们希望这些小孩子遵守秩序，因为如果不这样，就会有铭钦女士或阿米莉亚小姐出现来结束这欢乐时刻的危险。正当拉维尼娅说话时，门开了，萨拉带着洛蒂走进来，洛蒂习惯于像小狗一样跟在萨拉后面四处小跑着。
"There she is, with that horrid child!" exclaimed Lavinia in a whisper. "If she's so fond of her, why doesn't she keep her in her own room? She will begin howling about something in five minutes."
“她来了，带着那个讨人厌的孩子”拉维尼娅凑着热西的耳朵大声说“如果她那么喜欢洛蒂，为什么不把她留在自己的房间里？过不了五分钟，洛蒂就要为了点什么而开始嚎叫了”
It happened that Lottie had been seized with a sudden desire to play in the schoolroom, and had begged her adopted parent to come with her. She joined a group of little ones who were playing in a corner. Sara curled herself up in the window-seat, opened a book, and began to read. It was a book about the French Revolution, and she was soon lost in a harrowing picture of the prisoners in the Bastille -- men who had spent so many years in dungeons that when they were dragged out by those who rescued them, their long, gray hair and beards almost hid their faces, and they had forgotten that an outside world existed at all, and were like beings in a dream.
原来洛蒂忽发奇想地想到教室里来玩，便恳求她的养母跟她一同来。她参加到在教室一角玩耍的一群小家伙当中去。萨拉在窗座上坐下来，蜷起了身子，打开一本书开始阅读。那是本关于法国大革命的书，她很快就被一段描述巴士底狱里的囚犯的悲惨情况吸引住了― 人们在地牢里关押了那么多年，当他们被营救者拖出来时，长长的灰白头发和胡须几乎遮住了脸，竟然已忘记还有个外部世界存在，他们像是梦中的幽灵。
She was so far away from the schoolroom that it was not agreeable to be dragged back suddenly by a howl from Lottie. Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herself from losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage.
她的心已离开教室很远了，此时突然被洛蒂的嚎哭声拖回现实中来，可不是什么惬意的事。没有什么事能比当她全神贯注于看书时突然被打扰而还要压住性子不发脾气更困难的了。酷爱读书的人能理解在这种时刻的势不可当的激怒心情。那种想要蛮不讲理地骂人的念头是难以克制的。
She had to remember things quickly when she laid her book on the window-seat and jumped down from her comfortable corner.
当她把所看的书放在窗座上、跳离那个舒适角落时，她必须马上想起一些别的事。
"It makes me feel as if someone had hit me," Sara had told Ermengarde once in confidence. "And as if I want to hit back. I have to remember things quickly to keep from saying something ill-tempered."
“那使我感到好像有人打了我一样”萨拉有一次曾向埃芒加德私下吐露“而我好像要反击。我不得不马上想起一些别的事以免说出些发脾气的话来”
"Stop this minute, you cry-baby! Stop this minute!" Lavinia commanded.
“立刻停止，你这爱哭的娃娃！立刻停止”拉维尼娅呵斥道。
Lottie had been sliding across the schoolroom floor, and, having first irritated Lavinia and Jessie by making a noise, had ended by falling down and hurting her fat knee. She was screaming and dancing up and down in the midst of a group of friends and enemies, who were alternately coaxing and scolding her.
洛蒂先是叫嚷了一声，惹恼了拉维尼娅和杰西，然后在教室的地板上滑过去，结果跌倒在地，弄伤了胖胖的膝盖。于是她在一群朋友和敌人中间大喊大叫、跳上跳下，而朋友的哄劝与敌人的责骂交替进行着。
"If she doesn't stop, Miss Minchin will hear her," cried Jessie. "Lottie darling, I'll give you a penny!"
“如果她再不停止，铭钦女士就要听到了”杰西喊道“洛蒂宝贝儿，我要给你一个便士”
"I'm not a cry-baby… I'm not!" wailed Lottle. "Sara, Sa -- ra!"
“我不是爱哭的娃娃——我不是嘛”洛蒂嚎哭着“萨拉，萨一拉”
Sara flew across the room and, kneeling down, put her arms round her.
萨拉飞也似地穿过教室，跪下来，用双臂搂住她。
"I don't want your penny," sobbed Lottie; and she looked down at the fat knee, and, seeing a drop of blood on it, burst forth again.
“我不要你的钱”洛蒂呜咽道，低头看自己的胖膝盖，看见上面有一滴血，就再次放声大哭。
"Come and sit in the window-seat with me," Sara went on, "and I'll whisper a story to you."
“来吧，跟我坐在窗座上”萨拉继续说“我来悄悄地讲故事给你听”
"But if you cry, you will be one, Lottie pet. You PROMISED."
“但是，如果你还哭，那你就会是爱哭的娃娃了，洛蒂宝贝儿。你答应过的”
Sara got up quickly on her feet. It must be remembered that she had been very deeply absorbed in the book about the Bastille, and she had had to recall several things rapidly when she realized that she must go and take care of her adopted child. She was not an angel, and she was not fond of Lavinia.
萨拉一下子站起身来。读者该记得刚才她曾全神贯注于读关于巴士底监狱的那本书，并且当她意识到必须去照顾“养”时，不得不迅速想起些别的事来。她不是什么天使，她不喜欢拉维尼娅。
"She said I was a cry-baby," wept Lottie.
“她说我是爱哭的娃娃”洛蒂哭着说。
"Now, Lottie," she said. "Now, Lottie, you PROMISED Sara."
“好了，洛蒂”萨拉说“好了，洛蒂，你答应过萨拉的”
Lottle remembered that she had promised, but she preferred to lift up her voice.
洛蒂想起她曾答应过，可是仍然提高她的嗓门儿。
"I haven't any mamma," she proclaimed. "I haven't -- a bit -- of mamma."
“我没有什么妈妈”她宣告“我没有——根本——没有妈妈”
Lottie cuddled up to her with a consoled sniff.
洛蒂蜷起身子偎在萨拉身上，发出宽慰的鼻息声。
"Will you?" whimpered Lottie. "Will you -- tell me -- about the diamond mines?"
“真的讲吗”洛蒂抽噎着说“你肯——给我讲——那个钻石矿的故事吗”
Sara patted her, but spoke in the steady voice Lottie knew.
萨拉轻轻拍着她，并用洛蒂领略过的那种坚定的语调说起话来。
"The diamond mines?" broke out Lavinia. "Nasty, little spoiled thing, I should like to SLAP her!"
“钻石矿”拉维尼娅突然插话“讨厌的宠坏了的小东西。我真想给她一巴掌”
"Yes, you have," said Sara, cheerfully. "Have you forgotten? Don't you know that Sara is your mamma? Don't you want Sara for your mamma?"
“不，你有妈妈”萨拉欣喜地说“你忘记了吗？你不知道萨拉就是你妈妈？你不是要萨拉做你的妈妈吗”
"Ah, yes, your royal highness," she said. "We are princesses, I believe. At least one of us is. The school ought to be very fashionable now Miss Minchin has a princess for a pupil."
“哎呀，是啊，尊贵的殿下”她说“我们是公主，我相信。至少我们中有一个是公主。这家学校应当说是很时髦的了，既然铭钦女士有一位公主做学生”
Sara started toward her. She looked as if she were going to box her ears. Perhaps she was. Her trick of pretending things was the joy of her life. She never spoke of it to girls she was not fond of. Her new "pretend" about being a princess was very near to her heart, and she was shy and sensitive about it. She had meant it to be rather a secret, and here was Lavinia deriding it before nearly all the school. She felt the blood rush up into her face and tingle in her ears. She only just saved herself. If you were a princess, you did not fly into rages. Her hand dropped, and she stood quite still a moment. When she spoke it was in a quiet, steady voice; she held her head up, and everybody listened to her.
萨拉朝对方冲出身去，看上去好像就要扇对方一个耳光似的。也许她真的想打。她玩“假”的把戏是她生活中的乐趣。她从未对她所不喜欢的女孩子讲过。拿自己当公主这一新“假”的把戏是她认为最值得珍重的，她对此既羞怯又敏感。她存心把它当做一个秘密，而这回拉维尼娅却当着几乎全校人的面在嘲笑她。她感到热血涌上双颊，两耳轰鸣，几乎忍无可忍。她想，如果你是位公主，就不能勃然大怒。于是她的手垂了下来，一动不动地站了片刻。等她开口讲话时，用的是镇静坚定的声音；她扬起了头，每个人都在聆听着。
Here was Lavinia's opportunity.
拉维尼娅的机会来了。
"Well," she said, with some fire, "I should like to slap YOU -- but I don't want to slap you!" restraining herself. "At least I both want to slap you -- and I should LIKE to slap you -- but I WON'T slap you. We are not little gutter children. We are both old enough to know better."
“怎么”萨拉说，有点儿冒火“我该给你一巴掌——但我不想打你”她克制着自己“至少我既想打你― 又本该打你― 可是我不愿打你。我们不是街头流浪儿。我们俩都大了，应该懂事些”
"It's true," she said. "Sometimes I do pretend I am a princess. I pretend I am a princess, so that I can try and behave like one."
“说得对”她说“有时候我确实假装我就是一位公主。我假装是公主，那样才能努力表现得像一位公主”
Lavinia could not think of exactly the right thing to say. Several times she had found that she could not think of a satisfactory reply when she was dealing with Sara. The reason for this was that, somehow, the rest always seemed to be vaguely in sympathy with her opponent. She saw now that they were pricking up their ears interestedly. The truth was, they liked princesses, and they all hoped they might hear something more definite about this one, and drew nearer Sara accordingly.
拉维尼娅想不出该说什么确切的话。有那么几次，她发现在对付萨拉时，自己想不出圆满的答辩。其中的原因在于其余的人不知怎的总像是在不明不暗地同情她的对手。现在她看到她们都饶有兴趣地竖起了耳朵在听。实际情况是她们都喜爱公主，希望能听到有关这位公主的一些更明确的情况，因此她们更靠拢萨拉了。
Lavinia could only invent one remark, and it fell rather flat.
拉维尼娅只想得出一句话，但它显得平淡无力。
"Dear me," she said, "I hope, when you ascend the throne, you won't forget us!"
“哎呀”她说“我希望当你登基的时候，可不要忘记我们”
After this, the girls who were jealous of her used to speak of her as "Princess Sara" whenever they wished to be particularly disdainful, and those who were fond of her gave her the name among themselves as a term of affection. No one called her "princess" instead of "Sara," but her adorers were much pleased with the picturesqueness and grandeur of the title, and Miss Minchin, hearing of it, mentioned it more than once to visiting parents, feeling that it rather suggested a sort of royal boarding school.
从此那些嫉妒萨拉的女孩子想要特别轻蔑她时常把她叫“萨拉公”，而在那些喜爱她的女孩子之间，则把这称号作为爱称。并没有人叫她“公”以代“萨”这名字，但是崇拜者们很喜欢这个别致的崇高称号，而铭钦女士听到了这称号，不止一次地对来访的学生父母提起，觉得它颇能给人一种皇家寄宿学校的印象。
"I won't," said Sara, and she did not utter another word, but stood quite still, and stared at her steadily as she saw her take Jessie's arm and turn away.
“我不会”萨拉说，一动不动地站在那里，没有再吐一个字，只镇定地盯着拉维尼娅，看她拉住杰西的胳膊，转身走开。
"Lots of 'em, miss," Becky answered in quite a matter-of-fact manner. "There mostly is rats an' mice in attics. You gets used to the noise they makes scuttling about. I've got so I don't mind 'em s' long as they don't run over my piller."
“多得很哪，小姐”贝基老老实实地回答“阁楼里通常都有大老鼠和小耗子。你对它们四处乱窜时发出的响声慢慢就习惯了。我习惯了，不在乎它们，只要不在我枕头上跑就行”
To Becky it seemed the most appropriate thing in the world. The acquaintance begun on the foggy afternoon when she had jumped up terrified from her sleep in the comfortable chair, had ripened and grown, though it must be confessed that Miss Minchin and Miss Amelia knew very little about it. They were aware that Sara was "kind" to the scullery maid, but they knew nothing of certain delightful moments snatched perilously when, the upstairs rooms being set in order with lightning rapidity, Sara's sitting room was reached, and the heavy coal box set down with a sigh of joy. At such times stories were told by installments, things of a satisfying nature were either produced and eaten or hastily tucked into pockets to be disposed of at night, when Becky went upstairs to her attic to bed.
对贝基来说，这似乎是世界上最合适不过的事情。和萨拉相识是从那个多雾的下午开始的，那时她在那把舒适的椅子上从睡梦中惊跳起来，到现在友谊已发展成熟，可是必须说明铭钦女士和阿米莉亚小姐对此几乎一无所知。她们只晓得萨拉对这厨房丫头“亲”，但是不知道贝基冒着风险争取到一点欢乐时刻。那时楼上的各个房间已经用闪电般的速度整理就绪，她来到萨拉的起坐间，放下沉重的煤箱，高兴地舒一口气。这样的时刻被用来分期逐段地讲述故事，一些能果腹的东西或是拿出来吃掉，或是匆忙塞进贝基的衣袋，让她上楼睡觉时带到她的阁楼里在夜间消受。
"But I has to eat 'em careful, miss," she said once; "'cos if I leaves crumbs the rats come out to get 'em."
“但是我必须吃得很当心，小姐”有一次贝基说“因为如果我掉了碎屑，老鼠就要出来吃”
"Rats!" exclaimed Sara, in horror. "Are there RATS there?"
“老鼠”萨拉惊呼道“你那儿有老鼠”
"Ugh!" said Sara.
“哎呀”萨拉说。
"You gets used to anythin' after a bit," said Becky. "You have to, miss, if you're born a scullery maid. I'd rather have rats than cockroaches."
“任何事情过了一会儿你就能习惯起来”贝基说“小姐，如果你生来就是个厨房丫头，你就不得不这样。我宁愿有老鼠也不愿有蟑螂”
"So would I," said Sara; "I suppose you might make friends with a rat in time, but I don't believe I should like to make friends with a cockroach."
“我也是”萨拉说“我认为早晚总有一天你可以和老鼠做朋友的，但是我相信我不会喜欢和蟑螂交朋友”
Sometimes Becky did not dare to spend more than a few minutes in the bright, warm room, and when this was the case perhaps only a few words could be exchanged, and a small purchase slipped into the old-fashioned pocket Becky carried under her dress skirt, tied round her waist with a band of tape. The search for and discovery of satisfying things to eat which could be packed into small compass, added a new interest to Sara's existence. When she drove or walked out, she used to look into shop windows eagerly. The first time it occurred to her to bring home two or three little meat pies, she felt that she had hit upon a discovery. When she exhibited them, Becky's eyes quite sparkled.
有时贝基不敢在那明亮温暖的房间里多呆几分钟，碰到这种情况，大概只能交换几句话，然后将一件买来的小礼物塞进贝基裙子下面携带的老式口袋，那是用带子系在腰际的。于是寻求能果腹又能装成小包的东西给萨拉的生活中新添了一件要关心的事。当她乘车或步行外出时，常常热心地探视商店橱窗。她第一次想到带回两三只肉馅饼时，觉得这是个大发现。当她拿出来给贝基看时，贝基的眼睛亮了起来。
"Oh, miss!" she murmured. "Them will be nice an' fillin.' It's fillin'ness that's best. Sponge cake's a 'evenly thing, but it melts away like -- if you understand, miss. These'll just STAY in yer stummick."
“哦，小姐”贝基喃喃地说“这些真是填饱肚子的好东西。填饱肚子最要紧。松糕是种美妙的东西，但它融化起来就像——你大概也明白，小姐。这些东西会停留在你的胃里不动”
They were satisfying -- and so were beef sandwiches, bought at a cook-shop -- and so were rolls and Bologna sausage. In time, Becky began to lose her hungry, tired feeling, and the coal box did not seem so unbearably heavy.
它们能够充饥——牛肉三明治也能，那是从小饭馆买来的——还有面包卷和意大利大红肠也一样能充饥。贝基逐渐开始不再感到饥饿与疲劳，煤箱也就不那么难以忍受地沉重了。
However heavy it was, and whatsoever the temper of the cook, and the hardness of the work heaped upon her shoulders, she had always the chance of the afternoon to look forward to -- the chance that Miss Sara would be able to be in her sitting room. In fact, the mere seeing of Miss Sara would have been enough without meat pies. If there was time only for a few words, they were always friendly, merry words that put heart into one; and if there was time for more, then there was an installment of a story to be told, or some other thing one remembered afterward and sometimes lay awake in one's bed in the attic to think over.
无论它多么沉重，厨子的脾气坏成什么样子以及堆在她肩上的活儿多么艰苦，她总是有那下午的好机会做盼头——那就是萨拉小姐会留在自己的起坐间里。实际上即使没有肉馅饼，只要能见到萨拉一面也就满足了。如果时间只够说几句话，那就总会是些亲密愉快、使人兴奋的话；如果有更多的时间，那么就接着上一回讲一段故事，或者做一些以后忘不了的其他事情，有时醒着躺在阁楼的床上还会把它想来想去。
"Well," hesitated Sara, "I don't think it would be good if they stayed always, but I do believe they will be satisfying."
“可是”萨拉犹豫了一下“如果它们总是呆在胃里，我想那也不好，但我确信它们能够充饥”
Sara -- who was only doing what she unconsciously liked better than anything else, Nature having made her for a giver -- had not the least idea what she meant to poor Becky, and how wonderful a benefactor she seemed. If Nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that -- warm things, kind things, sweet things -- help and comfort and laughter -- and sometimes gay, kind laughter is the best help of all.
萨拉——她只不过在做一些不是出于自觉而却最喜欢的事情，原来造物主曾有意把她造就成一位施舍者——一点儿也没有意识到她本人对可怜的贝基意味着什么，也没有意识到她是一位多么不寻常的保护人。如果造物主把你造就成施舍者，那么你的双手生来就为了给予而展开着，心扉也是敞开的；虽然有时你两手空空，可是你的心总是充实的，你能从中取出要施舍的东西——温暖的东西、仁慈的东西、甜蜜的东西― 帮助、安慰和欢笑——而有些时候，快乐、亲切的笑声就是最好的帮助。
Becky had scarcely known what laughter was through all her poor, little hard-driven life. Sara made her laugh, and laughed with her; and, though neither of them quite knew it, the laughter was as "fillin'" as the meat pies.
贝基在她可怜的、备受奴役的小小生命历程中几乎不知道什么是欢笑。是萨拉使她笑，和她一同笑的，虽然她俩谁也不十分明白那笑声能填补空虚就像肉馅饼能充饥一样。
"You see, little Sara," he wrote, "your daddy is not a businessman at all, and figures and documents bother him. He does not really understand them, and all this seems so enormous. Perhaps, if I was not feverish I should not be awake, tossing about, one half of the night and spend the other half in troublesome dreams. If my little missus were here, I dare say she would give me some solemn, good advice. You would, wouldn't you, Little Missus?"
“你知道，小萨拉”他写道“你爹根本不是个生意人，数字和文牍使他厌烦。他并没真正理解它们，而这些事务似乎是太多了。也许如果我不为此而焦急烦躁，我就不会辗转反侧地半夜睡不着觉，下半夜即使睡着了也恶梦不断。如果我的小主妇在这里的话，我敢说她会给我一些郑重的好建议。你会的，是吗，我的小主妇”
One of his many jokes had been to call her his "little missus" because she had such an old-fashioned air.
称萨拉为他“小主”是他开的许多玩笑中的一个，因为她有种少年老成的神气。
A few weeks before Sara's eleventh birthday a letter came to her from her father, which did not seem to be written in such boyish high spirits as usual. He was not very well, and was evidently overweighted by the business connected with the diamond mines.
萨拉在十一岁生日的前几个星期，收到她父亲来的一封信，这封信写得可不像往常那样孩子气十足并兴高采烈。他身体不怎么好，显然是钻石矿的业务使他负担过重的缘故。
He had made wonderful preparations for her birthday. Among other things, a new doll had been ordered in Paris, and her wardrobe was to be, indeed, a marvel of splendid perfection. When she had replied to the letter asking her if the doll would be an acceptable present, Sara had been very quaint.
他为萨拉的生日做了精采的准备。在所准备的东西中包括从巴黎新订购的一个洋娃娃，而洋娃娃的四季服装自然要配备得出奇地十全十美的。他在信中问她那个洋娃娃作为礼物是否中意，萨拉回答得却很离奇。
"I am getting very old," she wrote; "you see, I shall never live to have another doll given me. This will be my last doll. There is something solemn about it. If I could write poetry, I am sure a poem about `A Last Doll' would be very nice. But I cannot write poetry. I have tried, and it made me laugh. It did not sound like Watts or Coleridge or Shakespeare at all. No one could ever take Emily's place, but I should respect the Last Doll very much; and I am sure the school would love it. They all like dolls, though some of the big ones -- the almost fifteen ones -- pretend they are too grown up."
“我已长得很大了”她写道“你知道，我再也不能老是这样让你送给我洋娃娃了。这将是我最后一个洋娃娃。这可是个有点儿隆重的事。如果我会写诗，我相信写一首关于最后一个洋娃娃的诗一定很不错。但是我不会写诗。我试过，可写出来的东西使我发笑。听上去终不像诗人瓦茨、柯勒律治或莎士比亚写的那样好。谁都取代不了埃米莉的位置，不过我会非常尊重那最后一个洋娃娃，并相信全校的人都会爱它。她们都爱洋娃娃，尽管其中有些大孩子——快满十五岁的那些——自称已经长得太大，不喜欢了”
Captain Crewe had a splitting headache when he read this letter in his bungalow in India. The table before him was heaped with papers and letters which were alarming him and filling him with anxious dread, but he laughed as he had not laughed for weeks.
克鲁上尉在印度那所带凉台的平房里读这封信时，正值头痛欲裂。他面前的桌子上堆满了文件和信札，它们使他惊慌，充满了忧虑和恐惧，但是萨拉的信使他笑了，原来他已经好几星期没笑了。
The birthday was to be celebrated by great festivities. The schoolroom was to be decorated, and there was to be a party. The boxes containing the presents were to be opened with great ceremony, and there was to be a glittering feast spread in Miss Minchin's sacred room. When the day arrived the whole house was in a whirl of excitement. How the morning passed nobody quite knew, because there seemed such preparations to be made. The schoolroom was being decked with garlands of holly; the desks had been moved away, and red covers had been put on the forms which were arrayed round the room against the wall.
萨拉的生日是要大大庆祝一番的，要把教室装饰起来，还要举行次宴会。那些装礼品的匣子要郑重其事地打开，还要在铭钦女士那间神圣的房间里摆出五光十色的宴席。等那天到来了，整座房屋都将给卷人兴奋的旋涡中。没人十分清楚那天早晨是怎么过去的，因为有那么些准备工作要做。教室用冬青花环装饰，课桌都被搬走，条凳上都安上了红套子，靠墙环室摆成一圈。
"Oh," he said, "she's better fun every year she lives. God grant this business may right itself and leave me free to run home and see her. What wouldn't I give to have her little arms round my neck this minute! What WOULDN'T I give!"
“哦”他说“她一年比一年更有趣了。上帝保佑这生意能自行好转起来，好让我有空回国去看望她。我什么都可以不要，只要她的小胳膊此刻搂着我的脖子！我什么都不要”
When Sara went into her sitting room in the morning, she found on the table a small, dumpy package, tied up in a piece of brown paper. She knew it was a present, and she thought she could guess whom it came from. She opened it quite tenderly. It was a square pincushion, made of not quite clean red flannel, and black pins had been stuck carefully into it to form the words, "Menny hapy returns."
早上，萨拉走进她的起坐间，发现桌上有一只鼓鼓囊囊的小包，用一张棕色纸包着。她明白那是件礼物，她想她能猜出它是谁送来的。她十分轻柔地将它打开。原来是一个四方形的针插，用不怎么干净的红色法兰绒做成，上面细心地插着一些黑色的大头针，组成一行字“生日快乐”
But the next moment she was mystified. On the under side of the pincushion was secured a card, bearing in neat letters the name "Miss Amelia Minchin."
可是，一转眼她感到迷惑不解了。针插底面上贴着一张名片，上面有些端端正正的字样“阿米莉亚·铭钦小姐”
"Oh!" cried Sara, with a warm feeling in her heart. "What pains she has taken! I like it so, it -- it makes me feel sorrowful."
“啊”萨拉心中热乎乎地喊道“她费了多少心血啊！我喜欢它，它——它使我感到惭愧”
"Miss Amelia!" she said to herself "How CAN it be!"
“阿米莉亚小姐”她自言自语“那怎么可能”
Sara turned it over and over.
萨拉把它翻过来又翻过去。
And just at that very moment she heard the door being cautiously pushed open and saw Becky peeping round it.
正在这时，她听到房门被人小心地推开，看见贝基在门口探视。
There was an affectionate, happy grin on her face, and she shuffled forward and stood nervously pulling at her fingers.
贝基脸上堆着爱慕、幸福的笑容，她向前挪动双脚，站住了，神情紧张地拉扯着自己的手指。
Becky gave a hysteric but joyful sniff, and her eyes looked quite moist with delight.
贝基发出一声近乎歇斯底里而却是欢欣的鼻息声，高兴得两眼含着泪水。
"Like it?" cried Sara. "You darling Becky, you made it all yourself."
“喜欢”萨拉喊道“亲爱的贝基，全是你自己做的”
"Do yer like it, Miss Sara?" she said. "Do yer?"
“你喜欢吗，萨拉小姐”她说“喜欢吗”
"It ain't nothin' but flannin, an' the flannin ain't new; but I wanted to give yer somethin' an' I made it of nights. I knew yer could PRETEND it was satin with diamond pins in. _I_ tried to when I was makin' it. The card, miss," rather doubtfully; "'t warn't wrong of me to pick it up out o' the dust-bin, was it? Miss 'Meliar had throwed it away. I hadn't no card o' my own, an' I knowed it wouldn't be a proper presink if I didn't pin a card on -- so I pinned Miss 'Meliar's."
“那算不上什么，只不过是法兰绒，那法兰绒又不是新的，可我想送你点儿什么，就连夜把它做了出来。我知道你可以假想它是缎子做的，插着的是一些钻石大头针。我做它的时候也试着这样想。那张名片嘛，小姐”口气显得有点儿迟疑“我从垃圾箱里把它拣出来，那不好算是我的错，是吗？是阿米莉亚小姐扔掉的。我没有自己的名片，我知道如果不附上一张名片，那就不能算是一件正式的礼物― 所以我附上了阿米莉亚小姐的”
Sara flew at her and hugged her. She could not have told herself or anyone else why there was a lump in her throat.
萨拉飞也似地跑过去，紧紧抱住贝基，对自己对别人都说不出为什么喉咙里似乎有块东西梗着。
"Oh, Becky!" she cried out, with a queer little laugh, "I love you, Becky -- I do, I do!"
“噢，贝基”她喊道，不寻常地浅笑了一声“我爱你，贝基——真的，真的”
"Oh, miss!" breathed Becky. "Thank yer, miss, kindly; it ain't good enough for that. The -- the flannin wasn't new."
“噢，小姐”贝基低声说“谢谢你，小姐，衷心谢谢你！作为礼品那不太好。那——那法兰绒不是新的”