6 THE DlAMOND-MINES钻石矿-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《小公主A Little Princess》

6 THE DIAMOND-MINES 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 5 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 school-room;but "diamond- mines'”sounded so like the“Arabian-Nights⑦”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, ·096· 6 钻石矿 此后不久，发生了一件非常激动人心的事 ①entire /in'taia/a.整个的 情。不仅萨拉而且整个学校对此都感到激动，并 把它作为此后几周中的谈话主题。克鲁上尉在一 封信中谈到一个极有趣的事情。他在少年时同校 ②tract /trakt/n,广阔的土 地 的一个朋友出乎意外地到印度来看他。这位朋友 ③diamond/daiamand/n金 是一大片土地的所有人，在这片土地上发现了钻 刚石，钻石 ④develop/di'velap/v.开发 石，他正在忙着开采钻石矿。要是一切都像他满 (土地、矿山、资源等) ③dizzy /'dizil a.使人晕眩的 怀信心地预料的那样，他将拥有使人一想到就会 头晕目眩的财富。因为他喜欢这一位学生时代的 朋友，所以给他一个机会，让他成为这一计划的 合伙人以分享这一笔巨大的财富。萨拉从他的来 magnificent/maeg'nifisnt/ 信中起码知道了这些。其实，其他任何实业计 a.宏伟的 划，不管多么宏伟，对她或对学校几乎都没有什 ⑦Arabian-Nights天方夜谭 ④labyrinthine 么吸引力；可是“钻石矿”听起来那么像“天方 /,laebo'rin0ain,-0in/a. 宫（似）的，曲折的 夜谭”，所以谁也不会漠然置之。萨拉觉得这些 ②bowel /baual/n.内部，深 处 矿很迷人，为厄门加德和洛蒂画了几张地底深处 0stud/stAd/用装饰某 迷宫似的巷道的图画，巷道壁上，屋顶上和天花 物：用…点级某物 板上嵌着闪闪发光的石头，一些奇怪的、皮肤黝 ·097· ALittle Princess 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 existed2. "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." "Perhaps Sara will be so rich that she will be ridiculous,"giggled Jessie. "She's ridiculous without being rich,Lavinia sniffed. “I believe you hate her,”said Jessie. “No,Idon't,”snapped Lavinia.“But I don't believe in mines full of diamonds.” "Well,people have to get them from somewhere,"said Jessie. “Lavinia'”-with a new giggle--“what do you think Gertrude says?” "I don't know,I'm sure;and I don't care if it's something more about that everlasting③Sara.” "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..” “She is too fat,”said Lavinia..“And Sara is too thin.” Naturally,Jessie giggled again. "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." “I suppose she thinks she could be a princess if she was a beggar④，” said Lavinia."Let us begin to call her Your Royal Highness" Lessons for the day were over,and they were sitting before the ·098· 小公主 ①pick /pik/n.鹤嘴锄 黑的人在用笨重的鹤嘴锄把它们挖出来。厄门加 德喜欢这个故事，洛蒂坚持每天晚上要给她再讲 一遍。拉维尼娅对此却十分恼火，告诉杰西说， ②exist /ig'zist/v.存在，有 她不相信有钻石矿这种事情。 “我的妈妈有一只钻石戒指，值40英镑，”她 说。“而且那还不是一颗大的钻石。要是有一些 矿里满是钻石，那么人们就会那么富有，这简直 是荒谬的。” “也许萨拉会富有到荒谬的地步，”杰西格格 笑着说。 “她不富有也很荒谬，”拉维尼娅哼了一声说。 “我觉得你恨她，”杰西说。 “不，我不恨，”拉维尼娅厉声说。“可我不 相信有满是钻石的矿。” “好吧，总得有人从什么地方找到它们，”杰 西说。“拉维尼娅，”一又是格格一笑一“你 ③everlasting 想格特鲁德怎么说？” /eva'la:stin/a.永恒的， 永久的，持续的 “我当然不知道；如果又是关于那个没完没 了的萨拉的什么事，我才不在乎呢。” “好吧，正是关于她的。她的假想之一是她是 一位公主。她一直装作公主一甚至在学校里也 这样。她说这使她的功课学得更好。她要厄门加 德也装成公主，可厄门加德说自己长得太胖了。” “她是太胖，”拉维尼娅说。“萨拉又太瘦。” 杰西自然又格格地笑了。 “她说这跟你的长相，或者你拥有什么没关 ④beggar/'bega/h乞丐，叫 化子 系。它只跟你想些什么和你干些什么有关系。” ⑤Your Loyal Highness殿下 “我猜想她觉得自己如果是个叫花子，也可 以成为公主，”拉维尼娅说。“让我们就开始管 ·099· ALittle Princess school-room 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 5 with scoldings 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. “There she is,with that horrid child！”exclaimed Lavinia,ina 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." It happened that Lottie had been seized with a sudden desire to play in the school-room,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. She was so far away from the school-room 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 100· 小公主 她叫殿下吧。” ①sacred'seikrid/a.神圣的 一天的功课结束了，她们正坐在教室里的炉 ②change hands转手 ③behave oneself使举止规 火前，享受她们最喜爱的一段时光。这也是明钦 矩 小姐和阿米莉亚小姐神圣不可侵犯地在起居室里 ④squabble'skwobl/v.争论， 争吵 喝茶的时刻。这时候她们谈了许多事情，交换大 量秘密，特别是年纪较小的学生表现得好，没有 ③interfere/inta'fia/g干涉， 干预 吵吵嚷嚷地到处乱跑的话，必须承认，她们通常 ⑥shake广cik/n撵走 都是又闹又跑的。在她们大声喊叫的时候，年纪 ⑦put an end to结束 较大的姑娘往往就会进行干涉，呵斥她们，或者 把她们撵走。要求她们遵守秩序，要是她们做不 到，明钦小姐和阿米莉亚小姐就会出现，使欢乐 活动就此结束。就在拉维尼娅说话的时候，门打 开了，萨拉和洛蒂走了进来，洛蒂的习惯是像一 只小狗那样到处跟着她。 ⑧seize /siz/v.抓住 “她来了，还有那个讨厌的孩子”拉维尼娅低 声嚷道。“她要是那么喜欢她，干吗不把她留在 自己屋里呢？不出5分钟她就要为什么事叫起来 了。” 洛蒂碰巧是突然想到教室里玩，并请求她的 ⑨French Revolution法国大 革命 干妈和她一起来。她和一群年纪小的孩子们在 00 harrowing /'hacrauin/a. 起，在一个角落里做游戏。萨拉蜷着身子坐在窗 惨的，痛心的 dungeon'dnd3ant/n地 旁座位上，打开一本书开始阅读。这是一本关于 牢 法国大革命的书，巴土底监狱囚徒们的悲惨情景 很快使她入迷—在地牢里度过那么多年的囚徒 们，当营救他们的人把他们拖出来的时候，那花 白的长发和胡子把他们的脸几乎都盖住了，他们 根本忘记了还有一个外部世界，他们都仿佛是睡 梦中的人。 lose one's temper发脾气 她离教室那么远，所以洛蒂的一声嚎哭还不 能把她从梦幻中拽回来。她觉得最困难的事情莫 过于在专心看书时突然受到打扰而使自己不发脾 ·101· ALittle Princess 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 temptation①to be unreasonable②and snappish③is one not easy to manage. "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." She had to remember things quickly when she laid her book on the window-seat and jumped down from her comfortable corner. Lottie had been sliding across the school-room 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. “Stop this minute,you cry-baby！Stop this minute！”Lavinia commanded. “T'm not a cry-baby-'mnot!”wailed Lottie.“Sara,Sa-ra!" "If she doesn't stop,Miss Minchin will hear her,"cried Jessie. “Lottie darling,I'll give you a penny！" "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. Sara flew across the room and,kneeling down,put her arms round her “Now,Lottie,”she said.“Now,Lottie,you promised®Sara.” “She said I was a cry-baby,”wept Lottie. Sara patted her,but spoke in the steady voice Lottie knew. "But if you cry,you will be one,Lottie pet.You promised." Lottie remembered that she had promised,but she preferred to lift up her voice. ·102· 小公主 气。爱看书的人都知道，在这种时候一阵怒火会 Dtemptation /temp'teifon/ 掠过全身，难免使人失去理智和脾气急躁。 n诱惑 2 unreasonable /An'ri:znabl/ “它使我觉得像有人打我，”萨拉有一次向厄 a.无理性的，不讲理的 门加德吐露秘密。“好像我也要回击。我得赶快 ③snappish /snapi/a.暴躁 的：脾气大的 想起一些事，以免脱口说出一些气话。” 她把书放在窗边座位上，从舒适的角落里跳 confidence /'konfidans/n. 下来的时候，不得不赶快想起一些事情。 秘密 洛蒂在教室的地板上打滚，她发出的噪声先 使拉维尼娅和杰西感到恼火，最后她又跌倒在 ⑤slide/slaid/滑动，滚动 地，胖胖的膝盖受了伤。她在一群朋友和仇人中 间大叫大嚷，暴跳如雷，这些人轮流用好话劝 她和呵斥她。 “马上住嘴，你这个哭死鬼！马上住嘴！”拉 alternate /:l'ta:nit/a. 交替的，轮流的 维尼娅命令她说。 “我不是哭死鬼—我不是！”洛蒂哭着说。 “萨拉，萨一 拉” “要是她不停下，明钦小姐会听见的，”杰西 叫道。“洛蒂亲爱的，我要给你一个便土” “我不要你的便士，”洛蒂抽泣着说；她低头 看看那肥胖的膝头，因为看到有一滴血，便又大 哭起来。 ⑦kneel/mil/u下跪，跪着 萨拉飞奔过教室，跪在地上，用双臂抱住她。 “好啦，洛蒂，”她说，“好啦，洛蒂，你答 ⑧promise /promis/,许诺 应过萨拉的。” “她说我是个哭死鬼，”洛蒂哭着说。 萨拉拍拍她，同时用洛蒂熟悉的那种坚定的 ⑨steady /'stedi/a.坚定的 口气说： 0 prefer/pri'fa:/g.宁可，宁 “你要是哭了，你就是哭死鬼，洛蒂乖乖。 愿 你答应过的。” ·103· ALittle Princess “I haven't any mamma,”she proclaimed.“I haven't-abit-of mamma.” “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?” Lottie cuddled up to her with a consoled sniff. “Come and sit in the window-seat with me,”Sara went on,“and I'll whisper a story to you." “Will you?”whimpered③Lottie..“Will you--tell me-一about the diamond-mines?” “The diamond-mines??”broke out Lavinia..“Nasty,little spoiled thing,I should like to slap her!" 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. “Wel,”she said,with some fire,“I should like to slap you-but I don't want to slap you!”restraining⑤herself..“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." Here was Lavinia's opportunity “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." 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 ·104· 小公主 洛蒂想起自己曾经答应过，可她把嗓门扯得 更高又哭起来了。 “我没有妈妈啦，”她说。“我没有—一点 点一妈妈啦。” Dcuddle /kAdl/拥抱，搂 “不，你有，”萨拉愉快地说。“你忘了吗？ 抱，怀抱 你不知道萨拉是你的妈妈吗？你不要萨拉做你的 ②console/konsoul/,安慰 ③whimper/'h)wimpa/y.抽 妈妈吗？” 噎，啜泣，呜咽 洛蒂偎依着她，宽心地用鼻子吸口气。 “跟我一块到窗边座位去吧，”萨拉接着说， “我要悄悄给你讲个故事。” “是吗？”洛蒂啜泣地说。“你要一给我 get up quickly on one's 讲一钻石矿的故事吗？” feet自己站起来 “钻石矿？”拉维尼娅嚷道。“讨厌，惯坏了 的东西。我真想揍她！” 萨拉很快站起来。必须记住，她原先是被书中 巴士底监狱的故事深深地吸引住了的，当她体会到 得去照顾一下她的干女儿时，曾不得不很快回忆起 几件事。她毕竟不是天使，她也不喜欢拉维尼娅。 ⑤restrain/ris'trein/v.克制 “哼，”她有点生气地说，“我真想揍你 可是我不愿揍你！”她在克制自己。“起码是我 既要揍你—又想揍你 —可是我不会揍你。我 opportunity /op'tju:niti/ 们都不是街头流浪儿。我们俩的年纪都大得足以 n机会 明白事理了。” fashionable /fafanobl/a. 时髦的：流行的 这时拉维尼娅的机会来了。 “啊，是的，殿下，”她说。“我想我们都是 公主。至少我们中间有一个人是。这个学校现在 应该非常时髦了，因为明钦小姐有一位学生是公 主。” 萨拉开始朝她走去。她看上去像要打她耳 光。也许她是想这么做。她假想一些事情的癖好 ·105·