13 ONE OF THE POPULACE一个平民-双语名著无障碍阅读丛书——《小公主A Little Princess》

12 ONE OF THE POPUL.ACE THE winter was a wretched one. There were days on which Sara tramped through snow when she went on her errands; there were worse days when the snow melted and combined itself with mud to form slush: there were others when the fog was so thick that the lamps in the street were lighted all day and London looked as it had looked the afternoon. several years ago, when the cab had driven through the thoroughfares with Sara. tucked up on its seat, leaning against her father's shoulder. On such days the windows of the house of the Large Family always looked delightfully cosy{① and alluring, and the study in which the Indian gentleman sat glowed with warmth and rich color. But the attic was dismal② beyond words. There were no longer sunsets or sunrises to look at, and scarcely ever any stars, it seemed to Sara: The clouds hung low over the skylight and were either gray or mudcolor, or dropping heavy rain. At four o'clock in the afternoon, even when there was no special fog, the daylight was at an end. If it was necessary to go to her attic for anything, Sara was obliged to light a candle. The women in the kitchen were depressed, and that made them more il-tempered ③ than ever. Becky was driven like a little slave. ·276· 12 一个平民 这是一个严酷的冬季。萨拉出去办事时,有 的日子里得着积雪;在更糟糕的日子里就得踩 着积雪融化后和泥土混成的泥浆。其他的日子则 是浓雾弥漫,路灯整天亮着,伦教就像几年前的 那天下午一样,当时,一辆马车驶过大街,萨拉 踏坐在座位上,斜靠着父亲的肩膀。在这些日子 里,大家庭住宅的窗户总显得愉快舒适,引人向 往,印度绅士坐着的那个书房,也变得温暖如春 ①cosy /kauzi/a. 舒适的 和色彩绚丽。然而阁楼上却是一片无法用语言形 容的凄凉景象。再也看不到日落或日出,而且萨 拉觉得,也几乎没有什么星星了。云低低地笼罩 ② dismal /dizmol/ a. 阴沉 的,暗的 着天窗,它们是灰色或土色的,有时还下一阵大 雨。即使没有特大的雾,白昼到下午4点也就结 束了。萨拉要是有什么事情必须进阁楼,就得点 上蜡烛。厨房里的女仆们神情沮丧,这使她们的 脾气比以前更坏。使唤贝基就像使唤一名小奴 隶。 ③ ill-empered坏脾气的,性 格火爆的 “要不是有了你,小姐,”一天晚上她悄悄走 ·277· A Cittfe Princess ""Twarn't for you, miss," she said hoarsely{ to Sara one night when she had crept into the attic, "'twarn't for you, an' the Bastille, an' bein' the prisoner in the next cell, I should die. That there does seem real now, doesn't it? The missus is more like the head jailer every day she lives. I can jest see them big keys you say she carries. The cook she's like one of the under-jailers. Tell me some more, please, miss-tell me about the subt'ranean passage we've dug under the walls." "I'll tell you something warmer," shivered Sara. "Get your coverlet and wrap it round you, and I'll get mine, and we will huddle close together on the bed, and I'll tell you about the tropical forest where the Indian gentleman's monkey used to live. When I see him sitting on the table near the window and looking out into the street with that mournful expression, I always feel sure he is thinking about the tropical② forest where he used to swing by his tail from cocoanut{③ trees. I wonder who caught him, and if he left a family behind who had depended on him for cocoanuts." “That is warmer, miss,"said Becky, gratefully, “but, someways, even the Bastille is sort of heatin 'when you gets to tellin' about it." "That is because it makes you think of something else," said Sara. wrapping the coverlet round her until only her small dark face was to be seen looking out of it. "I've noticed this. What you have to do with your mind, when your body is miserable, is to make it think of something else.” "Can you do it,miss?” faltered Becky,regarding④ her with admiring eyes. Sara knitted{her brows a moment. "Sometimes I can and sometimes I can't," she said stoutly. "But .278· 小公主 ① hoarsely /ho:sli/ v. 嘶哑地 进阁楼,声音嘶哑地对萨拉说, “要不是有了 你,巴士底狱和成为隔壁牢房的囚犯,我会死 的。现在这一切好像是真的,不是吗?女主人活 得一天比一天更像看守长了。我就看见她带着你 说的一串大钥匙。厨娘像是小看守。请给我再讲 一点什么吧,小姐一一给我讲讲我们在墙底下挖 的地下通道吧。” “我要给你讲讲暖和一点的东西,”萨拉咚 着说。“把你的床单拿来裹在身上,我也裹上我 的床单。我们在床上挤在一起,我要给你讲讲印 度绅土的猴子曾经生活过的热带森林。每当我雎 见它坐在窗边的桌子上,带着悲哀的表情朝大街 上看时,我总能肯定地感觉到,它在想起以前在 那里常常用尾巴把自已挂在趣子树上的热带森 ② tropical /tropikl/ a. 热带 的 林。我不知道是谁把它抓来的,也不知道它是否 ③ cocoanut /kaukanAt/ n. 概 子 抛下了靠它找来挪子肉为生的家属。” “现在暖和些了,小姐,”贝基感激地说。 “可是不知怎么的,即使你讲巴士底狱的时候也 会感到有点热。” “这是因为它使你想到别的事情,”萨拉说, 一边把床单裹好,直到只有她那黜黑的小脸露在 外面。“我已注意到这一点。你在肉体上感到痛 苦时,你的思想上应该做的是想些别的事情。” “你能这样吗,小姐?”贝基吞吞吐吐地说。 一边用羡慕的目光注视着她。 ④regard /ri'qa:d/ v. 看,观看 萨拉皱了一会儿眉头。 “有时我能,有时不能,”她坚定地说。 “能 knit /nit/v.编织,结合,皱 这样的时候,我就觉得挺好。我相信我们永远都 眉 可以做到这一点,只要有足够的练习。最近我练 .279· A Cittfe Princess when I can I'm all right. And what I believe is that we always could-if we practised enough. I've been practising a good deal lately, and it's beginning to be easier than it used to be. When things are horrible-just horrible-I think as hard as ever I can of being a princess. I say to myself, 'I am a princess, and I am a fairy one, and because I am a fairy① nothing can hurt me or make me uncomfortable.' You don't know how it makes you forget,"-with a laugh She had many opportunities of making her mind think of something else, and many opportunities of proving to herself whether or not she was a princess. But one of the strongest tests she was ever put to came on a certain dreadful② day which, she often thought afterward. would never quite fade out of her memory even in the years to come For several days it had rained continuously; the streets were chilly③ and sloppy and full of dreary④, cold mist; there was mud everywhere- sticky} London mud-and over everything the pall of drizzle^{} and fog. Of course there were several long and tiresome errands to be done-there always were on days like this-and Sara was sent out again and again, until her shabby clothes were damp through{}. The absurd old feathers on her forlorn hat were more draggled} and absurd than ever, and her downtrodden } shoes were so wet that they could not hold any more water. Added to this, she had been deprived of her dinner, because Miss Minchin had chosen to punish her. She was so cold and hungry and tired that her face began to have a pinched^{} look, and now and then some kind-hearted person passing her in the street glanced at her with sudden sympathy. But she did not know that. She hurried on, trying to make her mind think of something else. It was really very necessary. Her way of doing it was to "pretend" and "suppose" with all the strength that was left in her. But really this time it was. harder than she had ever found it, ·280· 小公主 习了好多次,现在开始比过去容易些了。要是情 况糟糕--确实很糟糕的时候,我就照例尽量想 自己是个公主。我想,我是个公主,而且是个 小仙女般的公主。因为我是个小仙女,没有什么 东西能够伤害我或使我不舒服。'你不知道它是 ① fairy /feari/n. 仙女,小精 灵 怎样使你忘掉别的,”她笑着说。 她多次迫使自已想别的事情,多次自我证明 她是不是一位公主。不过她受到过的最严峻的考 验之一是在一个可怕的日子里,这一天--她以 后经常回想起来--甚至在未来的岁月里也决不 会从她的记忆中完全消失。 ②dreadful/'dredful/ a. 可炬 连续下了几天的雨;街道阴冷而泥泞,弥漫 的 着浓密的寒雾;到处都是泥浆一-粘呼呼的伦敦 泥浆--,雨雾笼罩着一切。自然有几次路 ③chilly /tjili/a. 寒冷的 ④dreary /driari/a. 沉问的 又远又累人的差事要干一总是在这样的日子 阴冷的 里一一于是萨拉一再披派出去,直到她襟楼的衣 sticky/stiki/a. 粘的 pall /po:l/n. 笼 衫全都湿透。她那顶可怜帽子上可笑的旧羽毛显 drizzle /'drizV/ n. 细雨 得比以前更航脏可笑,她那穿烂了的鞋子湿得不 能再湿了。此外她还不准吃午餐,因为明钦小姐 through /ru:/ ad. 完全 以此惩罚她。她又冷又饿又累,以致她的脸上开 draggle /draegl/ v. 拖脏. 拖湿 始显出痛苦的神色,街上不时有些好心人从她身 o downtrodden 旁经过,看到她都顿生侧隐之心。可她并不知 /'dauntrodlain/a. 受压迫 的 道。她匆匆走去,设法想些别的事情。这样做真 的很有必要。她的做法是用剩余的全部力量去 “假装”和“想象'。但是这次确实比过去任何时 pinch/pintf/v. 使..困苦 候都更困难,有一两次她简直觉得这样并没有减 少寒冷和饥饿,反而使她更冷更饿了。可她顽强 地坚持下去,当泥水在她的破鞋里咯吱作响,风 似乎要吹走她的单薄的短上衣时,她边走边自言 ·281· A Cittfe Princess and once or twice she thought it almost made her more cold and hungry instead of less so. But she persevered^{} obstinately^{①}, and as the muddy water squelched③ through her broken shoes and the wind seemed trying to drag her thin jacket from her, she talked to herself as she walked. though she did not speak aloud or even move her lips. "Suppose I had dry clothes on," she thought. "Suppose I had good shoes and a long, thick coat and merino ④ stockings and a whole umbrella. And suppose-suppose-just when I was near a baker's where they sold hot buns, I should find sixpence-which belonged to nobody. Suppose, if I did, I should go into the shop and buy six of the hottest buns and eat them all without stopping." Some very odd things happen in this world sometimes. It certainly was an odd thing that happened to Sara. She had to cross the street just when she was saying this to herself. The mud was dreadful-she almost had to wade. She picked her way as carefully as she could, but she could not save{} herself much; only, in picking her way, she had to look down at her feet and the mud, and in looking down-just as she reached the pavement-she saw something shining in the gutter. It was actually a piece of silver-a tiny piece trodden upon by many feet, but still with spirit enough left to shine a little. Not quite a sixpence, but the next thing to it-a fourpenny piece In one second it was in her cold little red-and-blue hand. “Oh,"she gasped,"it is true! It is true!" And then, if you will believe me, she looked straight at the shop directly facing her. And it was a baker's shop, and a cheerful, stout motherly{②} woman with rosy cheeks was putting into the window a tray of delicious newly baked hot buns, fresh from the oven⑧-large, plump, shiny buns, with currants{} in them. ·282· 小公主 自语,虽然她没有大声说,甚至嘴唇也没有动。 ① persevere /.po:si'vio/ v. 不 “假如我穿的是于衣服,”她想。“假如我有 屈不挠,坚持 ② obstinately /obstinitli/ a 一双好鞋,一件厚厚的长大衣,一双长羊毛袜和 固执地,顽固地 一把完好的雨伞。假如一-假如一正当我在一 ③ squelch /skweltf/ v.发出 格格声 家面包店附近时,那里在出售热乎乎的小面包 而我捡到了6便士-一它是不属于任何人的。假 如,我要是真的捡到,就要去这家店铺买6个最 ④merino /mo'ri:nou/ n. - 种羊毛 热的小面包,一口气全吃了。” 这个世界上常常发生一些非常奇怪的事 萨拉偶然碰到的确实是一桩怪事。她正在想 这些事情的时候,必须穿过一条街。污泥多得可 怕--她几乎得着泥水走过去。她尽可能小心 地择路而行,但是对她没有多大帮助;不过在选 择路径时,她不得不向下看着脚和污泥;而在向 下看时-当时她正走到人行道上--,她看见 街沟里有什么东西在闪闪发亮。这真的是一枚银 wade /weid/ v. 跋涉 币--一枚被许多只脚踩踏过,却依旧能够发出 save /seiyv. 解救,救援 一点亮光的小银币。并不是6便士,而是仅次干 它的一枚4便士硬币。 不到一秒钟,这枚硬币就躺在那只冻得有些 发紫的小手里了。 “哦,”她喘着气说。 “这是真的!这是真 的!” 接着,如果你相信我的话,她径直朝对面那 家店铺看去。这是一家面包店,一位快乐、短 胖,脸颊红润,慈母般的女人正把一盘新烤好的 motherly /mAòali/ a. 母亲 美味的热面包放进厨窗,这是刚出炉的小面 的 包--又大又鼓还发着亮光,上面点缀着无核葡 ③oven/Avon/n. 烤炉,烤箱 currant /kAront/ n. 无核 萄干。 葡萄干 心情激动,加上看到小面包,以及面包店地 ·283· A Cittfe Princess It almost made Sara feel faint for a few seconds-the shock, and the sight of the buns, and the delightful odors^{①} of warm bread floating up through the baker's cellar② window. She knew she need not hesitate to use the little piece of money. It had evidently been lying in the mud for some time, and its owner was completely lost in the stream of passing people who crowded and jostled③ each other all day long. "But I'll go and ask the baker woman if she has lost anything," she said to herself, rather faintly. So she crossed the pavement and put her wet. foot on the step, As she did so she saw something that made het stop. It was a little figure more forlorn even than herself-a little figure which was not much more than a bundle of rags, from which small. bare, red muddy feet peeped out, only because the rags which their owner was trying to cover them were not long enough. Above the rags appeared a shock④ head of tangled hair, and a dirty face with big, hollow,hungry eyes. Sara knew they were hungry eyes the moment she saw them, and she felt a sudden sympathy. "This,"she said to herself, with a little sigh, "is one of the populace-and she is hungrier than I am." The child-this "one of the populace"-stared up at Sara, and shuffled herself aside a little, so as to give her room to pass. She was used to being made to give room to everybody. She knew that if a policeman chanced to see her he would tell her to "move on." Sara clutched her little fourpenny piece and hesitated a few seconds. Then she spoke to her. "Are you hungry?" she asked. .284. 小公主 下室窗子中飘出的热面包的诱人香气一一有几秒 钟工夫简直使萨拉晕乎了。 ①odor/auda/n. 气味 ②cellar/sela/n. 地寥,地下 她知道她无需迟疑就能使用这枚小钱。它掉 室 在泥地里显然已有一些时间了,它的主人在整天 熙来攘往匆匆而过的人流中早已完全不知去向。 “可我要去问问这位女面包师,她是不是丢 ③ jostle /d3osl/v. 挤 了什么东西,”她晕晕乎乎地想道。于是她走过 人行道,把一只湿漉漉的脚踏在台阶上,她踏上 去时瞧见什么东西使她停住了脚步 这是比她更为可怜的一个小人儿,只等于一 堆破布的一个小人儿,破布中露出一双小小的赤 脚,红红的,粘满淤泥,因为破布的主人尽管想 把它们遮盖上,可破布不够长。破布上面出现一 个头发蓬乱的脑袋瓜和一张脏脸,脸上有着深陷 的、充满渴望的大眼睛。 萨拉一看就知道这眼睛里是饥饿的神情,顿 ④shock/fok/a 头发蓬乱.的 生怜悯。 hollow /holaua空的.像 山谷深陷的 “这,”她想,一面轻轻叹了口气,“是一个 平民--她比我还饿。” 这个孩子-这“个平民”--瞪视着萨 拉,把身体向一边挪了一点,让出路来给她通 过。她总是习惯于给别人让路。她知道如果一个 警察碰巧看见她,就会叫她“走开。” 萨拉抓住那一枚小小的4便士硬币,迟疑了 几秒钟。而后对她说话了。 “你饿吗?”她问。 这孩子又把她的身体和那堆破布稍微挪了挪 “难道我不饿吗?”她哑声说道,“难道不饿吗?” “你没有吃午饭吗?”萨拉说。 ·285·